Survival

The cave entrance spilled out into a vast, snowy landscape. Behind him, laughter echoed, cruel and mocking, as he ran—his tiny legs struggling to carry him through the deep snow.

"If you ever come back, we'll rip off your wings and eat you for real!" one of his brothers shouted after him.

He kept running, his breath coming in short, frantic gasps. The open expanse soon gave way to towering, snow-covered trees, their skeletal branches clawing at the sky. The thick woodland offered some shelter from sight, but the cold remained relentless.

Finally, he slowed down. His lungs burned, his legs ached, and his entire body trembled from exhaustion. His brothers weren't chasing him.

Of course they weren't.

Why would they leave the cave?

That warm, safe cave.

Meanwhile, their "superior" children were probably curled up in comfort, basking in their parents' love, being fed while he froze out here.

The sun was still high in the sky, but the air was bitterly cold. That was when he noticed the wind. It howled through the trees like a living thing, cutting through his thin scales like knives. A violent shiver wracked his body, and instinctively, he curled his tail closer to himself. It didn't help.

Then, the hunger hit.

His belly let out a pitiful growl, twisting with emptiness.

"Why didn't I look both ways before crossing the street? Right now, I could be enjoying a bag of chips from a vending machine... and a nice, warm can of coffee."

Another, louder grumble. His tail flicked in frustration.

"This sucks. Don't panic, Tetsuo... I mean... Hibana..."

The name his "loving" parents had just given him. A final insult. He looked at his status screen again, and a single tear rolled down his scaled cheek before turning to ice.

His claws curled into the snow.

"So what if I'm a small spark…? A spark could still set the world ablaze."

"Ablaze! That's it! I can breathe fire! Or rather… I can figure out how!"

Hibana's eyes darted around, searching the snowy forest floor for anything dry enough to burn. Luckily, plenty of twigs and dried leaves littered the ground. He hurriedly gathered a small pile of kindling, his claws fumbling as he worked.

Once satisfied, he took a step back, planting his feet.

Now came the hard part.

He inhaled sharply, aiming his mouth at the kindling, and forced his throat to move in a way that felt… instinctive.

Nothing happened.

He coughed, then gagged—a strange, deep sensation churned in his throat, almost like he was about to throw up. But just before he could panic, heat surged upward.

He opened his mouth—and a tiny burst of flame sputtered out.

The fire licked at the kindling and instantly caught, flickering to life. His throat burned from the effort, and as quickly as it came, the fire died away, leaving only a curl of smoke rising from his mouth.

But it worked.

The wind howled around him, threatening to snuff out his precious flame. Panicked, he grabbed the nearest log with his small claws, rolling it toward the fire, hoping to feed it before the wind killed it.

For a moment, the fire faltered—then, it spread.

A small, flickering glow pushed back against the cold, weak but defiant. It wasn't much… but it was warmth.

And for now, it was enough.

While the warmth felt good, a strange fatigue settled over him. It wasn't just exhaustion—it was different. His mind felt hazy, like he had been sleeping too long.

Then, realization struck.

"The fire breath!"

He quickly opened his stat screen, eyes scanning for anything unusual.

MP: 9/10.

"Just as I thought… Fire breath consumes MP."

So, he could use it nine more times. That was useful. He scrolled down to his skills and focused on the entry labeled Fire Breath.

Fire Breath – The burning breath of a dragon. When activated, it allows you to breathe fire.Cost: 8 MP.

Hibana blinked.

"8 MP? But… I only used 1."

Something wasn't adding up. His MP should have been much lower. Had he somehow spent less than the skill required?

"Strange. Maybe I should test this..."

But before he could, his stomach gave a loud, pitiful gurgle.

Survival first.

"N–No!... Food… I need food." His claws pressed against his belly as if that would stop the hunger pangs.

"I haven't eaten since… Well… since before I was a dragon."

His tail flicked. The fire was nice, but warmth alone wouldn't keep him alive.

"Better go find something to eat." 

As Hibana looked around, he noticed something he hadn't before. A strange, subtle awareness tickled at the edge of his mind.

Smell.

It wasn't just a passing sensation—it was everywhere. Now that he was paying attention, the world unfolded around him in ways he never knew possible. The trees carried a deep, earthy musk, their bark rough and alive with a scent he had never noticed as a human. The rocks had a cold, mineral tang, like wet stone after a storm. Even the snow—something he had always thought of as scentless—had a crisp, frozen sharpness that somehow felt clean.

Then, something else.

It cut through the other scents like a thin thread of warmth in the frozen air. Faint, but distinct. His nostrils flared as his body reacted before his mind could process it. His pulse quickened. His muscles tensed. It was beckoning him.

"What is this sensation? Is this… the dragon in me kicking in?"

His body moved before he fully understood why. Drawn by the scent, he followed it, weaving between the trees with an instinctive precision he had never known before. The closer he got, the sharper it became—fur, warmth, the faint musk of something alive. And then, in the snow, he spotted them:

Tracks. Small, fresh, leading away into the trees.

He inhaled again, and it clicked.

"This… this is the smell I'm following." His tail flicked. His claws curled into the snow. His body knew before he did.

"This is an animal. This is prey."

The realization sent a ripple through him, awakening something deep inside. This was instinct. He was a dragon. And his body knew exactly what that meant.

"So that's it. That's what this sensation is… hunger. I can smell my next meal."

Hibana crept through the trees, his eyes locked on his prey.

