The sun rose in the sky as it became mid-day, Astera buzzing with activity as news of the unknown Elder Dragon residing in the ancient forest spread like wildfire throughout every branch of the Commission. Everyone was slowly awaiting the return of the trio that left to find out more about this mysterious Dragon. The Commander was watching the entrances of Astera for the eventual return of the trio, hoping that nothing had gone wrong. For hours he had been there, waiting.
Eventually, his patience had paid off as he could see from his place above the main market, the trio sprinting towards the gate. There didn't seem to be anything chasing them, so why could they be running he wondered. As the trio made it past the gate and it shut behind them, they had finally seemed to relax. They had run so much that now they were bent over, hands on knees heaving to catch their breath. Soon enough, many noticed their return and began to crowd around them asking what they had found.
The Commander began to cut through the crowd as he walked to the trio. Soon, he found himself standing in front of them. "What on earth happened out there?" He questioned as they all finally caught their breath and stood up. The Team Leader then answered quickly "We were investigating the clearing just next to the first camp and our little friend here" he gestured towards the palico "Came running out of the forest towards us when our Scout Flies turned blue and went right to where he ran from. We got prepared to fight wat ever it was, but it had knocked over a tree and left before we could get a good look at it."
The commander listened intently as he began to try and figure out what to do next. After a few moments he began to speak. "If you didn't get a clear look at it, then we may need to try again. For today, I want you to stay here and head back out tomorrow morning. We need to find out what this thing is." He ordered as he turned to return to the council table. The trio, having been dismissed began to go to their rooms to relax for a bit. Leah, though, was lost in thought as she kept going over what she saw over and over in her mind.
Leah (Handler POV)
I just couldn't get it out of my head. I should've said something, but I just couldn't. When it was running away, I had locked eyes with it, bright Azure eyes that didn't look angered, or aggressive, but scared. 'Why would something like that be afraid of us, why would it run?' I thought to myself as I entered my room. I walked over to my bed and fell onto my back, looking up towards the ceiling as I lulled over what happened over and over in my head. That fear that I had seen in its eyes wasn't some sort of primal or instinctual fear. It had knocked down a tree between my Pard and the Team leader, not to hurt them, but to slow them down, it wasn't wanting to fight. This thing, whatever it was, is smart, scary smart.
'I can't just sit here and wait; I need to know more.' I thought to myself as a crazy idea popped into my head. 'If this thing is as smart as I think it is, then maybe we don't have to hunt it like other Elder Dragons. Maybe we could even be able to converse with it......Maybe, I could.' It was a stupid idea, but I just couldn't help myself, but I needed to go back out there. With that thought in mind, I shot up off my bed and before I knew it, I had packed all that I needed to go back out there.
I left my room and quickly left towards the canteen to grab a bite to eat before I left, and maybe bring a little extra for when I'm out there. I got as much food as I could fit in my pack without taking up all the space. I made my way to the exit of Astera and whistled for my wing drake. I grappled to it once it was close enough and I was on my way to the camp. Within the next half hour, I was landing into the small camp and I un-grappled as my feet hit the ground.
I ran out into the clearing where we had run into the monster, seeing the tree that was knocked over. I ran past the tree and into the trail the dragon had made when it ran. My scout flies Instantly turning blue and making a clear path for me to follow. With out a second thought, I ran in the direction they pointed.
Jason POV
I have been waiting up in the tree for a while, watching for a team of hunters to be sent out here to come after me. I don't want to fight anyone; I don't want to hurt them. I just want to figure out what I'm going to do without being hunted. 'I miss when life was simple. When none of this bullshit was happening.' I thought as I looked out at the sea, watching the waves crash against the distant shore. As I watched, I saw out of the corner of my eye, something small flying through the air.
I looked harder and I saw that it was Leah, no one else, just her. 'What could she possibly be doing out here alone?' I thought to myself as I stood up and moved closer to the edge of the tree as I watched her touch down into the small camp. She ran through the clearing to the spot that I had been. The first thing I noticed that really worried me was how her Scout Flies instantly picked up my scent and were making a bright line right towards my direction and how to get to me.
'Great, guess I should get moving then. Should probably keep moving while she's here cause if I stop at all, her scout flies would lead her to me faster.' I thought as I jumped into the air and flew away from my place atop the tree and towards a secluded part of the forest, where I landed and began to leisurely walk around. As I walked around the area, I listened to the sounds of the forest. The calls of animals, the running waters, the wind rushing through and shaking the trees, the distant sound of waves hitting the sands. Just listening to nature was something I used to do all the time back home. A good way to take your mind of things, especially now was a time I needed to clear my head.
