… it just left, didn’t it? I mean, it did say that it was going to abandon me out here. But… I don’t know, I guess I didn’t really expect it to follow through. It’s not like there’s much I can do about it... yet. The Status did say that killing other creatures will make me stronger, and I’m probably going to have to do that anyway to survive. Maybe if I get strong enough, I can go back?

The two dragons did say that if I survived out here, they would pretend that they raised me. I don’t think they ended up saying who they were doing this for, but even if they did, it doesn’t really matter right now. I still have to survive to get to that point.

What do I need to do? Hunt, look for shelter, and find water? Some instinct deep within me disagrees with the last of the three needs. Okay. I guess I don’t need water then.

Wait. How can I not need water? Every living thing needs water to survive. That’s an undeniable truth. … Right? Unless… dragons don’t? But that would only work through… magic?

Magic would explain how I woke up in that egg… and it would explain the existence of dragons.

And the Status! That’s definitely magic! Magic is real! That’s kind of crazy... But that doesn’t really matter right now. I still need to hunt and find shelter. My thoughts are interrupted by a *Grumble*. What was that? I search my surroundings for whatever made that noise.

*Grumble*. The second grumble allows me to pinpoint the location of the sound. It’s coming from my stomach. Oh… I guess I’m really hungry… I wonder if the grass will fill me up? Maybe the depictions of dragons I know are wrong, and we’re actually herbivores.

I bend down and take a bite out of the grass. *Chomp*! I chew it once before spitting it out. Eww! It tastes bitter while feeling scratchy on my tongue and the roof of my mouth. There’s no way I can eat that. I guess we are really carnivores.

Well… I’m still hungry, and I don’t know what to do. Maybe I should hunt? But how? I don’t really know how to hunt, so… I guess I should just look for tracks? It’s not like there is much else I can do… I look towards the ground, scanning for footprints. Nothing stands out to my admittedly inexperienced eye.

I guess there’s nothing on this side of the clearing. I turn, running over the rest of the clearing with my eyes. Nothing… nothing… still nothing… Just as I’m about to give up, indentations in the ground resembling hoofprints appear. Or at least they become visible after a more careful inspection.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

I’ve found tracks now… should I follow them? And then what? Hide? Be quiet? I’m really not sure what I need to do here. I’ll just follow them until I see whatever made them. Yeah, that sounds good.

I crouch and crawl forward, staying lower than the top of the underbrush. I hope this is enough to keep me from being seen. Following the trail as quickly as possible, I try to avoid any dry-looking twigs or leaves.

. . .

I stop walking. What was that? I thought I smelled something… An incredibly sweet scent wafts over to my nose. Wow. That smells really good. I wonder what’s making it?

Only a moment later, the sound of crunching leaves and sticks becomes audible. What’s that? Is it the creature I’m tailing? I continue moving, changing direction to head towards the sound. My head pops up above the bushes and I finally catch a glimpse of the creature I’m hunting.

It seems to be almost as long as the trees are thick, and only a little bit shorter than it is long. Massive antlers sprout from the creature’s head. They look sharp, and dangerous. And they almost look as large as I am. The creature is also covered in green fur. Another glance doesn’t reveal any more distinct features. It almost looks like a deer but… bigger. And green.

My examination ends prematurely when the creature disappears behind a tree. So I’m hunting a deer? Ok, that’s good to know. I start to follow the trail of hoofprints once more. What am I even going to do when I catch up? Ambush it? No, that wouldn’t work. I have to get in front of it to be able to ambush it.

It’s easy to tell how much closer I’m getting to the deer. The sweet smell gets stronger and stronger while I continue to catch glimpses of it between the trees. I should get ahead of it. That would give me an advantage if I do end up ambushing it.

Knowing where the deer is allows me to circle around it. So I was right… I quickly confirm my suspicion that the deer is following a path. I thought the ground looked well trod…

This is amazing! Now I can just follow the same path as the deer and set up an ambuscade farther along! Speeding up, I survey my surroundings for an ideal spot to attack the deer. Not that much farther up the path lies the perfect place.

Wow! I can definitely work with this! A low canopy of branches hangs down over the trail, with a convenient gap in the center and openings where the branches connect with the trees. I can jump right through the center and land on the deer! Then all I have to do is kill it!

Now I just need to find a way up… There! A brief examination of my surroundings reveals a tree that I can scale. I race towards it and dig my claws into the thick bark. Hefting myself up, I pull my claws out and quickly jab them towards the wood above me. In this manner, I scale the tree. The higher up I go, the calmer I feel. Once I reach the net of branches, my mind is completely without turmoil.

I hoist myself atop it, and it creaks a little. It doesn’t show any other signs of strain. Ok. Now I just have to wait for the deer to get under me. Then I leap onto it, kill it, and eat it. Hopefully I get stronger somewhere in that process.