As i wake up again alone, now familiar wave of anger washes over my body.
Why wouldn't i be angry?
Why am i alone? I am just a small hatchling.
I should be woken up by my mother or father, then fed and cared for ... right?
... No matter, i am a dragon ... get your shit together ...
...
What a strange saying ... get your shit together , where did this come from? I am sure neither of my parents said this.
Where did i hear this? ... so strange.
Welp, no matter, back to my daily grind. Find something to eat and continue on my way north... why north though?
Something is calling me. Something inside me is telling me to go north, to find help somewhere north.
What is it? ... instinct? ... some weird power doing this to me? ...
Well, no matter, have to go on, have to live in order to find my parents.
And hey, i am getting stronger ... i think, i hope ...
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And so Tramas went hunting, in only two hours he found his favourite prey, scalehoof and it was again alone. Such interesting little critter a scalehoof is , basically scaled more squat elk , usually found in herds up to three hundred. So it is strange for our dragon to find them by their lonesome , but it is actually their mating season in which males or weak females travel from their herds to find other ones to join. As such , Tramas doesn't have any trouble hunting them by himself or he just might go hungry if he cant find any other prey. He is after all faster and smarter , no mention of size or raw physical power he possesses. No need for fancy magic or the world famous dragons breath.
So our not so little dragon crept closer on his hunt , just like so many times before in recent days. And when his prey caught his scent on the wind , he sprung to action and raced forward to his prize. Scalehoof of course jolted to its full speed quickly , but alas , it was too late for the animal. Tramas caught up to it quickly an dispatched it with his strong claws and dug in.
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MMMmmmm , Tasty as always. My favourite for a reason , yup yup, i like em very much.
Now, lets see what to do now? Should i train my wings again? ... No , i am not ready for another disaster like the one a week ago.
Should i challenge myself with a spiketail again? .... Maybe i should. Lets see if i can find one.
Is that smart though?
Yes! Yes it is! I have to grow stronger. I cannot be strong if i don't know how to fight and that knowledge can be obtained only one way. Through practice , so pain is inevitable , i have to push through it no matter how much it hurts. How else am i gonna get stronger? HMMM? ... Yeah , i am a dragon! A DRAGON! I can easily crush pain like i do my prey! I ... AM ... A ... DRAGON!!!!
...
This is gonna hurt a lot , isn't it ? .... shit ....
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So our scaled friend went on his new quest for strength. Somewhat reluctantly he went onward to find his enemy to sharpen his weapons , his mind and body.
After couple of hours he found what he was looking for and begun his hunt . A spiketail , somewhat smaller creature than scalehoof.
Covered in strong scales from nose to the tip of its tail , which is covered in detachable spikes that have a tendency to stick in whatever they impaled. That is its only weapon and many underestimate the creature for it , but those people are the ones to pay the price of blood and pain. Its tail is very agile while the stocky creature can barely bend , so spiketail can easily hit something standing in front of it and that attack is what many do not account for. Just like our little dragon did not so many nights ago , but he does learn.
So he came with a plan to jump on its lower back to neutralize this painful weapon and after he will have free rein to do as he pleases with the creatures neck.
And so our little Tramas begun his hunt for power and crept closer and closer. Ever vigilant , ever ready to pounce on his prey. Closer and closer he crept and when the stupid and blind creature failed to notice him until he was ready to attack , he arched his back and jumped. He almost messed up by jumping too far and overshot , but he caught the spiketail with his back leg claws and as the creature reared its tail , he caught his own tail around it to immobilize it. Then quickly scrambled to the spiketails back to push the critter down. Now secure on the defenceless creature he bit down on its neck , and almost broke his teeth on its sturdy scales. Anger rising again , he took a deep breath , then another , just like his mother taught him. Calm mind makes a victor, calm mind makes wishes a reality.
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HAAAAA ... What now? I cant bite through these scales. Lets try to pry them open? OH! It works! So , what now? Cut its neck and wait for it to bleed out ? OH! Its skin is actually quite soft so my claws sink deeper than i thought ... maybe it will bleed out quickly? I do wish for it to not trash around so much, maybe if i cut it some more? ...
...
Well , that was actually quite quick. I wonder if those cuts under its head were the ones to make it bleed out faster? Or maybe it is so quick to die every time? ... I should see how weak these creatures are ... Yeah , i should experiment and learn about my enemies to know how to fight them better next time. Mama always taught me to see everything from every angle , to learn and be sure about things. More you know , more weapons you have she always said....
...
Mama , i miss you ... But i WILL find you, just you wait!
But now i am actually quite hungry , lets eat!
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So our little winged lizard ate his fill and went back to his hunt for strength and knowledge. As the day went on he found five more spiketails and got better and better in his glorious little hunts. As night approached , he found one more scalehoof for a meal and went to sleep with full belly and his strength spent. But something inside him started roiling as Tramas drifted off to dreamland.
Through the night , echoes of roars and whimpering were heard far and wide.