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The second dragon was smaller. Reds often were. It's eyes shone a blistering shade of copper, like molten metal, that matched the membranes on its wings and the tip of its hooks, as well as the feather-like ruffles that framed its face, and ran down its back, ending in a plume of feathers at the tip of its tail. It stared at us as though it was just as surprised as we were.
It was the size of a horse, not nearly as large as its golden cousins, and perched on its legs, peering at us like a curious bird. Delicate nostrils flared at the end of its snout, and it rumbled in a way that, to me, sounded more curious than anything else.
I held Ravi tightly, so that she didn't run or scream. She was sobbing with fear. "Please don't hurt us," I begged the dragon. It tilted its head. "We were captured. We're not your enemy."
When the dragon didn't immediately eat us or set us on fire, I continued; "I come from the Pass. And she's from Lakeside. We're your friends."
The dragon blinked, slowly, its eyes shining brightly. Then, they lifted, and the dragon's muzzle wrinkled in a loud snarl. I turned to see Zeke barreling out of the trees, panting and coated with ash. The dragon growled when it saw the blade.
I gasped in surprise when I felt, not the swift bite of savage teeth, nor the sudden bright flash of dragon fire, but an enveloping heat. The dragon prowled forward along the grass and wrapped one of its wings around me and Ravi, shielding us. Protecting us.
Zeke's face went pale when he saw the dragon. He lifted his blade in threat. "Stay back!" he commanded. I wanted to laugh at the notion that he thought he could tell a dragon to do anything. The dragon, it seemed, shared this thought, as the guttural trill it let out had the rhythm of laughter. Behind Zeke, the trees stretched tall with fire and the screams of his cohorts had fallen silent, as the dragon's golden cousin finished with them.
"That's our property you're holding, Wyrm," Zeke snarled. I stared at him, eyes widening with horror when I saw that his eyes had taken on a red sheen, his teeth looked more fanged and savage than a human man's. This man couldn't possibly be one of the wolves! They had never dared come so deep into the dragons' territory before.
The dragon's tail twitched in aggravation, and the long claws, like fingers on the arch of its wing, wrapped around me and Ravi more tightly. It was defending us, I realized. It knew we were one of its own, and wasn't going to let us be taken.
"Release them and I'll be on my way," Zeke snarled. The dragon's nostrils flared, and I watched with awe as the lighter scales at the base of its throat began to glow, rising in a line of heat and promising fire. I covered Ravi's eyes so that she didn't have to watch this man be burned alive.
In the end, the red dragon didn't have to, for the gold appeared from behind Zeke and ended him with a final snap of its jaws. Blood drenched the beast's teeth and claws, all four of its legs covered in ash and viscera. It sent a shiver down my spine that had nothing to do with cold, because I wasn't cold, held as close in the red dragon's wing as I was.
The beasts rumbled to each other, their muzzles touching like sheepdogs sent to guard the same herd. The golden dragon was much larger, close to the size of a house than a horse like the red one. Its head was more squared, features vaguely cat-like, its eyes as golden as its scales.
Then, the golden dragon looked down at Ravi and myself, and she flinched, whimpering in fear. Its head tilted, and it lowered its muzzle, its breath warm and stinking of burnt meat. I winced, and held Ravi as tightly as I dared, my heart hammering in my chest.
The red dragon snapped its teeth together, another series of throaty rumbles coming from its chest. But it seemed like they reached an agreement, for the red dragon removed its wing and lowered its head, and gently nudged my shoulder with its muzzle.
I gasped, my eyes wide. I had always wanted to speak to the dragons that lived in the mountains, to converse with them and spend some time up there. I had never dreamed I would be close enough to touch one.
My fingers trembled as I cupped the red dragon's cheek. The scales were so warm, and smooth and soft as velvet to the touch. "Thank you," I whispered, and the dragon grinned at me. It purred, a quiet sound in the back of its throat, and seemed more than content to let me pet it as the golden dragon guarded us, its wings spreading out wide to hide us from sight.
I looked down at Ravi. "We need to get her home," I told the red dragon. "Please?"
The beast blinked, and nodded, straightening. The golden dragon came forward and offered one of its front paws, and Ravi stared at it in horror. "It's alright," I promised her, as soothingly as I could. "They won't hurt us."
Ravi was pale, but she climbed into the dragon's paw after another moment of hesitation, and the beast curled its fingers around her as delicately as it was able, before taking to the air. Not even a second later, I felt two gentle feet wrap around my waist, as the red dragon spread its wings and took flight.
The sudden change in momentum and altitude was enough to send my body right back into unconsciousness. As my vision faded, I saw the carnage that the dragons had left behind, the wide spread of bodies and the exploded wagon, now reduced to smoldering embers.
I smiled, and fell asleep feeling weightless.
