It was supposed to be a simple journey to visit some old friends; they had traveled that exact path hundreds of times in the past. Yet, the sole survivor stood backed against a tree as a rogue dragon approached ready to finish the job. Her beloved husband laid motionless on the dirt ground and the carriage holding her two most precious sons was almost completely smashed, bits and pieces thrown everywhere. She let out one final sob, praying for a swift death. She closed her eyes when the rogue stood in front of her, then nothing... All the pain was gone. The rogue dragon took to the skies, leaving behind the dead bodies for the Dragon Guard or scavengers to clean.

A loud wail caught the attention of a passing wild dragon, curiosity bringing the dragon to the remains of what appeared to be a trip gone wrong. At a quick glimpse it looked as if the human carriage had crashed into a tree but a closer look revealed the dead bodies on the ground. The wailing grew louder and the dragon was quick to move the debris covering the horrid screaming. The crying stopped immediately as the baby looked up at the dragon in awe. The baby was mostly covered by a blanket and strapped into some sort of chair-doohickey. Another child laid only a few feet away but sadly he wasn’t as lucky, body crushed by the same rubble hiding the now soothed baby.

“It’s okay little one. I’ll make sure you’re taken care of.” The dragon knew it shouldn’t interfere with human problems but the baby looked so adorable with it’s big eyes, grabby hands and pouting lips. The dragon picked up the child carrier by the handle and started heading towards the nearest village, near the edge of Eternal Forest. The baby giggled and made strange gurgling noises the whole trip to the village, the dragon was highly amused by the sounds, cooing softly at the baby.

When they made it to the village outskirts, they were quickly approached by a few Dragon Guard members and villagers. The dragon informed the dragonriders about the tragic fate of the baby’s family and offered to take them to the site. A woman villager came up to them, questioning the whereabouts of the baby’s family. the dragonriders relayed the information to the woman and she began to tear up, telling them that the baby was her friend’s son. The family was traveling to this village to visit her family. The riders asked if the now sobbing woman would look after the child while they investigated the attack and figure out what to do with the now orphaned baby. In an odd twist of fate, the baby ended up being taken in by the friend when no other family members stepped up to take the child. The woman raised the baby, Yoo Youngjae, alongside her own son, Im Jaebum. Both were blessed with Harmonia's mark, she knew they would grow to be amazing dragonriders.

The sun was barely peeking over the horizon when a loud thump woke everyone in the house. Youngjae, now an energetic 10 year old, fell down the stairs. Well, there goes his stealthy escape. Before he could recover from the fall, Mrs.Im grabbed his ear and sat him down at the kitchen table, Jaebum joining him a few minutes later.

“Where do you think you’re going so early in the morning on a school day? You know your teacher won’t let you skip anymore class time.” Mrs.Im crossed her arms and gave Youngjae a pointed glare before turning around to start on breakfast.

Like any kid his age, Youngjae would rather ditch school to go on a “made up adventure” then spend his day sitting in class listening to a teacher drone on about stuff he already knew. Most of the time he would ‘drag’ Jaebum along with him on weekends. What Mrs.Im didn’t know was that their adventures weren’t so made up. Both Youngjae and Jaebum broke the rule to never go into the Eternal Forest.

The forest itself had many legends and myths, that scared most from going in but the main reason now was for the increase of rogue dragon activity. Neither boy thought about what would happen if they ran into a rogue and the old ruins deep inside the forest held too many wonders to care about the consequences. Everyone assumed the boys were playing pretend when they told tales of their adventures but in reality they were actually running around the forest, mapping out the area, climbing around the abandoned ruins, and looking for anything of interest. Youngjae has spent countless days just sitting in the rubble of abandoned buildings reading any old book left intact. When he wasn’t reading then he was sparring against Jaebum with dull, rusted weapons, the score was 9-15, Youngjae cursed Jaebum for his slightly stronger build and natural battle instincts.

“I was going to school early, to make up a test I missed.” Youngjae quickly replied, hoping she would fall for his lies. Sadly, Mrs.Im caught his lie the moment the words left his mouth. Youngjae may ditch school on a regular basis but she knew he would never miss a test. It was strange, when she was his age, she and her friends would ditch as well, but the difference was that they didn’t care for school. They never did any homework, skipped tests and talked back to the teacher any chance they got. It wasn’t until a few of her friends got held back and she was treated with expulsion did she finally shape up. Youngjae on the other hand, finished all his homework, made sure to never miss a test, studied every other night and was well behaved in class. The only complaint she ever received from the teachers were about his absences. Other than that he was well praised for being a bright and intelligent boy.

