Ales' attacker pinned him to the ground, overpowering his frantic struggles to get at the dragon. Ales was about to try and wrap his arm around his back to get at his enemy when the mysterious figure spoke.
"Shut up!" hissed his attacker. "Shut up or you will get us both killed! Lie here quietly, and hope that he didn't hear you making a fool of yourself."
Surprised by the fear in the attacker's voice, as well as the fact that it sounded like a boy only slightly older than himself, Ales relaxed and went limp. While all this had been happening, the dragon had been tearing the house and tool shed apart, apparently searching for a hidden trapdoor or cellar. Now it turned and let out a furious roar, a sound so terrible Ales though the beast might hear his heart beating with fear. Then, the monster crouched and with a bound, leapt into the air. Ales squinted against the dust thrown up by the massive wings, while the fire leaped higher, thrown into sinister looking shapes by the wind. Then it was gone, the only sound being the rumbling of thunder and crackle of flames. Ales' attacker rolled off him and flopped in the dirt, exhaling a long sigh of relief. As soon as he could move, Ales scrambled up and ran to where his mother had died. She lay as she had fallen, her arms folded over the terrible wound in her chest, her fiery red hair surrounding her head like a halo, a proud yet peaceful expression on her face. As Ales looked down on her, she looked like a queen, proud and beautiful. He let out a sob, and the storm above broke.
Ales buried his mother beneath the sky, in the clearing where she had always loved to lay and look at the stars. The rain had made the ground soft and easy to dig, and one of the shovels had not been completely destroyed. On top of the grave, he had laid a great stone, one that he had found in the woods. Someday, he would come back and build a great monument there for her. The whole time he did this, the strange attacker had not left. He had not bothered Ales, or helped with the grave, somehow sensing this was something Ales needed to do on his own. Now he approached, his hood lowered, his footfalls making no noise, and his face in shadow. As Ales stood at the grave, the stranger came up beside him.
"She was your mother?"
Once again Ales was surprised by the youthfulness of the voice. Not trusting himself to answer, he simply nodded.
"I am sorry for your loss"
Again, Ales had no answer but to nod.
"I can tell that you are devastated, but right now you need sleep. Come, I have built a shelter. It's not much, but it will keep you dry.
Ales looked at him dully, not understanding. Sleep? His mother was gone. Why would sleep matter? Didn't this stranger understand? His mother was gone. Nothing mattered anymore.
The stranger put his arm around Ales and guided him slowly toward a kind of lean-to. It was built facing away from the wind, and was relatively dry. The stranger gently pushed Ales down inside, and covered him with what looked like a horse blanket.
"Sleep now. We'll talk in the morning."
Ales looked up. He wasn't sure about this stranger with his face cloaked in shadow.
"You won't try and kill me in my sleep will you?" Ales wasn't quite sure why he said that, he just felt like he needed to know.
The stranger laughed gently and removed his hood, revealing a boy of around sixteen with blond hair and bright eyes. "Sleep. I am no enemy of yours." With that, the boy turned and strode off. Ales attempted to stay awake and figure out what was happening, but his eyes closed, and he fell into a dark and troubled sleep.
.
