As the helicopter hovered overhead, its searchlights piercing the darkness, the young dragon continued its frantic escape to the north. Its powerful wings carried it swiftly over the terrain, and the adrenaline pumping through its veins fueled its flight.

The chopper's blades churned the air, creating a deafening cacophony, but the dragon remained elusive, blending with the shadows of the forest canopy. It knew that its survival depended on avoiding detection, and it employed every instinct and skill to achieve this.

"I can hear the chopper nearby," thought the dragon, its heart pounding in its massive chest. "They're behind me, but they haven't spotted me yet. I hope that some scales will not reflect the sun or that some tree movements will not show my position."

Despite its determination to escape, the dragon couldn't deny the exhaustion creeping in. It had covered a tremendous distance in a short time, a feat that would have left most creatures gasping for breath. But this was no ordinary creature; it was a dragon, a majestic being with extraordinary abilities.

Even though the dragon had transformed into a full-fledged adult, it couldn't escape its youthful energy and curiosity. Age, in the world of dragons, was measured differently, and the dragon knew that it had much to learn and experience. It had ingested a thermal barrier alloy that strengthened its scales, a decision that would prove invaluable in the days to come.

Meanwhile, Drick and his team in the police helicopter were growing increasingly frustrated. Their state-of-the-art equipment had failed to locate the dragon, and it seemed to have vanished into thin air.

"Police helicopter report," Drick said into his radio, frustration evident in his voice. "We have no signal from the beast. Switching to infrared mode."

A few moments later, the helicopter crew reported their findings. "Boss, we don't have any signals. We have the latest type of infrared camera, but we can't locate it. Maybe in the lake or in a hiding place in a cave."

"Okay," Drick responded, his mind racing. "We'll have the rangers and canine units check the area. Make two large circles and distribute the dogs along the circle. The dogs that are afraid on the circle will point in the direction by drawing a line between them so that we know the direction and send a capture unit."

Unbeknownst to Drick and his team, not far from their location, Kaminski and his associate were monitoring the situation closely. Kaminski had always prided himself on his ability to track and capture cryptids, but this creature was unlike anything he had ever encountered.

He whispered to his companion, "Kaminsky, is the police scanner working?"

Kaminsky nodded, his eyes fixed on the unfolding events below. "Yes, they will show us where to continue. When they stop the search, we'll be involved in the hunt."

Back in the forest, the young dragon had run for miles, its exhaustion taking a toll. It came to a sudden halt, panting heavily. The adrenaline rush was wearing off, and hunger gnawed at its belly.

"I have to take a break," the dragon thought, its frustration evident. "I ran a marathon there! 30 kilometers. I'm sure I've seen campers, hikers, and all these prolific humans."

Its thoughts drifted to its former human life, a life it had left behind when it had transformed into a dragon. It struggled to comprehend why humans remained on Earth when the universe held so much potential. "Make peace and make rockets to conquer space," it mused, its thoughts tinged with a touch of sarcasm. "I can help them put them into orbit."

But there was no time for such musings. Movement in the surrounding darkness snapped the dragon back to reality. Its heightened senses detected immediate danger, and its instincts kicked into overdrive.

Suddenly, a pack of large black-grey animals leaped from the shadows, their teeth bared and their eyes fixed on the dragon. They lunged, biting hard on its neck, leg, and tail. More of them swarmed over the dragon.

The dragon twisted and turned, shaking its armored scales to dislodge its attackers. Its attackers scratched and clawed at its impenetrable hide, their teeth and mouths now bleeding.

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However, instead of responding with aggression, the dragon began to laugh – a deep, resonant laugh that echoed through the forest. "HAHAHAHAHAHA," it bellowed. "Besides, it tickles! HAHAHAHAHA!"

The leader of the pack, the alpha, seemed taken aback. "You can talk?" it asked in astonishment.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Yes!" replied the dragon, using its split snake tongue to emphasize its point.

The alpha, still wary but intrigued, cautiously approached the dragon. "You're a monster snake, and you'll eat our puppies and—"

"STOP!" the dragon interrupted firmly. "I am a DRAGON, the last/first in the world."

The dragon then made a gesture of peace, releasing a deer it had caught as an offering.