The two boys wolfed down their breakfast and playfully shoved each other out the door with Mrs.Im following close behind. She liked to believe that Youngjae would have went to school himself or Jaebum would make him stay with him but she had to run errands later in the day so there was no harm in walking them to school to make sure Youngjae didn't run off. She dropped them off by the front of the school and they bid her goodbye as they ran off inside the building.

“Sooo, do I really have stay or can I leave out the back doors?” Youngjae let out a yawn, already bored of school. Maybe I could take a nap later. Youngjae was already planning out a nap schedule when Jaebum put his two cents in.

“It’s Friday, so you might as well stay. Plus if mom hears you didn’t show today, she’ll probably freak and ground you again. You wouldn’t want to be trapped inside on the weekend.” There had been multiple weekends wasted inside due to being grounded. Youngjae shuddered at the thought and Jaebum laughed at his friend’s miserable look.

“True that.” Their conversation was cut short when the principal appeared out of nowhere, as if he emerged out of the shadows like some sort of demon.

“Hello boys. Ah, Youngjae. It’s so nice of you to show up for once.” His tone was ice cold and his eyes pierced their core. There were many rumors about the principal not being human, but Youngjae never believed any of them, but still made sure to steer clear from the shady man’s path. With rushed greetings both boys bolted to their classroom, only slowing down when they reached the door. The teacher gave them a knowing look and chuckled at their childish fear. There was still 15 minutes before class started, so when Youngjae took his seat, a boy in their class asked him for last night’s homework. Youngjae tried his best not to roll his eyes but failed.

“If you want to copy my homework then you’re going to have to pay me.” Jaebum couldn’t hold his laugh as their classmate pouted and stomped off to bother another kid.

After the third bell rang, the teacher closed the door and started day. By the time lunch rolled around, Youngjae had already napped through most of the lesson plan, only waking up when Jaebum dropped Youngjae’s lunch box onto his table. Youngjae quietly ate his lunch as he copied Jaebum’s notes. When lunch was over and the second half of the day started, Youngjae took notes while Jaebum took his nap. This was how they worked: one would nap and the other would pay attention, then when lunch came they would switch off. Youngjae let out a groan as he stretched his back, taking a moment to enjoy the peace of an empty classroom before kicking Jaebum’s chair repeatedly, not stopping until the other boy forcefully grabbed his foot and held it in place. The teacher sighed at the boys, glaring at them as she asked them if they were going to leave anytime soon, she had places to go, things to do. They gave her sheepish grins and excused themselves from the classroom.

“Was she always that grumpy?” Youngjae wondered out loud, looking up at the sky, watching dragonriders fly about. The Dragon Guard has been building an outpost in their village for the past week. Winter Bell was one of the older villages, rumored to have been one of the only villages that survived the war. Why they were building an outpost all the way out here was beyond Youngjae, but it did make things easier for the village. He had overheard some people talk about an increase of dragons in the forest and something about a few small villages popping out the ground but he honestly tuned out all the boring adult gossip.

Jaebum made a sound of acknowledgement but made no attempt to answer the question, too distracted by the dragons flying around. “That’s going to be us someday.” Jaebum whispered in amazement.

“We’re going to be the best dragonriders out there.” Youngjae couldn’t help but grin to himself. One day he was going to find his dragon and together they would discover all the wonders of their world, leaving no stone unturned. With the sudden rush of excitement, Youngjae challenged his friend to a race, last one home would have to wash the dishes after dinner. Youngjae just barely made it through the door before Jaebum, who complained about his unfair head start. Setting their school bags aside, the boys started their homework and planned what to have for dinner.

Mrs.Im returned to a home smelling like freshly baked chicken and two bickering boys. She couldn’t help but smile as she was lead to the recently set up table, dinner already prepared to be eaten. It was a simple meal of baked chicken, vegetables, and mashed potatoes. The boys happily rambled on about their boring day at school and their adventure plans for tomorrow. Mrs.Im smiled at their vast imagination and told them to not stay out too late. Even after the naps taken earlier in the day, both boys found themselves falling asleep with relative ease. They would have to wake up early tomorrow if they wanted to do everything they planned.

