Curious Creatures: 3

Pairing:Dragon! Namjoon x Reader

Genre: Fantasy!au; Soulmate!au; Fluff; Eventual Smut; Angst

Warnings: depressing themes; thrilling themes; mentions of blood

Summary:Curious as to how your village came to be and having a thirst for knowledge, you venture into the Forgotten Forest in hopes of discovering the truth of your roots. But it seems you have bitten off more than you can chew.

WC:4.4k

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You’ve never felt so worn and exhausted in your entire life. It was as though every inch of your body was cemented into the ground. You were weak, too weak to even open an eyelid. When you first came to you could barely hear a single sound, eyes refusing to open no matter how hard you tried. After a moment of struggling you gave up and allowed sleep to overtake you.

The second time you were a little more coherent to the world around you. The same warmth was still wrapped around you like a little blanket. Hot air fanned against your neck in slow beats and it was soothing in a strange way. The heat wasn’t so intense that it could burn you, it was more similar to sitting in front of the fireplace in the winter. You tried to move your limbs but could only manage to twitch them at best, the muscle refusing to cooperate. The warmth tightened around you in a secure way. Almost like a shield against the world. Your body was still too drowsy and refused to move. Sleep came once again.

This time you awoke with a bit more energy. You knew you couldn’t jump up and get going, you didn’t have that much energy yet. You had just enough to slowly pry your eyes open and look around while your brain played catch up. Large boulders surrounded you for the most part with the exception of an opening to your side. Blinking, you slowly remembered the night before…

Heading into the Forgotten Forest to find the creature, being chased by strange monsters, falling, losing Jongho…Jongho.

Your breath quickened at the last memory you had of your best friend: one second he was right in front of you and in the blink of an eye he disappeared. He hadn’t fallen. He didn’t get caught, at least from what you remembered. He vanished into thin air. But how? You may not know the details, but you did piece together that it had to do with this damned forest. It took your friend, the only person you had left in your life. You needed to find him-

A tightness formed around your waist and paused your inner worries. It wasn’t painful at all and a small part of you welcomed the safety it offered. However there was the larger part of you, common sense, that found this worrisome and the warmth couldn’t stop the ice that slowly formed inside your veins. Tilting your head down you saw something thick tucked around your waist… tiny spikes…

The ice that ran through your veins was now painful as you let out a frightened cry, though with your hoarse voice it sounded more like a pitiful gurgle. Your limbs rushed forward and the pain that shot throughout your body was shoved into the back of your mind. The small streams of sunlight from the opening were your saving grace and by the gods were you rushing towards them. In a matter of seconds you were flying out from the overhang and into the rocky earth. A small whimper passed your lips as you forced your body to move as far as it could forward, which was only a few meters.

Walls of rock were on either side of you and panic bubbled up in your chest as you saw no clear escape. Behind you the gravel shifted quickly, your heart racing at the realization that you probably awoke whatever was in there. Every inch of you felt ice cold, especially after evading the warmth that secured you not too long ago. The sound of rocks crunching under steps could be heard and you sucked in a deep breath, ready to meet the beast. Still on your hands and knees you slowly turned and felt the air being sucked from you.

You’ve never seen such a creature before and couldn’t help the way your mouth parted as you watched it. No bigger than a large house cat with injuries were scattered all over its body, some fresh while others seemed to be halfway healed. There were thick, black spikes running along its spine all the way down to the tail. There were wings, pitch black and open for the world to see; twice the size of its body and every bit intimidating. Then there were the scales that took your breath away. The scales were a mesmerizing black at first glance but the beauty they held could truly be seen once they were kissed by the sunlight. Black shifting to a beautiful shade of emerald, deep, beautiful and every bit as mysterious as the creature itself. The emerald shade seemed familiar, and once you saw its face you knew why: those same eyes from your dreams.

