Chapter Twenty-Five

Arabella followed Stig down the side of the hilltop. She was nearly over powered by the smell of fish left in the sun too long. She gagged and covered her nose with her sleeve. Stig veered off to the left. He picked something up off the ground and started chewing on it.

"Stig!" Arabella shouted.

He looked back at her with a dried fish tail peeking out of his mouth. He chewed quickly and swallowed.

"Sorry," he looked sheepishly at her. "It is just such a waste of a great piece of fish jerky." Arabella rolled her eyes then gave him a stern look. He got the point and hurried forward down the hill. Stig had left the supply sack where he found the sword. Arabella knew that he would remember where it was because he would not misplace that food bag. I was extremely valuable to him. It made Arabella wonder if the weasel had ever gone hungry before.

"It’s over here," Stig shouted over his shoulder to Arabella. Suddenly his eyes dilated and he froze. He was gazing up into the sky behind her. There was a loud whooshing directly behind Arabella and she felt a blast of hot wind on her back. She kept running down the hill towards Stig. She bent over and scooped up Stig never missing a step. She dodged to her right and dove behind an enormous stump. It was still damp from when the river had covered it.

Koaner had Denrisi by the throat and drove him to the ground. Arabella could felt the ground shake with the impact. Denrisi scrapped his hind claws against Koaner's belly. Denrisi’s nails created sparks against Koaner’s scales. Denrisi place one hind foot in the center of the fire dragon's middle and shoved. Koaner's grip loosened and he went flying.

"Egg sucker," Denrisi roared at him. Arabella and Stig hid out of sight behind a rotting stump. She did not want Koaner to spot them and she did not want to distract Denrisi. The bandage had fallen off and blood streamed down his chest. The massive dragons circled one another. Each step sent a rumbling through the earth.

“Hah, when this is over, I just might let Arabella come visit your grave,” Koaner growled.

“Well you are not going to win, if you keep using your face to block me,” Denrisi snapped back at him.

“Ouch,” Koaner grinned showing all of his teeth. “Your words hurt as much as your punches; a grass cut hurts worse.”

Denrisi glared at Koaner and they circled once more. Arabella could see the tension in each dragon as they looked for a weakness in the other. Almost as if there were an invisible signal, both dragons leapt at each other. They slammed their chests together and wrapped their arms around their opponent. Koaner wrapped his tail around the back of Denrisi's knees and pushed. The trick worked and Denrisi's legs slipped forward while his body went backwards. He landed on his back with the heavier fire dragon on top of him again.

“Tough luck old worm,” Koaner sneered.

He opened his jaws wide and clamped them down on Denrisi's face. Denrisi gave a muted scream. Denrisi rolled over onto his side and forced Koaner to fall sideways with him. The dragons lay on their sides pawing at each other's heads. Their hind legs kicked at the other's stomach as if they would disembowel their enemy. Denrisi kicked Koaner hard right under the rib. Koaner grunted and released Denrisi's face. Blood streamed from Denrisi's nose and eyes.

Arabella put a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming. If she screamed Denrisi would look her way and give Koaner an advantage in the fight. Both dragons spread their wings and took off into the air. They faced each other as they gained height. Denrisi opened his mouth and a blast of lightening shot out. The lightening bolt wrapped itself around Koaner. He roared in pain and surprise.

Koaner shot an intense fire ball at Denrisi. He dodged up higher in the sky and quickly flicked his tail out of the way. The next fire blast caught Denrisi directly on the chest. He roared and grasped his wounded chest. His claws covered his heart trying to prevent the fire from entering his heart. He closed his wings and fell backward. Denrisi suddenly spread his wings and fled over the treetops. Koaner laughed and chased after the speeding air dragon. Denrisi twisted and turned in the air as Koaner shot fireballs at him.

Denrisi looked back at Koaner then pulled straight up. The two dragons soared up above the clouds. Arabella and Stig stood up to get a better view. Soon the dragons were so high they were out of sight. It was eerily silent. Nothing stirred. It was as if the very air was waiting for the dragons to return.

"Hurry, let's get the sword," Stig said. They both ran down into the valley. Arabella spotted the sack lying beside the silver sword. She picked it up and cradled it in her arms. This was a piece of her beloved. Stig grabbed the sack. They ran up the hill heading back toward the cave.

Just then the air seemed to boom. Arabella and Stig glanced up. Denrisi was streaking towards the ground. His wings were tucked in close to his body so he could go faster. Koaner was sprawled out in the air. He was falling uncontrollably. He was on fire from his nose along his backbone to his tail tip. The flames leapt off of him. Arabella thought he was knocked out, but he rolled over. She could see the hatred on his expression.

