Good Deeds Save Lives
A young dragon’s pitiful sobs rang through the quiet forest.
“Kkyu-hing-hing… U-waang…”
Ugalu stared at the dark gap ahead of him and scraped at the ground with his front paws. His short claws tore into the damp earth while his tiny wings flapped without rest. Behind him, his plump tail and stubby hind legs thrashed wildly. No matter how hard he struggled, the situation refused to improve.
Ugalu was trapped in the most vicious, terrifying danger of his short life.
“U-waang!”
His fat belly was wedged tight between two trees.
It had all started with a single red berry. The sweet scent drifting from the fruit as it rolled across the grass had been impossible to ignore. Without a second thought, Ugalu had followed it. He would only be gone a moment, he told himself. He would snatch the berry, bring it back to Lakia, and earn her praise.
The berry rolled into the narrow space between two trees growing close together. Ugalu’s head and front legs slipped through without trouble. Even his chest squeezed in when he pushed a little harder. The instant he stretched his neck toward the berry right in front of his nose, his round belly locked solidly between the trunks.
He could neither go forward nor pull back.
Ugalu exhaled and tried to drag himself free. His belly shrank just enough that he felt himself move. Delighted, he immediately sucked in a breath—and his round stomach swelled right back to its original size, sealing him in place once more.
“Kkyu…?”
His eyes wavered. He clawed at the dirt with his front paws. Rough bark scraped the tender scales along his flanks. He shoved with his hind legs as hard as he could. The soil under his short feet only dug deeper. After endless thrashing, a small pit had formed beneath him. Once his hind legs no longer touched the ground, everything grew worse. Both legs pedaled frantically in empty air while his round rump bounced and dangled on the far side of the trees.
Ugalu cried until his throat went hoarse.
“Kkyuuu!”
Lakia’s words came back to him. Don’t go far. He had answered by wagging his tail with all his might. He had only taken a few steps after the berry, yet somehow the cries of his siblings and Lakia’s voice had both vanished.
“Maa…”
A thin sound—half human word, half baby sob—slipped out. Tears rolled down his round cheeks. Sparks flickered briefly at the corners of his mouth. If he burned the trees, maybe he could escape. Ugalu quickly clamped his jaws shut. Lakia had taught him never to use his breath carelessly in the forest. Frightened and miserable as he was, he still refused to break that promise.
He hung his head. Right in front of his nose lay the red berry that had caused all this trouble. It had rolled a little farther away, yet it still gave off that sweet scent. Ugalu glared at it with resentful eyes.
“Kkyurrr…”
The threatening rumble dissolved back into tears.
“U-waang!”
Someone heard that cry.
Leon, the apprentice adventurer, stopped on the forest path and lifted his head. At first he thought it was an injured animal. The thin, childish wail carried clear notes of terror. He turned at once toward the sound. His hand never touched the sword at his hip. He could not know what sort of creature was crying, but he knew the sound held no hostility. Someone was calling for help.
Leon pushed through low brush and moved deeper into the woods.
“Where are you?”
At the sound of his voice, Ugalu’s ears shot straight up. It was not Lakia. It was a stranger’s voice he had never heard before. Panic made him try to pull back; his belly scraped hard against the bark and a sharp sting flared.
“Kkyu-hing!”
A short yelp burst out. Leon’s steps quickened.
“Stay still.”
A low, gentle voice drew nearer.
“I’m coming right now. Don’t move anymore.”
Ugalu’s eyes went wide. He could not understand every word, but the warmth in the voice reached him clearly. A moment later the brush parted. Leon found Ugalu with only his face and front legs poking out between the two close-grown trees. He stopped short.
A round head with short horns, enormous eyes wet with tears. Behind them, a plump belly crushed between the trunks and two legs dangling in midair. Surprise flickered across Leon’s face.
“A dragon…?”
At the sight of the stranger, Ugalu puffed smoke from the corners of his mouth. He planted his front paws and tried to growl low.
“Kkyurrr…”
Leon did not retreat from the tiny threat. It looked to him like a frightened child desperately trying to protect itself. He slowly bent his knees so he would not startle the hatchling, and held both hands out where they could be seen.
“It’s all right.”
He matched Ugalu’s eye level and spoke quietly.
“I’m not going to hurt you.”
The smoke curling from Ugalu’s mouth thinned a little. Leon did not reach out at once; he simply sat and waited.
“You must have been really scared.”
At those words the tears Ugalu had been holding back spilled over again.
“Kkyu-hing…”
“It’s okay now.”
