I awoke to the smell of blood.

The taste in the air was enriching and sweet on my snout, and it roused me from this decent slumber into the strangest moment possible. I, of course, never questioned waking up since it was quite normal, but to come to in the dark of the night was odd. While confused all at once from the stench's origin and this sudden waking, I felt a sting of worry grow nearby upon noticing an emptiness at my side.

"Aenon?"

I shifted slightly, pausing only when remembering the litter of eggs beneath my after belly. It had been only a week since I laid, the feeling still numb upon my nether region, yet the joy of it all ceased such discomfort.

They were beautiful.

They were alive.

And they were mine.

Their warm, speckled shells glowed like lightning bugs within the night, and I could only purr upon gazing at their beautiful hides. But when the scent of blood returned yet again, I twisted my head toward the entrance of our cave, a wave of concern growing upon me. Why was it so profound? So empowering? So...familiar?

Out of the darkness, a black draconic silhouette skidded into the cavern, jolting my heart and writhing my insides with a mighty twist. The creature's landing wasn't very grand, if anything it was broken and unjust. His body struck the cavern hard, rocking the soil beneath me, and as the scent final hint struck my snout, I was only able to utter one name.

"Aenon!"

"N-Nova..." The male dragon whimpered upon the earth, wheezing heavily as dark crimson blood pooled all around him, "We're out of time..."

I shook my head, beginning to stand up, "N-No...it's too early! We did everything right to hide, they-"

"They're coming!" He rasped, straining to stand upward, "All of them! Hundreds strong, a whole army! I saw them...their smug, happy faces, their torches and cheering. Every last one of those fleshbags are marching toward this place right now..."

"How? The others-"

"We're all that's left, Nova," He squawked softly, a tear rolling down his scaled cheek, "They killed them, I saw their remains. 

"Then we have to go-"

"No!" He grasped my arm and shook his head. "Don't. There's nowhere left to run."

I stepped away, fear consuming me entirely. It was hard to imagine such a fact being true. I swore I saw more than just us. There were many if I wasn't mistaken, hundreds even. How could they all be dead so quickly? So suddenly? It felt even worse to consider that we were indeed next to perish from such malicious acts. As I stared at the eggs within the nest we made together, a rolling rumble echoed the cavern, the mountain shivering from the mighty blow of an explosion. Another soon followed, and my eyes slammed shut as dust sprinkled upon us all.

"Nova..."

"I just laid them..." I whimpered, nuzzling the eggs as the tears ruled me, "I just... started... living..."

Aenon stared at me, whimpering along with me as another boom shook the cavern. All of these dreams and wishes we held, hopes and happiness too died almost instantly and were replaced with a hollow broken shell that would torment us until the very end. I would lose them now. I would lose him. And sooner or later, my own life too. Aenon noticed such pain welling in my heart and with a heavy swallow he limped toward my side, stroking my neck and licking the soft flesh beneath my chin.

"Aenon..."

"I'm so sorry Nova..." He trembled against my scales, purring quietly, "I'm sorry I couldn't give you the life you wanted. I'm sorry it had to end this way...I-I couldn't-"

I nuzzled back, another tremor following up all around us, "It's not your fault...They're the ones to blame."

"I wish we could do something..." His fear was already beginning to show, "Not just for us but for them. I don't wish for them to taste the cold blade of a sword. I don't want them to suffer too."

I stared back at him, ruffling my wings slightly. He had a point, a reason that I could not deny. They would perish along with us, there was no questioning that. And at first, I believed such torment shouldn't be what defines my species in the end. It should be meaningful, kind, purposeful. A love out of desperation.

A kill out of mercy.

My mind began to swirl as I moved uneasily toward the eggs, the palm of my front claw raised and hovering right above the first egg's tip. Already was the primitive thought of pressing down spasming in my mind. I wanted to take this away from them so badly. Alas, they shouldn't suffer as much as we would soon to humans. I began to press for a second, my claws shaking wildly, all until the guilt of it all forced me to pull away, a cold shiver rushing through my body.

