Chapter Text
Cloud kept his body low, his fingers lightly grazing the ground. The blood trail was unmistakable against brilliant, white snow. Thick crimson dotted a clear path up a nearby slope, and a telling smear advised the young hunter that his prey had stumbled as it pushed up the icy bank.
It had been nearly half a day since Cloud had struck the great mountain cat with a bolt from his trusty bow. The creature was badly wounded. It’s blood trail was thick, but somehow, it had kept moving. Cloud had expected to find the creature’s dead body for hours, but he was still following its trail higher and higher up the mountain.
The air was chilled and dotted with snow. It was already too late in the season to be on Nibel Mountain, but Cloud had needed the extra kills. His meager trappings wouldn’t earn enough to keep him fed and housed through the winter. The Nibel lion had been an enormous boon. It’s enormous, spotted pelt would earn far more than anything else Cloud had packed away. Every inch of it was a gold mine. It’s teeth, bones, claws… Everything would earn something as long as he could find the beast.
Cloud shuddered. The sun was already making its way on a downward path. He wouldn’t have enough daylight to make it back down the mountain, but he felt sure he had the supplies to camp safely after he found his catch.
He could see his breath, and the clouds had condensed and darkened overhead. It was a bad sign. A snow storm on Nibel Mountain could rage for weeks, but it was still a little too early for such fearsome weather. Still, even a few hours of hard snow could spell trouble for Cloud’s journey home. The elevation was already making life difficult. The air was thinner, and frost had formed on every piece of Cloud’s gear and hair. Even his thick climbing gear couldn’t keep the chill out of his clothes.
He had to be getting close. He certainly couldn’t stop now. The Nibel lion had left almost as much blood in the snow as it had in his body. The corpse couldn’t be far. Shouldering his bow once again, Cloud pressed onward.
He tracked the creature’s path for another hour before he finally came to a rise and a clearing. Tremendous relief filled him as he caught site of the cat’s body. The beast lay where it had fallen from a tree. Cloud’s bold had struck true, and still protruded from the creature’s shoulder. Cloud must have just missed its heart. It was either a miracle or a testament to the creature’s power that it had managed to move so far with such a severe wound.
Cloud withdrew his bow and struck the creature again from a distance, just to make sure it was truly dead. The beast didn’t move, and, while Cloud was sad to have marred the pelt further, he was glad he took the precaution.
He made his way down to the creature, and marveled at his kill. He’d never accomplished such an extraordinary hunt. He’d taken up tracking years before to support himself after his mother’s death, but he rarely did more than run a few trap lines. This year, he’d taken more risk, but the reward would be great.
Cloud couldn’t deny himself the small smile of victory. He had been struggling, and this was finally a step in the right direction. Perhaps he’d finally be able to put down some real roots.
Almost as soon as Cloud began to feel safe, the temperature dropped rapidly. Cloud tensed, and looked around, shocked and awed as the world turned white. It was eery the way the scenery disappeared around him in a flurry of white. Cloud wondered how anyone could see in such a blizzard. His kill was going to have to wait, if it even survived the weather. Cloud pulled his coat closer to his body and tried to remember where the nearest cover was.
It was horrible luck to be caught in the open just a storm began. Cloud fought down his own panic and began walking slowly in the direction he thought he’d seen trees earlier. He hoped, desperately, that he would reach cover before dark.
He must have had his bearings wrong, because Cloud found no trees. He’d walked for nearly an hour before he lost his footing and found himself tumbling down a steep slope. When he landed, he was out of breath, but, thankfully, nothing was broken. Even his bow seemed relatively undamaged, despite the rolling.
Cloud stood slowly and tried to find his bearings once more, but there was nothing to find. Cloud began to walk along the slope, hoping he’d find some sheltered corner against the hillside.
He thought he could see a rocky outcropping ahead. It was hard to make out the full shape through the snow, but he felt hopeful. As he began to get close, that hope grew and sharpened Cloud’s determination. Some of his panic slipped away now that shelter was in sight.
Then the cliff began to move.
