Edwyn

(Formerly known as Edwyn Aston? or do i just remake the header lmao)

The original Mr. Twinkles was a green dragon ragdoll. It belonged to a small human girl, no older than five, that I found near the sight of a human proporty that had been burned to the ground. Her parents, their crops and their animals all perished in the fire. I knew from the smell that it had been a human to start the fire; the fire of beasts has a characteristic smell to it, easy to detect. I knew the cruelty of humans since I was a hatchling. I've watched both my parents sacrifice themselves for the sake of my and my siblings. My father was the first, giving his life away so that my mother could escape with my and my two siblings. Then a cowardly attack to our nest took one of our siblings.

The other gave up and agreed to be raised amongst humans, to bond with one of them and be used as a weapon in their war. In the end, it was my mother and I. We had a lair. We were happy. Then they arrived, with their guns and their trained pets. My mother told me to run and not look back, which I did. I ran for days until I could no longer bear the ache. I did not dare return because I knew what I'd find. I didn't want to face that. Thankfully, I was old enough to survive on my own.

Never again I crossed paths with humans. I made a lair deep within the thick forest, kept to myself, hardly took flight. I watched from afar as humans kil.led each other for power. I knew the cruelty of humans and yet seeing that family being torn apart by one of their own kind... It took me by surprise. But that human child had endured. She had the stentch of smoke and her skin was black with the ashes. Her little dragon doll was grey-ish from being exposed to the ashes, I presumed. We kept staring at each other until she approached me cheerfully, yelling Mr. Twinkles as she jumped up and down.

I've only realized she thought I was Mr. Twinkles when she ran over to hug my snout. Thinking back, I don't know why I didn't attack that child. I like to think that despite my impulse to attack every human on sight I'd never be able to harm innocents. I like to believe that I'm not cruel enough to endanger a youngling of any kind.

I took her home, you know? I couldn't leave her outside and freeze to death. I also couldn't simply fly her over to the human town nearby. I had to think about what to do with that child. I had to be careful about it.

So my decision was to care for her until I figured out what to do with her. Certainly it wouldn't be that difficult? Humans eat meat like dragons, though they prefer it to be roasted - something that a fire breathing dragon can easily manage. They cannot survive long periods out on the open and the cold. I had a warm lair and I could always start a fire, like I've seen humans do in the woods. It wouldn't be much of a hassle, I figured.

As time passed, I discovered that her parents were both hunters. There was a town nearby, and due to starvation the citizens decided to start hunting on the forest. Their survival instincts can only provide them so much; the hunters were still the masters of that area. They would always hit the target, unlike the untrained citizens. They offered their meat and help for a price, but the town did not agree. In the end, they decided to cut short the competition.

I was angry. Furious.
But I realized something important - I could not leave that child in that town. She'd either die of starvation or grow up to be just as heartless as any other human. Could I help her? I thought that maybe she would be safe with me. Maybe I could instruct her, teach her not to be cruel like the humans I knew. She was so young. What could she know about cruelty? I liked to think that humans weren't born evil; they became cruel as they aged, being exposed to the evil inside other people's hearts.

But I was wrong.

Around the time Oblivion was created, the tensions of war were starting to get high. Humans needed more dragons, more phoenixes. They needed soldiers with bonds to powerful creatures. And with the Chaos starting to grow, they needed the protection of those might creatures. They needed slaves. It was only a matter of time until they tracked me down, eager to have a wild born dragon to bond with.

These magical bonds between souls are something curious. When a human bond with a hatchling, their connections grows as the hatchling grows. Eventually, if one of them dies the other is incapable of living for much longer because of the damage caused by the bond being ripped apart. However, if the bond is made with a creature that is already grown, it might not be as powerful or strong as the previous, but if it's broken the other side will not die. They will suffer, of couse, as they'll feel every ounce of pain the other feels. But they'll survive.

That's why human soldiers looked forward to bonding with wild born dragons. They'd ask first, then they'd threaten and only then they'd act. They would not hesitate to dispose of a wild beast if it meant the enemy wouldn't be able to get their hands on it either.

When they found me I fought them. I gave it my all. It was violent and ugly. The child was no longer a child, but wasn't a fighter either. I ordered her to run and hide, but they found her, took her hostage. Their leader, a lieutenant, I think, thought that the child and I were bonded. Why would I keep her close otherwise? So his decision was to dispose of her, thinking it would kil.l me.

It didn't. Not literally, at least.

Rage is something funny. Anger can blind you and poison your judgement. The lieutenant and his squad were no more - in fact, the whole village they were in was no more.

I eventually returned to my lair. I always kept some objects safe and sound, pieces of history, painful memories that I didn't dare let go. Some of them are still here with me, after more than a thousand years. It reminds me of why I'm here now, why I'm doing what I'm doing. Why I joined the military in the first place. Why I decided to work with humans.

I still hate them, I really do. But we cannot have another war. We must unite for peace.


-x-

Is that all? Asked the general. She wasn't human, surprisingly; she's an alien to this planet, a species of bipedal cats that migrated here long ago. She bears some resemblance to oriental short-hair cats, but I learned the hard way she doesn't like being compared to human pets.

No, of course not, I replied. It was a sincere answer; not even my records had all the details of my life. I made it clear when I joined that my past should not matter, and if they disagreed I'd test my luck with mercenary work. They didn't complain. I guess humans still see dragons as powerful weapons to be used on wars. Why does it even matter, general? If I may ask, of course.

Your file is incomplete.

I'm aware.

How am I supposed to know your true motivations, then? Am I supposed to believe you've made your peace with the dominant species of this planet, that you won't go rogue one day because of your questionable loyalty?

It was an understandable concern, if you ask me. I knew where she was coming from and I didn't disagree with her. How could I know I wouldn't decide to go rogue in the middle of a mission? Was I loyal to the human military or was I loyal to my own morals? She had the right to ask.

Ma'am, with all due respect, haven't I already proved myself one too many times? Why is my backstory so important? She simply stared at me, probably studying my expression. Besides, this isn't a questioning. We're inside a coffee shop. You told me this was a casual meeting.

I lied. I had to find an excuse to get Skelly and Ivorn away from you long enough to actually have a conversation, she scoffed, taking a sip of the pure black coffee she had ordered before. It's better to have them gossipping about a date than an interrogation, don't you think?

I didn't reply her question. Why are you even questioning me?

She stared again. You'll know soon, soldier. With a grin, she took another sip of her coffee.