-Afternoon Gray Lizard POV-

I stretched my neck looking all around to confirm visually before sniffing the air deeply to make sure it was devoid of any animal scents, then slowly climbed down from the tree. I fix my stare disheartened in the direction of the black road going southwest while hearing only the sounds coming from the swaying trees by the afternoon breeze.

Auu... I feel small like I was a single section of its body. I wonder if the reason big green never brought any snakes is that they are trickier to hunt or wolves are just easier for flying creatures. Yeah, I can picture flying from above and drop on a wolf munching on something then lift it up. I replay the scenario looking inside wolf territory.

I thought... that I could enjoy being a strongest predator on this side of the forest at least since my family is up there while many wolves appear to be up north according to their howls. However, seeing snakes this big makes me realize this world... might actually have other huge animals besides dragons. There can be creatures this powerful who even use magic while I'm just a gray looking snack who almost leaked at its presence. I got lucky to have encountered it when was coming from a successful hunt and not going to one, or it would just need to flicker its large tongue to detect me here, then raise its body without problems up the tree... Movies about giant snakes from Earth were replaying in my head.

Big Red can probably win in a fight with that snake, but since the only way to track it might be smell or visual, and his nose is useless, they will be hard to find from the air due to the camouflaging green color. I conjecture and consider the need of big predators to avoid each other.

The food chain in the southern section of the forest consists of snakes, Rakats, and wolves so far, but I can't cross wolf territory to go up north where the forest extends as seen from the volcano top or wander deep into snake territory to hunt them while avoiding the big ones. Looks like securing the next food source is going to be problematic, but the only way to do it is by exploring more of the forest, and by the looks of things, the sole way is south where I'm feeling something nostalgic. I concluded moving south while avoiding any black roads of death.

I advance with the sun falling on my right and guided by the shadow went straight south while looking for a place to pass the night. Green snakes kept appearing, and some big ones were even on trees, hunting lizards, but ignored them since the last thing I need for the night is sleeping bathed in blood. Zigzagging on my way, I confirmed the green serpents territory to be by the West, but they don't mark it and just know when bigger ones are seen lazing around.

Having a companion in a symbiotic relationship could make hunting less riskier, but where would I find a willing beast? The closest dragons that could be intelligent would be my family up there, but I'm not sure when my siblings will leave the nest, and they might not even fly this way. I don't think it's a good idea to approach a giant snake to talk about pairing up and if I do the same on wolf territory, they will see me as a mere invader that just became prey. I stop my advance and wonder if siblings can fly by now then stretch my wings to confirm my own flight capabilities.

Flying is not happening anytime soon since the wingspan of around five humans seems too small and feeble to take off, adding to my newly increased weight, but they will start catching up to my body size soon. I determined and folded my wings back before continuing my march through the darkening forest with illuminated treetops.

Crossing over the volcano is a lot of effort without food, water or knowing the correct way over the cliffs and even if I go to the other side, it might not be as good as imagined since I've never seen Big Green hunt that way. The game might be nonexistent there, but I feel a little trapped here between wolves, snakes, volcano, and winter approaching. I ascertain while hoping a way out to appear sooner or later.

Almost three months in this world and the days still feel uncomfortably short, especially to sleep the morning since I keep finding the Sun by midday if I'm not careful. Judging by the vegetation, this place should be closer to the equator, and the Winters from Earth should be comparable, lasting around three months. I don't know how to prepare for it as a dragon, but the only thing that makes sense with the coming of winter is that game will be a lot harder to find, and predators will become more fierce, particularly wolves when snakes become less active due to the decrease in temperature. I try to imagine how to fare during the cold days.

There are some tree nuts I could eat, but they don't look very nutritious since filling my stomach do just that and is no different from eating air or dirt. Digging a hole to catch giant snakes is pointless, fighting wolves is too risky for me now and there's no guarantee they won't expand their territory in winter, cornering me. The good news about my survival would come after the first year, making sense of the seasons and preparing for the next. I assumed it wouldn't be a cold winter, but animals will still change activities.

Critters here are too easy to eradicate, except for the lizards on trees but snakes take care of those apparently, and there are too many large predators, including dragons that eat even rocks. The Rakat lairs became desolate after annihilating most of them... I left some to reproduce, but they disappeared the next morning, either eaten by snakes or left far away and some even went in hard places where they could not be dug out. I lament the lack of plant eaters to support my further growth.