I can't just kill them like this. 

No...

They're my family. And as such I shall fight for them. Besides, there are better ways to preserve lives...

Feeling the ground beneath my claws, I flexed the muscles in my core, feeling the energy of the plants and rock all around me. From the darkness came a curling vine of rock and foliage, caressing and surrounding each egg with care and protection. My mate watched with awe as the eggs were closed inward, the vines cushioning their outer shells, and with a soft grunt I pushed them into the walls of the cavern, deeper and deeper inside before sealing up the opening.

Leaving no trace of their existence to show.

"They'll hatch when its time," I rumbled softly, gazing into Aenon's bewildered eyes, "I know they will."

"H-How can you be so sure?" He asked me quietly. I licked his muzzle and softly exhaled.

"I just know. And I have faith-"

A sharp blast suddenly ripped down the front entrance of our cavern, and with one strange caterwaul a plated human, built with protection, and concealed in metal, let out one powerful cry.

"Capture the dragons!" the human soldier roared as a whole horde of their kind rushed in like a swarm of locust. I snarled with content, slamming a wave of them into the wall by the whip of my tail, then crushed a couple of others underneath my sickled claws. Blood and earth spilled across our cavern as we fought hand in hand, saving his tail at times, and him saving mine. But our succession wasn't bound to last forever, for the more we killed the more that swarmed in.

The more tired we both became.

Mid-way through our battle, something strange landed at my paws. I didn't understand the round thing at first, tilting my head when I saw all the humans retreat with fear, covering themselves with anything they could possibly find. Alas, I was too late to react.

A violent explosion blasted me backward, illuminating the cavern in a dark orange glow that boiled my flesh to a crisp. I tumbled head-over-heels from this sudden explosion, my claws leaving the ground as I flew into the air.

"Nova!"

My skull suddenly slammed into an exposed rock in the ground, tearing away the flesh near my noggin and the strength I had to fight back. I felt my eyelids grow heavy, my body going limp as I strained to fight against the darkness consuming me, already seeing the humans approaching my hide. From the ground, I could see Aenon roaring in agony, slashed, and wounded before being struck down.

Not long after, I lost consciousness.

And everything turned black.

------------------------------------------------------------------

"Nova..."

"Nova?!"

I woke groggily, blinking back to reality, and winced in pain. A nasty gash had found its way upon my skull, but that wasn't the worst of the moment. I noticed Aenon nearby, his soft amber eyes also glowing under the darkened stars above as a cart rolled him into a strange, infested down. I would only realize then that I too was in the same position.

We were both strapped onto large wooden carts, the ropes and metal chains ceasing any major movement such as the spread of wings, whips of our pointed tails, or even the slashes of our claws. We were trapped, unable to move, unable to escape the fate written for us both. And as the carts rumbled to a stop, I turned my head to face Aenon, already knowing what was bound to happen.

"N-no..."

"Nova-"

"We're...we're going to die aren't we...?"

"Nova," He dipped his head, "Just look at me. Don't think about anything else, okay?"

"Aenon," I began to tremble harder, "What do we do? I'm really s-scared..."

"It's going to be okay," He rasped softly, letting out a small smile, "I promise. No matter what happens, we'll be okay."

A human knight suddenly arrived in our view, hopping onto Aenon's cart with a gleaming sword in hand. I hadn't realized that a strange mob had formed up around us both, pitchforks and torches hovering in the air in cheering delight.

The knight found a piece of flesh off Aenon's shoulder, ripe for the taking and slashed it off, grasping the bloody remains of a loose scale. A token of his gooddoings, as he'd proclaim. He examined the male dragon, from head to tail, spine to after belly, then climbed up his latched body to the very top, just high enough to gaze at the entire town, including my imprisoned self.

