A single spark, illuminating the darkness.

Fang lungs expanded, air rushing through her throat. With her lance in hand, she vaulted over a fallen tree, a set of teeth snapping a mere hairsbreadth behind her.

She hit the ground running, the forest smoldering around her. Her heels dug into the earth, dirt spraying behind her boots.

Something shifted within the trees, eyes staring out from the fire. A set of teeth gleamed, a jagged grin reflecting the flames.

Fang broke through the treeline, whirling around to brandish her lance. Her brow creased, sweat running down from her hair upon skin stained with ash. Fang roared into the trees, and jerked her lance forward.

An eye opened within the flames, a toothy grin twitching beneath.

Fang readied her weapon and narrowed her eyes.

A set of teeth rushed out from the forest, swathed in flames. Fang broke into a run, thrusting her lance forward only to have it slide uselessly across each tooth, rattling against the bone. She twisted around, arcing her lance on the back-swing to sink the blade deep into an eye, a terrible howl echoing over the clearing.

Long, glinting teeth tore into Fang's midsection, flames biting along her skin, but she only pressed her lance deeper, before the beast threw its head backwards, and Fang toppled to the ground.

Fang held a hand against her stomach, before raising it up, her palm sticky with blood. She stood, lowering herself into a defensive stance, her lance braced against the ground.

The creature snarled, opening its intact eye to narrow it at Fang.

"That is not how it happened!"

"Oh really? Why don't you tell it, then?"

"I think I will, actually..."

Lightning took a deep breath, her lungs filling with fresh, midnight air. The wind rushed against her scales, moisture from the clouds streaming away from her wings, beating in a rhythm against the night sky. The webbing of her wings shone a deep green, her scales white, encircled by golden frills and ridges. A pair of sweeping, golden horns crowned her head, blue eyes scanning the mountainside.

Lightning circled down into the valley, and her keen vision spotted something unusual by her lair...

"You're going too far back..."

"You skipped too far ahead!"

Lightning landed atop the mountainside, and she began to crawl along the rocky surface. While she lacked front legs, her wings sported a thumb-like claw, and she could easily walk with it curled away.

Lightning's eyes peered out through the darkness, before she tensed, and leapt out in front of her lair. She opened her mouth, snarling at the trespasser.

The woman paused, a lance leaning along one of her shoulders. "Was wondering when you'd show up..."

Lightning hissed, rising up to her back legs, before spreading her wings out, curling each digit forward.

The woman laughed at the display. "And to think... Here I'd heard the mighty 'Lightning' was civil, for a dragon."

Lightning paused, quickly realizing that this woman was no ordinary treasure hunter. "A dragoon, I presume?"

The woman flashed her a smile. "Oerba Yun Fang, one of the best!"

Lightning narrowed her eyes. "That's quite the name."

"Fang, for short." Fang smirked, leaning to the side. "That's quite the cave you have, over there..." With a gleam in her eyes, Fang looked back up at Lightning, a jaunty tone in her voice. "Your scales are quite magnificent under the moonlight, but I would much rather you take on your human form..." Fang trailed off, grinning when Lightning snorted a cloud of embers in her direction.

Lightning's gaze never left Fang's weapon. "Toss your lance over the edge... And I may consider it."

Fang turned, looking out over the cliff from the corner of her eye, the sheer drop almost nauseating. She shook her head. "I fear that I must decline..."

Lightning narrowed her eyes as she curled back her upper lip, revealing a set of curved teeth. "Well then... I fear that I can't let you any closer."

Fang took another long look at the labyrinthine cave, and the dragon standing before it. Her grin grew even wider, and Fang stepped forward, her eyes narrowed.

Lightning snarled, a white-hot glow gathering within her throat. Fang brandished her lance, and Lightning closed her eyes, before her mouth flew open.

"You were just complaining about me telling it wrong!"

"Shut up! You cheated; I'm just making it fair."

"Nuh-uh. I don't think so, sweetheart. We're tellin' the real story, now."

"Well then... I fear that I can't let you any closer."

Fang grinned up at the dragon. "May I ask why that is?"

Lightning's lip curled even further over her teeth. "If you are truly a dragoon, you should already know..."

Fang chewed at her bottom lip, leaning over to glance at the cave again. "Because you have something worth hoarding."

Lightning snorted. "Hoarding? My possessions are rightfully mine, taken from those who would slay me for simply existing!"

Fang nodded. "Well, you have something that I want." She gestured at the cavern. "It's very small, I don't think you'd really miss it..." Fang looked back up at Lightning. "Mind if I show you what it is?"

Lightning's eyes widened. "That... That must be a first." She paused, her wings relaxing, folding back beneath her. "A human has never before asked permission to enter my lair..."

Fang smiled as Lightning calmed, her teeth once again hidden behind her lips.

Lightning turned around, and began to enter the cave. "Show me, then."

"I should have guessed..."

"Can't quite blame you for it; I'm quite the charmer."

Lightning calculated Fang's every move, deceptively relaxed while they journeyed into the caverns.

Fang walked with a confident stride, her lance propped up against her shoulder. "Although... This does depend on if you actually have it; I'm going on a rumor, you see."

Lightning nodded, ducking beneath a low sheet of rock. "Can you describe it?"

Fang tapped at her chin, still walking with ease along the passage. "It's a little golden charm, forged in the shape of a tooth."

Lightning's eyes widened. "A dragon's tooth?"

Fang nodded.

"Yes, I have something like that." Lightning paused, turning to look down at another tunnel. "It's this way."

