Work Text:
Ena sneezed, mentally bashing herself for not bringing a heavier jacket with her. The wind nipped at her skin, the light snowflakes on the breeze promising an early winter for the town she lived in. The night was eerily calm, save for the group of kids that stumbled around the empty streets with giggles. The only light offered at this time of night was the moon and even then, it was obscured by the white clouds that slowly began to roll in. If they weren’t all going to get in trouble for wandering around late at night, then they were for sure going to get it for the stunt they’re trying to pull.
Apparently, the new trend among the others is running into a monster infested forest.
T o be honest, Ena wasn’t a firm believer in these so-called monsters . There’s no way that these ‘nightmare feeding creatures’ were real and were so accessible that her and their small group could just wander into a forest a few meters away and find them. She said as much to Akito and demanded that he stay home instead of sneaking around at night, but her dumb brother insisted otherwise. He said they were only going to skim the border and leave but when she pressured him for more answers, he said he had to go because he lost a dare and it’d be embarrassing if he bailed. Course she told him that he could shove his man pride up somewhere, but he didn’t listen and was already stomping out of the house.
So here she is, freezing cold in a light jacket, tank top and shorts and boots because what kind of older sister would she be if she let her little brother run int o possible danger? Nightmare creatures be damned but other animals like bears and wolves still exist.
While Ena and Akito both had the forethought of opening and going through their closet for better clothes to wear to at least fend against the cold air, they decided against opening the creaky thing to avoid the risk of waking up their father. Honestly even while she froze her fingers off she’d still take this over the hour-long earful they’d receive and whatever else their father felt like doing to them. The best they could do was nab whatever was lying around and slip out of their shared room’s open window.
When they finally reached the outskirts of town and the edges of the forest came into view, the head of the group stopped abruptly. Ena crossed her arms and huffed, her eyes narrowing at the boy she barely recognized in front. “Why’d we stop?”
“A-ah, um,” He stuttered before grabbing Akito’s arm and shoving him in front of them. “This is Akito’s losing bet punishment after all. It only makes sense he leads us.”
Her brother shrugged, brushing the guy off. “Yeah yeah, whatever.” He waved the group over towards the forest. “Let's go.”
And so, their trek began.
--
Ena did not believe in these monsters that lurked the forests. She never did and probably never will.
Though the overwhelming tension that arises from the looming trees and just plain dark atmosphere definitely was real and could be a horror story all on its own. It was in the way the trail they followed started to fade into untamed growth or in the way the thick vines that hung from trees looked haunting. It held a sort of presence in a way– like the forest was alive somehow. It truly felt like it’d devour her whole if she stopped paying attention.
“Ena! Hurry up!” Her brother’s voice brought her back to reality and away from her thoughts. “We’ll leave you behind if you don’t hurry!”
“No way in hell you won’t!” She snapped. Akito just stuck his tongue out at her, and she scowled in return and stomped over.
They kept walking through the woods with near silence after that. Everyone was left on edge to the point even Akito’s nonchalant aura started to falter. It was so quiet . Too quiet. The forest felt dead. There weren’t an occasional caw or flap of bird wings nor were there any lizards or bugs that she could see. It was just them and silence.
Rustle .
A few of the kids shrieked (Ena not included) and the group took two large steps back away from the bush. The boy from earlier pushed Akito in that direction with the low hiss of you check it out . Ena glared at him, but her brother accepted his will. He rolled his shoulders back in an attempt to stop his slight quiver and picked up a stick. He slowly started to approach the bushes and pointed his makeshift weapon at it.
Rustle.
A small frog tumbled out.
They stared slack jawed. Her heart was hammering in her ears and for what? A frog?!
Akito sighed and dropped the stick. He turned back to his peers with a bored look. “The haunted forest huh?”
“Maybe a magic frog?” One of the girls cooed, bending down to examine it more carefully. “Maybe it’s a divine beast of the wilderness!”
“Really? A frog?” Another murmured, though he didn’t seem to buy it.
“Yeah! Maybe if we do something with it, something will happen!”
Ena rolled her eyes but didn’t say more. She was honestly considering dragging her and Akito home and call it a night. This was by far the dumbest thing she’s done in her 11 years of living, and she doubts there will be much more to compete with this. Just when she opened her mouth to call her brother home, she saw something.
