~

Pebbles skittered across the packed earth, kicked aside by his feet as he walked silently down the road. A hint of a breeze blew between the simple houses of the village, slightly rustling his cloak. He slipped a hand from beneath the fabric and pulled his hood down, further shadowing his face. Not like it mattered, judging by the mass of whispers that followed him like a cloud, nor the harsh, stone cold glares or quick fearful glances he earned every time he passed a villager.

"Beast"

"Demon"

"Freak"

"Plague"

"Soulless creature"

Hiding himself changed nothing. They already knew what he was.

~

Surrounded by towering peaks of cold gray hues, a small yet fertile valley lay sheltered. Dominated by woodlands and grassy meadows, it drew any travelers in to the quaint little village located by a clear river. Those who inhabited the village found solace in the protection granted by the high ring of mountains encircling the land, yet they knew they were still vulnerable, despite the protection nature granted them. The land was at war with itself, and great beasts roamed far and wide, no corner of the earth out or reach of their claws, talons, and hooves. 

Yet it seemed that luck still smiled upon the small settlement, as even though a feral had entered the mountain ring, it had not made its way into the village. Instead, it had met a single soul in a clearing, at that had been its downfall. 

It was nearly dusk, and golden beams of light floated through the surrounding trees, warming the soft green grass of the aforementioned clearing. Small songbirds chirped in the branches, supplementing the peace with their songs, and small insects with clear, glittering wings buzzed lazily through the still air. Squirrels flicked their plumed tails, skittering between the bases of trees in search of a nut or berry. If someone was lucky enough to have infiltrated the clearing without the knowledge of the local wildlife, they would have spied a family of deer walking gracefully between the trunks.

All seemed unhindered by the giant corpse of a chimera that took up most of the clearing. 

The beast was eight feet tall from its thunderous paws to its shoulders, and twenty feet long from its massive head to its tail. Its pelt was a sandy color, patches of dirt and blood breaking up the smooth coloration. Atop its back was the gray head and neck of a goat, it's eyes wide open and glazed in death, one horn snapped off and missing. Trailing from behind the creature was a long sinuous tail composed of the head and body of a snake. The dark green scales were dull and scuffed, and the head lay severed several feet from the tip. The main head of the beast, a great lion, was frozen in mid roar. It's great maw was open, it's swollen tongue lolling out to the side. 

Dark blood seeped from the deep gashes carved into the creature's sides, clearly marking how its life came to an end. 

The fallen feral was not the only being that laid in the clearing. Splayed on his chest, his cloak wrinkled atop his sleeping form, was what at first look appeared to be some breed of monster. The fingers on his left hand twitched ever so slightly, signifying his wake.

This was Killer.

Killer groaned softly, lifting his head up and resting his chin on the ground. Blinking his sockets open, he squinted into the sunlit air, getting his bearings. He brought a hand to his face to rub his socket, pausing once it came into view.

"Great, I shifted again." He sighed, letting his arm flop to the ground in disappointment. 

Planting both hands on the grass and pulling his legs underneath himself, Killer pushed himself up, leaning back and plopping himself down in a sitting position. 

He allowed his gaze to fall upon the body of the feral, sweeping from its head to its tail to survey his work.

Yup. Definitely dead. 

"Well, that Chimera was a little trickier than I expected. Who told these overgrown house cats that they were allowed to breath fire? That kind of skill should be out of reach of such temperamental beasts. The fact that it didn't set the whole forest on fire is a mystery." He muttered to himself, turning his gaze to the thriving foliage with his last sentence.

The fight had been pretty messy. Killer recalled that the skirmish had left several downed trees not far from the clearing, and the nearby forest had accumulated a multitude of scorched patches. Killer wasn't a lover of nature, but he didn't want to burn down the entire forest during the fight, hence why he dragged the creature to the clearing to finish it off. 

Standing up, Killer went to stretch out his large wings, yelping abruptly when the attempt to move his right wing caused a jolt of pain to shoot through his body. Looking over his shoulder, he immediately noticed how his wing was situated in an odd position. He gingerly tried to move it, resulting in another flash of pain and a hiss from himself. It seems the chimera had not only done a number on the surroundings, but also on him. 

