Chapter Text
The sound of the wind swiftly caressing the grass was relaxing. It was loud. And not only because her head was resting there, but because she could hear and separate every single blade being moved and bended at the gale's will. There were more sounds. The rustling made of the insects as they rushed through their short lives, and the loud stomps of larger creatures was omnipotent. The trees had their song too. It was peaceful.
She had her eyes closed and her breathing was slow and regular. But she could not block anything else. She knew where each living being was; knew because of the pulsations of their hearts; the sound of their life-giving liquids inside their bodies, be it the green of the crickets, the red of the mice or the white of the leaves; the sound and feel of waves that bounced every fraction of a second; and the electric pulses that she was sure, had something to do with the function of every being. Feeling the world around her more intimately than ever, she had a sense of peace more powerful than when she fell asleep as a baby. She was part of the world too. She could feel it because her body was giving life to everything close to her, or maybe not life but something else; the pulses were stronger on those who absorbed her energy.
So lost was she, in her feeling of the world, she did not separate the single bipedal creature approaching her through the forest from the whole in time. And even when it drew a shocked breath in she did not move. Why would she? Any creature in her surroundings was awed at her appearance. Even a herd of deer's had cautiously approached her to silently observe before.
But this one was different.
She opened her eyes. Before her was a tall man wearing torn blue clothes and holding a long lance in a limp grip, his jaw was slightly ajar and his eyes were wide. It looked like he had to climb mountains and sleep on razor sharp rocks to come here. She did not doubt it. And she had no difficulty recalling his name.
Hak.
Had the situation been different her reaction would have been, likewise, different. But she was tired of running, of losing everyone around her, of being in the dark, of not knowing who to trust… and of not knowing if he betrayed that trust or not.
She had finally found peace, and she'd be damned if she let anyone take it from her again.
And so, the beautiful red dragon growled, making a show of her sharp teeth and claws before she lunged.