Or anything valuable honestly. I need something! Anything to make my lair have an actual hoard. I quickly covered my eggs in a thin layer of mud and set out. On an adventure! After covering up the entrance with more mud I quickly looked over my lair. It now looked like a large orb made of mud and rocks.

I sighed and walked away. One day I would have it painted with gold. I began walking around the mud flats, looking for anything valuable. I obviously wasn’t about to find anything like gold but maybe I could find something.

In my old life I knew someone who collected the bones of animals. Maybe I could do that. Although that isn’t that shiny. Okay scratch that I want money! So I just need to find humans, okay simple.

Look for some sign of life, smoke! Find smoke. If there's smoke that means fire. Fire means humans! I looked around for anything that could be smoke but found nothing. I slumped to the ground and began complaining

“It’s not fair! I want money now. Why can’t I get money? I want money! Gimme money!” I rolled around on the ground screaming and whimpering. Just as I was about to continue for even longer I heard a weird chattering noise.

I rolled back onto my belly and stared up at a giant rat that was now the same size as me. It looked at me for a few seconds before letting out a loud screech and charging forward. I swung my tail around and smashed it in the face.

I could feel the bones snap as it collapsed to the ground whimpering. I quickly leaped on top of it and screamed. “Die for my amusement you downwardly mobile vermin!” I began tearing into its throat, biting and clawing until I got the beautiful notification.

You have killed a level 4 Giant Rat.

I smirked and kicked the corpse before grabbing it and dragging it back towards my lair. I was holding it in my mouth and dragging it, leaving a trail of blood. “Muhahaha! How do you like me now, you cretin?”

I kicked the corpse again but that just made me lose my balance and face plant. Having three legs sucked! I grumbled even more as I flung the corpse and threw the mud covering the entrance.

I then dragged the corpse over to the fish and threw it on the pile. Then I pigged out, devouring the fish and most of the rats. With my belly swollen to twice the size I rolled towards my eggs and fell asleep, dreaming of money.

I woke up to the feeling of a rat’s teeth ripping into my stomach as I screamed in horror. Three giant rats were tearing through my lair while two others were attacking me! I quickly slapped one with my tail and bit the other, letting my venom do the work as I tackled the closest one to the ground.

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I slammed my foot onto its chest so I could have better support. I bit off a chunk of its neck as it continued to flail on the ground, blood pouring out. I left it to die slowly as I sprinted towards a rat that was getting suspiciously close to my eggs.

I grabbed its legs with my tail and screamed. “Get away from my eggs!” it fell to the ground and I stomped its head until it died. I ignored the notification and turned towards the next rat. This time it was the one that tackled me as it slammed into my leg and sent me tumbling.

I went belly up as the rat raked its claws along my stomach. Why did they always go for my stomach? The rat continued ripping into me as I vainly tried to bite it. Finally I managed to grab it with my tail and move it closer to my face.

I lunged forward and bit its head off as I whimpered, my stomach was bleeding out as I desperately tried to look around for the last rat. I let out a gasp as the rat grabbed one of my eggs and bit down.

I tried to get up but the giant rat’s corpse held me down. I desperately wriggled out of it and once I got up I could see the rat picking up the last egg. I sprang forward slamming my head into the rat. It tumbled backwards, my last egg flying through the air. I dived for it, watching as it flew through the air.

I just managed to catch the egg in my mouth. I could feel tears beginning to fall as I stared at the remains of eggs. Only one of the four remaining. I gently placed the egg down and then turned towards the last remaining rat. Blood still flowed out of my stomach but I ignored the pain.

The rat stared at me for a few seconds before sprinting away. I tried chasing it but collapsed just by the entrance. My claws raking a gash across its face and taking out one of its eyes. Blood continued to flow out of my stomach as I tried to stand up. I rolled onto my belly and glanced at my stomach.

There were four long gashes going from my neck all the way to the base of my tail. I stared at the wound for a few seconds before letting my head fall to the ground. Tears began to roll down my face as I took in shallow gasping breaths.

I couldn’t understand why I felt this way, why was I so sad? Sure most of my kids had been killed before they could ever enjoy life. Their small lives like a candle snuffed out. Their potential happiness and success was destroyed. The world forever lacks their presence.

“Of course you’re sad, you idiot. You know what? Fuck those rats. Fuck this world!” Those rats were going to pay. I would bathe in those vermin's blood. Then I would feed their hearts to my only surviving kid.

I suddenly sat up and said. “Oh shit one of my kids survived!” I quickly scrambled to my feet and began limping towards the last remaining egg. I collapsed next to it and curled my tail around my child.

No one is going to hurt this one, I’m not letting it out of my sight. This is my hoard, my most valuable possession! I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, everything felt so warm and cold. I drifted off to sleep, dreaming of sitting on a throne made out of rat skulls.