Burning pain erupted from the back of my neck and spread to the rest of my body. I squeezed my eyes shut and released a wail and mindlessly squirmed, trying to get away from the pain, though it was impossible.

Something lifted me by the back of my neck, then dropped me. As I staggered to my feet, I managed to finally open my eyes and look around the space in front of me as the pain slowly incompletely faded.

Before I could see more than the cold metal floor and walls in front of my vision, a hiss gathered my attention to the source of the sound.

"Hossssshiryu," The long-bodied monster in front of me demanded in a commanding tone.

That is my name. I focused on the figure in front of me. My mind somehow contained and used information I did not remember gaining. I sat down and looked up to the armored feminine figure.

"Your training sssssstartsssss now," with a flick of her tail, she hurled me into a nearby pit I failed to notice before. "Ussssse the inssssstinctsssss and knowledge massssster gave you."

I tumbled head-over-tail, then slid to a stop on my stomach. I released a growl as I slowly stood or on my feet. My muscles still burned from whatever happened in my neck earlier, but my limbs held my weight. I could bear the pain.

What did she mean by instincts and knowledge? I mentally questioned and immediately knew the answer.

Master gave all monsters knowledge and instincts. That is how I knew things I should not know.

Am I a monster? Most of my mind said yes, but there was a small part in me that said no. Perhaps I am special somehow, I mused.

My nose twitched, and I focused on the smell that reached my nose. My stomach growled as I investigated the source and followed my nose.

A few feet away was the source of the savory scent: a small red cube. I tasted it, then immediately gobbled it. It was the most delicious thing I had ever eaten. However, it was soon gone.

I wanted more.

I lifted my head and flared my nostrils as I attempted to find more of the smell. There's more of it here. I practically purred in excitement and gazed around the room to locate the source.

I quickly noticed the same scent coming from a cotton-filled sack in front of me and ran over to it. The bag was open in the middle, and another small cube was in a hole made in the cotton.

I lapped the food up with my tongue and happily savored it. Meat, I realized as my mind finally divulged the name of what I consumed, delicious meat. I wanted more. The two tiny slivers were nowhere near enough, and my stomach angrily growled to confirm my thoughts.

Once again, I began to prowl the room with my nose held high as I attempted to catch more of the scent.

The meaty scent was faint but present in the room. I just had to find it, and I was going to.

There were a few more strange sacks a bit larger than me scattered around the hole, but none of them were open or smelled strongly of meat like the other sack.

I glanced at the nearest cloth sack, then approached it and pressed my nose against the rough as I took in the smells from inside the cloth bundle. The bag smelled mostly of cotton and cloth, but I could smell a hint of the meat. I just had to figure out how to get to it.

I thoughtlessly grabbed the rough cloth in my jaw and shook my head and the bag. I growled as I dropped the mostly unharmed sack. I jumped and landed on the object with extended claws.

I am going to get that meat; I decided as I once again grabbed the cloth and pulled as I bit the material and pulled as hard as I could.

The cloth strained, then slowly ripped, much to my delight. Once I had a decent-sized hole, I buried my muzzle into the gap and relentlessly tore out the cotton filling. I had a goal: food.

Finally, I found the treat and practically inhaled the bit of meat. I did not bother chewing; The piece was too small to bother.

A medium pitched metallic click rung from the space above and perked my attention. As I looked up to my trainer, my mind remembered what that specific noise meant: I did something correct and would receive a reward at the end of the session. Two clicks together signified I did something exceptional, while three signaled the end of the current session. The more clicks, the better the reward.

Maybe I will get more meat as my prize. I wagged my tail in excitement and bolted towards one of the two remaining sacks strewn around the training pit. I pounced atop one and shredded it as I slid across the floor from the momentum of my jump. Though I still ate the morsel of meat inside, earning clicks became more important to me.

CLICK.

