The scorching sun loomed overhead, bathing the grassy woodlands in a heated glow that was both beautiful and stifling. Zerisint and his allies were undaunted, though, as they fought to contain the multitude of flying beasts driven to frenzy by whatever fiery creature had awoken. Zerisint’s black form darted about the skies, wrangling angry birds or contending with ornery harpies, while Endymion and Kumiho readied cages on the ground below.
The cages were makeshift but sturdy, made of fallen dried branches and woven vines, and each was big enough to hold a number of birds and latch shut. Endymion’s swirling black-white-and-blue coat was a blur in the heat haze as they moved to and fro, catching fallen birds and other winged beasts as Zerisint knocked them out of the sky, and then depositing them more gently into one of the cages. Kumiho, meanwhile, snapped and lashed the cage door shut as soon as one was full of dazed critters.
This chaos lasted all of half an hour before a powerful roar shook the trees, and something large and scaled erupted from deeper within the woodlands. The many birds and harpies scattered, keening and squawking in distress as the dragon dove for them.
Gritting his teeth, Zerisint flew down to his companions. “Make sure those cages are secure, and come with me! We must subdue the dragon!”
Kumiho, her pink-hued paws racing to tie the last of the cage doors shut, answered, “Get going, we’ll catch up!” A gust from the dragon’s wings as it ascended rustled her black-splotched orange-and-white mane, and the bright sun gleamed off her pair of central horns as she worked.
Endymion kicked another cage door shut, and followed Kumiho’s example, hurriedly tying off the vines to keep the door shut. “Distract it, Zerisint!”
Having no more time to spare, Zerisint spun and zipped through the air towards the dragon. He had no breath attack like his ally Eridanus, but he did have his own kind of power. He flew faster, his red-and-purple energy lines pulsing brighter as he gained speed, and finally he collided with the dragon’s side, paws first, sending the great serpentine beast sideways in the air.
The dragon snarled, wings briefly fumbling, and it turned on Zerisint. Bright golden eyes met Zerisint’s red pair, and for a fleeting moment, there was a battle of wills. Enraged further when Zerisint didn’t flinch or back down, the dragon swiped at him with a powerful claw.
Zerisint wove expertly around it, and flew at the dragon’s head. A well-placed kick to the temple snapped its head sideways, and it retaliated by reaching for Zerisint’s tail. It grabbed him by the fluff and then threw him towards the trees, but Zerisint recovered, spinning just above the canopy to come to a halt. A little dazed, he hesitated a moment, watching the dragon.
Endymion and Kumiho finally came to his aid. “Bring it closer!” Kumiho called. She reached into the satchel she brought along, just in case, and rifled around for a certain scroll. She handed one to Endymion, and then produced another of the same type. While Zerisint returned to darting around the dragon overhead, Kumiho said to Endymion, “You know how to use scrolls, right?”
Endymion snorted, accepting the scroll. “Of course I know how.”
Zerisint succeeded in aggravating the dragon enough to bait it towards his fellow kiji, and finally, he dove toward them. The dragon was close behind, almost near enough to chomp on Zerisint’s tail, but at the last second, Zerisint turned sharply and rushed away. The dragon, however, had to pull back hard to come to a full stop before it could continue the chase, and that’s when the kiji below struck.
Endymion and Kumiho unfurled their scrolls at once, aimed at the dragon, and bursts of frost and ice and snow shot forth, striking the dragon’s face and torso and coating it in cold. The dragon’s wingbeats faltered, and it dropped into the trees, the many cracks of snapping branches echoing through the woods on its way down. The three kiji breathed a sigh of relief, and cautiously, they approached the fallen dragon.
The large reptile was laying on the ground beneath the trees, dazed and sluggish, its green scales coated in a thin layer of ice and frost from the midsection up. Zerisint dropped down in front of its head. “Will you behave yourself now?” he asked, ears pulled back.
The dragon snorted, but didn’t put up any further fight.
“Good.” Zerisint turned to his allies. “That was quick thinking, Kumiho.” He smiled. “Thank you both.”
Kumiho chuckled. “I’m just glad it worked out.”
Endymion brushed a stray snowflake out of their mane. “Indeed. Shall we get these critters all ready to go north?”
Zerisint nodded. “The sooner the better.”