Protection

"Wake up."

The voice is soft, seeming to come from far away. Leonidas, no doubt.

"Ausren. You must get up."

The dragon's eye snaps open, his head coming up and nearly harpooning his horns in the top of the cave.

Blinking the sleep from his eyes, quickly opening his pupil to improve his vision in the dark space, Ausren looks around carefully. The human is nowhere in sight and, judging by the angle of the shadows, he could not have been asleep for more than a few moments.

Ausren carefully picks up his uninjured wing, thinking that perhaps he accidentally covered the human in his sleep.

Still, nothing. The cave is empty besides himself.

"What…?" Ausren murmurs, casting around once again. If not from Leonidas, then where did the voice come from?

Before the prince has the time to discover the answer, an enraged and familiar roar sounds. Immediately, priority rearranges itself inside his mind and he is moving, ignoring the pain in his shoulder as he moves for the entrance.

If there is another dragon here, sounding its position in such a way, then it can only mean two things. One, it is after Leonidas, or two, it has encountered another group of humans, which also puts the human boy at risk. Either way, the one who saved Ausren's life is in danger.

Ausren cannot, in his right mind, let that caliber of human die.

Scrambling at the lip of the cave for a moment, Ausren hauls himself out into the open. Pain wracks up his leg and it attempts to give out. Shoving it aside, the prince adjusts his pupil to the influx of light and turns his attention down the rocky slope.

As Ausren watches, Leo bolts out between the trees, ducking immediately to the right. Barreling haphazardly after him, eyes nearly closed against the shrapnel his passing creates, the dragon known as Enozarc comes. His lips are peeled up, revealing saliva-covered teeth. His frills are fully extended, the array of colors in the translucent material popping in the sun. And his claws dig deep into the snow, ripping up the turf beneath.

Enozarc, being the second in command of Ausren's specially picked strike unit, is a savage and cruel beast. He is well known for his cruelty and temper, having slaughtered warriors for little less than looking at him for too long. He is a valuable warrior, incredibly skilled, and has killed thousands of humans in his lifetime, despite being unusually small and born without protective breastplates.

He is a formidable opponent… much too formidable for an unarmed boy incapable of killing.

Ausren lets loose a hiss of alarm, opening his uninjured wing and extending his other to the fullest. The prince has found himself inexplicably attached to the young human.

He cannot leave him to his own devices.

Ausren bounds down the slope, sliding on the rocks and nearly losing his footing. His leg gives out, dropping his shoulder to the rocks and momentarily halting his progress.

Enozarc roars, opening his eyes fully now, searching for his prey. He easily picks Leonidas out against the snow. The blue dragon lowers his head, zeroing in on the boy, and opens his mouth slightly. Even from his position half-way down the slope, Ausren can hear the vicious hiss Enozarc lets loose.

The brave boy stands, panting, teeth bared, undeterred by the threat. The sound sparks an unexpected pride in Ausren's chest. This little creature, who deemed the prince worthy of life, is far more fierce than expected.

The human is worthy of the title of Roirra.

Facing Enozarc, Leonidas lets out a soft sound akin to a snarl. The sparkling blue dragon bares his teeth right back.

Pock!

Ausren stops, his head coming up. He is quite shocked as the human lets fly with a rather small and skinny stick, but accurately lands it nearly directly in Enozarc's eye. Instinctively, Enozarc flinches away from the stick, closing his eyes moving away from the impact. As the stick bounces harmlessly off scales and goes flying off into the snow, Leo bolts directly under the dragon's jaw and hurdles for the scree slope. The blue dragon, obviously shocked by the motion, is slow to react. In a futile attempt to retain his prey, he snaps at the passing figure. His teeth snap shut on empty air, feet from the human.

"Ausren!" Leonidas shouts, making a lunge for the rocks.

The sound of his name, called so desperately, snaps Ausren out of his stoic stupor. Attempting to steady himself with his tail and wings, the prince flings himself down the slope once more. He lands heavily, skids, and nearly goes over sideways. Now, however, he is a mere twenty feet away from Leonidas.

