The Wide, Wide World (Zardiggy's Quest)

Iggy stepped out of the burrow and gained his first look at the world around him. Armed with only the water stone Zardgrammy had given him, he stared around at the tall trees of the forest. The sunlight was fractured through the trees, casting odd, elongated shadows on the ground. Dewdrops littered the grass in front of him, remnants of the previous night. Behind him was warmth and safety, in front of him the unknown and possible danger at every turn. He looked around him, watching the other Zards disappear into the forest in various directions, their paths marked by matted down wet grass where they stepped. Peering to his right, there seemed to be a make-shift path where the other Zards hadn't gone yet. He wanted to forge his own path, not follow in the footsteps of others. So, with a deep breath he stepped forward, breaking through the light underbrush and heading deeper into the forest, deeper into the unknown.

It was kind of sad when what one expected the outside to look like was contrary to their beliefs in fact often times it caused individuals to hallucinate scenery at least until reality decided to smack them out of their delusions with the cold hard truth. Thus Zardiggy would snap out of his daydream to see what really lay in front of him the wasteland devoid of green instead being filled with bare trees, muck and swamp water in the distance. A truly desolate place but one that they called home, it was unfortunate but Lizardfolk had it tough but maybe that was why they were such a hardy bunch. He could still see the tracks of his brethren and while they had head in their beaten down paths he decided to go off on his own and continue onward heading further East. As he did so he would begin to travel further through the wasteland though he could see that it was becoming less swampy the further he went and now a couple of shrubs and bushes could be seen in the distance.

OOC: Super forgot Lizardfolk start out in a weird environment. Just assumed forest when I saw it took place in a forest. Good twist there.

Indeed it seemed the young Lizardfolk had been hallucinating just a bit. Some called it daydreaming or idealizing, while others called it the beginning and a tell-tale sign of insanity. Who knows, perhaps it was a mix of both, only time and age would tell how it progressed. Regardless, snapping into reality, the smell would be the first thing that made him realize the world he thought he was living in was completely unlike what he thought. The stink of the rot and swamplands was fierce and filled his nostrils. His eyesight adjusted to the scenery and he took it in, all of its decaying splendor. He growled at the sight, displeased but there was nothing he could do about it. Ahead were a few bushes, big enough to contain his size if he hunkered down. He figured it would be the best spot to start and survey the area. The brush would provide cover from any unwanted attention or enemies, while giving him a decent vantage point to scout the surrounding area he had wandered into. Breaking into something between a trot and a light jog, Iggy instinctively headed in the direction of the bushes.

Initially his trip would be somewhat uneventful however upon getting to the Bush he would actually begin to hear something in the distance, what seemed like the slapping of flesh on flesh, perhaps it was a fight of some sort in the distance where there were even more bushes. Of course he could just ignore the sounds but in addition to the smell of the swamp coming from that same place was something of a sweet yet sour scent which for some reason attracted him towards it. Would the young Lizardfolk decide to check it out due to the various things drawing him to whatever it was or would he resist his natural curiosity and perhaps even his instincts and choose to avoid whatever it was like the plague. Either way, what did he have to lose besides his life or a chance to feed his belly. After all unlike his siblings he had chosen to not eat his own shell saving it with Zard Grammy for some reason, and thus rather than stating his hunger a briefly as he could he was instead experiencing it in full force.

As he made his way to the bushes, Iggy felt and heard an audible noise come from his stomach. He placed his left hand over the rumbling tummy, a surprising amount of discomfort beginning to set in. That was a troubling feeling not only because it caused discomfort, but uncontrollable sounds like that could be dangerous out in the wild, especially when hiding from predators. The noise of flesh beating flesh attracted him, perking up he popped his head up and out of the bushes in the direction he heard the noise. From where he stood he couldn't see what exactly was making the noise. Perhaps two other creatures were fighting and Iggy could use their weakened state to surprise them and get the upperhand. After all it'd probably be the only way he stood a chance against anything out here. He decided to at least investigate, worst came to worst he would turn and leave, returning back to the burrow. Sneaking forward, crouched to maintain a low profile, Iggy crept towards the sound. His hands were up in front of him, claws poised to attack anything that might cause him trouble.

