*Aoooooooo~!*

GOD DAMN IT!

Sprinting through the forest at high speeds swinging my sack o' snacks about, I think back on the details I have missed up to this point. Rather important details at that.

First of all is the fact that I'm covered in drying blood. Rather smelly to me means scent based lighthouse to the pack of wolves that I encountered. Wolves have a much better sense of smell than humans so I should have thought about that before walking up to them and giving them a better scent to use as a trail!

Second of all is the fact I tried to run away! You don't run from wolves, they are faster and recognize what runs away as prey. If they attacked me I could have fought back or intimidated them into running away. Since I ran? Yeah, that option went out the window and probably got mauled by a wolf.

Third comes the fact I gave them food! A giant sack of which I happen to be carrying! Jerky is probably better tasting than the offal and whatever else was leftover from eating those horses! The stupidest part? I'M STILL CARRYING THE STUPID THING!!!

Realizing a huge mistake I have been making I drop the sack and keep running as fast as I can, which to be perfectly honest? Probably won't help me much at this point.

Turning my head slightly shows me the trail of destruction my claws and tail have left behind in my desperate escape attempt. Further back I can see something brownish grey approaching and it's gaining. Fast.

As I turn my head back to the front I see something out of my right peripheral and crouch lower as I run letting a wolf fly right through where my neck would have been a second before. Swinging my tail in its direction earns me a yelp but I have no clue if it's actually injured. For all I know it's had its nose swatted!

*Aooooooooo~!*

I'm so fucked.

Hearing a different noise off to my right I turn towards it and keep running. Hopefully towards safety because it sounds like a riv-oly fuck-!

Plunging head first into the ravine I try and dig my claws into the stone wall but it crumbles and comes free in my claws giving zero grip and no way of stopping myself from hitting the river.

Please be able to swim! Please be able to swim! Please be able to... wait... I'm not really getting the urge to breathe? Focus on swimming idiot, question your lung capacity when you can actually breathe again! Paddling like a dog seems to be working slightly and I slowly approach the rivers surface where surfacing let's me take a breath that doesn't really feel required... Well, that's three survival necessities accomplished at once! I have water, a way to potentially find civilization and I've escaped the wolf pack!

Turning my head back to the ravine lip I can see the wolves staring down at me floating down the river and following along the ravines edge.

Suck on that wolves! Nee! *Grawr!*

(Note to self, don't stick out your tongue while swimming with sharp teeth! It freaking hurts!)

Looking around the ravine shows me that there isn't anywhere good to get out, it's just steep walls with no embankment. Looking back up at the wolves they seem reluctant but are gradually leaving. Good riddance!

Continuing to swim down the river looking for a way out gives me time to think. I have zero clue where I am and considering what I look like approaching people would probably be a bad idea. I should plan for wilderness survival until I can find civilization and eavesdrop on some people. Maybe I can start a dragon cult or something? If I don't find people... Well... at least I won't be bothered anymore? This may even be an opportunity! As lists are efficient let's make one that prioritizes my survival.

Tanya's epic survival list!

Step 1, Find shelter. Preferably before it gets dark.

Step 2, Find food. Except berries.

Step 3, Sleep.

Step 4, ???

Step 5, Profit?

Not the greatest of lists but it will have to do. Now then, before I can put my epic action plan into effect there is one slightly important detail. I've got to get out of the river... Hopefully there's a banking soon or some other way out...

It's been about three hours now... I'm getting tired and it's going to be dark soon... How long is this river and how the hell has it had no banks up until this point!? The ravine walls seem to be getting larger actually? The type of stone has changed too... Maybe I should just try and climb out?

Paddling over to the wall and digging my claws into the stone feels like pure bliss. I guess I have been swimming a while. Pulling my rear legs out of the water and digging my rear claws in gives me a good feeling about climbing so leg by leg I begin clawing my way up the wall. This stone must be really soft because It's taking hardly any effort to dig in with my claws!

Approaching the lip of the ravine I slowly raise my neck and peer over in case there are wolves. You never can be too careful after all. Unlike the forest I was expecting what I find is dozens of foothills rising into a mountain range. Looking around all I can see apart from the ravine is the hills and mountains... there's no trace of the forest. The hills seem to have some vegetation growing along them but there aren't that many trees whereas the bottoms of the mountains have a layer of what looks like pine trees.

Looking back at the river I'm reluctant to climb back down to take a drink but this is the only source of water I've found so far and there's no way of proving that there's more water nearby... Not to mention I've been thirsty since earlier...

