Something warm caressed my face. It did not feel heavy; instead, there was nothing there. I cracked open a hooded eye and found myself staring into a vast and bright circle. It stared back at me, unmoving. Sun. Sunshine. The longer I looked at it, the more my eyes hurt. I hissed out in discomfort. I felt something on my back move. No, wait, I moved it. The blinding light had disappeared. It was flat and leathery, and I could see thin lines inside it. Ah, it was my wing. My vision slowly returned as I continued to shield my face from the sun. I should not look into the sun.

I laid in the darkness for a while, unwilling to move from my comfortable position. The intense warmth from last night was gone, but I felt fine. Something moved beneath me and suddenly popped out from between my legs. My tail! It flicked back and forth, much to my surprise. It seemed to have a mind of its own. I couldn’t help but track it. Back and forth. Back and forth. I swiped at it with my arms. No, legs. Wait, yes. These were my arms. I differentiated between my arms and legs. The more I thought, the easier it got.

There’s a bubbling feeling in my head. It built and built until it happened. I closed my eyes as the sensation overwhelmed me. I sensed Mother’s presence! I let out a soft yelp and pawed at the empty air, but deep down, I knew she wasn't here. It was just a projection of her thoughts. My excitement turned to disappointment, but then equally as fast to curiosity as her residual power entered me. Her soothing and comforting voice gently spoke to me in my head.

Dragon intelligence. Dragons possess great innate mental capacities and have acquired the ability to develop high intelligence far superior to any normal living creature at an accelerated rate. To survive, dragons have evolved to be stronger and smarter than any species in the world.

Mother’s voice faded as soon as the explanation finished. I felt my consciousness shift and evolve. As quickly as the process began, it ended without warning. But I was now different from the dragon I was merely seconds ago. At the very least, my intelligence had improved. My body was still the same, but my mental age had significantly increased. My awareness of the world had expanded.

Suddenly, I felt a great hollowness, as if someone had scooped out a portion of my belly and stole it. Hunger. Eat. The feeling was insistent. It needled and whined at me. I could not think about anything else. I couldn’t ignore it. I understood. I needed to find food. Food would get rid of the hollowness. All I could think of is food.

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Where was food? Wait, it was close. I was… inside it?

Egg. Eat. My mind yelled at me to comply. I looked at the opening where I broke through earlier with my snout. Eat here. I followed my body's commands and stretched my limbs, finding myself getting closer and closer to the opening. I stood up on my legs and held my arms against the wall to steady my balance. I saw four more smaller stubs protruding from the end of my limbs. Claws. Sharp. My tongue flicked out and swiped over the rough broken edges of the hard wall. Delicious.

Without second thought, I opened my mouth and clamped down. Hard. Bits and pieces of the wall crumbled away into my mouth. Egg. Shell. Yummy! With each bite I took, the empty feeling inside lessened. I enjoyed the satisfying crunchiness of my meal, savoring the sweet flavor that filled my mouth. It tasted similar to Mother’s energy.

Hunger eliminated, I plopped back down to all fours. I let loose a short burp as I licked away any remaining crumbs from my mouth. I inspected my handiwork. I had made quite a sizeable dent in my egg. I could now see outside without needing to stand up. Energy coursed through my body as I let off a happy wiggle and a tiny chirp. What a tasty meal! I wanted to eat more, but my belly sagged to the ground. I did not think I could have fit another bite in my jaw. But my instincts told me the hollowness would return. Hunger was indeed a fearsome master. Good thing I had more eggshell!

Now that I was not hungry anymore, my mind was clear again. I could think once more. With the hole in my egg, light poured in profusely without permission. However, this time around, my eyes had long adjusted, and I could see without restriction. I took in my surroundings as I cautiously climbed out of my haven. My mind raced to process everything that fed into my senses.

A dull and grey landscape greeted me as I gazed into each and every direction. Burnt and blackened remnants of foliage and trees dotted the area, the only reminder of the once lush forest that had stood here mere hours ago. The intense fire last night had utterly devastated the land around me, reducing everything to nothing but cinders and ashes. I scraped at the ground with a tentative claw, eliciting a gritty and dry rasp from the earth. To my surprise, the sooty forest floor was still warm, evidence that the fire had not been a natural one.

No.

My heart thumped loudly as I realized the true perpetrator of this destruction.

This had been the work of dragon fire. An adult dragon.

My suspicions were confirmed as a terrible roar suddenly broke through the still landscape, accompanied by the beating of enormous wings.

It had come back.