A long time ago, in a land you might recognise from old tales of Samurai and their codes of honour, lived a group of animals.
There was the Peacock, the Butterfly, the Bee, the Fox, the Turtle and the leaders of the group, the cat and ladybug.
Their land ravaged by chaos and destruction, the animals spent most of their time hiding away in the shadows, away from the war, but safe regardless.
The animals felt like cowards, but what could they do? They were just small animals, not fit to fight in human wars.
As the war raged above their thicket, the animals cowered underground like they always did, fear a contagious plague amongst them.
But then, something miraculous happened: The noises of war stopped.
The Cat, a curious creature at heart, decided to go and see what was happening, crawling up from the foliage to perch upon their hill.
The Cat looked towards the battlefield, to witness something amazing:
It was a dragon; a long serpentine creature with emerald and crimson scales; white fur running down its spine and powerful nostrils puffing out smoke with each intense breath it took.
The armies had stopped to watch this mythical beast's decent, only to simply ignore it and continue fighting. It appeared even what they might consider a God wasn't enough to stop the war.
The dragon, enraged by this, screeched a terrible sound and flew away, slithering across the sky as it left.
Wait! Yelled the cat after it, to which the dragon paused and flew down, towering over the black feline.
The dragon peered down at the smaller creature, curious as to why it had called them over.
The cat, puffing out its chest, mewed loudly to the great reptile of the heavens.
I want to help! You stood up to those armies, something I've never seen before… Please, teach me—no, teach us the power to make a difference!
The dragon pondered these words and reared up, nodding slowly.
Fetch these other animals for me, Cat, and I shall consider your offer. The cat went straight into the den to gather the rest of the animals who soon stood before the mighty dragon.
The dragon was taken aback, but not at the stature of the animals, no, for it almost seemed happy to see them.
You creatures… have been here the whole time?
At this the animals looked to each other, and the Ladybug crawled forward. Sir, what do you mean? It buzzed.
The dragon laughed, clutching its powerful snout in amusement. The answer to end this war has been right under my snout this entire time! The animals were becoming more and more confused.
Finally taking notice of their perplexed stares, the Dragon finally indulged them.
My friends… This great war all started because two Kingdoms were fighting over a piece of land, and their intense fighting made you all flee. But soon the war grew more fierce and desperate. Why could a simple piece of land cause so much panic? Well, it was because of other reasons: Food shortages, you see… Cat and Fox, because of your absence rats, mice and rabbits ran wild, devouring all the food for miles. Ladybug, Butterfly, Bee and Peacock, because of your absences so feeds or pollen has spread to replace the vegetation, and with no vegetation left the other animals have fled. Turtle, because of your absence lakes and rivers are polluted by fish overpopulation, aquatic life dying by the hundreds which contaminates the waters.
Upon hearing this, the animals wailed and sobbed at their cowardice, but the Dragon smiled warmly at them.
Creatures of the world, do not cry, for all is not lost. You still have time to make things right, so go out into the world and make a difference!
And so the Turtle returned to the water to eat the fish and restore the water. With the water now safe, the Peacock, Ladybug, Butterfly and Bee spread pollen and seeds across the barren land, turning the grey scrub green once more. And when the animals returned, the Cat and Fox kept them in check. Finally, when the war was simply being waged over the piece of land once more, the mighty Dragon claimed it as its territory, ending the War completely.
Out all the animals the Ladybug and Cat worked the best, the Ladybug not only spreading feeds and pollen but keeping insects that might eat the plants in check, something the Fox, Cat and other pollinators couldn't do. Meanwhile, the Cat worked much faster than the Fox, easily getting the rat population back on track.
Many years passed as the animals kept order and balance, while the dragon simply kept humans away from the prized land.
One day a passing Shaman heard the tale of the animals which had stopped the Great War and he set off to find the animals and reward them. To each animal he gave a Miraculous: A powerful relic which symbolised the animal's true power and increased it exponentially. For the Cat and Ladybug's hard work, they were rewarded the most powerful Miraculous: Life and destruction. The dragon, patiently awaited their Miraculous, standing before the Shaman proudly, for it was the dragon that had convinced the animals to take up arms and come back to the world. However, the Shaman simply passed over the dragon, not even looking at it.