So, so very close to the human, yet too far away to help.

Enozarc appears behind the human, catches the boy by the ankle, and hurdles him into a nearby snowdrift. A soft yelp is driven out of the human, who wastes no time attempting to get up. Despite his fast instincts, the human flounders.

"Ausren," Enozarc greets the prince, raising his head slightly to where Ausren stands. "I see you are alive. This human must be the reason for your injury then, I suppose. Don't worry, my prince, I'll kill him for you." Turning, the little blue dragon follows up on his advantage, walking slowly toward his floundering prey.

Ausren lunges, panic driving him forward, and plants his shoulder firmly in Enozarc's side. He knows that if he attempts to order the little dragon off the human, it will end in a fight anyway. Enozarc has a hatred of the little creatures that Ausren has never witnessed before. With a startled yelp, both dragons go down into the snow in a tangle of limbs and tails. Ausren twists in the snow, hearing Enozarc snarl angrily. The smaller dragon is growling and hissing as he thrashes and tries to get up, showering Ausren with slush. Closing his first eyelid to protect his eye, Ausren struggles to get upright. Once he achieves this, he is immediately whacked by a wing.

On instinct, Ausren snaps at the wing but misses. It takes another few moments for him to get up on his belly, just in time to watch Enozarc get up. The small blue dragon takes a moment to shake his head and neck, freeing the extremities of snow. Then, lifting his head, he bares his teeth at Ausren, hissing through them. "I hope that you slipped, Prince," Enozarc snarls, "and therefore accidentally saved the life of this tiny and insignificant being."

The crown prince hisses back, bares his teeth, and blasts the smaller dragon with a stream of fire. Having fought many fire-spitting dragons before, Enozarc flings up his wings to cover his body, protecting his scale-less underbelly.

Ausren pours every ounce of panic and anger in his body into that fire, heating it to the best of his abilities. However, eventually, the ember in his belly shrinks and he must cut the fire off. Once the fire ceases, Enozarc lets out an angry hiss, bares his teeth at Ausren, and snarls, "Fine. I'll deal with you later."

Shaking his head, the little blue dragon stalks toward Leonidas.

Ausren roars, readying another stream of fire, feeling that ember recover size quickly, attempting in the meantime to get to his feet. If he does not manage an upright position in which he can make a protective lunge, the human will die. However, the ground is slick and his right leg refuses to support weight.

Watching the prince out of the corner of his eye, Enozarc jumps forward, landing gracefully directly in front of Leonidas. The human rolls to the side, avoiding the pinning claw that would kill him, but is still unable to find his feet in the deep snow. With a snarl, full attention going to the boy, the small blue dragon picks up his foot and pins Leonidas to the ground, trapping the human face-down in the snow.

Ausren can hear Leo shriek as the dull thick claws of Enozarc dig into his skin, breaking through the organ as if it was parchment.

"No!" Ausren roars, scrambling for purchase on the ground. His leg refuses to work properly, his wing useless and limp behind him. "Leonidas!"

Enozarc pauses for a second, looking over at his prince with a smirk. "Is this little thing so important to you? A weak little human, built like parchment to even one as small as me?" Surprisingly gently, he picks up the human in his claws. However, Enozarc quickly tosses him carelessly back into the snow, away from Ausren.

Leo picks himself up on his arms, shaking his mop of brown hair to clear it of snow. Once upright, he turns on Enozarc and growls angrily.

Enozarc laughs, following the human lazily and preening, "Watch Prince, and I will show you why these things are not worthy of us. Why they are not worthy of even your gaze. They are vermin, invading our lands from some far-away place. Watch, and I will show you why we are the superior race. Why you should have never allowed one sly little thing to gain your trust."

Once again, Enozarc pins the human to the ground, this time with his back down. Leo grunts, and then hisses softly, forming words too quiet to hear.

