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It all began in the small Eastern village of Hakone. Hakone was a village focused on raising Livestock, fishing, and quietly living out their lives. Winter was approaching and unfortunately The Local village had been having issues of livestock going missing. Without the security of having livestock to sustain themselves during the Winter how were they to survive?A search party had been organized by the village Elder, Hieronymus, in which many of the villagers spread out in search of the missing animals. It did not take long to locate the missing animals but…it had been a clear scene of slaughter with dry blood coating the grass around it and scavengers picking at the remains.“Shoo!” a villager shouted effectively scattering the scavengers. A man by the name of Shiro stepped forward and knelt beside the remains before releasing a sigh, “What in the hell could have caused such damage to an animal?” - “Dragon.” It was claimed by many of the older villagers. Only many of the older villagers could recall the Ancient Tales of the Dragons.It was nothing but a Dragon that could tear apart a creature like that and they knew of one such creature located near the village upon the tallest mountain. Since long ago the area had been deemed forbidden as villagers that ventured near never returned and children ran away screaming. It was the land belonging to the Dragon and thus no one was allowed near the area. “Winter is nearing!” shouted the village leader. “We cannot have this Dragon continuing to take out livestock. Our exports dwindle and so we cannot trade! Our food supply is short and our materials are greatly affected by this cause. We shall send our Village Knight to ensure we can continue to live through the Winter. We have already predicted a difficult winter ahead of us and without our Livestock we will parish. Hakone cannot afford to suffer the loss of more cattle and we most certainly will not stand for any Casualties.” Takashi Shirogane was the Knight of Hakone, his other title included Samurai but the term had become outdated. He had been raised in this village by his grandparents from the age of five and everyone was a family here. Was he looking forward to slaying a Dragon? Not particularly but he would do anything to protect the friends and family that called this Village home. That was how his Adventure began.-Keith was the dragon that owned and protected this mountain. He was somewhat of a God to the beings around here; demons, animals, anything of the sort. It all responded to him and since days ago he felt a disturbance that unsettled him. It wasn't a threat, he could tell that much but he wasn't sure if it was a foreign animal, a new entity, or perhaps a human.The humans in the nearby villages were aware of his presence and had been taught one way or another to avoid this mountain. Keith had been here long before them and this territory belonged only to him. He refused to allow any humans to tarnish the forest and furthermore the springs that lurked beneath the grounds and within the caverns of his home.Contained inside the peak of this mountain was Keith’s lair. It was his home built of rock, limestone, volcanic ashes, and minerals as old as the planet. It was older than even the Dragon himself and within the large cavern was what the Dragon called a hot lake. The water was clear and sparkled. It was special with properties that sped up recovery and eased fatigue.Keith often had visitors from afar asking for permission to soak in the medicinal water that poured from his home. In all honesty the Dragon had only been searching for a Cave of his own but without meaning to he became a Guardian. It was a responsibility the young Drake had never asked for but he accepted it. "Shit..." Shiro cursed under his breath, boots slipping on the wet stone as his hands scrambled for a better hold. He released a puff of air when his hold thankfully stuck, keeping him from slipping and falling hundreds of feet to his death. Though...to be quite honest, such a death would honestly be preferable to getting roasted alive by a dragon. At least if he fell, he would get to experience what it must feel like to fly.Getting cooked and then most likely eaten? Yeah, that didn't sit well with the young Knight.There was, at least, a small chance that this encounter wouldn't end in death. Shiro was a fair man. If the Dragon was amenable and they could reach some sort of agreement, then all would be well. It was just too bad Dragons weren't well known for making compromises. But, here Takashi was anyway, scaling a mountain at the behest of his village to confront the one who had been taking their livestock.He'd accepted the task because he was the only one able-bodied and stupid enough to agree to it. He'd always been a bit bull-headed like that and besides it was his responsibility. This village was his home and he voluntarily accept the position of Village Knight.With a few grunts and a groan, the Knight pulled himself up and over the cliff-side. Right outside of the cave opening. He took a moment to stand and adjust himself, before cautiously approaching the cave. His left hand rested on the pommel of his sword as he squinted into the darkness. "Wonder if he's even home..."Keith’s tail battered the ground. He could sense that whatever being dared to enter his territory had finally managed to skitter up his mountain. He quickly gathered up his precious gems and carefully pushed them back against his nest before standing.In his Dragon form, Keith stood well over ten feet tall with a wingspan big enough to rival most if not all houses in the village. He slipped through the openings in the cave and soon was met with the presence of a man.A human. It truly was a human after all. What Human was dumb…or perhaps brave enough to approach Keith?He set a clawed foot outside and released a puff of smoke through his nostrils, "Human, what are you doing upon my mountain?""He unfortunately seems to be home..." Takashi thought to himself