The Red Dragon

Chapter 10

Art by @khaoticvex, do not repost

Chapter 10

The patrol had begun like any other, Natsu had waited for the others to fall asleep and left using the rear entrance. He flew around the mountains, keeping his eye out for nests or any other signal enemy dragons were nearby.

He'd only encountered a few so far, but they'd been smaller than him. All it had taken was a few roars and some aggressive flying to convince them they should go somewhere else. He'd never even had to use his breath weapon.

He just had to be thorough and make sure he marked enough areas that other dragons would think twice before encroaching on his territory. Marking was an incredibly long and tedious process, but it was necessary and had to be done daily. It was the most important part of his job.

Atlas had taught him how to secrete a particular solution into his saliva. He used it to mark as many surfaces as he could, outlining the vast swath of land he had claimed as his territory. With so many people living in the town, Natsu had expanded it to the point it now took him about four hours to mark all of it.

He finished his marking. His mouth felt dry, but the unpleasant taste didn't bother him anymore. Erza hadn't scheduled them for a first shift in the morning, and he was looking forward to getting a full night's sleep for once.

He felt something cold cover his wings, colder than any of Gray's attacks. Natsu tried to shake it off, but found he wasn't able to move his wings at all. He'd let himself get distracted, and he should have known better.

Natsu panicked and let out his most ferocious roar as he fell. He still hadn't even seen what had attacked him. He kept trying to move his wings, hoping the effect was temporary, but no matter how much strength he used, they wouldn't budge.

A flash of silver wings entered his field of vision, too fast to even focus on as he continued to fall. The dragon circled him, and Natsu could finally see it properly. It was a silver dragon, smaller than Natsu but apparently more experienced in combat.

Fuck! He'd never been attacked by a dragon before, and he couldn't seem to remember a single thing that Igneel and Atlas had taught him. He howled in pain as he felt something even colder pierce the scales on his back. He'd never been so scared in his life.

Think Natsu! Everything depends on you. If he kills you, he'll attack the village and kill everyone in it. It's all up to you.

He could hear Igneel's patient voice in his head. "Natsu, the most important thing in a battle is to keep your head. You have plenty of weapons at your disposal, but if you let yourself panic, you've already lost."

Calm down... How the hell am I supposed to do that when I'm being attacked by something I can't see while not being able to fly?

Natsu closed his eyes, knowing that despite his thoughts he had to try. He held on to the soothing sound of his father's voice and slowed down the sped up beating of his terrified heart. He quickly switched his thoughts to Gray, using his love for him to bolster his ebbing morale.

There was no way in hell he would allow something that horrible to happen to his mate again. When he opened his eyes, they glowed, reflecting his newfound determination to live and to protect the people that were most important to him.

Fuck this. This is not where I die!

Natsu roared as loudly as he could and heated his body more and more until it was covered in his hottest blue flames. It made him feel more confident, and he found that within a few seconds he could move his wings again. He got his descent under control and flew up to meet his opponent, his breath weapon already aimed at the smaller silver dragon that had attacked him.