John Price | Begruding Mates

Price had built a peaceful life for himself. Impressive, considering how many people had once wanted him dead. But that was all in the past, decades or probably roughly a century ago.

Hunting down dragons for their hoards, scales and even teeth or bones had kind of become a sport, a grim one, given the existence of dragon demis. On the other hand, people still ate beef even though cow demis existed. What a messed up world to live in.

Contrary to popular belief, dragon demis were more closely related to dragons than humans. Whereas most demi-human species evolved from humans, dragon demis existed long before humanity discovered language. As it were with humans, knowledge got lost and the minor population of dragon demis simply didn't bother.

In the relatively brief time Price had been under humans, he'd been given a human name and learned their crafts. John Price, a skilled hunter in his time among humans. It had been assigned to him, made so he'd fit into their standards. An interesting species for sure, one to be learned from and to be wary of. John had seen it coming. He retreated into another country before anyone could even think of demanding his literal skin. Humans always took, stripped everything off anyone and wondered why nothing remained.

After all, dragon demis quickly grew to resent humans after the last major dragon species officially went extinct. After that, John's kind became the only source of dragon scales. A popular resource among armorers. Most dragons had simply retreated into domains untouched by the humans, but those pests were spreading out across the globe with new technology.

They developed quickly, but John didn't care. He had his cabin, the wildlife respected him and his dragon roots instinctively and he didn't need much from the forest. It was a life of solitude, restful winters and productive summers.

The first time flying boats soared over his domain, John knew his solitude was ending. Once again, humans had devised a new way to make life miserable for those around them. Perhaps this was time for a restart, reintegration into their lives. Other demi humans were surely still around them, perhaps he could even find another dragon demi.

Another dragon demi. A dream he's had many times, especially around this time of the year. Dragons, as few as they had been, evolved interesting habits to ensure the survival of their species. Intense mating seasons, meaning when a dragon met another they almost inevitably produced offspring. With how scarce dragons were, this was the only way. Given how close dragon demis were to dragons, John was just about ready to romance the trees after roughly a century alone. If there were suspicious claw marks on any of those, that was just because John had marked his territory and nothing else.

His train of thought was pathetic, driven by the overwhelming instinct to get a mate. John was far from ready to forgive the humans, that way may never come. But contact with a human had already been initiated. A glance back at his new mate made him smile almost instinctively. Finally, something to take care of, someone to carry his offspring. Sure, it was a human. But he could have done worse. Unlike trees, humans were at least alive.

Lost, idiotic, naive. John hadn't gotten to know his mate yet, but this is about what he expects from it. He doesn't need a good personality or even willingness, he just needs something to satisfy his growing unrest. If he were picky; It wouldn't have been a human. Something makes him snap out of his train of thought.

Thanks to his tail resting over their sleeping body, John can immediately tell when it stirs and wakes up. He pretends not to notice, curious for its reaction to the new circumstance it finds itself in. May even be entertaining.