I'm happy I've gotten such positive feedback on this one! I don't know how regularly I will be posting chapters, but I will try to have them up in a timely fashion. Don't forget to review when you finish reading!
Credit for the cover picture goes to artist Yaushie on Deviantart! Thanks for letting me use it :)
Chapter 2
"It's so…ugly."
Several of the dragons were clustered around Igneel. He held the baby in one of his mighty claws, the child still wrapped in the little bundle he had found him in. many of the older dragons stared at the infant with disdain. They had seen the horrors men could do, and adopting a human hatchling was far against everything they lived by. It was ludicrous!
"Are you going to eat it?" one of the dragons asked.
"If it becomes too much trouble, perhaps I might." Igneel chuckled. "But the creature seemed interesting."
"What is it?" a hatchling asked eagerly.
"A human child," one of the older dragons growled. "It's a horrid creature. You should have never brought it here, Igneel."
Igneel snorted, sparks and smoke rising from his nostrils. "I can do as I please. And I don't have a hatchling of my own. Perhaps the boy can become of use to us."
The old dragon laughed, a deep and rumbling laugh. "A human be of use to a dragon? You must be joking!"
"What kind of hatchling is it? It doesn't even have scales! How does it protect itself?"
One of the dragons reached out toward the child. His claw snagged the skin on the child's neck, slicing open the skin. The baby wailed as the wound began to bleed, tears streaming down his chubby cheeks. Enraged, Igneel snapped at the other dragon.
"How dare you touch my son!" Igneel roared.
"Keep the child if you want," one of the elders growled. "But do not involve us in your foolishness. The child is no kin of ours."
The dragons began to disperse, leaving Igneel alone with the boy. Evening was setting in and the dragons curled up in their individual nests. Even though they lived in a colony, the dragons mostly kept to themselves and Igneel was no exception. The boy continued to cry and wail as he carried it back to his own nest. He curled up on the soft leaves and laid the baby down beside him. But he continued to cry.
"Hush!" Igneel growled, but it only furthered the boy's wailing. Igneel groaned. "What am I supposed to do with this brat? Maybe it wasn't such a good idea…."
But despite his harsh words, there was something about the child that he couldn't help but like. The boy had laughed and embraced him, despite his fearsome demeanor. He wasn't afraid. Igneel glanced at the others before sighing. Using his dragon magic, he transformed his beautiful, red scaly self into a humanoid form. His wings shrunk down and his tail disappeared. Scales covered his skin in patches and his teeth were still just as sharp as ever. He had short, spiky red hair and bright yellow Dragon eyes.
Picking up the child, he held the boy at arm's length. "Stop crying!" he commanded.
He sat down in the nest and held the child closer. He plucked some of his old scales from the nest and wove it into a rough fabric with his magic, like a scarf. Gently he wrapped the cloth around the baby's neck to stop the bleeding. Eventually the child quieted and gazed up at Igneel with red, watery eyes.
"That's better," Igneel grunted. "No more tears." He curled up with the child close to his chest. Even in human form, the dragon gave off an inhuman amount of heat. The baby snuggled into Igneel's warm body and soon drifted off to sleep. "Hmph. This is the last time I take this form, brat. Don't get used to it."
Slowly drowsiness overcame the fire dragon and he too drifted off to sleep, the baby safely tucked in his arms.
V* V* V* V* V* V* V* V* V* V* V* V* V* V*
Many of the dragons in the colony did not take well to the newest edition. Igneel kept the child close, since the tiny meat sack couldn't do much but eat, sleep, and poop. Compared to dragon hatchlings which had claws and fangs, the baby was useless. There were several dragon clans, usually made up of ten to fifteen dragons and their young. In the dense magical jungle there were several dragon colonies, but they lived far apart. After all, dragons are very territorial. Other creatures such as Exceed and Vulcans lived closely with the dragons. After all, they were a great source of protection.
After adopting the boy, Igneel became more ostracized by the rest of the dragons. Though some of the more curious hatchlings ventured close to his nest to see the strange, pink, wingless dragon, he was for the most part alone.
Igneel dropped a rabbit in front of the boy. Natsu giggled, clapping his hands with enthusiasm as he watched the vermin scurry about.
"Don't laugh! Catch it, brat!"
Natsu crawled on his hands and knees. He squeezed the rabbit's fluffy white tail and the boy exploded with the giggles.
The fire dragon sighed and shook his great scaly head. "How am I supposed to teach you to hunt?"
Plucking the rabbit up with his claws, he held it in front of the child. "This, Natsu, this is food. You must learn to catch your own meals. I can't do it for you forever." He breathed fire onto the little creature, cooking it thoroughly before laying it down in front of his son. "Here. Eat."
Natsu stared at the steaming carcass. Suddenly tears welled up in his eyes and he cried. Tears streamed down his chubby cheeks as he wailed.
"What?! What do you want?" Igneel growled angrily. "Eat, boy!"
"I think the boy is too young to eat meat," a female voice said softly.
Igneel rounded on the intruder, barring his teeth and growling deeply. The majestic white Sky Dragon, Grandine, stood behind him. She ruffled her white feathers and frowned at his hostile demeanor.
"Come now, Igneel. There's no need to be so grumpy."
"Grandine," he growled. "What do you want?"
"Only to help you." Grandine held a small flower in her claws. The bud looked like an orchid, but the inside petals came together like a small nipple. The center was dripping with sweet nectar. She lowered the flower and slid the center petals into the child's mouth. Slowly his tears dried up as he suckled happily on the flower. "There now. That's better," she said with a smile.
"What is that?"
"Just a weed. But it produces a sweet and nutritious nectar. Human young cannot eat meat right after birth, you know."
He growled, looking away from the white dragon in frustration.
She laughed. "Let the child suck on those until he is old enough to learn how to hunt. It should keep him quiet until then, I dare say."
Igneel held his head up with pride. "That day will come soon enough. No son of Igneel will become a useless dragon."
"Of course. Do prove us wrong, Igneel. The elders would be glad to see that, I'm sure," she said sarcastically.
"Hmph!" He glowered at Grandine as she sauntered away. But he knew she was right. Sighing, he looked down at the baby at his feet, still suckling on the flower. "We'll show them, Natsu. Someday you're going to be the strongest of all."
Chapter 3 coming soon!