Thanks to Kuroneko Hikage for starting me off with this idea.
It's gonna be a fun ride! But first some housekeeping matters
- All M-rated/Explicit scenes will be posted to my tumblr and linked in my profile.
- There will be vivid descriptions of blood, gore, battle, and animal harm in future chapters, proceed with caution.
- There will also be discussions of religion and faith.
- Dragons :)
They hadn't put them in chains, but Ichigo could feel heavy iron around his wrists and ankles anyway. The sky was threatening to burst; grey clouds hung heavy already leaking a few fat drops onto the leaf covered ground. The sound was covered up by the groaning of the cage wheels, each time they went over a stone or a tree root and the heavy footsteps of the giant boars, which pulled the cart along. A raindrop hit Ichigo right on the forehead; he wrinkled his nose and wiped it away. The air was sticky and hot and smelt of sweat, animals, and decaying leaves. Ichigo stared through the bars of the cage as it rolled along a hastily clear path through the forest. His entire body was covered in a layer of sweat; the leather of his boots was almost soaked through and his breechcloth stuck uncomfortably to his skin. He wouldn't cry – not in front of his mother; he'd promised her that he'd be strong. So he scowled at the back of the hunter's head, the one that was guiding the giant boars. There were four others, five in all, and all taller and bigger than any man he had seen before. Their breechcloths were stained with blood, dirt, and something that looked like grease. He hated hunters. He hated how they raided smaller tribes, caused wars, and captured travellers to turn them into slaves. He hated how they looked at his mother and sisters and had shoved them into the cage with mean grins that showed crooked teeth.
"Ichigo," his mother hissed, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Not so close."
"I'm not scared of them," he grumbled, but crawled back to her anyway. Karin and Yuzu were huddled against her side, watching the hunters with big, frightened eyes from under the bear-skin cloak thrown over them. Ichigo puffed out his chest and sat down in front of them. He'd protect them. He wouldn't let the hunters harm a single hair on either of their heads.
One of the hunters looked into the cage and laughed, bellowing something in their language. Ichigo snarled at him and the hunter came closer as the boars were guided to a halt. The cage jerked and stopped and the hunter placed a meaty fist around one of the bars. Ichigo stared at his long, yellow fingernails and bulging muscles then to the giant sword strapped across his back. He was covered in dirt, but smudges of bright, red war paint showed through on his face and chest. It looked like blood. Suddenly Ichigo didn't feel so brave.
His mother wrapped and arm around his shoulders and pulled him against her side.
The hunter laughed, then spoke in accented trade tongue. "The small cub needs to learn his strength. If you challenge me, you die."
"I'm not scared of you," Ichigo shouted. His mother pulled him closer to her, shushing him.
The hunter laughed again. "You should be."
The hunters made camp, setting up a fire despite the impending rain. They settled amongst the buttress trees, not caring for any more cover than what was naturally there. Ichigo's father had told him that being out in the open was dangerous and the first thing that he needed to do while he was out in the forest was find shelter. He'd learnt that when he was younger than his sisters, on his first hunting trip. The hunters were probably strong enough not to care. The thought made his stomach feel funny and he squirmed against his mother's side. She held him tightly and kissed the top of his head. One of the hunters was skinning a large bear that they had killed earlier and another had left the band to scout the area, the rest were talking loudly in their language. Ichigo huffed softly. He didn't like not knowing what was going to happen. He had been taught to avoid the hunters at all costs, but what now. He looked to his mother. His face was grim; lips drawn tightly downwards and her eyes looked cold.
"Mama?" he whispered, "what's going to happen to us?"
Karin and Yuzu perked up at the question. Their mother smiled sadly and shook her head. "We will be safe; the Great Cynosure will guide us."
Ichigo looked up. The bit of sky he could see from between the leaves was cover in clouds. He didn't see how the stars, even the father of the stars, could keep them safe when they were hidden. He heard stories of what hunters did to the people they caught. They would be turned into slaves, or killed for fun. He picked a splinter from the bottom of the cage and banged his heels against the wood.
