Zirien, the most powerful Druid in the Enchanted Expanse and probably the most skilled Druid on the continent, was being played with by a foolish emerald dragon.

  Since birth, Zirien lived on an island inhabited only by half-elves. He was never subjected to the half-eleven stereotypes. "Human, but not. Elf, but not." He was never exposed to the Elf-Human cliché. Instead, he mastered balance and lived his life according to that dogma.

  Iandel, Zirien's half-brother, grew up in the deep elven woods and was formally trained as one of the king's elite elven rangers. He wore an elven chain mail shirt and pants, a present from their elven father. Each tiny interlocking mithril ring was hand-made by the most skilled elven artisans. The royal seamstress Corp wove a thin silk string between and through the rings to dampen sound and negate the need for under-padding.

  Iandel confirmed with Zirien that many ground signs indicated they were in a "big creature's" hunting zone. Half-eaten elk, bear, and big cat carcasses were strung all over the forest floor. He knew they were getting close to the creature Zirien said was making the forest unbalanced.

  Streed, Zirien's other half-brother and Iandel's twin, wore a soft leather green shirt, brown leather pants, and black leather boots. Streed was armpit deep into a soup bowl-sized magical leather sack. He was fishing out a fist-sized squishy ball, or "floating eye." All three brothers wore similar flowing leather cloaks that helped them hide in the woods. Streed gathered his long dirty brown hair and secured it into a top knot. He then prepared a magic spell and instructed the floating eye to hover above and behind Zirien's shoulder. Streed wanted to watch Zirien's progress and help if and when things got crazy. They wanted to be ready for any contingency.

  Zirien used his favorite Druid ability to transform into a beast. Zirien could never figure out how to transform into a single creature. He's only able to transform into a combination of two different animals. Today, he chose his Chyne form. The blend of Chita and wolverine; both native to the area. He made use of the Chita’s speed and camouflage. The second animal, a wolverine, is known to ignore pain and is very useful in a fight. During the transformation, both Streed and Iandel looked away. .

  The twin brothers watched the half-chita, half-wolverine quietly disappear into the forest. They sat against a tree, spread their cloaks, and blended into the forest while peering into a freshly dug puddle of crystal-clear water.

  . It took a few hours of crashing through the forest when Zirien felt the fur on his neck, indicating he was now prey. He stopped running and listened to his pursuer. Nothing, he opened his mouth to expose his chita’s olfactory glands. He smelled the stench of a dragon. . This will get his attention.

  Zirien sprayed the ground with stinky wolverine musk. Zirien sprinted down the thickly wooded hillside toward a thick, muddy draw and the lake.

  . . Zirien stayed alert for an impending attack and continued his run down the heavily wooded hillside. He continued his internal rant. Zirien instinctually used a basic Druid ability to traverse quickly. He swiftly maneuvered through the thick underbrush as he approached the lake.

  Zirien's peripheral vision revealed the insidious emerald beast. He'd be laughing if he was in his half-elf form..

  The three brothers strongly believed that a dragon moved into this area from the ground, markings, and scat. They had no idea Brunswick, a notorious emerald dragon, had recently migrated into this area. The ground-hunting Brunswick slowly closed the gap to his disgusting smelly prey. Soon, dinner will be within breath weapon range

  Zirien, on high alert, was not attacked as he ran down the hill. In his Chyne form, he disappeared into the shrub and vine-overgrown draw. . He lapped lake water into his dry mouth and regained his second wind.

  Instead of casting the spell, Zirien continued to use the Druid's natural ability to traverse natural areas quickly, no matter the obstacles. He sprinted around the lake's muddy water edge. He jumped from stable roots to floating logs and onto stationary willow knees. . Zirien reached the far side of the lake and looked back. He saw a massive shadowy figure moving through the overgrown shrubs and trees near the water's edge.

  Earlier in the day, Zirien used another essential Druid ability to befriend animals. This area of the swamp was a haven for deadly poisonous snakes. He assembled thousands of the local serpents and asked them to share the pond with the flesh-eating fish for a few days.

  Faster than expected, Zirien traversed through the forest's natural surroundings. He left the water's edge of an overgrown briar patch, shrubs, and vines. Then, he ran up the thickly wooded hillside.

