Chapter 3

High above, nestled among the jagged peaks and verdant expanses of wilderness, a black dragon cast its scrutinizing gaze below, searching for its day's sustenance. It bypassed a cluster of antelopes and a solitary brown bear, setting its sights instead on a hippopotamus leisurely submerged in a river's embrace.

With a subtle adjustment of its wings, the dragon descended upon its chosen prey with a silence that belied its massive form. The unsuspecting hippopotamus, sensing a shadow of doom too late, turned only to meet the cold gleam of the predator's formidable teeth.

As the dragon indulged in its feast, the stirrings of the forest hinted at another presence drawing near. The wind, now a courier of scents, did little to distract the dragon from its meal, though its vigilance never waned.

From the underbrush emerged a figure, his skin pallid against the green of his hair and the depth of his eyes. "Good morning, Zachary," greeted Verde, carefully averting his gaze from the dragon's eyes to a less confrontational point on its snout. "Your claws appear even sharper today."

To assume a human form in the presence of another signified deference.

Having satisfied his hunger and cleansed his maw in the creek, Zachary faced Verde with a revelation, "I've captured a princess."

Verde's eyes widened in surprise, seeking Zachary's gaze, "You've captured a princess? That quickly?"

"It was nothing," Zachary replied, a hint of disdain in his tone. "You're up to this challenge?"

"Absolutely," Verde asserted, his confidence unshaken by Zachary's skepticism.

"A red dragon hatchling in the Dragon Spire Mountains achieved his human form at the age of twelve, setting a record for our kind. It's rumored his secret lies in the yearly capture of princesses."

Transformation marked a dragon's coming of age, a milestone Zachary had yet to reach.

Basking in the sunlight, Zachary flashed a grin, all fangs and threats, "Fail, and you'll be my next meal."

A chill ran through Verde, though whether from fear or resolve, he loudly proclaimed, "Even a premature red hatchling, bereft of maternal shelter and nearly lost to us at birth, managed the transformation. Your strength, Zachary, should make it effortless!"

"If only I'd been there to witness his method," mused Verde, suddenly struck by an afterthought, "Remember, the princess must be rescued. Seems he's made a habit of it, capturing princesses over and over."

"Try and try again," Verde concluded, pounding one fist into an open palm, a gesture of determination. "I'll have to investigate if it was always the same princess."

Zachary, growing weary of the conversation, took to the skies with a powerful beat of his wings, leaving Verde momentarily caught in his wake.

As Zachary's form shrank in the distance, Verde transformed into a vibrant mint-green dragon, his roar echoing a final piece of advice through the sky, "Humans are incredibly delicate, Zachary! Don't forget to feed her, water her, and let her stretch her legs!!! Take good care of her!"

After nearly a day without sustenance and no sign of rescue following the dragon's departure, Evelyn was compelled to tap into her own supplies. Retrieving a piece of bread from her magical storage ring, she lamented the lack of the freshly prepared meals she was accustomed to, courtesy of her entourage's professional chefs. Despite the bread's unappealing dryness and hardness, she understood that beggars couldn't be choosers and began to eat it in small, measured bites. The effort to consume even half was monumental due to her drained energy, leading her to eventually stop and wash down the meager meal with a cup of water she also pulled from her ring.

Yet, nourishment did little to alleviate her discomfort. If anything, she began to feel as if the very cave around her was swaying. Overcome with exhaustion, she leaned against the cool cave wall and quickly lost consciousness.

The ordeal of the bandit attack and the looming threat of the dragon, compounded by her hunger and the chill of the cave, proved too much for Evelyn's body to bear, and she succumbed to illness. Fever dreams haunted her, depicting the dragon's return and a menacing wild boar charging directly at her, culminating in a terrifying scene of violence.

Upon waking, Evelyn's senses were immediately assaulted by the smell of dust and a soothing breeze that did little to comfort her fevered state. The cave's ambiance shifted dramatically as the dragon made its entrance, a wild boar gripped tightly in its formidable claws. The sight of the terrified animal, frozen in fear on the ground after being gently released by the dragon, left Evelyn speechless. The dragon's slight nudge, a clear indication that the boar was intended for her, only added to her disbelief.

However, the boar's sudden squeal and frantic attempt to escape the confinements of the cave turned its desperation towards Evelyn. In her weakened condition, her attempts to defend herself with a blanket were pitiful at best. The horrifying sound of flesh being torn asunder and the sensation of the now blood-heavy blanket slipping from her grasp revealed the grim outcome – the boar lay lifeless, skewered by the dragon's lethal claw, only a breath away from her.

With each shallow breath, Evelyn endeavored to shrink further into herself, her presence barely noticeable against the backdrop of the dragon's imposing form and the gruesome scene before her.

"Why are you so delicate?" the dragon's gaze held undisguised disdain and incredulity.

Evelyn was at a loss for words. Being labeled as fragile was nothing new to her, yet no one had ever confronted her with such blunt honesty.

Confronted with the prospect of the boar before her, she quietly apologized, "I'm sorry, Mr. Dragon. I am indeed this fragile."

Zachary found himself momentarily disarmed by her gentle apology.

With a sigh, he moved the boar aside, suggesting, "Alright, then eat now."

Evelyn balked, "I'm sorry, I just can't."

"Why not?" the dragon questioned, his confusion deepening at her refusal.

Flushed with fever and barely able to muster the energy to speak, Evelyn admitted, "Because I'm ill."

Zachary was taken aback. Ill? How had she gotten ill? He had merely flown her here, not expecting such frailty. Could it have been the journey, or perhaps the rough entry into the cave? He hadn't intended any harm, especially not in his sleep.

The notion seemed increasingly preposterous to him. His claws, acting on their own accord, scraped the ground and sent pebbles skittering, one grazing Evelyn's wrist and marking her skin with a small red welt.

Stunned and then concerned, Zachary retreated.

Upon closer inspection, he noted the minor abrasions on her fingers and the bruises that snaked up her arm, visible despite the cover of her sleeves. The reality of her vulnerability struck him hard.

With a complicated look, Zachary observed the curled-up human girl for a moment longer before soaring out of the cave once more.

Evelyn's eyes, locking with the boar's lifeless gaze, slowly realized that predators often bring back live prey for their young. Could it be that the boar was intended as her meal?

Was Zachary's earlier remark about the boar being "her food" genuinely meant for her?

Not dwelling on these thoughts, Evelyn knew she couldn't rely on the dragon for sustenance. She extracted a fresh blanket from her ring, relocating to a somewhat cleaner area of the cave, and drank from a potion reminiscent of those she had consumed in the past.

Huddled under the blanket, Evelyn harbored only one wish before drifting to sleep: that the dragon would cease bringing live boars as her supposed nourishment.

Please, she silently pleaded. She was no match for a wild boar.