LizardFolk Burrow

He felt the course of energy welling up from the inside of his belly. In a showdown of breaths it seemed his internal fire burned brighter as the icy breath enveloped his foe. He wasn't going to forego this advantage! "Be in your best effort to fall." CzardHatta spoke in the common tongue with a thick gruff broken accent but he knew all the older zards had been practicing their new tongue, he just wanted to show off a touch after that amazing display. However he would spring forward and  continue his momentum by swinging his club at his foes leg. As soon as he connected he would attempt to shove his wounded kin out of the ring for an easy ring out. He would be a touch confident after the initial bout, if he was out in the wild he would've been a lot more careful but this was a fight for sport. He'd revel in it.

Spoiler:

Neither of the two subordinates wanted to lose but at the same time they didn't want to get hurt anymore either, as such both Zardtenor & Zardyaya would forfeit and their opponents would be declared to be victorious. Zardgrammy would nod and tell them to clear the field so that they could get some of the other matches done while they waited for the last fight to conclude. They were likewise healed of any injuries they sustained, while would clear her throat to state the next couple of matches. "The next matches will be as follows, the winner of Ophij'tali & Zwardsnow's bout will be going up against Zargeggy. Newtrex vs Zardfae, Bullybion vs Zarbyoshi & Czardhatta vs Zardtor. she said and sure enough those who were battling would move into place while Zargeggy would wait for the last round 1 match to be over.

Spoiler:

Yoshi cracked his neck, stepping out of the arena and looking towards where Snow and her opponent were currently facing off. He wouldn't have time to watch or cheer her on however, as Grammy announced the next pairs and he was directed to a different make-shift fighting stage. He had been looking forward to this fight all night. If he defeated Bion, and the Zard held true to his word, Yoshi's followers and his sway of the entire community would increase tremendously. Alright Bion, don't forget. If I win, you said you'd consider my deal. Yoshi said as he stepped forward, drawing the twin Poison Mantis Blades from behind his back.

Yoshi wouldn't wait for him to respond, he wanted this over quickly, leaving no doubt that he was the superior zard. The black lizard would rush forward, slashing with his makeshift weapons at each of Bion's shoulders. Once again, he wasn't looking to kill or seriously maim anyone in these fights, every enemy could become an ally and a maimed ally was of little use.

Spoiler:

Bullybion wouldn't say anything instead his mouth would open to reveal his retracted tongue which had been holding a Poison Viper Fang which was promptly launched at Zarbyoshi pointy end forward aiming for his throat. It wasn't something that would be able to kill the evolved Lizardkin but Bullybion wanted him to know he was being taken seriously and quick as a whip his tongue had retracted back into his mouth. Regardless he would reach into the two pouches he had on his legs and would pull out two other poison viper fangs as he attempted to flee backwards relying on his Night Viper Wraps to mitigate the damage Zarbyoshi would have dealt to him. He had wanted to keep that particular fang in reserve due to having poisoned it further with venom that he didn't have access to anymore but it seemed like it was worth the waste.

---Next Turn---

Given that he had managed to get some distance from his opponent he would place another fang into his mouth this time he would be the one to press the attack. Aiming for Zarbyoshi's wrist this time, he would start it with another throw using his tongue and then attempting to circle around him in order to follow up with a second throw done the normal way aiming for the back of Zarbyoshi's knee. This would leave him with only one Poison Viper Fang in his left hand but that was fine as he could use it to defend himself if Zarbyoshi tried to get close to him again which thanks to the circular movement it would hopefully make it difficult for him to close the distance.

1st Turn:

2nd Turn:

OphiJ'Tali never intended her bite to be the main attack, it never really was for this former lizard, but sure if she could have gotten the bite to land it would have been great. She would continue just pushing her weight forwards, even if she was all but ramming against the shield of the white lizard might hopefully add to her [Topple], until she had her leg in the tight position to whip her tail around, going right for the throat to wrap around to [Choke] them. She needed to be much more careful though, but she had done this so much she could tell when she needed to stop to keep from actually killing.

Zarbyoshi

Zarbyoshi would grunt as he felt the impact of the Poison Viper Fang embed itself in the Zard Mage Cloak wrapped around his neck. He had been lucky, saved by the cloak he had crafted only hours before the fight and made a mental note about the importance of equipment. Realizing Bion seemed to be favoring a ranged approach to their fight, Yoshi didn't want to give him the opportunity to widen the gap. He wasn't prepared for a ranged battle, so he needed to keep this up close and personal. Yoshi followed Bion as he retreated, aiming two more attacks at the same spots as before with his mantis claws. If he could just break those wraps, this fight would become much easier. For a moment he considered following up in a more vulnerable area, but he wasn't desperate enough to risk truly harming the other zard. Not yet.

1st Turn:

--Next Turn--

His thoughts would be cut short however as he noticed Bion placing something in his mouth, most likely preparing for another attack. Maybe there was no reason to rush this fight, he needed to keep a level head and see this through properly. As the first fang shot out, Yoshi jerked his arm away, narrowly avoiding the piercing projectile. He dove, trying to roll to the side as Bion circled around for a second attack at his legs. Faster than you look. He said to Bion with a toothy smile as he came to his feet in a ready stance.