Once he got closer he could see movement and then he would notice one of his kin though clearly older than him and also larger with pure white scales currently fighting a wolf black as night but roughly the same size as the Lizardfolk. The two of them looked as if they had been fighting for a while and both of them were injured but it seemed as if the Lizardfolk was losing though not by much, he would also notice that she was a female and with such a vivid scale pattern she could potentially even be called beautiful in a delicate sense. Kind of like a flower though now some of her scales had been torn out and she was panting slightly from exertion, still it seemed as if she had given as good as she had got and didn't intend on simply dying without a fight. Oddly enough around her neck and hands seemed to be remnants of her shell which seemed to have fused to her scales giving it a glossy pattern.

When he stopped admiring her however he would notice more movement with a smaller version of the Black Wolf that she was fighting coming into his vision as it would seem the Black Wolf had called for back-up and now she was outnumbered. Whether that meant Zardiggy was going to join in the battle and try and turn the tides or would he promptly avoid the battle deciding he would try and get a meal somewhere else. It was fortunate that they were occupied with the other Lizardfolk otherwise his shoddy attempt at sneaking would of probably alerted them to his presence, it seemed that his first attempt at being stealthy wasn't exactly successful but it wasn't bad enough to get him spotted.

Well here it was, his first, true sense of fear. The bushes rustled around Iggy as he stared at the fight before him. Had they not been engaged in mortal combat, the two combatants would have certainly noticed his presence. Thankfully though, they were otherwise occupied. Between the fear in the pit of his stomach and his hunger, Iggy knew he wouldn't last much longer if he didn't do something now. Running away was running back into the unknown, uncertain if he'd find anything to eat. Running in head first he at least knew what he was up against, even if it did seem daunting and terrifying. Out of the corner of his eye he caught movement as another, smaller, perhaps pup wolf-creature, approached the Lizardfolk from behind. It had circled around and was getting ready to spring into action, most likely to weaken Iggy's kin enough for the larger wolf to take her down in one final blow. This cemented his decision, he had to act. After all, what better way to make a name for yourself and prove your worth than to save a fellow kin.

Springing from the bushes, Iggy yelled to his beautiful soon-to-be new friend/lover, Look behind you! before then yelling out his battle cry, IGGGGGYYYYYYY JENKINS!. Iggy would leap forward, attempting to dig his sharpened claws into the larger wolf's right hind leg and debilitate it, even if only momentarily. If he was successful he'd then try to bite down on the leg as well, cementing his grip and damaging the limb even more. His thought process here was that while the larger, more powerful looking Lizard would deal with the smaller, weaker looking pup, perhaps he could distract the larger wolf for a few moments. Then, with the pup at least knocked away for a moment, possibly by that Lizard's thick (mmm thicc) tail, the two Lizardfolk could finish off the larger wolfcreature. It wasn't exactly a "good" plan, but at least he had put some form of thought into it. If he died here, they might call him stupid, but they couldn't NOT call him bold.

Zardsnow had been fighting a desperate battle against a Black Wolf, ever since she had gotten lost while on the hunt with some of her fellow Lizardfolk she hadn't ever been able to find her way back home. Then again her sense of direction was actually quite terrible although she herself didn't know that was what really was ailing her, as such she was woefully unprepared for the sudden attack as in her 25 days of life she had never been in a fight before. Still it would seem her natural instincts had kept her alive so far, and her scales reinforced from her Rank-Up kept her alive long enough for someone to come to her rescue. At the voice she would in fact turn around and spot the Black Pup creeping on her causing her to bare her fangs and lunge at it while her unexpected ally landed his strike on the Black Wolf's hind leg causing it to stumble while letting out a cry of pain.

