Old Meets New

In an ancient forest, an elder Forest Dragon tutors a youngling.

“Always pay attention to the littlest things,” the Elder said. “They will tell you when something is amiss.”
The youngling titled her head, looking at her verdant surroundings. Everything appeared peaceful. Birds sang. Small tree mammals chittered. Larger animals moved through the underbrush farther away. “What could go amiss, Elder? Everything is as it always has been.”
“Is it?”
“Of course.”
The Elder said nothing.
She surveyed the surrounding forest again. Nothing had changed. The birds continued their songs and the little mammals still chittered. The larger animals—the youngling fluttered her wings, suddenly uncertain. The larger animals no longer moved. One by one, sounds fell silent until only the wind rattling the leaves reached her.
An unfamiliar scent drifted on the breeze. Sharp. Metallic.
“What…” The youngling shivered as the scent grew stronger. “What is that, Elder?”
“Humans,” the older dragon rumbled. His massive head swiveled into the wind. “A hunting party from the smell of it.”
“What do they hunt?”
“Anything. Everything. Including us.”
The youngling couldn’t stop her trembling or keep the fear from creeping into her voice. “What do we do?”
He leveled his gaze on his young charge for a moment before scooping her up to place her on his back. Merging with the trees, both dragons seemed to disappear into the green. “We hunt.”

Image was created with DALL-E 3 and modified with Procreate.