It was to be expected with his profession. Killer was a feral hunter, a title few could accurately claim. Only the most accomplished fighters dared to go after the ferals that plagued the lands. These fearsome beasts were mythical-class creatures that had been turned evil by some form of mal-treatment towards themselves. They abandoned any packs they once lived in and roamed the lands, destroying left, right, and center and attacking anything that moved. They were a menace to all, making those who hunted them to protect the people of the land invaluable. 

Even with extensive training, it was still common for a hunter to get injured from an encounter. Ferals were driven by a lust for victory, and could only be stopped by death, so any encounter led to a rather impressive and arduous fight. 

Killer sighed in annoyance, unfurling his good wing so the membrane stretched taught, before folding it neatly on his back. He wasn't super good at healing injuries, and combining the fact that he had no healing magic and that his wing was hard to reach by himself meant that he would have to go to the nearby village for medical aid. He growled under his breath, hating the thought of having to step foot in yet another village, where the only things he would get for free were glares of hatred and hushed comments. However, such a debilitating injury was dangerous for him, and he would be unable to continue fighting ferals in this condition, so he resigned himself to the unpleasant experience. 

The distant, almost inaudible noise of a leaf being crunched snapped Killer out of his thoughts and he immediately set to scanning the forest in the direction the sound came from. Focusing his senses in that direction, he could make out the distant sounds of something approaching the clearing. The footsteps were much too light to be a feral, and judging by the rhythm they possessed, whatever or whoever was coming towards him was bipedal. 

Killer instinctively dropped into a lower fighting stance, his left hand gripping the hilt of his large hunting knife, which sat in its hip sheath. His long, bony tail grazed the tips of the grass as it slowly swung from side to side, the only movement coming from Killer at the moment. He narrowed his sockets and loosened a low growl from his throat, ready for whatever might come through the trees. 

The footsteps became clearer, and a couple birds took to the air to escape the oncoming person. The sound grew closer and closer, all the while Killer stayed stock still, ready to fight if need be. The leafy bushes before him rustled, and Killer tightened his grip on his weapon of choice. Who would it be? A thief? A criminal? A traveler? He hadn't much time to speculate about the possibilities, for someone stepped out of the bushes.

~

I walked through the forest, listening to the songs of birds hidden from view. The melodies wove through the trees, all different and all special. I could hear a creature scrabbling through the leaf litter somewhere nearby, and the babbling of a brook accompanied the symphony of nature. 

I've always loved the forest. I'm a friend to all plants and animals, but I enjoy the forest around my small village especially. No matter what time of day it was, you could always find something if you were patient enough. In the morning, the birds rose up from their slumber and rejoiced the new day with their lilting songs. At noon, the squirrels and chipmunks gallivanted in and around the trees, playing tag with one another while searching for food. In the evening, if you stayed quiet, you could see deer weaving silently through the forest, and at night the air was filled with hundreds of glowing fireflies. You could also occasionally hear the distant howl of a wolf through the night. 

Normally, I was all too happy to have a chance to leave the village for a while and wander through the trees, but now was an exception. Instead of slipping off to walk aimlessly for the sole sake of enjoyment, I was sent here to complete a task. A task nobody else wanted to do, and for good reason. Few would dare seek out a feral, even a dead one. Nothing about a feral boded well, and many believed that even in death they could cause great misfortune. I myself wasn't sure about that, but I was all too aware of what a live feral could do. I remember the events of yesterday clearly.

*

I pushed open the back door with my foot, allowing myself to slip through without dropping the basket. I set the basket full of daisies down on the counter before opening a drawer and retrieving a small pair of scissors. I began to snip off bits of the flower stems, shortening them so they could be put into a vase. 

The bell above the door tinkled lightly, alerting me that someone had walked through the front door. I looked up from my work to see Alter, the teacher for the town's school, walk through the door. 

