Dragon!Reader x Hunters!Nordics - (8/?)

Dragon!Reader x Hunters!Nordics - (8/?)

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Note:  Everything that is in italics is the back story, and everything in regular type is you speaking and/or anyone else speaking.  When you see regular type, it will switch to 'you' and first person will be 'I'.

Also WARNING:  Tears may be shed and there's some stuff in here that might require me to put a warning on.  If so let me know and I'll change the settings for this chapter. You have been warned!
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-------Reader's POV (1st person)---------

Everything two centuries ago was peaceful and balanced.  Humans and dragons never had any reason to dislike one another.  Sure they had their differences at times, but nothing had ever escalated beyond warnings.  Everyone shared the land and its bounty, and there was enough food and resources to go around.  

That was the world I was born into.  I was barely a century old, very young in dragon years, and my family never had any trouble with the humans.  I had separated from them when I was about 80 years old, wanting to roam and find adventure somewhere.  I wasn't alone though.  My childhood friend, Lazuli, always followed me around.  We were almost inseparable.  He never let me get into trouble and watched my back.

"(Name)!  Slow down, we aren't in that big of a hurry are we?" He called from behind me.

"No, but I really want to see my family again.  It's been 20 years you know."

"That's not that long you know.  A blink of the eye to us."

"Whatever.  Now hurry up, or I'll leave you behind!" I called and flew faster.

He was always a slow flyer, but managed to keep up.  We flew over villages and plains as the humans watched us with weary gazes.  I didn't know then that tensions had grown bad between them and us, nor heard anything about the dangers that had shown themselves in the lands I grew up in.  Everything was fine when I left, but when I returned everything was wrong.  There were no animals around, except for the sick and old.  The once lush fields bore no food for the humans, and even they were sickly and weak.

Soon enough, we came upon the cave my family and I called home, but what I came across I will never forget.  My father was missing scales and his hide held weapons used by the humans.  My mother was thin and frail, like she hadn't eaten in weeks.  And my sister...she was barely even alive.  She was thinner than my mother, and couldn't move from her place upon the stone ground.

"What happened?!" I cried out in horror.

They all looked up at me as if they didn't know me or Lazuli.  It took them a few moments to calm down before memorization flashed across their faces.  My mother was the first to approach me.

"(Name)?" my mother asked in a weak voice, "Is that you?"

"Yes, mother.  What's happened here?"

"The humans," my father said simply, "They blame us for the sickness of the earth, and the loss of food."

"Sickness of the earth?  I noticed the animals had become sick as well as some of the humans, but what do you mean?"

It was then they told me of the plague that had swept through the lands.  The animals were the first to succumb to it.  Falling sick one day, then a few days later dropping lifeless to the ground.  Humans who ate the sick animals became sick themselves, ad began to spread it to others upon contact.  The dragons faired no better.  With the animals dieing so quickly food began scarce.  We were apparently immune to whatever sickness afflicted them.

"Wait.  This plague you speak of.  You mean the one that lasted 50 years, correct?" Lukas inquired.

"Yes, that one."

"It was said the dragons brought it upon us."

"No, we did not.  I don't know what did, but after living so long with the dragons and nothing happening, it was hard to believe that they thought we were the cause of it.  It was like they changed into a mirror of themselves.

Lukas just nodded in thought and motioned for you to continue.

The plague had spread like wildfire through the lands.  Nothing living, except the dragons, survived its touch.  The humans soon began to place the blame on the dragons for both the disease and the food shortage.  Competition for food and land grew deadly, often ending with deaths to both dragons and humans.  My father had to defend the family while also go hunt for anything he could find.  This included the precious livestock of the humans.  He only stole that livestock when in desperate situations, and it usually resulted in more scars and lost scales.

"Father!  We need to leave these lands!  We can't live like this, and it's only a matter of time before the humans decide to come kill us here," I pleaded.

"We cannot," his voice hopeless and dull.

"Why not?!"

"Your sister cannot move, your mother is too weak to fly, and I....I will not abandon them here.  I will fight them until I draw my last breath."