"What?" Enozarc laughs, leaning closer to the human. "Last words, little breakable one?"

"If we're so fragile, why haven't you taken your lands back yet?" Leo growls, and then makes a sound akin to a roar. Enozarc rears back, throwing his head up with a furious and shocked cry. When he comes back down, he lands on only one front foot, staring at his right foot in bewilderment. Blood, bright red like rubies, hits the snow, dripping from between the dragon's toes. Despite himself, Ausren feels the urge to laugh.

Lodged in the sensitive webbing between the dragon's toes lies a stick, firmly driven into flesh. The human, despite being injured and outmatched, still fought back. Even as Ausren watches, Leonidas cackles with laughter, watching the dragon through slit eyes.

Digging his claws into the snow and earth, Ausren grits his teeth and hauls himself upright. He must fight. He must protect this human. The human who fought so bravely, then spared his life, even nursing him.

One step forward yields his leg giving out, nearly dumping the prince back into the snow.

Leo tries to get up, but is stopped half-way through the motion. Using his injured foot, Enozarc slams the boy back to the ground, the dragon's teeth coming to rest inches from the human's face. The dragon's claws dig into the boy's stomach and chest, ringing a scream of pain and drawing bright blood. For only a second does Leo struggle, before his blood hits the snow and he goes still, panting wetly.

Instinctively, Ausren knows that whatever injuries were inflicted are fatal. Even if Enozarc left now, the human's chances are slim. Without proper care from his own species, he will suffer and die.

"I was going to kill you quickly," Enozarc snarls, lips peeled all the way back, allowing a small drip of saliva to run onto Leo's chest. "But now, I think I'll just rip you in two and watch you scream as you die."

Enozarc rears up once again, twisting his head so as to fit his jaws across the boy's chest. A cold fist closes around Ausren's heart as he watches, unable to force his body to work. His injury will not allow him. He is going to watch the human die.

Ausren snarls, opening his mouth in a roar, desperately trying to do something, anything, that would spare the boy. Rage like nothing else the dragon has ever felt shakes through his chest. He will not allow this to happen. If it should, he will kill Enozarc without mercy.

He gets his teeth parted, lips peeled back, when suddenly the world is moving through molasses.

Time slows to a crawl, Enozarc's eye slowly shifting to the Prince.

"I will not allow this," Ausren hisses. The anger is hot in his chest, fueling his stubborn stand.

Gently, heat caresses the wound in his shoulder. Softly, that voice that woke him up asks, "So you want to save him?"

Eyes riveted on Leonidas, barely even hearing through the blood in his ears, Ausren growls, "Yes."

"Do you know what must be done?" the voice questions softly.

"Yes," Ausren replies. With a fatal wound like that, only one maneuver can save the human. Only one thing, in which Ausren had never believed possible.

"Then go, Prince, and save him," the voice whispers, dwindling into nothingness as if the speaker were walking away.

With a flash and searing heat, the wound in Ausren's shoulder closes, leaving nothing but healthy and powerful flesh behind. Time comes crashing back in without hesitation.

Ausren lunges, his leg flexing and supporting weight, his wing stretched out to provide power and lift to his movement. The prince will not allow the human to die. He will not allow it.

The fearsome, tiny creature is unlike any other being he has ever come across. Enozarc doesn't know how wrong he is.

Body sailing forward with speed and precision, Ausren bares his teeth to the best of his abilities, making absolutely sure his lips will not mar the way of his teeth as they meet flesh. Nothing will stand in his way now. He has a clear shot at Enozarc, and he is about to use every ounce of skill his terrible father trained into him.

With a sickening crack, the prince sinks his teeth into Enozarc's skull. The dragon screams, blood erupting from the wound, flowing over Ausren's tongue and further fueling his battle-rage. Combat is like nothing else for the Prince. He does not need the kill, or even the victory to enjoy a fight. All he needs is his claws and teeth in action. It is what he was born for.

