I had a dream a couple nights ago that I was a dragon. The Japanese kind (long, bearded, serpentine) I was a very brilliant blue with a mane that looked like fire. I was on the run because there were several dragon hunters looking to kill me, because my skin was very valuable. After a long while the dragon hunters were very close to capturing me, when something behind them frightened them. They all ran off, and I tried to see the thing that had recsued me (unintentional or not) but all I could see was a shadow. And that's when I woke up.

Wow!

I see some brilliant archetypes in this--dragon, fire, and the mysterious shadow figure. What do you make of it?

I see this as an anxious chasing dream, one of the most common dreams people experience. I've had many dreams similar to this over time that all involve me being chases by somone or something. To me, resolving the source of anxiety in real life usually means the chasing dream will go away.