Operation: Befriending the Transparent One

"Alduin. What do dragons like?"

Alduin lifted his head from the center of the cave at my question.

Golden eyes blinked slowly between his black scales.

"Grr?"

"Well, I'm asking because you are a dragon."

I sat in front of the flat stone slab with a piece of charcoal in my hand and looked up at him.

"More precisely, not you. Other dragons."

Alduin's eyes hardened immediately.

"Grr..."

"Why the wounded look?"

"Grrrr..."

"It's not that I dislike you."

"Grr."

"I mean it."

Alduin still looked unconvinced.

I sighed and reached out my hand.

He lowered his head as if he'd been waiting for it.

I stroked that massive snout several times.

The black scales were hot and hard, and the slow pulse of heat beneath my palm still carried the same warmth as when I'd first held his tiny body.

Only the size had changed.

The little one who once fit in my two palms now required me to stretch my arm fully just to pet his snout.

"I like you more."

"Purr."

"You're my favorite."

"Purrr."

"But right now we're talking about Transparent."

"Grr..."

Alduin's mood sank again.

I tapped his snout lightly.

"Don't be jealous."

"Grr?"

"Why are you pretending not to understand?"

Alduin averted his gaze.

The sight of a colossal dragon looking away was still somewhat funny.

And a little cute.

Of course, I couldn't let my guard down just because he was cute.

This adorable creature could send a food pile flying with one happy tail swipe, and a misplaced sneeze might widen the cave entrance.

I pulled my hand away from Alduin's snout and looked at the stone slab again.

On it were large letters written in charcoal.

It felt a bit embarrassing once I saw it written down.

But I didn't erase it.

Important tasks need names.

A name stops me from getting annoyed halfway and giving up.

And above all, Transparent had been lingering around our cave constantly.

After the last food theft incident, he no longer touched the food sacks directly.

At least not from what I'd seen.

Instead, when I left dried meat on the rock I'd designated, the meat would disappear after a while.

Sometimes a single steel-colored scale remained on the rock.

Occasionally there were small animal bones or feathers left behind.

That's when I realized it.

Transparent didn't like simply receiving things.

Or rather, it made him anxious.

If he took food, he felt the need to pay for it.

At first he'd stolen secretly, but after being caught, he always left something in return.

It was strangely annoying, yet strangely admirable.

Stealing deserved a scolding, but the attitude of trying to pay his dues wasn't bad.

The problem was that we still hadn't properly met.

Transparent never fully revealed himself in front of me.

At most, his steel-colored scales would flash for an instant when they caught the light at an angle.

Or a dragon footprint the size of an elephant's would appear in the flour.

Or the sound of scales flipping would whisper between gusts of wind.

That was all.

He was always there, yet pretended not to be.

I had to pretend I didn't know even though I did.

Because if I tried to catch him, he'd run.

If I tried to look on purpose, he'd hide.

And if Alduin charged in, there'd be a fight.

I wrote the first item on the stone slab with charcoal.

Food.

"It's probably food, right?"

"Grr."

Alduin answered immediately.

A very dragon-like answer.

"You always try to solve everything with food."

"Grr?"

"It's not?"

"Grr."

"Then tell me what you like."

Alduin thought about it with serious intensity.

Even though he couldn't speak, his thinking face was obvious.

I folded my fingers one by one as I spoke for him.

"Meat."

"Grr."

"Petting."

"Purr."

"Praise."

"Purrr."

"Successful hunt."

"Grr."

"Sleeping next to me."

Alduin's eyes brightened a little.

"Grr."

"And me not saying I'm hungry."

Alduin froze instantly.

That seemed closer to something he feared than something he liked.

I smiled a little and wrote on the slab again.

Food.

Safe distance.

No forcing.

"Transparent is different from you."

"Grr?"

"When I first saw you, you were caught in vines and choking."

Alduin's ears drooped.

"Sorry for bringing up your dark history."

"Grr..."

"But it's true."

Alduin looked away.

I tapped the stone slab with the charcoal piece.

"Transparent isn't like that."

I turned my gaze toward the cave entrance.

Outside, the wind was blowing.