Digging his hind claws into the turf and using his momentum, the prince looses a roar, plying his body weight to force Enozarc off of Leo and to the ground. Being the skilled warrior he is, Enozarc does not panic in Ausren's grip, although the prince can feel his frantic pulse.

"Good," Ausren thinks, narrowing his eyes into slits as he focuses on the smaller dragon. "You should be scared of me."

Twisting under the prince, Enozarc bares his claws, raking them at the larger dragon's chest. The claws bounce off of Ausren's belly plates, doing minimal damage to the structures and failing to wound the prince.

Ausren keeps his hold, stepping carefully over Leo's body and flaring his wings to balance himself as Enozarc struggles. The dull claws of Enozarc rake down Ausren's stomach, supplying nothing but force as he bunny kicks. Quickly, the little dragon realizes that nothing is being accomplished and instead reaches up, attempting to punch his claws through Ausren's smaller scales.

The attack proves ineffective, the blue dragon's claws being too dull to properly cut through the armored hide of the prince. Unlike Enozarc, Ausren strives to keep his claws as sharp as possible. The sharper his claws, the easier they cut through human and dragon armor alike. Most likely, the little dragon has spent too much time away from a proper sharpening stone. That, or he simply doesn't care.

Tired of the barrage on his underside, Ausren tightens his teeth, sinking them farther into the flesh of Enozarc's neck. Beneath him, the little dragon screams and twists, attempting to get his claws up to Ausren's nose. Snarling savagely, the prince lifts his left foot and pins Enozarc's flailing body to the ground, his claws cutting easily through the sapphire scales.

All that needs to be done is a precise closing of Ausren's jaws, and the little dragon will be permanently stilled. It would be so easy to avenge the wounds inflicted upon Leonidas. So easy to strike a fatal blow and watch the struggling dragon die beneath him. It is what Ausren wants, to complete that strike. The human, however it came to be, is something close to a friend, and as such is under the prince's protection.

A prince's protection is nothing to be trifled with.

Ausren tenses, growling into Enozarc's neck. Leonidas will never be hurt by him again. Just one motion and Leonidas--

Distantly, through the fog of bloodlust and rage, Ausren hears the human groan softly. He should kill the dragon and be done. Enozarc stills with a cry, knowing his time has come.

For a moment, Ausren hesitates, breathing heavily. Then, releasing the dragon's neck, Ausren roars in his face, splaying his wings above him and forcing all the power he can into the sound.

Leonidas would not want Ausren to kill him. Or perhaps he would, but releasing the dragon seems… correct. The revenge, should it be taken, should be by Leonidas's hands.

Enozarc yelps and scrambles at the ground, claws scoring marks into the dirt as he struggles right himself. Lifting his foot, drawing his claws across the dragon's side, Ausren lets the little commander up. Clawing his way to his feet, Enozarc leaps away, bounding up the slope a safe distance before turning around. Tail now low and submissive, Enozarc growls, steam coming out his nostrils.

Ausren lowers his head, bares his teeth, and lets out a low hiss in response.

"Know," Ausren growls, "that the only reason you are alive is that so-called frail little creature you tried to kill. Now go, and if I ever see you again, I will kill you without hesitation."

Enozarc watches him for a minute, panting and bleeding. Turning, the little dragon bounds up the slope to create speed and launches into the air, wings beating hard to keep him aloft. In a few more seconds, his form disappears behind the mountain and his wing beats fade into nothing.

Ausren only wastes another few seconds making sure the dragon is gone before quickly turning to Leonidas once again. The human is sitting upright, one arm wrapped around his bleeding abdomen, then other outstretched in front of him. Below and around him, blood stains the snow, as well as his clothes and outstretched arm.

The boy is staring at the blood on his hand, watching the limb shake as if from a very long ways away.

"Leonidas?" Ausren asks softly, carefully making his way up to the human.

For a moment, the human doesn't react. Then, softly, he laughs, "Huh. That's not good." The boy is in shock, Ausren knows. He's probably never been so severely injured before. In fact, he hasn't. If he had, he would be dead.

