League of Improbable Riders

5

Kanah snuck through Dragomare Forest, just outside his home village of Leanon; spear in hand and his younger twin sister, Keera, close behind.

They were Commoners, and since it was their fourteenth birthday they each had to kill a dragon to be considered adults. They were given a month where they were allowed to go home for supplies but the village wouldn't acknowledge them; if they still hadn't killed one after the month was up, they were either dead or excluded from the village.

Kanah was confident that they would find one; they had been combat training from birth, while most people only started when they turned ten. That was one of the advantages of their father being a close companion to the Chief.

"With any luck," Kanah began in a whisper, "we'll all be feasting on dragon steaks before the day is out!" He wasn't joking.

A loud clang and a roar rang out suddenly. "That way!" Kanah and Keera cried at the same time as they pointed in two different directions.

Keera looked puzzled. "What—" but Kanah cut her off.

"You search that way," he commanded. "And I'll go this way."

Keera nodded, her green eyes glinting, and ran off.

Kanah snuck through the woods as a slight breeze tousled his blond hair and waved through the leaves.

Finally, after a few minutes he slipped behind a tree, peered around, and saw a wild Cinder Blaster; its wing held in the cruel jaws of a trap.

Kanah's breathing quickened and he tightened his grip on the spear, debating on what to do: the beast was trapped; yes, and killing a trapped beast was cowardly, but only its wing was pinned, so it could still fight. In that case, killing it wasn't cowardly. But still, it would be more impressive if he released it before he killed it.

Oh well, he thought with a shrug, I'd rather be not-so-impressive than dead.

Kanah stepped around the tree on high alert, and ducked as the dragon shot at him. The entire tree behind him collapsed in a pile of glowing embers and he gulped nervously.

With a jump and a roll he dodged another plasma blast and got a little nearer to the deadly animal, badly wanting to throw his spear, but he knew the dragon would blow it out of the air and then he would be defenceless. No. He had to get close enough to somehow plunge the spear into the enormous black body.

Suddenly deciding on a plan, he lunged forward, dodging another blast, and at the same time he snatched a stick off of the leaf-strewn ground and threw it at the beast. And then, as the dragon was distracted with the 'spear', dashed forward, leapt onto its back, and held on for dear life as the enraged animal struggled desperately to throw him off.

An electric tingle ran through his body as he made contact with the feral creature.

Ignoring it, he clutched a spike in one hand and his spear in another, before plunging the end of his weapon between two scales and deep into the dragon's hide.

For some reason, the dragon's agonized roar cut him to the heart, and, not thinking, he yanked the spear out of the beast's flesh and was immediately thrown to the ground; knocked off by its desperate jerks.

Kanah landed hard and the jolt woke him up. What am I thinking? he snarled at himself. It's an animal, for crying out loud! I should've killed it while I had the chance. He struggled to his feet and gritted his teeth as he adjusted his grip on his weapon, readying himself for the killing lunge.

As he approached the great creature it just sat, looking at him calmly but still with a hint of pained rage in its eyes, and it occurred to him to wonder why he was still alive: he had been helpless when it threw him off. With one shot of its plasma, the dragon's enemy would have been a small pile of cinders. Why hadn't it fired?

Kanah brushed the thought from his mind and raised the spear. It; or me, he told himself stubbornly.

But then the dragon gave him an almost crafty look and it shifted slightly, causing sunlight from a break in the trees to filter down and hit its scales.

Kanah's eyes widened in shock. The Cinder Blaster is—green! he thought in confusion.

He looked the dragon in the eye and it winked, moments before it flicked its tail around and slammed him in the gut.