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Unfortunately, Colt’s Outpost was further away. The longer she was outside of protective walls, the higher the likelihood she’d be eaten.

I miss home, though.She’d been forcibly taken over two months ago.If Bragg doesn’t catch me, will he tell my parents I’m out here by myself?

Biting her lip, she held back tears at how much they would be suffering. The guilt they’d feel for letting her be taken, even though they tried with all their might to stop it.

She buried her face against the monster who had protected her.

If... if only you could help.A sob broke, only for it to shake out of her as realisation dawned.Wait... didn’t it kill like three men within the span of minutes?!Minutes! All by itself, the Duskwalker had destroyed and eaten those men like it was nothing.

Her mild pulse spiked as possibility, hope, and excitement bled into her veins.

What if... what if I ask it to save us?Then she could be home within days!

The Duskwalker could gorge itself on vile bandit meat for all she cared. She’d toss pieces at it, shove them down its bony maw herself, if it meant their freedom.

Kicking her legs, she squirmed to get free. She wanted to talk to it, and her bladder was seriously starting to throb. If she waited much longer, she’d be bursting and unable to hold it.

“Hey,” she called, her lips brushing over it and muffling her voice. “Hey, let me go!”

The smooth, scaley limb wrapped around her clenched, rending a gasp from her. Then, as if woken or startled, Linh was crudely dumped against the ground as it uncoiled itself. The Duskwalker slithered to get away from her, just as she let out a cry when her head smacked against the ground.

Bringing her knees up, she cupped the back of her head with a pained groan. “Ow! You dropped me!”

Linh then remembered what she was in the presence of, and swiftly sat up and turned to it. Heat bled from her features at the sheer size of it towering over her!

Oh my gosh. It’s... it’s huge!She scuttled back, just to get out of its mere shadow to take it in.

The Duskwalker stared down at her with dark-orange swirling vortexes that seemed to glow brighter in the sun. Unsettled under the scrutiny of its luminous orbs, Linh drew her gaze over each of its features.

Its snake skull looked like a mix of a death adder and a viper. The black horns on top of its head almost looked ram-like as they hooked backwards, their tapered ends pointing towards the ground.

Bones protruding outside its flesh made it look undead and fierce, causing the scaled flesh around them to puff like it was trying to absorb them. With the sunlight glittering down on them, the Duskwalker’s black scales glistened with subtle rainbows, the blue and purple hues being the strongest.

The back fin from yesterday is gone.The others were light grey. Almost like a ruffle of fabric that started from its humanoidsides, they trailed down to its tail tip. More fishlike fins lined the backs of its forearms.

It looked so strange.

She eyed the muscled dips of its abdomen and chest, only to frown at its navel.It has a belly button. Does that mean it was birthed rather than hatched from an egg like a reptile?She noted its dark-grey nipples, and something became startlingly apparent.

It’s a male.

The Duskwalker’s torso was masculine in shape, since it appeared to lack breasts. His waist was narrower than the rest of it, showing he was lean, yet his broad chest and thickly muscled tail stated otherwise. Her gaze darted down to what she thought may be his hips, since she could see the lightest imprint of hip bones. She found no genitalia, but could see a section of scales that appeared smoother and had a seam line down the middle.

From what I can tell, his junk must be beneath his flesh, like most snakes.

And this male Duskwalker had to be at least thirty feet, if not more, long!

“H-hey,” she shakily greeted, forcing a smile upon her face. “Thank you for sav– Hey!”

Linh reached out when he spun to the side and walked on his hands towards the pond’s edge. He moved so fast, and panic clutched her throat. Stupidly, foolishly, thoughtlessly, she pounced on the end of his tail.

“Wait! I want to talk to you!” she pleaded, grabbing ahold of him as tightly as she could. She squealed when she went sliding with him.

Despite using all her strength, Linh did nothing to stop him. However, he did halt and twist around to stare down at her.

The little hairs all over her body stood on end when he released a quiet growl. Throwing her hands up in surrender, she fell back to give him space.

What the hell am I doing?!her mind screamed.I just grabbed him like an idiot!