When Meliodas first find Zeldris, he didn't recognize him. He thought his little spiky scale spines looked like his brothers and that endeared him to the beast a little bit.
The poor little dragon was injured, a gash along its side and weak with blood loss, hunger and pain.
Meliodas had just lost his goddess for the first time. He'd only been walking for a couple weeks when he found it. It was exhausted, blood on it's scales and a crusty, dirty wound on it. He frowned and moved over to the thing, not touching it just yet. It was still breathing, for which he was grateful. "Hey there, little guy. Where's your family?" The dragon stirred a little and it's ears twisted back when it saw him, growling low in its tiny chest. Meliodas smiled a little. "Oh, don't like me, huh? That's fair. But right now, you're gonna have to tolerate me, ok? So I can patch you up." The dragon growled again, but, reluctantly, lowered its head again, and allowed him to look at the wound. He investigated, prodding at it gently to see how bad the damage was and murmuring apologies when the little thing gave a pained hiss. "Ok, stay here, I'll be right back."
He bounded off into the woods, down to the creek, grabbing a clump of moss and cleaning it out, before soaking it up with water. He also grabbed a handful of medicinal herbs he knew from Gloxinia. He came back and kneeled next to him, putting a poppy in front of his nose. "It'll make you a little woozy, but the seeds will take the edge off of your pain, which you'll like, because I'm about to really get in there. It's a bit infected, I need to clean it out before it gets worse."
The dragon studied it, and then him, then huffed, but reached out and gingerly took it in his jaws. He made a bit of a face, but obediently ate it. Meliodas smiled and began using a bit of the moss to clean up the blood caked around the gash while it set in. When the dragons gaze turned a little far off, Meliodas set to work. He felt him tense, but went as gently as he could as he cleaned it out. Once that was done, he applied a paste using the plants and wrapped it in his cloak, tearing into one long strip. He could find another, if he needed.
He spent a good week tending to the Dragon, and ended up calling him Little Shadow. Something he used to call his brother, because he'd follow him around all the time. He didn't know why, but it just felt appropriate. The dragon was wary around him, but not hostile. Usually. One time the thing had damn near bit his hand off when he tried to pet him. He got the hint, stars above.
When Little Shadow was healed enough to hunt on his own, Meliodas figured he would be ok. He would miss his little companion, but he figured leaving now would hurt far less than trying to stick around and the Dragon leaving him. So he left the next morning, giving his reluctant friend a quiet goodbye and a rabbit before he walked away.
Zeldris stared after him for a minute, then looked at the rabbit, then back after him. He huffed. I can't believe I'm doing this. He thought. He cooked (charred) the rabbit using his fire and, as soon as he was done eating and cleaning the blood off his maw, bounded after Meliodas.
He caught up, and started walking alongside him, ignoring the elders stares.
"...You're following me?" A chuff. "You don't have to, yknow." Another chuff, and Meliodas shrugged. "Alright. You're welcome here, I just thought you didn't like me." The dragon growled and swiped at his ankles as he laughed and danced away. "Oh, you still don't, ok. I'm just a source of food then?" He just lifted his head haughtily and kept walking.
As the weeks passed, Zeldris began to notice how... lethargic his brother was. He didn't really eat, just picking at his already small portion and giving it to Zeldris. He rarely slept, only occasionally dozing out of exhaustion, and snapping again with yells or curling over and crying, mumbling his apologies to that dawned goddess. It didn't take him long to figure out what must have happened to her.
One day, he got sick of seeing him like this, so bounded off and came back with a rabbit. (They were pretty easy to catch.) He brought it back and placed it in front of Meliodasâs feet, drawing his far away gaze, staring into the fire in front of him, back to reality. "Oh. You want me to cook that?" A chuff and he nodded, getting to work. When it was done, he tried to put the skewered meat in front of his little friend. But the dragon growled and nosed it back to him. He frowned. "Is there something wrong with it? I know I'm not the greatest cook, but you haven't complained before." He growled again and picked up the stick, and holding it out to him. Meliodas took it slowly, a little confused, and Zeldris sat down, looking at him expectantly. Meliodas looked down at it and moved to put it back over the fire. "Maybe you want it more cooked? I know you usually chare yours." Yes, and that's the only reason he ate Meliodasâs food, it was better than eating ash. Zeldris snarled this time, and he stopped. He pushed his nose on his brothers hand, exasperated he had to do this, and moved it so the meat was in front of his mouth, then sat down again and looked at him expectantly.