Youngjae woke up before the sun and walked into Jaebum’s room to find him already preparing for the trip to the newly found ruins. These ruins were located deeper in the forest and Youngjae was hoping to find new ancient books or maybe a neat souvenir to add to his hidden collection. With backpacks filled with supplies the boys raced towards the forest, watching out for anyone who would spot them. They took a break to catch their breath when they were far enough into the forest to not be seen. The Eternal Forest was a dense, lush forest with a whimsical mystic atmosphere. During the mornings the ground was covered by a foggy mist created from the many waterfalls and rivers within the forest. It was also home to many lone dragons and the occasional unwelcome rogue. The name came from an old tale about a woman who would drank the magical water in a pound located at the center of the forest. She was granted eternal youth and this made a lot of people search the forest for this pound of youth, but no one was able to find it. Even though the story was a hoax, the name stuck.

It was a long hike to the ruins but it was worth the travel, with new discoveries awaiting the boys at the ruins. Their first stop was a mostly crumbled building, as the looked around the remains they heard something coming near them. Neither boy were too worried about the approaching noise, it wouldn't be the first time they ran into a lone dragon, most were friendly enough and would just ignore the boys. Except this time it wasn't a lone dragon, Jaebum was flung across the building remains. Youngjae didn't know what to do as he stared at the rogue with wide eyes. Panicking Youngjae grabbed a rock and threw it at the dragon’s eye, blinding the winged beast long enough for him to run in the direction Jaebum landed, he helped the injured boy to his feet and they stumbled as fast as they could away from the rogue dragon.

“What are we going to do? We can’t fight a dragon, Youngjae!” Youngjae chewed on his lip as he thought of a plan. The only thing they could do was run and hope the dragon would give up. That plan was dashed when the attacking dragon easily flew over their heads and landed in front of them, blocking their path. Youngjae pushed Jaebum behind him, it was a useless attempted to protect his friend from harm but it was all that he could do. The rogue began to charge at the boys, but the goddesses must have heard their prayers. A black blur tackled the rogue to the ground and had the dragon’s neck in between its jaws, crushing them in a single chomp.

Mother nature is a scary thing. Youngjae thought as he watched the black dragon approach them. The dragon was mostly black but had yellow ear tufts, tail poof, and wing Web. It also had a white jester collar pattern around its neck and a white mask pattern around its yellow eyes. It wore a yellow mask with a black clown nose on it. Honestly, if it wasn't for the fact this dragon just killed another dragon in front of his eyes, Youngjae would have thought this dragon was some sort of party clown.

“What, cat got your tongue? Are you just going to stand there and stare or are you going to say something? Maybe a thank you.” The dragon spoke with an amused tone even though it literally killed another dragon a few minutes ago.

“Thanks for killing a dragon in front of me. I hope you're going to pay for the consulting I'm going to need after this traumatic experience.” What was Youngjae supposed to say in this situation? It’s not like he had time to prepare for such an event.

“Ehh, you'll be fine… I think. Who knows? You could turn into a complete psycho!” The dragon’s golden eyes sparked with a new found emotion that Youngjae assumed was some form of joy or delight. Maybe this dragon was the real psycho here.

“That might be a problem. I don't think that would look good on my resume.” This conversation was getting weirder and weirder.

“That's what you're worried about right now?” Youngjae jumped and wiped his head to the side looking back at Jaebum, who he forgot was behind him. Jaebum looked just as confused as Youngjae.

“I have to think about my future, Jaebum. It's pretty important for my survival.” Youngjae had a good point but now was not the time for that. The dragon started to get bored of their bickering and interrupted the children before things got out of hand.

“Let's get to the point of why I helped you. I assume you have this same mark.” The dragon shifted its body to show off the golden yellow dollar sign on its outer right thigh. Youngjae instantly recognized the mark, for it was the same exact mark he had.

“You're my dragon partner! Holy , my dragon is a murderer… Are there dragon police officers we have to worry about?” Youngjae’s excitement was dashed when the thought was being chased by dragons in police uniforms crossed his mind. He didn’t know much about how dragon civilization worked but there had to be some sort of unspoken rules about killing.

