The forest burned.
So fast. Sparing nothing as it roamed.
The fire moved on to the next meal.
Endless.
Ravenous.
Monstrous.
Then stillness.
No life.
After the Flames Have Gone. All that's left is silence and shadows.
Trees and ground charred beyond hope of rebirth.
Dark shadows of what they once were.
Hazy smoke choked the air, making the late evening sky appear a deeper, eerier, blue.
Everything cast into shades of dark blue and black.
The soft hint of embers haunting the earth. Glowing throughout.
Like gems from a dragon's hoard.
Perverse in their warmth. Beauty birthed of ruin.
She opened her eyes, materializing out of nothingness.
A hoof stepped from the void onto the scorched ground.
Where it landed ash exploded into the air.
Smoke poured from her nostrils with each breath. Golden gaze narrowed.
A pang of sorrow.
Her desire had overcome her control once more.
And others paid the price.