The stones cracked as he landed on the watch tower. dust and cracks fell as he gripped the building tight with claws and tail. Below, humans scurried away, filling the air with their terror. Delight filled him. He inhaled slowly, filling the tension in his chest and lungs peak. There was a glimmer of something softer, something deeper that made him pause. Her presence was still with him, though her body lay elsewhere. 'Let it go,' she whispers. 'Spare them.'
This one time, he couldn't obey her. Every scale, every muscle trembled in his body. He exhaled slowly. Ice coated the city, bringing a deep winter. Silence falls. This time, the humans wouldn't interrupt his slumber, but when he returned, their cave was far too cold to sleep anyway.