The creature was weak but extremely alert. Its eyes shifted over the forest, looking at every tree and rock with suspicion. Minutes passed before it slid its gaze to you, head slightly cocked to the side in a confused manner. You couldn’t move a single inch, not even when it slowly walked closer to you. There was a limp in its step and its eyes held pain for a fraction of a second before steeling over. Face to face you watched with bated breath as the creature slowly lowered its head towards yours own, nostrils flaring a few times. Logic kicked in as you knew its mouth probably held sharp teeth that could tear you limb to limb. And yet there you were, letting it come mere inches from your face. With nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. Fearing the worst you closed your eyes and waited to feel the sharp pain of teeth digging into skin. You could already feel it, feel the…

Warmth?

Cautiously you opened your eyes and held back a shriek. Looking right back at you were emerald eyes that studied you with such interest you wanted to cower away. Its head was pressed softly against your own, the warmth it held spread across your weary bones. The same warmth you felt all night that made you feel safe and secure. Even though a million questions were forming in your brain, you could feel it calming you down. The panic from before was almost gone. The creature being able to chase away your fears so easily-

The sound of a tree crashing to the ground caused you to jump back against the rock. While your heart raced the being before you looked up and growled deep and low. You followed its gaze and were staring right into yellow eyes. The same monsters from the night before, the ones that chased you throughout these woods without mercy. Reflex kicked in and you found your hand reaching out to the green beast, hand placed on its back. Ever so slowly it moved to stand in front of you, wings raising once more as more growls rippled through its throat. You were trapped, you were-

Falling.

The grass was soft to fall on, much more preferred than the rocks from hours earlier. But your body was still aching all over and now spikes of pain shot in every direction. Your throat was too dry to properly speak and only little noises could be heard coming from you. You could make out the sky above you, the trees swaying in their enchanting way, the beautiful stone arch was off in the distance… and then the scene was obscured. By a face all too familiar despite the time that has passed. From the long blonde locks down to his bare feet, nothing had truly changed. Those feline eyes that shimmered every color of the rainbow studied you with confusion, an eyebrow cocked.

“My little Kelpie?”

- - ┈┈∘┈˃̶༒˂̶┈∘┈┈ - -

“Where’s Y/n?”

There’s something quite strange about control; having complete and utter power over an object or living being. To be able to manipulate the lesser beings to do your bidding and accomplish what you wished. From the smallest of tasks to the greatest of missions, it could easily be done with a snap of the fingers. For many, control was a necessity to meeting their goals or reigning over areas. One could easily stir the pot and cause any sort of mayhem. Despite having a love for such things, Felix despised being on the receiving end of it.

The night was nothing short of a disaster for the two Fae. No matter how fast they were, how quickly they maneuvered between the trees, the Orcs were steps ahead. As if they knew the Forgotten Forest like the back of their hands. Felix hated that they were playing in his woods, the land he controlled and watched. The creatures knew every twist and turn, every fallen log was not a mystery to them. They knocked over trees to pave a better way for themselves and kicked up Forget Me Nots as if they were nothing short of garbage. And that only enraged the Fae even more.

How dare they run into his woods and trash the area? The very land he dwelled in for the past three hundred years. He could feel his blood boil with every crash of a tree falling, and every snort of an Orc laughing. Felix wanted the beasts gone and away from his forest at all costs. But never once were he nor Hyunjin able to get close; they were somehow faster and outnumbered the Fae easily. And their movements made no sense: one moment they were rushing towards the Human village and the next they were running around it. All while making large paths and acting as though they were having a party.

It wasn’t until the sun rose that the Orcs retreated deeper into the woods and far away from the village and Gateway, snorting along the way. Their little games seemed to come to an end for now. The Fae weren’t laughing, instead they wore grimm faces and droopy limbs. Much of their magic was used, most of it was to try to combat the Orcs while the rest was used on a ‘rescue’ mission. While Orcs were rampaging around, he found Humans wandering throughout the woods. One would assume it was because of the ruckus but he knew the species better than most: no matter how loud the woods got, how strange the trees seemed to sway, Humans never entered the woods. Especially after the few who did come and lost their sanity.

He and Hyunjin managed to rescue two Humans in the midst of the chaos: a male and a female. The male was running from a group of Orcs and Hyunjin managed to grab him before the beasts could get to him. And then they found the female curled up against a tree, shivering with fright. The two fell unconscious easily, having been fed with too much magic. Their mortal bodies were not equipped to handle the power and instead of giving them fuel it rendered them drained. But as the moon lowered itself in the sky and the sun began to slowly rise, the two Humans rose with it. And that led him to this moment, watching a mere Human try to demand answers from him.

