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Spring
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It was dark. Very dark. The sounds outside were nothing more than voices and impatient shuffles but they still terrified him like they had the first day he'd heard them. He cursed himself. He was supposed to be strong and brave like the others and yet here he was, quivering within a cage of reinforced iron bars.
He was scared. He wanted out. He wanted to spread his wings and fly as far away as possible. Fly until this cage was anything but a speck when looking down upon this infinitely vast land.
Something outside his cage moved, earning all of his attention. Suddenly he was no longer incapsuled in darkness, but instead bathed in the setting sun's brilliant light. He flinched, the sudden display of colors and light hurting his sensitive eyes. That's when he heard the sounds once again. The sounds that he was sure would haunt his nightmares.
A gasp followed the light and suddenly he was staring out at a crowd of awe stuck and terrified humans. They were of all sizes, small and young, big and old. They were silent. So very silent as they stared at him from the other side of the bars. He felt his heart rate pick up as his eyes searched for an escape. He didn't want to be here. He wanted to go home. Yet, he couldn't. Not with the innumerable chains wrapped painfully tight around every possible chance of escape he had. It made him feel helpless, like a wounded animal.
He felt small.
He felt scared.
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Spring
After
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Katsuki had heard stories of the Dragon of Saren. It was often used as a way to ward children off from doing things they weren't supposed to, almost like the boogeyman. He'd always thought it to be a make believe story, one that adults enjoyed to tell when the felt their kids needed something to fear. Katsuki had been afraid of it when he was younger. The prospect of a giant dragon with a terrifying roar and hundreds of sharp, blood stained teeth would scare any sane child.
They'd scare an adult too.
The stories of the Dragon often portrayed it as a man eating beast, too large for the sky and the ground. A Dragon who plundered through villages, taking riches and lives, sparing no one, not even the young. It wasn't until one day when the Dragon disappeared did the people of Saren finally find peace. Since then no one has seen the beast. Hell, even as Katsuki looked at it now, it seemed to be less than the tales foretold. Still, it was a dragon all the same and a dragon meant danger.
The people around Katsuki seemed to process what this creature was at a snails pace. One by one their eyes flashed in recognition and fearfully they took a step back. Even the two people next to him stepped back, leaving him in a tiny bubble of his own.
Katsuki's eyes were focused mainly on the Dragon, but subconsciously his eyes seemed to train on the Knights that inspected the animal. They're eyes seemed to linger on the beasts chains and Katsuki was curious as to what they were thinking. Were they thinking that the beast wasn't chained enough? Chained too much? Shouldn't be chained at all so that it could wipe this village off the map for good? Katsuki would never know and it made his gut sink. Too many possibilities called for a not so pleasant time.
Within the cage the beast seemed to grow antsy. His large head swiveled around as he looked carefully at his surroundings and his wings strained uselessly at the heavy duty chains that bound them. His piercing eyes scampered over the crowd and at the last minute they settled on Katsuki.
Katsuki held his breath, it seems he'd been chosen for the beasts next meal when the time arose. From behind the bars, the beast opened its mouth as far as it's chains would allow and.... cried?
It wasn't a human like cry by all means but it definitely was not human. The pitch was low and a faint growl rumbled within its undertones but something behind the sound seemed to plead for help. Katsuki took a step back and collided with someone, earning a few angry words and a seething glare. Ignoring the hostility, Katsuki turned and pushed his way through the crowd with his hand grabbing at the hem of his hood. He had to go. He'd been stuck in this damn town for far too long and this wasn't exactly the best place to be at the moment. Not with the man eating beast who, more than likely, wanted him as an appetizer.
As Katsuki steeled his nerves and disappeared within the folds of the people, he heard one last cry. A cry that, believe it or not, made him want to turn his head and run back to the creature. Instead Katsuki grit his teeth and focused his eyes to the ground as he walked. For all he knew, the cry of this beast was nothing but a lame party trick that was used to draw in helpless creatures. Katsuki was far from helpless.
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Back at his camp, Katsuki paced back and forth in front of the crackling fire, his mind swirling with a tornado of thoughts.
