​Lisle reached to hold Ell’s head with both hands and leaned down to kiss the smooth, scaled muzzle. Ell gazed lovingly at her, gold eyes soft, then turned and floated to the other side of the pool, paddling with her great, hind legs on the rocky bottom. Lisle watched her, admiring the graceful curve of carmine tipped spinal ridges and tail snaking through the water. Then she resolutely walked back to Gareth’s tiny room.

​Standing outside the curtained doorway she announced herself and pushed the curtain aside. A small amount of light from the torches in the hallway shone on Gareth’s back. He lay in the shadows, just as before, shoulders hunched within his much-rumpled tunic, bandaged leg resting bent kneed, his face turned to the wall. He said nothing.

Lisle hooked the curtain open. Then she took her courage in hand and faced Gareth squarely, hand on her hips, legs spread wide. She glared at his back and took a deep breath, “G…Gareth, e…enough. Y…you can’t j…just d…die. You’re d…doing n…nothing to h…h…” She stamped her foot on the floor in her frustration to get the words out, “help yourself. D…Delorin s…says you’re g…going to l…l…lose your leg i…if y…you don’t try t…to get well.”

Feeling exhausted from the effort of pushing so many words out, Lisle felt frustration and fear engulf her. Her eyes watered up, and she tightened her lips as if that might hold in the tears.

Gareth turned slowly over, grimacing with the pain from his inflamed and swollen leg.

“What do you care what happens to me? I let everyone down.”

Eyebrows pinching, mouth turned down in frustration, Lisle watched Gareth.

“I couldn’t do my job. I couldn’t protect anyone.” Gareth’s eyes fell to the floor. “You don’t understand. I’ve always been strong. I’ve always been the leader. I was the one everyone looked up to. I wish I’d never met that Guardian…” His voice trailed off. He closed his eyes and lay back.

Heat flooded Lisle’s cheeks. A tear overflowed, running down the side of her face and she brushed it away impatiently. How dare he lay there and let himself die just because he felt sorry for himself? 

“You, you self-important, puffed-up, strutting, ground flier! You let yourself get sicker and sicker just because you weren’t the one to save Ell?”

Gareth looked up at her, a shocked expression on his face.

“Just because things worked out the way they did and Terris was able to save Ell, you feel like it shoulda’ been you? What about the rest of us, all worried sick about you?”

Lisle stomped about the tiny room, arms flailing at the air.

As she ranted, color came back into Gareth’s pale face. What could have been a smile began to play about his cracked, dry lips as his eyes tracked her movements.

“I don’t care that you weren’t the one who jumped off that cliff. I’m glad you weren’t. It was awful seeing Terris…” Lisle gulped back a sob that threatened and more words poured out of her mouth. “But you aren’t thinking about that are you? No! No, you’re just thinking about how you aren’t the big protector saving Ell every time there’s trouble! You’re just thinking about yourself!”

Gareth’s dark eyes narrowed, hardened. The corners of his mouth turned down. Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself to a sitting position, back braced against the wall.

The motion caught Lisle’s attention and she stopped her tirade. Scuffling her feet, color suffusing cheeks already pink with agitation, she looked down, away from Gareth.
​
 “Get out.”

Lisle froze, mouth slightly open, eyes wide, then she turned and ran from the room.

Gareth’s eyelids fluttered shut, and he leaned his head back against the wall.

You’re pathetic Gareth, he thought. Now you’re scaring little girls. What is the matter with you?

His thoughts took a darker turn.  I’m nothing, nobody, that’s what. Nothing matters anymore. It’s that Guardian’s fault. If only I hadn’t found her that day in the woods.

Gareth knew there was something wrong with the logic of this line of thought. It didn’t  really make sense. It wasn’t the Guardian’s fault. He thought. It wasn’t even my fault. Things happened the way they did and it was lucky for all of us that Terris and Moss were there.  Gareth’s eyes blinked open. The dark thoughts that had been gripping him now seemed a little ridiculous.

I’m better than this. He thought. So, maybe I wasn’t the big protector like I wanted to be. Maybe I don’t have to be the one everyone looks up to all the time. The thought brought an unexpected sense of relief. His felt his lips curve upward. With a self-deprecating laugh, he shook his head.  Lisle’s right. I’ve been doing nothing but feeling sorry for myself. He resolved to do better. He owed Lisle an apology, but first he’d have to get back on his feet.

Setting his jaw against the pain he knew would follow, he pushed himself upright and stood on one leg, hand braced against the rough rock of the wall. Red streaks of lightning pain shot out from the wound in his thigh, almost overwhelming him. He grabbed at the wall to support himself and then reached out blindly, grasping for the crutch which Healer Delorin had left for him near his pallet, and which he had ignored up until this point. Then taking a deep, steadying breath, he hobbled one painful step forward and then another. Slowly, he made his way out of the shadowed space behind him. The light of the hallway glinted at him from countless sparkling facets in the walls, and he squinted against the brightness. Leaning heavily on his crutch, he made his way slowly down the hall to find Lisle.

Lisle trailed her hand along the greystone wall beside her as she almost floated through the tunnel deep within Guardian Mountain. The craggy surface tickled her fingers. She watched as the crystalline structure of the rock winked sparkles of light at her, reflecting from the torch sconces hanging along the tunnel wall. Being here filled her with joy and energy. She felt cleansed and renewed.  It was as if all the exhausting weeks of traveling and the terrors of pursuit dropped away from her. She reveled in the feeling of the roughened surface beneath her feet, loving the hide slippers she’d been given. The air smelled fresh and clean, despite the fact that no breath of wind disturbed the tranquility of the pathway.
​
Since their arrival, Lisle had lost count of how many suns had risen and set, she and Ell were immersed in training, learning of their paired role as Guardian and Voice and their place in the Plan of the One. Their teacher was the huge Guardian that Lisle had first encountered when she entered the Cavern of the Guardians. She was Gran Bryl, Eldress and dame of Ell. Gran Bryl communicated with them through her Voice and Contracted, Bryllint, a small woman, brown haired and brown eyed like Lisle. But there the resemblance ended. Bryllint was a powerhouse of energy, striding about the room on her short legs, practically bouncing off the walls in her excitement to communicate all that flowed through her. Lisle loved to watch and listen to her. She was riveted by the connection between Bryllint and Gran Bryl. The two functioned almost as one. Gran Bryl the wisdom and guidance, Bryllint the hands and voice.