Hm?
Something in the corner of her eye sparkled, the light catching her attention. It was brief but it was definitely something. She glanced at her group who now resorted to poking at the ‘magic frog’ with a blunt stick for entertainment. Ena pursed her lips and saw the twinkle again; but this time it was.. Pink?
Sure, any girl with a brain knows that maybe running towards an odd shiny thing in a so-called haunted forest may not be the best idea since the prospect of actual predators like cougars still existed but she couldn’t deny that she was at least curious. Curiosity might kill this cat but at least she’s not dying of boredom because they decided to poke a frog for fun. Mind made up, she strayed from the group and towards the shine. The bushes and trees started to appear more frequently, making her trek through a pain in the rear. She wanted to turn back and throw in the towel because she was absolutely sick and tired of this place, but something kept her going. Maybe it was the tension of the weald alleviating as she drew closer or maybe it was her gut telling her to move forward but Ena kept going.
After a few stumbles and near falls on the more rural terrain, she could finally see what she was supposed to be looking for.
A creature laid on a boulder, it curled up neatly on the rock. It was a pretty little thing under the moon with a gentle clash of splotches of pink scales on top of a body of black. It had two stubby horns and ears that looked like a little chinchilla. Tucked behind them were a couple pink flowers with a string of pearls dangling from the flora. Its eyes were closed in peaceful rest and if Ena didn’t see its chest rising and falling, she would’ve thought it was dead. It was incredibly scenic, and it looks like it was pulled straight out of a book she read. The gentle moon's rays softened the look of the beast, making it look more docile than it probably was, and she scolded herself for not bringing a sketchpad with her.
Though as she stared longer, her eyes started to gravitate towards the parts of its body that its beauty tried to cover.
Long sharp claws scratched idly at the stone, the unconscious motion scratching up the rock it lay on. The talon-like claws on its wings could’ve been the size of two of her fingers and looked to be just as sharp as the blades that pierced the stone. Ena’s brown eyes wandered towards its black and pink tail, the delicate fin hiding what might’ve been a sheath built into the tail, a sharp narrow point sticking out of it. Despite its small size for a dragon, it could easily be at least half the height of a horse and possibly heavier than a full sized one.
If it woke up now and just happened to feel hungry for her flesh or blood..
..
Ena started to become hyper aware of the subtle movement of the beast and herself. Her heart was starting to quicken and wondered if those perceptive ears heard it. If they did, it made no move to stop or kill her, so she at least had that going for her. She started going back the way she came, trying to make sure her steps are lighter than feathers. She prayed to whatever deity was watching to at least let her make it back through the untamed thicket and let the slumbering beast sleep. The bushes crinkled as she walked and she winced, her head shooting back to look at the still sleeping reptile. She let out a sigh of relief and continued through the rough terrain, her ears twitching with every noise that she or the dragon might’ve made.
After she put a reasonable distance between them, she looked back with a fond stare, a small smile gracing her lips.
Ena couldn’t honestly believe how such graceful animals are labeled as destructive demons by the world. With how close the woods are to the village, if they really wanted to come and eat the children and elderly, wouldn’t they have done so by now? Just that dragon alone could kill a massive amount of people and yet it chooses to nap quietly on a rock it found. It chose a nap over mass murder. While it does sound... Odd to praise something for not taking the lives of others, considering all the rumors and stories of history that arise from these mystical beasts they should at least be given that much in credit.
Rustle rustle .
She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and instinct filling her body with the urge to run. Her head whipped around to the bare rock, the dragon nowhere to be seen.
The forest fell into an odd silence, the quiet carrying a certain tension that wasn’t present until now. Not willing to take her chances on this being another frog, she bolted into a run, uncaring for the stray branches and bushes that leaned out to scratch and hold her back. The sounds of the undergrowth shifting and twigs snapping sounded from behind and they weren’t from her.
