The flames. The heat. All I remember was the blistering, scorching pain burning through my skin, down my throat, turning my insides into liquid fire. I could not breath. Could not see. The only smell was the putrid stench of smoke and...flesh. Singed flesh. I could feel the hard wooden floor below me, ablaze with the fury of Thor himself.
I tripped, fell, heard the blood-curdling screams of my kin and the terrible cries of the dragons. The dragons...oh why did it have to be dragons?
A loud crack, like a tree branch snapping, like a lightning bolt freed from the hands of Thor, and my world went dark. Blank. Quiet. Empty.
My eyes fluttered open as I my consciousness was freed from the darkened void near death. I shielded my face from the white light flooding my unaccustomed eyes. A small noise came from beside me, a gentle purr, and a small nudge to the shoulder. I blinked, wondering if I was dead or alive. Mustering all my strength, I rolled over to my side, propping my limp body up on my elbow. Slowly, I pushed myself up into a sitting position, wondering from where this strength was emanating. It was then that I noticed the dark shape beside me, peering at me expectantly, almost worriedly. Clutching my ringing head in one of my hands, I tried to remember what had happened. To my despair, my mind was too stunned to recall much, so I returned my attention to the creature beside me.
Nudging my shoulder again, it licked the side of my cheek gently, turning it's head to the side, studying my face. The bright green eyes stared back at me, intently locked onto my face. Carefully, I raised a hand towards it, slowly holding it up in front of it's snout. Shaking it's head, it looked down at my hand, then back at me, before nuzzling my hand with a small snort.
A shudder ran down my spine as my memory began to return, timidly, as an unwary deer that has just caught the scent of danger. I shivered, noticing that I was draped in no more than a torn leather dress, blackened and burned and reeking of dragon smoke. Snowflakes swirled in the air around me, carried by a subtle breeze that knew no path. The iceberg below me sent a chill running up my entire body. The creature noticed my plight and curled around me, surrounding me in a blanket or warmth, sheltering me from the rising blizzard abound. I felt safe there, in the arms of a creature of whom I knew not, or remembered not, and found peace in the rhythmic rise and fall of the creature's massive chest.
Whether from fatigue, or comfort, my eyes fell closed and I fell into a fitful sleep.