Fores Shorts - In Dragons eyes Blaze

In the middle of the green trees, brown rocks, boulders, mud and tree trunks lied a red hatchling dragon. He was about 3 years old (10 human years). His name was Catafrakt.

If you had an occasion to see him you could mistake him for a red wolf. His whole body was red with a bit brithter underbelly. He had 2 blunt horns growing on his sides and starting to bend upwards. The distinct feature that made him diffrent was the 2 lines on his back. One was starting from the corner of his silver eyes going under it going back on his neck through the inner side of his wings, between his spiked back and ending on his clubbed shaped tail. The second one was starting on above his eye. His body was extrealy skinny. You could easily count the ribs and spines on his back. The stomach was almost non existing.

His muzzle was facing the mud. He was covered in mud, fur and scales. Muffled sobbing was coming out of the bubbles he made in the mud. He was trying to stand up on his skinny limbs. He struggled trying to get up. Tears werent coming from his eyes. He was exhoused, starving and dehydrated to do so. His paw slipped, his muzzled faced the muddy ground again. He did not bother to stand up again. As he was lying memories started to flood his mind.

His father was his earliest memory. Big red dragon, which he loved and admired. Father told Cataf (short for his name)he was destined to
do great deeds. Fulfiling great needs for the Family (Family a group of dragons. Like pack for wolves). He reminded himself how his father wanted to teach him how to hunt. How a shadowly figure stroke his father down knocking Cataf from his back. The crash landing in this „Emerald Nighmare”. How he struggled to live here for 2 month’s since the landing. Catafrakt did not found his father or even a way to get home. He had, time to time found some small and weak animals, which were easy to catch. IF that did not work he was froce to satisfy his stomach with berries. He was trying by trials and errors.
Mostly errors since some of them gave him a terrible stomachache. Rarly scavenged some meat from other predators. But the last 2 weeks were the worst. He could not find a pray that was easy to catch, ate some berries that made him sick and weak and once he saw some members from his Family he could not manged to catch up to them. These days filled him with more emptiness in his stomach. Cold needles of fear sunk in his heart deeper and deeper. Anger. That was slowly building up inside him. Trying not to let it out. He Thought that emotions like to his father lead him to this madness If he does it again he will be lost. Forever.

If you thought that it could not get worse then that. Then this day took a big piece of Cataf. Once on his slowly stroll still weak from his eariler condition he found something. It would seem a gift from the gods. Before Catafrakts eyes he saw a dumped freshly killed fat deer. It looked like his head was smashed by big jaws that resulted its demise. Catafrakts deducted that must be one of the prays his family members left when the flew off. Maybe they forgot it. Maybe they didint need it. Who cares! It was out there for the taking a true blessing for Catafrakt. But as soon as he was about to sink his jaw into juicy meat something hit him from above and pinned him down. It was too heavy for him to get up. He was trying to no evail, then another tragedy struck he saw 2 wolfes coming for his prey and they picked the spoils and dragged away. The third was pinning him down and growling at him each time he struggled. It felt like he was mocking his grunts. Catfrakt was even trying to roar at them
„Stop, NO! Thats my Pray!”
But he didint even had the strengh to do that, not to mention to shake of his captor. Only when the wolfes were far away. The wolf pounced off and ventured afther his pack.

All of these memories were floding Catfrakts mind. Espacially the mocking and the pray being taken away was on reapet. While remembering the bad things all of those days it erupted into something. He felt a wierd energy burning inside of of him It was radaiting form his chest into his rest body. His breaths were heavy and fast. His heart was trying to keep up the pace with his breaths. Then his muzzled started to move on his own between the breaths
- I.. was… destined… to greater needs… How am… I suppose… to achive it… While i cant.. Fullfill even a basic need! – afhter that roar he said into his mind
- Wow, where did that come from?
Suddenly he lost the will of his limbs. He still was feeling them, but there were moving on their own. Paws pressed heavily on the ground and lifted his entire body. Yet no control of it. His muzzle this time was grunting and growilng with each exhale.