2nd Turn:

Zwardsnow

Snow smiled as her spear struck home, stabbing into her opponent's foot. However, when J'tali struck her shield, Snow wasn't prepared for the zard's impressive raw strength. She had fought around Yoshi and Ursa, but never actually had to fight them in particular, so experiencing this strength rather than simply observing it was a completely new feeling and one she didn't much care for. Snow felt her body leave the ground momentarily before being slammed down into the ground beneath her. She groaned as J'tali moved in, a long tail snaking its way up her arm and around her neck. The cloak she wore managed to take the brunt of the damage, but as she clawed desperately at the tail, she realized she had no way of breaking free. She'd need to force J'tali to let go and back away. Seizing her spear once again, Snow aimed for J'tali's throat, stabbing twice in an attempt to get J'tali to release her and back away.

J'tali's Attack Calcs:

Snow's Attack Calcs:

ZwardFae

Her match went better then expected. Having seen the coincidental display of power of CzardHatta filled her with a strange sense of confidence. Afterall she had grown side by side by the unique zard. Then the next round had been announced. Newtrex... Her confidence didn't dwell but she was wary. He needlessly killed his last opponent... She would have to prove strong enough to overcome whatever ferocity he had lurking in him. She tightened her loincloth and the match was to commence.

ZwardFae would not waste any time. She knew her main tactics were by being accurate in her attacks. As soon as they were told to start, she would take the initiative! She went to go and rake into the Firenewt's eyes! He offered NO MERCY to his prior opponent which simply tapped into her deep seated temper. Rex would probably go for the kill... Why shouldn't she? She wanted to see if his strength was worth looking out for. While she was so close she had to let out a vicious battle cry right into his smug face. If the gods fated her then she should let her confidence stay strong.

Battle Calcs:

CzardHatta

CzardHatta felt.... so... cool... He was proud of himself. He was able to win without seriously hurting his fellow Lizardkin. He had lost some confidence in himself after what had happened to his friend and the retreat from the bear. It felt as if evolving had truly proved to himself that he was strong. And that winning is far from impossible. He was ready for the next round to be called. Then... 'Newtrex vs ZwardFae'... CzardHatta was inspired. He chose to believe in his partner and would not let the results of their match affect his own.

CzardHatta was going against a ZardTor... Seems like this would be an interesting match. As soon as the match would be told to start, Hatta would go for pure might. CzardHatta showed off his new mastery of sneaking, he sulked low to the grounds and swayed to the side, entering his opponent's blind spot and he began swinging at the Zard's weapon arm, hoping to overwhelm his opponent early. He kept his shield up in case of retaliation. His was just trying to end this quickly, not wanting to drag anything out.

Battle Calcs:

Bullybion's eyes would widen when Zarbyoshi went on the offensive once more cause he didn't think he would be so eager to rush into such a confrontation however he recognized that his opponent was still wearing his best equipment and thus he realized his folly in waiting until the tournament was over to wear his new stuff. "Ah, this is your win. Our deal is what it is, I'll follow you as your companion." he said raising his hands up after Zarbyoshi made his final comment. He would smile before nodding as he knew that this was a good thing, as Zarbyoshi seemed like he knew what he was doing, and truthfully if he had to bust out his trump card against him then he didn't think he would of fared well against Newtrex.

Spoiler:

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Zardtor would actually panic when the ranked up Lizardkin rushed at him, but then he remembered the words of his superior and would grit his teeth before rushing forward as well, he would try to give as good as he got and would swing his armored Tanuki shell so as to block only for it to be completely shattered by Czardhatta's strike causing Zardtor to actually look at where his shield was previously before shaking his head. "Nope, you got this." he said putting his hand up and backing away. There was no shame in recognizing when you were outmatched, especially when it was against someone who seemed to be on par with his superior.

Spoiler:

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Newtrex would see Zwardfae rush towards him causing him to grow angry, he hadn't seen the need to wear equipment for the battles so far as he felt it wasn't necessary so when his opponent rushed at him without a care in the world he felt she was underestimating him. This ticked him off something fierce and as such he would swing his Night Bear Warhammer with both of his hands using it's blunt side to clash against Zwardfae's swinging hand. This would have the even of smashing her hand dealing pretty bad damage however Newtrex would spin with the movement and smash his tail down on Zwardfae's neck which would deal even more damage in addition to setting her ablaze. The poor White Lizardkin would probably be quite hurt especially when the burns left dealt their own damage. "Pathetic, you better put that fire out before you die like my other opponent. Better yet give up because I don't hold back and my next strike will surely kill you." he said shifting his weapon so it rested on his shoulder so that if he had to swing again it would be an overhead blow.

Spoiler:

Zarbyoshi grew a toothy smile as Bullybion conceded victory. The black zard placed his mantis claws behind his back, offering Bullybion a hand up and saying, Great to hear, I look forward to hunting with you brother. I'll introduce you and yours to mine after the event. He looked over to where Newtrex and Zwardfae would be starting their tournament battle. For now, I need focus. Yoshi and Bion would exit the arena together, but go their separate ways as each wanted to check in with their respective packs.

S-sorry sir, too much. Zardtor said, approaching hesitantly with a head bowed. Yoshi smiled, Hold your head high hatchling. No shame in knowing defeat, instead learn from it. He placed a comforting hand on the smaller Zard's head as he passed by, which seemed to relax Tor a bit. He sat down amongst his minions and stared intently at Zwardsnow's arena. The match was getting intense and though she was outclassed by her opponent, it seemed far from over.

