5 Freedom

As the sun set Destorianaxe suddenly stood up looking to the sky, "No, the sun is set, they'll be looking."

The strange figure tilted his head to look at the fretting dragon and sighed, "Do you truly want to go back, one would think you glad for freedom."

Destorianaxe turned her neck looking back at the reclining figure, tilting her head slightly and huffed, "Of course I don't -want- to go back but what choice do I have? If I run away they'll just hunt me down."

The figure nodded looking back at the depressed dragon, "Yes and no. While I can well see those irksome three chasing after you, if they can't find you, they can hardly do much to you correct? However, unless you want it, my help is much like my hands, tied."

Destorianaxe sat back on her haunches, her eyes turned to look at the darkening crimson sky, the distant sun dipping below the horizon as she considered his words. Glancing back, "What will it cost me? You want something, don't you?"

The figure nodded, "Of course I do. While I can help you, I would expect that you fulfill a favor for me."

Destorianaxe glared at him, her eyes narrowing, "What favor?"

The dragon man shrugged, "No clue, I can see the river of fate to a degree, I know I need you to do something for me, but what it will be I haven't the foggiest, or when I'll demand it. Suffice to say for the time being I just need your agreement."

The wyrmling looked at him skeptically before closing her eyes, "Fine I'll agree to your favor, on the condition that if it's something outrageous I can request you choose a different favor."

He clicked his tongue and sighed, "Do you really think me so sketchy?"

Looking at him rather deadpan, "Yes, without question."

The dragon man jerked clutching his chest, "Ack, you wound me girl."

Destorianaxe growled narrowing her eyes, "Its tempting."

Sighing he stood up and shrugged, "Fine, I wasn't planning on anything indecent or outside of your ability at that time. The ballpark for the favor is roughly eight hundred years from now after you've matured."

Destorianaxe blinked, 'Eight hundred years?!' The wyrmling's mind whirled. She wasn't even a month old and this thing wanted a favor in eight centuries?! She just couldn't wrap her head around the number. She wasn't even sure about tomorrow, how could she plan for a time so far in the future? Grumbling her talons raked at the ground in agitation. Just what needed eight hundred years for her to do? Turning her head to him her eyes narrowed, "Who are you, really?"

The dragon man shook his head lifting a hand, "Sorry, can't tell you that girl. Like I expressed before think of me as a mystical wish granting entity. Yes, there's a condition attached but it's a simple yes or no, my identity has nothing to do with anything. So Destorianaxe, your choice?"

The wyrmling growled low, his claws digging deeper furrows in the ground beneath her feet in agitation. Relaxing slowly she exhaled, closing her eyes and felt her shoulders slump, "Fine I agree, what's next?" Minutes passed in silence, the unresponsiveness annoying her and making her growl, snarling she looked up, "I said yes already wha..."

The wyrmling voice died in her throat as she looked around. The twilight bathed plains was gone. Not even the torn earth from her frustration clung to her claws. She now stood on a hill overlooking a vast overgrown grassland. The tall grass stretched in all directions like a sea that slowly rolled with wind swept waves. This area was nothing like the brilliant green plains, even the dragon man was gone, she stood watching the area in confusion...

Slowly turning in place the wyrmling looked all around, the forest with the man thing tribe was gone, the direction it use to lay was now a rocky mountain range but even more telling about her shift in position was the setting sun was gone, rather the dark of night had existed for several hours if the moon high above her head gave any indication. This is that that strange draconic man thing had meant by being unable to be found by her family, she was, by her best estimate, somewhere far west of where her home and hunting grounds had to be found. Unless her father and mother travelled an obscene distance it was highly unlikely they would find her in short order.

Bathed in the silvery moonlight Destorianaxe closed her eyes relishing that thought. There was no insane father or brother looming over the hill. There was no opportunistic mother plotting beyond them. Just open wilderness, freedom from the jail of fear and depression that being bound to her families whims had so stifled her. Raising up on her hind legs, her fore legs reaching for the sky as her wings spread out wide, stretching her body fully in the freedom of knowing she was not to be beaten for simply enjoying her existence.

Hearing a dull thump beneath her stretched body, her neck bent down as she felt her stomache gurgle in protest. The headless body of the python had slipped from around the base of her neck and fallen to the ground. Glancing around she gave a slight cough masking the embarrassment she felt for getting caught up in the moment of her presumed 'freedom'. Settling back down she squat down to tear into the snakes body, devouring the fresh meat with a relish that only the truly hungry could understand.

As she tore into the thick tube of flesh she turned her thoughts to more pressing matters. What next? Freedom was a novel concept to her Alright but she was not blind to the fact that past this meal she knew not where she was. The swamp teeming with prey, nor the forest with the man things were anywhere around her. She needed to find a new home, and from there establish her hunting grounds... or at least learn if she was currently in the territory of someone else.

