Page 61 of Enemy Wolf

There had to be a way. Maybe not if I fought him head-to-head, but I had to buy time. Had to outsmart him somehow. Lizards were not known for their strategic thinking, after all.

Another blast of fire lit my fur and I rolled with a yelp to put it out. I hadn’t even gotten my feet under me when he aimed a second blast at the ground. With a desperate scramble to my four paws, I ran in the only clear direction I saw—straight toward the dragon.

I ran between his front legs, keeping low to the ground when an idea struck me. I lifted my snout and made the decision in an instant. Flipping to my back again, I opened my jaws as wide as I could and sank my teeth into Mokir’s soft, undefended belly.

The dragon let out a bellow of pain, and everything spun as he scrambled to get me off. Not only did I clamp down harder, I got my paws into the action, kicking and clawing at the dragon’s belly. The scent of blood assaulted my nose and the hot, metallic liquid was filling my mouth, but I refused to let go.

I upped the ante, wrenching my head back and forth with all my strength to tear into him deeper, to make the gaping wound bigger. When he finally managed to tear me away, I took a big ol’ mouthful with me.

The dragon’s roar filled my ears, and then I was flying through the air. Fuck, this is gonna hurt.

How right I was. It felt like a battering ram had slammed into my neck and shoulder. My vision went blurry, and the impact forced me to drop the chunk of dragon flesh from my mouth.

I must have truly blacked out for a second because the next thing I knew, a massive orange dragon was stampeding straight toward me. Mokir’s long neck stretched out in a straight line, his spiked head the weapon that would surely end me. Those glowing orange eyes were no longer playful but dead-set on murder.

His head pulled back, neck forming an S-shape as I fought to get my feet under me. In the next moment, the dragon lunged forward and I was surrounded by fire.

The heat was suffocating, like walls pressing in on all sides. I didn’t know how I moved. I might have rolled or just stumbled out of the path of the fire, but my next breath was fresh, albeit hot, air and the heat was only uncomfortable rather than blistering pain.

Risking a glance over my shoulder, I saw that Mokir had set a giant redwood tree on fire. That must have been what he threw me at after ripping me off of his belly.

The dragon was injured and therefore pissed. He clutched one scaled, clawed hand to the wound on his belly as he came after me, slower now, but not because he was playing. Smoke curled out of his nostrils and the corners of his gasping mouth. Mokir seemed to be huffing, almost wheezing. He pulled in deep breaths and only blew out smoke and embers on the exhales. Where was the fire?

I started running again and he kept after me, monstrous and nightmarish with his three legs limping along the forest floor. We were under the cover of trees now, so maybe he didn’t want to risk getting whacked by branches in his belly if he took flight.

His wings, I realized. Hurt his wings and he’ll stay grounded.

Mokir’s neck rolled back before he lunged forward with another earth-shattering roar. I braced myself for the wall of heat, though none came. Just more smoke with a few sparks and embers. The dragon pounded one massive fist against the ground, clearly frustrated.

It dawned on me then, a lightbulb moment that felt like clouds parting for sunlight during a storm.

Dragons could run out of fuel.

I almost let out a howl of victory but kept my jaws clamped shut. Better if Mokir didn’t catch on that I knew his little secret. Making those wings unflyable was still top priority. Besides, I had no idea how long dragons need to refuel their lungs or whatever. Minutes? Hours? He kept trying, so I had a feeling it wouldn’t be long.

Staying low to the ground, I slunk in a wide circle around the dragon, taking cover in some dense shrubs. That turned out to be a mistake for a reason other than fire.

Something as big as a tree trunk slammed down behind me. Then it lifted and did the same thing in front of me. Trying to get out of a path I couldn’t predict, the thing slammed down on the base of my spine, which sent shooting pain up my body and made my back end go limp.

Fucking moon. I had been so preoccupied with the fire and wings that I didn’t stop to account for the dragon’s fucking tail.

The next tail slam came down and I rolled out of the way, saving my own hide by mere inches. My own tail and back legs were ringing with agony, but at least I could still feel them. Coming to my feet, I wasted no time charging at the webbing of the monster’s wing—the skin stretched between the wing’s bones.

All I could reach was a lower portion of the wing, so I made it count. The webbing was surprisingly easy to tear with my teeth and claws. Thicker than his belly but it bled readily.

A scream pierced my ears before I was torn off and sent flying again. I closed my eyes, bracing for impact. Another crash with a tree just might end me, but no. I hit the ground and slid for a few feet. I was back in the clearing where we’d started.

Mokir started after me, crashing through the treeline like a dinosaur from a prehistoric forest. This time, I knew I couldn’t wait for him to come up on me. Gasping for breath from the impact, I got to my feet and ran straight to him.

He pulled up short, apparently startled that I’d meet him head on, which was what I’d been hoping for. The dragon reared back, made that S-shape with his neck again, and I went for the exposed areas, jaws first.

I aimed for his chest at the base of his neck. Because of the angle and his protective scales, the bite was shallow. But it still bled. I didn’t know dragon anatomy, but with any luck, I was near a major artery.

Unable to grasp and hold on, I dropped to the ground and immediately lunged between his front legs. Now that he knew what I was doing, Mokir reared up, but I followed.

Pushing all the strength I had left into my back legs, I jumped and latched onto another soft area of dragon belly. He wrenched me off with a deafening roar, sending me on another flying journey.

This landing really knocked the wind out of me, despite rolling to soften the impact. Not to mention my sides had felt like knives plunged into me with every breath for a while. I was covered in burns and probably had nerve damage in my tail and back legs. I could only keep making him bleed for so much longer. I had two, maybe three more instances of being thrown around like a ragdoll left in me, but after that?

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