Author's Note: I'm very sorry for not updating for almost a year, Pharmacy School has been hard on both me and my classmates. With all the research papers and exams, I couldn't make time with the story.

But here it is, I finally wrote something!

HAHAHAHAHA!

As always, this chapter was beta read by the one and only LookyIt'saJess

Holly laid by the campfire, arranging the last of the dried leaves and shrubs beneath the pile of wood. Her breath escaped in a soft sigh, and she wiped the phantom sweat from her forehead. She looked at her talon, a brief flash made her see a human hand, before she snapped out of it. She'd forgotten, again, that she wasn't a human anymore.

The unlit campfire sat encircled by stones, a humble hearth in the wilderness. Across from it lay the deer carcass, still swathed in cloth. Raw meat wasn't an option; she craved the normalcy of what she used to do back in the city. Fire. Cooking. She turned to look at the flint and stone on her side. The simple act of striking stones together.

Holly reached for the flint and stone nestled next to the woodpile, before sitting down on her haunches. The first strike produced a meager spark, barely enough to coax the leaves to life. She grunted, frustration welling up, and struck harder. This time, a larger spark burst forth, igniting a small flame. It danced, hungry, consuming the dry foliage and wood. The darkness retreated, revealing the contours of her makeshift camp.

Her gaze shifted to the deer. Skinning it was the next step. In the Invincible City, she practiced on cows, occasionally boars. But a deer? Its size posed a challenge. She studied the carcass, seeking the right place to begin. Her talon traced the edges of the cloth, anticipating humming through her veins.

The tail. Yes, that would work. Holly grasped it, twisted, and pulled. The skin peeled away, revealing the raw flesh beneath, the smell was sweet, it made her jaws water. She was about to take a bite, when she snapped out of it. She shuddered, this dragon body was making her do things that were just animalistic. She discarded the pelt, flinging it from the campsite. Her hands moved with practiced efficiency, no conscious thought required. This was humanity—the rhythm of survival, not savagery.

As the last chunk of skin sailed away, Holly set the now-skinned deer near the flame. No time for elaborate setups; she'd cook it one side at a time. Minutes stretched, and she stared into the fire's heart. The flames danced, casting shadows on her face. She turned the meat, barely registering the heat seeping through her fingers.

Above, the night sky swallowed the sun, leaving only the fire's glow. Holly's world narrowed to this: the flicker of flames, the scent of cooking meat, and the quietude of solitude. Her gaze on the cooked deer once more, in the rhythm of survival, she was human the wilderness, not a dragon...

Moments passed, and the smell of cooked venison began to fill Holly's nose, making her mouth water. She placed it over the cloth that had covered it and started pinching off strips of meat. It wasn't as tasty as what she used to eat in the barracks, but it was far better than eating it raw.

Holly continued to eat, each piece bringing her closer to the bone. Then she heard a crack, and her mind flashed back to the night she turned into a dragon. The memory of her wings sprouting out, the pain of her bones twisting, and the sound of them cracking under her skin made her yelp.

She pushed the cooked deer away, her breaths quickening as memories of her transformation flooded her mind. Her wings unfurled, and she began to screech in distress. Her eyes widened as the smoke from her fire seemed to swirl and take the shape of men pointing spears and bows at her.

They had no faces, but she heard their voices, whispering, "Monster... monster..."

"I'm not! I'm not! I'm not!" she repeated, shutting her eyes and clasping her ears as she dropped to the ground, her wings enveloping her. Holly felt the figures get closer, their whispers growing louder despite her attempts to block them out.

She was still human. She wasn't a dragon. She was still Holly.

Suddenly, everything went quiet. Holly slowed her breaths and slowly opened an eye.

No one was there, just the crackling flame. She sighed and raised her head to look around. It was empty. Laid her head down, resting it on her talons, something did turn her into a dragon, but what? But she couldn't do this alone, maybe she can convince some people to help her, though, it would probably take a lot of convincing.

Then her ears perked up, a sound in the distance, that was closing in. She felt her blood turn cold, it was a dragon's wing beat. Holly looked up, her eyes widening and her breathing quickening again. It was the same dragon from before; it had hunted her down!

She hastily stood up and turned to look at the dark woods behind her. The trees were tall enough that she might lose the dragon if she went through them. Holly looked back at the dragon. It landed in front of her, displacing the dirt around and nearly extinguishing her campfire.

It was panting. Good, it meant it was exhausted. She could run far away from it. Holly turned and ran into the woods, dodging trees left and right. Her body felt natural all of a sudden, but she pushed those thoughts aside, focusing on escaping the dragon.

"It's n... SA...-"

She didn't need to know what the dragon was saying. It was probably frustrated that she got away, but there was no time to celebrate. She needed to get far from it.

Holly raced for what felt like an eternity. Her breaths grew heavier, and it wasn't long before she decided to slow down. Glancing back, she could still see the faint light of her camp; she wasn't far enough to feel safe. The thing could still catch up to her.

A thunderous roar filled her ears, followed by a force slamming into her side, knocking her down. Holly grunted from the impact and looked up, only to see a mass of fur and muscle. It resembled the wolves her instructors had drawn, but it was much larger.

Her breaths came fast, and her body felt cold. She didn't know what to do. She held out her talon to keep the creature at bay, but it only seemed to agitate it more. It rushed her. Holly's eyes widened as she covered her head with her arm and her wings instinctively folded over her.

The creature bit her arm, making her wail, but the sound was cut short as it lifted her and slammed her down repeatedly. Holly clenched her free talon and punched its snout over and over. The bear tightened its bite, making her scream as warm blood trickled from the wound. She felt her bone begin to give. She didn't want to die. Not like this.

Then she saw a faint light behind the bear, followed by a warmth that made the creature release her arm. Holly yelped and tried to get away, but the sharp pain in her arm was too much. She had never felt anything like this before.

A roar filled her ears, and she barely had time to look up before the furred creature was sent flying behind her. The impact shook the ground as it fell. Trembling, Holly looked up. It was the dragon from before.

It let out a piercing roar that made Holly's ears ring despite them folding down instinctively. She tried to back away from the dragon but stumbled when she used her bitten arm. The dragon's glowing orange eyes fixed on her, making her freeze in place. It was furious. The dragon turned to the furred creature, baring its teeth. The dragon approached it, before it opened its wings, stopping her to see what was happening.

The furred creature let out several soft cries, it sounded like it was begging, it cried some more then it was cut off, replaced by gurgling noises that slowly died down.

The creature was dead. Holly knew that much. She also knew she would face the same fate if she didn't get away, but her arm was too painful to use. Her eyes grew heavy, but she didn't want to die. She just needed to stay awake until the pain subsided and she could walk.

Holly looked up and saw the dragon run towards her. She wanted to escape, but she was too weak. She pushed off the ground, trying to get away, but it was futile.

"S-stay back! Please don't hurt me!" she shouted or at least tried to shout. It was an incomprehensible bunch of words in her state.

The dragon was now near. She closed her eyes shut, preparing for the worst, it was going to rip her apart, like what happened to her family

Then Holly felt it grab her injured arm, she yelped, expecting it to get ripped out. But she felt something being firmly wrapped around it. She weakly opened her eyes, to look at her arm, the dragon was tending it… The dragon was helping her?

The dragon nudged her and said something, but she couldn't make out the words; they were garbled in her ears.

Holly felt herself being lifted off the ground. She blacked out for a moment before waking again. She looked around and saw the scales, following the dark orange patterns up to the dragon's neck. She was on its back; it was carrying her.

Her eyes grew heavy again, and she passed out.