I can't imagine dragons reproducing every year like humans can because the speed of our growth is surely abnormal, and all animals in the forests would get exterminated, but I doubt this will go on forever since there should be a limit to how big you can get. I recall Big Red who sleeps all the time and barely goes out to hunt.

...

Midday, Fifty-seven days later, I find myself strolling southeast over the orange-brown leaf field, trees just three-hum tall and going around the volcano while approaching a greater source of water than the one at the Wolf territory. I followed the snake territory on the west side along the coast to the south, but instead of finding more of them, the food just became scarce instead and the trees smaller until there were just short bushes spanning over a huge area, then I was forced to go back into the forest to secure food again.

I had no much luck with wolves because they had a strong response to my presence, only taking a few howls to get me surrounded once infiltrated their land, and its probably because my parents hunt them all the time. I remember many of them coming out of the woods over a vast area, even when the wind shifted in my favor. Their territory is like a wall stopping me from going north where the forest extended, but there might be stronger wolves there, so the northern forest is no-good. I recall the strong wolf scents.

Every few days the wind changes direction and blows from the west instead, and I was able to sniff the giant snakes from afar, allowing me to hunt smaller ones closer to their territory. Because of the volcano, the air currents in these parts are a little mess up, mostly blowing from the east around the mountain and into the ocean.

The days passed while surviving on anything edible, without encountering big snakes, but it became harder to find enough food for my big body anymore, then started my migration plan around the volcano to try my chances on a new territory until I stumbled upon a water source.

I'm no longer the size of a dog that could live with a single Rakat for days...now I need an entire nest of them, but they don't reproduce nearly that fast, and I'm spending most of my energies walking around for miles just to sustain me for the day. But I don't want just to live, I want to thrive! Also, I need to check what's making me feel like going south is a good idea and it's on the way if I'm going to the other side of the volcano. However, there's less food at South because the forest becomes shorter than the big trees up North which harbor more animals and now I haven't had anything to eat in the past six days. Even an ant nest would feed me for maybe two days, so I must explore this water source and following it could lead me to big animals. I confirm the need for exploration.

The other thing that bothers me is winter since I was counting the days, and it's not here yet, but autumn is still going strong... does this mean there is no winter in this world? No that's highly unlikely, and my instincts tell me so, but it's making me nervous. I feel agitated not knowing what will happen in the future.

Still! Just as predicted, my growth slowed down but managed to reach human neck tall I nodded proudly of my current body while recalling the siblings up in the volcano. I wonder if they are taller than me since they get free food, but I have yet to see or hear them confirm anything. I compare after analyzing my current size while wondering if it's safe to approach people.

Nnn... not sure. Approaching humans is a little dangerous since they could make a meal out of me, but I already feel trapped between predators stronger than me, and don't have any goal whatsoever other than getting stronger or learning magic. I realize it should be enough to deal with three wolves hum-waist, snakes as thick as human heads or even people of certain strength.

Following the scent of water, I come across a deforested zone with many tree stumps and grass covering them over a vast area spanning hundreds of humans long. I continue my strolling onwards to what should be a river shore seen from afar.

Hmm... I don't think snakes made this road or cut down the forest since only an intelligent being would be stupid enough to pollute a river to this extent. I'm not drinking that, it looks bitter and acidic water is coming from inside the southern part of the volcano. I reach the river five hum across that expands downstream to my right and evaluate.

The road is wide enough for something like a car to go through and borders the river to my right, in a southwest direction until my vision is blocked by a curve a few miles away. I followed upstream for at least three blocks going by my estimation from new memories and reached two sturdy big metal doors at the end, looking like an abandoned mine of sorts with the river water coming from under the rocks.

Looks like a dead end and haven't been used in a while, not like I would swim in the river to go inside since it smells terrible. With banks made of dirt, I wonder if it's an artificial canal and the other side it's also deforested, until that small woods five blocks away. Done with my inspection, I followed the road south driven by curiosity and nostalgia that is pulling me that way.

I proceeded while sniffing the air and straining my ears to detect anything coming from afar, and after reaching the curve in the river where the deforested part ends, I start hearing and smelling something other than the stinky river water to my left, that I'm trying to ignore in my head. Going around the curve, I stare over the road and see a distorted image in the distance, indicating civilization then deduced the scents around to be from people.

