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-Gajeel-

My father was an idiot.

Gajeel Redfox, a centuries old dragon hybrid, stared off into the night from the open mouthed area of his cave. He glared at how peaceful the night seemed, and he was even jealous of such peace. He would never have that peace and comfort that so many lucky humans and creatures alike possessed.

I will forever be alone.

He never counted his ageless and winged cat, a gift that his father left him, as a true companion. Sure, Pantherlily was indeed a special cat. He could talk and make casual conversations with the half human/half dragon. He was Gajeel's best friend, his only friend at that.

But it still isn't enough. I need...

A mate. In all honesty, that is what he desired, what he needed. A dragon, even if he was only half dragon, needed the companionship of a significant other. It wasn't about the intimate moments, oh no. It was simply for the pure companionship. A friendship. Someone that he trusted and loved dearly enough to produce his offspring. It was in a dragon's blood to see to it that his genes be passed on and last. A dragon who's lineage died off was a dragon who failed at everything. Heck, the dragon shouldn't even deserve to live at that rate.

This world doesn't need anymore of my kind.

Gajeel, in a way, was glad that he had no chance at finding a potential mate, be it human or dragon. Neither species would want him, for he would taint their own pure bloodline. He knew for darn sure that he was the only hybrid in existence. Heck, he was probably the only creature alive that contained even a drop of dragon blood. Not a sound or sight of a dragon has reached his senses in ages.

I still have time, anyways...

Despite being over two hundred years old, he was barely even nineteen by human standards. He was still an adolescent, a child even. But with his aging almost complete, his dragon instincts to find that special female will soon kick into full gear. He didn't want that. He knew that if he ever stumbled upon the perfect girl, she would never, never, leave his sights.

"Thinking again? You know that hurts what little brain you have." a familiar voice teased as he appeared from within the shadows of the cave.

"Would you shut it? I ain't in the mood to deal with yer teasin' tonight," the silver scaled, human-looking creature replied softly, a deadlier tone than needed.

"I'm not out to tease you, not tonight anyways. What's up?" The black and white feline sat down next to his life-long friend, who was clearly struggling with his inner thoughts.

The young male(by his kind's standards anyways)sighed and glanced back towards the stars. "It's startin'. That's 'what's up'."

"You mean the whole mate thing? Relax, Gajeel. There isn't a female humanoid around for miles. Why, I bet--"

"You're wrong, cat. There's somethin' comin'. I feel a change in the breeze tonight, but I ain't sure if it's a good change or not," Gajeel admitted, his wings folded securely on his back.

"What kind of change?" Pantherlily asked.

"Somethin' big. It's a big change all right, but I ain't so sure what it is."

The little panther chuckled and stood up. "Why don't you go to sleep. I think your mind is playing tricks on you. Maybe it's this isolation. You should mingle with the local village, get to know them and all."

The hybrid snorted. "And get my butt shot at? No way. Besides, I'm a monster. That's what everyone sees me as, so why try and change their minds?"

The cat merely shrugged. "I'm sure not everyone will see you as a monster." He yawned and stretched his tiny arms. "Well, I think I'll go to sleep. You should too soon. It is getting rather late."

Gajeel heard his cat slide the stone door open that led into their "house" part of the cave. It was the sound of that stone door that reminded him that he wasn't entirely animal. He still needed the living style of a human as well. He needed chairs, tables, beds, and even books. He would never admit it, but he had a secret liking towards books. It wasn't anything major like a bookworm, but they did help him escape from his misery of a reality every now and then.

His eyes slightly drooping, Gajeel finally allowed his mind to admit that he was rather tired. He stood from his stone perch, walking deeper into his cave. The stone door was left cracked by Pantherlilly, as his small size forbidded him the ability to shut it back. With ease, Gajeel slipped inside his cave house, sliding the stone door closed.

His cat was already in a deep sleep, curled up in his small bed. Smiling slightly at the sight, Gajeel stomped over to his large bed, kicking off his iron studded boots.

