The Nature of the Beast

Motherhood

Yrsa awoke to a faint cry. The sound was distressing, tugging at the deepest parts of her being. She sniffed the air, locating the source of it. The dragon let out an absent-minded growl, almost a response, before dragging her large body through the trees in the direction of the cry.

She thought it strange to find a small creature this deep in the forest. The reason she chose it for her nest was simply that no animal dared to stray so far away from the sunlight. But here it was – a human child, sitting on the forest floor. Most of its body was exposed, and its hands and legs were tied. It was left there to die, too vulnerable to protect itself. It looked up at her, tears streaming down its face, a strange black mark on its cheek. Yrsa had seen, and eaten, many humans in her long life, but she had never seen a mark like this.

"Mum," the tiny human mumbled between sobs, and that word sent a painful stab through her own barren womb. The soft skinned child before her could not be further from a dragon cub and yet, her large heart beat with a new emotion.

It is alright, child, she said, unsure if the human would pick up on her words. It looked up at her, tears disappearing from its eyes and replaced by a curious look. She wrapped her large body carefully around the child, avoiding contact of its unprotected skin with her sharpest scales. The child let out one last sob before snuggling against her warm belly.

Nurture

What do you eat, child?

There was no answer to her question, apart from an intense stare of the green eyes. “Mum,” the child said.

Is that the only word you know?

“Mum.”

Yrsa felt a strange wave of softness, as she moved closer to the child, breathing warm air through her nostrils. The child fell back, making a weird noise. Yrsa stared at it, puzzled – was it afraid of her? The child’s eyes were closed and its mouth hung open, as it continued. No, she was sure it was a happy sound.

“Tickles,” the child said.

Wait here. Yrsa slithered away, dragging her belly on the ground, scraping the trees with her hard scales. Unnoticed, she sneaked up at a small rabbit. Normally, she wouldn't consider one of those a meal, but she assumed it would be enough for the tiny human. She bit down at its soft flesh – her attack was too fast for the animal to do anything but throb in her mouth for mere seconds. She returned with her prey, and placed it at the child’s feet.

Eat, she said.

The child touched the rabbit’s fur, and then looked at its, now blood stained, hand. It began crying uncontrollably, sending Yrsa into panic. Was it hurt?

“Bunny,” the child cried, holding onto the dead animal. Yrsa was taken aback – the emotion the child felt for the prey was unexpected. However, she knew that this way the child would starve to death. Before she could come up with a solution, the child walked over to a nearby bush, forgetting about the rabbit altogether. It sat down on the forest floor, and began to eat the berries growing among the bush. The child, after all, had a will to live.

Protection

“Look, mother!” The boy held out a makeshift bow and arrow. “I’ve seen the humans from the village use this to hunt animals.”

Be careful, Tue. Yrsa hesitated, before closely inspecting the bow. You know what humans are like. You shouldn’t get too close to them.

“Don’t worry, mother,” Tue said with a spark in his eyes. The boy had changed so much in only nine years – Yrsa felt a mixture of pride and worry whenever she looked at him. His hair grew long, but his face was turning into one of a man. “I only watch them from afar.”

Where are you going? Yrsa watched Tue run into the woods.

“To try this out!” he shouted back.

Yrsa followed after him, quietly watching as he mimicked the humans, looking for footprints in the forest floor. He was so small and fragile, so unlike a dragon, though Yrsa still secretly hoped he would grow scales and wings to keep him from harm.

After long minutes of exploring, a large swine appeared before Tue. The animal wasn't the one he was chasing, he probably stumbled upon her hide – the swine charged at him so fast the boy didn’t have a chance to react. A mother protecting its babies.

Yrsa leapt in front of Tue, growling at the animal. She had the urge to kill it for endangering Tue, but she knew they were the same – she would let a fellow mother go with just a warning.

Tue was quietly sobbing behind her back, overwhelmed with shock. She wrapped her body around him to hide him from the world.

Don’t ever leave my side, son.

Betrayal

Tue already made up his mind. Ever since he started following the hunters in the woods, his chest would tighten with a feeling he didn’t quite understand until he was older. He craved to see the human village, to find out where he came from. He knew he wasn’t a dragon, it was painfully obvious. But he had to convince his mother.

“I’m an adult human, and I can protect myself.”

You know what humans are . What they do to dragons. Mother growled at him.

“I want to tell them they were wrong. Just come with me, you’ll see.” He wrapped his arms around his mother’s neck. “Please. Just this once, and then I’ll never bother you again.”

His mother’s body relaxed, and her voice sounded softer. Alright. Just this once.

He hugged her tighter before climbing onto her back.

Although they flew together often, he couldn't get tired of the feeling of seeing the world from above – the mighty trees grew smaller, and the river looked like a piece of yarn. When he saw it from his mother's back, he truly felt like it was their world.

They landed in the middle of the village, and Tue jumped onto the ground. Their arrival caught the attention of everyone in the village immediately. The dragon took up most of the space in between houses, towering over the village. To a stranger, she must have looked threatening, but Tue recognised her timid, careful approach.

He imagined the meeting many times before, but it never was like this – he never expected to be met with screams and weapons pointed at them.

“Monster! Kill it!” someone in the crowd shouted.

“Who are you?” What did you bring to our homes?” another voice spoke angrily. Tue's mother bared her teeth, a growl forming in her throat.

