The large waves splashed under Ithil as he flapped his wings. The bright sun, not hidden behind any clouds, reflected off his dark copper scales. He picked up speed, hoping to reach his destination before dawn. He went higher in order to get a better view. The higher up he went, the harder it was to fly. The lower air pressure reduced the air resistance. It made it easier to both keep his speed and to change it. If he went up high enough, his wings would grow useless. So instead he kept to a lower altitude, but still above the few clouds visible in the sky.

He had permission to leave for the Island of Trials. But he was still forced to rest before leaving. His mother had left him with some serious injuries, and it took him another year to recover completely. But a year wasn't much to a dragon, especially not for Ithil who had just begun his life. In the eyes of older dragons, he could be considered a toddler.

Later in the day, his destination became visible. A smaller island filled with large cliffs and overhangs. It was covered in dense, moist forests and even some larger, snow-covered mountains could be seen on the northern side.

'Looks a bit difficult to traverse... I can fly around, but landing will be hard,' Ithil thought to himself after examining the island from a distance.

He slowly approached the island from the sky, keeping his eyes open for dangers.

'I should stay away from the northern parts since that should be where the 1st rank creatures are... The forests are also denser there...'

Not wanting to risk it, he landed in the middle of a clearing in the southern part. As soon as he got closer, the damp air hit him. It made him feel slight discomfort, but not much. He touched down as gently as possible hoping not to alert any nearby creatures. He felt the soft grass underneath his claws as he walked toward the dense forest, hoping to find a good opponent.

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He ducked down just as razor-sharp claws passed by over him. His opponent moved so fast that it sometimes turned blurry. Ithil jumped forwards hoping to ram the giant lizard, but he only managed to hit its back legs. Before it could turn around and attack him, he jumped backward while using his dragon breath. The breath managed to slightly stun the opponent, allowing Ithil to prepare his next attack.

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They exchanged blows for a couple of minutes, neither party wanting to be the first to throw a serious attack. Ithil was quickly tiring out, his breathing becoming fast and ragged. He could then it was the same with the lizard.

'I need to do something...'

He ran along the lizard's side. Claws swung at him, much faster than before since he had come closer. Ithil barely managed to avoid the brunt of the attack, but the claws still dug into his backside. The pain hit him just as he e started feeling blood gushing out of the wound. He clenched his teeth.

'It's deep, I can't fight much longer...'

He smacked the lizard's side with his tail, causing it to stumble for a moment. It allowed Ithil, who was slightly bigger, to jump up on top and bite down on its neck. Its scales were harder than Ithil had hoped for, and he couldn't get his sharp teeth deep enough to be fatal. The lizard rolled over, slamming Ithil into the ground and forcing him to jump away. He continued moving away from the lizard, planning his next move.

'We both have severe wounds, but the lizard has it worse. I could drag the match out in order to let it bleed to death, but I may become too weakened to get to safety afterward... Maybe I could-'

The lizard charged at him. It had clearly realized it needed to end the fight as quickly as possible. Making a split-second decision, Ithil took the attack head-on. He deflected the lizard's claws with his own. It wasn't flawless, and he got several deep cuts along his front limbs. He used his higher body weight and the lizard's weakened state in order to force it to a stop. It tried to dodge to the side, but Ithil managed to keep it in place. He bit down on the lizard's neck again, but this time he also used his dragon breath.

He didn't manage to bite deeper than the last time, but his dragon breath caused severe damage at such close range. It caused his teeth to vibrate intensely, and he sawed his way to its spine. He broke it with a violent twist of his head, and the lizard fell dead to the ground.

The attack also damaged Ithil. Several of his teeth shattered and his lower jaw broke from the bouncing vibrations. Without sparing another look at his defeated opponent, he started flying with all his strength toward his temporary nest. It was quite the scene. A heavily wounded dragon with blood spilling out from multiple deep cuts and a weirdly twisted jaw hanging half open flying towards the nearby mountains. He had his temporary nest in the mountains because he'd found an empty cave large enough to fit him. It wasn't very comfortable, but it was the safest place he'd come across during his initial exploration.

He arrived safely and flopped down on the ground, panting. A pool of blood was quickly forming under him. He could feel the darkness of unconsciousness creeping in.

'I guess I'll have to wait until I eat... I hope I'm not dying, that would be b-'

His mind turned black.