Removing his coat and green shirt, he crawled into his bed and curled into his covers, sighing in content at the warmth.

It was early spring, and with that came such drastic weather. The days would be sweaty and hot, yet the nights would bring ice cold temperatures. It also rained often, but nothing more than rain. But Gajeel knew that the summer would bring thunder-storms and possibly even hurricanes. Sometimes, having a cave for a home was a real benefit.

After a few moments, the young dragon hybrid slowly managed to fall asleep.

~~~

I sense her. Mate is headed this way.

Gajeel woke up from his sleep, not realizing that he slept way past his early morning rise. It was already nearing noon, yet the young male could care less.

I sense rain. Mate will get sick.

Slapping the side of his head, Gajeel groaned at the sound of his inner beast. It's been years since the monster was this active, the last being when the worst storm in over a century rolled through.

And now this idiot was talking about "their mate".

I sense her. Mate is in the forest.

Growling, Gajeel shook his head.

'And what do you want me to do about it?! Let the girl go about her life. The last thing she needs is me.'

Go to mate. Go to mate. Go now.

Nearly snarling aloud, Gajeel walked over towards his stone door, rolling it back. He exited his cave house, leaving a crack for his cat. He knew that it would only be a matter of time before his inner dragon took over his movements, forcing him to go to the girl that his beast wants as a mate.

His father wasn't around when Gajeel was old enough to finally understand the details of a mate. He only knew the basics, and there was plenty more that he would have liked to know about for this moment.

Did the beast choose a mate for his humanoid at birth?

Did the beast claim the first female he scents after fully maturing?

Gajeel snorted at that thought. If that were true, then there would be many of his kind around. His father had an interesting choosing. He always wondered why the beast of his father was so...interested in humans. He knew that his father was more so seen around humans, and his father also tended to take his humanoid dragon form more often as well. It sparkled anger with the other dragons, despite the peace that had been made between dragons and humans.

My father was an idiot...and always will be.

He noticed that the sun was nearly at the peak of the light blue, clear sky. Lunch time was around, but he wasn't very hungry. There was too much on his mind now, far too much.

When suddenly...

Mate is in danger! Go to mate now!

A sudden burst of adrenaline filled Gajeel's body, a level of energy that he never knew to possess. It seemed as if he had no control over his body at all. He couldn't control himself as his wings folded out or when he jumped off the ledge, soaring towards the forest.

Even from the skies, he could smell the panic and fear of a human female. He could also smell something else that didn't settle well with him at all.

Blood...she's injured.

A scream echoed throughout the forest, and it willed the dragon to fly even faster. From above, he could see a blue-headed girl running for her life, behind her a larger-than-average brown bear chasing her. Soaring down, he pounced on the bear, dragging his clawed feet through the bears hide. Blood spurted everywhere, even on him. But he didn't care. His instincts were in full gear now.

Save mate. Kill bear. Save mate. Kill bear.

Gajeel used his razor sharp claws to grab the bear and slice at his neck, successfully ending the bear's life.

Then, he noticed the girl's pause in step. Before she could see him, he made a quick dash for the dense forest bushes and such, keeping himself well hidden.

Follow mate. Keep mate safe.

Gajeel really had no choice but to simply listen to his inner beast. Although he did remain in the shadows of the forest, he followed the young woman around. But after a while, he noticed with great annoyance that this blunette was entirely lost. They've circled the same area twice for crying out loud!

This shrimp has terrible sense of direction.

He nearly snorted at his own thought, instantly liking the nickname he created for his little mate. Lifting his head up into the air, he took in deep whiffs of the surrounding area, hoping that this girl had a tent or a possession around that would give him clues as to where she started her walk.

Catching the scent of a pack that was coated in the girl's scent, he smirked slightly and followed it, leaving claw-marks on a tree every now and then to keep a clear path. He knew the shrimp would find his markings sooner-or-later.

For now, he would bid his time by snooping around in her belongings. His beast claimed that she was their mate, that little, troublesome, annoying,...cute girl.

Oh, snap out of it you sissy!

The only thing he found in her pack was a camera and a ton of books. He wasn't surprised that a girl like her would easily get lost in the forest. It seemed that the only experience she had with survival was by reading a story about it.

Mate has same hobbies as you.

She did have the same hobbies as Gajeel, but he would never admit that. He liked books, but he didn't love them.

The sudden snap of a twig broke Gajeel away from his thoughts, alerting him that this very girl was closing in. Quickly, he flew into the nearby shadows of the forest. He barely was able to escape from being seen by the blue-headed girl, as she appeared right after.

He noticed that a sudden fear and realization took over her face as she spotted her pack. A large smirk appeared on the hybrid's face as he watched her grab her pack and quickly run away.

After he was sure she wouldn't look back, he emerged from the shadows, staring at the girl as she ran away with the still large smirk on his face, his fangs on full display.

Mate is headed towards the cave.

'I know'

Was that were she was headed? Was she really attempting to discover 'the Monster of the Mountains'?

Go back to cave. Go now!

He rolled his eyes at his beast's demanding ways. It's as if the monster within him thought he would go somewhere other than the cave. Where else did he have to go?

Taking off up into the skies above, Gajeel quickly hovered past the girl and onwards to his cave. If his thoughts were right, he would only have to simply sit and wait for the girl to literally come to him.

