Of Fire and Fang

Hello, and thank you for taking a look at my Story! I am a very new writer, so all feedback is welcome. This Book is still in its very early stages, but I wanted to release the Prologue to see if I could garner any interest in it. Please feel free to let me know what you think, I hope you enjoy! ~ S.H ~ The pair ran swiftly through the overgrown forest, bounding over roots and dodging branches as they sped by the maze of trees. The Female, of Elven descent, had an enchanting beauty about her. With pointed ears, white flowing hair twisted into a braid that bounced against the small of her back as they ran, and pale violet eyes; she was all but the opposite of her counterpart. The Man accompanying her was gruff and rugged, with shaggy brown hair that fell into his ocean blue eyes, and an unkempt beard. He had the build of a Warrior; once healthy and strong but now frail from weeks of fleeing the Empire. Both wore travel-worn hunter's garb that hung from their gaunt, starved forms. Cradling a small bundle in her arms, the Elf cried to the man behind her. "We aren't going to make it Will!" "Yes, we are Nasuna!" William grunted as he struggled to keep pace. "Don't look back, just keep running!" From behind, they could hear the thunderous snarls of their pursuers as the beasts ripped through the forest, intent on finding and killing the two. "I see light ahead, we are almost there!" Nasuna exclaimed with renewed vigor as they approached the clearing. Leaping over the last entanglement of roots, William and Nasuna burst from the forest's edge, a sprawling Meadow lay before them. As they raced on, Nasuna could not help but notice how beautiful their surroundings were. Tall, green grass flowed in the breeze like waves, speckled with a colorful array of wildflowers that kissed the air with their delicate perfumes. Insects flitted from flower to flower, diving down each bloom to collect the nectar hidden within. The Boreal Mountains lay on the other side of the Meadow, with a mouth of one of its many valleys almost beckoning them with the sounds of a distant waterfall. A small river flowed from the valley opening, bubbling peacefully on its way as dragonflies darted about its surface. Nasuna took a deep breath, taking in the multitude of crisp, beautiful scents the Meadow provided. Had they not been running for their lives, Nasuna would have been content to spend the rest of the day in this enchanted oasis. Will bellowed in agony behind her. Nasuna froze, shock and fear running through her veins upon hearing her Mate in such pain. She ran to his side, the bundle in her arms now whimpering softly. Will was crouched, a poisoned arrowhead protruding from his breast. As the poison burned his flesh, He looked up with tears and desperation in his eyes. Will held Nasuna's hand in his own for a moment as he stared into her beautiful violet eyes, before pushing himself to his feet and facing their attackers. As he did so, a pleading cry broke from his lips, "GO NASUNA, SHE MUST LIVE!" With a cry of anguish, Nasuna turned her back on her only love and continued to run toward the valley ahead, stealing glances behind her. Will faced the Archer as he reached behind him, snapping the arrow embedded in his shoulder with a pained grunt and throwing it aside. The Archer clumsily knocked another arrow upon seeing Will's advance, lining up his shot as the ground rumbled behind him. Before the archer could loose his arrow, a massive armor-clad figure crashed through the treeline followed closely by another. Massive red-scaled beasts backed the archer, plumes of smoke billowing from their maws; Beasts he once considered family. The Archer haphazardly loosed his arrow and scrambled to the cover of the trees as the two armor-clad dragons bellowed and launched themselves into the air; shimmering like gilded rubies in the morning sun. Both dragons wore the Empire's insignia upon their armor; a flaming crown and rose adorned with dragon wings; showing their allegiance and ranking in the Empire. With a maddened cry, Will charged from the center of the meadow. Allowing his ancestral magic to flow through him, ebony scales emerged from his skin and massive wings burst from his shoulders as he took his dragon form. His left-wing had been injured by the arrow he took while in his human form, rendering him flightless. Will, a rare ebony dragon, once Prince William Alistar, heir to the Empire throne; now a traitor to the Empire and his own Family. Bloodied, starving, and unable to take to the skies, Will accepted his fate. "for Nasuna and Aurora, my Moon and Stars" he murmured. With a deafening crash, the larger of the dragons collided with Will from above as they locked talons in battle. Nasuna