Mama Poison
"Mama's comin'!" A customer rushed into the Eaves tavern, waving their hands, fearful anxiety wrinkling their face.
"Alright, have a seat," Dachs said with a sigh. He meandered out from behind the bar and walked to the front door, wiping his hands on a clean cloth. He peeked out, looked both ways, shook his head, and closed the entrance with a firm slam.
In the distance a bell jangled, proof that the giant lizard once again stalked the streets of Jiy.
The antsy man slid onto a barstool, rubbing his hands and eyeing the door, then the wooden walls. "She c'n get in here," he muttered.
The street rats looked up from their books and at Lapis; she shrugged. Who was she to tell a frightened shank that the tales of Mama Poison breaking down walls to get to the food she smelled cooking was just that--made-up tales.
Mama Poison
Mama Poison is a lizard the size of a farm wagon and as long as a city block. When she gets it into her head to leave the Pit, no one stops her--death lies in that folly. She meanders around the city until she decides to return, two guards trailing her and ringing bells so residents know to get out of her way. Why the precaution? Well, 'everyone' knows that Mama Poison has a temper, and if provoked, she'll swipe at anyone she takes a disliking to. The poison on her claws does the foolish one in, every time. Shanks need to be especially cautious when she takes to wandering; she can smell them blocks away and will hunt them down if she's in a foul mood. And if she doesn't find a shank to play with, everyone knows she'll break through the wooden walls to get at any tasty vittles she smells. Street stalls are in particular danger; better for the purveyor to close up and lose a few bits than to get scratched while trying to fend off the lizard. Just like everyone knows she leaves the Pit to have some time away from her brood. The more annoyed she is with the smaller carrion lizards, the longer she'll take to return to the enclosure, and the more apt she is to find a helpless shank to take her annoyance out on. It's best to stay clear of Mama Poison.
Mama Poison is a living lizard the size of a farmer's wagon, that is true. Everything else the residents of Jiy believe about her is false.
She is not a carrion lizard, and therefore, cannot be the mother of any of them. The differences in size and appearance should tip off the average citizen, but it does not.
She does not hunt down shanks for fun.
She does not break into stalls or homes in search of food.
She will walk through ring and syndicate battles if they are in her way. Everyone backs away and waits for her to pass. If she decides to rest on their chosen battlefield, they let her be and wait for another day to resume the conflict.
Came for the monitor lizard, stayed for .... the monitor lizard. ;) A friend recommended this one, most likely because of me obsessing over the local monitor lizard I saw sunbathing and swimming in and around the city's moat here. This story is quite funny, as animals as alien as reptiles sometimes provoke fear, more or less justified. If their are real world equivalents of such big lizards in this world, I can well imagine them inspiring some urban myths akin to the sewer crocodiles. Be on the lookout!
A current addition to Samthô is my contribution to the rivers ant waterways challenge: Paunis
:) Yeah, I use monitor lizards for my big lizards. They fit my esthetic, even if they're a bit on the small side here on earth. And I'm excited someone recommended this article! Nice to know people are reading it! There are several kinds of large lizards in this world. Residents of Jiy are familiar with two of them; the carrion lizards, as they are a city staple, and the terrons, of which Mama Poison is one. Terrons are large, sentient lizards, and Mama Poison hides among the carrions to conceal the sentient part. There's more to it, but that's found in the serial.