He had always seen the islands off in the distance from Obsidian Beach. It seemed that one of his regular pass times tended to be brooding over the tide that lapped at the obsidian shoreline, and it was always easy to allow his attention to settle on the intricate details that were muddled together by sheer range. It was difficult to tell what they might be like from so far away, but after today, he would no longer be guessing. It was going to be a hell of a swim- but as he grew stronger, he felt confident that he could make it without a major catastrophe. So when the ocean finally receded with the break of low tide, Aresenn set out to explore.

He knew it was going to take a while, however, when he finally landed on the tropical beach of the nearest outlet to the mainland, his muscles burned with fatigue. Hauling himself out of the water, and crossing a narrow sandy shoreline, he found a shady spot to collapse in for the moment as he made an effort to catch his breath. From there, he really began to take in his surroundings for the first time. While he landed on a beach, it seemed that the ocean pressed into the treeline in certain places. And not too far in the distance, a cove flooded a low point, making what appeared to be a saltwater swamp with plenty of cover. When he had finally managed to collect himself, that was the direction he went to explore.

There wasn't much to look at, honestly. He was a little disappointed, or at least until he discovered that he wasn't alone in the cove. The Praetor boy had to do a double take when the large scaly head surfaced a little ways off the bank. It was interesting to look at, even though he didn't know much about the prehistoric-looking beast. But the longer it stared back at him, the hackles along the back of his neck began to rise. If he had to guess ... It looked like the crocodile was sizing him up as prey. That would never do. Narrowing his own eyes at the oversized lizard, he bared his teeth at it- daring it to cross the line between water and land to meet whatever reptilian god it believed in.

After his encounter with the boy who claimed to be a pillaging pirate, Sephiran made it a goal to travel to the southeastern shore to see what treasures lay there. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but his imagination had painted a scene of jewels, gold, priceless artifacts, beautiful whores, and a plentiful supply of food. But of course, he found none of these things, as they were probably hidden in the territory Aresenn claimed to live in. Although Sephiran was curious about the pirate’s dynamic, he was smart enough not to invade someone else’s territory. Really, there wasn’t anything he wanted bad enough to ignore his intuition. So, he decided to investigate the cluster of islands nearby instead. Yesterday, he had swam to the biggest island first, and had spent the night beneath the stars on a sand dune just off of the shore. That morning he had filled his belly with tropical fish that swam in the shallow water, and now he was looking for something fun to do. The shoreline had little to offer aside from hunting fish or chasing after crabs. So when he found a cove that far too large to be a tide pool, he decided to investigate. He had just come around a bend to arrive at the bank of the marshy area, when a flash of crimson caught his eye. How he and Aresenn ended up in the same area again, he would never know. But he immediately recognized the smaller, more lanky boy, as he was snarling at something in the water. Sephiran’s interest was peaked, predatorial instincts overwhelming him as he suddenly darted after Aresenn. He would have leaped into the water, ignoring his intuition to steer clear of the swamp, if it wasn’t for the loud hiss that emanated from its depths. He slammed his paws into the ground, kicking up dirt behind him before skidding to a stop in the shallower end of the water. He knew what kind of reptile that ominous hiss belonged to. He had run into alligators in the swamp that neighbored his father’s kingdom many times. Which meant he knew how dangerous they were. And Aresenn was going to get himself killed if he stepped into its arena.“Get back!” He snarled, commanding the other boy to retreat farther back onto the shoreline. Suddenly, the mother crocodile, whose babies had also floated from the bottom of the cove to make an appearance at the surface, erupted from the water. Its massive jaws snapped in their direction which was followed by a hiss, displaying a clear warning. Don’t come near my babies. But Sephiran wasn’t scared of the threat, because he knew how to  give them the advantage they needed to kill it. “Lure it to the shore!” He called out before breaking out into a run along the bank. He barked, yowled, and snarled at the mother crocodile, trying to enrage it enough to crawl onto the shore. ”Speech”

In the moment of their standoff, Aresenn hadn't realized that he had stepped out into the shallow tide. He knew he would never outswim the large beast, but in his display of dominance, he might have pushed the boundary of advantage a little too far. Just as the Crocodile ... and its apparent offspring began to slowly creep closer to the shoreline, he heard a familiar voice that was just about as surprising to hear as it was to encounter such a creature on the small, tropical island. Sephiran shouted for him to get out of the shallows, and as Aresenn glanced from the other boy, to the Croc, he didn't need much further convincing.

