#dragon!logan

The dragon itself wasn’t too large. It was mostly dark blue and black with a lighter blue underbelly. It had a frill around its neck that obscured most of its throat. It appeared to be asleep, though Virgil wasn’t sure how long it was going to stay that way.

He crept into the garden cautiously, holding his staff tightly in his hands. Most of the garden had been trampled, to his dismay. It would take ages to get it back to how it was before.

As Virgil crept closer, he noticed for the first time that the dragon was injured. Dried blood caked its side and legs. Its left wing was bent in an odd angle and had more blood dripping from several cuts on the wing membrane.

That’s what made Virgil nervous. An injured, agitated dragon was more dangerous than a healthy one.

Virgil got halfway across the garden before he realized he had no idea what he was planning to do.

Unfortunately, the dragon made the decision for him by waking up.

He froze. For once, he wished he hadn’t worn a dark cloak. He stood out like a sore thumb in broad daylight, so of course the dragon spotted him immediately.

It blinked a few times, as if it wasn’t fully awake yet. Virgil figured he had a few seconds before it snapped out of its shock, so he did the most sensible thing.

He booked it.

Even if the dragon was injured, there would be no way to move the body if he killed it. And he wouldn’t kill the dragon. He’d have to find another way.

The next day, Virgil ventured back into the garden.

The dragon was already awake this time. It gave him an annoyed look, but otherwise didn’t bother him.

“So, uh,” Virgil said awkwardly, making sure he was well out of range of the dragon’s tail. “Can you maybe lay in a garden that’s not mine? I’m kind of busy.”

The dragon snorted.

Virgil sighed. “Yeah. Didn’t think that would work.” he studied the dragon again. It seemed weaker than it had the previous day. Its wounds must have been sapping its strength.

Virgil had the beginnings of a crazy idea, but he wasn’t sure he was desperate enough to try it.

He looked down at the ruined garden.

Scratch that. He was definitely desperate.

He stepped forward carefully. “So,” he started again. “I may have the means to heal you. If I do, will you leave?”

The dragon blinked at him.

Virgil wasn’t actually sure if the dragon could understand him, but he kept talking anyway.

“I’m going to approach you with my stick, okay?” Virgil said, holding up his staff. “Don’t freak out.”

The dragon watched him as he walked through the ruined garden toward it. When he got close, it flared its ruff and hissed.

Virgil stopped where he was. “Okay, I won’t come any closer,” he said. He studied the wounds on the dragon’s body, making mental notes of what items to bring with him.

It would be hard to heal the dragon, but it was possible.

“So, will you let me heal you?” Virgil felt silly talking to the dragon, but it helped him keep track of his thoughts, so he kept doing it. “And maybe you can leave afterward?”

He wasn’t sure, but he thought the dragon looked…thoughtful.

Virgil nodded. “Right. I’ll be back.”

He quickly ran back to his cottage and gathered ingredients for spells and health potions. (He wasn’t sure they would work on dragons… well, you never know until you try.)

By the time he made it back to the garden, the sun was at its highest point. He was sweating underneath his long cloak, but he had no time to rest. The reality of what he was about to do was settling, and if Virgil stopped to think about it too much, he’d panic.

He took a deep breath and headed toward the dragon.

The first thing he did was take a cloth out of his bag to clean the dried blood off it’s scales.

The dragon stared at him warily as he came closer. He reached toward one of its legs with the cloth and the dragon growled.

Virgil jerked his hand away. “It’s okay! I’m not going to hurt you!” he winced at his own panicked voice. No doubt he was just agitating the dragon further with his yelling.

He approached the dragon again, but it still wouldn’t let him near it. He tried a few more times and got the same reaction every time.

Virgil groaned in frustration. “I’m trying to help you, you overgrown lizard!” he shouted, gesturing wildly with his staff.

The dragon immediately hissed and recoiled. Virgil snatched his arms back to his sides, eyes widened in fear.

He’d once encountered a venomous snake in the forest years ago. He’d gotten too close to it, and he hadn’t recognized it’s warning signals before it was too late. The bite had taken days to heal fully, even with magic.

