The Chosen One- Book One (Editing)

Chapter 18- Grimers

Silverfang swiped at a low vine as she walked through the swamp. She hadn't told anyone about the dream yet. Silverfang didn't know why, but she knew that the dream was not the work of the Dark One. The dragon suddenly stopped, leaped into a tree, and began to climb. "About a hundred yards until the fields," she yelled down. Icetail nodded and Silverfang glided off the branch. Landing lightly on the ground, Silverfang took her place at the end of the group. She pulled Serpentis out of her bag. Annoyed, Serpentis gave her a look and leaped back into its pocket. Silverfang rolled her eyes, picked up a muddy branch from the ground, and wrapped it to her pack with a length of vine. Suddenly, she picked up a vile stench. "Augh, what is that?" Scorchtail complained. "Smells like grimers." Icetail responded. "This isn't good. We probably attracted them with our scent. Grimers are these cat-like animals. They have razor-sharp claws, long fangs, and their pelts are as black as night. They have leathery black wings, but they can only glide with them. Grimers are vicious animals, covered in sharp fur. They like to charge through trees, which explains why they're usually covered in leaves and branches. They also smell horrid, which is why they're called grimers." A vicious roar came from the undergrowth, seemingly from every direction, along with a horrendous scent. Silverfang dove into a large clump of leaves and sticks, looking through an opening. A pack of vicious animals charged through the bushes, one even headbutting a tree trunk. They lifted their snouts, sniffing vigorously. The creatures snorted, saliva dripping from their jaws. One of them eyed Silverfang's hiding place, then snorted to another. They surrounded the bush, snarling and spitting. A rustle came from the trees above, and all of them looked up suddenly. A bolt of electricity fried one of the creatures, but it shook its snout and stood again without any sign of injury. A blast of freezing cold air froze a few grimers solid, but they started struggling inside the ice, which soon broke.

Silverfang used her psychic skills, lifting one of the grimers and smashing it against the ground repeatedly. The creature's eyes rolled to the back of its head, but there were still several more. Silverfang had already given up her hiding spot, leaping out when one of them came too close and raking her claws down its throat. The grimer snarled and Silverfang saw a blue liquid running over the scratches and fur growing over it. In that short time of distraction, she had clawed her way up a tree and perched on one of its branches. She formed a dark sphere of black energy, throwing it at one of the grimers. The orb hit the creature in the chest, throwing it backwards toward a tree. Venomwing was on a branch close to her, controlling plants to wrap around the grimers' claws. Silverfang concentrated, turning one of her foreclaws into metal. She swooped down while they were distracted, raking her metal claw across one of the creatures' eyes. The grimer let out an earsplitting cry as it died, and collapsed to the ground. Silverfang glided directly to another branch. Her mana was running low, but she concentrated for one last move. Venomwing raised several plants from the ground, sleep powder flying out of them. Soon, all of the grimers had collapsed. Silverfang concentrated until she had turned into a ghost-like form of herself. Then, she swept down and possessed one of the animals. She searched for the creature's heart and killed it with a blow from the inside. Once the creature was dead, Silverfang exited the creature's body. She rolled for a few feet on the swamp floor. From behind, a grimer snarled, and Silverfang barely had time to turn before the creature raked its razor-sharp claws down her flank. She tried to ignore the burning pain, struggling to her feet and slamming herself into the creature. A clatter fell beside her, and through the corner of her eye she saw the HoloMap. Silverfang grabbed it, protecting the thin tablet. She booted it up, keeping her eye on the remaining grimers. "Come on, hurry up," she whispered. Pressing a claw to the screen, the dragon sent a bolt of electricity through to the machine, which sped up and turned on. Quickly, Silverfang tapped a series of commands into the machine, and the back of it slid open to reveal a small, golden case. Silverfang limped over to the nearest tree and dropped the tablet, keeping the case with her.