"Mama, I want to go home," Yuzu whimpered, tears forming in her eyes.
"We can't go home, Yu." Ichigo's tongue felt heavy in his mouth
"Why not?"
He swallowed thickly and turned to the hunters. "We just can't."
"Mama?" There was panic in her voice.
"Ichigo," his mother warned, stroking Yuzu's hair to soothe her.
Ichigo folded his arms across his chest and went back to staring at the hunters. They were still talking and throwing around a water skin that Ichigo knew wasn't filled with water. One of them jerked his thumb to the cage and mumbled something, causing the rest of them to laugh. Ichigo didn't know why but he felt his cheeks heat and he shrunk back against his mother.
"Will Papa come save us?" Yuzu asked.
Ichigo watched his mother's expression tighten. Papa hadn't been home in over a year; he didn't know that they were in trouble. And he wouldn't be able to take on five hunters by himself either.
"We'll save ourselves," Ichigo said, trying to act much braver than he felt. At least he got his mother to smile a bit. Even Karin grinned, sitting up and letting the pelt slide from her shoulders. But, he didn't know how they could escape this. They didn't have any weapons, except the small knife he kept in his boot to skin rabbits and sometimes leant to Yuzu to help their mother chop vegetables. The hunters' swords were taller than him and looked like they could chop off a great elk's head in one swing. They looked a bit banged up, cracked and caked with dried blood, but they still looked sharp enough to kill without much effort. Ichigo swallowed thickly.
They were given meat that was overcooked and didn't taste of anything. Ichigo's throat was almost too dry to swallow, but his mother had told him to eat it; they didn't know when next they were going to have a meal. When the sky began to darken, and night began to fall Yuzu and Karin were herded back under the bear skin, but Ichigo didn't want to go to sleep. He couldn't.
"Ichigo," his mother whispered, motioning him to her side, "you need your rest."
He shook his head and looked up. He couldn't tell what was lead, branch, or sky and the air was still hot and sticky. "Where are they taking us?" he asked.
His mother sighed. "Back to the rest of their tribe."
"We're slaves now, aren't we?"
She checked to see if the twins were asleep. "If we do as they say, they won't harm us."
Ichigo clenched his jaw, feeling his eyes start to prickle. "I don't like this. I want to go home. I want Papa..."
She pulled him against her, wrapping both arms around his shoulders. "We will be safe, I promise you, Ichigo."
He swallowed around the lump that had formed in his throat. He wouldn't cry; crying helped nothing. His mother hugged his tightly, but instead of making him feel better, he felt worse.
The hunter that had left the group to scout the forest close by came back and motioned to the others. There was a wild grin on his face and he was fingering the edge of his sword. He said something to the others and jerking his head back to the forest.
"Draconis,"
Ichigo perked up. He couldn't understand the hunter tongue, but that word had sounded like dragon. He turned to his mother to see that she was listening to the hunters now as well.
"Dragons?" he asked quietly. "Do you think they mean Papa?"
His mother hushed him again. He scowled slightly, but did as he was told. Two of the hunters stood up and picked up their weapons, chuckling like mad people. Ichigo felt sick; he didn't like the way they were laughing. He had never seen a dragon before, but he knew that his father had talked about meeting one called Engetsu long time ago. He had heard that they were fearsome creatures that could destroy an entire tribe in one breath of fire, and could effortlessly carry giant boars into the sky. They grew bigger than the great elks or the behemoths of the north with their tusks as wide as a man's waist. They sometimes made nests in this area, and the eggs were as big as his head. He couldn't imagine that someone, not even a hunter, would be laughing if they found one.
