Today was the day. There were mixed emotions in the town. Some people were treating today as a great ceremony that was sacred and had great purpose, while others were grieving. A white feather had been struck into their door, and they knew that it was time. Their family had been selected to participate in the Maiden’s Feast – well, Sara had been selected. Always the eldest girl from the family selected would go and offer herself to keep their village safe from the dangers that lurked beyond. Everyone in the village was telling her that she should be proud that she would keep their village safe for another moon cycle. Sara smiled towards everyone, and at home, sighed heavily.

She knew this was something that she had to do, and bean getting ready. She dressed herself in a blue top that wrapped around her neck and a tiered white skirt before brushing her snow white hair. Emerging from her room, her mother stopped her and place a rather ornate hair decoration on her. “Oh honey, you look…beautiful…” Her father held her mother as the bell outside tolled, signaling that it was time. “I love you, all. I’m glad that I could protect my family.” Sara smiled, and they all walked outside towards the designated area, and she climbed onto the platform and took a seat, the sun rising to a high point in the sky – the head villager giving some sort of long commemorative speech that she had heard before, and blocked out, gazing on the ocean before her.

Everyone was drawn from their thoughts as the screeching of the dragon could be heard, coming closer – trees began swaying, giving a signal as to how close the beast actually was. Sara straightened her posture, and exhaled softly. This was it..

It was time again. The great beast knew that the villagers would be preparing the sacrifice for him. He would have liked to feed on humans more often, but he would honor the bargain.

For now.

The dragon landed, and examined his sacrifice. Villagers cowered in his presence, and he growled. He loved smelling their fear. "Oh, such a pretty young thing," he crooned. The dragon circled Sara, examining her. "'This a shame you must die. You would have made someone a very lovely wife."

The beast chuckled, using a talon to turn the girl's chin as a person would inspect a slave. "Tell me now, dear?" he said. "When it is your time to die, will you surrender peacefully to that good night? Or will you rage and roar before you die? Choose wisely; your answer determines how long you live once I bring you home for supper."

Hearing the compliment - at least that is what she could only perceive it as - she gave a slightly forced smile. She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the prospect of being this creature's wife. But, if she was that meant that she wouldn't die. But, she was letting herself get distracted. His talon was long and cold on her skin and she shivered slightly.

His question only seemed to confuse her, as if he was asking about her death like he was not going to be the one ending it. She knew that she had to do this, but she sighed softly, eyeing the dragon. "As much as I would like to go peacefully I would say that I would roar a little bit." She giggled momentarily. "But, that isn't important. Are you to kill me to keep these people safe, or not?"

"I am a man of my word," the dragon rumbled. "So to speak." The dragon opened his jaws to speak again, but was cut off by a roar from the sky above. A second dragon dove towards the ground, landed behind Sara. He was younger, perhaps half the size of the first dragon. His scales were a fiery orange, with tigerlike stripes. The glistened with a golden sheen in the light.

"I will forgive your intrusion if you leave now, whelp!" the old dragon hissed. His four eyes narrowed at the intruder.

"Lazy old lizard," the new dragon chided mockingly. "Growing fat on helpless humans. You do not deserve to be called a dragon." The old dragon slammed a taloned paw down.

"Stay out of my affairs!" The second dragon whipped around, slapping his opponent across the face with the tip of his tail; it was the equivalent of spitting in someone's face. The young dragon took off into the sky. The old dragon bellowed in rage. "I will return for you, my dear. I have rubbish to eliminate!" And with that the dogfight began.

She couldn't believe he just said that. I mean, honestly...the sudden intrusion vaught everyone's attention, and she looked upwards. The creature landed behind her, but from her position she could not turn to see him, but the second creature slapped the other with its tail and they both shot up into the sky.

The villagers began murmuring. Was this mew dragon a good guy? In their eyes, he was - taking on their threat, the humans cheered for the younger dragon amd heckled the elder. What was going on..? And why for that matter?

The two combatants rose higher and higher into the sky. The older dragon had greater physical strength, but the younger was more agile and maneuverable. The dragons chased each other for several minutes. Each unleashed flames to scorch the other, but the older often missed; likewise, the younger dragon's flames didn't hurt his opponent more than a mild sunburn hurt a human.

The tiger-dragon knew that getting in close would be certain death, unless his opponent was off guard. With a taunt in their language he dove into a thick cloud, his enraged opponent following.

