Beware of Dragon- Dark Forest

 It’s been years since one of the two-legged monsters has dared to grace my forest. The Dark Forest, they call it. Rumors abound of the place being haunted by ghosts and other more sinister things, when in reality, it’s simply where I make my home. Humans, they call themselves. Monsters is more accurate, but I digress.

As I said, it’s been years since one of their kind has dared to step foot in my realm, so imagine my surprise when not one, but two of the demons set foot inside the sacred barrier that separates their hunting grounds from my own. At first, I had planned to eat them both, after all, deer and elk tends to get old after a few centuries, and a dragon has got to eat. But then one of them left.

Naturally, my curiosity got the better of me, and I went to investigate… The ability to change my size at will comes in handy when I’m more interested in stealth than intimidation, which is how I found myself here, watching a small human toddle along. The creature can barely walk properly, surprising since they only have two legs, I’d expect that it’s easier to manage than four. There were two when I began watching. One was bigger than this creature, a haggard looking female, dressed in rags compared to most of the humans I’d seen before they gave up trying to slay me.

She left the small one here, put her finger to her lips, and ran off when the sound of hooves grew loud. She hopped back into the so-called ‘safe’ side of the forest, shooting a terrified look over her shoulder at the small one, and then bolting into the trees, making much more noise than she was before.

I can’t say what exactly it is that possessed me to watch rather than feast, but there must have been something in the human’s… desperation. It’s something I recognize from my own past. The look of a creature being hunted. And the little one, I glance back at the small, female human. She couldn’t be more than two feet tall, water leaking from her small eyes while she whimpers, the sound surprisingly quiet considering the terror flashing across her small face at every sound.

She reminds me of my own young, who were torn from me by the very sound of racing hooves that pursued the larger human.

I sit and watch the… child… for hours, hoping that their mother would return. By the time the sun has sank below the trees, the child is shivering fiercely, making me worry for their health. Humans lack the thick hides of most of the creatures in my forest, and can’t handle the cool that comes at night, especially humans this small.

After some time, I slink out of the forest, growing to the size of a small horse. The child sniffles and glances up at me, her eyes widening in wonder. She slowly inches backwards as I approach, but I do not take offense at her caution. She's right to be cautious of a guardian of the forest such as myself. She inches away until her little back is pressed against a tree, watching nervously as I continue my steady approach.

After a time, I slowly lower my snout to inhale her scent. She giggles as I rub my head against her, headbutting her carefully. Once I've determined that she smells of fear and sweat and little else, I decide to grace her with a tenuous link.

Come, child. It is not safe to roost here at night for one as small as you.

Her little eyes widen further, her mouth dropping open in shock. Her suprised face amuses me. I slowly turn and extend one wing, inviting her to roost upon my back instead of the ground.

When she makes no move to mount me, I headbutt her once more.

Come, child. I will guard you for the night. On the morrow we will reassess.

She looks confused, as if she doesn't completely understand the words, despite the projection of the common tongue. Either she doesn't understand the common tongue, or she's too young to understand complex words and situations. I am uncertain of which possibility bothers me more. 

Decided, I gently grab her with my jaw, clenching the back of her rags to lift her onto my back. Whatever brought the child's mother to hide her in my domain must have been severe to leave one so young on their lonesome. While I have no doubt that the human intended to return for the little one, the possibility that such wouldn't be possible must have crossed her mind, or she would not have ensured to leave the small one where her pursuers would not tread.

The child's arms wrap instinctively around my neck as she settles securely against my back. Satisfied, I carefully transport her through the treacherous forest to the cave where I've made my home. Once we're in the safety of my den, I kneel to allow the little one to slide down. She understands better what I expect this time, and scrambles down quickly. Satisfied, I sniff her again. The stench of fear is starting to abate, leaving subtle hints of scents that stir up memories better off forgotten.

Stay. I will return shortly.

This time she nods and settles against the rear wall of the front cavern.

I make my way into the forest and gather some wood from several dried trees that fell last season. I return to the front cavern of the cave network that is my den and place the wood into a small pile. From the pile, I grab only the largest log, rolling it to the center of the area. I glance at the child once more before heading out again. 

What have you found, sister dragon? queries the ethereal mindspeak of the naiad who guards my cave.

A human child. Hunted and alone.

Hunted, you say?

Her mother hid her away beyond the edge of our domain before scurrying off. The horseback hunters were in pursuit.

They hunt even their own kind?

More often than not, in my experience.

Disgusting creatures. How can I help you and the little one?

I must provide sustenance, but it is my experience that the humans cannot digest hide or scale...

Ah, yes, that is true from what I've learned. Allow me to prepare some fish for the little one... You will need to flame it to ensure her safety. The small ones have a weak constitution.

I am grateful for your assistance.

Of course. She dips her head and sinks into the water, returning several minutes later with three large, skinned fish. Slice off bits of the meat and ensure no bones. If she is too young, she may not understand the woes of small bones in one's throat.

Nodding my thanks, I carefully carry the fish back to the cave before lighting the log on fire and shrinking down to a smaller size. The human watches me, her wide eyes only growing when my size changes. Huffing to myself, I begin the process of carefully slicing bits of meat off the fish and gently blowing a stream of flame on the slices.

Once the cavern is filled with the scents of the cooking meat, the child scrambles closer, her eyes roving over the small feast hungrily. She pauses a span away from me, as if waiting for permission. I watch her for a moment before stepping away from the meal, dragging the bones and what meat I could not cleanly slice off with me.

Thankfully, she takes my movement as permission without further prodding, and scrambles towards the food, grabbing small handfuls and shoving them in her face.

The naiad appears in the entry to the cave, holding out a waterskin. I nod my head towards the child, and she carefully slips closer, undetected by the girl, to place her bounty beside the fish. The girl spots the waterskin and gulps greedily from it.

I find myself wondering when the last time she had a drink or something to eat was. Both her and her mother appeared incredibly gaunt.

Sighing at the cruelty of the humans, I settle in to watch the child. She stuffs herself until her tiny stomach is bulging slightly, then releases a satisfied sigh and curls up beside the flaming log. Within minutes, she's releasing a little rumbling growl in her sleep. Snoring, an old friend once told me.

Letting out a worried huff, I grow to my normal size, wrapping my tail around the child and blocking the main entrance of the cave lest the mother's pursuers make their way this deep into the forest.

I want to say that they wouldn't dare, but the past has shown me that they dare more than most, particularly when they shouldn't.