Ch.1

AN: For those returning from my past two fanfics, welcome back and I hope you enjoy this story too. As for the newcomers, welcome. Though I would ask everyone to read the Auxiliary chapter labeled 'Please Read' please read before reading this fanfic.

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'Hmm, I hungry,' I thought to myself as I woke up with a yawn and stretch as I was curled up sleeping last night.

'Hopefully, Mom has found some food,' I think as I walk towards the main chamber of our home in the mountains.

I walk in and see Mom nowhere in sight, from the scent left behind she should have left an hour ago. Bordum quickly took over as waiting more than five minutes felt like forever, so I decided to go outside to explore the surroundings. Even though Mom always yells at me for leaving without her around.

'She should be home and I don't want to wait inside, I'll fly back home should I hear her coming,' I think as I poke my head outside the cave entrance to see if she is near.

Seeing no animal, creature, or my Mother in sight I snuck outside. Though normally this area of the mountains is safe as no evil creature would come near Mom's home. She was the famous Gold Dragon of these mountains.

'Though my scales always looked slightly different than hers, they were golden but also had a silvery sheen to them. Oh well, she did tell me that my Dad was special,' I think while walking outside and looking for the funny like dragon creature that Mom lets live near us.

'She calls them Kobolds,' I think as I follow a familiar scent of these Kobolds. She lets them live here because they are nice ones, just like us Dragons, Kobolds come in different colors. The ones that live near us are copper-looking Kobolds.

"Hello Young One," I hear a Kobold say to me in the language of Dragons.

"Hi, Rok!" I say excitedly to him as he is one of the few Kobolds that plays with me and lets me help him on his hunts.

"What are you doing outside? Your mother will be upset when she comes back and sees you are not inside," Rok says to me with a smirk on his small dragon-like face.

"Mom won't know! I'll fly back before she finds out!" I say to him with an annoyed face at his laugh hearing me.

"Whatever you say young one," Rok says with a chuckle.

"Can I help you hunt today?" I ask him with the same look I give my mother so she agrees with my requests.

".....Fine, just stop looking at me like that," Rok says with a sigh and I jump for joy at his agreement.

"But! You must follow all of my instructions without arguing," Rok says to me with a serious face.

"Deal!" I say not wanting to miss out on hunting. Then my stomach growls showing I'm still hungry.

"... Seems we can hunt for both of us today," Rok says with a laugh as I look away embarrassed.

We then got down the mountain as the goats in the area and other creatures lived further away from my mother's home. We walk in silence as we listen and smell for any signs of prey, Rok has taught me a lot about hunting. Though he always says for a dragon hunting is extremely easy, while for Kobolds it can lead to death. But he always told me even dragons can die in a hunt, though I don't believe him.

"Remember Talrit, to treat every creature as one that could kill you. Because the day you underestimate your prey is the day you could die to it," Rok says to me breaking the silence since we do not smell, hear, or see any prey nearby.

"I know! You say that every time we hunt," I say annoyed with his constant caution.

"Talrit, my clan and I are good friends with your mother, so we worry about you. You are the first child of your mother and she asked us to keep you safe while she is away," Rok says to me while I just snort in annoyance.

Then before I could respond, we both perk up as we hear what sounds like a goat running our way. We duck down behind a large rock to see a large mountain goat running from Saber-Toothed Tiger. Rok became nervous as those giant cats could kill a lone Kobold easily. Though for me I'm slightly bigger than the cat, Mom always said I was bigger than your average gold dragon.

"Rok, get the goat. I will scare the cat away," I say to Rok who tries to stop me but I ignore him and jump out from our hiding spot.

The goat stumbles at my sudden appearance and slides down the mountain hitting a rock and becoming still. While the cat skids to a stop seeing me while roaring at me seemingly nervous at my appearance. I let out a roar back one that is nothing compared to my Mom's but still much scarier than the cats, I believe. Rok ran over to me putting his spear in a defensive position between me and the cat.

"Talrit, run! I will distract the Saber-tooth," Rok says with a nervous look but a serious voice. Though I ignore him, as I let out a stream of fiery breath at the cat making it jump back to escape.

I miss the cat, which is now charging Rok and me. Rok then rushes forward to meet its charge as the cat goes to swipe its claws at him. Seeing Rok in danger I rush forward and bite the cat's arm mid-swing crushing it between my jaws. The Cat cries out in pain and bites down on the back of my neck but can not pierce my scales. Though the force behind the bite is crushing my neck slightly. Though before I let go of the cat, Rok stabs his spear into the cat's chest. I feel the cat go limp as Rok pulls his spear free and I drop its arm from my mouth.

