This is a story told among Dragons dated back when human walked this planet. This is the story of a Human. Back in the day of humans it was not unusual for humans to become dragon hunters, but it was unusual that these hunters become what they hunted. The human in fact, Jack; a well-respected hunter who got many kills on his name, but he is not the villain of our story. In fact as strange as it might seem, he is the hero. Come closer as I tell you his story, might you remember it for further generation.

It was a night like no other, no clouds among the sky, every star shining bright. The only thing that disturbed the perfect silence was a man and his horse galloping under the clear sky. The moon reflected from his shiny armour making him being flooded with a rather spooky light. To his right he had his trusted sword in a sheath. Both the armour and his sword where crafted by masters. His shield wheeled the text "By the masters of metal, for the master of the sword" marking him as a knight of the king. But he was no normal knight as you expect, he was not experienced in war, his expertise was pest control, Dragons. The last few decades humans and dragons got into a blood flowing war without an end, towns burn and eggs break, tears of blood and blood of fire. To hunt and kill a dragon was a great honour among the humans, a knight of the beast lived like a king. No shortage on money or women. Even when someone only killed one dragon. Many human boys would search out to kill a dragon, getting money for their family or gaining the heart of the one they loved most. But it was a fool's job; there was a reason for the shortage of hunters. Many hunters never return from their first kill and if they do so they would get the money and stop, living there lives without danger. But this human was different he did not hunt dragons for the money or the women, he hunted them for revenge. His parents were killed at young age by dragons, they were guardians or something, he did not quite remember. He only knew that his parents where suddenly gone and the king told him personally they were killed. Ever since his 18^th he hunted dragons, by now he killed about 20 of these fire breathing lizards. But his need was never satisfied, he could get any women he liked, buy anything he wanted but nothing filled the pure emptiness with in him. Even hunting the beasts that killed his parents would not fill it. He never laughed, he never cried, he never loved, he never mourned about the death, at least that is what they say about him and it was true whenever he was surrounded with others.  Because he mourned, cried in silence. Neither love he never knew, no girl had that what he found attractive, nor he really know what he found attractive. Laughing? He had nothing to laugh about.

Silently he rode on into the night; he got the trail of the last dragon near by the city of the king. This black dragon was supposed to have the biggest death count of humans. But it never came out in the open. It puzzled Jack that this dragon acted not like normal once, well what they knew about normal dragons. They never studied them or looked what gender they were. The only way they discovered if a dragon was female was if some butchers cut them apart for the meat and found some eggs. It sickened Jack trough, killing a pregnant female. He was one of those respecting the ancient code. "Never kill without purpose, never slay without grief, never kill the unborn and never kill the injured" he did not care that dragons where monsters that killed humans, he is not one of them and he would not break his code. It was the last he got from his parents. Breaking his code meant he broke himself.  In the distance we would see a small light coming out of one of the caves; surely he knew the dragon was there. In his time as hunter he learned that dragons are not stupid. They had some sort of communication and they were able to warm there caves with fire places, even make whole caves by carving trough solid stone with their sharp claws.

Dead in the night, the dragon would properly be asleep by now, and that would be a great position of a surprise attack. At least he thought so, but in a matter of fact it was the other way around. The black dragon had been spying this intruder for quite some time. It knew this human was different from the others, he smelled like battle. It already knew this one was not the regularly human that would kill for a price, thus making him scare away less easy. But something else was bugging her; the human had a strange aura surrounding him. But this did not matter at the moment, he had a horse and she was hungry, it did not eat for a few days because it protected this lands. The dragon attacked Jack before he could respond; he was blown against a tree as the dragon got hold of the horse he was riding on. The blow was powerful enough to knock him out of consciousness.

