Voltron Dragon-Riders AU

Chapter 1: Red is a Magnificent Color

Long ago, in the sleepy little town of Altea, there lived a group of people who would find themselves participating in a spectacular journey. Two young blacksmiths who had just finished their apprenticeship and opened up a forge together. One a tall, skinny Cuban boy, and the other a hearty Samoan a little on the chubby side. An exceptionally smart girl with short hair who ran the local library, sometimes getting help from her older brother, a trained soldier in the town's military. Another soldier, older and covered in an assortment of scars from wars past. All for the sake of a secret and his brother; not by blood, but just as important. He held on to both dearly. And of course, the brother, a dragon tamer, and an essential part of the legend about to be told.

The story starts with Keith Kogane, a short, eighteen-year-old boy with a black mullet, who decided from a young age that he didn't function well with other people. Anger issues and outbursts had always been a problem for him, especially after the senseless death of his father. In the days prior to his departure, these attributes had led the town to grow impatient with him, ultimately leading to an event that would change the very reason for his existence.

The problem occurred when he was just five years old. The young boy was running through the forest trying to get his older brother, Shiro, to chase after him. Being orphaned at a young age, Shiro was the closest thing Keith had to family, and he was prone to acting out because of the loss. So, for attention, the then short haired boy ducked under branches and around tree trunks as the older child tried to keep up.

"Keith, stop! You're going to hurt yourself!" Shiro called out while stopping to catch his breath, Keith nowhere in sight. The twelve-year-old muttered curses before beginning to run again, but he couldn't find the younger child for the life of him.

Meanwhile, further into the forest, Keith had stopped running, for the ground beneath him had grown thin and shaky. Little pieces had begun to break away beneath his feet. But he didn't move. Couldn't. He stood, shaking and terrified, unable to call out for help as the land continued to disintegrate around him. And so, the final pieces of the loose dirt fell away, and the terrified little boy began to fall to his death.

Soon after accepting his fate, Keith tightly shut his eyes, and he was surprised to feel a large, scaly object catch him and set him safely back on solid ground. He fluttered his eyes open once again, and a grin stretched across his face as he saw the powerful red dragon towering over him. The boy had to keep himself from jumping for joy. Shiro would be so jealous when he found out he'd met a real-life dragon. It was something they had only heard on occasion, contained in make-believe stories and seemingly false rumor.

The two just stared at each other silently, Keith certainly in awe. This was the first time he'd ever seen anything so..well, the only word he could think of to describe it was awesome. The large creature had fiery red scales that glistened in the sunlight, along with black accents on the interior of its folded wings. They appeared to be small this way, but Keith could tell they could span at least as long as a small house when extended. More black trickled down the dragon's spine, all the way down to its tail where the tip was coated in the color like charcoal. Its eyes, surprisingly, were a beautiful yellow. Golden rays that resembled amber. Somehow they seemed soulful, excited even, like the dragon wanted nothing more than to be sharing this moment with the young human. Then suddenly, breaking the silence, Keith opened his mouth to speak.

"I'm Keith, thanks for saving me!" the boy beamed, doing the polite thing and sticking out his hand in greeting. He didn't realize the dragon probably wouldn't be able to shake it because of the massive size difference. She did, however, nod to him and outstretch her tail for the boy to shake instead. Keith gently grabbed the tail, and he held on when the dragon tried swishing it away, taking the young boy with it.