The strange feeling I'm getting is coming from over there, but I can't approach human settlements just to satisfy my curiosity even if something is calling me in that direction... I affirm the stronger feeling of attraction southwest.

The smells and noise are coming a little up ahead to the right...behind bushes as tall as my back, but even if they are people, I'm one mean animal right now after going through my memories. I feel confident enough to smash them to the ground if they come with swords or shields.

I slowly extended my neck inside the bushes as to not alert and popped my head on the other side, finding next to a tree, a half naked blond woman moving up and down on top of a black haired guy grabbing her bouncing breasts while both make huffing sounds. It's a panoramic view from the side of two humans having sex under the shade of a tree that could cover my body and surrounded by tall bushes like the one I'm starting from.

I have eaten whole animals who were having sex before, but I don't think to swallow you both in one gulp is possible, but maybe those giant green snakes can. I picture a snake swallowing the two humans in one gulp while performing intercourse.

Look at them go, swaying their bodies in a rhythmic manner while I can see the veins on their bodies pump blood, making some skin parts redder than others before draining away turning whiter and the smells rising from their bodies in waves before scattering around by the wind coming from my left. Don't they smell delicious with all that sweat, hormones oozing out of their body? I'm sure nobody will miss two humans and they are already enticing without their clothes off...Ugh, what a time to receive memories from my former family. I ponder as drool start to fall from my opening jaw and hit the leaves on the ground making dripping sounds.

""Hiaaaaaa"" They screamed running away while leaving a trail of dust and dancing leaves behind.

Lost in my reverie, I hear a scream at the same time two people were sprinting away at a speed that humans from my memories are not supposed to have.

I did not see that coming... aren't humans suppose to freeze when they see these jaws full of teeth that make me proud? They are so far already...the guy screamed the same too and left their clothes behind. I stare at the outerwear used for protection with swords on the ground. I remember this... adventurer leather set with some metal straps and swords in their scabbard. I pull the sword out to analyze what I'm up against in case they return.

I ponder while playing with a sword in my claws. They ran pretty fast but looked rather weak screaming as if they saw death itself and the way they screamed despite having gear for fighting tells me they know what I am. Humans are always weaker than beasts and their only advantage is in numbers, but I'm not just any dumb animal they can take care with more of them. If they come with swords like this that bend easily then I won't have to worry, besides this place looks remote so there might not be strong ones around.

-Liana's POV-

"I don't think it's chasing us... we can stop now..." I tell Yumeno, running next to me and slowing down while grabbing my underwear.

I have an excellent spot he said. We don't have to pay for a tavern he said. Our little adventure nearly got us eaten while doing it! Almost became laughing stocks that they would sing songs at the capital about! I complain, putting on the underwear, I managed to secure.

"That was scary! I don't want to have sex with you anymore...you are bad luck, none of the people who got laid with you are around anymore." He says making hand gestures as if I was disgusting.

Same here, you screamed like a girl, and I don't do other girls, no matter how pretty they are. Also, how is it my fault some the men I've been with disappear?It's not like I ate them or anything, but indeed, the ones who treat me bad do go missing. I scowl at him in return and keep walking back to town.

"Our clothes are probably going to be ripped to shreds because it failed to eat us and I don't have any more money to buy new ones this quarter." He complains looking back while pacing next to me.

"Some of my clothes were expensive. Couldn't you have fended it off while I grabbed the rest of our clothes? Where did that sweet talk of how brave you are, go? Mr rank 4 Auramancer." I frown to the soldier higher level than me.

I guess it's my fault for falling to the sweet talk of the new handsome soldier, but those juicy muscles of his were irresistible! I exclaim in my mind and heave a sigh.

"Stop complaining! Didn't you see the size of that thing? It may be an unawakened baby dragon because of its dull color, but it's big, with tough scales and has thick muscles, enough to squash someone like you or me to a pulp." He makes escuses moving his hands. "...I will go to the guild and sell the information, a baby dragon away from the nest is worth a lot, more than I can earn in this backwater place, but I don't have the money to put up a capture mission. I'll give you some money from the sale to buy clothes, and we don't know each other after that!" Yumeno firmly stated and ended our conversation.

Who's complaining? You sound like a spoiled rich girl from the capital. This guy probably has a rank of seven out of ten, on my list of bad men, but probably won't get an erection for a while, serves you right. I snicker while we reach the town gates.

"Miss Liana was having fun today." A city guard that works for my family said, containing his laugh.