Standing beside Mira, Miok stared with wide-eyed wonder from the moment she saw him.

The most beautiful Dragon she had ever come laid her eyes on.

She would have sworn, then and there, in her 26 years of existence she had never met a Dragon as gorgeous as the one she was seeing right then - and she had seen her fair share of them.

Scales an iridescent violet. Amethyst flames dancing on the hind of his legs and the length of his spine to the tip of his tail. The marking over his chest, a familiar swirly pattern, triggering a memory she thought she had forgotten.

"Mira..."

Miok's voice was too low, a whisper that barely made it past her lips. Not loud enough for the medic to hear, yet the dragons ears flickered, serpentine gaze burning her where she stood. Mesmerized by the sheer beauty of the Dragon.

Her ears rang, heart skipping every other beat, pumping blood too fast and too slow at the same time. She felt as if her lungs had caught fire. Palms clammy and gross, vision tunneling to focus on him and him alone.

He stared right back at her. Teeth gnashed in a snarl, violet eyes burning with hatred.

Muzzled and chained to the wall, he looked no less intimidating had been been soaring through the skies. He was ten times the size of a human, not to mention hundreds times as stronger as well.

Unconscious of her actions, Miok took a hypnotised step towards the Dragon. It was the sharp tug on her top, the one that pulled her right back to where she'd been standing that snapped her out of hypnosis, blinking back at Mira with confusion.

"Unnie, I know he's both muzzled and chained. Doesn't make him any less dangerous, please be careful," Mira told her, looking more frightened than Miok. "This Dragon has mutilated two medics already, stay beyond the yellow line."

 Miok grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of her head.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that," She said before turning back towards the Dragon. He was pressed against the opposite wall, muscles coiled, ready to spring at the smallest of movements from the two humans. Smoke bellowing out of his nostrils. "He's beautiful."

Mira smile - almost endeared - at her words. Her own gaze shifting towards the Dragons.

"It is, isn't it." 

Her voice had gone, soft. Mushy if Miok had to place it exactly. A smile tugged at her own lips at the younger girl's admiration towards the Dragon.

However, something confused her.

"Mira... we visited about seven cells this evening. How come he's the only one muzzled? No other Dragon was." Miok questioned, turning her eyes back to study the violet wonder in front of her.

Mira winced as she took a step forward to stand beside Miok. "Because he wouldn't let anyone near enough for us to remove it. Anyone who had permission to do so are too terrified to even try and no Rider wants to give it a try. Newbies might, but they'd rather not lose limbs trying to. And veteran Riders are too busy to ever come down here."

Miok hummed as she nodded her head.

"Also, why do you keep addressing him as 'It'?" She asked, brows furrowing. It wasn't like Dragons didn't have gender. They were usually addressed as he/she/they as much as any human would be.

"Yeah, it's gender is still unidentified. It has yet to transform into it's human form. We don't even have a name." Mira explained. This only opting to confuse Miok further.

"Why does he need to transform to identify his gender? He's male," She said with utermost certainity, smiling back at the Dragon. Ears standing erect, he was listening to the humans talk. Eyes darting from one girl to the other. However, remaining on Miok's when their gaze met. Challenging, not willing to back down.

"How can you tell?" Mira sounded surprised by her assumption - or what she thought was assumption.

Miok shrugged a shoulder. 

"I don't know how to explain this. It's not a purely physical assumption. It's the way he's standing, his poise. His snarl, his protectiveness. It just, something solely him."

Miok looked at Mira to give her a helpless shrug. That was the only way she could explain this to her.

Chuckling, Mira shook her head.

"If you say so," she didn't exactly sound convinced. Not that Miok cared. "But for now, help me feed i- him?" She looked confused, but still addressed him by the gender Miok had identified him as. If she truly admitted it, she'd never be able to work with newly captured Dragons again, but calling them 'it' was disturbing.

Miok smiled widely, nodding her head.

"Okay, what do I have to do?"

