Navigating the darkness of the sprawling forest was hard when you were so low to the ground. Night vision gave Redeem an edge, but all he really could see were towering ferns. It wasn't entirely due to his size, and it was also due to the fact that in this world, plants seemed to grow larger.

Perhaps it was just this forest?

Either way, Redeem had to use some of his dragon abilities to help him in his exploration.

[Skill Update: Tree Climbing - Rank: Apprentice]

Redeem clambered up the side of a thick tree. Claws digging into the bark, the small dragon heaved himself upward. As a dragon, his claws were sharp enough to pierce the thick outer shell of trees, something he hadn't figured out until moments ago.

Now periodically as he traveled, he would climb part way up a tree, just high enough to see over the towering plants.

Apparently, he had now done it enough times that his skill had ranked up. Being such a basic skill, Redeem didn't know how to feel about it ranking up so fast.

Upon seeing the text change, he didn't feel much different. Or so he thought, though he might have been able to grip the tree just a little bit longer.

Letting go and landing on soil, Redeem turned his attention inward, acknowledging the system.

"So, is everything a skill?" He asked casually, flicking dirt from his paws as he walked.

[ No. [Basic Skills] encompass skills like gliding or tree climbing. You can only acquire skills available to your class. [Tree Climbing] is a monster or, more specifically, feral monster ability]

It made sense. Redeem tried to keep in his head what all made sense in this world.

Crickets chirped loudly around him as he walked, and with the growling onset of hunger, Redeem tried not to consider hunting the bugs down.

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Trying to quell his thoughts, he spoke again to the system.

"Do all dragon babies eat bugs? I mean, what else would they eat?"

[ [Hatchlings] typically consume regurgitated corpses]

Redeem was silent for a moment, nearly tripping over a rock. Shaking the shock from his scales, he felt suddenly grateful he was eating bugs rather than vomit. It might be disgusting, but it was a step up.

Another thing in Redeems' mind was sleep. The day had closed into darkness and he felt the instinctive desire to sleep. Weren't dragons nocturnal? Or was the reason he felt tired because some part of him was still human?

Redeem let out a gurgling yawn.

Suddenly, the rumble of a predator raced up Redeem's spine. It came from behind him somewhere and tore him from his thoughts.

Had a larger creature come up on him? Was he being hunted?

The answer to his thoughts (only moments after Redeem spun to confront the sound) was a low rumble and a thud.

Redeem felt something rise on his spine, feeling like goosebumps. It seemed instead of flight, his fight response had triggered. Redeems' small blue tail tensed, and suddenly Redeem felt his throat constrict like he was fighting a lump. He wanted to throw a torch into the night to truly see what was lurking. His night vision only went so far, and plants were still obscuring his sight.

A rumble shook the midnight air.

Learning from his last encounter, Redeem wiggled out of his instincts and turned, sprinting into the underbrush. Paws nearly silent against dirt, Redeem ran to escape that ominous rumbling, unsure where he was going.

His goal had been to find water or to find food, but now his goal was to find a place to hide.

Taking cover in a nearby bush, Redeem arched, feeling like he wanted to hiss. The sound of rumbling kept coming, moving like a shadow over the ground. The noise bounced off trees, and eventually silenced abruptly.

Redeem kept fully still, eyes darting to peak around leaves and twigs. Bunched up in the relative deepness of the bush, Redeem tried to calm his adrenaline.

He wanted to reach out to his system for assurance, but when he tried to prod it with thought it didn't respond. Briefly, Redeem pulled up his stats just to assure himself. They were still there, but for some reason the system voice remained quiet.

Redeem felt his scales prickle against the silence, and silently he tried to gauge a plan of attack. His mind whirled for a minute before the world around him whirled with it.

Tumbling forward from an unknown force, Redeem let out a gurgling growl, scrambling to get to his feet.

Before Redeem could get to his paws, he was tackled and wrestled to the ground. The weight on top of him pinned him with ease, and when he finally could get a look at what it was, he was shocked to find it was another young dragon.

This one was larger and the color of amethyst. Snarling, the dragon flagged out its wings and glared, violet eyes flashing.

Redeem was prone, paws up as he stared back at his hunter. They or she more like, looked seething. The scent of the other dragon floated in the air like particles, tinged with anger.

Panting, Redeem realized he could somewhat taste the intent of the other dragon. Not taking more than a few moments to take in the rival, Redeem tried to twist away.

Seeming to not expect it, the other dragon hissed and was left to give chase while Redeem lunged towards a tree. Claws digging into bark, Redeem used his tree climbing skill to lunge desperately up the tree.

The other dragon wasn't far behind, it's breath touching the tip of Redeems tail.

Thinking quickly, Redeem turned and leapt from the tree. Spreading his lengthy wings, the blue hatchling hung on air, moving rapidly toward the next tree.

"Wait!" A voice called, demanding and angry.

Redeem had not heard another voice outside his head since he was reborn. The sound sent a shock up his spine. With a yelp, he slammed into a tree and fell, immediately blacking out.

Somewhere near him, the other dragon landed and approached him.