"Citizens of this kingdom," He began, smiling widely, "Tonight is a night unlike any other. A night of warmth, of goodwill. Of love, sacrifice, and above all else...peace. Peace, not because of what we've done tonight, but because of what we will awaken to in the morning. Mark my words, this night will be a night we shall never forget! Not in years, not in decades, never in millenniums to come!"

The crowd roared with agreement from below, some simply nodding their heads with simple acceptance.

"We've rid of the griffins," he chuckled, holding out a feather, "We've rid of the bloody phoenix, we've rid of the chimeras and the unicorns that slew our wives and children. And now, our final task is at hand. The one that'll end it all: The last dragons. A male...and a female."

He reached behind his back, pulling out a rather large sword, and in horror for what was bound to happen, I began to writhe in my bindings. Aenon stared up at the sword above him, his own eyes widened with horror for what was yet to arrive.

"Tonight, we change everything for the better! For our brothers and sisters, for our kingdom led by God above all else! Tonight we rid of the beasts that have shredded our dreams, and save our kingdom, once and for all! For our children! For our loved ones!-" He rose the sword above his head, a nasty grin curled upon his face, "For all of mankind..."

And with one mighty snarl, the soldier sank the sword into Aenon's back, impaling his heart, his love, and everything that went with it. My mate's eyes went wide, a shuddered gasp reverberating in my ears as he choked on his own essences, then gave in to his fatal wound with a painful thump of his skull.

"NO!" I cried out, rocking up on the ropes, and roared in horror, "N-NO!"

"Take your share men!" The lead soldier ordered as everyone heeded the call and raced toward his body, "The dragon is ours for the taking!"

"No! Aenon!" Roars of anguish spilled from my maw as I began watching my mate get ripped to shreds by the mob of men. Alas, I could do nothing but observe. I had no strength to conjure magic, nor did I have the fight to push back against these restraints. I was helpless and hopeless to save him. And in the guilt of my failure, I began to cry.

"Stop it, stop it!!"

"Nova! AHH-!"

"Aenon!" I dared screamed, hearing his muffled cries and squelching flesh being torn away from him. His body was consumed by those of the men that attacked his hide, and I was left to watch in utter shock and dismay at their hideous actions. Some returned with scales to profess as their own, others with teeth to keep as trophies, even pieces of his horn to nourish as a spear or weapon. The claims turned bloody as more and more returned, the thickening scent of death overwhelming and knowing.

It took only a few minutes before Aenon succumbed to his mortal wounds, a time that I sadly wasn't able to see. What remained only hours thereafter the crowds dispersing was his exposed flesh and crimson bone, pieces of loose meat and organs of course, and his dull, empty eye sockets that stared right back at me.

I only knew what would become of me when the mob returned.

"N-No! No!" I sobbed aloud, straining against the ropes upon noticing the sword approaching, "Please no!"

"Gather around all," The man said, his words reminiscent of before, "Gaze upon this beauty of a beast. She now stands as the last living dragon in existence..."

"Stop, please!" I whimpered, continuing to bash against the chains, "Please, please don't... I beg of you..."

"We have been slaughtered, chained, captured, and torn apart by these monstrosities!" The soldier growled, hearing the rumble of approval in the crowd growing stronger, "They have no love for us! No dignity, no honor! It's time we end this threat for all eternity, here and now! Today, their reign ends! Tomorrow, ours begins!"

"N-no!" I wept, squeezing my eyes shut after realizing they'd never understand me, "P-pl-lease..."

"Shut-up!" The soldier suddenly whacked my cranium by the bunt of the sword, fogging my vision, and muffling all sounds. I moaned for a moment, slowly readjusting to the noise all around me, and felt him edge toward my shoulder blade, lowering his blade at the point. He tapped his sword's thin razor against the scale before slashing at it, causing me to reel back in pain as he carried back a figment of my own scale. He was about to climb upon my hide in hopes to stab me just like my mate beforehand before a sudden voice rose in the crowd.

