It’s hard to believe, but it’s been three weeks since Yabtin came to visit us and left in our care these three books. I was right in my assumption that kobolds were fast learners, since it didn’t even take a full week for our family to have the syllabary of the tomes memorized. Yabtin told us that the language was called Pteronian by the surface dwellers, and was one of hundreds of languages used there. Regardless, it was quite easy to learn and had symbols that were easy to write. As an added bonus, it seemed that the spoken language of kobolds came from the same root.

The contents of the books were also quite handy: a first hand account of a traveling herbalist and alchemist duo, a historical retelling of a naval war, and a guidebook for various household talents. Tokols loved the last one, and had been attempting to follow the directions on sewing to make himself an outfit like uncle’s. Meanwhile, it was Mibata who had skimmed through the book for something he could use, and together with Humey had crafted me a chalkboard from an old crate lid.

Another of my conceptions regarding the rate at which we matured was almost on point. Kobold kids grow really quick, and reach their working age after just one moon-rise. Apparently this place has two moons, and every five weeks there is a time when both moons are full, and a time when both moons are eclipsed. I had learned this all while asking why I was the bad egg, and learned that a clutch of eggs takes a full day or two, and I was the last egg laid that just so happened to be at midnight on a double eclipse. The last egg is the bad egg, and moon-fall is a bad omen. Lucky me.

As for how quickly we grew, I was surprised when my metabolism shot through the roof a few days after the boys did. As mother told me, female kobolds have a delayed growth spurt that lasts longer and is more potent than males, hence why she stands a full foot taller than most males. By the end of what felt like a month of constant agony and aching bones, as well as an unfillable void in my stomach, I was amazed that I was nearly as tall as mom, who might be around four and a half feet tall. I could tell that she was envious of me, since it turns out that kobolds don’t stop growing. One day I’ll be taller than her, maybe even bigger than grandmother Tuleni. I shudder to imagine how scary I might be as a seven foot tall lizard.

Unsurprisingly, I was not the biggest of the siblings. That spot belongs exclusively to Humey the vast, who teetered at five feet tall and two feet wide. It turns out that hatching from the biggest egg and having the biggest appetite helps when going for gains. Despite his hulking size, I knew that he was still the kind and curious soul on the inside, with a passion for art and music.

Mibata was, unfortunately, not gifted a very good hand in the genetic lot. He was the same height as me, sure, but he was practically scales and bone with hardly any muscle to him. His color had shifted as well, with his pinkish scales becoming speckled with dots of black, and his brown scales converging at his hands and feet before slowly fading back to pink as they went up his arms and legs. Though he wasn’t the same little hatchling anymore, he still was quiet and shy, though always listening and watching what everyone was doing. I don’t know if the others know this, but he has confided in me that he secretly wants to see the ocean, as described by the sailors in the book.

Lastly, and definitely not the least in any category other than height, we have Tokols. Three feet tall, well toned, and still has the energy and free spiritedness of a neurotic puppy. Those pale scales of his were always odd to me, since they weren’t actually white like one would expect, until one day he was reading and saw a centipede, to which he changed to an orange color. I had to explain to him that he had chameleon scales, and could control what color he was at will. With some practice, he’s managed to figure out how to camouflage himself pretty well against the red and oranges of our den, but most other colors are difficult for him. No matter what shade of scales he wears, I’ll always know him by that upbeat personality and those wide and expressive eyes.

The four of us made quite the interesting gaggle of teenage kobolds, especially considering that our vocabulary and literacy were uncommon in this particular colony. We had welcomed a few visitors, though they all spoke with that same choppy language, as though any words not necessary for conveying a direct intent were not included. It also seemed that none of our visitors were able to read the signs we had made in our home, since most of the time they would stare vacantly at the letters or sometimes ask what they were. This place needs a teacher, and new management.

Speaking of our beloved despot and comical supervillain, we hadn’t been graced with his presence ever since we began blocking the door at night. I’m also sure that he realized that if he came back he’d be dealing with an entire family of pissed off kobolds, some of which could use abilities of their own. All it would take is one of us disarming him of his staff, and he’d have every flavor of the elemental rainbow dumped on him.

Or he would, if any of us kids had powers. It’s part of kobold customs that every clutch of newborns are raised in their respective hovel for their first moon cycle, and once the night of moon-rise happens we are taken to the altar of ancients where we awaken our draconic heritage. Our ritual is next week, and after it we’ll all be legal adults in our society and given jobs. The only thing about this that sounds bad to me is the fact that an elder must be present to officiate the whole ordeal, but as luck would have it old Chalk Eater is performing burial rites that week, so it’ll be someone else doing the deed.

All of this information about the ritual was relayed to us around the communal eating spot by one of the lesser elders, who was polite enough to come and tell us in person. She was kinda short, even smaller than Tokols, but she gave off that same stench of danger magic as the other elders. She left, and it was as we actually sank into our evening meal that Juaki dropped a bombshell on us.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Children. I am sorry, tomorrow I must train you. Do not expect mercy.”

All of us stopped eating and stared at her. She had told us of how she was a city protector, and it was only because of her maternity leave that she could stay home and rear us. She was in no way a slouch when it came to her job, and was second to none in raw talent. The icy glare she gave us sent shivers down my spine.

