Ch.3

As we walked down the new passageway we found a place to call home eventually. As we had hours of walking after deciding which place to turn since there were many forks in the road. We found a huge open cavern inside the volcano that could thousands if not tens of thousands of Kobolds comfortably. It was a beautiful open cave system we stumbled across it also had an underground stream flowing through it with fresh water, a place I could stay with the kobolds for decades before I became too large to live with them.

"Ok, everyone this will be our new home! I want you all to begin to set it up for our permanent stay! You four, go see if there are any local passages that can lead us outside to hunt for the things we need," Rok says to everyone while pointing to four hunters who run off in search.

"Talrit, this place is big enough for you to stay with us. Are you going to stay or do you wish to find a place of your own?" Rok asks me as the clan quickly begins to work to make this place their new home.

"I will stay, I'm still small. Plus I'd rather not be alone right now in this unknown place," I say to Rok who nods his head in understanding.

I decided to help the Kobolds by doing a lot of the heavy lifting, as I may be just a tiny thing to dragons, but I'm still five times the size of an average Kobold. After helping the kobolds for a few hours set this place up all the hunters return with two saying they found places that lead outside. Though from what they saw they still have no idea where we are, as nothing outside suggests we are somewhere we have heard of before. Rok and I follow the two hunters to the one place they discovered, as we ran down a new passageway we finally came across a smaller entrance that shows the outside world.

Seeing it, I wanted to jump out and fly around freely as any dragon loves to do. But I held back as the fear of those ancient red dragons are still fresh in my mind. Rok and the two hunters peeked their heads out to look around for any danger as I slowly did the same. Looking out we can see a huge forest below the volcano and eventually, the forest leads to a huge place of water that could be a huge lake or the ocean. The volcano we are on shows no signs of life from the side we are on. Though the forest below shows many different animals living inside it.

"Seems safe enough, we will send a few hunting parties to gather some things later. Let's see the other place you found," Rok says as we all step back inside the volcano.

Following the Kobold hunters, they lead us to the other place they found which was closer to the new home of the clan and had a much larger entrance to the volcano. One that even my mother could fit in, the scenery is the same as the last place so the only difference is the size of the entrance. Luckily, there are no signs of a dragon or any other creature living here. We then quickly make our way back to the clan, as Rok sends two groups of hunters to fetch any important things we could use while also telling us about the area around the volcano.

"Rok, can you tell me about the different kobolds?" I ask him after we finally have some time to relax as Rok and I sight by the hut I helped him construct for him and his future family.

"Like what?" Rok says confused about what I mean.

"Mom told me that most Kobolds hate the sun as it bothers them. The hunters just left while the sun was up, yet you all seem fine with it," I say to him curious as even my mother did not know that much about Kobolds as she viewed them as not important enough.

"That is true for the most part, though as you know there are different color Kobolds as dragons. Our clan is two known types of Kobolds that actually light the sun, but living in a cave is much safer so we stay here," Rok says to me while eating some dried goat the clan brought with us.

"So are there as many colors of Kobolds as dragons?" I ask him and he shakes his head.

"No, you dragons have much more types than us kobolds. We have only different types as far as I'm aware. There are us the copper clan known for our bravery and wits! Then the opposite the Sand clan which looks like us but with scales that are much less shiny like a chromatic dragon, your scales are much shinier being a metallic dragon. The sand clan like ours like the sun and usually live in the deserts, they are smart like us too but are not brave and instead like to backstab, running at the first sign of danger," Rok says to me while speaking with disgust, the more he talks about the Sand Clan.

"The other two are the more well-known clan of kobolds that humans constantly think we are all like. The Red Clan, are like red dragons, but much less intelligent acting like goblins and hate the sun as it bothers them for some reason. They spawn new blood like crazy because they die just as much, and they have little to no tactical thoughts using numbers to win a fight. Though, unlike the sand clan, they fight to the end, only because they have no intelligence to run if necessary," Rok says with an annoyed look talking about humans and the red clan.

"What about the last one?" I ask him since he seems to have forgotten he said there were four.

