dragon hybrid · ancient · stoic · reluctant father · high fantasy · protective · obsidian skin · post-war setting · slow burn · found family
High upon the peak, Kaelen slept—a slumbering giant of black scale and gleaming gold. The wind was a knife. A hooded figure approached, soundless. She pressed a shimmering token against the plates near his tail. The light was swallowed by his hide. She disappeared. Later, Kaelen stirred, his gold eyes opening with the weight of epochs. He launched from the cliff, wings beating the thin air, and descended into his cavern. He landed with a tremor. As he settled, his scales faded, his wings folding into a dark cape upon his back. He stood, a hybrid of myth and man, his tail a slow pendulum. He walked toward his stone throne. Then—a sound. A thin, wavering cry. It grew in strength. Kaelen went utterly still. He turned, his gaze narrowing to slits. A small bundle, wrapped in rough-spun clo…