"Do you think it's still chasing us?"

"We've been pushing the horses hard for weeks now! If it is still chasing us we would be better off abandoning the thing and finding another way to pay off our bounty!"

"Why did I let you talk me into this...

"I'm not the one who shanked the prince! We have so few options to pay off our bounty as it is so don't blame me for us having to do something as stupid as this!"

There are a few things that are truly sacred in life. Sleep, delicious food and peace. Besides those three? Well... not much compares. But this is just Tanya's opinion. Waking up being shaken about? In a small dark space? And to top it all off feeling starved?

Anyone would wake up cranky.

At least that's her explanation for the following events...

Groggy from having her sleep interrupted in such a rude fashion she began pounding on the wall to let her neighbours know that she was NOT amused. From how everything was shaking they must be throwing quite the party.

"Is... Is that thing hatching?"

"Shut up and run!"

"What about the horses!?"

"It's going to come out starving! Just run!"

They just won't shut up! Getting up I kick my door open as hard as I can, charge across the hallway in a flash and smash my neighbours door off its hinges with a well placed kick. Fully enraged and more importantly starving I begin roaring at my neighbours about waking me up, ripping them a new one and practically eating them alive. Time seeming to slide into the infinite in the process.

Fully awake after my tirade I realize some quite important details...

1. I'm in a forest.

2. I've just smashed my way out of the interior of an old fashioned carriage.

3. I've just spent however long eating FOUR FREAKING HORSES!

Oh yeah. I'm also walking on four legs, covered in grey scales, have a long bladed tail and more importantly I'M NOT HUMAN!

Please tell me I'm dreaming...

Please?

Looking around for help gets me nothing unless the pile of viscera and gore leftover from the horses has anything to say...

"Roah."

My sigh sounds like a very weak roar... Can I even speak? I have to try at least. Ok, lets start with hello.

*Hagh*

Ok, Let's not try to talk again... that was very unpleasant... talking should not feel like I'm gargling phlegm...

Coughing up whatever came out when I tried that leaves a bubbling grey liquid that's evaporating as I watch... That. Is just nasty.

What the hell is that anyway? My spit?

Why am I even here and why am I a giant grey freaking lizard?

Turning my head to look at my body I discover my neck is serpentine... which is freaky as hell...

Deciding to ignore it I return to looking at my body. I have a wideset body covered in grey scales and the occasional layer of plateing while my back has some ridges made of plate going down my spine. On either side of my spine there is a small bump. My legs are basically corded muscle ending in five clawed digits. Flexing my hand? Foot? Let's go with claws. Flexing my claws lets me make grabbing gestures so I should be able to pick things up. The thumb is in a different position to a human hand so that will take some getting used to. I have a long tail which has what looks like a sword at the tip. All in all I'm fairly huge, nearly six feet tall and about half as wide. I'm surprised I fit through the door.

I really want to know what happened and how I got here but let's face some facts and figure out what I'm going to do before questioning the unfairness of the universe.

Am I still in my own universe?

Focus!

Firstly, I'm a scaly lizard thing that eats multiple horses in one sitting. I'm not hungry anymore so that's good but I'm pretty sure that the amount I've eaten is four times my stomach size... at least I won't get fat? Hopefully I don't need to eat that much daily, wild horses aren't native to forests as far as I know. The fact that I could eat that much without my size changing or even getting bloated is strange. I should pay attention to how often I get hungry and keep an eye out for anything edible. Except berries, berries are death. This has been tested and proven by nearly every pioneer in history.

Secondly is the fact I just woke up and smashed my way out of a carriage before eating the horses. I don't see anyone around so I probably didn't kill anyone? Hopefully? They might have run away. I should probably take a look inside the carriage to see if there's anything or anyone there before I take a look around. I'm rather curious about why I woke up in that carriage.

Beginning to walk up to the hole where the carriage door was I notice it feels completely natural to walk on all fours. Wondering if walking around on my hind legs is possible I attempt to stand up on my hind legs which is extremely uncomfortable and needs me to balance on my tail. I don't see a point in the future where I will make this an everyday occurrence.

Being able to move my tail is very strange. Hell, HAVING a tail is very strange. Using my tail to balance like this? The peak of strange. Dropping back to walking on all fours yanks the tip of my tail out of the dirt catapulting a small shower of dirt behind me. I guess I have a shovel now?

Since my tail has a bladed tip it can probably be used as a weapon if I need one, although it does look rather blunt currently... Maybe I can sharpen it a little? Just in case some terrifying monster attacks?

*Roah*

I'm a scaly lizard creature the size of a person, who am I kidding? I'm probably the scariest thing in the area.