Time had passed and the official winner of the tournament was Zarbyoshi after a hard won victory over Newtrex, in third place was Czardhatta having secured third place against the wily Zargeggy after her surprising defeat of Ophij'tali. Still it seemed that Ophij'tali managed to take fifth place after defeating Bullybion and all of them would receive Lesser Heat Spirit Stones except for Zarbyoshi who would obtain a Standard Heat Spirit Stone instead. Time would pass and they would collectively get stronger with all of the Lizardkin in the burrow progressing for the most part, those who witnessed the tournament would learn respect for the participants with the majority respecting Zarbyoshi but others trickling in to join Czardhatta, Zargeggy and Ophij'tali. As such each faction would see some growth as the formerly unaligned Lizardkin would seek to align themselves under one of the four banners, most surprisingly Newtrex would actually join Zargeggy's sub-faction though it could be seen that he still preferred to hunt alone, one thing was very clear though Zarbyoshi was now the strongest Lizardkin and thus possessed the highest authority within the their burrow, how he would use said authority after he decided to spare Newtrex's life would determine how things would go in the future.

Turf War:

Other than the burrow getting livelier as a whole and there were twelve new additions two of which were iconic due to being born as Lizardkin Novices in comparison to normal Lizardkin, this was known due to their brown scales which made them distinct instead of the translucent clear scales of the other freshly hatched Lizardkin. Snow had ranked up and currently was the only Tier II within the burrow though it seemed that the others were catching up with Zarbyoshi being the closest out of the rest. Other than that Zardgrammy seemed to be getting slower and slower as the days continued to go on, perhaps it would soon be her time.

Hatta's Kid:

Yoshi's Kid:

Snow:

Zarbyoshi woke up to another fresh day, around him his growing band of Zards busied themselves, having just woken up themselves. He rolled over, draping a scaly arm over Zwardsnow only to find a thick, heavy shell where she normally lay. He sat up immediately, taking his new lover in for the first time, Um, oh. That's new. Curled up beside the Tortle lay their recently born, or rather hatched, son. Yoshi smiled before rising from his nest, patting the snoozing Ursa on the head as he did so. His minions, my how their numbers had grown, flocked to him as he paced about the Zard Den.

Alright ladies and gents, listen up. Today your worth will be tested. You will all be tasked with going out into the eastern forest and gathering as much fresh meat as possible. Succeed, and anything I can carve from the creatures you kill will be yours. Fail, and our entire band goes hungry tonight. Good luck. He said as the little Zardlings saluted and bumbled off on their hunt. As for Yoshi, he would begin training for the day. Bion and Ursa would eventually join him while Snow saw to teaching ZardKoop.

Spoiler:

A new day. It seemed CzardHatta had become a small time celebrity, he wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about it, but now a bunch of young Zards looked up to him. He woke near ZwardFae to see her already up and showing their new hatchling the ropes. Zardiel was what they decided to call him. He was as bugged eye as Hatta was when he was a day old and Hatta couldn’t be happier to see his new child. It all seemed so long ago. Felt like months. CzardHatta was then swarmed by his new little group. He looked over them as they awaited command and he cleared his throat. “You all shall hunt and forage! I am counting on you all to bring back a haul! I must look over my new hatchling today! I’ll be with the Cook by the time you return.” They all clamored amongst each other before agreeing and running off into the woods.

The new trio would stay in for the day. Having decided to make sure to ensure Zardiel was well prepared. CzardHatta would attempt to teach him how to use a weapon, letting his child borrow his club as he used his own body. He wish he could teach his child to be more fluent then his own choppy common, but he knew he was still a little young. After all he still couldn’t get it down either. ZwardFae spent all her time training her temper. She certainly had a decent amount to utilize after failing to show that bumhole Rex what she could
Do. She couldn’t stand it.

A few hours spent with his child and then he went off to the Human Woman who they figured was named Elmira. Or at least that was what he had figured with his tongue. Over the past few days, it was a shock when the Zards just brought her food and she just simply cooked it and kept to herself. Simply interacting with both Hatta and Fae whenever they dropped on by. Hatta would practice his speech for a bit with her and waited for his underlings to return.

Spoiler:

Zardgrammy had been looking outside of their burrow before her eyes would widen and she would spread her arms wide before speaking up. "You've returned from your raid?! Yes, this is wonderful come and see the hatchlings you've left behind they've grown quite a bit." she said with the first monster to enter being a Salamander who would return Zardgrammy's hug before letting her go and walking with her into the burrow proper. Following after her was a Raptorkin who had ropes connected to four captive female dwarves while carrying an unconscious male dwarf in the hand he wasn't using to drag their captives. He was being flanked by two Dinokin who were pushing carts filled with food while whistling to themselves as they walked their tails swaying in tune with the tune. Trailing after them were three bullywugs all of whom were also pushing carts though theres were filled with an assortment of loot and their eyes would widen when they spotted Bullybion due to not expecting another Bullywug in the burrow. Eight Lizardkin would follow in after two purple, one orange, one green and four white all of whom were seemingly in an argument.

"It's nice being back home, our raid was successful thankfully and now we have more captives to make more eggs. So who are the most promising hatchlings, Oh nevermind I see them. Wait wait, is that Zardsnow? Wow I thought you died, haha so you really managed to survive this long with your directionally challenged scales good job!" she said scanning the main area before spotting Tortsnow and immediately chuckling with the others in her group chuckling alongside her as they all remembered when Zardsnow decided to head out of the cave and never came back.

While this was going on both Zarbyoshi's and Czardhatta's groups would return causing the group of Lizardkin who were previously arguing to stop and regard them causing each group to sort of stare at each other. Zarbyoshi's group managed to hunt 3 Armored Tanuki while they were more successful foraging obtaining 6 berries and 2 Poison Berries. On the other hand Czardhatta's group had hunted a Red Doe at great cost as one of them had died in the process their body being carried by the others back along with their hunt. One of them had two melons while another had four Fruit that he was struggling to carry. "Ah yes the west forest has gotten more dangerous since we were last here, it's weird because the Red Bear had kept it in check maybe that thing finally got killed." Salafang spoke up again dismissing the two groups due to what they had evolved into and the other evolved Lizardkin would let them pass to their faction leaders.

