Back when I was growing up, I was a simple enough guy; I had a bit of internet access, a simple job, and never bothered anyone at all. Earth could be a complex place to live but as society advanced, you could argue that even someone as simple as myself stashed a ton of information.
But nothing can prepare you for getting killed, especially if it's at the hand of your jealous, best friend. Everything I did to help others and fit in couldn't save me from one envious friend running his knife between my ribs. No one could have endured such awful luck and survived.
But then, I was reborn. Reincarnated. What some may have called an 'isekai' or reincarnation tale finally happened to me.
My new life started amongst creatures called kobolds. The normal ones looked human enough but had short muzzles and rougher scales for skin. Fur grew in thicker patches and various colors where body hair would for us, yet it was thin enough to be similar to a dog. None of them ever grew more than four-feet-tall, save for the rarest and most physically fit of warriors who almost reached five feet tall. This new world — a world called Daesal — had once been filled with them; unlike us needing two or three years to speak, they can be walking and functioning in a matter of months.
Kobolds grow faster... but not all of them are born equal. In my case, I was named Baik. My past mind lost some of its memories but other parts remained. I gave up my name and old family, yet I knew how to speak almost immediately.
And for two years, I was educated and raised by a female kobold named Aggel. A pink-furred and cream-scaled kobold, she told me about Daesal and its history. Specifically, she told me of our history, how the kobolds had long been subjugated. Aggel acted as my teacher and ensured that I knew the basics of survival and the most important things about kobolds. As a Kobold Prince, one has to know five key laws to our kind.
1. Kobolds must replenish our species. After being nearly exterminated, kobolds must mate with many females.
2. Kobolds must eat kobolds. Only a prince may eat a prince, but after battling and besting another kobold in fatal combat there can be no waste. Cannibalizing the dead or weak is expected.
3. Kobolds must survive before they thrive. Raising or joining a tribe is forbidden to younger kobolds unless they can prove they are able to survive on their own.
4. Kobolds must serve or lead; never can there be equals. Simply put, kobolds take slaves or become them when warring with one another.
5. Kobolds must follow the King. There hasn't been one since long before I was born, but this was still drilled into me.
Beyond this, the other things I learned where much simpler; starting fires, fashioning a wooden spear from a branch, and how to identify our tribe. Young princes are prepared in this manner for a coming-of-age-ceremony that all kobolds undergo: the Trials of Inheritance. This test would serve to fulfill their survival test while being the forging ground for my future.
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Baik's tribe were called the Bailaka; centermost within a large field of wheat, they harvested the wheat, hunted local monsters, and gathered to sustain themselves. But today, many of the older warriors stood beyond its walls with their Prince Bai. Many kobolds and Bai stood before them, wearing nothing. In total, there were twenty-one of them; each of them was split into groups of four... save for him, who stood on his own.
"Welcome everyone." Bai's familiar rumble filled their ears, causing many of them to tuck the wolf ears or put their hands flat to it. "Mothers and young ones, today you shall be tested. Teams of two females and two males; you shall be tasked to venture into the Bailaka Woods."
He waved his hand outward, the warriors moving over to gather their own group of kids and pry them from mothers. Most of the young ones didn't wish to leave, as many kobolds spent the first two years of their life with their mother almost constantly. Compared to humans, it'd be no different than separating a six or seven-year-old child from their parents. Most humans would perish, yet Aggel said that it rarely led to the death of more than one or two kobolds. The true test was to see the conviction of the young ones to determine who would join the warrior caste and who would be a gatherer.
Toif approached Baik, looking down on the prince; despite being a few inches taller than the other kids, Baik was no bigger than two-feet currently.
"Prince," he grumbled in greeting.
"Hello Toif." Baik didn't feel a need to add more; everything he had been taught by Aggel had told him to hold his own in this new world... yet there was a lot she had shared the night before. The tale about how Lelta gave birth to him and Toif protected him. After that day, the two had mated... and now Toif had his own son among the trial.
Bai looked to the two, then finally motioned to the warriors to lead their teams off. Many of the mothers clutched their clothes in a mix of frustration at not being able to protect their child... but Lelta approached Baik to pet his head. The gesture was quick, yet her attention hastily shifted to Toif.
"Ensure the Prince arrives, Toif. That's part of your test, too, isn't it?"
"Of course," Toif grumbled again, looking to Bai. "The Prince's order is law; I will escort young Baik fifteen miles into the woods, as tradition demands."
Bai nodded and cast a quick look toward Baik; though their names were similar, the colossal leader had always seemed to be hiding things from Baik. Aggel mentioned that villainy was assumed with kobolds but Bai had never resorted to terrorizing his pack. The tribe had grown to its impressive size and was able to endure severe losses beneath his leadership.
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One day, I'll need to be the same... won't I?
"Baik."
The man's call immediately forced the reincarnated boy to look up, clenching his hands tightly. There was no order but a silent communication; a check to see if Baik had the nerve.
"I will pass. As Aggel prepared me... I'll become worthy of my blood. To become... prince."
His tongue felt strange speaking their tongue but Aggel remarked his grasp over it was ahead of the curve. Bai smiled at the confidently-put delivery, finally nodding to Toif. The kobold hoisted a pack from the ground and slung it over his shoulder, looking to the naked Baik with a sigh.
