Submission (#533) Approved

The storms of Layer Five howled like they had a vendetta. Wind sliced through the jagged peaks, rattling Nadira’s fins and tugging at her wild mane. Thunder bellowed above, casting the cavernous cliffs in flickering light. Her body shimmered with wet iridescence, acid rain tracing harmless trails down her enchanted scales. The storm didn’t scare her—storms were part of her home. She’d grown up on cliffs like these, danced with lightning, laughed in the face of thunder. But the growl that echoed from the shadowed crevice ahead? That made her tail twitch, literally.
“...Stop. Nadira, stop,” her tail whispered, its gooey tendrils flicking toward her face like scolding fingers. Its usual golden-retriever charm had melted into a tight, trembling coil behind her. “That wasn’t a rock slide. That was alive. And it’s not friendly.” Nadira halted at the edge of a ledge, narrowing her glowing crimson eyes toward the deep, mist-choked gap in the stone wall. A slow, bubbling hiss drifted out. Something inside was breathing. Heavy. Wet. Massive. She grinned.
“Oh yeah... definitely alive,” she murmured, claws flexing with anticipation. “Could be a Noxwyrm. Wouldn’t that be sick? I’ve always wanted to fight one of those!”
Her tail flared in panic, coiling around her waist like a makeshift seatbelt. “No, no no no—bad idea! Very bad idea! Did you not read the guidebook?! ‘Back away slowly,’ it literally says to—”
“Yeah, yeah,” Nadira snorted, eyes already lit with electric excitement. “But maybe the guidebook’s boring. I mean, c’mon—how often do you get to spar with a walking fortress made of venom and attitude?”
She stepped forward and that’s when it emerged. From the depths of the crevice, slime oozed like molasses from stone. A titanic foot pressed into the ledge with a sound like flesh squelching through wet gravel. The creature was... monstrous. Towering fifteen feet tall, dripping with venomous goo, coated in jagged spines and slick, glowing markings. Its mane jiggled with every breath and its eyes locked with Nadira’s, unblinking.
“Whoa,” she breathed, tail frozen in horror behind her. “You’re... beautiful.”
Then the creature let out a low, warning roar. Not a challenge—more a thunderous stay back. Nadira dropped into a stance, eager. Her horns glinted, and she grinned wide, heart racing. Her tail smacked her upside the head.
“OW—what the heck?!”
“Look at it!” the tail hissed. “It’s not charging. It’s not aggressive. That’s not how it fights! This is defensive posture—textbook!”
“You read a textbook?” Nadira blinked. The Noxwyrm stepped forward, wings twitching. Its body rippled... not in rage, but unease Nadira had misread it.
“Oh it’s on!” she shouted, suddenly shifting her form just slightly—longer limbs, sharper claws. “Alright, big guy! Come get melted!” The tail groaned audibly. With a surge of energy, Nadira lunged—slipping into a low sprint, streaking toward the beast like a bolt of neon lightning. The Noxwyrm hissed again, this time louder, rearing back…
Not to strike, but to shield something behind it and Nadira didn’t notice.
Nadira’s claws scraped stone as she bounded forward, heat welling up in her core. Iridescent streaks trailed behind her, and crackles of acidic mist curled off her arms as her elemental magic kicked in, ready to unleash a burst of corrosive power.
The Noxwyrm let out a loud, guttural roar out of desperation.
It didn’t move to attack. Instead, it shifted its massive frame, turning slightly to expose its flank—covered in thick goo and glowing streaks—but shielding something beneath a curled wing. Nadira skidded to a halt, claws inches from the creature’s dripping leg. The force of her stop sent pebbles tumbling over the ledge’s edge. Her chest heaved with adrenaline, and her tail snapped upward between her and the Noxwyrm, spreading into a gelatinous barrier.
“LOOK!” her tail shouted mentally and aloud, desperate.
And then Nadira saw it. Tucked beneath the beast’s wing, nestled in a small pit hollowed into the cliffside, were three smaller forms. Round, barely the size of a pumpkin, glowing faintly and trembling. Noxwyrm hatchlings. Soft-bodied, translucent, wide-eyed… staring back at her with innocence, not fear. Nadira’s jaw went slack.
