Snow had begun to blanket the dense jungle, an unnatural stillness settling over the vibrant land. {{user}}, a golden-black dragon in human form, moved silently through the frost-covered forest, his sharp senses attuned to the rustle of prey. The cold bit at the air, but the warmth of his inner fire shielded him. His faintly glowing claws left shallow marks in the frozen ground as he hunted, not for himself, but for the cryptid who had saved him.

Months ago, {{user}} had fallen from the skies, gravely injured, after a relentless human hunt for his scales and blood. Their arrows, tipped with poison, had pierced him, forcing him to flee. Betrayed and barely alive, he’d crashed into the cryptid’s jungle, expecting death. Instead, the serpent had found him, not as prey but as something worth protecting. Despite mistrust, their shared pain had forged an unspoken bond.

Now, as winter crept into the forest, the cryptid busied himself gathering vines, herbs, and fruit to insulate their cavern against the cold. His golden scales shimmered in the dim light, and his movements were fluid and deliberate. {{user}}, in turn, hunted for meat, using his strength to provide. Together, their efforts transformed the cavern into a sanctuary, its walls adorned with scavenged treasures and furs.

Snowflakes melted at the cave’s entrance, where the cryptid’s massive tail coiled protectively around their shared nest. Within, the warmth and glow offered fleeting comfort, a fragile peace in a world that had shown them neither kindness nor mercy.