Mira gave her a pained look. Miok was instantly in alert, realising something was wrong.

"It's not anything you have to do Unnie. He's refusing to eat. It's been a whole day since he was brought in and.... nothing." Mira explained, sounding sad. "If he keeps this up... they'll send him to the breeding labs." 

Mira sighed, staring at the Dragon like he was already dead. Then shaking her head, and giving Miok a tight-lipped smile, she turned around.

"Come on, we're done down here. He's my last charge for today. Let's go back to the Violet Quarters," Mira said giving Miok a pat on the shoulder. Then, without looking back, she strode out the door.

Miok stood there for a moment longer. Eyes stuck on the Dragon she had temporarily named 'Violet Wonder'. Hissing through his teeth, he pulled himself closer to the wall. The resemblance of a Dragon being reduced to a trapped creature building tears in her eyes.

 With a sigh of defeat, Miok made to follow Mira. Pausing just as she reached the door to throw one last look at him before she was out, the door clanking shut - locked - behind her.

Despite following Mira back to the Med Bay, her mind remained back with the Dragon.

It was the only Dragon out of the seven she'd seen in the cells that remained, to a degree, untamed.

Tame wasn't quite the word she was looking for. The Dragon all remained Ferocious and most still had their fire in them. They were by no means tame. However, they had given into their reality. Hope of freedom, escape, deminished. Given into the humans who had them trapped and their collars and tracking devices that would never allow them their freedom again.

Better to trample on their own pride and listen to the puny humans than seek their own death. No, something worse than death. Torture.

Handed over to scientists. Dissected and studied like lab rats. Or worse yet, the breeding labs where their will was tampered and they were forced to ...

It was degrading, especially to the female of the species. Dragins were creatures that mated for life. What they did in the Breeding Labs was far worse.

Miok stumbled to a stop. Her train of thought scaring her. Her lungs refused to fill with air. Vision turning darker at the edges. Clammy hand slapped against the wall when she stumbled, concrete walls of steel the only thing holding her upright.

Hearing the 'smack' of hand against concrete, Mira turned around. Miok was leaning heavily against the wall, hunched double, fighting for breath. A tear or two slipped out of her eyes, but it didn't appear like she was crying. Even if her body shock like a falling leaf, she wasn't crying.

Mira hurried back to Miok's side. The girl hardly seemed to notice the hand she placed on her shoulder.

"Unnie?" Mira called but her words fell on deaf ears. Miok's ears rang too loudly to make out any other sounds. Her breathing heavy as she leaned against the wall. Didn't mean that she couldn't feel the younger medics presence beside her.

"Mira, you... you go on ahead. I'll -" turning back towards the cell, her eyes turned determined. "I'm gonna stay down here for a moment longer," She said. And as quickly as she had been hit with a panic attack she was okay. Lips pursed, hands fisted in what Mira could only call determination, she stalked back towards the cell they had just exited.

Mira watched her go for a moment, then smiling shook her head. She was a Rider. She was trained to handle Dragons. She'd be fine. After all, Namjoon had a lot of faith in her. He had to have, why else would he recruit her straight off the Academy?

Entering the passcode she had just learnt, Miok slipped right back into the cell of the Violet Wonder.

The Dragon, who'd been laying in a tight circle, was instantly alert. Tail uncurling from around him, ready to move, yet not actually moving an inch from where he laid.

Both Miok and the Dragon studied each other, initiating a staring contest. Neither willing to be the first one to look away.

The way the Dragon was rigid, the way Miok stood stiff and erect, both looking about ready to square off right then and there. And even if the Dragon was ten times her size and height, she stared back with a defiance that matched his.

This went on a for a good two minutes.

Blowing out a loud breath, Miok took five steps closer to him. Still all the way across the room, yet close enough for him to push her back with a great lunge, within reach of his chains.

The Dragon snarled, a warning.

Taking no heed of it, Miok feel on one knee. One hand placed on her forehead and the other hanging loosely by her her side. Head bowed in submission, no different than how she'd greeted Byeol.

