Dragon Night

The sun is low.
Shadows begin their march across the land.
High mountain peaks shatter the waning light.
Night comes forth and a denizen of the dark awakens.

Two shining orbs are uncovered by opaque lids.
The last rays of the sun glint off them
It waits for the rising of the moon.
It does not have to wait long.

A cool breath of air sweeps the valley
And the sun has set.
Shadows come forth without fear
And the high peak to the north is a silent sentry.

The moon begins its climb.
It is full and rises through the black sea that is night.
It outshines the crystal specks that are stars.
It casts an eerie haze around the few ragged clouds that float into its path.

An enormous creature blacker than darkness itself rises.
It is barely distinguishable from the blackness surrounding it.
It moves towards the entrance to its lair in silence.
Not a sound comes forth from its movements.

On the ledge to the cave within the peak to the north
Is where one of the worlds most impressive creatures emerges.
It fills its great lungs with the air and the scents of the land.
It moves with strength and incredible agility.

It perches on the rocky ledge.
The moon light shines down on it
And it seems as though its body absorbs the beams instead of reflecting them.
Its gaze misses nothing as it scans the landscape before it.
A landscape it has not seen in centuries.

Leathery wings folded close against its back unfurl.
Their span reaching the length of the its body.
Strong feet and sharp claws grasp at the stone beneath it with incredible ease
While its long supple tail extends far back into its lair.

Moonlight gleams off its shining eyes as it crouches,
Muscles taught and sleek in the eerie glow.
It leaps from the ledge and seems to hover for an instant,
Neither rising nor falling.

Its wings fully extend and envelope the night air within them.
It rises up on the wind currents and circles like a gigantic hawk.
Its form is silhouette against the moon and stars
And it flies with an ease and precision borne of power.

The dragon has slept for three centuries.
It will rest again in three more.
For now it is free.........
And it will hunt.