Zarbyoshi's Group:

Czardhatta's Group:

Hearing a disturbance at the front of the burrow, Yoshi would immediately go to the edge of the walls and begin to Creep as Zardgrammy led some newcomers into the burrow, or rather...some oldcomers? Yoshi watched and listened from the shadows, unsure what to make of Zardgrammy and her relationship with this older generation. He saw the slaves they brought behind them, more dwarves for the breeding rooms. Considering how much their numbers had exploded as of late, more dwarves couldn't hurt. However, it was at the mention of Snow that Yoshi nearly lost his temper. A scaled claw curled into a fist and he nearly stepped forward. They may be of Snow's generation, and she may be directionally challenged (to say the least), but what right did they have to mock her? Still, he didn't leave the shadows, instead creeping closer to get a better look at some of these creatures. Many of them he recognized as various colored lizards and even some Bullywogs like Bion, however the ones in charge were unfamiliar to him.

It was when his hunting party returned and a strange tension filled the burrow that Yoshi stepped forward out of the shadows. His underlings were strong in number, but still appeared weak and the last thing he needed was some egotistical lizard taking a shot at them. There was no need to start a fight until he knew more about them. His jaw twitched as the leader of this new faction took it upon herself to dismiss his Zards to him and they obliged. Unsure of what was going on, the minions took a light step towards Yoshi, looking for answers and decisions. Well done everyone. Not much for animal meat, but it will tide us over until Bion and I hunt in the morning. Divvy up the edible plants and berries amongst yourselves, leave the poisonous ones by my nest. Do NOT get them mixed up. Tor, Tri and Cera I want you to each carve the Tanuki before you sleep tonight. Take your time, make it good. The Zards nodded, eager to retreat farther back to the burrow and go about their tasks.

Yoshi stepped forward, unsure how to proceed with this strange predicament. He leveled his gaze with the lead one, Salafang, locking eyes and said, My name is Zarbyoshi, Grammy seems to know you so I assume you're no enemy of the burrow. While you're of course welcome on peaceful terms, I would prefer if you did not insult my people. He could sense more than hear Tortsnow push Koopa behind her tough shell of a body as the room grew just a bit more tense.

Spoiler:

Fifth wasn't a bad position to be she thought, being too high up would mean a whole lot of pressure that she just didn't want. She was content just to be with her Zward companions, especially Tenor. Lack of hatchlings likewise wasn't too big a deal for her, she had her mind elsewhere constantly. She was standing up, brushing over her scales and wandering for the day, her two companions having been sent out to do a little hunting for some food in the more known areas, meanwhile she was just working on practising using her tail for combat to learn how to better use it for more than just strangling. It was a strategy that had worked for her for a while, but a little extra work would help.

She stopped and looked up as a large group wandered in, at first going a little defensive and narrowing her eyes, but it seemed they were a part of them. The prior generation maybe? She came over to listen, though happy to see Grammy got affection, so clearly they were good people. She wasn't terribly fond of seeing more slaves brought in, but she wasn't in charge. They wanted, they could have. She was happy with Tenor and Yaya in that corner. But then they were also mocking one of their own kind, and if Zarbyoshi hadn't spoken up, Ophij'tali would have. She wasn't in that little group, but she still felt they were friends. He might not have thought that way, but J'Tali was just like that. "No insult we Zards," For a split second her speech patterns before her evolution returned.

Stuff done:

Such an eventful day.... just as CzardHatta saw his merry band on the horizon, a bunch of new strangers just barged in. The way Grammy spoke to them. Kin? Upon closer inspection he noticed the multitude of different colored Zards, even a few Bullywogs, and a Salamander? Impressive. Such a varied group, it seems like old heroes. They even brought more Dwarves. He had been informed of the sex pits the burrow held below. He wasn’t to interested in things that had hair. Call him a purist. For now. They treated Grammy well so Hatta’s interest waned on the oldkin and his focus went back to his band. It seemed they had lost a member that day. This was the moment. He had made a hatchling now. He couldn’t afford to sulk. Salafang had come up to comment on the matter. CzardHatta was barely containing himself. He was trying to be strong. But at the mention that the Bear had more then likely been killed. He was honestly rather angry. He grabbed onto the carcass of the doe and slung it over his shoulder. ”The West Woods is a cursed place I’ll say.“ A bit of bitterness lied on his tongue as he turned the other way. ”Go and Dig a hole for ZardMoe. Bury him so nothing tries to eat him.” It came out as a command but his heart was still in turmoil. The duo with the fruit rushed ahead to drop off the food to the Human their leader had captured. The third carrying ZardMoe went to find Moe’s favorite spot. Soon to be joined by the other two the trio could only do what was asked of them and began digging up a hole for their fallen friend.

Not paying to much attention to the older generation, he lugged the doe to the little kitchen area the Cook Elmira had set up. She was just dealing with the fruits some of Zards had brought in, trying to figure out what to do with them. Seeing Hatta wasn’t alarming anymore, neither was seeing them butcher the meat in front of her. It was better then her attempting to do it. CzardHatta began carving the Doe to pieces, giving her the meat and intending on using the remainder for some form of armor. He noticed how nice some of the other leaders looked and thought having something to protect him would be wise.

