By: ToeClaws
| Eric landed hard enough to knock the wind out of him, crashing down on his stomach onto the warm sand. Warm sand? He rolled onto his back and clinched his eyes against the bright streaming light of what seemed to be a summer day! The air was suddenly warm - very warm, and the sounds of the winter storm were only but a memory to him in this place.
| Impossible… how can this be? He squinted more, and then noticed the figures standing around him. His eyes had not yet fully adjusted to the brightness, but the silhouetted shapes weren’t quite normal… there was something different. His eyes finally began to reveal more than a shadow to him. He gasped in awe at what he saw - lizards that stood and acted as man! They were clad scantly in garb that reminded him partly of his African studies, and partly of his Celtic heritage. Each one carried a long fierce blade that curved halfway from the hilt, and ended and jagged saw-toothed tip. There were five of them; one slightly larger than the others and more decadently clad seemed like the leader of the group. Eric didn’t move, didn’t breathe, didn’t know what to expect. This can’t be real… it can’t be!
| “Ragh! What in Sioleth has fallen through the gate!? Massic’s eyes were enraged as they looked down at the helpless form at his feet. He looked to Rothar for an answer, and saw only confusion.
| Rothar shook his head “We pass offerings through the gate to the Thira Realm and know that they are consumed in that reality, perhaps a being from that world was cast into ours for the same thing?”
| Massic looked back to Eric, and frowned. Unexpectedly, he stepped forward, slamming Eric hard against the sand with a powerful foot, and growled down at him. He pressed down with his weight, causing Eric to groan with the weight as the last of his breath was squeezed from his lungs. “What are you and why have you dared to interrupt our offerings!?
| Eric strained to speak, trying to find the breath he didn’t have. The scaly foot lifted slightly, and Eric managed a little air. “I’m just a human… it was an accident… I was trying to get home in a storm and…” his breath was again squeezed out by the reptile’s foot. Eric could feel the heel and toes of the foot pressing into his chest, easily covering it from shoulder to stomach. The three black claws that tipped each toe were starting to dig in just below his neckline. He wanted to yell, but he couldn’t. His vision started to fade and black out, and a strange buzzing sensation was creeping all over him. The scaly foot was locked down on him, pressing. It was beautiful in a way, Eric thought, he always did like Godzilla films… the big feet stomping away, somehow making a visual feast for him to enjoy. Only this was no cheesy sci-fi film, it was he getting crushed. The toes of the massive lizard were the last thing that his failing vision gave him before he went completely black.
| The tribe watched with confusion as Massic’s foot smothered the intruder. None moved - unsure what to do or say given the oddity of what had just happened. Rothar spoke up “Massic, stop this! You don’t know if he was meant for us or not -Dar Souljeth works fate in such ways.”
| Massic grunted, and the big foot lifted from Eric’s chest and came to rest back on the sandy ground. “Perhaps so, but I don’t trust this ‘human’s’ words. How could he just accidentally make himself an offering? If he was meant for us, why did he not say it?” He looked down at the unconscious human form, as if to find an answer he had not seen.
| The others gathered around Eric’s helpless form, studying it. Fessar, a slightly smaller reptile blinked at Eric, then smiled. “If it weren’t so absurd, I’d say it is an ape that lost its fur!” The others snickered at the amusing view.
| Rothar smiled “Maybe he is Fessar, maybe they are common in the Thira realm.” Rothar squatted down beside Eric, and leaned close to get a better look. The human was dressed in a thick cloak that wrapped so tightly around him that it formed about his arms and body. His hands and face had no hair, except for his head, which was covered in curly black hair. On his feet were heavy black protectors of some sort, laced up tightly up past his ankle. “Thira realm must be hostile environment. Look at the protection it wears against nature.”
| “Yes yes, all very interesting Rothar, but I still don’t trust it.” Massic crouched down beside Rothar, pushing him aside. “We should remove his thick wearings and make sure he doesn’t carry a dagger to slit our throats with instead of marvelling over his entrance.” Massic examined the wearable cloak, but wasn’t sure how to remove it; it seemed like it was joined together in the middle by hundreds of little metal links. Growling with frustration, he pulled it over the human’s head and flung it to his tribesman. “Check it.” He felt along Eric’s body, and found nothing.
| One of the other lizards, Waverek, was routing through Eric’s backpack. “All he has in his provisions sack are some books.” He flipped one open and crunched his eyebrows together. Reading was never one of his strengths, but this was impossible. The writing in the human’s books was strange, yet perfectly well placed - as if it were made by the creator’s own hands. He clapped it shut, placing it back in the sack with a confused look.
