《[Don't] Fear the Dragon!》Chapter 9 | Green Dragon Down
Advertisement
~ 9 ~
Green Dragon Down
Is the dragon within becoming more awake? You tried to suppress it by doing nothing. By treating this whole transition and transformation as some sort of joke. But you found something to take seriously. That required something of your power and strength—only to realize that you had none.
Doesn't that make you ashamed? To be a weakling as a dragon?
I... I don't... I don't care what other dragons think of me.
Do you think I speak to you of a pissing contest? That he who has killed the most, fucked the most, and collected the most is the king of the world, and that fact will bring you the fulfillment you seek? Have you ever wondered why dragons live so long? Beyond mere biology.
Can't... say it's high on my list of thoughts.
It's because they have no other focus. To fight, to claim, to lay. That is all that they have to worry about. No fears or concerns. No wonder if they're doing right or wrong. Dragons are simple. And it's the simplicity that allows them to live such long lives.
How do you—
There's no morals. No dreams. Only to live, to eat, to fight and to lay claim. If they were stricken by anything more... if they were to enter the world of complexity—their lives would become a struggle as well. You are one of the few complex dragons out there.
You have been cursed with the ability to care.
Body of a dragon.
Heart of a human.
Just what will those two things...
...cause you to do?
I snapped to consciousness. Water was coursing underneath me. Around us ruffled grass. It was dark. Rain still poured. Branches creaked oddly like they were broken. Haze overcame my mind. The weight of my eyelids demanded they remained closed. I tried to move, shift my body, and remember how it felt to have one.
Yet I was consumed by a burning feeling all around.
I laid on my back, nearly falling asleep… until something in my claws shuffled. They pulled away at once, talons unlocking from each other. Delicately slipping away, they revealed my chest and, with a held breath, I looked down to see what remained of the princess.
Only to see her there, lying across me, shivering with a pained face, waking to life as well. She looked up at me, seeing across my throat to my face. I did my best to smile. My sharp, glinting fangs didn't help my cause.
"Are you, uh," I coughed and cleared my throat. "You alive?"
The princess rolled her head but stopped, finding a sudden pain, one that caused her face to wince. Laying a hand against the spot, she twisted her head, cracking her neck, inhaling a burst of sudden relief. "Alive... in some places."
I chuckled as my head fell back, pounding a small crater into the ground, which cupped me. "Feel... you there. Oh, shit. Wasn't that something? Fuck. I'm never robbing a princess again."
Advertisement
"No kidding," the princess responded while coming to uncurl herself. "All those cannons. Never knew about their underground system. The ones on the wall... those for sure. But so long as we left quickly enough." She put extra emphasis on that last bit. "They wouldn't have been an issue."
I couldn't take that hit. "That hero guy called me out!"
The princess rolled her eyes. It seemed to be the only thing she could currently move at the moment. "So what? You don't have to talk back to people. Just ignore them!"
"Yeah, but... I dunno." I would have rubbed my neck if I could but settled for a moment of stillness instead. "That seems rude."
"Rude."
"Yeah! Rude."
"The hero that's about to tell everyone that he had a civil discourse with the dragon."
"Because he did!"
"No shit!" the princess said in a very unprincess-like way. "But if you ignore him, and continue to act like a dragon—then none there would have believed him. Just snatch me and get the hell out of there. None of the cannons would have been ready, and he would have been too stunned by the betrayal to do anything!"
I was silent for a second.
And then. "Now, how the fuck am I supposed to fight that logic?"
"You can't!"
"But... fucking him over like that... it would have been—"
"Rude?"
I winced... but nodded. "Y-Yeah."
Astria sighed and went limp against my chest, spreading herself to feel her senses again—but recoiling from the cold winds. "Maybe we can change places. You be the princess, and I the dragon. We might live better lives because of it." She sighed. "At least I wouldn't be so cold. Losing my dress like that—never thought I'd ever regret it."
I spoke. "You cold?"
"Duh."
Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. "Here. Don't move."
Astria laid on her shoulder, looking up at me. "What are you going to do?"
I smiled. "You'll see."
I brewed a fire in my chest, a small one, and maintained it with tiny breaths. Its warmth spread beneath my scales, warming upward, reaching a temperature that I liked. Looking at the princess, I grinned with eyebrows raised, watching for her expression.
Her confusion was gone in a second, as euphoria washed over it. She laid back against my chest, sinking against my scales like a kitten—nearly purring. Curling against my scales, she nuzzled against them, the warm air rising. I couldn't help but be proud.
"Neat trick, eh?"
Astria snuggled into herself and nearly found slumber. "How'd you figure this one out?"