I couldn't say anymore.  I knew my father wouldn't change his mind.  He was too prideful to leave them, and he loved my mother dearly.  He just walked away and went to lay near my mother, who was trying her best to comfort my dying sister.  I looked into my sister's weak eyes and read the silent message she was giving me.  I knew what she wanted.  I knew she wanted me to be the one to do it, so I silently walked up to her.  Lazuli could only stand there and turn his head away.  My mother and father watched me and saw the look I had in my eyes.  They knew what had to happen, but they couldn't bring themselves to accept it.

"No....no, please no," my mother begged.

"...Please....end it," my sisters hoarse and lifeless voice pleaded.

She then exposed her neck to me before closing her eyes, waiting for the end she wanted so desperately to come.  I closed my eyes and lunged at her, plunging my fangs into her neck.

"Tha...nk....you...."her voice trailed off as she openly accepted death.

My mother wept as my father comforted her.  He looked at me a nodded.  He knew it had to be done, but he himself couldn't bring himself to do what I had done.  I let go of her neck and silently walked out of the cave.  Lazuli followed behind me silently, not wanting to speak, but wanting to at least comfort me.  As soon as I got outside, I spread my wings and took flight, leaving the ground in the blink of an eye.  I left Lazuli there behind as I began to weep.  I let a mournful cry out that echoed through the skies.

You were crying now as you recalled those painful memories.  You could see Tino's eyes brimming with tears as were everyone else's.  Rose had come up on your right side and Hans on the left.  Both had their arms around you as you continued to tell your tale.

Over the next few months, Lazuli and I tried to take care of my family, warding off humans and hunting whatever we could find.  It was only a matter of time before the humans came to the cave.  We knew it would happen, but when it did we still weren't prepared.  They came with swords, spears, arrows, and magic users whose spells could penetrate our scale armor.  My father fell first, next my mother.  He died protecting her till his dying breath.  I tried to save them, but I wasn't strong enough to protect them.  

I felt weak.

Powerless.

Lazuli had pushed me out of the cave as we both turned to the skies.  We saw dragons from all over flying south, away from the once fertile lands in search of new ones.  It was also at that moment that I realized my scales were different and rare.  Not one of the others had the same color as I did.  They all looked weak and skinny as they used their remaining strength o escape the humans who were now launching a full scale assault on us.  Arrows flew through the air as flying rocks and spears were launched at us.  Some of the dragons tried to fight back, launching fireballs and flame streams along the ground and their weapons.  People ran across the fields on fire as the weaponry burned to the ground.  We dodged the arrows and spears left and right as we tried to fly away as fast as we could.  A sudden pained and agonizing cry came from beside me as Lazuli began to plunge to the ground.

I dived down and caught him and lowered us into the forest.  I then took notice of the huge spear that was glowing blue, and it was embedded into both his wing and shoulder.  It must have punctured something because the bleeding wouldn't stop, and t was coming out far too quickly.  His breaths began ragged and his claws raked the ground beneath him.  His eyes were diluted with fear and panic as they searched for me.  When they landed on me they stayed glued to me.  I nuzzled my face against his, trying to comfort him through the pain.

"...Live...(Na...me)," he spoke through ragged breaths.

"No!  Not without you!  I won't leave you behind!!!"  I cried.

He smiled at that, his eyes beginning to dull.

"I...love..y...ou.  Please, live...for me.  Find...another to....protect..." he said through his last dying breath.

My eyes dilated and I clenched my teeth before opening my jaw to release the loudest, anger filled roar to could.  The earth shook beneath me, and every living thing ran as far as they could away from me.  I saw the humans begin  to approach me and Lazuli's body.  I bared my fangs at them and stood my ground.  How dare they take everything I loved away from me.  How dare they place blame on us, who had done nothing wrong.  I felt the anger and hatred begin to boil in my heart.  I was about to release my flames upon the group when I heard screams coming from behind me.  

