The second day was, arguably, worse than his first. He got ripped from his world, victory literally in his hands, and was dropped into a world of different monsters and no magic. So, how is it the second day was worse?

Thunder rocked the air following a flash of lightning. The rain was oppressive. Water practically fell unhindered through the gaps in his shelter. There were two silver linings to it, atleast.

He got his fill of clean water and a shower. The second was he got to indulge in his greed. The crystal was rolled around in his claws, a serene smile reflected off of it as he polished it.

It would be the second most valuable piece in his horde when he would return home. For now, it would be the only piece of it.

"Hm, how depressing." The smile disappeared. He stopped polishing the crystal and regrettably put it back in its hole.

Looking around his bundle of sticks that made up a nest, he felt like he had just swallowed mud. He felt sick. Ashamed. Foolish, most of all.

"This wouldn't survive a strong wind." He sighed. Just to prove him right a gust of wind made one of his spears fall over by him. He glared hard at the others, silently challenging them to further make a fool of him. "I guess I should get my traps. Maybe I caught something."

It was also something to help take his mind off the lameness of his situation. A dragon that ended lives with fire and claw as easily as he did by draining the years out of them, reduced to wallowing in the mud. There was a limit to how far one could call something like this humility before it crossed to humiliation. When one's greatest worry became literal bundles of sticks with worms in them, a new low had been reached.

"Ah, and the kindling is ruined as well, isn't it?" Another miserable thought that let another swoop in. "As are the beetles and grubs I gathered before nightfall. Great, no shelter, no food, no warmth and... Oh, finally, some good fortune!"

His dour mood rebounded slightly despite two of his traps laying broken on the ground. The worms undoubtedly escaped back into the mud. The remaining two had managed to catch something. A pair of those scaled things that glided around.

"What ugly little things." He sneered at them with genuine displeasure. Long, needle-thin toothed mouths jutted out from small heads on stick-thin necks. Even their bodies had little meat on them. "I'll be doing this world a favor by removing you from the food chain."

One struggled in its cage while the other was limp. In its thrashing it had managed to drive a thorn into an artery and subsequently bled out. He passed that one and gripped the other in a hand.

Its shaking grew more desperate despite being unable to move. Despite his relatively weak body the tiny animal couldn't shake him off. It only seemed to pause when it felt the unfamiliar feeling of mana enter into it. Small, blue whisps of magic circled through the dragon's hand and through his prey, pulling motes of white from it and depositing it in him.

"Not much, but I wasn't expecting a gold mine." He let the dried husk of his prey drop to the ground. There, it fell in on itself as a pile of sand resembling a kite in shape. "Still, three years? It's not terrible."

Sapping the literal life from such small creatures wasn't going to be a long-term solution, but it would be enough until he reached adolescence. Then the real farming could begin.

Looking at the body of the other he almost ate it. Then again it had been sitting in such humid weather it had begun to smell. Unlike the plague dragons he wasn't about to eat rotting meat. Especially in a literal alien world.

Leaving it there for the time being, he went back to his nest. Another spear had fallen in his absence. Putting the two back in place helped distract him. There wasn't much point listening for anything when the sound of rain was so overwhelming and the thunder kept blasting through the sky.

After reafixxing the spears he went back out, gathered more ferns far enough away he didn't lose sight of the nest and brought them back by the armful. They were thrown between the two fallen trees, blanketing the top of his space inside. Going back two more times to repeat it he poked his head in, ever the meticulous being, working until only drops of water were falling in. Only then was he satisfied enough to go back inside.

Then he turned to the other annoyance. The amount of mud he was standing in. Shrugging, he pursed his lips, took a deep breath and dried the floor out with a slow exhalation of dragon fire. Water boiled away and the ground cracked as it hardened. He did pull some more mud from outside just to raise the floor, otherwise water would just flood it again.

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Satisfied it was dry enough he reluctantly left the safety of his nest again. The crystal was hidden away, not that he thought the animals around would be interested in it. Still, better safe than sorry.

He kept away from the river. It seemed to be the dominant noise even above the rain. Likely flooded, it would be a pointless risk to go near it.

Going out into the forest instead he didn't let any thoughts of finding an injured animal or overpowering something larger poison his mind. He had to be realistic. Finding eggs would be a more feasible endeavor, but it also carried the risk of upsetting the owner's mother. Or, father. He wasn't about to presume how such alien creatures parented their young.

He did need to find something more substantial to eat. Bugs were plentiful, sure, but the amount around him was finite. They couldn't reproduce faster than he could eat them. That meant he had to leave the known.

