Reptilian

Chapter 4: The Other Side

(A/N: Short chapter, I'm sorry. This really had a big part in the story, but I didn't really have the biggest ideas. Whoops.)

Night flooded in around him, reminding him of the dangers beyond the forest. With only a spear and his longbow, he stumbled throughout the black trees. Insect clicking surrounded the area with a eerie life and painted all sounds with nonsense.

The red moons shown down upon a lake he stood at and lit up his eyes. He clenched his wound at the sight of his reflection. It's so gross, he noticed. With blood staining Dargal's ripped shirt and strap, he loosened the padding. A droplet of maroon liquid trickled into the murky reflection.

As it spiraled out and flowered in a spectacular array of red, fish from below came up to inspect it. Hjuirr lowered his hand and skimmed the surface of the water, scaring away the creatures with one swift move. He smiled and tilted his head at the fact that he seemed like some dominant beast. Yet, there he was with an injured arm. He gazed down at the scaly face in the water. With cream skin hugging his bones and olive scales laid out upon his back, he examined his present state.

Hjuirr bared his teeth, testing his fierceness. He was thankful that nobody was around to see him test the many expressions that he chose. Growling deeply, his tail flickered back and forth, crouched down on the muddy surface. Animalistic nonsense is what I am, he saw. The beast mimicked everyday monster movements, speech, and contact.

The forest crept into the veins of the Zaak, entangling him in its dark phenomenon. Fire burned deep within his eyes for more action. He was a dragon; swift and vigilant. Hjuirr's green hair fluffed up and curled out, going along with his fake hissing.

Then, he took a moment to realize what he was doing. "Growling at water. What a joy," he chuckled. He could feel all the eyes of the forest pouring their judgmental gazes down on him. The insects, the animals, the fish; they were all rocks upon his senses. He sat back down on the side of the pond, his hands resting on his lap.

What is out there? Hjuirr thought to himself, running his hand through his green hair. Anything could have been there. It could have been something peeking down from the misty trees and its scaly face being hidden from sight. It could be something furry, perhaps some mythical beast that buried itself in the bushes. Whatever was out there, it chose to limit Hjuirr's senses to what he had been shown his whole life; silence.

Then, he scanned the water, seeing as a yellowish face stared back. However, it was not his own.

"Dargal, leave me alone for once," he hissed. Dargal revealed himself from the bushes, his yellow tail flowing thickly behind him. With an indignant grunt, he said, "I can't leave you alone when you're injured. Your arm is spurting blood, Hjuirr. You're not safe in the wild." Dargal sat by him, putting his spear by his side and flipping his tresses carelessly.

"Millions of creatures in the wild are injured right now. Do they care? Nope."

"Yeah, okay. They don't care until they're dead."

"And what if they don't die? What if they go unnoticed while roaming for food?"

"Like a 5-foot Zaak is going to make it through an open forest. You've obviously never gone day hunting before."

"Don't you dare say that! You haven't done a great deal of things either! Excuse me, I'm getting married. That's something that you- Dargal Hissgill- could never accomplish no matter how hard you tried. I'm allowed to do whatever I want, and you have no say over me," Hjuirr blurted out while standing up dominantly. He held out his bow, partially drawing an arrow in instinctive defense. Dargal pushed himself up, eyes filling with crystal tears. He broken-heartedly left the area, leaving a large red jewel on the ground.

A silver chain was wrapped neatly around the pendant, its light weight sinking only a few millimeters into the plush mud. Hjuirr was shamed by what it meant, and he knew that changing it would be hard. However, he picked it up, shoved it into his pocket, and headed out into the deep forest once again. It glittered as if the rays of the Sun were shining down as it had in his book. Not now, he thought, closing his eyes to mentally switch back to his wandering.

Then, he went off again, his green tail flowing softly behind him as discreet as the insects themselves.

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