Lisle wanted to be this for Ell with a depth of wanting that felt like an unquenchable thirst. Yet, how could she? She struggled to spit words out. It was a battle to say even a short sentence. The only time she could speak plainly was when she was angry. Then the words poured out of her mouth like a river. But that’s no help to me. She thought. I can’t be angry all the time!

In the rare quiet moments, when she and Ell could sit together and share the Pathways, Ell assured Lisle that it would all work out, and that she, herself, already knew everything that was being taught to them. Lisle wondered if it was so, Ell was a very young Guardian, and Lisle wondered how it could all work out. But she trusted Ell with all that was in her. The ways of Guardians were a mystery to Lisle, perhaps Ell really did know.

Lisle often found her new life overwhelming. She sought refuge outside, among the rocks and tundra on the mountain. There, she had a favorite spot overlooking the surrounding countryside, sun-warmed and wind swept. Or she would walk, the scrubby growth of the alpine tundra crunching beneath her feet. It cleared her mind just to be there, allowing the steady breath of the mountainside to wash over her, cleansing away her fears.  

Between the teaching, quiet time with Ell and restorative walks, she hadn’t spent as much time as she would have liked with Terris and Moss and especially Gareth, though she knew he was in good hands with the healer, Delorin.  

Lisle's lips twitched upward, as she thought of Terris, reveling in his new life here, increasingly in demand in the kitchens as his prowess with a cooking pot became common knowledge. He was kept busy morning till night, chopping, stirring, tasting and hunting his beloved herbs about the countryside.

Moss had adapted to life in Guardian Mountain with ease, and had a following of adoring flier folk. They were fascinated by her dramatic, aerial reenactments of the companion’s adventuresome journey. A journey in which Moss always played the starring role, protecting Ell, and guiding her safely to Guardian Mountain.

Today, Terris and Lisle met in the tunnel, both on their way to see Gareth and glad enough to go together. They entered the room to find Gareth lying upon his pallet, facing the wall.

“Content as a croaker on a log, I see,” said Terris, touching Gareth gently on the shoulder. Gareth gave no reply, only lifting his shoulder away, turning further into the wall.

“What’s this?” asked Terris, and looked at Lisle.

“G…Gareth, d…does y…your leg p…p…pain you?” Lisle moved closer, bending over him.

“Go away,” said Gareth.

Lisle stood up and looked in bewilderment at Terris. Her stomach clenched and she felt a roiling, burning sensation within. Anger, and fear. What does Gareth have to be afraid of? She thought. Lisle moved away from the bedside to stand beside Terris.

Terris shrugged. “Come on, he’ll likely feel more like comp’ny later.”

The next day, feeling reticent and worried, Lisle found Terris and bade him accompany her to see Gareth again. The response from Gareth was the same, except this time with his back turned, face to the wall, he said nothing. They left him wrapped in silence.

Lisle was hurt and confused by his response, or lack of it. She was afraid she must have done something to anger him, but what could she have done? She felt afraid for him, afraid of losing him. He wasn’t getting better.

Lisle sought out the healer, Delorin. The healer just shook her head. “It should have been healing by now. I don’t know what else we can do. Until that young man wants to heal, I can’t help him.”

Disturbed, Lisle found a quiet spot and closed her eyes. Feeling within, she sought Ell, sending her awareness down into the heart area of her chest, and turning slowly. There, she felt the pull, the happy feeling she knew would lead her to Ell. Lisle followed the twisting turns of tunnels, always taking the turn in the direction of where she felt that tingling joy that was Ell. She entered a deep cavern. It housed the hot pools, hidden away within the depths of Guardian Mountain. The air smelled of eggs, but Lisle didn’t find it unpleasant. Through the warm steam rising from the pool and fogging the air, she saw Ell, floating lazily, all but her eyes, nostrils and spinal ridge under the bubbling surface. Lisle sat on the greystone ledge at the side of the pool and draped her hand into the water beside Ell. It was hot, too hot. She pulled her hand out quickly, blowing on reddened fingers.

Ell raised her head and nuzzled Lisle’s fingers. Then she looked up into Lisle’s eyes, gold meeting brown. Lisle felt a tingling sensation wash up and over her, love welling up within her and overflowing. Taking in a deep, grateful breath, she reached down to scratch Ell behind the ear opening at the side of her head. Ell’s scaly hide felt warm and flexible under Lisle’s fingers, and Ell leaned her head into Lisle’s hand.

Haltingly, Lisle told Ell of her concern about Gareth, her fear of losing him, the fact that he wasn’t allowing himself to heal, and her worry that he was somehow angry with her. She put it all into words, slowly and without rushing herself.

Ell listened patiently, floating in the steaming water beside her. Lisle felt her loving presence gratefully, even as she struggled to form all those words.

She took a deep breath as her words ran down and the need behind them finally released. Then she looked up, eyes wide. Lisle knew what she needed to do and she needed to do it now.
 
 

The gloom of the stone-walled space in which Gareth lay, suited him. He was deep inside Guardian Mountain, the twists and turns of the tunnels leading to this small cave were confused in his mind. He had no idea how he would get out. That is, if he had any desire to get out, which he didn’t. His only desire was to lie here and suffer. He deserved it. He was a failure as a protector. The only thing he had ever really cared about in his life and he had failed miserably. He turned his face toward the wall and saw only grey stone, flecked with black. Perfect, he thought.
​
Gareth heard scuffing footsteps enter through the cave opening at his back. He recognized the light steps as the Healer Deoren, who visited each day to change the wraps on Gareth’s leg and tend his wound. Gareth knew his leg wasn’t healing as it should. He heard the inhalations of distress and softly voiced exclamations as Deoren unwrapped his leg, inadvertently jostling the painful appendage and causing him excruciating pain. Gareth gritted his teeth and bore through it.  

He didn’t know what the healer looked like. He never turned over or engaged her in any way. He listlessly tolerated her ministrations and waited for her to go away. But he couldn’t avoid her voice, low, melodious and calming. Deoren chatted as she worked. Over the days she had told Gareth all about Guardian Mountain, and how it was honeycombed with openings small and large, housing the Guardian’s Contracteds, as well as an enormous community of Flier Folk. She waxed eloquent about her own Guardian, Del, going on and on about how beautiful, wise and brave he was. She more than once made the point that Gareth should get well so he could get up and view the wonders of Guardian Mountain for himself.

The chatter only served to drive Gareth deeper within himself. He didn’t want to hear about the other’s in Guardian Mountain. He didn’t care about the wonders of the light- filled spaces . He especially didn’t want to hear about her brave Guardian. They all deserved to be here. He didn’t, lying abed, wounded even before the fighting began.

