Gone to The Stars

The dragon had always been fine with being lonely. That's just something he's lived with all his life. He watched as other dragons came and went; none of them dared talk to him or even look at him. He was black with red scales, and that meant he was the most dangerous dragon. He was, but he would never actually try to hurt anyone. No one ever seemed to understand that. No dragon, no person—nobody ever understood that. He tucked his wings in and continued walking. It was weird for dragons to walk, but he couldn't see below the treetops and didn't want to get his wings damaged.

He let out an audible sigh as it started to pour. The tree tops didn't have a lot of leaves on them, meaning no coverage. The raindrops quickened up, meaning the dragon would have to find a place to stay for the night. Side note, there weren't a lot of places for dragons to sleep in the forest. He had to worry about poachers, other dragons, weird dragon lovers, and toddlers. Toddlers? The dragon looked down, and there stood a very small child. She smiled up at him. The dragon was not sure what to do.

This was the closest a human had ever been to him. Sure, it was barely a quarter of a human, but she wasn’t running. She couldn’t talk and was just babbling weird baby phrases, but she was very cute. The dragon looked around; there was not a human in sight. It seemed like she had been abandoned. The dragon thought long and hard. Maybe he should just leave her here. 10 minutes had passed, and no one had come to pick up the child. It was now the dragon's sworn duty to protect this abandoned child with his life.

He bowed his head down towards the child, and she petted his scales and laughed. Now he actually had a reason to find somewhere to sleep and not sleep out in the open and be cold all night. He continued walking and kept looking behind him to see if the toddler was behind him. Maybe he should just have her waddle in front of him, so she doesn't get lost. Yes, that sounded like a good idea. He bit her shirt and gently lifted her up, so she was walking in front of him. He snorted and walked slower to make sure the abandoned child was safe.

There was a nice cave; it looked big enough for the two of them to spend the night in. The dragon had never felt this need to protect someone. He would keep this child safe with his life. The child couldn't talk, and the dragon couldn't talk; they already had one thing in common. They found many ways to communicate without talking. The dragon poked his head out of the cave to make sure no one was coming. He didn't want anybody hurting this child; he was going to protect this child with his life.

Maybe he could start a new life. He had spent all this time doing the same things. eating, sleeping, and hunting. Eat, sleep, and hunt—all on repeat. He had been doing this for so long, he was ready for a change. And this child was the change he needed. He looked down and smiled at the child. She wasn't scared of him; she probably just saw him as a mythical creature. People always saw him as a big, scary dragon. He had a friend. Someone who understood him Someone who was a child who made his life worth living.

For the first time in a long time, he felt a sense of purpose. He felt the need to live. He felt the need to protect. He had a reason to get food. He had a life to protect, and he would protect this child with his whole being. The forest was a dangerous place, and no one and no thing would touch this child. He looked down and smiled at the sleeping child. He let out a long breath; it was much needed. He hadn't even realized he was holding his breath. He was at peace.

He had never been happier.