As I wake up again alone , now familiar wave of anger washes over my body .

  Why wouldn't I be angry ?

  Why am I alone ? I am just a small hatchling .

  I should be woken up by my mother or father , then fed and cared for ... right ?

  ... No matter , I am a dragon ... get your shit together ...

  ...

  What a strange saying ... get your shit together . Where did this come from ? I am sure neither of my parents said this .

  Where did I hear this ? ... so strange .

  Welp , no matter . Back to my daily grind . Find something to eat and continue on my way north ... why north though ?

  Something is calling me . Something inside me is telling me , to go north . To find help somewhere north .

  What is it ? ... Instinct ? ... Some weird power doing this to me ? ...

  Well , does it matter ? I have to go on . Have to live in order to find my parents .

  And hey ! I am getting stronger ... I think , I hope ...

  And so Tramas went hunting . In mere two hours , he found his favourite prey . A Scalehoof and it was alone again . Such interesting little critter a Scalehoof is . Basically , scaled , squat elk . Usually found in herds up to three hundred strong . So it would be strange , for our dragon to find them by their lonesome , but it is actually their mating season in which males or weak females travel from their herds to find other ones to join . As such , Tramas doesn't have any trouble hunting them by himself , or he just might go hungry , if he cant find any other prey . He is after all faster and smarter . No mention of the size or raw physical power he possesses . No need for fancy magic , or the world famous dragons breath .

  So our not so little dragon crept closer on his hunt , just like so many times before in recent days . And when his prey caught his scent on the wind , he sprung to action and raced forward , towards his prize . The Scalehoof buck , of course jolted to its full speed quickly , but alas , it was too late for the startled animal . Tramas caught up to it quickly and dispatched it with his strong claws and dug in .

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  MMMmmmm , Tasty as always . My favourite for a reason , yup yup , I like em very much .

  Now , lets see . What to do now ? Should I train my wings again ? ... No , I am not ready for another disaster like the one a week ago . Should I challenge myself with a Spiketail again ? .... Maybe I should . Lets see if I can find one .

  Is that smart though ?

  Yes ! Yes it is ! I have to grow stronger . I cannot be strong if I don't know how to fight and that knowledge can be obtained only one way . Through practice , so pain is inevitable . I have to push through it , no matter how much it hurts . How else , am I gonna get stronger ? HMMM ? ... Yeah , i am a dragon ! A DRAGON ! I can easily crush pain the like I do my prey ! I ... AM ... A ... DRAGON !!!!

  ...

  This is gonna hurt a lot , isn't it ? .... shit ....

  So our scaled friend went on , on his new quest for strength . Somewhat reluctantly , he went onward to find his enemy to sharpen his weapons . His mind and body .

  After only a couple of hours , he found what he was looking for and begun his hunt . A Spiketail , somewhat smaller creature than a Scalehoof . Covered in strong scales from nose to the tip of its tail , which is covered in detachable spikes that have a tendency to stick in whatever they managed to impale . That is pretty much its only weapon and many underestimate the creature for it . But those people are the ones to pay the price of blood and pain . Its tail is extremely agile , while the stocky creature can barely bend . So Spiketail can easily hit something standing in front of it and that attack , is what many do not account for . Just like our little dragon did , not so many nights ago . But he does learn .

  He came up with a plan . To jump on its lower back , coil his own tail around the Spiketails , to neutralize this painful weapon and after , he will have free rein , to do as he pleases with the creatures neck .

  And so our little Tramas begun his hunt for power and crept closer and closer. Ever vigilant , ever ready to pounce on his prey . Closer and closer he crept and when the stupid , blind creature failed to notice him , until he was ready to attack , he arched his back and jumped . He almost messed everything up by jumping too strongly and overshot . But he caught the Spiketail with his back leg claws and as the creature reared its tail up in its shock , he caught his own tail around it to immobilize it . Then quickly , scrambled to the Spiketails back , to push the critter down . Now secure on the defenceless creature , he bit down on its neck . And almost broke his teeth on its sturdy scales . Anger rising again , he took a deep breath . Then another , just like his mother taught him . Calm mind makes a victor , calm mind makes wishes a reality .

  " HAAAAA " ... What now ? I cant bite through these scales ! Lets try to pry them open ? OH ! It works ! So , what now ? Cut its neck and wait for it to bleed out ? OH ! Its skin is actually quite soft , so my claws sink deeper than I thought ... Maybe it will bleed out quickly ? I do wish for it to not trash around so much , maybe if I cut it some more ? ...

  ...

  Well , that was actually quite quick . I wonder if those cuts , under its head were the ones to make it bleed out faster ? Or maybe it is so quick to die every time ? ... I should see how weak these creatures are ... Yeah ! I should experiment and learn about my enemies , to know how to fight them better next time . Mama always taught me to see everything from every angle , to learn and be sure about things around me . More you know , more weapons you have , she always said ....

  ...

  Mama , I miss you ... But I WILL find you , just you wait !

  But now I am actually quite hungry , lets eat !

  So our little winged lizard ate his fill and went back to his hunt , for strength and knowledge . As the day went on he found five more Spiketails and got better and better , in his glorious little hunts . As night approached , he found one more Scalehoof for a meal and went to sleep , with full belly and his strength spent . But something inside him started roiling as Tramas drifted off to dreamland .

  Throughout the night , echoes of roars and whimpering were heard far and wide .