Smaug's Only Living Treasure

Chapter 4: Incenerate

The glow from the fire burning inside me is now weaker as water fills my body. I now no longer feel the burning sensation in my lungs, but the pounding in my head doesn't stop. I look up to the surface, for last time's sake, and start drifting away into darkness.

As the last of my conscious was slipping away, I see a tremendous gulf of fire whip up on the other side of the surface. The hand that was dragging me down released me, and a frightening claw enter the water and grab me. The claw then pulled itself with me in its palm out of the water. As soon as I feel air around me, my instincts kick in, and tell me to cough out the water from my lungs.

Water comes gushing out me, and I fall to the ground, breathing heavily and painfully as I take in the cool air.

"WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING."

His voice echoes onto the walls and I flinch at it. I feel his presence close to me, and I turn my head slightly to find that the side of his face is just inches away from mine. His eyes are burning in anger, and his breathing is harsh.

However, I take little interest in his appearance and try to change my form to heal my body. I concentrate and gather as much energy as I have left, and succeed in making a few flames light up on my body, but not enough to change.4

"Burn...... Me...."

I whisper out to Smaug.

"If you wish to kill yourself, I will not allow it. You are mine, and you do as I will want you to. Now GET UP."

I smirk weakly as his enflated pride, but my head bangs from the loss of air. I gasp out and curl myself into a ball, and continue on trying to light myself up. My hands shake from the freezing temperature around me, plus my soaking wet body. I look into Smaug's eye in dispair.

"It hurts."

The words are almost tiny little breaths, but I'm sure that a dragon's keen sense can hear it well enough to understand. His eyes narrow, and it moves upwards. I curl myself even more to conserve as much heat as possible again.

        I almost let out a yell when I felt Smaug's scales touch my body. It's smooth, and some of the gaps between each one of them have gold embedded in them, giving it a rough feel now and then when he shifts closer to me. I stay motionless in fear, but it quickly changes into confusion when he extends one of wings over me and stops any movement. His stomach glows like a quiet fire, slightly lighting up when he inhales. The heat that his body releases heats up the air that used to be so cold around me into a comfortable warmth. My breathing is now steady, and I try changing my form again. This time, I succeed in lighting up and take form into the Phoniex. The burning sensation in my lungs disappear, and I feel my face warming up again, like it used to be before I was dragged down underwater. I crawl towards the dragon's hide and lean my head on it.

"Thank you."

I say, as I slip into a quiet sleep.