Suddenly his claws clanched on the ground and started spriting. The exchaution fadded away. This energy took over.
- What is going on? – asked Catfrakt in his thoughts
We wont succeed if you will be in charge so im taking over - ansered the voice from his muzzle shocking th young hatchling.
- What? – It was a bizzare feeling of Catafrakt. He had no control of his body and he could hear a voice coming out. The voice was a bit deeper then his own and filled with anger. The ansered sounded like he was annoyed by his questions – Can you at least…
- NO! First get those she-dogs! – ansewred the angry voice. – his body was looking around in a hurry tracing the wolfs paw steps, broken twigs and their faul smell. – there close.
- Yeah i can smell them too.
- Shut it! – growled the voice
Afther a few dissmises from the voice, they found the wolf pack already feasting on the deer. Not much meat left on it.
- Really? Im too late
- Im not late, i see 2 great meals to eat.
- Wait 2, where?
- Shut it im going
- Wait no!

The voice did not listen. The body approched the 2 wolves, they stand at attention when they heard the bushes moving. Growl and snarls, where heard from red dragon, the wolfs ansered them with a growl. Mocking the young dragon
- Aw. This again – he said with a smirk - let you mock this! -

He dashed forward with his head down and charged at one of the grey wolfes.(The wolfes were as big as the red dragon). When he hit it with his head, Catfrakt felt the felt the force on his head and his horns. The wolf tripped on his back, quickly stood up and ran off with sound of whimperimng. The second grey wolf jumped on the right. This time it was the wolf time to attack he jumped and tried to hit the dragon with his front paws. He jumped out of the way. Then the wolf keep attacking this time with his jaw trying getting close by grabing his neck with it. The dragon was dodging with ease yet he cant still be on the defesive, he was trying to hit him with his horns, shaking his head violently left and right.
- Maybe you should
- Shut it! Im in control!
That distraction was the adventege the wolf needed, he jumped forward managing to scratch his back shedding all of his scales exposing the softer inside. Catfrakt and the voice felt the pain on his left side. The red dragon jumped to the right. Again a low growl came from the muzzle. Then Catafrkt felt something burining inside him an odd feeling near his chest. It was anger. And something else. With each breath body was taking the second feeling was building up. It was like hot air filing his lungs. Then something resembling boiling water. His muzzle was exhaling black smoke. Suddenly the dragon took one big inhale then a long exhale. Blowing from his mouth was fire. A big fire stream hit the wolf. The fire coverd the wolf. The stream was getting thicker with each second and then in turned into lava. Lava covered the wolf and the bushes that was behind him burning them instantly. When the breath was out only smoke came from his nose and from his muzzle with some coughs.
- Well thats over now time for our basic need
- Wait this seeemed to easy
- OF COURSE. It was easy. me in control and that fire and lava action.
- No something’s not right knucklehead
- What di you call me…

This time the voice was cutted down by a familiar weight in his back. Again the Alpha was hiding waiting to pounce on the red dragon. He heard near his ear the growl and then the howl of victory from the wolf
- Not again. Not this time – said the voice, he rose up on his feet and tryied to shake of the captor. The Alpha wolf was still on he pinnned his claws on Catafrakts back. Then the grip thighted when he grabbed Catafrakts neck by its jaw. Catafrakt body was shaking its head and whole body trying to get this off. Nothing happend and the grip and pain on the neck seemed stronger. Soon the wolfes teeth will sink in the neck bone. Casuing to snap it. Usually its not that easy, to take out a dragon like that by a wolf. But Catafrakt was just scale and bones. Not much protection. He had to think fast or all that effort was in vain.
- I knew it. There were 3 wolfs that attacked i knew the strongest was hiding
- Why you didint say anything
- You were dissmising me since you rushed. I knew emotions can only bring madness and dissmisive rage
- Instead of lecturing you could help.
Try using the low branches to brush him
The voice ddi so, the wolf was still
- See nothing!
- Wait.
- For what to die?! If only i had a range to hit him with flames ot knew magic, i need to hit him with something
- I know spike’s on our back. We can use the to pin him down
- But his limbs are too long to reach them he even pinned claws to keep him on us
- Thats the point he wont came of easily we can use it just stand on youre hind legs and drop on youre back
- Alright! – The voice did so. Catafrakts body stood on his hind legs and fell over. Catfrakt heard a thud, whimper and cracking of bones. Then the free movement of his neck. The wolf was far from gone. Wolf was struggling – I see the postion has changed. Except i was never the pray in this battle – with that he sudennly bend his body left and with a snap the struggling stoped. Afther getting up and taking the wolf out of his back Catafrakt were more then ready to satisfy his hunger with the rest of the deer and the big black furred Alpha. A meal suited for the hunters.