He turned to his mother again. She was eyeing the remaining two hunters. Ichigo looked from her to them. They seemed on edge, their eyes fixed on the place where the others had gone. He didn't have to wait long to figure out why. There was an ear splitting roar from the forest. The trees shook and hundreds of birds squawked, fluttering from their perches. Ichigo's eyes widened and Karin and Yuzu woke up. The hunters jumped to their feet and grabbed their weapons before dashing off into the forest. Ichigo watched them leave feeling both excited and scared. He crawled back to the bars and wrapped his hands around them.
"What was that?" Karin asked looking around more in surprise than fear.
Ichigo grinned. "A dragon!"
Karin's eyes widened and Yuzu gasped and looked to their mother.
She nodded in response and got to her knees, letting the bear pelt slide away to reveal a rusty bunch of keys.
"Mama?" Ichigo asked, watching as she crawled to the padlock keeping them enclosed. He tilted his head, when had she stolen them from the hunters? He hadn't even seen her take them. Was that why she had been so calm this whole time? He felt his chest swell with pride. No one played around with his Mama.
"Quickly, sweetlings."
The padlock fell open with a loud clang and the cage door squeaked on rusty hinges. Ichigo grabbed Karin and Yuzu by their hands and made his way after his mother. The four of them ran through the forest in the darkness, occasionally Ichigo stumbled over a tree root. Night insects buzzed and chirped, and there were sounds of battle from behind them; hunters yelling and crunching leaves. Then the trees behind them were lit up with a bright orange flame, plants crackled and snapped and a few animals called out. Ichigo could feel the heat on his back. Yuzu whimpered and Karin squealed in delight. He held on to his sisters more tightly as his mother urged them to go faster.
There was another roar, louder than the first. It hurt Ichigo's ears. He chanced another look behind but it was too dark to see much. There was another flash of heat and the smell of burning wood and earth filled his nose. He swallowed thickly, looking up to his mother.
"Don't look back," she instructed.
He nodded firmly and squeezed Karin and Yuzu hands to tell them they were going to be fine. This couldn't be any worse than being captured by hunters. At least now they were free. Then there was another roar – a softer, higher one – from the direction that they were running to. His mother froze. There were two dragons. Ichigo was silent as she looked to her left then to her right. Smoke was billowing from the trees behind them.
"Mama!" Yuzu began to cry.
Ichigo attempted to hush her, but then his mother knelt down and scooped both Karin and Yuzu into her arms. Ichigo followed her as she turned sharply to her left. They ran to a small stream, splashing through the water then continued on until Ichigo's lungs were on fire. His mother stopped soon after that.
"I'm sorry, Ichigo," she said stooping down and placing Karin and Yuzu back on their feet.
He hunched over with his hands on his knees.
"Take your sisters and hide."
"What about you?"
She pulled him into a tight hug and he felt her kiss his forehead. "I will be back for you. Let the Great Cynosure, keep you safe."
"Mama?"
"Be strong, Ichigo, and watch out for your sisters."
His chest felt tight again, as he watched her kiss his sisters.
"Hide," she instructed and with that she slowly stalked off.
Ichigo took a deep breath, puffing out his chest to act brave for his sisters, but he did not feel brave at all. He grabbed their hands and held on tightly, not knowing where to begin. His mother had left them before and she had always come back, sometimes with food, or a new pelt to keep them warm, and the last time she had brought Ichigo back his hunting knife.
"Ichi," Karin muttered, "over there."
She was pointing to a tree stump not too far away. He nodded and guided them towards it. The stump was hollow, the rest of the tree had fallen long ago, but the roots were deep. There was just enough room for the three of them and the thick buttress made good enough cover. They hadn't been sitting long when the rain finally fell. The noise was almost deafening, drowning out Ichigo's own breathing. He rested the back of his head against the stump and closed his eyes, concentrating. It would be hard to tell if anything was sneaking up on them, but he had to stay alert.
And he was glad he did when he heard the squelching sound of footsteps on sodden ground. He signalled Karin and Yuzu to keep quiet with a finger over his lips and he reached down to grasp his knife.
"Where are you, little cubs?" The hunter's shout was clear over the sound of the rain.