could not afford to stop as she heard the fighting ensue. She put on a burst of speed and made her way to the valley opening. An agonizing roar broke through the noise of battle, followed by silence. Nasuna felt as though part of her soul had been ripped from her as she stole a glance back. She wailed in despair as she saw William still in his dragon form, beaten and broken as the ruby dragon held him firmly by the nape of the neck. Nasuna cried with grief as the gilded dragon turned its fiery gaze upon her. Dropping William's lifeless body from its maw, the ruby dragon unleashed a triumphant roar and leaped back into the air, pursuing it's prey. Like a fire-trailing demon the Dragon advanced, blowing flames as it closed the distance between them. Nasuna sensing her strength waning, finally came upon the base of the Boreal and the mouth of the valley. She desperately scanned her surroundings, hoping for a means of escape. There, nestled in the cracks and crevices of the mountainside, she spotted a small den opening just large enough for the bundle to be tucked away into. Nasuna knew then what she must do. Gently removing the outer layer of the bundle, She revealed a tiny infant with beautiful honey brown hair and violet eyes. The Babe stared with a frightened, quizzical expression as Nasuna cupped it's tiny face, and with tears in her eyes whispered, "You were our greatest adventure, Aurora."before kissing the Child's cheeks gently. With her goodbyes said and Aurora safely tucked into the den, Nasuna balled up the freed blanket and tucked it into her arms as she turned and ran the opposite direction, tears trailing down her face. With the dragons closing in, Nasuna placed the empty bundle gently on the ground before her and drew her daggers. The lead beast flew like an arrow toward her, mouth agape and claws outstretched for the kill. Nasuna attempted to leap out of the way at the last second, but the dragon's reflexes were quicker. Like a cat playing with a mouse, the dragon batted at her with his massive paw and pounced, pinning her to the ground. The animal would not make this kill quickly; He buried a claw into Nasuna's shoulder, lowering his head to eye her hungrily as she screamed in pain. In an instant, Nasuna slipped her hand free and jammed her dagger into the unsuspecting dragon's eye, the beast leapt back and howled in pain. As the dragon flailed, Nasuna scrambled to her feet. She scooped the bundle into her arms and bound forward, heading to the treeline in hopes of losing her persuer. A monumental force barreled into her from behind, knocking her to the ground and stealing her air as her vision filled with spots. Nasuna was flipped over onto her back like a rag doll, where she came face to face with the now one-eyed dragon as he snarled viciously above her. Knowing what would follow, she gathered every last ounce of strength she had, stared into the raging dragon's eye, and murmured, "Your Empire will fall." The dragon opened its gore-spattered maw and bathed Nasuna and the bundle she held in a jet of flames, leaving nothing but ash and smoke in their wake. The Beast snorted, tendrils of smoke and soot flying from his nostrils as he surveyed his work. The one-eyed creature turned to the other awaiting dragon and reverted to his human form. In the one-eyed dragon's place, a tall, burly man stood. This man wore gold-plated armor with ornate gems and filigree etched into the breastplate. Upon his head, he wore a gold helm, shaped into a dragon's crown of horns. Tufts of dirty blond hair peeked from beneath his helm, and blood smudged his scarred face giving him a disheveled, feral look. Wiping the sweat and blood from his brow, and tucking his hair neatly in place; the General stared with dark eyes at his squire still in dragon form. "..General Markus..?" "Don't just stand there, BOY! Clean up this damn mess, NOW." "Y-yes Sir!" The Squire stammered as he shifted to his human form and scrambled away. Making his way back into camp, the General announced, "alright boys, we're packing up and moving out!" as he ripped a piece of cloth from a Soldier's tunic, pressing it to his wounded eye with a wince. General Marcus made his way to his tent, muttering under his breath. "Stupid Elf b***h. First, you curse our Prince and plant your falsities in his head, then you trick him into impregnating your decrepit, Witch womb; and NOW, you go and take my eye! I showed you..hmph. I'll show the damn lot O' you Elves what happens when you go against the Empire." He snickered to himself as he recalled the orders he received from Emporer Alistar to bring the traitors to justice several weeks prior. Readying his mount's tack, he recalled the thrill of the hunt, sniffing