Scraping at the Ground

Areo plodded his way along the dry, sandy riverbed in the badlands of Shalekesh, footsteps kicking up puffs of dust as he went. As of yet, he did not know what he was searching for, but as a Ketucari it was in his nature to be at least somewhat curious about his surroundings. His species had been travelling with nomadic humanoids since before the time of the God Wars, after all. It was instinctual for them to wander and explore.

Perhaps I should look for some water,  he thought to himself. This place is as dry as a bone. He pawed experimentally at the dry riverbed, seeing if he could dig a water seep. It would be best to do it before the sun got too high and the temperatures climbed. He could run the risk of dehydration out here.

“Oh, this is so sad,” commented a voice from behind the massive blue Toa. “Using your claws to scrape at the dirt?” it continued.

Unhurriedly, Aero stopped his digging and turned around to face the newcomer, displaying no signs of fear or anger. Behind him stood another Ketucari, their fur mottled green with black stripes. “And what business is that of yours…?” He left the name purposefully blank, hoping the stranger would fill it.

“Kaur,” answered the Ketucari, their tail swishing with amusement. “I keep an eye on all the newcomers around here, and you are obviously out of your element.”

Instead of taking offence, Aero nodded agreement. “So I am. Would you have any advice for me?” he asked.

Kaur grinned, baring sharp canines in a toothy smirk. “You asked for it,” they chortled. “Alright, you worthless little whelp! Let's see how well you can handle those claws of yours.” They displayed their own, honed to a keen razor sharpness, and swiped at the air. “We don’t have much use for someone who can’t even use their gods-given weapons. Try and hit a target without falling flat on your face!”

Aero was somewhat taken aback by Kaur’s brashness, but realised that they did have a point. If he couldn’t defend himself while exploring, he’d become easy prey for other, nastier things out there. He needed to take this opportunity to learn. 

Standing near the riverbed was an old, gnarled acacia tree. That was what had clued Aero into the fact that there still might be water here underground. With Kaur looking on, he lumbered up to the tree, squatted on his haunches, and gave a couple of experimental swipes, as he’d seen the other Ketucari do.

He scored the bark, leaving a few gouges. “Eh, it’ll do for a first try,” Kaur said. “At least you didn’t fall on your face. Next time, try going for a star-nosed yeru or a plicilope. You might at least draw some blood.” And with that assessment, they sauntered away, tail swaying behind them.

Aero allowed himself a moment to feel irritated before taking a deep breath and going back to patiently digging his water seep.