fandomania | The Adventure continues...

I awoke the next morning, hearing voices and the sounds of men running through brush and trees. I quickly woke up my children and the hatchlings. As quietly as we could, we hid behind a large thicket of brambles. I told the hatchlings to scatter and hide and keep out of the way of whomever those men were. I hid the eggs deep inside the thicket where they couldn't be gotten at without a good deal of pain or trouble.

It was only a matter of time before we would be discovered. My children and I were too tired and too young to keep running from grown men for too long. It would be better to divert their attention from the eggs and hatchlings.

We huddled down together and tried to remain as quiet as we could.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" It was the ugliest man I have ever seen. His face was covered with dirt, scars and pock marks. His hair dirty and uncombed. His voice was rough and common. His clothes stank and looked like they had never been washed. "A mother hen with her little chicks ... And a bun in the oven too. You all will bring a pretty penny or two at the auctions. That you will."

I grabbed my knife and slashed at him. He jumped back, eluding my blade. I yelled at the children to run for the tunnel, but it was too late. The clearing was full of rough, menacing men. We were trapped.

Our hatchlings:

Our eggs:

I kept my children behind me and slashed at anyone who tried to come near us. They were laughing and treating me at a big joke. I managed to cut one of them when he tried to rush us. I prayed that they wouldn't rush us all at once or we would be done for.

From behind the men there suddenly came several adult red dragons. Wild ones. In one instant, they all began to breathe fire setting several men's clothing on fire. The nerve of the men broke and they ran away. Several of them jumped in the nearby broke to douse the flames.