...can someone explain what's going on?

I know I'm dead. The doctors TOLD me I'd FINALLY be dead! So where the hell am I?

I try to open my eyes and... Huh?

I'm... underwater? It seems like I'm sealed inside something... light is shining in, dulled by whatever walls these are.

The light is dimmed as it passes through the walls, but standing out in sharp relief are vein-like patterns...

Am I... inside of a living thing? I know that stretched skin can have light look like this when I passes through. It did so every time I put my hand over a flashlight.

My body feels... weird.

[Ah, hello!]

'What the heck! Who's that?'

[I am the one who brought you here!]

The decidedly feminine voice said so with a lot of joy in her voice, but I just felt angry.

[Huh? Why are you mad?]

'Cause I wanted to finally die! I've spent over a year in that damn hospital, causing my family to suffer to pay the medical bills! I just want this pain to end!'

[Does it hurt now?]

'...no? What?! That's impossible! There's no cure for my condition!'

[I didn't cure you... you died.]

'...but I'm not dead now.'

[How do you know? Maybe this is the afterlife!]

'If you're trying to sell a "I am a god" bullshit, don't bother. I'm an atheist.'

[Ehhh? I really am a goddess though! I summoned you to this world to help me!]

'...so I'm some kinda 'hero'? Sounds tiresome.'

[Well... not exactly. Truth be told, I'm in a bit of a pickle at some point in time-space, so I reached through probability of possible time-points in order to find someone who can help.]

'Sounds needlessly complicated... Do I get a god powers or something?'

[No, that's dumb. You are alive, in a new world, and I'll occasionally do what I can to help you grow stronger so you can help me!]

So... am in a womb right now?

I try to reach out to the walls around me, but my body... functions weird?

'What's going on?'

[Ah! Give me a sec... okay, you might be in an interesting position there. You are not human... or even humanoid. Damn! You have good choice!]

'...huh? I have good choice?'

[Yeah, you chose this new species to be. Anyways, I'm gonna... "upload"? Yeah, let's say I'm about to upload some basic instincts and natural talent on concerns to your race so you can figure out movement and such pretty quick.]

Yeah... if I don't have 2 legs anymore, walking will be a struggle...

[Anyways, you gonna hatch yet? The hunters who've killed the nest are gonna crack your egg if you wait much longer.]

'Wait what? Hunters? Nest? Egg? I'm in an egg? Wait shit, not that!'

'I'm in danger!'

Instinct easily takes over, fear rushing in suddenly, as panic choked me.

I resisted, pushing down the sudden surge of primal emotion.

'Holy shit! Stay calm, and get out first!'

I reached out and my fingers(those are really unresponsive, not feeling very flexible, like they are swollen stiff) and tried to push against the egg shell.

Then I just kind of... sank into this new self.

It was like there was me, who had always been.

Then there was the creature I'd become. Instinct, primal, and different senses, different emotion, yet all too much the same.

The beast felt danger, and fear. It's fear was affecting our concentration.

Mentally I pushed down the beast within, and controlled it.

'Focus! How. Do we. Get out.'

My fingers began to curl, and scratch. I began scratching my way out, and I could see 4 ragged lines where the light was slightly brighter left behind... the egg shell thinner.

Claws. I had claws. Not fingers.

I kept clawing, using both forelegs, and my hind legs began to work as well, and a 5th limb that flailed a bit, though I wasn't sure what it was.

Finally a "CRACK!" echoed as my egg split, and I fell out into this new world.

The air was warm, as if near a fireplace, a hearth. Yet a deadly chill hovered near, that my nose picked up.

But was it smell? It felt like I was... smelling temperature?

This sense... belonged to the beast, not the human.

But I'm both, and if I consider them two separate entities, I might give myself multiple personalities or schizophrenia.

'Okay. Conscious mind is the me that was human. Unconscious mind, instinct and talent, is the new me.'

With that sorted, I tried to look around, but everything was a bit blurry.

'Ah! I'm still covered in yoke... and I feel weak. I am a newborn, after all.'

[Eat the egg shell and yoke, it'll help you develop later! Do it fast, your parents are already dead as of now, the hunters outside are looting everything out there!]

I bent my neck, and finally got a look at myself.

I could actually see my body, cause my neck was pretty long and flexible.

Sort of... leathery skin, a dull rust-red, with a few scales scattered, still growing in.

'A red lizard kind of creature?'

Folds of skin on my back-

Oh. Those are...

'...'

[Yes, congrats! You're a fire-Elemental dragon, now get moving!]

'But... no, you're right.'

I flicked out my tongue, licking yoke off myself and quickly getting post of it, rubbing my head against my front legs to rub it off so I could get it into my mouth.

Then I stuck my head into the egg shell if left behind, quickly eating what was left. Obviously bits of yoke remained on me, but I was in a rush.

I crunched down bits of eggshell, almost wincing as one went down a bit jagged.

After suffering the pain my disease had left me in for over a year, such a thing wouldn't delay me!

Finally I got all those shards, and only a bit of liquid was left.

Now... stretch!

My wings quivered, lifting a bit, but nowhere near strong enough to even fully extend as of now.

'Okay... let's move!'

I crawled, feeling how I instinctually began to run.

Interestingly, it seemed similar to how a dog runs, bounding forward to land on my front legs, bring my hind legs forward to be just behind me front legs, and pushing off like a spring to run.

I started zigzagging, looking at the walls and holes in the ceiling.

I wish I had something of a standard size to check how big I am! I think I'm small... maybe as big as an adult cat? I think?

A shout echoed. "Eh!? Tabriz, there's another cave back here!"

A man walked in, as I hunkered into the shadows.

Judging by his dimensions... I was a bit bigger than a cat right now.

Did I have teeth? No I just crunched egg shell with my gums.

He looked like a... well...

Dirty leather clothes, with bits of woven cloth like his shirt, with a sword in hand. In other words, a bandit.

"Hurry up!" A call came from where he'd came.

"We never could've killed a dragon if she wasn't weakened by pregnancy! We already broke the eggs over here, check and get out!"

The bandit muttered a bit as he walked deeper into the cave...

And I was behind him.

'Oi, self-proclaimed goddess! Can I use magic?'

[Your breath attack? No, the fire within you is too weak.]

'Then do I have to sneak out?'

[Probably, unless you find a source of magic power. Then I can help you absorb it I guess.]

Hm... that... might be possible.

Near as I can figure, Dragons don't have a sense of taste, only texture and smell. However I have a different sense which detects temperature at a distance somehow... and I can sense magic. I think.

Inside of me it feels like there's a fire, an ember just at the beginning of life. The energy I could feel in the air fed that ember, ever so slowly.

I could feel something, like a once-bonfire about to burn out, and next to it a feeling of deadly ice.

If I can get to that dying flame... it's probably what's left of my new-mother's magic. If I can get there, I might be able to get this self-proclaimed Goddess to help me survive.

That ice energy... it's very close to my mothers corpse. I'll need to be careful, as I am a fire dragon.

Alright. Time to use my size mixed with coordination a baby dragon shouldn't have yet to DO this!