Fern - Chapter 4: Dragon Attack

Fern looked all around, but could see nothing in the dark clouds. All she could hear was that roar as it increased in volume and pitch. Jumper was looking back and forth frantically. Fern glanced to Jasper, frightened. Her heart was pumping fast with fear. She had heard stories of dragons hunting unsuspecting travelers. Nothing really remained but some blood and a few bones perhaps.

Jasper pointed towards Revaltree. Fern nodded and swung Jumper back around, who was rumbling in her throat. Fern nudged Jumper’s sides harder and she could feel as the dragon pushed for all she was worth. Crimson Flame pulled up alongside. The bigger and older dragon was more powerful and could fly faster.

Jasper hollered over the increasing wind and rain as the sky darkened. Fern strained to hear him.

“Head for Revaltree! Don’t stop for anything! And watch above you! Wild dragons generally attack from a higher vantage point!”

A tremendously loud roar echoed through the darkening clouds as rain beat down on Fern and Jumper. It seemed to come to the left and above. Fern watched closely, trying to see where the dragons were. She thought she spotted something dark fly by, but it could have just been clouds.

She raised her hand a quickly wiped away her tangled hair from her face, and then gripped the reins tightly, for fear that she may fall off. Her hands were trembling as she pulled herself tight against Jumper.

Then it happened. From nearly overhead came a roar, a dark shadow appeared, and a large dragon flew by in a heartbeat, chomping at Jumper’s tail. Fern swung her head sideways and watched in awe as Jumper flicked her tail lower, and then wild dragon chomped on air.

“Get lower to the ground!” Jasper yelled, lowering Crimson down through the fog and rain as he said so.

Fern followed, grabbing onto Jumper’s rough neck. She spotted a dragon coming from the left, only because of the glowing fire that was coming directly at them. She pushed down and Jumper nose-dived. A wave of heat passed over them and then there was just rain again. Fern screamed in terror as they rushed through the heavy rain. She couldn’t see a thing!

Jumper suddenly pulled up, causing Fern to slam into her saddle. It drove what little air was in Fern’s wings, and she coughed and choked. Then a dark shape loomed ahead of Jumper. It was much larger then even Crimson Flame. It was hovering in the air straight ahead. It looked as if it were about to spew fire. The head pulled back just like Jumper had done.

“Fire!” Fern screamed, clinging to the saddle. Jumper let out the loudest roar that Fern had heard yet, and a blast of fire tore through the rain at the large dragon. The rain diminished some of the effect of the fire, but it still hit the wild beast straight in the snout. With a scream like a wildcat, the dragon recoiled, giving Jumper time to fly passed.

Fern was nearly in tears as a third wild dragon came flying in from the left side. It went in past Crimson and hit Jumper full in the side with its hard snout. Fern nearly lost her hold on the reins as Jumper was thrown through the air. They lost flying rhythm and plunged downwards. Fern screamed as they spiraled downward. Jumper tried to pull herself upright, but before she could they made impact on something hard but that gave way.

A wave of cold water hit Fern and she choked and gagged, releasing the reins as she panicked. Everything went black for a moment. Then reflexes kicked in and Fern pushed her way to the surface. She coughed and spluttered, trying to breathe. Jumper popped up beside her with a splash. Together they made their way to the grassy banks of a river.

Fern took a moment to regain her surroundings and senses. She realized that they must have hit the river Fraser. It ran down the Forbidden Mountains right past Revaltree. Fern shook some water from her clothing and turned to Jumper who was shaking herself off like a dog. Not that it mattered much seeing as the rain continued to pour.

“Jumper, come here!” Fern called, dragging herself over to her dragon. She pulled herself up on the wet leather saddle, realizing that they probably weren’t out of danger yet. Sure enough, Jumper turned her head upwards and Fern followed, seeing a dark, horned shape flying downward. The looming dragon fired a wave of fire, and Fern was sure she was going to die. But Jumper shook her so hard that she slid off the saddle and onto the ground. Her shoulder slammed into the hard ground, sending pain shooting down her arm and through her whole body.

She yelped as Jumper nearly sat on her. For a few seconds she couldn’t see anything, and then Jumper moved off of her, watching the sky. The ground around where Fern was laying was covered in burning grass that quickly died away in the rain. A crash of tree limbs behind Fern caused her to spin. The dragon had landed, smashing through a young sapling on the riverbank.

Jumper stepped past her and roared loudly. Fern resisted the urge to cover her ears. She stepped back and Jumper partially protected her with her wings. Fern craned her neck to see around them. The bigger dragon was a dull-looking beast. It was mottled brown and tans, with a chocolate-colored belly. It had an array of horns on its head, all a good foot long and razor sharp.

The wild dragon approached slowly through the rain. Fern’s heart was going to burst, she was sure, and her whole body ached dully. The dragon reared back its head and Fern ducked behind Jumper’s wings. The blast of heat was still felt, but mostly absorbed by Jumper’s rich, green body. It lasted for a good ten seconds before stopping.

Fern remembered Jasper’s words. “A dragon has to use strength to breath fire, so the longer she is out flying, the less she can breathe.” This dragon must’ve been flying for a while to get to where Jumper and Fern had been practicing, she thought, and he has already shot a lot of fire.

She stood out from Jumper’s wing and yelled: “Fire!”

Jumper obeyed, sending a blast of fir at the dragon. It turned its head, letting its hard scales absorb the intense heat. Fern saw the action and quickly mounted Jumper, ignoring the fact that the saddle was very warm, yelling: “Fire!” again and again. As she did so she nudged Jumper forward. The wild dragon started to back up, unable to stand the heat blasts over and over.

Fern pulled up on the reins and Jumper was flying before the wild dragon could react. Fern made a tight circle and then came straight at the dragon. She wasn’t sure with the commands for the other dragon attacks were, but she decided to try: “Grab!” as they swooped over the wild beast. To her surprise, but joy, Jumper extended her large talons and gripped the dragon by its back, plunging the sharp talons as hard as it could. Fern could hear, rather than see that some of the scales broke.

The wild dragon twisted its head upwards, and Fern could only guess that it was about to shoot fire. “Release! Drop! Throw!” she shouted all at once, not sure which one, if any of the commands, would work.

But Jumper did let go of the dragon. Caught by surprise it did not shoot fire. Fern breathed a sigh of relief and pushed Jumper down. Jumper fired again. As they sailed straight for the river, Jumper kept shooting, letting out her loud roar. The wild dragon spun around out of control. Finally, just as they were about to hit the river, Jumper pulled up, firing one last fire blast at the beast.

It hit the flailing dragon in the belly, the only spot that was very vulnerable to fire, and it burst into flames. Fern pulled Jumper away, focused on getting home as fast as possible. She pushed Jumper higher and higher into the clouds, hoping that it would be tougher for the other wild dragons to find them.

Then, as they came out of a cloud, they were suddenly over Revaltree. Jumper descended and they finally reached the walls of the castle, within sight of the stables. The guards on the wall rushed forward, helping Fern off the saddle. She turned to look back towards where she had last seen Jasper. There was no Jasper or Crimson Flame to be seen.

She dropped to her knees sobbing, soaked in sweat and rain, sore, tired, aching inside and out. She let out a pitiful:”No,” and then collapsed.