The cold, clear wind unique to the summit of the Cradle of the World brushed past the entrance, pushing snow dust along.

Beyond it, a sea of clouds rolled low, and the sky was impossibly blue.

And somewhere out there, Transparent was probably watching.

An invisible dragon the size of an elephant.

Flipping his steel-colored scales to hide his body, burying his blade-like claws in the snow, observing everything we did.

"Transparent doesn't approach first."

"Grr."

"Even when hungry, he steals food."

"Grrrr..."

"Yes. That does deserve a scolding."

Alduin looked slightly pleased.

I immediately raised a finger.

"You had quite the criminal record yourself once."

"Grr?!"

"Don't forget you burned the dining table."

"Grr..."

"Still, you never hid from me."

Alduin tilted his head slightly.

"Hiding is a habit for Transparent."

I wrote large on the stone slab with charcoal.

Do not try to look on purpose.

Below it, I added another line.

Do not touch first.

"This is the most important."

"Grr?"

"If you try to look, he'll run away."

Alduin wore an expression of complete incomprehension.

It was the face of someone who couldn't understand why anyone would hide when they could be petted, held, praised, given meat, and sleep beside me.

I chuckled at that expression.

"Not every dragon in the world is like you."

"Grr?"

"You're too straightforward."

"Grr."

"That wasn't a compliment."

"Grr..."

"It wasn't an insult either."

Alduin seemed to accept it roughly.

I stood the stone slab on the floor and gathered various items from around me.

Pieces of dried meat.

Small bits of smoked meat.

Hard bread.

A handful of grain.

Dried herbs.

Small bones.

And several steel-colored scales I'd received from Transparent.

The scales were thin, small, and terrifyingly sharp.

I'd pricked my fingertip the first time I tried to pick one up.

After that I handled them on an old cloth.

They flashed coldly in the light, and when tilted at certain angles, a faint rainbow sheen would swirl along the edges.

They usually felt like solid steel fragments, but when flipped with a finger, the inner surface felt strangely smooth and light-diffusing.

If Transparent's entire body was covered in such scales, I could somewhat understand why his scent was hard to catch and why he remained unseen.

"I wonder if he'll like these too."

I lifted a scale with my fingernail.

The moment Alduin saw it, his eyes narrowed.

"Grrrr..."

"Don't get defensive."

"Grr."

"It won't fly away."

"Grrrr."

"I'm holding it so it won't."

It was a little scary, to be honest.

Transparent could launch these scales.

If a single small scale was this sharp, what would happen if dozens or hundreds flew from an elephant-sized body?

Just imagining it was unpleasant.

If Alduin was a calamity who could melt mountains with his breath, Transparent was a calamity who rained blades from unseen places.

And both of them were at my home.

Precisely, one was inside my home and the other circled its surroundings.

How on earth had it come to this?

"First."

I placed dried meat next to Transparent's scale.

"Food candidates."

Alduin immediately stared at the meat.

I covered it with my palm.

"Not yours."

"Grr..."

"You already ate breakfast."

"Grr."

"And that breakfast was three mountain goats."

"Grr."

"That wasn't a snack. It was a meal."

Alduin looked disgruntled.

I ignored him and placed the smoked meat beside it.

"Transparent definitely likes meat."

"Grr."

"That's certain."

I set down the hard bread too.

"But he ate bread as well."

Alduin looked at the bread.

A silence of mutual incomprehension settled between us.

"He must have been really hungry."

"Grr."

"Or he has weird tastes."

"Grr."

"Don't you think so?"

"Grr."

It was the first time Alduin and I completely agreed on something.

I marked the bread piece with my finger.

Low priority.

Next I picked up the bundle of herbs.

"The smell?"

Alduin immediately turned his head away.

"You hate it?"

"Grr."

"Do you think Transparent would hate it too?"

Alduin looked uncertain.

"Since he's different from you, maybe he'd like it."

Alduin looked slightly shocked.

The concept of a dragon who liked herbs seemed beyond his comprehension.

I set the herbs down.

"Still, meat is the safest choice for food."

I wrote on the slab.

