Shimmering, golden light, both from the blazing sun hovering high in the clear, blue sky and reflected off the pristine white snow, filtered through the small hole in the mountainside, illuminating the entrance to the ancient cave system.

It had been eighteen years since a boulder had fallen away, due the ravages of time, and enabled the subterranean world, cut off for over a millennium, to rejoin the outside.

During these years, many of the inhabitants of the mountain had visited at one time or another. Most not staying for very long, that is if they managed to leave at all and, over time, the animals and beasts of the wind-swept peaks had learnt to keep their distance from the ominous entrance.

Conventionally, the entrance was devoid of life, the two hostile environments separated by a barren, rocky surface, however, on this day, the small cavern that marked the gateway to an extensive cave system was teeming with life.

Flying bat-like creatures swarmed close to the ceiling, trying to find a perch to rest and various insect-like creatures, along with a few rodents, crowded below. While it was obvious they were trying to keep out of the sunlight, their albino shells, fur and skin, along with red eyes, displaying their ancestor's limited exposure, it was clear that the darkness beyond was equally unappealing.

The swarm of beasts was constantly changing, each creature trying to get as close to the centre of the mass as possible yet, dead in the centre none dared approach. There stood a giant rabbit with patchy, white fur. Horrific looking scars, from burns, slashes and serrated teeth marred the creature's impressively muscular body. A missing ear and left eye, a deep scar running down its face complimented its battle-hardened aura, giving it an intimidating, fearsome appearance that one would not associate with this commonly timid species.

At the centre of its head, protruded the remains of a once impressive horn, matching the many shattered spines that ran down its back and elbows.

The surrounding animals and beasts, flowed around the rabbit at a respectful distance as it glared into the darkness with its remaining sky blue eye.

To a novice adventure, the sight would have filled them with dread, most believing that a new dungeon had emerged and was preparing to send its first host into the world to collect samples from the local wildlife and fauna and that the rabbit had been chosen and evolved into its first boss monster.

Yet, to the those with a more discerning eye, it was clear that instead of an invasion force, the gathering creatures were on the retreat.

The host comprised mainly of the old or young, the few adult beasts having a vast array of injuries, many missing eyes, antenna, limbs and in the case of the few grounded bat-like creatures, a wing or two.

Eighteen years had passed since the rabbit and the strange lizard that had emerged from the cave's depths had first fought and, in that time, the cave's entire ecosystem and inhabitants had been overturned. The most recent changes had resulted in many of the cave's indigenous species to band together.

Traditionally, most of the species here were natural predator and prey, all obeying the single, timeless law of survival of the fittest, yet here they were, the young and the old, the weak and the strong, all united under one banner with the rabbit at its head.

Darkness had fallen across their domain, both literally and in the metaphorical sense.

The glowing moss, that had once barely illuminated the subterranean walls and ceiling had been devoured. The pools that had quenched their thirst and been the centre of life, drained or contaminated as a terrifying existence emerged from the mountain's depths and slaughtered all that stood before it.

While the creatures were not very intelligent, as they were hunted relentlessly adversity combined with the world energy that flowed through the cave triggered a phase of rapid adaptation and evolution.

Where they were once solitary, the cave's inhabitants began moving in groups. Where they use to rest and breed in small crevices and holes, now they lived in the beginnings of communities. Communication that spanned species had started to develop, however, even with the outstanding developments each species had made, it was too little, too late.

The world energy, the balancing force of life, without intelligence, yet full of purpose had done what it could but it was still limited by creatures starting DNA. Bodies of such simple creatures only had so much potential and while it could be tempered and mutated to a certain extent, limitations were always there.

The rabbit was the only foreign creature here, mainly because as its hide had been severely damaged by the strange fire, that it could no longer exist out on the mountain or in the forest below. Its camouflage had been destroyed and, while it now had the strength to put up a fight, in the snowy tundra outside, if the cold didn't get it, a wolf or eagle would.

Initially, it wasn't a bad life. The rabbit started to recover from its injuries and could exist in the cave in relative safety.

That was until the strange lizard started to expand its territory and the rabbit got its first experience of a true apex predator, not just a newborn hatchling.

Seventeen years later, the cave's inhabitants were faced with only two options. Either death at the maw of the monster or death on the mountain's frozen slopes. After so many failed attempts, they had all but given up on defeating the creature.

Defiance sparkled in the sky-blue eye of the rabbit. It had fought its enemy many times now, and even though it knew that it was no longer its match, it would not cower away or flee into the claws of a mear eagle or jaws of a pathetic wolf.

With hatred, came a grudging respect. The two creatures, while mortal enemies, had grown together and so, even though it didn't want to die, it found the courage to stand and fight.