“No. Most dragons don't care about killing others unless it's a member of their flock or clan. You know mother nature and stuff. This dragon was a rogue so no one will even notice they're gone.”

“That's... kind of sad.”

“Sorry to interrupt, but my leg hurts and it's starting to get late.” Jaebum was ready to go home and take a nap.

“Oh , sorry Jaebum. Hey do you think you can give us a lift home… My dude?”

“Jokomato, and only if I get a free meal. Oh, and a cozy bed. Also a tiny hat.”

“Sheesh, do you also want me to tuck you in and read you a bedtime story? Why do you even need a hat?”  

“I'm not a child and I'll have you know I've always wanted a tiny hat… For science purposes.” If it wasn’t for the obvious pause, Youngjae would have believed the dragon. Youngjae quickly introduced Jokomato to Jaebum and soon both boys found themselves flying above the treetops, wind flowing through their hair and a breathtaking view of the horizon. Today was just the beginning of their journey, that ended when they entered the house and Mrs.Im grounded all three of them.

Over the years, Youngjae’s library of ancient texts, he kept in Jokomato’s cave, grew in size. The book collection started as a few shelves but know took up about two bookcases, with souvenirs of their adventures acting as dividers and bookends. Youngjae also learned a lot about his partner, like its treasure hoarding problem or the fact Jokomato knew little to nothing about its species other than the stuff other dragons told it.

Jokomato had been born a lone dragon from a single parent who left after giving Jokomato its yellow mask. Youngjae believed Jokomato wasn't bothered by the lack of matoki knowledge, as the dragon seemed content with its laidback lifestyle, but as they grew closer, he realized Jokomato was playing down its curiosity to hide its need to discover something more about itself, for someone to finally answer all its questions and to experience what it was like to be around its own kind. The reason Jokomato started to travel around was to hopefully find other matoki, but other than its single parent, Jokomato had never met another of its species. Giving up on the search for other matoki, Jokomato settled down in the Eternal Forest when glittering gold coins caught its eye and turning the dragon into a treasure hunter or pirate as Yongjae liked to joke. Together the boys and matoki explored every nook and cranny the Eternal Forest had to offer, but all good things come to an end at some point.

When the boys turned 16, Jaebum was told by the Dragon Guard his dragon had joined them in hopes to finding her partner. Youngjae was torn between following his friend or exploring new areas, the decision came down to Jokomato’s disinterest in join the Guard. When Youngjae asked for the reason, Jokomato dismissed the question with a shrug and a simple “I never thought about it. Plus I rather like my freedom.” Jaebum was a little hurt by their decision, but respected their choice and promised to visit them whenever he could. The boys parted ways and Youngjae realized that nothing was anchoring him to the village. Sure, he loved Mrs.Im like a mother but he wanted to find his own purpose in life. At first, Mrs.Im was hesitant to let Youngjae go off on his own but she trusted him to make his own decisions and if this was what he wanted, she would support him. Overtime Youngjae moves all his things into Jokomato’s cave, even his mattress, because there was no way in hell he was going to sleep on the floor. Jokomato was happy with the new additions to the cave, they complemented Jokomato’s piles of treasure and made the place more homey. Living together made it easier to go on spontaneous adventures, since Youngjae already had everything he needed packed and didn't have to wait to tell someone he was leaving.

Eight years had passed in a blink of an eye. Youngjae was technically an adult but most of the world still treated him like a know it all teenager, which wasn’t entirely false. It had its benefits, like discounts on food and other things. It was during one of the many voyages to other forests, when life dedicated it needed a change. A small gang of rogue dragons started to chase the duo but with quick thinking Youngjae and Jokomato were able to easily defeat most of the rogues and simply out flying the rest. It wasn’t anything new to them, both getting into fights over the years. The difference this time was an unnoticed onlooker. She smirked, deciding to follow the boy and matoki, what she had planned for the two was a mystery that only time could tell.