Denrisi had just reached the ground when Koaner opened his mouth and sent an enormous blast of fire at him. There was no place for Denrisi to flee to as the liquid flames touched him. He cried out in pain and the trees under him caught on fire. The entire forest shot up in flames. One instant there were trees and the next they were engulf in a huge fire bomb.

"I hope Mavie is okay," Arabella whispered.

"So do I," Stig whispered back. "We're in trouble. Move."

Koaner was racing towards Arabella and Stig. His claws were extended  in their direction. Instead of running away from Koaner, Arabella ran towards him. He was too high to grab her when she was directly underneath him. Denrisi roared with rage and shot a lightening bolt along the fire dragon's spine. Koaner dropped onto the ground stunned. He rolled trying to escape Denrisi who was hovering directly above him blasting a constant stream of electricity at him. He twitched and rolled onto his feet.

Denrisi touched down and locked his claws onto Koaner's wing. Koaner twisted and bite Denrisi's tail. The pain caused both dragons to jump away from each other. Both dragons were panting hard, but neither seemed ready to give up yet. Arabella knew that Denrisi would never give in to Koaner. Denrisi was fighting for her, for his claim to her. If he lost so did she.

Koaner crouched low and rammed his head up into Denrisi's chest. He hit him so hard that both dragons were airborne again. Arabella and Stig raced to the cave. The sulfur poured out in noxious clouds. If they had to, they would hide in the cave again. Arabella put the sword just inside of the entrance. There was no way she was going to be able to give Denrisi the sword. Neither dragon gave the other enough space to do something like fly down and claim a sword. They were constantly on top of one another.

The air crackled as Koaner and Denrisi blast each other. The lightening and fire met causing the air around them to explode. The heat and smell came to Arabella in waves. There was a snap and then a boom. Arabella discovered that she could not breath. There was no air to breath. It was just gone. Stig was laying low on the ground. Arabella flopped down beside him. There was a small layer of air left close to the ground. She could feel the weight of the air pressing on down on her back.

She watched as both dragons opened their mouths to roar but no sound reached her. Both dragons had their mouths open and their tongues hung out. Denrisi slammed into Koaner. The dragons were belly to belly again this time in mid-air. Denrisi grasped Koaner will all four of his feet. He dug his nails in all the way to his talon tips. Black blood oozed around each wound. Denrisi folded his wings and hung on to the fire dragon. Koaner desperately flapped his wings in an attempt to save himself from crashing.

Denrisi shook his feet causing the wounds to expand on Koaner's sides. Koaner reached up with his front claws and raked them across Denrisi's face. Denrisi threw his head back but still held Koaner close to him. The two dragons began to snap at each other. Koaner used his wings to pound against Denrisi. Denrisi pushed away from Koaner. He gained height over Koaner. The fire dragon sped up towards Denrisi who back flipped in the air. In mid-flip he kicked out and smashed Koaner in the side of the face with his back claws.

Blood was falling from the sky and landing in pools. Arabella was horrified. She knew that dragon fights in the old stories were violent, but this one exceeded her imagination. Both dragons were slashed and bleeding massive amounts of blood. She put her head down and moaned. When she looked up again, Koaner had formed a fire lance in his claws. Denrisi back flapped trying to put some distance between them. Koaner sped towards him. The lance drove itself through Denrisi's wound over his heart. He gagged and clawed at the lance sticking out of his chest. Koaner leapt over Denrisi and kicked him in the head.

Koaner circled him a bit out of control. He watched as the air dragon gasped and pulled the lance from his heart. Denrisi made a strange sound in his throat and fell backwards. He attempted to spread his wings in order to slow his fall. Koaner laughed then made a gurgling noise in his throat. He looked shocked. He turned towards the west and sped away. Even as Arabella watched, the moon peeked over the mountain top and shone on Denrisi. He changed into his human form and plummeted to earth. Arabella screamed and ran toward the spot where she thought Denrisi fell.

As a dragon, he might have survived such a fall, but as a human he would be broken up. She cursed the land as the valleys and hills slowed her down. Tears began to form in her eyes. She had to stop, out of breathe at the top of one of the hills.

"Stig," she sobbed. "Where is he?"

"I don't know," he said. "I can't see him."

"Neither can I," she said. "Denrisi!" She called. She heard nothing when she listened. She ran down a small valley and reached the burnt forest. "Denrisi!" She called again. He was so high up when he fell; he could have landed anywhere.

"Here," Mavie's little form sped to Arabella. "He fell over here." Mavie turned and raced away. Arabella and Stig quickly followed.