Huntin' the Back Trail (Fur Grove)

[from here]

A small pack of surviving lizard men hunkered around a campfire which was well covered, to keep from other... hungry predators from being drawn to the smoke.



"Ever ssssince dragon, bossss issss inssssane!" Spoke one of the seven creatures resting by the fire. Another who faced it nodded in agreement. "We ssssshould jusssst leave, before he getssss worsssse ideassss!" Hissed the other in their shared, heathen tongues. They were hungry, separated from the main group, most of which killed by the giant dragon who took off with that meaty woman in black...

The seven survivors were resting, preparing for another hunt- perhaps to hit the Red Eyes Tribe nearby... as it was, one of their number close by was dead- crushed by a falling sky crate with 'LOCKHEED' on its gunmetal surface in yellow ink, not that the creatures could read common tongue scripture. They were too busy, and hungry... planning their next hunt... however...on Shi no Shima, one must never forget their place.



For sometimes...



...the hunter can become the hunted!

---

The old Cap'n was in deep foliage, his armour drenched in the seaweed of the 'Muck Swamp' which he was close to, where the wind met his back... he was nothing more than pond rot to the creatures. Lizardmen... gamey bunch. But meat's low... can't complain. He thought, flicking the safety off his DarkSEED Blade:



The weapon had been abused heavily in the last two decades he'd been trapped on this rock, give or take. He closed his eye the scope wasn't in direct light so they wouldn't know where he was shooting till perhaps the second shot if he was lucky. All he needed was one, but he was willing to waste a fair share of his 7.62 x45mm ammo to wipe out the seven scaly bastards here and now. They were dumb, ruthless, and they had killed many a good man of his... they didn't deserve sympathy. Most importantly-

Karadin eased back the trigger...

-they were fresh meat!

---

-KA-BANG!!

"Wha?! What wassss that?!" Screamed the sitting Lizard man, turning to his companion at the fire who had blood running down his yellow scaly neck- a large wound carved out as the creature gasped then fell into the fire, knocking over the primitive skillet! Just then, another shot rang out-

-KA-BANG!!
(music picks up)

Another lizard falls to its left! "ATTACK! WE'RE UNDER-"

---

-KA-BANG!!

The third lizard falls, and it was then they were onto his position so it was time to swiftly move. He kept to the shadows, his crimson eyes picking up the group's movement as they rushed for his sniping position.

Four... He tells himself, bobbing and weaving through the old hunting trail, having remembered it and hunted it so many times in the years, he could walk it backwards and blindfolded. He even closes his eyes to keep the white of his eyes from giving away his position as he backs himself into an alcove in the large sedimentary rock. When he reopens his eyes, he sees that the creatures had no tact whatsoever, and all four were roaming the brush at the edge of the woods where they saw his casings likely. He raised the rifle once more, switching it to automatic.

---

"Where isssss it?!" Screamed one of the lizards.

"Sssssssssssssssssssssssshit! Itssss got to be OLD MAN MOSSSS!"

"OLD MAN MOSSS?! HEssssss a hatchlingsssss tale!"

"Hesssss real!! Hesssss a human ghosssst! Been here sssssince the big ship fell with the men in blue!"

"Ssssstop your ssssniveling you sssssscalelesssss basssss-" the lizard man was cut off by gunfire, literally.

-RATTAATTATATTAATTAATATATATATTATA!!

"OLD MAN MOSSS! HEssssss HERE!!" Screamed one of them as their commanding lizard fell, while powerful bullets tore into their fleshy hides. It was then, they saw it... swift movement in the brush!

"NOOOO!" SHINK-!

"-two."

A glow of red before the dark shape vanished, the head of the lizard rolling, biting the air with wide, terrified eyes!

"Ssssssssssssssssssshhhittt!!" Screamed the other, as the pair of lizards still standing dropped their crude weapons and began fleeing. They heard the tales... there was the 'Man of the Dew' and 'Old Man Moss', both were crazy humans, but some of the elders believed they could have been the same person, same old wives tale... but no, this was real! They were being hunted by something that could kill!

SLIIIIICE-

"-One..." The deep, guttural voice called out from behind the monster. It watched its ally fall with a cleaving blow from the back of its head, down through its spine to about mid back...

The beast stood still, watching its lizard mate twitch there, before closing its fists tight. "I... NOT FRAID OF OLD MAN MOSSSSSSS!!" It screamed, swinging its body around, its massive spiked tail slicing through the air!

---

SLIIIICE! The tail flew away from the creature's body with a swift slice from the modified, Tenik-DarkSEED katana:



Karadin had ducked after his swing up with his left hand, his right, holding the assault rifle, butt pad digging into his hip as he turned to the beast with a soulless glare, barrel aimed for its chest...
-RATTAATTATATTAATTAATATATATATTATA!!

The weapon ran dry after pelting the creature with the remainder of the magazine. The beast fell to its knees, still breathing however, and its then Karadin dropped the gun, the weapon bouncing against his right hip as he walked up to the beast, the modified heat source he applied to the Mako-Generator Ninjato (whose blade was traded out for a Beijio Blade he found in the 'old ruins' of the Red Sun base) switched to his right hand now.

The creature babbled to him in a language Karadin could not understand... all but one. He stood there, smiling, and then repeated the word right back.

"Die."

He then swung the blade removing the creature's head, and also cauterizing the wound in the process... such was necessary not to draw in bigger creatures with the blood shed. Still... he would have to move fast, take what he needed and leave the rest for the scavengers. He didn't want to be caught with his ass down by something bigger, or hungrier. He swung the blade to the right, and then sheathed it to his back once more.

---

After packing up two of the lizard men bodies onto the wooden sled he kept in the area, he wandered back to the camp, and raised a bushy brow at the 'Lockheed' container. "Lockheed...? Only Lockheed I recall is Lucius Balthazar Lock-" he paused, when there was a loud bang and the island shook violently! He turned his weapon, reloaded already, only to see a streak across the sky, falling into a heavily forested part of the jungle, the 'green hell' zone he called it.

(Yellow Jacket's Crash site)

He was in the Sequoia and furs grove, one of the few places inland which didn't feel like a hot boil on your ass, other than the mountains, he supposed, but the larger monsters lived up there.

"Hmp... well, seems more residents have arrived then. Eh..." he sighed, rubbing the back of his head. He tried to move the crate, but couldn't so if it wasn't scavenged by other islanders by tomorrow, which he'd doubt, he'd return for it. "Best be leaving now... before the dark sets in. Don't want to be a target for that bloody psychopath with the crimson hair..." he sighs to himself, his words would have sounded ominous had someone been around to hear them, but all he had were these dead lizard men...

He took what he could from the camp, and began dragging the sled back to his butchery, his 'meat market', so to say...

(to the meat market and dridder barter)