Villagers had long since witnessed a fight between dragons. Many years and generations they were plagued by a singular dragon - they forgot that they were formidable creatures that did fight with their own. Everyone watched in awe as the two of them dove into the clouds above. A few disgruntled murmurs ran through them as they wanted secretly to watch all of the fight. They did wait tensely to see who would emerge from the clouds victorious. A few villagers helped Sara get down and she watched the sky just as confused as the other around her. She was not sure if the younger dragon beating the elder was going to mean good or bad things for her village. If the old dragon died just form natural causes they would be free...but if this younger dragon had the idea to take in his stead that could cause a problem...

The old dragon lost sight of his opponent in the cloud. "Come out, whelp!" he rumbled. "If you do, I promise to make your death quick, if not painless." He breathed flames, illuminating the interior. But his enemy seemed not to be there. The attack came from below and to the left. The tiger dragon launched at hid larger foe and delivered three rapid, slashing bites to the old dragon's throat. He kicked at his stomach, his talons gouging and ripping.

The old dragon wasn't going down quietly. He slashed at the tiger dragon's wing membranes. The young dragon bellowed in anger, but his enemy's body began falling. He could barely control his descent, and he was forced to land in the water in order to avoid further injury. He emerged from the water, his wing still bleeding. But he only gave it a passing thought before approaching the villagers.

"The old wyrm won't trouble you again," he murmured. "You are free to live your lives as you wish, without fear of losing a loved one to a dragon ever again."

Of course, the villagers were cheering the younger dragon on as he seemingly defeated the older dragon. They began cheering, the cheif stepping forward. "Young Dragon. Please allow us to hold a feast in your honor. It is the least we can do for what you have done for us. Sara happens to be one of our emerging healers, allow her and a few others to tend to your wound." He offered, as he ordered people to start bringing the dragon food and drink. Sara gasped as she watched the two dragons fall towards the earth again, and rushed over, examining the wound on his wing. "If you don't mind..I'd like to start getting this fixed up for you," Sara offered as a few other villagers began gathering some herbs to help stop the bleeding.

The dragon laid down, resting his head on his forepaws. "I would be delighted if I can be a guest," he said. He watched the humans work. When Sara approached him he extended his wing; outstretched a single wing was as wide as a normal house in the village. "Please be careful. Dragons' wings are sensitive; it is how we fly so well."

The membrane was soft, and gave off a surprising amount of warmth. He shifted slightly, tending to his other, more minor wounds. In a way he felt sad; that was the first dragon he'd encountered in five decades. He knew his race was far and few between now. But it had been for the best. Man and dragon clashed, but since humans reproduced faster, dragons were at a disadvantage.

He shifted his body slightly to look at the woman healing him. "I thank you for this, Sara," he said. "A dragon's wings are necessary for much of their life." He brought his snout closer, taking in Sara's scent. His breath was surprisingly lacking any kind of rank, rotting odor, and his golden eyes focused on the human. "I am called Makan."

(Lmao. Rank xD)

Sara smiled gently towards the large dragon. "Of course," She nodded as her fingers gently felt the membrane of his wing. She was surprised at how soft his wings were as she was sure they would have been a little rougher since he did use them for flying..and he gave off warmth. It made her exhale softly and relax a little. Her fingers gently began applying a reddish mixture onto his wound. "This should help aid in the cell reproduction so your wing can mend a little quicker. I'm sure you don't want to be grounded for too long."

At his apology, her eyes widened slightly with confusion. "You're..thanking me?" She asked, tilting her head. "No, no. You're the one who saved all of our lives, actually. I appreciate it." Hearing his name, she nodded. "Ma...kan...What a wonderful name. It's interesting. I haven't heard that before." She caught a glance of his eyes and couldn't help but to stare a little..they were a brilliant color of gold she had not seen before, and the light from the sky just seemed to make them glow almost.. "So, ah...what are you going to do once you're all healed? Do you think that dragon will have others who will come after you...?"

Makan shook his head. "I would have smelled them," he said. "He was alone, although incubating eggs from a deceased mate are not out of the question." Dragon eggs took a notoriously long time to hatch, although the hatchlings within were fully developed at about six months; it was an adaptation for when dragons faced lean times, so babies could hatch when plenty of food was available. "But that can be taken care of at a later time."

He watched the villagers. They had been oppressed for such a long time. Some individuals, mostly older people, were still wary of Makan. The dragon rest his head on his forepaws again, and closed his eyes.

