the lost art of staying alive

The scent of another was an unpleasant disruption to his solitude. Slowly the boy would turn his massive body around in the near-darkness, gaze widening to take in what little light filtered into the cavern. Involuntarily his muscles would tighten, stance shifting quite dramatically as he anticipated the arrival of a stranger.

It was surprising when the gaze that sought out his form in the darkness was the same color as his own. A low growl would begin to form deep within his chest, but it hardly escaped his lips. The girl was quite yet, not yet a yearling, and he found himself intrigued by her for reasons unbeknownst to him. She bore her teeth to him, as though he might be threatened by her tiny teeth and small body. A laugh would escape his throat, a cold sound that bounced off the stone walls of the cavern.

"Think you're pretty tough for a kid, don't you?" he spat at the stranger. Slowly, Basilisk Saxe would pace closer to her, tail flicking quietly behind him as he became visible. "What's your name?" And why was she wandering alone in such a place?