"The last one is more of a myth among our kind. They are silver kobolds that can be born to any clan and if one is born it is said to bring about huge changes to the clan. Either good or bad is unknown, just that the changes will come," Rok says to me with a shrug thinking about it.

"Did your clan ever have a silver member?" I ask curiously.

"Not that I'm aware of… though maybe we did every clan claims to have had one silver member at one point," Rok says with an indifferent shrug.

We then fall silent as Rok seems to be thinking about his clan's future, as I think about all the things he just told me about. Then the one hunter group returns with many items the clan could use. Like several deers, a couple of bundles of wood, and many types of herbs the healers use. After the first group returns, the second returns an hour later with just as many items as the first. As luck would have it neither group lost any members, and from what they could see we really are in a huge volcano, so big that it looks like it reaches the sky. The forest goes on for hundreds of miles the hunters believe, with many different prey they found and few predators.

From everything the hunters tell us this place seems like a paradise for us all, though the hunters do not have an idea what is on the other side of the volcano from our side. As the volcano is too large to traverse in one day to see what lies on the other side. I offered to look since I can fly, but Rok denied it saying it was too risky and he'd rather not have me out alone until I'm an adult or large enough to defend myself. Like that a week passed with the clan thriving and building up everything they left behind while exploring our surrounding more.

From what the clan found it seems that the kobolds are one of the best predators in the area, as the biggest threats they found are in the forest. There appear to be giant tiger-like creatures, though they are all black in color. Plus bears roam the forest as well, so the hunters feel that groups no more than four would be necessary for outings. Letting more groups leave at once instead of being slower to accommodate the large numbers. Rok agreed to allow groups of four instead of ten to go out for trips, making five groups leave at a time instead of two large ones.

As a month passed I grew a few inches, as my boredom increased to very high levels and since the hunters deem it safe. I finally convinced Rok to allow me to accompany one of the groups the next time they leave. Having enough supplies, Rok sent a large group of hunters out to explore the other side of the volcano and tell us about our whole surroundings. As the large group left to go scout, I excitedly waited by the large cave entrance for my smaller group of hunters to explore the surrounding.

"Golden Prince, I ask you to stay with us at all times. Your life is the most important out of us all, as you will become the king of this volcano when you are big enough to claim it," the one hunter says to me as the group makes its way over to me.

"I know! I'm just tired of staying in the cave and want to see outside already! I haven't flown in what feels like years!" I say stretching my wings and looking outside as the group of hunters just nod their heads walking outside.

As soon as they step outside I jump from the cave entrance and spread my wings flying in the air once again. The feeling of the wind on my face and the sense of freedom from flying fill me up. My excitement is so high and my joy is too, I let out a happy roar that echoes in the area. I may be small but the roar makes the birds in the forest right below the volcano flee in fright. The group of hunters scrambles down the mountain seeing me fly to the forest below. I fly in circles above the trees at the forest's entrance waiting for the hunters, enjoying the sense of freedom once again.

"Golden Prince! Please you must wait for us!" the leader of the hunting group says to me while the others all catch their breaths having run down the volcano to catch up to me.

"Sorry, I was just so excited to be outside once again," I say while landing next to the group and looking into the forest to see no animal in sight, probably because of my roar.

"Just please do not leave us again! We can not protect you if you are not with us," the leader says to me with a desperate look. I just nod my head as I walk into the forest with the kobolds quickly following behind me.

"So have any of you reached the water yet?" I ask them as we walk through the forest with the leader and another kobold ahead of me, while the other two where behind me.

"None of our group have reached the water yet, but a couple of others have. They believe it is the ocean as the water tasted of salt and the air smelled of salt," the leader says to me without turning around as the group stays alert for any sign of danger.

"Then let's go see the ocean! I've only heard stories about it from my mother, about a place of water that never seems to end!" I say to them and the leader seems hesitant but nods his head after some thought.

"Sure Golden Prince we can go see the ocean," the leader says changing course to the suspected ocean. I grew very excited as all golden dragons can breathe underwater and I've never swam in the ocean before. I skipped along behind the two kobolds as they lead our group to the ocean.