Through the days, Launairk thought and reflected about his choices so far in his life. He had plenty of time of course, the winter would not go away so soon, but rather than hibernate, his mind was too active, and so was he hungry, without some food to warm him through the storm.

He often looked to the side, to his white dragoness companion, who slept so peacefully in the last few days. He frequently would think about her, wondering what is in her head, if she was really capable of any thought and why, or rather how was she at such peace with herself. Such thing he never ever experienced, since he thought of the evil in his actions as a wyrmling.

Some times she turned in the ground, spinning into the walls, hitting something as in a nightmarish fight. She scratches the walls and ground, causing an infuriating noise, but he refrained from acting in any way, preferring to keep to himself.

'Does my nightmare never ends? This storm won't stop? The whole winter?! No. No. If Azulthragas is calm, this means its not that long, we will get out of here, I haven't eaten in… Months. I would do anything for some roasted flesh… No! I can't just eat anyone I find… Think about other things… Uh… Sleep! I haven't managed to sleep in days…'

Suddenly, Azulthragas woke up with a roar, her pupils so thin and distressed, she turned to Launairk and released her ice breath at him. He surprised in the middle of his thoughts managed to dodge it swiftly, then turned from the wall to see she was jumping into him in a rage.

"Azulthragas! No!" Launairk roared and easily overpowered her jump and pinned her into the ground, hoping she would calm down, but she just didn't. She tried desperately to struggle but soon was getting tired.

"Calm down! Its just a nightmare!" Launairk yelled as her movements begun to calm down.

She looked around, as if trying to find other enemies, and then into a long sigh she returned to normal. Launairk released her and both stood before each other, with Azulthragas looking to the side in shame.

"What happened?" Launairk decided to start, calmly asking the still slightly distressed white dragon.

"You… Allied with giants… Surrounded me and were… Killing me." Azulthragas snarled.

"Me allied with giants? Well, that's definitely something." Launairk laughed light-heartedly.

"IT WAS A CHANCE!" Azulthragas roared, loudly, 'You and your bipedal loving behavior…'

"I don't love them. We respect each other." Launairk muttered, "Respect, which you have no concept of, huh?"

"Besides… I need no giant allies to defeat you" He laughed.

Azulthragas' face grew closed and sulking. "You earn my respect through a fight, nothing else. You still don't get it. Those giants are the mortal enemies of my kind… Of everyone in this damn dale, a pest to be exterminated!"

Azulthragas explained as if somehow Launairk would ally himself with the giants, she somewhat genuinely believed this was a possibility, much to his confusion.

"Why you insist I would ally with giants?" Launairk indulged the thought.

"You showed mercy to them! Those giants, if they reached their camps, they would come in numbers here." Azulthragas growled, "You chose to save that mother and child, they would not seek your death… They would all come for me, they have little reason to do else."

"She was lost in the storm!" Launairk snarled, "She had no idea where you even where… And you think they would return here and immediately find you?"

"They would search every single snowflake of this land! I know it, I already saw it happen!" Azulthragas angrily said, but shifted her tone slightly. "Giants invade our lairs for fun, to fight us. You can't possible understand living far south, we are a blessing on this land plagued by giants!"

"A blessing by attacking and massacring and slaughtering just as you say they do?" Launairk was not convinced, but she changed her tone further.

"Ugh. My mother once told me… Dragons are truly superior beings to giants, who struggle to try to reach our power. The bipedals are LUCKY we are here." Azulthragas muttered, her voice becoming louder each time, "Yeah, we eat and kill a few bipedals here and there, after all, its all meat, but giants… They exploit the land and eat the small bipedals like livestock."

"Wait. Wait. You are telling me you don't do that? Seriously?" Launairk said, in disbelief.

"I don't answer for my kin. I can think for myself. I know some bipedal livestock is better than a few scrunky bipedals." Azulthragas said, confidently.

"So… You respect or not the bipedals?" Launairk commented.

"ARGH. Listen…"

"Once I was a young white dragon, my mother was Arveiaturace-"

"Wait. Wait, you are daughter of Arveiaturace?!"

"Shut up. Yes, I am. You will realize this means little very soon."

"She was my mother, but she is a different white dragon, certainly from my father either. Me and my siblings were… Barely cared for, Arveiaturace allowed our presence in her lair, this was the furthest of the caretaking we received, or so most of us.

I curiously watched my mom, she enjoyed a good conversation, but well, there is not much kobolds and other servants can talk about, they aren't the brightest of minds. So, I sought to be something else, I learned how to read on my own, how to speak, while my siblings barely reached even close, most would barely talk nowadays still.

