. : D R A G O N B O R N : . (a MCSM fanfic)

Chapter 2: Dilemma

"So you found a cat in there and just shoved it into a sack???" Lukas stared at her with a slightly horrified expression.

Petra kept a firm grip on the wriggling sack. She hadn't been fond of the idea either—but it was the only way she could think of to sneak the dragon past them without arousing suspicion. "It's a feisty thing—I didn't want it to scratch me!"

He shook his head. "I understand that, but... a sack??"

"Do you have a better idea?" she countered.

Lukas bit his lip. "...Not really..." he admitted finally, and exhaled. "Just... don't keep it in there for longer than you have to..."

"I won't," she promised. "And don't worry—I left some holes for air. It'll be fine..."

"If you're sure..." He shook his head. "But you'd better hurry and get to town... the sooner you can release that cat, the better."

"Right—I'm heading out now." She dipped her head. "Will you let the others know I'm headed to town to try and find a home for this cat and get more supplies?"

He nodded. "Of course. See you later, Petra..."

She waved to him and slipped out, heading down the trail into the woods. As soon as she was out of sight, she took off running, making sure she was a ways down the trail before she finally slowed. She couldn't risk a team member happening across them without warning...

She set the sack down on the ground, and immediately the dragon wriggled free with a series of annoyed squawks. It flapped itself free of the sack and sat, glaring indignantly at her.

She raised an eyebrow. "Don't you give me that—this was for your own good!"

The dragon hissed softly, shaking its wings, and hunched over sulkily. Petra rolled her eyes. "Fine, be like that. Never mind that I just saved your life..." She huffed. "Now come on. We need to move." She started off into the woods. The dragon perked up quickly, giving a curious whistle, and rose, bounding after her.

They walked for some time, Petra doing her best not to trip over the rambunctious dragon as it got underfoot. Finally, when they'd gone some ways, she stopped, bending to pick up the dragon. "Alright," she said, setting it on a small rock. "This is a good spot for you. There's water to drink, there's animals you can hunt... you should be fine here."

The dragon tilted its head. "Quir?"

"You can't come back with me," she said. "It's not safe—if the others find you, they'll kill you. Go live your life..." She exhaled, taking a step back. "And stay away from people. They're bad news to you..." She turned her back, walking away.

"Quir!" The little dragon sprang from the rock and darted after her. Petra stopped again and picked it up.

"No. You can't come back with me." She set it back on the rock. "Stay here. Stay."

The dragon whimpered, tilting its head.

"Stay here," she said again, slowly backing up. The dragon seemed hesitant, but stayed put. Petra exhaled, turning, and headed off again. Behind her, the dragon made a small whimpering noise, and she felt a little pang inside, but did her best to ignore it, heading back to the beaten trail.

She still felt guilty, though she knew she shouldn't. She'd done the right thing, hadn't she? The dragon could grow up out here in the woods—and hopefully it would move further and further from humanity as its territory expanded. She hadn't killed it—out here, it at least stood a chance. She should be proud of herself, for making the right choice...

And yet...

She shook her head. What other choice did she have? It wasn't like she could bring the dragon back with her or some nonsense like that...

Soon, she reached the path and set out again, heading in the direction of town. She still had to pick up the food, after all...

She hadn't gone more than a few paces down the trail when a wolf's howl rang out from somewhere in the woods. At first she ignored it, knowing the elusive creatures usually went out of their way to avoid humans, but slowly a nagging doubt began to grow in her mind. At first, she resisted it, but gradually she found herself slowing. No, no, no, this is ridiculous. He's going to be just fine...

Another howl rang out, closer this time, and Petra whirled around, running back the way she'd come.

She arrived just in time to catch a streak of black fleeing frantically through the trees, pursued by several grey figures. She caught them circling, realizing they were coming straight toward her, and frantically fumbled through her inventory. Torch, torch... where in the heck did I put that torch???

Her hand closed around the wood just as they came upon her. She whipped the firebrand out and waved it in front of her, just as the shrieking black blur darted past, ducking between her legs and scooting out behind her. The wolves charged into the open in front of her, skidding to a stop at the sight of her torch.

"Get out of here!" she bellowed, shaking the torch at them and waving her free arm, trying to make herself look as large as possible. The wolves scrambled over themselves trying to get away, filling the air with a chorus of yelps and bays. In another moment they were gone, vanishing into the woods again. Panting, Petra slowly lowered her torch and turned around.

The dragon crouched, shivering, against a nearby tree, looking up at her with wide eyes. She watched it for a moment, trying to sort through the tangled mess of thoughts in her mind, and then shook her head with a sigh. "Alright, fine. This isn't going to work." With a reluctant huff she approached the dragon and picked it up, feeling it go limp with relief in her arms. It nuzzled her neck, quirr-ing happily in her ear, and she gently pushed its head away with her free hand.

"No, no, none of that. This doesn't change anything. We are not friends, and just because I'm not leaving you here doesn't mean anything..."

The dragon gave a happy quark and licked her fingers. Petra rolled her eyes. "Come on, you. I still have to pick up supplies in town, and then we'll figure out what to do about... this."

***

To her relief, Petra found the tiny dragon still nestled in the hollow tree she'd left it in when she'd entered the town. The little beast was snoring contently, and for a moment she debated sneaking away while it wasn't paying attention, but then shook her head. She'd already established the dragon wouldn't last long on its own... she couldn't just abandon it.

"Hey," she whispered, "Hey dragon."

The dragon whimpered a little and covered its ears with its paws. Petra grimaced, trying desperately not to let the word 'adorable' come to mind. "Hey. Dragon. We've gotta move." She picked up a stick from the ground and poked it gently in the side—not wanting to reach out her hand in case it startled.

The dragon blinked its eyes open, looking up at her, and then sat up, giving a huge yawn that exposed its tiny, needle-sharp teeth. It flapped its wings a little, and then shook itself off, scurrying out of the hollow and then clambering up Petra's pants and vest to perch on her shoulder before she could protest.

"Hey—hey! Don't do that—really, don't do that..." She picked it up again, holding it at arm's length. "Look, I'm not sure you get this, but... we're not friends. I don't want you dead. That doesn't mean I like you."

The dragon tilted its head, giving a curious "Quipp??"

Petra sighed. "Yes, I brought you a snack." She set the dragon down on the ground, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a chunk of raw beef. As she tossed it down, she realized to her horror that she was actually beginning to understand the creature. Nope. Nope, nope, nope, this needs to end now.

She looked around. "I can't leave you here... but maybe the woods near the temple will be better. But you've got to stay hidden. Do you understand that? Stay. Hidden."

The dragon finished snarfing down the beef and looked up at her with a disconcertingly blank expression.

"That doesn't make me feel better," she said, and picked up the dragon, beginning the trek back to the temple.