Turn Down for What

ALL TRADITIONAL ART

Colored pencil, acrylic paint, copic markers, and a tiny bit of gel pen.
And them scales... -_- I may never draw a dragon again. Let alone two. Lol

Show: Annual Dragon Hunt 2014

A1072 RRA's Caelan ridden by Mairabel  Turner (archer)

3176 RRA's Wolfsbane ridden by Zane Amador (archer)

3583 RRA's General Tsao ridden by Brian Finch (swordsman)

~not revealed in story yet:

2265 RRA's Sovereign State of Mind ridden by Jacob Jones (scuba diver and underwater spearman)

 

In case you don't want to read the story, here's a summary of what's going on.

Zane finds a sky dragon, Mairabel comes to the rescue but out jumps a Sea Dragon that's being hunted by another hunting party. Zane tries to save her but is too late. 

She ran to catch up with Zane who was walking out the barn. 

"I said hold up!" She shouted again. Zane turned around and removed his headphones from his ears. 

"Did you say something?" He asked. 

"Yeah. Where are you going? We still have a ton to get done before the hunt tomorrow. Brian hasn't even given Jin his Goldwing potion yet, and there's still the packs, bows, blankets-"

"I just need some time to myself" Zane cut off. "I'll be back in 30 minutes, tops." He smiled at the worried look on Mairabel's face. 

"You don't like that I'm coming do you?" Mairabel looked down.

"Angel, I love that you're coming, I just don't want anything to happen to you. As leader of our hunting party, it's my job to keep everyone safe. And you just never know what might happen." He tipped her chin up to meet his gaze. "I need you. More than you will ever know." Mairabel answered with a smile. 

"Now be my better half and make sure Brian packs the potions. I'll be back before bed" 

Reluctantly Mairabel pulled her gaze from Zane and headed back to the barn. Zane watched her go, then replaced his headphones and jogged off down the drive and into the night. 

The next morning was a busy mess of people and horses running about the stables, yelling, laughing or looking like they could use a couple more hours of sleep. Mairabel and Brian worked diligently to tack their stallions and pack up their things while Zane sat on the ground, hunched over a map of Aleria.

"Do we have a plan bro?" Brian asked Zane.

"Last I heard, there was a Sky dragon sighting near the Slovehm Mountains.  It's a long shot that the dragon is still there but it's our best chance. Other hunting parties are headed for the Dihz Summit. While you're guaranteed a dragon, the cliffs and slippery slopes make it incredibly hard for combat. If we stay grounded and close to the forest as long as we can, we may be able to find it before it finds us."

"We could make camp by Venzor Locke. I hear it's beautiful this time of year." Mairabel added.

Zane nodded his head, marking something on his map, rolling it up in his hand and rocking to his feet. 

"Alright let's get going!" He smiled. He and his team high-fived and mounted their Nordanners. Mairabel took the lead with Caelan, followed by Brian on Jin and Zane on Wolfsbane. 

As the days rolled on, clouds began to gather and the temperature dropped. A bitingly cold breeze lashed at the riders and their horses, threatening a bad storm. 

"Maybe we should head for the trees?" Brian called to Zane and Mairabel. "We could get a little cover from the wind."

They kicked their horses into a faster pace to break the tree line. Twigs snapped under pounding hooves and steam rose from their lathered bodies. The forest was bright with autumn leaves still cling to the old oaks. 

Once they were within the branches, they felt a little warmer and a little safer. 

"We need to take a break." Mairabel said, dismounting Caelan and tying him to a nearby log. She pulled out a bottle of water and sat down. Brian and Zane followed her example. 

"We should be close to Venzor Locke. Which means we're also on the edge of Slovehm Valley. Maybe another days ride should get us to the mountains." Zane said.

"It's weird we haven't seen any riders or even dragons since we left." Mairabel wondered.

"I don't think many trust these lands. Not much of Aleria has been explored. Least of all the Slovehm Mountain and Valley. Everyone is going to go where they know for sure they'll find a dragon." Brian explained.

"So we're basically wasting our time then. We don't KNOW there's a dragon out here." Mairabel glared at Zane. 

"Basically." He answered her glare. "I wanted to keep you safe. Coming out this way made it easier." 

"Seriously! You jeopardized our hunt to keep me safe!?" Mairabel jumped up "Did you know about this Brian?" 

Brian shrugged "The chances of finding a dragon in these parts are slim, yes, but I'm not a huge fan of flying into a dragons den and trying to kill one while 5 kill you."

"You are all cowards!" Mairabel shouted. "I'll go find a freaking dragon without you." She poured a tiny container in Caelan's mouth and mounted up. Before Zane and Brian could stop her, Caelan's new wings were growing and they were barreling out of the forest. 

"Brian stay here with our stuff, I'm going after her." Zane huffed, grabbing Wolfsbane. Brian nodded and petted Jin, looking amused.

Zane rode off in the direction Mairabel had left. He figured she would go down to the Locke first.

"It would take at least an hour's ride there." He thought to himself. "And Wolfsbane is faster than Caelan. So we should catch up soon." He patted Wolfsbane's shoulder "come on boy, time to fly." Wolfsbane snorted, and golden, glittering trundles of magic unwrapped huge feathered wings, twice the horse's length on either side. He beat then once, twice, three times and lifted off the ground in a graceful leap. 

"Now let's get higher up so we can see." 

Wolfsbane ascended into the clouds. 

They glided in and out of the dark grey clouds. Ice pricked their skin and the wind slapped at them. An even darker shadow cast over them for just a moment. Wolfsbane pinned his ears. Zane looked up but saw nothing. He was getting nervous. No sight of Mairabel or Caelan and the storm was getting heavy. Soon it would snow. 

Again a shadow cast over Zane. Through the dense clouds he could just make out a glittery gem, and more. Creamy, hard plates stretching into the clouds. 

"That's an odd cloud formation.." Zane thought. 

Then realization hit him. 

"...a sky dragon, headed for Venzor Locke!" 

He dropped lower, putting distance between Wolfsbane and the dragon. 

"We need to find Mairabel.." 

He kicked Wolfsbane faster, skimming the tree line in search for Mairabel and Caelan. Ahead they could see the Locke. Upon reaching it Zane saw Mairabel on the other side, sitting at the waters edge. She looked up, her face was ridden with horror. 

"ZANE BEHIND YOU!!" She screamed. 

Wolfsbane squealed in fright as a dragon ten times his size barreled down at him. Zane kicked him faster, swooping side to side away from the dragon. 

Mairabel mounted Caelan and they took off across the Locke in hopes of distracting the dragon from Zane and Wolfsbane. As she crossed, another horse and rider emerged from the water. Caelan spooked, rearing back in time as huge jaws snapped upward from below. 

Jumping high up out of the Locke was a snared Sea Dragon. 

Another hunt.

Zane watched as the Sea dragon snapped at Caelan. 

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" He yelled. Zane grabbed his bow and arrow, aiming for the blue monster. The Sky dragon faltered at the commotion within the waves, momentarily forgetting his chase. 

Zane let arrows fly, hoping one would wedge itself in the Sea dragon's gills. He could see Brian and Jin in the distance. He could use all the help he could get. 

Mairabel hung onto Caelan for her life as the stallion struggled to keep flight and escape the jaws of death. She tried hard to keep her balance in the saddle. Caelan rocked and bucked upwards and sideways, throwing his head in panic. She new the only chance he had was if she dismounted to lessen the weight in the saddle. 

Mairabel let go. She slid off the saddle and down his back, crashing into the water. 

"Mairabel no!!!" Zane yelled

But it was too late. 

~to be continued