How had the Knights managed to catch a Dragon? How many people died? Why did that Dragon look to him for help? Should he have fish or rabbit for dinner? There were so many questions and yet only one singular question in his mind had an answer. Should he go back? Obviously the answer was no! No sane fool would go back and dare let a Dragon out of its cage and if Katsuki was sure of anything, it was that if he was a fool, he was the sanest one out there.
But the Dragon just seemed so helpless! Could he really just leave it? He could. But why? Katsuki groaned and kicked his foot harshly against the dirt, he had so many conflicting thoughts that his head was bound to explode. He'd tried many things to get his mind off of the beast. So far trying to sleep, eating, yelling in anger, and making a very, very crude wood carving had had no effect. It was almost as if that Dragon had clawed his way into his brain and made it his home and Katsuki just couldn't handle it anymore.
With a growl and a string of indecent words, Katsuki reached down and snatched up his worn and worse for wear cloak. There was very little Katsuki would do for others, quite frankly humans in general tended to annoy him. Good thing dragons weren't human then, aye?
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Stupid. This is stupid. So. Fucking. Stupid. Here he stood in the shadows of the night, his body crouched so low to the ground that he knees where practically touching it. If Katsuki wasn't so stubborn, he would have turned around and went home to his dingy little campsite where he could start a fire and drift off to sleep but hell, too late now. He'd already made up his mind and no matter how seemingly suicidal it seemed, he was going to stick to it.
A little ways off Katsuki heard talking. It was loud and cherry and no doubt belonged to the so called Knights of Saren. Katsuki wrinkled his nose in disgust; the tangy and sour smell of ale wafted through the air, it's scent unmistakable. No doubt the Knights were drunk off their asses but that didn't mean they couldn't start some problems.
The villagers had long since gone home, whether it be the presence of the dragon or nightfall, Katsuki guessed he'd never know. Maybe both. What with the mass of people gone though, a large amount of open space had been opened up - just enough space for Katsuki to sneak about.
Katsuki could see the dragon's cage, large and intimidating within the shadows. Swallowing the intimidation, Katsuki broke into a quiet run, his legs working hard as he tried to stay low to the ground and avoid the the yellow tinted light that spilled out of the tavern. Soon enough, after bouncing from nightmare holding shadow to nightmare holding shadow, Katsuki found himself squatting quietly beside the dragon's cage.
Something about being so close to a beast such as this dragon made Katsuki's heart pound uncomfortably against his chest. It was so loud in his own ears that there was no doubt that the creature could hear him. Even if he couldn't, he surely saw him. How did he know? Well, through the darkness Katsuki could see reptilian eyes staring at him, each move he made being analyzed with such an intricate disposition that Katsuki felt a shiver run down his spine.
"Don't look at me like that," Katsuki growled quietly, his voice betraying him with its shaky tone. Inside the cage, the dragon moved closer until it's face was nearly pressed against the bars. He was watching. Watching Katsuki. At this distance, it seemed like the animals eyes were glowing, illuminating the features of his scaly face. Katsuki grit his teeth; obviously the damned thing would test its luck.
No matter though, he didn't have the time to sit and glare at a dragon behind bars, especially not when he could hear voices loud and clear. At first he thought they were coming from inside the tavern but when the shine of a lantern rounded the side of the cage and momentarily blinded Katsuki, he knew he was shit outta luck.
"What do we have here," a gruff voice questioned from behind the shine of the light. "What? Are you one of the serving boys? You'd be a little lost now, wouldn't you?" The man walked toward Katsuki and much to his displeasure, leaned down to look him dead in the eye. The man was clad in simple clothing; a black threaded tunic and clean, well fitting bottoms. The only thing that lead him to believe that he was a Knight was the golden pendant that hung from his neck and the fact that not a smidge of dirt graced his body. If he were in any other situation, Katsuki would snatch the pendant and run. His odds of getting away right now were far from satisfactory though so instead of scurrying away, he held his ground and glared daggers at the Knight.
From behind a almost cheery voice chimed in, "Nah, Shouta, he's got that independent gleam in his eye that the servant boys lose when they get into the business."
The Knight in front of Katsuki, Shouta he presumed, sighed tiredly at the sound of the others voice and stood up straight, "Hizashi, don't talk as if you know what the embrace of a serving boy feels like."