The duo stopped at a nearby town to restock on a few necessities before they headed back to the Eternal Forest. Jokomato kept shifting his eyes to look around, curious, Youngjae asked Joko what it was looking for but the matoki just said “It’s not what it’s who.” Jokomato had the weird feeling of being watched but it seemed no one around them would even give them a second glance let alone stare, but the feeling wouldn’t go away. It wasn't until they were about to take off when the presence finally emerged from the faceless crowd. It was a slightly older woman and her dragon, by the uniform she was wearing it was obvious they were a part of the Dragon Guard but that made the duo even more confused. Why would someone from the Dragon Guard be looking for us? Youngjae tried to think of a reason but nothing came to mind.

“I saw you take on those rogues earlier.” Youngjae waited for her to continue but the lady just stood there with her hands on her hips, striking some sort of superhero pose. Her dragon looked back and forth between Youngjae and her partner, sighing when it seemed her partner didn't catch onto the boy’s confusion.

“We wanted to know if you wanted to join the Dragon Guard or at least know why you never showed up or register for basics.” It wasn’t uncommon for marked pairs to not become dragonriders but most at least registered their info and took basic flight classes. The woman knew for a fact that these two never even registered, she would have remembered a matoki joining, they were rare dragons and she could count the all the marked members on a single hand.

“We just don't feel like joining and as you saw we don’t really need lessons on how to survive in the wild.” Jokomato signaled Youngjae to hop on so they could leave, not wanting to waste daylight by talking to recruiters. Youngjae got on to Jokomato’s back and the two took off without a goodbye. They were surprised when the Woman and dragon followed them.

“Hey, I’m Hana and this is Holly. It’s nice to meet you!” This woman must really want us to join. Youngjae didn’t care about her being president but Jokomato was starting to get grumpy, probably due to the lack of treasure found at the old ruins. It really put the dragon into a mood.   

“How did you know we never showed up to the Dragon Guard. Are you a creepy stalker?” Youngjae really wanted to know, it had been bothering him since she asked them about it. Most dragonriders assumed they already passed their basic flying test and just treated them as if they were normal marked non-dragonriders. Why had this woman noticed when all the others didn’t, the thought bugged Youngjae for some reason.

“I help train most of the newbies. I would have remembered a yellow matoki and his adorable partner.”

“Why do you want us to join?”

“We could always use more dragonriders.”

“We’re not interested. Goodbye” Youngjae snorted at his dragon’s blunt answer but it was the simplest way to get the woman to leave. If Youngjae was honest with himself, he would have considered her offer. There had always been a huge ‘What If’ floating around his head since Jaebum left. There weren't any negative consequences in joining the Dragon Guard and he would be able to see Jaebum again. The only possible downside he could think of was having to cut down on their adventures, no that wasn’t right. It would be more like going on a different type of adventure, instead of exploring it would be a quest. Even if Youngjae voiced his opinion on joining the Guard, he felt like Jokomato would only agree to make Youngjae happy. He just needed a good enough reason that would benefit his dragon’s wants and his own.  

“Aw, come on, don’t knock it until you try it. Plus I’m sure the other matoki would be thrilled to have another member.” Youngjae and Jokomato almost snapped their necks then the word ‘matoki’ left Hana’s lips. Their eyes widening in shock, why hadn’t the thought of other marked matoki cross their minds.

“Other Matoki?” Jokomato was too surprised by the revelation to think straight. Youngjae smiled knowing things were about to change for them. Jokomato would never pass on the opportunity to meet other matoki, it had been the matoki’s dream to finally learn about its kind, to find that missing puzzle piece in its life.

“Yeah there are 5 of them. Are you interested?” Hana gave them a knowing smirk, she would have started with that if she knew that was all it would take to convince the duo to join. She mentally patted herself on the shoulder for a job well done. The four of them organized a plan to get Youngjae and Jokomato to the Dragon Guard HQ as soon as possible. Hana was surprised how easily the two dropped everything to pursue this new ‘adventure’ even the most willing people took a few days before making the journey but she guessed it was due to their spontaneous nature that they took it all in stride. When they made it back to the Eternal Forest, Youngjae packed enough to last him while and said they could get the rest later. With a good night’s sleep and a goodbye to Mrs.Im, Youngjae, Jokomato, Hana and Holly flew off the kingdom Silmul.