Humey was brave enough to ask what we were all thinking.

“Are we gonna have to be guards, mom?”

Mibata was the one to answer.

“We don’t know. It is up to the ancients to show us. If they grant us their blessing, we must fight. Would you rather be unblessed and sent to the deep?”

Humey shook his head. We had all been told of how dangerous the depths of the caves were, and how if we were sent there we should never stray from the light. Tokols put a hand on his big brother’s arm in a gesture of comfort.

“Don’t worry, we’re all gonna be fine. We’re gonna stick together, no matter what. Isn’t that right brother?”

Mibata let out an exasperated sigh, though a smile still crept onto his face.

“Of course. We have a promise to keep.”

Ah yes, the promise. What promise? I took the writing plate they made off of the strap and wrote my reply for them to see.

“What promise?”

The three of them looked away from the plate in different states of embarrassment. None of them would answer, even as I jostled the question closer to each of them in turn. Eventually I held it to Bahruk, who smiled and shook his head.

“The boys made a promise last week. They swear that they wouldn’t let you be taken away again. As they see it, they will go where you go to stay by your side.”

Aw, that’s so sweet. The warm touch of a blush fell upon my cheeks, which only made those three squirm even more. Mom used this opening to stand and issue a challenge.

“Foolish! Juvenile and short-sighted! You want to protect our beloved Kayrux? Then you must train. Kayrux, you seek to be strong too? Then you will train. Bahruk will train as well, to add motivation.”

The four of us knew she was just trying to rile us up, to make us get fired up for her spartan methods. It worked. Meanwhile, it looked like dad had seen a ghost and was staring into the distance. Father isn’t a fighter, he’s actually a tinker working in the workshop. Apparently he and his crew made elevators and cargo lifts, and he would run the installation with his earth-molding magic. I would see if I could talk mom into letting him off easy.

Eventually we had all finished our meals and followed the proper way of cleaning up after dinner before heading off to bed. The kid room had seen some extensive remodeling, now taking up the same space as the main chamber and having just as many alcoves. A bed for each of us, a storage area for our personal belongings, and a number of wooden slats bearing Humey’s art. It had become a sort of dorm room for a group of rowdy miscreants. Despite being such kind souls, they were still brothers, and if I knew anything , it was that *brothers that share a room seldom do so in perfect harmony.

Just in time to bring my inner thought to life, I heard a loud smack as Tokols smacked Humey on the tail and darted away like a rat on the run.

“Ow! Why’d you do that, you twerp?”

“That’s what you get, lard ass!”

“What did you call me?”

“Lard. Ass. Better work hard tomorrow and burn some of that fat, loser.”

The red color of Humey’s scales deepened as his face became flush underneath. With one hand he reached into the cubby hole where the gecko-faced instigator was reclining and pulled him out by the tail, jerking him higher into the air with each tug.

“Whoah, calm down! I’m sorry, just put me down! OW!”

Mibata rolled his eyes and strode over, putting a hand on the bulky arm holding his smaller brother.

“Save it for tomorrow, Hu. He said he was sorry, right Tok?”

“Yeah, sorry. Sheesh.”

Humey hesitated before lowering him to the ground. The deep red subsided, and the hefty lad sat at the edge of his bed.

“I’m sorry for pulling your tail.”

Tokols remained silent for a moment, then went over and sat next to his larger kin.

“Me too. I got too worked up and couldn’t deal with it right. Tomorrow you and I can spar, and I’ll fight you fair. No tricks or plays.”

Humey smiled as he put an arm around him.

“Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Wouldn’t want to squish ya, little guy.”

“Pht, you’d have to catch me first, fatty.”

Tokols jabbed at him with his elbow, only to be shoved off of the bed. Their playful laughter seemed to end the dispute there. Mibata seemed satisfied and slunk to his bed, which was next to mine. I wrote a message on my slate and passed it around the corner to him.

“You worried about tomorrow?”

A few seconds later the slate came back with a new message written on it. Such was our routine every night to clear the air.

“Yeah. Mom’s gonna kick our asses.”

“Don’t be a pessimist. We’re gonna learn how to fight.”

“By getting our skulls knocked around by a true brawler. Her fists make stone look like clay.”

“True, but I don’t think she’s going to come at us full force. She wants us to be strong like her, so it wouldn’t be wise to end us.”

“Accidents happen. It’s not uncommon for half of a clutch to die before moon-rise.”

“I think that only applies to newly-hatched.”

“It could happen to us.”

I held the plank in my hands, unsure of what to write. Mibata had always been such a worried kid, and after he had grown he kept to himself more often than not. He and I were both haunted by that day. Some nights I would wake up shaking, and other times I would be woken up by him coming to me with tears in his eyes. Even though we were the same age, I had become his big sister figure, always there to keep his worries at bay.

“I won’t let it.”

“I hope so I know.”

I wiped the slate clean with the edge of my blanket once more before knocking on the stone wall. Three other knocks came from the other beds. Our secret code for “good night”. Wrapping myself in the comfortable fold of warm bedding, I thought about what kind of weapon I wanted to use and imagined myself as a warrior wielding anything from a sword to a bow. It was just as I felt the weight of the world seeping away that I thought of our little family becoming a group of dungeon-delving adventurers. I don’t know if that would be a dream come true, or a nightmare made real.