Author note: POV starts as third person but switches to first. Most of the story will be in first person POV.
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A lizard crawled out of a hole in the ground on all fours. Under its feet was soft and slightly damp soil. The hole behind it was a gap in a boulder that had been slowly split over the years by an ever expanding tree's roots a feet away from it. It kept larger predators from being able to reach it while allowing the occasional prey to creep in searching for shelter. A perfect lair for the lizard, so perfect that it often had to compete with others of its species to keep this spot.
The morning sun peeked through the tree branches and shone upon the lizard. It moved onto a rock and rested, soaking up all the warmth it could. As it was cold blooded, it required warmth before it could actively move and hunt down prey. A long, forked tongue flickered out of its mouth every few seconds. With the smell receptors on its tongue, it could 'taste' scents. Every once in awhile it would also lick its eyes to restore moisture as it had no eyelids to blink with.
Suddenly, it scurried off into the forest undergrowth and found a clearing. A dozen or more buzzing sounds rang out as flies circled the area. There was some sort of corpse lying on the ground, attracting all sorts of insects. The lizard preferred live prey and was far more interested in the insects than the corpse. It positioned itself in a patch of dirt next to the corpse and waited. Its grayish brown scales allowed it to blend in rocky outcrops and dirt easily when stationary.
It did not have to wait for long as a fly landed on the ground ahead of it and began cleaning itself while rubbing its front feet together. With a lunge, it threw its body through the air at the fly while opening its mouth wide. The fly reacted with unnatural reflexes, attempting to fly away. However, it was too late as the lizard managed to grab one of its legs, keeping it from flying off. For a few moments, the fly flew constantly, buzzing around but getting nowhere as the lizard silently gripped on it, waiting for it to tucker itself out.
Once the fly settled down, the lizard pinned it down with its front leg and opened its mouth to take a bigger bite out of the fly's body. It would swallow the fly whole and spend a few days digesting it from the safety of its nest, only going out to warm up in the sun. Before it fully ingested the fly, a shadow covered up the sunlight and alerted the lizard of danger. It could not tell what was coming, but it was getting closer. It let go of the fly in its mouth and retreated towards its home as fast as it could. If only it could slip into the crack there it would be safe from this predator.
Long, sharp claws dug into the earth around the lizard, trapping it. Rough scales pressed down on it, crushing it with brute strength as the claws closed around it, digging into the soil as it was scooped up. A few seconds later it was tossed into the air. A chance at freedom it thought briefly as it started to move its legs so it could run once it touched ground again. Instead it met a sudden end at a sharp row of teeth slamming shut with a sickening crunch.
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(POV switch to first person)
Small scaled ones were delicious as always. Easy prey when they were distracted with their own food. A nice crunch their tiny scales had which couldn't be compared to bone. A pity that the dead one that attracted all of these smaller ones was a Scaled One. Although they smell worse, I would much prefer to find a dead Green Scaleless or Furred One than my kin. They had even gutted them and stripped off some meat to eat. I looted his body for a spare sling before tasting the air to track down the ones that killed them.
Three, no four, Green Scaleless ones were not too far away. They would die for this transgression. This part of the forest was our territory not theirs. I pocketed a few stones that fit in my hands nicely and followed their tracks. From behind a tree, I observed my prey.
They had started a fire and were cooking up the flesh of my kin. The smoke and burning flesh would cover my scent. One of them had a slightly larger head than the others and one that had an unusually small head. I moved closer, ducking behind bushes, dashing between trees, and even crawling alongside a tree root to reach a spot between two tall bushes where I could stand up without being too obvious. Not only that, but it was close enough to use my sling accurately. I slipped a rock into its pouch and began swinging it around in the air. If not for the crackling flames, the Scaleless ones would have heard the air cracking with every swing until the rock was released.
My target was the one with the large head, easy to hit and likely the only one of them smart enough to fight back. With a loud crack, blood and brain juices burst out of its head as the rock hit on target. It wasn't until the body fell to the ground that the other Scaleless reacted, picking up their weapons and looking around. Ducking behind a bush, I slipped another rock into the sling. They still outnumbered me and could kill me if they discovered where I was. All I had to do was kill one more and it would become an even fight, if not a little bit to my advantage.
This time they heard me as I started swinging and started charging me. It was already too late as the sling built up to maximum speed and threw another rock. Had they chosen to take cover instead of lining up for me, I would have struggled to hit them and eventually run out of rocks to sling. The second rock hit one of the Scaleless in the chest as it was a bigger target than the head and reduced the chances of a miss. Not that it was any less lethal as it knocked the Scaleless to the ground and they weren't getting back up. The one with the small head kept charging me while the other living one backed off and fled stupidly. Two on one they at least had a chance to win.
As the small headed Scaleless reached my position, I swiped my claw at its weapon, knocking it into the underbrush on the side. Then it sorta just gave up, looking over where its weapon went with a helpless look in its eyes. I grabbed onto its shoulders roughly, my claws drawing foul smelling blood, keeping it still as I opened my mouth wide. There was one other reason why I killed the large headed one first; With such a head, how could it fit in my mouth? A satisfying snapping sound rang out as I closed my mouth around its tiny head, decapitating it with nothing but my teeth. Before it shut, I could taste the Scaleless ones' fear.
