Sezel clenched his jaw, his grip on the katana's hilt so tight his knuckles were bloodless. He gestured for Mari to stay back, a silent command she obeyed without question. Then he slowly moved forward with cautious, stealthy feet, focused on not disturbing the creature.
His boot came down on a dry, brittle twig. It snapped with a sound of whip-crack that tore the fragile silence to shreds. The lizard, which had been methodically tearing at its meal, froze. Its head twitched, alerted by the noise. It turned around, its yellow, reptilic eyes fixed on Sezel.
Sezel gritted his teeth and straightened, ready to face the beast. The beast turned its full body toward him, its skin a slick, shimmering obsidian, like volcanic rock dusted with chips of bone-white. Its tongue flicked out of its mouth like that of a snake.
