The soft embrace of slumber burst like a bubble of gold, drenching him with joy, which quickly evaporated. He smiled and recounted the dream. It was of Ember, his best friend. He scratched his ear with a sharp claw and yawned, still tangled in the throes of sleep. He reached out his consciousness, trying to fall back into his fantasy, yearning to be back with Ember, but the dream was no more. Sorrus opened his eyes, coated with a thin film of slumber and lamented, "Why do the good dreams end early?"
He expected an answer, but his cave echoed only silence, leaving him to contemplate his foolishness. He uttered a hollow laugh, expelling a night's buildup of stale air. He stretched his body to its full length and listened to the crackling of his bony scales. His body was sore, a fact which he attributed to his bed, a years old pallet of wood. "I really should ask Terrador to make me a new one," he said to himself, making a mental note to contact the long lived woodworker. Leaning over to assess the bed's condition, Sorrus's foot punched a hole through the thin wood. "Now I really do need another bed," he mused.
Leaving the broken bed, Sorrus started his morning rituals. Crossing his small cave, he examined his complexion in a polished silver disk he kept hanging from the wall. Still being a young dragon, Sorrus had yet to develop his adult fangs, though his teeth had grown a tad sharper since he last checked. His size was a bit of an insecurity to him. He was only five feet long. He wished he could reach adulthood sooner, but for now, he was content with his pointier canines. After shuffling his scales and cleaning his teeth, he went to the balcony.
The air was cool and humid, a welcome contrast to his stuffy cave. The surrounding swamp was tranquil, sunlight glinting across the waters in fluid streaks. He loved to hear the click of his claws along the stones of his balcony. He breathed in, felt the warm sunlight on his back, and shivered with delight. He had been waiting for this day. It would mark his passage into adulthood, but it was more than that. Today he would start his training with his friend Ember by his side. Perhaps waking up had its benefits, after all.
Hunger interrupted his thoughts, the present never giving him a second to daydream. He left his room for the main hall of the great cavernous system he called home. Sorrus passed through a large atrium that was open to the ground above. A single beam of sunlight shone through a hole in the ceiling and hit a large sundial in the center of the room. A glint off the stone caught his attention and he turned to look, but soon carried on. He looked back again to rest the uneasy feeling in his stomach that he had missed something. The shadow of the dial pointed perfectly to one number on the face of the dial. Ten. It was ten.
"I'm going to be late!"