The Destroyer's Child

It was a cry that opened the violet eye of Klavos. The Dragon awakening to his own surprise. He exhaled through his nostrils, blowing off the cacophony of leaves that settled on him in that time. He blinked his eyes, the white scales brushing aside the red leaves that had fallen on him.

The forest was as it had been when he slept, trees of stark white like his scales, red leaves like the dusk and dawn, there was only one difference. The sound of crying.

Shrill as it was loud, Klavos grumbled as he put his front legs under him. Whatever was crying, it was annoying him.

It had taken him decades - or was it a century - to subdue the Pale Forest. To make sure humans didn't cut down the mighty trees, or worse, settle within their canopy's. Danger created an absence, and that absence made a good hiding place for him with the white scales. Better than the Broken Mountains to the West, Klavos hated the cold and the wind.

It took him some time to wake up, his limbs needing a few seconds a piece to settle under his weight. If he had been sleeping long, then he was either waking at the end of the same season, or waking in the same one, however many years later.

The last to break the shell of red leaves covering him were his wings, both flared out and stretching as he opened his jaw, his violet tongue extending and tasting the air. It was morning, and it had rained the night before, leaving a gentle humidity in the air.

Klavos winced as he finished stretching his wings, his right one was still torn, and healing. Extending his neck, he looked behind him to see the wing still had three tears in the membrane. While joined at the edge and healing, he wouldn't be able to take flight, at least not for a good while.

Thoughts of a great dragon, gold and red, with cold blue eyes entered Klavos' mind, and he growled at the images and ghost sensations of pain at the thought.

He was taken from the memory by the shrill cry again, and grumbled low in his throat. While his legs were still stiff, Kalvos' annoyance outweighed his patience.

Stalking through the forest, he flicked his tongue out again, combined with his nostrils and the direction of the sound, he found the creator of the cries.

Peering through a cluster of trees, his violet eyes widened at the sight.

It was no wounded animal as he had hoped for, but the soft form of a human child, crawling out a woven basket. Dark, pudgy, and with limbs that were too short and weak to do anything. Crying out against the morning air.

Klavos' scales around his mouth and eyes scrunched together, the closest he'd get to making an expression of confusion. He looked around, there was no sign of the child's parents, no markings of battle, no bodies, just a child left out in his forest, left to his mercy.

Klavos growled, he was a Dragon, but no beast. Harming a child of any animal or mortal creature was below him. And if the child's parents expected it of him just because of his nature as a Dragon, that was the real insult granted to him.

Huffing air, Klavos slowly approached, moving his way around the trees, eyes on the child, even as it screamed.

Today's not your day, little one, Klavos thought in his mind. Approaching the child, his steps heavy on the forest floor, crunching leaves underfoot.

The child heard him and stopped wailing long enough to turn around, curiosity overcoming its fear for the moment.

Klavos stopped.

His eyes widened.

The child looked at him, its eyes wide and brown, chubby cheeks wet with tears, it looked straight at him.

Klavos expected this, of course the child would notice his approach. He was a creature flight, power and majesty, not stealth or subtlety.

However, something had stopped him.

Perhaps it was the innocence of the child's eyes, most humans covered it with guilt, anger or fear, but this was pure.

But most prominent to Klavos' eyes, was the marking over the child's left cheek. Three simple runes written over each other, but eligible to him. Eligible to Dragons and few others.

"Protect the child marked by these words," Klavos read and glanced up to the child's eyes again.

Whoever brought the child here, and whoever marked it with those runes knew the language of Dragons.

Klavos' attention was taken when the child gurgled at the sight of him.

That what it had to be, its expression went from a contorted crying mess to a happy, bright expression, toothless and babbling.

Klavos curled his lip in amusement, folding his legs under him and resting on them.

You don't fear me, do you? He thought, watching with amusement as the child crawled to him, babbling and grinning the whole while. Bemused, he held out his front leg, and extended a clawed finger out to the child.

It stopped to examine the dark blue ivory of his talons, reaching out a chubby hand to touch it. It cooed happily at the warmth of the claw. Able to pierce armor, crush stone, and withstand fire and blades, the child patted it happily.

Klavos hummed deep in his throat, the child looked up at him again with deep brown eyes. The Dragon rolled an eye, and hooked a finger under the child, who crawled happily into his clawed hand.

So long as you don't cry again, he thought. The child happily nestled amongst his warm scales as he considered breakfast and whatever he could find for the child.

He didn't know who left the message on the child, but such was someone who knew magic and Dragons very well. And whoever would leave the child with him, Klavos the Destroyer of Terrac, Borden, and slayer of the High Human King Rescal, was either very desperate or very ambitious.

Whatever the case, he'd take care of the child, he needed some time to heal yet, and the child sparked more curiosity than annoyance at present.