The sound of battle grew fainter as the distance increased between Rowan and the monsters.

  That was something to be thankful for. As long as the battle continued, Rowan didn’t have to worry about any master class monster chasing after him. It was silence that he had to worry about since the winner of the fight could come after him. It was a small chance, but Rowan did not want to risk it. After all, his overall luck was abysmal since he had run into so many disasters such as dragons and being marooned in the Forest of Death.

  On the other hand, one could say that his luck was great since he somehow survived them all that would have killed most people. Monsters and events that could be seen once in a lifetime, he had the ‘fortune’ of seeing them more than once.

  Not that Rowan enjoys seeing such things. In fact, his life would be much better off without ever witnessing such calamities.

  As Rowan exited the territory of the monster eating tree, he began to see flourishing life around him. Now that there was nothing to steal from, the tree and plants were growing properly. However that also meant that this area had no owner and monsters were free to roam.

  It didn’t take long for Rowan to meet a pack of wolves and at this point, Rowan was confident enough that he could handle them with no problem. With just a single arrow, one of the wolves was killed immediately as the arrow embedded itself into its head. This sent the rest of the wolves packing.

  As Rowan walked forward to collect his prize, he stopped momentarily. This pack of wolves had been the perfect time to experiment and see if the poisonous arrows were effective. He had been so lost in thought and tried to return back to camp as soon as possible that he forgot the second purpose of coming out today was to test out the arrows. The excitement and everything he witnessed from before was still fresh in his mind.

  Normally he would see that sending a pack of wolves running after killing a single wolf as a good thing since he rarely had such luck. Majority of the time he would need to end the lives of a few more wolves before they gave up the idea of hunting him. Now it just seems like a missed opportunity.

  All Rowan could do was shrug and move on. Just as Rowan was about to collect his bounty, he felt an ominous premonition. He immediately jumped to the side as the one thing he learned in the forest was trust your instincts.

  And those instincts were currently screaming danger.

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  It turned out his instincts were right as Rowan’s quick action saved his life.

  A red familiar shadow passed right where he was standing. However, one thing was different than usual. The wolf’s body remained on the ground after it collapsed from an arrow in its head. Long claw marks formed on the ground right where Rowan had been standing. The two times he had seen the red dragon, it had always gone after the prey he killed.

  This time the dragon had clearly been aiming for him.

  Rowan watched as the red dragon form returned to the sky as he righted himself.

  Please don't come back. Please don't come back.

  Rowan pleaded in his mind. He had faced a lot of dangers and was just starting to grow confident in facing some of the monsters of the Forest of Death. However a dragon was a whole different story. That wasn’t a monster he thought he could take on.

  Yet.

  Rowan hoped the dragon was finished as he watched the fading red form in the sky. It almost seem true until his hopes were dashed as he saw it reverse its flight path. The red dot in the sky began to enlarge as it return for another attempt.

  It seems it isn't over yet.

  SSWWOOOOOSSHHH!

  Rowan made the split second decision to leap to the side to avoid the incoming dragon, this time it was flying even faster. He barely had time to correct his position as he saw the dragon was already in the sky and preparing to dive at him once again. Rowan took off running into the forest as his brain began storming ideas to counter this new and powerful foe.

  It looked like the red dragon was not going to give up easily until it caught the human boy. At first the attack had been so sudden that Rowan didn't have time to think. Now that he had a bit of time to register the enemy, the indignant anger that he had buried inside him once again resurfaced. It wasn’t enough that the dragon had stolen his prey twice, now it was going after him. It wasn't as if life wasn't hard enough already. The dragon had to come and make it even worse by deciding he was today's dinner.

  Only the strong survive. A lesson that was taught way too often in the Forest of Death. Rowan is reminded everyday just by walking around. This dragon was the epitome of strength. Rowan had yet to meet a monster who could match the red dragon in the forest. Even the giant centipede and monster eating tree wasn’t a match as far as he could tell. If they were, the dragon had an advantage that most monsters didn’t.

  It’s wings.

  This dragon was the fastest enemy he ever encountered. Unlike the black dragon who relied on its breath and body as its main weapons, this dragon used flight instead. It didn’t even need to use its breath as few could react to its speed. Not to mention the fire could spread in the forest. Rowan didn’t know if dragons care about forest fire as he remembered stories about the dragon being fireproof to their own flames. Rowan could only hope the dragon’s body wasn't as strong as well as he took an arrow from one of his three experimental quivers and notch his bow.

  It looks like today he’ll be getting a chance to test his poisonous arrows after all.