Free Draykon by Charlotte E. English

animal, walking some way ahead. She froze,
unwilling to meet a Darklander out here, groping her way through
territory that had become unfamiliar. How could she possibly
explain what she was doing, a Daylander creeping through the
darkness without a light? She stood perfectly still, listening
hard. Her straining eyes discerned a lean shape a foot or so before
her, the outline of a beast's narrow head and long, powerful legs.
In the darkness she could gain no clearer impression of the
creature, except that it must be large. Movement flashed perilously
close to her face.
    She knew
instinctively that this was no native of Glour. Never had she heard
of such a creature, with flesh as black as night, almost as tall at
the shoulder as she was. She began to retreat, moving as fast as
she dared.
    A mistake. The
movement incited the beast: it tensed and sprang. Its weight
barrelled into her and she fell, gasping. The creature turned and
lunged for her again; she rolled instinctively, but not fast
enough: searing pain exploded in her arm as long claws ripped
easily through her flesh. She twisted away and launched herself to
her feet, then into the air. Flying in the darkness was a danger in
itself: repeatedly she swerved only just in time to avoid colliding
with trees that loomed suddenly out of the darkness. Behind her she
could hear the creature crashing through the undergrowth, easily
keeping pace with her.
    Light blossomed
ahead of her and she burst into Glinnery's woods, weak with relief
as her eyes showed her a coherent picture once more. Flexing her
wings, she began to climb higher into the skies, aiming for
home.
    Then a small grey
shape below caught her eye. Sigwide! He was prone to wandering, but
now the blessed animal still sat obediently where she'd left him,
waiting patiently for her return. She cursed faintly and dived,
scooping up the orting. Beating her wings hard, she fought to climb
back into the skies but she wasn't fast enough: claws raked over
her back, tearing through her clothes and tracing deep lines of
fire across her skin. She was knocked to the ground, pain-blinded
and losing strength. She had fallen on the wrong side of the divide
and lay again in darkness.
    Eyes flashed in
the gloom, icy-pale and merciless. The beast growled. Desperate,
she forced herself to her feet and threw herself into the air,
trusting to her wings to catch the wind and carry her aloft. She
expected any moment to feel claws in her flesh again, expected to
be dragged back down to earth. But to her intense relief she rose
and rose, speeding away from the border and back towards the city
of Waeverleyne.
    Sigwide was still
cradled to her chest. He was screaming in distress, the sounds
shattering the calm she tried to draw around herself. His grey fur
was soaked in blood, and for a horrified second she thought he was
injured. Then she realised the blood was her own; her left arm was
shredded, pouring blood. The extent of the injury sent a shock of
terror through her; gritting her teeth, she fought it down. If she
could only keep going for another few minutes, she would reach her
mother's house - or somebody who could convey her there.
    But moments later
dizziness engulfed her and her sight blurred. She felt herself
falling. She landed hard, the impact sending waves of pain through
her body. Sigwide fell from her weakened arms. She lay for a
moment, half-stunned, then drew a deep breath, pulling herself
carefully into a sitting position. She examined her arm.
    Five long gashes
ran from shoulder to elbow, deep and ugly. Blood flowed in alarming
quantity, coating her skin in sticky, warm redness. She flexed her
hand gingerly, breathing deeply to ward away the faintness. Pain
scorched from her shoulder to her fingertips and she
gasped.
    She felt the
gentle touch of Sigwide's nose against her knee. The orting gazed
at her with his liquid eyes wide. She stroked his fur with her good
hand, and gathered him up.
    'Onward, and...
fast.' She spoke