High above the clouds of Little Mountain the sound of a thousand elderly men coughing in unison can be heard.
Hams raspy laugh rang throughout the mountain.
Craning her neck in the large cave she falls on her back.
"You don't have to tell me anything I watched the whole thing" she squealed in delight.
If she had a finger she would point it at Oskanas battered and bleeding body.
He growled torn between licking his wounds and pouncing on Ham.
Ham never left, she only flew higher in the sky.
She flew so high that she could see the tip of little mountain and nested on it's cliffs every so often
She was able to fly from her makeshift nest and watch over Oskana.
With a few flaps of her membrane wings that connected to her arms she would be right above him.
Unlike Oskanas heavy frame her bones are light.
Also Unlike Oskana she practiced the mana arts daily and can even form arrays she learned from the 'Old One'.
Most dragon-kin have no need for arrays, they are useless at high altitudes and don't do anything they couldn't accomplish themselves.
They considered them tools of the weak.
Hams physiology allowed her to fly so high she was able to feel as if she was closer to the sky then the ground, but seeing what was below was the issue.
It was impractical for hunting, but it was perfect for following Oskana.
In all the lore the dragon-kin are known for their unmatched greed.
It is not true for all dragon-kin but for Oskana and Ham, greed flowed thicker in their veins then blood.
"Why would you face the druids"? Ham asked after her fit of hysteria was over.
"Nothing good ever comes of it" she added when Oskana didn't reply.
"You are in my home and you question me"? Oskana growled.
Injured or not he would not take any disrespect from some overgrown snake.
Hams long neck coiled into itself and retreated towards the cave opening.
"What are you looking for anyway"? Ham asked changing the subject.
"The human got away" Oskana growled while swinging his head and sitting back down on the hard floor.
"Why not just go to the human haven"? she asked in a matter of fact tone.
"I have eaten so many damned humans I won't have a single one for the next decade" he replied while grimacing.
He over ate in Undia and was now paying the price, human meat always gave him constipation.
"I remember the mana signature, it's only a matter of time" he grumbled and put his head down.
"If you haven't found the human at their haven have you checked the pass"?
Oskana growled, "Yes and the rodent was nowhere to be seen".
"Have you checked the Jagged Edge mountain range"?
"Why would I look there"? he asked.
Oskana is the lord of his domain.
Since birth he took what he wanted and none could do anything about it unless it was his own kin and even then he is the strongest.
That is why he is so furious at being felled by a human, an ant he considers insignificant.
That is also what makes him incapable of understanding his prey.
He could never imagine himself as weak prey running from a predator leaving him ignorant of their patterns.
Ham on the other hand is sadistic by nature, she plays with her food.
When finding a group of beasts she would pick them off one by one enjoying the growing fear as she drank the blood of her prey.
"Because smart prey doesn't just cower in waiting for your jaws to close on it" Ham sighed and shook her head.
"Come let us go find your human" she said.
Oskana was tired and bleeding with steel spears sticking out of his side but he craned his head and ripped them off.
Running on all fours he jumped into the sky following behind Ham.
***
The screams of the fleeing humans drowned out our footsteps as we continued to run in the dark.
We run deep into the darkness provided by the shade of the overlapping mountains.
The dragon-kin will be hard pressed to find us here.
We stopped on the dry patch we ate at.
I turned my head to look at the entrance expecting people to start running in here at any moment.
I suddenly felt a tug on my collar and I was slammed into the wall facing Alia who looked at me the same way she looked at that mixed man.
"You cursed urch-" I didn't know what she was about to say because my palm struck her chin raising her head and my elbow came down hard on her arm.
When it didn't budge I wrapped it in my armpit and my legs rose putting her in an arm bar.
She didn't hesitate to raise her arm and attempt to slam me on the ground on my back.
Attempt because I let go and used the momentum to fall while reaching for my dagger.
I touched my dagger and Rumi kicked Alia from behind sending her stumbling forward and ruining my timing.
"Go and fetch slugs" he said standing with his back to me when I landed.
We all left quickly the three children looking at Alia in a whole new light.
"Why are you protecting him"! Alia said glaring at Rumi.
"My job is to protect you" He replied and leaned on the wall.
"Then what are you doing getting in my way, you say it's my call yet y-".
"It's complicated" he replied closing his eyes and thinking of the moment the boy reached for the dagger.
'Would he have really killed her'? he asked himself.
A grin spread across his face slowly as he is lost in thoughts of the future.
They heard the scuttling of feet and found the children had come back but empty handed.
Before we could explain footsteps began to get louder and louder until a bunch of men and women ran through the darkness.
They are in such a panic that they don't even glance at us.
They all wore loosely fitted garments that stretched down to their knees with pants underneath.
Soon the few turned to many and the horde only grew larger.
Growls and roars could be heard reverberating off the mountain walls.
Overweight people are a rarity in Zefria where most don't even have enough to feed themselves or are constantly worrying about threats of beasts.
So when I see a fat man who is dressed in a black garments adorned in gold and silver my eyebrows are raised.
He falls and is nearly trampled in the dark passage.
He rolls his fat body as fast as he could and gets to the side where the six of us are standing and watching the procession.
He didn't feel the stomping anymore and opened one eye slowly seeing my face looking back at him.
I spared him only a glance and went right back to keeping my eye on Alia.
Like hell I was going to pretend she doesn't want me dead.
"Hello esteemed mages" the fat man said standing up and bowing in an elegant fashion with his legs crossed.
He noticed the uniform clothes and is experienced enough to know what it means.
Not even Rumi or Alia could have expected such an encounter.
"I am Greem the merchant" he smiled a toothy white smile that was a stark contrast to many of the villagers I met with gingivitis.
"Might I interest you in some business, your time for my silver" he continued smiling while all of us continued staring at him.
Yuit, Leen and Alia stared because they didn't speak the druids tongue of the region Alia and Rumi stared because this was the last thing they expected.
"... and stones" he added reluctantly at the end making Rumis eye twitch.