The wind began to blow in a vicious rage. Kora turned to press her face into the bark of the tree closing

her eyes as pieces of fallen debris blew towards her. Thankfully her wild curly locks shielded some of

its blows creating a blanket and barrier against her skin. The chains that tied her to the tree of sacrifice

bared no comfort to her wrist, bound above her head. Every few minutes the wind would grow bolder

before settling down to a calm effect. She took the time allotted and held up her head facing the red

moon preparing for her death. She told herself to be strong but fear clawed at her chest ripping away

traces of strength and sanity leaving only a scared little girl. The daughter of a farmer held no other title

or inheritance, therefore her place in society was already claimed since birth. Every one hundred years a

woman of lower class was taken to be sacrificed from the villages to

 make atonement. No wars no bloodshed would come to her people as

 long as the treaty was fulfilled . When told of her

sister who merely turned fourteen cycles would be sacrificed she volunteered herself without thought in

her stead. The moon had just passed of her own twenty cycles. She would not allow her sister to take

this burden; she had much life to live. Hopefully a husband from a near village would take her as his

bride when she reached of age and she would be happy and in love with children of her own, one day.

The tears began to trickle down her brown skin knowing that once she gave her word and signed it with

her blood she would never know that life that she would never see her family again. She was taken from

her home immediately, unable to take anything worth value of remembrance. The memories of rich

smells from her mother's perfumes and her father's laughter when he told stories while she sat upon his

knee she clung too, not the sadden look upon their faces as their eldest daughter was taken to be

slaughtered. The wind began again like a slap, stinging her nakedness waking her from thought. She had

no way of protecting her body; the flimsy shift given to her began to unravel around her shoulders and

leaving her breast exposed to the cool air. Her nipples hardened not of free will but the cold draft in the

air.. If the dragon would not come to consume her then the drop in the temperatures would. She

shifted her weight slightly and groaned against the burn, her wrist were raw and tender. The snap from

a branch alerted her and she searched out the plains. She couldn't hear herself think with the pounding

of her heart. She heard movement.. A large shadow flew across the sky but disappeared as quickly as

she could blink. She dug her feet against the soil wishing she could push the tree and break away. She

waited and waited but nothing appeared. Her eyes grew heavy and as much as tried to fight it, it

wouldn't allow her to. The ground shook causing the tree branches to rattle, a very large figure

appeared but her vision blurred. Before sleep took her the creature stepped closer within her eye sight

and opened its mouth. She would feel nothing she thought.