It was a few hours before Jack recovered enough from the blow to get on to his feet again. Without any form of transport other than his own two legs it would take weeks before he could return to the city. He set trail to find his supplies, well those who were not eaten by the creatures of the night. All in all he had just a day worth of food. either he needed to leave now and hunt for food, making him a target for the dragon or hunt the dragon and use its meat for food but risk the change of failure and injury that would leave to starvation. It wasn't a tough call for jack, he did not fear death.  He pulled his sword out his sheath, the blade shone in the morning sun. it was made of a special kind of metal, imported from the Far East. Due to the different method of making the steel it is stronger then any normal steel. They call it 'wonder steel', ' magic steel' or 'miracle steel'. Jack however called it just steel, he did not believe in magic and miracles. The kings mages where just a bunch of drunken idiots by his opinion, they said they could kill a dragon by saying some special words. But since jack had a job as dragon slayer without magic those mages did a poor job, or where just lying.

Slowly but steadily he made his way up to the dragon's cave. He avoided to crush any of the many bones that where spread around the cave. If this dragon was a big slayer of the human kind, the bones surely did not show. It where mostly animal bones with once in a while a slayers armour. But even how evil dragons where he could not blame the dragon for killing a slayer, the dragon would simply protect him of herself. At the entries of the cave he stopped to look inside, no dragon here, only a fire with something shiny behind it. He slowly walked into the cave to inspect it. He found his horse, dead and half eaten, the meat still warm. 'Strange' jack thought 'a dragon would never leave a kill half eaten.' He looked deeper into the cave, it was different than most caves as he saw the markings in the walls and the dome shaped nest he noticed it was a cave for two dragons. But as he saw the amount of food in the cave he noticed that one dragon was livening here, a dragon that had a strange pattern of eating. Normal dragons would eat big meals once in a while but this dragon made a lot of smaller kills, in fact his horse was the biggest kill of the dragon in a long time. This indicated that the dragon could not go out long distances to kill large prey. Strangely he was told that this dragon in this cave would have killed human’s trough out the realm. He looked around a second time. Something was not right, a dragon who left the cave with a half-eaten prey, not killing large prey, and as he walked further into the cave, was protecting something, something precious it seemed. It was no secret that dragons hoard treasures and other shiny objects. But he could not see that much, some gold coins spread around, but no large hoard. This could mean two things ether the dragon is very young. Or the dragon gave the hoard away. Both of the possibilities questioned jack. How could a dragon so young kill so many humans? Or why a dragon did give her hoard away.  Also if there wasn't a big hoard why did the dragon protect the cave with its life?

Of the many questions that raced into his mind, one was answered once he walked in deeper. Behind the fire of the fire place he found a smaller nest, filled with six big dragon eggs. Jack kneeled in front of the eggs and inspected them. They were not due to hatch for some weeks, even when they are kept warm all the time. The dragon had built some kind of incubator. This made jack wonder even more, due to experience he knew that dragon eggs where always kept warm by one of their parents. Maybe the mate of this dragon is dead, forcing the dragon to leave the eggs. But why did the dragon leave the eggs when a hunter was nearby? He wanted to have his questions answered but he knew it was not a good idea to stay around longer.

He slowly made his way to the exit of the cave, leaving the egg untouched behind. Knowing he was the only hunter who would leave eggs untouched, others would have tried to crush them, but also the discovery of the eggs made him aware of one thing, this dragon would not flee, and this dragon would fight with pure rage. Dragons with eggs where far more powerful and fearsome as their parent instinct drove them into what seemed a new level of power.  Once he set his right foot outside the cave he heard a loud roar from above, but when he looked up it was too late. The dragon was already standing above the cave and watching him with its big eyes.  He could not read what if the dragon was angry or just in the lust of a good fight. Something what usually was been able to be read of a dragon. But this dragon had something calm around it, something strange. It made no intention to kill him, to scare him away. It just sat there and watched. Jack was caught off guard by the strange behaviour of the dragon, but he wanted to have answers on his question, and killing it was not giving any.  Slowly jack sat down on a rock and stared back at the dragon, his sword lying on his lap.

He did not know how long they sat staring at each other. But it was already an experience worthy to be told. He began to notice unique features of dragons, shapes he never seen before. He was studying this dragon like a veterinarian would study an animal to understand it. The dragon opened his mouth, only to close it moments later, showing off its big, white sharpened teeth.  'I do not want to be its dentist' he joked with himself.