The dragon was showing the same signals, and if Virgil wasn’t careful, he was going to get bit.

He noticed how the dragon was eyeing his staff warily. Experimentally, he dropped the staff a few feet away from himself. The dragon froze for a moment, as if waiting to see what he would do next. When Virgil didn’t move, it slowly started to relax. This time, when Virgil approached it with the cloth, the most it did was glare at him skeptically.

Virgil had managed to get the dragon to cooperate with him while simultaneously making his job harder. He was still capable of doing magic without his staff, but it was less reliable.

Virgil sighed, rolled up his sleeves, and got to work.

He started by scrubbing the blood off the dragon’s neck and legs. He used his magic to seal any cuts and scratches. The spell part was slightly longer without his staff, but he managed to fix the scrapes without much trouble. That was the easy part.

Virgil inspected the broken wing. That was going to be the hard part. He hadn’t cleaned any of the blood off of it because he was afraid of hurting the dragon further. He tried a few simple healing spells, but they wouldn’t work on something as large as a dragon. He would need his staff.

He picked his staff up again, slowly this time. The dragon narrowed its eyes at him and growled. For the first time, Virgil noticed the two large fangs that stuck out of its mouth. He shuddered.

“Look, I’m only going to use this to heal you, okay?” Virgil said in what he hoped was a soothing tone. “Just… trust me.”

He raised the staff, slowly so he wouldn’t spook the dragon. He muttered a pell under his breath and drew a symbol in the air that he always thought looked like twin snakes curling around each other.

The dragon still had its teeth bared, but it didn’t attack. Virgil interpreted this as a good sign.

He finished the spell and waited.

Slowly, the wing shifted back into place. The dragon winced and grit his teeth. Virgil felt a small stab of guilt. He hadn’t considered whether or not it would hurt.

It seemed like an eternity passed until the wing looked normal. The dragon stared at it for a moment, stretching it back and forth until it was satisfied.

Virgil sighed in relief. He wasn’t sure how many spells he had left in him. He’d exerted more energy in one afternoon than he did in an entire week, and he wanted nothing more than a nap.

“So, uh, you’re welcome…” he trailed off. “I should give you a name, huh?” he thought for a moment, staring up at the dragon. “How about Logan?”

Logan seemed to like that. He crouched down to Virgil’s level and awkwardly patted him on the head with a claw. Then, Logan flung his wings open and soared away without looking back.

Virgil waved until he couldn’t see Logan’s figure anymore. He dropped his arm and turned back to his ruined garden.

“Well, I still have a few things to work out,” he muttered.

His gaze shifted down to the little egg that was snug between his underbelly and silks and maps. The glowing was soft, but still lightly pulsing. It was only showing him that the babe inside was resilient enough to hold on a little while longer.

Logan knew he had grown somewhat attached, as illogical as it was. Yet, it didn’t mean he would keep the child with him. It would be far easier to take the pup and give it to another– another that could care for it better and give it the attention and affection it would crave.

The dragon yawned as the sun began to sink out of sight, slowly casting the world in a darkening and cool light.

Logan stretched after a moment, before settling back down into his hoard and relaxing languidly. Letting out a soft huff of air, he let his eyes flutter shut for just a moment. Sleep hadn’t been coming easy since he’d brought the egg into his care, however, he took every chance he could get to catch a few extra winks. If the egg hatched and the babe did survive, he had an itching feeling he’d be losing sleep until he found a suitable place for the hatchling.

The minute he was beginning to drift off, he heard it.

It was soft, just a tiny sound at first. He opened his eyes, lifting his head to scan the area in front of him. He was tucked as far back into the cave as he could be for an adult dragon, so the entire entrance to the cave was in his complete view. It was how he watched for intruders and stowaways if they so dared to enter.

When he didn’t see anything, or anyone, his attention shifted downward when he heard the same sound, this time a little louder.

When Logan’s gaze met the egg, he saw a hairline fracture running down the length of it. Slightly surprised that this was happening, the dragon rose himself into a stand, hovering over the egg.

