By Bloodless Bonds

Beneath a body designed to kill, from shifting razor-edge scales to massive claws and rows of spiked teeth in a gaping maw, how could a child not be afraid?

Even adults do not meet death without trepidation.

Screaming and crying were to be expected. However, it was this small human’s cries that awakened the beast that now stood over it. Every movement of the great beast dislodged detritus and chunks of plant matter that had accumulated on its body throughout the decades it had been sleeping; although, the thumping sounds where these fallen chunks met the ground were barely audible compared to the oppressive vocals of a displeased three-year-old. As a dragon, Sorofin was more than capable of swallowing such a small thing whole and going back to sleep.

The louder the kid screamed the more tempting the idea was.

But curiosity festered in his mind. This place was far deeper in the Sea of Trees than humans ever dared to go; Sorofin chose this spot exactly for such a reason. He may have been asleep for 37 years, but he was sure the nearest humans were a day’s flight away. So how had this young one gotten itself to a place that even outcasts and brigands wouldn’t dare go? These untamed wilds were full of creatures that would happily devour humans, in fact, some were even driven there by barriers and seals and other warding magics.

The small human changed the pitch of its crying, seemly unconcerned with Sorofin’s presence. That shrieking sound, broken only by gasps for air, continued to grate along the edges of his thoughts. Sorofin brought the brush tip of his tail in front of the toddler’s face, all the hairs along his body were coarse to the sensitive touch of a human, but he knew from experience that children liked this sort of thing anyway.

He sighed. He retired from tower guarding and moved to the middle of nowhere for a reason. Yet somehow, he found himself in the company of a human once more. At least, it had stopped crying. It was pacified by squeezing his tail with all the strength such a small creature could have. Sorofin took a moment to look around at things he hadn’t bothered to notice before. Surrounding the child, hidden by grass and other wildflowers, was a messy ring of toadstools.

Of course, it was fairies. He really should have guessed. They had a thing about taking children, although he couldn’t guess why they wanted them. In the end, they would find the children tedious and leave them out like this for others to find or claim as they pleased. Sorofin grumbled at their irresponsible nature. Now he was left to clean up their mess; he silently vowed to eat them the next time he saw them.

Normally stepping inside a fairy ring would trap the unfortunate soul who tried, but dragons were so far above fairies that disrupting the ring only required that he step on its edge. Once broken, Sorofin removed the child and went away with it. If he stayed too long around the broken ring peskier things than fairies would show up, and fighting was hardly the first thing he wanted after waking up. He would take the child back to his territory which the weaker magical beings would never enter due to his rune carvings oozing a uniquely corrosive magical energy warning others to stay away. Incidentally, the child would be fine, because humans are the peskiest kind of creatures that have no sensitivity to the territory markings of magical beasts. He was reminded again of why exactly he moved to the middle zone of the Sea of Trees, where the forest is so deep that light struggles to reach the forest floor.

Upon reaching his clearing he released the kid from the grasp of his tail and checked the child’s health. It seemed to be a little girl, but humans were hard to tell apart at this age. She didn’t appear to be starving or dehydrated or injured, so Sorofin used magic to summon some fruits for her and left it at that. She was falling asleep anyway, after crying loudly enough to wake a dragon she ran out of energy. He allowed her to continue holding his tail in her sleep, she wasn’t strong enough to hurt it anyway.

He settled his body beside her and closed his eyes, he wouldn’t sleep again until after he managed to deliver her back to her family. He was definitely going to eat those fairies. He shouldn’t have cared about her. He shouldn’t, but 244 years of guarding royal children was hard to ignore. Too much time around humans had tamed him. He meant to escape their clutches after that blasted wizard died, but he was fond of his charge at the time and had stayed to guard her descendants until… well, until recently.

He had to get rid of this one soon. Getting attached to humans only brings trouble. Tomorrow, he would bring her to the nearest human settlement he remembered. It was a little village right on the edge of the Sea, near one of the shallower sections of the forest. If he was lucky, he would find her parents, otherwise he might get the itch to keep the little thing. That wretched itch. The trouble catcher.