I looked towards the source and saw woman and children running in fear as flames from other dragons burned down their homes.  A mother and her eldest child, probably 18 in age, fled from a burning building, clutching each other for dear life.  As I watched them, memories of my family dying at the hands of the humans flashed through my mind.  These humans were just like us, scared and helpless.  Unable to do anything while their whole fell apart around them.  I stayed my flames, causing the nearby humans to look at me in confusion.  Within a millisecond, I opened my wings and shot up into the sky.  I gave one more mournful look back at Lazuli, letting one more single tear flow, as I flew forward, leaving the past and my love behind me.

"Wait, you mean to tell me you just left the humans there and didn't kill them?" Matthias interjected.

"What good is killing when it is unnecessary?  If I had killed those humans, I would just be fueling the hatred that was already blinding them."

He just huffed and crossed his arms again, but continued to listen to you.

Days past as I flew north instead of south.  Other dragons thought I was suicidal, telling me there was nothing up north, only cold, snow, and ice.  I didn't care at that point, and let their pleas and advice pass over me.  I had nothing left to live for.  No family, no friends, no nothing.  Only the last dying request of my deceased lover.  When I finally began to run out of energy to fly, I remember I flew over a village and crash landed a few miles north.  The fact that I flew over a human village didn't cross my mind.  I didn't care at that point in time.

I lay there for a few minutes before standing up to shake off the snow.  Once I got my bearings, I noticed an small indent in the mountain.  I walked closer to it to examine it, noting that the entry was small, but a larger cavern laid inside.  I decided to make it my new home for the time being, but quickly noted that I needed to find something to eat.  I took to the skies once again, and within minutes found a large elk.  To find prey that easy meant this land was fertile and habitable.  Diving from the sky, I quickly killed the elk and began to chow down.  It had been forever since I last ate, but that catch would do me for a few days.  Once done, I licked the blood off my muzzle and flew back to the cave.

I stared at it for a few moments, trying to think how I could fit through it.  Then it occurred to me that I had a bit of magical powers, like all dragons but a bit stronger.  My father taught me how to use it, so I began to picture the girl I saw back at the old village.  Within moments, my body shone in a bright light, and once it faded I had taken the form of the village girl.

I looked down at my hands that were now covered in flesh and not scales.  I felt so fragile in that form, but it was necessary.  The only armor I had on was the clothing I had conjured up with the girl's form.  I was wobbly when I tried to walk, not being used to the whole two legs thing, but I got the hang of it soon after.  I wearily walked into the cave, hoping that nothing dangerous had made its home in there.  Thankfully I didn't sense anything, and once I came to the middle my mouth dropped open.  It was huge compared to my previous cave.  I could already tell I was going to need extra lighting to be able to see, so that was the first thing I did.

Over the next few days, I fixed up the cave to be more habitable while also hunting to gather up my lost strength.  It was only a few weeks later that the first group of humans finally came to my cave.

"Are you sure you saw the beast fly up here, old man?" a male voice asked in annoyance.

"Y-Yes, the dragon flew up here almost a month ago.  We have seen it hunting in the nearby woods," the feeble man's voice answered.

"Good, now lets go collect our prize boys."

Their footsteps sounded throughout the outside of the cave, frantically searching for me.  I knew confrontation was unavoidable, but as soon as they walked into the cavern, I did not make a move.  The men just looked at me like a an item, a prize waiting to be claimed.  It was sickening.  Had humans truly fallen so low to treat dragons like some kind of ordinary animal?

"This one's got scales I have never seen before.  More coin in it for us," one of them cheered.

"Yeah, they'll sell nicely at the market.  This must be our lucky day since these beasts are becoming harder to find by the day."

I saw the resolve in their eyes and quickly took note of the mage standing behind the group.  The mage began to cast its spells, causing the weapons to shine in blue.  I quickly took action to defend myself and launched a fireball over their heads.  The cave began to shake violently, knocking stalagmites loose from the ceiling.  The men dodged frantically, trying to avoid the falling debris as I sat there and took each brunt of the rocks.  They didn't hurt a bit, but I continued to watch the humans without making another move.  Once the tremor subsided, the men seemed to be shaking in their shoes.

