The Champion

Hardships In The Cave

    *this has been edited, enjoy!*

   The months went on in the large cave, winter had come and gone. Light poured in and melting snows turned to waterfalls in the damp cave. "This is nice! The water feels SO good!" Aaron said, enjoying the water. He rolled and swam in the puddles. Aaron's training had gone well and he had grown large over the months. He had to fight the red once or twice, but hadn't seen him so far this spring. Aaron splashed and played in the water, losing track of time.
Tap. Tap. Tap...he heard. It was a calming noise...
Tap. Tap... Tap. Tap... Tap. Tap...
Aaron was curious and left the water, walking towards the noise. The noise was getting louder. BOOM! Up ahead was dust and dirt. Aaron walked quickly towards the mess until he heard a deep voice "Up ahead is the nest! We make this as quickly as possible...catch as many as you can!"
'Dwarves!' Aaron thought. He turned and started running to the egg shelf to warn the others when the red barreled him over. "Where are you going, Champion?" the red sneered. "Get off of me! There are dwarves in the cave!" Aaron snarled. "I know, I was the one who let them in!" the red laughed. Aaron looked into the red's eyes and spewed red hot fire into his face. The red backed off, more in surprise than pain. "Just wait until father hears of this! You'll be sorry!" Aaron yelled before turning to run to the shelf.
"DWARVES!" Aaron yelled, waking up his mother. "What?" his mother huffed in alarm. "Dwarves near the waterfall!" he exclaimed. Sasha's eyes filled with dread. "Aaron, get your sisters out of here! Take them far and find a cave! I want you all to grow into the beautiful dragons I know you are!" his mother ordered. Emerald's eyes started to water "I don't want to go!" she cried. "You must! All of you must!" Sasha told them curtly. Sasha put her head down, allowing Aaron and Azura to climb on her back. "There is a shaft above you; it leads to the upper world!" She told them as she raised her head high so that they could climb higher.
"Emerald! Come on!" Azura yelled to her sister. "No! I don't want to!" Emerald yelled back defiantly. A spear clicked the ground next to Emerald, making her jump. "Emerald...COME ON!" Aaron and Auzra yelled together. "NO!" she screamed, wrapping around Sasha's legs. Sasha, afraid for her daughter, picked her up with her mouth and forced her into the shaft. Aaron and Auzra had to hold Emerald back to keep her from jumping back down. Spears and arrows were flying in the now brightly lit cave. Aaron could no longer bear watching his mother trying to dodge them. He turned away "We should go." He told his sisters. "What about Mom?" Emerald asked, still crying. "We'll come back...but right now we need to go like she told us to!" he said.
Azura nudged Emerald, prompting her ahead of her up the wall. Aaron put his head down, angry with himself for not doing more...until he heard something. Clink. Clink. Aaron's head shot up...looking behind him he saw a dwarf climbing the shaft! "RUN!! I'll hold them off!" Aaron shouted at the others. Azura hurried her sister up the wall and onto the final ledge. Aaron turned and faced the large, hairy dwarf. "There you are, you little blighter!" the dwarf snarled.
Aaron noticed the dwarf was along the edge, holding the wall to steady himself. He knew what he had to do. Azura watched in horror as the dwarf raised his axe. "Aaron, look out!" she shouted, jumping from her ledge and gripping the dwarf's arm so that he dropped the axe. Aaron took this opportunity to attack, breathing fire onto the dwarf's fur clothing. The dwarf lost his balance, falling back into the shaft as Auzra released him, knocking the other dwarves climbing the shaft back into the hole. Aaron watched as the dwarves fell into their mother's path as she struck them away. The dwarves struck the wall and fell into a heap, lying motionless.
Aaron turned to Azura "Thanks!" he said. "No problem, you would have done it for me!" she replied, turning back to the wall.
When they finally got over the ledge they found Emerald lying down with her claw over her snout. Emerald lifted her head, her eyes full of worry "You're not hurt, are you?" she asked. "Not that I'm aware of." He said. "What now?" Azura asked. 'What now indeed?' Aaron thought. "We need to rest for a while...see if any others make it out." He replied worriedly. "What if the dwarves come up the shaft again?" Emerald asked. "I'll stand guard and if they return then I will fight them...but for now you both need rest." He told her, assuringly. "Very well, brother." Azura said, curling up next to Emerald. Exhausted, they both fell asleep.

