The smell of fresh pine wafted through the air.  The sun glittered down playfully, but Idla Forester dashed through the dense forest.  Her breath came out in heavy pants and her heart raced.  Her eyes darted around in each direction, looking for any chance to escape.  The beat of a dragon’s wings followed her closely, getting louder each and every second.  She had already made her way off the dirty path and was now just using her instincts to find her way around.

Idla lept over rocks, roots, and shrubs, dodging everything that got in her path.  Tree branches scratched her pale face, letting blood drip down her shirt.  Her messy blue hair had twigs embedded into each strand.  Her bare feet hit the ground hard each time she stepped.  Pebbles buried themselves into the soles of Idla’s feet.  

The beating of wings was right behind her now, the hot, sticky breath of the dragon was on her back — she did not dare look behind her.  

Idla saw her chance to escape just a few feet in front of her.  A low hanging branch, with a thick Gloomy Spider’s web.  The drops of a sap like substance were                      sparkling like dew in the early morning light.  If I could just make it a few more steps in the right direction…

As she neared the branch, she surged forward, tucking her knees to her chest preparing for impact.  She rolled under the branch and popped back up on the other side, Idla’s head whipping around to look behind her.  The large aquamarine colored creature was advancing on the Gloomy Spider’s web, unaware of the potential trap.  As the dragon closed in on Idla, its fiery cobalt eyes targeted on her.  With one more thrust of its wings, the dragon hurled itself into the spider web getting entangled in it.

Idla let out a guffaw, watching the dragon struggle in the web.  The creature snorted distastefully.  

“There, there Roldan,” Idla said with a smirk.  “It’s not like I haven’t beaten you 20 times already today, oh wait…I did!”

Roldan, now free of the web, gave low a grunt and turned away from Idla.

“Oh come now, don’t pout!  Come on, I’ve got to keep training for the test tomorrow!  I have to get into the Boys’ School of Battle and Academics!  It’s the only school for miles around!  If I don’t get in, I’ll never learn to read and write, nor to fight!  Mumma and Papa would never let me leave the town in search of another school.  They don’t even know I’m doing this, and you know that!  You know I can’t just sit around all day cooking and caring for my siblings, I just can’t!”

Roldan let out a deep groan from his throat, and slowly got up.  He let down an azure wing so Idla could get on his back.  The sun was setting by now, the tall evergreens blocking most of its light.  The trees swayed to and fro ever so slightly.  Thunder rumbled in the distance.  

“Come on!  Let’s get another round in before it gets too dark!  Let’s go back to the house and start from the–” Before Idla could finish, Roldan pushed off his hind legs and soared into the air.

Bibliography

1. Names and meaning: http://www.top-100-baby-names-search.com/medieval-female-names.html

http://www.top-100-baby-names-search.com/medieval-baby-boy-names.html

Theasous.com

Main character: Idla, means battle

Dragon: Roldan, means powerful, mighty