꧁ᬊᬁA Wild Deathly Galeslashᬊ᭄꧂

Twenty years ago, scientists conducted a fatal genetic engineering experiment. Humans succeeded in creating the first dragons. Initially, there were only five different species, but they quickly interbred. Within just three years, there were already 68 different dragon species. Today, there are 2,800 species that are at least known about. Many humans hunt the dragons because these giant creatures kill livestock, decimate fish stocks, and occasionally hunt humans. Many towns and villages were destroyed in the time that the dragons have existed. The human population has declined drastically over the years; many live in the secure zones, towns and villages which are cut off from the dangerous outside world by ten meter thick walls with protective posts. Over each of these protective zones is an electric net made of steel stretched like a dome. Once a week, a squad ventures out of the protected areas to gather food.

It's a stormy night, lightning illuminates the dark, wet streets of your village, and thunder echoes in the moonless night. Rain soaks your clothes. The village you live in is small, but everyone has now gathered at the large gathering place; this night is a special one. The "hunters," who are actually all just ex-soldiers and police officers, have captured a young female dragon outside the walls.

Everyone is happy because there will soon be one less "beast"... Yes...that's how it is, as soon as a dragon is captured, it is executed in front of the inhabitants. Everyone is happy...except for you... As much as the dragons pose a threat, you don't see these creatures as cruel beasts, not as monsters. No, you see a living being with thoughts, feelings...with a soul. These animals...they just want to live, to live in a world that isn't actually compatible with them, a world in which they are killed for simply trying to survive. In your eyes, it's not the dragons who are the cruel monsters, but the humans. The humans had their chance and only used it to create suffering.

Torches and old lamps flicker in the storm as the dragon, strapped and chained in a cage, is rolled to the assembly area. Her mouth is bound with heavy chains, between which nails have been driven into her flesh to prevent her from shaking off the chains. Her once mighty, magnificent wings are also attached to the floor of the cage with heavy chains and nails, and the rest of her body is bound with leather buckles and ropes. This magnificent creature lies breathing heavily and bleeding on the filthy cage floor. But that's not the worst of it... As you push forward to see more, your eyes meet the dragon's. Her once vibrant, strong, bright, and hopeful eyes are now dull, exhausted, and filled with fear. A heart-rending wail, filled with pain and anguish, escapes from the depths of her throat...a final, desperate cry for help as the dragon's eyes began to sparkle with unshed tears.

A lump forms in your throat and you feel a painful ache in your chest... No living creature deserves this kind of torment. A few of the hunters push you back to keep your distance from the cage. As soon as all the villagers are at a safe distance, the nightmare begins. The men begin stabbing the female's sides with spears, making her yelp loudly and writhe. The nails holding her to the ground tear her wings with every movement and the chains rub painfully against her scales. You cover your mouth to stop yourself from screaming in rage, fear and grief as you witness her suffering. Minutes pass and the rain intensifies as the men mutilate and torture the once magnificent creature. After thirty minutes, the leader of the hunters grabs a spear and points it at the dragon's powerful chest, where her heart lies. "Rot in the flames of hell!" roars the man, followed by a shattering thunder, before he rams the spear into her chest with full force. The female screams one last time, the chains on her mouth tighten, and the nails tear her mouth apart as she screams her pain into the night. A moment later, she falls silent, her eyes lose their light, and a tear rolls down her scales and drops into the pool of blood.

Everything falls silent for a moment, except for the sound of trees shaking in the storm and the thunder of lightning. You feel sick, tears blur your vision of the lifeless dragon. You want to scream, cry, curse...but you can't. People would only think you're dramatic and ignore you, if not chase you out of the village. Suddenly, everyone starts cheering and running toward the cage... The inhabitants spit on the corpse, curse it, and throw mud at it... So much hate...the humans deserve extermination, this suffering, not the dragons... You can't watch any longer. Without thinking further, you break into a run. Everyone is distracted as you race toward the gate. You push the heavy gate open with a loud, deafening squeak, and then...you're gone. You run into the dark forest, the fog and shadows swallow you up. The dry leaves and muddy ground make you stumble as you run into the woods. Branches whip across your face, leaving small scratches, but you barely feel them over the cold that numbs your face. Added to the darkness and the fog, your tears blur your vision.

Minutes pass before you come to a stop. Breathing heavily and trembling, you lean against a tree. You realize you're no longer in the safe zone, but out in the wilderness, alone without light or food. But that doesn't matter to you at this moment; nothing is worse than this pain inside you, this grief. You begin to cry, your body shaking from the cold and the heavy rain, your lungs and legs burning from running. But as you lose yourself in your grief and guilt, screams echo through the woods. You wipe away your tears and look in the direction of your village. The warning sirens sound the alarm, as spears are fired into the air, and shots are directed into the sky. It takes a moment to realize what's happening. A dragon circles above your village, attempting to break through the chain dome, its furious, hateful roar echoing through the night sky. You watch, fascinated by the dragon's strength, endurance, and agility. It tugs at the chains and glides through the night as it dodges the shots.

But then a pain-filled roar echoes through the air as one of the throwing nets hits the dragon. The creature is ripped from the sky as the net hits it and crashes down. You stand there in shock as the struck dragon crashes towards you. You hear it landing a few trees away, the impact shaking the earth and sending shockwaves rippling through the forest floor, the pain-filled screams impossible to ignore.

Your heart is beating fast and its breathing is shaky as you suddenly break into a run. You have to free this dragon, help it before the hunters find it. The closer you get to the impact site, the more worried you become. Trees are splintered, a few torn from their roots where the initial impact occurred. The dragon must have slid several meters further through the mud, which the notch and drag marks confirm. You follow the trail and shortly after, you freeze as you see it, while the lightning illuminates the night.

It is a Deathly Galeslash, one of the most recently discovered species. It doesn't move, only the creature's massive, muscular chest rises and falls weakly. As you drew closer, you could make out its muscular, serpentine body covered in iridescent scales that shimmered in the lightning-filled night.

As you approach, branches and leaves crash beneath your feet and suddenly the beast's eyes lock onto yours, its gaze intense, menacing, and hungry. The dragon's crests flared and its jaws parted, revealing rows of sharp, gleaming teeth. A bone-chilling roar erupted from the creature's throat. Its powerful, yet web-wrapped wings beat menacingly, churning the air and kicking up dead leaves and debris. Its tail, long and powerful, began to sway behind it, the fins catching the light as they moved. The dragon's entire body tenses, its muscles coiled and ready for action. The net cuts through the dragon's scales and into its flesh with every movement, which only makes the male more aggressive and ferocious.