Anna threw a small rock at the fat lizard sitting on a large rock sunning itself and hit it square in the head, killing it instantly. She trotted over and picked it up by the tail, adding it to the collection of dead lizards she held by the tail in her other hand.
“That should be enough!” she said.
She walked over to a large boulder and set the dead lizards down before pulling the satchel from her shoulder, taking the stone knife from inside, and setting the satchel on the ground next to her feet. She flipped one of the lizards over and slit its belly open before pealing the skin from its body, slicing here and there, so it came off in one large piece before laying it aside and going back to the lizard. She gutted and butchered it quickly, laying the meat out in thin strips on the large flat surface of the boulder. It was still early morning, so the huge stone hadn’t heated up enough to cook the meat.
Alright, that’s done. Now I just need to get the rest of these little fuckers broke down.
She quickly skinned, gutted, and butchered the rest of the lizards, laying the meat out in thin strips before she moved on to the hides. She used a sharp stone to scrap any remaining flesh from them before laying them flat on the boulder next to the drying meat.
Once she finished, she was left with a pile of bones, a pile of guts, and all the fat. She set the fat and bones off to the side and picked up the guts, taking them a few yards away and dropping them on the ground.
She picked up a large rock and went back to the boulder where she began to scrape the center of the rock out using her fingernails, creating a makeshift bowl. Once the bowl was finished, she used the knife to cut up the fat, removing any connective tissue and blood vessels from it before placing it in the bowl.
Now I just have to wait for the sun to soften it. Then I can work it into the hides.
She transformed the bones into various tools while she waited for the sun to rise in the sky.
As she worked, she used one of the longer leg bones to stir the fat around in the bowl and flipped the meat a few times. She finished making the tools she needed, and around noon, she started to scoop handfuls of the fat out of the bowl and onto the hides where she rubbed it into them, making sure to work it in to soften the dried skins. She held up one of the finished skins and looked it over for a moment, making sure she’d gotten the fat rubbed into every part of it.
Well, it’s not really tanned, but it should be fine as long as it doesn’t get wet.
She looked around at the vast arid space she was standing in.
I really don’t think that’s going to be a problem though.
She cut up the hide and then using some of the sinew and a needle she’d made from one of the bones, she patched the damage the water from the turquoise lake had done to her satchel.
Once she repaired it, she set it aside and began to cut up the rest of the hides, making a belt along with a few pouches for herself from the colorful skins. She took one of the skulls and carved it into a buckle, attaching it to her new colorful belt. She slid the pouches she’d just made onto it before wrapping it around her waist and fastening it.
There we go. Now I don’t have to keep everything in the shoulder pack.
She waited a few more hours for the meat to finish drying before stuffing it into her satchel. She walked back to the road and started off.
After a few hours late in the afternoon, she heard the soft steady breathing of a large animal just off the side of the road. She paused and turned to see what was there. She scanned the side of the road and didn’t see anything out of place, so she froze in place and stopped breathing, watching to see if anything moved.
There, that’s an eye! Shit, that’s a big eye! I’d better get out of here! Wait, no, maybe I should kill it! I could totally make clothes out of something that sizes skin, and if I’m going to a town, I’ll need clothes. Or do I? I mean, the snake men and the red people were all naked except for belts, and it’s so hot, I don’t think there’ll be any humans or elves, so I don’t really need to kill something just to make clothes.
Suddenly the animal stood up. It was huge and round-looking, like a ball with two legs and a mouth. The beast was roughly the size of a horse, though she wouldn’t be surprised if it weighed as much as a bull. It had two thick legs and six big red eyes. It didn’t have a nose and seemed to be breathing through its huge maw of mouth. The beast opened its mouth wide and took a few deep breaths, spinning around on its stumpy legs a few times before finally facing her directly.
What is that fat thing doing?
Several long thin tongues stuck out of its mouth and waved around in the air for a moment. They wiggled around before each one started to point at her. After a moment, the beast surged at her, moving far faster than she’d expected it to. Though it wasn’t fast enough. Catching her off guard was one thing, but when she was paying attention, she could react faster than any other being she’d ever encountered.
She leaped away just before its long tongue touched her. She landed a good distance away, but the creature immediately turned in her direction and started to run at her. She picked up a rock and threw it at the monster, hitting it right between the eyes. The force of the blow knocked it off its feet, and it started to screech, its tongues waving around in the air. She picked up another rock and threw it, bouncing it off the creature’s thick hide. It screeched louder, so she picked up more rocks and kept pelting it until it got up and ran away.
“That thing was as stubborn as a drunk dwarf!” she said, watching it head off into the rough, rocky terrain that surrounded the road.
Once she was sure it was well enough away, she started walking again, picking up a few fist-sized rocks just in case it came back.
I guess this place has more than just annoying lizards and bugs in it.
A few days later, she came to a crossroads and looked back and forth down the long paths that snaked off into the distance.
This isn’t on the map.
Not seeing anything interesting in either direction, she decided to stay on the main road and kept walking.
