A Dragon's Tale

'What deeds!' cried the Righteous. 'I, the Dragon Slayer, stand before you in my glory. Behold, the worm lies dead.'

'Yet what of me?' said the Dragon's mate, a tear of silver falling to the earth. 'Do we not have the right to eat and to live?'

'Nay, for we are the Mighty, the Chosen Ones, and none may stand against us!'

'Then you are the Arrogant, the Proud, and the Fallen, and I will stand against you!' answered the Dragon, raising her golden wings.

Full three long days and nights they fought, 'till the ground was red with blood. The Earth did shake and the Heavens trembled in witness of this battle.

'You shall not win!' said the Righteous, his face scored by the Dragon's talons. 'I have God on my side.'

'You cannot win,' replied the Dragon, her sides torn by the sword of the Righteous, 'for you do know not what God is.'

They paused, weary, as doubt crept into the mind of the Righteous and hope entered that of the Dragon.

'You speak of God,' said the Righteous, leaning on his sword. 'What do you know of God?'

'I see God in the face of the Earth, in the eye of the Heavens, in the tears I shed for my beloved, whom you slew. I see God in the food we shared; the moonlit nights when we danced beneath the stars; the waters of the rivers as they flow, laughing, to the sea, their purity a refreshment for our souls.'

'You have no soul! You are but a creature of flesh and bone,' retorted the Righteous.

'Then how is it I can speak with you and you can speak with me? What is this thing called 'soul' that you have and I do not, according to your writ?' replied the Dragon, resting for a while.

'It is eternal. The essence of who we are. It joins with God when we die,' said the Righteous, eyeing the Dragon with suspicion.

The Dragon sighed. 'Time is meaningless to God. All things are eternal: only the form doth change. You and I will both return to the Earth from whence we came, and the Earth will one day cease to exist. We cannot know when that will be, but it is certain; as is your death and mine.'

Another tear fell to the earth as the Dragon saw the wrath in the eye of the Righteous, yet she continued to speak: 'This 'soul' you tell of is the sense of being that exists during life, whether it is a small one or a memorable one. Yet, by taking my beloved's life, you have diminished your own.'

The Righteous considered the Dragon's words. 'He slew my cattle. Did they not have the right to live?'

'Yes, and so they did, yet if he had not slain them for food, you would have. It is the way of the world that all must eat, each in their own manner. There is guilt only in killing for sport and in greed.' The Dragon waited in silence to hear what the Righteous would say.

'The cattle were mine, not his to slay. He paid for his sin, as will you if you slay me. My brethren will seek you out and you will never know rest again,' said the Righteous, standing tall in his pride.

The Dragon lowered her head in sorrow, and then once more raised her eyes to those of the Righteous. 'The cattle were not yours. No creature is the property of any other. They were held captive by you.'

The Righteous roared with indignation, leapt to his feet and plunged his sword into the Dragon's heart. Then, in horror did he see the Dragon change into the likeness of his own dear wife; the mother of his children. Her eyes held his as her breath did cease and her heart's blood joined his tears.

The Righteous wept, yet still could not see how his arrogance was the cause of it all.