What Hana didn’t inform the duo about her evil catch. When they arrived to the HQ, Jokomato and Youngjae were excitedly waiting to meet the other riders but Hana told them they had left for an important mission and wouldn't be back for a while. In that time she expected the duo to pass the dragonrider exam.

“All the other matoki members were already graduated riders, so if they wanted to join them, you two will also have to graduate and ask to join their herd.” She explained.

“Doesn’t it take years of training to become a dragonrider?” Youngjae remembered Jaebum saying it took him three years to graduate in his letter.

“I pulled some strings and told the console you were my underling for a few years now.” Hana was the real MVP of this whole journey.

“So now all we have to do is pass the exam? Seems easy enough.”

“Yeah, but it’s not that simple. There are 4 parts to the test: A writing portion, an obstacle course, a real life battle simulator, and a rescue mission. So you have to study hard and practice. I know you two can do it! Fighting!”

“That’s a lot to learn. How long do we have?” Youngjae was a quick learner but even he needed a decent about of time to learned everything they needed to pass.

“3 weeks!”

“Looks like we have all the time in the world.” Youngjae joked, looking at Jokomato, who nodded back at him. Hana showed Youngjae to his temporary room, it was small and he had a roommate named, BamBam. Hana came back later that night to drop off all the material Youngjae needed for the exam. Jokomato snuck in through the window, wanting to stay with Youngjae and not a bunch of strangers.

“Wow, that’s a lot of reading. Also our partners have to sleep with the other dragons. I don’t know why but it’s a rule.” From the few hours Youngjae got to know Bambam, he learned that the kid was a ball of hyper sunshine and jokes.

“Are you going to tell anyone?” Youngjae raised his eyebrow at the younger boy, a silent question of friend or foe. BamBam shrugged his shoulders and pouted at Youngjae for the cold look.  “I won’t tell anyone, if you let me bring my dragon.”

“Fine by me.” Youngjae turned back to the book he was reading, hand resting on Jokomato’s sleeping head.

“Why are you even reading so much?”

“I’m taking the exam in 3 weeks.”

“Why so late? Shouldn’t you have passed by now? Did you fail?” BamBam was surprised most people Youngjae’s age already graduated, maybe he started late… That would explain why BamBam hadn’t seen the boy around, until his sudden appearance in his room.

“Nah, I was just studying under Hana and I stuck around for a few extra years because you, I do what I want.” BamBam couldn’t help but burst out laughing, not expecting that sort of reply. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down and left the room to get his partner. The next day BamBam dragged Youngjae from his studying to meet his friends. Youngjae didn’t expect to be caught in a headlock by his best friend Jaebum, who had been blessed by the puberty gods, if anyone asked Youngjae.

“You piece of , why are you here!?”

“I joined the kiddie patrol. I thought it might help me get the chicks.” Both boys burst into laughter as they playfully hit each other like old times.

“Seriously why are you here? Did you really join?” Jaebum thought Youngjae and Jokomato would never join the Guard but here his friend was, standing right beside him. It felt like a weird dream.

“Yeah, I would have been here sooner but I was Training under Hana and Holly. I take the exam in 3 weeks.” Youngjae gave Jaebum a look and his friend got the message loud and clear. Jaebum snorted and demanded for details later.

“You need help cramming?”

“That would be greatly appreciated.” Youngjae was so happy he had a friend who already graduated, this would make things so much easier.

“We can help too!!!” A guy yelled, jumping right into their conversation. Youngjae had forgotten about the other people when Jaebum ‘tried to kill’ him. Introductions were quickly exchanged. Jaebum proudly stated he was the leader of his own gang, which consisted of: Mark, Jackson, Jinyoung, Youngjae and soon BamBam and Yugyeom, when they graduated. Youngjae was happy for his friend but told the other Youngjae “only one can live” which made the younger boy quiver behind Jaebum, who smacked his childhood friend upside the head. Youngjae spent the rest of the day getting to know the Got7 gang and their dragons, Youngjae laughed for a solid 5 minutes when he heard the name, which earned him another smack upside the head. It wasn’t until later in the night when Youngjae was finally able to get Jaebum alone long enough to tell him everything.

‘Wow, it looks like you’ve been busy.”

“Yeah, it’s crazy I never thought I would join the Dragon Guard but here I am.”

“It’s nice to have you here.”

