But the children knew.

A raindrop fell, then a second and third.

It took very little time for the strange woods of twisting trees to be descended upon by an unrelenting downpour. The first bright, crisp flash of lightning cut across the sky like cracking glass, followed almost immediately by thunder like the cry of an angry beast.

And yet, there was a sound suddenly heard through all this that was not of the storm.

A small yet unmistakable sound. A sound that could be identified at once even in the midst of a storm such as this.

It was the sound of a small child crying.

And a crying child very often draws those who hear it quickly towards them, usually out of desire to assist, if lucky. Most Humans would assume though, that in a strange woods in the middle of a storm, the beasts to answer such a cry would not be intending to help.

Regardless, in the midst of seemingly nothing but trees and unknown depths of wilderness, the cry stirred a very swift response.

Something not quite explainable occurred, deep within the heart of these woods. Ripples began to move through the tree branches like clockwork, as if the trees themselves were whispering in a hurry, from one to the next. This motion moved from all sides of the perimeter inwards, until it reached a single tree built seemingly from obsidian in the very middle in a small clearing, with a giant hole gaping at the base of the trunk.

Within this hole, a sudden gleam abruptly flared up. The crying sound reached this especially unusual tree, wrapped its needs around the base of it and evidently stirred something else within.

That gleam became brighter, and could be discerned as an extraordinary eye opening.

Slowly, it blinked and the three pupils dilated as they adjusted to another fork of lightning. The crying seemed far off in the distance, but trees pay close attention. Even more so, a dragon misses nothing.

Even at such a distance, this dragon was able to find the location of the child with the many senses it possessed yet undiscovered by man. A slight hesitation, then with a smooth movement, it coiled its long, sleek body out of the doorway of its home and into the storm.

The dragon adjusted its two sets of wings against the downpour, and took flight.

Moving like smoke through the trees, it took the dragon a very short time to arrive at the source of the cries. A Human child, no more than four and a half sat at the bottom of a tree in a shroud of damp blankets, a rumpled black suit, red hair plastered to the top of her head and a bulky beaded necklace clutched in a pudgy hand. She looked absolutely miserable and evidently lost.

Slowly, the beast made it’s careful descent towards the little being. However, the dragon stalled on a branch to consider its options. It felt no desire to rush into the situation, moved as it was by the sight of the little child's predicament.

The reason for this impressive creatures hesitation was simply put that the world had changed.

Dragons had been commonly viewed by Humans as creatures to fear, or disbelieve existed, or avoid at best. But as any wise dragon would say – no beast is all good, nor all malicious, and certainly not all of them eat Humans. Not that this was helpful to the Humans.

But now, it was not unusual to deposit a Human child in the woods in the hope it would entice mystical beasts to come to it, more often than not for an opportunity for some Humans to attempt catching them as ‘trophies’ in an attempt to wipe them out. These were wicked traps. Dragons especially had had to learn to become cagey in the recent decade.

For all things considered, dragons were no longer the fierce beasts of old legends capable of keeping the Humans at bay.

Sure, dragons had been involved in all manner of stories, myths and legends. Some had battled, others had lounged on excessively large piles of treasure and ate travellers, and others still grew curious of man and became silly. Indeed, a very large percentage had become silly. Every dragon had been different, and few had been how Humans portrayed them. However, at least, for the most part they had been left alone, when believed in at all. And they had certainly not been hunted.

But that had been before.

Now was a new world unlike before. Price was placed on all things, more than ever before in an effort to rid the world of this perceived menace.

Who cared if there wasn’t even evidence they existed outside of story books? This was the world of the future, as many Human banners proudly proclaimed all over the city nearby.

Currently, Dinosaurs were out, and Dragons were in as the universal villains.

And, unfortunately, ever since Drak’s cousin Karakor had been noticed taking a bubble bath in a nearby marsh, the question of his existence was out the window. The Human population became obsessed with finding and owning this confirmation of living fairy tales – to get a piece of something so long believed improbable.

And thus, Drak now sat glumly looking down at the devastated child, wondering if he dared retrieve her or not.

It was difficult. He was not interested in eating her, naturally, because he cared – a common, if not very well documented trait among dragons. However, if she were not bait, why else was she crying in the woods alone at night? What Human would do such a thing, he wondered.

A careful observation of the area around the child proved to be empty of Human interference that would indicate a trap.

Drak was puzzled.

He could not think of any other possible reason for this child to be abandoned there, perhaps unless she had been genuinely lost. He then noticed the item the little child was clutching in her distress. The golden color of the beads that seemed to glow slightly even in the darkness were striking. He decided to brave a rescue.

Slowly, the dragon began to make his way down to the child. It ceased crying as he approached.

It gazed up at him with large bright eyes, and though he knew she couldn’t possibly see him well, this was a positive sign. Most children could sense good nature, unlike adults, just as they could tell when someone was untruthful. This child knew it was no longer in danger.

It was also a good sign for Drak. It meant that the new Human-led interference had not damaged the magic that allowed creatures such as himself to gift comfort through simple presence.

This was an old magick.

Drak did not wait after this. He slowly and carefully scooped up the child and placed her on his back, then took off for home. The child said nothing, just held on silently.

It took very little time, and once they arrived he made sure she was made comfortable and warm by the fire kept inside his dwelling. Then he simply waited.

It had been a long time since he’d last felt safe to rescue a Human child, but he knew now they would speak when they felt ready.

The little girl sat, clinging to a rough blanket, fidgeting with the and staring into the fire. Finally she looked at the dragon and said simply “I’ve been sent”.

“Sent”? Asked Drak, uncertain of what that meant. “Sent for what purpose?”

“To bring assurance” the child responded, and held up her home made necklace.

The beads were simple wood painted bright yellow, and on it were the letters drawn in careful scrawl that read:

“Misunderstood, but the children knew.”

The child smiled.