A Hatchling’s Predicament

This story is set in the world of:
Link to Coureur

And features character(s) from:
Snakes on a search

Lucas was on his way home from school, when a sudden callout of his name made him turn around, regretfully so, as what followed after was a ball to his face. He fell on the ground from the sudden, unexpected impact, a bit of blood came out of his nose. “Ha! Take that sucker!” Said 1 of the other kids as a group of 4 passed Lucas on the ground, giggling “Hah! That loser wants to be a dragon hunter, can’t even dodge a simple ball, he’ll just be cannon fodder!” Mocked the guy who threw the ball at him. 

The other kids giggled and mocked along “yeah, he’ll be as good as.. Dead when he joins the corps!” “You mean he will be a CORPSE? Haha!” Lucas struggled back up to his feet and wiped the blood off his face, glaring at the distancing group of kids that had been mocking and bullying him for the past 2 years of his life. “I’ll show them yet.” He remarked and then sighed, clenching his fists. “I will…”

Warm breeze ruffled his hair and brought to him the scent of freshly baked bread and flowers. He smiled, it’s the flower season. “Right, the Traveling Rascals are visiting tomorrow!” He picked himself up and carried on, making a stop by the bakery to grab a fresh loaf of bread, and another stop by the flower stall to grab 2 bouquets and hurried home afterwards. 

“I’m home!!” Announced Lucas as he entered through the door and kicked his shoes off, then dropped his sachet and headed into the kitchen where a young woman greeted him. “Hey Sam!” Lucas said, holding out a bouquet of mixed spring flowers to her. She gasped and smiled “Lucas! Dawh, that’s so sweet of you!” She reached to hug him but then stopped, cupped his cheeks and frowned “Little bro! What happened to your face? Flowers won’t get you out of it this time!” 

Lucas averted his gaze – “Uhm… I.. hit a road sign… Got distracted and walked right into it!” She frowned again “ugh.. Liar liar pants on fire!” Lucas looked up at her and smiled wearily “It’s okay, I promise!” She shook her head – “Stubborn as father was…” He nodded, “Yeah, speaking of which, I’ll go visit his grave tomorrow, bought the flowers for him too.” She glanced at the 2nd bouquet “Figured.. Anyway, wash up, dinner’s almost ready” 

The meal was simple, but satisfactory. He slept soundly that night and as the morning came, with it the sounds of music were carried by the winds of the approaching Traveling Rascals band. Lucas and Sam headed out of town for the festival and to visit their father’s grave. The grave was just outside the town. Lucas set the flowers down by the namestone and sighed. “Say, sis, do you reckon he is actually dead?” She glanced at him and placed her hand on his head, messing with his hair but said nothing in turn. 

He read the namestone so many times, and yet every time it made his heart ache. ‘Here lies Ethan Clipper, captain of the Silent Raider, a loving father and a hero.’ “But it’s a lie” he exclaimed. “He does not lie here, nobody knows where he actually lies. “I know…” she replied. “Let’s go, the Traveling Rascals will be here shortly, I however need to stop by the academy for a bit.” Lucas nodded “Alright, I’ll start with the food stalls without you then!” 

As they entered the town they could see the streets crowding, the Flower Season Festival was picking up, and the traveling band had already entered the town and were settling in the town square to put up a performance that’ll spice up everybody’s day! Sam parted with Lucas and headed to the academy, while Lucas began his gluttonous journey of samping food at every stall he came across. Scents of various foods mixed in the air, fried and baked, grilled and boiled. 

As he approached the town square he could no longer look at food as it made him sick, he was so full that his only desire was to rest. In the center of the town square a portable stage had been erected. The crowd was gathering around it as the musical instruments were being tuned by the Traveling Rascals. As Lucas wandered the crowd and played the mini games in anticipation of the main activity, the performance by the band, he felt someone’s hand land on his shoulder. 

“Hey kid” spoke a stranger in black cloak. “Hmm?” carelessly replied Lucas, his tongue out, pressed to his lip as he focused and aimed the dart in his hand at the balloon on the other end. “Do you want some spices?” Lucas tossed the dart, the balloon popped. “Spices? No no I’m plenty full!” He grabbed the next dart, aiming for the grand prize, the ‘dragon breath’ water squirt gun that he had always desired. 

The stranger chuckled “no no, it’s the good kind, the… Dragon Spice.” Lucas paused for a moment, took a deep breath and then tossed the dart. “The one made from the pulverized dragon scales?” “Shhh! Not so loud!” replied the stranger. “Well, it’s a drug mister, and I will report you to authorities if you don’t leave by the time i finish the game!” The stranger cackled “Very well, aim for the top left one, the others are slightly deflated, won’t pop.” He said before taking his leave. 

Lucas got his grand prize and wandered between other stalls and played several other games. The best part of this festival was that it was all free. All the games and food, the best time of the year, truly! Lucas loved the Flower Season Festival, as did  everybody in the city. A drumroll silenced the crowd, when a showman jumped on the stage “ARRREEE YOU READY!??? THE TRAVELING!!!! RASCALSSS!!!” He shouted and the crowd broke into a cheering spree. 

The man jumped off the stage and it was taken by a group of 5 bards with various instruments, but the most unique of all was the dragon-tail horn that the one at the center wielded. “Rumors have it that their band traveled with the dragon hunters to hunt down a specific species of dragon to make that horn!” Somebody said next to Lucas to their friend. “Whoaw! Really? That’s so cool!!!” Exclaimed the other guy. Lucas smiled and nodded to himself ‘yes yes’. 

They played and the crowd vibed! They swung and danced and sang along. The festival was well under way, the whole city was celebrating and the jolly mood filled the air, but it all came to a sudden stop, when an exhausted man climbed onto the stage and shouted “DRAGONN!!!!!!” 

The crowd gasped in almost unison, silent befell the festival. The music stopped and all remained silent for a while, until 1 man in the crowd shouted back – “WHAT NONSENSE DOES HE SPEAK OF!? LOOK AT HIM! HE’S DRUNK AND STAGGERING!!! HE CAN’T BE SERIOUS! GET THE DRUNKTARD OFF THE STAGE!!” The crowd broke into a murmur and boo’ing, few city guards rushed through the crowd to drag the drunk man off the stage. “NO! WAIT! I SPEAK THE TRUTH! THERE! IN THE FOREST!!!” Shouted the man as he was dragged away. 

Lucas instinctively followed the guards as they dragged the man through the crowds and to the back alleys where they threw him against the wall and told him to not ruin the festival. He waited for the guards to leave and then approached the man. “Mister?” The drunk man sat against the wall, sobbing. “Huh..? w..whose there?” Lucas hesitated – “Uhm.. what was it about the dragon?” The man shook his head clenching onto his hair “I saw it… giant amber eyes peered at me from behind the bush!” 

Lucas scratched his head. “Sure it was no random animal?” The man shook his head “no! It was a dragon! Unlike any I had ever seen before!!! Scaly eyelids closed and opened!” Lucas squinted “But… we’re quite far into the human lands, no dragon sightings have been reported here in over 100 years.” The man nodded “yes! And this was it! I swear.” He gasped and shuddered. “We must leave, run!”  

Lucas nodded, clearly realizing he won’t be able to talk any sense into the man, he assumed the man had been drunk and maybe on drugs and may have hallucinated, but as he returned to the crowded city square and glanced around the immense crowd, he couldn’t bear the thought that remained at the back of his mind ‘what if the man truly saw a dragon, it could put everybody in the city in danger.’ He gritted his teeth and contemplated finding his sister. 

He opted to check it himself. He rushed through the crowd, and then bumped into a tall man that stood as a tower before him. “My oh my, what’s the rush little man?” Said a tall, pink’ish haired elezen standing before him. Lucas looked him up and down “Uhm, n..nothing of importance! I just need to get uhh, home!” He made his way around the tall elezen and continued on his way. The elezen watched the boy make his way through the crowd, a hint of uneasiness washed over him. 

He chose to follow the boy, curious as to what the reason for the rush was. His senses were telling him that something was wrong. Lucas made it out of the city and glanced at the forest that spanned before him just a little past the city gates. Through the forest ran a stony road. He dashed fearlessly into the forest. He was somewhat familiar with the forest as he frequently played in it as a kid, so he knew how to navigate through it and find his way back, it did not scare him, and there were no predators in these forests. 

As he made his way through the lush greenery and sprouting bushes, blossoming flowers and trees that were coming to life, the magic of the forest that was awaking from the winter slumber, gave him an unprecedented sense of adventure and joy. The forest was loud, and distant sounds of the festival could be heard within it too. But as Lucas made his way deeper into the forest, he found himself in eerie silence. As if he had crossed a border after which all animal life in the forest fell silent. 

Only distant chirping of birds and insects could be heard, but all around him was silent, as if hiding. He gulped, usually, silence indicated the presence of a predator, that was a lesson he learned in school. He slowed his pace and walked carefully, glancing around at every little sound, checking trees and mud for marks and prints, nothing so far. After some time of sneaking and looking around, a branch cracked behind him. He jumped in fear and shrieked, but as he turned around he saw… 

A dozen or so paces from him, stood the pink haired elezen from before. He had a concerned facial expression, his teeth clenched and his eyes wide. “Woops.. Uhm, didn’t mean to startle you.” Said the elezen. The boy panicked “W..wh..why are you following me!??” The elezen raised his hand up in a ‘calm down’ fashion, trying to soothe the boy from a distance. “You seemed alerted by something and then ran into a forest, why wouldn’t I follow you?”

Only after saying that did he realize how creepy that actually sounded. “Uhmm… Not in that way. Uhmm… As an adult, I had to make sure you were safe!” Lucas took a few steps back “Uhuh! I’ve.. never seen you around before, and now you follow me into a forest! I’ll have you know I am trained in self defense!” The elezen sighed “Ughh…Listen, I’m just.. You seem fine, I’ll take my leave and..” he stopped suddenly, mid sentence, his ears twitched. “And??” inquired the boy. 

“Shh!” hushed him the elezen man as he glanced around the silent forest. “What is it mister?” Said the boy cautiously. In a few swing, long steps, the pink haired elezen had made his way to the boy and pressed his hand against the boy’s mouth. “Shhhh..” he said in a hushed tone. “Something is approaching. Stay! Quiet!” he commanded, and slowly moved his hand away from the boy’s mouth while kneeling down. 

“What is it?” inquired the boy quietly. “If I knew what it was i’d either be telling you to run or hide… As I don’t know what it is, I am sitting here next to you wondering what to do as well, and what it might be. So, evidently, I have no clue what it is.” Replied the pink haired elezen. The boy squinted at him. “What? I am no hunter, a detective rather! Now hush!” The boy shrugged and argued “squinting doesn’t make any noise!”  

They sat in silence for a minute, still as they could be. Off in the distance something moved, the bushes rustled and the birds around took flight. “No matter! RUN!” Ordered the elezen as he grabbed the boy by the arm and dragged him along, sprinting roughly in the direction of the city, something growled behind them. Lucas turned to glance, behind them, a large scaly head emerged from behind a bush, two amber eyes glared at them. 

Lucas shriekd “It’.. it’s… it’s…” The elezen kept pulling him by the arm. “I GUESSED AS MUCH!!” He shouted, “NOW RUN! DON’T TALK!!!” They sprinted through the forest, but to their surprise, no evidence or sounds of pursuit ensued after they took flight. The creature seemingly had no interest in chasing after them. “STOP!!!” Shouted Lucas as he grabbed onto a small tree, halting the elezen that was running and pulling him along. “Are you out of … hmm…” He said. 

The tall elezen looked in the direction they had come from, realizing they’re not being followed. “Is it.. Not after us?” Lucas glanced around cautiously. “Seems like it? I’m no hunter… But, I heard from pops that dragons are territorial.” The elezen looked around. “I reckon we’re still within its territory though…” Lucas realized that the forest was silent. “Guess so… What do we do?” 

The elezen shrugged. “I get paid to track down baddies and uncover secrets, not to learn about dragon’s motives, and I’m not getting paid, back to town we go!”

****Audience Input*****

Lunamana Zhongxin: Need to see dwagon!

Atheris Hispida: They can go back to the dragon later, once they’ve got preparations from the town.

Gorohiro Kuzaragi: Getting a chance to see an astounding beast like that, of course.. having a gruesome death because of it should be worth it.

Atheris Hispida: Hell, maybe the townguard will pay him some coin for investigating the dragon.

Rapu Riverstone: I go with the totoro path

Oryxeor Leoktetor: Let’s see the dragon, I say!

**********

“No! Something’s not right!” Argued Lucas as he watched in the direction of the dragon. “The vicious beasts of legends that kill all in their path and destroy all that which stands before them don’t act that way… B..besides… I uhm.. Only saw its head.” “And what of it?” inquired the elezen. “Well.. what if it isn’t a dragon?” “Then what is it?” asked Elezen. “How would I know without seeing it??” Replied Lucas as he began walking back in the direction they came from. 

The elezen hesitated for a moment and then followed – “ughh.. And what if it attacks us?” Lucas shrugged “Then we’ll rely on your long legs and trembling knees to get us to safety!” “H..hey! My knees aren’t.. Trembling!” Replied the elezen as he looked down realizing his knees are in fact trembling. “It’s just, adrenaline!” “mhmm..” Replied Lucas sarcastically. 

A brief 10 or so minutes later, they approached roughly the spot they had spotted the presumed dragon at before. They snuck closer carefully, peering from behind trees, trying not to get spotted. Nothing at first, until a moment later, rustling of the bushes caught their attention. Lucas snuck closer to take a look, a large tail slithered past the bushes. As they snuck through the bushline, a large body revealed itself to them.  

Before them lay a lizard-like creature, with scales that of a dragon. But its long body resembled a snake, or a lizard, more than a traditional dragon they had seen in books or heard the tales of. Lucas examined the body through its entire length. He turned to glance at the elezen that stood beside him. “It’s” But before he could finish his sentence, a huff of warm air brushed against his cheek, the elezen’s hand planted on the boy’s head turned it to the side, his terrified expression was response enough.  

The 2 stood, staring death into the face, figuratively of course, as before them, mere couple of meters away, a large dragon-like head watched them. The creature turned its head, Its ember eye blinked as the pupils focused on both of them. “Don’t… move…” said the elezen nervously. He shook his head. “Don’t think that’s…going to help us anymore.” 

The serpent lizard looking creature, with dark bronze colored scales watched them for a while, its tail slithered behind them, blocking the path for their retreat. “Just great… The great detective dies to an oversized lizard, I can already see myself making the headline, but now how I had hoped.” Joked the pink haired elezen not daring to avert his eyes from the creature. 

Deafening silence filled the air, only the sound of their heartbeat and the creature’s heavy breaths could be heard in this part of the forest. 

The creature eventually lowered his head, slumping down on the ground with a loud thud, a heavy sigh escaped its snout. “It’s.. dying…” Exclaimed the boy as he daringly took a step closer. “Wa..wait! How do you know it’s not just baiting you to come closer to enjoy a snack?” Lucas shrugged, “If it wanted a snack you’d make a better meal than me, mister.” “Fair..” replied the elezen. 

The boy approached the seemingly exhausted serpent that blinked wearily at him. He walked around the head of the beast. It followed his every move with its eyes, behind it, by its leg, the boy could see something. He approached it, the creature turned its head exhaustedly to watch. By its leg, laid an egg. A single, half the boy in height, egg. “Come here!” Called out the boy and the elezen rushed over. “Is that..?” The boy nodded “I guess..??” 

The creature lifted its leg and carefully pushed the egg toward the boy. “Uhm…” He glanced at the exhausted creature that gave him a slow blink. He placed his hand on the warm egg’s shell. “I… understand.” Said the boy as he looked the creature in the eye. “I will.” “You will what? Make an omelet out of it?” Inquired the elezen. “No, I’ll protect it!” Said the boy. “What for? Dragons are…”

“I KNOW!” Snapped the boy at him. “I know… my father was a dragon hunter! But..” he glanced at the dying serpent. “This one is different somehow, no? It… came here to lie itself to rest. It brought no harm with it.” The elezen scratched his head “I guess but..” “Well, the others don’t need to know about it. I just got a feeling, pops always said – intuition is your strongest ally.” 

The creature’s breathing got heavier, Lucas kept his hand on its scales, patting it just above the eye, a single tear formed in its eye and slid down its scaly face as its eyes closed and a final breath escaped its mouth. Its body fell into a slump. The elezen found himself staying in the city for several months after the festival was over, helping Lucas tend to the egg and hide it. Soon after, Sam learned of it too, but to this day, it is unknown what happened to the egg, and what emerged from it…