"T-This isn't an ordinary dragon, boys.  We need to leave.  Retreat!"

With that they fled my cave in a panic.  I smirked at how bold, yet cowardly they were.  This continued on for the next year.  Hunters would randomly could along and I would scare them away.  It was quite entertaining, but even so I didn’t feel any better.  Some left with some injuries, but I made sure to kill none of the them.  However, I took notice that over that year, fewer and fewer hunters came to the cave.

‘Maybe they finally gave up,’ I thought to myself.

Was I so wrong.

One day I left the security of the cave to go hunt, but never did I expect a group of hunters to lie in wait for my return.  I flew down from the skies above, and right as I landed a shout called from behind me.  An arrow flew into my hind leg while a hunter came up and sliced my forearm.  I screamed out in pain as I tried to fend off the hunters.  There was at least 10 of them, all backing me into the side of the mountain, giving me no room to take off.  They taunted me, hunting me like I was sport for them.  I didn’t really fight back, but with no chance of escaping and the will to live becoming strong, I knew there was only one way out.

“I’m sorry,” I said, causing them to pause.

I let a stream of fire escape my jaws and let it consume the humans in front of me.  I never wanted to hurt them, but they came too close to killing me.  They screamed in agony for only a moment before they each fell to the group.  My heart sank even further when two of them embraced one another before they fell as well.  I walked over to them and noticed they each shared two halves of the same necklace.  

It read ‘Brothers Forever.’

I lowered my head in grief and let tears flow down my cheeks.  Unknown to me, some of the villagers had heard me speak, and were now witness me crying.  They were all shocked at my behavior.  Sure they were curious why all the other hunters were still alive, but after seeing this they knew I was different.  Silently, they slipped back to the village and began to prepare a risky endeavor.  

Meanwhile, I had dug into the ground about 10 holes and carefully placed each of the humans into one.  I paid no mind to my wounds though they were painful.  I needed to make sure they found peace, and had a proper burial.  I then covered up those holes and placed a good sized boulder at the head of each one.  I placed the largest of the boulders near the brothers, whom I buried together.

“Is that what those stones outside your cave were for?” Berwald asked.

'So they dd notice them,' you thought.

“Yes, that is the grave sight for the hunters I killed.  And to answer that glare, Matthias, no they weren’t the first.  The first were the ones I killed to protect my family.”

Matthias’ glare only grew more intense to the point you were shifting uncomfortably in your seat.  

“C-Continuing on…”

I went back to my cave, hoping that it would be quiet for the next few nights as I tried to clean my wounds.  I now had multiple cuts on my forearms and a few on my neck.  I knew I still had at least 3 arrows stuck in my back, but I couldn’t reach them to pull them out.  Luckily I had lost no scales, just a few they were sliced off a bit, but they would grow back.  I whimpered in pain as each breath I took caused the arrows to shift, slicing the skin that was so desperately trying to heal and close back up.  I laid out in a straight line, trying not to move as I tried to get some much needed sleep.

Outside the cave, soft footsteps moved through the snow.  Their owner noticed the graves that had not been there earlier.  It warmed their heart to see that even a dragon had sympathy, or even cared for the dead.  The human walked over to the cave, and, taking a deep breath, took a step inside.  He moved silently, but I had already heard his scuffling outside.  I just laid where I was, but kept my eyes on the human as he entered the cavern.

He was about…20 I’d say…and he had on thick clothing to protect him from the harsh snow that was now falling outside.  His hair was brown and short, but his face was clean shaven.  In his arms there were herbs, cloth, and what looked to be meats.  His knees trembled as I looked over his figure.  He was scared, but it was obvious that he had not come to harm me.

“Why are you here?” I asked, not rudely or menacingly.

“M-M-Medicine.  A-As an ap-polgy, as well as a t-thank you,” He stuttered, clearing having trouble forming his words.  He had never heard of dragons being able to talk, so this was a first.

“A ‘thank you’?”

“You buried the h-hunters, right?  We believe you are a benevolent dragon.  A-At least we hope…”

“I do not harm anyone unless they harm me.”