As its lifeless body dropped to the ground, I spit out its head. Green Scaleless ones unfortunately did not taste good. Would only eat it if starving or having a weird craving. There was only one part on its entire body that tasted alright, the heart. I pulled out a tusk from a chargebeast, sharpened to a blade, and cut open each of the Scaleless to consume their hearts. As is tradition, the predator must eat the hunted prey, if not just a few choice bits. This was important in establishing the relationship where they would fear us and never strike us while we can freely consume them as needed.
My blade cut deep into their bodies, prying open their rib cages before cutting all the bits attached to the organ and bringing it to my mouth. Their hearts tasted lean and young, but their bodies were that of adults. Ground-born Scaleless ones. Inferior to hatched-ones such as myself. This meant that a new nest had popped up and the Scaleless that ran would lead me straight to it. Before the ground-born could learn to fight properly or grow in numbers, I would destroy their nest as this was our territory.
I was guided to a hollow carved out of a small cliff by the fleeing Scaleless one. Along the way, I picked up a few more good throwing rocks, as many as I could fit in the roughly sewn pockets on my clothes. These clothes had been taken from a Non-Green Scaleless one. While they chafed against my scales, I'd only be able to carry two or three rocks without them. With them, my hands were free even with ten to twelve rocks and my knife. My Scaled Brethren, despite being superior Hatched-Born like myself failed to see this point, leaving me with this outfit and a spare back at our den.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
From behind a low ridge, I laid down and observed the Scaleless nest. New scents had alerted me that I had reached my destination. Three of them were at the entrance, two guards and the one I had followed there. The guards turned their heads away from the runaway, ignoring its pleas for help. Their job was to keep watch there, not go out and avenge every death of kin. Shockingly, they had better weapons than ground-borns should have. Blades made from the shine rock that the Non-Green Scaleless create. Even a ground-born could tell that it was a better armament than a rock or wooden club, but from where did they get them with such a fresh nest?
Nonetheless, no matter how good their weapons were, it would do nothing for them if they never got a chance to use them. The runaway served as a perfect distraction, making plenty of noise to cover up any sounds and they purposely looked away from it which just so happened to be my direction as well. A bit more distance than before, enough so that I would be shocked if I managed to hit them on my first try but also enough so that I could make a few more attempts. Plus there wasn't any closer trees or underbrush to use to creep closer. On the other hand, less places for them to hide after I started slinging.
My wrist twirled as the sling snapped at the air, building up more and more speed until it found a way to escape the spin. Right into the woods behind me, bouncing off a few trees. Not seeing the rock fly forward, I ducked to the ground and found that the Scaleless ones had not noticed my blunder. Checking the sling's pouch, I found the seams ripped open. An easy fix with a bit of needlework but I didn't bring the necessary materials or tools so the sling was useless. Silently thanking my fallen kin, I pulled out the spare sling I took from their body and made sure it wasn't in rough shape. Almost pristine, as if they never got the chance to use it before dying. A likely outcome if they got ambushed by the Scaleless from before.
In their place, I would score a few kills to settle the game. Depending on how well it threw, I might even replace it as my main sling and leave the torn one for a hatchling to fix and use. It was not to be as it felt awkward when a rock settled in the pouch. Second try, I rounded up the sling and aimed for the Scaleless guard on the right. Instead, it smashed onto the ground a bit before them, startling them with the noise but not injuring them in any way. Now that they knew I was there, I didn't bother hiding and readied the next rock. Despite the runaway shouting and pointing my way, clearly spotting me, the guards were slow to react. The third stone was aimed for the same guard but instead smashed into the back of the runaway's head, splatting its brain matter all over the guards.
Still off target but a welcome result. Reacting to the mess in front of them, the guards failed to flee or chase me down. By the time they came to and drew their weapons to fight, I had thrown two more stones, both way off the mark, hitting a tree off to the left and the cliff above them, due to me trying to adjust my aim. Even though they were the same weapon, made the same way, out of the same materials, it took time and practice to get things right. Time I was running out of as I flung the sixth rock, skimming across the face of one of the guards, leaving behind a red line to contrast with its Green ugliness but otherwise no harm.
They were fast, speed and numbers were the main advantages the Green Scaleless held. Scaled Kin like myself weren't as numerous and could even be described as slow, but we were stronger and had the ingenuity to fight at a distance like the Non-Green Scaleless. With them rapidly closing the distance, they became easier to hit and the seventh stone smashed the guard on the right's knee to dust. It collapsed and cried out in sweet cries of pain. I reached for an eighth stone only to find none left in my pockets. Such stones that fit in the pouch and had the right weight weren't too common so having enough to fill the pockets was rare but I swore I had more before. Must have lost a couple along the way.