Meliodas looked at it, then at him, then his eyes flashed as it clicked. "You want ME to eat?" He chuffed again, and Meliodas sighed. "Thank you, Little Shadow, but I'm really not all that hungry-" A fierce snarl and he jolted. "Alright, alright! Stars, calm down, ill eat the damn meat." Zeldris crooned and Meliodas fought against laughter and maybe tears as he ate.
...maybe be was hungrier than expected, because it barely took him fifteen minutes to eat the whole thing. He'd tried to offer some to Little Shadow, but he just glared at him.
After that, they always made sure the other ate. They traveled together, sometimes Meliodas would let the dragon perch on his shoulder. A full month passed and Meliodas was having another nightmare, which was keeping Zeldris awake, so RUDE. (He wasn't willing to admit that the pained cries from his brother hurt to hear, that he cared about him and wanted it to stop.) Finally, he got up and went over, curling up against the hollow of his abdomen and starting up a purr. Maybe it would help? When he was really little and having nightmares, Meliodas would hold him, encasing him in warmth and safety. And he would purr. It was a little hard to force, but it came a bit more naturally as Meliodas started to calm. He stirred and woke up a moment later, looking down to see the source of the rumble that had broken through the haze of terror and pain and grief.
"...Little Shadow." He croaked. "I didn't think you were one for cuddling." The dragon grunted, but did not move away, and Meliodas sagged, letting himself slip back into sleep.
He didn't figure it out until almost four months in. Little Shadow was bounding around as they traveled, sniffing at things, and growling at poor, unsuspecting animals. Meliodas found this incredibly amusing. "What are you doing, Zeldris?" It just slipped out, remembering when his brother would "scout ahead" when he was little. He slapped a hand over his mouth at the same time Little Shadow whipped his head back to him, every muscle tensed, and one front leg half raised. His ears were pointed straight up, and his eyes were wide. "I- Sorry Little Shadow. I didn't mean to say that, you just remind me of him sometimes, and-"
The dragon growled and bounded over, nodding frantically. Meliodas blinked. "What?"
Zeldris! I'm Zeldris! Please, you're so close to figuring it out, don't brush it off now!
He ran around him frantically, hopping up and putting his front claws on his chest, head butting him, trying to speak the best he could, but all that came out were vaguely bark sounded roars.
"Woah, hey, calm down, I'm sorry!"
No please! Please, no, just recognize me!!
Meliodas saw how damn distressed he was getting, worried that his dragon was damn near crying. He hadn't meant to call him Zeldris, be just reminded him so damn much-
He kneeled down and caught him, forcing his wild eyes to meet his. "Zeldris?"
He nodded frantically, and Meliodas gaped. "Zeldris? That's you, that's really you??" More frantic nodding and he fell onto his ass, still holding him. "How is this possible? Why didn't you say something??" He was given a deadpan look and he cringed. "Yeah, ok, I heard myself. Well why didn't you, I dunno, write something out in the dirt?" Zeldris tensed, looking a little constipated, and Meliodas pressed his lips together to hide a smile. "You didn't think of that, did you?" He hissed and snapped at him as he jolted back and laughed. "Sorry, sorry. Ok, come on, there was a big sand patch back this way a bit, let's go."
He ran back that way, holding his brother as he leapt through the trees. He deposited him down and took a deep breath. "Ok, let's do some verification questions first. Your name is?" He used his claws to write it out, in Demon Tongue and everything.
He frowned and scribbled it out. It felt weird saying that as a dragon.
Meliodas snorted, understanding. "Ok. How did this happen to you?"
Meliodas blew out a breath. "Do you know how to break it?"
He sat there and stared at him for a minute. And then he started crying. Zeldris bristled and walked over to him as he tried to wipe his tears away, little sobs shaking his shoulders. "I-Im sorry. I'm just really glad you're alive." He mumbled out. Zeldris chuffed and climbed into his lap, and sat there, leaning up to butt his head underneath his brothers chin to try and comfort him.
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