"I wasn't trying to imply that! Heavens, I would never touch a young one in that manner." For a moment he was quiet before he snickered, "Lest it be you, my -" Katsuki watched as Shouta hit the side of his hand into the others gut, knocking the air out of him momentarily.
"Shut it will you?" The Knight turned his attention back to Katsuki who was now watching the two's exchange with a raised eyebrow. "So boy, if you aren't here for... that, then may I ask what the hell you're doing here?"
Katsuki sneered, "You may fucking not."
"I suspected that much," the man said as he cast his lanterns light upon the cage that Katsuki huddled close to. When the light glinted against the Dragon's scales the man winced and looked back to Katsuki knowingly, "Ah. I see. You're here for the Dragon."
Once again the man crouched in front of Katsuki, the light that he know held close to his face illuminating his features. A pale skinned face with scars and messy black hair to finish the look. He looked serious and tired, exhausted actually. His grey eyes were dull and seemed to lack the liveliness the other Knights had. Those eyes seemed to peer into his soul and instinctively Katsuki felt his mind throw up walls of protection.
"You know you could be tried with treason and thievery seeing as this creature here is now under possession of the King," the Knight said as he tapped one of the cages bars with a knuckle. From within Katsuki heard a low noise, a growl. "If I were to throw you to those wolves in the tavern right over there, you'd be finished. If they didn't kill you right there, you'd be taken back to the King and be dealt with as he saw fit. And boy, if you have been living under a rock, you'll know our King is less than kind."
"Shouta," Hizashi said worriedly from behind, only to be silenced by a lift of the black-haired Knights hand.
"You could be hanged if he was feeling kind. If not, there are endless possibilities. He could have someone break your bones, peel your skin back, even pop out those pretty red eyes of yours and he wouldn't lose a wink of sleep." Katsuki knew this. He'd heard gossip, a crime in itself, and as much as he hated to admit it, it scared him. Not the thought that it could be done to him but the knowledge that his parents could have experienced just that. The knowledge that the only people he had ever loved could be subjected to horrors that no man wanted to imagine made his skin crawl and made him want to throw up his last meal on to the warm, sun heated ground.
"I know," Katsuki said quietly, his hands clenched tightly into fists as he stared angrily down at the dirt. He couldn't do anything. He'd been foolish enough to think he could save a dragon but now here he was, about to end up with the same fate as his parents; to be tried for treason and killed. Funny how things could go wrong in a split second.
He had a knife though. If he was going to die, he'd go while putting up one hell of a fight. Maybe take out a few of these scumbags while he was at it.
The Knight stood and sighed, "Good thing I'm not going to be handing you over then, right?" Katsuki was mid stride in telling the man to fuck off when the words registered in his mind. He wasn't going to hand him over? What exactly was he playing at and did he really think he could gain the little bit of trust Katsuki had that easily? "By all means, I couldn't give two less shits about this group of merry murderers. I've no connections amongst them. "
"Except me of course," Hizashi chimed once again as he peered over Shouta's shoulder. The man was blonde and by the way he talked, must not have been from around the area. Judging by his accent, he was from the farthest West borders of the Kings land - the coast line that held some of the kingdoms biggest fishing markets if he remembered his father's maps well. Katsuki had not yet met someone like him; full of cheer and a vigor that trumped even that of a kid.
"Why?" It was the only thing Katsuki could think to ask.
Shouta tsked and walked by him, his lantern held firmly in front of him. "Boy, you'd best learn now that when granted kindness, you are not to question it." He looked at Katsuki and grinned, "People are bound to change their mind. "
"Well, kindness isn't exactly common so I ask anyways," Katsuki growled, his eyes narrowing as the Knight leaned close to the reinforced bars of the dragon's cage.
"You are right about that. Though, it seems to me that you have no short supply of it. Helping a dragon? You must be out of your mind." Katsuki held his glare but decided he was better off taking his chances. Standing, Katsuki also peered into the cage and sucked in a breath. The dragon lay silently, staring at the group of three with eyes of coal; burning hot and seething. It came to no surprise for Katsuki to see the blood smeared across the bottom of the cage, though Katsuki couldn't tell which wound on the beast that it came from.