"Good morning." He said, waving in a greeting.

"Good morning Alter. What brings you to my small shop?" I replied pleasantly.

"Well, those carnations you gave me finally gave out, and I missed having some flowers to brighten up the classroom, so I decided to come back for some more." 

"Well, you're in luck. I just picked these daisies from the back. If you give me a minute, they'll be ready for purchase. That is, unless you want something else? Daisies are quite popular in the summer months, but as always I have plenty of other flowers to choose from."

Alter looked like he was going to reply, but before he could utter a word, a distant but loud call cut through the air. We both fell silent shivering as the frightening sound sent chills down our spines. The noise sounded like the roar of a lion, the bleat of a goat, and the hiss of a snake all at once, and it sounded closer than ever before. The pleasant atmosphere was shattered instantly.

"That feral is on the hunt, and it's getting awfully close to the village. I do what I can to keep the kids engaged in class, but it's clear that everyone's minds are thinking the same thing. What are we going to do when it gets here?" Alter asked solemnly.

"I don't know. I've heard some of the store owners are going to start packing what they can today. Others, like Fell, are staying despite the impending attack. I've heard rumors from Lust that the village guard is planning on meeting the feral by the falls if it gets much closer."

"Sure sounds like Fell. That stubborn blacksmith wouldn't go anywhere if it meant leaving Sci behind. Sci won't leave his alchemy lab though, so both will be staying put." 

"What of the Village Guard though? Have you talked to G? We don't have the skill nor the numbers to even attempt to take on a chimera. The best the Guard could do would be to lure the feral away from the village, but even then that could cost them their lives!" I exclaimed.

"I know. I tried to talk G out of it, but he refuses to leave the village. He's well aware that few of us are fighters. I still don't want him to leave, even if it's selfish of me. Classic himself is hesitant, but there's not much anyone can do at this point." Alter said, shaking his head sadly. 

I looked back down at the daisies, gently running a finger over one of the pristine white petals. The flowers were so delicate, just like the village. We could never stand against a feral. There was little we could do but wait for the beast to come. Some of us would leave, but they would most likely become trapped in the mountain passes. Most of us had grown up here and didn't know how to navigate them, so the beast would be free to pick them off.

I was ripped from my thoughts when a thunderous roar boomed out.

"That wasn't the chimera!" Alter exclaimed in surprise and fear.

He dashed outside, me following after as my curiosity overpowered my fear. Many other villagers also stood in the streets, looking around for the source of the noise. Few creatures could make such an impressive call. Was it another feral?

"Look, in the clouds!" A voice suddenly yelled.

We all looked up as the voice commanded and shared a collective gasp. Diving from the clouds that shrouded the mountain peaks was the unmistakable form of a huge winged beast. 

A dragon.

The dragon opened its jaw, letting forth another roar that caused some of the villagers to cover their ears. The beast plummeted downwards, it's huge wings half folded to its sides as it dived down. Soon, it was swallowed up by the trees, and then the furious cry of the chimera rang out, accompanied by another roar from the dragon. 

Shrieks, growls, and roars permeated the air, and before our eyes a plume of orange fire blasted fourth from the treetops.

"Everyone, get to shelter!" The voice of Classic, leader of the town broke our trance.

We all dashed into our shops and houses, eager to take cover from the clashing titans. 

The sounds of the battle lasted from morning to mid afternoon, and then the forest finally fell silent after a drawn out cry from the chimera.

*

Since mid afternoon, we had heard nothing from the feral, and the village was eager to know what had happened. I had been voted to go into the forest (because of my knowledge of the area) and come back with news of the feral. 

I was nearing a forest clearing that I occasionally went to when in search of deer. Approaching the ring of dense bushes that surrounded it, I held my arms up in front of my face as I shoved my way through. I popped out the other side, sticking my arms out to my sides to keep my balance. I blinked, allowing my eyelights to adjust to the brighter light of the clearing. I couldn't help but gasp at the sight before me.