He’d watched others back home (before he’d split off from the group) who let the baby hatch on its own. The parents hovered close, standing together as they awaited the little one inside to make their grand debut. Logan had thought, at the time, he would never have to feel that anxiety flutter through him—the worry that maybe the child wouldn’t hatch and he’d have spent all this time keeping it warm for nothing.

Of course, he reasoned, he shouldn’t truly be as nervous as he was. This wasn’t his babe nor was he intending on keeping them, it would only cause more trouble. His own parents had died defending him, so being a parent himself was a rather frightening thought. Not that he was frightened.

But giving one’s life for that of a child who would be ungrateful?‌ Only for it to be in vain? That was unnerving.

The egg cracked further and Logan sat down a pace away from it, knowing that assisting the hatchling through this process may be detrimental. He could recall elders of his old group explaining to young and worried parents why they could not assist their baby hatch.

It is a very real possibility to accidentally kill the child because one had intervened too early in their attempt to “help.”

Logan would only step in if he felt as though he needed to.

Hours passed as the egg continued to crack slowly but surely.

Logan had been keeping watch on it, as well as keeping an eye out toward the front of the cave. It was surprising to notice how paranoid he’d become about a wandering and aimless traveler, even though he was well aware it was the dead of winter. No human with half a brain would be about in this weather, especially not at this time of night. But there was such a vulnerable life in his care now, until he decided what he was going to do.

Finally, after what had felt like forever, the babe pushed the rest of the egg open and lifted their head, taking their first real breath of outside air. They coughed, eyes glued shut as they tried to take their first step forward. Instead, the little one’s legs wobbled shakily and toppled forward onto the soft silks of the hoard Logan had been on hours before.

Logan took in the sight of the little one, a soft scale-less violet babe.  

He stood quickly, cautiously moving toward the little hatchling as they chirped softly. He leaned down, snuffling at them for just a moment and imprinted their scent, just as the babe reacted to his warmth. They chirruped again, leaning forward and trying to meet Logan head on.

Surprised, Logan moved back and the babe whined, their head swiveling from side to side trying to find the adult again.

Logan leaned closer to it again, eyes alight with curiosity at the tiny life in front of him. Covered in slime and fluid from their egg. He pressed his snout gently into the little one’s side, nudging them over so they laid more comfortably on the blankets. The babe hummed as they squirmed on the comforters, confused by the new sensation.

“Look at you,” Logan mused after a moment, crouching down so he was level with them. The babe followed his voice and they turned their head to face him, scenting the air and trying to familiarize themselves with the way Logan smelled.

Logan snorted softly back at them, and the babe tried to mimic the sound.

Slightly amused, he moved forward once more. Bathing the child was the next hurdle and then cleaning them up. He’d need to get the babe’s eyes cleared as well, which would help them open them.

Cleaning the hatchling took more time then he expected. The baby didn’t seem bothered, as he sat with his little tail swishing back and forth. He was standing unsteadily on his wobbly legs, as Logan sat nearby, ready to move in case he tipped over again.

The little one tested the air once more, trying to find Logan without the use of his eyes. His eyes were free of grime, which included anything that could keep them glued shut; Logan had made sure to make quick work of easing it off gently.

The babe chirped and Logan repeated the sound. The hatchling startled a moment, whipping his head to face where the noise had come from.

“Yes, I’m here little one,”‌ he said, just as the baby toddled toward him.

The child sat down a few paces from his snout and Logan titled his head to the side, curious. After a moment of nothing happening, he watched as the little one rubbed at his eyes with his claw-free paws, letting out soft sounds as he worked. Not five minutes later were there two big, shining, violet eyes blinking up blearily toward Logan–whom of which was watching in quiet awe.

He’s yours, a small part of the adult whispered, nudging a protective instinct of Logan’s forward—a part he hadn’t known had been there. He’s so trusting, you can’t let him down by giving him to someone else. You’d feel godawful about it as well.

“Hello there,” he greeted the babe quietly, his head resting down on his forearms as the hatchling chirruped excitedly back at him.