Ichigo stiffened.
"You cannot escape a hunter!"
Ichigo prepared himself. He knew that he couldn't stand up against a hunter, but he had to protect his sisters. Blood pounded in his ears and he slowly got up, about to crawl from the stump when a low growl stopped him. He instantly drew back and covered his mouth with both hands. Karin and Yuzu did the same. He didn't stand a chance against a hunter and he would never dream of facing a dragon. His heart was racing and his stomach was tight.
He heard the hunter shout something in his language. There were heavy footsteps and the growling grew louder. The hunter gave a fierce battle cry and the dragon roared. There was the sound of a scuffle, grunts and growls both human and beast. The vibrations from the movements make the stump shake.
Ichigo dared not to move, but wrapped his arms around his sisters and prayed that the Cynosure would keep them safe. He didn't know who he wanted to win; both options seemed grim. But either way he would have to wait until the fight was over to try to escape.
...
Morning had broken when Ichigo crawled out of the hollow stump. He hadn't been able to sleep, not with all the noise and the rain that leaked through the rotting wood. Even after the sounds of the fight had stopped, he kept still unable to rest. Karin and Yuzu were both still fast asleep, tired out from the excitement of last night. They were cuddled together and Ichigo kissed both of them gently on the top of their heads before crawling out from the stump. A fine mist covered the ground, chilling Ichigo's bare skin as he wandered around. There were signs of a fight, scarred trees, broken shrubs, and marks on the ground, footprints, skid marks, and small pools of discoloured, bloody water. There were no signs of either the hunter or the dragon. That calmed him slightly. Maybe they killed each other. Still, he pulled his knife from his boot and held it at the ready. He wouldn't be caught off guard ever again. He circled the stump two, three times before deciding that both the hunter and the dragon were long gone.
He should go look for his mother, but he couldn't leave his sisters by themselves. He huffed, wrapping his arms around his stomach and gazed off into the forest. He hopped that she would come back soon. His throat felt tight and he wanted to sit down among the ferns and cry. His bit his bottom lip; he had promised his mother that he would be strong. He took a few deep breaths then turned around to wake his sisters. He would need to explain to them what was going on. He took one last look around, hoping that his mother would appear from around one of the trees instead there was a slithering noise and heavy footsteps from behind him. He spun around; brandishing his knife it at whatever was trying to sneak up on him. Instead, he found himself face to face with a dragon. His mind yelled at him for not checking his surroundings properly. In the forest there were no mistakes.
He didn't dare to move, hoping that Karin and Yuzu would stay put in the hollow stump. The dragon growled low in its throat. Amber eyes glowed in the dim morning light, but the rest of it was as dark as fresh coal and blended into the shadows. The scales were rough and slightly raised, like a swamp gator, and had a slight sheen to them; some shone blood red, and others charcoal grey. And it was big, bigger than a giant boar. Ichigo swallowed thickly and stared back at it. The breath from its nose ruffled his hair and was hot, like the air surrounding a fire. For a long moment neither of them moved, but as the growling grew softer, Ichigo felt himself grow less afraid. The longer he stared into the dragon's eyes the calmer he felt. He couldn't explain it. The dragon inched closer lowering its head to the ground at Ichigo's feet. Ichigo stretched out pressing his fingertips to its nose. The scales there were smaller and smoother and almost soft, like a deer's lips. The dragon lazily blinked an eye and pushed its snout against Ichigo's hand. He smiled.
"You protected us last night. You kept the hunter away from us didn't you?" he asked softly. The dragon grunted then flopped to the ground as if suddenly too tired to keep standing. Ichigo chuckled scratching the scales between its nostrils. "Thank you."
The dragon blinked slowly at him and let out a long sigh and rolled onto its side. It was a bit smaller than a great elk excluding the antlers – their shoulders were taller than a grown man with antlers towering above flags that some tribes put on top of their tents. It didn't have antlers, but a pair of shiny, black, stubby horns poked from the scales behind its ears. The spines along its back were the same colour and though longer than the horns, they looked stubby as well. It probably had some growing to do. Its feet looked too big for the rest of it, and its limbs were a bit too long, similar to how young hunting dogs looked – all paws and gangly legs.