“So as long as we don’t threaten you, you wont do anything to the village?” Hope dripping from his voice.

“Yes, though I never was going to attack the village in the first place.  Nothing to gain except more hatred…” I trailed off, letting my head drop back down to the ground in exhaustion.

I heard his hesitant footsteps approach me, but I made no move to stop him.  He then placed the items on the cavern floor and began to work on my wounds.  He first went to the arrows on my back, having to stand on the tips of his toes just the reach them.  I rolled to the side a little to try to help the process.

“U-Um, this is going to hurt since I need to pull the arrows free,” his voice stated hesitantly.

With that he quickly plucked each arrow out of my hide.  Each one felt like a searing hot rod being pulled out of my back, but I stifled my whimpers of pain.  I heard him whisper sorry after each arrow.  Something was on my mind though.

“Why?” I asked.

“Huh?”

“Why are you helping me?  Please tell me the truth.”

“…My old man saw what you did earlier with a few of the other villagers.  He even witnessed you beginning to set up the graves outside.  He doesn’t think you are a threat, and wanted to help you after the kindness you showed the hunters.  He couldn’t make the trip up here, so he asked me to go in his place.”

“You sound as if you didn’t wish to come.”

“W-Well of course not.  I didn’t want to come here and risk being killed, but…speaking to you right now, I’m kind of not seeing that happen.”

“Hmmm,” I hummed in understanding before speaking again, “Not all dragons are bad.  Where I came from, we lived in peace with humans until the plague came.  Then they turned on us.”

“I-I’m sorry,” He whispered.

“Not your fault.  You had nothing to do with it.”

He stared at me as I tiredly closed my eyes.  He was beginning to trust me a bit more than when he first entered the cave.  He resumed cleaning the rest of my wounds, paying special care to the large one on my right forearm.  It was the worst of the wounds, but after he applied the medicine it felt better.  He stood up and inspected his work, grunting in approval.  However, he soon turned his attention to the cave entrance upon hearing the roaring winds outside.  Snow blew inside every other gust, signaling a snow storm had descended upon the land.

“I’m not going to make it back in this storm,” the boy panicked.

Without warning, I brought my tail to him and picked him up with the pincer at the end of it.  He squeaked in surprise as I brought him to lay next to me.  I then unfurled my wing so it would act as a shelter to keep the cold wind back.  He just looked at me in shock, unable to form any words.

“Stay until the storm has passed…and thank you for treating my wounds,” I sighed out sleepily.

He just nodded, slowly relaxing against my side.  Soon enough we both fell asleep as the cold, winter winds blew outside.

Hours later, I began to stir from my slumber after having a nice dream.  I groggily opened my eyes and noted the boy still sleeping at my side.  I smiled at the sight.  Never in my life had I even imagined getting this close to a human.  Was it destiny or fate?  I didn’t know.  Soon the man began to awaken as well, stretching his stiff limbs and popping some joints.  As his eyes fluttered open, he seemed to forget that he was still in the cave.  He flailed away from my side in shock as his eyes landed on my own.

“I-I’m terribly sorry.  I didn’t mean to -”

“Hush, it’s alright.  The storm has passed, so it’s safe for you to return home,” I said softly.

“T-Thank you, but before I return I must hunt for the village.  Supplies are running low.”

This peaked my interest slightly, “Hard time finding food?”

“Yes, and with the snow storms and cold temperatures it makes hunting harder.  We are barely getting by,” he said solemnly.

I just nodded in understanding as he left the cave in a hurry.  I then looked to see the slices of meat he left behind.  He could have taken it for himself, but instead he chose to leave it for me.  In all honesty, I didn’t need to eat for another day or so, but I ate the food anyway.  I proceeded to lay out on the cavern floor to continue to rest.  I must have laid there for at least a few more hours.  As I lay there, my mind kept going back to how the boy said the village wasn’t doing so well.  

‘They showed me kindness…Maybe I can show them some kindness as well,’ I thought.