There weren't any suitable rocks at my feet so I had to fight with my knife. I couldn't swat a shine rock weapon out of a Scaleless' hand without losing a few fingers so I couldn't take care of the last Scaleless the same way as I did before. It raised the shine rock into the air and tried cutting down. An easy to predict move that I easily dodged by moving to the side. However, halfway it changed direction and started swinging towards me from the side. Fast reactions or smart enough to predict my movement. To prevent my disembowelment, I raised my knife to block the swing and managed to stop the attack. A large nick was cut out of the knife and my hand trembled under the strain before pushing the blade off to the side and shoving the knife into the Scaleless' stomach with a twist.
It fell to the ground, bleeding out as I continued to cut upwards, harvesting the Scaleless' heart and consuming it fast enough for it to witness before its death. A bit more fat and flavor to it, a Flesh-Born. No wonder it was a decent fighter. Without a second thought, I threw away my knife and took up the guard's shine rock blade. It would cut better and last longer, especially with that nick on the old blade. The Scaleless whose knee I crushed had managed to crawl halfway back to its nest, leaving behind a trail of blood. Testing out my new weapon, I slit its throat, granting it a faster death than its companion before consuming its heart as well. Another Flesh-Born.
Of course, the runaway was a ground-born like the others that had ambushed my kin. Four ground-borns and two Flesh-Borns weren't a big deal as is, enough to kill a careless scaled kin, but given enough time and their numbers would multiply until they were a serious threat. The ground-borns would die out in the wilds while the flesh-borns would grow more numerous, eventually replacing the ground-borns entirely and getting stronger and smarter. Then it would require all of the Scaled Kin to assemble and wage war or risk deaths every day. This nest was especially dangerous due to it being in our territory. It could be tolerated if far away since we couldn't bother with every nest or we'd starve, die out, or lose our territory. But this, this nest must be destroyed as it was right next to our lair.
Inside the nest of the Scaleless, there wasn't much light. My eyes quickly adjusted allowing me to see and could do so even in pitch darkness. A single room with a pile of wood, a skeleton, and a crystal shining in the air. No more enemies to kill. From the size of the skeleton and the torn up pieces of cloth around it, it used to be a Non-Green Scaleless. Freshly killed and eaten guessing from the bits of flesh still sticking to the bone. If I had shown up even a day later, they would have gnawed that flesh off or even broke the bones open to get to the marrow. That explained the shine rock weapons they had.
As for the pile of wood, from how there were strange, unnatural pieces and no bark, it had to be one of the Non-Green Scaleless' wooden beasts they used to get from place to place. This was bad news as the fresh skeleton meant the Green Scaleless had attacked a Non-Green important enough to have a wooden beast. The Non-Green's desire for vengeance would drown the entire forest in blood or make it so that none would pass by for a bit. Hopefully the latter as we took many losses the last time a Non-Green died to the Furred Ones.
I grabbed the crystal and it suddenly started to glow from my touch, losing its ability to float in the air and resting in my hand. Left alone, the crystal would find a way to slip away and create a new nest. Throwing it to the ground, the crystal smashed into pieces with a loud ringing sound. Like that, the hollow in the cliff would slowly close up and sink into the ground beneath and no more ground-borns would appear. As I was about to turn to leave, the pieces of crystal reformed into an object. A curved piece of shine rock with a string hanging from both ends. Very similar in appearance to the Non-Green ones' slings that don't need to be spun but require long pieces of carved wood rather than rocks to kill with.
With such an appearance, how could I leave it behind. I brought it out of the nest and watched as it started to sink into the ground as usual. This shine rock weapon wasn't the crystal in another form to trick me. There was still some time until sundown and I had eaten my fill, so I spent some time fiddling with the weapon. Mostly tugging on the string and moving it around for a better look as there was nothing to fire with it. Eventually, I held it like I had seen a Non-Green do with one, holding the shine rock out with one hand and pulling back the string to my cheek with the other, before letting it go. With it, a flash of blue light followed and cut into a nearby tree.
After a closer look, I found that there was a hole as deep as two of my fingers stacked on top of each other in the tree. A staggeringly powerful weapon that needed not rocks nor long, carved wood. Such a weapon... could clear out entire nests of Flesh-Borns and hatch-borns before they could even react. Our kin would fear no Green Scaleless or Furred Ones. Not even the Non-Greens would be able to do anything if we decided to hunt those that passed our territory. Not only that but the entire forest would be ours, not just the tiny corner we hunt and patrol in. That is the possibility I saw in this weapon after seeing it fire but once.
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Author Note: I was tempted to go with a more childish/dumbed down narration to match a lizardman’s thoughts but decided to just change out some terms and just make the protag an intelligent Lizard. Might change that in the future but for now, it’s going to be like this as I find it easier to write. Going to release chapters as I write them, no schedule for now.
Terms (should be obvious but here’s this to clear confusion):
Scaled- lizardmen
Green scaleless- goblin esque creature
Furred Ones- Not introduced yet, beastman thingy but not the half human type
Non-green scaleless- humans
Chargebeast- anything from buffalo, bulls, or boars. Knife is ivory cut from the tusk/horn.
Shine rock- Metal
Curved shine rock with string- metal bow