No one dared breathe. Claws scraped against stone for minutes that seemed to drag into hours before the behemoth hoisted itself over the top of the cliff edge, wide angry teeth veering violently towards the frightened onlookers.
"They're here!" A young voice broke from the crowd. Anina glanced over her shoulder to see three of the company's companions alighting to nearby to the west. They were so small in comparison, two of them appearing to be more of a morsel than a contender against the creature. But the red drake, smaller in size though he was, hurled himself at the creature before it could fully steady its weight on the flat surface of the clifftop. The drake thrust itself forward with the full force of its strength, but just as it wrapped its talons around the beats, the behemoth lunged and caught its head in its mouth. There were terrible muffled screeches as the two grappled, loosing balance and careening over the edge. As they fell the drake struggled for its life, fighting so that the behemoth cold not clench its iron jaws shut. With one last bolstered effort, the drake spewed fire down the throat of the creature and launched itself off its body as the behemoth yelped and laxed its jaw in reaction. The drake sored, gashed in its head dripping blood, and struggled to fly steady. It slid, dazed, onto the cliff side, panting. While the onlookers rushed to tend to it, Anina and a few others peered wearily over the cliff edge.
There was smoke and a trail of blazing embers as the falling body slammed into the earth. It slid seemingly lifelessly downhill through the snow pooled in the chasm at first, but as they watched they realized that the creature was gaining control of itself and was pushing itself further down the hill at an alarming speed, like a snake in a tunnel.
"It's still alive...?" One shuddered.
"It'll take more than that to kill it." Anina sighed wearily.
"If fire and a fall like that aren't enough to kill it, what on earth will?"
"Maybe the Carnagens will know, but the point is we can't. Not as we are. We have to go--now." She pulled herself away from the edge and took stock of the party. Inside every part of her was shaking, but she knew they had no time to waste. If they did not move now, it would be too late for any hope of escape.
"They're here!" A young voice broke from the crowd. Anina glanced over her shoulder to see three of the company's companions alighting to nearby to the west. They were so small in comparison, two of them appearing to be more of a morsel than a contender against the creature. But the red drake, smaller in size though he was, hurled himself at the creature before it could fully steady its weight on the flat surface of the clifftop. The drake thrust itself forward with the full force of its strength, but just as it wrapped its talons around the beats, the behemoth lunged and caught its head in its mouth. There were terrible muffled screeches as the two grappled, loosing balance and careening over the edge. As they fell the drake struggled for its life, fighting so that the behemoth cold not clench its iron jaws shut. With one last bolstered effort, the drake spewed fire down the throat of the creature and launched itself off its body as the behemoth yelped and laxed its jaw in reaction. The drake sored, gashed in its head dripping blood, and struggled to fly steady. It slid, dazed, onto the cliff side, panting. While the onlookers rushed to tend to it, Anina and a few others peered wearily over the cliff edge.
There was smoke and a trail of blazing embers as the falling body slammed into the earth. It slid seemingly lifelessly downhill through the snow pooled in the chasm at first, but as they watched they realized that the creature was gaining control of itself and was pushing itself further down the hill at an alarming speed, like a snake in a tunnel.
"It's still alive...?" One shuddered.
"It'll take more than that to kill it." Anina sighed wearily.
"If fire and a fall like that aren't enough to kill it, what on earth will?"
"Maybe the Carnagens will know, but the point is we can't. Not as we are. We have to go--now." She pulled herself away from the edge and took stock of the party. Inside every part of her was shaking, but she knew they had no time to waste. If they did not move now, it would be too late for any hope of escape.
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