The Little Dragon and the Cold Lady of the Cave

“Daisy… Daisy…”

It felt like she had just had a dream.

That was what Daisy thought, yet she couldn’t remember a single detail of it.

All she could feel was the soft surface beneath her, and by her ear, that familiar, slightly cool yet gentle voice calling her.

“Daisy… Daisy… wake up…”

“Mmnh…”

Daisy’s little head slowly stirred awake from the haze of dreams.

She kept her eyes closed for a moment, dazed and unfocused, before finally opening them.

The blurry scene before her gradually sharpened into clarity.

Beneath her small body was a thick layer of soft, fluffy white feathers, carrying a faint scent of vanilla.

Beside her lay a figure—long black hair cascading like a waterfall, a slender and pale body reclining on its side, completely unclothed.

Smooth, flawless skin and graceful curves were fully exposed, along with an ample, striking chest.

Her face was exquisitely beautiful, like a painting, and a pair of silver-gray eyes—both cold and gentle at once—were fixed unblinking on Daisy.

“Daisy, wake up. It’s morning. I need to go find food for you.”

Right beside her, the beautiful dragon lady lay close, her alluring, unclothed body almost within reach.

Her gaze was soft as she looked at Daisy, though in the gentle morning light filtering in, the scene felt oddly surreal.

“?!”

Still groggy, Daisy was startled by what she saw.

Her small body rolled instinctively to the side, putting some distance between them as she crouched low, watching the unclothed dragon lady like a wary little animal, her mind in complete disarray.

Before Daisy could fully process anything, the dragon lady casually tossed over something like a fluffy blanket.

In the slightly cool air, it dropped over Daisy from head to toe.

“Wah—gahhh…!”

“Now that you’re awake, get off my wings. Put on your clothes and wait here.”

With the dragon lady’s gentle voice, Daisy—wrapped in the fluffy blanket—felt the soft feather “mattress” beneath her slowly withdraw.

Dizzy and disoriented, she was dragged along and tumbled onto what felt like a ground covered in hay.

Flailing her limbs in a panic, Daisy finally managed to poke her head out of the blanket.

Just in time, she saw the tall, graceful figure of the dragon lady from behind—still completely unclothed.

Behind her, those white feather-like structures spread out like massive wings, then gradually retracted, inch by inch, into her smooth, beautiful back, disappearing completely.

The tall dragon lady stood there, her body fully exposed yet carrying an innate, regal aura—proud and dignified, as if nudity itself was irrelevant.

In the dim cave lit by slanting morning light, she calmly ran her slender, pale fingers through her long black hair.

With a casual flick, the strands parted, revealing a pair of black, curved horns atop her head—something no human possessed.

She turned her cool, beautiful face toward Daisy.

Within her silver-gray eyes lingered a trace of warmth reserved only for someone dear.

Her soft lips parted as she spoke in a quiet murmur.

“Good morning, Daisy. Finally awake?”

“……”

Wrapped tightly in the fluffy blanket, Daisy tried to piece together her hazy memories.

Then, as if suddenly recalling something, she remembered the name of this horned dragon lady she had always lived with.

In a soft, childish voice, she replied timidly:

“Good… morning… Viola…”

Viola—the dragon lady with black hair, silver eyes, and sharp horns—curved her lips into a faint, slightly mischievous smile.

She reached out with her soft, slender hand and gently ruffled Daisy’s messy, fluffy hair.

“I’ll go get your breakfast. Stay here and wait, my little Daisy.”

After patting her head, Viola turned her delicate, unclothed body and walked toward the only source of light in the cave.

It seemed she was heading out for a while, moving with effortless confidence, completely unbothered by her lack of clothing.

Daisy held the spot on her head that had just been touched, staring blankly at Viola’s departing figure.

The ground was covered in hay.

The ceiling and walls were rough, uneven rock.

The entire place seemed to be a natural cave, barely touched by human hands.

Soft morning light and the scent of forest drifted in from the entrance—it was clearly located deep within a forest.

Watching Viola walk out, her long black hair flowing down to her knees, Daisy’s small mind suddenly produced a random thought.

Going outside like that… without clothes… is that really okay?

After Viola left, the large hay-covered cave was left with only Daisy.

She stared blankly at the cave entrance for a while, then clumsily wrapped the black-gray fur blanket around herself.

It seemed to be some kind of animal hide, with openings on both sides for arms.

Once she slipped her arms through, it resembled a fluffy short dress.

Daisy vaguely remembered Viola mentioning before that this was the fur of a rare monster called a scorpion-tailed fox, casually hunted by Viola.

Either way, it was warm.

Come to think of it…

Since I can remember, I’ve been living here with Viola…

Just the two of us… always…

Daisy stood there in the vast, empty cave, lost in thought.

Then she got up from the soft hay and walked toward one side of the cave, where the only metal storage cabinet stood.

Standing on tiptoe, she stretched out her small hands and barely reached the cold handle.

With effort, she pulled.

Creak—

With the grinding sound of rusted metal, the cabinet opened easily.

Dust and the weight of time spilled out.

Daisy reached inside and picked up an old mirror.

Through the dusty surface, she saw her reflection.

White hair falling past her shoulders, slightly messy and fluffy.