The alpha, sensing the dragon's sincerity, signaled to the pack to cease their attack. "Okay, we'll stop attacking you," it said, "but you have to tell us why you're here on our territory."

"I'm looking for help to hide from humans," the dragon replied.

The alpha was incredulous. "You talk like humans and tell me you're running away from humans?"

"Yes," the dragon confirmed, its gaze shifting to the distant sound of the helicopter. "Do you hear the helicopter? He's chasing me and looking for my body temperature."

The alpha's eyes widened. "Body temperature, not smell? Don't tell me humans can chase us with our temperature?"

The dragon nodded. "Yes, of course. Why do you think they can count you, catch you, and sell you at the zoo or send you to the other side of the world? And the chopper will inform the other hunters where you are hiding."

The alpha's perspective had been forever altered. "You know a lot of things we don't know."

"I want to run to the great mountains of the Urals or the great steppes of Siberia North East from here," the dragon shared. "Can you help me and teach me how to hunt?"

The alpha contemplated the dragon's request, weighing the potential risks and benefits. "What can you do to help us and not put us in danger?" it inquired.

The dragon, still panting from its recent exertion, summoned its powers. "I am the fire, I am the storm," it declared, its eyes flashing with intensity. "I can kill a herd just by opening my mouth. If you have a pack of deer or rabbits, especially if it rains, I can call the lightning more powerful than the sky."

"But I won't do a demo here," the dragon added with a wry smile. "Because the helicopter will find us, and it's natural in stormy weather or heavy rain."

The alpha, impressed by the dragon's abilities, began to consider the potential alliance. "I don't trust you the first time," it cautioned, "but if I see a sign of danger or aggression, you will become an enemy. This forest and all its resources are also ours. The first prey is for us, and when we are served, then the prey is for you. The rules are simple: females are mine, and puppies should never be hurt. And the last one is that I eat first, and then the beta. You will eat with the omegas."

The dragon quickly agreed, eager for the chance to prove itself. "OK, OK, OK, OK, BOSS," it responded with respect.

"Call me ALPHA," the leader said, "only members of my tribe can call me by my name. You don't need to know now. And never mark your territory here; it's OUR territory, not yours. OK?"

"Understood," the dragon replied obediently.

"Follow us NOW!" commanded the alpha, and the dragon fell into step behind the pack.

They led the dragon to the darkest, most hidden corner of the forest. After two hours of running, during which the dragon pushed itself to the brink of exhaustion, they arrived at the entrance to a cave. The dragon, desperate for rest, signaled its intent to enter and make a nest.

As the dragon settled into the cave, it collected a few branches and crushed them into a pile to avoid contact with the damp ground. It let out a low growl, and three large wolves emerged from the shadows to confront the newcomer.

"Why are you grunting at us?" one of the wolves asked, its eyes narrowed in suspicion.

The dragon, still catching its breath, explained, "I don't growl. My stomach makes noise because it's empty."

The wolves exchanged glances, their demeanor shifting from aggression to curiosity. The leader of the trio spoke up, "The deer are huge here, and it's hard to kill one, even for six or seven of us. In addition, they have sharp horns. Many of our kind have died from their wounds and infections. The poachers have also taken the strongest of our tribe and keep them in a cabin where they will be skinned alive. An atrocious and horrible death."

The dragon's eyes widened in horror. "WHAT? They do that? I saw these pictures of skinned live animals on the internet. The pain is unbearable, and the worst figures of hell are pale in front of this treatment. Even for the worst criminals, I cannot inflict such treatment."

One of the wolves, perplexed, asked, "Internet? What is it?"

The dragon, realizing that its knowledge from the human world could be a valuable resource, replied, "I know how to access the network of information that humans use. My species is, by far," it added with a slight embellishment, "superior to humans. They only have numbers. They're like ants. You can be as big as possible or as strong as possible, but you are nothing in front of numbers."

With that, the dragon settled down, determined to rest despite its empty stomach, and the wolves, their curiosity piqued, remained nearby, contemplating the strange and unexpected alliance that had formed in the heart of the forest.

Unbeknownst to all of them, their fates were now irrevocably entwined, and they were about to embark on a journey that would test their bonds, their strengths, and their understanding of the natural world – a journey where the extraordinary would become the norm, and where myths and realities would collide in ways they could never have imagined.