Ashbel

“Bzzz?” Buzz made a concerned sound as his best friend stumbled and fell down. He quickly ran up to Ashbels face and examined him with his antennae.
“It’s okay Buzz. I’m fine,” The old tundra said with heavy breathing and slowly got up. “I just lost my footing there.”
The bloodbeetle didn’t seem convinced and made a protesting sound.
“I promise I’m fine. I just need to rest for a little while.”

They kept going for a little while to find a good spot and eventually came upon a nice clearing between the thick flora of the Tangled Woods. Butterflies and bees were flying around, dandelion seeds were floating everywhere and the morning sun was just peeking through the thick roof of leaves above. The clouds were colored in yellow, orange and a little hint of pink among them. A soft breeze rustled the old tundras soft fur and he took a deep, shivering breath. He closed his blind eyes and tried his best to imagine how it all looked like, but the images he remembered from his youth was blurry and incomplete. He wished he could gaze upon the wonders of this world, just one last time. Ashbel dug his claws deep into the earth and enjoyed the feeling of peace he felt in that moment. But when he opened his eyes again it was still pitch black. He sighed.

“Buzz, show me where I can lay down, would you?” He whispered and put one wing on the hard back of the beetle so he would know where to go.
Slowly the two unlikely friends walked toward the center of the flower filled meadow and stopped in the high grass just as Ashbels legs couldn’t carry him any further. With a low thump he landed on his stomach and his head fell down in the soft grass, making his landing painless.
The little bloodbeetle screeched with concern and rushed once more up to the tundras face.
“I think this is it buddy. We’ve got as far as we could.” The tundra struggled with his words. He felt so, so tired. He had seen so much pain and evil in his lifetime, as well as many good things. But the very best thing in his life he had actually never got to see. Buzz and Ashbel met not long after he got blind and Buzz had truly helped him with trusting others again.
“Is it as beautiful here as I think it is?” He asked with his blind eyes staring into nothing. “I bet it is.” He answered himself before the beetle could.
“We had a good run, Buzz.” Ashbels breathing became lighter by the minute. His heart started to slow down.
Buzz cuddled up next to him and tucked his many feet underneath himself. The sadness he felt was overwhelming, but he knew that there was nothing that he could do. Time had finally caught up with Ashbel. All to soon.
“I remember when we first met. Wasn’t that a lovely... morning as.. well?”
Buzz agreed. It was his favorite memory.
“I’m... glad we met. Thank you... for giving an old dragon one... last great adventure.” He paused for a moment to catch his breath.
“Im ready.” A single tear rolled down his chin. A tear for every painful thing he went through, a tear for all the joy and love he had ever felt... and a tear for the friend he would leave behind.

As the sun rose above the trees the tundra drew his final breath and closed his eyes for the last time, with his best friend beside him.