Numerous things would happen as when Zardiggy tried to clamp his jaws on the wounded leg the Black Wolf would move with surprisingly agility and narrowly avoid the full bite sustaining a minor injury but it was better than being completely pinned down by the Lizardfolk. Meanwhile Zardsnow and the Black Pup would engage in a tussle of sorts as while she managed to bite into it's flesh it would seem it's claws were unable to do anything more than leave tiny scratches in her scales. As such it was ineffective, on the other hand the Black Wolf didn't appreciate being targeted like that and would find itself shook as the effects of Zardiggy's Battle Cry took hold on it. Still thought it was afraid it would still lash out and try to bite down Zardiggy's snout as it was an experienced hunter and knew that it could be a game changer in a fight against an opponent.

Spoiler:

Well for the most part, it had worked and now Iggy was officially engaged in his first fight ever, whether he liked it or not. The wolf would pull free from his claws and attempt its own counter-attack. Iggy didn't have time to see if his fellow Lizardfolk was okay, but judging by the sounds of a whimpering wolf pup, it sounded like things were going favorably for his kin. The Black Wolf would lunge forward, jaws open as if taking a page out of Iggy's book and try to snap down hard on the young lizard's snout. Iggy in turn would attempt to duck under the attack, using his short statue to his advantage and rake his claws along the Black Wolf's throat. Though at this age he probably wouldn't be able to rip open the creature's throat or anything ridiculous like that, it would still probably hurt as the neck on most creatures was soft and tender.

However, Iggy wasn't as experienced a fighter as this Wolf, even if the hairier creature was tired and hurt. There was a good chance Iggy wouldn't be fast enough to dodge. If this were true and the wolf successfully bit down on the Lizard's snout, Iggy would instead attempt to stab the wolf in the eyes with his sharpened claws. At the very least, he may be able to blind the creature or cause some serious pain, even if he took some damage himself.

It would seem Zardiggy did have the right approach, unfortunately Lizardfolk were kind of clumsy perhaps it was because their scales made them heavier and their tails were generally used as a counter weight to allow them to make deliberate but not particularly evasive movements or perhaps they favored blocking attacks instead of dodging them. Regardless the Black Wolf would manage to bite the young Lizardfolk's snout though before it could do anything worse it was suddenly blinded by Zardiggy's counterattack. In it's pain it would fling the Lizardfolk away causing him to fly through the air and land heavily on the ground about 10 feet away while the Black Wolf whimpered in pain from the loss of it's eyes.

Zardsnow likewise was having a much better time now that she was fighting the Black Pup as she repeatedly bit it's neck while slashing at it with her claws the poor thing being unable to do anything more than struggle ineffectively since her scales were much to durable for it to penetrate. Sure enough it would still as her repeated strikes killed it and she would get up turning her attention to the now crippled Black Wolf causing her to look at the other Lizardfolk with slight admiration. He was much younger than her but where she failed to do anything more than stall out her death he seemingly had easily dealt with the Black Wolf despite being wounded himself.

Spoiler:

Iggy groaned as he rolled onto his side, his back felt like it had shattered, though he knew there wasn't any long term damage as he could still freely move all of his limbs and neck. Still, that didn't make it hurt any less. He sat up slowly, his world spinning slightly as he tried to recover from his sudden flight. He brought his hand gingerly to his snout, touching the inflamed and damaged scales. His claws came away with drips of blood, but not enough to be of an immediate concern. Lizardfolk were not made to fly. He groaned but noticed other Lizardfolk he had helped standing over the bloodied corpse of the Black Pup. The two Lizards made eye contact for a moment as Iggy noticed her staring at him. He waved a single hand silently in a wave, slightly confused with what she wanted, but glad to see his plan had at least somewhat worked. To his right the Black Wolf seemed angry and possibly confused. Judging by the blood leaking from its eyes, Iggy's attack had been successful. Still, just because it couldn't see, didn't mean it was any less dangerous. The two Lizards might both be weakened and hurt, but with a damaged leg and no eyes, plus whatever Lizardsnow had done to the creature before Iggy arrived, he liked those odds. Besides, its pelt would make a nice coat for the young Lizard.