“Where’s Y/n?”

Felix had to be honest; if he heard the male… was it Jongho? He really can’t be bothered to remember. But if this Jongho asked that question one more time Felix feared he would just make the man go insane himself. Actually, he was surprised he hadn’t lost his sanity yet… neither has the other female…odd.

“We don’t know who that is,” Hyunjin spoke coolly, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed. “As we have told you, Human, we rescued all the mortals that were in these woods. There are no other presences in here.”

“You’re both wrong.” Jongho glared at the dark haired man before turning his burning gaze to Felix. “She’s out there, alone. You separated us-”

“There was no other Human with you,” Felix sighed and rubbed his head. “Honestly we don’t want to harm you nor any other mortal. My friend here used magic to track you-”

Jongho stomped towards the male Fae. “Then use your precious magic to track her. Now.”

“For someone with no leverage you sure do seem to demand a lot.” Hyunjin mused. He stood up properly and walked towards the two men arguing. “Now let’s not get too heated, okay? We still have a young lady who’s resting.”

The three watched as the Human girl rested amongst the ground. Jongho recognized her as the baker’s daughter from his village; a quiet girl who mainly kept to herself. She would always give him the best bread and extra for Y/n in secret. In all honesty she was one of the kindest souls he has ever met. He prayed she made it to the village safely and without a single hair out of place.

Felix did entertain the idea that there was another Human running around these woods. Despite his doubts he had to admit that the Human held a lot of determination. The possibility may be small but it’s still a possibility nonetheless. And if it made him go away, well, that would be the cherry on top of it all for Felix. Giving Hyunjin a knowing look, the Fae stepped towards the Human.

“Tell you what, let me look around the woods one last time. In the meantime take the girl to your village.” Felix grunted. He was already exhausted from the night spent hounding Orcs. He just wanted to rest. Fae may not need sleep but damnit he wanted to lounge and regain strength. Noticing Jongho open his mouth, he pointed a finger at him. “No questions. Carry the girl back home.”

His mouth snapped shut, eyes wide as he followed the Fae’s order without hesitation. Hyunjin took note of the confusion in Jongho’s eyes, pitying the poor mortal. The Humans may look the same and speak the same, but they have forgotten the rules of magic. Especially when it comes to Fae.

“Jongho,” Hyunjin’s tone was grave, a last warning to the other male. “Names hold power. Especially to beings such as ourselves. It’ll do you good to remember this.”

The Human nodded his head slowly and realization kicked in. But that didn’t matter now: they knew his name. They could easily control the poor being to do what they needed no matter how tired or reluctant he was. Even if the task seems impossible he will try to accomplish it until he dies. Hyunjin was just thankful that it were he and Felix that were there and not any of the greedy Fae that lurked in Asterios.

As the male left, Felix sighed and rubbed his face. “When you rescued him-”

“He was the only mortal,” Hyunjin’s tone was just as exasperated as Felix was feeling. “I ensured to transport all mortals here. Only magical beings were left.”

Truth be told it wouldn’t have been hard for Hyunjin to screw this up; mortal’s were magicless beings, they emit nothing. To try and summon one using magic was nearly impossible. It would be like shooting an arrow at a bullseye with a blindfold on: pure luck and determination. But even without magic, Humans still radiated a small amount of energy. They could sense the beings but can never pinpoint their exact location. Hyunjin being able to transport Jongho was a miracle.

“Alright, then I’ll just-” Felix froze, feeling a breeze gently sweep over his hair. His head cocked to the side. Goosebumps raised on his arms as a little tingle flew down his spine. He could feel it. Hidden deep in his woods. Old magic.

Hyunjin must have felt it too, his eyes were wider than Felix has ever seen. This magic was old and hardly seen in Asterios. It was also weak, just barely there. Felix could feel the tidbits of emotions hidden deep within: there was a small amount of desperation, a tinge of pain, but mostly he felt how content it was. That despite all the bitterness it was still happy to be where it is.

