Chapter Text
”Red! Get down of there right now!” The twelve-year-old shouted, looking at his little brother, who was swinging giggling on a tall tree branch. ”You will fall and hurt yourself!”
Red just cackled more as he looked at Yellow, who was also climbing the tree towards Red.
”Have you heard anything?” Red asked Yellow with a mischievous smile.
”No. Just some 'blah blah blah, I don't know how to play, blah blah blah.'” Yellow replied, having fun in irritating their oldest brother as he bounced off the trunk with his leg and with jumped sat down on the branch where Red was swinging.
Green rolled his eyes at his brothers' stupid behavior. Although Blue wasn't involved in it (fortunately...).
But mostly because Green caught him before he could climb. Now Blue was sitting somewhere nearby, looking at some flowers or something.
Green suddenly felt his chest tighten anxiously as he saw Red now swinging on only one arm.
”If you two don't come down now, you'll be grounded for a week!” He shouted to them, moving closer to the tree in case one of them might fall. But he hoped the eleven- and ten-year-olds wouldn't fall.
”Who are you, our father?” Yellow snorted, rolling his eyes, but Green could hear the bitter note in his voice.
Green grimaced. Of course he had to tease him about it. He crossed his arms, staring blankly at Yellow. Yellow looked at him for a moment, but after a while he looked away and adjusted his glasses, almost as if he felt stupid after what he said.
Green just sighed.
He knew he exaggerated sometimes. And Yellow was irritated by it. This sometimes overprotectiveness and excessive worry. Although probably not only him.
But...
Green was the oldest. So he had the responsibility to take care of his siblings.
Which was... difficult. Because they were all like magnets for trouble. Red especially, and Yellow for some reason was always a few steps behind him for trouble if he wasn't near his twin.
After a while, Yellow started to go down, and Red, seeing this, followed him and soon they were both standing in front of Green. As if they were waiting for a scolding.
Green simply smirked and ruffled their hair, a little more and hard than normal.
Green opened his mouth to say something when suddenly he heard a loud gasp.
He and the other two immediately looked in that direction, watching as Blue, somewhere in the slightly distant bushes, jumped up, almost surprised and frightened, standing upright.
The three brothers immediately moved quickly towards their brother. Green stood next to Blue, looking at him. He noticed also that they were now very close to a forest path that was not often used.
However, all of Blue's attention was focused on the nearby bush, or rather what was there.
”What is this?” Yellow asked, tilting his head.
Green looked at a wooden storage chest. With a chain around it, which looked like it had been broken by being hit or sawed.
Red suddenly pushed his way between them. However, he stopped. In fact, everyone froze when they heard scratching from inside and saw the trembling wooden chest.
Red abruptly stepped forward with more determination. Which wasn't a surprise. Red always helping every creature he found. Whether it was an animal or a mythical creature.
He crouched down and pulled the chain to break it. However, he did not succeed immediately. Green wasn't surprised that Blue also helped Red at one point.
Yellow, on the other hand, stood there and was obviously hesitating whether to approach or not, weighing all the pros and cons. Green stood there so he could see his siblings and the surroundings in case anyone wanted to come back for the chest.
They then hit a few times the already damaged part of the chain with a stone the chain broke and the two loose ends fell down.
And finally, after a little effort, Red and Blue got rid of the chain and opened the lid of the wooden chest.
Suddenly Red gasped with something between fascination, excitement and amazement. Blue also sighed, but rather in surprise.
”This is a dragon!” Red shouted, glancing at Yellow and Green with excitement.
”What?!” Yellow's eyes widened in shock as he walked quickly over there to see it for himself, and Green was right behind him.
Suddenly Green himself gasped, looking inside the wooden chest.
This creature looked strange. Yes it was a dragon. Or like a dragon combined with stick. And they was the size of maybe a four- or five-year-old child.
Orange leather with lime green gradient. Two pairs of horns, one the size of Red's hand and the other a pair the size of a lump. Large, cat-like eyes stared at them, and a long tail was wrapped around them. And they had no feet, but something that looked like deer legs but without hooves. Although it was hard to tell with them curled up.
”But didn't dragons become extinct centuries ago?” Yellow frowned.
”That's what everyone thinks. But look! This is a real and alive dragon!” Red shouted loudly and was almost shaking with excitement. Suddenly Red gasped with delight. ”Do you think their might be more?!”
Green look at a dragon. They flinch at the loudness, they long furry elven ears drooping and they tail wrapping around they small body more.
He saw Blue grimace with sympathy at this and after a moment he gave Red a dead look that said 'you're an expert in animals and other creatures, but you're the least professional here now'.
After a while, he witnessed the three brothers arguing. Yellow only joined to defend his twin's cause. (At least they didn't shouts...)
After a moment, he looked back at the little dragon, who was also looking at him.
