Rise of the Scaled Ones

Prologue

Figures lurked in the shadows, spears and swords in hand. They were waiting for the right moment, the moment when their hated enemy would emerge from its cave in the mountainside. They would slay the beast outside its own home and finally, finally the reign or the dragons would end. No longer would their villages be burnt to the ground by dragonfire, no longer would their women and children perish at the bloodied claws of the beast. Yes, justice would be served tonight.

A deep rumble echoed the forest and the soldiers tensed, weapons ready. They heard the beast drag its dagger-sharp talons across the stone ground and inhale deeply. It knew they were there and it knew they were hunting it, yet based on the way it lumbered around it's cave, carelessly making all the noise it wanted, it was not afraid.

Slowly, the troop inched forward under the branches and over the mess of fallen leaves and sticks to where they waited by the mouth of the dark cave. They could hear the beast breathing now. It seemed so close!

"I'm going in," the troop leader announced, "Cover me." His boots clicked against the stone as he made his way into the dark maw. He traced a finger over the deep gouges in the wall. He could almost hear the dragon laugh. He readied his sword and held it in front of him. The hand that held his torch shook and suddenly, this seemed like a very bad idea, but he physically shook his head, clearing those thoughts from his mind. They were here to kill the beast. By dawn, there would be no more dragons left to plague the Mountain village.

Deeming it safe for the time being, the leader whistled to his troops and the tap-tap of their boots filled the eerily silent cave.

"Follow." He commanded, waving his torch and trudging deeper into the depth. He knew the dragon was in this cave, somewhere, watching them. There was only one way in and out of the cave, and that one way was currently being tightly guarded by the King's personal knights. The leader chuckled dryly. Even the king wanted this creature slayed.

Suddenly, a shadow danced across the wall of the cave. It was huge and shaped like a bulky lizard, and it was except for the strong wings mounted on it's back, perfectly capable of flight. It raced down further into the darkness where the torch light couldn't reach it.

"Come, men! After the beast!" He bellowed, racing after the creature. They rounded a corner and entered a dig-out in the cave. Fresh marking form the dragon's claws littered the ground. Bones from other animals, deer, bear, and boar sat neatly in a pile. A pile that was moving.

The leader brandished his sword while a soldier to his left drew his bow. The bone pile was incredibly small for a dragon. A hatchling perhaps?

No. Not a hatchling, but a human. The man was naked and covered in scars, and he stared at them with wide eyes.

"Who are you," the leader snapped. The man flinched and drew back into the bones. The Commander repeated his question, this time stepping forward and pointing the tip of his sword at the man. "Where is the dragon!"

Suddenly, scales rippled across his body, horns burst from his skull, and fangs filled the man's mouth. A strong tail whipped behind him and then, instead of the cowering man that was before them not even a minute ago was replaced with a hissing and growling beast. It was like a scene from a nightmare.

The dragon lunged forward and blocked the entrance, keeping any man from leaving. It hissed and leaned closer, studying every one of them. It's large, pearly white fangs inches away from biting their heads off. A wicked, feral dragon grin seemed to spread across it's face before its maw opened wide. The terrified cries of his men were the last things the Commander ever heard before the dragon blew his fire upon them. 

A/N: Hi, guys! Yeah, I know it has been forever since I've last updated or done anything really on Wattled, but I'm back! This is a new, original story that has been stuck in my head for a number of weeks now, and thanks to spring break, I can now share this story with all of you! 

As a quick warning, there will be some language in this story (just a small nearly-but-not-really harmless bit), suggestive content if you squint, and whole lot of drama! Beware! I plan to have at least half of this story posted by the end of spring break, so bear with me. Please report and misspellings or grammar issues, thanks! PS; I will have a cover soon!

~ Alex