Chapter 3

Okay, okay, I know this sounds crazy but if you ever been really tired trees kind of start looking like really comfortable pillows. I say this cause while I was following the trail I may or may not have fallen asleep. Waking up from my slumber was uncomfortable, to say the least.

“Fuckin trees misleading me like that,” I yawned as I stretched, my body hurt more today then it did yesterday. Damn that eel experience did a number on me. Standing up I stretched and few resounding cracks could be heard.

At least it didn’t rain, so that’s a plus, I’d completely lose the tracks if it rained. My lantern isn’t lit anymore, which is negative to the previous positive, so hopefully, I’ll be able to find that hunter before nighttime or be smart enough to lite the lantern.

After I finished stretching I continued following the tracks for some time, and as I followed the tracks I took the time to observe the environment and was met with something amazing.

A vast and beautiful expanse of land going for miles. This is also what I feared, no towns whatsoever. Since the trail leads to an incline I imagine it leads out of the gorge.

Though at the base of the incline I noticed something. Something odd and definitely quite familiar. As I got closer, the blob in the distance become a lot more clear. At the base of the incline laid a familiar alligator, if that's what you could call it.

The creature itself looked like an alligator from a distance and maybe up close if you happened to be riding it, but it was clearly larger and suited enough for extended travel. Large bulky legs and thick scales with a jaw that looked like it could crush boulders.

However, its usually thick green hide had been dyed a shade of red. It had either fought or eaten something. My guess, it ate whatever the hunter was trying to hunt or it ate the hunter. It looked like it was resting, so I could try my hand at sneaking around it.

As I approached from behind it I slowly and methodically inched around to its side. Now I was expecting to see the remnants of some poor deer or a deceased hunter. What I did not expect to see was a broken spear sticking out of the alligator. So it wasn't something else’s blood.

“Man, this sucks,”

The words slipped out my mouth before I could even stop them. With those words came the attention of the resting beast. It turned its massive head towards my position, its giant purple eyes boring deep into me.

As tense as the stare was it was cut short, the alligator lowered its head, or more like it just couldn't support it anymore. I slowly moved towards the incline never taking my eyes off the giant alligator.

“I made it,” I whispered as I slowly walked up the incline. Every step I took I felt guilty. I mean the reason its technically in that position is my fault. With one sideways look, I walked back down the incline with a sigh.

“I’m gonna end up losing an arm,”

Well, it had been bleeding pretty bad, but there is some good news whoever stabbed the thing made a clean-cut, no debris in the wound so that's good. Let’s just hope it didn’t hit an artery. I leaned down towards the wound making sure to keep an eye on the alligator, said alligator made no move to stop me.

I took off shirt causing my suspender to dangle around my waste. Balling up my shirt I decided needed to remove the spear. The only reason for my decision was because every time that alligator would move the spearhead would cause damage.

“Alright lizard, this is gonna hurt tons, so I'm gonna hand you my shoe alright,” I slowly took off my shoe and held it out. It blinked slowly with each eye then snorted. I don’t think it understood what I said. So I gingerly laid my shoe next to its jaws.

Now came the hard part, I positioned myself above the creature and wrapped my hand around the broken piece of the spear. With a jerk of movement and speed blessed by Hermes, I removed the spearhead.

I immediately had flashbacks to the previous time I was on top of this lizard. Especially the time it attempted to take my head off my body.

“Calm down you stupid lizard if you move you’re gonna die faster!” I exclaimed as It’s powerful muscles went to work on removing me from its back.

Thankfully I had my legs tightly enough around its back to stop me from falling off. I'm glad it’s exhausted or else I couldn't have tired it down. I reached down with my shirt to apply pressure. I don’t know how long I sat there I believe it roughly thirty minutes.

I wrapped my shirt around the alligator and ripped off my suspenders to secure the shirt around its torso. At this point, I had removed myself from its back. Okay, it should be fine to leave it now, it sucks I don’t have a shirt now.

I heard something like footfalls.

“Finally a person!” I turned around to come face to muzzle with a zebra. The zebra in question had several pieces of equipment, by equipment I meant very familiar spears tied to its body.

“Hey, will you look at that now were gettin’ somewhere! Now, where would the person all those spears belong to be at?” I questioned aloud.

The alligator once it opened one of its eyes widened its maw. Being around the lizard for the past hour still didn't nullify its intimidation factor. Must have been trying to scare off the zebra.

What was the zebra going to do, chuck spears at it, that's just silly. That’s what I thought until the zebra reached for one of the spears on its back.

“Wait, what?” I blurted out.

The zebra had the spear in hoof and had it pointed directly at me. This left me, how do I say it, flabbergasted.

“C-can you understand me?” I looked at the zebra expecting some person to pop out of a nearby bush and say it’s just a prank.

A simple nod from the zebra managed to shatter my world view more than any hydra with bad breath ever could.

Author's Note

Thank you for reading!

I hope you have an amazing day!