Continuing on and looking into the carriage I can see some scattered belongings such as very low quality clothing, a crumpled suit, a wooden bow, a dented silver tray, knives, some empty bottles... what kind of mish-mash is that? The benches have a couple pillows on them. Seems there were at least two people. (Note to self, stomach capacity may be four horses and two people.) There's a damp maid uniform with a giant brownish red stain on the apron hung halfway in the carriage... I don't think that was me. Looking at my body is proof enough from all the fresh blood covering my front half, I need to take a bath because this is rather disgusting... Especially the smell now that I think about it, a small part of me is saying its appetizing but my new lizard brain can be quiet for now. I have existential questions to consider. Like how I ended up in a carriage as a giant lizard.

Jumping up into the carriage is a rather difficult task and is making the thing shake wildly. Pretty sure there's no one in here at this point. Digging my claws into the wood and using my tail as leverage I pull myself into the carriage and take a closer look around only to find a broken mirror. Yep, pretty sure I'm a dragon looking at this ugly mug. It's probably the round stubs for horns on my triangular head and blood covered scaly face that's giving me that impression. At least my scales are symmetrical? How do you judge dragon beauty anyway? Pronounced jawline? Button snout? Neck length and shape? Tooth sharpness? Dental hygiene? Eyebrow ridges? Spikes? Maybe it's the horns? My eyes are certainly... charming? Reptilian and bright green... all four of them.

*Graoh!*

How the fuck did I not notice I have four eyes!?

Looking about like a cat that discovered a laser pointer aimed at a disco ball I realize that my peripheral vision is astounding. Looking ahead while being able to focus on my surroundings feels like it's been missing all my life! I have zero complaints about this development! Looking to the sides seems to focus both eyes on that side while the other two pick up the slack looking straight ahead. Maybe this is how dragons catch hoard plunderers? By giving them side eye? Having a hoard at some point must become a thing! Who doesn't think about being a dragon sleeping in a hoard of treasure at some point? Although my hoard will probably include blankets and other comfy things.

Seeing the hanging maid outfit in my peripheral reminds me why I even came into the carriage. Turning and walking up to it I push my head past it to take a look.

Huh.

I thought I was large.

And scary.

I'm certainly deadly according to those horses.

I'm a hatchling.

I. Am. A. Hatchling.

I now know this as I'm staring at a giant black, grey and red mottled eggshell that has had the side facing the carriage door obliterated. As in shrapnel embedded into the back of the maid uniform which is made of thick cloth kind of obliterated. It looks like someone bombed it...

Whoops.

It has also just occurred to me about how large my parentage must be to lay an egg this size, because it's about six feet tall.

When I grow up I'm going to be a big girl!

Ok, so jokes aside what I'm assuming are dragons must be huge to lay eggs this size. With how large their bodies must get they probably require tons of food to survive. Actual tons.

Well looking around there isn't much else here besides the eggshell. I wonder where they keep their travel rations?

After a brief search of the carriage I have found my plunder! Snacks! Well, jerky to be exact... lots of jerky... and beans... I'll just take the jerky. I wouldn't think to check inside the benches normally so I was quite lucky that one was propped open slightly because of how full it was, maybe it was because they needed room for my egg? Well whatever! I've got sacks of jerky now! Muahahahahah!

They really had nothing else to eat but jerky and beans... I don't even know what the jerky is made of...

Checking inside the other bench after using my tail to pry it open I find a small bag of what I assume are coins from the jingling sounds the bag makes. For the hoard! There's also five pairs of boots, two pairs of black leather shoes, a bundle of cloth and assorted rags, some rather empty feed bags, and what I assume is camping equipment? Which reminds me! As I'm assuming to be a dragon at this point I should have a breath ability right!? I should test that! Dumping my bag of treasure into my snack sack and awkwardly carrying it outside with my teeth I am met with a pack of very confused wolves.

Yeah... I'm more of a plant person myself. Dogs, cats, pets and people in general were never quite my thing... deciding that a distraction and retreat is desperately in order I approach each of the thirteen wolves in order and fish them each a piece of jerky out of the snack sack making sure that the black one covered in scars gets the largest piece before walking to the edge of the woods. Turning around I give one last look to the pack of wolves standing near a gore pile and damaged carriage with faces stuffed with mystery jerky. I will commit this scene to memory as it should never be forgotten.

I will leave you to your scavenging, Good day to you. Turning to the forest I move away from the carriage at a brisk pace while keeping my sack of dried meat and treasure held securely. Deliberately keeping myself from glancing back at what are no doubt the most confused furry faces currently in existence.

Hopefully this distraction will last until I can find somewhere safe to hide. Preferably somewhere with fresh water nearby because I've been rather thirsty since my attempt to speak earlier...