Just as Exploded awoke, thirty-nine miles away, a gentle gust of wind found its way into a cave cut roughly but efficiently into the space under a tree’s roots.
The cave was small and wanting for sunlight, but the dragon inside didn’t care.
He’d been born into harsher conditions, and to him, this was luxury.
He’d escaped through countless attempts on his life and those around him. He’d lived through war and had seen enough blood to completely alter himself.
He was a survivor; his sole goal was safety.
He was sleeping on the mud floor, the fire-hardened walls preventing bugs and cave-ins. Several yards above him, the ceiling, also fire-hardened, contained a stone slab embedded in the mud.
It had a deep groove cut into it, and when lifted, allowed enough space for an average dragon to fit through.
He stirred slightly as the wind rushed over him, but didn’t wake.
As the hours passed, sunlight filtered through the ceiling, and he awakened with a start.
His instincts took over, allowing him to scan the cave for any danger and prepare himself for sudden attacks.
He listened carefully for the telltale signs of dragons outside the cave, but there were none.
Satisfied, he relaxed and stretched his wings. He then flew slowly towards the stone slab and inserted his claws into the groove.
He lifted it and landed gently on the forest floor. The tree above his cave was one of thousands of different trees, making his cave ideal. Furthermore, the stone that allowed him to come in and out of the cave was muddied and was almost ignorable; one stone alone made no difference compared to the millions – possibly even billions of stones in this forest alone.
He inhaled deeply, preparing for high flight. He didn’t allow himself any time for luxuries; every second wasted was another second for a hostile dragon to find him.
He launched off the grounds and soared towards higher altitudes, where most dragons didn’t fly.
He was only able to remain there for extended periods of time because of strength and breath training.
He scanned the ground, acute eyes looking for signs of prey. This would be his first meal in two days, and he was determined to catch something.
He saw movement below – could it be?