~~~

Night was setting upon the land, rain pouring down from the heavens. It seemed a terrible idea to venture out into this downpour, but Gajeel knew of one small, little woman who was enduring this weather. It didn't settle with him.

Mate will get sick. Find mate and bring her here. Get mate warm!

'Shut up! She's gonna get here soon anyways'

The hybrid dragon was sitting in the corner of the cave, knowing that he wouldn't be seen by her from the entrance area. He didn't want a mate, an innocent human girl who was about to have her life ruined forever. However, he also knew that he wouldn't be able to stop his inner beast from taking over his body, and he hated being out of control. All he had to do now was wait a--

"Hello?" a small voice called out.

Gajeel snapped his head towards the entrance of the cave. Standing there, dripping wet from the heavy downpour, was none other than his very own mate.

He watched as she smirked in some form of victory, the smirk making her all the more appealing. He nearly laughed as he realized that she thought there was no one in here, so he decided to play a little game with the girl.

He let out a low growl, having to hold back on his laughter when he saw the sudden shock and fear swarm over the short woman. Her face paled, and for an instant, it reminded him how easily she could catch a cold right now. Luckily, he was able to snap out of his thoughts quickly.

He noticed that the girl had turned around and was beginning to make a run for it.

Stupid Shrimp. Does she actually think that she can outrun me?

Quickly, he leaped forward and wrapped his arms around her, now realizing just how short and small she really is. She didn't even come up to his shoulders.

Leaning down, Gajeel leaned towards her right ear. "And where do you think you're going?"

The blunette began to thrash around in his hold, whimpering in pure fright. It aroused a guilt feeling from within him, but he simply ignored it.

"Please! Please, I'm sorry for trespassing! I'll leave and never return, I promise!" she pleaded with him.

The guilt feeling didn't go away. In fact, it came back at full force. It was so strong that the beast within him took over, the need to calm his mate down now at an ultimate high.

The hybrid, now solely on instinct alone, nuzzled his mate in a very comforting way. Surprisingly, his mate did indeed calm down, relaxing slightly in his hold. It was enough to satisfy the beast and allow Gajeel to take over once more. He replayed what she said to him in his mind, disliking the idea of her leaving him.

"Why would I let you go back to that revolting, despicable village and allow you to run your mouth about my existence? True they believe I exist, but they have no solid proof yet, and they never will. No...I will keep you here with me, for the rest of your pathetic mortal life," he purred to her.

Her body began to tremble, but Gajeel didn't know if it was from his purring or the fact that he declared he would keep her here forever.

Gajeel had a mate now, and he didn't like it. Not one bit.