Carefully, he leaned toward the cage, ignoring the quiet warning of the black-haired Knight. "I'm going to get you out of here, so don't, you know, eat me," Katsuki whispered to the dragon. He didn't know if the dragon understood him or not but he didn't really expect a verbal response in the first place. Nodding, Katsuki turned to the Knights, hands on hips, "I wouldn't suppose one of you have the keys?"
Shouta sighed for the umpteenth time but reached into his pocket and procured a key made of what seemed to be pure steel. Katsuki had already instinctively reached for it when the man pulled his hand back, leaving the key out of his reach. "First boy, there are some things we need to go over before I hand this key over." Katsuki hissed in annoyance but ushered him to continue. He really didn't have the time for this. "First, might you be caught, our names are not to be mentioned. Second, might you die in this endeavour, we," he gestured from him to the other Knight present with his lips pressed tightly together, "Are not the ones you haunt."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever, I won't fucking snitch or haunt, now just give me the damn key," Katsuki growled as he snatched the key from Shouta's now outstretched hand. Almost as soon as he got the key, he rushed to the hulking lock at the front of the cage and shoved the key into the lock, letting it clunk to the ground once it had been opened.
Now was the challenging part. He somehow had to get close enough to the dragon to be able to unchain him. Katsuki may have been in a rush but he was not willing to charge at a dragon at break neck speeds. God knows if he did that he'd end up a late night snack.
In the only way he could think of, Katsuki aimed to look harmless. He held his hands out, palms flat with only his thumb and index finger grasping the key. "Hey, I've gotta get those chains so please, for the love of God, please don't take my arm off." The beast seemed hesitant, and rightfully so, but Katsuki did not have the time nor patience for hesitancy. "Look buddy," Katsuki began as he took another step towards the dragon, "I know your scared but we've got to get these chains off, okay? So, like, if you could stop being so... scary, for just a second, I'd appreciate that."
Katsuki had no clue of the Dragon could understand him or not but he sure hoped so because if not, he was likely to lose his leg. Or his whole body.
Katsuki took another step but froze when the dragon shifted, his teeth glinting in the Knights lantern light. Even with the beasts mouth chained shut Katsuki's life was still at risk and he wasn't quite too comforted by that knowledge. Still though, he came here to save a dragon and he'd leave having done just that.
Taking another step, that last step he needed to get close enough to be able to grasp the chains lock, Katsuki found himself holding his breath. Only when the dragon huffed out an impatient breath did Katsuki let himself exhale and crouch next to the reptile. Surely this had to be the craziest thing he'd ever done. Yeah, he'd done crazy things like climbing a tree to its near peak or sneaking through a wolves den, but resting beside a dragon? That was in a league of its own!
Nevertheless, he had no time to dwaddle. He set to work and reached out for the lock that rested dangerously close the the dragon's scaly side. As careful as possible, Katsuki took the heavy lock and turned it over in his hand, all while being acutely aware of the slitted eyes staring at him. Katsuki hated staring more than anything but he couldn't tell a dragon to fuck off, now could he? No, he couldn't, so he'd just have to suck it up and keep at it or else he would be dinner for a over grown lizard or prisoner for a bunch of morons with an IQ amounting to about as much respect Katsuki had for them.
When Katsuki had unlocked the padlock and grabbed hold of one of the chains restraining the dragon, he felt giddy almost. He'd just snuck (rather unsuccessfully) by a group of the Kings most resound Knights and had just partially freed a dragon of all things. If that wasn't enough trouble for a life time, he didn't know what was.
As Katsuki went to move the chain though, his giddiness soon turned to terror. The sound of a door slamming open and then the following sound of drunken voices and unsteady footsteps, and lots of em'. He glanced back at the Knights from before and before he could even shoo them away, they put out their lantern.
"Hurry kid, I'd hate to see you get caught," one of them said, presumably Hizashi by the slight higher pitch of his voice. Katsuki grunted in acknowledgement but otherwise paid them no more attention. He had more important things to worry about. As quickly and as quietly as possible, Katsuki began working on removing the chains. With each clink and rattle of metal hitting metal, the voices got closer and with them, the stench of ale.
He could feel the dragon growing restless beneath his shaky hands. Adrenaline pumped through every vein in his body. A sheen of sweat coated his forehead. This moment, this exact moment, was a life or death situation.
Katsuki nearly had every chain removed, the only thing left was the binding wrapped around the dragon's mouth.
