Silver Lining

[1]

The first thing [name] did not expect to wake up to was a screeching dragon call.

The only way she knew it was a dragon was with the saddening distress call she'd always stay awake hearing. No matter what dragon it was, a common Monstrous Nightmare all the way to the rare Flightmare they'd bring in, they always had the same cry for help.

She shot out of bed as a reflex, already used to waking up to patients hollering in pain should they need her. This instance was different. The dragons usually were held far away from her camp, due to her polite requests she'd repeated until she had Ryker rolling his eyes and complying when she'd pestered him enough. It was moments before dawn would arrive, and the seven patients she had were all asleep.

Sliding out of her hut after grabbing her general necessities, she headed in the general direction where the sound was coming from. There was a soft whisper that followed the sounds of her footsteps growing closer to the weakening dragon. It could have been a Slithersong or even a Songwing, though those never crossed these regions of the archipelago.

Nothing would have prepared her for the Deathsong that was in the middle of the clearing. Their dark scales allowed it to be safe at night time, but dangerously exposed in the morning. There was no way that the Hunters would not find the dragon as the sun rose. In fact, it was a surprise that they hadn't already gotten to the dragon, judging by the lack of arrows anywhere on their body.

The whisper ceased, and it just stared at her. There was a lack of reaction from the dragon, it wasn't scared or aggravated. It came off as shocked like it had never seen a human before and was curious instead of threatened.

She was wondering why it was even there until she noticed the deep gashes along its skin as if it had a territorial dispute with another dragon. There was also how unnaturally thin it looked. Despite the dragons being very slim, she knew that the ribs were not supposed to be alarmingly visible.

Taking a few steps, she made sure to approach the dragon headfirst, remaining in its vision the entire time. Any tenseness from the dragon eased as she approached closer. She realized how stunning the dragon was, turquoise details lining the wings and its frills. The dark violet scales began gleaming, as the sun came a little higher in the sky, peeking over to look at the magnificent dragon in front of her.

It was certainly a Deathsong, one of the smaller specimens. Most likely barely making it to a broadwing evolution, lack of food not allowing it to grow further.

It didn't seem to have its own call, probably due to its constant moving around. The females usually have smaller frills, less detailed, while the males have the most vibrant wings and headdresses. This dragon was either a prepubescent male or just a female, it was hard to tell without further inspection.

[name] determined it was a good idea to hum to the dragon to hopefully comfort it. She considered recalling a song she heard last night, but if she taught it the campfire songs she'd often hear from the Hunters then it could risk its life by ever recognizing them. She supposed there was a lullaby she could hum from her childhood, but it's hard to tell if the dragon would like it.

She hummed the little tune, hopefully memorable to the dragon. Amazingly enough, the Deathsong responded weakly. She reached out a hand like she'd heard the dragon riders did with their dragons. Though, instead of looking away, she looked right at the dragon, trying to make that connection through sound, touch, and sight. As it leaned into her touch, she realized how much the dragon couldn't maintain its body temperature as she felt the cooler than normal scales

It would be risky, but there was a secluded area that the Hunters always avoided using due to the 'medical waste' there. Really, she just needed a space to spend time quietly while business was slow.