Down in the depths of Hell, people took many different forms. They seemed to be mingled with and lowered to mere creatures, being less than human. Spider demons, moth demons, deer demons... but then there were those who took a far more mythical stand in the spectrum of beings.
Alastor had heard of the fabled Dragon Demon who isolated themself in the Outlands, a place most dared not go. The very ground was dry and cracked, oozing blackness and pollution from its thin lines, and the creatures where were rabid and merciless. One of those creatures, though it always took a person seeing it to believe it, were dragons. They typically stayed away from the inner nine circles, but occasionally people who took their chances in the Outlands would get snatched and carried away to become some giant beasts meal. Never to be seen again.
It used to be assumed that they were solely independent creatures who answered strictly to no master... it seems this was false. There had been rumors. Demons who scouted only the outer edge of the Outlands claiming that they saw a figure atop one of the dragons, riding it. Some passed this off as absurd; dragons were feral and untamable creatures.
Alastor, however... was intrigued by this. He'd never actually bothered in attempting to catch a glimpse of these reportedly majestic and simultaneously vicious beasts. But ever since hearing of this Dragon Demon, as they were starting to call them, he decided to pay a 'visit'. And by visit, what he really intended was to shoot a dragon down. Now that would be a real beauty to hang on the wall. A real hunting challenge. After all, it wasn't the safest thing to bring so much attention to yourself. Not unless you wanted to get his attention.
And that's what he was doing now. Scouring the deeper depths of the Outlands. He was one of the few people with the power and who was actually ballsy enough to do so. He tore through every monstrous disfigured creature who dared to attack him. After what felt like hours of walking... he spotted something in the fiery auburn skies. At first glance, it seemed like a ring of vultures... but closer inspection, these creatures came in many different sizes, forms, wing spans. He squinted through his monocle.
Dragons.
For a moment, he was almost dissuaded from shooting one down. They were shockingly beautiful creatures. He'd expected them to all look relatively the same, males possibly being a little more colorful than females, as was typical in the animal kingdom. But the sheer variety he could see, though it was a good distance away, was astounding.
But where was the dragon rider? Were these not the only ones? He had hoped to see their master for himself, but it would be utterly foolish to pass up the opportunity of what he'd found now. He'd shoot one down, hide and wait for the others to stop investigating and leave, and then drag his prize home. He'd kill them all, but most of them were unsurprisingly large, and he didn't wish to drag them back all at once.
With a widened grin from behind his hiding spot, he aimed his old hunting rifle up at the skies, aiming masterfully till he landed the sight on a short shouted blue and red one with what appeared to be a spike defended tail. His smile grew more, and his finger drifted around the trigger.
...until a steady whistling of air behind distracted him. He barely had time to turn around, seeing a shadow suddenly cast over him, before he was snatched right off the ground. It knocked the rifle right out of his hands, and he was carried straight up into the skies. With a sharp inhale, he summoned his magic to promptly incapacitate the creature that had him, but was interrupted when it carelessly flung him.
He fell a short distance, before a different dragon snagged him out of the air and brought him up again. Now, Alastor was not weak by any means... but the feeling of being thrown through the air and dropped like a rag doll was enough to make anyone sick. He was grateful when the one that had him now didn't try to throw him as well, breathing heavily as he dizzily attempted to recalibrate his sight. The world was spinning.
"How dare you."
The voice, pointed and sharp as ice, pierced through his thoughts. He blinked and looked up, seeing a e/c figure with patterns of various colors painted across the face and body. You wore an armor-like outfit composed of ebony scales, which he could only assume were from the very beast you rode. Your h/c hair was pulled back away from your face, likely due to all the gusts of wind caused from large scaled wings flapping hard around you. In every sense, down to the very poise and authority of your gaze, you lived up to the title of Dragon Master. A queen/king, more like.
He could have chosen this moment to attack and bring them all down with him, but finding this very interesting, he played along. Alastor's eyes widened with elation seeing you, which much to his pleasure seemed to put off the regal demon before him.
