Meru's Courageous Journey

A dragon’s roar rumbled through the village, sounding like a cross between a gurgle and a clap of thunder. It echoed off the thatched buildings and down the valley, sending chickens squawking and people running for shelter.

Meru ran as fast as her small legs would carry her, racing across the stony ground toward the sound. She had just left the village to gather plants for her mother when she heard the first roar. She’d been afraid at first, but now she was angry. No one threatened her people without facing her wrath!

She reached where her father’s cottage once stood, only to find it in ruins. Her father was dead, killed by the same monster that roared now—a fearsome dragon with scales of red and green, fangs like knives, and eyes shining like twin suns. As Meru watched in horror, it spat fire at something hidden behind a house. A human scream answered—her mother!

Meru pushed through a crowd of villagers that had gathered around the corner of their home. They were too afraid to fight back, but not Meru! The dragon saw her and turned away from her mother. It hissed angrily at Meru, baring its teeth in a snarl. Then it pounced!

Meru ducked beneath its snapping jaws and danced past its long tail as it struck out with talons as sharp as daggers. It tried to turn to face her again, but she moved faster than its bulky body could manage. She dodged another set of claws before slashing at the dragon’s leg with her stone knife. The wound didn’t seem deep enough to slow it down, so Meru moved closer to attack again before it could retaliate.

The dragon’s tail swept down again just as Meru got close enough to strike—but this time it wasn’t aiming for Meru! As if in slow motion, she watched helplessly while it smashed into a young man who’d been sneaking up behind her. Its tail caught him full in the chest with enough force to break his ribs and send him sprawling across the ground several feet away. He lay still as death, blood pooling beneath him on the ground like a terrible shadow cast by his failure to protect his family and friends. He might have been someone’s brother or son; he might have been someone’s future… But now he was gone forever on account of a single mistake that cost him his life.

The dragon had been wounded by Meru’s stone blade, but not badly enough for Meru to escape unscathed herself. One of its claws gashed her shoulder deeply enough to leave bone visible through torn flesh before she managed to dodge out of range again with only minor injuries from its talons and teeth. But she wasn’t going to run anymore; she was going to fight until she breathed her last breath if necessary! She leapt onto the dragon’s back after dodging another swipe from its tail while it tried turning around again. It bucked violently beneath her tiny weight when it felt the bite of her blade against its hide; but its pain wasn’t nearly as bad as hers when it tried using its head as a battering ram against any other attacker foolish enough to get near! Unfortunately for both of them, there wasn’t anyone else nearby who wanted anything more than to stay far away from this violent monster… Even though they knew they couldn’t save their friend or loved one from death itself today, they wouldn’t let anyone else die because someone dared stand up to this creature!