The War for the Dragon

The End

I don't move from my spot, the cave where I had first met Gog. In my dragon form, my front limbs hang off the cave's entrance, which is a sheer cliff that leads to a forest below.
In the distance, birds flock away, migrating for the upcoming winter. I don't know how many winters I've seen so far. I still feel drained, wondering while I'm still alive.
What He said long ago was true, I couldn't die. I tried everything. I sigh, a cloud exiting my nostrils. I crane my neck to the back of the cave to see the horde of ores, geodes, and gold from the civilization below.
I told them I didn't want them, but they are used to paying tribute for protection. Of course, I did protect them, but they migrated along with the birds.
Then I hear her again, the mating call of a female dragon, not far from here. I scoff at my instincts, that strongly try to control my muscles as they tense with my self control.
I bellow, a deep, earth quaking, roar that clinks my treasure together, but not to call her. This was a warning roar, that she has trespassed.

Later tonight, I hear heavy, huge wings slicing the air, coming closer and closer to my domain. My head perks up from my curled up state, and my lips curl back to growl. She lands at the entrance of my cave, stupid girl.
I immediately go into my defensive position, which is my wings opened wide and my claws showing, with the addition of my curled lips and growling. I screech, and she shows her stomach in submission.
I snort at her action, and she looks at me, confused.
"Get out of here, girl. I have no interest in you," I growl. She stares at me.
"You are peculiar. I've heard of dragons like you, shifters. Is it true," she asks, attempting to come closer to me. I growl at her and she backs away again.
"It is. I was born in the form of a human, but I'm not human. I'll never be a human. I'm a monster, just like the rest of our kind," I say while growling. She looks at me with pure rage as her entire posture changes. She's now baring her sharp teeth at me, seething.
"We are not monsters! We are practically gods to these humans! We are their guardians! We feel all the emotions they do! Our cultures may not be the same, but in no way does that make us savage ravenous beasts like you make us out to be. We live to survive and protect. I thought we'd share the same thoughts because we're both shifters, but I see now how wrong I was," she growls. I stare at her wide eyed as she takes off, and I follow, clinging to her words, forgetting for a moment of my immense pain.
"You said we are the same? Show me that we are," I say as convincing as I could.
She says nothing but leads me to far beyond the village and out of my territory, her dark grey scales shimmering in the moonlight. I spot a cabin placed at the edge of a cliff and realize that's her home. She shifts and I see her nude figure walk into her home and lure me in.
Her face is small and round with full lips that had been painted like red wine, her eyes the color of auburn leaves. Her hair is like wet sand, and seemed just as soft. Her skin has been kissed by the sun. I dare not look lower, but her naked figure probably looks interesting as well.
"My name is Sparrow, like the bird," she says in what I now understand as English.
"Ryuunosuke," I say, covering my eyes with one hand. I have picked up English from the villagers, but I decide not to make myself look like a fool.
She removes my hand after her shuffling around and this time she has clothes on.
Her cottage seems completely abandoned and deteriorating on the outside, but on the inside, there's nice fuzzy furniture and polished wood floors. The wallpaper has a small pattern repeating over and over of small figures that seem like writing in a language I can't read. In some random places, there's tribal paintings scrawled onto the walls, no frame or anything, just paint smeared with a small finger.
I touch one to find that it's paint is still wet.
I look at my now red fingers, and Sparrow places my hand back on the wall. She guides my hand to smear paint on the wall, and I stare at her in confusion.
"Make a memory of your own. Let your hand and your heart guide you."
I inhale deeply and close my eyes. I feel the tingling sensation of my moving finger on the wall, and open my eyes.
"Kaito, I lost our light," I read aloud. She stares at me, probably not understanding Japanese. Light is written as Kou, and I notice the red on my fingers is Crimson. I feel hot tears roll down my face, and some roll down my forearm. I turn to Sparrow, who is still staring at what I had written, tears falling from her eyes.
"Can I go up," I say, referring to her room, where I catch a scent of something I've been looking for.
She nods, and I climb the stairs to her room. I close her door, and she leaves me alone. I see a bathroom in her room, and realize she probably thinks I'm using it.
I sniff around and pick up the object I find under her pillow, the cool metal sizzling as it touches my hot, perspiring skin.
I already know what I want to do. I've already planned this so many times. Why am I hesitating?
I hear footsteps beginning to ascend the stairs and I feel the trigger tremble in harmony with my fingers. My tears sizzle down my face before I inhale deeply.
I exhale, and calmly, I pull the trigger.