Golden Nuggets Pt. 1

The sound of claws sliding and scraping over the stones of the cave filled Zaro's ears, the sharp growls and harsh cries of his fellow opponents filling the cavern like a symphony. The Devil's Python held his ground, horned head bent low, long tail whipping back and forth behind him like a weapon in its own right. He made no sound, but he did not have to, one look at him was all anyone needed to know he meant business - or trouble.

"Watch our flanks, Zara," He spoke with the commanding tone of a general, and Zaro's companion hissed in response, her toothy beak clicking as her head swiveled to watch for incoming danger. Its massive size was a boon in this endeavor, but that also made it a rather easy target.

"They would not dare," Her tone was disbelieving even as a pair of Haedians, flanks painted with the familiar symbol of The Brutes, approached from behind. The massive bird scoffed, turning to lash at them with its sharp claws and talons.

"It appears they would," Zaro intoned, voice even despite the physical exertion the pair had experienced over the last few hours. Approached from the side while Zara was distracted, a heavy weight slammed into Zaro with the intent to knock him off his paws. That simply wouldn't do.

Re-evaluating his weight distribution, Zaro moved to get his heavy head underneath the aggressor, hooking his oddly shaped horns beneath their arms and hauling them bodily into the air. The Haedian let out a squeak of protest, and Zaro couldn't help but grin. They assumed he would be easy, with no magic, and no wings, but they underestimated Zaro's skill and experience. He fought this far more dangerous, and far larger than them, in his time.

After hoisting the Haedian into the air, Zaro used the rest of his momentum to send them off, flying into the dark recesses of the caves to lick their wounds. The sound of rocks falling to the stone floor was like music to Zaro's forked ears, and he reached out to scoop the golden stones into the pile he and Zara were protecting. More for them.

There was a brief moment of reprieve after Zaro dealt with his would-be attacker, and Zara cleared out the other two on her own. The large bird seemed keen on counting and organizing the golden stones, and Zaro made no comments on their odd behavior as they chittered and clucked while scotting stones across the floor into neat piles.

They had a substantial amount, born from an aggressive first pass into the caverns meant for this contest, and then accumulated further by simply standing their ground. Their small hoard attracted others, who came to attempt to steal or fight for them, and in the process with each opponent defeated Zaro and Zara obtained more and more for their collection. Zaro would consider this easy if he did not know that the situation would only get more intense, more desperate, as they neared the end of this contest.

"Twenty-four," Zara proudly declared, lifting their massive head to fix Zaro with a look, "We have quite the collection."

Zaro sniffed, rolling his eyes from Zara's face down to the little piles she had made. The golden rocks were reminiscent of gold, but clearly not, and he wondered if they held value outside of this competition or not.

"We do not know how many others have," He noted, tilting his head in the direction of the nearest cavern opening, from which sounds of further fighting could be heard, "We may not have many at all."

The sound of protest Zara made was amusing, and Zaro nearly cracked a smile at her posturing. Though what he said was true, he secretly hoped they were doing well. Zaro prided himself on his physicality, his fighting ability, and his sheer force of will. Upon meeting with this clan, The Brutes, he'd found a kinship among them nearly instantly. This clan, he'd thought, was one he could understand with little effort.

So, naturally, the idea of the contest, of gathering the stones to prove one's strength, appealed to him. Normally, Zaro did not partake in such feats of strength purely for the chance to impress or prove himself, but in this case, he allowed himself to...indulge. Fighting the Haedians, and other Vayrons down here, had given him a chance to stretch and flex his muscles as well.

"It grows louder," Zara commented, sweeping their stones into one big pile once more to stand over protectively. Zaro turned his head towards the sound of fighting, lifting himself from his haunches with purpose.

"Then we shall be ready," He said simply, rolling his shoulders and bracing himself, ready for the fight that was surely to come.