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Cruelty was the only thing Humans were capable of-
They took
They destroyed
And they hated anything that wasn’t like them.
Xisuma had seen it all before-
Of course the Elder dragon had-
He had watched centuries of Human kind burn and strip the world of everything precious it had to offer-
And now they had taken him.
Shackled in heavy chains and muzzled with reinforced steel.
His Wings were pinned to his sides by steel bolts shot through his thick hide
He couldn’t move-
Could barely breath-
And for what?
All so the Humans could harvest his scales indefinitely.
The inky black armour glinted with a faint sheen of purple- it had once been Xisuma’s pride-
And now it was his Bane.
His entire body was wracked with pain constantly as the Humans tore scales from his body, harvested his blood and tortured his soul for the sake of profit.
X’s wrath and anger for Humanity grew
He swore he wouldn’t die until he made them all pay-
They would burn,
They would ALL Burn!
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Once a day Xisuma was Fed-
His muzzle was loosened and large wooden gears would tighten down the chains around his neck-
Pulling his leash tight.
Only one human would approach his maw, placing a large chunk of raw meat between his teeth before retreating-
The Elder Dragon played along today-
But as soon as the Foolish human got too close and Xisuma’s jaw snapped shut-
Crushing its arms between its teeth
It was satisfying to hear the chaos erupt through the Human camp-
To hear their rightful panic and well deserved fear-
It was partly worth it- even as His Muzzle was retightened- and sharp projectiles were stabbed into his sides as punishment.
Xisuma couldn’t stop the smug sense of pride that built like a fire in his chest.
The humans might destroy him-
But he wont die without making them hurt.
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Xisuma hadn’t been fed in a week-
Part of his punishment, not that he really expected much else from the awful species.
But it was mildly surprising when they stopped their collection of his Scales-
It made some sort of twisted sense he supposed
Without food he wouldn’t heal.
And if he didn’t heal they wouldn’t be able to keep collecting the black plates from his hide.
It was an uneasy sense of peace.
Eventually-
That peace broke as the muzzle loosened and the chains tightened.
They were going to feed him-
But Xisuma vowed that this time would not turn out any differently than the last-
Any human who got too close would face their demise.
And then…
The Elder Dragon Saw the Boy-
Dressed in scrappy cloth, and black Shaggy unkept hair-
The young Human had shackles binding his wrists and ankles, and he looked beaten and terrified.
The other humans dragged the young one over by his chains before connecting him to his own leash leading towards Xisuma.
A low growl emanated from the Dragon’s chest-
His nostrils flared in anger-
Not only were humans a parasitic scourge on the face of the earth-
But they didn’t even take care of their own children!!
The Boy flinched and staggered back from Xisuma-
But he couldn’t get very far before the chain stopped him.
The other humans on the other hand had no such boundaries
“Wait! Please don’t leave me!” Cried the boy-
But he was ignored- instead a large hunk of raw meat was thrown down and the boy was abandoned with the Dragon.
The boy tried to back away from the silent order-
But then his chains started tightening- pulling him closer to Xisuma’s maw-
Oh….
oh… .. ..
The child was the new feeder-
If only because they considered him expendable-
Because one way or another-
These Humans Expected Xisuma to feed-
The boy managed to scramble back just far enough to grab the hunk of meat-
Holding it tight to his chest as he was pulled forward.
Xisuma no longer had the will to fight.
Sure he wanted this place to burn…
But this boy…
Was just that…
Xisuma might be callused… but even he had his limits-
Slowly X cracked his maw open just wide enough-
The boy flinched back- but after a few still moments- he quickly dropped the meat just behind Xisuma’s teeth and backed away.
The Elder Dragon was slow to close his mouth-
Savouring the food as instantly he felt its effects, his scales regrowing and his heart beating more healthily-
And so the Humans tightened his muzzle and Resumed their harvesting.
Leaving the boy chained next to him.
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A soft
Tink. Clink. Click. Tic
Woke the Dragon up-
It was dark out-
Most all the humans were asleep, minus a few guards.
So where was that sound-?
Then the Dragon’s eyes landed on the boy-
doing… something.. to the lock on the chains around Xisuma’s neck.
While still bound in his own
What??
Wait why would he do that??
They hadn’t exactly built any trust in their in their one day of knowing one another.
And yet with one more,
Clink, tic, SNAP!!!
The lock holding down the Dragon’s chains broke open-
And with that single action the Xisuma was able to shake free of his chains- and stand at his full height-
His wings were still pinned to his back and his muzzle was still tightened but he was no longer tied down to the leash.
The young boy smiled up at the dragon but Xisuma saw his hands trembling-
“There you go… .. no need in both of us being stuck here-“
Xisuma huffed in thanks before clawing at his muzzle and tearing it off with a fell swoop-
The heavy metal clattered to the ground-
Causing the boy to flinch.
Xisuma stretched his neck then his jaw then sharply inhaled feeling fire fill his lungs-
“Tttthhhhank you..”
The boy nodded- “yeah… .. of course-“
“Are you ready to leave?”
“Wait.. what???”
The question surprised Xisuma too-
What did he care if this Human was left his prison or not??
He had planned to burn them all!!
But… this boy…
Was just a Boy-
And he was in the same boat as Xisuma was-
Used and abused for what he could offer the Humans..
“Your kind is evil and are terrible parents- you are now mine child.”
“I’m.. eh technically not a child- I’m 18!”
“18 years to my centuries of life is nothing child-
Now… are you ready to go?”
“So I’m being kidnapped-“
“You could call it that- yes.”
The boy’s smile cracked, and became
Something much more genuine.
“I’m ready then.”
The dragon didn’t wait for the child to change his mind, with a scarp claw he pulled apart the thin chains keeping the boy tied down, and scooped him up into the palm of his claws
The boy flailed but didn’t fight him, instead clinging to the dragon with all of his tiny might.
“What is your name boy-“
“Mumbo… what is yours?”
“Xisuma-“
The boy- smiled up at him “nice to meet you Xi-zuma”
X couldn’t help but chuckle as the child butchered his name-
“Yes well… you can call me Father or Dad- I wasn’t kidding that I’m stealing you as my child now- humans have lost their privileges to you-“
Mumbo went quite for a moment, before gentle butting his head against one of Xisuma’s claws
“Thank you…” his voice was quite but sincere “thank you so much Pa-“
Warmth bloomed in the Dragon’s chest-
This child had been so hurt by this world, he just easily accepted what the Dragon said.
“Good. Now close your eyes and hold tightly to me- things are about to get hot-“
“Got it!”
Fire and warmth filled Xisuma’s lungs-
He was going to let this place burn to ash and enjoy every minute of it!
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Xisuma still believed Humans could be cruel and evil.
But it had been months since that time when he first met his Son Mumbo-
The young Human proved that evil was a choice some humans made-
But they could also choose love, trust, kindness, creativity- downright delightfulness.
Despite everything,
They could be wonderful creatures who brought light and warmth into the world.
And yes…
Xisuma still held some anger for how they treated him, for how they hurt his son- how they acted like everything in the world was something to be owned.
But for the sake of Mumbo-
X would learn how to forgive, and move forward- protecting the gentle flame his son had given him.
No strings attached.