  Brunswick an emerald dragon typically hunted by flying overhead. He loved swooping low and scooping up his food. The quick little animal he hunted stayed in the thick woods, which prevented his flight. His powerful muscles flexed and contracted as he slowly slinked through the woodlands, his scaled hide glinting in the forest shade. His long, sinuous tail swept gracefully through the air behind him, brushing aside any foliage that dared to obstruct his path. As he stepped forward with each lightning-quick stride, the sound of water could be heard rippling through the trees. His huge wings were tucked tightly against his body as he inched closer to the lake below. Brunswick moved with a quiet efficiency, making little sound save for a few faint rustles from within the brush. Despite his size and strength, he was able to navigate the terrain around him with surprising agility and speed.

  The first trap was sprung when Brunswick splashed into the neck-deep dark swampy waters. Thousands of flesh-eating fish swarmed and attacked the emerald dragon's scaled body. They focused their razor-sharp bites between the dragon's massive chest and shoulder scales.

  Brunswick ignored the trivial bites. He submerged and extended his wings to fly underwater to the lake's far side. While submerged, two massive snake balls enveloped him. One ball of hundreds of poisonous snakes bit into his long serpentine neck. The second entwined the junction where his wing attached to his back. That area also received thousands of poisonous bites.

  More interested in catching his fleeing dinner, Brunswick spewed his acidic breath and swam through the viscous emerald cloud. The fouled water ate into his attackers' flesh, which ended both the fish and snake's gnashing jaws upon his body.

  As Brunswick crested the lake's horizon, three agile Wolverines and two lumbering brown bears charged towards him with ferocious speed. He was not expecting this ambush and reacted quickly, his emerald scales reflecting the morning sun. He reared up, roaring loudly to intimidate the creatures.

  The Wolverines and bears halted in their tracks, taken aback by the sound of his mightily roar. Though they were determined to fight, they realized their strength could not compete against the dragon’s legendary power. The creatures backed away slowly as Brunswick attacked and killed them one by one with sharp claws and teeth. When all was said and done, Brunswick continued his pursuit of the strange creature that had lured him there in the first place.

  Brunswick's shoulder discharged rivulets of blood from the piranhas' attacks. A few areas on his neck slowly bled from the thousands of poisonous snake bites. The thin pliable scales protecting his wing joint had an active bleed. The muscles around his wing joint started to stiffen. Brunswick saw his dinner pause at the crest of the hill.

  Zirien transformed back into his half-elven form, spoke a few muffled words, and threw some clover into the air. The sky churned, and dark clouds started to manifest above. He then performed a quick dance, threw some holly onto the ground, and stomped it into the earth.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  A roar erupted from Brunswick. "Druid, you will not live to see another moon's glow!" He screeched in the universal language so the Druid would know his life would end this day.

  Now a little more worried, Zirien sprinted toward the swamp's higher and dryer area. He conducted a quick survey of this area. The ground was overgrown with long thick, healthy vines. The short thick trees were old live oaks with long thick limbs. The sky continued to churn and formed dark menacing clouds.

  Brunswick took to the graying sky with a quick, mighty leap. He noticed a little wing joint discomfort, but his great wings propelled him upwards. He circled the area to get a clear view of his prey.

  Zirien saw the massive dragon circling above. He had seconds before the beast's acute vision found him. He reached into his cape and pulled out a hand full of fresh green paste mixture of holly, clover, and mistletoe. , he remembered. Zirien quickly and sparingly applied the thick paste onto the nearby trees and vines.

  Zirien saw the large emerald dragon change flight directions. He snatched the floating eye, pulled a dagger from his muddy, soft leather boot, skewered the eye to a tree, and yelled at his brothers, "We fight here."

  Zirien embraced his half-elven "half culture." He glared defiantly into the circling dragon's eyes and boldly transformed. This time he mutated into a combination of two different animals. A thick prehistoric turtle shell grew from his back. His arms and legs became thick and robust, which grew thick white protective fur. Zirien's neck grew long, and his head transformed into a toothy oversized polar bear. Fully transformed into his SnA-Lar form, he backed away from the emerald paste-covered trees and vines.

  . Zirien looked over his shoulder and saw the emerald dragon fly directly toward him.

  Brunswick smiled and revealed his dagger-like teeth; he drew back his long neck into a snake-strike position and swiftly transitioned his wings into a dive position. "Druid, your death is past due, and your blood will be tasty.”

  . Zirien, in his SnA-Lar form, thought. .

  Brunswick swooped low and spat more green viscous clouds. The thick cloud drifted downwards, enveloping the giant SnA-Lar hiding in its protective shell.

  Zirien, protected by the thick turtle shell, prayed quickly and peered into the still-darkening sky. A sudden gale-force wind smashed into the green viscous cloud. The dragon's breath weapon passed harmlessly over the SnA-Lar and settled on nearby trees and shrubs. A second and stronger gust of wind lanced out and struck the emerald dragon's bleeding, swollen wing joint.

  Tired of the Druid's games and a weakened wing, Brunswick landed a body length away from the SnA-Lar. "You are a tricky little Druid. I'll tell stories about your disfigured body parts in my trophy room. A welcome addition," Brunswick threatened as he pounced forward.

  Zirien scurried into the patch of live oak trees.

  The stupid dragon followed the SnA-Lar into the trap of live oak tree limbs and thick vines. Brunswick's coiled neck and struck a Zirien in his SnA-Lar form with a devastating bite attack.

  Zirien received multiple gashes running across his body. Broken bones jutted out from his skin in various places, causing severe internal bleeding and immense pain. He felt as though he was about to pass out from the agony; taking a few deep breaths to keep himself conscious, he started the transmutation process back into his half-elven form.

  The transformation healed most of his wounds, including realigning broken bones and stopping the bleeding, although he was left with angry red scars and blue bruises all over. Despite this, Zirien grinned at the thought of feasting upon dragon heart later that night as he slowly climbed to his feet.

  Brunswick took pleasure in grinding the tasty morsel within his jaws. He enjoyed the taste of Zirien's salty blood upon his tongue and down his gullet. The massive dragon whipped the turtle-like body back and forth like a rag doll and flung Zirien's limp SnA-Lar body to the cold ground.

  Before Zirien's slowly transforming body smashed to the ground, the paste-smeared live-oak trees reached upwards. The paste-smeared vines lassoed up and out. The vines seized Brunswick's legs and wings. The beast was pulled down and pinned to the ground.

  Breathless from his long sprint, Iandel, the tall elven Ranger with legendary strength. He carried a loaded, long slender bow in his left hand and three additional arrows secured between his right hand's fingers. He topped the small hill as the entangled emerald dragon hurled Zirien's SnA-Lar body to the ground.

  Iandel stealthily took up a position behind a thick tree. He aimed and released the bowstring's three arrows. With lightning speed, he launched the additional three enchanted acorn-tipped arrows at Brunswick. Iandel was excited to see what type of damage Zirien's crafted arrows would do this time.

  The six silent arrows sped toward the distracted dragon trying to free itself from the pesky trees and vines. Upon impact, the arrow's shafts speared into the acorn tips. The acorns blasted magical fire forward into the dragon's front right shoulder. The fire burst into the beast's scale armor plating, revealing the dragon's soft flesh, ribs, and rippling shoulder muscles.

  Streed took a slightly longer route hoping to attack the dragon's back or flank. He followed a deer trail down the hill. Streed arrived in time to see his half-brother's SnA-Lar body roll to a stop at his feet.

  Streed positioned himself in front of Zirien's body and behind a thick tree. He gestured with his hands in a deliberate, practiced manner, mentally reciting the ancient words of his treasured spell. From nothingness, five flaming silver daggers materialized around him, their blades shining like miniature suns. Each dagger was almost one-and-a-half times the length of his hand. With a precise motion, Streed directed their arcs up, around, and straight into the dragon's fresh arrow wound. The daggers pierced with such force that they sent a shower of sparks into the air as they connected with their mark. Streed stood back and watched as the dragon roared in pain.

  "Puny Elves," roared Brunswick. "The Fey are a fortunate lot but will fail like all others that have crossed my path these thousand years." He snapped his thick clawed fingers, and the green paste-smeared vines and trees released his body.