His mind looped back over familiar, painful territory. Three times Ell was in terrible danger, three times it was Terris or Moss who saved her. How was that even possible? Tiny Moss? And how about Terris? When Gareth first met Terris he was a cowardly, greedy little man, hoarding food like a tree climber. Then he changed. Gareth had to admit to himself that Terris had changed. So much so that Gareth considered him to be a friend, a man Gareth respected and trusted. Terris has done better protecting Ell than I have. I’d choose him at my back any day.

A dark, provoking voice insinuated itself into his thoughts, slithering and cold. Would Terris choose you to guard his back? Would Lisle? How about Ell or Moss? Why would they? You’d just get yourself shot and be useless to them. You are pathetic, a useless worm of a man.  

The voice chilled him to the bone, and a feeling of horror shuddered through Gareth’s body. The inner voice had a creeping quality, entwining itself into his awareness so cleverly that Gareth never suspected the thoughts were not his own.

Mind wandering, Gareth remembered his childhood and growing into a young man. He had never had reason to question his abilities. He led and others followed. That’s just the way it was for him. As a boy, the other children looked up to him. They sought to earn his friendship and respect. He had never questioned the fact that he didn’t have to earn their respect. It came naturally.  

But not anymore, said the voice, turning his attention away from the memories of self-respect as if they had never happened.

No, thought Gareth. Not anymore. How can I face Terris or worse, Lisle or Ell, even Moss? What must they think of me, always wounded, useless? I am pathetic.

It’s that Guardian’s fault. She thinks she’s so special. She’s not.

The idea stunned Gareth. It appealed to him, even as his logical mind objected. Maybe it was the Guardian’s fault, he thought. He’d never have been shot if not for her. He’d have been sitting in a tavern with Lur, enjoying himself. Then he’d never have felt this pain.

It’s her fault. She’s to blame.

Yes, thought Gareth. It’s her fault. Anger sparked, burning away at the grey folds of depression wrapped about him.

The following day, Healer Deoren found Gareth in the same position she always found him in, lying on his side, back to the door, staring at the greystone wall. He had been withdrawn and sullen ever since they brought him in. She unwrapped Gareth’s leg, noting the sudden grimace of pain on his face. He surprised her by turning his head and staring at her, dark eyes hard. He said nothing, his eyes piercing her.
 
Deoren didn’t like the looks of those eyes and she didn’t like the looks of Gareth’s leg. The area around the wound was hot and reddened, swollen, obviously painful. The wound itself oozed a yellowish fluid, the edges white, un-healing. No, she didn’t like the looks of this at all. Deoren looked back at Gareth’s face. The man still stared at her. Unnerved, Deoren checked her own inner responses, an integral part of her healing practice. She felt a creeping sensation, something revolting spreading within him. It felt like infection, but none she’d ever encountered before. It worried her considerably.

She rewrapped Gareth’s leg with fresh herbs and bandaging, her increasing anxiety driving her to work as quickly as she could. She didn’t want to be there any longer than she had to. There was something wrong here and she needed to find out what.  She left Gareth’s bedside deeply concerned for the young man. What was preventing him from healing? What was that awful creeping sensation she felt inside him?

Deoren looked up and noted gratefully, the carefully tended lanterns hanging at regular intervals along the passageway deep with Guardian Mountain. The light reflected back from the walls in countless tiny sparkles. So beautiful, she thought, then shook her head and sighed deeply as her thoughts strayed back to the angry, young man she’d just left. Dispiritedly, she traced the long, familiar route to the Cavern. There, she would immerse herself in the loving wisdom of her Guardian, Del. Maybe together they could find an answer.

Lisle, and the kind woman she now knew as Healer Delorin, made their way down the mountain path accompanied by a clatter of flyer folk in the air above them. The thought crossed Lisle’s mind that clatter was exactly the right name for the whirring, noisy flock hovering overhead. She glanced over at Delorin, glad for the healer’s solid bulk between herself and the sheer drop-off where the edge of the path met nothing but sky. She had had enough of that view on the way up, and her legs were shaky from her exertions both physical and emotional over the past several hours. As her mind returned to what lay ahead, her gut constricted painfully and her breath caught in her throat. Worry over her companions, especially Ell, turned into a monologue of ‘what if’s’ in her mind.

Half-sliding down the gravelly path, stones rasping underfoot creating miniature rock slides, they arrived back with Lisle's companions. Lisle skidded to Ell’s side as the whispering cloud of flyers above them, divided, the majority streaking to Ell, and others continuing to Terris who slumped beside the Guardian.

Lisle was relieved to see that Ell was awake. She lay prone upon the path, in the same position as when they’d left, but her eyes were open now. Her wounds oozing a sluggish, deep crimson.

Delorin quickly checked Ell, Terris and then Gareth, before returning to Ell. When Ell lifted her head weakly and looked at Delorin, then looked pointedly at Terris, Delorin admonished her. “They’ll do for now. You’re the one in need.” Ell subsided with a deep groan and laid her head back down.

Several of the flyer folk alighted on Gareth’s injured leg. “Tend to Ell and Terris you,” and he tried to wave them away. They lifted off, hovering briefly, then landed again. He dropped his hand limply and looked away, the corners of his mouth tilting down and a crease deepening between his brows.

With Ell and Terris in many good hands, large and small, Lisle sank down beside Gareth. She stared at the arrow protruding from his leg, wincing at the pain she knew it caused him, and thought that she really should do something about it. Glancing up at his face she saw that his cheeks burned red even as the rest of his face was pale and sweaty. He held his face turned away, lips pressed tightly in a hard, straight line and eyes staring intensely at the ground. Lisle felt a wave of emotion emanating from him, but was sure she was mistaken. What does he have to be ashamed of? 

Nervous now, afraid of the pain she would cause him, she reached with trembling hands for the shaft of the arrow.

“I’ll take care of that Young One,” said Delorin looking over her shoulder at Lisle. “Just make him comfortable and I’ll be there shortly.”

“I’m alright, Lisle. Stop fussing,” said Gareth, looking at her with hard eyes.

“I’m n…not f…f…fussing,” said Lisle, stung by the anger she felt beneath his words. She dropped her hands and scrambled up and away from him. “Can I h...h...help it if y…you always end up looking like a q…q…quill climber?”

Gareth jerked his face away, his cheeks staining a deeper red, and was silent.

Lisle looked at him, lips pursed in frustration, then she shrugged. If he didn’t want help, she wouldn’t give it to him. She’d tend to Ell and Terris. As she moved down the path toward her Guardian a small contingent of three flyers supporting a fourth, injured flyer between them, landed gently beside Ell.