Sorofin watched the small patch of sky above him fade into a consuming blackness splattered in distant lights that some past child or other with tawny hair and warm hands might have excitedly taught him the organizations and names of. He ignored the terribly human way his heart clenched whenever he thought about stars. Soon enough the night would be over.

A passing caress of sunlight woke the dark haired and eyed girl beside him. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes with her left hand, while the right clutched the bristles of his tail. She was smudged from the dirt on his body, among other things, so he used some magic to clean her. He considered cleaning the plants and dirt from his body too, but the moss covering most of his back would keep his scales from slicing the child while they traveled and give her something to hold onto.

The toddler watched him intently, unafraid despite their first meeting. She hadn’t spoken yet, but neither had he. She ate the fruit without complaint and didn’t fuss when he moved her around. If Sorofin weren’t well over 400 years old, he may have found such a pensive three-year-old intimidating. He may have also thought she was an adult under a bizarre curse or some other oddity, but he knew the flow of magic well enough to know there was nothing ‘wrong’ about her. Well, if she didn’t want to speak it wasn’t his concern. After today he wouldn’t see her again anyway—he would resume his hundred-year rest, probably after evicting the local fairies into his stomach—and end his ties with humans for good. It was better that way.

When it was time to go, Sorofin lifted her onto his back between his shoulder blades and stretched out his wings. He took a few minutes to remove any crust or debris, revealing the true orange color of his scales. Leaping into the sky from this spot would be difficult so he didn’t bother with a proper take off; levitating his body upwards was much easier and made the ascent gentler on the kid. When they were high enough, he dropped himself into a wind current and headed north-east. From up here they could see the seemingly never-ending expanse of the forest. Massive trees with equally impressive canopies stretched further than the horizon in any direction, except where the tip of a mountain just barely peaked above to the south. It was a good place to sun himself.

He could finally feel the morose girl perking up a bit, seeing the sprawling view around them. A smile did not begin to stretch across his face. That was just… a grimace because the sun was at a nasty angle. And he only checked if she was still on his back despite the barrier magic because it would be bothersome if she managed to fall off anyway. Definitely. There were no other reasons.

The little girl watched the horizon for a while before she turned her attention to the wide back of the dragon beneath her. He was covered in moss, with the occasional patch of grass or a sprouting wildflower. Her little hand plucked out the one she knew she was named after: clover. The small round flowers were mostly white, and mostly ignored by people. It was funny to see such an unimportant thing on the back of a dragon. At least, that’s what Clover thought this animal was called. It’s what… that person… had told her it was, anyway.

She didn’t care where it was taking her, but it felt like they had been flying forever. She didn’t know how long it had been, but the sun moved, so she knew some amount of time had passed. Oh well, she plucked more grass off the dragon and dropped it into the wind that only seemed to blow past above her. The little blades and occasional flower whipped away in the gusts, swiftly lost behind them.

It was cloudy today. She was closer to the puffs than she had ever been, she wondered if she could touch them. With her little hand she reached out, but they were still too far. Still too far. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn’t cry out this time. The person she was crying for wouldn’t hear her. The woman with the strange hat said she would come back, but she never did. She had lied. She didn’t want Clover either.

Sorofin let Clover cry in peace. He didn’t know if that was the best way to handle it, but he knew children tend to feel better after they cry. They were making good time; they might even make it to the perimeter of the forest before sunset. He flew on. The wind slowly peeled back chunks of the moss mat on his head and back where magic wasn’t preventing it. The places it was clotted into his black mane of bristles were more stubborn.

With the superior eyesight of a dragon, Sorofin was able to see the human settlement long before any other flying creature could. It wouldn’t be long now. He would be rid of this odd child, and he would be completely fine. He would forget about her and be on his way. As it should be. Her with humans, and him alone. As they were before. He would not do this again. He would not get attached. It was better that way. Definitely.

If Sorofin flew a little slower, nobody noticed.

Even so, they reached the edge of the village just after nightfall. It was too late to go around looking for the girl’s parents, so Sorofin landed in the woods not too far away for the night. They would go into town tomorrow. After summoning more food for the girl and pretending not to make sure she ate it, he settled around her and handed back his tail without her asking for it. She slept well tucked against him.

Too soon the sun rose up and devoured the stars. It was time to face the day.

