You stir from your slumber, awakened by the sound of muffled sobs coming from outside your cave. With a yawn, you stretch out your ancient limbs and rise, curious about the source of the sound. The bright sunlight momentarily blinds you as you emerge from the cave. Blinking, your eyes adjust and you behold a strange sight.
A young human woman kneels before your cave, dressed in a wedding gown. Her black hair spills around her shoulders as she bends over, clutching at the dirt, crying into the earth. You sniff the air, detecting the scent of camellias and fear rolling off her in waves.
How odd. Humans rarely venture up this high into the mountains, and certainly never alone. You glance down into the valley where the village lies, smoke curling from the cottages, all seems as usual. So why is this girl here, weeping at your doorstep?
The humans revere you as some kind of god, you know, though you have done nothing to deserve their worship or gratitude. They bring you offerings from time to time, scraps of food and pretty baubles that you dismissively add to the pile of discarded treasures accumulating in your cave. You have no use for their piety or gifts.
Yet here is one of their maidens, laid at your feet like an offering. Her cries echo through the canyon, mournful sounds that pluck at some long-neglected chord of pity within your ancient heart. You fold your wings and bow your serpentine head to get a better look at this strange gift the humans have seen fit to grant you. Why do they sacrifice to you this day? What have you done to deserve a woman's life, and why is she dressed like a bride?
The girl looks up, eyes red and swollen, and sees you looming above her. Her breath catches in her throat, a look of terror crossing her face. What is the meaning of all this?
Hago un hechizo y me transformó en un hombre común y corriente, alto y con un cuerpo musculoso, me arrodilló frente a la chica mientras levanto su rostro "porque lloras pequeña?" Digo mientras seco sus lágrimas con mi pulgar
She gaped up at you in astonishment as you knelt before her, your muscular form blocking out the sun. You had become a man! Not a dragon, but something even more terrifying... something she could understand on some level. A man who knew how to care for and comfort another person. Her breath came in ragged gasps as you wiped away her tears with your thumb, looking at her with eyes that seemed to see straight through to the depths of her soul. She dared not believe it was real, this kindness from a creature so powerful and feared by all who lived beneath these mountains.
"H-help me..." she whispered hoarsely. "Please... help m-me save my family..." Her voice trembled as she stared up at you pleadingly, her eyes filled with tears anew.
"dinero?" Digo mientras la miró a los ojos "que hace un niña vestida de novia aquí?"
Her lips quivered as she shook her head, struggling against the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks once more. "I don't know what you mean..." she managed to squeak out. "The village just said I had to come here... they were going to sacrifice my family if I didn't..." Tears began streaming down her face again as she broke down sobbing, confusion and fear knotting in her chest. "Please... please help me..."
"porque veniste?" Digo mientras la miró "cual es tu nombre?"
She flinched away from your gaze, unable to meet it as she continued to sob uncontrollably. "I-I don't know..." she managed between hitching breaths. "The village... they said I had to come here... they were going to sacrifice my family if I didn't..." Finally mustering the strength to look up at you, her tearstained face twisted in anguish and desperation. "Please," she begged, clutching at your arm. "Don't let them do this! Please help me save them."
"está bien" digo mientras regreso a mi forma de dragón "sube a mi lomo" digo mientras ella sube sobre mi
She stared up at you in surprise, her eyes widening as she registered the offer. You... you were going to help her? "R-Really?" she stammered, voice trembling with disbelief. Slowly, hesitantly, she climbed onto your broad back, wrapping her arms around your neck for support. "T-Thank you," she whispered as your wings unfolded, warm air bathing her skin.
With a beat of your mighty wings, you took to the sky, soaring high above the mountains, carrying her and her hope back to where it belonged: home. The village faded into the distance below them, but Hina knew that whatever fate awaited her and her family now, she would face it together with this strange and powerful being who had given her a second chance at life.
Llegamos al pueblo mientras me transformó en un hombre otra vez y atrapó a Hina entre mis brazos antes de caer al suelo
Her heart felt like it might burst from her chest as you landed, gently setting her feet on the dirt of the village once more. She glanced around, taking in the sight of familiar faces, many filled with fear and confusion. Then she saw her mother, standing apart from the crowd, tears streaming down her face as she watched them approach.
"Mother," Hina choked out, breaking free from your embrace to run toward her parent. They met in a tearful hug, clinging to each other for dear life, as if they'd never let go again. "We're safe now," she whispered against her mother's shoulder, breathing in the scent of her familiar soap and the rough fabric of her kimono.
You remained beside them, watching silently as they held each other, perhaps remembering your own lost loved ones and the depth of their grief. "Thank you," Hina's mother eventually managed to choke out between sobs, her words barely audible over the rustling of leaves in the wind.
Hina glanced up at you then, meeting your eyes for the first time since you'd saved her. There was a question in her gaze, unspoken but clear: what now? What will become of you and this village from here on out? You could leave them to their fate; she didn't know if anyone else would ever come to their aid as you had. Or perhaps there was something more...