This time the dragon set me down a little more gently. I moved a fair distance away. Looking around, I found myself at the entrance of a tunnel. The walls were too smooth to be natural and the whole tunnel was big enough to fit the dragon. It used a paw and ushered me towards the tunnel.

"Uh uh, no-ho-WAY am I going in there! I don't do dark and musty." It grunted and gently pushed me forward with the back of a claw. I shoved back, ultimately doing nothing. "D-hey! Leave me alone!" I tried to get around the paw, only for it to pick me up again. It began walking inside.

"Let me go!" I squirmed as its paw kept a hold on me. It set me down in the middle of the cave and started to walk off. "I am out of here!" I started running to the door, but its tail whipped over my head and cut through a repurposed bridge cable near the entrance. A big door started falling in front of the entrance. I tried to run faster, but something caught my ankle, almost making my head bounce off the floor. I watched in horror as the door slammed shut.

"No..." The thing around my ankle began dragging me backwards. I tried to find anything to grab onto, but the floor was too smooth. I rolled over, glaring at the dragon as its tail let go of me. It snorted again and walked off. I laid there for a moment, trying to gather everything that had just happened.

Sighted first ever dragon? Check.

First sighted dragon is actually giant robot? Check?

Dragon that turns out to be a robot kidnaps me? Check

Anyway I can leave this place? Need to check.

I got to my feet, looking around. Lights were strewn about the cave, giving it an eerie glow. In this main cave there was a whole lot of interesting things. Cars, busses, fridges, you name it. I walked over to the main door, but there was hardly any place for me to see outside, much less a place for me to crawl through.

'Kidnapped by a hoarding robotic dragon. At least I have a place to hide.' I walked over and stepped up into a bus. All the windows were busted, and it was warped, probably from being grabbed by those massive claws. I found a still intact bench seat and wiped any broken glass off of it, laying down to think for a while. I tried to stretch my arms over my head when I remembered I still had my wingsuit on.

"Oops, might want to keep this safe." I took it off, stuffing it into its bag. I checked over my gear, seeing what I had. Sadly, my parachute bag had most of my stuff in it, and there is literally no telling where that thing was by this point. Lightning could have hit it, or it could have gotten stuck in a tree. Or an animal tore it apart. Any of those were an option really.

5 Granola bars (Not a whole lot, I just hope I'll live long enough to need them...)

Fire starting kit (Once I get outside, I'll definitely need this)

One man tent (Probably going to need that...)

Flashlight, with extra batteries (I was actually smart?)

Emergency blanket (Awesome)

"Well shoot, that's not a whole lot." I looked up as I hear metal footsteps, only to duck when the dragon entered the room. I peeked over the windowsill to see it look around. It stiffened for a moment, and its eyes glowed green. The eyes shot out lasers, which started scanning whatever object it looked at. It slowly scanned the room and I ducked when it looked towards me.

I tried not to panic when I heard footsteps coming my way. I slid under the seat and waited with bated breath. I barely held back a yelp of surprise when the whole bus tilted sideways, but I tried to stay where I was.

The bus rocked again, and the whole roof was torn off, the green eyes lighting up the whole thing. My world tilted forward, and I slid unwillingly from under the seat. I froze when I made eye contact with the dragon.

"Heh. Uh, fancy meeting you here..." I said even as I paled. It blinked and its eyes went back to their red color. It reached a claw in and tried to grab me, but I yelped before pulling myself under another seat. It growled in what I assume was annoyance. My whole world shook and shifted. I heard a loud screech of metal and covered my ears as the front of the bus was completely ripped off. I saw a metal claw at the new opening, and the whole bus was tilted up on its end. I grabbed a seat leg and watched hopelessly as my bag slid passed me.

'Dang it, I need that!' The bag landed on the dragon's palm, and it paused to study it. I held on as long as I could, but my arm was still sore from the wind earlier, and my fingers failed me.

"No!" I slid down the bus, going too fast to grab anything else. I landed on its paw, almost rolling off the other side. It tossed the bus to the side as it looked at me. I cracked an eye and saw it staring at me.

"Please, don't eat me?" I whispered meekly. It grunted and reached around, setting me on its back. I sat there dumbly as it walked farther into the cave, my whole world shifting as the mechanisms whirred and hissed. I grabbed my bag before it fell and looked at the massive machine as it moved. Its wings were folded tight against its body, looking like they locked in place, almost like shields protecting its sides when not in use.

I looked over my shoulder and watched as its tail swung lazily in the air, assisting its balance with the occasional twitch. The whole robot was self-sufficient in moving, and despite. It was covered in rust, giving it its red appearance. I was curious as to who built it. And how.

I turned back around to see the dragon had stopped walking and was watching me. I ducked my head, somehow feeling a little embarrassed. I looked up when I felt it tilt backwards. The dragon was laying down, bending its back legs first. I carefully grasped the edge of a metal plate as it laid on its belly, gaskets hissing as it settled.