"I think it's innate for most dragons," I replied. "It gets colder than you would expect in that cave. Another dragon might be able to sleep through it. But for myself? Well, let's say holding an internal fire is the closest I'll feel to having a blanket."
Advertisement
"A blanket, huh?" Astria raised. "Do dragons even have that?"
"Closest we have is two dragons snuggling." Again, I was lying to her. Was it lying? It certainly wasn't the truth. But the truth continued to leak out in little ways, building to the point where I wouldn't be able to deny her questions.
But after the night we've had? The truth could wait for a little longer.
"And our kind has been watching yours. I must admit that it would be nice to have a dragon-sized bed."
"Luckily for me," Astria said with a yawn, stretching in the faint sauna. "It seems like I've already found one."
I looked around at our surroundings, forced to narrow the slits of my eyes, peering through the darkness. Nothing but woods surrounded us, with a shallow river underneath me. I sniffed the air, not detecting any odd scents.
"It seems like the area is safe for now," I said before planting my head against the ground. "But your family. They'll chase after you. The fallen trees are going to be a big red 'X' on their maps."
Astria smiled at me through her hair, which was as nearly dark as the night around us. There was confidence in her face. A subtle assurance that infused you. She was intoxicating to be around. More a woman than she was a princess. "It'll take them a day's trip to reach here by horse. We'll have time to rest before I take off for the shore."
"Before I take off for the shore." Does that mean she means to take off by herself? That my part was played and, from here on out, she would be on her own?
"What about that guy you fought?"
"He's alive."
I blinked. "You sure about that?"
"He'll have lost a lot of blood. But he wasn't expecting any sudden attacks from us—that’s what caught him off guard. He most likely got ensnared in the branches—or used what magic he had left to soften his landing." She clasped her hands together and laid her cheek on them, looking up at me with an eye hidden by hair. "He'll be able to clean and heal his wounds. But no one will be hearing from him for the next few days. So we're good on that front."
"Heh, yeah." I exhaled a little steam. "Until he comes knocking into my cave again, wanting a rematch."
"He's no match for you," she replied. "Not when you have nothing holding you back."
"Still need to find a new cave, somewhere." My lips pushed to the side in thought. "Though the only other good cavern on this island is taken by that other fuck. That yellow dragon. He's a bit of an asshole."
Astria reached out one of her arms, swiping a hand across my chest, feeling its curve, the lines between the scales. "Oh? And why's that?"
"Just a pissing contest, really." I sighed at the memory. "He came some time ago wanting to claim the island for himself. He wanted to scrap. Prove who was strongest and who would have the right to this land. But the thing was... I didn't feel like fighting."
"No?" Astria stopped her hand. "But isn't that the whole point of a dragon? Being the alpha among them all?"
"I'm not trying to lose an eye."
Her face recoiled. "Lose an eye?"
"The old dragon I met when I first got here—he was a decent dude." I nodded as his image flooded to mind. An ebony dragon with a big scar where an eye was supposed to be. "He was missing one. Lost in some fight, some conquest way back when. Now he doesn't have depth perception. Flies and sometimes smacks into shit. Made life harder for him."
Her eyebrow cocked upward. "That's it, then? You don't want to lose an eye?"
"I just don't want to fight." It was the truth. "I can't tell you it's not from cowardice—because maybe a part of it is. But I just don't like fighting. I don't like that I can lose something vital. I don't care what humans think of me. I don't care if other dragons demean me. I'm just trying to exist. To get by. So I gave that dragon pick of the land. The best cave and the best hunting grounds. He spat in my face, and I haven't heard from him since."
Astria hummed. "Probably a power factor to know he has another on this island constantly scared of him."
I shrugged. "Or so he believes."
"Think you could beat him?"
"Not really in the business of trying to find out."
"I guess that's fair." Astria rubbed my chest a final time, as either a caress to myself, or to feel what a dragon's body felt like. She returned her hand underneath her head. "You did good today, Cole. You didn't have to help me. But I'm glad you did."
I smiled back at her. "Yeah. I'm glad I did too."
"Though there is one thing for you left to do."
"And what's that?"
"Hold me, you dumb dragon."
I coughed and cleared my throat. It made sense. There was a chance she could slide off. Or some beast could come in the night and try to mawl her while we slept. Slowly, carefully, I lowered my claws over her—nearly like a blanket. Cradling her to my chest, I breathed, allowing myself to find slumber.
"Good night, Astria."
"Sweet dreams, my dragon."
