The engine of the helicopter coughed and sputtered, causing Sizzlespark to lean forward and give it a few hard whacks with the palm of her hand. It dipped down ominously for a second, causing the cracked red earth below to fill her field of vision. She muttered a few curses under her breath and pulled hard on the control stick until she saw sky again.
Swinging the copter out to the left, she continued to skim the coastline along the Red Reaches of the Blasted Lands. Carefully packed away in the bags strapped behind her seat were the various gemstones and artifacts that she had spent most of the morning uncovering during her explorations through the desert.
She squinted her eyes against the stinging sand and exhaust from the sputtering engine, and dragged the back of her arm across her forehead. It was hot. Come to think of it.. it was really hot. Even for this climate.. And.. did she smell something burning?
With a frown, she let the helicopter slow to a stop and hovered there. Leaning forward again, she peered down at the engine and sniffed. Yes.. definitely smoke. But it didn't seem to just be coming from the motor. It seemed to be all around her, now.
"What..." She mumbled, then turned the helicopter to face the mountains. Something huge loomed on the horizon. And it was moving fast, in her direction.
Sizzle stared at the image for a few seconds, trying to make sense of what she was looking at. Then a gust of wind parted the smoke, caused by a downdraft of air displaced by the heavy beat of wings. Really.. really BIG wings.
Could that be..? Sizzlespark gasped. It was. Deathwing, himself.
Cranking hard at the wheel, she turned and sped in that direction. Despite the danger, she was not about to let the opportunity to see the legendary dragon pass her by. Deathwing roared, the sound causing the craft she was flying in to shudder and cant to one side. She watched as the dragon sent a gout of flames across the landscape below, consuming everything in fire.
Sizzle followed the path of the Dragon for as long as she was able, until he had disappeared through the smoke and flames over the horizon. She tugged up the front of her tabard, covering her nose and mouth to filter out the worst of the smoke as she glided her helicopter down to a safe patch of rocks, and just studied the destruction. And for several minutes, she looked on in awe at the ocean of flames where she had been standing, just minutes before.
((Finally! I've been trying for a Deathwing spotting all year. Missed him by 5 minutes earlier in the week.))
