His lungs ached, feeling ready to burst... Every breath he took was labored... His legs were sore from sprinting, nearly ready to collapse beneath him. He was running as fast as he could... Yet no matter what, it always seemed like he wasn't running fast enough.
Almost there... I have to hurry... His mind seemed to echo throughout his surroundings, as if his very thoughts themselves had voices of their own.
After nearly an eternity of agonizing worry, he finally caught sight of her... His heart leaped with joy and he picked up speed, running as fast as his legs would carry him. He couldn't lose her... not again... not ever...
It seemed as though every time he came closer to her, she only seemed to get further away. He cried out to her, warm tears blinding his line of sight before gently cascading down his cheeks. He studied her form, the very breath he had been struggling to reclaim imprisoned itself in his throat.
The large dragon only lay there, still as a stone aside from her slow, struggled breathing. Large lacerations embedded within her armor, leaving painful scars where the once beautiful scales that had once been there. Her eyes were closed, neither sleeping nor awake. Once again, he cried out, so painful that even he himself nearly collapsed.
Slowly, the dragon's eyes opened. The shining emeralds glanced about before focusing on him, staring at him with the very same love and devotion that had nurtured him through his young, yet painful life.
He stumbled and fell to his knees, staring back with the same pained gaze, losing himself within the beauty of the dragon's eyes. Additional tears joined the first, accompanied by hiccupping sobs.
A dark shadow spread over him, chilling his bones. He looked up to find a dark-cloaked man, his raised hood obscuring all but the man's lips, twisted into a cruel, sadistic grin.
Before anything could be done, the figure raised an iron sword, gleaming in the sunlight.... and plunged it into the wounded dragon's heart.
"No!" The boy screamed, leaping to his feet and resuming the chase, only to be met with the same results.
The dragon's eyes widened, still focused on him. From within her emerald-like eyes, a single tear was produced, streaming down her scaled cheeks before seeping into the soil, lost for eternity. With one last pained breath, her eyes closed, and the mighty creature was no more...
"No!" Devin screamed, jerking awake. His shoulder burned and his back ached from being in the same position for too long. It was only a dream... a dream of a memory that he wished with all of his pounding heart that he would forget...
He wiped his cheeks with his hand, feeling the warm liquid moisten his hand before being cooled by the air. Even after being awake, he could still vividly see everything, hear everything... and feel the very same sorrow and agony as the dream replayed itself in his nearly-broken mind.
Curling up, he gazed down at the forest floor and, with a fresh stream of tears, wondered if another fall could finally free him from his cage...