Sarabi's Flight (1st place)

Sarabi ran through the eerie forest, her breath coming out in tufts of clouds. Fog billowed all around her, obscuring her world.
She cursed as she stumbled over a tree root, her ankle just slightly twisted. Despite the pain she kept running. Running because she would not let them catch her, let alone catch her alive.
Sarabi was one of the last of her kind, the kiliupos. The strange people from the north, from the land of mythical creatures. Legend said that powerful kiliupos could change shape, turning into one of the many different kinds of creatures.
“Got you!” Sarabi jumped at the voice. She couldn’t see anyone, but the owner of the voice was near. Too close for comfort.
“I knew you would come,” a bearded man emerged, his skin weathered, and his eyes alight with an evil fire. “The man guarding the gate to your home said you would pass through here. Now you are mine.”
Sarabi turned to run but she was surrounded on all sides by humans. They all looked hungry, as if possessed by an evil ambition.
“What do you want with me?” Sarabi asked her voice wavering.
“We only want one thing, your powers,” the bearded man said. Sarabi’s hand touched her necklace, her fingers tightly closing around the dragon pendant; the symbol of the wind kiliupos.
“Well you can’t have it.” Sarabi closed her eyes and felt her power rush around her, changing her. When she opened her eyes again they had slits for pupils, and a violent fire of their own.
Sarabi jumped, her four legs providing enough lift to clear the canopy. She turned to the north and flew home as fast as she dared. She sighed, for she would have to face her dad’s wrath at home; again.