Ariana started. “What was THAT!?” Her horse just blew air, it wasn’t always necessary to answer her. The path ahead was clear. Ariana listened and squinting, she searched the rocks and weeds to the left, where she thought the sound had originated. Nothing. Deciding it was her imagination, Ariana nudged Realto with her heels to get him moving again.

“Pftt-POW!” Realto balked slightly. “So you heard it that time, too?” asked Ariana with just a hint of I-told-you-so in her voice. “Indeed” replied her horse. They both looked to the left of the path where a small tuft of weeds between two rocks was now burning. Realto twitched his ears. “Pftt-POW!” Eyes wide and stepping back, Realto shook his mane. Ariana reined him in and away from that side of the path. Several more small fires were now in evidence.

Ariana dismounted and pulled her gloves more snugly on her hands. She carefully stepped around some burning weeds and climbed around a boulder. A dead dragon lay there. “Huh” was all she said.