Changelings Chapt. 1 Pt. 1

He was so terribly hungry…

He reared up, viewing his surroundings with a glaring eye surveying the horizon, checking for anything unusual. He saw no shapes against the waving prairie grass, but flicked his tongue out anyway in cautious annoyance, as he had felt a dull vibration along the path not long before…

He crouched low again, laying the length of his body to the ground and lay stock still for a moment, thinking in his own primitive way, attempting to ignore the pain in his gut.

His kind did not, and still do not feel self-pity, but today this creature in particular, felt a wash of despair. He had emerged from his egg late, long after his siblings, almost into the crux of winter. But for the foolishness of a mouse and his mate, he would have died, but to his undying gratitude, there was a full nest of young mice to eat at his leisure, right in his birthing place. He had even managed to hide for a while, returning back into the egg when the mice returned home from whatever it was they were doing, and so even kept warm through part of the winter.

Inevitably he had been discovered, and at this time he killed the male, and the female ran, never to return… Satisfied after eating all the juveniles, and not being large enough yet to eat the male, he drifted off to hibernation, as he was supposed to be…

But here he was awake! Early! And the ground still covered in a bitter frost in the mornings. There was nothing to eat, and he was growing more and more tired by the moment as he made his way across the plains.

‘Losing calories, need food soon…’ came a weak noise from nowhere in particular.

The young reptile stopped hurriedly, tongue flickering furiously. ‘Danger, danger!’ His senses screamed, but from where?

He lay there a full 50 heartbeats, hearing, seeing, and tasting nothing.

His dread passed from him in small increments, heartbeat to heartbeat, his fear subsided.

He continued more cautiously this time, this time allowing himself to feel the pangs in his gut. They reminded him he was alive, and why he was out here searching.

THUD, THUD.

Again, he slowed… Tasting the air he caught a scent… It was not very strong… though still nearby, he deduced it to be a creature not much larger than himself.

And female.  Interesting. He hadn’t come across very many female creatures yet. They didn’t much interest him, he had no drive to find a mate…  He had only shed his first skin this morning. The scent was not particularly malodorous, and rather pleased his senses in an unexpected way.

Aaaaahhhh there… Something in the distance bit into his olfactory senses sharply, again reminding him of his reason for being out. Food was not too far away, and it carried the pungent smell of many warm bodies living together. Finally, a meal.

He hurried on, forgetting about the presence in the grass behind him.