"I don't have any right to ask this of you and I don't expect you to accept, but please... please let me just take off your muzzle so that you can eat." She pleaded with the Dragon. Tear streaming down her cheek before she could stop them. Hands trembling, not out of fear. Not of him in any case.

His response was a roar. the sound so loud it echoed around the room. Loud enough to blow her off-balance. For the first time since she entered the Faculty she held herself upright by sheer will power and a hand placed on the ground. Despite this causing her to bend more than she already was, she made no move to straighten to her previous position.

"Please your Magnificence. You don't have to kill yourself over this. They aren't going to - "

Miok never got around to finishing her sentence, for the Dragon lunged at her, knocking her clean off her crouch. Pinning her under a heavy paw, flat on the ground. He had refrianed from letting his claw tear into her flesh, though he kept one claw resting between her breast. The other two resting either side of her head, trapping her in place. Not that she could move with his paw pinning her down.

Snarl present, the Dragon bent over her prone figure. Paw adding the lightest of pressure over her chest. Warning of how easily he could crush her underneath him.

Sucking in a sharp breath, Miok slowly lifted her hand to his muzzle, eyes locked on his death glare. With precision, she snapped the buckle unlocked on one side.

The Dragon reared back, the muzzle not fully off yet letting him to open his mouth a bit wider. For his roar to resound harsher.

Steam bellowing out of his mouth, he stepped away from Miok, eyes weary as he stared down at the tiny human. Heart lodged on her throat, blood rushing with how fast and hard her heart beat, Miok pulled herself to a sitting position.

The Dragon's eyes following her hands as she lifted them back up to his mouth. He crouched, eyes narrowing.

Oh no, he wasn't making it easier for her remove the other buckle, he was coiling himself. Ready to pounce if she was going to hurt him. Ready to escape if the chance arose. Yet he still stayed still as she moved to remove the muzzle off his mouth. Stayed still as she slipped the muzzle off his snout.

Because he could feel that she was as scared as he was. Because he could hear  the loud beat of her heart, the shallowness of her breath. Worst - for him - he could feel her sincerity in helping him. Because unlike any human he had met, she risked hurting herself just to make him eat something.

And he hated this about her.

He hated understanding what she wanted.

He hated that she was with him, offering consonance. Like she'd ever feel as trapped and confined. Like she could understand anything. She was just another human using him for her worldly desires. Just another human who saw him as nothing more than a beast, a monster to be tamed and petted.

He had to believe that.

He couldn't give in to her kindness. Couldn't let them win. Humans were nothing but deceitful beings. They should never be trusted.

Breath caught on her throat, fingers trembling, though her eyes fixed on his with determination, she finally unhooked the last buckle, letting the muzzle to fall on her chest - even though it was kinda crushing her chest with its weight.

She released a breath, pushing the muzzle off her person, before smiling up at the violet wonder in front of her.

"There you go big guy."

Her voice was soft, gentle. And this puzzled him.

Her hands still trembled, he could still hear the loud, fast thud of her heart. She was still very much scared. So then, how could she smile so sweetly at him? Especially when he was standing over her, snarling right at her face.

Not that he was any better than her.

His breathing was as harsh as hers. The release of one breath causing her hair to stir from where it spread out underneath her. The wavy blonde curls looking very much like a halo in the dim lightening of the cell.

When she lifted her hand up again, with all intentions to stroke his snout, the Dragon reared back, stepping away from her.

Chuckling softly, she sat up, adjusting her hair-tie.

"Alright, alright. No touching." She said, her voice filled with mirth. She did look quite a picture, with rumpled clothes, disheveled hair and silly smile on her lips. What could she say? She was happy that he hadn't killed her, but rather let her take off his muzzle.

Standing up she brushed off her clothes.

"Make sure you eat something, big guy. You don't want to starve yourself." She called as she made her way towards the door of the cell once more. "I'll come visit tomorrow."

And with that she cracked open the door and slipped out. The Dragon's below of anger a moment too late to be heard by the ecstatic girl.