That thought was particularly sobering as she dug into the torn body of the python at a greater pace, that strange draconic man thing had granted her her freedom but that did not mean she was completely safe. To get caught up in the fantasy of an easy life would surely be the time that saw her meager infantile life ended by a greater source. If she wasted her time celebrating she would lose the cover of night to explore the area, and while flying at night was not something she had ever done she found the idea thrilling.

Lowering her head to continue her meal she put thoughts of what if's behind her. Sustenance first, then exploration, finally see to shelter. With a plan, or at least the general guidelines of one, she filled her aching belly with the meat of the serpent, to finally have food after days of starvation almost made the young dragoness weep. With no overseers she'd vow to herself to never let herself go hungry again. She could hunt when and what she wanted and to her young mind she wanted to try everything she could.

Looking up from the remains of the snake, Destorianaxe launched herself above the tall grass. Her wings stretched and beat quickly as she took to the air, climbing higher under the pale silvery light of the moon. Her yellow eyes swept the ground below as she slowly banked on the high wind currents, the sea of tall pale grass seemed to stretch forever in every direction. To be honest she had no idea where to begin, the grassland seemed vast but empty.

Unlike the swamp which teemed with life, the night time grassland was as barren as a desert! Her neck craned back and forth as her body banked again spiralling wider out from her launch point, or at least, what she believed was her launch point. The snake carcass had been swallowed by the tall grass, while her body had pressed the foliage down, it had sprung up resilient against her bulk, swallowing her start point in what looked like any other section of grass.

Sighing internally she stopped banking and just flew straight, to where? This she had no clue. One direction was like any other. Her great wings beat slowly gliding on a warmer air current that carried her along as her eyes looked down at the land. Grass. More grass. Was this area naught but her brother be damned, grass?! Grumbling she looked to the horizon trying to see a break in the boring expanse that seemed to have no end. Why had her 'saviour' dumped her here? Plains weren't suited to her instincts, if she couldn't find beasts out here, she'd need to find shelter, a lair of her own! But where was a good cavern on a plain?!

Destorianaxe was growing more and more perturbed as she flew, the grassland seemed to stretch forever. She'd found a few tribes of sort-of man things, they weren't pink skinned but they were hairy. Covered completely in dark hair with short muzzles they looked very much like beastial mutations of that first tribe see saw. Sadly she didn't see any wandering on their own away from their herd, but with all that fuzz they probably wouldn't taste good. Flying on she passed over other tribes, even a couple that seemed in conflict with each other.

After a few hours of wandering she finally saw what looked like something with potential, as odd as it was. After all who ever heard of a single mountain growing out of a sea if grass? The spire stuck out like a sore thumb, standing straight and tall with not but a few low hills acting as a barrier between the grass and stone. A little closer she could see a forest stretching to the rear of the mountain, hiding in the dark side of the spire. Inwardly she gave a sigh of relief, forests tended to have wildlife, at least she'd not starve of such was so.

Winging in closer she slowly circled the strange mountain, her eyes taking its surface. It would be true to form based on her luck that this place was already someone's territory. Strange as it was to not be a range of mountains, that uniqueness was still appealing for it's own sake. Which made her initial scouting of the surface very important. She just escaped one prison, she didn't need to be captured by another like her father, or worse a grown up version of her brother, while the latter would be relatively easy to out smart, it was only her superior power that kept that idiot from taking what he wanted.

Seeing an entrance she caught the wind with her wings, gliding in slowly as her yellow eyes scanned the looming mouth of the cave. Her nostrils flared, she smelled nothing like herself, but that didn't mean much. Even as her clawed feet found purchase on the caverns ledge, her gaze raked the stone. There was no claw marks, no symbols. Her nostrils found no whiff of dung or spore, the cave, for all appearances, had housed nothing. This triggered alarms in itself. Surely birds or other cave dwellers would seek shelter here at some point, sure it was high on the mountain but still, for a cave to see absolutely no visitors ever?

Tentatively she folded her wings behind her back and crept forward, her eyes glowing gently as she stepped into the dark passage following the gentle incline down into the mountain. Every step was cautious, her disbelief this was heavy. This place was just too perfect, even its size was just right if she were to base her future adult self against her mother's shape. The silence as well grated on her nerves, no vermin, no bugs? Did this cave just come to exist this moment to not house even pests let alone a prior owner?

Creeping into the dark the wyrmling grew more nervous, the darkness ahead swallowing her completely as she felt compelled to go deeper, her gentle, stealthy steps becoming heavier, more pronounced. If something was here she wanted it to know she was coming, end this stealthy ambush and let them fight like dragons!