Kreiss stood up and approached the dragon with small, quiet steps. He didn't look so threatening when he was asleep, and he was in a pretty deep sleep. He didn't even notice that Kreiss was right next to him, within an arm's length. Kreiss reached out to touch him. It was probably dumb, considering the dragon might wake at any moment and bite his hand off. But Kreiss had done a lot of dumb things before, and compared to the mess he had gotten himself into, petting a sleeping dragon didn't seem so reckless in comparison.
He counted his breaths, and ever so gently, placed his hand on the dragon's shoulder. He held his breath and waited, and heaved a sigh of relief when the dragon's snores continued. He smiled, continuing to stroke the dragon tenderly, caressing the scar. He wondered if the dragon remembered him from their very first encounter seven years ago.