"Might I slay the beast?" A young female voice called. The crowd turn, gazing at a cloaked woman holding a staff in the center of the crowd, her glowing eyes reflecting the sane moonlight above. And while most of the crowd simply muttered confusingly to themselves, the older soldier's eyes gleamed with pride.

"The young sorceress! What fun! No man would ever deny such presence and such demand from a woman of novelty! Come hither, come forth!"

The witch slightly smiled, her eyes turning to me meet my solemn gaze. But rather than to be filled with the awe or hatred as all men and women in this crowd, hers was rather concerned and sad. She paced before me for a moment, whispering words to the soldier, then tapped her staff twice.

"I won't slay the dragon by normal means," She declared, moving a couple of paces toward my snout, "Of course I find that barbaric and solely for knighthood. I hope to do it in my own way, perhaps to impress my master all the same. I have a spell...that's quite new, but very powerful. And if its a dead dragon you wish for, a dead dragon you shall receive!"

The crowd bursted in an uproar, bobbing their heads and raising weapons high to support the witch. She dipped her head to the soldier ahead of her, then moved toward my snout, leaning down to press a cold finger upon the warm flexing scales. I growled in warning, before her exposed finger pressed against a wound near my skull, pulling away from a strand of lukewarm blood upon her fingertips. as if magic it disappeared into her pouch pockets, before returning back to rub my snout. And out of this moment came three whispered words that made my blood run cold:

"Let me help..."

"Are you to free me?" I rumbled softly. She shook her head, surprisingly understanding my voice,

"The palace will hang me if I did. Alas, I cannot guarantee your survival dragoness. I can only...alter it."

"What?"

"Don't be afraid," She muttered, stroking my tear-soaked snout as I whimpered, "I'll make it quick, I promise."

"No, no, n-no!" I shoved against the strains again, lashing out my wings and tail in terror, "No!"

"Bring forth our justice witch!" The soldier behind her called, "Do it for our children! For our loved ones! For all of mankind!"

"Please..." I tried begging again, shaking my head at what she hoped to do. But my voice was simply drowned in her mighty cry into the night. Just as I was hopeless to stop it.

"Krakatoa-Liminesa!" The witch loudly exclaimed, raising her staff as a swirl of strange black and grey light began to grow and curl around the top, "Sa'kota-Flee!"

"N-No..."

"Okashka-Rivera," She uttered once more, gazing at my wide, scared eyes in complete horror before speaking the last of the enchantment, "Elecktra-Skee!"

A bolt of lightning suddenly shot from her staff, twisting in mid-flight before striking my hide. And all across my body, I was engulfed in pure liquid fire. I opened my jaws, letting out a blood-curdling screech as the energy tore into my body, electrifying every nerve, every cell, and every moving fiber that made me draconic. All I saw was white, but it was what I felt coursing through me that struck the nail in my coffin. I shook uncontrollably, every spasm and convulsion worse than the first, and mere seconds into the electrocution I could smell flesh burning.

My flesh.

All around me I could hear the frantic roars and cheers of the human crowd, watching me writhe and spasm in complete torment, unable to fight back the inevitable. Listening to my cries and roars of anguish as if they were the melody of a lullaby. They loved what they saw, no matter how violent or how cruel. And that sickened me.

While almost near-death the electricity paused for a moment, allowing me to spasm a couple more times and take a brief painful breath of oxygen. My blackened flesh was brutally seared, now smoking like pure lava, and my claws, too wasted to move, was trembling upon the wooden cart that would eventually become my tomb. The tears were still tumbling down my face, now more painful than the scars I bore. Even my throat was shattered, for all those roars and screams into the night had damaged the soft flesh that made up my maw.

"Again!" The crowd suddenly screeched, "Make her burn!"

"End her now!"

"Make her suffer!"

"Finish it, witch!" The lead soldier huffed, a smile still curling across his face as he approached her, "Finish...it."

"O-Of course sire."

