Anemone Flynn

Claudette’s breath seemed to echo in the chamber of the cave. She closed her eyes, lowering her head to rest on the ground in front of her. She was stuck. As soon as the dragoness realized there was someone in the cave with her, she would pounce on Claudette and it would all be over. [...]

Claudette’s breath came in rasping gasps. Her throat felt dusty and raw, and her knee had progressed beyond fiery pain into numb refusal to bear any weight. Her hands were scratched and bloody from gripping at rock surfaces to propel herself forward. Her upper lip was cracked and oozing, and the salty sweat residue on [...]

Claudette rubbed the heels of her palms into her eyes. She must have dozed off while waiting for sunset. The brightness did seem reduced, so she edged her way back up to the cave entrance. The deer leg bones she had braced her knee with dug uncomfortably into her thigh. She had sacrificed the loose [...]

The dragoness’s cry of rage followed Claudette as she leant forward into an all-out sprint. She saw each branch and stone only long enough to avoid tripping before her mind discarded them for the next obstacles. Her legs were numb, her lungs burning, and she ran and ran and ran. Her mind finally registered that [...]

Claudette judged she was a good three miles away from the oasis when she finally stopped in the shade or a boulder. The heat was extreme, and she sipped again from her water canteen. Full hydration could wait until she returned to camp. Right now, she didn’t want to waste any liquid by drinking it [...]