Miok slipped out of the med bay and was already on her way to the Violet Quaters when something made her stop on her tracks. It was late enough that the corridors were empty. Late enough that the lights dimmed so low it was just enough for her humans eyes to watch where she was going.

Eyeing the double door that was no more than ten feet in front of her, she chewed on the end of her lips. Eyes darting around finding for a solution she wasn't going to find - not by looking around the deserted corridor.

With reluctant steps, she made her way over to the door, all the while wondering what on Earth she was possibly going to do. How was she possibly going to explain this to him? When she had blatantly broken her promise to him, well aware she was breaking it when she fell on her knee?

"How long are you going to stand there?" A gruff voice startled her out of her wandering thoughts. So lost she hadn't even noticed the Dragon - in human form - that was in the room as she slipped through a crack in the door. Not as she clicked it shut and leaned heavily against.

With a squawk, jumping straighter, her head whipped in the direction the voice came from. Yoongi stood all the way across the room, glass in hand, leaning against the open doorway to the kitchen.

"What are you thinking so deeply about?" He asked, head tilted in curiosity. However the small quirk in his lips showed his amusement at her reaction.

Sucking in a sharp break Miok dropped her head. Gulped almost loud in the silent room. Fingers digging into her palm.

Alarm flashed in Yoongi's eyes as he pushed away from the wall. He could tell something was wrong the moment her head dropped. "What happened?" He asked, hurrying over to her.

"I-" she started before shuddering, hating having to disappoint this man she looked up to. Yoongi laid a soothing hand on her shoulder, ducking his own head down, trying to seek out her gaze. The had Miok wanting to cry, also her resolve to be honest strengthening.

"I did something stupid." She finally muttered out. Eyes closed tight and hands fisted so tight her nails were close to drawing blood.

Yoongi sighed, the sound only a soft rush of breath. His hand slip all around her shoulder, patting it in a gentle manner. His other hand gently pried her hands open before she could hurt herself.

"No one expects you to be perfect just yet Miok-ah. You're new here, you'll learn." He told her, voice as gentle as the hand he held her with.

A dry sob wracked her body as she shook her head. "Not that kind of mistake... I -" she paused to take a deep breath then lifted teary eyes towards him, willing to meet his gaze. "I broke my promise to you. I curtsied to a Dragon a few minutes ago."

Her tears finally won the battle and spilled out of her eyes.

Yoongi's eyes widened, bit seeing how distressed she was, he decided against chiding her. He took a deep breath, evaluating the situation, then realised he didn't know it.

"Okay, okay. Miok-ah calm down." He told her, keeping his voice gentle, not wanting to make her feel worse. Guiding her over to the living room couch, he made her sit down and handed her a tissue. "Now tell me what happened?"

Between sniffles and hiccups, Miok explained the situation to him. Why she had done what she had, when, where and to whom.

Yoongi didn't interrupt her once, silently rubbing her back and nodding along to show he was listening.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. But he was dying and... and I didn't know what else to do." Miok cried, burning her head in her hands. "He was beautiful. One of the most stunning Dragons I've ever seen. And he was much stronger than that. More stronger than he's showing. He.... he can't just give up like that. I don't want to see him stripped of everything he is."

Yoongi moved his hands to her hair, patting her knee with his free hand. Not saying anything simply to let her get everything out of her system. It was clear to him she had been bottling all this from the moment she saw the Violet Dragon in the cells. Just as it was clear to him that she her breakdown was for something as small as breaking his promise.

Hearing a door open, he lifted his gaze. Miok crying too loud to hear the low sound. Yoongi's eyes met Namjoon's over the couch.

The plum haired man' s eyes widening as he took in the state of the young Rider. Seeing her like that stumped him. The last thing Miok was was sensitive. The girl had a tough hide and if he had to admit, a tendency to bottle up her feelings. Not once through the rough week she had had she broken.

