Stumbling on a dragon

One

Hi! This is the first time I ever write in English so please be indulgent. I originally wrote this as a fanfiction but I decided to create my own characters. Please tell me your opinions on it.

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Why on earth everything always fucked up each time I'm involved.
Do I have bad luck?

That was the only thought that crosses Aspen's mind while he was running away from a dozen of unknown men, who were trying to get him for equally unknown reasons. All he wanted was to help a kid, not get chased by mercenaries. If someone run after you, you needed to get away as fast as you could even if you didn't know why otherwise you ended up dead, your body rotting on the side of the road, at least it's what happens in his village, was it the same in other places?

Aspen didn't know where he was running to, his survival instinct only guiding him, all he knows was that he needed somewhere to hide, to be safe. When his head was a little more clear for him to tough. He slows down to examine his surroundings, and be able to find a hiding place. The best he can find in record time.

While looking around, the sunset and the fresh wind announcing the night were soon here, finally settle on Aspen. He hadn't seen the day pass, too focused on staying alive, he had begun running in the morning! That means he had run an entire day without stopping to eat, drink or even rest a little. He was sure he would pass out soon if he didn't get some rest.

Still running for some more meter Aspen could distinguish a cavern, enough hide by some plants and tree to not see it if you didn't pay a lot of attention.

He quickly slipped into the cave using the little energy he has left. It was really dark inside but it's for the better no one would see him from the outside.

The first thing Aspen did in the cave was to grab a bunch of leaves to dispose at the entrance, anyone coming inside would make a lot of noises. It would be his security for the night.

In the search for enough space to start a small fire and sleep, he found a bed of leaf and the rest of a small old fire. Someone probably passes by here and needed a shelter for the night. That makes less work to be comfortable, Aspen only needs enough tree branch for the fire to stay on overnight.

Founding all the tree branch he needed, Aspen began the fire, it took him some time to see a tiny flame appear, he usually does it when the sky is still clear, so he won't be in a total darkness, even a second, and because it's harder to do it without any light.

After Aspen makes sure the fire will stay alive, he sat on the bed leaf, and take out what he had put in his satchel that morning. An apple, some bread and a gourd of water that was supposed to be his breakfast.

Aspen had run all day, that means he was now in Ellya, a mountain, not far from his village on horseback but much longer on foot. If in the morning those men were finally away, he would have to think what to do, come back home and risking to be found there, or he continues to walk, make his own adventure and found a new home. He doesn't have anything important or anyone to wait for him at the dump he calls home that wouldn't be a loss.

After his small but extremely welcome dinner, Aspen could feel that all the adrenalin in his system has disappeared, replaced now by the exhaustion. His eyelids were getting heavier. He slowly but surely fell asleep, curled up on the tree leaf bed, as close to the fire as possible, without being injured.

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So how do feel after this prologue, I hesitate a long time before posting it. It was chapter one in the beginning but I thought it was really too short. I didn't stop stressing for weeks, the perfectionist in me felt like it wasn't enough. So here we are now with a prologue.