Makan lazily opened an eye when he felt something poke his nose. A brave (or foolhardy) boy held a stick, and poked at the dragon. It was comical to Makan, but it may not have been the case to others. He made an exaggerated gesture of being stabbed. "Gods! I have been slain by the mighty warrior!" He let his head crash to the ground, feigning death. The child giggled.

Sara thought that was pretty interesting that he could tell if there were other simply by their scent. She continued to treat his cut, and soon finished, standing up as the child poked Makan in the nose with a stick. Along with a few other villagers, she gasped - surprised by the child's actions. Makan however, reacated rather comically to the child's advances, and she smiled slightly. "It seems that our village is breeding mighty warriors every day." She teased, ruffling the child's hair as she shrilled in delight.

She kneeled down and looked towards Makan. "I've finished treating your wound. It should be fine in a few days." She nodded. "What drew you here in the first place if you don't mind my asking. We've been under that dragon for some time..."

"I thank you," said Makan. He shifted his bulk, examining his wing for a moment. It would heal well. "I didn't set out to save anyone, but I couldn't have ignored this situation anyway. I come from far to the East, where dragons are still revered.

"As you have just witnessed, dragons are as good or evil as man." He paused a moment, letting it sink in. "Or rather, men are as good or evil as dragons, since we have been around longer. I left home three-quarters of a century ago, and have traveled as my needs see fit. I was in the area to find a new home, since prey was getting scarce.

"It is a shame," Makan said absentmindedly. "The first time I meet another living dragon in half a century, and I am forced to kill him. But to protect others, it had to be done."

Sara nodded, smiling towards him. "Of course, it's the least I could do." She had not thought about dragons like men, in the sense that they had varied desires. But what else was she to think when the only dragon she had ever had contact with or heard of was the dragon that held her people in fear for so long? She laughed softly at his correction, and she frowned at his predicament. "I'm sorry...Uhm...Why don't you just stay here, then? I'm sure the elders are going to he hesistant - but I'm sure everyone would warm up to you eventually." She suggested as she began walking towards her own family to put away the herbs. "Just think it over,"

The young woman went inside, and an elder came over, frowning towards Makan. "I don't trust you. I appreciate you kiling off that vile monster, but we don't know if you're no different. Waiting until we are weak and trusting to just begin the cycle again."

Makan watched Samra leave. The elder's distrust was expected, but irritating nonetheless. He couldn't blame them; the only dragon the village had ever dealt with was a murderer. "I am not a monster like the old wyrm," rumbled Makan. "Honor and kin are held in the highest esteem in the East. If I go back on my word, then I disgrace my parents, and every single one of my ancestors and descendants."

The dragon stood, and made his way around the village. The humans here were folk who lived simple lives. Many still distrusted him, but some were more than happy to greet Makan. However when he saw people preparing instruments, he became excited.

The elder, though hearing his words - still did not fully want to believe that after being tormented so long by a fearsome beast that another could so easily approach them with no ill intentions. "And just where do you plan to go after your wounds are gone?" He asked, before Makan soon found himself in the center of town, as people gathered instruments to celebrate the occasion. A group of men and women and a few children gathered around as festive music was poured into the sky. High and upbeat music was made as other joined in not in music - but in dance. Children placed a few flower headresses on Makan's nose and went about chanting rhymes of joy and celebration.

"Simple," Makan answered. "I'll find the lizard's cave and assess it." He had more plans, but he kept those to himself for now. He let the children give their gifts, and watched the humans as they danced and made music. His tail thumped the ground in time to the music, adding to it.

In a way, it reminded Makan of home. The music was different, and the food smelled different as well, but it was an atmosphere of celebration. For the first time in so long he was happy. He made his way to the musicians and requested a song. He wished to sing to the people.

The elder shook his head as he returned to his chair to watch the festivities. The musicians happily obliged to the request, and shifted gears to the melody that Makan had requested. As he began to sing, people stopped dancing slowly awestruck that he could produce such sounds. Once he had finished the village cheered, and praised him. His performance earned him a few hesitant acknowledgements from the older crowd. But, much like the day before this and the many to come after, day was long since gone and the village began preparing to sleep for the evening.

"Are you to be sleeping outside in the open like that? With your wing and all.." He raised an eyebrow. He knew he could not fly off somewhere so readily but he also didn't need two dead dragons near his village, either.

"I will build a temporary nest," Makan assured. "Nothing fancy. Just a bed to sleep in until I am healed." He followed his nose until he found Sara. He approached purposefully. "Miss Sara, I wish to see how you are faring. The festival was excellent, was it not?"