Vanitas lay on the lip of the overhang positioned near his cave, leg and tail hung slightly over the edge. He lifted his head from his forelegs and gazed out across the expanse of land he could see from his perch.
His claws curled slightly and his yellow eyes narrow. How had it come to this? He was the last dragon in the world, and his kind had been relegated to fictional stories, and he did not dare to wander around below without a disguise. Flashes of scenes raged through his mind, images of fire and burning forests, the sparkling of fangs wet with blood, the scattered bits of fragmented shells, the cold forms of dragons died too young.
Vanitas shook off his memories with a guttural growl, standing and snorting more smoke. He could not change the past. The dragons were no more. The black serpentine creature turned and went back to his cave, sighing slightly as he formed back into a human, stretching. He could never get used to their stunted bodies, their powerless limbs. The dragon shifted amongst the items in his hold, curling his lip a bit. He needed to clean; the place was beginning to smell acrid.
The dragon found his clothes and slipped them on before leaving his cave, safe in the knowledge that it was well hidden and in a place humans considered inhospitable. No animal would range near a dwelling smelling of dragon. He hiked down the mountain and into the town nearby, examining people and buildings. At least they knew how to build, he conceded.
Suddenly he heard a whine and turned to see a dog by his side. He let a soft look come into his eyes before kneeling to pet it. It smelt the fire burning in his belly, but just gazed at him with woebegone eyes.
"I'm sorry, friend," he whispered. "I cannot help you. I cannot even help myself." He scratched it behind the ears, then stood and continued on his way. Newly instilled in his heart was a rage that surprised him, for dragons were not usually emotional creatures.
However, this petulant imbeciles had taken over his planet and were killing the beauty of it. How he hated humans.