Amber eyes as sharp as knives, red scales across every piece of skin. A large maw with sharpened teeth, and a pair of tiny wings on my back. I believed I was a human, but in reality, I am a baby dragon!

“Easy now little guy.” My head turned to the sound of the man’s voice, as well as the sound of a heavy metal chain clanging against the stone. The two of them began to approach, the woman with her hands held out open towards me, while the man had grabbed a metal collar out of the back of their wagon. Unlocked with it’s chain dragging across the grass.

“We’re not going to hurt you, sweetie…”

The woman put on a forced soft voice. Though it was more grating than her earlier screaming match with her buddy. This was all too sudden, too fast. I didn’t have time to comprehend what was going on with me. I didn’t have the luxury, it was quite clear. My first few minutes of existence, and I was already being hunted.

I stepped back, still standing on my hind legs. The two are still trying to approach.

“Alright…when I say Shulk, you pounce it.”

The man nodded at her words, they didn't think I could understand them. I was just a beast to them, an animal they could cage. I had an advantage over them, and if I played it right…

“Okay, three..”

Shulk’s body tensed, ready to attack.

“Two..one!”

The man charged forward, heading straight for my neck. Maybe if I didn’t know what they were doing, I wouldn’t have dodged it. Thankfully, I could! His arms went to grab my neck. But my strong hind legs pushed onto the ground and sent me into the air backwards. His reach never made contact. Success!.. How do I land?

My legs made contact with the ground again, but it was made very clear I had never used this body before, let alone used these legs to jump! As soon as I made contact, my balance fell out from under me. Stumbling down onto all fours. The small woman took this as her chance. Grabbing onto my neck with what might she had.

I couldn’t get my feet back under me, the woman had forced me down. No matter how much I struggled or screamed for help, it looked like there was no way out… Except for one. I’m a dragon, aren’t I? Turning my head, the woman had left herself exposed to hold me down. Her shoulder was there for the taking…

___

The baby dragon was fast, but clearly still a freshly born baby. Stumbling right after its first jump. Dana saw her opportunity, rushing forward and diving at the dragon. Wrapping her thin arms around his neck.

“Gottem! C’mon chain the thing!” She screamed at her partner. Her strength wasn’t enough to hold this thing for long. Its loud cries echoed into the night sky, flailing widely in her grasp. Despite her best attempts to hold this beast back, its neck was long enough to curl around her grasp.

A sharp pain was sent through her, sharp teeth clamping down onto her shoulder. It’s fangs piercing her gambeson with no effort. Her arm went weak, a shrill screech coming deep from her throat at the pain she felt. Dana let the dragon loose, unable to lift her arm. Warm blood drenching her back.

It was too late for the beast, however. As Shulk had caught up. The moment the dragon went to flee, a metal collar locked around its neck. Halted in its tracks, he picked up the slack in the chain and pulled tight. Holding the beast back, but not without retaliation. Its blood drenched maw went to attack Shulk.

“Bolt!”

Just before its fangs reached the grizzled mercenary, a shock was sent through the chain. The blue static traveling up to the collar of the ferocious dragon. Its body takes the full power of the chain’s electric magic. Its cries faded to nothing on the ground. The baby dragon left limp after the Bolt.

Holding its chain tight, Shulk gathered his breath. That may have just been a baby, but it almost reached his throat. If it wasn’t for the chain, he would be dead.

“Dana! You okay?”

“…Yeah. Argh..bastard got me good” Her bloodied arm stayed limp, dripping red onto the stonework below her. “Just gimme a second alright?”

“Shit…did a number on ya didn’t it? We’ll get that fixed by a chemist back in town.”

Dana nodded along, removing her gambeson with her one good arm. Ripping apart the shirt underneath to wrap the bite wound tight. She could get it healed by a chemist, but she can’t die of blood loss before then. Shulk looked on to their new catch, still awake, breathing slowly on the ground. Shock collar tight on its neck.

“I’ll load it up.” He sighed, the ride home was going to be fun. Not to mention how heavy the small wagon they had was going to be. They didn’t have a horse to haul the dragon either. Just a pull wagon, and with Dana’s arm out of commission…Shulk cursed his luck.

“You’re giving me a lot of trouble huh? Little bastard!” To vent a little frustration, the merc took his boot and sunk it deep into the stomach of the dragon. The beast gave a pained whine at the kick, but without the energy to fight back. That’s all this whelp could do.

“Ey! Don’t harm the merchandise!”

“That was just for yer arm! And also, one more for me!”

___

I tried to fight back, my tongue was covered in the blood of the woman I bit. It was brutal…

I didn’t hate the taste.

This is what people call fight or flight, isn’t it? When backed into a corner, we react in a way that we psychologically believe helps our survival the most…I think. As soon as my teeth pierced her, my mind went blank. It was as if I didn’t need to think to act, my body moved on its own. Sinking deeper into her flesh, until the moment the collar clasped my neck. I didn’t act, but my body lunged toward him anyway. I wanted to survive, to get away, and my body acted on it’s own towards my wishes.

It didn’t matter either way, as soon as that shock entered my body. No amount of teeth I bore could win against that. My energy was gone in a single strike. I may be a dragon, but I was just a baby. That much was certain. I was at the whim of these two humans. And their first whim was to be their punching back. Taking a kick to the gut.

Please… I tried to cry out, take pity on the child. Not that my words made sense to them.