ZwardFae had been watching over Zardiel when the old generation came wandering by. They didn’t seem to intrusive or disruptive so she just minded her business. She decided to attempt to mentor her hatchling though, she couldn’t let him be defenseless out there. She would practice with him to use their battle cries in tandem. Afterall it was finally nice to have someone to practice singing with.

Spoiler:

When the more promising members of the generation showed themselves Salafang would smirk especially when one of them decided to speak up on Tortsnow's behalf. "Ah don't get your loincloth in a twist it was just a joke, you see when we hatched she was so clumsy and got lost in the burrow often enough that a good majority of us learned the track skill just by finding her trapped in a room. she said with a chuckle shaking her head. "Anyways nice to meet you Zarbyoshi, I'm Salafang. that's RaptRidley, we're the two oldest of the bunch. So Grammy likes to throw a tournament every now and then so who came in the top three, were you one of them? You see back in our tournament Ridley and I came in second and third while the one who came in first got really full of himself and decided he'd try to do things on his own. Suffice to say he ran into a hero party and got murdered, the shit head, anyways the point I'm trying to make is I'm actually really glad Tortsnow is alive the more of us there are the better chances we have in the Great Forest. she said while the others had already started unloading things the first thing they unloaded were the two food carts, while they pushed the two carts containing gear into a deeper portion of the burrow.

You're rambling, anyways we brought food to share with you hatchlings and information on where the Dwarves live, so we can conduct more raids. RaptRidley said cutting off Salafang before she could go on a spiel while others of the older generation would take their captives to the breeding pens. "We don't really have many rules other than five things. No killing other Zards unless they tried to kill you first or are traitors, no letting the captives free, or putting them out of their misery, eventually after their minds break they die anyways no need to do it prematurely when they could push out more eggs. Strongest Zards get to breed with the captives the most, it's just better that way stronger hatchlings and all. Fourth loot distribution goes from strongest to weakest, simply because weak zards die more often than strong ones. Finally, if you get caught by a Hero under no circumstances are you to lead them to our base, it'll not only potentially kill us all but if we do survive you better hope your dead because everyone in the den that's skill alive will take a bite out of you over the course of days and use a heat stone to cauterize the wound so that when you eventually die weeks later after numerous cycles of the injures scabbing over and are bit open again it'll be the most agonizing experience of your life. But yeah other than that we're cool if your cool." RaptRidley said with a wave and walking off towards the breeding area. The others would essentially split off while Newtrex would stare at Salafang intensely causing her to tilt her head in his direction in curiosity.

As for Ophij'tali it was really unfortunate but when her minions went out for a hunt they ran into a group of Glint Mice and unfortunately they lost the fight with both of them about to perish if not for the group of white lizardkin having saved them. As it were they were rather injured and would be forced to sleep off their wounds.

Yoshi:

J'tali:

Hatta:

OOC: Sorry for the long post. Figure the more I get done in one go, the less people have to mod.

Yoshi felt the tension in his shoulders relax a bit as the Salamander explained her teasing. He still didn't care for it but, well, it wasn't like Salafang was lying. He nodded in greeting to both Salafang and Raptripley as they were introduced. Er yes, the top three this tournament were Newtrex, He nodded over his shoulder at the Firenewt staring daggers at the older generation, Czardhatta, Yoshi looked around, unsure of where the Zard was at the moment, but knew he was somewhere in the burrow, And me. He finished, purposefully leaving out who placed where. These creatures seemed friendly enough, but there was no reason to give them exact information on who was currently considered the strongest of the group. Besides, if they really wanted to know, it would come out in conversation with some of the younger Zards.

Yoshi listened closely to Raptrdiley's rules and, frowning, realized that he actually agreed with just about everything mentioned. Those are rules we already live by for the most part. There isn't a lot of structure here, but for the most part an understanding that we are all Zards. We work together in the end, even if there are disagreements. Yoshi gestured to the burrow, Please, make yourselves at home considering well...ah, this is your home. Some of your old nests, if you had them, may have been taken over, but there's more than enough room to make new ones. If it matters to you to have your old nest, I'm sure an agreement can be reached with the younglings. I believe they liked the warmth of an already made nest. Food is a bit low, so your spoils are quite welcome. Some of the stronger Zards are going out hunting tomorrow to collect supplies though. I'll leave you to it then, I'm sure you all would like to rest and catch up with Grammy.

OOC: This next part happens if not interrupted by something else happening with the Older Generation/others.

Yoshi would turn and leave before making eye contact with Rex. He'd shake his head slowly, trying to warn the other lizard away from doing anything stupid with the older generation. Yoshi still didn't fully trust them, but for now they had given him no reason to start an all out war. Whether Rex listened, and Yoshi anticipated he wouldn't, was up to him. The Zard was strong, but not strong enough to take on 15 opponents at once. Yoshi would return to his nest to feast with Tortsnow, Ursa and Bion, as well as feed some fresh berries to his son. The other zards who followed him would feast upon the berries and other edible plants they had foraged for. Snow, tomorrow I want you to start taking more of a role supervising the underlings. Bion, Ursa and I will be hunting for most of the day and possibly into the night tomorrow. The young ones will need guidance and supervision. Perhaps we can start even making something to grow food. We here prefer meat, but the others can at least fill themselves on berries and plants until they are able to truly hunt on their own and bring back more satisfying kills. Snow would nod, accepting her new role. With that, Bion would retreat to his nest while Snow and Koop tucked into Yoshi's.