| Massic reached for a provisions sack beside him and removed a water skin. Biting away the cork, he splashed its contents onto the humans face. Eric woke with a cough and was immediately pushed back down by the big lizard’s clawed hand. “Listen human, my good-natured advisor has told me you might be purposeful, even intentful, regardless of your story. I personally don’t trust you for a single word - why would I?”
| Eric opened his mouth as if to answer, but decided that silence was probably a wiser choice right now. His head was pounding from blacking out, and his chest throbbed from where Massic’s foot had pressed down so hard. Leaning so close to him, Eric could make out more features of his apparent captors. Their heads looked a bit like a Dragon lizard, only, more feature filled. Their snouts were long and their mouths filled with jagged teeth. Their faces reminded him a little of the dragon from Dragonheart, only without the horns or dragon-like body. Their eyes were more like cats, with a sharply vertical pupil surrounded, in Massic’s case, with a yellowish retina. Their bodies were more like a man in shape, though more muscular and with a tail. Each hand had three fingers and a thumb, and all ended in small black claws rather than a fingernail. His own examination was cut short as he was yanked to his feet.
***
| The trek back to their village was long and very hot. Eric was glad that he didn’t have his thick winter coat on any longer. He walked behind the reptile creatures, all except the one called Rothar, who walked along side him. The last words before they had left the gate were Massic’s orders that he was to be killed should he try running, so he wasn’t very inclined to indulge any of them.
| The long walk gave Eric more time to examine his captors. Each one stood quite tall. Eric figured they varied between 6’4” to 7’. Massic was the tallest, and it also seemed like he was the strongest. Eric thought of some of the nature studies from high school and wondered if their society was based on the strongest being the leader - rather like a wolf pack. Rothar was around 6’8”. He seemed a much smarter beast than the others; preferring to think and examine his world than just react to it. One shocking feature on him was his eyes - they were a pale cyan, with the same cat-like vertical pupil and delivered a gaze that was chilling to meet. The others regarded him differently; not quite in fear or respect the way they did Massic, but more like a wise old man.
| Eric couldn’t stop glimpsing at their feet as they walked through the fine white sand. They were enticing somehow, despite having nearly just been crushed by one. The heels were a bit like a man’s, but bigger and stronger. Not far up from their heels was another claw that seemed very dinosaur-like. Maybe that’s what this place was - maybe these creatures had evolved from dinosaurs instead of apes. His half-crazed high school physics teacher used to go on all the time about alternate dimensions; perhaps he had fallen into one.
| The clothes each wore were made of some sort of strange leather, and were either patterned with decorations, or had things attached to them; both in some cases. Massic’s loincloth, sword holster and other straps were all delicately laced with gold plating. It would seem that these creatures had refined their alchemy enough to make such delicate pieces. Rothar’s clothing was the most unique; his loincloth outlined with strange symbols, and his sword holster’s strap had feathers, beads and small shells along its front.
| Their skin was a pale green that was scaly, but finer than something common like a crocodile. Each of their tails swished from side to side as they walked, timed perfectly with the motion of their legs and arms; it was almost hypnotic after a while. Eric glanced down again at the feet of one of the lizards walking a few paces in front of him. He watched as the sole came briefly into view then vanished into the sand again with each rhythmic step. Wonderful. Somehow, it was wonderful.
***
| They reached the village as the sun was low in the sky. The village was built in a clearing below a massive cliff, which left it completely guarded from one side. The other was surrounded by think bushes, which Eric realized were covered in long sharp thorns as they passed the first thicket. The only opening was guarded by two reptiles, nearly equal in size and muscle to Massic, and armed with long spears.
| The guards parted and bowed to Massic as the group walked between them. Eric felt uneasy as the two guard’s eyes burnt into him. Massic let out a strange screech that was unlike anything Eric had ever heard. Other lizards in the village lifted their heads from their chores and looked towards the returning party, locking their eyes on the strange captive. Massic called out names and several other lizard men came to his side. “The offering didn’t quite go as planned.” Massic glanced back at Eric then to Rothar “though I was assured that it wasn’t entirely incorrect.” He gestured towards a large grass-roofed house in the centre of the village “Come, let us discuss our options with the Hethren.”
| Rothar placed a hand on Massic’s shoulder “What is to be of the Human tonight?” Eric felt very small and uneasy with his fate resting on a single question while dozens of eyes stared at him.
| Massic laughed “Well, since you saved his life from me, derived that he may have purpose, and are so curious about him, take him to your cover, and see what you can find out.”
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