The knight stands on my ledge, his spears now exhausted at last with only his sword to defend him. The greedy fool is dressed all in black steel, and his shield is blazoned with a sharp-toothed read skull. A symbol perhaps too apt for this one, I think as I roar again, this time at him. He takes a step back, either in fear or preparation as I fold back my wings and fly straight for him front claws extended before me and rear legs arched forward to land on him. I hit with crashing force, batting his sword aside like the toothpick it is before me, clamping my jaws hard on his armored forearm ans squeezing hard. He screams as my teeth pierce the thin metal, meant only to protect him from arrows, not drake's teeth. My other claw sinks deep into his upper shield arm as my back legs rake down his torso, leaving huge rents in his armor and his flesh alike. I withdraw my claws and steady myself. With my jaws still deep in his arm, I begin to twist a wrench my head about on my long neck, whipping him like a child's ragdoll back and forth. His screams are quickly cut short as he looses the breath to manage them. I whip him up high into the air and bring his flailing form crashing down to the ground. I hear a sickening snap as his back breaks somewhere. I release my hold on his arm, noticing only now that his arm is also dilocated. Then I feel a new pain as I realize that some of the blood in my mouth is my own. I find several minor cuts around my teeth where his armor tore the soft flesh inside my mouth.

     Folding my wings away behind me and sitting beside the fallen knight, I at last look to the long spear shaft protruding from my chest, not far from my heart. AT least the fool didn't puncture anything vital, not quite. Before I pull out the shaft, I turn to my fallen foe and remove the remainder of his armor, then strip his clothing from his body to help staunch my wound. As I remove his clothes, the human groans feebly, and his head turns slightly. Resheathing my claws for the next step, I grasp the long shaft of the spear and tug, very gently, feeling nothing catch, I thank Chance that the damned thing is not barbed. Bracing myself, I pull the cursed thing out and drop it to the ground, then quickly grab the wad of linens I took from the knight and press it to the wound hard to prevent it from bleeding too much. The pain, while it increased momentarily when I pulled it out, lessens soomewhat now, becoming almost bearable. I stand, I take up the fallen sword, and flame the point of it with dragonfie until it is glowing slightly. Then I remove the bloody cloth and prepare myself again. I press the glowing tip to the wound and scream again as the burning steel sears the wound closed. The stench of my own flesh burning floats up to my nostrils as I drop the blade and stagger back, falling heavily to the ground.

     "Damned greedy knights," I mutter as the pain redoubles its earlier pounding on my skull. As the blackness begins to invade my senses again, I move myself back over to the fallen knight. He groans and tries to shift his weight again, though he only has the use of his left arm now. As I begin to push his body towards the edge of the ledge, I mutter near his ear, "I wonder...if this will teach...your friends to ...leave me alone?"

     He opens his eyes as he feels himself moving, and looked toward the edge, begins to whine please of mercy. "Oh, sure, ask for mercy now. I don't think so, boy." I give one last heave that throws him over the edge and I watch as his form tumbles and crashes down the mountainside. "Good riddance to bad rubbish."

     I groan as I push myself back from the ledge, unable by this point to deny the creeping darkness entrance into my mind........