[Zardteak/Zardkeanu] - Brothers in Arms... and Tails

Outside the den were new smells. Smells that smelled... Green? Wet? It was different from the scents within the den, less warm, more fresh. They were out for a hunt, the last of Keanu’s eggshell fragments now eaten. What were they hunting for? He didn’t know. Anything that moved? Something that wasn’t so green? There were many sounds that gave way to what could be out there. But what would they catch together? There were so many directions to go too! Keanu put trust in Teak, following his elder sibling and looking around to catch anything Teak may have missed.

As they got outside the initial smell was fresh indeed but that wasn't a pleasant freshness more so rather than air that smelled like their kin and of home they were outside in the wasteland that surrounded them which smelt for the most part like death. It wasn't exactly the most hospitable place and such Zardteak would dash off after motioning Zardkeanu to follow him and if he did he would head down a slightly winding path before suddenly halting in place. "Over there." he said pointing and if Zardkeanu looked he would see a Messenger Locust currently being hunted by a Kama Mantis, both monsters came up until their hips but it didn't mean they weren't any less dangerous. "We will hunt them. But how I don't know, do you have any suggestions?" he said knowing that this was a good chance for both of them to get food but he didn't know how to take advantage of such a thing.

Keanu looked in the same direction Teak had, noticing the two fight. He ran through his brain, trying to figure out a plan. They could wait for the two to tire out, but he didn't want to test his appetite or Teak's. A growling stomach would give them away if these creatures had really good hearing. His tail moved slowly from side to side as he thought. He wasn't sure how strong these creatures were and what he and Teak were capable of. "We can wait for them to get tired and try to ambush. But we need to be quiet. Maybe try to jump on the mantis' back?", he suggested. "Do you have any ideas?" He wanted to make sure Teak spoke his mind too, in case he had any plans that sounded better.

As they watched they would see that the Kama Mantis was slowly winning as even though the Messenger Locust did manage to land a bite on the one of the Mantis's arms it paid for it by losing two of it's legs causing it to land awkwardly while the Mantis began to favor it's undamaged arm. "Okay...can we go now?" Zardteak said then he remember what Zardkeanu had said and decided why not bursting out of the shrubs where they were hiding to jump on the Kama Mantis's back. Both of the insects were startled by the sudden interruption but it would seem that the Messenger Locust was more inclined to flee rather than stick around and fight. While his fellow Lizardfolk occupied the predator it was now up to Zardkeanu to make a choice, would he attack the mantis, would he finish off the locust or would he abandon his fellow Lizardfolk to his recklessness.

Keanu’s eyes darted between the two, although both monsters weakened, one of them still seemed to be able enough to fight. Keanu figured the Locust wouldn’t last very long and went after the mantis instead. While it was distracted with Teak, he was hoping it wouldn’t see him or move fast enough to snatch him while he was attacking. He didn’t want it to harm Teak either. Keanu ran towards the mantis, suddenly dropping down to slide on his hip and between the mantis’ legs to land a bite. He didn’t know how tough the mantis’ exoskeleton was, but he put in as much effort as possible to try to tear a chunk of leg out to weak it.

While Zardteak moved in to try and land a bite on the Kama Mantis's shoulder it would shift so that he lost his grip and thus fell off of it's body. It was now much more alert than before and thus when Zardkeanu slid towards it rather than linger on the ground it would jump upward avoiding the Lizardfolk's bite to it's leg and then replying by attempting to fall downward and pierce the Lizardfolk with it's remaining claw. As for the Messenger Locust it would slowly begin to creep away as while it's first intent was to quickly make a run for it, the last time it did that the Kama Mantis had quickly darted after it and almost killed it in a single strike. The conditions of the battle had changed and if only the attempted ambush had been successful there was a chance that they could of killed one of their two prey in one shot leaving them to take out the other one with no battle damage, as it looked now it would be a harder fight.