“Moss!” Lisle was elated to see her friend and relieved to have something else to think about besides Gareth. She stepped quickly over to the little group and knelt down. Moss pushed herself upright carefully with the aid of the flyers supporting her. One of her wings hung, bent at an uncomfortable looking angle. The rest of her seemed unharmed.

“M…Moss, you…you’re alright!”

Moss smiled up at her, an expression more like a grimace, and nodded her head. Tendrils of moss green hair straggled about her  sharp-chinned face. Her tunic hung limply on her shoulders. She held herself upright with one tiny arm braced against her companion, and gestured delicately with the other arm toward Ell.

“Ell’s g…going to b…be al…alright,” said Lisle as she followed the direction of Moss’s gesture with her eyes. “I h…hope,” she whispered.
  
With Delorin’s efficient aid, and whatever it was that the flyer folk did, it wasn’t long before Ell was able to stand. Terris too, woke, and after a few disoriented minutes, stood up beside Ell.

Delorin moved to tend Gareth and he waved his hand at her as if to shoo her away. She stood in front of him and closed her eyes. Then she overlapped her hands on her chest and took several slow, deep breaths. When she opened her eyes, she put her hands on her hips and just stood there, staring at him. He relented, ungraciously gesturing toward his leg. Gareth made no sound, even as the color drained from his face when Delorin wrenched the arrow from his leg and bandaged him carefully. Gareth looked briefly at her then, and lifted his chin in thanks. Delorin acknowledged that with a head bob of her own.

With Gareth standing, bandaged leg held up, leaning on his bow, the companions began to move slowly up the path with a cloud of hovering flyer folk over them, and Delorin walking behind.

Moss was lifted into the air by her staunch flyer companions once again and joined the hovering clatter.

Lisle moved up beside Terris and Ell. “Th..that was the b…bravest thing I e…ever saw. T…Terris y...you saved us.” Then she looked at Ell, her eyes filling with tears.  “Ell y…you saved T…Terris. I th…thought I was g…going to lose you b…b..both.” Hot tears overflowed, rolling down her cheeks.

Terris patted her awkwardly on the shoulder and said nothing. He looked at her, his lips compressed, twitching back and forth as if not knowing quite what to do with themselves. Color suffused his cheeks and neck and he blinked rapidly, looking away.

The clatter of flyer folk moved like one being back up toward Guardian Cavern, quickly disappearing from sight, carrying Moss away with them.

Ell, once again led the way, though much more slowly this time. Her movements were stiff and looked painful. Lisle followed close behind, walking beside Terris, his hand on her shoulder. She felt his weight as he leaned upon her, and was glad he at least allowed her to support him.

Gareth waved away Delorin’s offer of an arm to lean upon, growling, “Tend those as needs you.”
​
Together again, wounded, hurting and now silent, the companions aided by Delorin, trudged up Guardian Mountain toward the Cavern, each sunk in their own thoughts.
 

Ell threw up her head, watching the enormous Guardian diving at her. Her jaws opened defensively, then it slammed into her. She felt the thudding impact as a tremendous weight bore her body to the ground. Huge claws stabbed and ripped agonizingly into her sides, grabbing at her neck and pinning her head to the stony earth.

She looked upward into a gaping, toothed maw, nostrils filling with the rotted flesh scent of heated breath as it came at her. Her mind filled with the horrific vision of this enormous Guardian crushing her skull in it’s jaws, like the shell of an egg.

“Git offa her you, you…!”

Terris never finished his demand as he leapt at her attacker. Out of the corner of her eye, Ell saw Terris fly through the air, thrown wide by an enormous, whipping tail. She felt a stab of fear for him, knowing Terris had already been injured even as he leapt upon her foe.

Ell prayed. One, protect these precious humans who have given so much to protect me.

She felt her heart expand and was suddenly aware of all that took place from a vantage point above, observing.

She knew this Guardian. This was Fal, the dark light.

She felt the loving presence of the One fill her to overflowing. It tingled throughout her body, easing the terrible weight crushing her into the ground, and the burning pain of the claws that ripped at her.

Her fear melted away and she was oddly curious to see what would happen next.

She knew with certainty that it was all perfect, whatever happened, and she was filled with a deep sense of peace. Then sadness welled up in her heart as she felt the agony, fear and rage which consumed Fal and her heart reached out to him.

“Elllll...!” Lisle screamed high and long, from the mountain path above. Ell saw Lisle hurtle recklessly down the mountainside, slipping sideways on the graveled surface, face contorted with anger. She charged at the Fallen, beating at him with her fists.

Another arrived at that same moment, the boy Ell had seen from the air, the one she recognized as Tim. Long legs and arms pumping furiously, he raced to Fal, pulling at him, trying to get him off of her back.

She was grateful for their efforts, even knowing they were futile.

The thought came to her, I am of the One and of the One I remain. She knew this to be her deepest truth, despite what was happening to her physical body.

Then, as her body struggled for breath beneath that terrible weight, she mind-spoke, Fal, we are ONE.

The light of the One flooded outward through the back of her heart. She felt the warm energy and an intense tingling sensation which dampened the burning pain in her back and neck from where his claws tore through her scaled hide. She felt love, huge and encompassing, engulfing her and the one who rent and tore at her.

Distantly, she felt the pain intensify in her back as his claws clenched spasmodically, powerfully, and then suddenly released.

With a shrieking roar the Fallen lifted into the air and flapped away in the direction from which he had come. She turned her head to watch him and saw that his movements were awkward. Long, dark tail wheeling, trying for balance, he pitched drunkenly in the air with none of the accustomed grace of a Guardian in flight.

Ell heaved desperate breath into her lungs, and her consciousness fell back into her body as its arching defensiveness collapsed. She felt the intense burning pain of her wounds return and groaned. A sound that vibrated from her gut and all along her neck, exacerbating the agony, and which she quickly cut short.

Lisle and Tim stood on either side of her, staring at her.

She heard the boy whisper, “I’m so sorry.” Then his feet pounded off in the direction the Fallen had taken. She didn’t lift her head to watch him go.

“Ell, you’re bl…bleeding!” She felt Lisle’s gentle hands on her back, and heard her catching intake of breath. “Oh, Ell.” Lisle quickly removed her over-tunic. She tried without success to rip it in pieces as she started to sob. Then she gave up and used the whole tunic to mop at Ell’s back and neck. 

“One bless you, Ell, yer a bit tore up,” said Terris through gritted teeth. He limped over to her, pressing his hand hard against his side. 

