The Failed Adventure

‘Crap,’ was all that was running through the young HoodWing’s mind. Large green eyes anxiously swiped the area, taking note of the trees towering all around him, making the already small dragonet feel smaller than he already was. Katsurou winced at the situation he had found himself in.

He was lost. And badly so.

Whimpering, the tiny dragon pressed himself against the ground as if he could completely disappear into the grass. His talons took a death grip on the grass.

An owl hooted in the distance and Katsurou nearly jumped out of his scales with a loud yelp, heart racing in his throat. He gulped loudly, willing himself to calm down. His parents would find him, they always did when he got into trouble… he just hoped they would find him soon because the forest was scary during the night!

All he wanted was to be like his papa and have an adventure of his own. And so Katsurou had taken a guest from the Adventurers Guild his parents were from when no one was looking and then he set out on what he knew would be a fantastic adventure!

Katsurou had planned to save the lives of thousands and thousands of dragons. He would be hailed as a hero and maybe he even got a statue of his own! He would recover ancient artifacts and explore temples full of dangerous traps, and of course come out successful again. He had even already composed some of the songs that would be sung about his heroic deeds for generations to come! But it seemed like that wouldn’t happen now, for ‘Katsurou the Brave’ got lost before his adventure even began.

Now he was wondering if it might have been a better idea to wait until morning. Or at least take one of his friends with him! His parents went together with their friends as well after all, so why couldn’t he?

Katsurou hung his head in shame, and held the mission scroll close against his chest. It was a mission to explore a newly discovered temple; it was rated as A-Class because it was apparently rather dangerous. Katsurou had originally wanted to grab an S-Class mission, just like the ones his papa took and he was the strongest dragon alive, but those were rather well guarded. He couldn’t manage to get his tiny talons on one.

He squinted down at the scroll he was holding, having trouble to read now that it was dark. He was sure he was supposed to go through this forest towards the desert. The temple was recently found in the desert by a group of SandWing archeologists who found it by accident. It was around the desert’s borders, there he would find a guide who would lead him to the temple, so he figured he wouldn’t have any trouble finding it.

Curling his wings tightly around himself, he continued to look around anxiously. He jumped and curled further into himself at every sound he heard. And was that a shadow? Oh by the moons, he was going to die here without ever even completing his first mission!

He could hear the tales that would be told about this. ‘Katsurou the Coward’ who failed at everything. He covered his snout with his talons and did what every barely one-month old dragon in such a situation would do.

He started to cry. Loudly. He just wanted his mommy!

~~~

Katsurou wasn’t sure how much time had passed. Hours? Days? Months?! Sniffling softly, eyes still puffy from crying, he stood up on shaky talons and started walking again. If he was cursed to die in this place he didn’t want to do it lying down!

No matter how scary the forest was.

Wings fluttering, he jumped over a fallen branch and went deeper into the forest. He desperately tried to suppress his fear in order to keep going, but a sound made him stop dead in his tracks. Howling. And howling meant wolves.

He gulped. Sure, he was a dragon and dragons were the ones preying on wolves, but Katsurou was still a dragonet and those wolves were larger than him. They could easily kill him and then Katsurou would be the prey! Yes, he had venom which all HoodWings had according to the stories mommy told him of his tribe, and it was rather potent like with most HoodWing dragonets, but he wasn’t confident enough that he could take out an entire wolf pack.

Trying to force his heart rate down, he listened. Swiveling his ears around he tried to determine their location. Maybe the wolves were going somewhere else and would let him be?

But no, Katsurou wouldn’t be so lucky.

Today really wasn’t his day for the wolves were in fact coming his way, according to the scents and smells. Mind racing, he frantically looked around to find something he could use. There were only trees around him.

Wolves couldn’t climb, but the branches were too high for the HoodWing to safely reach the top of the trees as well. And he was still too young and small to fly properly.

Gulping, he turned around to face the wolves, aware that they were surrounding him. He couldn’t get away, so he had decided to go down fighting. Katsurou spread his wings and made himself as tall as possible. Then he let out his most threatening growl, baring his venomous fangs in warning. Quite frankly, his growl was more like a squeak, but it didn’t exactly matter anymore.

The wolves growled and howled at each other, and then the first one jumped his way to test the young dragon. Katsurou managed to dodge snapping jaws and swiped his claws in answer. He bit down on the wolf’s leg to inject his dangerous venom, and then he quickly jumped back, watching as the wolf stumbled away, whimpering and howling in pain. The leg turned black and eventually the wolf dropped dead.

At that, the other wolves had stopped their advance and re-evaluated their chosen prey. Katsurou bared his fangs in reply, pushing forth his venom and getting ready to bite again if needed.

A mighty roar sounded in the distance, getting closer and closer. Katsurou’s ears perked up. His papa had come! He would be safe now!

The wolves had noticed the advancing dragon as well and they fled away as one, not stupid enough to attempt and face an adult dragon.

Huge feathered wings beat the air and a large PeakWing landed in front of Katsurou, giving him a rather displeased look, stormy blue eyes narrowed to slits.

At first Katsurou had wanted to jump at his papa in relief and bury himself in his warm fur, but the look he was receiving made him stay put and look away in shame. No longer looking at his papa’s blue eyes and seeing the disappointment there, he noticed that a bag was wrapped around the PeakWing’s middle. The quest scroll he had dropped in his hurry to get away from the wolves poked out of it, almost mocking the dragonet in his failure.

But most of all, his father looked mad.

No, furious would be a better word.

Neither dragon spoke a word as the yellow and blue PeakWing stepped forward and took his adopted son in his arms before taking to the skies again with a powerful beat of his wings.

Katsurou burried his face in his papa’s warm fur as they flew home in complete silence. He could only imagine how his mother would react. He clenched the fur he could reach tightly in his small talons.

