It didn’t take me long to leave the Den well behind me. As my body grew, so did my control over it. I was a long way from being able to fly. However, the piles of snow that I once stumbled through no longer bothered me. I leapt between the solid ground beneath each tree, enjoying the chance to stretch my legs.

  I felt confident that I could find my way back to the Den easily enough by memory and scent. To make sure I marked every third or fourth tree I passed with a scratch from my claws. In a way, this was also marking my territory for passersby. I would not bring my siblings here intentionally, but I would defend it from them.

  That thought gave me pause. I settled beneath a tall tree to think. Siblings. The other heartbeats I had felt in the nest were almost certainly other creatures like myself. The first heartbeat was likely my mother.

  Questions about why I had been pushed from the nest lingered. I suspected answers would be a long time coming. I had felt a difference between my siblings and myself. I suspected that if one of my siblings met the Hunter, the Hunter would be devoured.

  A growl rose in my throat at the thought.

  ‘Mine.’

  I didn’t know where the word rose from, but it felt correct. Me and the Hunter had an accord. They had shared their den and their food with me, sheltered me when I’d only done them wrong. They had my precious gem in their safekeeping. All of these things and others I didn’t yet understand made them different from the rest of the world.

  Even if there were other Hunters, they were now different from My Hunter. Mine. The line drawn between the inside and the outside. Inside were all the things that were Mine. Outside was everything else that wasn’t yet Mine. I would fight savagely to protect what was Mine, no matter the cost.

  With that decided, I continued my hunt. It took some time before the first signs of prey showed up. I had spotted a couple of the Hunter’s traps, but they were empty. That bothered me. Some instinct said that, even in the depths of the cold, a forest like this should have plenty of life roaming around.

  Surely the Hunter could not be so ravenous that they had eaten everything nearby? That felt wrong. They would not have shared their food or spared me, if that were so. Could all the prey have been eaten by my siblings or mother? That also felt wrong.

  The creature that I called ‘Friend’ in the cave had been huge, too big to fit between the trees here. It likely had been carried up to the cave from elsewhere. My siblings had probably hatched a while after I had, so they shouldn’t have had time to strip the land bare.

  So there was something else then. Some other creature that was scaring away the prey, making my Hunter’s life difficult. I remembered the trap my Hunter had set with the bird. I had been caught in it, but what if it wasn’t for me? It likely took a great effort to make. They had baited the trap with some of the last of their food. I had only eaten one rabbit the day before.

  ‘Yes. My clever Hunter is pursuing some other Predator that intrudes on their territory. On my territory. One that eats too much prey and scares off the rest.’ I looked around the woods with a fresh gaze. I would continue to hunt, but instead of just seeking prey, I would be stalking another predator.

  I would not find the Predator easily, of course. It was surely a wretchedly cunning creature, at least enough to evade my Hunter. If I was going to find it, I need guile and a well thought out plan. Better fortune came my way when it came to finding prey, however.

  It was well within reason that even if the trees were not creatures asleep for the cold times, there would be others. The rabbit hole I had slept in was proof that such creatures liked to burrow for their dens. Such places would be difficult for a Hunter to access, but my smaller stature served me well in this way.

  After a dozen misses, I landed on a burrow that was nestled between some stray boulders. Perhaps long ago they had toppled from the mountain and come to rest here. The faint scent of rabbit floated up from between the rocks. They were buried deep.

  Possibly the rabbits were counting on it being too much trouble for large predators to dig them out. Unfortunately for them, my body had some tricks that would let me flush them out. No one was around to see the curious sight of me fishing into the earth with my elongated tail. It could reach further than my snout or paw. I didn’t need to actually catch the rabbits. I just needed them to-

  Like a flash, two fluffy bobtail shapes darted out of a hidden entrance to the burrow. I was prepared, sprinting after them at full speed. They were quick and well adapted to running through the snow. I had my own advantages. My stride was longer and my reflexes no less sharp. I also had my intellect, able to see through their feints and false leads.

  The hunt was thrilling, each bound through the tree’s singing in my blood. This was much better than stealing from traps. It was more fair to the rabbits of course, but my instincts roared in satisfaction at finally getting to hunt properly.

  One of the rabbits I caught quickly. In its panic, it ran into a tight space that it couldn’t back out from soon enough. My paws landed on its small back, breaking it swiftly. But I wanted both rabbits.

  It took a bit to catch up, bounding through the woods and tracking the frightened scent as it tried to double back multiple times and confuse me. This rabbit had time to find itself a new hidey hole. That would not save it from me. It had nestled itself beneath a rotting log, the remnant of a long dead tree.

  I slowed my pace, moving carefully and reining in my panting breath so it did not hear my approach. I could smell exactly where it was. Its small footprints vanished long before it reached the log. It was a clever foe and had bounded across some branches hanging off the log to reach its position.