A sudden heavy weight pressed into her back, and it sent her tumbling into the forest floor; the only thing breaking her fall being her arms and the moss. The legs of the beast landed on either side of her head, and she flipped herself over to meet her attacker. Her eyes locked with the bright pink eyes of the dragon, white sharp diamond-like pupils raked over her shaking frame, as if analyzing whether or not it’d be worth it to eat her. She pushed herself away from the beast and attempted to get to her feet, but her legs failed to move. The dragon took a step closer and peeled its lips back, revealing a horrifying snarl. Inside its mouth contained sharp teeth that could easily be the size of her whole hand. A low grumble sounded in its throat as it stepped nearer still, its breath brushing over her face. She looked away and shut her eyes, body violently shaking. She heard its jaw unhinge and knew this was it. She was going to die. She was going to die and it’s all because her dumb brother decided to-
A warm tongue rasped over her face, drenching her face and bangs in dragon slobber.
Ena stared back in bewilderment as the dragon snorted and started to bellow out in laughter as if it heard the funniest thing in the world.
The last thing she saw was the monster the books describe in tales. The thing she saw was how the elders in her town described godforsaken nightmares and yet here is the so-called nightmare, wriggling around as it blubbered out the whole event to her that led up to that moment as if she wasn’t the one who experienced it first-hand.
Her dizzying confusion led to flustered embarrassment which ended up swan diving straight into red hot anger.
She wiped the slobber off her face and stomped right up to the beast and smacked it in the forehead, hard and crossed her arms with a snarl. The dragon stared at her in silence. Her angry look started to slip as fear started to flood in a second time as she realized that she just attacked a man-eating beast . Before she could freak out a second time, its expression morphed into something more playful and it chuckled, the half laugh being more similar to a low rumble in its throat than anything.
She puffed out an angry breath through her nostrils and it looked at her, wide eyes sparkling with mischief and a smug grin on its face. Ena blinked and she could feel her anger resurface, but this time with an annoyed twinge instead of raw embarrassment. “What’s wrong with you!” She snapped, once again berating this deadly creature. “I’ll whack you again and I won’t hold back this time!”
Its eyes widened slightly, and it held up its talons in a surrendering motion and backed up a little, a playful smirk still remnant on its face. Such dumb creatures .
Almost as if it heard her thoughts, it scoffed and frowned. Ena rolled her eyes and almost bit out a witty retort when her breath was cut short by a thin cloud of a sweet-smelling smoke. When the smoke cleared, a child that looked about to be her age stood in front of her; a hand on their hip and head cocked to the side. They had pink short hair that was neatly tied in a small ponytail with formal clothes, the silk looking like something that belonged to royalty. Two black pointy stumps rested on their head with a black tail coiled next to them, the only remaining pieces of their once dragon form.
Their amused look fell into curiosity and slight worry as they started wiping at their face. “What? Is there something on my face?”
Ena could only gawk at whatever was going on with this whole situation. She just watched a reptile turn into a human child as if it was the most normal thing in the world. They stopped cleaning their face with their sleeve and looked at her properly, eyes softening into slight concern but still having that twinkle of mischief that she saw earlier. “Ah, are you okay? Did I really scare you that badly?”
Oh.
Oh, how she wanted to beat this child. When her scowl returned only did the child ease up into a simple grin.
“Hi! I’m sorry I scared you earlier,” They started, taking a few steps forward towards her. “I didn’t have bad intentions, I promise!”
“You were gonna eat me .”
“I never had the plan to eat you!” They squeaked back. “I’m not so malnourished I would have to start eating your species.”
Ena stepped forward towards them and flicked their forehead. They clutched their forehead and whined. “Is this a common practice between you people? No wonder why you all get into dumb wars!”
“I don’t know if you remember but the first thing you do to me is pretend to eat me!” She hissed, glaring at them intensely. “This is fair payback!”
They rubbed their head gingerly and sighed. “Fine. It was a little rude of me to spring on you like that,” Their eyes diverted away from hers, their body language a little meek. “I’m sorry.” She stared at this child. Their species is rumored to be so untamable and fierce that multiple armies could die trying to get them to submit to our will. Who knew it was as easy as a simple flick?
She let out a breath and she felt the anger subside. “It’s alright, I guess.” She glared at them once more and pointed a finger at them. “But don’t do that again, you hear?”
They nodded and beamed, tail tip wagging slightly.
“My name is Akiyama Mizuki!” They offered her a hand. When met with silence, they tilted their head. “What’s yours?”