Yoshi would groom Ursa, rubbing the big bear's full belly as the Hind Bear let out a massive yawn that startled some of the younger Zards nearby. Tomorrow we hunt boy, it's been some time and I know you're itching to get out there. I am too. The bear regarded him thoughtfully before offering what Yoshi took to be a strange, toothy smile. He settled down comfortably and quickly began to snooze. Meanwhile, with the rest of his people asleep, Yoshi took some time to regard his collection of items. Snow had spent time training Koop in Basic Blocking, so one of the Tanuki Shields would go to him. The other two could be divided up amongst the minions who more frequently saw combat. He'd let them decide amongst themselves, it was important for leaders to develop naturally within a group.

As for the strange stones he had collected, Yoshi looked down at the small collection he had accumulated. Two Lesser heat stones from the Zard mages his minions had killed, three lesser water stones from Grammy for him, Snow and Koop, and the larger, Standard heat stone from winning the tournament. He turned the larger stone over in his scaled hand, remembering what Grammy had said about the stones and powers they granted. Power, he needed more of it. For now he had a loose majority hold over the burrow. Rex hated him, but the others such as J'tali and Hatta seemed to at least be friendly with him. Though trust was a far cry from polite niceties. Now, with this older generation showing up...he needed to be certain that he could hold his own should anything go wrong. He placed the standard heat stone in his mouth and swallowed. It went down...well it went down like a rock. His body quaked and, for some reason, Yoshi took this to mean it wanted more. He selected his and Snow's water stones, they could rehydrate from the blood of their meat and were strong enough to hunt alone. Koop would need his for some time. Two more stones down the hatch. His body began to shake violently as a tremendous force felt as though it was trying to escape him. Yoshi let out a low groan before collapsing into Ursa and drifting off into a nightmarish sleep.

Wtf Yoshi Just Did:

Mod Post:

CzardHatta was pleased with the results of his carve. Pulling all the armor on to himself. Enjoying the skull especially as a helmet. He didn’t know why but this helm was especially nice to him. Like wrongs had been right. Hatta was happy. His minions had come to him telling him that they had dug a perfect hole for their fallen. Hatta was happy to hear that and ordered them to continue trying to dig. He wanted them all to know how to dig.

Hatta had a talk to Elmira since she wasn’t comfortable with Dwarven slaves. Hatta explained to her the bigotry Dwarves had against them. They killed Zards on sight and they couldn’t allow that. He told her that she was safe. She wasn’t a dwarf afterall. He wouldn’t allow her to get hurt. She made such tasty food afterall. If she was going to take Lizardkin protection, their was just some things she had to overlook. CzardHatta left her with the meats and the fruits and the like and would feel rather uncomfortable. He would use the next few hours to shed before resting. He hadn’t willingly shed since he was just a basic Zard. Took awhile but getting rid of all those old scales since the tournament was nice. He felt like a new Zard. It was getting dark so he decided to just sleep. It had been a long day.

His Zard Minions would attempt to teach their final comrade how to dig. It was a simple enough process. Even if the one Zard couldn’t get it. The 2 would dig up the soil to see what they could fine. Afterall. Digging holes had to have it uses.

ZwardFae would continue to teach her new child how to harness its voice. She knew she needed to leave him in the best shape to not end up like the Zards who had passed. She couldn’t handle it. She would rampage if her child ever fell. So instead of letting that happen she’d continue tutoring him. After was all said and done they would go to rest near the Zard who was apparently their leader.  

Spoiler:

OOC: Day 16 for Yoshi and Friends

Blessing of....God of....Frost? Yoshi murmured as he awoke the next morning. Ursa shifted beneath him, trying to get comfortable and refusing to let the day begin. Yoshi groaned and wiped his face with a scaled hand, giving in to his body's natural alarm clock. Mrggh. He croaked, then paused as he found strange, bright blue markings on his now slate grey skin. He sat straight up now, fully awake and feeling about his body. He was noticeably larger than before, though still smaller than Bearursa. Around his neck he felt a strange flap of skin, pulling at it proved to result in a pinching sensation so he stopped...after at least two more pulls to be sure. I guess...I guess I ranked up? He said, still dazed, to which someone said, So it seems. You appear to be a Gillkin of some sort. Came Snow's soft, Tortle voice.

A Gillkin...hmm..okay. He said, sitting and cupping his large snout in thought while his tail flicked idly by his head, WHOA That's new! I have a tail. He stood up and seized it, finding a strange, sharp barb on the end. Okay, okay, we are definitely going hunting. Ursa, up boy. Bion, gather your things! He yelled to his hunting partner as the massive pound of fur beside him rolled over to ignore him. Come on you lazy oaf, up! Breakfast time. The commotion Yoshi was creating caused his Minions to wander over, waiting new orders from their leader. Okay, right, you all need something to do. Bion and I will be hunting today, so you all will stay near the burrow and take a day's rest from hunting. Tor, Tri and Cera, you three will be in charge of creating Carving Racks today. I want them done when I return so we can get some good equipment from the creatures. The three Zards saluted and moved off to do as they had been instructed. Snow I want you to start making room for a garden. We have so many hatchlings being born that it would make life easier if the younger Zards moved to a plant based diet instead of relying on hunts every day. Koop, you will train your White Lizard Breath while under watchful eye of your mother. You three, He said pointing at Rap, Pter and Odac, Are to figure out how to make fire. Use sticks, brush, whatever else. With that Cook human, she'll need somewhere to work and I want to see what she can do with monster meat if Czardhatta will let me borrow her.