The sun was at his highest point in the sky once the dragon made its move, the first it did since they started their staring contest. But it was not attacking, not at all. Jack felt it's consciousness touching his mind, trying to understand him. But jack had shielded himself good enough to resist the mental attack of the dragon. Something, that seemed to frustrate the dragon. It was not for long that the dragon unleashed its voice into his mind. "svabol tir wux tuor munthrek!" jack almost fell backwards in all his years of fighting dragons he never heard one speak, and it seemed that dragons had their own langue. It made jack wonder again, if the dragons had their own langue, they could learn English, if they could learn English, why did no one ever tried to get a peace treaty? It was crazy to ask a dragon for a treaty, but it would have saved a lot of lives on both sides. Again the dragon spoke "svabol tir wux tuor munthrek!" but it did not stop there, the dragon continued "what do you want human"  the last part made jack more afraid then all his fights, a dragon that could 'speak' an human tongue.  "si keefum wux re vi fintir hesi cirau, yth shio vucot wux Jack."  A shiver past trough jack's spine, this dragon knew his name to; he wondered what it knew more about him.  "Vucoti wux odassi jack" the dragon stayed stubborn and talking in its own langue, not caring if jack understood it or not, at least so it seemed for jack. "I ask you again murder of our kind, are you here to kill me?" 'Murder?'  Jack never seen himself as a murder, murder is something that is done between two intelligent creatures, something that now seemed to be true. Maybe you only can speak to dragons if you open your mind for them.  Jack took a deep breath as what he was planning was stupid, talking to a dragon for god's sake. What's next dancing with it? "I have come here to kill the biggest murder of human kind..." he took a deep  breath again as he saw the dragon eyeing him half with interest half with anger.  "...and that dragon is you" his answer was a growl of the dragon "after all you saw you still want to kill me? A mother? Do you humans have any kind of honour? I guess I could not buy you to stop hunting, you hunt for a different reason...something with in you."  Jack could not figure out yet why the dragon spoke English now and just a few moments ago in it are... 'Wait? Mother...that means this dragon is female' slowly the puzzle that was in the cave made sense, but also made him being stuck in more trouble.  He would be hung if he left a dragon alive without a fight, but it was against his code to kill a mother. And how did the dragon read him so easily? Why she did not attack him yet? What was the reason behind this all? "This war needs to end Jack" she growled at him "neither of us wants to have their children grow in a world where murder and bloodshed is the order of the day."  Jack must admit that her arguments where quite strong, he lowered the tip of his blade to the ground "yes, that will be when we took care of you, ether enslave your kind or kill you" the dragon only sniffed amused "come, come, that is not needed, genocide. You are a murder but not a vrantvrak riliwar" it was Jack's turn to be amused”murder? I only seek out to kill those who killed my parents" the look of the dragon grew cold and harsh "your life has been a lie. Your parents weren't killed by us. For that they were far too good a darastrix thurirl" his life a lie? This dragon was lying; jack could tell to the untruth that she told.  He could trust his king more than a dragon, a beast, as far as you can tell that a dragon was a beast after this experience. "You do not make any sense! What is this dara...” he stopped as he broke his tongue over the strange words "darastrix thurirl? You know the darastrix thurirl under the name of guardians. Well the old order of guardians."