“There now, Younger, Ell ‘ll be alright.” Terris sounded out of breath as he moved over beside her and Ell felt another hand upon her back. “It looks a mess, but nothin’ as won’t heal up.” He paused to drag in another breath, still pressing his hand against his side. “You keep doin’ what you’re doin.’ It’ll stop the bleedin.’” Lisle snuffled, wiping her nose on her sleeve, and reached to mop Ell’s neck where it dripped crimson. Terris sank down on the ground beside Ell, breathing hard. Then his eyes rolled back, his head canted to the side, and he slowly toppled over.

The strain of holding the weight of two men in her claws was unbearable. Ell tried to control their fall even as they tumbled through air that whistled past her. She felt a ripping pain burn through her chest. Despite the agony, she opened her wings a little more, the soft skin at the edges flapping wildly. Still they fell, plummeting toward the mountainside.

She clenched harder with her claws just as she felt herself lose hold of one of the men. Glancing down, Ell locked eyes with the larger man as he silently fell away beneath them.  She screeched in frustration at the loss, unable to stop it, and thrust her wings wide, chest and shoulder muscles screaming.

She would not lose Terris.

With the weight lessened, their plunging fall transformed into a steep, downward glide. Air rushed over her wings and back, and pushed at her chest. It dragged at Terris, trying to pull him from her grasp. The effort to hold him, as well as trying to control their descent, was almost too much. Burning stretched across her chest, back and shoulders. It felt like her muscles were shredding apart. She hadn’t a hope of flying with him in the thin, mountain air. All she could do was hold on and pray that she wouldn’t crush him when they crashed into the rocky mountainside.

The ground rushed upward at them, jagged stones looming large, their rough, grey surfaces blanketed in orange and green lichens. She tilted her wings slightly, desperation and instinct combining to allow her to maneuver between the enormous rocks. Then she threw herself to the side so she wouldn’t land on top of Terris.

There was a jarring impact, and they were tumbling in a great mass of arms, legs, wings and tail.

Rolling to a stop, Ell lay, stunned, half-way down the mountainside, wings spread awkwardly. She was aware of the wind, now a gentle breeze flowing softly over her, carrying the blossom scent of white flower from fields in the distance. Then she felt Terris at her feet still wrapped in her talons. He moved. The jangling sensation of muddled, but living energies surrounded him. Blessed One, he is alive. The relief she felt was so great that her head spun with dizziness and she had to lie still to let the sensation pass.

“I’m dead, ain’t I?” said Terris.

Ell, lifted her head, long neck aching with the effort, and looked him in the eyes.

“I ain’t?” Hope lit his face. “Ell, you saved me! Thank the One!” Terris fumbled a bit trying to get up and help Ell up at the same time.

“Could you let go a me a bit?”

Ell tried. She pulled her legs back, dragging Terris, scraping over the pebbled surface of the ground towards her.

“Ooof, hold up there, Ell.”

Her toes ached terribly, strained with muscle cramps. Mortified, she realized that she could not release her talons to let go of Terris.

“Ya cain’t let go a me can ya’? I seen that happen ‘atimes to the hunter fliers. I’ll jess help you a bit.”

Ell sucked in a breath, inadvertently holding it against the pain, as he gently, then more firmly, pried at her toes. She forced herself to breathe deeply while she endured the indignity and discomfort of the process.

Once separated, she and Terris climbed rather shakily to their feet. Ell shook out her legs and talons carefully, relieved to be able to release the cramping. She studied Terris as she did so. He busied himself brushing dirt and twigs out of his hair. He was a bit bloodied with scrapes on his face and hands. Yet remarkably, he was unharmed.

Ell closed her eyes. Thank you One!

Sharp, painful twinges in her chest and shoulders warned her not to attempt using her wings. She eased them into a folded position on her back, then looked about for the other man, the one she had dropped.

She spied him, a sprawling heap on the mountainside below. She could see the path of broken shrubs and disturbed pebbles darkening the ground where he had tumbled down, finally landing up against a striated boulder. He wouldn’t be hunting them again. Ell’s heart clenched at the needless loss of life. Then her keen eyesight focused in on his face. His eyes were open. There was no fear there, no anger. His lips were tipped upward in a boyish, almost innocent smile.

She heard Terris take a shuddering breath and turned her attention back to see him shaking all over. He wrapped his arms about himself as if cold. He was staring at the body of the one who had hunted them. Then his legs gave way beneath him and he was suddenly sitting on the hard, stony ground.

He’ll be alright, Ell thought, warmth filling her heart, for this small, courageous, man. The One had blessed them both with survival. She looked up and took a deep breath of the fresh, mountain air. Lace-like clouds decorated the sky as they drifted overhead. It felt so good to be alive. The aching throughout her shoulders and back, reminded her of just how alive she was, and served to emphasize the depth of her gratitude. She was filled with an expanding sense of joy and took in a great gulp of air. She needed more than anything right now, to bellow out her thanks to the One.

Ell opened her jaws to voice her gratitude, but before she had a chance to make a sound, a deafening roar thundered down at them from above. Rage, not her own, surrounded her; the intensity of the emotion stabbing, red-hot. A shadow moved over her, eclipsing the warmth of the sun. She whirled around and saw a Guardian, huge and black, arrowing down at them in a stooping dive. 

Tim sat in his favorite, sunny spot on the moss-covered ledge of grey rock which overhung Fal’s cave. For a time, he was mesmerized by the tiny flashes of crystalline white which sparkled in the rock beside him. Then, he leaned back into the spongey mat and rested on his elbows, lean, brown legs crossed at the ankles in front of him. The sun trickled down through the leaves of the scrubby trees surrounding the cave, a warm blanket of light flowing over the front of his body.
​
It felt so good to relax, at least for this moment. Fal had been increasingly edgy and irritable, pacing about the cave, whip-like tail lashing back and forth. When he got like that Tim had to watch out for himself. Fal was not careful about where his tail connected, and Tim had more than once been thrown against the wall. Better to sit out here in the sun and allow the Fallen to work through his temper.

Tim tilted his head back, breathing deeply of the sun-warmed air. He brushed a black curl out of his eyes and gazed idly at the wispy clouds drifting in the sky over the mountainside. Then his attention was caught by movement. He picked out a dark flier against the cloud’s fluffy white. Another Guardian! It had to be. No other flier would be so large at this distance.

It was only the second Guardian Tim had ever seen. Even though he now lived here in the base of Guardian Mountain, the only Guardian he ever saw was Fal. Beautiful as his Guardian was, Tim was thrilled to see another.