“No.”
They frowned. “Why? Is that not how you humans greet each other?”
She felt petty. “It is, but after your stunt, I’m not gonna give it to you.”
They tilted their head. “Was it really that bad?”
“The heart attack I felt surely says so.” She grumbled. Mizuki wilted a little at that and Ena had the heart to feel slight remorse.
“I said I’m sorry.. I really do mean it!” They frown, their voice sincere. Ena crosses her arms and opens her mouth to speak but screams from deep in the forests replace what should’ve their voice coming out. Mizuki winced, pushing their hands into their ears.
“What was that?”
They still pawed at their ear with a grumble, as if a blood curdling scream didn’t just come from somewhere in their home. “I dunno. Sounds like some kids?”
Ena’s heart sank. She gripped their shoulders tightly, emitting a shocked yelp from them. "Kids?!”
They stared at her, their pink eyes watching her warily. “Er... yeah, sounds like some at least.”
Akito.
She didn’t waste a moment to spare. She bolted through the forest, stumbling over fallen logs and pushing through bushes towards the screams.
“ Wait!” A voice called from behind her, she only glanced back for a second to see a head of pink keeping up behind her. “Where are you going?”
“M-My brother!” She panted, her limited stamina catching up to her. Damn her for not going outside more often! She could hear other small animals scamper away at her sudden stomping, but she could’ve cared less. Her little brother could be in the jaws of real actual demonic creatures if she didn’t move fast enough...! “He’s in that group!”
Mizuki didn’t say anything in response. Instead, their light footsteps turned into thumps behind her. They quickly overtook her and darted in front of Ena, staring at her with determination. They lowered a wing and shrugged the other, as if telling her to get on .
As much as she wanted to ask why they’d help her, she bit her tongue. With a breathy thanks, she slipped onto the back of the dragon. She shivered a little, their black scales cool on her skin, but she welcomed the cold; it made her feel grounded. She looped her arms around their neck awkwardly and tapped their neck to let them know she’s ready to go. However, they didn’t budge. They eyed her from over their shoulder and, carefully, took her arm within their claws and wrapped it a little bit more tightly around their neck.
“What if I choke you or something?” A snort came from them, and she could see the remarks they wanted to say in their eyes. She scowled and clung tightly to their neck, half for safety and half to really try and choke them out . If they did feel the extent of her attempt, then they didn’t say anything except for their breath catching slightly.
Finally, their wings began to adjust for flight. Their shoulders arched and they leaned forward a little, a few pops coming from their spine. Just as she was about to quip about them worrying about flying and not stretching, they took off with one powerful wingbeat.
Ena’s shrill scream at least reached the edges of the forest — she was sure of it.
With their wings covering Ena, they pierced through the dense canopy.
A fresh breath of the night air was breathed into her lungs as the faintly cloudy sky greeted them. She swears she’s getting dizzy from the sudden adrenaline rush and all Mizuki could do was laugh . It was an odd sound but similar to the other time they entertained themselves off of her suffering. In retaliation, she let go with her left hand and tugged their horn to which she earned a squeal from. Their wingbeats faltered slightly but they got back into rhythm and turned back to glare at her. She stuck her tongue out at them, and they did too.
She pushed their head forwards. “Eyes on the sky idiot.” They scoffed and mocked her sentence, their voice taking on a more childish tone. She rolled her eyes and smacked their shoulder this time. They puffed out a half laugh, the deep rumble sending vibrations through Ena.
When the (somewhat one sided) bickering subsided, they fell into a calm silence. There wasn’t anything around them to distract or disturb them except for the two of them, the treetops and the cloudy night sky. She knows she’s supposed to be freaking out; her brother is on the line. She knows this will only last for a second longer until Mizuki has to dive back into the trees so she can retrieve her and his friends and go home but...
A warning grunt came from the dragon, giving Ena a quick glance. Ena nodded and wrapped her arms around their neck. They had dived back into the trees, wings serving as a protector once more. They glide awkwardly, their wings jutting in and out to avoid the trees. Their head perked up slightly towards the clearing ahead of them and she narrowed her eyes, trying to see what Mizuki picked up on. Eventually she can see faces poke out of the bush with limbs sticking out of the undergrowth.