Fang followed behind her, smirking as they passed into a vast, shimmering grotto. Lightning walked forward, weaving between the aisles of artifacts, each polished and propped up in an orderly fashion.

Fang whistled, gazing around at the display of wealth, her eyes wide. "I've never seen a hoard so... Well maintained."

Lightning snorted. "I prefer 'collection'... My kin might be content with scattering their belongings in a heap, but I don't condone such behavior."

Fang chuckled. "I remember seeing this one cave, long abandoned... It looked like the fellow had been sleeping on his coins."

Lightning huffed as she searched through the relics. "Disgusting." She hooked her front claw around something, before raising her wing to reveal a golden chain, an ornament hanging from the base.

Fang smiled, nodding. "That's it! May I propose a trade?"

Lightning lowered her wing to hold the necklace between her and Fang. "What do you have to offer?"

Fang slowly reached into her pocket and pulled out a circular sheet of glass, a preserved rose resting within. "How about this?" She held up the disc, and Lightning leaned over to inspect it.

"Decent craftsmanship..." Lightning squinted at the rose. "Not worth the same as gold, but I have little care for market value." She nodded, before using her other wing to gesture at a nearby table. "You have a deal. Place it over there."

Fang lowered the glass, carefully laying it upon the table. Lightning extended her wing, and Fang took the necklace from her claw.

Fang grinned up at her. "Pleasure doing business with you."

Lightning nodded. "Same... I'll show you the way out." She began to walk back up into the tunnels.

Fang followed after her, glancing around at the cave walls, her eyes darting to peek into each passageway. Lightning froze after a moment, and lifted her nose. She inhaled, testing the air, before snarling.

Fang wiped a bit of sweat from her brow. "Aw, hell..."

Lightning twisted back around, her teeth wreathed with flames, eyes wide. Fang ducked to the side, narrowly missing a raging gout of white fire, electricity crackling within the blaze. She darted into a side cavern, and a bellowing roar echoed behind her.

Fang sighed, racing beside a pile of gems to drag another woman along with her. "Damn it, Vanille!"

"I told you it would take a minute!" Vanille ran alongside, clutching a satchel of valuables in her hand. "You were supposed to stall her!"

Fang hissed under her breath. "Thought I'd have to haggle a little; didn't expect her to accept the first offer!"

Vanille jumped, leaping away from a set of snapping teeth. Fang whirled around to bring down her lance, effectively smacking Lightning in the nose, but it did little to pierce her scales.

Lightning snarled, backing up to release another spray of fire, her wings buffeting the flame towards the intruders. Fang moved to stand in front of Vanille, twirling her lance around with a quick chant, the blaze extinguished before them. Lightning screeched, but before she could take another breath, Fang and Vanille raced out of the cavern, and up into the main tunnel.

Lightning narrowed her eyes, a deep growl in her throat.

"And so, the two brave adventurers reveled in their new-found wealth-"

"Don't even think about it! We're going all the way..."

Fang sprinted along the cliff, Vanille mere inches beside her. A deep rumbling echoed from within the cave, but they continued down the mountainside, soon running within the forest.

Fang paused for a moment to catch her breath. "Alright, you keep going... I'm gonna distract her." She held up the golden tooth, the chain laying around her neck. "Just get back to town; I'll meet you there, in a bit."

Vanille nodded as she held up the bag. "At least we got a decent haul..."

Fang laughed, still a bit breathless. "Better get moving, though."

Vanille giggled, and she raced down the path.

Fang turned around, the lance still gripped in her hand. "Gonna come down and play?" She narrowed her eyes at the sky. "Or are we sulking..?"

A frenzied roar pierced the air around her, and Fang winced. "Get on with it, then!" She readied her weapon, scanning the branches above.

A tremendous force shook the ground as a raging beast crashed through the trees, spitting flames down at Fang.

Fang grit her teeth, before she ducked away from the fire, her lance held out before her.

Lightning screeched, rushing forward to snap at Fang, her teeth stopping inches away from her target.

Fang dropped the lance, her gaze a deadly calm.

Lightning snorted with a deep, rumbling growl in her throat.

Fang looked down, before slowly holding her hands out, removing the golden tooth from her neck. "I've never met a dragon quite so polite... It would be a shame to keep this from you." She held out the necklace, placing it on Lightning's nose.

Lightning was silent for a long moment, before she sighed. She closed her mouth, and a human hand caught the falling trinket. "You still stole from me."

Fang shrugged. "I'd heard you were civil, but I didn't expect you to be that civil."

Lightning stood upon the forest floor, golden horns framing her pink hair. "Do you plan to be civil as well? Give back what was stolen?"

Fang's lips twitched in a pout. "Are you really gonna miss it?"

Lightning narrowed her eyes. "No, but that's not the point."

Fang thought for a moment, before snapping her fingers. "What if I told you it was going to feed a bunch of starving orphans?"

Lightning snorted. "I would call you a liar. A lousy one, at that."

Fang grinned. "What if you get to meet the orphans?"

Lightning raised a single eyebrow.

Fang held up her necklace, drawing gasps from the children that sat in a circle around her. "And that's how the valiant Oerba Yun Fang managed to keep you suckers fed until adulthood..."

"Are you really a dragon?" One of the children tried to reach up and yank on Lightning's horns.

Lightning rolled her eyes, before holding up a hand, a tiny white flame materializing within her palm. "Does that answer your question?"

The children scrambled to see the fire, and Lightning had to extinguish it before they managed to burn themselves.

Lightning turned around, narrowing her eyes at Fang. "Until adulthood?" She struggled to keep her hand away from the children. "Hate to break it to you, but they might not make it that far..!"

Fang grinned.