I Will Protect You: Victuuri

Chapter 2: Sanctuary

Yuuri felt like he was moving despite having passed out. Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw the forest below him moving by. He jumped slightly as he became aware of a firm, but gentle, grip around his body. Once he had awakened fully, Yuuri heard the sound of powerful wing-beats through the wind blowing past and turned his head slightly to see the dragon from before carrying him. Taking deep breaths, the boy allowed himself to look around a bit more before examining the dragon a bit more. Its mesmerizing gaze did not stray from its path, only occasionally glancing at his passenger, and its white scaled body glistened in the moonlight.

It was not long before they approached the snow-covered peaks of the northern mountain range. The air around them that had once been pleasantly cool was now freezing. Yuuri shivered from the cold and struggled to see more than five feet in front of him due to the heavy snowfall around them. His glasses were slightly clouded with frost but he could still make out the dragon's massive form. He yelped slightly as the dragon tilted his wings and missed a peak that seemed to come out of nowhere. It kept dodging peaks and walls of mountains that Yuuri could only see when they were right there. Amazed at the dragon's skills, Yuuri enjoyed the rest of the flight as the former dove and flew deeper into the mountains, dodging as though it had done it many times before.

It took about fifteen minutes before the dragon headed towards one mountain and showed no signs of stopping. Yuuri covered his face in fear, waiting for the impact to come. When no blow came, Yuuri uncovered his face and saw that there was an opening on the side of the mountain. The dragon slowed its descent as it slowly brought them to a stop inside the mouth of a giant cave. As gently as it could, the dragon placed Yuuri on the cold floor and folded its wings. Yuuri's shivering had not stopped since they had entered the colder air; therefore, he was surprised when he felt something warm being draped over his shoulders. He looked up and saw, not the white dragon that had carried him there but, a man with silver hair and warm, blue eyes. He wore a purple silk shirt and black breeches with boots to match. He draped a fur-lined cloak around the brunette's shoulders and gave him a small smile.

Yuuri furrowed his brow in confusion as the male asked, "Are you unharmed?" Yuuri nodded and pulled the cloak tighter as the man let out a sigh of relief and said, "Good, I was worried you were injured." The boy remained silent as he saw the stranger smile at him warmly as he rubbed one hand. Yuuri looked at the man's hand and saw a large gash running along the back of it. He looked at it for a moment before putting it together. His eyes widened as he timidly asked, "Are you the one who brought me here?" The silver-haired individual gave a playful smile and said, "Yes, I brought you here." Yuuri took the other's injured hand in his own and told his savior, "We need to treat this! It could get infected!" The male smiled and said, "Thank you...." The boy kept his gaze on the wound and stammered, "I-I'm Yuuri, Yuuri Katsuki." The stranger smiled and said, "Well, Yuuri, you can call me Victor."

Victor was about to say something when an angry voice yelled, "Victor where in the name of the Elders have you been?!" The duo on the floor turned to see an upset looking blonde boy. He was glaring at them as he approached angrily and said, "We were looking for you! What have you been doing?!" Yuuri flinched as the angry teen turned to him and asked, "And who the hell are you?! Why don't you just go back to where you came from so I can deal with him?!" Yuuri felt tears sting his eyes as he recalled the horror of that night and began to cry again. Victor glared at the newcomer and barked, "Yurio, don't say things like that!" Yurio flinched as he looked at the crying male on the floor and said, "Sorry about that. I-I didn't mean anything by it, I was just angry at Victor." Yuuri kept crying as a pair of strong arms wrapped around him and he heard Victor say, "His village was attacked by hunters. I barely made it in time to get him out of there." He heard Yurio gasp as a pair of arms lifted him from the cold ground and tucked him close to their body. He looked up slightly to see Victor holding him close and walking deeper into the cave.

The deeper they went, the more Yuuri wanted to sleep. He had been up all day and had nearly died several times that night, but his curiosity kept him awake. They soon came to a huge chamber and Yuuri could only gape. There were buildings rising along the sides of the great cavern and enlightening the monumental space was numerous small torches and in the center was a giant fire-pit. A crowd was gathering around them and Yuuri was not sure what to do. Sensing his passenger's unease, Victor bent his head next to Yuuri's ear and whispered, "It will be alright. I'm not going to let you get hurt, Yuuri." The brunette nodded but clutched at his shirt for comfort. Victor carried him until they were just past the fire pit where the former paused and bowed his head respectfully towards an older gentlemen with thinning gray hair and a sour expression. He looked at Yuuri and quirked an eyebrow as he shifted his gaze to Victor and asked him, "What's going on, Victor?" The former dragon raised his head as he said, "This boy's village was raided by the Dragon Hunters for preparing the festival. I went to ahead in order to scout for enemies, when I arrived the village was in flames and they were killing the townsfolk. I was barely able to save this one before flying away." Yakov looked at the boy cradled in Victor's arms as he approached and said, "You'll be safe here." He placed a hand on Yuuri's head and told him, "You've been through a lot tonight, sleep, you've earned it youngling." Yuuri felt himself relax before falling into a deep slumber, his troubles melting away. Victor held him close as he stated, "I was the one to bring him here; therefore, I will be responsible for him." Yakov smiled slightly as he said, a playful tone in his voice, "As you wish, Your Highness."