Read Online Tail of the Dragon by Craig Halloran - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Craig Halloran
Tags: Literature & Fiction, Coming of Age, Fantasy, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Genre Fiction, Teen & Young Adult
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notice him. The birds started to nest. The smaller creatures burrowed. Life traveled all around him and over the top of him. He was part of the mountain now. Many dragons did that.
He opened his eye.
His wing no longer hurt.
That ought to do it.
Red birds with long white tails were chirping in the thicket that covered his eyes. The sweet music turned to a squawk as Nath shifted his bulk, loosening the dirt. The wildlife that covered him scattered.
Sorry.
With a heave, he pushed his way out of his burrow and shook off the leaves and foliage. He pressed his way through the forest until he found a clearing. He stretched out his wings.
Ah! That’s much better! Here I come, Selene.
CHAPTER 17
Flying high, Nath set off in the direction Selene had been flying. She’d be hard to find if she wanted to be. She could transform, become big or small like he could. But her scent would linger. He had that to go on.
You won’t escape me, Selene. I won’t let you get away with this.
Of course, for all he knew, he might be playing right into her hands. A trap might spring. After all, she’d had plenty of time to set it. He wouldn’t be one bit surprised if she’d left him a clue of some sort.
He dashed in and out of clouds filled with lightning and rain. He swooped over the land and his belly grazed the ground. There was plenty of ground to cover, but he sensed she was near. And he figured chances were that if he could find some of those wurmers, then he’d be about to find her as well.
Rising back into the air, he noticed a broken form unmoving down in the valley. There, a dragon lay still. He was citrine yellow with a red stripe across his back. Little bigger than a pony, the yellow streak dragon was dragging his belly through the sloppy rain with his head hung low.
Nath dropped out of the sky and down in front of him. “What happened, brother?”
“They’re dead,” the yellow streak said in a ragged form of Dragonese. His body had deep cuts in it, and some of his scales were missing. “All dead. I couldn’t save them. I’m sorry, Nathlalonggram …agh.” He collapsed on the ground.
“No!” Nath cried out in alarm. The dragon’s heartbeat was quickly fading. Nath scooped him up in his arms. The yellow streak’s life was gone.
Chest puffed out, Nath picked up the dragon’s trail. The rains were washing it away in the mud, but Nath’s keen eyes still picked it up. He followed the tall grasses that were matted down. The dragon’s path wound through a valley, and Nath found bits of blood along the way. His nostrils flared.
That doesn’t smell good.
He pressed on. Up ahead, a small plume of smoke twirled in the rain. Patches of fire were burning the trees.
Oh no!
Dragons were scattered all over the ground, yellow streaks, a large family. Their bodies lay still, their scale hides ripped and torn. Wings broken. Teeth and horns busted. The battle must have been fierce.
Nath stopped short of the battleground and scooped up a small dragon that didn’t even fill his hand. She was so young and beautiful. Her neck was broken. Nath’s eyes watered.
Lightning streaked across the sky and thunder cracked.
He let out a roar.
“Maaaaaarrrroooooooo!”
Someone is going to pay for this!
He stepped in a pile of ashes that had begun mixing in with the mud. It was familiar. Scraping some of the goo up onto his finger, he eyed it closely and gave it a sniff.
It’s from a wurmer. Hah, seems the yellow streaks put up a fine fight and took some of these dark fiends with them.
He picked his way through the carnage. There were scales and teeth he hadn’t noticed before. He sifted through them with his hand, feeling the texture and absorbing the scent into his scales. The wurmers couldn’t be far away. It wouldn’t be hard to find them now.
And once he found them, he’d find Selene.
Selene has a lot of explaining to do.
One by one, he picked up the fallen dragons and laid them down side by side. He
He opened his eye.
His wing no longer hurt.
That ought to do it.
Red birds with long white tails were chirping in the thicket that covered his eyes. The sweet music turned to a squawk as Nath shifted his bulk, loosening the dirt. The wildlife that covered him scattered.
Sorry.
With a heave, he pushed his way out of his burrow and shook off the leaves and foliage. He pressed his way through the forest until he found a clearing. He stretched out his wings.
Ah! That’s much better! Here I come, Selene.
CHAPTER 17
Flying high, Nath set off in the direction Selene had been flying. She’d be hard to find if she wanted to be. She could transform, become big or small like he could. But her scent would linger. He had that to go on.
You won’t escape me, Selene. I won’t let you get away with this.
Of course, for all he knew, he might be playing right into her hands. A trap might spring. After all, she’d had plenty of time to set it. He wouldn’t be one bit surprised if she’d left him a clue of some sort.
He dashed in and out of clouds filled with lightning and rain. He swooped over the land and his belly grazed the ground. There was plenty of ground to cover, but he sensed she was near. And he figured chances were that if he could find some of those wurmers, then he’d be about to find her as well.
Rising back into the air, he noticed a broken form unmoving down in the valley. There, a dragon lay still. He was citrine yellow with a red stripe across his back. Little bigger than a pony, the yellow streak dragon was dragging his belly through the sloppy rain with his head hung low.
Nath dropped out of the sky and down in front of him. “What happened, brother?”
“They’re dead,” the yellow streak said in a ragged form of Dragonese. His body had deep cuts in it, and some of his scales were missing. “All dead. I couldn’t save them. I’m sorry, Nathlalonggram …agh.” He collapsed on the ground.
“No!” Nath cried out in alarm. The dragon’s heartbeat was quickly fading. Nath scooped him up in his arms. The yellow streak’s life was gone.
Chest puffed out, Nath picked up the dragon’s trail. The rains were washing it away in the mud, but Nath’s keen eyes still picked it up. He followed the tall grasses that were matted down. The dragon’s path wound through a valley, and Nath found bits of blood along the way. His nostrils flared.
That doesn’t smell good.
He pressed on. Up ahead, a small plume of smoke twirled in the rain. Patches of fire were burning the trees.
Oh no!
Dragons were scattered all over the ground, yellow streaks, a large family. Their bodies lay still, their scale hides ripped and torn. Wings broken. Teeth and horns busted. The battle must have been fierce.
Nath stopped short of the battleground and scooped up a small dragon that didn’t even fill his hand. She was so young and beautiful. Her neck was broken. Nath’s eyes watered.
Lightning streaked across the sky and thunder cracked.
He let out a roar.
“Maaaaaarrrroooooooo!”
Someone is going to pay for this!
He stepped in a pile of ashes that had begun mixing in with the mud. It was familiar. Scraping some of the goo up onto his finger, he eyed it closely and gave it a sniff.
It’s from a wurmer. Hah, seems the yellow streaks put up a fine fight and took some of these dark fiends with them.
He picked his way through the carnage. There were scales and teeth he hadn’t noticed before. He sifted through them with his hand, feeling the texture and absorbing the scent into his scales. The wurmers couldn’t be far away. It wouldn’t be hard to find them now.
And once he found them, he’d find Selene.
Selene has a lot of explaining to do.
One by one, he picked up the fallen dragons and laid them down side by side. He
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