"Did you lose your mama, too?" he asked, there had been two dragons last night and unless dragons normally travelled in pairs, it would make sense that a young dragon would stay close to its mama. The dragon didn't respond this time, but its breathing had evened out. Ichigo covered his mouth with a soft gasp; it had fallen asleep. He tilted his head and slowly got up. Karin and Yuzu were going to be surprised when they saw the dragon. Well, Karin might be more excited than scared, but Yuzuz definitely wouldn't like it. He quietly walked around the dragon transfixed by the way the sunlight, glinted off some of its scales. The spines turned into a dark red once they got to its tail. He held back a laugh, when he found out that its feet looked like chickens' own, but instead of four toes it had five. He knelt down to examine the back legs. The claws looked dangerous and were serrated like a cooking knife. Dragons were definitely creatures made for hunting – all covered in hard scales, spines, and claws. The scales on its belly were smoother and smaller than on its back, in fact the only part of it not covered in scales were its wings. They were folded tightly against its side and tipped with small, black spines at the joints. He couldn't reach them from this angled, but they looked like leather. He brached himself on its thigh, to reach up to try to touch them but stopped and sat back on his heels upon discovering a bit of red in between the scales next to where he had put his hand. He frowned, following the trail until he discovered a laceration right below its hip. A few scales had been ripped away completely and the rest around the wound were jagged. He clenched his jaw; this was definitely a sword wound. The bleeding had stopped, but there was still a chance that it could be infected.
"Did a hunter do this to you?"
The dragon had woken up and was craning its neck to see what Ichigo was doing. It blinked at him then went back to sleeping. Ichigo scratched the back of his neck. If dragons worked the same way humans did then he could dress the wound like his mother had taught him. It was the least he could do after it had saved them last night.
Dragons were strange creatures. They were so rarely seen that some people believed that they were myths. And the ones that were seen were feared. Long ago before Ichigo's great great great great grandfather was even a sparkle in his parents' eyes, dragons used were as common as giant boars. They were strong and proud, with hard scales that none but the sharpest spears could piece. They could breath fire hot enough that it would burn for weeks and even through rain. And they were vicious. People used to be afraid of dragons, more afraid than they were now, afraid that they would burn down their tents and steal their children. They were blood thirsty creatures that hunted people for their own amusement. Until a band of dragon hunters was formed. The strongest men and women from tribes across the Obrijan forest came together to protect themselves from the dragons. They made weapons strong enough to kill them, and traps and cages that could stand up against their strength and size. It took decades of bloodshed, but the hunter clan rose to power as the dragons lost theirs. And the Obrijan celebrated.
But Ichigo knew differently; his father wasn't scared of dragons and had taught Ichigo about them before he disappeared. Dragons were predators, but they were no different than sabre tigers, or northern timber wolves. They were more dangerous because of their size and their ability to breathe fire. But, they were not the bloodthirsty hunters that the tales made them out to be. The hunters had done damage to their numbers: killing indiscriminately, destroying nests, killing hatchlings, and smashing eggs. They set traps in places where they knew dragons frequented; it didn't matter how far away from villages they were. Now, it was the hunters who were feared. With the dragons on decline the hunters had turned against their own people. The people who they had once vowed to protect.
Ichigo cleaned out the dragon's wound and chewed a few plants until they were a mushy paste. The dragon remained on its side, but looked at Ichigo, blinking slowly. He packed the wound lightly with the paste, causing the dragon to flinch and grunt. He expected it to snap at him and run away, but it remained calm. Last night he hadn't known which one to be more scared of, the hunter or the dragon. Now, he realised how foolish that thought had been.
I'm excited to start this new project.
Reviews are welcome.
-Mymomomo