The Dragon of the Sky

Only a few minutes passed before Igneel reached the mountain range that bordered the forest, specifically the mountain he had always forbidden Natsu to approach. It was an imposing colossus of rock that raced breathlessly towards the sky, piercing the clouds with its snowy peak. However, Igneel didn't land so high, merely touching down at the base of the mountain in front of a cave with a wide opening.

The entrance was partially covered by a curtain of vines and creepers, but as soon as the red dragon touched the ground, Natsu immediately spotted the glimmer of two large blue eyes in the darkness. Whatever was inside, the child immediately sensed that it must be an enormous and terrifying creature.

"Leave my territory!" a voice hissed from within. It was deep but slightly less so than that of the great red dragon.

"Grandeeneey..." Igneel called instead. "Please, we need your help."

"And what makes you think I want to help you?" the voice from inside retorted acidly. It was certainly a terrible creature, but now Natsu was starting to lose patience. Who did it think it was to respond in that way to his father and to force him to plead so much?

"Grandeeneey..." Igneel continued, "You don't have to help me or my son. I came here for another reason. Natsu, get down and show her who we brought: she's the one who needs help, and our magic can't do anything about it. Only you can save her!"

At that point, Natsu didn't hesitate any longer, jumping down from his father's back and laying the girl he was carrying on the ground to allow the mysterious creature inside the cave to see her better. Just that gesture set something in motion, and a gigantic winged being emerged from the curtain of vines.

Natsu instinctively took a step back, intimidated by this new figure. It was as large as Igneel, with shiny white scales, but around its head, it had a soft layer of fur, and its immense wings were covered in feathers like those of birds. Natsu had never seen anything like it, despite encountering many monsters in the forest.

"Come on, Grandeeneey!" Igneel continued to encourage. "You're an expert in magic! You're the dragon of the sky! Surely, you know something that can help us!"

Dragon? A female dragon? Now Natsu was truly amazed. He had always thought that all dragons in the world were like Igneel, but the newcomer was very different, not only in physical appearance. The dragoness had a scent similar to winter, a mix of cold and north wind, an essence completely different from the fire and sulfur that Igneel carried with him.

"This is another reason why I hate humans," Grandeeney sighed, lowering her snout over the figure of the unconscious girl. "They are so weak and fragile that they make you doubt the good sense of nature."

When the dragoness opened her mouth, revealing a long row of razor-sharp teeth, Natsu flinched, thinking she wanted to devour his little patient. Instead, Grandeeney surprised him by gently blowing all the magic she had in her body. Part of that breath brushed him too, and Natsu was amazed that it wasn't cold or wintry but warm and spring-like.

There was so much power concentrated in that breath that as soon as it touched the girl, the wounds on her arms and face immediately stopped bleeding. Even though she didn't regain consciousness, her expression became more relaxed.

Grandeeneey closed her mouth and remained staring at her for a while before starting to speak again. "How fortunate. If I had found her just a few minutes later, I wouldn't have been able to revive her. I'm surprised that a brute like you is occasionally capable of doing something that doesn't include 'destroy' on the list."

As sharp as the dragoness's tone was, Igneel took it as a compliment, baring his fangs in a clumsy attempt to smile. "And I'm glad that you decided to take care of her, Grandeeneey! For a moment, I feared that your hatred for humans was so great that you would have abandoned her to her fate."

"Nonsense!" she retorted, growling. "I hate humans and dragons equally, but that doesn't make me despicable! And now, take this cub you brought with you and disappear from my den!" Grandeeneey didn't hesitate to follow her threats with a tail snap strong enough to push Natsu between his father's paws with just the air displacement. "This creature still needs care, and you two are just a nuisance!"

"Not me!" Natsu tried to protest that they weren't doing anything wrong, but Igneel prevented him from adding anything, grabbing him with a paw and carrying him on his back. "Be good, and let's do as she says." But the boy still leaned over his father's neck. "She will wake up, right? Because if you do anything bad to her, I swear I'll come back here, and I'll make you pay!"

Natsu had only seen that girl for a few minutes, but he already felt a certain sympathy for her and didn't want anything bad to happen to her under the care of a despotic and unpleasant dragoness like Grandeeneey. He was dead serious and stared at Grandeeneey in the eyes for a long moment before the creature sighed, "The worthy son of an idiot."

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