Over the past weeks he had seen Fal flying in the air, though it was an unusual occurrence. This one looked smaller than his Guardian. He strained his eyes to see it as it drifted closer, riding the wind with motionless wings extended. Now he could see that it was a rusty green, lighter than Fal’s deep emerald. As he stared, he saw flashes of ruby red along the ridges of a long, graceful neck and tail. This one was as stunningly beautiful as the Fallen, though lighter in color. Just then, it turned its head and looked right at him. He felt that glance move like a shock through his body and burst into his heart. Tim was astonished to feel tears trickling down his cheeks. Then the Guardian dipped down and disappeared behind the trees.

He was stricken at losing sight of it. So, he watched, his heart pounding, feeling desperate to see it again. He searched the mountainside above Fal’s cave, hungry green eyes traveling up to the summit and back, looking for any sign of movement.

One corner of his mind noted that all was still from inside the cave. Perhaps his Guardian was sitting now, lost in his inner world. Thank the One, thought Tim.

He continued to scan the mountainside and the sky above. Finally, he caught sight of a large figure which he knew must be the other Guardian. It was at the head of a line of smaller, human-shaped figures, moving up the side of the mountain. He stared avidly, drinking in the sight of the small Guardian.

A short time later he saw a fourth figure moving fast at an angle behind the three, and climbing up above them. The others didn’t seem to be aware of their pursuer, but it looked as though he was getting into position to attack them.
The Hunter, realized Tim, horrified.

Without conscious thought, Tim was off the ledge and racing up the side of the mountain. He had to stop him.
*****

“Gareth is hit!” Yelled Terris, turning to aid his friend. The path was narrow. On one side was a sheer drop off. On the other a rock wall and an overhang. Gareth lay under the overhang, an arrow imbedded in his thigh.

Moss, wings clattering with anxiety, landed beside Gareth, and watched as he held his leg, eyes squeezed shut, teeth gritted against the pain.

“Bloody claws,” said Gareth, “not again.” He looked up at Terris, face pale, “You’ve gotta keep going, Terris.” He moved his leg experimentally and grimaced. “I’ll catch you up. Guard them Terris! You too, Moss. Go!”

Agonized, Terris looked at his friend and clenched his jaw against whatever he might have said, knowing Gareth was right. Then he extended his hand to Moss and turned to catch Lisle as she charged back down the rock-strewn path toward them. Ell, golden eyes focused upon Gareth, trotted close behind, sending pebbles rattling down the hillside in her wake.

“We gotta get you n’ Ell up there. Gareth’ll be along. Move now," said Terris, holding Lisle's arm with one hand, as she strained toward Gareth.

Terris reached his other hand up to offer Moss his shoulder, but she took to the air, hovering above them. He then turned Lisle around by her shoulders and made a waving motion for Ell to turn as well. He gently and firmly pushed Lisle ahead of him up the path, as Ell ponderously negotiated the tight turn and moved into place to lead the way once again.

Terris scanned the rocks above them for the shooter, even as Lisle stumbled on the path, her head turned, looking back over her shoulder toward the overhang. He caught her and they climbed steadily. There was no sign of their assailant. The sun beating down was hot, the unmoving air getting thin and hard to breathe. They didn't dare stop to rest.

The path continued, narrow and treacherous with a sheer drop off down the side to their right. Terris’s eyes blurred with strain as he scanned the rocks ahead of them. Perspiration dripped down his face and into his panting mouth, tasting salty and rank.

A slight movement above and in front of them caught his attention. He saw a stealthy figure duck down behind a boulder just behind another overhang of rock. They would never be able to pass that overhang safely. Terris had to do something, but what? I’m no bowman, no fighter. All I got's a cooking knife.  

Slowing his pace, Terris called to mind the only fighting he had ever done, wrestling matches with his brothers when he was a younger. He had spent many of his early days pinned to the ground by one enormous brother or another. The only way he ever had a chance was to take one by surprise. 

Suddenly, he knew what he had to do.

Terris tapped Lisle’s shoulder. Moss whirred down to hover beside him. As Lisle turned to him, he said softly, “You keep comin’ along slow with Ell.” He slipped his pack off and handed it to Lisle.  “I’m gonna climb up and git behind that bowman, and fer One’s sake, stay behind Ell and keep yer head down.”

Lisle nodded assent with a forehead wrinkled with anxiety.  Taking the pack, she hurried up beside Ell, and pulled back on her wing. Ell slowed her pace, as Terris began to scale the wall of rock bordering the narrow path they trod, his lean muscles straining with effort. Moss zipped up beside him, shining wings a blur, landing on the rocks above, alert and watchful.

Climbing steadily upward, Terris stopped to catch his breath, scraggly beard and spiky hair outlining his head against the blue sky behind him. The creases around his mouth and across his forehead dug deeper now, his cheek bones standing out clearly. Weeks of travel had left their mark. He stood bent over, hands on his knees, chest heaving and chanced a look over the edge of the trail. His eyes traveled down, down the rock stubbled slope, down through the trees to where they had first started their climb at the base of Guardian Mountain. By his reckoning they were almost half-way up to where he could see the yawning, dark opening in the mountainside, signaling the tunnel entrance to Guardian Cavern. He remembered Lisle telling him in her halting way, how the mountain itself had created that tunnel with its own fire. She said the Guardian had shown it to her. Still, he wondered how much of it was a younger’s fancy. Don’t matter none if it is or 'taint. We’re goin’ there.

They were at the edge of the tree line now and he was glad to note that his legs felt strong, even if his breath puffed a bit. This journeyin’s been the strengthen’ of me. His mind drifted back. I’m some different now than I was, fer sure. Back then I alus hungered for coin. That don’t seem real important now.

Looking up he saw Ell venture out from between the trees in front of him. Her graceful neck turning, golden eyes searching this way and that.  Then she took a running leap into the air, wings outstretched. She soared up, stroking hard to gain altitude. Transparent streaks of clouds filled the sky behind her as she took a swooping pass over the whole side of the mountain.

The air was still, as if holding its breath, waiting.

Lisle was next to leave the cover of the trees, Moss hovering at her shoulder. Terris followed. He was glad to feel Gareth’s solid presence right behind him and thought with pleasure how the big man treated him now. Terris’s chest filled with a sudden intake of breath as he realized, he respects me. He looked ahead at Lisle moving purposely forward. She calls me her friend. His lips curved upward.

Moss suddenly appeared beside him, buzzing to land lightly on his shoulder.

“How’s it lookin’ there Moss?”

She patted his cheek and chittered softly.