The little one was trying to take in all of the larger dragon, however, it seemed his attention began to wane and a yawn split his features. Logan was granted a toothless yawn and the babe wobbled on his feet again. Logan leaned forward, using his snout to keep the babe upright, however, that didn’t stop it from nearly toppling to his other side.

Letting out a soft breath of air, he stood up just enough to lean down and nab the babe by the scruff of his neck. He hefted the little one into the air for just a moment, before settling him down into the mass of blankets and soft cloths and silks. Logan then curled around the little one, offering warmth and comfort and protection. The babe snuffled  before yawning again, his eyes fluttering shut as he curled up against the bigger dragon.

“Sleep,” Logan said to him, watching as the little one barely reacted to his voice, seemingly only liking the vibrations. Truthfully, he knew the babe wouldn’t be able to speak on his own. That was something Logan would need to teach him, not that he minded. “You’ve had a long day.”

The child didn’t respond, of course. Not that Logan was surprised, however, he knew he also couldn’t refer to the little one without a name for much longer. Though, what would suit him?‌

His eyes glanced over the little form, almost already sound asleep.

Since the moment his eyes had opened, they had been constantly on the move. Looking from Logan himself, to shining coins, to the tapestries that were laid strewn across the stone flooring.

That vigilance was something Logan would have to hone further into him. The act of being wary was something that could keep him alive when the time to survive on his own came inevitably. However, looking so far into the future was unfair to the babe curled up directly into his side, snuggled up close and reveling in the warmth Logan radiated.

Vigilance.

Another moment passed. He let his eyes flicker to the babe’s features, soft as they were now. His scales would eventually grow in, he noted quietly.

Logan hummed low in his chest, the sound reverberating and causing the babe to try and repeat the sound—only earning some softer squeaks in response instead. “As for a name,” he spoke gently, the babe’s purple eyes fluttering open lazily, watching the parent in front of him, “how do you feel about Virgil?”

The babe blinked at him, exhaustion clear in his eyes, before he trilled softly. The hatchling’s eyes quickly slid shut after giving the sound of acceptance.

Logan felt something soften in him, watching as the little one drifted off to sleep. He leaned down too, adjusting just slightly enough to find a comfortable position to sleep in. He stayed curled close around Virgil, the newborn vulnerable in this great big world.

“Sleep, my little one,”‌ Logan rumbled, “you’ve got a full life ahead of you.”

                                      ——————————

TSAS Taglist:  @isle-of-gold  @rosiepupper @anxiousvirgil0 @imstupidhowyadoing

“It’s dangerous.” Logan replied. “Human civilizations are no place for a dragon.”

That seemed like strange logic. Virgil had never met a human before, but he was a firm believer that dragons should be allowed to go anywhere and do anything. After all, Logan was a freaking dragon. A proper one, with fire and wings and scales. Nothing in the entire valley could ever stand up to him- so why did Logan seem afraid?

“Are you afraid of humans?” Virgil asked. 

Logan gave a small snort of air, and Virgil couldn’t tell what was so funny. “Not all of them.” Logan admitted. “Most humans are vile, selfish creatures, and in large groups can be quite a hassle. They take what isn’t theirs, and threaten anything that is different.”

Not for the first time Virgil was glad he was found by his draconian family. He couldn’t imagine what sort of horrible things humans would have done to a defenseless, disabled dragon like him.

“Not disabled.” Patton would remind him. “Just different.”

Which, of course, was just another way of saying Virgil was very bad at being a dragon. 

------

When Virgil woke up is was with a strange feeling in his chest. Something’s wrong. His mind told him, like he was waking up from a nightmare without knowing what the danger had been. The whispered voices in the front of the cave certainly didn’t help. 

“-Scout says it’s almost here.” Logan explained, looking out into the distance. Even from here Virgil could see how his spines rose as a defense mechanism. “Everyone else has already flown out.”

“Are you certain we should do this?” Patton’s voice sounded pleading, and it set Virgil further on edge. “Perhaps we should fly out too... “

“I am the chief, it’s my duty to protect our lands.” Logan bristled. “I may be getting on in years but my intimidation tactics are as sharp as ever.”