1. Dried meat.

2. Smoked meat.

3. Small prey.

4. Bread as last resort.

Alduin nodded at the fourth item.

I laughed when I saw that.

"You really do hate bread, huh?"

"Grr."

"But you eat it when I soak it in water."

"Grr..."

"That still counts as eating."

Alduin couldn't argue.

I looked at the stone slab again.

Food alone wasn't enough.

Alduin could be handled with food and petting to some degree.

Transparent was different.

Transparent liked not being seen.

Or rather, it seemed to be what let him feel safe.

In that case, what I needed to do was not look.

"Second."

I wrote on the slab.

Pretend not to see.

Alduin tilted his head.

"Grr?"

"It's on purpose. Not looking."

"Grr?"

"Even if you know he's there, pretend you don't see him."

Alduin understood even less.

I covered my eyes with my hand.

"Like this."

Alduin stared at me earnestly.

"Don't stare when Transparent is eating."

"Grr?"

"Why can't you understand this?"

Alduin kept his head tilted, looking at me with an expression of genuine bafflement.

Apparently, in Alduin's worldview, watching someone eat was a sign of interest and love.

Because I watched him eat meat, told him he did well, and wiped soot from his mouth.

"You like being watched."

"Grr."

"I think Transparent likes not being watched."

Alduin looked slightly uncomfortable at that.

He didn't seem to like the idea that different dragons had different preferences.

I patted his snout lightly.

"You have your way, and Transparent has his."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Grr..."

"And you're still first."

At those words, Alduin's eyes brightened.

"Though I'm not sure ranking them is the right approach."

"Purr."

"Don't look so happy."

Alduin was already happy.

I wrote the third item.

Alduin charging prohibited.

Alduin's expression stiffened.

"This is important."

"Grr?"

"If you growl at him, Transparent will run."

"Grrrr..."

"It's true he did things that would upset you."

"Grr."

"Stealing food, making you look bad, scratching the floor with his scales."

Alduin's eyes narrowed.

"Still, you can't fight yet."

"Grrrr."

"Alduin."

I lowered my voice slightly.

"Transparent is a dragon too."

Alduin's pupils grew still.

"And dragons are dangerous."

"Grr."

"You're dangerous too."

"Grr?"

"You're just gentle with me. That doesn't change the fact that you're dangerous."

Alduin looked a bit downcast.

I placed my hand on him again.

"That's why I made rules ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for you."

"Grr."

"Ask permission for breath attacks."

"Grr."

"Gentle with your tail."

"Grr."

"Be careful when sneezing."

"Grr..."

"Transparent needs to learn rules too."

Alduin watched me for a moment.

Then he let out a very low sound.

"Grr."

It sounded dissatisfied, but accepting.

I felt relieved.

If Alduin genuinely decided Transparent was an enemy, things would get serious.

Just imagining a black breath dragon and an invisible steel-scale dragon fighting at the summit of the Cradle of the World made the cave feel like its value would plummet.

Not that a cave had much value, but still.

"Your role is."

I pointed at Alduin.

"To watch."

"Grr?"

"Watch without attacking."

"Grr..."

"You can intervene if I'm in danger."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Alduin's eyes brightened.

"But ask permission for breath first."

His eyes dimmed again.

"And don't charge at Transparent first."

"Grr."

"Promise."

I held out my pinky finger.

Alduin looked at my finger.

Then at his own foreclaw.

There was no comparison in size.

My pinky was smaller than one of Alduin's claws.

After much deliberation, Alduin carefully touched the tip of his nose to my finger.

Whoosh.

Warm breath enveloped my finger.

"Good. Promise sealed."

"Purr."

I wrote the fourth item on the slab.

Create a dedicated spot for Transparent.

"This is important."

I looked at one of the rocks near the cave entrance.

It was far from the food pile, far from my bedding, and a suitable distance from Alduin's spot.

Some wind from the entrance reached it, but snow wouldn't pile directly on it.

There was a flat rock there.

I used to think it was just a stone that tripped my feet, but now it looked perfect as Transparent's personal dining table.

I pointed at the rock.

"There."

Alduin looked at the rock.

"Grr?"

"Transparent's spot."