Just as the Praetor boy began to scramble backward, the monster propelled itself forward with a surprising amount of speed. Sprinting away from the water's edge, the Crocodile pursued him several of its own body lengths- leaving its hatchlings behind. He felt the shallow gust of air as it snapped its jaws with bone-crushing force mere inches behind his flank. However, the larger predator was quick to succumb to its lack of momentum, and as it came to a stop, Aresenn turned to face it. Tensing his muscles in preparation to dodge another charge if he needed to. It seemed still for the moment, hissing in frustration at a failed attack. Using the moment of borrowed stillness, he called out to Seph. “Any ideas?”

He wasn’t sure if their taunts had worked, if the crocodile mother’s temper had already blown, or if it was a combination of both. But, whatever the cause may be, the boys got their desired result. The beast lurched forward, chasing after Aresenn, closing the gap between them in a matter of seconds. He had just barely escaped its famous “jaws of death”, and had whipped back around to face the croc head-on. She hissed, opening her jaws and rolling her tongue to make the battle cry louder and deeper in tone. And, behind her, he could hear the high-pitched squeaks of her tiny brood as they beckoned their mother back into the safety of the water. “We need to get her farther from the water.” He knew that once they back her into a corner, she would try to flee back into the sea. But if they could lure her far enough away, it would increase their chances of success. Leaping forward and back, while barking and snapping his jaws, he taunted the mother and threaten the safety of her babies until her temper overcame her. She lurched forward again, whipping her tail from side to side to throw her weight forward. He had to throw himself to the side to avoid her snapping jaws, losing a few stands of hair on his tail in the process. He leaped onto a small boulder, using it as leverage to momentarily avoid her. “Bite the tender part of her back leg,” He commanded between barks that were meant to distract her. “Where it meets her tail.” And he followed with some clarification, figuring the other boy needed it. ”Speech”

When Sephiran declared that they needed to lure the big reptile inland even further yet, his brow furrowed in contemplation. They simply couldn't chance getting closer to the beast itself- or at least, he wasn't going to risk getting caught in jaws that looked like they could snap a small tree like a twig. So that met they would have to taunt it from a distance. He did his best to mirror the Saxe boy, but in the end, apparently, he wasn't as interesting, for the enraged crocodile lunged for his momentary ally. Aresenn sprang backward to give it plenty of space as it pursued Sephiran atop a small boulder. From there, he shouted further instructions.

Aresenn wasn't entirely sure how it had become his job to be the anchor, but he didn't complain, either. Moving quickly, he circled the scaly creature, lunging full force with splayed jaws at the point that had been described to him. The sudden contact was very satisfying, and once his fangs penetrated flesh, the muscle didn't feel all that different from a mammal. What he had not been prepared for, was how quickly the crocodile responded to the new and increased threat. He clenched his grip tightly as their victim attempted to whirl around to face him.

While Sephiran kept the croc distracted, Aresenn did exactly as he was told. His gaze looked beyond the scaly creature just below his paws, and he watched as the boy grabbed the sensitive meat on its leg. This attack caused an immediate reaction, and despite his attempt at keeping the croc's attention on him, it twisted around to try and fend Aresenn off. Sephiran took this moment to launch an attack of his own. He leaped down from the rock, landing on its elongated mouth. This caused its gaping jaws to slam shut, and given the weight of his body and the momentum of his launch, it sounded like a tooth or two cracked inside of the croc’s mouth. Sephiran couldn’t find his footing on the damp scaly head of the apex predator. But that hadn’t been his goal anyways. He had wanted to keep the croc from biting Aresenn, but also do a bit of damage to its eyes. Moments after landing on its face, he kicked off with his back legs to leap back onto the beach, dragging his claws across its eyes in the process. His claws weren’t sharp like a feline, but given the grime on them and how hard he had to kick off to leap away, he knew it would momentarily blind their opponent. It started to thrash, hissing in agony and whipping its tail around. “The other leg!” He yelled between barks which were meant to disorient the beast further. ”Speech”

The first few moments that he had been the main focus, were difficult no less. However, it didn't take long for Sephiran to jump back into the fray- quite literally. He felt the impact through the reptile's body when the Saxe boy's weight came down on the snapping jaws. Taking the opportunity, Aresenn shook his head as violently as he could while maintaining his hold in the muscle of the croc's back leg. Making as big of a mess out of the short limb as he could. Likely in response to the pain, the creature slammed him in the side with its thick scaly tail around the same time Sephiran insisted that he switch to the other leg- which was an action that seemed precarious in its own right.

