---
A pale lemon sun nudged over the thorn-elm crowns, dropping coins of light into the mist. Kai woke up when he had fallen asleep. His one shoulder propped against Shadeclaw's warm bulk, spear across his knees, Miryam the egg cradled inside a scarf of woven leaf-cloth.
He checked the System quickly, no night ambush, all stats nominal and rose to stretch his new transform body. His silver hair flashed molten where sunbeams threaded, crimson armour shimmered with faint ruby runes. The Iron-Tusk boars grunted at the margins, rooting truffles, Moon-Wing perched high, head swivelling owl-like through three-sixty degrees.
"Today," Kai murmured, tightening his tabard, "we hunt for a personal den, a place to call home."
His immediate need was a lair, Hidden, so the Queen ants or any beast or worse, Thea's vultures couldn't sniff him.
It needs to be spacious, to raise a Ruler-class wyrmling. Rich, in area, water, and prey enough to feed his subordinates and grow together.
