Short Stories From Kori and Dargon, Volume 1

Predator and Prey (Ch 4)

"Kori, stop." Dargon was sniffing the air. "You smell that too, right?"
"Yeah, smells like deer."
Dargon nodded, and they both crouched low to the ground, tracking the scent.

Dargon saw the small herd first. A buck, three does, and a fawn. "Kori," he whispered. "Look."
She saw them almost immediately. "I'll circle around and wait. You scare them towards me."
He nodded and watched her circle around the clearing, her white scales blending, almost becoming one with the snow. She froze as a twig snapped. The deer all looked up, trying to see where the sound had come from.
Slowly, Kori continued her crawl to the other side of the clearing. Dargon could only see her blue eyes, staring right at him. All he needed now was the signal to burst out.
After what seemed like an eternity, she nodded.
Dargon took a step forward, but then the ground started trembling. The deer scattered with no hesitation. Kori dove for one of the fat does and caught its head in her jaws.
Dargon watched in abstract horror as the enormous wurm burst through the frozen ground. "Wurm!"
Kori dropped the deer, realizing the severity of the situation.
"Kori, run!"
Kori shot towards him, narrowly avoiding the massive wurm's jaws.
"Follow me!" He dashed towards his previous dwellings.
'If it follows us, then we'll be trapped, but it won't hurt the flock.'
The trees crashing behind him made his heart race. He had dealt with wurms before, but not any of this size.
He grabbed Kori and rolled out of its path, into his cave he had abandoned days ago.
Kori was petrified.
"Get to the back of the cave!"
She remained rooted to the spot.
"Kori, come on!"
She stood there, looking down, panting hard.
Dargon knew she was in shock. He took her under his wing and brought her to the back of the cave. "Shh, it's okay..."
The wurm had doubled back by now, and was now in front of the entrance, cramming its jaw into the narrow opening. It wouldn't be able to reach them, but Dargon could smell its rancid breath.
"I'm going to die here, alone, a freak," muttered Kori, hysterically.
"Kori, we're safe here. Help is coming."
"No it's not," she cried out, and then she burst into tears.
Dargon's instincts took over, and he kissed her.
She looked into his eyes. Looking back into hers, Dargon saw pain, confusion, and a faint glimpse of understanding.
"We'll find a way to make this work. We have to."