Maybe, just maybe. This can be okay. Maybe once they take me away, I get sold off to some wealthy individual and get to be a pet. They said I was an extinct species right? Maybe I'll be taken to a conservation site, or a zoo! I don’t know anything about this place, so the possibilities are endless.

“-And also, one more for me!” The man winded his foot back again. Readying his pent of frustration to put into the defenseless beast on the ground. My fantasies were quickly shattered by his anger. There’s no way a future like this could lead to anything good. I want my small world back, the dark and warm one. Where I had nothing to worry about, no cares in the world. Take me back to that world, away from here.

“Little bast- ack!” Just before his foot struck me, a powerful mass came crashing into his side. Sending him flying to the ground. The woman looked up from her bandages in shock. “Shulk!” She yelled out, before seeing the being that now stood between me and them.

It’s back was turned to me, a tall humanoid, covered in a pure black cloak. Gently swaying in the night breeze. The moonlight illuminates the field around us. I could see the woman past the stranger, her eyes the look of pure horror at gazing upon them. Only for her throat to be in his grasp the next instant. A long, pale hand raising the woman high into the air. Clutching at his grip and gasping for air. The sound of a sword being released from its scabbard behind the cloaked man.

“You bastard!” Shulk snarled, charging forward and sending a wild swing at the pale man. Who responded in turn by moving his outstretched arm toward his path. His sword connected, but not with the man. Instead, his blade slashed deep into the back of his partner. Used as a shield for the pale man, before being tossed aside to face his new opponent head on. The limp, half alive body of the woman left in front of my own weak body. The blood from the new slash wound soaking into the dirt.

There was a clear moment of shock from Shulk, his sword now laced with the blood of his comrade. Whether or not he was ready, the cloaked man began to slowly approach. The mercenary let out a furious shout, and swung his blade at the man.

The man caught his blade with his hand, and shattered it. The mercenary could only stumble back, his blade now merely a hilt that fell to the ground in his fear. Eyes trembling at the sight of the cloak.

“What…w-what are you?…”

His question would not be answered. The next step the man took, was followed by his hand piercing the chest of Shulk. Raising him up on his skewered arm, and tossing him aside. Just a pile of flesh.

Even as the pale man’s hand dripped of the man’s blood. There still stood another. The woman, drenched in her own red hue, struggled to her feet with what little strength she had. Her sword arm was still lost from my own attack upon her. Her only arm left reached for the other item on her belt. I couldn’t recognize the weapon when I first saw her, but when I see her pull the notch back I knew what fate awaited the cloaked man.

“Die!!!” Her screech rang out, pulling the trigger on her revolver. Smoke bursting into the air as its bullet made its landing in the back of the skull of the cloaked man she aimed upon. Sending him staggering forward, but despite getting a large metal ball to the head, he didn’t fall to the ground. Staying on his feet. The fire did not stop, bringing the notch back again and again. Sending shot after shot into the man. After five more bullets entered his body, the ringing gunfire ceased.

Her gun fell to the ground from her hand, no shots were left. Even that wasn’t enough to kill the monster in front of her. Her voice trembled, legs shaking to stay up on the blood soaked ground. All while the man finally turned to face her, and the dragon that laid on the ground.

He was a man, with long, pitch black hair that flew free in the wind. His head bore a wide hole where his eye should be. The insides of his head were left bare, while the one eye left stared with murderous intent at the woman. A red eye that seemed to glow in the moonlight. Yet for all of that terror his visage gave, nothing was worse than the carnivorous, giant fangs that potruded out of his mouth.

“Spare…spare me…spare me! P-Please! Spare m-!” She begged, but he would not give her mercy. In a mere instant he was upon her. Bloodied hand grabbing her messy hair and pulling the weak woman into the air. She screamed and pleaded for help, for anybody, anyone to save her. Yet there was no one there to save her from this monster. His fangs opened wide, snapping down on her exposed neck.

The next few moments were still, only the sounds of the man’s slurping fangs, and the final breaths of the woman mercenary. The beastly man drained the human of every last drop of blood she had left. Before dumping her on top of his previous kill.

I could only watch, while this collar sat on my neck, all my energy was sapped from my being. Any attempt to move was met with a soft shock to my entire body. I wanted to run, as fast as my body could. If I could be so easily captured by these two humans, then there was no chance I could survive this monster. Perhaps I should just accept it, accept this end. All I had ever known was the darkness, and I forsook it the moment a speck of light entered into my life. This is my due punishment. I only hope next time I learn my lesson, if I have another chance.

The pale man had turned away from the dragon, ripping a piece of clean cloth from the corpse of the man. Bringing it to his face to clean off the blood. A long breath came from his lungs, before he finally turned to face me. His teeth no longer protruded from his lips. The hole in his eye was gone. Two thin, glowing red eyes looking into my own. His monstrous form seemed to disappear, and what was level was a handsome, pale human man.

He began to step towards me, I took a deep breath, this was it. He kneeled down before my limp form, and reached for my neck. I shut my eyes and clenched my teeth, ready for it to all end.

Crack-!

The weight on my neck had disappeared. My body was slowly regaining the energy taken from me by the collar. I could get to my feet, and see the shattered pieces of that metal chain on the ground before me. I was free. Back on my four legs, I look up towards the pale man that saved me. Who had taken a step back, and now holds a hand over his heart. When he spoke to me, it was in a calm, deep voice to soothe my senses and commanded respect at the same time.

“It is my greatest pleasure to see you awaken, My King.”

…eh?