‘Not for long.’ Felix narrowed his eyes and shot Hyunjin a look. They needed to investigate the matter immediately. He just hoped that it was not a being that would cause great threat; Felix wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to stand up right. His body begged for a break, to just sit and relax, but he needed to cleanse his forest. At least let him win oneround.

And win he did.

That Human Jongho was correct about one thing: his friend was running around the forest. But what he failed to mention was the fact that she was with a Dragon; a species so rare Felix was sure they went extinct a century ago. But to make matters even more interesting was the fact that it was you who was back in the Forgotten Forest. The same little girl who had wandered in all those years ago. Oh how the gods loved playing games.

“My little Kelpie?” Felix couldn’t believe his eyes, watching your frail form on the ground. He noticed the cuts and bruises, feeling a tiny bit of guilt. Pain wasn’t something he wished upon just anyone after all. And crash landing into the ground was not something that felt nice.And the Dragon that stayed by your side seemed even worse off. How odd, Felix thought to himself, that a being that should have had plenty of rest to heal itself was still so weak.

“No wonder I couldn’t track her,” Hyunjin’s voice had a bit of awe behind it. “He was using it all on the Human. Shielding her entire being.”

His voice was hushed as the two others slowly got up, Felix staring down at the Human with curiosity. What did the gods have in store for you?

- - ┈┈∘┈˃̶༒˂̶┈∘┈┈ - -

You felt as though you were in a dream, the fact that you finally found him…

The same being that helped you out of the forest was now before you, same face and clothes. As though time refused to touch him. And you wanted to speak back, wanted to ask all the questions you had, however there were two problems: one being that your voice was still gone, the second being the commotion happening not too far from you.

Another being stood by the two of you, his eyes as dark as the night and hair that matched with clothes that were airy and flowing like the other males. Except his focus was not on the two of you but rather on the lizard you had found before. The creature who radiates warmth and safety now held an intimidating aura about it. Its eyes were fixed on the two newcomers, eyes glaring at them as growls rippled through its veins.

“This… shouldn’t be possible,” The dark haired man said in a hushed tone. “His species are near extinction, how did he end up here-”

“Must have snuck through with the Orcs. But why did he want to be here?” The two no longer seemed to notice you, instead they were murmuring to one another while watching the lizard with great interest.

“There’s no magic or resources for him to use in this entire region. What other cause could make him want to wander?”

“The Orcs do love their black market trading, it could be possible that they were taking him to be sold. At an extremely high price.”

“But this doesn’t explain how he ended up here, through the gateway. In my forest and near my Humans,” The blonde looked back down at you, his hand suddenly gripping your arm as he tugged you up in an unceremonious way. Small waves of pain shot up, the injuries flaring at the sudden movement and making you wince and whimper.

The growl that had been low raised in pitch and not even a second later was the creature lunging at the two men. The two jumped back, tugging you with them as the large reptile focused on you, or rather the hand that was gripping your arm.

“Anam cara.” Hyunjin breathed in, watching the interaction with amazement. “… Ah, it makes sense now. Felix, release your hold.”

“Did you just say anam- Hold on, you did not just release my name in front of a dragon-”

“I did. Not like he can harm you much in this state anyway,” The dark haired man turned to look at you with a small smile. “I’m Hyunjin,” Turning to the creature, he made a small bow. “I’d like to apologize for our behavior. We Fae can be a little… chaotic at times.”

Felix’s hand released your arm and the creature’s growls lowered but still remained ongoing, his eyes fixed on the three of you. “Hyunjin, what are you-”

“With your permission, we’d like to heal the Human. Is that alright with you?” Ignoring his friend, Hyunjin’s focus was solely on the creature. “She is quite injured and I fear it’ll only worsen the longer she remains in this state.”

A huff escaped his nostrils, the creature eyeing the two with a suspicious gaze. He slowly nodded his head in your direction, eyes trained on you. You knew the creature was allowing you to decide. If they were going to take the stinging pain away then you’d gladly accept. Your head nodded as enthusiastically as you could manage.