Later that day, she sat on a large boulder and took out a few pieces of dried lizard. She took a bite and chewed the tender oily meat for a moment before laying back on the rock and looking up at the sky. It was clear without a cloud to be seen. It was well past noon, and the sun was far into the western sky.
For being so damned mean, those lizards taste pretty good. Makes me not mind killing the little fuckers so much.
She popped another piece in her mouth, enjoying the odd slightly sweet tangy taste. She turned to look down the road not expecting to see anything. Far off in the distance, something moved, so she stared for a bit, assuming it was just the hot air shimmering above the barren landscape. She sat up when she noticed that the movement was getting closer.
She watched intently as a line of enormous beetle-like beasts came into view. Atop the beetles were creatures that reminded her of shrimp, though they were as large as humans. When the strange procession neared her, the shrimp person driving the lead beetle held up one of its many arms and pulled its beetle to a stop.
Oh, wow! It’s a caravan!
The shrimp man made a sharp snap sound with its claws and then gestured for her to come over. She hopped off the boulder and walked to the front of the massive beetle.
This thing’s bigger than my wagon!
The shrimp person shifted both its eye stalks towards her and then began to gesture with two of its arms.
“Uh, hi,” she said.
The shrimp person paused for a moment before gesturing for her to come closer and then patting the seat next to it. She looked at the strange person for a few moments before nodding and climbing up next to it in the driver’s seat. It held up its claw and snapped twice before moving its arm forward. Other arms on its body held long reins that went down to a bridle on the beetle’s mouth. The shrimp person flicked the reins, and the beetle lumbered into motion. It set off at a steady pace, heading down the road in the direction she had been traveling.
I guess they’re going to that town. I wonder if they’re heading to the city too? I hope I can learn to talk to them. No, I’d better not even think that. Every time I’ve thought that in the last few months, I got chased away. I’ll just be quiet and enjoy having someone else around who’s not kicking me or keeping me in a cage.
The shrimp person didn’t seem to mind the quiet, and they rode that way for the rest of the day. When the sun began to set, the shrimp person pulled the reins of the beetle and guided it off the road, heading a few yards away.
They climbed off the beetle, and the shrimp man took off its bridle and made a loud snap with its claw. The beetle lowered its head and started to push against the ground. It shoved rocks out of the way and tore into the hard soil before lifting its head up, walking a few feet away, and doing the same thing. The shrimp person she’d been riding with followed along, standing next to the beast’s side as it dug around in the dirt. She walked alongside the shrimp person, watching the beetle go.
After a few times, it began to dig at the dirt violently, moving huge amounts of it out of the way with its huge head before opening its mouthparts and biting down on something. The beetle pulled its head from the dirt, yanking a massive root-like object with it. The root thing was as big around as her waist and at least several yards long.
Wait, what?! How did I not notice those before?! I mean, I know they’re underground, but still!
The beetle began to walk backward, tearing the huge root thing from the ground. The sound reminded her of when she’d watched a team of horses pull a stump from the ground to make room for a new field in a far-off village she’d taken a contract in years before.
The root thing gave way with a mighty crack, and the beetle pulled it to where the other beetles were waiting. The shrimp people had removed the bridles along with a few tents from their mounts and were setting them up while the beetles began to feed on the root thing.
She wasn’t sure what she should do, so she just watched as the shrimp people set up their camp for the night, and the beetles munched away. The shrimp person she’d been riding with walked next to her and stood beside her, watching the beetles, so she didn’t feel too out of place.
Once the camp was set up and the beetles had finished eating, the shrimp person standing next to her tapped her shoulder and pointed at the camp. It started to walk away, so she followed it. The other shrimp people pulled a huge jar from the back of one of the beetles and set it near the center of camp. It pulled the cover from the jar, and she was hit with a smell that could move mountains.
OH, FUCK!!! WHAT IS THAT?!?!?!
It was like someone had left fish out to rot in the hot sun and mixed rotten vegetation in just because. The shrimp people crowded around the jar and began to stick their claws inside, pulling out a brown slimy goop which they happily gulped down with their mouthparts.
Wait, that’s food? Who would want to… you know what? I don’t care what they eat as long as they don’t try to eat me!
She walked a distance away from the jar, hoping to get away from the smell before sitting on a large boulder and taking out her own food, nibbling away on it while she watched the shrimp people feast on their foul concoction.
The shrimp people ate quickly and put the lid back on the jar before returning it to the back of one of the beetles. The shrimp person who she’d ridden with looked around, and when his eye stalks settled on her, he gestured for her to come over. She slid off the boulder and walked back to the camp. The smell still lingered some, but it was tolerable now.
A few of the shrimp people took long spear packs from the beetles and started to walk around the outside of the camp, and the rest of them went into the various tents. She followed the shrimp person she’d been riding with into one of the tents where he gestured for her to lay down.
Well, I really didn’t see myself traveling with shrimp who ride on the back of giant beetles, but I can’t say it’s the strangest thing I’ve ever done.