'Guardians?'  Jack was being put in a riddle once more ’the king told him the order of the guardians where to slay dragons, that he was a guardian so he needed to kill dragons and that was the reason why his parents were killed.' "So my parents weren't killed because they were hunters too good for dragons to kill?" the dragon barred her teeth "ignorant jiil hoinpa lup'ra!" to the tone she said it with he could make up it was an insult. "the darastrix thurirl where no hunters like you are ogelend, they were proud, one of the few that tried to talk to us and solve this war without bloodshed." Jack's yaws tightened and his teeth scraped over each other "so why they were killed then?" he tried to remain calm, he should not piss her of and give reasons to attack him. That might end up in breaking his code. "Because..." she said in a surprisingly calm tone for the heated discussion that was developing. “They were not killed; they left the kingdom of your king. Munthreki have been poisoned with greed, and thanks to your king our hide, meat and eggs are objects of great value and murdering a dragon had become an achievement instead of a crime" "really crime? No one ever said it was a crime to kill a dragon" she replied sharp and quick”because your king changed everything, your current king have some sort of hate against dragons and uses his power to kill us. And he uses you as tool, I ask you do you want to live your life as someone else his slave?" "I am not a slave" Jack spit his words at the dragon”yes you are not a slave, and that's why they are going to hang you if you do not kill me" jack looked once again shocked "how do you know that?" the dragon now had some kind of satisfied look on her face "I know more about humans and you then you realize Jack. And we both know you are not going to kill me, if you wanted you would have done a long time ago." Again she was right, he isn't going to kill her but he should leave, but to where? He was going to be hung if he returns. Somewhere else they have a higher amount of dragons so livening in the wild is not an option. And living with this dragon? It makes him laugh at himself internally to only think of it. He a hunter living with his prey he could not kill. But the dragon was not done yet "look jack you are a smart one, I smell your doubt in the air, you are hungry for answers. Most of them I am willing to give you. Some you need to earn. I knew your parents, even though when I was just a hatchling. But if you are any were near a son of your parents I know that I can trust you if you give me your word not to hurt me or my children." Jack soon realized that his crazy thoughts of moments ago where not as crazy anymore. Just like him if she wanted to have him dead she would have attacked a some time ago. Instead she is talking to him and providing him with answers. It made him doubt if the dragons really whereas evil as they said. So far he seen of this dragon is that she is not evil, she just tries to protect her children, and something everyone would have done in her place. In fact Jack thought that if he was in her position he would have done nearly the same. "you are very human like" he growled to her as comment on her arguments and ideas her reply was sounding ironic to jack's ears "you are very dragon like" she climbed down from the rocks and walked closer to jack to inspect him. While jack wanted to take his blade and defend himself but his rational mind said otherwise and right now he knew that he should listen to that. So instead of taking arms and making the situation even more difficult for them both, he went the easy way -something that later he would knew that later on it was not an easy way- sheathed his sword and laid it to the ground. "You know what I want, but I know you want something, what do you want from me?" she sniffed a few times before responding”you don't smell like a human of the city, but one that seen action and is more in a forest then on a chair. I like that. What do I want from you? Well once you grain yourself worthy of a task nothing, just someone to talk to. I haven't had someone since they killed my mate."  Jack must admit that the conversation took a strange turn once he put his weapon away. They were talking about a sort of agreement, he would be 'safe', well safe as far as safe can be around a dragon, in the cave. Neither wild animals nor dragons that would instantly kill him. But then he would life with a dragon, how strange was that. At least it was better than death that his only other options gave him, and some answers on his ever growing confusion would be nice. "So if I understand correctly you want me, a hunter of your kind, to stay with you and talk with you?" "It is not only talking jack, it's helping me. You properly noticed...” for the first time jack dared to interrupt her "that you have not eaten anything large, like normal dragons would do" "yes, you see I can't leave my eggs for long. You might guess now, that is where you come in. you are a strong warrior Jack. ”jack looked into the eyes of the dragon, something he did for the first time. He could see into her soul, well for a bit, he could see hurt, happiness, anger just like he would see in a human’s eye. "So you ask me to stop hunting dragon, give up my life as I know it, and give up my change to have a mate among humans just for your word?" "I don't think you see anyone interesting, since as hunter I know you have enough excuses for women wanting to be your mate. But you picked none." "how do you know that all?" it did not surprise jack anymore, too much happened today he did not count on, he went in to do his job and ended up by talking to that dragon and the dragon offered him a new life with her for crying out loud. "If you would have a mate you would not be hunting dragons with the same reason, you would have run back home earlier. Besides you search something in your mate that not a lot of humans have. You are in a fact rather draconic of nature. Ironic isn't it?"  "Don’t tell me about irony" Jack grunted, he was without a clue what to do next. 'Should I accept? Or NOT?'