"Leo," Ausren tries again, attempting to gain the human's attention.

Finally, the boy looks at him, drawing in his arm as he does so. The action makes him grit his teeth and whine in pain, clutching harder at his shred abdomen. It is a miracle, Ausren thinks, that the human is even upright.

"I'm going to die, aren't I?" Leo breathes, once again looking up at the dragon. "I… I don't think I want to die."

Ausren lowers his head, breathing out and rustling the human's hair. Then, gently, he taps his nose against the human's head. He can feel the connection there, the life debt he owes the human. He does not want the human to die and, if the legends are true, then he has the power to stop it. Assuming he can figure out how.

But if he does this, he will need and want to stay by the human's side forever. If he does this, then he will willingly give up his life. The life he knows and has enjoyed.

He owes the human. He likes the human, enjoys his company.

Ausren closes his eyes, and decides. He will save the human and until the day he is struck down, will follow the boy to the ends of the earth and back. He will care for Leonidas as if he was a part of himself.

Suddenly, the prince is no longer uncertain. He knows what he needs to do.

"Here," he murmurs, and lowers his head next to Leonidas's hands. "Hold this for me, Leonidas. I will entrust only you with it."

Leonidas obviously looks confused, but raises his hand with a wince and a hiss. Leaning forward just a little, Ausren meets the boy halfway.

Pressing his nose into the human's hand, Ausren breathes out softly. From his chest to his nose, his body shivers, his scales bristling and shaking. His chest heaves once, his neck arcing, and with a slither, Ausren passes part of his soul, his very being, onto the human.

Leo gasps as the fragment of soul enters his skin, recoiling as if stung. Then, he shrieks, and light blares. The magic that is innate to dragons, yet hard for them to harness, blasts from the human's hand, the wraps suddenly up his arm to his chest and down to his abdomen. In its wake is a pattern unlike anything Ausren has ever seen before. Black lines, thick and dark, mark Leonidas's skin, wrapping up his arm in loops and swirls, then curving down his body toward his wounds. Through the torn fabric of the human's clothing, Ausren can see as the magic reaches the boy's abdomen. Again, a flash is seen, the magic lashing out at the wound.

Leonidas screams, recoiling into the snow, and promptly passing out.

On his abdomen, where the wound used to be, is a line of human-sized scales, fading into smooth, healthy skin wrapped in more of the inky black marks. The human shivers slightly, coiling in the snow uncomfortably, and as he moves, scales appear from the black, plating most of his chest and all of his arm. At the end of his fingers appear tiny, human-sized claws, sharp… ??

Softly, Ausren huffs a tired laugh. The scales suit the human, as well as his new-found claws. Ausren, since the day they met, has always seen the boy as a dragon in the wrong flesh. Leonidas fought differently than most humans… more strategic and much more viciously. Besides, the prince has never before seen a human fight back when their life was as good as forfeit.

Leo is different than the rest of his species.

Noting the human shivering in the snow, Ausren reaches out with his front legs and gently lifts the human. Tucking the boy against his chest, the prince transfers the human to one arm and, with a few bounds to create speed, lifts into the air.

It only takes a few moments for Ausren to once again find the cave. He lands as gently as possible, crawling into the cave so as to not squash the human. Laying the boy on the floor, Ausren coils up next to him. Still, the human shivers.

The prince watches the human for a second, who is coiled uncomfortably on his side in the sand. Leo's skin appears raw and red. He is still quite cold. Tilting his head slightly, the dragon peers down at the one who now holds a piece of his soul. How can Ausren warm the boy up?

"I could use fire," Ausren muses, but quickly thinks better of it. He may just as well cook the human alive. However, an idea sparks in his mind and, rising slightly, the dragon crawls up close to the human. Pressing his belly into the human's back, Ausren settles one wing over the human. He may not be able to breathe fire without hurting the human, but the fire in his belly still makes the dragon hotter than any other creature that walks the earth. Besides his own kind, of course.

