Bakugou watched the little brigade move through the undergrowth of the forest from his perch in the trees. The group was an odd one, people he had not seen in his forest before. What were they here for? Were they here to threaten their peace? He grit his teeth as he watched them slash their way through the underbrush.

His eyes flicked to his side, a few trees over where Kirishima was sitting, eyebrows furrowed in concern. Bakugou knew from the concern on his friend's face, that he agreed that this did not look good for their clan. No one have ever made it this close to their nest.

He looked back the group, huffing. There was a man in a silver armor, likely a knight, using his large sword to swipe away at the vines and foliage, forcing a way through the thick green forest. Bakugou took note of it, realizing it could likely penetrate a dragon's scales.

His eyes went next to the princely figure on the white horse, his hair a combo of white and red. Bakugou didn't know what to make of that one, just that he was probably piece of shit, since he was just stoically riding along after like some kind of entitled prick.

There was a girl walking behind him with an oversized hat and a staff. It was the outfit of a sorcerer, a definite threat to his kind. He recalled a handful of his clan who had been forcibly bound by magic, the worst kind of torture…

And she was talking animatedly with green-haired boy, who held some sort of text in his gloved hands. He gestured to the book often as he talked. He seemed unassuming and unthreatening… Bakugou did not believe the get up one bit.

They all had shit taste in clothing.

In the corner of his eye, he noticed Kirishima shift. He turned, sending a quick glance at him, meeting each other's eyes, trying to communicate without speaking. What should we do? Kirishima seemed to say with a flick of his chin towards the four invaders down below.

Bakugou sent him back a glowering glare and grinned slowly. We fucking stop them in their tracks.

Kirishima nodded, his own smile flashing back, showing his natural razor teeth before shoving off the tree disappearing into the rest of the trees. Only the soft brushing of leaves was evidence that was even there.

Bakugou took one glance back at the group, narrowing his eyes, before disappearing himself in a silent backflip.

Midoriya noticed a fluttering of leaves off to his left and paused mid-sentence, catching the swaying of branches high above them. Nothing was there now, but he felt a creeping sensation that something had been watching them.

"Midoriya?" Uraraka questioned, glanced back at him.

He turned back, jumping slightly to see Uraraka right in front of him. Todoroki and Iida had already pulled ahead a few steps, leaving Uraraka and him behind. "Oh, sorry," he fumbled, almost dropping the book in his hands.

"Hmm?" Todoroki hummed looking back at the pair of them. "Huh, I thought it got kind of quiet for second there," he said with a slight smile.

Uraraka pulled Midoriya by the wrist to hurry up behind them. "Uh, am I talking too much?" Midoriya asked, falling in line with the group again, rubbing his now-free hand at the back of his neck.

"No," Iida said, continuing to force the way through the thick underbrush ahead of them with a slice of his sword. "It is better to be prepared with a risk this big."

"Right," Uraraka agreed with a nod. "Please continue."

Midoriya glanced back down at his book which depicted a drawing of a raging dragon, breathing fire and smoke into the binding of the book. Midoriya almost closed the book due to his crackling nerves. "So it says that we have to be polite to the dragon, never laugh in the face of a dragon…"

"What, this book expects us to try to make conversation with the dragon?" Todoroki asked with a frown. "Aren't we here to steal its scales?"

Midoriya flinched. "I think it wouldn't hurt to ask the dragon first, before we uhh…"

"Mutilate it?" Iida sighed, looking back at them.

Midoriya felt himself deflate slightly. "I don't want to hurt it if we don't have to."

Uraraka looked just as upset as she did. "I think it's going to hurt either way… ripping a scale off of a dragon's body?"

Groaning, Midoriya dropped his head, hiding his face into his book. "We're going to have to have to fight it, aren't we?"

"Most likely," Iida called behind him as the continued forward, "but we need those scales. This is a life or death situation—"

Something shifted in the trees above them, and they all stopped in their tracks, staring upwards at the empty, swaying leaves. "You don't think the dragons are listening, do you?" Midoriya asked, laughing nervously.

"No, of course not," Uraraka shot back, "dragons don't live in the forest, they live by the volcanos, right Midoriya?"

"According to the book…"

"I'm pretty sure that we would be able to notice a giant dragon flying around in here, considering we can barely get through it on foot," Iida said shortly and continued to brush through the trees, continuing to choose the paths that would fit Todoroki's large trotting horse.

"Yeah of course we would!" Uraraka smiled, holding her staff closer to her chest.

Midoriya took another glance at the trees, looking all around before following the group. "Yeah, you guys are probably right…"

"No, you would be right," Uraraka said, turning to walk backwards while she talked to him. "You are the one who has read every book on dragons from cover to cover on the whole journey here."

"Well, that was only three book…" he replied, rubbing his nose uncomfortably.

"Hush, everything will be fine!" She grinned. "Besides, you have us on your side!"

Midoriya found himself brightening up. That's right! He wasn't alone, despite how he had started out on this quest.

"Come on boys," Uraraka cried with a wave her staff. The magic sparked from it, clearing out a path in the trees beyond Iida's outstretched sword. "Let's pick up the pace and get those scales!"

Iida stood in shock as the three marched past him into the newly cleared path. "Really, you couldn't have done that in the first place?"

"You didn't ask!"