“Well and good then,” he said.

Ell back winged in to land hard, a little way up the mountain in front of Lisle. He saw her sides bellowing in and out, reminding him of his blacksmith shop at home, such as it was. He didn’t miss that shop one bit. He watched the Guardian, still breathing hard, as she waited for them.

She’s lookin’ some worn out by all this.

Lisle reached the Guardian and moved up next to her, laying her hand upon the Guardian’s shoulder. Then they turned together to resume the climb, the Guardian staying with the group, shuffling ahead to lead the way, claws scraping on rocky earth.

As he watched, he felt that deep sense of awe that he always felt when he looked at the Guardian. Her scaled and muscled hindquarters moved powerfully up the incline ahead of him. Long, ridged tail lifted in a slight curve, wings tucked neatly to her back, her long claws dug in front and back, pulling her up the slope.

He felt proud, that he, Terris, a not very good black smith from a no-name village, had helped protect and companion this servant of the One, all this way to Guardian Mountain.

He no longer worried about filling his belly. He worried about the safety of these, his first friends. I’m a differnt man, an’ a good thing it is. Terris hoisted his pack higher on his shoulders and bent forward, strong legs pumping up the side of the mountain.

*****

The Hunter arrived at the base of Guardian Mountain, staying well-hidden within the cover of the trees. He felt the strain of the journey as strange thoughts pulled at him, urging him to give up and go home.

Home, he thought with sudden longing, a place he hadn’t seen in a very long time. Stopping, his hand unconsciously felt for the little cloth bag tied on a leather thong about his neck and tucked beneath his wrinkled and greying shirt.  He pulled it out between travel-grimed fingers and felt of its lumpy contents through the rough fabric.  

He knew his fa would have passed by now, his ma gone long ago. The village where he grew up would be different. But his sister might still be there, married to that fellow. What was his name? She might even have young ones, a family. She’d welcome him, he knew. She was just that kind. She’d given him this bag, filled with the tiny treasures of their shared childhood. She didn’t need to know what he’d become - a hunter of men, and worse still, a hunter of sacred creatures of the One. He shook his head as if to shake the thoughts loose, and let go of the bag.

I’m proud of the name I've made. 

The conflicting thoughts raged about in his head with questions that had followed him all the way from where he picked up the companion’s trail back in the forest. He felt unbalanced and angry. 

Seeking escape, he gazed up the side of the mountain, his hunter-trained instincts judging the best path to take through the trees. As he watched, he saw movement on the mountain high above him. He stared intently and made out three, small figures emerging from the edge of the tree line. He figured the Guardian would be in the air somewhere, but didn’t see it. Looking further up the mountainside he noted several places in the rocks where he might take them one at a time as they passed through.

That’s it then, he thought. I am the Hunter or I am no one.

He began to trot upward, tracing a path that would wind up and around, well above where the companions must pass. He had found the perfect place for an ambush.
 

​Lisle searched the trees from her seat astride Ell’s shoulders with frantic eyes, desperate to locate the rain-shrouded figure whose terrifying laughter echoed around her. She took a deep breath of waterlogged air, and reloaded her stone shot. Shaking, wet hands made the task difficult, as the small stones slipped about in her fingers. Rain dripped into her eyes, and she hastily wiped it away with her upper arm.

Lisle jumped nervously, as Terris popped his head up beside her, using Ell’s tail to lever himself up. Water ran over his scalp and down the sides of his face. She saw his dripping, clenched fist shaking at the trees in the direction Ell was staring, scattering droplets of wet about them both.

“Come out an’ fight us ya beast, and stop yer cursed cacklin’.”

She turned to see Gareth recover quickly from where Ell’s protective sweep had thrown him. He knelt, knocking arrow to bow once again, carefully out of range of Ell’s neck. Veiled in the downpour, he looked ghostly and insubstantial. Lisle shivered at the thought, and fearfully made the warding sign down at her side, thumb to forefinger.

She had no idea where Moss was.

Ell took in a deep breath and extended her neck, jaws wide. Lisle felt the vibration through Ell’s shoulders and chest beneath her as she roared again. It was deep and bellowing, resonant with challenge.

The laughter from the woods cut off.

Misty, white vapor rose from Ell’s neck, even as the rain poured down. Lisle held her stone shot in one hand, and placed the other on Ell’s neck which was blushing a reddish hue. She felt the hard scales beneath her fingers radiating heat, then became aware of a burning sensation, rising through her thighs and backside from where she sat on Ell’s shoulders.

Her seat was growing rapidly hotter now, so much so that she could barely tolerate it. She had to keep lifting one leg and then the other, holding onto Ell’s spinal ridges and shifting her weight. This is no good, she thought as she fidgeted, I need to be able to shoot.

The spines on Ell’s head, stood erect and bright red, a flush of crimson color extending down her neck and onto her shoulders. She opened her jaws and let out another deep roar, which ended suddenly with a huge gout of flame spurting out. It seared the air, a brief, golden light reflecting off the trees before them.

Ell’s head reared backward, almost knocking Lisle off, as she clamped her jaws shut on the flame, cutting it off with a gulping sound.

Lisle could only stare at Ell in amazement. She watched smoke drifting up from between Ell’s clenched teeth.

“Did ya’ see that? She’s a flamin’! Ya’ best get down from there, younger.”

Terris reached up to pull Lisle backwards, sliding her off behind the protection of Ell’s extended wing and jumping down beside her. Lisle landed on her feet, grateful to be off Ell’s burning shoulders.

An arrow pounded through the branches well above them, thudding through the leaves. The tattered remains chasing the rain down and scattering over Gareth.

“You’ll have to do better than that! One curse you!” Voice rough with anger, Gareth knelt with one-knee on the ground. Rain streamed over his hood and down his back as he drew his bow and aimed in the same direction that Ell had flamed.

A rumbling belch bubbled up through Ell’s throat and out her jaws. She shook her head, long neck waggling back and forth as if uncomfortable. The scent of Ell’s fiery breath drifted back to Lisle, smelling almost like that of the eggs from their layers back home.

Lisle pushed past Terris and out to the edge of Ell’s wing, aiming her stoneshot at the trees once again. She searched for shadowy movement. This time, she would make her shot count.

*****
The Hunter’s laughter ended as abruptly as it had begun. He moved closer, the pounding rain covering his approach. He stood behind a tree, rain pouring down around him, a grey shadow in a  grey wood. He watched the Guardian, an arrow knocked in the deadly, long bow that was his hunting weapon of choice. Drawing the bow, sinewy, powerful arms straining, he took aim for the delicate patch under its forearm with practiced skill.

