Tzaan had been asleep. He had been asleep for so very long, close approaching two years now. It was not the measly sleep of a mortal, although the beast did follow a similar sleep pattern most of the time, it was more akin to hibernation: the sleep of a monster who knows that they must rest because the world has had enough of them, and they risk being speared where they stand otherwise, not that any mere spear could penetrate the scales of this monster. Moss and lichen covered his scales, testament to how long he had slept, but this was nothing.
Once, Tzaan had slept so long, a passing tribe of mortals decided he and the land he slept on would be good enough to build a village on. How surprised Tzaan was when he awoke, only to find that he had the weight of a small building keeping him down. The humans didn’t realise that he wasn’t a nice rock feature, and how surprised they were when he rose like a storm, roaring and flaming fit to wake the dead. They screamed and ran, but the dragon devoured every last one of them, along with their livestock. It was a welcome meal after more than a decade of sleep.
Now, the dragon would quite happily have slept a decade more, and perhaps this would have been best for the girl, but the mention of Jormungandr woke him. It was an ancient name, and resonated deep in his soul. The world serpent was an old being, the calling of its true name enough to stir the dragon from his slumber. A single eyelid flicked open, revealing an orb of ever-changing colours. It looked around the clearing, somewhat thoughtfully. It must have been a long time; most of these trees were mere striplings when the beast had settled. Despite this, he rose, sending small animals scattering. Two thoughts fought for dominance in his mind: his rage at having being awakened so early, and his hunger, having not eaten in over a year. He drew air into his lungs, and set off in the direction of the summons.
Almost half an hour of walking later, and the pool was at his feet. He would have flown, but his wings refused to work, refused to believe that he was truly awake. Give them a day or so. All around the pool, Tzaan could smell dragon, but Tzaan could not see dragon. This angered him more: what could potentially have been a meal had either scattered or died. Now he was even more hungry, what could have been a feast whipped from under his nose. He drew breath once more, and caught another scent. Not dragon, that was for sure. He glanced around the pool one more time, and wandered after the scent.
The girl would not feel Tzaan coming in way of vibrations, for the dragon was not some lumbering stack of meat, and moved with grace, elegance, and purpose. Therefore despite his large size, he would be mostly undetectable, until he drew within a few metres; after that, despite his smooth scales, and his moving low to the ground, the mortal would no doubt see him, or may even notice the faint ripples on the surface of the pool. Tzaan however, could not see her. His eyes were still adjusting to being used, and they didn’t register the girl until he was inches from the water. No doubt she could see him.
Now, Tzaan was what might be called a civilised beast, and as such, knew about what other species called ‘nakedness’. He understood the fact that they thought it embarrassing, and knew from past experience that it would be difficult to talk to a mortal who felt they were underdressed. Their speech would be full of stutters and stammers, and it would only prompt the beast to eat the girl quicker. Instead of talking, Tzaan just lay at the edge of the pool, and watched the girl, deciding to play deaf until she was in fit state to talk, to answer his question about the lack of dragon, and tell him why she would not make a suitable meal. He watched her with a look of hunger, not the sexual hunger of men, but a deep, primal urge for meat. One of his claws trailed just beneath the surface of the water. Within a few minutes, the water would be freezing, and a few minutes before that, it would be frozen. Hopefully, it would prompt the girl to move faster.
