SPOILERS

Jake shuffled on his knees, grunting as he forced his chin over his shoulder. He cursed under his breath as another waft of burning heat rolled up the hillside. The distant roar of fire and screams made Jake cut faster. The binds around his wrists were tight and itchy, minutes away from drawing blood. He glanced at the rocky expanse around him, praying not to see greying scales through the black smoke. Jake's eyes shot open as the knife slipped from his sweating fingers.

"SHIT!" Jake yelped. He jerked, bound arms catching against the iron pole. A pained hiss vented from his teeth. "No, you dumb ass!"

Jake tried to kneel, hands shaking with effort. But his legs were bound, not that it would matter much. The damn things were already useless to him. However, the way they were tied hardly made his escape attempt easier. Jake straightened his back, hands gripping the iron rod as it shuddered in the ground. His nerves fired as the ground shook. The vibration rose from the ground, traveling through the rod and his bones. Jake glared over his fear, teeth bared as he moved his fingers to the fraying rope. He'd untangle it instead!

A huge plume of smoke rose from his right. The black smog billowed like ink in water, clotting the air. The cowbell attached to the rope rang as he began to panic. Jake turned his head slowly, tracking a long trail of smoke as it moved left. Pacing around the stone and gravel mound.

"Quit fucking with me! I don't have all day!" Jake howled at the top of his lungs.

Jake paled as the smoke trail simmered to a stop. His lungs felt ready to burst as he stared at the last spot. His breath rushed in and out as if he'd run miles. His sweating skin only made the heat more unbearable. Truly, Jake thought he'd die then and there.

Jake dared glance at the smoldering smoke that rose from the hills below. He prays that Parker was burned up in the mix. Who fucking cares if Jake 'deserted'? Who ties someone up to be dragon-munch? Jake turned left, and his breath vanished.

The dragon…

Jake's mouth dried as he shrank, eyes widening. The beast filled his vision like the sky itself. Its wide girth and strong scales are undeniable in their clarity. Jake raised his head, tracking up the scarred throat of the dragon. The beast was looking right at him. It stared at him silently; its front talons sat calmly on the edge of the mound. The dragon resembled a man eyeing a cut of meat on a market stall. Its marked jaw and face were motionless, but its sharp eyes examined him. Jake refused to shake or tremble as the dragon eyed him. After a breath, the dragon shifted its jaw, thinking. A low sound rose from its chest, and Jake expected fire to vomit from its maw. Instead? Words broke the air.

"You have a lot of guts, kid…" The dragon's voice growled like a landslide.

Jake's teeth clicked shut. He shifted the most he could, pushing up the rod. The dragon's eyes narrowed as it stayed impossibly still. If it weren't for its eyes, Jake could mistake it for part of the mountain.

"Most humans cry and beg by now." The dragon snorted. A plume of smoke vents from its nose.

"Yeah? Well, this isn't much worse than town. You should see that hell hole." Jake sneers. Even now, swallowing his sass was impossible. His dad was right; his big mouth WOULD get him killed.

The dragon's lip curls, as if it were smiling. "Tempting… But why are YOU not in town, son? What are you doing HERE, of all places?"

The dragon crawls forward. It's an armored gut scraping across the ground. It arches its stout neck toward him, leveling an eye with his face. Heat radiates off the beast as it snorts in Jake's face. Aside from a short sputtering of the smoke, Jake stays unfazed. He blinks the smog out of his eyes and blows hair out of his face. The dragon stays close, watching every minute movement with its hungry gaze.

"Took a bullet in the wrong spot… They think I'm faking." Jake told the dragon. Really, he might as well. He was going to die; why not vent to this monster? Maybe it would believe him, unlike everyone else.

"Faking..?" The dragon asked.

It turned its head, twisting so its eyes were inches away from his face. Jake leaned back, trying not to touch the anatomy. The wide eye of the beast narrowed as it found his legs. They'd gotten smaller, but only slightly over the past two months. The dragon, however, seemed to smell the difference. Its nostrils sucked in air like a tunnel. Then the beast snorted its breath, making pebbles scatter and Jake's hair ruffle.

