She couldn't believe it. She had made it through the mad rush to get through the gateway. She stood next to the other dragons, looking at the world they had made it to. They lived another day.

That's why, when the dragon next to her fell down, she thought it was with relief. When the next one fell, she grew concerned. When the blood reached her claws, she felt faint. When the third dragon dropped, she turned, bolting back into the mass of scales and fur.

Going back to the dead planet she had just left seemed better than dying. Slowly suffocating in the little oxygen they had left, and slowly starving from the few plants they could convince to live, surely that would be a better way to go.

Forcing her way back to the mountain side, she felt her claws bump against rock. She scratched desperately at the stone, but nothing happened. She felt along the side, and her claws slipped into an opening.

She dropped inside, seeking immediate shelter. The cave wasn't very big, but she only needed protection for a little bit. She glanced around, taking in her surroundings.

The gray, striped rock wasn't very helpful in telling her what to do. To her right, there was a smaller hole that she couldn't fit in, and to her left there was a wall. She was backed into the corner, tail and hind legs uncomfortably pressed against the stone. In front of her, there was dark grey rock.

She glanced up, gazing at the light streaming in. The warm, butterscotch feeling upon her eyes. She risked a glance out. Most of her fellow dragons were flying away, but she still saw more than she wanted bleeding out on the floor.

Looking more to her right, she saw a small settlement, a few houses on the edges. If she wanted, she could try and take over. Though, seeing as how easily the other dragons were killed, she wouldn't try her luck.

She decided on going to a dense forest, just ahead. The only problem was, there was a big, open space in between her and the woods, perfect for killing... or being killed. If she played it safe, slinking through the waving, emerald grass, she could have a chance. She didn't think she was fast enough to bolt across, seeing as how fast the first dragon died. 

[Well, the only way to know is to try...]

She clambered out of the cave, keeping low to the ground. Her belly scales brushed the ground, creating a barely noticeable groove. She made sure to stay away from the corpses, because getting your paws and belly bloody isn't the best course of action, since blood attracts predators.

The grass brushed against her sides, feeling like silk on a soft autumn breeze. She made it through the grass without incident.

As she entered the forest, it was almost like a veil had been draped over her. The trees were taller, and it felt like the mist was watching her. She shook off the feeling. 

Quickly taking note of her surroundings, the dragon noticed a pool of warm, flickering light. She quickly concluded that being in light was preferable to being in mist. She hurried over to the light, which seemed to take much longer than it should.

She made it to the light though, and it revealed itself to be a floating iron lantern. What was more surprising was that there were more lights, all slowly orbiting a cabin amidst the dancing flames.

Her alternatives were either staying outside, with the mist, or going inside. Somewhere where she could defend herself was obviously much safer, but she still hesitated. The cabin could be a trap.

All thoughts left her mind when she opened the door, because she could smell one thing, and one thing only: Chocolate.

She nearly bolted through the door before catching herself. Just because there was chocolate, didn't mean she should rush in. She poked her head in the door, looking around. There was a bed, with shimmering satin sheets. A table on the opposite side of the cabin held the precious chocolate. There was assorted furniture too, a couple couches, two desks, and quite a number of floating orbs. The orbs threw off light, detecting her presence.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Now that there was light, she could safely determine that there was indeed nobody in the cabin. She stepped fully inside, shutting the door. Still wary, she approached the chocolate. A quick sniff determined that it was regular, ordinary, delicious, mouthwatering, succulent chocolate. 

With one last glance around, she took a bite. The amazing taste flooded her mouth, and before she knew it, she was devouring more.

Hmmghh... What happened? 

She raised her head, blinking groggily. Looking around, she could tell that she was still in the cabin, but the windows told a different story. Snow howled and whirled, pelting the glass, begging to be let in.

She shuddered, wondering what had happened. Where had the forest gone? Why was it snowing? Was this just the weather?

Thoughts flooded her mind, and she shook her head. She needed to focus. Where was she, what just happened, and how does she leave? She could answer the first easily enough. She was in some odd cabin, in a very snowy region. She didn't know what happened to take her there, but she could try leaving the cabin to find out more about where she was.

The second she opened the door, a blast of cold air washed over her. None of the snow crossed the threshold though. Had she stumbled upon a magical cabin? She stepped out of the house, once again closing the door. For all she knew, leaving it open was an invitation to anyone else. Maybe since she had found it first, it was hers? 

As she thought, she idly explored, keeping the cabin near her. She found a couple plants, but wasn't sure if they were edible. Regardless, she gathered everything she could, including a couple berries, and made her way back to the cabin- No, her cabin? She wasn't sure who's it was. 

Looking around, she didn't know where to put the possible food she gathered. She placed it on the table for now, and turned around to-

Scanning... Please provide species sample.

What...? "Species sample"? 

Why was her table talking? No, why was the table talking. it wasn't hers yet... Probably. She poked the table, but nothing happened.

Please provide species sample.

Well, she should probably provide it with a species sample. Whatever that was. Did it want something from her body? She could probably manage to get a molting scale off easily. The question was, why did it need a "species sample"?

Accurate results cannot be provided, possibly resulting in death. Please provide species sample.

Hoping she wasn't making a fatal mistake, she pulled off a scale and placed it into the table.

Is this the correct sample?

She nodded. Nothing happened. Oh, of course, the table couldn't see her. 

Yes, it is correct.

The table whirred. It clicked. It vibrated.

Individual detected. Provide a name? Please note that none of the functions will work properly without a name.

She hesitated. Name? It had been so long... Did she even have a name?

Assistance will be provided if you do not have a name.

She nodded. She couldn't remember her name, if she even did have one once.

Please give me a name.

Generating... Name selected.  Use name "Lyrae"? This cannot be changed.

She contemplated it. She'd have a name, but what if she already had one? 

She doubted she'd find anyone she knew here anyways. She took a deep breath, and spoke.

Yes. My name is Lyrae.

Accepted. Name is set to Lyrae.