"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, " Katsuki whispered in repetition to himself as if the mantra would actually make his hands move faster. The dragon stared at him, panic and fear very apparent within its eyes. "I've got you," Katsuki promised as his fingers slipped under the chains and brushed against the beasts snout. The scales were slick and smooth, almost like the stones Katsuki found by the river; smoothed by the constantly eroding current.
Soon enough the chains slipped free (with quite a bit of tugging), and Katsuki was left sitting idly in front of a now even more dangerous animal. If his bad luck decided to continue playing out, he'd soon be the equivalent of a juicy steak to this intimidating beast.
At first the dragon was reluctant to move but after a little bit of prompting from the ever closer Knights, it rose to its feet. Unsurprising, it was much bigger when it wasn't chained down than when it was. Needless to say though, Katsuki was still quite nervous. Anyone would be if they were in his position.
His mother used to say, 'Never look a thing with teeth in the eye or else it'll give you a closer look.' She always said it in such a condescending tone too, like she knew Katsuki would end up doing just that. She wasn't wrong though, his mother never was. She was right, because in the moment that the Knights casted the unpleasantly bright light on them, Katsuki found himself doing exactly what his mother warned not to do.
In his defense, it was almost inevitable. The dragon, who was much larger, and much, much stronger than him, stared at him silently. So silently that Katsuki almost thought he was judging him. That would be quite the experience, being judged by a Dragon.
Katsuki sat with his knee pressed to the cool metal of the cage floor, the blood coating it's surface undoubtedly smearing on to his pants and threatening to leave a nasty stain that only the Gods would try to get out. Towering over him was the Dragon, it's body so large that Katsuki had to strain his neck to look it in the eye. Looking the beast in the eye was a feeling Katsuki couldn't explain. There was fear and intimidation obviously, but there was also a sense of... excitement? He couldn't quite pinpoint it and he really didn't have the time to either, not with the Knights that were advancing on them second by second.
Katsuki threw himself to his feet and clambered out of the cage. "Go! Get your ass outta here," he shouted at the dragon, considering there was no longer any use in being silent. Gratefully, the dragon took a step forward, as if testing the waters. In all honesty, it probably thought Katsuki was going through all this damn trouble just to trick it. Yeah, highly unlikely.
"Hey! Boy! Get your ass away from that monster before I drag you away by your hair," a Knight shouted as he came barreling towards Katsuki, his muscular stature less than comforting. Katsuki braced himself.
"This is your last chance. Either you go or you're back to square one." God he hoped that he wasn't talking just so he could hear the sound of his own voice. Thankfully, it seemed he wasn't, because after Katsuki finished, he stepped out of the cage. The dragon looked to Katsuki expectantly, the glow of its eyes more comforting than they had been earlier.
"I'll be fine," Katsuki huffed, "I don't need some over grown lizard worrying about me, so go." He didn't know if dragon's had a since of conscience but at the moment, he sure hoped they didn't. Not when Katsuki stuck his neck very, very far out to save one and especially not when he was bulldozed to the ground by the incoming train of a man.
Within a matter of seconds Katsuki was on his feet and then on the ground, the air in his lungs having been whisked away. Above him was the Knight, his angry face bearded and flushed with the promise of a hangover tomorrow morning.
Katsuki scrambled on the ground, his lithe body practically pinned to the dirt by this idiots large mass.
"Get the fuck off of me before I fuck you up," Katsuki threatened through clenched teeth, his face surely wearing a menacing expression. His heart was hammering in his chest and panic surged through his veins. He planned on escaping, not being trapped by some booze stinking drunk.
Katsuki struggled to move, his feet scraping uselessly against the loose dirt. The weight on his chest was making it hard to breathe and even with the adrenaline coursing through his veins, it was already hard enough fighting off the grappling hands of the Knight as he tried to grab Katsuki by the hood of his cloak.
His foot slipped against a loose stone, sending it clattering. There was a hot breath against Katsuki's forehead and he realized with a start that it was not the by product of the beer-bellied Knight above him.
His eyes travelled upward to where the sky should reside and was met - not with stars, but with glowing red eyes and a mouth full of sharp, menacing teeth.
He swallowed thickly. Today really wasn't his day.