I wanted… Something more than survival, I wanted my own empire, my subjects, my libraries, for that, I was ridiculed in mocking growls and roars at me. Well, in a few years, after pure sheer will of mine, I become interesting for my mother. She taught me some powerful white draconic magic… No, not ice storms… Not yet at least, I can only muster a gust of wind, I would love to say this storm right now is my work.

Well, while me and my mother talked and enjoyed each other, this naturally had to end. As the fateful day she would consider us too dangerous and we were forced to leave the lair. I still believe she saw me leave with a smile, one of her own had become just a little like her… Well, this is my fantasy. If we ever met again, she would kill me without mercy, especially me, I would be most likely the one to face her and have the ability and thought to win.

Now on my own, I did the usual stuff, made my lair, eat the animals around, raided a few villages. I had no servants, at least none which I remember, which likely means I ate them too..."

"Wait, you eat even kobolds? By Tiamat, is there anything sacred to you?!"

"Yes. Its not my fault I do not recognize them as servants, but as mere food too… Well, I… Look, I remember I had servants, I was working on it, you know, but soon giant raids in my lair would end whatever kobolds I had on my side.

I was forced to… Move around, going from lair to lair until there was barely anywhere left to hide. Those giants were becoming too daring. I know it was a lost cause, our last matron mother died, she was the last symbol of unity among white dragons, without her, we might as well just… Die off.

No. I was angry and filled with vile. I would kill every giant I could possible find. Regardless of intentions, I have no mercy for those creatures.

One day, I was flying around in the sky, through the mountains when I saw a small group of bipedals, traveling through below. I decided, rather quickly, that it would be a nice midday snack, so I flew downwards to them.

I saw one of them carried a long pointy stick, the largest one among them. But other than that, it was a defenseless group.

I landed right in front of them, causing the large bipedal to point the stick at me. This of course was a challenge to me, so I acted accordingly, powering my breath against them. In the process however, I watched each of them, hopelessly bellow me, I loved the feeling of weaker creatures cowering in fear of me, but something was not feeling right…

They were afraid, but strangely chill with my presence, as if a blessing to them. Even the man carrying a stick was oddly hesitant to fight me, rather slowly going back towards the rest of the group.

I looked further and saw a large group of giants approaching.

My jaw fell open, without any breath coming out. I felt a weird chill down in my body, as if fear consumed me. Something no white dragon would ever admit however, I looked down again, the small bipedals were terrified of both of us, but they seemed to be more scared of the giants coming, they probably were fleeing from them all along.

I felt… I felt empathy for those small creatures, so defenseless. My mind thought what the giants would do to them, I can't imagine it would be any different of what I was about to do. So… I remembered how my mother was used to save sailors from ships through the sea, demanding her fair share, of course, but saving lives nonetheless. I think that if anything, denying them food would be a small victory against the giants.

So I not so gently took all the small ones and gone upwards flying away, as a few sticks started to rain from the sky, coming from the giants. The small creatures cried and screamed, it was annoying, but I knew a nearby village that would welcome them, I think, they like cooperation and welcome others, right?

I flew for a while, trying to not give any hint for the giants of were I was going to leave them by, that would be a disaster, right? I soon arrived at the village, causing confusion, many inhabitants fled in terror and what not, but I had very little with them, just dropped by the creatures in the snow and flew away."

Launairk listened very attentive as Azulthragas finished her story, he was rather confused and pleased but was interested in learning about her anyways.

"So… You care about bipedals, well, care might be a strong word, you tolerate them whenever you feel bad for them? Well, that is a plot twist of this whole narrative, the fact that you could realize the difference between foe and food, innocent and evil, well, its remarkable, I have to say." Launairk said, as he slowly clapped his talons on each other.

"Yes. I care. Now I don't go out there slaughtering bipedals, not like before. Those who respect me receive my mercy and mutual respect. I seek to destroy the towns, not the villages." Azulthragas respond back, angrily.

"I see it now." Launairk mutters.

"This is why I respect you." Azulthragas smiles faintly. "Yes, you seek to develop them, I seek to keep them primitive. But we are both shunned by our races, we have similar ideals."

Launairk looks down, surprised to her the respect, which he couldn't consider he had the same respect back to her, thinking she was a lesser by her actions, not words.

"I appreciate your respect, and now learning more about you, I respect you back." Launairk commented.

Azulthragas faint smile turns into a full smile.

"Thank you." She said.

"I believe we can cooperate if we trust each other, but most importantly, we respect each other." Launairk commented, "But now… Will this storm last the whole winter?!"

"Ah, no no… Just a week extra… Soon we will leave, don't worry..."

Launairk dies inside.