Spoiler:

Keanu twisted on the ground, only bending the other way to avoid getting pierced and pinned by its claw. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Teak had fallen off and both were scrambling to get up. Keanu scattered under it, hoping that thing wasn't quick to turn and hooked Teak by the arm to drag him along so they both had some distance.

"What do we do?" Keanu didn't really know. Charging in now was an issue, and his eyes kept darting around between the mantis and his surroundings. "Get it stuck?" But with what? It was obvious that they'd tire out faster than the mantis would. If they could get it stuck somehow, they could probably take the other prey and leave, or try to end the mantis if they felt so daring to. Its claws were sharp, that was for sure. They could try to get the mantis stuck in the trees, a claw lodged into the trunks. But that would require them to somehow make it miss and get in there. There were two of them, one of it. They could both try to distract it? They didn't have weaponry, only a stone that provided water for a while. "Zardteak, we can try to bait it together and split up, or one of us needs to find another way to ambush it while it's after the other." Zardteak looked over at Zardkeanu briefly,"Who is the bait?" Keanu glanced at his scales and then Teak's, keanu's a bit more flashy. "I'll be the bait. You blend in better."

Zardteak nodded and ran off into the brush to hide somewhere nearby, hopefully forming plans of his own to try to get the mantis. Keanu's eyes met the mantis' and he immediately dropped down to pick something up, like a rock or some dirt, and threw it towards the mantis and hoping to get its attention before trying to run.

It was unfortunate as Lizardfolk weren't the most dexterous of monsters even though they possessed hard scales to protect themselves as such Zardkeanu twisting out of the way of the blow only mitigated the damage he would of sustained from the Mantis rather than avoiding it completely. It was actually likely that he probably would of done better if he had simply tried to block it rather than attempt to dodge in the first place. Still he did manage to avoid being pinned down thus allowing them to go through with their plan however now the Kama Mantis had it's full attention on Zardkeanu and would begin to circle him. As Zardteak successfully managed to conceal himself the Messenger Locust continued to try and creep away without attracting much notice which he would probably spot now that he wasn't as focused on the Kama Mantis as before.

Meanwhile, Zardkeanu quickly reached downward and fortunate enough to pick up a stone which was promptly thrown at the Kama Mantis and though it was off the way it was thrown felt right in the young Lizardfolk's hands. It would seem he was a natural at throwing stones, though natural as he were it was a lack of experience dealing with this type of opponent that was his bane as when he tried to run he would quickly find out that the Kama Mantis was much faster than him. But it wasn't as if the Kama Mantis could hurt him all that much as the damage dealt to him the first time wasn't severe despite him dodging so there was a chance by timing it right and blocking that Zardkeanu could survive yet another hit and maybe some other hits after that. It would seem that these two Lizardfolk were learning the features of their species the best way possible, in live combat and it was becoming readily apparent that Lizardfolk were quite sturdy monsters.

Spoiler:

Where did Teak go? Who knows? Hopefully not snatching the other prey that was struggling to escape out of his own hunger. Keanu hopped behind a tree, quickly searching for another rock to throw or a stick to swing to keep the mantis’ attention on him. He managed to pick up another rock, throwing it again and aiming high for the mantis’ face. All he was focussed on was buying time and staying alive himself.

Teak managed to find a stick himself, a sturdy looking branch that bent slightly giving off that it was greenwood and making it harder to break. He clambered up a tree whose trunk wasn’t perfectly stright and instead had more of a slope and lept from the branch, aiming for the mantis’ back. He moved quickly, grabbing onto the mantis to stay on and keep balance but also attemtping to fit the branch around its neck and pull back with all his weight and strength.

The Mantis would duck under the thrown rock which wasn't thrown all that accurately but that could be taken for Zardkeanu not really focusing on fighting back but keeping it occupied which actually would work quite well as Zardteak was able to jump onto it's back once more keeping it occupied as it tried to throw him off. Unfortunately he still didn't have the best grip on it however it seemed that this time it was focusing solely on getting Zardteak off of it's back that it was potentially open to a decisive blow from Zardkeanu. Meanwhile the Messenger Locust had managed to creep even farther away from the battle and it looked like the coast was clear thus it would begin to move faster unless it was startled again it was likely that it would high tail it out of there at any moment.

