Free Stealing From a Dragon by Alara Branwen, Christie Sims Page B

against the rock. I could hear occasional ticking sounds. Every few steps I'd look around for the source, but I could never find it. Every time I'd hear a ticking sound, I'd freeze in place and stare widely. It did me little good, as I could barely see beyond my beam of light. If a creature wanted to sneak up on me in the cave's darkness, and was cautious about it, it could have.
     
    The heat felt really wonderful on my tightened muscles, but I kept them flexed as I walked, so I wouldn't relax. I bit my tongue and continuously looked to all sides. Any time I heard a sound I quickly turned the little beam from my moonstone toward it. After following my little silver beam of light around a few more harrowing turns, it fell upon something that glinted. I moved the beam up, and my eyes widened.
     
    I was in the entrance of what appeared to be a very large cavern. I didn't know how large, since it was so dark. Inside, I could see the black outlines of hills twice the size of me. The beam of light moved up one of those hills to reveal that it was a massive pile of gold. I moved the beam sideways, and it fell on another pile. There was more gold in one of those piles than most thieves could steal in a lifetime. My little beam shot from one pile to the next. After each one my jaw felt like it was getting closer to the floor.
     
    After staring at a particular pile of gold for several minutes, I heard a loud rumble. I moved my beam toward the noise, then stopped when I heard it again. I took two cautious steps into the cave, and far to the left, there were several large piles that didn't look quite as uniform as the others. Two more careful steps helped me see that these weren't several large piles, but one large object. After watching it for a moment, I saw the area around the middle of this object move. It rose and fell steadily, and then did it again. I squinted my eyes, and from the shadows created by my light, I could make out the conical muzzle and large, orange, muscular beast it belonged to.
     
    My temples slammed against my head. The creature was massive. If I had to guess, it's huge, flat, clawed feet were just a little smaller than my torso. It was easily 30 feet long. But, I didn't want to guess, I didn't even want to think about it. I didn't want to think about anything. I wanted to run madly away from that gargantuan monster as fast as my legs would carry me. However, thoughts of the thief’s challenge steeled my nerves.
     
    For a moment, I could do nothing but look at the behemoth. I shined my light a little over in its direction until I could make out it's strong jaw and thick neck again. My eyes traveled down its massive, powerful body. It's right wing unfurled as it rolled onto its side. This was a dragon, a real, live dragon. I was standing, at most, only thirty feet from it.
     
    My legs felt like water and my heart rapidly palpitated, but I felt something else too. A little smirk played across my face as my eyes ran across it's blackened form. I imagined him pressing me down to the ground, holding me with a foot, completely helpless. The feeling gave me a small shiver.
     
    I tore my eyes and light away from the beast. Now wasn't the time for admiration, it was as time for stealing. If I hurried, I knew that I could get several gold coins in the bag I was carrying, and get out before the dragon woke up. I quickly untied a small, brown, cloth coin purse from my belt. I held it with the open. I was about to scoop several coins into it from the nearest pile, but I knew that would make quite a bit of noise. So, I carefully removed a piece of gold from the pile, and placed it in the pouch.
     
    I didn't feel it hit the bottom. The reason being, is that the coin purse was enchanted with a charm that allowed it to hold a much greater weight than it normally would. I carefully removed gold from the large pile, piece by piece, careful not to make any clinking sounds as I moved gold from the hoard to the bag. Luckily,