Requiem for a Dream, Part 1

"Yow…" 

I rolled on my back while feeling like I'd been run over by a car. Actually, with pain vibrating through every bone, muscle, and flesh, it was more like I'd been trampled on by a dragon. No, a dragoness…

"Don't you know the meaning of restraint…?" 

I was gazing up at a full moon bringing light to a clear night sky that was also filled with stars twinkling against an inky black canvas. It was the kind of breathtaking view you couldn't see in a city, with nature at its most beautiful. Now, if only my body wasn't throbbing with pain. That would make this night perfect. 

"When did you learn to whine?" Divah asked in her usual amused tone. 

I glanced sideways and watched as my master built a fire with the firewood I'd chopped earlier in the day. Well, she'd beaten me black and blue during afternoon training but at least Divah wasn't letting me die from the chilly mountain air.