Cloud’s entire body stilled with sudden panic. It wasn’t a cliff at all, but a great beast - far greater than the Nibel lion he’d taken down earlier. It was the biggest creature Cloud had ever seen - bigger than he’d ever known existed.
It lumbered closer. In a great rush of air, it lifted a giant wing and cut off the gust of snowy wind that had been blocking Cloud’s view. It was a Nibel dragon. For as long as Cloud had been alive, none had been seen. Most of the young people in their village believed they’d been nothing but myth, but the elders had spoken of the great, spined dragons that lurked in the snow.
Large eyes were focused on Cloud. They were enormous and cat-like. Brilliant blues and greens wove through irises that were split through the center with great, black pupils. It’s body shimmered with elegant silvery scales and spines. Beautiful and deadly.
Cloud was staring down a living legend.
For a moment, all was calm, then Cloud reached for his bow. The dragon revealed great, white fangs, and Cloud turned to run. He ran as fast as he could through the snow, back through his previous footprints. He only slid to a stop when he heard the beast close behind him.
He turned and knocked an arrow in a moment. He send it flying toward the dragon’s shoulder, hoping to distract it. He didn’t wait to see if his arrow landed. Cloud turned and ran again for the slope.
He fell just in time for a great burst of flame to fly over his head. Cloud slid through the snow. His head hit hard on a nearby rock, and his world went black.
__________________________________________________________________
When Cloud woke, there was a terrible throbbing at the back of his skull. His eyes refused to adjust, his muscles ached, but he was finally warm again. He shifted just a bit, and several thick layers of fur shifted with him. He was laying in some kind of improvised bed. The furs were thick, but his bedding lacked any sheets or blankets. With some alarm, Cloud noted he was also naked.
Who had found him on the mountain? Why hadn’t the dragon killed him?
Cloud brought a hand to his head and closed his eyes. He tried to think. Perhaps it wasn’t odd that he was naked. If he’d been on the mountain for any amount of time, he would have started freezing to death. Anyone with experience in the high mountains would have known to strip him and encourage his body to heat up gradually to preserve his limbs.
First, he needed to figure out where he was. Everything else could follow.
The blond sat up very slowly. He felt a short wave of dizziness, but, other than that, there was only slight aching in his limbs. He wasn’t injured. Cloud allowed himself a minute to compose himself before he looked around slowly. The room wasn’t really a room. The walls were carved stone, and there was no light outside of the soft glow coming from an improvised fire pit. This was surely a cave of some kind, but it had been modified into a cozy, little home. It was warm, secluded, and presumably safe.
“You’re awake,” A deep voice murmured from nearby.
Cloud forced his eyes to refocus on the fire pit. There was a man bent next to the flames, tending a pot of food - presumably stew. Cloud felt a sudden pang of hunger. How long had it been since he’d eaten?
Cloud blinked a few times, and his eyes finally seemed to adjust. The man’s features swam into focus, and they were… Unusual. His hair was so long that it brushed the floor. It looked white or silver, and it took an unusual shine in the low light of the fire.
This man was naked too. His body was heavily muscled and toned. Certainly, Cloud had never seen anyone with such a body in his own village. The stranger’s shoulders were broad, but he narrowed at his middle. It would have been elegant if he’d worn any clothes. Instead, it looked obscene, drawing his eyes downward. The blond averted his eyes and bit his lip. He was incredibly uncomfortable.
“I’m awake,” Cloud agreed. He pulled the furs a bit closer and tried to avoid eye contact.
“You’re hungry.” It wasn’t a question. The man turned with a bowl in one hand.
“Where am I?” Cloud questioned.
The man approached, sitting at the edge of the bed of furs before offering the bowl to Cloud. Cloud carefully took the meal from the man’s hands. There were no utensils, but Cloud wasn’t too proud to slurp something directly from the bowl at this point. Now that it was under his nose, Cloud could smell that it was a hardy stew of course. Perhaps it was a little watery, but classic thickening agents weren’t common in the mountains.
“You are not far from where you fell,” The man answered.