“What a sap.” Youngjae punched Jaebum in the shoulder. “Hey, do you know anything about the Matoki herd?”

“Not much, they mostly work around the southeast area. Plus I never really had a reason to talk to them before.”

“So… What do you know?” Youngjae was dying of curiosity and nervousness.

“I’m not telling.” Jaebum gave him a cat like grin, eyes lighting up in cruel delight.

“What! Why not?” Youngjae started shaking Jaebum by the shoulders. This wasn’t a time for games.

“To be petty I guess?”

“ you… You’re lucky I love you.” Youngjae couldn’t fight against that logic, pettiness and spite were the main reasons he did things most if the time.

“Love you to bro.” It was nice to have his childhood friend close to him again.

Youngjae Studied everyday for the written portion of the exam, and Jaebum was able to get a few solo timeslots for the different courses he would need to run for the other parts of the exam. Hana checked in every once in a while, also giving helpful advice and pep talks when needed. With Got7 and Hana’s joint effort, Youngjae and Jokomato were more than prepared when the three weeks were over. The duo glided through the obstacle course, saved all the pedestrians, won each sparring match and Youngjae got a perfect score on the writing part. A small celebration was thrown for the newly graduated pair by Hana and Got7. The night was filled with dancing and laughter. When Youngjae woke up the next morning, he dragged Jokomato with him to search for Hana, he wanted to know when the matoki herd would be returning. Jokomato was able to find her with relative ease once it finally woke up.

“Just the two, I was looking for.” Hana smiled at the approaching duo, striking her signature super hero pose. “There had been a change of plans. We are going to meet up with the matoki herd. Apparently there were some troublesome rogues and the two freshly graduated members were injured, nothing serious but they did request back up.” Hana pulled Youngjae by the arm to the supply rooms to show him where everything was. They packed all the needed supplies for the journey and saddled up their dragons, by noon they were up in the air flying towards their destination. Youngjae would being lying if he said he wasn't nervous but at the same time he was excited. This was their first real mission, he could tell Jokomato was just as thrilled as he was.

“Okay, we’re nearing the landmark, they should be somewhere north of it. We’re going land and travel by foot to make sure we don’t miss them.” Youngjae and Jokomato nodded their head and followed the more experience duo to the small forest clearing.

“Lets split up a bit to cover more land. Stay within yelling distance. Got it?”

“Yes ma’am” Youngjae playfully saluted at her and they parted ways, heading up north towards the mountain side.

There was an odd peaceful atmosphere surrounding them as they hiked through the forest. If Youngjae didn’t know any better, he would of assumed this was more of a nature walk then a mission. The peace was disturbed when the bushes started to rustle, Youngjae swallowed the lump in his throat and waited for something to happen. A deer appeared between the trees, causing the duo to relax a little.

“Why do I feel like I’m in a story?” Youngjae let out a sigh and rolled his shoulders in circles, releasing the tension in them.

“Because that was the most over used trope in the book. Kill the suspense with a cute anim-.” Jokomato was interrupted when a dragon jumped towards the unsuspecting dragon. With practiced ease, Jokomato dodged and attacked the rogue with a counter attack. Four other rogues emerged from hiding, to help the already downed rogues. Between the two of them, they made quick work of the rogues, most of them unable to fight back or escape. Youngjae was tying them up, when suddenly a black dragon burst through the trees only to stop in its tracks when it noticed the battle was over.

“Did you really have to take them out all on your own?” This dragon looked similar to Jokomato, so it was safe to assume it was one of the matoki dragons.

“Sorry, you missed the party, maybe next time you’ll be on time.” Jokomato looked at the red masked matoki, silently analyzing it.

“Wait… You’re a Matoki!” The red matoki looked shocked by the way its eyes widened and started to blink rapidly.

“And you’re not blind, what a relief.” Jokomato retorted. Hana must have not informed them about their arrival. This was a bit awkward.

“That’s not what I meant. What are you doing out here.”

“We came with Hana to help out.” Youngjae answered as he tied up the rogues so they couldn’t escape before the dragonriders came.

“When did you two join? I would have remembered a new matoki arriving.” Still bewildered, the red matoki continued to stare at the yellow matoki.

