Isha

The Dragon descended back to the ground after he finished talking, and everyone was silent. He conjured a spell? What's an Aldea? But most importantly, he said that we're all going to die.

Why?

Why do we have to die. What did we ever do to these beings? They are the ones that invaded on us. It's not fair. Am I really going to die like this? Like a chicken in a cage waiting to be picked next for dinner. There was so much confusion, fear, and anger overflowing in my emotions that all I could do was sit down and think.

Before too long, the rest of the red Dragons began turning into their human form. Like I said, there were cages to both sides and to the back of us filled with people to the brim for as far as I could see. For every cage, three red Dragons went up to the entrance and then looked back towards the black Dragons, as if awaiting orders.

Is this it, Is this how they began the slaughter? This isn't fair. Why is this happening? I was so enraged, but I was also too scared to do anything, I mean, what could we even do against these things, we are probably like ants to them. Dad and Morgan motioned for Jason and I to move to the back of the cage, I looked back to mom, and she was headed towards the back of her cage as well. We huddled in the corner, I kept looking over at my mom, anxiety starting to overflow.

"Begin."

The red Dragons opened the cages, including ours, stepped inside, and then closed themselves in.

Instantaneous fear. I thought they would immediately start slashing or something with their claw like hands. However, to everyone's suprise, they just started to walk around in the cage and inspect each one of us. It was as if they were looking for someone, but who? If they were to find that person, will they let us go? No, that doesn't make sense. The black dragon said we would all "perish."

After some more waiting, they were only the quarter of the way near us, so for now, we were safe. In my mom's cage, however, they were just a dozen people away from her. I could feel my heart sink. Dad, Morgan, and Jason were all looking towards her as well.

They eventually got to her, and since she was the last one, I think they had finished their search. After that, they shouted something in that unknown language from before. I looked over to the black Dragons, and they nodded. They turned their backs to my mother, put their arms out, and white flames started to form around their claws.

One big slash.

That's all it took, a swing of their arms. Everyone besides my mother in the cage was cut in half sideways. Everyone started screaming again. I shouted towards my mother, the bars in the cage where massive, that if one were to really try, you could pass through with some trouble, but nobody here dared.

"Come here, go through the bars, run!"

My efforts were in vain. She couldn't hear me through all the screaming, Dad, and brothers were all shouting towards her for her to run through the bars. We motioned our hands for her to come towards us. When she saw that, I think she understood because she began trying to slip through the bars. Before she could completely get through, though, one of the Dragons grabbed her arms. His claws were still engulfed with the white flames.

Her arm started to burn.

"Isha!" My father yelled. He and Morgan tried to slip through the cage to get to her, but they were too big and became stuck. I tried fitting through as well but my head was a little too big, I yelled at Jason to try but he was staring wide eyed at the scene paralyzed with fear. With no time to wait for him I pushed through the pain, I could feel the skin of my forehead being pulled back but I didn't care, I forced myself through the bars, I was out. In a panic, I ran to her cage, I forced myself through those bars to, I didn't know what I was going to do, the Dragon could end me with a flick of its finger, but I didn't care, as long as my mom can escape I'll do anything I can to distract him.

As I slipped through the other cage, the Dragon was still holding onto her, in a desperate panic filled rage I balled my first, flexed all the muscles in my arms to the point that it hurt, and threw a punch to a spot on his left cheek where there were no scales.

It was like punching sand on concrete.

At first, I could feel the dragons' cheek on my knuckles. For a split second, it felt like how a normal human cheek would feel, but after that split second passed, it felt like I had just punched concrete. I could feel it. All the bones in my right knuckles shattered, but my efforts at least got the dragon to let go of her. I guess he did it out of surprise, but I didn't care. I shouted towards mom,

"Go through the bars, hurry, please!"

I could see the shock and terror on her face, "What kind of mother would I be if I left you here alone!?" she grabbed my arm, and we started to run towards the cage bars. However, when we turned around, in front of us were the other two dragons. They all looked at me, then back to each other and then said something between them once again in their own language.

I looked towards my mom. She looked like she was choking, her eyes were wide, and she was struggling to breathe.

"mom, mom, what's wrong?"

I started to shake her arms, trying to get her attention. Trying to figure out what was wrong, I quickly began to scan her. That's when I saw it, her stomach,

The dragon's arm went through her stomach.

He pulled his arm out of her stomach, and the Dragons started laughing while saying things to each other. I let her fall into my arms so she didn't hit the floor, her chin rested on my shoulder, I could smell her scent, the scent of the woman who raised me, this warm and comforting scent of a mother. I could hear and feel her lungs contracting and struggling to breathe in our embrace.

"No, please, no, please,"

"No, no, no, no,"

"No, mom no."

The only words I was able to push out. She was so close that I could hear her soft wheezing. I started to feel my stomach getting wet through my shirt. It was her blood. She had a hole in her stomach that had blood gushing out it. An uncontrollable flood of tears started to flow down my face. She placed her hand on my back and the other on my head, I heard her trying to speak, her voice was practically a whisper.

"Ron-"

Before she could finish, she started throwing up blood, and I could feel it drop onto my shoe. There was so much.

"Ron, John, Morgan, and..and Jason... I love you, plea-please, remember that."

Her soft hands,

I could feel them, one was placed on my back, and the other on my head. She's always held me like this whenever we would embrace, but now I was the one holding her up. I could feel it as the realization fully dawned on me, this would be the last time I would ever feel her warmth She started to collapse. Desperate to hold onto the feeling for just a little longer, I tried holding her up, but her hands had already fallen to her sides. I couldn't scream, I couldn't shout, I couldn't talk, and I couldn't even breathe.

She fell by my feet to the ground.

My mother, Isha, was dead.