Wings of Fire: Secret of the Bushes

Prologue

Something is close. I can feel it.

The forest was busy with the sounds of wildlife. The birds were chirping and the bugs buzzing, filling the forest with a cacophony of noise that is familiar to the rainforest.

The forest floor was filled with all types of plants and foliage so big that you could fit a lot of humans inside with how big they were. The trees towered over him with a grandeur that stood so high he could barely to see the sky from where he was standing.

This is the world humans have lived in for thousands of years now. Where dragons rule everything and humans must survive by scraping by on what they can find while under constant threat from the dragons.

Luckily this neck of the forest rarely sees any dragon activity. It's how the clan had lived here for so long. That along with some leaf-covered cloaks that camouflaged them from any predator and made it hard for any dragon to find them. Dragons that would come by wouldn't even know a human was close until they had been long gone. Those who wore the cloaks of camouflage would rest easy knowing that dragons won't be able to them.

So why is it that all of sudden after all the times I've been out hunting with it, I could feel this shiver down my spine as if something is about to spring at me?

The human thought to himself, holding tight on his crossbow as he continued to scour the forest floor.

There were numerous rangers called skywatchers posted around the forest to keep watch for any danger. They were the clan's main defense against the dragons and could hear a mosquito buzz in the background of the cacophonous forest while they perch on their roosts high amongst the branches of the gargantuan trees.

They also wore the standard cloaks to camouflage them that is customary to any humans heading out of the village to forage in the forest. They keep watch for the tribe, making sure that anyone outside the mines will know when danger is at least close by.

With one loud whistle, any human would know the danger that is close approaching. Each watcher can echo the whistle to reach deeper into the forest so that no matter how far the person has gotten into the forest they would still be able to hear it.

Their whistles are very distinct even amongst the background noise of the forest. If any humans out foraging gets an earful of that unmistakable sound, they'd hurriedly scatter to the nearest foxhole and dive into the trenches that were dug up throughout the forest until the danger passes.

The shivering the lone hunter felt was not because of any of the skywatchers watching him. While they keep watch over the tribe members as they forage across the forest, they keep the members of the tribe feeling safe as they move across the floor.

The sensation the lone hunter was experiencing felt like something else was stalking him.

The hunter whipped his head around expecting something to lunge at him but all he could find was more dense foliage of the forest. He swore he could see a streak of silver flash by but he barely saw it long enough to know what it was. There was some rustling amongst the trees but it was just one of the skywatchers traversing the branches as they head on ahead of the hunter.

With a hand on the re-cocking lever, he at least needed to make sure that his crossbow was ready for whatever comes. He pulled the string back to ready the weapon and stored it away close for when he needs it.

If there ever was a dragon, the power of the crossbow could at least be able to take them out with one well placed shot at close range. The hunter hoped it wouldn't come to that.

His thoughts were interrupted by a pulsing whistle, signalling him that the skywatcher had found prey for him straight ahead.

The hunter rushed on through the foliage even as amethyst eyes observed his departure.