"Alright, boy. Follow me."
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Night and day came, with Toif giving him food and allowing him to sleep one last time in a tent. During his rest, Baik had been carried... and abandoned.
He awoke in the middle of a grove, hastily standing and looking around for his chaperone.
He's gone, right? Then... that means...
Baik knew he was free to do whatever he wanted now; surviving and returning to Bailaka would grant him the chance to be free. No one besides Bai would have the right to order him around.
But that, too, was part of the test and Baik had learned it without needing to be told directly. Aggel's lessons prioritized survival and basic construction as all Princes were expected to form their own tribes to enforce the first law of kobolds: replenishing the race. Taking mates was also part of being a prince, but at his young age, Baik couldn't imagine being with a female of any race. Rather, it was more likely for him to find and gather the young ones from his tribe and others to form a new tribe.
Baik walked into the nearby brush and started clambering up one of the trees; despite his size and strength, his nails were claws and gave him enough grip to scale the bark with ease. But rather than finding a view... he found something very familiar.
The prince crawled along the branch ignoring the overlook of the forest canopy, sliding along to grab a blanket wrapped within the sticks. Aggel had told him that he'd be left nothing... but it made sense how it was left here. Toif had brought his birth blanket and hidden it, knowing that he would look to get a view of the area first. As naked as he was, wrapping it around his waist and between his legs to make shorts. It took an awkward bit of playing around but eventually, he secured it around the base of his tail.
I barely remember that day... but Toif gave me something to remember everyone by. Did he... also realize the hidden meaning in my Trial?
Whether or not it was an act of kindness wasn't for here or now; Baik stood and surveyed the surrounding canopy, yet saw nothing but trees; not even the top of Bailaka was in-sight.
If I'm this far out, it must be about fifteen miles. Maybe more. I don't have anything big enough to deduce exactly where I am, after all.
Baik made his way down, dropping to the forest floor with a grunt. Despite his small body, he was mentally a prepared adult; his first task was maximizing his chance for survival. Kobolds were animalistic so his sense of smell was improved and his eyes were sharp, making it simple enough for hunting. The real issue was that hunting at his size was extremely dangerous.
So rather than prepare to hunt, he searched for a proper branch; the ideal one that Aggel had ingrained in him, eventually collecting it and matching stone. Next, he looked for a tree with high roots; these trees had roots that rose up enough to form hiding spots small enough for a young kobold.
Yet when he found it, it wasn't merely shelter but food. Old roots that broke off were edible for months, whilst the tree produced native fruit akin to apples. They were hard to find and often only grew one within every mile... but if you knew what to look for, such trees stood out. Baik settled down underneath it and whittled the spear into shape.
As much as he had been told, however, he hadn't anticipated exactly how the roots were eaten. During a break from his spear, he bit down into a root and realized it was far more crunchy than anything rightly should be. If not for kobolds having strong teeth for cannibalizing, it would probably have shattered his fangs on the first bite. Truthfully, it was easy to justify snacking on the roots since they didn't provide a ton of nutrition but tasted similar to dried apples.
Now that my spear is ready, I should try to use any vines nearby to create a stickpack. One fiber rope should be easy to split for securing the corners... but...
The truth of his survival sank in the more he tried following Aggel's advice; he found vines and started trying to weave them tight, only for the thinner vines of the Bailaka Forest to snap whenever his non-practiced hand twined them too hard. The first day ended without breaking his spirit; he slept without fire from dedicating himself to the rope-making task. Yet even with dedication, the second night in the wild began coming about without any results.
I... do I have the nimble fingers to actually do this?
Comparing his fingers to someone like Aggel, he might have had smaller fingers but his inexperience meant it was possible he'd be trying this for days. Baik felt a sinking feeling but somehow pushed it off; he worked hard to get a fire built, yet he didn't immediately go to sleep. The flame was mostly concealed to limit its light spread, but he needed to stay up for a time to ensure no one stumbled onto his hiding place.
I don't have a large area to explore while I lack a pack, unless I decide to focus on gathering on-the-move. Even if I had one other kobold with me, then I-
"Help!"
A lone cry cut through the nighttime forest, making him look up from his fire tending. It sounded odd; it was the voice of a kobold child, but the language sounded oddly weighted. He threw a few rocks onto the fire to snuff it, taking his wooden spear and taking off toward it.
Don't immediately run in, Baik. This is their trial, too.
His grip tightened and he took the spear in both hands, lurching forward and dropping down to a low crouch. Although he had an idea of where to go, no additional cries came; he merely made his way through the trees, hoping for any sign of where they might have been. Searching for too long would expose him to unnecessary risks and likely make it impossible to find his way back before it got truly dark.
But there wasn't any going back; Baik had a duty. Daesal was his new world and adjusting to the life of a kobold meant looking at his fellow kobolds as allies.
I'm going to save at least one of them. If there's even one still alive, my chance of surviving the Trials goes up. Aggel, Lelta, Toif, and Bai... I'll ensure that your preparation goes well.
Tonight, even if I have to kill something, I'm going to chase the true meaning of what it means to be a Prince.