~~~

They hadn’t even stepped properly into their home when the female SoleiWing who was Katsurou’s mother was upon them. “Oh, you found him!” She exclaimed in clear relief, giving papa a quick nuzzle. “I was getting worried. Thank you for bringing him home.”

Papa didn’t answer but his expression had noticeably softened as he gazed at the dragon who had captured his heart all those years ago. He set Katsurou down on his own talons and nodded at his mate.

Katsurou tried to slip away on silent talons, but before he could get far he found his mother’s flaming tail blocking his way. “And where do you think you are going?!” She scolded him with a scowl on her normally smiling face. Great, mommy was mad too. Mommy was scary when she was mad. Before Katsurou could answer, she continued in her rant. “We couldn’t find you anywhere! Do you have any idea how worried we were when we found out you stole a job? It’s dangerous, you could have died! Do you realize this?”

He could do nothing but look away, wringing his talons together. He never liked being scolded.

“Why did you do it?” Papa spoke up for the first time.

Katsurou looked up in his papa’s eyes. He even sounded mad. Most of the time, his papa didn’t show his emotions, but when he did it was a sure sign that all hell was about to be unleashed. Katsurou knew he had to threat carefully. “Because I wanted to be like you,” he replied with large green eyes that hadn’t yet seen the horrors of the world. “I wanted to be a hero and save lives like you and mommy do.”

Both of his parents looked at him then. His mother was mostly furious and sad, but he saw something in his father’s eyes which he hadn’t been expecting. Understanding. His papa stepped forward and nudged him with his muzzle. “Go to your room. We talk later,” was all he said. Katsurou didn’t need it be told twice and fled from the room before his mother could explode, most likely in literal fire. He really didn’t want to be there when that happened.

“Laxus!” His mother screeched.

Katsurou winced. Poor papa.

He fled inside his room and hid underneath the furs that made up his bed. Now safe, he curled in on himself tightly and willed his talons to stop trembling.

Katsurou was a smart dragonet. He knew that if his papa hadn’t arrived when he did that he might very well be dead now. Food for wolves. He repeatedly told himself that he was safe now. Nothing would happen to him.

Well… perhaps maybe mommy’s anger.

He figured he would rather face that pack of wolves again. They were less scary!

~~~

Katsurou stayed put when he heard his papa step into his room. He stayed underneath his furs, but did perk up his ears.

The large yellow-blue PeakWing sat down next to his bed. For a while it was quiet, but then papa spoke. “Did you knew that I did the same thing when I was a young dragonet myself?”

What he said was so unexpected and strange that Katsurou’s head moved out from underneath the furs. He gave his father a disbelieving look.

Papa’s expression stayed the same. “I was perhaps a few months older than you are now, but I also stole a guest. Only an S-Class instead of A-Class,”  he admitted. Katsurou’s eyes widened. Papa nodded solemnly. “I didn’t even made it out of town before my mother dragged me back by my tail. I was in big trouble with my parents and grandfather.”

Eyes still wide, Katsurou found his voice again. “Why are you telling me this?”

Storm grey eyes shone. “Because I can understand wanting to surpass your parents and being like them,” he replied.

“So I’m not in trouble?” Katsurou tried hopefully.

Amusement swirled in the PeakWing’s eyes. “Don’t be silly. Of course you are in trouble, your mother would set all of my fur on fire if I just let you get away with this. But we talk more about this tomorrow.”

Seeing the dragonet’s face fall, Laxus’ expression softened ever so slightly.  “You know what?” He said, bumping his snout against Katsurou’s. “When you are a bit older I will take you with me on one of my own missions, a more simple one of course than I normally take. Just the two of us.”

“Really?!” Katsurou had by now completely jumped out of bed, green eyes even larger and wider than before.

“I promise. Now go to sleep.”

Katsurou crawled back underneath his furs as his papa walked over towards the door again. “Papa?” Katsurou called after him, making the large PeakWing stop in the doorway and give him a curious look over his shoulders. “Why are you an Adventurer if it’s so dangerous?” He asked him. He knew that mommy was also an adventurer, but she generally took B or A-Class missions; rarely S-Class, which she stopped doing when Katsurou hatched. But papa could even take SSS-Class missions if he wanted, which were the longest and hardest and most dangerous of them all. Actually, he and Aunt Erza were the only dragons in the entire guild capable of taking those. That was just how good Katsurou’s father was.

Laxus’ expression turned the gentlest Katsurou had seen of him so far. “Because I do not know differently. I was raised into this life and not allowed to be anything else. My path was already chosen for me… and I am addicted to the thrill and danger,” he said, stormy eyes scanning the son he had claimed as his own. “It does not need to be like that for you. Do not become an Adventurer just because your mother and I are one. Only become an Adventurer if you actually want to be one and are fully aware of the risks the job brings. The decision of what to do with your life is yours alone to make.”

With that said, papa left the room again, leaving a pensive dragonet behind. Katsurou thought about it for maybe ten minutes before he shrugged and figured he could figure that out later. For now he just wanted to sleep and forget about his - rather failed - adventure of the day.