"This is the last one Sam." Abbigail gave the porkchop to her puppy. They had been following Jalkar's trail ever since they got the tip at Biggerton. But he clearly is a skilled thief, scrambling his scent with berries and grass, and going in loops to confuse them. Their food was running out since Abbigail didn't have time at Biggerton to purchase supplies.
Night was falling. A crystalline moon rose above the trees. The dew on the leaves glinted as they fell from the treetops. Sam whimpered as one hit him. He stood up and shook dry. "Well," said Abbigail, in spite of her stomach's growl, "We're just going to have to go hunting then!" Instantly, Sam perked up and wagged his tail. A good workout might just do them good.
Abbigail had never hunted at night before, only in the afternoon or morning. That didn't stop them from locating a pig. Their dinner was rooting in the ground, looking for roots and fungi. Sam sneaked up on it when suddenly…
A black figure charged out from the bushes. It attacked Sam with a knife, a knife that Abbigail remembered too well. It was Jalkar.
"Sam!" She shouted. That shout was a mistake, she knew. It gave away her position immediately. There was a rustle. Abbigail redirected her arrow at it just before Jalkar shot out. A pain went through her leg as the knife tore through the flesh. "Ah!" Abbigail screamed, scrambling to aim and letting the arrow fly too soon. It shot aimlessly into the air and landed on a tree trunk.
"I've had enough of you, girl!" Jalkar shouted, and launched himself at her, brandishing his knife. Abbigail quickly put away her bow and drew her sword. Jalkar's knife landed on it with a "clang!" that ripped through the night air. He turned around and flew a kick at her face. The blood from her nose knocked Abbigail awake. This was not the trainee fight they had at the farm. This time, Jalkar wanted her dead.
Weak on the ground, Abbigail revised her tactics. Instead of meeting every stroke head on, she pointed her sword where Jalkar would land. When he spun around and cut at her right, she put the sword just a bit forward so that before his knife landed on her, he would cut his hand off.
Jalkar realized what was going to happen so he drew his knife downwards to attack Abbigail's other leg. She also changed her sword's position. This time, she pointed at Jalkar's eye. However, he was more resourceful than she anticipated. He dived to the side and stood up, facing Abbigail. The moon was rising above the cliff behind him, and it just enclosed his head so that his features were dark against the silver moonlight. "Is this the end?" Thought Abbigail. "No, it's his end!" She struggled up and tried to steady herself enough to fight.
"Woof!" Sam's bark snapped them both out of the moment. He bit Jalkar's ankle. "Ah!" Jalkar screamed. He tumbled backwards, dragging the dog with him off the cliff.
"Sam!" Abbigail shouted. She limped, half squat, towards the cliff and looked downwards. It was not deep, but Sam lay at the bottom, a deep red gash in his side. His intestines and liver spilled out beside him. Abbigail tumbled down the cliff, not noticing Jalkar limping the opposite way. He picked up the Egg and ran away.
Abbigail kneeled at Sam's side and hastily tried to stuff all the organs back in. Sam turned his head and saw Abbigail with her hands bloody with his insides. He whimpered. "Goodbye," Then he laid his head back on the ground and closed his eyes.
"Sam?" Abbigail rubbed her hands clean on the grass and patted her dog's fur. "Come on boy, don't leave me." She shook his muzzle. "Don't leave, Sam." She felt his muzzle. It was cooling. "Please…" Abbigail begged. Sam laid in the grass, motionless, his pelt shining white under the moon that he could never see again.
"No…" Abbigail wheezed, her face in Sam's fur. She could feel him becoming colder in the night air, her only companion.
Abbigail rose. Something new surged through her. Purple particles flew from afar into her leg and her torn muscles rejoined. She charged up the cliff and chased after Jalkar. When his back was in sight, she launched an arrow, one of her last, at his back.
"Ah!" Jalkar tumbled forward. The stone fell from his hand as he knelt down to pull the arrow out from his back. Yanking it out and wincing, he let it fall on the ground. Massaging his wound, Jalkar turned around. Another arrow flew out of the trees, hitting him in the forehead. As blood smeared his face, he made out Abbigail's approaching figure. The moonlight danced on her face, outlining her striking features. She stared down at him, bow in hand, and drawn. "She's an angel." Jalkar thought. Then, an arrow pierced him in the chest, and he fell forward, dead.
Abbigail picked up the Egg and returned to Sam's resting place. She laid it to the side and begin digging a grave with her sword.
"I'm sorry, Sam." She laid her puppy in the hole and covered him with dirt. Torn from a nearby tree, a piece of straight, black bark was stuck above the small mound to mark his presence. Abbigail kneeled down and felt the fresh dirt. It felt soft, and the little pricks rubbed her finger tips. She could feel her friend lying down beneath.
Another light, not silvery like the moon, nor golden like the sun, but violet, suddenly ignited behind her.
"What happened?" Abbigail asked herself as she turned to see the dragon egg, now emitting waves of purple particles, glowing brighter and brighter. The particles flowed around the Egg, like the stream of a river, faster and faster. It's gonna blow. Abbigail realized. She ducked behind a rock at the foot of the cliff. The purple particles moved faster still, illuminating the clearing with an eerie light, then…
BOOM! Abbigail held her ears as the blinding light lit up behind her. She imagined a crater where the Egg had stood, and slowly peered around her hiding place to see.
There was no crater, nor were there any Egg fragments. Abbigail came out and looked around. Then she saw a tiny black lizard, with something like bat's wings on the sides of its back, squeaking and climbing onto a rock on the opposite side, and out of her sight.
"No wait, wait come back!" Abbigail called to its silhouette, but the little lizard had already gone away. Abbigail sighed. She had gone all this way for the Dragon Egg, and now, she has nothing left, not Sam, nor the Egg.
Then, a tiny black head with purple eyes peeked out on the top of the rock. The little lizard climbed out back on the top, except now Abbigail could see that it was a baby Ender Dragon. It had small, perky ears, like a dog, and a long black snout, with two nostrils in front.
She, Abbigail could tell from her graceful clumsiness that the baby was a girl. opened her wings wide. For the first time, Abbigail saw the majestic dragon that she will become. The moonlight reflected off the scales on her back and she raised her head, as if to roar.
"Luna…" Abbigail whispered.
Somewhere nearby, the leaves rustled. They both turned towards the noise, alarmed. A small bird emerged and flew off into the distance. Then, they turned back to each other. Luna jumped down from the rock, flapping her wings, and glided towards Abbigail. Instinctively, Abbigail leaned forward and caught Luna in her hands. Her legs buckled under the strain as the muscles, newly healed, were pulled apart. She winced.
Luna looked into her eyes. Her purple ones seemed to infuse something into Abbigail. The remaining purple particles flew into Abbigail, and her wounds healed completely. Luna climbed onto Abbigail's shoulders, her scaled body rubbing against her cheek, like a large, smooth gemstone. Abbigail smiled, a bitter smile. Sam was gone, but at least, she had Luna as company. Together, they walked away. Abbigail knew what to do. She will hunt down the Unyielding Legion to avenge her parents and Sam. She was born of warrior blood. It was in her power to do this.