"My dear, what an astounding display! I never thought I would see such a majestic looking creature~" He purred teasingly, looking at you rather than the dragons surrounding for point.
The dragon rider seemed perplexed, this not being the exact response you were expecting. Maybe an insult, or a threat, but not flirtation. Then again, anyone else who came this far into the Outlands must not be very sane.
You glared, unamused. "You were about to shoot one of my dragons."
"So I was! But you seem to have put a damper on those plans... How unfortunate." He sighed, before brightening up again.
"Unfortunate?" You seethed, before taking a deep breath and returning with the calmest most relaxed expression ever. "Drop him."
Alastor's smile faltered slightly and he fumbled to get his words out. "Oh, wait! Darling, I have a few-" The beast's grip released. "QUESTIONS!!!"
You watched apathetically as he plummet downward, then pursed your lips in a frown. Questions, huh? You watched him fall and flail his arms in the air for a few moments longer. Feli, the dragon in which you rode, made something close to a chirping noise, his pupils expanding and gazing downwards.
"Oh, hush. He deserves it."
Feli, if the anatomy had allowed it, would have raised a brow. You stared right back at him challengingly, before giving a heavy sigh of defeat. "Fine. Feli, fetch!"
In an instant the dragon turned and nose dived downward with its wings tucked in and swiftly gathered speed. You lived for this feeling; the wind ripping past you and the world a spinning mirage of colors, dragged ever swiftly by the winged creatures flight. This is what it felt like to be a dragon. This was your domain.
Alastor, hearing nothing but wind screaming in his ears, saw the group fast approaching and clenched his eyes shut... before a claw managed to hook around his leg and the decent was abruptly stopped. He cracked open his eyes, the ground a mere centimeter away from his nose, and looked up with that ecstatic grin, hanging upside down and swaying slightly.
"Have I peaked your interest then!?" He asked, not looking at all like someone who came a literal second to having every bone in his body promptly shattered.
You rolled your eyes, and commanded Feli to drop him. He hit the group with a 'plop' and staggered to his feet. You glared slightly. "I want you to leave. The Outlands are my territory."
"Oh- yes, the useless territory that almost no one else wants! Regardless, I do have questions for you, if you'd be kind enough to lend me your ear!" He brushed the dirt off himself, that ever-present malicious smile seemingly stuck on his face.
You sighed, before thinking 'why the hell not'?. "If I answer what questions your crazy head concocted, will you leave and promise never to come back?"
Alastor laughed. He laughed. "My dear, never come back to see these beautiful creatures? I don't think I could agree to such a thing."
"You wouldn't know real beauty if it slapped you in the face." You snapped irritably. "You even think about touching one of my dragons again, getting dropped from seven stories high will be the least of your worries."
He put his hands up in mock defense. "Alright, alright! Now, about those questions. What's your name, dear?"
"Y/n... is that all?"
"Patience!" He chuckled. "I can't help I'm a social soul. I suppose what I really want to know is why these creatures follow you. Up until you came, they were untamable savage creatures that no one could get close to. What makes you so different?"
It was an odd question... but you saw fit to answer it best as possible. "Nothing. I just belong here."
"That's it? No 'borne for higher things than this?'" He asked, seeming genuinely curious.
You shook your head. "It's just the world that I prefer, and they recognize that. I'm a part of their flock. Are we done, Mr....?"
"Alastor! And what do you mean, 'world'? Gorgeous as they are, there's nothing out here but dirt and deadly creatures." He mused, looking around. Everything surrounding them for dozens of miles was nothing but cracked famine and drought ridden ground.
You stared at him a moment, before your eyes gained a slight glint of mischief. "Mr. Alastor, have you ever been beyond the Outlands?"
He blinked owlishly. Beyond? There was a beyond? The idea had never really occurred to him that there might be more past that because, well, no one ever made it that far. After a moment, he clicked his tongue. "No. Enlighten me."
Alastor watched as your face changed with hidden thoughts, catching that hint of suspicion but also... excitement?