Yoshi turned to the remaining four, Finally, Tyl, Apa, Tos, Steg. I want you four to start inspecting rocks in and around the burrow. Collect them, learn about them, study them.
Erm, study...rocks, sir?
Aye, report back anything you find interesting when I get back.
The four smaller Zards looked at one another, scratched their scales and shrugged, wandering off to do as they were told.
Ursa, Bion, on me. We hunt to the North today. Yoshi said with a toothy smile as he and his crew headed out. They'd be easy enough to follow if anyone was interested in joining them. He was never one to say no to a hunting companion. He was just excited to get back out into the forest. It had been far, far too long.

[Yoshi, Bion, Ursa Exit Burrow]

Calcs and What Not:

J'Tali would leave the older generation to themselves, the Ophidian wasn't too bothered and soon enough her friends were returned to her looking worse for wear. Perhaps not the best run, but what more could really be done. She watched Yaya go to her own little nest, and followed Tenor to their shared nook to curl in together with what little left overs they had between them left. Nothing too much but it would still get them through. She figured there would be other hunting parties tomorrow, plenty of wonderful people to join with. She was getting far more dextrous with her tail now too, so surely it would be much easier to perform her choke holds on people. She couldn't stop a little laugh at that. She might have grown a lot physically since her youth, but honestly, she knew she was one of the most underdeveloped.

[End day 15]

As the next morning rolled around, she gathered her armour and her companions. She was about to head out and check if anything was going on a big hunt, only to catch the tail end of her kin that went by Yoshi, she forgot what they were now though. Hurrying her two friends along, the trio dashed out to catch up and tag along.

[exit]

The day as new and CzardHatta woke feeling a bit better. He looked over his young and his lover, both being already up and at it, he brushed his snout before rising. Walking over to his small brood he felt itching to hunt this fine day. Show his young why others followed him. "Fae we're going to hunt today. I need to speak with ZarbYoshi. First though." He Handed his child the Femur he had carved yesterday. Zardiel. Continue Practicing that Voice of yours. I shall be back with food. Take this as a gift for when I take you on your first hunt. The tiny zard cocked it's head to the side before processing the direction. The Zardling nodded and went off to go deeper into the burrow. Looking for the spot his mama help him practice the other day. ZwardFae calling out to her child, "Show no fear my child, if any complain whack them!" It was mainly a jest but hey, dominance meant alot around here. "Lead the way CzardHatta." She was to itching to hunt and knew he needed back up.

CzardHatta headed toward the... What? Was that Yoshi? He was far larger now... Guess his older kin was a bit more impressive specimen then he was. He let out a sigh as he overheard much of the delegation he gave to his new teams of Zards. He took note and thought about what he said, how could he too make things better for the new Zard Clutch. "You have my permission as long as no one hurts her. Her food is to tasty to get soiled forever... He cut Yoshi off at the end before he left and crossed his arms. The two of them always had at least a modicum of respect for each other. Or at the least weren't at odds. "Many good ideas Yoshi. I wish i had thought of some of them... But with good ideas i can only offer my support. Elm-ira I think thats how she says it. Can use an actual cooking space as she says. Preferably away from the butchering... If you want to aid in that then I shall lend you Ein, Min, and Mai. They know how to dig, I imagine that would be good for your garden right?! He looked around and nodded his head, knowing this was all the two needed. They both wanted to grow strong. Why not help each other. "Ah yes! I came to tell you that I'll accompany that Hunt I heard you say to the North! Go on ahead though! I must tend to my friends."

Hatta knew that was a bit one sided but what was their to disagree with. Hatta just wanted to talk to his allies before they left. Then his little minions found him and all looked rather pleased. "Boss we found cool rocks!!" This was perfect. You shall be helping TortSnow dig up her garden. Give those stones to the Zards that are looking for unique rocks. Good luck to all of you. I shall be hunting today. Please keep an eye on Zardiel." With that CzardHatta stopped by the Human woman and told her that some of the other Zard were going to help her with her kitchen. Getting friendly with the other denizens of the burrow seemed to be the better option, she was getting better at least understanding the intent of the Zards. CzardHatta then went of with ZwardFae to go accompany Yoshi who already had a decent head start.

[Exit]

Spoiler:

[enter]

Yoshi dragged the Wartboar carcass behind him, speaking with the Gillkin on their trip back to the burrow. It was odd, that they had never heard of his place. Yoshi wasn't aware that there were other Zards scattered about the forest. If the Gillkin hatched in this other place, did that mean they hatched as Gillkin and not Zards? Yoshi assumed everyone started as a Zard. Stirring him from his thoughts, Yoshi noticed a strange patch of land cleared in front of the Burrow entrance, his mate Snow diligently supervising and working alongside several of Czardhatta's minions. He waved to Snow, not wanting to interrupt her work, who in turn smiled at her beloved, especially upon seeing the boars they brought with them.

Entering the Burrow, Yoshi dragged his corpse and the on Ursa carried over to their nest, depositing them to be carved later. It seemed his people were still had at work with their tasks for the day so no one really bothered him. Turning to the Gillkin he said, This is our burrow and our home. It's the home of many different Zards and creatures. While you're here, you're my guest and of course will be given whatever food and rest you need, you won't be bother, and you'll be under my protection. He looked to each of them as he spoke, But, to be clear. If you harm any of my kin, you will answer to me. Whatever issues exist between our people will be discussed over a meal of these boars. I'm sure you can understand, there is much to...understand now that we know of each other.

With that, if the Gillkin didn't need anything of him, he would turn and begin carving one of the Warboars, Bion settling in near him to carve the other. They'd spend four hours on the beasts, taking their time to make sure all went as well as could be. With the thick hides and sturdy bones, each would try to make armor more than anything else, though if something appeared to be a reliable weapon, they wouldn't say no. Ursa would settle down near Yoshi, keep a lazy eye on the Gillkin while gnawing on an old bone.

