Slay the Beast

“Slay the beast!”

The call echoes through the chamber. I stand with over a hundred of my compatriots, listening to the call to arms. I hadn’t meant to find myself in the middle of a rally, but this is where Gwyneth is, so this is where I want to be. Honestly, I found it a bit hard to believe that a sweet female such as Gwyn would be interested in the rantings of a brute such as Ragnor, but she was. This meant I had an interest in Ragnar’s speech as well.

               The beast mentioned in the crowd’s cheer needed to die. If they let the monster live, my entire community will be destroyed. Each of us will be whisked away in a manner similar to those before us, taken in the middle of the night. We were not entirely sure what the creature did with our brethren, but most of us assumed the beast ate them. The alternative was that the creature was hunting us for sport, and that thought seemed unfathomable. To kill for sustenance was necessary, but to kill for sport was insanity.

               It was entirely possible that the demon from our dreams, the taker of our loved ones, was incapable of conscious thought. The creature might only be driven by bloodlust. If that were the case, then one really couldn’t label the beast as insane. A creature like that acted purely on instinct. There could be no blame, and the creature could not be at fault.

               It didn’t change the fact that the beast needed to die. It was only a matter of time before Gwyn was the one that disappeared in the night, and I would not survive that event. It is for her protection that I attended this rally. Well, her protection and my need to always know where she is. It really is in our nature as males to protect our mates, even if there are many who will not admit it.

               I watched Gwyneth intently as Ragnar worked the crowd. He had a way with words and was gathering most of its members to his cause. I was waiting for the moment when Gwyn fell entirely into the embrace of his oration. At that point, I would know that I would be heading off as part of a mob to put an end to the killing by slaying the beast.

               Ragnor did well to keep his rage tucked beneath the surface, though it must have been roiling. He had lost two young ones and his mother to the creature already. This was more personal loss than any of us had experienced at the hands of this monster. He was our leader, and most here would do his bidding regardless, but it seemed important to Ragnar that we want the death of the beast as badly as he did. Selfishly, I was glad I was not him. I don’t think I could endure that kind of hurt. Gwyneth and I had yet to experience a child of our own, but I can imagine how protective I would feel of it if my feelings for Gwyn were near comparable. If the creature were to harm her, or take my child, I’m not sure I would stop to rally support. I’d likely storm off after it on my own and likely get myself killed. The size and power of the beast would be of no consequence. I would only see the need for vengeance.

               I am surprised to be listening to an actual plan pass over Ragnar’s lips. The crowd has calmed and others seemed enraptured and willing to execute Ragnar’s will. The strategy seems simple enough. We will go in great numbers to the home of the creature and cut him down as he sleeps.  We all know the location of the beast’s layer. Ancient lore described the creature’s kind as being preoccupied by gold and other shiny objects. Based on the flashy decorations outside of the beast’s domicile, the legends are true. The home of the most ferocious animal in all the lands glistens under the sun as well as moonlight. There is no attempt to hide his presence.

               “What about the sentries?” called a member of the crowd.

               Ragnar grinned. “Some of us may fall to them, but it is a price we must be willing to pay to rid this land of the beast’s nightly scourge.”

               I did not like that answer. The sentries held posts above the stone entrance to the creature’s layer. When provoked, they flew from their roosts with enough speed to puncture one’s skin and cause dismemberment or death. We know the centuries are not sentient. Their only purpose is to fly in defense of the creature while he slumbers behind the walls of his layer. There would be no reasoning with them, and many of us would only be their fodder as others continued with our mission to slay the beast.

               I realize I have started thinking of this as our mission instead of Ragnar’s plan, and I know I have been won over by Ragnar’s words. I look into Gwyneth’s eyes and see she is ready to embark on this operation as well. So be it. Tonight we end the nightmare.

               Gwyn and I move along with the crowd. I try to look confident when I see her glance my way, but we are quickly approaching the layer of the beast and I know the sentries will spot us in minutes. My timing is off. Talak falls, a sentry through his heart, seconds after my shared glance with Gwyn.

               We pushed on, Ragnar leading the way, fueled by vengeance. More of my friends fall around me and the smell of blood seeps through my nostrils and down my throat. I am not weak, but I’ve never enjoyed violence. The smell causes my stomach to feel a little queasy. I push the feeling down and continue forward.

               The Beast is not sleeping. He stands at the entrance to his layer, flanked by others of his kind. I look toward Gwyn one more time before we enter the fray. She is gone. I stop. I spin in place and look behind me. Gwyn is down, crawling forward as if she is trying to reach me. My chest tightens and I can’t breathe. I run to her and nuzzled her face. A sentry protrudes from her side and there is far too much blood pouring from her wound. She reaches up, placing a claw on the side of my face, and brushes gently against my scales. Her claw falls away, and she takes her last breath as she stares love into my eyes.

               I feel Ragnar’s rage now. I turn toward the beast, surrounded by his army of tiny men, with renewed purpose. They will not survive this night. They took my life mate, my entire reason for living. No more will this human send hunting parties into the hills in search of our community. Tonight, I will make the beast feel my wrath. The burn rises in my throat and I open my jaws. I join the other dragons as we burn the monster and his army until they are only ashes.