Hanaro's Library

In a forest just outside of Vexenburg, a creature gracefully leaps and bounds from the trunks of the trees. The night sky barely visible from the floor, the shade of the creature wisped quickly, quaking the leaves above. It hoisted it’s prize in it’s mouth, grasping it gently between it’s teeth. A raspy call came from the distance and the creature slowed it’s tow, swiftly and slick, it slumped to the ground. The beast with it’s reptilian eyes glowed subtly in the night, piercing it’s gaze and perking it’s head to pin the call’s location. The beast vigilantly cast it’s gaze, listening, watching for a possible pursuer.

The dragon placed it’s prize, an old book, at it’s feet and rose it’s head again; this time it whiffed the cool night air. The scent was strong, and the dragon then lowered it’s body into a cautionary stance and then prowled the nearby shrub, sniffing and investigating. In the distance, the call was made again. A child.

The dragon leveled itself into the bushes and tucked it’s small wings to her body, making sure her figure did not stand out.

“Mami!” the child cried out. A lost boy, with a ribbon in his hands and shivering legs.

A loud snap came from the shrubbery, and the boy turned his body so fast he fell.

The creature with it’s head lowered stalked the boy and walked closer to him.

The boy stared for a moment, got up, and with excitement, ran to the dragon. Perplexed and annoyed, the dragon pierced it’s head ornaments and scrambled away back to it’s prize.

“Wait!” the boy cried out.

She ignored the boys commands and was just about to take her flight back into the trees with her cargo until the boy uttered a most familiar phrase…

“Let me see!”

She stopped her pounce and looked back to the boy. She tilted her head and the boy with an entitled attitude stretched out his hands.

“Let me!” continued, pointing to the book.

She dropped the book and walked to the boy, now interested.

She sat down in front of him and studied his face sniffing slightly at him.

“Mmm…” the boy now trading confusing looks with the beast and lowered his hands..

And thus began a moment of silence and staring as the night breeze flowed through the forest.

This quickly faded along with the boy’s patience as he tried to peer over the dragon’s back to see the book again. The dragon blocked his view with her head.

“Let me read!” the boy said with aggravation in his voice. But at the same moment the dragon’s eyes tightened it’s cat-like pupils with blazing recognition.

And then with intensity, she firmly gripped the boy with her maw and pounced upwards onto the trunk of the trees with the boy screaming and laughing into the night canopy.

As the night grew older the dragon approached her destination with the boy now struggling and grunting in annoyance. She leapt out of the treeline and stretched her wings in a glide. In sight now was a stone chapel in a hilly field and shabby huts. The night sky beamed with moonlight and the boy gazed at the building and then to the ground which had a sharp silhouette of their shadow paralleling them.

Inside the chapel knelt a bearded man in front of a shrine. His head and eyes weighed with despair, as if he were praying. On his arms, his tattoos seemed to chain him, draping around him in a binding clutch. A thud was made outside but this did not phase him. He knew his servant possibly held a new haul, unhopeful that she had something to help him.

“Vissity… come inside…” he said as the heavy chapel door creaked and cracked under it’s own weight being pushed open.

“...what new tome have you brought me?” he asked as he slumped his head around.

He was almost startled out of his slouched state as the dragon dropped the boy with drool still around his neck.

“What is this Vissity?” the man stood up with rising fire in his voice. “Do you mock me with this child? Why have you got him?!” his voice quipped with rage. The dragon curled her head nearly to the floor like a frightened pup.

“Stop!” the boy said with his hand held out to halt him. The man's eyes now fixed on the boy.

“What did you say?”

“Stop! It wasn’t her fault!” the boy continued.

“You see, I saw her with a book and then I wanted to read it and then she took me to you…”

“But why?” the man shot back, “what did you do?!”

“Nothing! I just wanted to read her book!”

The man stooped his posture, and slouched back into despair as he rested his head into his hands.

“Why did you do this Vissity?” he moaned quietly.

“hey… “ the boy walked up to the man, “why are you so sad?”

“because … She was supposed to bring me a book that is supposed to help me…”

“Well, was the book she left supposed to help you?”

“Probably not…” the man said pessimistically.

“Well then why are you so sad?”

The man looked over at the child who was now next to him, quite possibly weighing the upcoming troubles that this stolen child will bring, but was too bogged down by his own inner turmoil to care.

“I’ve made a mistake boy, but I will find a way to fix it…” he looked at the dragon now sitting and staring at him and the boy. He looked at the boy again, who had a look of concern.

“What’s your name?”

“I’m Veran. What’s yours?”

“I am Han.” the man said. “So you like to read?”

“yeah… “

“So what do you read?”

“Gregor McMannis and his griffin.”

“Oh, the tale of Gregor McMannis?”

“Yeah…”

“Are you a monster hunter yourself?”

“No I’m six winters old…”

“Do you want to be?”

The boy looked down with a slight amount of embarrassment.

“No? So you would rather be a griffin?”

“No…” Veran said with a grin.

“You must be, what with that big old beak you have on your face.” Han said trying to pinch his nose.

“Stop!” the boy chuckled.

The softened scene with the two carried on as Vissity gnawed and groomed her inner claw, seemingly ignorant. They say that dragons are wise of their own accord. But they are also stern and unyielding, which is why this scenario was so strange, aside of course from her stealing a child and bringing it to her master. No, something that boy did that night seemed to be more important than her current task. It was far more important than the book, it was more important than the task. It was more important to her than any book her master could ever get his hands on.

“We can find your mami in the morning, but for now, would you like to put your beak in a book?”

“I don’t have a beak!” Veran laughed “but yes!”

“I don’t know what kind of answer is butt-yes, however let’s walk to my library.”

“You’re silly.” Veran tittered. “And you have a library?”

“Oh yes mi-son, I have quite a library.”