I shook the bag in my jaws one last time and slung it across the area with a trail of cotton that leaked from the multitude of holes in multiple sizes that pocketed the coarse fabric, the largest of which I could crawl my entire body through and hide in the sack if I wanted to do so.

I repeated the process with the third and last sack, this time without earning a click. After I had finished, I looked around for other things to tear. I wouldn't stop until the monster above commanded me to stop or if I heard the three quick clicks.

There was something on the side of the room near the trainer that I had not noticed yet. It was a tall pole that reached about a quarter of the way up the wall, and atop it was another sack.

Perfect. Following my instincts, I lowered my body to the ground and slowly approached the last remaining sack. The piles of cotton and already destroyed sacks became camouflage as I continued to stalk the object atop the pole.

The rational part of me did not understand why I was treating this bag any differently than the others and how the white and brown debris would disguise my yellow fur against the silver metal floor. However, the monstrous instinctual side did not care. The sack was prey.

When I ran out of hiding spots closer to the pole, I leaped over the pile and bounded over in a sprint. When I neared, I jumped towards the figure with my claws outstretched. My wings flapped awkwardly, as the muscles in my shoulders could not use the appendages yet.

Despite the ineffectiveness of my wings, I collided paws first with the bottom part of the sack and knocked it pole and all to the ground. I tore my claws through the fabric. I realized how much I enjoyed destruction as I continued to rip and maim the innocent bag of cotton. Much to my delight, there was a slightly larger piece of meat inside. As I chewed and swallowed, several sounds rang into the hole from above.

CLICKCLICK.

CLICKCLICKCLICK.

SPLAT.

Something landed a few bound lengths away in a scattering of juices. My nose immeasurably noticed the smell of meat, and I looked towards it. Drool filled my mouth as I approached my reward. This thing is bigger than my head! I wrapped my jaws around the slab of food as soon as it was in reach, then laid down with the food held between my front paws.

I tore off chunks of meat covered in black magic gravy as I ate the treat. The massive slab tasted even better than the tiny cotton-covered slivers in the sacks. The fresh flesh filled my mouth with juicy and chewy deliciousness, and the Master's magic poured over the top made it all the better. The dark energy strengthened me just by eating it; the meat ended the growls from my stomach. I swallowed another morsel, then exhaled with a burp. I felt full, but I continued to tear off mouthfuls of meat. I am not going to let this go to waste. It is all mine; I earned it. I purred as I continued to stuff myself with the delectable food.

I was so engrossed in my meal that I did not notice the floor rise to the same level as the rest of the room as I savored the last hints of my reward. I licked the floor clean of the magic gravy, then burped as the snake monster approached.

"Master will be pleased," the four-armed snake monster suddenly lunged at me with an outstretched hand faster than I could react.

"Raw!" I released a surprised roar as my trainer gripped the scruff of my neck and lifted me by my scruff as if it was a handle. I squirmed slightly, but my bulging belly made me a bit sleepy and complacent. Put me down! I released another pathetic cry. Why do I have to sound so weak?! I'm a tough, evil monster!

Strangely, part of me was unsure whether the second half of that thought was correct, but of course, it was. My purpose in life was to become stronger and please Master, no matter what he ordered me to do.

Eventually, I gave up on trying to free myself from the other monster's grip as she carried me down a long hallway and into a strange new room.

My nose crinkled as I tried not to breathe. Disgusting. I growled slightly and almost gagged. It smelled like... rot.

The four-armed being opened a cage door and shoved me inside, then closed and locked the barred door behind me. Then, the snake monster wordlessly slithered out of the room.

I blinked as I rose to my feet and stood on the paper-covered floor, then became annoyed as I realized how small my cage was. No matter how I stood or moved in the rectangular cell, I at least touched one of the barred walls. Depending on how I stood, my tail brushed the back wall or my wings brushed against the side walls.