  Collecting myself, I gathered up power into my haunches. My tail flicked back and forth silently. Unconsciously, my wings spread in anticipation. Then, at last, I leapt. My claws punched through the rotting wood of the log from above. My snapping maw followed a moment later, latching onto the rabbit by its fluffy tail as it attempted to escape once more.

  It almost got away again, leaving me with a mouth full of cotton fluff, but one of my paws latched onto its back just in time. I did not waste time today and snapped down on the back of its head, ending its suffering swiftly.

  As I looked up from my kill, I realized I was more than a little lost. I had no idea where the Hunter’s cabin was from here. If I looked back, I could see the evidence of my chase. Other than that, this was completely unfamiliar territory to me.

  The more I examined the area, the more I noticed how it was subtly ‘off’. There was a deathly stillness to the air that the sound muffling snow could not fully account for. Despite it being daytime, the trees grew close together here, making it unnaturally dark. The trees were so close in fact, that when one died it could not fall over. Instead, these dead trees were held aloft by their siblings, where they might fall at any moment should the wrong thing disturb them.

  I did not care for this place one bit. What’s more, I had the unsettling feeling of being watched. I did not have any hairs to stand on end, but my scales itched in an uncomfortable fashion suggesting a foreign gaze. Slowly I rose with my kill in my jaws. Its vitality drained into me, but I was far too focused on watching my surroundings to care.

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  With as much care as I could muster, I began to back away. The lips along my jawline curled into a snarl. I did not dare growl, however. Instinct whispered urgently that I was not prepared for whatever this was. Growling might instigate a fight I was wildly unprepared for.

  Extricating myself from the dark woods took far longer than I would have liked. My attention was split between finding my way back and making sure that I was not taken by surprise. I did not relax even when the sensation of being followed receded.

  Eventually I found my way back to my first kill of the day, the second still in tow. To my great displeasure, my first kill was being pecked at by an ornery feathered creature.

  It was just a bit bigger than me, but that was mainly its wingspan. Even beyond the strange physique of My Hunter, it was a ghastly creature. Dark feathers like dull charcoal clad its body up to its neck. From there on it had wrinkled exposed skin, ending in a wicked black beak between two cruel eyes.

  It had torn only a couple of pieces from my prey, but that infuriated me. Not just that it was Mine, though it was. These were for My Hunter, to repay my debt! What kind of cretin would bring spoiled provender to the den? Now, I growled long and deep at this foul… fowl.

  It turned its head towards me dismissively, as if to suggest I was somehow to blame for ruining its meal. My nostrils flared and two puffs of heat flooded out of them. My claws flexed and my wings flared out aggressively. The bird seemed entirely unimpressed. Only when I finally went to lunge did it deign to hop off its perch and flap lazily up into a tree.

  The impudence. The absolute bloody cheek. Did this avian arsehole not understand that it was on My Territory now? For its part, the bird seemed to consider itself a sovereign citizen, to go wherever and do whatever it pleased. It just couldn’t be bothered to fight for my kill because it was too boring.

  If I had my wings fully grown, I would have shown the bastard then and there what I thought about that. Fortunately for the bird, I had far more important matters to take care of. It took some negotiating, but I managed to wrangle both rabbits' necks into my maw.

  With one last derisive flick of my tail towards the bird, I turned for home.

  By the time I got to the den, the sun was creeping towards the horizon. It was far later than I had intended. I could admit I’d overestimated my hunting abilities… or I could blame the evil Predator and ‘bastard bird’ for delaying me.

  Yes. That sounded much more reasonable.

  The door was shut when I arrived at the Den’s porch, but there was a fire going inside. I could smell my Hunter was home as well. Dragging both rabbits all the way back had made my jaw rather sore. I was well glad to drop them on the porch, so that I could go and push the door open.

  The door did not open. It was latched shut from the inside.

  I tried hitting the door with my snout a bit harder. It didn’t budge. Then my feet, with my weight behind it. Same result. The window shutter was also latched from the inside. I tried making some chuffs to get the Hunter’s attention. Nothing. Finally, I even gave out a long trill. Still nothing.

  ‘Is she asleep? What is the matter? Surely they have not decided to shut me out for good… They have my gem! My precious gem. If they’re not going to let me in, I’ll find a way.’ My tail lashed irritably at the porch floor. ‘After all I did for them today. The nerve!’

  I backed up from the porch. Was there another way into the den? There was another shuttered window by my Hunter’s nest space. That wasn’t any better of an option. My eyes turned to the roof. Up there was a stack of stones that wood smoke was rising out of. That would be a good marker to find my way back if I was lost, but I would need to climb a tree to see it most of the time.