“We graduated yesterday.” Jokomato wanted ask some questions as well, but the red matoki kept interrupting. Youngjae on the other hand was trying to start a fire, he could have ask one of the dragons but they seemed to focused on each other to notice him struggling.

“Yesterday!? Isn’t that a bit early for a newbie to go on a mission like this?” Jokomato and Youngjae couldn’t tell if the red matoki was mad or surprised, it sounded like a mixture of both.

“I don’t know if you noticed but we handled ourselves just fine. This isn’t our first time dealing with rogues.” Jokomato was a little offended that the other dragon thought so little of the duo. Sure they were ‘new’ but they did take out five rogues by themselves.

“Kay, I’m finished. Are you two done with your tea party? I think the dragon riders will be here soon to pick up the rogues.” Youngjae interrupted the two dragons with a pout, he was left to do all the work, tying up the rogues and starting a fire to signal the outpost to pick up the rogues. Before he could say anymore, Hana, Holly and a few other black dragons rushed towards them.

“What happened?” Hana asked.

“Why did you run before us?” Some guy putting the red matoki in a headlock asked.

“Who are they?” A baby faced kid asked.

“Are they okay?” An older looking dude asked.

Youngjae was starting to develop a headache from all the yelling and questions being thrown around. Was this how they normally acted, like a bunch of screaming children trying to get attention. Youngjae sat down next to Jokomato, as they watched the chaos unfold. He didn’t notice the boy with his arm in a makeshift sling, sit next to him until he felt his uninjured hand on his shoulder. Youngjae jumped in surprise but calmed down when he saw the other’s smile.

“Hey, I’m Youngjae, this is Jokomato.”

“Jongup,” he pointed at the green masked matoki, “that’s Dadamato.” As if hearing its partner, Dadamato looked at them before trotting up to them.

“Who’s this?”

“This is Youngjae and Jokomato.”

“Nice to meet you.” Youngjae bowed his head a little, the tire tracks going across the dragon’s body made it look like roadkill in his personal opinion.  

“Likewise… Is Jokomato sleeping?” Youngjae looked at his partner and sure enough, Jokomato was sleeping like it was dead to the world.

“Yeah, that’s what Joko is good at. I’m pretty sure it could sleep through the apocalypse.” Youngjae snorted and jabbed his elbow into the sleeping dragon, who jolted awake and looked around sleepy.

“What was that for?”

“Don’t you want to meet the others? This is Jongup and Dadamato.” Jokomato just nodded at them and they nodded back. All four of them sat in silence as they watched the chaos play out in front of them. Jongup was nice enough to tell the new duo who was who. Yongguk, the leader was currently wrestling his dragon Shishimato, Junhong and his dragon Totomato were trying to calm him down, Himchan was lecturing the two fighting while his partner Tatsmato judged them silently, Lastly Daehyun was laughing and cheering them on. Youngjae was surprised to see Daehyun’s dragon staring at them with an unreadable expression, Jongup told them the dragon was really cautious when it came to new people.

“Honestly! All of you are childish!” Hana yelled above everyone making them stop all movement. The dragonriders finally came to pick up the rogue dragons and Hana said she would handle the report later. She started to lecture the matoki herd excluding Jongup, all of them looked at the ground in shame. Once she was done, she looked at Youngjae and told him they were leaving before them. Youngjae was hesitant to leave but followed Hana after she told him to keep up. Jongup promised to meet up at the outpost when they were finished.

It was nearing dinner time, when Youngjae finally saw Jongup and Dadamato again. The duo happily sat down at his table to enjoy their meal together. What Youngjae didn't expect, was the other members barreling into the table, fighting over seats and food. Jongup cleared his throat and the others seemed to quiet down, he gestured to Youngjae and slowly proper introductions were exchanged. Youngjae and Jokomato were welcomed by the other members and they got along with him just as quick as Got7 did. Youngjae never expected to join the Dragon Guard, let alone join a herd, but here he was sitting in between a bickering Himchan and Yongguk, defending his food from Daehyun and watching Junhong and Jongup dance to a silent beat. Youngjae thought there was nothing better than discovering ruins and finding treasure but these past weeks had proved him wrong. Now Youngjae looked forward to adventuring with his new companions, together they could explore the world.

A/N

Jaebum's and Youngjae's friendship is my weakness so I had to put it in the story, sorry not sorry.