Mere feet in front of me lay the head of the chimera, it's jaws open wide as if it were roaring. The feral's fur was matted with dirt and blood, and it lay on its side, clearly lifeless.

The body of the feral wasn't the only thing in the clearing. Standing before me was a monster. He looked to be a head taller than me. He wore a cloak that cast a shadow on his face, but I could still make out his eye sockets, void of eyelights, and strange black markings running down from them. He was in a fighting crouch, his hand on the handle of some concealed weapon, but upon sighting me his stance relaxed, and his grip on the weapon loosened considerably. Makes sense, as I suppose I'm not the most intimidating person by appearance.

His tail, which I previously missed, snaked into view, alerting me to the fact that he wasn't a normal monster. A quick glance at his shoulders confirmed this, and I could see a pair of large wings poking out. The membrane of the wings was red on the inside, and the outer membrane was a dark blue, fading to a color near black at the bottom of the wing. 

The memory of the dragon diving from the clouds, it's wings half spread, flickered in my mind. The dragon's wings had had the same color gradient at the wings of the stranger before me. Could he be..?

"Are you just going to stare at me like I started vomiting rainbows, or are you actually going to speak?" The stranger spoke, his voice cold and unamused.

"O-oh! Right, sorry. Um, are you...the dragon who fought the feral?" I asked hesitantly.

The stranger didn't answer immediately, seeming to pause and think about his response.

"...Yes, I am. What's it to you, kid?" He said eventually, a slight edge to his voice.

"Hey, I'm not a kid! I am Dream, a florist and herbalist. The villagers of Laurel Town sent me to bring them news of your fight with the feral."

"Well, if that's all, then I can assure you that this beast is dead. You can go back and tell your little villager friends that their pest problem has been solved." He said, glancing at the giant unmoving body.

"Well, that's not all I came for. On behalf of the village leader, for the safety of the village, I must ask you to leave this valley and never return. So uh, shoo." I said, making shooing motions with my hands.

He shot me a questioning look, raising a bone brow, before a devious grin spread across his face. I could see large fangs glinting in his mouth.

"Or what?" He said, his tail flicking back and forth.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. What are you gonna do if I decline to leave?" He asked, narrowing his sockets and tilting his head slightly.

"Well, we'd...the village would...umm...well it doesn't matter! All that matters is that you need to leave. Go fly somewhere else!" I said, putting up a brave front.

"Well, tough luck, because I'm not going anywhere." He said, plopping himself down on the grass.

"Why not?" I frowned.

"Because I can't. My right wing got dislocated in the fight." He growled, ever so slightly moving his right wing with a wince. 

My frown of annoyance quickly gave way to one of concern as I looked at his right wing. Unlike the left one, which was folded neatly to his back, his right wing was loosely folded. It looked like it was extended too far out from the stranger's shoulder. I had treated dislocated limbs before, and I knew that they were painful. 

"Oh, are you okay?" I asked, knowing that was kind of a stupid question.

"I'll be fine. I can probably bang it into place. I just can't fly." 

"Wait, no! Don't do that! You could seriously injure your shoulder trying that. Wait here, I'll come back and bring some supplies to help you." I said with conviction.

Upon hearing my exclamation, the stranger's expression changed from one of mild hostility and suspicion to one of unadulterated confusion and surprise.

"A villager help me? Well, that's a first. How do I know I can trust you, and that you aren't just going to lead a bunch of your friends here to have a go at me?" The stranger asked, fixing me with his strong gaze.

"I'm a herbalist. It's my job to help people, even if they aren't fellow villagers. Besides, you protected the village by taking down the feral. You got hurt protecting us, so I owe it to you to help you. I can only give you my word as proof, but isn't that enough?"

"Not really, but whatever. Do what you want. It's not like I can go anywhere quickly." The stranger said with a shrug, hissing quietly as that jolted his injured wing.

"Great! Stay right there, and don't move your wing too much. I should be back before night falls. I promise I'll make you feel better!" I said with a smile as I turned to go.

I took one last look at the stranger, meeting his empty sockets, before I pushed through the bushes and set off in a job back towards the village