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The first thing that hit her was sunlight—bright, blinding, and rude.
A beam shot straight through the cave opening and slammed into her face like a spotlight from some celestial interrogation lamp. Groaning, she rolled over with a dramatic yawn that echoed off the stone walls. For a brief second, she hoped—hoped—that this was all just a super vivid dream. Maybe she'd wake up in her warm bed, throw on her hoodie, and run late to school again.
But no. The aching muscles, weird limbs, and cold air weren't going anywhere.
She rubbed her eyes, blinking against the brightness as reality smacked her all over again:
She wasn't human anymore. She was... something else. Something scaled, something small, something totally unequipped to handle this crap.
With a grumble, she tried to stand, only to trip over her tail—again. It took a few false starts, some wobbling, and one very undignified faceplant before she finally managed to stand upright. The soreness from yesterday hadn't faded, but it was manageable. At least it wasn't as bad as walking uphill in the snow to school. Barely.
Tiny legs carried her toward the entrance. A flash of sunlight forced her to squint, but she pushed forward until she emerged outside. That's when she looked up... and blinked hard.
The sun here looked wrong. Too close. Like it was burning just above the clouds—but instead of heat, there was cold. Frigid, forest-biting cold. The sun warmed her a little, sure, but not like it should've.
Stretching with a pop in her back (how does a baby dragon even have back pain?), she glanced toward a snow-dusted trail. Footprints. Human. A group had passed through not long ago, and their tracks split in two directions up ahead.
There was a sign planted near the fork, but it might as well have been written in runes. She couldn't read a single word.
"Great. Can't walk, can't read, probably can't even fly. Peak fantasy protagonist experience," she muttered.
With no better idea, she followed the left path, letting the footprints guide her. As she walked, something hit her nose—a scent.
Meat.
Cooked meat.
Her stomach growled, loud enough to scare a squirrel. She hadn't eaten anything warm or remotely edible since waking up like this. She sped up, paws crunching softly in the snow, drawn toward the smoky campfire smell.
That's when she saw him.
A figure emerged from the trees, dragging the limp body of a wolf behind him. Young. Scruffy. Definitely human. He looked like someone who lived out here—wild-eyed, weather-toughened, dressed in fur. A hunter.
Her breath caught in her throat. Memories from yesterday slammed into her—the men, the cage, the wooden crate she had woken up in.
And suddenly, it clicked.
"Wait… why was I in a box? I wasn't born in there. Someone put me there."
The realization sent a chill down her spine.
"I… I was kidnapped, wasn't I?"
She shrank back into the underbrush, her heart pounding like crazy. She crouched low, breathing shallow. The hunter hadn't noticed her—yet. She moved slowly, silently, her paws barely disturbing the powdery snow.
He stopped. His eyes narrowed. Like he felt something watching.
[Appraising target...]
Species: Human – North Joureafla
Health: 217 / 265
Status: ???
Oh no.
She couldn't outrun him. Definitely couldn't fight him. What do I do, what do I do?!
Panic set in. She did the only thing she could: RUN.
She leapt from the bush like a startled rabbit, darting into the nearest patch of shrubs. Her little legs pumped for all they were worth. Behind her, the hunter's boots crunched in the snow.
He followed. Fast.
Bow drawn, he peeled back the bush she'd hidden in—
And froze.
A dragon. A tiny one. Big eyes, trembling lips, fangs poking out uselessly. For a second, the man just stared.
She bared her teeth in a last-ditch effort to look scary.
"I'm so dead," she thought.
Then, to her absolute horror, the guy reached for her. Like she was a cat stuck in a tree.
Nope.
She lunged and sank her teeth into his hand.
He didn't even flinch.