Iggy turned his slight wave into a pointed finger, pointing in the direction of the Black Wolf to indicate they should finish it off. Whether Snow agreed or not, Iggy would rise to his feet and get ready to attack. He hoped this ended quickly. The pup would make a nice meal and then, maybe, the two Lizards could make their way home. Iggy needed a very long nap after this little stint. He'd wait for Lizardsnow to indicate whether she was going to attack with him or not. If not he'd wait and watch the wolf's movements for a minute. It was no longer the time to rush in recklessly, he had to be careful here if he wanted to walk out of the swamp again.

"One down...one to go." Zardsnow thought to herself smiling at the younger Lizardfolk as he had caught her eye so to speak. Either way the Black Wolf's snarl would cause her to bare her fangs and proceed to follow the younger Lizardfolk's instructions. She would begin the attack first scooping a rock from the ground and then flinging it at the Black Wolf which would manage to hit it right on it's nose causing it even more pain. This would hopefully give Zardiggy the opening he needed to deal the finishing blow as while she had been the first to engage the Black Wolf he was the one to truly wound it and thus she felt he should be the one to finish it off. After the predator was dealt with then they could exchange names and maybe she would be able to ask if he could lead her home. As for the Black Wolf it would try to shake off the attack and snarl in the direction it felt the impact from but it's nose was now bloody and it could only rely on it's hearing which wasn't all that reliable since it was in agony.

Watching Zardsnow scoop the rock and use it as a weapon gave Iggy an idea. He had been charging into this whole situation head first the whole time and, while it had been successful thus far that didn't mean it was always going to work in every situation. He'd need to develop at least some other form of tactic if he was going to survive even a week out here. Looking down at the ground he found a similar sized rock to the one Zardsnow had used. After all they were relatively bountiful in the wasteland. He scooped it up and through it towards one of the dead trees behind the Black Wolf. The sound would be an echoing, hollow sound as the rock struck dried wood. The idea was to get the Wolf to turn in the direction of the noise. If successful, the Wolf's back would be exposed to Iggy, giving him an opportunity to jump onto the creature. Should this work, Iggy would attempt to use his weight to knock the Wolf down onto its stomach and his powerful jaw to hopefully either pierce its skin and let it bleed out or even give it a violent snap and end the miserable thing's existence. If it didn't work...well...back to the drawing board.

It was a smart trick and the Zardiggy was lucky that even though the rock missed the tree he had aimed it had, it still made enough sound to distract the blind Black Wolf allowing his surprise attack to sort of work. The Black Wolf would manage to hold it's ground from the impact of the smaller Lizardfolk on it's body however before it could throw the thing off of it's body and try and follow up with a kill it would be bitten and that bite would be the last blow dealt in this fight. The Black Wolf had sustained too many injuries and would slump to the ground whimpering in agony as it bled to death, it wouldn't take long before the whimpering would get quieter and then vanish as it died. Once that was done Zardsnow would pick up the carcass of the Black Pup before walking over to where Zardiggy was and dropping it next to him.

"Thanks, you didn't have to help but you did." Zardsnow said before peeling the fur of the Wolf Pup back so that the two of them could dig into it's flesh and satiate their respective hunger. She would eat enough to fill her stomach and leave the rest for him if he didn't immediately tear into the Black Pup himself but either way she would wait until she finished eating before speaking again. "I'm Zardsnow, and your name is?" she wanted to wait until he felt comfortable with her before she could ask if he could lead her home since he had already done a lot for her just by aiding her in battle.

Spoiler:

Iggy watched the other Zard expertly peel back the skin and fur of the pup as he stood over his larger kill. He considered attempting to do the same, but didn't want to damage the carcass anymore than he already had. She had done it so effortlessly and from what Iggy's untrained eye could observe, flawlessly. He wandered over and began devouring the raw flesh alongside her, unable to think beyond feeding himself due to how intense his hunger now was after the fight. Slurping down a lean tendon, Iggy raised his blood spattered snout from the dead pup and looked at his fellow Lizardfolk, Iggy, Zardiggy. He said simply, unsure of how to proceed, Um, it's nice to meet you. He looked her up and down, admiring her form and beautiful white scales for a moment, much unlike his dull yellow and brown ones. He saw the blood smeared on her scales and touched his own snout where the Wolf had bit down. Already the damaged scales were beginning to flake off, new ones forming in their place. However, the skin was still raw and enflamed and it would be some time before his snout was fully healed. He winced as he prodded the new, sensitive scales but said nothing about them.