I kept watching and listening as life in the Forest went about for a while, not noticing how time seemed to fly by me until a sound drew my focus away from it all. I looked in the direction of the sound and saw a faint blue light within the tree line growing closer and closer to me. 'Shit, I need to move!' I thought as I immediately leapt into the air and began to fly away. behind me I could hear a faint sound of Leah yelling "OH COME ON! I WAS SO CLOSE!!" and she began to run towards the new direction the scout flies pointed.
It went like this all day, until evening rolled around. constantly, she would get close to me, and I would leave just before she saw me, hoping that she would eventually give up. I had landed at the shoreline not too long ago, just watching the sea as the waves moved about in different sizes and shapes, the cool wind feeling nice against my scales as the smell of salt filled the air. It was a calming place.
I had been here for over a few hours and there was no sign of Leah. 'I think she finally gave up. She is many things if not tenacious.' I thought as I finally stood and began to fly back towards my place on the tree. It had been a long day of me constantly running, especially this morning when I had the run in with the trio. I laid down and listened to the sounds of the night life and the ocean as I began to drift off to sleep.
Leah POV
I had been chasing this thing down all day, its already evening and the sun is setting. Every time I got close it left. 'If you think I'm gonna give up, you got another thing coming.' I thought as I followed the line of scout flies to the base of the massive tree, and I watched as they went up and along the trail to the top. "I gotta climb?" I complained aloud to no one as I began the long trek to the top.
As I made my way up, my scout flies became less and less spread out as I got closer to the summit, the trail they made getting brighter and brighter. 'I'm close, just a little farther' I thought as I kept walking up the side of the tree. When I had neared the top, I saw that everything was blocked off by massive logs and boulders, completely stopping me from getting through.
I began to look around the wall of stone and wood, seeing if I could find any form of a way through. 'I did not just walk all the way up this tree, just to be stopped by some sticks and stone!' I yelled in my head as an idea popped into my head. I knelt down and looked at the base of the wall. I saw a small opening, only big enough for a palico, but it was all small twigs and branches. 'I should be able to squeeze my way through and take out the sticks to make it wider.' I thought as I began to clear out the branches and sticks, eventually making the hole in the wall big enough to fit me.
My scout flies were pulsing a bright blue as they went through the hole and straight passed the wall. I began to crawl through the hole, squeezing my way through. even after clearing it out, it was still a really tight fit. Once I was through the hole, I stood up and dusted off my clothes before looking up to where my scout flies went, only to see them lead to a Massive Red Dragon, sound asleep. 'This thing is massive! no wonder it was able to knock down that tree so easily and send those two from yesterday flying. I wonder if this was what scared the Anjanath when I got here.' I began to quietly make my way towards the dragon, being careful not to step on anything that might snap and make noise to wake it up.
I watched its chest rise and fall as it slept, it's scales a deep, vibrant red, with black horns, claws, and spikes. 'This thing is at least 130 feet long.' I guessed as I couldn't properly tell with it all curled up. I walked around the entire dragon and before I knew it, I gone full circle and found myself Infront of its head. As it breathed in and out, hot air hit my face, making my hair all crazy. As I kept watching it, a thought entered my head. 'I should draw it for the research teams, while my drawings aren't the greatest, I can get the gist down for them.' I opened my bag and began to dig through it to find my journal. Next thing I knew, I heard rustling behind me, and I turned to see the massive dragon, wide awake staring directly at me.
Jason POV
I was woken up by a heavenly smell. whatever it was, it was making my stomach go crazy, like I had never eaten before a day in my life. I opened my eyes and blinked away the haze. What greeted me was Leah digging through her bag, her back towards me. Whatever I was smelling was coming out of that bag. I shifted slightly as I lifted my head up and this seemed to grab her attention as she slowly turned around and our eyes locked. We stared at each other for a solid minute as she was trying to figure out to do while I was trying to find out how I could get whatever was in that bag.
I began to stand, and this seemed to bring her out of her stupor. She quickly got up and began to run to where I assume she made her way into here. 'She forgot her bag.' I thought as I ignored her and brought my head down towards the tiny bag and began to nudge it around until all its contents fell out. What greeted me was the heavenly smell growing exponentially stronger and I saw a bunch of food fall out. Before I knew it, I had already begun to eat it all and it was as delicious as it smelled.