Cloud glanced up and froze as his eyes caught the stranger’s again. His eyes were an unusual, brilliant blue-green. A familiar shade, but the slit pupil through their center was far more telling. Cloud felt a thrill of cold spread through his lower stomach.
“Who are you?” Cloud forced himself to ask.
“You should be able to guess. You were wandering in my territory,” The man answered. His lips quirked and Cloud caught of glimpse of the sharp fangs behind his lips.
“That’s impossible,” Cloud whispered. His grip on the bowl began to shake. The man, or monster, reached out to steady Cloud’s hands. Even the light touch told Cloud that there was tremendous strength in this man’s fingers.
“Nibel dragons aren’t even real… How…? Did you drug me?” Cloud swallowed hard, looking down at the food in front of him. “What do you want? And… Why am I alive?”
“Eat this first. You’ll want your strength, and you should not turn away my hospitality,” The man ordered. Slit pupils flashed as the man watched Cloud closely. Pale fingers rose to touch Cloud’s cheek. “I will explain after.”
Cloud took in a long breath through his nose. He bit his lip, thinking hard, but then nodded and brought the bowl to his lips. It was some relief when the stranger backed away so that Cloud could finish his meal. The blond ate quickly, continuing to watch for any bad behavior from the supposed dragon. Once the bowl was empty, Cloud set it aside and waited.
They sat in an uncomfortable silence for some time before the man spoke. “Winter has already fallen here. It will be impossible for you to make your way down the mountain. You certainly could never survive up here on your own.”
Cloud felt even colder - despite the heaps of furs. If that were true, and winter had fallen early… Then his death was inevitable. He wasn’t an idiot. He’d already been hunting for too long on the lower slopes. He might have frozen to death in his original camp if winter had fallen so suddenly. At the current altitude, he had no chance of survival.
“I can offer you a deal…” The dragon almost crooned. He leaned over the bed, his silver hair falling around him. Cloud leaned further back to get away from the creature.
“What is your name?” Cloud asked. The beast smirked, and Cloud got another peek at sharpened fangs.
“You may call me Sephiroth.”
Cloud wrinkled his nose. “That’s an odd name.”
“Among dragons, it’s a perfectly normal,” Sephiroth argued. He leaned forward, then dipped down and lay next to Cloud instead of leaning over him. “What do they call you?”
“Cloud.”
The beast made a bit of a humming noise. “It’s suits you. Light hair with eyes like the sky.”
Cloud shifted uncomfortably. He preferred to be clothed when someone commented on his looks. He swallowed, eyes searching the dragon’s face. It was becoming easier to believe that he wasn’t human. Sephiroth’s features were a bit too sharp and a bit too perfect to be human. Cloud had never seen a human with silver hair either, but it was the eyes that were a dead give away. The color in them almost seemed living. The blue and green of them seemed to shift as the pupils moved. It was beautiful and eery.
Sephiroth seemed to be studying Cloud’s eyes with equal fascination. They both continued to stare with quiet intensity, until Cloud finally asked the essential question.
“What deal can you offer me?”
“You wont like it,” Sephiroth insisted. “But, if you agree, I will guarantee your safety and provide care through the winter. You’ll be free to go on your way once the weather breaks.”
Cloud already didn’t like the sound of it. Wasn’t there any way for the dragon to get him down the mountain now? He couldn’t imaging spending an entire season in a mountain cave. Winters ran long in the mountains. He might be trapped for four months or more before he could find his way home.
Sephiroth took a deep breath.
“There are things you’ll need to know about dragons before you can agree… First, we are all of one gender. There is no separation of females and males for dragons,” Sephiroth explained. Cloud looked a bit confused, but did not comment, so Sephiroth continued. “We require a host to breed.”
Cloud stiffened noticeably. He did not like where this was going.
“Our eggs draw from the host like materia draws from the earth,” Sephiroth explained. “A worthy host is essential to strong children.”
Cloud’s mind was racing. Surely this wasn’t possible? He was a man. He couldn’t just… Wouldn’t it be dangerous? He wondered for a moment if he even had a choice. What would Sephiroth do to him if he refused.
