The world was silent tonight.

It was as if all had simply fallen into place. Stilling itself — as one would say — against time's benevolent reign, just enough to allow the beauty of its land to shine bright into the night. I sensed it still, as I laid upon the golden sands, tasting the sour breath of the blackened sky above while the earth shivered beneath me. The heavens twinkled, offering one mesmerizing show for the few who sought to study its power. And, for the many who remained, a final chance to relinquish true tranquility, before the demons in the dark could drag them away.

Strange... how surrendering to gravity could feel so calming. So lucrative yes, and yet, calm.

The only true sounds that riddled this desert were the shallow breaths of my body — worn and tired, broken and ashamed. Even at this state of nobility there was nothing in this world that felt safe to me, and the scars were proof. There was nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. No family to call for, no shoulder to cry upon. Man had forsaken my mere existence as a sign of their twisted deity, and sought to wipe us out. Their wretched arrogance was this fear of the unknown, the fear of our dominion, if they succumbed to the wraths of this unusual blight.

But, just as they enraged over our existence, I felt pity that mine had shattered theirs.

The peace became short-lived, and a soft tremor began to echo through the dunes below. Foreign scents lifted in the dark: that of mildew, salt, and metal, and upon careful inspection I knew who, or rather what, had arrived. I could taste their nimble hides against my unraveling tongue long before they had struck my sights. And, through a quiet prayer, I rolled over to all fours and prepared for battle.

"My Lord guides me across the sacred sands," hissed a hoarse voice against the clopping hooves of a mare. "To slay the woeful Devils that have cursed thy land..."

I followed the crooked voice, watching a shadowed knight appear over the dune's heightened frame. Silver armor glistened in the moonlight, and two pale eyes flashed like torches from its depths. This oozing skin he wore reeked of death, and decay. Weakened, he displayed his most courageous stance, and it wasn't until I looked that I understood why.

He had stained the armor of his victories.

And now, having sought me here beneath the stars, he was bound to add another.

"...While man crumbles do you slither from under your rock," snarled the knight as he limped off his horse. "To burn the womb of life's creation... to skin the liberties we have unlocked..."

He drew upon his sword, a lifeless vessel that glistened of jewels and fresh dragon blood, and growled demonically. "By his good name, I will ensure this promise, beast. I will spill your inners across the sands... until time knows that you have ceased."

"I do not fear your blade," I rumbled over him, bending my head just low enough to act reasonable. "Nor do I fear Death."

"Then fight me, if your courage is as strong as you speak!"

My tail lowered, eyes swollen in grief. "Turn back," I growled. "Go home, I beg of you. The ambition you carry, this lust for my hide... vengeance will become your downfall. You do not want to do this-"

"Oh, but I do," the male steadied his weapon drawing everso closer. "I have dreamed a million dreams, watching the life leave your cold flesh, just as it left mine when you killed my brother. No words spoken will change my fate... nor will it save yours. God is on my side... and we will make this last, dragon."

"So be it then."

Through a valiant sprint this human aimed a stab at my flank, slashing my scales before I could flinch. I bared my fangs, snapping down upon his shoulder, only to receive another whack of his weapon to disarm me. Pain found my underside as he struck the bones beneath the wing, before a second swing splintered flesh above my scalp. I returned the favor with a blow of my own, cracking the knight's skull with a whip of my tail. It did nothing more than fuel his fight, forcing me, once again, to defend myself.

Talons struck metal.

Scales met skin.

The brutal battle reigned supreme for minutes on end, until a opening was given. As soon as I flared my wings away, the knight bellowed, spearing the sword into the air.

And drove the blade straight through my chest.

My eyes dilated, and a muffled cry shook the heavens. I whimpered as I limped away, feeling the cold blade continue to twist against my writhing flesh and bones, and turn the speckled orange ground into a dark, crimson puddle. The knight warbled with satisfaction, watching me fumble to the earth, and began his final approach to the sword within.

But something happened. Something befell me.

In but a moment I no longer had control.

My back claw suddenly slammed his shield away, denting the frame. Surprised and exposed, the knight watched me lunge forward, wrap my jaws around his poor body, and squeeze. Hungered snarls arose as he frantically fidgeted in my grasp, begging for release.

A crunch sounded.

And everything stopped.

The male gasped only once. His weapon dropped to the ground with a heavy thud. And, upon tasting his sweetened blood, I drew away, feeling my noble side return in a state of shock. Redness now smeared over my snout. And upon his armor marked a row of holes, deep enough to rupture the flesh.

Deep enough to kill.

Before he fell, my tail wrapped around his flailing body, pulling him in close as he writhed against his will. Instinct demanded me to devour my prey. But how noble could that be, for a creature driven by loss? Death had already marked him, cursing the boy to sleep forever.

All this, because I let the blight control me.

The knight hiccupped and choked, staring into my brown eyes as a tear drifted from his face. He tried to speak a name, a name I knew of well.

Before he fell still.

Nuzzling his brown hair away, a sacred tear slipped from my reddened eyes as I sighed, defeated.

"I'm sorry, brother."