"The rocks fell down from the mountain, crushing every person, house and animal in their path." The whole village had gathered in the spot of the square the merchant had chosen for his stand. It was common to gather and listen to the news, and these ones in particular had drawn everyone's attention. "Only two people managed to escape; the rest were buried under the landslide. The whole town went to help, even the mayor! But as they were taking the rocks away the river overflowed, flooding half the fields. They don't know if the crops will be able to survive it."

The crowd listened in utter silence, none of them daring to speak.

"A dragon." It was the blacksmith who broke the reverie, bringing everyone back to the present. Most brows were furrowed, the children got close to their mothers' skirts and, without noticing it, everyone had moved closer in as the news progressed.

The trader nodded, his face serious. "It is said that his roars are what caused the landslide. And people have been seeing it in half the cities I've been through since I left the capital."

"That's true! The miller from Rivertown also talked about it!"

"And the shepherd from Highvillage!"

Murmurs evolved into fearful chatting. The dragon seemed to follow a clear path, and the next village would be their own.

"We have to do something!" Someone shouted.

"Yes, but what?"

"Let's give him an offer! Some kind of sacrifice that would appease him!" Various voices echoed their agreement.

"But what can we offer?" They had clean clothes, but not more than a couple; their fields and cattle brought money, but they didn't have a treasure to spare, not one good enough for a dragon.

"A maiden! A virgin maiden!" Someone shouted. Most faces lighted up with hope. It was true! What other thing did dragons want besides a nice treasure to hoard? Maidens to keep them company in their solitude. Uniformly all heads turned to the same person, following the same train of thought.

"Wait, what?" Ochako squealed as everyone looked at her. "Oh no, no way, why on Earth should it be me?!"

"You are the daughter of the mayor. Obviously it has to be you."

One of the neighbours grabbed her by the arm.

"That's a twisted logic that makes no sense!" She pulled away, to not avail.

"Ochako, you must understand, it's the only way…" Another pair of hands grabbed her. She started kicking everything on range, while trying to get away from the mob.

"We are next. It's coming for us. We have to do something…"

She was surrounded. Ochako looked around, was there a way out? Her parents weren't in town. Would they have been able to stop it? Someone managed to grab one of her legs. She started scratching and biting. People screamed and got away from her, only to be replaced by more people.

Her other leg was grabbed and they started carrying her away. Ochako twirled, trying to make them lose their balance and grip. It worked.
She fell.

Everything went black.

Katsuki was flying when something caught his eye. Down on the ground there was something clearly reflecting the sun. Curious, he flew low, careful to his surroundings. People weren't glad to see him around and it wouldn't be the first trap laid for him.

Still it smelled moderately of humans, and there was a village nearby so everything seemed normal. Except for all the gold that laid spattered on the middle of a clear in the forest.

It really wasn't that much, he had seen bigger and more awe-inspiring treasures in his life, but it was clear the villagers had done an effort.

He got close to it, his stomach rumbling at the sight of the meal when something stopped him in his tracks.

"The fuck?" He muttered, approaching the treasure slowly.

In the middle of it lay a young woman. Most likely unconscious, if not completely dead, which wouldn't be a surprise given all the scratches, bruises and blood that covered part of her face.

He lifted one of his arms, paused for a moment, and put it close to the woman's face. She still breathed.

Cursing under his breath -who on earth leaves a woman beaten and unconscious in someone else's food?!- he moved her aside, and chomped down all the gold, silver and precious stones.

Once he finished he looked at the space where the food was only moments ago longingly, it hadn't been nearly enough to fill him, but he knew where to go to satisfy his hunger. He unfolded his wings, ready to take off.

The woman still laid on the floor, completely unconscious.

Once again, Katsuki cursed, took her with his claws and bringing her close to his chest he finally took off.