A rabbit? It looked like one—small, fluffy, twitching ears—but something was off. Tiny antlers curled from its head, and a long, rat-like tail flicked behind it.

As he moved closer, his thoughts intruded.

"I can't believe I'm about to kill an animal with my own hands… or paws, claws… whatever. So this is what it was like for my ancestors. I don't even know how to cook it… do I even need to? Maybe my dragon body can stomach raw meat."

He exhaled softly, lowering himself further into the brush.

"Well, none of that matters if I can't catch it. At this point, it's just a rice cake drawn in a picture."

Hibana leapt out of the bushes, claws outstretched—

The tiny creature bolted.

It was fast. Much faster than he expected.

Hibana tore after it, his legs moving on instinct.

"So this is what it feels like to be an animal? They make it look so majestic and effortless in the nature videos I watched!"

The rabbit-thing zigzagged wildly, then suddenly dove into a small hole.

Hibana skidded to a stop, staring at the empty space where his meal had just been. Then, with a growl, he slammed his arms down on the ground in frustration.

"What I'd give for a rice cake right now! Even just a single lychee candy! Anything!"

Hibana didn't waste time moping. That was a waste of energy.

He needed food. Now.

All he had to do was catch it.

But his body disagreed. His limbs felt like lead, his breath came in ragged gasps, and a heavy dizziness crept over him. His legs wobbled beneath him.

He felt like he was going to collapse.

"Not now! I can do this! I WILL do this!"

Then—a new scent.

Not prey.

Something else.

Blood. Death.

His body stiffened as he turned toward the smell.

A shadow loomed in the bushes. A large, black-furred creature with piercing yellow eyes.

It had a strange, unnatural body—something between a lion and a wolf, its movements eerily smooth, muscles coiling like a predator ready to strike.

It was twice his size.

Hibana's instincts screamed.

Run.

Fear surged through him as he turned and bolted.

Behind him, he heard the rustling of undergrowth—it was chasing him.

His heart pounded. His breath burned. His legs threatened to give out.

"I can't die here! Not again!"

The creature caught up.

Hibana barely had time to react before it pounced.

Fangs sank into his haunches.

A searing, white-hot pain ripped through him.

His armored flesh—his scales, his natural defense—pierced like nothing.

The force yanked him backward, his claws scraping against the frozen earth.

He screamed.

The beast snarled, muscles tightening, preparing to drag him down.

Hibana twisted, eyes wide with terror.

"No—"

He inhaled.

Then, with everything he had left, he blew fire into its face.

The flames were weak—barely more than a sputtering burst—but it was enough.

The beast yelped, flinching away as the fire licked at its fur.

Hibana didn't hesitate.

He tore free, legs burning, lungs screaming, blood dripping into the snow.

But he couldn't stop.

He had to run.

Hibana kept running.

He burst into a clearing, his breath ragged, his legs trembling beneath him.

For now, he had lost the beast.

But his body was giving out.

His vision blurred at the edges. His muscles screamed. Every step felt heavier.

He was fixing to collapse.

Then—a new scent.

Faint, buried beneath the frost-covered earth.

His instincts took over. He dug.

Cold soil caked his claws until—there. A small, wild tuber.

It smelled awful.

He didn't care.

He shoved it into his mouth, biting down. Bitter. Dry. Disgusting.

But it was food.

And right now, food meant survival.

As he swallowed, another wave of pain hit.

His haunch—still bleeding.

He turned his head, watching the thin trail of red he'd left behind.

A dull, throbbing ache pulsed through his body.

Hibana limped to the nearest tree and collapsed against it.

Would the food be enough to heal him?

Would he last through the night?

He was too far from his fire.

"Maybe I can try to build another…"

Hibana opened his status screen.

MP: 1/10

His eyes narrowed. "But I thought it only took 1 MP? Why is there only 1 left?"

Then it hit him.

"The cost must vary… makes sense, I guess. But that means—"

His stomach dropped.

"I don't have enough MP to build another fire."

The cold crept deeper into his bones. His limbs felt stiff, his breath came out in weak, foggy wisps.

"I need to… find a way out of this cold."

He forced himself to look around.

And then—his blood ran colder than the air.

The beast.

It was back.

Its massive black form emerged from the trees, yellow eyes locked onto him. Its muzzle was scorched, fur singed where the flames had touched it.

And yet—it was still coming.

Slow. Unstoppable.

Hibana's body refused to move.

He was too weak to run.

Too tired to fight.

His vision swayed.

His fingers curled into the snow, the heat of his blood melting the frost beneath him.

"Fine."

His breath shuddered.

"This world is terrible… All it has done is beat me down from the moment I arrived here."

The beast stepped closer.

Its breath was hot, visible in the cold.

"May my body at least satisfy you."

The beast lunged.

Hibana braced for the end.

Then—something flew through the air.

A wooden torch struck the creature square in the face.

It yelped, recoiling, flames flickering against its dark fur.

A shout rang out.

"Back! GET BACK! YOU NOT HAVE IT!"

A small figure burst from the trees, gripping a wooden spear.

Hibana's vision blurred, but he could make out a short, humanoid shape—green skin, sharp features, wild eyes filled with determination.

The beast snarled but hesitated.

The small warrior stood firm, torch raised.

The beast **stepped back. Then—**it turned and vanished into the darkness.

The figure turned to him.

He held out the torch.

Warmth.

Hibana felt the heat against his frozen body.

His mind drifted. His senses faded.

"Is that… a goblin?"

Darkness took him.