Becoming a Dragon Read Online Free Page A

whose face had turned white.
    "What is it, Uncle?" one of the two younger men asked. Perak saw his uncle turn to him and mouth the words "blue hair" before he ripped off his shirt and began to transform, with his nephew following closely behind.
    "Change!" Perak ordered, before quickly drawing a knife and throwing it at the nearest young man. The knife struck his neck, sinking deep into his throat, and the man fell to the ground, clutching the knife and blood pouring from the wound. Perak's second knife hit the neck of the third man, but was deflected by the thick scales that had already formed. He dropped the third knife he had already drawn, and began his own transformation, shifting shape as fast he could. He was fast, and was safely transformed before - the first burst of flames struck, causing some pain - as the Reds had hotter flames than they did - but no real damage. Two Red Dragons now stood opposite them, glaring at them with hatred. Perak cursed his luck; they should have been able to avoid any confrontation in these uninhabited forests.
    Eric, Ivan! he commanded, silently communicating his thoughts telepathically. Form two groups and try and split them up.
    Before Ivan and Eric could react, one of the youngsters in his group decided to take the initiative and charged, screaming like a fool. The lad sent a fireball at the Red Dragon to the left, which Perak assumed was the nephew, before springing to attack him. The Red Dragon appeared to be unfazed by the fireball, and swung a massive claw at the youngster's head as he neared. The young Blue Dragon was fast, and managed to duck underneath the attack, swiping back as he passed by his opponent and raking the Red Dragon's shoulder with his own claws. The scratches drew blood, but the Red Dragon hardly noticed, the thick scales on his shoulder preventing any real damage. The young Blue Dragon was fast and skilful, but he was playing a deadly game. The Red Dragon turned and lunged at him, slashing again with his claws, and yet again the young Blue dodged and managed to land a blow on the Red Dragon's other shoulder. He danced around him, growing in confidence as he continued to evade the stronger, but slower dragon's attacks. The Red Dragon lunged at him yet again, determined to catch him with his powerful claws and once more he dodged, but instead of retreating he then leapt forwards, jaws aimed at the Red Dragon's throat, moving for a swift kill. He was so focused on the first dragon that he never saw the attack coming from the second. The second Red Dragon had been hanging back and carefully studying the young Blue's movements, and when he saw him moving in for the kill, struck with jaw agape, seizing him by the throat. Perak had seen comrades caught in the jaws of Red Dragons once before, and knew the outcome immediately. The Red Dragon pulled his long neck and head back and upwards, lifting the young Blue Dragon clear from the ground before shaking his head violently from side to side and then tossing him forwards to land between the two groups of dragons, where he landed sprawled on his back, motionless. The younger Red Dragon stepped forwards and slashed his razor sharp claws along his exposed belly, opening a terrible wound, but it was a futile move, as the young Blue was already dead, his throat wide open and gushing bright red blood.
    Perak cursed the youngster's stupidity. The Red Dragons were outnumbered and had already lost one of their number but they were larger and stronger than they were and could only be defeated safely if they worked together. They had long necks and powerful jaws and should never be underestimated.
    Eric, left. Ivan, right, he commanded. Ivan took one Blue Dragon and moved towards the younger Red Dragon, and Eric and the two other warriors approached the older dragon. Perak approached from the centre, aiming to distract them. He sent a fireball towards the head of the older dragon, knowing that it would cause no damage, but would