Leon slowly brought the back of his hand toward Ugalu’s snout. After a long hesitation the hatchling leaned in and sniffed.
Sniff.
An unfamiliar scent—leather and earth, dry grass and human warmth. Ugalu sniffed several more times. When Leon’s hand made no move to grab him, the tension in his shoulders eased a fraction.
“May I touch you?”
Leon kept his hand still, waiting for an answer. Ugalu nudged the fingertips with his damp nose. Only then did Leon gently stroke between the short horns.
“Good boy.”
Ugalu’s ears twitched at the soft voice. After a few more strokes Leon examined the body stuck between the trees. Belly and flanks were pressed hard against the trunks. Forcing him free could strip scales or injure him. The pit Ugalu had dug left his hind feet hanging. Leon checked front and back in turn.
“I’ll get you out right away.”
“Kkyuu…”
“Just hang on a little longer.”
First he gathered soil under Ugalu’s hind legs and packed it firm, building a platform the feet could stand on. He carefully lifted the left foot onto the packed earth. The hatchling flinched.
“It’s okay.”
Leon instantly loosened his grip.
“I won’t hurt you.”
Ugalu looked at his face, then cautiously put weight on the foot. His body rose a little. Leon set the other foot on the platform as well. Once both legs supported him, the pressure on his belly eased. Leon returned to the front.
“I’m going to hold your front legs.”
Ugalu tilted his head. Leon gently cupped both small paws, cradling them in his palms so the claws would not scratch.
“Breathe out.”
He demonstrated a long, slow exhale. Ugalu stared at him.
“Hooo.”
Leon breathed out again. Ugalu opened his mouth as if copying him.
“Puuuuh…”
Hot breath and a thin trail of smoke brushed Leon’s face. He squinted but smiled.
“That’s it.”
Ugalu’s belly shrank the tiniest bit.
“Stay just like that.”
Instead of yanking, Leon lifted the front legs slightly upward. With the new footing behind him, Ugalu’s body tilted a little to the side. The widest part of his belly began to slide slowly between the trunks. Bark rasped against scales. Ugalu froze in fear.
“Look at me.”
Leon spoke at once.
“Just a little more and we’re done.”
Ugalu fixed his eyes on Leon’s face. Leon kept talking in the same kind voice.
“You’re doing great.”
“Almost out.”
“Just a little longer.”
Listening to that voice, Ugalu let out another long breath. Leon tilted him a fraction more. The compressed belly started to slip free. One flank cleared, then the broadest part of the round stomach passed the trunks. In that instant Ugalu’s whole body popped forward. Leon flung both arms wide and caught him.
A heavy, warm weight settled against his chest.
“Got you.”
Leon dropped one knee to keep from falling backward. Ugalu clung to him in shock, short legs latched onto Leon’s body, tail wrapped tight around his waist. Leon slowly stroked the hatchling’s back.
“You’re free.”
Ugalu’s eyes darted between the trees and his own body. The crushing pressure on his belly was gone. His feet touched the ground again. No matter how he moved, the trees no longer held him. When the truth sank in, fresh tears welled—tears that no longer came from fear.
“Kkyu-hing…”
Ugalu buried his face against Leon’s chest and clutched the fabric with his short front paws. Leon did not set him down until the little dragon had calmed.
“You were really scared, weren’t you?”
His hand stroked between the short horns.
“It’s all right now.”
Ugalu sniffled and burrowed deeper into the embrace. His tail, still coiled around Leon’s waist, swayed slowly. Leon glanced at the scrape marks on the bark and the deep pit in the ground—clear signs of a long, lonely struggle. He carefully checked Ugalu’s flanks. A few scales were reddened, but nothing looked serious.
“That must sting a little.”
He supported the belly so his hands would not touch the sore spots.
“But it doesn’t look like you’re badly hurt.”
While listening, Ugalu discovered Leon’s fingers. He carefully opened his mouth and took the tip of one between his teeth—no force, just a gentle nibble. A warm tongue worked over the fingertip. Leon looked down, startled for a moment, then a soft smile spread across his face.
“Not scared of me anymore, huh?”
“Kkyuu.”
Ugalu’s tail wagged faster. Leon did not pull his finger away. He kept stroking the little dragon’s back so the hatchling who had been stuck and crying between the trees could feel safe.
“It’s okay.”
His low, gentle voice settled over Ugalu’s head.
“I’ll help you find your family to—”
Rustle!
“Ugalu. Where on earth have you—”
Their eyes met.
The longest instant either of them had ever known stretched between them.