I began to carefully lift myself from where I lay and proceeded outside the cave.  It was at that time I realized my injuries showed themselves on my human form as well.  Once outside I transformed again and took to the skies.  I tried to keep my flight smooth, but with the injuries it wasn’t working out too well.  I spotted a pair of elk from the sky and stealthily dived down and caught them.  The two should last the villagers a few weeks at least.  I picked one up in each paw, though it was difficult holding the elk in my right one, and took off towards the direction of the village.  I spotted it within minutes, quickly taking note that it wasn’t too large, but not too small either.  I could see the children running around playing, and the adults tending to the livestock and fields.

As I began to descend, someone spotted me and began to scream in panic.  I decided to land near the gates since I didn’t want everyone running for their lives, though it was kind of happening.  I landed within the wall, but stayed close to the gate.  I stood on my hind legs and watched as some of the humans drew their swords at me.  The eldest, whom I assumed was the leader came out from his home and walked over to see what was happening.  The boy whom I met earlier was with him, shouting at the humans to lower their weapons.  I then set the elks down in front of me and stood back a little.  The humans looked at me confused as I gently pushed the elk towards them with my snout.

The boy came up to me first, addressing my with respect, “Mighty dragon, why have you come here with these elk?”

“You helped me, so in return I wish to help you.  These are for you,” gesturing to the elk.

“D-Do your words ring true?  These are truly for us?” bewilderment in his voice.

I simply nodded my head, and watched as the villagers cheered in relief.  A couple even came up to me and bowed with respect.  I didn’t want to be treated that way though.  I then did something they didn’t expect.  I stood up on my hind legs and shifted into my humanoid form.  They all gasped in surprise and wonder as they now looked at my human form.  They also noticed the wounds I had received and grimaced slightly.

“What sorcery is this?” one man asked out.

“Magic,” I stated simply, “I wished to be seen as an equal to you, though I’m not sure if this really counts.”

The elder then came up to me and gazed into my eyes with his tired ones.  He brought his feeble hand up to my cheek and stared into what felt like my soul.  We stayed like that for a moment before he pulled away.

“I see no anger or hatred in your eyes, dragon.  And after witnessing what happened yesterday, and hearing of my grandson speak fondly of you, I welcome you to out village.”

Some people lashed out while others pondered the idea of having a dragon around.  I saw the insecurity and fear show on their faces as well as some accepting glances.  I thought to myself that this could be a new start, and maybe a new way of living.  A dragon living side by side with humans.  Although, I knew it would take time for something like that to happen.

“Thank you, but I believe it would be wise for me to continue staying in my cave.  I don’t think many people here would like a dragon living with them.”

The people were shocked at my consideration, but nodded their heads in agreement.  The boy then came up to me and gave me a smile.  He ruffled my hair a little bit, seeming to be more at ease when I was a human.  

“I think we can get along,” he said with a smile, “My name’s Lance.  Do you have a name?”

I smiled and replied, “It’s (Name).”

From then on I frequently stopped by the village.  Many people asked for my help, whether it was hunting or protection from predators I helped them.  I got to know everyone, and became good friends with a few of them.  Over the years I began to become treated like any other person there.  I was seen as not only and equal, but as a friend.

“I have never left this place since then, and I don’t regret anything,” you concluded.

The children’s faces were wide open in a large ‘o’ and the hunters seemed mystified as well; except for Matthias of course.  Although, he did seem to have softened up just a bit, but it was something.  

“How can you prove that this story of yours is real?” Matthias inquired suddenly.

You were about to answer, but John beat you to it, “We have journals and books written by the elders during the time she began to stay here.  They recorded each event involving her from the sighting to the acceptance.”

“Would it be alright if I studied these books?” Lukas asked.

“Sure, as long as you don’t torch any of ‘em.”

You laughed at that and were about to say something else, when a sound erupted from the south.  Everyone froze in fear, even the hunters.  The children began to cry from the sudden sound, and ran back to their parents as they tried to calm them.  The roar was so deep it could only belong to one being, and it was one you had yet to hear in all your time up north.

The roar belonged to a dragon.





To be continued~