Finally Finding the Exit

My legs and arms hurt. Wandering throughout the cave systems for hours on end with minimum rest and hydration. It's surprising how I've even survived this long. Perhaps it's due to me being a Shadow Dragon.

But I don't know if I'll actually make it out any time soon. Due to me being only a child, I need to gain so much nutrients in such a short amount of time or the effects could be disastrous. But I need to try. I can't give up.

I've already made it this far, giving up would be nothing more than a waste of time. Anyway, it's not like I have much to loose anyway.

I kill and consume another snake, same old story. It feels as if there are only snakes in this cave. Like they're the apex predators, top of the food chain. But that can't be true, the cave is massive. There has to be bigger and more beneficial creatures in here. If there wasn't, wouldn't the biodiversity be too low to support life?

Or maybe they feed on fungi or plants. But I refuse to believe that there's a snake that lives in any type of world that eats plants instead of meat. Maybe there's a stable water source nearby with fish... but I would've found that by now!

The only thing I can think of is that they know where the exit is. And they've been leaving and entering after killing something. Maybe I should try following them instead of killing them.

I aimlessly wander around the cave systems until I find a duo of snakes. They're slithering throughout the cave as if they knew where they were going. This is my chance.

I sneakily follow from behind, making sure to keep my large wings tucked by my sides at all times to lower the chances of me being caught. This continues until they reach a bright light with dark jagged spikes coming from the top in the shape of a dragon. Was this the exit?

God... why is it so bright?!

The snakes' pupils immediately shrink down to a smaller size as they exit the cave. I follow behind, still crouching down as to not be spotted. I guess this is where I stop. And to be honest, I'm feeling quite hungry.

I grab one of the snakes by the head and crush it in-between my claws. Scaring the other. It attempts to flee but it's inevitably unable to outrun me, and I stab my claws into its brain. Killing it instantly.

Maybe I should try and eat these things without cooking them. Maybe they'll taste better, maybe they'll taste worse. I'm not quite sure. I hesitate, but after a short while I begin to eat one of the snake's raw flesh and scales.

It tasted even worse. It tasted like rotten fish that had been coated in mouldy cheese and left out to rot even more for several years. So the other snake I cook with my flames before consuming, leaving nothing but the bones.

The cooked one tasted much better. I almost spat out the raw one, but I needed to complete the challenge. I might've gotten some kind of disease from that. That was an incredibly stupid move. Well, they do say curiosity killed the cat. But I'm not a cat, I'm a dragon!

It felt as if the raw one was filled with some kind of poison. And burning it neutralises it. Probably to prevent larger predators, which can't breathe fire, from killing them. And to an extent, it worked since the species is thriving. That cave is infested with them as if they were ants in an anthill.

But now, with a belly full of food, is the time for exploration!