Eyeing the soft fur flaps Zardsnow had carved off of the body, Iggy turned back to the larger wolf corpse behind him. Their fur looked soft and warm and he didn't want them going to waste. At best they could form some sort of cloak and at worst, a warm blanket to help him sleep through the nights. What you did to that pup, do you think you could peel skin off of the grown one too? It's not as though they're using it anymore, so we might as well. Iggy suggested before turning his attention to the descending sun. He sighed, exhaustion from not only the fight but now a full belly as well, was beginning to set in. After that, we should probably head back to the burrow, eh? Iggy said, waiting for Snow's response.

Zardsnow would watch the younger Lizardfolk gorge himself and realized that he probably hadn't eaten in a while, and thus was slightly happy that his hunger had been a contributing factor in her rescue she was a bit weird like that always believing in cause and effect which is why she had been led to this exact moment. She was a bit confused by his request though as she had merely used the injuries she inflicted to peel back the layer of fur but it wasn't anything special she didn't even manage to do it flawlessly as only the beginning of the peeling was done nicely the rest was kind of shoddy. "Well, I could but I'm just mimicking what one of my egg group used to do, he was really good at harvesting things from the other monsters but I'm not that skilled in it. I could tell you what I did and maybe you might be better at it than me?" she said not wanting to try it so that her incompetence wasn't exposed, but she would demonstrate using the younger pup at least the parts which still had yet to be touched like the tail.

Hopefully by seeing that he could attempt to skin the Black Wolf though she did feel like it would be best for them to return home before trying to skin yet another monster before the scent of blood attracted something else to their current location. "By the way, if it's not a bother could you lead me back to the burrow? I get lost really easily and the first time I set out with my egg group I was separated from them..I've been stuck out here for 20 days...."

Forgot to include this earlier:

Iggy looked towards the sky to find the location of the sun. It was getting later and later as they stood there and they were both injured and tired. No, that's okay. You can show me some other time. Iggy said, holding up a hand to stop Snow before she could skin the Wolf Pup's tail. Of course, I'm heading there myself. Iggy said, responding to Snow's request for an escort back to the Burrow. He scanned the area, trying to orient himself. The fight had caused him to move all around this clearing and for a moment he was confused which direction he had come from exactly. However, spotting the bush he had come charging out of was easy considering all of the broken branches. He approached the bush and then stood above it, scanning the area behind it and recognized the path he had taken. Okay, let's go, I'm pretty sure it's thi- He paused mid-sentence, realizing something Snow had just mentioned. Did...did you say you've been out here for 20 days? Iggy asked, the color around his facial scales becoming pale in startling realization. He himself had only been out here for maybe a couple of hours and nearly died as a result. He couldn't even imagine spending a whole day outside alone, never mind 20 of them. He shook his head in disbelief, a new respect blossoming for this white scaled Lizardfolk. Hmm pretty and tough. Iggy thought to himself but then said, Twenty whole days, I'm sure you have some stories then. Mind sharing some of them on the walk back? It'll help pass the time. He would then begin moving in the direction of the burrow, ready to get home for the night.

[/exit]

Zardsnow would blush her scales thankfully hiding the flush of blood rushing to her face as he finally realized that she had been lost for quite some time. However at his comment she would shake her head trying to protest his insinuation that she was some sort of bad-ass or something, no she had merely gotten lucky and mostly tried to avoid trouble and pretty much hid most of the time. "It wasn't nearly as glamorous as it seemed really, this was the only real fight I've had since being unable to return home." she said quickly so that he didn't get any ideas about her being amazing or something like that she really didn't need that sort of hype. If anything he was the more amazing one honestly he kind of reminded her of her egg groups self proclaimed leader in regards to how he boldly did things without stopping in fear of what could happen.

(Zardsnow exits)

Day 3 Begins when you joins 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 return = Night).