  For the smoke to get out, it needed an open hole to move through, correct? It was worth a shot. My claws could bite into the wood of the den’s walls easily enough. I did not feel a need to lick them to apologize. They were long dead. It was a bit of a struggle to get on the roof, but I achieved it with no embarrassing scrambling at all. Definitely none.

  Snow piled on the roof shifted under my feet. I was much more careful about how I moved. I didn’t need to cause another avalanche, even a small one. With slow steps I reached the smoke hole. The acrid sting of burning wood filled my nostrils. Looking down the hole, I could see the fire. Another set of eyelids I’d previously been unaware of flicked over my eyes.

  That probably meant my kind were naturally at home in smoke and flames. An interesting discovery. The hole was small, but I was reasonably sure I’d fit… I hoped I’d fit. I didn’t need yet another shameful experience to my name, such as begging my Hunter to A. Please let me back Inside and B. Please get me unstuck from this hole.

  I would further go on to ignore how I definitely did not make an undignified sight, tail and hind legs sticking in the air, as I momentarily got stuck in the chimney. Either through sheer determination or fear of embarrassing myself, my front claws bodily dragged me further downwards until at last the hole widened up enough for me to move.

  That widening also resulted in difficulty holding onto the soot caked stonework. A distinctly undignified squawk passed my maw as I suddenly dropped downwards and landed in the fire. The flames didn’t bother me, much as I’d suspected. In fact I felt quite cozy, once I’d righted myself into a sitting position. But I had knocked one of the burning logs out of the fireplace.

  Some quick mental math alerted me to the fact that wood burned. It burned quite nicely. The fireplace, being made of stone, did not burn. That made it a good place to store burning wood. The log currently sitting on my Hunter’s floor, was on fire. On my Hunter’s floor, in their den made largely of wood.

  With as much delicacy as I could muster, I clambered out of the comfy fire and plucked up the burning wood in my still sore jaw. A glance down confirmed it had only blackened the floor a bit. No harm done. Probably. I dropped the burning log down back where it belonged in the fireplace.

  I licked my lips. Living wood and sap didn’t taste great, but ashy black wood while it was still on fire was a wonderful palette cleanser. A small bit of burning charcoal at the edge of the fire made an excellent reward for my daring plan to re-enter the den.

  I looked around. Where was my Hunter? A quick search located them, asleep in their nest. Something was clutched in their hands, buried against their soft chest. Probably my precious gem. I supposed that was appropriately protective of the guardianship they’d been gifted with. Why did they sleep so soundly that they had still not woken up with all the ruckus?

  That answer could wait for a moment. I’d left my hard won kills on the porch. They’d be getting cold and I didn’t want a certain bastard bird getting funny ideas about stealing what was rightfully mine. With the practice I’d had moving through the forest today, I found it much easier to hop up and nudge the door latch open.

  Cold wind leaked into the den, but I quickly darted my head out to claim my prey. Once they were safe inside, I got the door firmly shut. Safe at last.

  Perhaps it was discourteous of me, but after everything I’d been through today I was feeling rather put off. I wanted my Hunter to see my fresh prey and know that they had not gifted their kindness to a lazy thief. Worse yet, they could think I was a bad hunter! Therefore, I dragged my prey into my Hunter’s nesting space to show them off.

  They still had not woken. Small sounds came from their lips. I could not understand their meaning. With a wiggle of my tail and haunches, I leapt up onto the nest. I misjudged the weight balance a bit, forgetting the prey in my jaws. Once again I was forced to scramble to not fall off. Thankfully they didn’t wake up to see that.

  That was a problem. I needed them awake right now. This might have been my Hunter’s den where they should be safe, but they should not sleep so soundly that a creature could leap onto their bed with a mouth full of rabbit without waking them up. What if something actually dangerous tried to break into the Den?

  I sat on my haunches, trying to think of a solution. Noises had not worked. Jumping on the bed had not worked. How else do you wake someone up, short of biting them? I considered that to be a last resort. I did not have a good track record with biting companions. After some contemplation, I leaned forward on my haunches, raised one clawed foot, and smooshed it into my Hunter’s face.

  That at least got a reaction. Soft grumbles came out of their mouth. I pushed harder with my foot, nudging my Hunter back and forth. More sounds, urgent ones, came forth. My Hunter still did not wake up. Carefully, I clenched my claws and pinched the soft flesh of their cheek, giving a gentle tug.

  That finally got a snort that presaged wakefulness. I let go and primly sat back on my haunches, posing with my kills for when my Hunter awoke.

  My Hunter woke up groggily, sitting up in their bed and blearily looking around while they rubbed their face. Their long brunette hair spilled around their shoulders, framing their eyes, one soft green, the other covered by a patch. Their brows knitted together in confusion.

  There was a small red dragon, covered in soot, with a bloody mouth full of two dead rabbits, sitting on their bed and wagging its tail.