I scooted back when its massive head twisted back to me. Its nostrils flared, and hot air washed over me. It felt oddly nice after marching up a mountain in below freezing temperatures. I let out a deep breath and looked it in the eye. It seemed intelligent enough to understand me, so maybe I could get some nonverbal answers.

"Why did you bring me here?" It titled its head, almost like it was thinking. It came out of the thought process and moved closer. I stuck my hands out to keep a little distance, but it simply nuzzled into them, its eyes closing slightly. I couldn't believe what was happening.

'Did I just get kidnapped by a robotic dragon because it wanted a friend?' I slowly ran my hands over its nose, seeing small plates of metal shifting as its nostrils flared again. The details were incredible. I looked into its eyes again, and as alien as it was, being both draconic and robotic in nature, it almost looked happy. Could a robot feel happy? They could emulate expressions, sure, but was this thing actually feeling the emotion it was showing? It couldn't, it was just wiring and gears. Right? It nudged my hands again, breaking me out of my stupor.

"What?" It reached around me and grabbed me by the backpack, lifting me up. "What are you doing?!" I flailed, panicking. It gently set me down near its belly. Then it curled around me and rested its head on the ground, its tail wrapping around to complete the circle. I stood there, not sure what to do as the dragon fully surrounded me. It watched me for a while then closed its eye, probably going to sleep. Or whatever robots do.

There was no way I was getting out of the little prison. I probably couldn't climb over its tail without it noticing. I set my bag down and pulled out the emergency blanket, draping it over myself before taking off my helmet and resting my head on my bag to doze off. The mechanical whirring and hissing were rhythmic and almost calming.

'Glad I still have my snow gear. I'd be freezing without it.' Soon the world around me disappeared as I sunk into unconsciousness. 'I just hope I wake up tomorrow.'

««{{¤}}»»

Well I definitely woke up. To the sound of screeching metal, loud hissing of hydraulics and gas lines, and a large roar. I snapped upright and froze. Everything from yesterday flashed back into my mind. Snowboarding, robot dragon, kidnapping.

'Oh yeah...' The dragon saw I was awake and laid its head down on its paws with its eye staring at me, blinking slowly. I cautiously walked over to its head and held up a hand, asking for silent permission to touch it. It let out what sounded like a low purr and I took that as a good sign. I gently ran my hands over its jaw, then looked at the rest of it. The whole head itself was easily bigger than me.

I observed all the details, being in absolute awe at it. I looked at its eye with curiosity. It shifted slightly as it looked me over. It was a bright, glowing red color with a silted pupil. It seemed to pierce me straight to my core.

"You are beyond incredible." It blinked. "What are you?" It hesitated, thinking about something for a minute. It made up its mind and lifted its head and paw, using a claw to point to its chest. I walked over and saw it was pointing at some sort of symbol. The symbol looked like a mask that resembled an arrowhead. It had sharply angled eyes, and what looked like a crown on its head. The whole thing was purple and was bigger than my hand.

I ran my fingers over it. I grabbed my helmet from my stuff and popped it on my head. I dropped the second visor, snapping a few photos of the mask. It didn't look like it sent a pleasant message. I turned to the dragon and raised an eyebrow, taking my helmet off.

"What does this mean?" It stared at the symbol, then looked away, almost like it was ashamed of it. "What? Do you not like it?" It looked at me out of the corner of its eye, shaking its head.

"It's nothing bad, is it?" I asked nervously. This dragon could be more dangerous than I first thought, and even though I was already defenseless against it, I started to feel even more hopeless. The dragon almost seemed to shrink into itself, letting out a low moan. I took a step back. "What does that symbol mean? Why do you have it?" The dragon sighed and stood up, towering over me. I quickly backed away, not wanting to be near it if it was going to do anything aggressive. It walked to the other side of the cave and sat down, facing away from me. My brow furrowed hard.

'Did it just...run?' I hesitated. For all I knew, that could have been a warning, and it might attack if I get closer. 'That's stupid. Shut up paranoia.' I shook my head as I walked over slowly before stopping at what I hoped was a safe distance.

"Hey. What's going on?" It turned its head to look at me, but only for a second before turning back. I moved closer, placing my hand on its tail that had curled around its legs. It glanced at me again, then sighed. It brought its head around, not meeting my eyes for more than a few quick glances. I gently rubbed its nose.

"…It can't be that bad. You obviously aren't evil." It flinched back and I furrowed my brow. "Come on. You would have hurt me by now, right?" It sighed and gently nudged me back a few steps.

Then its face split open down the middle.

I yelped and scrambled backwards. Its whole body started morphing. Its tail retracted and formed something on its back, and its paws changed to feet and hands. After only a few seconds, it stopped shifting, and it wasn't a dragon anymore. Now it was a giant humanoid robot, bent on a hand and knee. Its bowed head raised to look at me with those same red eyes. Its mouth opened and a grating voice came out.

"I...am...Decepticon..." My eyes were the size of dinner plates and my whole body was shaking.

"...What the freak..."