With the intense conflict now resolved, the hooded figure swiftly approached the fallen alligator. A sense of panic gripped him at the heartbreaking scene: the young reptile, battered and bruised, lay among the refuse, tears still clinging to his eyes, as if he were an unfortunate part of the discarded surroundings...  The fear of losing the one he was trying to protect fueled his immediate thoughts: —Damn it... Am I too late? But without wasting any more time he kneeled beside the unconscious alligator, straining to discern his feeble heartbeat. A sigh of relief escaped him as he confirmed its presence, albeit weak. The alligator had passed out from the ordeal, yet the damage was real and serious, and his life was in real danger so, in a decisive move, the reptilian character decided to transport the injured stranger to safety. With a sense of determination, he hoisted the young alligator onto his back, preparing to carry him to a place where proper care could be administered. And so they set off into the chilly night, traversing the quiet and desolate surroundings.

As they ventured further into the night, the weather followed the foreshadowed course, and a gentle snowfall began to blanket the terrain. As an answer to the changing conditions, the purple reptile unfurled his concealed wings and, in a poignant display of care, he meticulously positioned them to cover the injured alligator, shielding him from the cold. "I won't let the cold harm him further ", he reflected inwardly while repositioning the body of the unconscious youngster now laid on his back, to ensure his stability and to make sure he'd get benefited from his body heat.

Continuing through the night, the duo reached the base of the imposing mountain that had always stood beside the city like a silent guardian. Beyond it, only a deep, unforgiving forest awaited—vast, ancient, and untouched.

The hooded dragon stopped for a moment. Snow whispered against his cloak. His eyes lingered on the darkness ahead with a quiet certainty… as if crossing this threshold would change something far greater than a single life.

And then he stepped forward.

Wings still sheltering the unconscious alligator, he vanished into the shadows of the woods. Behind them, the snowfall swelled into a raging blizzard, erasing their trail… as if the world itself intended to hide what had just begun.

Tonight, it wasn't only a life he had saved.

It was the beginning of something that should have never existed—