"RRRYYYYAAAAAAAGGHHH!!" I roar, there is a pure rage within me that cannot be tamed, "Where am I? Who am I?" These questions begin to fill my mind but are blocked out by another feeling. Hunger…I am absolutely ravenous and need something to sate my desires. This hunger rises to the forefront of my mind and now I have a new reason to be angry.
"RRRYYYYAAAAAAAGGHHH!!" I roar again. This time I start to feel heat…a heat rising from my gut that travels upward towards my mouth. Flames erupt from my mouth engulfing the area around me, soot ash and smoke surround me.
What is that smell I wonder something nearby smells appetizing, its a familiar smell of cooked meat. What is it called again something with a que? Whatever, I need to find that smell and devour it immediately. Guided by my nose the smell gets stronger and stronger.
Charred flesh comes into view, bodies…bodies that appear to be human lay on the ground below me. Something about this should bother me but I am not sure what about this should. Lowering the front half of my body, and stretching my neck down human flesh enters my mouth. Its delicious, any qualms I had dissipate. The only thing to do now is to find more, my appetite is rather large you see and this was just a snack.
Frozen water begins to fall from the sky, a word comes to mind "Snow." When was the last time that I had a thought, it seems that I am losing track of time.
Scanning my surroundings it appears I have made a dwelling for myself in a mountainside cave. Bones and assorted items cover the floor.
THOOM... THOOM... THOOM...
Loud steps begin to reverberate around me, It appears that I am not alone. Swinging my neck around my eyes lock with…a dragon?! A blue and white scaled dragon stands across from me peering at me inquisitively.
"Are you awake, can you hear me?" she asks.
"Of course I am awake we are both looking at each other." I say sheepishly, "What kind of question is that?"
She rolls her eyes (can dragons roll their eyes?)
"Awake like aware, sometimes there are not thoughts behind those eyes of yours." she says matter-of-factly. "There are moments when you are not there, where you only act on instinct. Mostly anger or hunger actually." she states.
"I see, that must be why I don't know where I am right now, and why the season appears to be different." I said.
"Exactly." she replied, "I actually have quite a few scars from you. Food usually calms you down however you seem to have a curse that enacts your dragon rage frequently." she said.
Dragon rage?
"You say that like I am a dragon too!" I say, letting out a deep belly laugh.
At this exclamation the blue and white dragons nostrils seem to flare, she let's out a sigh and released a blast of a beautiful blue white fire. Her flames melted an ice block that lay on the ground between us.
"Take a look at yourself my friend, also try to temper your reaction. You don't seem to react well to this." she said slyly.
Edging slowly towards this large puddle that she created I look down and am shocked by what I see. The reflection staring back at me is that of a crystalline dragon, with iridescent scales covering its body. As I jump from the shock the reflection also jumps and I let out a scream which in reality turns to a roar and flames leap from my mouth.
"Is it safe to come out now?" asks the dragon, warily as she peeks around the corner from deeper within the cave.
Her question grabs my attention and allows my shock to subside a bit, "How long have I been a dragon?" I ask.
"Well you were a dragon when I met you, which was maybe about 15 human years ago." she says.
15 years?!?? How could that much time pass by without me knowing? I wonder.
"Whenever I tell you this it shocks you, you are a peculiar dragon. 15 human years is nothing when it comes to our life spans. You often ask me about my name but we do not have names as humans do." she says. "Dragons are known mostly by their domain and their appearance. You gave me the name Azura, I like it well enough." she says. "You asked me to call you Saya, its a strange name for a dragon but I respect your wishes."
Saya, it seems familiar, when I focus on that name something resonates in my mind. However when I attempt to focus on this name it causes me a mental strain. I cant remember why, but Saya has always been my name.
"Thank you," I say "You didn't need to but you seem to have been helping me when I lose myself."
"You appeared one day, making a mess scaring the prey, and trashing the place. I decided to help you, and I couldn't take you in a fight. Crystal dragons are quite powerful." Azura states candidly. "As time went on I was able to get closer to you and when you are yourself you are quite kind, its better this way." she says. "I brought you food, the more we can keep you content, the more we can quell your dragon rage and keep it at bay."
At that moment I smell a rich aroma, some sort of charred livestock lays on the ground before me I take Azura up on her offer and begin my dinner.
Seasons come and go, in the meantime I continue my life with Azura learning the ways of dragon-kind. The dragon rage continues to come yet I am able to remember more and more each time it settles, until…
Humans.
A nomadic group of humans has settled near our dwelling in the mountainside. How did they even get here? I ponder. Whatever, as long as they don't bother us Azura and I can let them live. We avoid the humans as much as we can. Hunting when they are not, and making note of when they are active so we can purposely steer clear of them.
CRASH! Azura careens into the cave, stumbling about in a hurry. "Whats wrong?" I ask.
"I was attacked by the humans, hurry deeper into the cave!" she utters frantically.
As she pushes her way past, anger begins to rise within me there are arrows stuck in the folds of her wings where she has been shot.
"Don't worry about this," she says "We can't allow for your dragon rage to rise, I'd rather we avoid killing them." she requests.
"You want to allow them to live while they have the nerve to do this to you?" I say with a bite to my voice.
As she opened her mouth to give me a reply a hooked spear shoots through her wing locking it in place.
"KYYRREEEEEIIIIIIIHHHHH!!" Azura cries in agony! As she rears in pain her other wing elongates reflexively, and is also shot through. "Leave me here!" she says, "Don't let this bring out the dragon rage!" she askes solemnly.
"I'm not leaving you here!" I say defiantly, as I attempt to get past her, she pushes me back.
"Leave this place!" she screams, with a bit of fear hanging in her words.
Looking slightly past Azura the humans creep eerily closer to her, there appear to be about ten of them. Sensing an earnestness in her eyes, I can see that Azura truly does not want me to kill these humans. She would clearly prefer to sacrifice herself instead.
ZZZZZZT! CRRRZZZZT! A crackling surge of energy leaps from one of the humans hands, a violet sinister lightning is striking Azura further paralyzing her in place.
RED. Red as brilliant as a raging storm of fire flashes in my eyes, rage and anger flood my senses. Within an instant I instinctively strike, and that is all I can remember.
The scent of blood floods my nose, it is a pungent smell, human blood and something else.
Azura!
Desperately I begin to search for Azura, but it does not take me long to find her. The sight haunts my memory and regardless of time or dragon rage it never leaves my mind. Azura lies on her side with a gash in her neck, a large fatal gash that no creature could survive. A large cavernous hole also stretches across her abdomen and her innards cover the ground. Lifeless eyes look past me into the abyss. No human could do this to a dragon, I killed Azura in my dragon rage and now I am again a solitary dragon. A ticking time bomb that lacks full control of my emotions or body.
"SKRYYYYYYYYHHHAAAGGHHH!!" I scream, it was a high pitched scream that dropped to a guttural cry. My dragon breath reigned down over the already dead remains of the humans who entered our cave. The rage within me begins to rise again but I do not care, I leave the cave as a wrathful creature. Woe be unto those who cross my path and the misfortune that will fall upon them.