Green stretched his hand forward hesitantly and stopped, waiting to see what the little dragon would do.
At first they moved further back still in the chest. But as they watched longer and no further movement came, they tilted their head in curiosity. Green even smiled at this.
Suddenly, the little dragon leaned their head forward as if to sniff his hand.
Then Green flinched as sharp teeth clamped down on his hand. But he didn't move away. It actually... wasn't painful.
After a moment, a small clawed hand reached out towards him as the little dragon still had their teeth clenched on his hand.
Without further hesitation, Green extended his other hand towards the small creature, which grabbed his hand. As soon as he did this, the teeth released his hand, and suddenly they started trying to crawl out of the chest.
Green decided to help.
Suddenly, large green eyes with orange pupils looked at him more carefully. Then the little dragon smiled at him and the snake/lizard like tongue hung out.
Green then picked them up.
Once he had the little creature in his arms he felt a long tail wrap around him and a face rubbed against his chest and hid there, almost as if they were seeking warmth.
”Dragons like warmth very much.” Red said as if he was reading his mind, suddenly standing next to Green. Blue nodded in confirmation.
He saw Red lean more towards the little dragon as he examined them, and his eyes shining. The little dragon, however, seemed to ignore it, still searching, like Red said, for more warmth.
”It's a hollow dragon!” Red suddenly noticed with a gasp, although the name said nothing to Green. Then, Red's eyebrows furrowed as he tilted his head, examining the little dragon more closely. Suddenly, his hand gently touched their back between the shoulder blades through the material of something that looked like an old cape. ”It's weird. The wings are nowhere to be seen. Hollow dragons are born with large wings. This little one doesn't even have anything like bumps to suggest that their wings are still developing... Oh... That explains a lot...”
Yellow frowned as he came closer as well.
”What do you mean?”
”Uh... Well... There is not much information about hollow dragons in books, especially since according to history, they all became extinct a very long time ago... But...” Red frowned with what looked like sadness. ”Hollow dragons were very gregarious and always stayed together in large groups, even though they could survive alone for many centuries. However, they were a bit like some animals that get abandon of their young if they believed they would not survive and were doomed to death due to their failure to adapt to difficult conditions.”
”That, then makes them an easy target, right? That would explain why they was... in it.” Blue said, looking at the wooden chest with a grimace.
”I think so. It's quite obvious, isn't it?” It was Yellow who replied, frowning.
Blue gasped and put a hand to his face, even though he expected that answer.
Green frowned as he also pursed his lip a bit in a sign of dissatisfaction and thoughtfulness at the same time. He was actually unconvinced about one thing, but he decided to kept silent about it.
”It's terrible!” Blue shouted.
”There's nothing we can do about it.” Red muttered, looking down sadly. After a moment, however, he looked up at his brothers. ”What should we do?”
There was silence as the four brothers looked at the little creature Green was still holding. The little dragon had his eyes closed as he seemed to be deep in a peaceful sleep.
He felt sorry for the little guy. There was no way they could survive on their own.
Not to mention the dangers of other creatures, and some of the sticks who were... hunters and would love to lay their hands on the little creature that was supposedly extinct centuries ago according to Red and those books of his.
”Let's take them home with us.” Red suddenly spoke up again and the other three looked at him like he had grown a second head.
”Do you want us to take care of the dragon? Are you crazy?” Yellow said, looking at Red with a serious look for his age (which still often surprised Green), especially that he had just been fooling around with his youngest brother. ”We don't have the conditions for that! Not to mention we know nothing about this... particular species of dragon!”
”But we can't leave them alone! They will die!” Red shouted at Yellow, swinging his arms wildly at his sides, almost hitting Blue in the nose.
”I think Red is right.” Blue said calmly, but he wasn't looking at them but at the little dragon, touching the small bumps that were horns.
Green could have sworn he heard Yellow gasp in outrage at the betrayal his twin had committed. He had waited long enough for this day.
But he suppressed an amused smile.
Red smiled in a slightly arrogant way at Yellow. Yellow then looked at Green in a meaningful way that he was waiting for his opinion since he was the oldest and he had the last word on everything. However, he going this only when it was convenient for Yellow, because otherwise there was voting and the side with the greater number of votes won (Green then usually suffered a loss that frustrated him).
Green wasn't sure. Because both, Yellow and Red were right.
After thinking for a moment, he sighed.
”I think we can take care of them...” He started, and heard a whispered 'Yes!' from Red. ”But! Not for forever!”
Red's enthusiasm faded a bit, but he nodded in agreement as did the other two.
After a while, however, Red's enthusiasm returned with a vengeance as he began jumping around and twirling around Green, chattering and asking if he could hold the small dragon too.
Green simply smiled.
Maybe it won't be so difficult?
...
Bonus:
