Dragon of Three Colors

Chapter 8

I'm woken up by a screech of terror. I immediately jump up along with Axel, Kit, and Ash and see something horrifying. A girl is running across the field closely followed by several creatures that look like rotting corpses with four black soulless eyes above gaping, fanged mouths that reach halfway down their chests. "Rehabi! Everyone get back!" Ms. Exousia is trying to usher everyone away from the creatures while Nezar conjures huge vines to block the path towards the students. I realize that in the panic a few students got stuck on the wrong side of the brambles.

One of the horrific creatures gets close to a student and reaches out to grab her. She screams in terror and before I know it I've notched an arrow and loosed it. It flies straight and hits the creature in one of its four eyes. It stumbles back letting out an unearthly screech as it tries frantically to tear the arrow out of its eye. In its scramble to dislodge the arrow it does more damage to itself than the arrow did, eventually killing itself with its sharp claws.

As I observe the creature's reaction I also notice the other students fire more arrows at the creatures. I see that they don't react to arrows in any other part of their bodies so I begin to aim strictly for the eyes and get the same reaction as the first one when they hit true. The creatures let out unearthly screeches, claw frantically at the arrows, and end up killing themselves due to their sharp claws. 

Finally, we are able to get the students on the wrong side of the brambles over to our side. We let the creatures tangle themselves in the brambles before setting them ablaze, killing the ones who hadn't already died from arrows. Thankfully nobody was hurt but everyone is shaking in terror. I find myself sinking to the ground in relief. Axel steps towards me and catches my shoulders. "You ok Sil?" I try to give him a reassuring smile but it comes out shaky, like I'm trying too hard. "I'm fine, thanks Axel." He sits down next to me the worry never leaving his face. I continue to tremble lightly even when Aurora runs up to me and nuzzles my cheek.

"Wh-what were those things?" I hear Kit ask. She sits on the ground with a trembling Skyra held close to her chest and a still hissing and growling Vasuki standing next to her. Her shaky voice, trembling lips, and wide, terrified eyes have me startled. I've never seen her anything less than happy. Even when she was being chased in the last class she still smiled through her panic. I look over and see a shaking Ash hugging an equally terrified Violet close to her chest. Brine also comes running up to Axel, trilling with concern and trying to hide his own trembling.

"Those were Rehabi. I've never seen a group that big nor that aggressive." She turns her attention to me. "How did you know to aim for the eyes? Mr. Zava always starts Creature Studies with Chamroshes on the first day of class." I look up at her in surprise. "I didn't really think. I just notched an arrow, aimed anywhere away from the student, and shot." She raised her eyebrow at me. "That's one lucky shot for someone who didn't bother to aim correctly. Maybe you just have good instincts. Either way, you did well."

I smiled at her and felt a tap on my shoulder. "Excuse me." I turn and see a girl only slightly shorter than I am. She has short, messy brown hair and pretty, emerald green eyes. She looks really familiar but my brain is so frazzled I can barely remember my own name. "I just wanted to thank you. I thought I was a goner but you saved me from that creature." That's who she is! She was the girl I just saved. Her nature dragon came up to nuzzle me in appreciation then returned to her side. It was the same emerald green color as her eyes with a yellow-green underbelly.

"My name is Emerald but you can call me Em. This is my dragon Fera she said she's also very thankful to you for saving me." Fera chirps her agreement and I smile. "It's no problem really. I couldn't just stand by and let it attack you now could I?" She nods her head and thanks me once more before Ms. Exousia ushers her towards the nurse. She had been hurt when she pressed herself against the brambles. I give her a friendly wave and turn back to Axel, Kit, and Ash.