Desert Wings

Hunted

When the sun had peaked the tree line it found me almost at the mountains. As it set I was beside the foot hills, then two days later, I reached the actual base of the mountain, stopping for the night in a towering oak tree. The next day I set out to start climbing the mountain, my previously light bag began to feel as though it was full of bricks. About half way through the day I had only traveled a relatively short distance yet felt exhausted. I was barley able to scale a small tree to sleep in that night.
After a week the summit of the mountain came into view, on the last day I couldn't fly easily with the near vertical slope so I was forced to climb my way up the mountain. I scrambled up boulders and heaved myself onto ledges before the terrain leveled off enough for me to hike again.
That night I camped near the mountain top, waking to a magnificent sun blinding me with its warm light. I waited for the sun to stop blinding me before scrambling the last bit to the mountain peak. I started out across the desert, searching the horizon line for the edge of the White Desert. It was then that I remembered that the Desert existed in basically an alternate dimension. There is no end. There is no other side. Am I trapped here?! Maybe, there must be another gate way somewhere....
I stared down the mountain, considering the how long of a drop off the cliff I stood on had.
"Kara, step away from the edge."
Not even turning around I called,"Why? Do you think I would jump?"
"No. I think you would fall."
I turned to face Hestia,"Why would I do a thing like that?"
"Because they are coming." She paused,"For you."
"Who?" I question dubously.
Hestia points to the forest, the once still trees quake under thousands of shadows and beings I had never seen before charging towards us.
"Fun. Well, I'd love to chat but apparently I have to run now. Bye."
With out waiting for her to reply I leap off the cliff and snap my wings open, allowing gravity to help me glide to the ground.
I take off sprinting once the ground below me has leveled out changing the direction I was going in every couple hours. As night fell adrenalin kept me running, I finally stopped near a small waterfall. The moon hung bright above me and I hated the otherwise peaceful waterfall for muffling the sounds of the surrounding woods. A breeze blew over the mountain, cooling the sweat that beaded on my skin, carrying a promise of danger.

I awoke early the next morning and travelled late into the night, stopping as the sun began to streak the night with blue. I continued for days, flying at times, crossing water, and changing direction constantly to make myself harder to track. I began to travel at night so I would be harder to see, after running for a week I was mid way up another mountain and the nights were growing brighter as colors streaked the sky. The stars bathed in flames and the ground cast odd silhouettes beneath the lights of the sky. I was betrayed by my physical needs and almost collapsed from exhaustion on a nightly basis, eventually forcing me to stop. So, I located a cave there I found shelter and slept for what felt like eternity.

This time when I awoke warmth wrapped around my body and a far away light glitered. Confused, I shook myself, where could light be coming from? I am in a cave. And why was it so warm...
I tipped my head back, seeing the cave opening and fire streaking the starry sky. So why was there light in cave, at night? I stood and cautiously went deeper into the cave, heat blasting from somewhere within.
"Oh my..." the thing I now faced looked to be larger than the mountain in which it resided. Red scales glittered, edges wickedly sharp. Atop the scaled mountain spikes rise and fall like ocean waves, as long as I was tall. Near what I guessed was the beast' s shoulder wings lay, folded tightly against the thing's back. Trembling slightly I walked towards its face, I was greeted by talons half my length and a head the size of a deer. A thin red membrane hid the beast's eye, sheltered by a small series of fin-like spikes along its brow. The massive nostrils expelled small whisps of smoke with each exhale. A powerful jaw rested upon on of the creatures feet.
"What are you?" I wonder aloud. It's a dragon. Honesty do you know anything? The voice in my mind mumbled at me.
As I stood in awe the eye of the beast cracked open, the dragon appeared to not notice me, blinking a few times, the cat like pupil in its eye dilating a bit, eating at the firey orange iris. I stumbled back, sending rocks skittering across the ground. The dragon lifted its great head, regarding me coldly, emitting a puff of smoke as it tilted its head as though unsure of what to make of me. I drew my sword with shaking hands, fear for my life igniting in a primitive part of my mind, the blade appeared to glow, something that hadn't happened since I first got my sword.
"What is going on?!" I hissed aloud.
Simple. I'm deciding if I want to eat you or not.
I screamed and leapt back, spreading my wings, Hmmmm.... No. I don't think I will eat you. The dragon mused,  To many feathers.
"Thanks I think." I cautiously straightened from my defensive position.
Yes, I know. I'm very generous. Now why are you here?
"Ummmm... I was looking for a safe ish place for a night or so."
Oh, well could you leave then?
"Uh, sure."
Good.
The dragon laid back down, watching me lazily as I left the cave. The sun began to creep from behind the clouds and the fires of the night faded from the sky. I journeyed onwards for several days, stopping as needed. After another few days I found a clearing hidden on most sides by tall, gray cliffs. On the side I entered from a soft slope lead to a lush green clearing. At the center a blue pool was feed by a peaceful, many tiered water fall. Several flowers grew in the clearing and fish swam in the water. A stand of trees shaded one side of the pool and birds sang. I shook my head in disbelief, places like this I didn't think existed, then I remembered the Desert housed stories and I believed my eyes again. I set up camp, caught a few fish and slept well that night after watching the stars dance beside the moon.