“I know, but I don’t want you to go so far as to do something you’ll regret.” Patton winced.

“One is enough to send a sign to the others.” Logan spoke up. He shifted, chest puffed out further to display his superiority. “It’s kept them at bay for two decades, has it not?”

“Two decades ago we didn’t have Virgil.” Patton argued, and an uncomfortable silence overfell them both.

Virgil cleared his throat, not wanting to eavesdrop any longer. Both giant figures turned to him, looming over Virgil as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. “What’s happening?”

The elders shared a glance. “Nothing, Virgil.” Patton answered, nuzzling Virgil gently with his snout. “Go back to bed.”

“I’m not tired.” Virgil frowned, watching the way Logan tried to sneak out while Patton distracted him. “Hang on, you’re leaving again, aren’t you?”

Logan froze. “That’s none of your concern, Virgil.”

Virgil flinched at his father’s cold tone. Immediately Patton sent his partner a scolding glance, wrapping his body around Virgil in a protective manner. 

“I apologize.” Logan sighed, coming over to press his forehead against his mate in the form of an apology. He repeated the motion gently with Virgil. “It’s just, the situation is….”

“...complicated.” Patton finished Logan’s thought, realizing the chief was at a loss for words.

“Yes, thank you, Patton.” Logan smiled. “Things are complicated now.”

“Because of me?” Virgil guessed. 

“Of course not!” 

 “Only slightly.”

Their disagreement was enough of an answer for Virgil to know the truth.

“Because you’ve got to protect me.” Virgil realized quietly, looking down at his hands. His hands, so soft and pliable and useless. Every little side of the mountain was sharp enough to graze their surface. “Dads, I’m… I’m sorry.” 

“You have nothing to apologize for.” Patton insisted sternly, nuzzling even closer to Virgil. 

Logan looked down at his family, so perfectly content in their cave. He seemed to be contemplating something. “Perhaps you are correct, Patton.” Logan finally spoke. “I shall… attempt to have a more civil altercation.”

Before Virgil could ask who exactly Logan would be having a ‘civil altercation’ with, the question was answered for him by a loud presence announcing itself at the cave entrance.

“HAVE AT THEE, FOUL BEAST!” 

“Wha-? Hey!” Virgil protested, finding himself suddenly covered by Patton’s wing. What was going on? Why wouldn’t his dads let him see the intruder? The intruder who was definitely not a dragon, based on the way the voice lacked that familiar rumble. Then again, Virgil’s voice had never rumbled either.

“Strong words from the human who dares encroach on our lands.” Logan growled, so intense that Virgil almost didn’t recognize him as his father.

...a human? Virgil felt his blood run cold. 

“I am not the one encroaching.” The human scoffed, and Virgil heard some sort of shifting of metal. “You are the monsters, the ones invading our village.” 

“What!” Virgil shrieked, and in a fit of rage he was ready to take on the human himself, no matter his weaknesses. “Logan would never- MFPH!” Virgil’s cries were muffled as Patton pressed his wing against his mouth. Virgil struggled, trying to scramble over Patton’s scales to see who dared to threaten his dad. 

“Little one, I think you’re forgetting your place on the food chain.” Logan’s figure moved, looming further so that even as Virgil peeked out he couldn’t see the threat.

“Logan.” Patton’s tone held a sort of warning Virgil didn’t understand, but at least Patton was too distracted to push Virgil back under. After all, Virgil knew he was no match for Patton’s strength. 

“Stay back!” The human warned. “I will not hesitate to run you through with my blade, and spill both your blood among these rocks.”

“You will do no such thing.” Now Logan was livid, clearly just as furious as Virgil at the threat to his family members. “A puny thing like you should lack the audacity to address a specimen such as I with that tone- why, a single breath of flame will make your weapon meaningless once you’re burnt to a crisp. Or perhaps you’d rather get more personally acquainted with my razor teeth.” Logan sneered, putting them on full display.