  Brunswick righted his body and inhaled deeply. His gaze fell upon the armored elf, who had rendered his armored scales and flesh. . He did not forget the insignificant third attacker; he coiled his tail similar to a snake, poised and ready to strike the sneaky magic-wielding elf that attempted to hide.

  Another essential Druid ability was spontaneous healing when changing forms. While being crushed in Brunswick's mouth, Zirien started the transmutation process back into his half-elven form, which saved his life. The wounds inflicted by Brunswick's attack had taken their toll on Zirien, causing severe internal bleeding. However, upon the completion of their transformation, the bleeding ceased, and the damage healed. Broken bones realigned themselves, the gashes closed up, leaving behind angry red scars and blue bruises.

  The recovering Zirien climbed to his feet; a grin came to his handsome face. He felt the cold spring raindrops gently fall upon his cheeks

  Iandel sprinted laterally toward the front of the dragon. He drew three more of Zirien's special arrows from his side quiver. Two were between his fingers, and the third was loaded onto the bow's string. He pulled back the string to his cheek in one fluid motion; he aimed down the arrow shaft through the raindrops. He aimed center mass and released the first arrow.

  Iandel continued his sprint. He loaded the second arrow between his fingers, pulled the bowstring with clock-like timing, and fired the second and third arrows when his left foot hit the ground. Iandel launched the three arrows and prepared to evade the dragon's acid-breath attack. The three arrows struck true; the fiery explosions blew off two more medium-sized dragon scale plates.

  The smoothness and quickness appeared mechanical. Iandel stowed his longbow. With blinding speed, he drew his self-made glinting long sword. He charged to the dragon's injured flank, side-stepped, and ducked to avoid most of the viscous fluid spewing from the dragon's open mouth. In a seamless motion, Iandel shed his acid-covered cloak.

  "That was my favorite cloak, you bastard!" . With two hands on the hilt of his sword, Iandel made an overhead swing. He felt the encased silver liquid transition from the handle to the hollow blade on the blade's downward motion. The fluid's transition to the blade gave the blade extra weight and momentum. It effortlessly cuts through the thickly charred flesh and sinew. With an extra push, the sword's blade carved deeply into muscle and entered bone. Iandel twisted the blade, and it chipped a chunk of bone and shredded flesh from the bone as he drug the sword blade out of the dragon.

  Streed traversed sideways to get a clear shot at the dragon's open wound. He created five more silver daggers. They silently soared out, arced up and around, and penetrated the dragon's open wounds again.

  The Emerald Dragon's massive body involuntarily shuddered, and the beast roared in deep deafening agony. Brunswick had never felt such pain. For the first time ever, he feared for his life.

  Streed locked eyes with the dragon. He felt the dragon peer into his soul; primordial terror seared deeply. Streed's body froze.

  Instinctively, with blinding speed, Brunswick used his three good legs, and with the help of his massive wings, the emerald whelp swiftly leaped, spun, and landed full force on the thin elf.

  Zirien grinned and closed his eyes; he prayed a request for a spell from his deity. "With pure thoughts and energy deep within himself and his goddesses, boundless energy…." He mentally funneled their two energies. They touched the wet and dripping sky. They demand electrical light to boil the blood of their foe. The charged air produced multiple white-hot bursts of electricity into the dragon's prone body. The electrical bolts were carved deeply into the exposed bone. They ripped through the whelp's body, causing massive internal damage while some electricity danced across the emerald scales.

  The electricity turned the emerald hide into an ethereal purple mosaic. Brunswick's old eyes went black; his external wounds cauterized from the electricity, and the bleeding stopped. His vast body quivered violently one last time and fell limp. His heart still beat, although weak and slow.

  The bright light of midday broke through the retreating clouds. Iandel felt his twin brother's neck and confirmed the life-affirming internal thumps. With brotherly love and a chuckle, Iandel slapped Streed awake. "This story is going to be the best bar story yet. Let's see; I'll start the story." He cleared his throat. "No shit, there I was…."

  "Iandel, you are always messing around. Help Streed get out from under that stupid dragon," Zirien interrupted. "Time to get to work, girls. We must skin the body tonight and find his lair first thing in the morning."