“Oh... scrap.”
The Noxwyrm’s body visibly trembled, head dipping low to shield its young. Its eyes no longer flared in warning—but in pleading. It hadn’t roared to challenge her. It had been begging her to stop.
Nadira stumbled back a step, guilt washing over her like a cold rain. “I—I thought you were gonna fight me. I didn’t mean to—”
The tail, still forming a protective dome between them, slithered in frustration. “Of course it didn’t want to fight! You charged a mother! Stars above, Nadira—you were the threat!” She winced, ears pinned back. The realization stung sharper than any claw.
The creature didn’t move. It held its ground, silent and tense. It was still ready to die protecting its young if she made the wrong move. Nadira slowly knelt, hands up, elemental energy dimming from her claws.
“I’m not gonna hurt you,” she murmured, tone softer than she’d used in weeks. “Or them.” Her tail slowly lowered its guard.
From a small pouch around her waist, Nadira pulled out a bundle of dried fruits—storm-pears, dewdates, and a few tart sun-blossom slices. Her favorite trail snack. Without overthinking, she set it gently on a nearby rock, backing away slowly.
“Peace offering,” she said. “You win, big mama. You're braver than me today.”
The Noxwyrm’s nostrils flared, the acidic slime hissing as it breathed over the offering. It didn’t eat it yet, but it didn’t growl either. The hatchlings peeked out, one making a low, bubbling squeak.
Nadira gave a crooked smile. “You’ve got cute kids.”
“Let’s go,” her tail whispered gently. “Before she changes her mind.” Nadira nodded. For once… she turned away from a fight. Nadira walked in silence. The dim tunnel slowly widened into a narrow overlook bathed in the soft glow of Layer Five’s eerie bioluminescent flora. Moss shimmered blue beneath her feet, and dew hung heavy in the air. She crouched by a ledge where the distant echoes of falling water could just barely be heard. She let out a long sigh and sat. Her tail, still resting against her shoulder like a draped scarf, pulsed once.
“You okay?”
“I don’t know,” she murmured. “I thought I had everything figured out. See danger—respond. Keep moving. Survive.” A pause.
“And now?” Nadira leaned her head back, gazing at the cavern ceiling. “Now I feel like a jerk.”
Her tail slithered forward, giving her shoulder a small, squishy pat. “You listened. That’s what matters. You saw the truth and you walked away.”
“Yeah,” she muttered, “but only after nearly picking a fight with a mom.” She pulled out a piece of sun-blossom fruit—one of the few she hadn’t offered the Noxwyrm—and bit into it absently.
“You know what’s weird?” she asked aloud. “I’ve fought monsters. Taken down things ten times my size. But that… that thing scared me more than any of them.”
“Because it wasn’t a monster.” Her eyes narrowed slightly.
“It was doing what you’d do,” her tail continued. “What you have done. Protecting someone smaller. Innocent. Even scared, it didn’t lash out until you gave it reason.” Nadira was quiet a while longer.
Then: “I wonder how many others down here get misunderstood like that.”
Her tail gave a thoughtful twitch. “Probably more than we think.”
A few long moments passed. The hum of the cavern was soft—no danger here, no battle waiting around the corner. Just stillness. She leaned forward on her elbows and pulled a small charcoal sketchbook from her satchel. It wasn’t something she often showed others—filled mostly with maps, quick drawings of cave paths, weird flowers she couldn’t identify. But today, she turned to a blank page.
With rough strokes and quiet care, Nadira began sketching the Noxwyrm. Not snarling or flaring up, but curled around its hatchlings, wings tucked like a shield. Not a beast, not a threat, Just a parent. When she was done, she tucked the sketchbook away and stood.
“Let’s keep moving.”
Her tail lifted. “Where to?”
She smirked faintly. “Anywhere. But this time, maybe I’ll ask before I throw the first punch.” The two of them moved onward, vanishing into the mists of Layer Five, their steps softer now—more aware. And somewhere behind them, nestled deep in stone and silence, the Noxwyrm watched them go, grateful for the mercy she was given.

Reward	Amount
Storm Chest	1
Gold	7