There were no scent trails to follow and he couldn't judge what to follow based on footprints. Everything had such reptilian feet.

Then there was the issue of predators. He hadn't taken the time to observe any of the other native animals so knowledge of what would and would not kill him was too limited. Except for the one that he dubbed the Tyrant Lizard. A just description given it was the size of a dragon.

The rain wasn't letting up either, but it did little to hamper his vision. His legs were beginning to get sore, but a scant trace of a scent by a suspicious looking lump on the ground directed him forward. It smelled like a herbivore and, after prodding it with a generously lengthy stick, found it had scraps of plants in it.

Ferns and smaller plants slowly began to make up more of the forest as the trees became younger. Now the rain was more of a downpour since he no longer had the trees covering him. He paid it no mind as his attention was fixed on the animals he had found.

They were large, some standing on powerful looking back legs or walking on all fours. The number of legs wasn't important, nor were the little ones, the nests, but it was their mouths. Flat teeth ground plant matter up while they ignored the shivering birds taking shelter by their impressive bulk.

He wasn't about to go charging in, spitting flames, flapping his pathetically small wings. They would get their time, as all things would. For now he would settle for the birds. Hopefully without getting trampled.

With the deluge still pouring down he wouldn't need to creep around. Plus, the animals might not recognize him as a predator. Atleast, not until he jumps on something.

That doesn't mean he'll just waltz over and pick out which ones he'd like like cattle at an auction. Hunkered down, wings folded to his side, he slipped into the grass.

"Just stay there." He thought. "Just keep being the best piece of meat you can be."

The larger animals had noticed him, a few of the big ones, but they only gave him a wide berth and kept the younger ones away. None of them were quite sure what to think of the odd animal that had crept into their herd. That was until it leapt onto a bird.

It picked up speed then, jumping to the right and catching another in a puff of feathers. They bleated a warning that the dragon ignored as he leapt onto a third before running off. The attack left the herd wary and confused which helped them realize that the dragon wasn't alone, either intentional or not.

He would have tried to grab an egg or a forth bird, but the tremors he felt in the ground had spurred him to leave. Behind him the sound of one of the herbivores was silenced by a boom of thunder and did not continue. In his hand he held that third bird. A much better specimen he hoped, for tomorrow.

Atleast he wouldn't need to worry about that thing following him. Unless that thing's metabolism was a furnace one of those beasts would keep it off his tail.

Getting back to his nest took a bit longer than he would have liked. The bird wouldn't keep quiet, but he wouldn't have to deal with it for too long. Just a few hours and there wouldn't even be feathers left.

Getting the one cage he had brought back the bird wasn't entirely unhappy with its release. Whether it was glad to no longer be in some strange creature's wasn't important, only that it was uninjured.

"How many more of you will I have to sacrifice?" The dragon grumbled. If he could just grow a little more, get a bit more power to store, he wouldn't need to waste time on bringing anything back alive.

Thoughts like that would only sour another victory. He had some actual substance in his belly and a stepping stone to reclaiming his power. Plus, the crystal looked like it was in need of a good shining. That was sure to pass the time now that he just had to wait for his magic to return.

Yet the memory of that Tyrant Lizard came back. A reoccurring risk to his health, for now. Something he might be able to deter with the right fortifications or a change in terrain. He wanted to move to the mountain for a number of reasons, but it looked like it would have to be sooner rather than later as it seemed like he was in that thing's hunting ground.

That spot with the stream was promising, but he needed to reach the peak. A good view of the land would be good, but a spot to start the farm would be better. But it was a pipe dream until the river calmed down and that's if he could cross it after it does.

"I don't need this right now." He took out the crystal and ran his dull claws over it. It sat inert, no tingle of mana in it. "Maybe I can catch a fish or something tomorrow."

Before he could start polishing it however something snapped outside. Glaring at the entrance he pulled his lip up, a pitiful growl rising in his throat that didn't go unanswered.

A chirping answered along with more twigs snapping. Then more of them, three separate animals, getting into a fuss over that rotting thing he had caught earlier. Getting up and putting the crystal back, he took a spear out, held it in front of him as he stepped out and saw the thieves.

Bigger than him, covered in feathers, and with thin teeth picking at the remains of the pterasaur. They all turned towards him, hissing but seemed wary to approach.

"Back to try your luck again?" Hefting the spear forward the raptors seemed to understand blood was going to be spilled. "I was curious how that first animal I saw would taste."