as one clawed foot stepped out into the daylight. It was horrifying to say the least. Grey eyes landed momentarily at the Dragon's large and very sharp talons, before he swallowed and looked up. He hadn’t seen claws that sharp on even the wildest of wolves.Shiro didn't dare to move, instead opting to straighten his back and tighten his fingers around the pommel of his sword. He wasn't one to show fear in the face of danger. "I've come to speak with you, Dragon." Shiro's voice rang clear, "On behalf of my village." He tilted his chin up just slightly, trying to show that he was unafraid despite the feeling in his gut that was telling him to get out of there right now, lest he get eaten.It had taken a few moments for the Dragon's eyes to adjust but soon he came face to face with perhaps the most handsome human he had ever had the pleasure to lay his eyes upon. He released a bellowing hum and continued to stare down at the human. The man’s voice was deep and echoed loudly off the rocks of his home.On one hand the human was honestly quite the looker but on the other he was delighted to witness the obvious fear in this human’s being. Obviously, the young Dragon didn’t enjoy the presence of humans. Rarely did a dragon ever get along with mankind for various reasons and Keith was not an exception. He hadn’t truly planned on devouring him, but the child of man did not know that. Dragons didn’t really eat humans, it was outside of their taste preferences and often caused bigger problems than it was worth.Shiro continued, "Winter is coming, and we need our livestock to survive it." Despite the Dragon’s thoughts, he had to at least keep up his appearance. Keith loomed over the man in armor. "Hand off your weapon, Human." He opened his mouth and released a puff of flames into the sky before lowering his head near the man. "I can burn you alive faster than you can draw your sword, if you have come to speak to me then speak without your sword."Keith hated dealing with humans, they were always so uptight and....well...like this. Even if this man was very beautiful, he still seemed to be the same. The only difference was that he was clearly trying to hide his fear. On the bright side, Keith was relieved to find out that the human was not mentioning the springs within the mountain.
"What do Humans surviving the winter and their livestock have to do with me?"
Even as the Dragon loomed over him, Shiro refused to budge. He stayed rooted where he was, unyielding even as he watched the beast release a puff of flames into the air. What should have struck fear into his heart, though, only astonished him.The Dragon was beautiful. Covered in dark scales that glittered like jewels under the sun, with eyes that were the deepest shade of purple Shiro had ever seen. Shiro couldn't help but inwardly marvel at the beauty of him.Despite the clear determination in the human’s stance, Keith could tell the human was marveling at him. It was only natural. Most humans never got close to dragons and lived to tell the tale. Keith was a wild dragon, he was one that lived in the mountains on his own. He had a marvelous home in which he decorated with gems, shiny objects of all sorts, and anything soft that he decided he liked."Fair enough." He responded after a moment and removed his hand from his sword. At the very least this creature was open to a discussion. He relaxed his stance a little and crossed his arms over his chest. "Someone's been taking our livestock. A dragon, specifically." Shiro sighed softly, "As far as we know, you are the only Dragon who lives nearby."Ah, so that was what was going on. Keith didn't steal livestock though. He had no need to do so. It seems these humans had made the mistake of mixing him up with a Wyvern.Stupid humans.
"So If that creature was me what would you offer in return for me to stop taking these...trapped animals?"
His eye caught the armor that the other man wore but most of all those beautiful gray eyes glittered while he looked at them. Yes, this human was quite beautiful.Keith wanted him.It would be nice to have a companion as well, even if it was...a human. The Dragon's question made Shiro pause momentarily. The village council hadn't really discussed the possibility of having to offer in return for the Dragon's cooperation. Probably because they had been banking on Shiro slaying the Dragon instead of having a discussion.He guessed he had some liberty to decide, then."Hmm." Shiro hummed, tapping his finger on one of his bracers. He was silent for a few more moments, before he looked up at the Dragon again and spoke. "We have jewels and gold. We can...also offer you a few of our livestock during months of plenty? It is just the winter months that are harder for us humans, so we are happy to share during the summer."A soft rumble came from the Dragon’s chest and he found himself feeling both amused and very wronged. If any other human had been sent, then he would have swatted them off the mountain with his tail. Keith couldn't believe they genuinely thought that an ugly wyvern was like him. He released a puff of smoke and stared down at the human with glaring violet eyes. Was this man serious?These humans really knew nothing about the world of beasts and the many different types. Dragons, Drakes, Wyverns. They were quite different.Still, Keith had no interest in livestock. They were merely trapped animals in his perspective. The animals on his mountain were free, it was survival of the fittest but he kept this area free of the human touch.He extended his neck and released a breath of blue fire, spraying it into the air over the human and moments later vanishing into a puff smoke. Seconds later a boy covered in jewels appeared. He was shorter than Shiro, his body covered in splashes of scales, both hands and feet were clawed. His hair was long, scruffy, and reached his shoulders. He also had a tail that curled beside his feet.
"I do not need the livestock but I will take both the jewels..." He placed a clawed hand on the other's cheek, "And you."