out the pair that threatened to deface the Alistar name; How it felt to take down the betrayer William Alistar, and finally his she-elf w***e and their brood. General Markus grinned to himself as he swung into the saddle, knowing he had earned himself a great feast when he arrived home. Amari crept down from her mountainside home to the mouth of the valley, where she thought she heard the commotion occur a few hours prior. Equipped with nothing but her hunting pack and bow, she was in no place to confront an enemy; but her curiosity grew too demanding to ignore. Amari was a young Elf of 12 years, brimming with curiosity; naive to the world outside of the valley oasis that she called home. Her Auburn hair swayed in the breeze as she stalked her way to the west side of the Meadow. Ahead of her, Amari could smell the stench of death and soot defiling the air. Following her nose, she came upon a large patch of scorched earth and crouched to investigate, feeling the warmth still radiating from the ground. At the center of this burned patch of meadow was a curious pile of ash and pebbles. Unsure of what she was seeing and smelling, Amari stood and continued to the south side of the meadow, where the smell of old blood clung to the air. As she walked, Amari pondered what on earth could have happened here just a few hours before. *SQUELCH* With a glance down, confusion turned to horror as she realized she had just stepped into a massive pool of blood. Looking around, Amari noticed there were pools of blood and massive gauge marks covering the ground before her. Where green grass and beautiful flowers had once been, only c*****e remained. She had to get out of here before whatever caused this destruction came back. In a blind panic, Amari dashed back to the valley opening, glancing behind her to ensure she was not being pursued. As she reached the entrance to the valley, she heard the tiniest of cries; A noise she wouldn't have heard had her adrenaline not heightened her senses. Her Meadow mystery all but forgotten, Amari froze in place and listened for the sound again. Nothing. Amari shrugged, "It's official, you're going crazy, Ri." she thought to herself as she turned to make the trek back home. A fragile wail pierced the air. Amari spun on her heels, ready for a surprise attack. When none occurred, she relaxed a little. "An injured animal, perhaps?" She thought as she crept toward the source of the sound. As she grew closer, Amari began to realize what was making the sound. "That's no animal.. that's a Child!" She gasped to herself as she began frantically searching for the location of the sound. "Who would leave a Child all alone like this? Whose Baby is it? WHERE is it?" Her mind raced as she searched. Locating the source of the noise, Amari slowly peeked into the crying hollow in the Mountainside; A pair of glowing, violet eyes stared back. Startled, Amari jumped back and prepared for the monster to emerge. When some time passed in silence, she approached and peeked once more. There, alone and whimpering was an infant. "It IS a baby!!" Amari said breathlessly, struggling to process what she was seeing. Amari poked the infant as it lay amongst the cluster of blankets and watched for some sort of retaliation. When the baby only let out a protesting grumble and glared at her, she cautiously scooped it up and out of the den, scrutinizing it with her emerald eyes. In the late afternoon sun, Amari could see the Babe had beautiful light brown hair that fell in small ringlets around her tiny head, and ethereal pale violet eyes that stared back at her with a small amount of fear and overwhelming curiosity. "Well aren't you just the cutest!" Amari giggled as she lightly pinched the child's cheek. With an irritated grunt, the Child entangled a hand in Amari's hair and yanked, ripping out a handful of Auburn strands. "OW!! What the hell?! .. That's probably for thinking you were a monster.. huh?" Amari flinched and held the child at arm's length while it giggled. Taking one more look around the meadow, Amari decided she could not leave the child behind. She would bring it to her Parent's home and let them decide what to do. Amari eyed the child, not trusting it enough to carry it in her arms after nearly being scalped. "Aha! I know what to do" She proclaimed as she pulled her hunting gear from her knapsack. Cushioning the sack with the infant's blankets, she lowered the child in where it sat snuggly in the makeshift papoose. After ensuring the little one was comfortable and able to breathe, Amari gingerly put her knapsack back on and smiled as it babbled and cooed at her. With one last look into the Meadow, Amari turned on her heels and started her trek back up the mountainside.