He lingered an extra couple of moments to time his switch. When the creature thrashed its tail towards its opposite side was when he chose to release his hold. In the split second his jaws were free, he launched himself over the long scaly appendage as it swung back to where he had been. With a relatively unobstructed view, he hit the same spot with outstretched fangs just in time to be walloped once again. Luckily, his grip was true, and it prevented him from being cast aside ... for now.  

Sephiran knew how powerful the tail of a croc could be. He had seen grown wolves get ribs broken with a single smack, so he was having Aresenn do the dirty work of taking out the hind limbs. If they could get its lower half immobile, it would be nearly impossible for it to flip itself back over, should they be able to get it onto its back. Because if they were going to kill it, it would be one of two ways; slowly bite away at it until it went into shock and died, or flip it onto its back and grab it by the throat.  One was a waiting game, and the other was faster and more hostile… which Sephiran preferred. He stumbled several feet away after jumping off the mother crocodile, and once he regained his footing he whirled around in time to see Aresenn jumping over its tail to switch sides. In sync he lunged forward, using one of his front paws to throw sand in the croc's already hindered vision. It started to thrash, wildly swinging its tail back and forth, hissing and snapping its jaws. And the moment he saw an opening, Sephiran lowered his head and hurdled himself into the croc’s side, trying to uproot it from the earth and onto its side. Hopefully gravity, combined with its thrashing, would do the rest of the work and cause it to flip onto its back. He assumed Aresenn would understand what he was trying to do, and either help, or keep tearing away at the leg he was holding. All the while, its brood of children was watching from the safety of the water, crying out for their mother. ”Speech”

Holding his ground became a lot more of a challenge than he had originally anticipated. Even still, for bravery or stupidity, Aresenn managed. He made the effort to angle his body away from the reptile in an effort to lessen the extent of the force of its tail as it slammed into him over and over. Though it simply just fueled his rage more than anything. With similar ferocity to the last wound he inflicted, the Praetor boy tore into the muscle and tendons of the crocodile's other hind leg- offering a matching set of injuries inclined to render the beast as motionless as possible.

It was then he felt a shift. The attempts at retaliation became blind, and out of his peripheral, he witnessed Sephiran making another attempt to gain the upper hand. Except for this time, he could feel the difference. It only took him a split second to understand that it was an attempt to get the thing on its back. Quickly abandoning his post, he joined the Saxe boy at the croc's side. With as much effort as he could muster, he laid into the beast with his shoulder first- flexing every muscle he had from his jaws to his toes to help try and topple the creature over.  

When it finally reached the tipping point, they were instantly rewarded with the satisfying thud of the upheaval. At the sudden relief of the counterresistance, Aresenn's momentum forced him to topple over the reptile- landing on its lower abdomen as he fought to right himself.

Aresenn quickly picked up on what Sephiran was trying to do. Abandoning his post, he came to his side, and used his shoulder to help heave the crocodile onto its side. It started to flail, thrashing harder against the ground, trying to keep itself from being tipped. But, given that both of its back legs had been shredded and were useless, it couldn’t find any footing to keep itself upright. It toppled over with a loud thud, and hissed while snapping its jaws. Aresenn tumbled over and landed on its belly, while Sephiran fell forward onto its chest. He was quick to lift himself back up, front claws scraping against the sleek scaly skin of its underbelly. He avoided its snapping jaws and thrashing body, waiting for an opening to grab its throat. And, when it presented itself, he took it. He bit down with all of the strength he could muster, fangs penetrating the thick skin and puncturing the windpipe given their length. ”Speech”

It was difficult to regain balance while standing atop of a very angry crocodile that had been forcibly flipped over on its back. But by flexing his claws into the softer scales of the reptile's belly, he was able to manage. Just as he reoriented himself, he witnessed Sephiran delivering -what he hoped to be- a killing blow to the croc's throat. Heaving from the exertion of the constant resistance, his attention shifted back towards the peeping offspring just beyond the shoreline. Whilst absorbing some of the shock of the struggling monster beneath his paws that he was now just helping by ensuring that it wasn't able to right itself-  he snarled at their audience. Daring anyone of them to come closer, happy to dole out similar fates to any of those who wanted it.