“I’ll do it.” Felix gently grabbed your hand and in seconds you felt your body being fueled with a large amount of energy.

You watched in awe as every cut and bruise disappeared as a gold shimmer seemed to dissolve them into nothing. Even your throat was soothed back to normal, allowing you to finally speak. Once the healing was over and the newfound energy was racing through your veins you could think much more clearly and found yourself turning on your heel to stare not at Felix nor Hyunjin, but at the creature before you. He seemed to approve of your healing, head slowly nodding as his eyes studied every inch of you, ensuring you were healed properly.

“This Dragon, little Kelpie… where did you find him?”

His tone wasn’t accusing nor harsh, it was curious. There was something hidden in his words, a deeper meaning that you didn’t know. But you brushed that off as paranoia. Besides, your brain was still trying to process all of the information being given to you.

“I didn’t, he found me…” Gathering from their earlier conversation, it was a male. “You two have lost me, what are Fae, what’s a Gateway, and how is he a dragon?” You remember hearing tales as a little girl of dragons being large, mythical beasts. But this lizard? “He’s so small…” Your voice trailed off, eyeing the creature before you.

You noticed the hurt look in his eyes, the creature seeming to take your words personally. Before you could apologize Felix was quick to answer your questions. “We are Fae, a species that can be found in Asterios and are known for our charming personalities and grand parties.”

“We are one of the many species that have magic running in our blood.” Hyunjin added. “There are many of us, and we are the primary beings who activate, manage, and take charge of Gateways. They are stone arches that radiate with a certain color depending on the location. A way of transport.” Onyx eyes casted over to the green reptile. “He is very much a Dragon, though they haven’t been seen in hundreds of years. Most likely because they take on a smaller size such as his. Last I heard they did this to hide from hunters.”

For the first time in your life you were thankful that your mind worked fast and remained open, readily taking information in as it was given. You had more questions now, but shoved them aside along with your original questions. “Alright… this doesn’t make much sense to me I fear.” Your feet felt fidgety, needing to move to think. Standing still only made you feel antsy.

“It has been a long time since a Human has been welcomed into our world,” Hyunjin’s tone was soft, eyes studying your every move. He seemed to know more than he let on. “Perhaps this is a sign from the gods-”

A roar echoed across the trees and for a split second you were confused, until you remembered just what you were running from to begin with. How could you have foolishly forgotten? The monsters that were chasing you from earlier still lingered in these woods. And by the sounds of it they were coming closer to your location.

“Orcs,” Hyunjin’s eyes narrowed at the trees around him. “We don’t have much time-”

“My little Kelpie, you must do me a favor. If you succeed I will save your village.” Felix turned to stare right into your eyes. There was urgency in his eyes as he spoke. “Take the Dragon back to his home.”

At this Hyunjin whipped his head and stared at Felix while the Dragon let out a deep growl of disapproval. “Felix, are you mad? She can’t possibly-”

“Follow the signs to Silverwynn, ask for Soojin. She will help guide you from there on out.” Felix gripped your hands tightly. “Keep your head low, don’t let anyone close. Especially around the Dragon. Got it?”

Things were moving so fast. Too fast. You wanted to head back to Arcrine to grab Jongho and form a proper plan. The bag you had brought with you was still strapped to your side, but it didn’t hold the materials you needed to survive more than one night. You can’t-

“He needs you, if you don’t do this he will die.” Felix nudged you towards the Gateway. The sound of large feet pounding against the earth only made your heart race even faster. “We’ll stay to protect this area. Now, Y/n, go.”

You knew this was being rushed. You should have headed back to the village, gathered Jongho, and traveled with him. The two of you were a fantastic team and would make this trip look like a mere stroll through the village. But your brain refused to allow any delays, the need to head through the periwinkle glow was urgent now. Every cell in your body needed to go just like your lungs needed air. And so your feet moved forward while your eyes remained focused ahead. Not even the weak yet sharp tugs of the Dragon could cause you to falter. You didn’t even bother sparing the Fae one last glance. You were a woman on a mission. A mission that was doomed from the very start…

You poor soul.

- - ┈┈∘┈˃̶༒˂̶┈∘┈┈ - -

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