"Ow ow ow, cut it out!" the red dragon roared at Donghae even as Donghae continued pounding on the claws around his body. "Don't make me drop you!" the dragon further threatened and Donghae was about to retort he could fly before he conveniently remembered his Aegila is nowhere to save him.

One moment he was hurling expletives on T'al Hasa's non-existent back, the next moment he was looking into the obsidian eyes of a red dragon, one bigger than even T'al Hasa. Donghae had thought T'al Hasa was trying to sneak up behind him, something she'd never done before, but he did think she'd try. Instead, it was a humongous red dragon who rumbled at him and which Donghae distinctly hear say, "Hey! Wanna play?" The dragon didn't even wait for Donghae's answer as it gingerly hopped on one claw while the other claw snatched at Donghae's torso and lifted them both to the sky.

Donghae watched despondently as he flew over the vast forest and cliff border that separated the dragon kingdom from the edges of the Aegelous Aerie. No Aegilas will cross that border, and bummer for Donghae for getting kidnapped by a dragon.

They soon came to a clearing still within the forest but near where Donghae can see the spires of the towers in the Draconis Imperium, capital of the dragon kingdom. Then even that was robbed from his view as the dragon landed on the grassy area and gently released him.

Donghae started running in the direction of the Aerie.

The dragon didn't even take a step as he made Donghae suddenly kiss the ground with a firm tap on the head using the padded underside of a claw. Donghae didn't waste time staying face down as he rolled himself around and made sure he could see the dragon.

Grinning fangs greeted him, the view only broken by the dragon's left shoulder and its curious markings.

No no no, Donghae thought, he does not want to get eaten!

"What?" the dragon snapped at him, the grin gone to be replaced by an offended look. "I'm not going to eat you!" So maybe Donghae had said it out loud. "I just wanna play."

Which was actually worse, in Donghae's opinion, recalling tales of dragons playing with their food before eating it. Donghae didn't stay to find out his fate. He nimbly rolled up to a stand and started running again.

"Ooh, are we playing chase?"

Donghae kissed the ground again, what with the dragon tapping on his back hard enough to make Donghae lose momentum and wobble on his running feet before falling ungracefully on tangled limbs.

"Whoops, sorry!" The dragon rumbled somewhere over and behind him. "But tag, you're it!"

Donghae raised his head, incredulous to find the dragon actually running away from where Donghae stood back up, perhaps thinking to play with a handicap by not flying. He irritatingly found the view from behind quiet cute, the way the dragon's hefty bottom and long tail kept swishing side to side as he ran.

Donghae ran in the opposite direction, still in the direction of the Aerie.

"Hey, no fair!" Donghae heard the rumble again far behind him, which only made him tuck his shoulders in and speed up. But it was no use - the dragon soon overtook him and Donghae ran left then right in an effort to confuse the dragon. The dragon stayed infront of him, almost amused at Donghae's efforts to lose him.

"I can keep this up all day, you know," the dragon rumbled ahead of Donghae, making a show of lazily flapping his wings and effortlessly flying.

Don't bet on it, Donghae mentally huffed. Training with an Aegila means endurance - this wasn't a tenth yet of what Donghae was capable of.

He suddenly darted to the right, into a thick canopy of trees. Unfortunately, it opened into another clearing - with the dragon still barring Donghae's way back to Aerie. Donghae stopped to get his bearings.

The dragon apparently thought Donghae was giving up. It sort of chuckled, causing Donghae to bristle. "I told you I can keep this up all day," the dragon said as he flew to Donghae's direction.

Donghae didn't bother avoiding the dragon this time, running as if to meet it. He could see the dragon frowning before Donghae ducked under the flapping wings and then on to the direction of the Aerie behind where the dragon came from. Donghae was relying on the dragon needing to bank around to catch up to him, where Donghae hoped he has enough time to lose himself in the forest and away from the dragon's sight.

No such luck. Donghae looked behind him, enough to see the dragon nimbly drop straight down and hop on its feet to do a hundred eighty degree turn before flapping wings and flying after Donghae.

, was all Donghae could manage to sing in his head even as he frantically tried to figure out how to take advantage of the terrain. He headed to a copse somewhere to the left, hoping the narrow space between the trees would deter the dragon.

The dragon kept up with Donghae, grinning as he flapped his wings along the length of his body instead of across, easily going through the narrow space.

"You're in my neck of the woods, I-"

A blur of white, black and brown suddenly barreled onto the dragon's blind side, the dragon roaring as the hit made him roll sideways in midair before slamming on his back onto a thicket of trees.

Donghae winced at the way the ground shook and the air was disturbed with that roar. But T'al Hasa's mental shout made him pump his legs as he took a running leap after the Aegila's running form, securing himself on her back before she flapped her wings to take off and fly back to the Aerie.

#

Hyukjae ruefully looked at his bruised ribs, lying back on his luxurious bed at the palace. He guessed he deserved it, so wholly concentrated on his "playmate" to miss the Aegila already sneaking up on him.

He thought it was a good day for an adventure, wondering why their so-called enemies were actually worthy adversaries. He had half expected the Aegelous he snatched to expire from fright at his dragon form, but no, he was even treated to a merry game of chase. They must be a sturdy lot, to be able to keep up running with flying beasts.

Hyukjae decided he was going to look for more playmates from the Aegelous.

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