Chapter Text
A dragon lays in his nest at the very top of a snow coated mountain. He watches the warm evening sun paint his kingdom beautifully golden, a stark contrast to the icy barren rocks he lay upon.
Huge white feathered wings shuffle to lay comfortably and rest against his black scaled back, they warm him, collecting any snow that will fall this night.
The small clatter of hooves can be heard on the rock where the wind has been more powerful than the snowfall and blew it away. The mountain is cold and barren and why would anyone want to live in that environment...? And why did the little mountain goat, who was travelling all the way up to the sleeping beast, to disturb him only to deliver a message, find comfort in the tedious journey and actually enjoy it? The goat didn’t know.
At the sound of the small clatter, the dragon stops admiring his golden surroundings. He raises his majestic head and sniffs the cold air. Blood. It smelled like blood and fresh meat. Such a lovely smell.
He listens to the small clatter, hearing it come near before silencing, the goat was walking in the snow now, leaving a small trail of red from an injured leg.
“Little creature. What makes you dare stand in my nest? Do you have no manners?”
The dragon speaks, making the goat still, his blood turning cold as he listens to the deep rumble he can barely understand. He watches the iridescent body shimmer like the snow it rests upon, horns moving gracefully and feathers rustling around. The goat is small compared to the dragon. About the size of his head, horns and all.
“Oh, great dragon. I- I am but a mere messenger.”
The goat stutters. He lowers his head in a bow and anxiously awaits words from the dragon. And after a few minutes of the dragon staring intimidatingly at the goat, he speaks again.
“A messenger? What is your message then?”
The goat takes a shaky breath. He raises his head a bit and speaks once more.
“Many of the animals have been... c-complaining. They are saying that you are causing avalanches... it drowns large parts of the valley with snow.”
“Ah- they’re complaining about that again. How many times am I going to have to tell them to move? You see little creature; I guard this valley. I make sure everyone is safe and sound and if I make a small mistake at times that is something they are going to have to deal with. I could feast on everyone in this valley if I wanted to, so they should be more thankful that I am not a monster and that I am protecting them. Otherwise, I’d be feasting on them before they could even think about trying to run away.”
The dragon rumbles. His tone is nonchalant and dismissive, and he lays his head down to rest again on his feet.
“I understand, dragon. But is there nothing you can do?”
The goat starts, tapping anxiously with his hooves a few times, unable to stand still as he attempts to continue speaking, but gets interrupted by the dragon.
“Little creature. Are you here to deliver a message or complain? Because what I am hearing right now is the latter. Be grateful that I haven’t eaten your beloved friends. Such good friends they must be, sending a small thing like you all the way up here not caring if you die. You’re all alone, aren’t you? No herd you belong to. That is why they chose you. They do not care about you. They do not like you. You’re just another mouth to feed. A pile of fur and bones.”
The goat swallows his words and looks down at the ground. His front hooves are standing in the white soft snow, dying it red slowly with the blood dripping from the cut on his leg. His hind legs are standing on the barren rock of the mountain. The wind makes a horrible high-pitched sound making him tense up. It’s cold. It’s cold and the ground is hard and it’s windy. Who could ever want to live in a place like this...? His leg hurts, the wound is aching, the cold air biting at the exposed skin and flesh. He wants to leave.
“What is your name, messenger?”
The dragon rumbles. A white, iridescent, feathered wing shields the goat from the wind... The wing is warm.
“I don’t have a name. I’m nothing more than a messenger. I am alone. No one speaks to me therefore I do not need a name.”
The goat replies. His legs are trembling, and his head is still lowered. He looks like the cold has frozen him in place.
“We’re more similar than I thought, then...”
The words are quiet from the dragon, almost gentle. Almost.
“Creature. That’s your name now. Wear it with pride because a name is one of the greatest things a being can have. Now rest. If you try to venture down in this state, you will die.”
“And where shall I rest? I will freeze to death if I lay down now. The sun is gone, and the moonlight won’t warm me even a little.”
The goat, Creature, raises his head and stomps one of his hind legs. Yet when he feels soft feathers gently nudging him towards the warm dragon’s body, he only hesitates a little before slowly tapping closer.
“You don’t have to be so careful. I offer you something kind, but you’re still scared of me. I won’t eat you. I wouldn’t even if I was hungry. Though the smell of your blood is tempting, you’re too small and I am not a monster. Now rest, Creature. I will help you get down to the valley after the sun rises... I will not ask why you would want to ever go back, but maybe you could think of it in your dreams. You’re safe here.”
The dragon waits for Creature to lay down before using his wing to nudge the small body even closer to the source of heat, before resting the soft feathers on him. The dragon keeps him safe from the harsh winds and the biting cold and the snow. Instead offering him warmth and a relaxing purr. Creature never knew dragons could purr like cats.