“H-How is it done? W-What are you asking of me?” Cloud managed to ask. He hated himself for the way his voice wavered, but he was afraid. No one had ever touched him intimately before. He didn’t want it. He definitely didn’t want to go through what seemed to be a pregnancy.
“I would implant my eggs inside you. They start quite small. You’ll barely notice them at first. Over the winter, they’ll grow in size - drawing from your strength. When the winter breaks, you’ll birth them here, in a nest I will prepare for them,” Sephiroth explained, as though it were a simple thing. “After that, you’ll be free to leave.”
“Wont it… It sounds dangerous.” Cloud’s expression had darkened. It sounded painful and humiliating, but no one in his village would ever know. That was a small comfort to the young hunter.
“I wont allow you to be harmed,” Sephiroth promised. “The pregnancy itself should not be dangerous to you, as long as I keep you well fed and cared for. The birthing process should be easier than the average human birth. The eggs will still be small when you pass them.”
Everything went quiet again. Cloud’s mouth had gone dry and his head hurt again. He didn’t know what to do.
“What will you do if I say ‘no?’” Cloud questioned.
“I’ll return your gear, wrap you in a fur, and put you outside. You’ll surely freeze to death, but you can do it on your own terms,” Sephiroth offered.
Cloud was beginning to understand that he didn’t really have an option. It was near certain death or spend the winter with a dragon that wanted to essentially breed him.
“How long would you give me to prepare before…?” Cloud trailed off. He didn’t know how to explain what Sephiroth wanted to do to him. He was already red in the face just thinking about it. “I-I mean… I need time. I-I’ve never….” Cloud’s throat constricted. How the fuck was he supposed to explain to a dragon that he was a virgin and needed time to resign himself to a loveless first time?
“It will be very similar to human sex. I promise you. Maybe a bit longer, because it will take some time to plant my eggs,” Sephiroth explained. Cloud could almost appreciate that the dragon was trying to comfort him.
Cloud’s fingers twisted in the furs. He bit his lip hard. He’d never been so thoroughly humiliated in his entire life.
The dragon seemed to pause a moment. Brilliant eyes examined the human’s reaction closely, as though it were some foreign thing he needed to interpret. “You’ve never mated before?” Sephiroth finally guessed.
Even Cloud’s ears were red as he heard the words. He lowered his head to hide his embarrassment, but the dragon saw it clearly. The news seemed to please the great beast, because Cloud began to hear a low rumbling purr in its throat.
“I can give you a few days to adjust,” Sephiroth promised. “You can ask me all the questions you want. Lay next to me, become familiar with my body and scent.” Sephiroth leaned forward just a bit, noticeably inhaling as he took in Cloud’s scent. “I will make it as painless as I can.”
Cloud fidgeted nervously. “Why does it have to be me? Wouldn’t another host be better?”
Sephiroth’s eyes stared intensely into Cloud’s. “The reason I pulled you from the snow, is because you’re the perfect host. I could feel it immediately… And I would be very sad to send you away now.”
The dragon reached out and brushed a bit of hair from Cloud’s face. “I’m sorry this frightens you, but I cannot offer you better. What will you do?”
Cloud turned his face away from Sephiroth. He wished he wasn’t so obviously afraid. It was unfitting for a hunter to show so much emotion. Cloud was supposed to be as strong and unmoving as the mountain, but he’d never been very good at it. He could be quiet, often his face was emotionless, but he felt too much too deeply to seem as stoic as the better respected hunters were.
Cloud wondered briefly if his life was worth sacrificing his pride to the dragon. There was no one at home who would miss him, except perhaps Tifa, and they had never been very close. Was his life really such a great loss. Cloud’s fingers clenched and unclenched a few times. It was a ridiculous line of thought. He wanted to live. Even if no one wanted him, there was so much that Cloud still wanted to experience.
Sephiroth never interrupted his thoughts or pressed. Nearly an hour must have passed before Cloud answered.
“I’ll do it.”