“Wait, humans!” Tue raised his hands in the air. “We mean no harm. I grew up in the woods, and I want to meet my kind.”

"What is that on your face? You monster!" One of the village men stepped forward, aiming a pitchfork at them. Tue instinctively stepped back, leaning against his mother's body.

Let's leave, his mother said.

"No, give me a chance to convince them, please." Tue begged his mother, then turned back at the villagers. "I am one of you. I want to know who I am."

"Not with the curse on your face! Get out!" The man shouted, and his words were followed by other exclamations of "get out!" and "kill them!"

A row of arrows pierced the air, and Tue's mother growled in pain. He turned in horror, just to see three arrows stuck in her face.

"What have you done?!" He shouted at the villagers. "She didn't do anything to you! How dare you?" He climbed his mother's back, and Yrsa ascended into the air.

"Curse you, humans!" Tue shouted through tears. "I'm so sorry, mother. I swear they'll regret it."

Anger

The village was swallowed by flames, its population lay in the dirt pierced by arrows. Tue watched from above, sitting on his mother’s back. The wounds in her face had healed, but the scars only fed his anger. It wasn't enough to see one village destroyed – he would not stop until the humans felt his wrath.

"Mother," he said, "are there more humans in the area?"

There is a group of villages nearby, she answered. Are you sure you want to do this, Tue? They hurt us, but they are still your kind.

"No, they are not." Tue's voice was firm. "Let's destroy them all."

Mercy

Tue left his still sleeping mother in their nest, and headed out into the woods. His long hair got tangled in the trees, and the branches scratched his skin – he felt most alive in the early morning, being one with the forest.

But that morning, there was a disturbance in the area. Something unwelcome had penetrated their home. There was a human lying on the forest floor, motionless.

Tue kneeled down next to the body. The man was still breathing, but his body was covered in stab wounds, obviously inflicted by humans. The man was left there to die and be eaten by wild animals.

When Tue returned to their nest, his mother was already awake.

Is that a human? She asked.

"He's injured."

Is it safe to keep him here? His mother approached the body cautiously. You don't know what he'll do once he wakes up.

"He was abandoned, left to die." Tue stared down at the pale face, framed by unruly black hair. "He might die. I'll try to heal him."

It is your decision, son. His mother’s words were unexpectedly tender.

Love

Tue woke up to find Moran gone. It was something he expected – for the man to disappear once he was fully healed. Yet, somehow, his sudden disappearance left Tue restless.

"He's gone," he told his mother, attempting to hold back the emotion seeping into his voice.

Isn't it better for him to leave than to attack us?

"Yeah, you are right." Tue looked over at the covers Moran slept under while he was with them, the emptiness suddenly more noticeable.

His mother made a move towards him, but instead fell back and growled in pain.

"Mother, are you alright?" Tue rushed to her side, holding her head.

It's nothing, Tue. I am terribly old, I'm afraid my body isn't what it used to be.

"Don't say that." Tue's hands trembled as he stroked his mother’s head. "You're going to be just fine." He couldn't imagine losing her – now that Moran was gone, if something happened to his mother, he would be truly alone.

"Tue! Yrsa!"

Tue raised his head, shocked to see Moran walk into their nest. "I thought you left."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I went to pick up some herbs, they are best in the early morning." Moran approached them with a cheerful expression that suddenly turned serious. "Are you in pain, Yrsa?"

It's nothing.

"I have something that could help you." Moran pulled out green leaves from his bag, and a pot. "It might not be as effective, I haven't really met a dragon before so I'm not sure which herbs are the best… Could I bother you for some fire?"

Yrsa opened her mouth and spat a ball of fire onto the dry fireplace.

"Thank you. I'll do what I can, you rest in the meantime." Moran began cooking the leaves he had gathered.

"Why didn't you leave?" Tue asked.

"If you want me gone, I'll be gone. But this is the least I can do after you saved my life." Moran was still smiling as he said that, but his eyes suddenly looked tired.

"I thought all humans saw us as monsters." Tue looked at his mother for support, but she was strangely quiet, watching Moran prepare the herbs.

"I wasn't really liked by humans either, so we have something in common."

"Why did they do that to you?" Tue asked, his eyes trailing Moran's hands skillfully cutting the herbs with a small knife before throwing them in the pot.

"A lot of humans are afraid of things that are different." Moran spoke softly, Tue could barely hear his words. "I never met my parents, and was raised by a herbalist – to me, she was a grandmother, but to others, she was a crazy lady. They never came near us because they were afraid of her, but after she died…"

"Would you like to stay with us?" Tue avoided his mother's curious look.

"I don't want to be a bother." Moran turned away, but Tue caught a glimpse of the tears forming in his eyes.

"You're not," Tue said quickly, blushing at his own words. "I mean. We could benefit each other, right?"

"I think so." Moran looked back at Tue with a bright smile.

Not all humans are bad, Yrsa spoke, nudging at Tue's arm. And you seem to like this one, Tue.

"Mother." Tue hid his face, and Moran's laughter filled the air.

Farewell

Tue wiped his forehead, and his sleeve was wet with a mixture of sweat and tears. He heard a muffled sob next to him. Moran was covering his face, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Tue," he said through his teeth, "I wish I could have done more."

"It's not your fault. She said so herself." Tue placed his hand on the grave they had been digging and filling for days, stroking it lovingly. He felt the touch of Moran's hand on his shoulder. And though his heart still wept, he smiled, for he would never be alone again.