Advertisement
- End1737 Chapters
Soul Land 2: The Unrivaled Tang Sect
The legend of the continent, the battle that brought fame; the Sacred Phoenix Lady, the Windfire Meteor Godrealm saber-art; the pair that ascend and fuse, the golden sun and the blue moon, the fury of the crashing thunder. There is no magic, no battle qi, nor any martial arts in this land. However, there are martial spirits. Ten thousand years have passed since the founding of the Tang Sect on the Douluo continent, and it has declined. A new, proud generation of heaven’s chosen has been born. Can the new generation of Shrek’s Seven Devils rally the Tang Sect and once more compose the song of the Unrivaled Tang Sect?A million-year-old spirit beast, a sacred deathgod that holds the sun, the moon, and the stars in his hands, and a brand new spirit tool system which caused the fall of the Tang sect. One miracle shall occur after another.Can the Tang Sect’s hidden weapons rally the winds, and can the glory of the Tang Sect ascend once more? All of this will be continued in the second installment of Douluo Dalu—The Unrivaled Tang Sect!Disclaimer: there are no major spoilers. However, the exception to this is the prologue. If you don’t want any spoilers, you don’t need to read the prologue, as it doesn’t really affect the plot much.
8 305 - In Serial34 Chapters
Triplicity
Anne and Tom are scared, alone, and abandoned by even their memories. Their survival is driven by the unusual bond they share and the determination to find out who they are, in a world littered by the ruins of a once-thriving society. But the more they uncover their past, the deeper they find themselves in a deadly power struggle between forces both seen and unseen. Trust is easily misplaced and friends are scarce. Lost, hunted, bleeding, and broken they take the stage in setting the course of history.
8 367 - In Serial6 Chapters
How To Survive Hell.... Kind Of
Have you ever woken up naked in a strange place? not sure how you got there? well i woke up in a giant bloody pit, I mean that literally, IN A GIANT PIT WITH BLOOD PISSING DOWN THE WALLS! so my day is not going great, the lava does not help either.Oh also the giant salamander.... and the beetles...oh yeah demon's too. Yippee. Fking greatOh look other naked people... i hope they are at least friendly... creepy eyes though.This is my first attempt at writing, have mercy upon me :3
8 181 - In Serial170 Chapters
F Ranked: World Domination with the Weakest System
Ralph had always dreamed of world domination, but when you are living in a world where monsters appear and portals open up like confetti, where magic is in schoolbooks and powerful beings called the awakeners protect the world, such dreams can not be anything but that. Dreams. Now on a path to live a normal life as a normal person, a stroke of misfortune pushes Ralph into a situation of life and death. {You have died} {The dormant system has awoken} {The system greets its host.} {System Rank: F} Maybe World Domination doesn't have to be just a dream anymore? A thrilling tale of a kind yet maniacal genius dreaming of world domination begins in Agriche, the greatest academy in the world! **** Thanks for checking out F-Ranked! I hope you can give it a read. Expect a light hearted story with tons of action and emotional moments in a futuristic academy setting! Updates: 7-14 chapters every week! Discord: https://discord.gg/2xzY5JZzWR
8 371 - In Serial60 Chapters
Tempest's Embrace
"Free me and I will save you," he promised.~*~*~*~*~A Pirate in peril... Pirate Justin O'Shea is finally captured by his enemy, he had no choice but to sit and wait for his men to come to his aid. But, when his captor decides to bring aboard captives from another raided ship, he is stunned by the beautiful young girl that is willing to set him free. An exquisite Treasure to be had....Tempest Whitwell, the young daughter of an admiral is finally returning to London from the Carribean. But, when her fathers ship is raided by ruthless pirates she is taken captive. Now aboard the Dead Nave, she's mystified by the man chained to the ships mast. A prisoner she befriends and later frees.Never trust a pirate....Her sweet, trusting nature lands her in an impossible scrape.After freeing the captive that promised to help her, she suddenly finds herself the prisoner of the pirate "The Black Scourge", the irresistible Justin O'Shae.An undeniable attraction forms between them. One he must deny to protect her. Caught between his loyalty to the sea, a dreadful past and the forbidden desire for the young impetuous beauty, he knows she is not safe by his side and reluctantly returns her to her family.Now tormented with his forbidden desire he vows that she will be his. But betrayal, revenge, misunderstanding, heartache and fierce love are soon to follow.It's a love as temperamental as the sea where it all began and he would weather any storm to have her.
8 73 - In Serial5 Chapters
A Star's Marriage【Completed】
【 Completed 】" ကြယ်တစ်ပွင့်ရဲ့လက်ထပ်မင်္ဂလာ "အမြဲတမ်းမျှော်ငေးနေခဲ့ရတဲ့ ကြယ်ပွင့်လေးက ကိုယ့်အတွက် ဆင်းသက်လာပေးတဲ့အခါ ....🍀" Clover Project " လေးအတွက် ရေးပေးဖြစ်ခဲ့တဲ့ Short Story လေးပါ🍀 Jeon Jung-guk × Kim Seok Jin
8 129