"Don't hold back now," He rasped softly, gazing into my eyes with disgust, "Look at her. She hungers nothing but for your hide. Just... imagine her to be that bear that mauled your father. Imagine her annihilating all of our young, burning our villages...terrorizing us all. And fire quickly. I need to see the light go out in her eyes."

She nodded briefly, her heartbeat rising with fear, then turned to me with the same helpless look as I had. I grunted and clicked in pain, trying my best to stay alive, just to witness my tragic end. She began to raise her staff, shaking her head for a moment, then exhaled out an order.

"C-Close your eyes," She mouthed to me, a tear rolling down her face as well. I stared into her orbs, fear rushing into my heart, and without much objection, I sealed them shut.

"Just...breathe," She whispered, the humming sound once more beginning to grow, "That's it...Elecktra-Skee!"

Once more the terrible lightning struck my hide, installing a wave of pain to overcome everything. My head lifted slightly as I took in the lightning strike, reeling in the torture and sizzling, unable to watch or feel anymore. I couldn't control my limbs anymore, all they could do was spasm and jiggle in response to the sorcery. A fatigued sense soon began to overwhelm me, first starting in my erupting heart attack, then in my mind. As if set in the afterglow of mating, the wave of calmness settled all around me, through my limbs and into my fingertips, My head began to bend low, my eyelids now heavier than ever, and without anything more to say, do, or see, I allowed my body to succumb to the silence. I let my head drop, thudding lifelessly onto the wooden floor beds, and my spasming claws went limp too, alongside everything else that was once a part of me.

And I died.

Or, so I figured.

I slowly opened my eyes, noticing a blank space all around me. The area was dark and cold, and empty - only the little droplets and patches of water beneath me the only sign of life. I gazed at my paw, which was only an outline of my real body. I couldn't smell, couldn't taste, couldn't even feel. And being alone, that scared me just as much as the realization of what really happened.

"I apologize," A female humans voice echoed behind me, forcing me to spin around, "I had no choice."

A fire quickly erupted in my maw as I stomped over to the sorceress, my teeth bared and talons outstretched with the intent to kill. But as soon as I snapped into her entire torso my teeth slashed through nothing and only clamped against each other. I took a step back, startled by what had happened, and growled.

"What'd you do to me, witch?!"

"I..." She shook her head, whimpering softly, "I turned you into an echo."

"An echo?"

"It's like a ghost," She explained, "Neither alive nor dead, where the soul remains intact."

"What about me? What about my body? Did I..."

She closed her eyes, "My spell killed you. That, nevertheless, was its point - to separate body from spirit. I'm sorry if it was painful, I never intended it to be like that. But the humans-"

"The humans should perish for all I care!" I snarled, tears springing in my eyes, "Every single one of them for what they did to Aenon and me!"

"They know no better than to get rid of every species that challenges them," She rasped softly, "Including yours. And now that they have, mankind rules all."

"But my hatchlings..." I whimpered, bowing my head, "I hid them away..."

"That's why I turned you into an echo," she whispered, "So you can care for them. Nothing should separate a mother's love and dedication for their young, not even death itself. And although you can't return as they may see you, whenever they find the strength to break free of their shells, you will be there to guide them. It's not a curse, its a blessing."

"Why help me?" I hissed at her, "You killed me. For all I know you could be trying to hurt my hatchings."

"Killing you, them, and everyone that once was is wrong in my eyes," She whispered, "I felt pity, and sickened by our lust for death and chaos. I only wanted to do the right thing. If you let me finish the spell...I promise you'll be able to see them again."

"Do you swear on your life human?"

"More than just that," She whispered back, stroking my snout, "My kingdom entirely if I must."

I swallowed for a moment, staring off into the distance with a somber exhale, then nodded.

"Then I accept."

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I originally named this the Death of Dragonkind years ago, but renamed it Echo in regards to the short story. It was an original idea for a series in regards to her surviving hatchlings but never came to creation.