1st of Cylus, Arc 719 - Midday
Continued from here.The baby crocodile chirped at Kesindir, the bow lowering slowly as he eyed the reptile. He knew next to nothing about crocodiles, but what he could see was teeth. Lots of teeth and a size that absolutely terrified him. The mother of the baby was massive. Assuming this was the baby of the large carcass it sat near. The croc squeaked at him again and then moved forward.
Kes released his hold on the drawstring of his bow and knelt, his knees pressing into the soft sands of the shore. "You alright little guy?" As if the reptile could understand what he was saying. The two foot long croc was adorable at this size. Potentially deadly, but cute. In that helpless predator way. Kes reached into his pack and pulled out the fish he'd caught earlier, and the crocodile stopped and chirped loudly. "Alright alright, shhh. Try to keep it down dude." Kes pulled his knife from the sheath, prepared to cut the fish in two, but he leaned back and thought back to how easy it had been to catch the fish in the first place. He could easily just get another one.
Kes shrugged and tossed the fish to the ground in front of the croc, the tiny reptile growing, what looked like, excited. It's tail wagged slightly as it stared down the fish before lunging incredibly quickly biting down on the fish with a sickening squish. Kes watched with curious intent as the little reptile chowed down on the free meal it'd received. So engrossed was he that he missed the sound of breaking twigs and leaves being moved around behind him. The crocodile too, was far too young to be an able bodied, well aware predator.
From the edge of the treeline, two thwarthides waited, spears in hand, and ready to charge. They weren't the brightest of creatures, but they worked well enough together that any unsuspecting prey would have a hard time dealing with more than just a single thwarthide. The pair waited, far longer than their small brains wanted, and just when Kesindir was utterly entrenched in his negotiations with the small reptile, they charged. The weren't subtle, quiet, or any number of other things one could attribute to ambush creatures. No. These two were brutish and loud as they rushed out from their concealed hiding spot.
Their voices were guttural, low, and completely unintelligible. What it did convey though, was a fear unlike any Kes had previously felt. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, and he turned just in time to brace himself as both of the thwarthides collided with him, their shields smashing into the back of the young Biqaj, knocking the wind out of him, and flinging him forward, just to the side of the small reptile, who gave off a small croak ... or growl? Kesindir's ears were ringing far too loudly for him to make out the exact sound.
"Son of a bi.." The Biqaj struggled to speak as he slowly lifted himself off the ground, low grunts and stomping feet rushing towards him again, and with another solid THUD the two shields slammed against his side, sending him rolling. Get up, town boy! A voice rang through his head, female, and all too familiar. Get up! "Fine," he said through gritted teeth as he pushed himself to his feet and looked at the two thwarthides with disgust. They stood over the small crocodile, spears jabbing mercilessly at the reptile, screams of pain sending flashbacks of his Horse through Kes's mind.
"You bastards leave him alone!" The Biqaj ran, pure emotion driving his body forward. Fear, regret, and a want to have been able to do more, drove his feet into the ground as he charged, shoulder first into the closest thwarthide; it squealed and went rolling as Kes lunges at the other, but it had already moved - its spear pointed directly for the Biqaj - thankfully it had piss poor aim and only managed to tear at Kesindir’s clothing before the boy made contact.
It was an absolute mess. The lump the two creatures made in a twisting, moving pile of Biqaj and warthog, was difficult to decipher as they struggled. Voices grunting and squealing as each made some kind of contact with the other, fist to face, claws to arms, heads to heads, which in all honesty, was the second dumbest thing he’d done this trial. Eventually though, the other Thwarthide joined in the ruckus, stabbing at the flailing mass.
As has been stated, thwarthides are not intelligent creatures. Anyone with any for thought would know not to blindly stab where another of yours is locked in mortal combat. The spear nicked Kesindir, but never pierced his flesh, the other thwarthide however, was not so lucky. Warm blood coated Kesindir as the creature he was fighting ceased its struggle and he quickly rolled out of the way of the others spear, clambering to his feet.
The Biqaj’s breath was heavy and labored, but he wasn’t out of fight yet. His bow was within reach, and the Thwarthide that still stood was slightly occupied trying to remove his spear from the body of his fallen friend. Quickly Kes grabbed his bow, notched an arrow, and took aim, just as the spear was pried free with a sickening squish.
”Time’s up asshole,” Kes released the drawstring and the arrow went flying, just as the thwarthide took a step forward to charge. The arrow pierced it’s eye, lodged itself in its skull, and the creature crumpled near instantly. The Biqaj sighed, and a pain shot through him, and he fell to his knees. "Shit..." his breathing was short and shallow. Something wasn't right and it hurt. He'd have to make his way to the Order to get fixed. Not something he was looking forward to doing. A loud croak echoed and Kes looked about as the little crocodile began to bite into the thwarthide nearest it.
"Well, at least you get some food that isn't my fish, though I don't think," Kesindir coughed, and he bent over in pain as the pressure from his ribs screamed through his body that something was very wrong, "I don't have a name for you yet dude, but I don't think you'll last out here by yourself. Hell, I don't even know if you can understand me, but, come with me, yeah? I can feed you. Shelter." Kes planted one foot on the ground, and strained to stand against the pain on his chest.
"First, the ship to see Korva, then the Order." How was he supposed to convince a crocodile to follow him? He wasn't a suave with animals, hell most of the bond with Dji'Oriq was over the hawk healing. Perhaps aiding, sheltering, and feeding would be enough? He could only hope. There was still a bit of the fish he'd offered earlier left, so he bent over with a grunt and picked up what remained. The small crocodile chirped at the disturbance and looked at him, and Kesindir waved and tapped his leg, as if the croc was supposed to understand, Kes of course could only hope he did.
So Kes began slowly walking, and thankfully the crocodile followed in line behind him, moving as fast as its little legs would take it, chirping at Kes as it walked. Whether the little critter followed because of the potential for food, or because Kes had protected it when needed, he was unsure, but the important thing was that the croc was following him, and wouldn't be left to the elements or other creatures in the area. Some of which he knew about, and others remained yet hidden. One such creature lie in wait, just off the banks of the small lake, it's eyes bobbing just above the water. A wholly unknown creature to Kes, and yet, he was about to get a very abrupt introduction.
The creature dove under the water, nigh a sound was made, before it broke the surface of the water and spat. A rock. With incredible aim the projecticle made contact with the back of Kes's head as he yelped out in pain, turning to only see ripples on the surface of the water and a small rock at his feet. "The hell was that?" He picked up the small rock and eyed it curiously. It was fairly smooth with little to no pitting, slightly slimy from some mucus or something, and incredibly light. Then another rock sailed past him, missing him by only a fraction of a hair, and he caught just the eyes as they sank back down below the water. Mean, hungry eyes of something rather large in that lake.
"That's something I need to find out about. Never heard of a fish...or a water creature spitting rocks before...." Kesindir tucked the rock into his pocket, looked out over the water again and shook his head. "Let's head back to the ship, aye?" And so the odd pair did, the wounded Biqaj carrying a partially eaten fish, and a small, three foot crocodile following closely behind, chirping at his feet.
