Dragon Kin

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne or its characters. This is all done for fun.

NOTE: I wasn't sure where to take this story when I posted it last year but I recently had a huge spark of inspiration for it and decided to involve a few of my favorite characters. I'm really excited now about how the story will progress and I've had most of it mapped out though I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update. But hopefully it will be as interesting as I think it is.

I've also decided to try a new storytelling style, following George R. R. Martin's example in A Song of Ice and Fire, which is to have each chapter written from one character's point of view. I am, naturally, in no way trying to compete with ASOIAF as a body of work but I thought this would be a fun new way of exploring the story. And I won't have nearly as many characters as those in ASOIAF, only four - Dilandau, Merle, Folken, and Eries. And if you've read enough of my Escaflowne stories, you'll know that I harbor a great fondness for these four characters and enjoy their interactions and potential relationships.

That being said, this will not be a ship-centric story. The characters start out on separate journeys that will eventually converge and there will be interaction, of course, but the shipping stuff will be limited to subtle hints at the most. As much as I enjoy shipping, I don't want that aspect to distract from this very ambitious story I am embarking on.

I've said enough about how much I love Dilandau, Folken, and Eries but Merle has grown on me recently and I wanted a chance to delve deeper into her character. Granted, this newfound appreciation sprang from my crazily shipping her with Dilandau, but it developed nevertheless, and I wanted her in this story. So here is the first of her POV chapters (Folken and Eries will follow as soon as I can write them.) This is also heavily inspired by "TInkerbell and the Legend of the Neverbeast."

And I'm also posting this on her birthday, as a small tribute. Hope you like it!

Happy birthday, Merle!

Thank you. We will not forget you.

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The tracks led deep into the woods, into slightly unknown terrain. Merle frowned and though her instincts warned her to be on her guard, she continued following the strange markings on the ground, eager to find out what manner of creature had made them. She had her suspicions, and these should have been warning enough for her to stay away but she was determined to have them confirmed. She was no stranger to risk, after all, and it had been a while since she had had even the whiff of adventure.

Not that she had much to complain about. Several years had passed since the end of the war and Gaea was enjoying an unusual period of peace and prosperity. Everyone was recovering from the wounds inflicted by that massive conflict and even the land itself was beginning to heal. Much of what had been destroyed had already been rebuilt, especially in Fanelia where Van had begun to settle into his role as ruler and protector of the realm.

The young king was fortunate in his friends, who were constantly supporting him and giving him advice when needed. Merle was immensely proud of how much her friend had achieved and too modest to take credit for her part in helping rebuild the new Fanelia. She had grown confident enough about leaving Van to his own devices and now understood that she need not be around to protect him constantly. She had grown up herself and was forging her own path in the world.

Her current project and one that she had devoted the past few years to was setting up and helping run orphanages and shelters for the youngest war victims, particularly those of her kind. She knew well enough how unjust the world could be to those not fully human, even in peace time, and she was determined to do what she could to provide places of refuge for them. As ever, she wanted to protect the weak and the helpless from the dangers that remained in the world, and for the most part, her endeavors had borne fruit. She had proven to be very enterprising and had received much support for her cause not just from Van but from their other friends outside Fanelia. To her credit, Merle had managed to set up one orphanage and shelter in the capital and she was now visiting a newly built facility set in a more remote area of the country, much closer to the wilderness.

The location had been thoroughly examined beforehand and every precaution had been made. It was a safe place and there was no threat of any danger. Some of the children had already settled in and their caretakers were likewise getting into the hang of things. Everything was running smoothly.

Which is why those tracks were so suspicious.

They weren't immediately visible and Merle seemed to be the only one who had noticed them. She did not alert anyone to their existence but decided to follow their trail as carefully as she could. They started a short distance from the back of the shelter and led into the forest, footprints or what almost looked like claw marks, clearly belonging to a large animal. At the sight them, Merle was immediately intrigued.

But she was more curious than worried. She figured that if this creature meant any harm, it would have caused trouble already. Something about those tracks not only made her wary but also appealed to her protective instincts. She could sense that this creature was in pain.

And it didn't take long for her to track it down, following its prints as well as a trail of broken branches and disturbed shrubbery. Not far from the edge of the forest, Merle picked up a low groan and she carefully made her way towards the source of the sound. Up ahead was a clearing and from the size of the shadows, she knew the creature was close by.

Softly and with the greatest care, she approached the clearing, keeping out of sight but trying to get a glimpse of the ailing creature. Her eyes widened at what was before her.

A dragon.

She had suspected as much, and part of her had hoped this was true but mostly, she couldn't help feeling afraid. After all, these vicious beasts were among the most dangerous in Gaea. And generally the only survivors of encounters with them were those who had completed the Fanelian succession ritual. There was no good reason to be hanging around a wounded land dragon alone in the forest.

For the beast was wounded, Merle could see that much. It was moaning over what seemed like a large thorn piercing one of its legs that it could not seem to remove. And as fearsome as the dragon was, it still stirred some pity in the cat-girl. She saw the agony it was in and her most powerful instinct was to help relieve its pain.

Slowly and even more cautiously, she stepped out of hiding. The dragon didn't register her presence immediately, so engrossed was it in its pain. But after she made a few steps forward, Merle knew that she had gotten its attention. With a jerk of its head, it turned to her and the cat-girl could see herself reflected in one, huge reptilian eye. She stood still, gauging the dragon's reaction. It stared at her and they both took the time to try and determine the other's purpose for being there.

Since the dragon showed no signs of hostility, Merle was emboldened. Tentatively, she took another few steps forward. The beast gave a low growl of warning.

"Easy," she said gently, "easy, I'm not here to hurt you."

The dragon narrowed its eyes at Merle but then, its instincts determined that the cat-girl was no threat. For a moment, the creature was even distracted and curious about this unexpected visitor before it remembered its state of pain. The dragon groaned loudly as Merle finally reached its injured leg.

Trembling slightly, Merle extended a hand, her eyes focused on that of the dragon's. Very slowly, she reached out to where the thorn was placed. The dragon pulled away abruptly.

"I'm here to help," she reassured it, "this will hurt but once it's out, I promise you will feel much better."

The dragon gave her a skeptical look. But Merle continued to speak in a soothing voice and tried her best to communicate, not just in human terms, but in that inexplicable but effective way animals have of conveying their thoughts to one another. Gradually, the dragon seemed to understand, and even trust her, at least to allow her to place a hand on the large thorn.

"Here goes," Merle said, taking a deep breath before pulling the thorn out in one quick motion.

The dragon let out a thundering roar, making Merle's fur stand on end. Her knees buckled slightly at the sound but she managed to suppress all urges to run away. After a few tense moments, the creature calmed down and realized that most of the pain had subsided. Eventually, it began to growl in satisfaction at the turn of events.

Merle was soon able to dress the wound somewhat by tearing a piece of her dress and wrapping it gently around the dragon's leg while the beast watched her curiously.

"There, all better now," the cat-girl announced with a proud grin and the dragon gave a sound of approval.

The beast got back on its feet and with a final glance at the kind stranger, turned to go deeper into the forest. Slightly disappointed that the encounter ended so soon, Merle was relieved to know that the dragon was in much better spirits. She watched and waited until the figure all but disappeared into the woods.

"That's more than enough excitement for one afternoon," Merle thought with amusement. But as she turned to make her way back to the shelter, the cat-girl heard a resonant voice from the depths of the forest, its words carried by the wind.

"Thank you," it said, "we will not forget you."