Settling his head comfortably in the sand, Ausren turns his attention to watching the human, carefully monitoring his condition. Leonidas appears to be stable and warm now, but he still shifts and cries out in his sleep. If the texts of old are to be believed, then Leo must accept the burden of Ausren's soul. Only then will he be able to wake up, completely healed and stronger than ever before. If he does not accept the bond, however, he will die. The piece of Ausren's soul will kill the human to escape back to the body it rightfully belongs to.

Being able to pass on a piece of their soul is a trait unique to dragons. However, it requires a bond to be properly executed. The dragon must be willing to share their soul with another, to entrust another with a part of their very being. They must also be willing to follow that being wherever it goes, to protect it with their life. Not, necessarily, because if the vassal dies the soul would be lost. In fact, the soul would return promptly to the dragon. It is because the giving of a dragon's soul must be an act of pure selflessness. An act of wanting nothing other than the protection and long-living of another being. It is a bond so rare that there is only one recorded instance; between a dragon and human, no less. However, it has been so long that the dragons have dismissed it as legend. After all, why would a noble beast like a dragon wish to discharge a part of their soul onto one so lowly as a human? There was no logical explanation, obviously. So on they went. Ausren himself, while knowing of the legend, had not believed it possible. He, like so many others, wondered why any dragon would bother to share its soul with a weaker creature. Now, however, that has changed.

Ausren is learning, now, that strength is not simply expressed in fighting prowess.

Time passes, the shadows lengthening as the day drags on. Still, the prince does not budge or lose vigilance. He will stay until the human either dies or accepts his gift.

"You must accept it, Leonidas," Ausren breathes. "You must live."

The light sinks further, the sun making its descent toward the horizon. Soon, it will disappear completely, and the humans down in the fort will begin to realize that someone is missing.

Looking between the sun and the boy, Ausren mutters, "Quickly, perhaps, Leo. You will soon be missed."

The dragon is already uneasy about letting the boy out of his sight, but he knows that Leo will want to return to his fort. He will not be ready for the strict accompaniment that Ausren feels needs to be executed. The prince knows that, for the time being anyway, Leonidas's loyalties inexplicitly lie with the humans. Or his brothers, anyway. Unlike Ausren, he will not want to galavant off into the wilderness. He will need to stay for some time before he will be ready to dedicate his life to the dragon.

And so, Ausren must protect him the best he can, which includes getting him back to the fort before he is reported missing. When the men come back into the fort after gathering firewood at dusk, they will quickly notice the lack of Leonidas. Then, the human will have no choice but to run.

"Leonidas," Ausren tries again, nudging the human with his nose. "Wake up. Quickly now. Accept the bond. We must go."

For a moment, there is still nothing. The human continues to stay curled around himself, shivering in the air. The dragon prince huffs softly, turning back to the cave entrance when a concussive boom echoes around the chamber. Blinding light erupts around the cavern, making the prince instinctively close his eyes.

The shockwave collides with Ausren's body, sending a ripple through his flesh and nearly battering his head into the wall. Scrambling to his feet, blinking his eyes open, Ren searches for the threat, swinging his head around, snarling angrily.

The only thing he finds is the human himself, sitting up with a groan, looking very disoriented.

"Leonidas?" the dragon questions softly, letting his teeth one again be concealed. "Are you alright?"

Body still quivering, pale, and unsteady, the boy whispers, "Ren? What--" He breaks off, clutching at his head with one hand, then groaning, "How am I still alive? And why does my head hurt so badly?"

For a moment, the dragon simply surveys the boy, looking and smelling for any sign of injury. "Everything happened so quickly," Ausren thinks. "How am I supposed to explain?"

At his thought, Leonidas recoils into the sand, looking at the dragon with wide eyes. For a moment, the two simply stare at each other, Ren in bewilderment and Leo with something between terror and horror.

Without warning, Leonidas's eyes roll up in his head, and he passes out.