Found

It was late in the afternoon but the sun had not yet managed to penetrate through the dense low hanging clouds. Tall oaks bereft of leaves bordered the edge of the woods, their long branches reaching out towards the nearby human settlements as if the forest were trying to reclaim its rightful land. Deeper in the woods in a small clearing, leaves blanketed the forest floor, their colors muted by weeks of decay, the perfect bedding for a weary dragon. Nevi hummed in satisfaction as she lowered her enormous frame to the ground, and curled her 8-foot-long tail around her, looking remarkably like a sleeping cat, though one would have to be very foolish to make that comparison within earshot of her. Dragons are very proud creatures after all. She enjoyed the dreary weather as it made the humans far less likely to wander this deep into the woods. Humans were bothersome and foolish. Nevi settled further into the ground taking in the soothing sounds of the woods; wind rustling through the leaves, a soft whimpering, the trickle of a nearby creek. A whimpering. That wasn’t right. She quickly scanned through her memory of woodland creatures but none of them sounded like that except for… humans. She growled in frustration, weighing her options. Fly off or scare the humans away. A few humans were no match for her but if they were armed, they could be a nuisance. On the other hand, she was very reluctant to give up this clearing, she was tired and wasn’t likely to find another place as nice as this to bed. Nevi broke off her growl and focused, listening harder to all the sounds around her, humans could try and be stealthy but their loud clumsy heartbeats always gave them away. In the direction of the whimpering, she heard a lone rapid heartbeat, the unmistakable tempo of a young human. A very young human. It was a cold day and would be an even colder night. This human would not last long without care. What was a child doing alone this deep in the forest? Nevi had no love for humans but when you are as intelligent as a dragon and have lived for as long as a dragon you are not often surprised and so eventually her curiosity won out. She rose slowly making her way towards the child, pausing and listening with each footstep. The whimpering had stopped but the rapid heartbeat was an easy guide. After 10minutes or so of carefully weaving through the trees she spotted a pile of cloth curled at the base of a large oak, the gentle rise and fall suggesting an uneasy slumber. She stayed hidden in the shadows of the trees watching and waiting. There were no signs of a camp or of any other humans but surely, someone must be returning for the child. As she waited the shadows on the trees grew longer and the temperature steadily dropped but still no humans came. Nevi tried to tell herself she didn’t care, humans were of no concern to her, but there was an unmistakable knot in her stomach that tightened with every passing minute. Dragons could be comfortable sleeping in a snowdrift but this child wouldn’t last much longer out here. With a frustrated sigh she slowly approached the child, her large head blocking out what remaining light there was. The child shivered, pulling their thin cloak closer to them but they did not wake. Nevi lowered her head, nudging the child gently with her nose, still they did not wake. She began to grow alarmed. Had she waited too long? She nudged again, less gently this time and the cloak fell from the child’s face. She hissed, pulling back in surprise, it was a young human boy, even younger than she had expected, barely two years of age. As she took this in, the young boy slowly awoke, his face full of confusion and his eyes hazy. She braced herself for the piercing wails she associated with human children but the boy remained silent and still except for the occasional shiver. Nevi sighed again, wondering what to do. The boy tensed in surprise as her warm breath rippled his thick auburn locks then he shut his eyes and smiled. Not many people smiled when they were face to face with a dragon of Nevi’s size. The boy must have been very cold. Nevi glanced around finding a pile of twigs and blew out a restrained flame, just enough to light the damp kindling. She looked back, fully expecting the boy to be cowering in fear but he was still again and appeared to be listening carefully. After a moment he rose and walked slowly towards the sounds of the crackling fire, reaching his hands out towards its warmth. Satisfied, Nevi launched herself into the air flying in low loops, searching for nearby human encampments. In the dark lighting her keen eyes spotted several campfires throughout the woods but none were close enough. The boy was very lost. Too lost. He couldn’t have wandered this far on his own. Human cruelty never ceased to disgust her. After a few more loops she headed back toward her makeshift camp, the child was warm now but the woods held many more dangers than the cold. She landed in her clearing then made her way through the woods on foot to the small campfire. The boy stiffened as she approached and turned his head to listen, but not his eyes. It was dark but most humans would still try in vain to see. This child was looking only with his ears. Suddenly understanding, Nevi settled her head into the ground and made a low humming noise. The boy listened closely then rose, hesitantly approaching her. As he got closer, he reached out his hand gasping in shock as he touched her warm scales. She hummed deeper so he could feel the vibration in his hand and he laughed in surprise, a strange pleasant sound, so unlike the harsh humorless laughs she had heard from humans before. This sound was full of joy. He slowly moved up closer to her face, using his hands as a guide pausing only when he reached her mouth. Nevi chuckled, a low hearty sound and the boy stood very still. Then he resumed his exploration coming face to face with her, his hands resting on her snout. He smiled a toothy grin at her, hugging her nose.

“Ta”

A human word but not one she or any other dragon had been named before. Nevi had been gifted and cursed with many great and horrible names over her life but she sensed this simple humble word held greater meaning than all of them. Gifting a name is a powerful thing and while she knew this young boy did not understand that significance yet, she decided to return the honor, claiming him as her own.

“You are a curious little one, so I shall call you Nyfiken.”

“Nyf-?” The boy repeated, stumbling over the word.

“Yes, little Nyf.”

Nyf smiled, his eyelids blinking heavily. Nevi nudged him back towards the fire but he stubbornly insisted on staying by her side, curling up next to her and quickly falling asleep to the sound of her slow and steady heartbeat. Nevi lay her head down smiling at her unlikely companion. She knew the future would hold many challenges that would test them both, but for tonight they would rest in the comfort that they had found one another.