As the sun nears the top of the sky, Perciax awakens with a yawn.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahmng... A wonderful sleep," he says lazily as he uncurls his body and rises from his bed of large, furry hides and piled woolen blankets. He wasn't a large drake; "only" thirty feet long, from head to tail-tip, "only" standing fifteen high, and "only" weighing eight tons (mostly muscle, naturally)... But, of course, he was more than large enough, and more than strong enough, to enforce his dominion over the Greatwoods, the largest and most bountiful forest in the land. Making sure he was the only dragon anywhere for miles, he exercised complete control and ownership of everything under the forest canopy: Every river full of fish, every wild orchard of apples and peaches, every thicket of blackberries... And any and all of the creatures that called the woods home, as well as any who dared step foot within. He ensured that the woods would always be bountiful, full of life... And therefore full of food.
His den, cozily located inside of a mountain cave, is lavishly decorated with a variety of statues, tapestries and rugs that he managed to "convince" a number of trading caravans to part with. In various nooks, crannies and antechambers within his den, he's put a great many things that catch his interest, many of which he'd also "liberated" from caravans.
One antechamber held massive piles of golden ingots, silver coins, sparkling jewels and a number of other baubles and treasures. He took great pride in this collection, as all dragons would, often spending hours just staring at his horde.
In a nook by his bed, he'd amassed a collection of weapons: Daggers, swords, axes, spears, hammers... A veritable arsenal of gleaming arms, all lining the walls. As a strong, fire-breathing drake, he didn't have much use for them... But as a bit of a sadist, they were a veritable toy-chest to be used on whatever live "playthings" he'd bring home. And for the playthings he was done with...
... He had two antechambers for those, one for each of his favorite hobbies: A chamber for butchery and curing, where he'd slice apart his prey, salt it and hang the various cuts of meat around to preserve and smoke them. And for the prey of a more "furry" persuasion, he had a primitive tannery, where'd he skin his prey and process the hides; most of his "bedding" came from that very antechamber.
Right now, he hadn't had the inclination to peruse any of these, however; he'd just gotten up, and right now, it was breakfast time. He walked out of his den to take in all of his domain; the towering oaks, the chirping birds, all of the shrubs, the glutted animals... All were his. To his left was a tiny basin, only eighty feet from wall to wall with the floor covered in long grass and plentiful berries and fallen acorns; this was his "ranch," another hobby of his.
Milling about the basin were a number of sheep, cattle and swine, all fat and gorged, packed together as they went about their business. He'd toss in whatever vegetation he'd feel like providing them, they'd eat, and get fatter... And every so often, he'd pull one out and take his "compensation" for his work. Today, he reached into the basin, sending the animals into a panic, and pulled out a fat sow. He looked the pink, squealing blob over, hefted it in his claw... It seemed to be about three-quarters of a ton. Not the largest he'd ever "raised," but still not bad. He lifted its heaving, quivering gut up to his waiting maw and took a bite out of the hog as if it were a piece of fruit. It squealed in agony as Perciax ate and eventually fell silent as it either passed out or died of shock. With a few more bites, he'd finished his pig, licking his lips of the fat and blood that stained them.
"My, that was exquisite..." he said languidly. As much as he'd enjoyed his meal, it was not nearly enough to sate his hunger... It was only a snack, as the livestock always were, or something he'd eat when he (rarely) failed to find anything else. His taste was more for something to hunt... So, hunting is what he'd do, today.
But, where to go? He could go anywhere and find himself a meal... Even if it didn't matter much, he still needed to choose.
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