A slender body, not even reaching Viola’s shoulder in height.

A pale, delicate little face.

And a pair of large, clear golden-red eyes staring blankly back at her.

She also saw, on both sides of her head, a pair of small red horns.

Different in shape and color from Viola’s—but still unmistakably draconic.

So… this is what I look like?

For some reason, Daisy felt a faint sense of unfamiliarity toward her own reflection.

She had no memory of her past. But Viola had told her—once, she had been human. Very close to Viola.

Humans had short lives, and she had died in a cruel conflict.

Viola had taken her soul and placed it into a dragon egg, allowing her to be reborn.

Daisy vaguely remembered that, when Viola first saw her, she had said something like,

“Ah… so this egg is female…”

Or maybe she hadn’t. It was unclear.

Now, Daisy had almost no memories of her past life. Only a vague sense of having lived before.

In this life, she had always lived here with Viola—just the two of them—for what felt like hundreds of years.

Though Viola once mentioned that, a thousand years ago, Daisy had been a romantic human explorer—traveling the world, chasing distant horizons, exploring unknown lands, even seeking the truth of gods and demons.

But now, as a reborn dragon, Daisy was no different from any young dragon.

Innocent, ignorant of the world, full of curiosity and imagination.

Still in the stage of being raised—no, guided—by the cold, powerful, and invincible dragon lady Viola.

“………………”

After staring blankly at the old items in the cabinet for a while, Daisy snapped back to her senses.

Standing on tiptoe again, she shut the cabinet with effort.

At that moment—

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

A strange sound came from outside the cave.

Heavy footsteps shook the ground at steady intervals, growing louder and closer—like some massive beast approaching.

W-what is that?!

Frightened, Daisy hid in the shadows beside the cabinet.

This clearly wasn’t Viola returning. Something huge was heading toward the cave.

This forest was dangerous—home to monsters and beasts humans dared not approach.

A creature with earth-shaking footsteps wasn’t unusual.

Dragons were the strongest race in the human world.

They possessed immense magic, ancient spells, overwhelming strength, shapeshifting abilities, near-indestructible bodies, and near-endless lifespans.

But those powers only fully manifested after maturity.

And growing into adulthood took hundreds, even thousands of years.

Right now, Daisy was still a child. She had little ability to defend herself.

Sometimes, she wondered—why did Viola always leave her alone in this open cave with no door when going out to hunt?

What if a bloodthirsty monster came in…?

The footsteps grew louder and louder.

Terrified, Daisy crouched beside the cabinet, hugging her head tightly, shrinking into herself, hoping the creature would just pass by.

But it didn’t.

The sound came closer—closer—until it stopped right outside the cave.

“……”

Daisy trembled as she peeked out.

At the entrance stood something enormous, blocking most of the light.

A massive eye stared in—yellow sclera, bloodshot veins, and a horizontal pupil.

Her heart lurched violently.

She immediately pulled her head back, crouching down, not daring to breathe.

“Daisy, it’s me. I’m back.”

At that terrifying moment, Viola’s familiar voice rang out from the entrance—cool yet gentle.

I-it’s Viola?!

Daisy felt a bit relieved—but then doubt crept in.

Viola had once said that some monsters could mimic voices…

Even imitate the voices of loved ones to lure victims closer…

Then—

Nothing.

Daisy curled up even tighter, not daring to respond.

Suddenly—

A loud thud of something heavy hitting the ground.
A sickening sound of flesh being torn.

Then footsteps again—no longer heavy, but dragging, accompanied by a thick smell of blood.

“Uu……”

Daisy trembled harder, letting out a faint whimper, frozen in place.

The footsteps came closer.
Closer.

Until—

They stopped right beside the cabinet.

“Daisy, why are you hiding here? It’s time for breakfast.”

The voice was still Viola’s.

And mixed with the smell of blood was a faint, familiar scent of vanilla.

“?!”

Daisy opened her eyes in shock and looked up.

There was Viola—her beautiful face slightly puzzled.

Still unclothed, holding a large bundle of animal hide in one arm, and in the other, a huge chunk of dripping meat.

“Viola! Viola! Wuuuu!”

Daisy cried out, overwhelmed, nearly bursting into tears.

She threw herself into Viola’s soft, warm embrace, rubbing her head against her, clinging tightly as if afraid she might disappear.

The blood smell came from the prey Viola had brought back.

The heavy footsteps earlier were from her carrying the head of a giant troll she had hunted.

The “eye” Daisy saw… had been the troll’s.

“Hey… what’s wrong, my little Daisy?”

Viola smiled gently, her icy demeanor melting.

She set the bundle aside and wrapped an arm around Daisy’s small body, speaking softly, with deeper meaning:

“Don’t worry. I’ll always stay by your side… even when you grow up… even when you remember everything…”

Dragons possess overwhelming power, endless lifespans, and the freedom to change their form at will.

Yet this chaotic world can never truly accept them.

So dragons remain strong yet solitary, wandering endlessly.

Only by each other’s side do they find a place to belong.

This is a story of growth and journey, sin and forgiveness, time and the unknown.

A gray fairy tale belonging only to the two of them.

May this fleeting yet warm thousand-year dream never awaken.