Since that basic need was fullfiled time for the next one
- Ok, can you know anwer my questions? What are you? And how can force me to do things.
- I am the one that was hidden in youe subcopunsious, i was shapless. Trying to gain control yet i could not. Then i felt something an energy that was getting stronger with each day, somthing that gave a purpuse and the willpower to get it. And with a Blaze afther noticing youre failure to survice i had enough force and took over.
- So youre my anger and emotions that i was trying to supress? – this was more like a question to himself. - The weakness he was fighting with within. Had found a way to get out. Great
- Now enjoy youre stay here
- What!
- Yes you heard me right. You will be staying here. You will know how it it to be stuck not being able to move. I was forced to see youre fails and feeling the Hunger pains and humilation by being weak so be imprisoned by youre stronger self.
- You cannot do this! This is my body!
- In not going to give it back, you should be happy for being alive at this point.

Catafrakt was in deep trouble unable top move and being captive in his own mind. He must have think of something to convince… Well
himself to let him go. A quite headache to understand it. He could not let this raw emotion take control, he almost got killed becouse of him. Thta lat action was pure luck. If he had not let his guard down he wouldent be here. He must think how to gain control

- Becouse look at yourelf you do not even look like you – Before Cataf would ask what he meant, but was cutted short when Blaze stopped by a crystal clear river. A river so clean you could see his own reflection. He expected to see his ordinary self. Instaed he noticed a slightly bigger Dragon before him, His eyes were lit up with fire gaining a Yellow color, brows lowered looking more serious, gnashed teeth and his stripes and wings were glowing gold with and ancient runes that he did not regonize. He noticed his belly distant itself,but afther a large meal and being skinny you can call this an imporvment The bones beneath his scale were not that visible. – See this! This is a true form of a dragon. Strong with the will power to live and survive this emerald nightmare.
- What is that without intelgence – he asked himself, but the Personality heard
- What do i need it for?
That was it for Cataf, he can ensure him that he need him as well as (to much his disgust) he needs him. A real Headache to understand.
- Listen i dont need that. All my strengh and emotions was enough to fight of thoose she-dogs.
- Really, as i recall you did not listen to me when i wanted to warn you about the third wolf. You got pounced and then you could ot shake it off
- But i slammed it
- And where did that idea came from it’s hard for me to belive it that it sprung from youre thick skull.
He heard and formed his muzzle into growl.
- Face it! We both need each other to survive it and live our purpose.
Afther few snarls coming from his mouth he stopped.
- We dont have to like each other during that. Like or not we need to share
Then Catfrakt felt his limbs obbeying him now. He can move freely now
- Fine! – said the voice - we can sh. Share this body.
Belive me It disgusts me. Being such a blaze of emotions clouding my judgement. I feel youre pain. Yet i know we must somehow find a way to survive and a way home to our family.

With that settled The voice which Catafrakt called Blaze joined forces in forced mutal respect of each other. They survived and trained in that jungle for 5 years. Till finally reaching the „Scorcher lands” home of his Vulcanic Family where he earned a title of a Hunter commander and the Demo-Dragon Slayer.

But that is a diffrent chapter for Blaze/Catafrakt.