Frozen in place, I was too terrified even to move a muscle. Every second that I spent staring into this creature's gaping maw felt like a bonus. I seemed to be living on borrowed time, and it wouldn't be long before I became its next meal.
I created this monster - a creator killed by his creation, how poetic.
Realising that I would have to try something, a final bargain for my life, I remembered that I'd given this creature the gift of speech.
'W-what's your name?' I stutter.
I was met with an obnoxious grumble, reminding me of colliding rainclouds during a thunderstorm. Awaiting an answer, I wracked my brain for something else to say, for anything else that might appease the creature. There was nothing.
The dragon stretched its jaw as wide as it could; it was almost as though it was preparing to eat me whole, and at the back of its throat, I glimpsed a tiny red ball of fire. It was expanding with every fleeting second. There was something else, though, in its movements, did I also witness a smirk? I hadn't even realised that dragons could behave in such a manner.
The beast snapped its bear trap of a mouth shut in a heart-stopping instant. 'Oh, relax, little person. If I were going to eat you, I'd be picking your meat out from behind these old teeth of mine!' It said, laughing.
Rolling it's bulging white eyes, it finally deigned to answer my question. 'Name. I have no name. What is a name, little person?'
I couldn't even tell whether it was still joking or not, but I'd have to say something back. 'My name is Jake.'
'Jay-k.' It replied, struggling with the pronunciation. The dragon had such a deep, hoarse voice to it that it was quite challenging to understand. When it said my name, it could have been calling me anything.
With large red scaly wings and two hind legs that were the size of thick tree trunks, the dragon began crawling towards me slowly. 'I feel like I know you, little person, only I've never seen anyone else in these parts. These mountains are ever so lonely.'
Feeling embarrassed, I knew that I'd have to get away from him somehow; after all, I couldn't very well tell him who I was (his creator). 'How about Avrae for a name?' I suggest.
'Avray. Avray. Avray. I like it, Little Jayk.' The dragon replied, leaping into the air.
I had to duck as the blustering winds from its beating wings threaten to toss me aside. Seeing that Avrae was far enough away, I bolted for the narrow rocky pass that loomed behind me.
'Not so fast, Jayk. Where do you think you're going?' It asked, already blocking my escape.
Avrae approached me slowly, licking its filthy teeth with a tongue of elastic, and I had to force my eyes shut, preparing for the worst yet again. I felt a gust of wind as something ploughed into the dragon with enough force to stagger him, and I could instantly feel his cries of pain flooding through me. The wing on his right side was trembling, and as he tried to unfold it, I found myself staring through a scorched and bloodied hole with a clear view of the stained mountainside.
Pools of steaming green gore were gathering under its feet, and dancing around us both, I could see blue steel forks of lightning reaching down to strike at us from above.
I remembered that mild storms would be a common occurrence in this place; I'd never written about weather like this, though. Glancing up at the sky, I noticed a strange yellow burning rift and, passing through in hordes, were beings of every type. Someone had written me into their world, and as a result, they'd created a portal between the two realms. I would now be clinging on to hope that it was someone I knew.
An endless stormy clatter was echoing against the tops of the highest mountains, and the night sky was a picture of chaos. There were no more stars; instead, something was painting the heavens with streaks of almost every colour imaginable. Seven more rifts were opening up above us now, and there were only supposed to be three of them.
'Avrae, I need your help. Can you still fly?' I ask.
'Why don't we find out, little Jayk. Hop on board, and if I drop you, you'll have your answer.'
I was amazed at the creature's resilience. Despite having had its wing torn asunder, it did nothing to dilute Avrae's ability to be an ass. Still, I had no other choice.
I was climbing up the scales of his right-wing like they were rungs on a ladder after kicking off against a few piled up slabs of rock that he'd managed to dislodge earlier during his excitement.
The dragon shuddered, roaring outrageously, as he tried to shake me off. 'Ouch! You're hurting me.' It yelped.
'Oh, stop whining, Avrae, you big baby.' I reply. I could hardly believe what I'd just said.
Instead of receiving the punishment that I could sense coming, Avrae burst out into hysterical laughter. 'It was worth a try.'
I couldn't believe my eyes. We were flying, and I could feel the heavy winds ravaging my cheeks as we started to climb higher. Avrae struggled to keep on track, with the cold evening air ripping through his open wound and almost causing him to fly around in circles. I winced as I saw the blood splashing away from his wing. 'Not much longer, big guy.'
I was patting his long neck when he shook dramatically. 'Don't give me any of that soppy nonsense, or I'll drop you.'
Shaking my head, I knew from the moment that I'd met him that we'd be fast friends. Well, at least I did after realising that I wasn't going to be his next meal. Still, the night was young, and Avrae was a damn dragon. Who knew what it was thinking.
The shadowy night sky hid many things from my eyes, but not this. Our new home was now somehow surrounded by a bustling market village, where apparently nobody ever slept.
I'd never even thought of building such things as villages and towns; I wanted this to be our land after all. Never mind, we could share if we had to.
I could make out most of the people below, and I knew that they weren't of my creation. We were met with shrieking and cries of disbelief as we landed on the steepled roof of an erected tavern. These people were terrified. I wouldn't even be allowed inside such a place anyway, being only sixteen years old. Someone else was interfering here, and I had no clue as to who it could have been.
The whole crowd turned at the thundering of hooves, and dozens of spritely horses began storming the packed streets. Riding on one and positively howling with joy, I saw a familiar face. It was Violet.
Typical Violet. She was the very definition of the term loose cannon, yet I still loved her like a sister.
As I looked closer, I could make out someone standing on the rooftop across from us of all places. They weren't moving, only watching creepily against the backdrop of the hazy moonlight. It was so dark, so much so that I could only make out their shimmering silhouette. It was a tiny creature, to be sure, with pointed ears and what appeared to be a feather cap.
Gasping for air, even Avrae looked back at me in alarm. I knew who this strange man was, and yet he had no business at all in being here.