Dragon One-Shots

The Visitor (Dragoness X Human/Reader)

"This way!" hissed Lord Rolft, waving us towards him. We rushed over in a half-crouch, running towards him and the crisp opening behind him. Cold air rushed past my ears as the frosted ground crunched beneath my jogging feet.

Lord Rolft crouched behind a thicket of bushes and looked out at the colourful tents ahead. I followed his gaze, looking at the tents closely; a huge, cone-shaped, red and yellow one sat in the centre, surrounded by rings upon rings of smaller tents, caravans and wagons. It was a circus, to be sure. We all looked from the campsite to the lord, awaiting his orders.

He wasn't my town's lord; none of the people I was travelling with were from my town; I was the only one willing to do anything when I met these people. We all shared the same goal; to find our missing visitor.

This visitor was unlike any other. She went from town to town, telling stories and sharing her new things she found—plants, foods and jewelry. I always thought she only visited my hometown, I recently found out I was wrong, and that she visited every town within the eastern region; while her siblings traversed the rest of the land, doing the same.

Oh, and she's dragon. A glittering silver dragoness who always has something to share.

And now she was missing.

Rolft thought silently. "Let's try to find the manager. I'll distract them, and the rest of you will search the tents for Fisa. Understood?"

"Yes, m'lord," whispered his three followers—Aldo, Regina, and Lucian. They held great respect for the leader of their town, agreeing with everything he said—I found it terrifying.

"Aye," said Ivar, crossing his muscular arms. He was a blacksmith from one of our neighbouring towns, much like myself he was the only one from his village who cared about Fisa's disappearance enough to search for her.

I nodded at Lord Rolft, reaching for my hunting knife absentmindedly.

Rolft looked out at the sea of tents and pavilions and strode out of the bushes and into the bright sunlight. We walked after him, prowling between tents as made our way to the Bog Top. Eventually, we came across someone donned in a suit and twirling a Capstick walking stick with a silver top that resembled a dragon's talon holding a crystal orb.

"Rolft!" I hissed.

He turned to me and I gestured my head towards the well-dressed man. He nodded his head at me and waved to the others—our signal to search.

I bolted towards the nearest tent as Lord Rolft talked to the circus manager. The others scurried away, disappearing under that tents' fabric with dull slaps.

I glanced at Lord Rolft and lifted the heavy cloth of the pavilion, crawling inside. The stench of animal feeds, meat, and dung assaulted my senses. I bit my tongue and gagged as quietly as I could. Shuffling forward, I looked back at the tent wall, making sure I did not catch my feet under it.

I got to my feet, dusting off my leggings and scanning the dim interior. A single lantern hung from the zenith of the tent, barely illuminating the tent filled with cages and pens. I edged deeper into the tent, passing a chained manticore sulking in his cage, his barbed tail flicking back and forth in displeasure; three wolpertingers crammed in a cage only big enough for one; alone phoenix sat in its birdcage, its flames so dull I thought it was just an orange parrot; and a unicorn tucked up sadly in a corner, his spiralling horn and eyes barely even sparkling, a sign that he had used up all his magic, or someone had taken it from him.

I swallowed hard, fighting my shock and sadness; who could anyone treat such beautiful animals like this and starve them of their home?

I lingered by the unicorn's pen. This was the closest I'd ever been to one, and it took all my strength to stop myself from petting him. He looked at him, eyeing me with his silver frosted eyes.

"I promise we'll get you out," I whispered, turning to the rest of the tent, "all of you."

The unicorn's ears moved forward and returned to being flat against his head—he acknowledged my words but dared not hope they were true. He curled his head back down, closing his eyes. If I had anything else to say, he would not listen.

I huffed and turned back towards the other animals; the manticore watched me as I looked at them all. I gave him a small wave and looked in the opposite direction. There was a large box shape with a navy tarp draped over it. I furrowed my brow and walked towards it, listening carefully. Long, quiet breaths came from beneath the tarp. Using my bow, I lifted a corner of the tarp up.

Beneath the heavy cover was a massive cage that was as long as the tent was wide. I lifted the tarp up further, allowing more light to reach inside of the cage. I saw a glimmer of silver scales. Before I could see any more, a loud growl came from the creature inside and the cage jumped.

I stumbled back with a yelp, letting the tarp fall back down as I scuttled away.

The other creatures in the tent let out sounds of surprise, standing alert.

I squashed my shock and got to my feet. "Fisa? Is that you?" I asked softly.

The cage stopped growling and moving. "How do you know my name?" she asked warily.

I reached for the tarp and dragged it off. "I am (Y/N), of Ashborne," I explained as I peeled off the cover. "I'm here with people from Glenarm and Larton. We have come in search of you." With a last heave, the tarp fell to the dirt floor. My arms flopped to my side, exhausted.

"I wasn't sure anyone would come," Fisa mumbled, looking aside. She didn't have any chains on her legs or neck—which was a relief—but she was still cramped inside her cage, standing in an awkward half-crouch.

I circled her cage, finding the door and latch. It didn't have a lock on it. I went over to it and slowly slid it open.

"Wait!" Fisa hissed.

I looked at her. "What?"

"Are you going to keep your promise?"

I furrowed my brow, confused. "What promise?"

"To the other creatures," she said, looking at the others through her bars.

"Yes, I will. And I'll release the rest, but I'll need a distraction."

A smile grew on her face. "Consider it done."

I opened the latch and left the door open for her. As she carefully crawled out, I began opening the pens and cages of the other animals. The unicorn sprang out of his pen as if he had turned into a completely different unicorn from the moping mess I had talked to earlier. The wolpertingers flapped out of their cage as soon as I opened it, stretching their wings and tossing feathers here, there and everywhere. As for the manticore, I had to rummage around in the bags of feed to find the keys to his chains. Once I did, he stepped out his change, rubbing his mane in my face as he purred loudly.

I looked up at Fisa as she came closer, towering over me. "Whenever you're ready."