“Easy now…” Garadaine said softly, holding his hands up and out, showing the dragon he was unarmed, “I’m just going to pull that sword out of you…”
    The dragon growled softly, it’s body vibrating in a deep rumble.  He stopped and stood there, watching the dragon watching him.  He could see the dragon’s eye clearly now, its pupil opening and closing as it focused upon him.  It was a dull gray in color, but almost vibrant in its design, quite beautiful though relatively colorless.  Its breathing returned to its slow, labored pace as the dragon’s growl subsided.  Once again the knight took a slow, cautious step toward the dragon.  He was only feet from the dragon’s arm now.
    “Easy…” Garadaine cooed again, trying to sound as soothing and calm as possible, though the butterflies dancing in his stomach would have said it differently.  He could easily see all the details on the dragon’s claws near his feet now, all the different grooves and marks in the dragon’s nails, and even the very fine scales that covered the beast from head to toe.  From a distance they were nearly invisible, but as close as he was he could count them if he wanted to, each one colorful and reflective like mother of pearl.  Though they made up a mosaic of green and black upon the dragon’s skin, they themselves reflected all the colors known, each one a jewel of fine armor.  As the dragon moved they seemed to flow against the creature’s skin, like the waves on the ocean’s surface, rolling and glistening against one another.     The dragon sharply growled once more at him as his foot neared the dragon’s arm.  Garadaine froze in place, watching the dragon carefully.  This time the growling did not stop.  Every exhale was now a deep, long, angry growl, lasting for several seconds each, though to Garadaine they might as well have been hours.  He could almost feel his heart beating out of his chest and hitting his breastplate of armor, the side of his neck throbbing with the blood now racing through his veins.  The dragon’s claws were twitching, scratching at the earth nervously, and forming small piles of dirt under the dragon’s palm.  With a labored swallow, Garadaine softly stepped up onto the dragon’s arm to gain better access to the sword lodged in its shoulder.  Its eye shot open wide, staring at the knight with an evil look.  The dragon’s growling was louder now, its teeth almost chattering with them as it exhaled. 
    The knight slowly reached up to the hilt of his sword, wrapping his fingers around it carefully, making sure not to move the sword in any way.  Garadaine kept a close watch on the dragon’s eye, looking back and forth between it and the sword.  His fingers twitched nervously about the wrapped leather around the handle, and though he tried his best not to move it, the sword began to twitch as well.  Blood began to run more freely from the wound now, and the dragon’s growling continued to become louder.  Garadaine slowly closed his eyes, lowering his head to steady himself, and took a deep breath.