"Talrit! I said to not attack them! You did not listen! Even when I told you to run! You promised to listen to me if I brought you along!" Rok beings yelling at me in anger for me disobeying his instructions.

"I'm sorry, but I knew we could kill this cat!" I say to him justifying my reason.

"I do not care! Anything could have happened! You could have been killed or seriously injured! What do you think your mother would do should that have happened?!" Rok says making me immediately think about my Mom's reaction and wince at the thought.

"Sorry…," I say with my head hung low after realizing my mistake.

"...Talrit… It's fine, you are young and the young make mistakes. But you have to remember we older ones are here to help guide you so you do not make life-ending mistakes," Rok says to me having calmed down slightly but still annoyed with me.

"I will grab the goat, you think you can carry the tiger?" Rok says with a sigh while looking at the two dead animals.

"Sure," I say nodding my head and picking up the tiger with my mouth, I follow Rok back to his clan's cave entrance.

"Rok! And the Golden Prince!" one of the Kobold watchers at the entrance exclaims at our approach. The Kobolds have many nicknames for me, the Golden Prince is one of them as my Mom is the ruler of these mountains.

"You have brought back quite the haul!" the other watcher says seeing us bring in the two dead animals.

"The goat is for us, but the tiger belongs to the Prince as he was the one who bested it," Rok says to them, and the two watcher nod in understanding.

"I'll share! I do not eat that much yet anyway," I say to them after dropping the cat. The two watchers then smile as they call for others to drag away the animals for cleaning. Mom and the Kobolds always clean out a few organs as they are not meant for eating, though I find the heart and liver to be my favorite organs of any creature.

I spend the next hour feasting on the cat that I slayed and left the remains for the Kobolds. Right after I finished eating I hear my mother's roar signifying her return. So I scramble out of the Kobold's cave and fly to my home before my mom gets there. Seems I was not fast enough as my mother was standing at the entrance with a dead elephant. At my appearance, my mother stops cleaning the elephant, while giving me a very angry and disapproving look.

"Talrit… what is the first rule when I leave for a hunt?" Mom says to me while I sit down in front of her with my head hung low at being caught.

"Do not leave the cave," I say to her with a defeated voice as I suspect her to berate me for disobeying her again.

"...Talrit, these rules are in place to keep you safe," Mom says with a tired sigh as she just seems to have given up yelling at me.

"I know! But I get so bored sitting in here by myself! Plus you were gone longer than usual! I even got to hunt and kill a Saber-cat-tiger!" I say to her and then shut my mouth realizing my mistake after I already said it.

"WHAT?! You went hunting by yourself!! And even challenged a Saber-tooth!" Mom yells at me with anger very prevalent in her voice.

"Yes…" I say not wanting Rok or the other Kobolds into trouble.

"Talrit! I swear to–" Mom beings to say before we hear two roars that are not familiar to me. Though my Mother appears very nervous at the roars and looks down at me. Without saying anything she grabs me in her one hand and flies me to the Kobold cave dropping me off at the entrance.

"Keep my son safe!" Mom says to the watchers who nod their heads ushering me inside the cave.

"Mom! What is happening!" I shout at her as the Kobolds try to push me inside but I do not budge.

"Talrit, stay here and do not leave the Kobolds unless I come to get you! It seems a pair of red dragons are here to challenge this domain," Mom says to me as she looks at me with a serious face before flying off the meet the two red dragons.

"Inside quickly Golden Prince! Red dragons will kill you on sight!" one of the watchers says to me with an extremely scared voice while I watch my mother leave.

I follow them inside the cave and go to a deeper level where the clan leader is. The clan leader is Rok's grandfather named Uglu. Rok is the next leader because Rok's father was killed during a raid from an opposing clan of Kobolds a few years ago. I sit outside the small hut of the clan leader and his family. Rok comes out of the hut to sit down next to me with a sigh seeing my worried look.

"Talrit, I'm sure your mother will succeed in driving away these intruders. This is not the first time she was challenged I hear," Rok says to me and I shake my head at his words.

"I hope…but I've never seen my Mom nervous like she was today after those roars were heard," I say to him as he goes quiet hearing me.

"Your mother is one the oldest and most respected gold dragons known, very few can challenge her let alone match her strength. I'm sure she will succeed in driving away these would-be usurpers," Rok says to me with a smile but eyes that show he is just as nervous as I am.

Dragons of all kinds keep 'underlings' as my mother calls them, the ones that follow my mother are these Copper Kobolds. Should my mother fall they will be all wiped out if not driven away first. After a few minutes of silence, we can hear the battle growing louder and closer to the Kobold cave. Rok and I share a nervous look as he gets up to gather his clan.