Mate To The Dragon

My lungs burned with each panting breath as I sprinted across the rocky slope of the mountain. My body ached with fatigue, and the landscape blurred, but I kept pushing myself as the voices behind me grew louder. I stumbled on the rocks but immediately got up, clambering over boulders.

My boot suddenly tangled in a twisted shrub. I yelped as I fell forward, catching myself before my head was smashed open, but the skin on my arms was scraped and bloodied. I ripped the gnarled branch off my foot and scrambled to my feet. My eyes caught onto a large group of men with bows and swords, making me start running once again. Their shouts followed me as I moved as fast as my legs would carry me.

The rocks gave way to grass, and I growled in frustration. I paused at the edge of the forest. The men were still following me, so I took a deep breath before forcing my body into the darkness between the trees. It was like plunging into the ocean. Everything was suddenly darker, colder; I could hear voices in the rustling of the trees and smell blood in the wind.

Fear bloomed inside my chest, making my heart beat erratically and my skin grow clammy with a cold sweat. I shouldn't be here. This was claimed territory, and it belonged to someone powerful, I could feel it. My mind clouded, my thoughts muddled.

"What the hell is happening?" I muttered, slowing down. I felt drowsy, and the forest floor seemed to sway. A sharp pain in my head had me crying out and dropping to the ground in seconds. I clutched at the sides of my head and screamed as it felt about to split open. Through my screams and sobs of pain, I felt my thumb touch something on my neck and realized it was some kind of dart. I moved to yank it out, but another wave of pain slammed through my skull.

I screamed even louder and fell onto the forest floor. Tears blurred my vision, and violent sobs shook my body. My gaze locked onto a pair of yellow eyes before everything went black.