CHAPTER 1
A pink-haired boy sat in a cave, drawing in the dirt with a stick. He wore some blue and red pants, with a jacket that matched the color. Suddenly, a whooshing sound was heard, and the boy looked up with joy.
"I'm back!" said a dragon flying through the entrance.
"Dad!" yelled the 8-year-old. "What did you find this time, come on, tell me!"
"Just a few clothes I saw drying, they'll be good for the future, but they are too big for you now.", said the red dragon.
"How big?" The young boy gasped with a thought "Am I gonna be as big as you?" said the boy, whose name was Natsu. He then proceeded to jump up onto the dragon, who smiled and sighed in response.
"Probably not, but you can still be strong like me! Now, let's go eat breakfast."
"Okay!" said Natsu. He was happy that his dad, Igneel, was back. Now he can go and play! He was then promptly picked up by the gentle jaws of the large beast and was flown out of the cave.
Time skip to when they get there
Once they arrived at the lake for Breakfast, which was a clearing where there was a small lake with fish swimming about, as well as a few fruit trees and berry bushes on the far side of the clearing. Natsu jumped off of the dragon and ran to the lake. Without stopping, he cannonballed into the lake. After a while of swimming about, he climbed out and walked over to the fruits and berries, where Igneel was gathering fruits to keep at the cave for Natsu.
"Dad?" asked the curious boy.
With his voice muffled from the sack of fruits, the red dragon answered, "Yes, Natsu?"
"When can I go meet other dragons, like you do?"
The red dragon sighed. This was not the first time he was asked this question. He usually liked to avoid it, because he wanted to protect his son from any kind of harm, but it was just going to get harder and harder to explain to his son the older he got. He feared the moment that his little hyperactive, pink-haired nutball of a son had to leave. However, he knew the time would someday come.
"Someday, when you are older and stronger. Not to mention more responsible." Responded the dragon.
"But it's boring in the cave when you're gone, and I want a friend." pouted Natsu.
"Son, when I go out, what do you think I do?" Asked Igneel, and in a strangely serious voice.
"Uh, see other dragons?" guessed Natsu with a confused look on his face.
"Actually, no. It is very difficult to find dragons nowadays, for humans have dominated the lands. The dragons could easily take it back, but most of the time, the humans leave us alone, so why bother them? Instead, I go out to watch the humans, to learn things that they do daily. That is how I get my information to teach you what to do in situations. However, humans don't like anything different than what they are used to, so it is extremely dangerous. There was once a time where dragons were respected and feared, but those times have passed. We are nothing but ancient lore now."
Natsu was shocked, how could they not believe that dragons exist? Why was it hard to find dragons? Were they on the brink of extinction? Igneel realized the boy was bubbling over with questions but knew he couldn't answer them. So, he proposed an idea.
"Natsu, I have an idea, why don't you play in the forest while I'm away?"
"I thought you said the forest was dangerous." Said the boy, trying not to get his hopes up too soon.
"It is, but you have been trained to deal with this sort of thing easily." Replied the dragon, with a smile on his face.
"REALLY? OH THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!" Yelled Natsu happily as he jumped up and down, with Igneel chuckling at the sight. Natsu was happy with his dad, and Igneel was happy with his son. Little did they know that their time together was running out.