"You seem to like the chefs cooking." I heard Leah say behind me as I turned around and looked at her. 'What on god's green earth, could've possibly convinced her that coming to see an Elder Dragon was a good idea? Like sure I don't plan to hurt her, but she doesn't know that.' I looked behind her and saw the hole she made in my wall. 'So that's how she got it.' I looked back towards her, and I figured that if I could scare her, she would leave. But before I could put my theory to the test, she began to speak to me.
"I'm not sure if you can understand any of what I'm saying but I don't want to fight you, and I know you don't want to fight me." she began to slowly walk towards me as I watched her. 'Is she going to try some How to Train your dragon bull shit on me?' I thought as she got closer and closer to my face. "Let's just calm down a bit okay big guy?" she said as she stopped getting closer to me.
'I can't talk to her, so how am I supposed to communicate with her? maybe I could carve into the ground but how will she react to the fact that I can fully understand her and write. I need to try and go slowly so she doesn't freak the fuck out.' I watched as she looked me over and went back towards her bag, grabbing her journal from the pile of dumped out stuff. She then sat down and began to draw. I began to walk towards her, and she froze and looked up towards me as I grew closer to her and made my way behind her. I looked into her journal and saw a not half bad sketch of me. "I'm not much of an artist but I think I did pretty good." she said as she held it out in front of her, giving me a better look at it.
I saw her starting to write in her notebook and she spoke aloud. "Now I've gotta think of what to call you. Maybe Crimson......or Red....something. Crimson dragon is already a name for another species, I guess red Dragon could do for now but that explains like half of the large flying monsters." I listened amused as she tried to figure out what to call me. I tried to make it look like I was intently looking at her write and she watched confused as I moved so that I was in front of her and began to slowly to carve writing into branches of the tree that made up the giant platform. I tried to make it seem like I didn't fully understand it, so I just copied what she had begun to write, which was just "Red Dragon" but really shitty cause I just clawed it into wood.
She stared at the writing in shock as she struggled to comprehend that monster had just watched her write and immediately copy it down. I watched as she looked back up to me still in shock and after small pause, her eyes rolled into the back of head, and she passed out from both shock and what I think was sheer excitement. "Shit" was all I could say as she fell onto her back, full asleep.
'Well, I can't just leave her here or she'll likely get sick with how cold it gets out here at night. I don't feel like flying anymore tonight so I guess I can take her back tomorrow.' I thought as I gently grabbed her and held her in my hand (Not sure if he can, but Safi'Jiiva does have five fingers so I figure he can grab and hold things) and carried her as I moved back to the comfortable area before I laid back down and made sure I didn't crush her on accident. 'I don't know what I'm gonna do now, I need to be careful. For now, I should just sleep and wake up early to take her back before all of Astera comes after me.' I set my head down on the ground as I held Leah close to my chest, so she stayed warm and soon, I had fallen asleep.
Narrator
The next morning, as the sun rose over Astera and the early risers began to get up for the day, including the Commander. As they were all leaving their rooms and moving towards the main market, and command table respectively, all heard the unmistakable sound of massive wings as dirt was flung into Astera from outside and the wind picked up. they all looked out towards the gate and in the cloud of dust, they all saw the tips of massive, red scaled wings. Soon, whatever it was had left before any could get a proper look at it, but what caught everyone's attention, was the unconscious Handler laying on the ground.
The commander ran over to her and quickly picked her up and took her to a medical tent where she was looked over and deemed fine. Now all they needed to do was wait for her to wake up to find out what happened. As the sun rose higher over the horizon, the rest of Astera began to wake as they started to go about their days.
Soon, Leah began to wake up, and what greeted her was the very serious face of the Commander, who in a tone meant to scare kids when their parents were mad at them, he asked her. "What happened?" She took a second to respond but when she began to speak, all she could really say was "You're not going to believe this." The commander looked at her skeptically and after a moment responded. "Try me" and over the span of 20 minutes, she went over the events of last night as the commander's expression changed from stern, to surprised, to shocked at the mention of the unknown dragon writing. He began to pinch the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes as he took in all the information, before speaking again. "This is gonna be a long day."
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Even longer chapter, just under 3,250 words. Hope you all enjoy and have a great night/day.