The scale that served as Alduin's eyebrow twitched slightly.

"Your spot is the center of the cave."

"Grr."

"My spot is in the back."

"Grr."

"Food is over there."

"Grr."

"Transparent is here."

Alduin looked at the rock again.

He didn't seem entirely pleased.

"If it's too close to you, he'll dislike it."

"Grr."

"If it's too close to the food, I'll dislike it."

"Grr."

"So right there."

Alduin finally answered in a low voice.

"Grr."

I nodded in satisfaction.

Then I gathered a few small stones and made a line around the rock.

A circular boundary.

I placed one piece of dried meat inside it.

I also set down a small bowl of water beside it.

The water would freeze soon, but I could ask Alduin to warm it slightly without making it too hot.

"Alduin."

"Grr?"

"The water."

Alduin carefully lowered the tip of his nose.

I immediately raised my hand.

"Not with breath."

Alduin stopped.

"With your breath, gently."

Alduin exhaled with extreme care.

Whooo.

A faint steam rose over the water in the bowl.

"Good."

"Purr."

"Well done."

"Purrr."

"Don't increase the intensity."

Alduin reduced the vibration.

I placed the water bowl inside Transparent's area.

Then I set down one small scale in front of it.

It was one I'd received from Transparent.

"This marks it as yours."

"Grr?"

"Having his own things might help him feel safer."

Alduin tilted his head.

"You like your first cloth, don't you?"

Alduin's eyes immediately went to the side of my bedding.

The old cloth I'd placed in his box on the first day was still folded there.

It was dust-sized compared to Alduin's current body, but he still smelled it sometimes.

I knew that.

"It's similar."

Alduin finally seemed to understand a little.

"Grr."

I crouched in front of Transparent's spot.

Then I spoke into the empty air.

"Transparent."

The inside of the cave was quiet.

Outside the entrance, the wind howled past.

Alduin watched silently from behind.

I deliberately didn't look around.

I didn't do anything that might seem like searching for Transparent.

I simply looked at the designated rock and spoke.

"I know you're there."

No answer.

"You don't have to come out."

Silence.

"You don't have to show yourself."

Scratch.

Very faintly.

The sound of scales brushing together.

Alduin's eyes shot toward the sound.

I reached a hand behind me to stop him.

Wait.

Alduin stopped.

"Here."

I pointed at the rock.

"From now on, I'll leave your food here."

Silence.

"Don't touch the food sacks."

Silence.

"Only what's here."

Silence.

"If you want to eat, leave one footprint."

Silence.

"If you don't want it, leave two footprints."

Silence.

I waited a moment.

No footprints appeared.

"You don't have to answer right now."

Scratch.

The sound came a little closer.

I wanted to turn my head but held back.

The core of this operation was not looking.

I do not look.

I do not catch.

I wait.

I repeated that to myself as I kept my eyes fixed only on the dried meat on the rock.

"Stealing food deserves a scolding."

Silence.

"Making Alduin look bad also deserves a scolding."

Behind me, Alduin let out a very low sound.

"Purr."

"Yes. You were wronged."

"Purr."

"But."

I lowered my voice slightly.

"Being hungry doesn't deserve a scolding."

The cave grew quiet.

The sound of wind outside the entrance seemed louder.

"If you're hungry, you can tell me."

I paused after speaking.

"Since you can't speak, you can leave a sign."

Silence.

"With footprints, scales, or whatever you can do."

The silence stretched.

I reached my hand out beside the dried meat piece.

I felt Alduin lowering his body behind me.

I turned my palm upward and set it down beside the rock.

It wasn't a hand trying to grab.

It wasn't a hand trying to pet.

Just an empty hand.

A sign that I wouldn't harm him.

"This is yours."

I pointed at the dried meat.

"Take it."

Silence.

Time flowed slowly.

The faint sound of water boiling in a pot could be heard.

Alduin's breathing was audible.

The wind howled past, pushing a tiny bit of snow dust further into the cave entrance.

And then.

Thump.

Outside the area where I'd scattered flour.

A footprint appeared on the snow-dusted ground.

It was huge.

