Steelhoof
I laid there in the cold, the harsh winds of the approaching storm shaking the giant fir tree I'm under. I looked back towards the town that had thrown me out. I could see the guards still searching for me, to kill me. I had done nothing wrong, I was just different. So what if I was a foot smaller than everyone? Why did my town have to be so biased, seeing me as only a hindrance and nuisance? I crawled out from the roots and ran further into the forest. I knew that they wouldn't come in so deep, thanks to the beast that lurks in these forests. The rain began to fall as I kept running into my uncertain future. Why even bother to live? I was too weak to defend myself and not skilled enough to hunt. I thought about just laying down and letting the wolves eat me when a spear from the guards clipped my shoulder. I yelled in pain and ran deeper into the forest, my instinct to live outdoing the want to die.
I ran for about an hour through thick braches and pelting rain. Soon, I tried again, resting against a large tree. I sat down against it and rubbed my wound. The blood was running down my arm and I knew I was going to die. I looked up into the thick treetops, waiting for that fading feeling to set in, when a gleam of a light caught my eye. I looked ahead to see the light of a distant flame. The flickering light gave me strength enough to get up and approach it. I was dying anyway. If it was a guard, I wouldn't fight back.
After what felt like hours, I reached it. The flame was flickering from a pile of wood in the center of a large clearing. The ground was a soft grass that was slightly damp. I fell in front of the fire and slowly lost conscious. Before I fell to the dark, I heard what sounded like the beating of massive wings