But this dragon was not like Dread Flame, to only protect his own hide. He dove down through the sky, his pain forgotten as his wings pounded at the angry air. It was replaced by the sickening fear as he watched Arcturus grow further away from him. The worst thing was Arcturus' silence as he fell. He had joked around with the human about his screech when he picked him up first, but he was always safe in his paws. Well except now of course when Veledar watched the human tumble through the air, his front cape flowing through upwards against the wind. He knew why the human was silent. It was the absolute dread of inevitability.

Veledar willed himself to go faster as he saw the human clench his eyes shut probably to pray in his last seconds; make peace with himself and the rest of the world.

In turn, Veledar tried to not think about his dying brother...the face on his own snout when he had plummeted to the ground....

"Arcturus!" He gave an ear-splitting roar, the loudest his wounded throat could muster. The human HAD to know he was coming. I will not let you die. Not in my story! Veledar grit his teeth as he willed himself to go on. He was going to give this damned kingdom a story of a hero. A dragon who saved his human instead of monsters who kidnapped innocent maidens. His name would be spoken across the taverns of every human settlement. Veledar the protector, savior of paladins, conqueror of fiercest storms.

Veledar streaked through the air, silence only broken by the sound of the whistling wind whipping by his snout. Arcturus was falling, and falling, and falling faster, still very much out of his reach.

He tucked his wings, then his limbs, trying desperately to increase his speed. The air became a whipping menace, and the pain increased tenfold. Veledar tried to focus on Arcturus, and not the ground rushing towards his outstretched talons. Nothing else mattered now.

Nothing but Arcturus.

Pull up now or you are going to die, instinct screamed inside his skull.

But he was so close now. He almost had Arcturus. There was no way he could pull a selfish move now. If he was going to die at this moment, he was going to at least save the human. Let himself be the hero he knew he was. Let his tale be something people remembered in song. Veledar the heroic red dragon. He narrowed his eyes as he closed in on the human. They were both going to live, or both were going to die.

The first chapter can be found here: https://www.sofurry.com/view/1187754


Chapter 13 can be found here: https://www.sofurry.com/view/1197486


this piece was done by the talented: https://ventriloquistbeast.deviantart.com/


-I know Arcturus is wearing the wrong armor....I like this armor for art lol...

-Edit 9-27-17 Artist fixed Veledars wing membrane (Top was red in first image)