Pearl

A long, long time ago:
It was a brutal and terrible battle. My friends, family, and even my mate, all fell before my eyes. One by one, torn from the sky as they cried their final breaths. Our ranks thinned and I knew it in my bones that it was too late for us. While I fought as hard as the next brave warrior, we were outmatched... and I eventually joined everyone else in the eternal, dark embrace of the hereafter.
But my eternal slumber would be interrupted centuries later...

In the abyssal darkness that swallowed me, I felt a tug. Not a hard, yanking tug. More of a coaxing and coercing through a dull ache. I was aware of it, though I could not do or think anything. There was just the sensation. And as quickly as it began, I drifted into a deep slumber. Not nearly as deep as the one before, but this was not quite as stifling.
I awoke again with a gnawing hunger. When I opened my eyes, the cave came into clarity. A fresh pile of slain animals lay nearby, and the hunger drove me to it. I had not noticed anything else while I feast upon the animals. I was too distracted with an empty belly and such delicious meat.
After my fill, I finally took a moment to look around, though I found nothing else in this cave. The forest outside was quiet, and whether it was sunset or sunrise, I couldn't tell yet. A heaviness fell on me as I remembered my final battle. Everyone I knew and loved were gone, and the thought paralyzed me as my heart seized.
The night and next day passed in a blur. I couldn't stay here, paralyzed by my emotions.
So, I flew.
I flew as the sky darkened and more of my senses returned.
How much time had passed, I could not tell.
Then, I met a peculiar dragon bound to a tree...