Aaron looked for a good lookout position, finding a stalagmite that would do on the small ledge he wrapped himself around it and watched through the night. When the dragons awoke the sun was high in the sky. "Did you get any dreams from mother?" Azura asked Emerald as she stretched. "No." she replied sadly. "She's dead." Azura replied. "Don't you say that!" Emerald snapped, "Perhaps she just flew away from the cave, did you think of that?" Aaron didn't wait for Azura's response. "We should head down the mountain to the fields, we need to hunt" he said. "But that's a two day hike!!" Emerald complained. Azura nodded; "It's going to storm soon." She said, gesturing to the dark clouds. "Then we'll take a break when the storm hits but we need to be down the mountain a ways." Aaron said. "I found a few mice while on watch...there's enough for about two each." Stomachs rumbling, the girls were pleased with the snack. "Can we eat one now and save one for later?" Azura asked. Aaron shrugged "If that's what you want."
When Aaron returned with the mice the girls were laying down chatting. Aaron gave them each a mouse and saved his for later, waiting for them to finish so they could begin down the mountain. Halfway down the mountain they took shelter under a large out jutted rock. "The storm could hit any minute!" Azura said. Aaron remembered the storms in the cave with mother and how the cave used to slightly flood to make one giant pool of water, halfway up the shelf. Aaron was snapped out of his daydream by a loud clap of thunder. "What in the cave lights was that?" Aaron said, shrinking down. "I think that was thunder, remember the dreams from mother?" Azura asked. "I-I think so..." Aaron stammered.

Soon later it started to downpour. Aaron extended his head out and stuck out his tongue, catching the water. "Mmmmm...Emerald, Azura...you should try this!" Aaron told them. Emerald looked at her sister for a response. "No" Azura said, still enjoying her mouse from earlier. "Oh, come on! It's good!" Aaron pushed. "Oh fine!" Azura said, walking to the edge of the rock. Emerald followed. They tasted the water, sticking their tongue out and tasting the water. Azura and Emerald were both amazed, it DID taste good!
Later they made it the rest of the way down the mountain and onto the grassy woodlands. "We need some food!" Aaron said as soon as he was used to the grass under his feet. "We also need rest, Aaron" Azura said. "Fine, but we sleep in the trees." Aaron replied. Aaron and the two under dragons found three trees close to each other and went to sleep. Aaron stayed awake for a while, scouting the area to make sure they were safe for now.
Dawn came quicker than Aaron had anticipated and there was a new scent in the air. Horse. Aaron thought. Azura must have smelled it, too, because she was already picking up tracks. Emerald was stretching in her tree. Aaron had hopped down and was following Azura. They waited for Emerald to catch up and they all followed the scent for hours, finding a corral made of chopped logs in the middle of a field with horses gathered around it.
"I'll flank right. Azura, you go left...Emerald...you stay here. Ready...GO!" he told them. "I don't like this." Azura told him. "It's fine!" Aaron rolled his eyes and went right. Azura darted left, reluctantly. The plan was going perfect until they got near the corral...when the horses caught their scent and went into mass panic. One horse started kicking left and right, alerting the elves that had been riding them earlier. "Something is spooking the horses...Tonaik, go find out!" the lead elf ordered. Almost immediately the elf appeared and saw Azura, yelling back to the others "Dragons! Grab the spears!" while running for his weapon.
Aaron and Azura ran the same way, meeting up with Emerald. "What did you DO?" Emerald asked. "Nothing this time!" Aaron replied. The young dragons dodged many spears but were separated. Emerald ran right, Azura ran left and Aaron ran into the woods. Azura ran hard but the elves ran harder. Azura tried to climb a tree to get away but one of the elves grabbed her, stuffing her into a bag and quickly tying it. Emerald ran into the rocks, jumping from ledge to ledge, eventually pinning her into a crevasse. Emerald turned and gave a roar of defiance...she tried to blow fire but not before she was captured and muzzled. Aaron, hearing Emerald's roar, knew he was the only one left...and he ran. The elves gradually gaining on him, throwing spears, Aaron turned to fight...but it was too late. A net was over his head mid-turn.
'I'm sorry mother!!' Was his last thought before the lights went out.

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And I will see you in the next chapter. Bye!!