The weight of an elephant-sized creature.

But there were four claws.

A dragon's footprint.

I didn't raise my head.

I only caught it at the edge of my vision.

Another one.

Thump.

Transparent was coming closer.

A low rumble began forming in Alduin's throat.

I wiggled my finger slightly.

No.

Alduin held back.

Good boy.

Really good boy.

Transparent's footprints stopped in front of the rock.

The piece of dried meat moved ever so slightly.

Scrape.

Then it stopped.

It seemed Transparent was looking at me too.

Since my hand was right there.

To be honest, I was scared too.

An invisible elephant-sized dragon was right in front of my hand.

His claws could gouge rock, his teeth could slice dried meat like a blade, and his scales ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could cut anything if launched.

Yet I didn't withdraw my hand.

Withdrawing it might look like a sign of fear.

And if I avoided everything just because I was scared, this operation couldn't even begin.

The dried meat slowly lifted.

It gradually disappeared into empty air.

I deliberately didn't watch.

I just looked at the rock.

Until the piece of dried meat vanished completely.

After that.

Clink.

A small sound.

A single steel-colored scale was left on the rock.

Only then did I slowly blink.

"This means you've paid the price?"

Thump.

One footprint.

Yes.

I almost laughed.

"Good."

I carefully picked up the scale with my fingernail.

"I'll take it."

Scratch.

The sound of scales brushing.

It was moving farther away.

Transparent was retreating.

I didn't try to catch him.

Alduin continued watching from inside the cave.

Transparent seemed to stop after about three steps back.

No more footprints appeared.

He was probably still watching.

I didn't look in that direction and instead tidied the rock.

The dried meat spot.

The water bowl.

The Transparent scale.

The boundary made of small stones.

"Here."

I spoke again.

"This is your spot from now on."

Silence.

"If you don't like it, leave two footprints."

A long silence.

Thump.

One footprint.

I couldn't stop the corners of my mouth from lifting.

"Looks like you like it."

Scratch.

This time the sound was a little hurried.

I wasn't sure if he was embarrassed or insisting it wasn't true.

Alduin let out a low sound from behind.

"Grr."

"You did well too."

I turned to look at Alduin.

"You didn't charge at him."

Alduin's eyes brightened a little.

"Purr."

"You didn't breathe fire either."

"Purrr."

"You didn't even wag your tail."

The tip of Alduin's tail, which had been about to move, froze.

I laughed at the sight.

"Yes. That was good too."

Alduin lowered his neck in satisfaction.

I returned to the front of the stone slab.

Operation: Befriending the Transparent One.

I added new items below it.

Dedicated spot success.

First trade success.

Alduin patience success.

Below that, in slightly smaller letters, I wrote:

Hand not bitten.

It was an important achievement.

I nodded as I looked at the slab.

"Good."

"Grr?"

"Operation phase one successful."

Alduin was happy even though he didn't know what it meant.

"Purr."

I looked toward the entrance.

Transparent wasn't visible.

But now I knew.

That invisible dragon wasn't completely avoiding us.

He could have run but stayed, took the food but left payment, and answered the mention of his own spot with one footprint.

That was enough for a first step.

Becoming friends wasn't something that could be done in a day.

I had brought Alduin by carrying him in my arms, but I couldn't do that with Transparent.

Transparent needed to be waited for.

Not looked at.

Allowed to come closer on his own feet.

I set down the charcoal and brushed off my hands.

"Alduin."

"Grr?"

"It seems dragons don't only like meat."

Alduin tilted his head.

I looked at the steel-colored scale on the rock.

"They like having their own spot too."

I looked at the large footprints left in the snow near the entrance.

"They like feeling safe too."

I looked at Alduin's snout.

"And probably."

I smiled a little.

"They like it when others wait for them in their own way."

Alduin let out a low sound, whether he understood or not.

"Grr."

Just then, a very faint scratching sound came from near the entrance.

It meant he hadn't gone far yet.

Without looking that way, I said,

"I'll leave some here tomorrow too."

Silence.

Thump.

One footprint.

I smiled.

The first day of Operation: Befriending the Transparent One hadn't been bad at all.