“There-!” Mizuki nods.
They slow down, their talons just barely scraping the ground before Ena slips off their back. She tumbles a little from the momentum but recovers. She dashed towards her brother; the boy was covered in scratches and small bleeding cuts, and it made her heart ache . When Akito saw her, he ran towards her and let himself get scooped up by Ena into a tight hug. He began to sob and blubber into her jacket while she rubbed circles into his back and cooed sweet things in hopes to calm him down.
Suddenly, they’re pulled apart by the sounds of leaves crunching underfoot. The rest of the kid's beeline towards the siblings, their small bodies wracked with fear. The stomping of the beast vibrated through the ground and Ena gulped, gently pushing Akito behind her. Soon it revealed itself showing a large black creature that barely resembled a large tiger. Black sticky goo dripped from its body with white sunken eyes, its frame thin and lithe with bones jutting its body. It looked like it was melting right in front of them with the black slop dribbling off its body. It let out a gurgled hissy scream as it neared and when its eyes locked onto hers, she felt raw fear slice through her. With each stomp, the goop making contact with the dirt created a disgusting squelching noise. She grits her teeth, wrinkling her nose at the awful stench it emitted.
When it finally came face to face with Ena and the group, she couldn’t look away. Those white eyes felt like they held the weight of the world as it bore its stare onto her, almost searching her soul. Though she continued to stare. She stared into the melting face of death with the hopes that Mizuki flew off somewhere so they wouldn’t have to witness the carnage that would soon ensue. The creature leaned in and took a snotty sniff of her scent, its breath hot on her face.
“Amia? ” It rasped, the voice murky and guttural. It sounded like it struggled to speak but it continued; even as the black liquid flowed down its throat. “ You’ve been in contact with Amia?”
Finally, after a long pause she felt the muscles in her mouth work again. “...Amia?”
Panicked wingbeats sounded from behind her and with a blink there was a familiar puff of smoke. In between her and the creature was the child from earlier. The group behind her yelped at their sudden appearance but Ena only felt fear and concern.
“Mizuki, what are you doing?! ” She hissed quietly but they paid her no mind.
Instead of quivering at the thing, they looked completely relaxed. In fact, she’d even say they looked happy if not a little sheepish.
“Er, hi Yuuki!” They tried, a smile of familiarity on their face. “I didn’t know you were patrolling around here!”
The beast’s eyes narrowed further, a gurgled growl escaping its throat. “ Amia. What’s going on?”
They looked at Ena with slight worry then back at the thing. “Um, Yuuki! I met this girl earlier when she was wandering around!” They gestured at her with a hand. “She heard some screams and wanted to check it out, so I offered to give her a lift!”
Mizuki gave 'Yuuki' a grin. “They’re all just passing through! I promise I’ll escort them out safely!” Their expression faltered slightly. “Just... don’t do anything with them, please.”
It looked at them skeptically, almost like a mother trying to catch her child in their lie. It only took a moment, but the beast relented, turning away from the odd group with a sigh. “Fine. But make it quick before anyone finds out any of this happened.”
They nodded, their smile returning. They turned to go but quickly spat out: “Please cover for me!”
The beast just snorted and started to leave. “You don’t even have to ask. But you’re telling me everything, alright?”
“I will! Thanks, Yuuki!” Mizuki chirped, tail wagging. It just responded with a gruff hum and re-entered the dense forest, leaving the forest in the tense silence once more. Ena blinked twice and stared at Mizuki, hard , but they walked past her as if they didn’t feel it. “Let’s go! I’ll take you all home.”
Ena was the first to start following this shapeshifting bubbly child and soon the rest followed. The walk back was quiet, much unlike her flight earlier and definitely different from the silence they had when they first entered the weald. The air was heavy with exhaustion and honestly, she was drop dead tired too. Looking death in the eyes a few times, taking up dragon-riding as a one occupation, and realizing that maybe those nightmarish stories are true are finally starting to take its toll on her. She yawned quietly, tears pricking at the corner of her eyes. She could freak out about all of this in the morning (or afternoon) and leave that up to Future Ena to worry about. If she had to do anything that revolved around thinking for longer than a minute, she’d probably collapse.