Spoiler:

Keanu looked back behind briefly to see the weaker prey fleeing. At least if they could down this mantis, not all would be lost. The Zard attempted a swipe at the Mantis' legs to make it fall and aim with a blow to its head to end it while Teak was pulling even harder on the branch, practically clinging onto the Mantis' new leash for dear life. A grab around its neck with his claws, and Teak took a bite into its neck, fangs digging in for extra grip so he wouldn't fall off in case he slid off its exoskeleton back.

The two Lizardfolk were able to successfully dispatch the Kama Mantis even though the Messenger Locust managed to get away, but they were stronger for it and they would be eating something for today's meal. Whether they decided to eat their meal now to fill their soon to be growling bellies or they'd instead carry their prize with them back to the Den like their oldest sibling had was up to them either way it seemed like it was a decent haul though if they really wanted to be completely full they would probably need to forage some. Such things could be done on the way back home, unless they decided to go after the Messenger Locust after all it was injured and probably couldn't have gotten that far.

Zardteak would turn to Zardkeanu and jump up and down excitedly glad that they were able to bring down a predator as it wasn't exactly an easy thing to do. "We were lucky it was already injured and kind of distracted. I bet it'll taste yummy" he said looking at it and trying to determine which part of it would be the most delicious so that he could take a bite of it. He wasn't thinking of anything else but food at the moment but then again that was what anyone would especially someone as gluttonous as he was.

Spoiler:

Keanu let out a sigh of relief, wiping his brow and rather proud the two could down something like that. He could still feel his heart pounding from all the excitement. Admittedly, that creature looked delicious and he wanted to take a bite out of it as much as Teak did. He looked around to find the locust was missing from view, but a few splatters of blood trailed its escape. "Wait here. I'm going to see if that other thing is still close by.", he told Teak, letting him take a bite or two out of the mantis while he waited. Despite both being hungry, he was certain Teak wouldn't be able to eat all of the mantis in one sitting and he did intend to share a bit of it with the rest of the Lizardfolk back at the burrow, or perhaps even the locust if he could find it.

It would seem that Zardkeanu was a natural tracker as he would be able to not just locate the blood trails but accurately follow it to where the Messenger Locust currently was partially hidden as it was trying to recover from it's injuries. While she had managed to spot it, it would seem like it didn't know it had been followed leaving her open to do whatever to it. As for Zardteak he would happily proceed to eat part of the Mantis in order to fill his nearly empty belly, well not quite but it would seem like Zardteak seemed to get hungry quicker than normal Lizardfolk for whatever reason.

Spoiler:

Keanu grinned to himself as he found the locust’s hiding spot, reaching out to snatch it by the backmost legs so it couldn’t get away. He pulled on it and aimed to strike for its head to end its suffering. At least Keanu felt it was a merciful kill and most loot for Teak and himself. Regardless if the Locust was actually dead or just wounded even more, Keanu would drag it back to where Teak was with the mantis.

Zardkeanu would be able to kill the Messenger Locust netting even more food than he had hunted before, truly these two Zards were skilled hunters and upon Zardkeanu dragging the messenger locust back to where Zardteak was he would see his fellow Lizard folk waiting for him. "Let's go home now before things smell blood and try and steal from us." he said somewhat warily now that he was no longer hungry and thus thinking with his brain rather than his stomach. If Zardkeanu agreed then they could head home and bring back some food for the other Lizardfolk in the tribe in addition to themselves.

Spoiler:

Keanu would feel his hunger start up again, and plucked off a leg from the locust to nibble on while nodding to Teak's comment. "And we got some extra food to share with the others back at the burrow!", he said rather excitedly. Keanu was rather proud of the haul that he and Teak had gotten together. Two creatures to feed on, one a predator and the other its kill. He moved the locust so that way one pair of its legs would rest around his shoulders, holding onto both leg ends with a hand and using the other to help Teak move the mantis if need be.