Hours past as the sun was setting again and slowly the night sky was fade in above the two. They had sat and talked the whole day. Sometimes they even laughed together, it was mostly chit chat but it made jack realize something mind blowing for normal hunters, that dragons are somewhat fantastic creatures and it was wrong to kill them just for sports or victory. Jack almost got the urge to clean his hands again and again, if they were still covered in blood. Better to be said a strange feeling of guild made it into Jack's mind. He started to see the war from a different view although it was hard for him to change his mind in a day to what he had believed to be true his whole life.  He started to believe he was merely a soldier in this war and he fight for the wrong side.  He even discovered himself shedding a tear to one of the dragon's stories about her father being slain in front of her eyes. 

Once the dusk had set he decided, he did not want to be a hunter anymore.  He could never kill a human, but he was made to realize that what he did to the dragons was just as bad. During the dusk the wind became colder and jack was forced to go inside the cave near the fire to keep him warm. The dragon curled half around her eggs and looked at him. She was happy she could convince this human not only to leave her alone but also to stop his hunting on dragons, and that he was a son of two darastrix thurirl, made him interesting to have around. To her surprise Jack opened started to talk out of him out of the silence. It was an indication that he started to relax a bit around her, even when he kept his weapon nearby. "You know, you never told me your name. You know mine so it's just fair for me to know yours" "Terta" the dragoness made a draconic smile, something that came out quite scary for Jack.

It was Terta first to fell asleep; she knew he was not going to hurt her. But also she noticed he did not quite trust her, so he would not fall asleep before she did. And to be honest she was nowhere in a fighting shape. The little trick she pulled out helped, in an all-out fight she would have lost. She had not eaten good enough, the small prey where harder to kill and did not give as much energy as a big ones did. Jack had stayed up until deep in the night, it was hard for him to fall asleep. It was cold where he was, but moving to the fire meant lying almost side to side with the dragon. But eventually he discovered he had no choice to do so. He was in dire need for some sleep. Besides he was a dragon hunter, he should not be scarred of a dragon even when he was not sure about he wanted to be a dragon hunter. Slowly he walked to Terta, to lay more closely to her and the fire. But unknowably he rolled against her to gain maximum warmth. But he was too sleepy to notice and soon he went off to the realm of the dream.

It was not until late in the morning he woke up, he had slept like a log. He stroked his hair and groaned, during his sleep the wildest dreams had come into his mind. One even pictured him riding the dragon next to him. Wait the dragon next to him. He slowly felt to his left side, to feel the hard scaled neck of the dragon. He slept the whole night next to her and he was still alive? He rolled around so he could stand up from his position more easily. The eggs caught his attention once more, the shiny dark shells; it was like they are made of metal. He knew of a group inside of the hunters who cooked dragon eggs and eat it, believing it made them stronger. But jack could not see how killing and eating an unborn child could make someone stronger. Although he admitted he was hungry, walking back the Terta he stabbed her on her shoulder. 'Sleeping dragons better should be left asleep' a voice in the back of his mind said. The black dragon opened one eye and looked at him "yes Jack? Did you have a good sleep, next to me" she actually grinned to the knowledge he slept next to her. It was progress and more progress she hoped for. "I am...going to hunt" he felt quite unconvertible telling her what he was going to do, like a little child needing permission. But to the other side he did not want piss her off by leaving suddenly. "I take it that you are careful with m, but you do not have to tell me everything you do" she added with humour "I rather do not want to know if you are going to poo" jack did not made any comment on her 'humorous' remark and set off into the forest with his trusted sword next to him.

It was not hard to hunt for food, at least not for Jack. The animals here where not used to humans and mostly watched out for other animals instead of him. But due to the trees it must be hard for Terta to hunt normally, he was sure.  He found a rabbit hole and by simply blocking the exit and digging them out with his sword he could get the two rabbits with in the hole. He knew that even when he couldn't eat the two rabbits at all he got a 10 ton heavy, flying lizard to eat them for him. He snickered a bit at the thoughts. Also knew he could just walk away and that was his plan to walk away from Terta even when it made him feel a bit guilty. He knew that to walk away out of the valley he needed to walk past the cave, but it was the only way. So with his plan made, he walked to the cave.