The second fight between them had ended in a draw, both retreating to lick their comparably light wounds, the reptile retreating back into the cave it had initially conquered, as neither wanted to overcommit and suffer heavy injuries like in their first confrontation.

However, even though the rabbit constantly grew in strength and ability, it could not match the winged lizard. The speed of its growth and development was unparalleled and, it wasn't long before the rabbit was forced back.

It was then that, deep in the rabbit's soul, it knew it was doomed yet its increased intelligence screamed at it to resist to the bitter end, that time would give it opportunities, and so, the rabbit fought the dragonling over every cave, tunnel and water source in a slow, but relentless retreat.

During this time, the rabbit had, almost unheard of for its species, reached level ten yet, instead of giving it the advantage, it seemed to only further the lizard's growth providing a worthy opponent to test its ever-developing set of skills.

When the reptile, unable to support its development by consuming the cave's inhabitants turned to the moss to substitute its diet, it was the beginning of the end.

The plants, full of world energy fueled the creature's growth, as did the pools of condensed liquid, refined over countless years and, as each cave fell into eternal darkness, the stench of death would soon follow.

It was at this point that the cave's native inhabitants had developed enough to start putting up some semblance of a fight, but that was all that it could be called. It was far too little, too late.

The old rabbit, feeling tiredness deep in its bones shuffled, its acute senses picking up that there was now another presence in the cave.

A low, rumbling growl, followed by a deep thud, like a heavy rock hitting the ground, echoed out of the darkness, causing the pulsing mass of beasts to freeze as one, silence descending.

A slithering hiss, scales scraping against rocks, reached their senses, causing many to flinch and back away.

The accumulation of their greatest fears was finally here, indicating those that had been too stubborn to leave the previous cave had fallen or, more recently, been too small to interest the insatiable appetite of the monster from the depths.

The rabbit released an all too human-like sigh as it thumped its back leg on the ground, the stone under it cracking at the violent impact as it mentally prepared itself.

As if in response to the sound, two golden orbs appeared, seemingly floating in the darkness, a black slit-like pupil marring their radiant centres.

The rabbit, along with those surrounding, shivered, the sense of death crawling around their souls and chilling their blood.

Snorting, the rabbit hopped forward, releasing a roar more appropriate for a lion than its kind, and charged.

After a moment, as one, both on the ground and in the air, the swarm followed.

Madness danced in the rabbit's eye knowing that with the numbers they had, even if they couldn't kill it, they could gravely wound the lizard.

Even though they were all considered D grade or below species, a horde like this would terrify even the most seasoned warrior yet, the golden eyes almost sparkled with delight at the oncoming mass as the edges became tinted in a blood-red hue before they dimmed.

Not because they diminished in power, but that a new source of light had appeared.

Flickering dark-orange light, seemingly contained behind the bars of a cage, which turned out to be teeth, flicked across the walls, even diminishing the bright light seeping through the cave's exit.

The rabbit felt its heart sink.

It wanted to cause its foe as much inconvenience as possible before the end but, unlike the countless battles before, it seemed that the monster wasn't going to waste any time. In fact, it was possible that it had been waiting for them all to gather in one place to use its most devastating attack.

A heat that scorched rock and melted the snow surrounding the cave's entrance exploded outwards, followed by a stream of flame that reached over twenty meters into the air with a deafening explosion.

Along with the explosion, a silhouette, smoke rising from its smouldering fur, shot out and disappeared down the mountain, tumbling into the snow.

A few minutes later, a black, scaled claw emerged from the cave's entrance, which was no bigger than a large dog, rapidly followed by the rest of its dragonic body, and entered into the sunlight for the first time.

A black wing, its counterpart still not healed and flat against the dragon's back, stretched into the sky as the tendrils of black mist fluttered around its body excitedly.

Kai cursed the creatures that had blocked his path for so long, those that had hindered his escape from the cave at every twist and turned, yet it had been very rewarding. The challenge had enabled him to grow tremendously and now that it was all over, he felt an instinctual need to vocalised his victory.

Sucking in a significant amount of air and inflating his chest, Kai lifted his head into the sky and released a sound that had not been heard for countless ages. The mountain seemed to quake in fear, snow dislodged and tumbling away as the roar resonated outwards.

The roar carried off the mountain and high into the sky, through the thick wintery woodland below and into the far distance. It even reached the tower-like structures that surrounded the forest before slowly dying out.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Suddenly, movement below, creatures fleeing from the terrifying noise drew, Kai's attention and like an arrow from a bow, he lept and skillfully glided with his single wing, the fleeing creatures trigging his predatory instincts to give chase and his hight spirit cancelling out his cautiousness.