Spoiler:

CzardHatta followed right behind Yoshi and the Gillkin, hauling the Wartboar with the aid of ZwardFae. "Until next time Gillbirdo, Gillette... Gillshine. Don't be strangers." He yelled a farewell to them as he was still rather intrigued with their new guests but he had things to do. He started to think of the next day. He needed to talk to one of the older Zards soon. He needed to organize a new hunting party. Fae was his faithful companion but just the two of them seemed to be outmatched by the ever growing fauna of the forests around them. This Boar just proved that the two of them definitely needed to get stronger.  

Dragging the Wartboar to the small kitchen space, he would greet Emilia. "Greetings Emilia. Found new kind of Boar for you to cook." She looked over to the large beast. Her week in the Burrow showed her that the monsters were far more kinder then rumored, seeing as most of them just brought food for her to cook. Her pursuers were nowhere to be seen and it seemed her new zard friends would protect her if the need be. She could cook in peace so she wasn't to upset, compared to the danger that lurked in the human settlements for her. She nodded and just started prepping for the meat she was about to receive.

Hatta began to carve the boar, aiming to get mainly armor from the beast. As he began his new minions popped back over to him as they spent their day trying to aid Tortsnow in her little garden. They clamored amongst themselves, celebrating the victory of their leader's kill. He let out a celebratory jeer. Thinking back to the hunting party, none of these Zards seem up to the challenge just yet. "Zards! Go forage up some food for the meal tonight! More the better! We'll eat well tonight!" Hatta exclaimed and the Zards ran off. Zardiel then to noticed his parents coming home. The excitable child jumped around and looked at the large boar. "Iel. Go help light the burrow! Poppa is setting up a treat for later!" Zardiel then just excitedly ran off to go bang sticks together.

ZwardFae walked off, "Don't wait for me. I'll eat in time." She wasn't much for words, Hatta knew that, Er... Alright Fae." Hatta was concerned but he knew to give her space. She had to reflect on the time that had past and with how she wasn't strong like the other Zards. She was getting self conscious so would just do what she would always do. Sulk. She decided to train for a bit as she just wanted to forget the day, Sneaking through the edge of the Burrow looking for a certain area. She had heard of the Dwarf pits and just wanted to indulge in her more primal side, she didn't want anyone seeing her just waltzing in. So why not practice a bit. She entered the pits and just let her instincts take over as she took one of the meat dolls that had been broken in. She didn't need any lip. Fae would remain in there far into the night, only sneaking out when she was sure most would be asleep.

[Sleep and end of Day 15 +4 to Hatta and Fae, +5 to Iel and my Minions if nothing interrupts the rest.]

Spoiler:

"We understand perfectly honored kin." Gillette said speaking for the others as they were too entranced yet disgusted by the sight of so many Lizardfolk. All three were visibly uncomfortable by their surroundings but would stick close to Gwyvyoshi as if he were their lifeline seeing as he was the most impressive Gillkin they had seen in this place so surely he must be the leader of the Lizardfolk. Some of the Lizardfolk would look a them with confusion before seeing that they were with Ursa, Yoshi and the rest so they figured it was okay for them to mingle in the burrow.

On the other hand, when they entered the older generation would initially wave at them however when they spotted the Gillkin they immediately got tense with them seemingly preparing to reach for weapons and the like until Salafang cleared her throat. She would let things go for the time being and waited until the younger lizardfolk were done carving their recent kills before she would approach who she figured was the leader of the bunch namely Gwyvyoshi. She would wait until the Gillkin were focused on something else more specifically the Human woman who was cooking for Czardhatta. "Hello again, Yoshi was it we have a slight problem. Those Gillkin you brought back with you, they can't stay here. If I'm not mistaken they are apart of a splinter group from our parents generation, long story short a bunch of them ranked up before the rest into Gillkin and felt they were superior to everyone else. So they essentially forced the non-evolved Lizardkin into slavery until a sort of civil war broke out, they were forced to retreat and thus took over the river hideout that Zardgrammy's generation had managed to construct where they've been staying ever since. We've tried to take it back but they are quite strong, they only let those born as Gillkin live so even their weakest members are Tier II and the current leader of the group is a Tier III by the name KuowyvUgi nasty bugger likes to eat Lizardkin he captures alive." she would whisper to him rather quickly so that he could get up to speed.

While she did this RaptRidley had been organizing the loot that they had collected into piles and was sorting them from least to best. He had made five piles, the first for weapons, the second for tools, the third for armor, the fourth for ore and the last for captives. The last pile he pretty much just organized into combat capable and non-combat capable with priority going more towards the ones who weren't capable of combat due to their usefulness. He was also making sure none of the Gillkin got too close to the loot pile or their food supply, as far as he was concerned if they wanted to eat they could eat what the younger generation brought, the food they had brought were for Lizardfolk only.

Loot:

It would seem that Czardhatta wasn't as fortunate as Gwyvyoshi and Bullybion in carving his Wartboar as what they were able to harvest from it was superior to what he was able to obtain. Still at least he had meat and that meant unlike the other faction his cook was able to prepare better tasting food than simply eating it raw. While they were gone she had been afraid of talking to the dwarves who had been captured after all she was a runaway human and she had been there before them so they might think she had been why they were caught in the first place even though she had no idea who they were. Finally in Zargeggy's faction it seemed that Newtrex was asleep with bruises and the like all over his body, apparently he had attempted to fight the older generation was humbled, now in addition to Yoshi being known through the burrow as his better, it seemed Fang had also made her might known.

Hatta:

Yoshi: