They were left speechless.

The dragon was there. The dragon was real. The dragon...was not as big as they initially thought.

Even so, the dragon was still bigger than anyone of them. It was at least one-fourth of Blackjack's length, around 27 feet long and 8 feet tall. As she approached the three, its head was high above them that they needed to look up. She was as terrifying as they imagined her to be, even comparable to some of the dinosaurs on that island. The fear made them unable to even look at her features properly.

The dragon's presence triggered Hans' instincts, and those instincts were telling him to run into the forest. This dragon was the predator, not him. He, along with Adeline and Ulster, were preys to the beast. If they still valued their lives, they would run. They could fight, but they knew it would be stupid. She could easily freeze them like she froze a steamship much bigger than her. It was simply suicide.

They were only helped by the fact that they did not panic, or they would really surrender to their instincts and ran into the forest. Hans could see Ulster trying not to be scared, to it was clear that his legs were shaking and his ears were drooping. Hans could even hear him letting out a whine like a dog. Considering that they were facing a beast, it wasn't embarrassing. Ulster staying in place was already a good show of his courage.

It was the first time Hans never felt safe in his werewolf form. He always thought that anyone would fear him in his form and was the sole reason why they would be wary of it. Now, all those were gone with the dragon growling and glaring at them, angry at being called down from her lair.

Adeline was the first to conquer her fears. She stepped forward, trying to look polite like a noble would. However, as she spoke, it was clear that she was struggling to kept herself in check.

"G-good afternoon, mighty dragon," she stuttered. "We...we have come for an audience."

Hans half-expected that the dragon might not understand their language. However, due to the fear, he forgot that the shaman told them about the gift, and there was a possibility that it could help them talk to the dragon. Of course, they could not think straight with fear gripping their heart. Thus, it came as a surprise to them when the dragon did speak.

"I know," said the dragon with a feminine voice. It made Hans felt like his heart skipped a beat. He knew the dragon was a female, but he never thought the voice would be so soothing. Soothing...but dangerous.

Absent-mindedly, Ulster said, "You can talk?"

"I have a tongue to speak, as do you," she said. "I can see that the shaman of the village has bestowed upon you my gift of tongues. I can tell that you spoke a different language from them. You...are not native of this land, nor do you from the cursed continent of Main."

"Continent of what?" asked Hans.

"No truer truth has been told," she said. "Along with your reason bothering me with that horn I gave the shaman."

"Yes, about that," said Adeline. "We've been meaning to--"

"Save your breath, young wolf," said the dragon with a growl. "Because I can give you the answer. It is a no."

"We won't disturb your nest, great dragon," continued the red-furred werewolf. "We have no treasure to give you, so it is the best we can offer. You are the guardian of the Raptors, yes? I vow for the name of my family that we and the crew of the Blackjack will not disturb or exploit them. We simply request our ship's release from your uncanny ice."

"Your attempt at negotiation is commendable, young one, but alas, I already know you are not here to disturb the Raptors," said the dragon. "Yet, I am no fool. Your ship is heading east, towards the continent I so despised. It is the continent full of ungrateful humans and betrayers of my kind. I will not consciously be sending you to your deaths."

"Our journey does not concern you, dragon," said Hans. "Just let us be and we won't bother you."

"Unless you decide to turn back, the answer is still no," said the dragon with a growl. "I have endured near death situations to reach this island. Your ship is far more durable than the ill-fated ships that went past this island into the ocean between, but I can assure you that nothing good can be found beyond it. In fact, your ship will be set adrift, lost without a sense of navigation. I cannot knowingly put you in such danger."

"It's not your bloody business," said Hans, who felt annoyed by the dragon's interference. Why was she trying to stop us from travelling further? What was her problem? Hans thoughts started to make him a bit less terrified from the dragon's presence as he started to regard her as an intelligent being.

The dragon, either did not heed Hans' annoyed remark or simply did not care about it, said, "I will break the ice around your ship only when you promise that you will turn back to your home. I can tell that you are more than prepared to brave the seas to reach that continent. However, they have no such rights. It is a land of treachery and greed. It has no rights to know such brave, yet foolish, explorers. Let them sort out their own conflicts and keep their corruption in check. Their influence will stay; contained in the cesspool of their own filth."

The dragon's monologue was accompanied by a change in her reptilian expressions, ranging from rage to sadness. Her subtle changes of expressions were far more apparent than the Raptors and it started to cause the three to feel a sense of sadness in her. Adeline, in particular, felt it the most. The dragon was emotionally scarred, traumatized by something that happened to her.

"I...I'm sorry," said Adeline.

"Do not be, young wolf," said the dragon. Her tone was somber and dark. "It is simply the facts. Once again, I will only release your ship...when you choose to go home. This island is open for you provided you temper that seed of greed and fear in your heart. Those who succumbed to temptation will lose their ways...and unknowingly hurt each other without hesitation. I will be waiting for your answer, brave travelers."

The three decided that the mood became somber more than frightening. The dragon's outpouring was enough for them to not push their lucks, or else the dragon would renege on her offer and they would end up failing their expedition before they even reached the open seas.

As they turned around, feeling defeated emotionally heavy, Hans stayed and looked at the dragon. The way she talked, and the sadness in her voice, was relatable; Hans did not have such experience, but he knew what it felt like to be a victim of fear. In fact, he had a feeling the dragon's intimidating appearance was enough for some to be intimidated to hurt her.

Thus, before he turned around, and with a tone of sympathy, Hans said, "You can always talk to us to relieve your pain."

Hans felt stupid saying that. There was no way a dragon, the apex predator of that island, would actually want to talk about her plight. He expected her to laugh. Instead, she unexpectedly stayed silent and stared at him. Afraid that he invoked her anger, he hastily excused himself and followed Ulster and Adeline back into the jungle path.

As they disappeared into the jungle, the dragon contemplated on the werewolf's show of sympathy. She then chuckled.

"To be sympathized with by a wolf," she mused. "Quite interesting."

***

"You bring such interesting gift, Jamie Hines," said the shaman as he smoked from his pipe and puffed out a smoke ring. The chittering noise he let out seemed to indicate happiness.

"It's a mix from my home village, Galloway," said Jamie with a satisfied chuckle. "Highlands' Folly, they called it."

"It's a little spicy."

"The cinnamon and pepper can be overwhelming for some, but I can tell you can appreciate the taste, Hrashie."

"A change of taste that I can appreciate," said the shaman. "This island can get quite small as you age."

The two heard rustlings of leaves from behind the hut and lean over to see three disappointed werewolves, two of which slowly changing back into humans. It was clear they were both so disappointed that maintaining their forms became a hassle.

"Well?" asked the shaman as the trio approached him. "Any luck?"

"That dragon's fine, and surprisingly civilized," said Ulster. "Stubborn as hell, though."

"Such is the nature I noticed when I became acquainted with her," said the shaman with a nod. "But once you get to know her, she is surprisingly chatty."

"Yet why is she so lonely? And sad?" said Adeline.

"That is what I noticed when I met her years ago," said the shaman as he puffed out another smoke ring. "I have known the dragon since I was just a hatchling, when my father, the previous shaman, took me to meet her. He called her down with that horn I gave you. It was a gift given to him by the dragon in case he needs to ask for her counsel. I was scared by her at first, yet I was also in awe. She was unlike the dinosaurs of this island for she was no mere beast. I once thought that she was our king, but my father told me it wasn't so. He once told me that she would be my responsibility when I inherit the position from him. Like an ignorant youth that I was, I didn't understand what he meant. I then understood what he meant when I became a shaman and had a private conversation with the dragon. She did not admit it, but her eyes, and the tone of her voice, reminded me of someone who had lost everything dear to her."

"I think it's her home," said Hans. "She tried her best to stop us from continuing our journey and even told us to turn around. The contempt in her voice when she talked of her home was so apparent it made me shudder."

"Why would she do that, then?" said Jamie. "We showed her that we're not trying to do harm. We simply stop here to prepare."

"She said 'they' have no rights to know us," said Adeline. "From that, I can tell they wronged her so much she was emotionally hurt by it."

"What can possibly hurt a dragon's feeling that much? That thing froze the Blackjack! Nothing can hurt her if she can simply do that to a state-of-the-art steamship!"

"It's a matter of perspective, Jim," said Ulster. "The land she hailed from is clearly so dangerous that even a dragon like her felt so abused she escaped from it."

"Damn, laddie, you don't have to make things sound so depressing," said Jamie, feeling a little down. "I know women with a bad history, but if a dragon has such experience, I can't say I want to risk the seas and got everyone on board straight to hell."

"For me, her fear's unfounded as time goes on," said the shaman. "I was curious of the dragon's origin once, so I asked the older Raptors in the village about her. To my surprise, they had known the dragon since they were young. In fact, my grandfather was one of the Raptors who found her and nursed her back to health in the same beach where you summoned her. That dragon has been living on this island for three, almost four generations of Raptors. She has been here for almost a hundred years old, and I can tell she is far older than that to be so wise."

"That is...a very long time," said Adeline. "I can't imagine how lonely she is."

Both Adeline and the shaman made a point that the others could agree with. She was clearly the only one of her kind on that island, so she needed someone to talk to. The other Raptors respected her too much to even consider having a rather sensitive talk about her past. Only one with a clear authority, like the shaman, could talk with her on equal terms.

Everyone started to think that maybe it was best to leave the dragon alone and accept her offer. Hans also thought that, while disappointed that he did not get to see what was beyond the open seas, he already had a good story to tell about the island. However, before they could start accepting this, Jamie told everyone what he had in mind after contemplating on our discovery.

"I know this sounds like madness," said the gruff werewolf. "But she makes a fine addition to the crew. I want the three of you to convince that dragon."

The request sounded so sudden and surprisingly impossible that the werewolf trio snapped at him and, in unison, exclaimed, "What?!"

"I agree," said the shaman, still calmly smoking his pipe. "That sounds like a stupid idea."

"Are you out of your mind?!" exclaimed Ulster. "She is a bloody dragon! It will end up becoming a good laugh for her!"

"Look, here. All these talks about her being lonely and sad makes me want to help her. I can't turn down a lady's call for help, even if she's a dragon or whatever the fuck she is. Also, have we all forgotten her origins? She came from a different land beyond the open seas. She knows how to cross the sea by her own. Therefore, she can lead us to wherever she came from."

"Yet she is still a dragon, Mr. Hines," said Adeline. "And I will not condone drastic measures. I know the ship has weapons you can use."

"I will not risk the lads," said Jamie with a serious look. "And she is not a drastic measures situation. If it were someone else, they'd take a couple of those, attempt to shoot it down, and force it to lead the way. Then again, that ice of her would simply make a short work out of them and the crew, so again, she's way beyond our league."

"We won't let you do that to her," said Hans.

"It's an imagined situation, laddie. So, again, I am asking you to convince her. She is our best chance to get somewhere out there without making wild guesses. She will know what to expect and what to do when the storm hits. We only have a compass, a sextant, and a team of navigators and cartographers whose jobs are to make a map, not follow one. No maps have ever been drawn beyond this island because no one returned with a logbook or anything we can use. So, we recruit the dragon as our guide, or we'll go out there and die trying. We will not turn around satisfied with discovering the Raptors. No offense, Hrashiran."

"None taken," said Hrashiran, the shaman. "Young people still have that sense of wonder that I can appreciate, after all."

"What of the other passengers?" asked Adeline. "What will they think of this?"

"I will explain this plan to them. I do not expect everyone to like it, but it's our best bet."

The trio looked at each other, knowing that the job was the hardest job they had up to that point. Convincing a dragon to join a small crew of explorers? Hans thought it was the worst idea ever conceived! The werewolf also thought that, if the myth was true, the dragon would want more than just a counseling. She would want gold. Lots of them. A hoard, even. Maybe she wasn't that kind of dragon, considering how the Raptors did not seem to give her anything in return for her guardianship. But even without that, convincing an emotionally scarred dragon who risked her life flying through the ocean to that island was not just hard. It was simply impossible.

But in the end, after much deliberation, they decided to do the job. Either they had nothing to do or that the dragon presented a small chance for the discovery of a lifetime. Adeline, in particular, did this out of respect for Jamie, who chose a more diplomatic approach than a militaristic approach, especially since she knew he was once in the Tragorian Navy and was involved with a war with Dusdolf involving border dispute.

They only hoped that it did not end up with them getting seriously hurt...or crossing the line.