Lizardcraft: The Beginning

Chapter Two: Clawdius

The sun was high in the sky, and I'd decided to risk basking on a blackstone lot with several sleeping giant beetles on it. I caught motion out of the corner of my eye. I turned. Something darted underneath a giant beetle. I blinked once. Had I caught a glimpse of a lizard? Fear clenched my belly. Were the strange lizards back? I took a step towards the beetle. "Who's there?" I chirped cautiously. In the shadow under the giant beetle, I caught sight of two eyes staring at me. I tensed. "Come out!" I barked. The lizard under the giant beetle squinted. "No. It's not safe in the open." He clicked. I felt a strange knowingness about him. He didn't seem malevolent, like the other lizards. "No way am I going under a giant beetle!" I protested. The lizard poked his nose into the sunlight. It was yellow and covered in spots. "It won't hurt you; it's sleeping." He hissed lowly, like he was trying to hide his presence. Curiosity got the best of me and took a few steps towards him. "Who are you?" I demanded. "Cesar, all will be revealed in good time, just come here." He said. My eyes widened. "How do you know my name!?" I chirped loudly. "Shhh!" The lizard scolded. "Be quiet - they're bound to be listening." I was surprised by his edgy behavior. I skittered under the giant beetle, hiding with him behind one of it's feet. My eyes widened when I saw him. He was yellow and covered head to toe in black spots, save for his cream underparts. He was a leopard gecko, like me. I had never encountered my own kind since I left my mother.

"Cesar, you are being hunted." He said to me. I nearly collapsed onto my belly. I was standing up high on my legs to face him; he was much bigger than me. "How do you know my name?" I asked again. He glanced around. "There are many things I know about you, Cesar." He licked his nose. "Including that you are very powerful." I cocked my head to the side. What? He seemed to have read my thoughts. "I've seen the power of your hree. Last night you glimmersheened without even trying." I blinked. "Glimmer - what?" He sighed. "Glimmersheened." He blinked a few times. "It's a Lizardcraft." I fell back on my rear, sitting like a dog. "What!?" I exclaimed. I was beginning to think I was going crazy. But had I actually done something? The leopard gecko squinted. "That crested gecko didn't see you. He appeared to be looking right at you, but he only saw the grass. You were in glimmersheen, the art of invisibility." He said quietly. My jaw fell slack. WHAT!?! "It's a powerful revelation to get ahold of, I'm sure. Not every reptile is gifted with strong enough hree. Only a few chosen individuals can master Lizardcraft." The Leopard gecko hissed. "My name is Clawdius, and I am a messenger of the true queen. I am here to take you back to her, and teach you the ancient history of our kind as well as the magic of Lizardcraft." He explained. Took you long enough, I thought. I feared he would never explain himself.

"Lizardcraft?" I echoed, unable to push away my obvious intrigue. "Yes." Clawdius replied. "You will need it to defeat the Darkened." I blinked. So much information, yet I still had so many questions. "Who are the Darkened?" I asked. "I will explain when we reach a more secure location." Clawdius said. I followed him as he walked out from under the giant beetle, my head abuzz with questions. What was Lizardcraft? Who was the true queen? Had I really been invisible? What was hree, and how was mine strong? All these would be answered in time.