After spending another day just eating the rest of the snake, I noticed that my body had begun to feel uncomfortable, my skin itching terribly.

(Ugh... why am I so itchy?)

[The user is going through her first molting, it is a common practice in many species of reptiles.]

(Ugh... molting... how do I do that?)

[User just needs to break the skin layer around your body then pull it off.]

(Ok...)

Scratching my face I felt the fragile scales tear, and began shaking the loose skin off. When I finally got it all off, I noticed my body had grown, my small home now too small to fit me inside. Walking out of my home, I realized that my home was now just a stump, and the forest's edge was closer than ever.

Seeing a human, or at least I assume human settlement in the distance, I decided to go in the opposite direction, knowing my original species, they wouldn't hesitate to kill me if they felt I was a threat. Eventually, I found a small pond, frogs hopping in and out, dragonflies flying above, a harmless snake slithering towards me.

(Seriously? Again, with the snake.)

As it lunged, I dodged and bit into the flesh of the snake, however I was too slow and my tail was grabbed, it detaching from my body. Forcefully injecting more venom than I normally, The snake began to thrash in pain, but I didn't let go and began to eat it while it was still alive.

*HISSsss...*

(Finally, now time to dig in.)

Finishing the entire snake with even feeling full, I became upset that I would now need more food, and feeling a chill down my body, realized it was going to become winter soon.

(System, what does my species do in the winter?)

[Members of the Bandit Lizard Family of Species hibernate during the winter, their bodies metabolism slowing to a crawl and their biological functions deactivating, with the exception of the brain, heart and circulatory system.]

(Well then it's time to bulk up, I'm not going to hibernate unless I'm full and fat, fat enough that I struggle to climb. Now come're froggies!)

Catching and eating as many frogs as I could, I began to bulk up over the course of a week, even reaching my first evolution, which was underwhelming due to it just being an age up and not an option. Now an Adult Black Bandit Lizard, I was Big and Fat, While in between meals I dug out a place to hibernate.

[User Warning: Winter has arrived, Hibernation has begun.]

(About time I was worried I was too late... System, please wake me up when Spring starts...)

[Alarm set for: Beginning of Spring.]

***

(??? POV)

"You sure you saw it here?"

"Yes Cole, I'm sure I saw it here. It was a small black lizard with reddish pink eyes, a red stripe down its back, and a pair of small vestigial wings on its back."

Frustrated with my teammate, I once again explained to him what I saw.

"Well, Based on your description, that would be a Black Bandit Lizard, but those have been extinct since before I was even born, so that's impossible. Are you really sure you saw the creature here Delilah?"

"Absolutely, I saw it while chopping down the trees in this area, it looked to be close to molting so it may have moved to a new den that could support it's new size."

"You two Come over here, The old Pond's Empty, all the frogs are either skeletons or missing."

Running over to Tim's side, I quickly noticed a large hole in the ground nearby.

"Hey Cole, look, A new predator moved in, maybe that's why."

Pointing to the hole, He walked over and looked inside it, only for me to see him become excited and reach inside.

"Well Ain't that lucky, It seems the Black Bandit lizard didn't go extinct after all, Seeing as how you first discovered her, you can keep her Delilah, but I want to get a sample of her venom, the females had more potent venom after all."

Pulling out a much larger black lizard with a red stripe down its back and two vestigial wings, I noticed the sign of a female one, the slightly less useless wings, as instead of just being two flaps of useless skin the wings had actual bones, only they were still to small to fly with.

"Well I'll be damned Delilah, you really weren't lying, now how you gonna take care of a 3 ft long venomous reptile like that?"

"There was a rumor that they had near human intelligence and could tell when a person was helping or harming them. I'll trust that rumor and put it in a cage with a heated stone inside, maybe we can come to a deal."

"Alright you two, I got the sample, Delilah pull out your pack and let me put her inside, your free to do whatever you want with her, skin her, tame her, hell you can even go an make a beast tamer's contract with her and I wouldn't care, as long as I get my venom sample."

Pulling off my pack, Cole put the big lizard inside, it was about 3ft long, but I remember they could get larger in time. Sealing the pack, and putting a cold rock inside to keep it asleep, we set off back to the village.

***

(Lilith's POV)

(Huh? is hibernation over?)

[User has been forcefully awakened from hibernation, it has been 1 month since you began hibernation.]

(Well fuck, who's the bastard I have to bite for waking me up.)

"Hello there Sleepy head, I'm Delilah and I'd like to make a deal with you, I heard a rumor your species was as intelligent as humans, able to tell help from harm."

Slowly waking up, I looked over to the direction of the voice, only to be greeted by a blonde tomboy beauty. Now Folks, I'm a Disaster of a lover, humans never really interesting me, but this... is she an elf? whatever this elven beauty was definitely making me feel a certain way.

*Gentle Hiss*(I'll overlook your transgressions for now, but one day I'll get you.)

"Good, I assume that's a yes, I'm a beast tamer, though I've never been able to find a powerful enough companion beast to tame, so when I saw you scurrying about while I gathered wood for the winter, I knew then that you were perfect."

Pondering her words, I could see how being a tamed beast could bring me some benefits, but I was a businesswoman, I knew not to take deals you didn't know anything about.

*Hiss*(So what are the terms, will I be giving up anything?)

"Heh, Straight to the point, I like you, The terms are, You help me grow in power and I help you grow in power, all exp gained by the systems will be shared and I will provide for you all you need to live comfortably. Do you agree?"

(Hm... I don't see any problems in the deal, but I can see a loophole in the provide all needs part, but if this is a magical contract I'm sure that the loophole was intentional.)

*Hiss*(Sure, I'll work with you for now.)

Once I hissed in confirmation, a purple glow began to emit from both of us, and a magical symbol, or at least what I think was a magical symbol formed between us. Feeling something begin to form around my neck, I began to scratch where I felt it appear.

"Oh that, That's the sign our contract was a success, you now have a collar of mana around your neck, I can't harm you, but you can't harm me, and we'll also have a natural connection, so I'll understand all your hisses as words.

*Hisss* (Then I am Lilith Poisonheart, your tamed beast, or whatever you humans call us.)

"Heh, I like the name, Delilah Evergreen, Elf, Beast Tamer, and bronze rank adventurer."

*Hiss*(I'm going back to sleep, I was in the middle of hibernation you know.)

"Sure, Sweet dreams Lilith."