Soon they reached the edge of the forest and relief washed over the group in waves. They were back on the faded trail they started on which only meant Ena was a few steps closer to her house and warm bed.
The group stumbled out of the magic forest and Ena could tell they’re going to leave this place as new, though deeply scarred, kids. The kids of their group mumbled a quick goodbye or none at all and scrambled out of there without looking back. Another yawn escaped her, her muscles already starting to relax and shut down. Though a lingering thought kept her body awake but just long enough for a moment. She patted Akito’s back with a nod, gently pushing him towards the village. He gave her a look that read something like Really? After all that? But she waved him off with the murmur of Ena “I’ll be home soon .” on her lips. He sighed loudly and grumbled, walking sluggishly ahead and away from her. When he left, Ena looked over her shoulder at the child. They stared at her whimsically, head tilted curiously. “You’re not heading home?”
“Of course, I’m going to head home,” She growled after a second. She could feel her brain turn to mush the longer she stood out here. “But... it’ll haunt me if I don’t ask now. Who- what was that?”
“My sister!” They purred, puffing their chest out in pride. “She’s pretty awesome if you ask me!”
Ena’s jaw dropped. “ That’s your SISTER?! ”
They had a beaming smile as though their sister didn’t look like something that’d actively feed on the fears of children. She bit her tongue to keep those words from tumbling out and opted for silence instead. They giggled, almost like they understood what she wanted to stay. “She’s very sweet, I promise! She’s the best sister a sibling could ask for.”
Willing to brush past the fact a dragon and some deteriorating tiger could be counted as blood siblings, she puts a pin in that for future Ena to think about. “Does that mean you’ll look like that one day?”
They shrug. “Maybe? Though I’d look more like a dragon rather than a tigress if that does end up happening.” Ena rubbed the built-up sleep from her eyes and properly examined Mizuki for the second time that night. With the moonlight finally showering them with its light, she could finally see the kid she ran around with for the better part of an hour.
They basked in the moon’s light, their pink hair shining in the light. Their eyes sparked with a kind of energy that only a dragon of their caliber could hold; a hidden beast residing within them. Their eyelashes were oddly long but it looked pretty on them, the lashes having flecks of the moon on them. They looked so out of place compared to the haunting woodland behind them. It looked like they’d get snapped up by a wild bear at any moment.
“Hey! I can be scary!” They declared, putting their hands on their hips. “You just haven’t seen me at my worst yet!”
“If that’s your worst then I think I’ll be alright.” Ena snickered, no malice in her tone. Mizuki puffed out a thin veil of smoke but the growing smile on their lips betrayed them.
“Just you wait!” They sneered, tail curling devilishly. “One day I’ll become something truly menacing.”
I doubt you could even reach half of that level but sure. ” She crossed her arms and quirked an eyebrow, a smile playing on her lips as well. “We’ll see.”
Their grin grew, sharp canines protruding past their lips. It was odd how normal they looked. They could easily pass as one of the villagers she would see around town or one she’d even talk to. With eyes containing the innocence of a child and voice as squeaky as the rest of her peers, were these ‘creatures’ really as bad as stories paint them to be? Is it really so easy to befriend a creature like them so soon or are they just one in a million of their kind?
Beside her, the sun had finally started to peak over the edge of the hillside, gentle sun rays hitting her face, though Mizuki remained in the dark away from the sun. With a parting wave they turned their back to her and started to head back into the forest, the darkness threatening to reclaim them once again. Her lip twitched, her brain spurring on for one last hurrah.
“Ena!”
Their ears twitched and they looked back, obviously confused. “Huh?”
“My name is Shinonome Ena!” She offered a smile. “If we’re going to see each other more often you’ll need to know my name, right?”
Their tail wagged and their eyes shined. “Of course!” They were practically glowing, creating their beaming sun in the darkness of the weeping weald. “Until next time, Shinonome Ena.”
With a final look exchanged between the two of them, they basically bounced back into the forest with a light hum. Ena watched them leave, the fond gaze she had from earlier in the night returning. After a beat or two, she turned on her heel and began to walk back home with a little bit of a hop in her step.
The beats of wings sounded in the distance, and she couldn’t help but giggle.