'Building is hard.'
Over the past few days waiting for my plates to grow in I've trying to create a den.
At first I tried to make bricks like some of the human houses mother would take tribute from and molding them together by hand which was slow and left an undesirable lump. Later I carved a brick shape indent near the pool and that worked as planned except that the lava was fused with the stone around it. Letting my frustration out on a slope in the caldera I was surprised that I managed to heat the stone just enough to come malleable. Forming an idea I shifted the half melted rock since it had the consistency of thick mud and slowly carved a indent in the slope.
After a time I eventually made decent headway into the slope when a part of the entrance collapsed. Naturally spooked and to avoid being buried alive I scrambled out and soon figured out why it would randomly fall. Looking around I discovered the walls looked thin and weak and raking my claws on the other side of the cavern proved it.
Not sure how to solve this issue I sprayed more flame over the ceiling and saw that it started to slowly ooze down to the floor. Putting a stop to this I planted both wings on the ceiling preventing it from moving and it worked partially with only small droplets of superheated stone dripping onto my exposed back and sizzling.
Retracting my wings after it had cooled, I tested the strength of the walls and found them to be satisfactory for now and looking onto the roof it was curious to note that the center of the ceiling bulges inward a bit looking similar to that of a spine.
Removing the flakes of dried rock from my back I continued supporting the rest of the cave with my new method of compressing rock and eventually returned to my previous checkpoint. When reaching around double my body length (12 ft thank you) I begin to widen the tunnel which proves tricky since I have to lean in a way my kind were never supposed to and by the time I create a curve out of one side almost a whole day has passed and I decide to take another break.
During the whole process I've been forced to take frequent breaks to refuel the heat in my chest and remove the excess stone. While resting I've been exploring and pushing the power into other parts of myself like my tail and legs. With my tail it lit on fire and sharpened the bladed tip at the end and allowed for more explosive movement, along my legs it granted me extra strength and speed and when it reach my talons they grew sharper and hotter like my tail.
While trying to push it into my head I felt significant resistance and when it broke like usual I was left weary. I'd noticed that with each limb I forced it though it got harder but they felt weak compared to my head. Letting it rush into my head I noticed that my thoughts became sharper, where clouds were blocking the sun before, now there is only clear skies. The change is significant and it takes some time to cope with.
Once I have a handle on my thoughts I move on to my eyes and the world blooms before me. Everything explodes with heat and starts to give me a slight headache. Quickly I cut it off and start again much slower this time.
The change is gradual and soon I make out what it is that Im seeing. The world is a mixture of hots and colds with the center of the caldera being burning hot with the outer edges cooling off until the rim.
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Climbing the slope and peering over I gaze at the world ahead of me. Everything is shaded in various amounts of heat, All of it in enough detail to be able to navigate it If only barely.
In the distance I notice one heat signature nearing another and soon both of them merge together. Looking into the skies is like looking into a desert with every hint of heat an oasis. It isn't until the suns have long set and everything is cooled that I return to my normal vision. Letting it flow into my nose does lets the world come alive in smell. With it I scent the emissions of the volcano behind me stark in clarity but mixed in it is my own scent with both of them forming together into something new and unique.
A breeze that passes by brings a flood of scents both familiar and foreign. I smell the water in the air, the plants that grow sparely around and the rodents and other critters that hunt them. Another is the power each of these things carry inside them with some being stronger and older than others.
Once it passes I proceed with my ears hidden between my eyes and horns. Noises are amplified which was expected but what's surprising is that I'm able to tell exactly where it's coming from with uncanny precision. Cutting off the flow makes the world seem just a little more empty and so I continue to power this feature along with my improved sense of smell .
Moving onto my jaws and throat Im able to clamp my jaws with more force which was no surprise. What was a surprise was that my voice was amplified to an extreme level and quickly I release a mighty-
"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUHHHHHHRRRRRRRR"
The world shakes beneath me and a shockwave of noise spreads throughout the land rippling to and though whatever it mets. The bushes and trees within a couple dozen feet from the edge of the caldera nearby able to survive so close are pushed back by the shockwave of sound. In the distance I spot a couple birds seeking cover fleeing as fast as they could fly.
When the world goes silent once more I return to the base of my unfinished den and slumber
In the morning I continue to work on expanding and reinforcing the cave so that it allows me to move almost unimpeded and it isn't until another three days that my work is completed.
The room is almost 3 dozen feet from end to end and he ceiling resembles the rippling surface of a lake or ocean with a ring cutting it off near the walls. The walls themselves are slightly rounded themselves in every part of the cave but I don't mind that as its what's in the center of the cavern that I care about. In the center is a pillar almost 3 meters wide and smooth from the base to the ceiling.
Curling around it is an indent to allow me to rest comfortably for when I sleep.
To enter the room is a tunnel wide enough for me to fit though without touching either side of the walls. The best part is that the tunnel can funnel my flames with ease so that I can incinerate any intruders with ease. At the mouth of the cave is a large patch of smooth stone I that was excavated from the slope painting the entirety of the mouth of my lair in black stone.
Proud of my work I decide to reward myself and head out for a quick hunt. Rushing up and throwing myself over the edge of my caldera I flair my wings and scan the area under me. Using my new sight Im able to spot a strange coyote with an unnatural dark coat. Uncaring for its strangeness I land upon it an end its life.
Flying back home with my prey is only made easier by my ability to apply heat to my wings and soon I hauled it into my den.
Finishing my meal I toss the leftovers outside and set it on fire so that they don't stink. heading over towards the pool I dip myself inside until only the top of my head sticks out of the molten flame. While bathing I feel the warmth around soak into me. Closing my eyes I shut out the world and soon the only thing I hear are my hearts slowly beating, matching each other and soon my breathe joins them as I draw this rich power from the world and pull it into my lungs.
With a final breathe I dive.