Dragon Tamer - Book 1

Chapter 1!

She found the cave a little after dawn, when the dark shapes around her were given form and substance.

That night she'd stumbled through the blackness searching for a good place to sleep and rest her tired limbs, she had hit a rock face several hours before sunrise and had decided to camp here before heading back to the village.

The earth was damp beneath her when she woke up in the morning and she was stiff and aching. Rolling over she stretched her arms over her head and heard her back crack.

The early morning sun found its way through the trees and fell on her like a warm blanket, she sighed and closed her eyes, listening to the sounds of the forest coming alive. It was so peaceful. She rolled over and tucked her blanket tighter around her, meaning to sleep a few more hours before setting off back home.

A low rumble travelled through the ground she lay on, she stilled, her eyes opening wide.

The birds fled from the trees as the rumble repeated itself, louder this time.

Marcie rose cautiously, her heart began beating steadily.

She gathered her belongings together and held them to her chest backing away until she felt the hard rock of the cliff side against her back. Her eyes darted from side to side, taking in the trees packed closely together and the sun rays that continued to filter through the leaves. By the pale light she could see nothing that could have made the ground tremble.

She gripped her bow and quiver tightly should she have to use them.

The rock at her back shook as another rumble filled the air, she jerked away from it, dropped her pack and notched an arrow before the action had even registered.

The cliff side gave another rumble. Marcie's breath was coming out in little pants, she took a long deep breath, then another and another.

Her heart eventually began to slow and she began to collect her thoughts, keeping her bow ready she moved cautiously towards the rock face, craning her neck upwards.

The sounds had most definitely come from the rocks so there must be something. Maybe there was a cave.

Marcie glanced at her bundle of dead rabbits and a young deer, she really should have been returning to the village.She had been out hunting for two weeks now and only in the last two days had caught anything of note. She was probably the furthest she had ever been in The Forgotten Forest. Her father would no doubt be drinking himself into another heart attack in her absence. She glanced up as the rocks emitted another earth trembling growl.

Stories of the monsters who lurked within the forest were more common than money in Marcie's village, and they kept many potential hunters away, only the very brave or jaded risked its depths.

Lowering her bow she picked up her spoils and walked in a southerly direction, she had gotten barely three feet away, when curiosity got the better of her. She cursed and dropped her belongings, secured her bow and quiver on her back and began climbing up the face of the rock.

To her surprise the climb was quite easy, the uneven surface made finding foot holds and hand grips simple, the only problem being that because of the dampness from the previous night she felt she would slip and fall at any moment. She had to resist looking over her shoulder. It had not seemed that high from the ground.

Very soon a steady ache had seized Marcie's muscles, she was still sore from having slept on the hard ground and the climb was not helping in the slightest, she should have gone straight home. Just as she was considering whether or not to descend, her hand found a ledge in the rock, she sighed with relief, maybe she could have a short rest before going down.

She pulled herself up on to the ledge and stared.

Beyond the ledge there was the dark mouth of an enormous cave, so large she had to crane her neck to see the ceiling. The sunlight only showed her the entrance, within was completely black.

Marcie crept along so she was crouched just under the arch, fear began to replace some of her tiredness and her heart began beating quickly again.

She took a breath and stepped into the darkness of the cave, wishing she had a torch or a lantern. Standing in the black she waited for her eyes to adjust. After awhile she was able to make out a little.

The walls on either sides of her were smooth, the floor was a mixture of dirt and small pebbles but reasonably even. She stepped in further and the darkness enveloped her completely. Compared to its vast size, Marcie felt tiny and she began to tremble. Feeling her way forwards with her feet, her hands moving blindly in front of her she ventured even further in, she felt the air get warmer and frowned, usually caves got colder the further in you went, there must be an opening at the other end that let clean air in.

Her foot caught a loose stone on the floor, it clattered against the far wall and fell silent. Marcie froze, the cave felt eerily silent.

A deep breathing filled the vast cavern, chilling her to the bone.

The breathing got deeper and louder, the air got even warmer, so much so that she began to sweat. Barely able to think straight, Marcie was aware of something moving at the far end of the cave, with the limited light she could just about make out a dark shape that seemed to take up all the space.

A heavy THUD shook the ground, much like the rumbling had earlier except this was louder and closer, another THUD sent loose bits of dust and stone trickling down from the ceiling, and she was unable to move.

The thuds continued and the enormous black shape came so it seemed to be standing just in front of her. Marcie could not breath, she could not move, she could not think, all she could feel was paralysing fear.

A blast of hot air engulfed her like a breath making her hair flap and her eyes water, she took a step back and realised she could move, survival instincts pushed aside her fear in an instant, she whipped round so fast she skidded on the loose ground and ran from the cave, not caring where she landed she leaped from the ledge and was only vaguely relieved when her long fall was broken by some thick bushes. Gasping air back into her lungs she shakily scrambled free of the thorns then fled into the trees, her only thought to escape.