Sintel crept into the cave, watching the enormous dragon tear into its prey, spilling blood and chunks of flesh all over. She crept slowly, gripping her pikeaxe, making sure not to make too much noise, lest that be her doom, and scanned her cave for any sign of her dear little dragon friend, Scales. Gasping quietly, she spotted a small crater-like nest in which a small dragon slept soundly, oblivious to its surroundings.

Sintel narrowed her eyes in determination and walked along an outcrop with delicate balance. Hoping the huge dragon was absorbed in its loud, messy eating, she leapt down and, in a crouching stance, inched toward the nest where the baby dragon slept.

Controlling her nervous breathing, the redhead girl reached a hand into the nest and…

Sensing Sintel's presence, the baby dragon bolted awake, and upon seeing a large, unfamiliar animal, it burst into shrill, terrified shrieks, calling for help the way its innate instincts knew how.

The adult dragon leaped up, roaring, in blind rage at anything that threatened its offspring. Sintel could only scamper desperately out of the way at top speed as a curtain of scorching flame spewed out of the dragon's mouth. The girl ducked behind a stalagmite, scraping her shoulder in the process. Panting in bleak terror, she managed to spot the frightened baby dragon making for the cave entrance with a series of frantic gallops and leaps- just before its gargantuan parent burst out behind her.

Sintel ran as fast as she could, but she was no match for the dragon, which leaped right over her head and landed directly in front of her, separating her from the tiny dragon.

Despite the roaring adult dragon crouching menacingly between them, Sintel cried out to the infant dragon, "Scales!" She prayed that her friend would recognize her voice, but it was in vain- the tiny dragon scampered out of sight.

The jet of fire rushed toward Sintel, singing her clothes and hair as she twisted out the way at the last second- a moment later and she would've been toast. She slammed down onto the rocks covering the cave floor, bruising and scaping her arm in multiple spots.

She got up slowly as her colossal reptilian adversary stalked closer. Abruptly the dragon lunged, and Sintel barely had enough time to level her pike before the dragon bit down on its handle and swung it in the air, lifting both the weapon and the girl clutching on for dear life.

With a near-acrobatic move, Sintel managed to vault herself onto the dragon's head and wrench the pikeaxe out of the surprised beast's mouth. Racing forward, the stabbed the pointy end of the pike into the back of the dragon's head.

The beast howled in pain and shook its head back and forth violently, knocking Sintel onto the floor. The disoriented dragon crashed into some cave crystals, shattering them, and Sintel saw her chance. She grabbed the pikeaxe which had fallen nearby and leaped onto a sloping cave wall, using it to launch herself at the dragon in a somersault. The creature did a rapid turn, using its tail like a deadly whip, but Sintel's leap was high enough she coasted over it. The girl landed on her feet just as the dragon finished turning, and swung the pikeaxe blade. Her vicious blow barely missed the dragon's right wing, for the dragon had anticipated her move and lifted its wing slightly off the ground.

Then, as a finishing blow, the dragon lowered its head and swung it like a battering ram, knocking Sintel clear across the cave. The girl bounced off a rocky outcrop like a ragdoll and dropped onto a collection of crystals with enough force to shatter them. The dragon leaped forward, landing next to the prone girl lying on the ground, jaws ready to strike… and froze in its tracks.

The dragon sniffed the girl, gazing at the girl's seemingly-vulnerable body. Her scent was… it hadn't smelled in such a long time. Images flashed through the dragon's mind. A redhead human holding it in her palm- playing together, flying over the cityscape… the anguish on her face when it had been snatched by its true mother.

The way she'd gone for the baby dragon, calling that name- "Scales"- its name. Everything clicked in the dragon's mind. Sintel had finally come for it! She'd come! Joy leapt in the dragon's heart… only to be instantly replaced by worry- that lively girl- wasn't moving. Was she hurt? If only it hadn't overreacted…

Gently, with its snout, Scales nudged Sintel to turn her over, eliciting a painful groan from the redhead.

Scales gasped, head recoiled briefly, and began to shake in consternation- No no no, oh no oh no.

A sight that Scales as a predator, only knew too well. After all, it'd even fought and killed humans before, albeit only in self-defense. Red blood stained Sintel's shirt and the ground she'd been lying on. And two large, sharp crystal fragments had impaled her- one in the lower-center of the chest, one in the lower abdomen, both gruesome wounds.

The girl was finished and she knew it. Coughing up blood and wracked with pain, she gazed defiantly at Scales. "You- you've won th- " She began, but her eyes floated in confusion, first at the dragon's whimpering and horrified demeanor, then to the scar on its outstretched left wing. Realization dawned in her eyes and they widened as she realized the horrible, bitter irony of what happened. "S- Scales?"

The dragon hung its head in shame, and tears of misery welled in its large eyes. Sintel… had come so far for Scales… and Scales had… killed her. All the images of its childhood- the time they'd spent together flashed through its mind, wrenching its heart.

"D-Don't cry, S-Scales," Sintel whispered through labored breaths, tears welling in her own eyes, and the dragon realized its tears had fallen next to the mortally-wounded girl. "I-I found you. F-Found you."

Sintel tried to sit up, but fell back down with a groan of agony. She couldn't feel her hands or legs anymore, and her vision was hazy. Breathing was so- hard now, and her mouth was full of blood. But there was one last thing she needed to say. "I- I love you, Scales." Then she couldn't hold her eyes open anymore. The pain was gone too, and she was simply falling, falling through darkness…

The girl's heaving chest fell still, and another series of tears fell from the dragon's eyes. Sintel had given… everything for Scales, and the hardships she'd been through were apparent. Her ragged appearance, plus the scars on her face and arms gave that away.

Two days later…

Scales lay Sintel's cold body at the base of a tree and slowly clawed the dirt to bury the small human. By its side, a small, baby dragon watched curiously. Originally, Scales had thought to take the long journey, all the way to Ishtar, to return Sintel to her people. Even though it was too late, it would have been a journey of remorseful and regret, repaying Sintel for all she'd been through. But… Sintel's body would never… last across such a journey… Scales had a son to take care of, and… Sintel didn't really have much friends back in Ishtar.

So Scales decided to bury her at the base of tree overlooking the graveyard of dragons, a valley littered with dragon bones, a valley where many old dragons went to die. Scales imagined the redhead girl would've liked it here, if only she'd stayed long enough to know the place. Hopefully, she was watching from somewhere… somewhere better. And it was close by, so Scales could visit often.

Scales finished covering the body, and lay his snout on the fresh mound of dirt for a few minutes. Then it snorted to its son, and the two of them made their way back to the cave they called home.