Chapter Nineteen - Ava
The night air felt thick with tension as we navigated the Dark Forest, my heart racing with anticipation. The moonlight filtered through the canopy, casting silver rays that danced among the shadows. This was supposed to be our sanctuary, a place where Arin and I could practice our magic away from the prying eyes of the kingdom. Yet, something felt amiss, a tingling sense of dread creeping up my spine.
"Do you think we'll ever be able to find a way to coexist with humans?" I asked, trying to keep my tone light, but anxiety crept into my words.
Arin, with his brilliant golden scales shimmering like sunlit treasure, soared effortlessly above me. "I hope so, Ava. But it will take time. Trust me, we can be more than what they fear," he replied, his voice a balm to my troubled thoughts.
But even as he spoke, the air grew still, heavy with unspoken danger. I could feel it in my bones, a warning that gnawed at the edges of my consciousness.
Suddenly, the quiet of the forest shattered. The sharp whistling of an arrow sliced through the night air, piercing the calm like a knife. My heart dropped as I turned to see the projectile strike Arin, burying itself deep in his shoulder.
"Arin!" Panic surged through me as I rushed to his side, dread flooding my veins. He faltered mid-flight, his majestic wings flapping wildly as he plummeted to the ground. I couldn't let him fall. I sprinted toward him, fear clawing at my insides.
The forest floor was splattered with blood, its metallic scent thick in the damp night air. Arin's once-proud wings lay broken and twisted beneath him, scales sticking to the blood-soaked earth, their pristine silver now dark and matted. His scales, usually radiant with a golden glow, were streaked with deep crimson, the color too vivid, too jarring against the natural greens and browns of the forest and his golden scales. Every breath he drew seemed labored, rattling in his chest, and each exhale sent a spray of blood from his mouth, staining his teeth and lips.
The arrow jutted from his shoulder, its shaft snapped and slick, the wound around it swollen and pulsing as his blood seeped steadily into the ground. His once-bright golden eyes, now dulled by pain, glanced at me, his gaze flickering between anguish and regret. It was as if the forest itself held its breath, silent witnesses to this grim scene, the only sounds a sickening drip of blood mingling with the soft rustling of leaves above us.
"Ava," he groaned as I reached him, his golden eyes widening with shock and pain. The arrow protruded from his shoulder, dark feathers stained with his vibrant blood. I felt my lunch rise in my throat at the sight.
"Hold on, please!" I pleaded, my claws trembling as I knelt beside him. I had always thought of Arin as more than just a friend; he was my protector, my confidant. I couldn't abandon him now.
"Get away! It's not safe!" His voice was strained, urgency weaving through his words. "You have to go!"
"No, I'm not leaving you!" My resolve strengthened, even as the chaos around us escalated. The sounds of footsteps and shouts echoed through the trees, drawing closer.
"Listen to me, Ava!" he insisted, pain lacing his voice. "They'll come for you! I won't let them take you!"
The ground trembled beneath us as I sensed the danger closing in. I could see the flickering shadows of our attackers moving through the trees, and dread clenched my heart. "I won't leave you behind!"
In an act of desperation, Arin summoned his magic, the air shimmering around us as he focused all his energy. "I'm opening a portal! You have to jump through it! Now!"
My heart sank at the sight of the swirling vortex forming beneath me. The shimmering light beckoned, promising safety but tearing me away from him. "No! Arin, don't!"
"Ava!" he roared, his voice shaking the very leaves around us. "Jump! I can't hold this much longer! You're the only one who can survive this!"
Tears blurred my vision as I watched him struggle. I could feel the agony radiating from him, but I couldn't abandon him. I shook my head vehemently, fighting the pull of the portal. "I can't leave you!"
But just then, the ground erupted in chaos as arrows rained down around us. I knew the danger was too real, too immediate. I hesitated for just a moment, and that was all it took.
"Go! Now!" he screamed, and I saw the desperation etched on his face. The flickering shadows of our attackers drew nearer, and I knew he was right.
Tears streamed down my face as I stepped back, feeling the vortex pulling me closer, wrapping me in its warmth. "Arin, I can't leave you! Please!"
But he was adamant, determination burning in his golden eyes. "You have to go! I'll find you! I promise!"
With one last sob, I finally turned to the portal. I could feel the energy enveloping me, but as I leaped forward, I glanced back just in time to see Arin's final moments.
When Asher appeared, his arrival was swift, silent, like death itself. His silver eyes were cold, devoid of hesitation, and his blade gleamed with lethal intent. I saw the moment his grip tightened, the way his arm steadied before he drove the sword deep into Arin's throat. The steel sliced through scales and muscle with sickening ease, a wet, tearing sound filling the air as the blade plunged into flesh.
Arin's dragon fell, his claws digging into the soil, tearing it up in his death throes. His golden eyes widened in shock and agony, a faint glimmer of defiance as he tried to speak, tried to reach out to me one last time. But the light in his eyes dimmed, fading like a candle snuffed out, leaving only a hollow, empty stare. Blood bubbled from his wound, spilling over his chest and pooling around him, soaking into the forest floor as if the earth itself mourned his fall.
And in that moment, all I could do was scream his name as I fell through the portal, knowing I had lost everything and the one person I cared for most left in the blink of an eye.
----------------------------------------------------
Ah, how I love to torture my lovely ocs. :)
200 total reads for the next chapter (or let's get thirty votes total)
Don't forget to comment, vote and follow!
~𝕄𝕠𝕠𝕟𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥✨
----------------------------------------------------
YOU ARE READING
𝒜 ℋℯ𝒶𝓇𝓉 ℴ𝒻 𝒮𝒸𝒶𝓁ℯ𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒮𝓉ℯℯ𝓁
Fantasy"You kept all these secrets from me...I trusted you, Ava." he says as he took a step closer. "Was it all a lie...?" "It was better for the both of us..." I said, my voice calm and cold. "You should go before I kill you, like I did to your father." A...
