I was playing in the area where I normally play in. It's a small area, but I've built some things on it. There is one tree with a treehouse that I built, another with a swing, a track of logs, roots, and wood to practice jumping and running with obstacle courses, and a field right next to my private area where I secretly play with my friends a game I forgot the name of but involves kicking a ball around. My father doesn't let me play with normal people, or we call them commoners.
I escaped the house because, well, I only act like I'm all soft and innocent in front of people because I'm not that comfortable showing what's really in my head. But father worries too much. I could see him stressed before the king's visit and even worse now. There's this dragon that he keeps talking about that is on the loose in the forest and they're hunting it down so it wouldn't hurt anyone, but what are the chances of it specifically going here and finding me? How scary is it anyway?
I can take care of myself! Father doesn't know, but I've been longing to be an adventurer since I was young. I have an affinity with wind magic and concealing magic and I'm also pretty good with the sword for my age. He's too overprotective! Sometimes I don't mean to, but I wish him bad luck. He thinks I'm innocent, a 5-year-old in a 10-year-old's body, but he does nothing about it? Isn't that hypocrisy in a way? Or just not caring?
I normally play every second day here, but he wanted me to stop playing for 4 days because there is a 'danger' in the forest. He already took my dreams of a normal life. Yes, a commoner's life, or an adventurer's life to be more specific, is my preference for a living, and because my father is the lord, just because I am a noble's descendant, I can't get to do all that!
"I don't really want to think of this..."
I then move from my treehouse to the swing. When I go on the swing, unlike other children, I get a bit dizzy. But the intensity of the dizziness is just enough to be both distracting and somehow... Comfy.
I was swinging for a couple of minutes before I heard something in the bushes. I was afraid that it would be the dragon. I brought a short sword just in case it comes, but then I realized I shouldn't have been scared at all.
What came out was a small dragon that is just a little bigger than a house cat. It was purple with a grey underbelly and underside of the wing. It is beautiful, but it got horns which means it's male.
I don't know why, but I was mesmerized by this creature. The same one that my father doesn't want me to meet. It's like I wanna pet it, but I'm scared that it will bite or something. It's small, so it's a lesser dragon.
Why is father so scared of such a harmless creature?
It is just then that I noticed it shivering and noticed the scratches around it at how it had its right foot off the ground. Its left wing also has a hole in it. What happened?!
I approached it slowly and it crept back to the bush. I kneeled and it stopped but is still scared of me.
Why is it scared?
Then I remembered that I still had the short sword in its sheath on my left.
Ohh...
I unsheathed it, showed it to the baby dragon --who flinched--, and threw it to the field.
"Come on, I'm not going to hurt you..."
After I said that, the dragon ran and huddled in front of me. I picked it up and pressed it to my chest. It is panting and shivering. It's also whimpering probably from the pain. Poor thing...
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I can't help it. I can hear my hunters gaining distance towards me and I saw the boy as my only hope. The moment he said that he wouldn't hurt me, I shuffled toward him and let him pick me up. He started petting me with one hand which somehow soothed me a lot. But the pain wasn't gone. I could hear myself whimpering. It was better than the high-pitched roars from before, but I don't want this boy to think of me as weak. Heh, that's the new me now. I'm in a life-and-death situation but my pride still gets over me. I could feel his one hand supporting me struggling a little.
Hey, if I'm too heavy, just carry me with two hands! Come to think of it... I'm going to be a pet, will I?!
Suddenly, the knight and the five adventurers appeared between the trees still tunning here.
OK I WANNA BE A PET PLEASE PROTECT ME-
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This dragon's heavier than I thought.
Why was father scared of this? He's enjoying my pets. He's small and cute, why is father such a coward?
Oh, my left hand is starting to go numb.
I scanned over his injuries. The scratches don't look deep. It's like paper cuts. I think the only thing serious or very painful is his left wing. His left back leg doesn't seem to be injured from the outside. I think it's just sprained. But his wing is totally ripped in the middle. Luckily he's not a mammal, because winged mammals have the most nerves on their wings. That would be hell.
"Besley? What are you doing?! Drop it now!!"
