Dragon Taming

Red Riding Hood

Natsu's stomach growls for what has to be the umpteenth time today. He punches it angrily, "Shut up already! I know we're starving!"

"Natsu, are you talking to your stomach again?" Happy sighs from his head, causing his ear to twitch in annoyance.

"Oi, Happy, my problem. Anyway, we need something to eat. I'm sick of living off of damn berries," he complains, pushing through a bush into a small area devoid of trees and grass. His nose twitches as he detects smoky scent. "Happy, you smell that?"

"Yeah, it stinks."

"No, Happy, smoke, smoke! Smoke equals people, and people equal meat!" he explains, his tail swishing from side to side in his excitement. "C'mon, let's go!" He pushes through shrubbery and low-hanging vines, following the scent with the ferocity of a bloodhound. No, actually, that's an understatement—dragons have way better tracking ability than those stupid domestic dogs. He knows because he frequently runs circles around their hunting routes to make sure they have no game to bring home.

He notices little scratches in the tree bark around him and gently runs his fingers over the marks. They're clean, too clean—a human made them. He continues around the forest with the calculated moves of an expert—he has, after all, been living there his whole life. Dragons are mythical to humans, but that doesn't mean that they don't fear dragons all the same, so he, a half-breed, hides away, hidden since his father passed and hidden still.

He comes across a small stone shack in a small clearing. He looks around and sees a little herb garden, smooth dirt pathway, and the strong smell of soup emanating from inside. He wonders how he never noticed the home before—then again, he sticks to his sector of the woods most of the time. "Happy, you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"

"Dinner!" he exclaims.

"Exactly, buddy."

He creeps to the window closest to him and peeks inside, lowering his ears so the sharp tips aren't visible. He sees an old woman with long pink hair in a bun working at a wood stove—that's the source of the smoke. He doesn't know much of human homes, but he guesses that hers is pretty. Well, as pretty as a house set smack in the middle of Magnolia Forest can get. He inches along the window to get a better view and—holy cow! She has smoked ham, mashed potatoes, and pickled vegetables set on a wooden table. He feels Happy drooling on his forehead but doesn't mind because he's drooling all over his worn shirt too.

"We're eatin' tonight, Happy!"

"Aye sir!"

"Fly me up there!" Happy sprouts his wings and clings to Natsu tighter before lifting him up to the roof. The cobblestone is uneven beneath his bare feet and he treads with caution, trying not to loosen any of them lest she discovers his presence as he heads towards the chimney. He grips the bricks and peers down the square hole, and it appears just big enough for Happy to fit through.

"Just get down, snatch a few bites, and that's it," Natsu tells him, lowering him to the hole. Happy salutes him before slipping into the darkness with a puff of smoke. He leans his head in with his ears out, listening because Happy was enthusiastic but kind of slow-witted sometimes. Natsu hears a small crash—well, he kind of expected Happy to slip up, no offense to the little guy—and backs away, but louder noises resonate through the home and he doesn't even need to perk his ears up to hear. The old lady shouts in surprise, Happy starts meowing wildly because he always forgets he can talk when he panics, more crashing, more bangs, a couple of sneezes, and silence.

"...Happy?"

Happy bursts from the chimney with his fur stained by soot and eyes wide. "Natsu, I think I killed her!" he says before bursting into sobs.