It wasn't like he wasn't aware of the hard time the other Cadets give her for already being part of a Unit fresh out of university whereas everyone else was fighting to be recruited. Even worse were her Riding classes. According to what Jungkook had told him, she was dealing with the class's nark well. Pretending that all insults bounced right off her person.

Her stunning first performance on a Dragon earning her no love within the class - if anything, it only gave them more reason to hate her. No one had liked to admit that she was good when it came to handling Dragons. Insanely so.

At first their excuse had been that her stunning performance only had to do with Jungkook instructing Eunha to behave - since she hadn't been paired yet, he was more than willing to share for the time being. And Eunha had no problem with this either so all worked out.

Unfortunately the rest of them couldn't help her out. Jungkook was the only one in class, every other Rider from thier unit too old to be attending riding classes. If anything, they could apply to be instructors.

Namjoon had asked her to take private lessons with him, Hoseok or Talia instead, but Miok had refused. Been quite adamant about it too. Her argument being that she refused to take the easy route out.

"I'm not here to make friends Commodore, having Jungkookie there with me is more than enough for me. Besides I do wish to show them I have no spine by taking the easy route out! I want to prove to them you didn't make the wrong choice accepting someone like me - whom they believe should have dropped out in my first year when I failed - to your Unit. I don't intent to prove their prejudices and jealousy that you gave me something they all dream of but don't work hard enough it achieve." That had been her argument against him.

He dropped the subject from then. Leaving it as her choice but make sure she knew the offer would always be on the table if she changed her mind.

So yes, after enduring so much in just her first week in the faculty, seeing her breaking down was disorienting.

However, before he could approach them, Yoongi gave a slight shake of his head. A silent gesture not to get involved. Namjoon's eyes darted to the girl, worry clear in them as he nodded his head and stayed put.

"Listen, I'm not mad at you Miok-ah. Yes you broke your promise, but it was for a good cause and you did it somewhere no one saw you, so it is fine," Yoongi whispered to the girl. "I'm sure you remember why I asked you to make that promise, and according to what you said... this Dragon... he hadn't exactly given in to the humans. He is still a wild one. So it's more than fine."

Miok lifted her face out her hands, blotchy and red, Yoongi felt bad. The hopeful look she was spotting making him grin and wonder if making her promise that had been a bad idea after all.

"Yes, now stop crying and go find Jungkook. That brat was whining about you not giving him attention." Even though he sounded annoyed, Miok could feel the love in his words, causing her to giggle. Swiping her cheeks on the ends of her sweater sleeves, she jumped to her feet.

"Thanks Yoongi." She said with a grin, not quite meeting her eyes yet, but no longer looking haunted either. She turned to leave, but paused and turned back to the mint haired Dragon with a nervous chuckle. "Ur- which is Jungkookie's room?"

"The one right across yours."

Mouth popping in and 'o' she called another thanks, and not seeing Namjoon still stood in front of his bedroom door, rushed off in search of the youngest Rider.

Both Rider and Dragon watch her leave before looking at each other. Yoongi knew he had to explain what was going on with the girl. After all, being the human counterpart between the two of them, Miok's pain and struggle would be better understood by Namjoon than by Yoongi.

Not that Dragons lacked empathy, but at the end of the day, the two were two different species. Their culture and habit too different from each other. While this didn't matter, it still caused a dent when it came to understanding each other in a deeper level.

A/N ~

And so we finally meet.... the violet wonder. Any guesses which whom that might possibly be? Also most importantly, your thoughts? I don't know why I subconsciously always make Yoongi the peacemaker for the lades in all my books, but I love the chemistry between the two (and no worries, Tae is most definitely the main lead in this and I don't do love triangles, though you might have to wait a long while for the love to bloom).

In any case, I would love to know you guys thoughts and theories, so do leave a comment. Honest feedback always welcome so don't hesitate to leave constructive criticism.

P.S. - if anyone noticed the new cover, a shoutout to Sakura Graphics shop and to the lovely @flickerrr for the gorgeous cover and banner.