The Perils of Light and Darkness

Chapter 1

The bright rays of sunlight hit the the mist of the waterfall that fell from a cliffs side into the body of water below, creating a faint, beautiful rainbow with vibrant colors. The body of water that it fell into was large enough to be considered a lake, and its crystal-clear water revealed that it was around 17 feet deep towards the middle. The bottom of the lake was filled with pebbles and smooth stones of a variety of different sizes and shapes.

The cliff top was covered in long grass of a dark green color as it swayed to the side according to whichever way the wind was blowing. Two children sat at the waters edge on a large, slanted boulder as one had her feet dangling low enough to where her toes barely grazed the top of the water.

"When do you think Moss will finish cooking the meal?" One of The children asked, her dark brown, straight hair that reached just passed her shoulders blowing back a little in a passing cool autumn breeze.

"I think it should be soon, Clarett," the other child responded as she hopped up and stood on the boulder next to Clarett. Her hair also blowed in the breeze like Clarett's, but she had shorter hair, and it was a pinkish-red color with the same colored irises to match; she continues her sentence, "It has been about... how long has it been since we wandered off? I think it's more than 50 minutes."

She stood at the height of four foot and four inches, and she seemed to be around the age of 12 or 11. The other girl, Clarett, would have probably been a couple inches taller if she stood up too on the boulder.

"Nacira, I don't think it has been that long. I mean, I know w-" a distant roar caught their attention, causing Clarett to cut off what she was about to say.

The roar sounded a little bit synthetic, but judging by the low pitch, Nacira could tell that this roar clearly came from a dragon.

Dragons weren't an uncommon sight in the Sky Realm, but it was rare for them to come near humans, for they usually prefer to stay away from other creatures. At least this type of dragon species, anyways.

"That sounds a bit too close for comfort," Clarett also stands up on the boulder as she was just a little taller than Nacira. Her pale blue eyes glistened in the light as her gaze shifts towards the forest behind them.

Unlike many other realms, the forests here were ginormous. They stretched for miles upon miles, and the trees towered above the forest floor, some reaching the height of 2 miles high as others went past the clouds and out of view.

"It sounded like it was near Moss's home," Nacira declared as she also looked towards the forest, her pinkish-red eyes becoming glazed with worry. Without waiting for Clarett to say anything else, Nacira hops off of the boulder and into the water with a splash before running  in the direction of the roar and Moss's home.

"Wait!" Clarett called after her, "why should we be running towards it?! It's not like we can do anything against it! If anything, it'd see us as small snacks or appetizers, so we should be running in the OPPOSITE DIRECTION!"

Nacira didn't even acknowledge what she had said as Clarett also hops down off of the boulder and darts after her; little droplets of water splash onto her hair and make it seemingly sparkle in the sunlight.

After running into the forest and avoiding many vines, large rocks, fallen tree branches, and possible sinkholes, Nacira finally slows down to a walk, allowing Clarett to catch up with her. They were both out of breath for a couple of seconds before Nacira suddenly halts.

Through the undergrowth and smaller trees, Nacira could see Moss's home ablaze. She could only assume Clarett also saw this too as she dared not look away from this sight because silence filled the air as neither of them moved. Not a bird nor a breeze seemed to dare disturb the silence except for the crackling of the fire.

A pure snow-white dragon with smooth, lustrous scales sat in front of the burning house with its back turned towards the two; it had four green stripes on the back of its neck that reached towards its front. It was around 10 feet tall with a wingspan of 25 feet, and it had two horns that spiraled backwards. Its long, serpent-like tail was curled around its front talons.

After a couple of passing seconds, it turned its head to the side to look at them as if it sensed them. Blood was splattered across the front of its neck and muzzle like someone had thrown a bucket of scarlet-red paint onto a white canvas. Within its jaws, it had a bloodied bone that cracked slightly as it bit onto it harder, causing a small piece of the bone to fly into the air before falling to the ground.

The dragon's irises were a beautiful dark amber color that seemed to glow in the light produced by the fire, and its sclera was as black as a starless and moonless night; its undivided attention shifts completely towards the two humans: Nacira and Clarett.

A small squeak escapes from Clarett as she takes a single step back. This movement and sound from Clarett seemed to give the dragon a sinister glare as it stands up to its full height and drops the bloodied, cracked bone, turning to face them completely.

Nacira's jaw drops slightly while tensing up, her eyes widening like she was staring death right in the eye. Clarett manages to choke up her words, "NACIRA, RUN!" Upon hearing this, she tries to turn around and run, but she trips over a small root of a tree that was beginning to protrude out of the ground.

The dragon darts towards Nacira, the one who fell, as she tenses up again and stares at the dragon rushing towards her, its intent clearly to kill.

Before it's five feet away, she closes her eyes in acceptance of her fate.