“LOGAN!” Patton protested, standing up to get some height on his husband. Unfortunately, this brash action unsettled Virgil’s precarious spot, and with a yelp the young fleshling tumbled onto the open cave floor. 

Virgil groaned, rubbing at his head as he looked up. Both dads were staring at him, eyes wide and almost...guilty? Virgil turned to the cave entrance, finally getting a look at his first human. It was small, hardly the size of Logan’s forepaw. Instead of scaly armor, the human’s skin was soft and unprotected. It didn’t have wings, instead just a pair of fleshy limbs, one of which was holding up some sort of piece of metal. 

It...it looked just like Virgil.

“What?” Virgil’s voice was hardly a croak, trying to piece together what was happening even as his entire world view shattered.

“Aha!” The human gestured with its tool towards Virgil, and Logan put a clawed foot between them to protect his son. “I see you’ve even stooped so low as to take our kind for your own twisted horde. Don’t worry good sir, I shall rescue you in no time!”

“Wait, me? Rescue?” Virgil stood up, trying to understand as he searched the dragon’s gaze for any answers. Neither dad seemed eager to look him in the eye.

“My- prize is none of your concern.” Logan decided, pushing Virgil back with his wing even as Virgil tried to dig his feet into the ground. 

“Your prize?” Virgil spat, frustrated at the way nobody would give him answers. He didn’t like his dad’s demeaning tone, either.

“That’s it!” The human charged forwards, brandishing his weapon higher. “Have at thee!”

And just like that, all hell broke loose. The human slid beneath Logan, skirting his sharp blade against Logan’s vulnerable underside. Logan let out a roar so thunderous Virgil had to cover his ears, and it distracted him from the human charging closer. Virgil didn’t even have time to be afraid before Patton’s claws came out, batting the intruder across the room. The figure groaned, sword clattering to the ground as he hit the cave wall. 

“No!’ Virgil protested, but he wasn’t sure what exactly he was protesting.

“Logan, are you alright?” Patton hurried over to his mate, pressing his snout worriedly  against Logan’s side as the other curled up on the ground. Both of them seemed to have forgotten the human, who despite the bleeding claw marks across his chest was unsteadily getting to his feet. 

“Stop it.” Virgil growled, putting his hand up. The human stopped, but Virgil had a feeling it was more so because he heard his dads growling as well. He whirled around, putting both hands up now as he glared defiantly back at them. “You! You- stop it too!” 

“Get behind me.” The human instructed, pushing off the wall with a grunt.

“Like hell I’m doing that.” Virgil muttered, already nervous about turning his back to the human right now. Even if he was stupid enough in the head to defend their attacker, Virgil still had enough sanity to keep his distance.

“Virgil…” Logan spoke up, his voice pained. “I want you to come this way, slowly and carefully-”

“NO!” Virgil shouted, skittering back a few steps when Patton took a step forward. Tears of frustration welled up in his eyes. “Why- why does he look like me? What’s going on? What aren’t you telling me?”

“Virgil, please.” Patton pleaded, not coming closer. “Come back to us, kiddo.” 

Virgil jumped, a thump startling him so badly he almost bolted straight out of the cave. Virgil turned, seeing the human had collapsed face-first on the ground. “Oh that’s just great.” Virgil huffed, sneaking closer to investigate. It seemed the human was out cold. 

The idea behind this is that a Dragon!Logan with an obsession of knowledge unintentionally starts terrorizing citizens of Roman's kingdom. Being the Prince, Roman takes responsibility of ridding the kingdom of the threat. However, Prince Roman does not expect the dragon to be.... To put it lightly... A nerd...

After Logan presents a rather sound argument as to why he shouldn't be killed, Roman realizes he's going to lose this battle of wits... And this "Logan" doesn't seem too inclined to engage in any physical battle.

They come to an agreement. Roman is to spend two hours a week reading to Logan. (Logan loves books, he can read, but he's scared of tearing the pages or destroying the book). And Logan is to stop bothering townspeople, and to stay away from villages. Logan often brings books from his hoard for Roman to read, but sometimes he just comes with a lot of questions which often lead to debates between the dragon and the Prince.