Deciding to bite the bullet I make the awkward backwards climb back down to get a drink. Hopefully I don't get sick from this... Looking at where I'm digging my claws into the rock I realize I'm clean! Woo! Score one for falling in a river and swimming for hours!

Now that I think about that I just feel embarrassed.

Once again I climb out and start to make my way towards the mountain range. Hopefully there are caves or something to sleep in.

As I'm making my way over the hills towards the mountains I spot something running to my right. Keeping perfectly still and doing my best impression of a boulder I watch out of my peripheral vision and see a large group of rabbits leaving their burrow and beginning to ravage the nearby plants. Truly savage.

In other words I have found a new food source. There are hundreds of the things! How is this area not a barren wasteland!? Those things are ripping plants up by the roots!

Frozen in shock I see a shadow rapidly approaching the rabbits from above and suddenly smack into the ground. Did that rabbit just sidestep? That's incredible! Suddenly the large group of snacks begin to gather around the stunned bird and kick the shit out of it! I can hear the crunches from here!

Slowly creeping away from the murder rabbits while they are distracted tenderizing their fresh meat I decide to continue looking for a place to sleep. I have found a reliable source of food even if it is a bit feisty and there's water an hour away if I don't mind the walk. It's the only thing left to do before it gets dark really!

As I'm walking through a vast patch of bright purple berry bushes a few hills over and still nowhere near the mountains I notice an exposed wall of stone in the hillside and a thought strikes me out of the blue. Why don't I just dig a shelter? It's the same stone as earlier so it should be fairly easy to do.

Walking up to the wall I drag my claws across the stone as a test and they sink into it like it's wet clay. Encouraged by the ease of the attempt I begin to carve large chunks of stone out of the hillside and stack them around where I'm working creating a sort of cobbled stone wall. Imagining the home I can make with stone this easy to carve excites me quite a bit, underground mansions, chambers of treasure with large columns and grand arches, a castle on the surface with beautiful gardens and bedchambers! The banquet halls I could make!

As I was lost in my delusions of grandeur I missed the part where I hollowed out the hill and created a thick wall around the entrance... I also missed the part where the sun started to set...

At least I'm safe? I also have a large place to sleep! Walking back outside my newly hollowed out lair to watch the sunset I realize that I have zero light or ways to keep warm tonight. Do I even need to keep warm? I haven't noticed the temperature changing this whole time... Well it's better to be prepared than to suffer!

Deciding that figuring out how to breath fire would help in this situation I walk outside to where I have a large stack of stone leftover from building the wall.

Do I just breathe fire? Taking a deep breath and blowing out does nothing but send some leaves fluttering about... I guess that isn't the correct method.

Maybe it's something to do with that weird spit? Moving my tongue like I'm trying to talk again fills my mouth with that weird bubbling grey liquid which I spit at the stone pile for a total effect of...

Nothing.

What am I doing wrong? Do I just not breath fire or something? What am I missing!?

In frustration I click my tongue and suddenly the world turns white.

Groggy, in pain and with a taste of ash in my mouth I get up to get ready for work and find out that I'm outside, it's pitch black and there is burning patches of grass and bushes everywhere. Confused about what I've woken up to, it is at this point in time where recent events come back to me. Getting to my feet with an aching jaw and a headache I look around at the large amounts of burnt plants and try to figure out what happened.

I tried to breath fire. I blew the plants about on my first attempt. On my second attempt I spat that weird spit on my stone pile. Then... what? There wasn't even a third attempt! I just woke up and everything was on fire!

Thinking so hard about what happened is just making my headache worse. Deciding to try and figure things out in the morning I collect some burning plants and pile them up outside the entrance to my new lair, before walking inside and practically collapsing onto the cold stone floor. Curling up to try to get comfortable results in a position where my neck is resting on my tail and keeping my sore head off the ground. Trying to sleep on a jaw that feels like agony incarnate is not happening.

My first night as a dragon... I'm in pain, in a cold hole in the ground I have dug for myself, using burning grass and bushes from a fire breathing attempt I don't even remember to try and give myself light and warmth... and I'm thirsty...

Looking around my roughly carved out lair and up the small incline to the entrance all I can think about is everything that went wrong since I've woken up.

I've eaten horses. (And possibly people.)

I've been chased by wolves.

I dropped the loot bag... it was in the snack sack wasn't it... damn it...

I've lost my snacks and beginning hoard...

I've fallen in a river and had to swim for hours.

I've caused myself pain trying to breathe fire.

At least things can't get any worse?

Accepting that the universe probably can't screw me over any further at this point I begin snuggling up to my tail and slowly drift off to dreams of future blanket hoards...