With every breath the crocodile took, a loud, whistling noise followed. Air was escaping through the hole his fangs had created, which would cause the mother to suffocate in a matter of minutes. Its thrashing became more violent, jaws snapping wildly, as it flung its head around trying to dislodge him from its neck. But, its last attempts at fending them off were futile. Sephiran almost lost his balance several times given his awkward position, but he managed to stay on his feet. Even if it meant clawing the hell out of the croc's chest. And finally, after what seemed like an eternity of fighting with this beast, it stopped moving. ”Speech”

Perhaps the creature knew that this was the last few moments of its life- it certainly struggled like it. There was a noticeable increase in active attempts to save itself- Aresenn was nearly thrown off his stance several times. But as the oxygen depleted from its body, so did its will to live, until eventually ... everything went still. A few moments after the final movements, the Praetor boy began to relax a bit- standing up straighter, rolling his shoulders to release to sudden intention. His sides were definitely going to hurt from being struck over and over again, but he would manage. "Not bad," He muttered, hopping off the crocodile to get a better look at it now that it was lifeless.

Even when the crocodile became still, Sephiran did not immediately release his hold. He waited for several minutes while holding its throat within his jaws, savoring the warmth of the blood that trickled from its punctured skin. He also took those moments to collect himself. Fighting the beast had taken a lot of energy, and somewhere along the way, Sephiran had felt very out of breath. Trying to breathe through his nose wasn’t cutting it, which was obvious by the grunts he was emitting. So, he finally let the croc go, making sure to carefully pull his fangs out of its flesh to avoid damaging them. Not bad. Aresenn chimed in from behind him, and Sephiran’s head swiveled to face him. “That was… fun.” He cackled as he stepped off of its chest to admire their kill. Above his panting, he could hear the squeaks of its offspring still trying to call their mother back to the water. Which irritated Sephiran. It made him feel like they were mocking him… as if he hadn’t just killed their mother. “Her children are next.” He said, a low, irritated growl following his words. He didn’t wait for Aresenn to respond. He just turned away from him and trotted towards the water's edge, where he would pluck the closest baby from the water to kill it. ”Speech”

When Sephiran announced that he had enjoyed the crocodile's demise, Aresenn offered him a nod in agreement. In a bit he might figure out something to save off the carcass- he had never worked with reptile skin in crafting. Perhaps this was a good opportunity to learn. But the longer he stood still, the stronger the fatigue set in. The Praetor boy began to silently scope out a covered spot within the tree line where he could rest for a moment. But just before he moved to the sidelines, he heard Seph grumbling about infanticide. "Enjoy yourself." Aresenn insisted, as he slinked off to a nearby shade tree. His descent to the sandy soil wasn't a graceful one- more of a flop as he hit the ground in one fluid motion.

Truthfully, he assumed Aresenn would have joined him in the slaughtering of the baby crocodiles. Not only out of spite, but because it would prevent more of these beasts from becoming full-grown and impending upon territory he could own. But instead, the other boy found refuge beneath a shade tree. Maybe he didn’t agree with killing the children, or he was just too tired to partake. Either way, it wouldn’t stop Sephiran. One by one he plucked the babies from the cove, killing them in various ways. Snapping their necks. Crushing them against the rocks. Dismembering them. Hell, even picking them up and making them bite each other to trigger that “death roll” he had seen the adults do. He even made a game out of it for a while, like a baby croc roulette. But eventually, he ran out of toys to play with, which left him feeling disappointed. With an exaggerated huff, he too slunk away into the tree line in search of a place to rest. -exit- ”Speech”