Chapter One

Thunder booms, dense black clouds darkening the sky above a dense forest.

A flash of blue illuminates the area as a loud crash sweeps through the land. The impact flattens dozens of trees. A colossal blue dragoness lays in the center of the impact crater, a blue orb emitting a somewhat dim glow is pressed against her chest. She can't let him have it, not after all she's done to keep it from him.

Her huge form shakes as the sound of thunder booms all around her, lightning crashing down frequently.

The dragoness forces herself up, the orb floating beside her as the previously dark sky is illuminated by constant flashes of yellow, green, and white above the clouds. Her allies are trying their hardest to buy her time to escape.

She leaps into the air and flaps her wings once, yelling out in pain as she crashes back to the ground. She looks towards the source of the pain.

 Her right wing is shredded. The fragile membrane is filled with holes, the wing itself being dislocated. She can't fly in this condition, so she forces her legs to move. Her fatigued body trembles in protest as she runs towards the trees, pain shooting through her with every step she takes. The blue orb follows close behind, being pulled along by an invisible force. The flashes that lit up the clouds above grew brighter, the noises louder as the frequent thunder and rain were no longer able to drown them out. Noticing this, the dragoness forced herself to move faster, pushing herself harder to get as far away as she could.

In her haste, she trips over a fallen tree, crashing to the ground. She struggles to regain her footing as mud paints her scales. The orb dims, causing the dragoness's heart to fill with dread. As she focusses her attention on the orb, it regains its former brightness, causing the dragoness to sigh in relief before she begins to move again, now paying more attention to where she is stepping.

She urges her body to move forwards, her legs throbbing in pain and threatening to give out at any moment due to her body's heavy fatigue. She couldn't keep moving for much longer without collapsing.

She continues on for only a dozen meters more before falling to the ground weakly, her breathing heavy as she desperately looks around for a place to hide. She spots an entrance to a cave a few meters to her left, a small opening just large enough to fit her failing body. Using the last reserves of strength that her body could muster, she drags herself inside. The orb follows close behind her.

She collapses on the floor of the cave, panting heavily as the orb slowly hovers above the ground in front of her. She uses the last bit of her magic to maintain the orb when she hears a draconic roar that shakes the entire forest, sending shivers down her spine as she curls up around the orb and hopes that she won't be discovered.

A terrifying presence passes over the forest, slowing down near the cave. Her heart stops as her entire body tenses, curling up and squeezing the orb even tighter. The presence moves on, completely disappearing a few moments later. The dragoness breathes heavily, still shaking, and allows the orb to fade.

In the place where the orb used to be, an oblong middle-gray egg lays. The egg emits a faint, warm light.

The dragon curls up around the egg, falling into a deep sleep after mere moments.