Zardteak would nod before deciding to head on home with his youngest sibling both of them returning to the Den that they had been born in with food that they could share among their fellow Lizardfolk. Sure they had an opportunity to horde the food for themselves but instead they decided to share and try to build better relations with their siblings. They would reach the Den with no incident as they luckily didn't run into any other encounters on their way back allowing them to return with the spoils of their oddly successful hunt.

Day 2 Begins when they join this topic again unless you choose to head out once more. Please post in the Lizardfolk Burrow to continue your topic (Time of Day if you returns = Night).

[Day 2]

Keanu followed Teak out of the burrow. "I'm not sure. Hunting in the same place might not be great. Maybe somewhere else? Maybe near the last place?", he suggested. Something felt like if they kept going to the same spot that the place would dry or they'd attract a bigger danger than they could handle. Maybe that was Keanu just overworrying though.

Zardteak would nod before deciding to head in the direction that they had went before however rather than follow the winding path all the way he would suddenly dart right and continue onward, unfortunately as they traveled it would seem like in this instance they wouldn't find a meal as quickly as they did last time. This would cause Zardteak to slow down and proceed to walk while looking around trying to see if he could spot anything out of the ordinary, honestly he didn't really know what he was doing and the last time they had stumbled on food it was just luck. However he wouldn't share that with Zardkeanu because he wanted to seem like the wise elder sibling who knew everything even though they had been born on the exact same day.

Keanu slowed after noticing Teak did, not sure if he was sensing danger or looking for it. Yesterday was only luck that they found two creatures fighting. But this time seemed like they actually needed to look for something. He looked towards the ground, scanning for any tracks or other signs of a creature nearby as well as glimpsing at trees for any markers for territory. He was just looking for anything really.

Both of them would notice movement in the distance and if they focused on trying to search for said movement they would see two Messenger Locusts both of them eating leaves happily without a care in the world. It would seem that the area that they frequented was potentially their natural habitat or something. Which was fine as Lizardfolk like many omnivorous monsters were known to eat anything and they had already sampled this particular monster once before. Now the only problem was successfully hunting one, especially since these weren't injured unlike the one from yesterday, not to mention unlike yesterday it was likely to be a two on two fight if one did arise. Fortunately they hadn't been spotted yet so it left them some options for a plan of action but who knew how long their prey would stay in this place so it was ideal to make something which could be executed quickly.

Spoiler:

“What do we do?”, Teak asked Keanu. “Sneak around and ambush them?” 

Teak seemed to understand that concept, taking into consideration how well that worked last time. The two would split up, going to opposite ends of the locusts so that they could try to attack both at the same time from different angles. There wasn’t much of a signal. Keanu would guess the moment that Teak’s hunger impulses kicked in that he would strike too. And so it happened, both burst out of the bushes with the mantis blades ready to impale the locusts.

It was unfortunate that neither of them were particularly stealthy as upon attempting to use their new weapons against the Messenger Locust who were grazing they would be detected and both of the prey insects would dart away with surprising agility so fast that the two Lizardfolk would accidentally run into one another. As such they both would come out of said collision with minor injuries and the sinking realization that the only reason they had effectively managed to eat a messenger locust last time was because something else had weakened it before hand. As for the locusts they would stop about 10 ft away and continue eating leaves not seeing the two Lizardfolk as a large enough threat that it could stop their meal, still they did keep them in their sight just in case.

Spoiler:

Teak didn’t seem too entertained that they couldn’t sneak on these two. Keanu felt the same way. And these locusts were fast and now wary. So that was great. Still, they had to try to hunt these locusts down. 
Keanu seemed to be struggling to figure out an idea. They could try to catch these things, but he felt like something they didn’t have would make that easier. They could chase and pounce, but those locusts were fast. Keanu looked around his surroundings for anything that he could use to trap the locusts, like large, broad leaves or vines or something.