Hunting

The sunlight filled Dagon's bones with warmth, and as he walked upon the grassy land, he felt like he could fly. The ground was soft and the blades of grass lightly glided across the underside of his feet. The breeze was cool and as he breathed it in he felt a sense of being refreshed and energized.

*so this is what the outside world is like…* he thought.

He had never been outside of the those caves in all the nine years he'd been there. It had always been too dangerous, Gena had told him. How desperately he wanted to leave those dreary caves. He would often sit in that cavern, staring up at the skylight above him, imagining what the world outside had come to. Did the Four Kingdoms still stand strong? Or had they come to war with one another, tearing themselves apart?

Dagon hoped the Four Kingdoms were at war. It would make his job easier. He also wondered if the other Dragon Kin that had betrayed his father were still alive.. god he hoped they were. He wanted to cut them down and slit their throats himself. He wanted to tear their dragons limb from limb and obliterate them all. But, he knew, he could only do that once he had a Kinship.

And now… he was given the chance. Finally! He was able to find a dragon to bond with! And soon, he felt it, he would soar through the skies with that dragon and lay waste to the Four Kingdoms. He would soar up to the clouds and brush them with his hand as he had done when he was child when his father had taken him upon Gena's back and into the sky.

It was right at his finger tips, the ultimate freedom and power. Soon, he'd be truly free. And then he would free all the other dragons and bring his kind back to life.

"You gonna stand there in the open forever or are you going to go find your dragon? You don't have forever, Dagon. I wouldn't waste any time." Gena spoke, snapping Dagon out of his state.

"Oh, yeah, I-sorry. It's just…been a long time since I've been outside."

"Yes.. I understand." Gena growled, "and I do apologize for that. Just understand that it was to keep you safe. The kingdoms will do anything they can to get their hands on you."

"I know. Thank you, Gena, my father would be proud of you." Dagon turned and smiled at the golden dragon.

Gena's eyes widened and her head perked up, her four horns hitting the ceiling above her. She gave a low growl, retracting into the cave.

"Be back by nightfall, whether you have a dragon or not." She spoke before disappearing, leaving Dagon alone to decide his next action.

He turned to face the expansive forest below him. The trees truly lived up to the forest's name. The leaves were each huge and shaped like scales. Every last one of them was a deep emerald that seemed to glow in the sunlight.

Dagon began to walk down the hill leading to the forest's edge, and when he reached it, he had no hesitation. He disappeared into the winding and twisting labyrinth of never ending trees.

*Alright.. where can I find a dragon?* he thought. *Gena suggested there should be one or two in this forest. But where? This place is so big, there's no way I could cover all this area in only a single day.*

He recalled what Gena had told him about how to track dragons. They always left tracks, marking their territory. Whether it be clawed, torn or scorched trees, or deep gashes in the earth, or streaks of ash, a dragon will always mark its territory as a warning to intruders. She had also told him most dragons are extremely territorial, so if you enter their home they will no doubt confront you.

*So all I have to do is find it's territory and go into it.* Dagon thought. *Shouldn't be that hard. Right?*

He was wrong. It was harder than he'd expected. He had walked for a full four hours and hadn't found a single trace of what appeared to be dragon marks. He had also come to discover the fact that he was, very much so, lost. He had no idea which way was which, nor did he know how to get back to Gena.

He chuckled to himself.

*if I can't find my way back before nightfall, Gena is gonna kill me…*

Then his foot suddenly sank into the soil with a crunch.

"The hell?" He mumbled, looking down. The soil was black and melted. It had dried up it would seem and became a layer of dirt clumps. Strange green goop clung to the dirt, and when a portion of it touched my foot, it instantly burned. With a yelp I jumped back, rubbing my foot in the grass.

"Acid..?" I said quietly to myself. Then I looked about and saw that the strange substance was also all over the trees, eating away at the wood and making them decay.

That's when it sank in. I'd found it. The whole time I had been looking for the wrong signs. I had never considered that the dragon could possibly have different elemental abilities than your average one! And now, I knew, I had came across the evidence what I assumed to be some kind of acidic dragon, which would fall under the nature category.

*Yes!* He exclaimed in his own mind. *Finally! It even matches my essence, so the power from the Kinship will be much stronger!*

Dagon began moving forward, avoiding the acid. He had never really gotten new clothes, so all he wore were tattered pieces of cloth tied to his body. And he also had no shoes, so he was constantly barefoot.

He began to ascend a steep hill, grasping at the dirt and grass to pull himself up, and when he reached the top, his eyes went wide. Below him was a massive crater in which countless bones drenched in acid were cast across. The ground was black and tar-like in certain areas and melted metal which Dagon only assumed used to be weapons and armor were littered everywhere. At the far end of the crater was the dark entrance to a cave.

Dagon stood, observing the sight. He could see the crests of at least two of the Four Kingdoms on some of what was left of the armors, so he figured that the military had come after the dragon and tired to kill or enslave it. They seemed to be very unsuccessful though.

Dagon began to carefully descend the hill into the crater, but he stopped when he felt an intense pressure crushing down on him. His eyes flew to the cave where ominously luminescent green eyes stared back at him. A cold hiss ran through the forest, and then a venomous voice came, sending shivers down Dagon's spine;

"Leave, boy, unless you want me to turn you into a rotting corpse."