Girl and dragon carried on. Sorofin flew them closer to the settlement. He was going to send her in on her own, but he didn’t feel satisfied by that idea. Instead, he would do something he hadn’t done in quite a long time and transform into a human shape. That way he could walk her into town properly. Not because he wanted to make sure she would be okay. Just because it was the responsible thing to do. No other reason. Whatsoever.

In a human shaped body, Sorofin had coarse orange spiky hair and golden eyes. He was tall, but not especially big, and wore plain clothes. Other than his hair and eyes he really didn’t stand out at all. Clover held his hand as they walked, but she dragged her feet. She didn’t think she would see this place again. They walked on. Past the bakery and a shoemaker and several other small shops towards the residential part of the village.

Sorofin never asked if they were in the right area, but he seemed to know where he was going regardless. Looking around made her uncomfortable, so she looked up at him instead. She wanted to touch his hair. She missed his tail. He was nice to her. But it seems like the dragon didn’t want her either, since he brought her here. Clover watched the road under her feet instead.

Eyes forward, Sorofin didn’t have to ask. Within the village he could smell the house that smelled like Clover. He walked slower than he had to. It was just so Clover could keep up, no other reason. Besides, they would get there eventually. What did it matter if they got there in two minutes or ten? A little delay isn’t anything egregious.

They stood before a small cottage style home. Hands latched resolutely.

Sorofin knocked.

The door opened and Clover slid slightly behind him. A woman stood there; she looked like an older version of the child beside him. Sorofin gestured to the little girl and the woman’s confused eyes widened in shock.

“Clover…?” She whispered. She collapsed her weight slightly into the door frame. However, she didn’t reach for her child. She called into the house for her husband, eyes looking them over. Then a man appeared with a nose like Clover’s and the same eye shape. He too, looked confused at first and then shocked.

Sorofin thought they would be happy to have their child back, but neither parent nor Clover made any move to embrace one another. If he were less experienced with humans, he wouldn’t have noticed the invisible wall that seemed to be between them. They stood in a decayed silence; where nothing is left to say because neither side cares anymore. Sorofin turned without a goodbye and took Clover with him. Those people didn’t care about her. He didn’t know why, but it didn’t matter. What was he to do with the girl now?

They wandered through the village for a while more.

Nothing to be done about it. If she had nowhere to go then he would have to keep her. Fate was really twisting his arm on this one. No choice, really. He sighed. He led them back to the forest. Time to go home. He wouldn’t be continuing his nap anytime soon after all. Too bad. At least he could still eat the fairies.

Then a boot smacked into the back of his head.

“Unhand my apprentice you kidnapping scum!” A feminine voice shouted from behind. Sorofin turned to see a woman dressed in dark robes with a pointed hat. She wore jewelry made of small animal bones. Only one boot on her right foot. Her face scrunched up in anger.

Sorofin was confused, but Clover made a startled sound of recognition. This was someone his child knew? This crazy woman that throws her boots at people?

“Kidnapping scum?” He spoke with indignation. “How can I kidnap my own child?” Clover jolted; eyes locked on him.

“Your child? Clover is mine, there was a contract and everything.” The witch crossed her arms.

“Oh yeah? Well, I found her in the woods, so finders keepers.” He countered.

“You didn’t find her, you took her! I left her in the care of fairies for a couple days only to come back and find out she’s been taken!”

“When I found her, she was all alone. Didn’t anyone tell you fairies are terrible babysitters?”

“No, but it’s hard to find reliable childcare in the middle of a forest. I couldn’t very well ask goblins to do it now could I?”

“…I suppose not…they’d eat the upholstery. Regardless, she’s mine now.”

“YOU-“ She stomped forward.

Clover watched them argue about her for a while before they finally decided on joint custody. Sorofin would move in with them at the witch's house since it was easier to move his territory than to move a whole building. And that’s how Clover ended up with a witch mom and a dragon dad.

In the end, Sorofin didn’t get any of the things he wanted. His nap was delayed, he didn’t get rid of the human child, and he didn’t get to eat the fairies either. But his life was better for it.

In the end, Clover got what she wanted most of all: parents that love her, and a place to belong. And their lives were better for it.