Suddenly, Uncle Fulm appeared from behind the trees with five others. I recognize the others as one of the greatest monster-tracking teams in this town. The captain of the knights, Fulimos, is someone who I consider very close. That's why I call him uncle Fulm. That's almost why I almost immediately obliged and almost dropped the dragon which is already in pain.
"Why? Are you going to hurt him?!"
Uncle Film paused at the question. "Uhh. No, I'm-"
"Yes, you are! Don't lie to me! Then... No! I'm not going to let you hurt him!"
I ran as fast as possible back home.
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Holy crap this boy is fast!
We've been running to wherever the hell we're going for the past 3 minutes. All I know is, he's almost as fast as me flying, which is pretty impressive for a child. I don't think it's normal. Maybe he's using earth or wind magic to speed himself up or some body-strengthening magic. He suddenly covered me with his shirt to hide me or something.
Not long later, we arrive in an underground passage in the forest where he opened a hole with a manhole-like shape to be in a winery room.
Nani?
The boy holds one finger to his lips and shushed me before slowly opening the door. When it was wide open, he looked around the corridor. He signalled me to follow him as he started running out. I stumbled out the door before looking at him already at the corner of a wall, looking beyond it. He looked back at me with what seemed like a frown from this distance.
I started shuffling faster towards him. It hurts, but he wants me to go faster. He then did a facepalm and picked me up.
Why did you do a facepalm? It's not my fault you forgot! Or he just thought I'm too slow. Either way, fuck you.
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I swear the dragon shot me an angry look.
Whatever, I came into my room and locked the door. I then pulled the rope from the window and pulled out my secret emergency box from under the bed. I pulled out a mediocre healing potion and some beef rashers. I motioned for the dragon to come, which it did.
"This is going to hurt a little bit, but I can heal those wings with this potion."
I poured it onto him and he hissed a little, but the wing was healed. I then opened the container with the beef rashers in it.
"Can you understand me, drago-"
Suddenly, the dragon snapped at the rashers like a wild animal, not paying attention to my words.
"Huh, I thought he was smart. Maybe not."
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Potions also exist here! My wings are perfect now, other than the numbness which is probably from the pain suddenly gone.
I was forced to act like a wild animal this time. I decided to keep my intelligence a secret. The moment I realized what he was about to ask, I snapped at the rashers and ignored him.
I want to keep my intelligence secret because I want others that try to attack me or this boy to underestimate me. More of a guardian beast.
My eating became more frantic and wild this time, because... Well...
What the heck is this??? It's not normal rashers, isn't it? It's so goooodd...
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"What happened, Fulimos."
"My lord, don't blame the adventurers for anything that happened today. They did their job well."
"So are you saying that you failed?" The king suddenly boomed from beyond the doors, coming in with his bodyguards by his side.
"Io, bring the adventurers away from here and give them the 50 gold." Lord Gracius whispered to a nearby servant. When they were gone, the king continued.
"How much longer do I need to wait until this is done?"
"Not much longer, Your Majesty," Fulimos said. "We just need to find Besley, Lord Gracius's son, and we'll find the dragon."
Lord Gracius bolted up, his chair falling in the process. "What happened to my son?!"
The king was curious, "What has led to this chain of events?"
Fulimos then explained everything he saw on his voyage. Starting from when they found the dragon, how it flew, how it dodged everything the group threw at it, how it went down, and how it ended up in the hands of Besley.
"And then he refused to give the dragon to us and ran with the help of wind magic and concealing magic so that we couldn't track him. There was also no way we could outrun him even if he wasn't concealed. We don't know where he went, but I'm sure wherever he is, the dragon is with him."
"What the hell is that child thinking?" Gracius whispered to himself.
"This dragon is different. For it to fly at that age, I'm sure it has its secrets," The king elaborated.
"And, I'm very sure I'm not seeing things, its colour is purple," Fulimos added.
"WHAT?!" The king shouted at this revelation.
"But there is no dragon with the colour purple! None among all types of dragons!" Lord Gracius added.
"Heheheh, I say we capture it and we do some research with it. Now, where is that problem child of yours?" The king said.
Suddenly, a servant came into the room and announced: "The rope is gone! I don't know how Mister Besley went in without us seeing, but he is in his room!"
Lord Gracius was about to speak first but the king beat him to it, "Get the boy and his dragon in this room immediately."