"Hello, frrrreshie," a mostly feminine-sounding voice to my right spoke. I turned to the spotted a sleek black-furred monster with a long, thin tail. Two small horns poked out of her head; dark grey swirls lined her back. "Allow me to introduce you to this place's secret rules." The feline darkly laughed as she paced in front of the bars that separated them.

With a devilish grin, the smaller monster somehow slipped through the bars I could not fit my snout through, much less my entire body. "In this place, the weak are the prey," she lunged at me with bared fangs.

I lifted a paw with my claws extended to attempt to block the lunge, but the strange monster sank her fangs into my arm.

I howled in pain, then felt my strength began to fade. What is she doing? I wavered on the three paws that still bore my weight. She's... she's draining me of Master's magic....

I tried to resist, but my thoughts became a jumbled mess of instincts. I... wha—t happ... I struggled and blindly squirmed. My tail hit the bars with a random metallic tone, my muscled burned again, and I had a strange feeling that all was not as it should.

The feline monster finally released and licked the black and red liquid from her fangs. "Your donation was quite generous." The feline sat down and licked her claws while I shakily stood. "You are a new kind of monster; Master is experimenting again. The blood in you is also delicious. I approve."

Were... her horns... that... l...long be...fore?

More of the black and red stained my yellow fur on my arm.

I was in pain. Why?

My vision became a bit hazy.

I must... re... mom... blankie... I shook my head and unthinkingly bit my assailant's neck. I had no idea what I was doing, but I wanted something, badly.

The feline released a wail of pain and attempted to wriggle out of my grasp, but my jaws remained clamped too tightly around the smaller monster. "Hey!" The beast yelled and scratched my shoulder. However, I was in too much pain to notice even as a strange liquid dripped down my arm.

Slowly my body once again filled with magic, and I regained proper control over my thoughts. The pain faded, and I felt empowered and sturdy on my feet once again. I blinked, and the water that was in my eyes disappeared and cleared my vision. Now I could see the black and grey cat squirm.

If the weak are the prey, then I will be strong. I am the strong one, and you are the weak prey.

"H—Hey!" The feline struggled to speak as her squirming slowed and her claws could no longer pierce my hide. "Master is m—mad when we k—ill other monsters! D—don't drain all of my energy and k—kill me!"

The energy I pulled out of her was delicious and tasted almost as good as the raw energy that poured over the steak I had recently eaten. After a few more moments, I dropped the monster out of my jaws. "Who's weak now?" I flashed a devilish grin as she stared up at me in horror.

The cat seemed fuzzy and unstable as she frantically scampered back through the bars and into her cage. My previous attacker cowered on the far side of her cage, which annoyed the monster that shared the far wall. Her horns had disappeared, and she seemed frail and thinner overall, especially since she was a bit blurry and translucent.

I sat down and began to lick my wounds. The monster was not wrong, as the liquid I licked off of my fur did taste delicious, but I had no wish to wound myself. It made me feel weaker to have the black blood flow out of me. I instead focused on stemming the flow and cleaning the deep red stain out of my fur.

Just after I had stopped the blood loss and returned my fur to its proper pale yellow hue, the lights on the ceilings of the cages suddenly shifted from a yellowish color to a deep purple. All around me, monsters became drowsy and curled up to sleep beneath the dim lighting.

My memories told me that monsters did not need to sleep, but it was a practice Master enforced to save magic. The dark-colored lights were magical and induced sleep by soaking the monsters below in a sleep spell combined with a misting of raw dark magic for the sleeping monsters to absorb while they rested.

I blinked. Why am I not tired? I paused. Maybe it is because I am a new type of monster like the other monster said. Either way, I should get some sleep. I curled up on the cold paper floor in the center of my pen, and for the first time, I did not touch any of the cold bars with any part of my body. As I placed my wings limply over my sides, I sighed in comfort. For some reason, I liked laying with my wings draped over me.

Soon, I drifted into a dreamless sleep.

Author Notes!

What was that voice in the beginning? What did you guys think of Hoshiryu's first training session?