"Would you like to see this 'useless territory', as you call it?"
He raised a brow at her, watching as the spike covered reptile drifted down to the ground and landed, eyes fixated on him in ever-changing hues. This could be some sort of trick... but then again, no one in their right minds would trick the radio demon. Come to think of it however, she didn't seem the slightest bit aware of who he was.
But his curiosity was peaked. "Yes, I think I would!"
You whistled, a brown nadder with red tints on the edges of its wings and crest, swooped down and landed. You gestured Alastor towards the dragon.
"Wha- My dear, I'm afraid I've never ridden a, uh... that." He said, for the first time looking rather uncertain.
"It's fine. It's just like riding a horse."
He stared owlishly at the creature, before approaching. Of course, he attempted to hide his unsure demeanor with a cool stride. You watched as he analyzed the dragon, attempting to assess the best way to get on. At this point, you were trying not to laugh. You were beginning to question if he even had any experience riding a horse. He cautiously snuck a glance back at your increasingly amused expression, before finally hoisting himself up.
He nearly slide right off the opposite side, immediately wrapping his arms around the neck to keep from slipping. Your shoulders were shaking with laughter now, try as you may to hide it. There was something a little too amusing about watching a 1930's radio host unsuccessfully try to mount a giant reptile.
Finally, he steadied himself into a position where he wouldn't fall off. Alastor coughed, attempting to hide the awkwardness and play it as though he'd had absolutely no trouble whatsoever.
"Alright dear, now what?"
You suddenly grinned. "Hang on."
"Wha-?" His breath was cut short when you took off into the skies, the nadder he was mounted on swiftly following. He gripped the crest, immediately regretting his decision as it pierced upwards like an arrow and then leveled out above the red dusty clouds.
"You can open your eyes now."
Alastor's heart skipped a beat, as he realized he'd clenched his eyes shut in the dizzying ride upwards, and yanked his head up... to an endless ocean of rolling red clouds. His mouth parted to say something, then promptly closed as he realized that he couldn't quite find the right words for the world around him. Streaks of lighting spun here and there as they entered into a dark swirling funnel of red and orange. A storm had never left him awestruck till now. He held on tight, but his focus had now been shifted.
This was beautiful.
Being borne and existing in a time where planes were not all that frequent, and air balloons were an expensive and rare opportunity, he'd never really seen any world from so high. You watched the radio demon closely; you had never really shared your world with anyone before. Never really had the opportunity till now. All you knew was that you wanted him to see what you saw. That endless upper atmosphere of rolling skies and color. Those dark wisps of mist that curl around your fingers when you dip them into the clouds.
You both passed through the swirling funnel, and out over what looked like an endless bottom of black. The air was cool, crisp, and smelled like an Arizona breeze carrying the fresh hint of cinnamon.
Down in the empty darkness beyond, obscured by lightless fog. Down there, where the large caverns embraced you and mushrooms cast subtle blue glows along the smooth walls... Where the illuminated eyes of dragons lay watchfully on their nests. Down there, was your world. Alastor peered down into the blackness, having no idea what lay beyond it.
"What's down there?" He asked.
You smiled smugly. "Oh, nothing but useless territory. Dried cracked dirt, you know."
Alastor narrowed his eyes, knowing that you were teasing him, and looked down into the depths. So deep that it almost seemed to draw him in.
"What's really down there?"
Your eyes seemed to glow, knowing that he didn't know the world you did. You'd only given him a glimpse of your hidden world. Rather than giving an answer, you simply smiled up at him, and flew down into emptiness. The dragons followed, aside from the one which he rode. It peered back at him, as if silently inquiring if he wanted to turn back.
He didn't. He stared rather longingly into the fog where you disappeared, before the nadder took the dive and dragged him down into the beautiful unknown.
__________________________________
Author's Note: So I took my mom to see How to Train Your Dragon 3, and good GRACIOUS the scenery was beautiful. It inspired me to write this. So, yeah, if this makes you think HTTYD, that's why. x3 Hope you all enjoyed!