he rain is pouring heavily as I take shelter in the mouth of a cave. My wings are soaked, and so any hope of flying somewhere safe is gone. Fairies aren’t known for exploring caves, but… I’m already here. Why not? I use the glow of my wings to see where I’m going. Shouldn’t be enough to wake anything.

I’m not sure how deep I am, but I should be far enough to see a bat or something. Yet, there’s nothing in here. Maybe my wings are glowing too brightly and I’m scaring everything away? Or maybe not enough to see anything? I increase the brightness and almost immediately hear something in the distance. A roar? I nearly forget about it as I stumble into a large cavern.

I’ve never seen anything like this. The cavern is mostly empty, except for the dozens of gemstones lining the walls. It’s beautiful. I try to fly over to them, but my wings are still damp and heavy. That’s fine. I can still see them from here. I can’t take my eyes off them. That is, until I see movement.

I didn’t notice it over the gems glittering in the light of my wings, but now it’s impossible to not see. This creature, whatever it is, is enormous. Its crimson head alone is twice my size, with horns sticking out everywhere. Its tail is as long as its body. Its wings, oh gods its wings. They’re tucked against its body, but I can tell just by looking at it that I could never hope to out fly it. It digs its razor sharp claws into the ground as it yawns, revealing dozens of sharp teeth. It opens its eyes and I can see them staring right at me.

I try to back away, only to trip over a rock. My heart is pounding as it comes closer. I can feel the vibrations in the ground as it moves. Soon enough we’re face to face. Its breath is as hot as fire and reeks of death. Sweat pours down my face as I make peace with the gods. I’ve discovered a new creature to the fairies, but I won’t live to tell anyone.