The game of cat and mouse—or rather of human and dragon had started unexpectedly.

The young man hadn't seen the dragon when he climbed the hill. The creature was so buried in rubble that he looked like an extension of the ground.

So it was most unexpected when he heard a band of trumpets just before the earth shifted beneath him. Without warning, a mighty tail threatened to wrap around his belly.

"Not again!"

Slipping through the coil just as it tightened, the man dropped to the ground and ran flat out.

"If you please, Sir Dragon, I meant no harm!"

But the mighty beast paid him no heed. Now that he had been roused, the dragon would feast on the bones of his unwelcome guest.

The man did not curse when the dragon tried to swipe at him with his massive wing. When it pulled back and stretched into the sky, the trespasser used the opportunity to duck below a crumbling wall.

And not a moment too soon. The roar that came from the dragon's mouth was enough to damage even an Ascended's ears, and the fireball that followed could have melted his skin.

As it was, sweat poured down his brow at an unprecedented pace.

Heat was not his element–neither was direct combat. If he had been able to plan for this eventuality, perhaps he could have done something to attack the beast.

But as it was, there was only one option.

'Time to get out of here!'

The man couldn't stay on the hilltop any longer. His welcome had been worn out before it even began. His only saving grace was that the magnificent beast was injured. The trespasser could work with that.

The creature also didn't seem to have the lust for human souls that typical Nightmare Creatures showed. That didn't mean it wasn't dangerous.

What it lacked in malicious intent, the beast more than made up for with indignation at having his nest disturbed.

As the heat abated, the young man slipped from one piece of rubble to the next. He needed to get on the dragon's blind side and then get out of the ruined fortress as quickly as his powers would let him.

Unfortunately, the dragon was wise to this game. As soon as the man crossed to the beast's left, the mighty creature turned on him, letting loose a second column of fire so obliterating that the stone it hit glowed and threatened to liquify.

It was only the man's agility and speed that kept him from becoming a human piece of charcoal. Even then, he felt the burns on his skin would take some time to recover.

If he made it out of there at all.

The dragon was impossibly large, which was both an advantage and a disadvantage when stalking its prey. The creature was slow-moving in comparison to the trespasser, but could cover a wide area with his body. So, although the man could conceivably escape from the teeth, claws, or tails of the beast, avoiding all of them at the same time was proving to be difficult.

Just when the man missed the grasping front arm, the back leg would fill the space to head off his escape. It was like navigating a never-ending maze, with the exit always just out of reach.

Spotting a weak spot in the dragon's hide, the man slashed at his enemy. The hit rang true, and the beast rolled to avoid another hit in the same spot. There was an opening, a glint of sunlight beneath the shade of the creature's wing.

'Freedom!'

The man took the bait, only to realize too late that it was a trap. He was past the point of no return.

Rolling back onto his feet, the predator trapped the measly human between its four claws. The tail cut off any retreat before the clay-caked scales of his underbelly crashed down upon the man's head, urging him forward.

Then, just as he thought he might make it in time, three rows of razor-sharp teeth appeared as the dragon pressed the top of his nose to the ground. A tongue flicked out, ready to grab the victim and finish the game once and for all.

Like so many guillotines, the teeth were already closing. There was no slowing down or stopping. Slowing down meant becoming an easier target for the snapping jaw, and stopping would be allowing his body to become the latest decorative covering on the creature's hide.

With his head pressed to the ground in such a manner, the dragon could not see, only snap blindly at the incoming meal.

Death was inevitable.

The smoke curling from the beast's nostrils was practically writing it in the air.

So, rather than slow down or stop, the man did the only logical thing.

He sped up.

And as he did, the graceful man did the least graceful thing he had done in his life.

He dove.

Not into the dragon's mouth, but into one of the two holes billowing smoke.

Holding his breath, the man held on for dear life as the dragon swung his bestial head into the air and spouted a column of fire angrily in all directions.

Hot, suffocating smoke filled the beast's nostrils, yet somehow the man managed to hang on for the terrifying ride.

That was, until the mighty creature stopped spewing fire and put all his energy into a hurricane of smoke. The nostril became an unbearable wind tunnel, forcing the human refugee out like a ball from a cannon.

The world flew past him, or rather, he flew past it. That was, up until a dirty claw lifted to reclaim him for the meal.

Tilting his body, the young man slashed at the air, doing just enough damage to trim the end of the dragon's longest nail. It was enough...barely. The remaining claws raked against his armor, ripping off one pauldron and nearly breaking his arm with the sickening twist.

But the man didn't stop to assess his injury.

Tucking his body, he hit the ground with his good shoulder and rolled into a wall. The few stones that were left on top of each other toppled, sending a new wave of dust into the air.

'Ah!'

Gripping his bad arm, the trespasser gallantly rose to his feet and took off across the uneven ground with new fervor.

The dragon lunged toward him, but the remains of a broken staircase sent him off balance. His jaws bit the stone just to the man's right.

The human dipped his head formally. "Forgive me for dashing before you dine, but I must go!"

Undeterred by the politeness of his prey, the dragon continued to pursue. The great wings flapped, catching air like sails on a ship and pushing the gale against the fleeing meal.

With the lightness of foot that belied his strength, the man seamlessly evaded his pursuer as he prepared to jump the final city wall.

His shoulder screamed, threatening to take his consciousness. It was only then that he noticed the blood pouring down his leg. When had that even happened?

Despite the man's best effort, the dragon continued to gain in the pursuit. In a moment, the creature would have him once and for all. It was all but decided.

His curiosity had gotten him killed. This was the end.

That was when a stone launched over his head, hitting the dragon squarely between the eyes.

A voice broke through the mayhem, clear as the dawn, speaking the first word that the weary sojourner had heard in the past week.

"Aether!"