Ember Born

The Thing in Miller's Creek

Kael sprinted into Millhaven, his boots slamming against the dusty dirt roads. His lungs burned like fire, and sweat soaked his shirt, but he did not stop until he reached the town square.

"The beast!" Kael yelled, gasping for air as he grabbed the edge of a wooden cart. "The beast took Old Man Corvin’s family! The farm is empty!"

A crowd of townspeople quickly gathered around him, their faces pale with fear. Within minutes, the town captain assembled a heavy hunting party. Ten strong men armed with iron spears, heavy axes, and hunting bows stepped forward, led by a ruthless local hunter named Garth.

"Show us where you saw the tracks, boy," Garth grunted, his hand resting on the hilt of his heavy iron broadsword.

Kael didn't want to go back, but he had no choice. He ran ahead, leading the armed group back through the eastern fields as the sun began to sink below the horizon. Dark orange and purple shadows stretched across the yellow grass. Dusk was falling fast over Millhaven.

By the time the hunting party reached the edge of the woods near Miller's Creek, the air had turned icy cold. A thick, eerie fog rolled off the rushing water, clinging to the muddy banks and twisting through the dark roots of the ancient trees.

"Quiet, everyone," Garth whispered, raising a rough, calloused hand. The men froze, drawing their weapons, their eyes darting nervously around the shadowy forest.

Kael knelt by the muddy edge of the creek. Right there in the black mud were the same giant, three-toed claw prints he had seen at the farm. Steam was still rising from the center of the footprints, baking the wet mud into hard, cracked stone.

"It went into the creek," Kael whispered, pointing a shaking finger toward the dark water.

Suddenly, a strange sound echoed through the foggy trees.

It wasn't the roar of a bear or the howl of a wild wolf. It was a low, wet, rhythmic clicking noise, followed by the heavy sloshing of water.

Click. Click. Click. SPLASH.

"Positions!" Garth hissed, lowering his heavy spear. The hunting party formed a tight circle around the creek bed, their hands trembling on their wooden bows and iron axes.

The water in the center of the creek began to bubble violently, as if a hot iron cauldron had been dumped straight into the river. Thick clouds of white steam hissed off the surface, obscuring the far bank.

Then, the creature stepped out of the water.

Kael's breath hitched sharply in his throat. His entire body went completely numb with horror.

It was fast. Terrifyingly fast. It didn't lumber like a bear or crawl like a giant lizard. It glided across the muddy riverbank with smooth, unnatural speed, its long, twisted limbs bending in ways that were completely wrong shaped.

It stood tall on two digitigrade hind legs, its spine hunched forward like a striking viper. Its body was lean, wire thin, yet bursting with terrifying physical power. Long, skeletal arms hung down past its knees, tipped with three curved, black claws that dripped with hot, glowing ash.

And its body... its body was covered entirely in thick, overlapping armor.

Kael gasped as the dim twilight hit the creature's hide.

The scales were a dark, shimmering crimson the exact same color and shape as the warm, pulsing scale Kael had found caught in the fence wire. They glowed with an internal, throbbing red light, rising and falling with every rasping breath the monster took. It was scaled like the sword's flare—the exact same fiery red color that had erupted from the dark blue blade in the blacksmith shop!

"Shoot it! SHOOT IT!" Garth screamed, his voice breaking with sheer panic.

TWANG! TWANG! TWANG!

Three hunting arrows cut through the thick fog, flying straight for the beast’s chest.

CLINK! CLINK! CLINK!

The iron arrowheads bounced harmlessly off the creature’s crimson scales, sparking brightly before snapping into splintered wood. The scales were as hard as reinforced steel.

The monster let out a horrific, ear splitting screech a sound like tearing metal mixed with a dying man's scream.

In a flash of red light, the beast lunged forward.

It moved like a streak of blood through the air. In a single second, it swept one massive, clawed arm through the air. The strike hit three hunters at once, snapping their iron spears like dry twigs and throwing the men backward into the freezing creek water.

"Run! RUN!" the remaining hunters shrieked, dropping their heavy axes and fleeing into the dark woods in absolute terror.

Within seconds, the hunting party was completely scattered. The men sprinted away, leaving Kael standing entirely alone on the muddy bank of Miller's Creek.

Kael couldn't run. His legs felt like they were made of lead, rooted deep into the damp earth. Fear held him in a tight, suffocating grip.

The monster turned slowly toward him.

It stood tall in the shallow water, steam rising from its glowing scales as the cold river current washed over its feet. Its body rose and fell with heavy, raspy breaths.

Slowly, the creature lifted its long, narrow head.

It had no nose, no ears, and no lips. Its face was a smooth, bone white mask of hardened scale, split down the middle by a wide, terrifying maw lined with hundreds of needle sharp teeth.

Then, the creature opened its eyes.

Two giant, blazing golden orbs ignited in the darkness of its head, glowing like twin suns through the thick river fog.

Kael stared into those golden eyes, his heart hammering against his ribs so violently it felt like it would burst. He had never seen this beast before. He had never told anyone in Millhaven his true name, and he had certainly never spoken to a monster.

The beast took one slow, deliberate step out of the water, its heavy claw sinking deep into the mud right in front of Kael.

It tilted its terrifying head, locking its golden eyes dead on Kael’s face.

The red scales around its long neck began to vibrate, letting out a deep, rumbling hum that vibrated straight through the ground and into the soles of Kael's boots.

Then, the monster opened its jagged mouth.

A wave of hot, sulfur scented air blasted across Kael’s face, carrying the heat of an open forge.

The creature did not let out a screech. It did not roar.

Instead, a raspy, ancient voice sounding like two hot stones grinding together erupted from deep within its throat, speaking clear human words across the silent dusk.

It looked him dead in the eye and spoke his name though he had never given it to the beast.

"Kaelen."