"Your blood smells ill, son. Can your doctors not tell? Humans, so proudly stupid. Children with guns and metal…" The dragon began to ramble. Mouth moving with heavy lips and teeth larger than his arms.

Jake snuck a glance behind his back, finding the rope thread. He turned to the dragon as he tugged the knot. The binding slipped loose, but Jake didn't let it drop. He held it instead. Jake looked below the dragon's jaw. There was a slight gap… But then what? He wouldn't make it far. Men on horses and wagons died to this dragon. How could a man unable to walk escape?

"Are you listening, boy?!" The dragon roared.

It slammed one of its hands onto the stone. Rocks bounced into the air as it showed its frustration. Jake watched as the massive creature crawled more onto the mound, careful not to fall with its grand weight. Like a large toad or lizard, it moved on its belly. But the shape of its legs… Jake imagined it could stand up if it wished. Perhaps it was smarter than humans. Knowing that standing on such gravel-covered ground might produce a broken back. If it was that smart…

"Why are you up here? Doesn't an old dragon want to save his back? I'm hardly worth the risk and effort." Jake awkwardly grinned.

The dragon narrowed its eyes as it laid its jaw on the mound. It growled deep from its chest before speaking. "It is your people that woke me with their ugly clamoring. Do you humans really call THAT mess music?"

Jake let out a laugh. He smiled, shaking his head. He can't believe he's having a talk with a dragon… let alone that he's ENJOYING said talk. Jake glances at the smoldering sky before relaxing against the pole as best he could. "I wouldn't call it that. More like bitching and hollering with a stick up your ass."

The dragon's face twisted into a nasty smile. "Truly, you have a better ear than that lot."

Jake shook his head. "I'm not sure you'd like my taste of music either, sir."

Shit! Jake looked to the dragon, expecting anger. Instead, the dragon hummed, apparently appreciating the respect. Good, great! Jake thought such a 'human' term would have pissed it off.

"War drums and brass, that is a good sound." The dragon growled appreciatively. "Not that string plucking and yowling."

"Too bad, I don't have any to play." Jake jokes.

"You play?" The dragon asks, oddly eager. It moves its head to settle its chin against his lap. "You are far too small to be worth chewing… But a songbird would sound good inside my refuge."

Songbird? Jake smiled, skin dripping with sweat. He let out a single, dry laugh. What shit luck. He's terrible with people, but good with dragons. "I can't fly, Sir."

"Hm, but your voice chirps, do your hands drum? Do your lips blow?" The dragon asked.

Jake snorted, looking away from the creature for a moment. No way it knew what-

"Funny, yes. Many meanings." The dragon grinned, wholly understanding of the double meaning it just shot him.

Jake sputtered, meeting the dragon's eye again. "I'm a big small for that, aren't I?"

"Men and magic do not live together, but magic and I live among each other still… I imagine I could create a fix." The dragon sets its eyes on his legs again. "A wound such as yours is easy by such magic, Son. To have you survive larger affections? Not as simple, but a work I can do."

"… You could fix my legs?" Jake asked slowly. That had to be a lie; the dragon was bullshitting him. "The doctors said it was impossible, that they didn't even understand how the bullet did this to me!"

"Human limitations." The dragon said, as if it were obvious. "Even the blue elves in the trees know how to mend delicate matters. And they refuse metal of all manner."

Jake knew THEM all too well. "Na'vi would never help a human. Why would you? Humans hunt you just as much as they hurt the Na'vi."

"As I said, a songbird would be welcome in my home. Soon, I will have use for small hands, as well… Tell me. If I were to take you, would you fight me?" The dragon asked.

"As if I could." Jake scoffed.

"No, but you could take your rage out on my only company… I will not bring home a human that might harm my unhatched child." The dragon explained.

Oh, yeah. Jake understood the idea. Jake couldn't do a damn thing to this brute, but an egg? A defenseless egg? Especially if this dragon were left to deal with more loud neighbors, he'd be leaving Jake alone with the poor thing. That must be why he's open to having 'small hands' around too…"

Jake narrowed his eyes. "What about your mate?"

If you wonder why I've dropped a lot of this lately, it's because I need to post images before I can embed them in a fic >:3