The dragon sharply snapped at the Shaman. Where is my Miraculous?! It was I who made all this possible! The Shaman looked to the dragon with kind, sympathetic eyes and said: Oh so powerful Dragon, you do not need a Miraculous, for you are already so strong, and all you did in the war was dominate, conquer and display your greed. The dragon was taken aback and the Shaman walked away, after blatantly insulting the mighty beast to its face.
The dragon, snarling incoherently, flew off to its land, the animals staring after their friend with worried eyes.
The dragon, enraged by the elder's words, rampaged around their territory, spewing fire and tearing up the very earth. However, it soon came to a disturbing conclusion: I shall use my own magic to create a Miraculous…
Harnessing its raw energy, the Dragon did indeed create a Miraculous, in the shape of a dragon patterned silver collar. The Miraculous gave him the power to breathe any form of matter to suit the situation, and he dubbed himself the Dragon of Balance, because what was life and destruction without balance?
However, little did the Dragon know that the Ladybug and Cat already kept balance with their individual Miraculous, so when the Dragon came back and tried to fix problems, it only made them worse. It used a breath of water to extinguish a forest fire, but the intense torrent flooded the grounds and tore down the trees, making the earth and soil completely useless for regrowth. The Dragon noticed that winter was coming late and used its icy breath to cover the land in snow, but the sudden change didn't give many animals to prepare for the winter and many died off. The Dragon also sent harsh winds to level encroaching forests, but it couldn't control the hurricanes once it had breathed them, again causing destruction.
The Ladybug and Cat approached the dragon, pleading with it to stop and let them do the job of Balance, but the Dragon simply scoffed. It was because of me that you gained this power and now I see you're turning against me! Have you no respect for me?! The pair saddened but they were defiant non-the-less.
We do have respect for you, Dragon, but what you're doing it destroying this land just like the humans who caused the war! At this the Dragon went berserk.
How dare you compare me to those chaotic apes! It lunged, attacking the Cat and Ladybug with all its might. A long battle ensued, with both forces getting the better of each other as time passed.
However, while the dragon was fuelled by rage, the Cat and Ladybug were fight for the world, and not themselves. With their motivation higher and in the right place, they struck down their friend and defeated the Dragon, who fell to earth as a lizard. The Lizard hissed up at the Ladybug and Cat, tears in its eyes. The Cat glanced to the Ladybug, confused with their choice to turn the Dragon into a lizard. Don't you think this is a little harsh? Said the cat, but the Ladybug sadly shook its head.
No… Now as the Lizard, Dragon can no longer fly or destroy the land. They will be no threat to the land anymore. Both animals sadly looked at who had once been their friend, now snarling and hissing at them with hatred, specifically at Ladybug.
And from that day on, insects became the basis of food for Lizards.
However, same say the Kwamii of Balance survived and escaped with the Miraculous that the Dragon created, and all it needed was a willing host and the Dragon would one day take flight once more…
Master Fu closed the ancient scroll and pondered over what was written, stroking his beard thoughtfully. Wayzz fluttered over to him, also mimicking his beard stroking, despite not actually having facial hair.
"I wonder if the Miraculous of Balance was ever found. What do you think, Wayzz?" The turtle Kwamii shook its head.
"I doubt it Sir, it has been at least a Thousand years since this story was recorded. Even if it is true we would have heard about something like this, right?" Master Fu nodded, accepting this explanation.
"Ah, I suppose you are right, old friend-" Master Fu suddenly perked and hurried over to his computer. Wayzz fluttered over, confused with Fu's mannerisms.
"But not if it was in a different country!" Rapidly typing on the keyboard, he clicked enter after having typed 'Dragon themed super hero.' He recoiled at what he had found and both Fu and Wayzz leant in to look at the search options.
Dragoon, the dragon themed hero of London finally captures his nemesis, the White Shark.
The Picture showed a costumed, broad chested man suspending another costumed individual by the neck, the villain rather beaten and bruised. Master Fu rubbed his temple and exhaled deeply.
"And so it begins again…"