Soar

Chapter 9

The cold woke me. I gasped, instantly awake. Runedan had covered me with his wing in the night, but he had just moved it.

"Good morning," the dragon rattled, his eyes bright.

"Is it?" I started to move and was reminded of my sore, stiff body. "I hurt all over," I groaned, collapsing against Runedan's leg.

"But you are alive."

Ignoring his taunting, I glanced around. The trees were almost bare of leaves. Everything sparkled with frost and a fresh dusting of snow. There were no signs of any other living creatures – any sensible animal would avoid a dragon. My growling stomach wished some were not so sensible.

Runedan lunged to his feet, nearly crushing me first and then leaving me with nothing to lean against. I ended up on my back, staring up at a hazy blue sky until Runedan's head came into view. His breath hung in the air like smoke.

"You could have warned me before you did that," I said.

"I am a free beast and should not be expected to wait for your approval," he returned archly. "Get up. I am as injured as you and twice as hungry."

Before I was on my feet he was off, shuffling stiffly through the trees.

"Shall we hunt?" he called over his shoulder.

My stomach grumbled again. "Yes, please."

Neither of us was certain how we would manage to catch anything to eat, and neither cared to discuss it. We walked in silence, watching for any signs of life besides birds. There was not so much as a squirrel or a rabbit to be seen, and it would take more than that to feed Runedan.

For most of the next three days we walked; a walk was all we could manage. I briefly worried about anyone following us. No one could miss the wreckage from Runedan's fall, and his prints were plain in the leaves and snow. Soon, however, my concern returned to my stomach.

We crossed several streams and always drank our fill. This helped disguise the hunger, at least, and allowed me a chance to wash my aching hands.

By evening of the third day, we had still found nothing to eat except for a few withered berries. Runedan was in another foul mood. I kept silent. He was bound to respond harshly to whatever I thought to say. We only stopped when it was too dark for me to see and I was stumbling over my own feet. As soon as Runedan lay down, I collapsed next to him, longing for sleep to help me forget the tight pain in my stomach.

Even sleep provided no comfort. In one dream, I was crawling through the snow, near dead. Runedan ended up eating me.

I woke with a start. All around was warm and dark, and for a moment I feared I had truly been swallowed whole. Then I realized I was under Runedan's wing. Suffocated by the warmth, I scrambled for a way out.

Runedan grunted when I bumped his leg, but he did not wake. Finally I found the edge of his wing and nudged it aside.

The cold was another shock, though the fresh air was a relief. Sitting up, I studied the stars. The sky was beginning to brighten ahead and to my right: east.

I had not paid much attention to direction before. Now my eyes sought out what constellations I knew, which were few. The sun rose and I named the four directions absently: east, south, west, north.

West. Something about the west....

Runedan stirred. I looked back to find him studying me through half-closed eyes. "What are you doing?"

"It was too warm," I said.

"You are shivering."

Only then did I realize I was hugging myself. "I could barely breathe under there."