Terta spend the morning taking care of her eggs, making sure they are not to warm or to cold. He sniffed the air; clearly the human had some over productive organs because his scent was still overly present in her cave. "Bleh, scent of human" she growled to the scent, in her nose it was an awful scent. But the scent masked something dangerous to her that she did not know. While Jack was hunting another hunter had found the cave of the dragoness. His plan was to steal the prize of killing this dragon from Jack. He must admit that when he last saw Jack he was close to this dragon, but the dragon seemed not dead. At least that was what he made up of the surroundings; he even could find hour’s fresh trails of a knight in armour coming out the cave. Maybe the dragon killed Jack? That would be the most possible explanation but he did not see jack's armour or weapons anywhere, just the dragon cleaning its eggs. That was a good kill, a mother dragon and its eggs, he could not have wished for a better kill. Terta suddenly heard a noise, her mind tried to get a hold of Jack's but the male human mind that was near was not the one of jack. No it was another hunter, this one aiming to kill her and crush her eggs. She did what every dragon did, roaring to scare him away. But it was not working; the hunter took his bow and aimed at the dragon.

She roared in pain as the arrow implanted itself into her softer belly. It did not hit any vital parts but that did help with the fact that it hurts like hell. She knew she was too weak to fight, but she give it her best shot. Hoping Jack would help her, even when she doubts that he would kill a fellow human.

A loud painful roar penetrated Jacks ears as he walked past the dragon's cave. He noticed a knight's horse outside and he was struck with doubts. Should he help Terta or not. Leavening her would be just as bad as killing her, she was a women in need. But helping her meant he needed to kill one of his fellow hunters. But then it hit him, the markings on the horse where that of Aaron. One of those with in the hunters that eaten the unborn children of dragons because he found it fun to watch the parents cry out in rage. The second part was that he did not felt like a hunter anymore, as dragons could be murdered in cold blood, then it means that a hunter should be punished for doing so. But no one was brave enough to say it, is this he was supposed to do? To bring justice to this world by killing all hunters? But as ex hunter was he right to call justice? After he killed most of the dragons himself.

Not time to doubt as he ran into Terta's cave. "Aaron!" he called out to the knight as he saw Terta against a wall, she was bleeding from her sides as the fight was already won. The dragoness was on her side, unable to move and the hunter had placed his sword tip on her throat. "Stop this! Aaron!" he called out the hunter as he walked to him, hoping he could talk him to him and show him what Terta showed him. "Stop? Are you kidding me? You failed in killing it; your armour is even next to its eggs! Tell me did she save your life so you can be her slave?" Aaron sounded amused at the image what the king would do if he heard this. "That is not what happened!" jack shouted at him "don't you see what we are doing? Murdering a whole species because of ONE king that gone bad!" Terta felt relieved he was trying to safe her but she was still not able to move and the hunter's sword was still only centimetres away from her death. Aaron showed no emotions to Jack "so you are brainwashed by this dragon?" he turned to Terta again. "Then we cannot le..." he was stopped mid phase as Jack darted forward and in a pure impulse implanted his sword into Aaron's back. “You shall not kill dragons anymore" he whispered to Aaron in his last seconds alive. The body felt like a bag of salt to on the ground. Terta looked at Jack with big surprised eyes "I can NOT believe you killed a hunter to safe me" she tried to move again but most of her muscles hurled too badly for her body to move. "I can't believe it to" jack looked a bit discussed at his first human kill "but one hunter less for the dragons." he was surprised when he saw Terta peal of the armour and eat Aaron's dead body "what are you doing! He should be buried!" Tetra’s answer was that of a predator. "I NEED to eat Jack, he has no use for his body anymore so why not eat him?" somehow Jack could not hold any protest against her logic. He laid his protest to rest as Terta devoured the body; he would need to hunt for her as long as her body was healing. Going from hunter to caretaker of a dragon, funny thing isn't it?