The story of Falabix the golden dragon.
chapter 4.
The world felt like it was shaking. Falabix woke up, and as he opened his eyes he saw that the tunnel was almost entirely dark. Something was blocking the entrance.
Wary of whatever was out there, but equally uneasy about whether the shaking would collapse the tunnel Falabix crept forward. As he got closer he could see that what was blocking the tunnel was a tremendous whiskered snout.
Falabix knew that if he didn't want his plan to kill the great beast squatting in his den to end before it started, he would have to kill or drive off this lesser beast before it could destroy his trap. So Falabix did the logical thing and set fire to its whiskers.
The beast gave a squeak and pulled back. Falabix followed it out knowing even with his wing unable to bear his weight he would have a better chance out in the open.
As Falabix escaped he saw the beast frantically using its paw to put out its burning whiskers. Knowing that he had to hit it while it was distracted he charged it.
Falabix hit it right in the stomach, but as sharp as his claws were they were too small to inflict more than lightly bleeding scratches. The beast reacted to what little damage Falabix did to it and swatted at him with a paw.
Falabix managed to dodge barely turning it into a glancing blow. One that nevertheless harshly launched Falabix away from the beast.
Falabix soared sideways though the air, and even though his left wing burned he forced himself to spread his wings to slow his fall.
Falabix wing was screaming in agony but he managed to land safely. Knowing that to be distracted by pain in a fight meant death Falabix immediately looked for the beast again. Turning his head he saw it, it seemed to have managed to put out the fire and was about to pounce.
Falabix didn't think he could escape from the beast, so as it pounced Falabix did as well. Making it so instead of the Beasts paws hitting Falabix he was under its belly.
Falabix located the scratches he had inflicted, and breathed fire on them causing the beast to squeak in pain. This however turned out not to have been Falabix best plan as the beast pressed its belly to the ground to put the fire out.
Luckily the ruined anthill wasn't exactly even ground. So Falabix only got slightly squished, but the pressure made his already damaged wing feel even worse.
Once the beast had put the fire out it had apparently had enough. Since instead of attacking Falabix again it began to flee, but Falabix wasn't about to let a beast that had so humiliated him live. So as the beast fled Falabix followed, waiting for an opportunity for revenge.
As Falabix shadowed the beast it found and ate various grains, all the while it was ever careful of the sky. Even with how angry Falabix was with the beast he could understand it. Birds were vicious monsters that would eat you given half a chance.
At last as the sky grew darker the Beast crawled down into a hole in the ground. Falabix waited a while to give the beast time to fall asleep, and then he followed it. Being especially careful to make no noises.
The hole led to a small cave. Big enough to fit maybe 5 beasts like the one sleeping there, seeing that there was no other exits Falabix decided that the best way to kill the beast would be by choking it with a fire. So he went back out again, and began to fill the entrance with kindling.
Once Falabix had gathered enough kindling to start a decent fire he exhaled upon it. At first it seemed to work, but the fire collapsed down the hole, setting fire to the beast and waking it up.
The fire and smoke hurt it greatly but it managed to escape, and when it saw Falabix it recognized him. Remembering that he had set fire to it earlier it attacked.
Weak and scared as it was it was hesitant, so Falabix decided that the best tactic would be to wait for it to collapse while dodging it attacks repeatedly. Unfortunately Falabix, while not as damaged as the beast was still hurt and exhausted. So he found that wasn't so easily done.
Falabix was barely managing to keep ahead of the beast sometime by inches, but he was tiring and he was no longer sure he would outlast the beast. So when the beast tried to bodyslam Falabix again, he took the chance to jump on its back and used his claws to inflict bleeding scratches.
The beast retaliated by rolling over forcing Falabix to jump from its back, and then as Falabix was in the air its tail was coming right at him. Once again forcing Falabix to use his wings despite the pain it brought him.
Falabix landed but by now the pain and exhaustion was making him see spots. He could just barely make out the beast dragging itself towards him, apparently having lost the ability to properly stand.
Falabix knew that this was it. The last clash between him and this beast. They were both exhausted and beaten. Neither of them having the power for more than one last attack, and while he might be able to flee he couldn't guarantee he would actually get away. If he was to risk death, then by all elder dragons he wasn't going to face it with his tail between his legs.
So Falabix tried his best to focus on the beast one last time. It was getting blurry but he could see it steadily coming closer, and then suddenly it found the strength to stand on its legs for one last jump.
Compared to how it had jumped earlier this was at best pathetic, maybe a fifth the power of a normal jump for it, but Falabix wasn't feeling much better.
Nevertheless Falabix knew that this was his last chance, and so just as the beast was committed to the jump, Falabix forced himself to flap his wings one last time. Propelling him right at the eyes of the beast.
He landed with a wet sound as his claws tore the beasts eyes apart. It gave one last squeak of agonized despair and then it stopped breathing and collapsed.
Falabix was feeling ready to collapse himself. He hurt as he never in his young life had experienced, but peculiarly one feeling was stronger than his tiredness. Falabix felt ravenously hungry.
He began to feast on the beast. First he ate the eyeballs and then he got started on the flesh. His hunger never sated he just kept eating. He ate half the beast and his hunger was barely diminished, but the slight lessening in its urgency finally allowed the exhaustion to become dominant, and so he collapsed into sleep mid bite.