It roared yet again, loud and challenging, and he felt a startling kinship with this supreme hunter. He marveled at the blade-like teeth bared in defiance; the claws ripping at the earth beneath it; the sheer massive power of it. He stood in awe before this marvelous beast. He could feel its rage with every bellow, and that intense anger moved something deep within him.

It unexpectedly let loose with a gout of flame, burning white-hot through the watery, grey air right at him, and he took a startled step backward. His nostrils filled with a warm, moist scent like that of the bubbling pits he’d encountered in the far North. Then his foot slipped in the mud beneath him and his arrow shot high and wide.

Steadying himself, he again took aim, even as his mind questioned. What is this creature of fire and air? He had never seen it’s like.

It fascinated him, and, it confused him. He tried to sort it out.  Arms trembling with the strain of holding the draw on his hunting bow, he carefully released the pull on the arrow and dropped the bow down to his side.  Emotions roiled inside him. Strange, new feelings of admiration and longing raged in his chest. The cursed beast inspired something in him. Something even more than kinship; it was like a soul-deep recognition.

He shook his head, snarling, disgusted with such flights of fancy.

Then, an unobtrusive voice in the back of his mind, so small as to easily go unnoticed, it asked, do I really want to kill this amazing creature? 
​
This strange inner conflict was suddenly too much. Even as the kneeling man beside the Guardian taunted him, the Hunter melted back into the trees. 

The rain lightened momentarily. Lisle lifted her head and pushed back a thoroughly soaked hood to rest dripping about her neck.  I don’t know why I even bother to wear it, it’s so wet. She looked to see misty, open air on the other side of the trees to her left. Moving ever North, the companions slogged along, traversing the side of a steep incline, as they pushed closer to Guardian Mountain.

The storm raged on. The group were pummeled with an almost constant downpour. Water streamed away down the incline to their right, rivulets of runoff crossing in front and behind them, rushing to merge into the river far below. The ground was soggy underfoot, mud sucking at their boots. Occasional slides of stones and pebbles made the footing treacherous.

Lisle breathed deeply of the wet air filling the woods. The clean, damp scent would have been pleasant if she had not had so much of it recently. What’s more she was feeling increasingly agitated. She was sure they were being watched, and kept looking around, checking their backtrail every few minutes. Her hand, damp and white-knuckled, gripped the handle of the stoneshot at her belt.

The constant beat of rain pouring down around her was split by a tremendous roar from above that vibrated through Lisle's body. Jumping, she looked up with startled eyes to see Ell arrowing down between the trees. She was terrified that Ell was injured, as Ell landed almost on top of the companions, wings outstretched.

Roaring still, Ell backed into the four of them, herding them behind her, up against the huge trunk of an ancient tree, as she released another stentorian scream of rage at the mist-veiled tree trunks surrounding them.

Frightened still, but relieved, Lisle could feel that Ell was not injured. Ell was terrified and very, very angry.

“Let me see, Ell!”

Yanking her slingshot from her belt, and clamping it between her teeth, Lisle pushed her way free of the green, scaled haunch that held her against the rough, dripping bark of the huge tree. She leapt, grabbing onto a spinal ridge on Ell’s back, and scrambled up to her shoulders, like climbing a ladder.

The sky opened up, rain driving down. Lisle wiped the rain from her eyes and looked to see a dark, man-shaped shadow scuttling from tree to tree, moving ever closer.  

Moss, chattering angrily from inside Lisle’s overtunic, pushed her way out and took to the air, only to be grounded immediately by the driving force of the rain.  She landed at the base of the great tree and pulled herself up the trunk, climbing the shaggy, wet bark upward. Her hair was immediately slicked against her head by the rain in long, green waves streaming down over her shoulders.

“One curse it, Ell! Let me by!” Gareth struggled his way past the wing that pinned him against the tree trunk.

Another scream of defiance from Ell momentarily deafened Lisle as she stared out frantically from under eyelashes dripping with rain, looking for anything that presented a target for her stoneshot.

“Keep yur cussed head down younger!” Terris yelled up at her, wrestling with the enormous tail that held him. “Let go a me ya’ great lizard!”

Gareth pushed by Ell’s wing, knocking an arrow in his bow as he did so. He moved to stand in front of the raging Guardian. Ell roared deafeningly and knocked him aside and behind her with a sweep of her long neck.

Lisle felt rage, frustration and terror filling her up like an overfull water bladder. She had to let it out before it consumed her and opened her mouth to loose her own high, scream of defiance as she flung a stone uselessly into the trees.

From the woods before them, amidst the clattering of rain on the water-soaked ground, a howl of laughter echoed.

*****

Behind a tree, the Hunter bent over, hands on his knees, choking with laughter. Rain poured down around him, drenching his already soaked overcoat and splattering another layer of mud over his hide boots.  It didn’t matter if they heard him. They already knew he was there, and he was delighted by the inept tableau in front of him.

He guffawed as he thought of the Guardian herding and pinning its humans behind it, and those incompetent men fighting against the Guardian, uselessly trying to defend it.

 He laughed so hard he could barely catch his breath.

Then he thought of that younger, sounding like some crazed night singer, wildly flinging a stone at him. It was all just too much, and he howled with laughter again, hardly able to stand up.

That Guardian though, it gave him pause. He sobered and stood up straight, tilting his head and looking out from behind the tree trunk which hid him. Rain dripped from the brim of the hat which protected his eyes as he watched the roaring beast before him. He felt an emotion so foreign to him it was almost frightening. He couldn’t put a name to it.

The huge green-scaled creature was rippling with muscle. It stood upright on powerful hindquarters, long, curved claws gouging huge tracts in the muddy earth. With its wings spread wide, and open, sharp-toothed jaws it looked like some enormous avenging demon.

It seemed a creature not of this world, the likes of which he had never come across before. It was all that he had hoped, and so much more. The beast inspired him, a totally new and unfamiliar sensation.

Suddenly he wanted it, more than he had ever wanted anything in his life.  That Guardian is mine!

He studied the beast. It was covered all over with scales. Even the belly was lined with yellow protective plating.  The Guardian roared again and flapped its wings, its forearms flailing. His attention was drawn to the area just under its forearms. He wiped away the rain which had blown into his eyes and looked to see that under the forearms was covered with small, delicate looking scales. A well-placed arrow there will bring it down, he thought. Then I can deal with the humans.

The Hunter searched the area about him, and pin-pointed a tree which would give him a better vantage point for his shot. Staying low, mist shrouding his movements, he crept into place.