Egg
There were many dangers in the Kuatan Jungle that they had faced. Creatures and native tribes within the darkest corners of the jungle they all had encountered.
To stumble upon something so foreign, unsettled the company and caused all members to reconsider they may be more ignorant to the jungle then they all previously perceived.
It was hot and humid that day and Kotal Kahn and his guards silently agreed with each other if the heat was playing tricks on them.
A broken, metallic pod lay before them, damaged heavily with debris littered about the jungle; a path of broken trees was evidence enough to prove that it had crashed landed.
As the Emperor and his guards looked upon the strange craft, they found themselves unable to come to a suitable conclusion of its possible origin.
Kotal Kahn rubbed his chin with uncertainty. Though severally destroyed, he had an inkling that it was not of Earthrealm and yet it was the only thing he could think of as an explanation.
He looked at his guard, Erron Black, and former resident of Earthrealm, who also seemed perplexed.
He looked at it with his hands on his hips and shook his head, confirming to Kotal that he did not think it of Earthrealm either.
D'Vorah, who had volunteered to inspect the wreckage, emerged, sported her wings and flew to join the Emperor. She carried something in her hands, and they all narrowed their eyes as soon as they saw what she cradled what she held. They had not expected to find it among the rubble.
"An egg?" Black questioned. He looked at the leathery, slippery sack that dripped she held with a grimace.
The Kytinn Queen didn't seem to mind the repulsive nature of it, in fact she looked upon it with fondness as if she found it similar to her own children's eggs.
"Yuck!" Ferra spat in disgust with her tongue out. Torr grunted as if agreeing with his symbiotic partner.
"This One finds no trace of life," she informed him. "Perhaps what was inside hatched long ago."
The Emperor nodded in acknowledgement. "Whatever is in the jungle we will locate it, as well as whoever brought it here."
"If there was anyone in there," Black pointed out. "May have been remote piloted. Earthrealm Special Forces has somethin' like that."
"If so what purpose would it serve?" Kotal questioned. "It serves no purpose to Earthrealm or Outworld to plant new life in."
"Nothing we know of," Ermac multiple voices chimed.
"Nevertheless, we shall look for this creature," Kotal Kahn motioned towards the five Osh-Tekk warriors that had accompanied them and they quickly formed around the Emperor. He instructed them to scout the area and report anything they thought noting. With that order, they fanned out in all directions.
D'Vorah noticed the worried look on the Kotal's face; his thoughts lost in deep concentration. "Something troubles my emperor?" she asked.
Kotal Khan looked at her with a grim disposition, "I feel a change in the jungle. Something has stirred it that does not belong here."
"This One would not worry," D'vorah assured him. "It may yet reveal itself as Earthrealm trash."
"I must confirm if so," Kotal replied.
"Emperor—"
Kotal interrupted the Kytinn Queen. "I will speak with them."
The only warrior that had remained quiet was the Zatteran and Kotal couldn't help but notice something amiss with him. He looked upon the jungle with a guarded but fierce expression; as if felt something was watching them.
Correct was the Emperor. Reptile had thought he had seen movement prior to D’Vorah returning from the wreckage, but turned to slowly to catch what it was.
After that, he felt an uneasy feeling sink under his scaled skin he couldn't ignore. The only reason he did not say anything was because and did not want to waste his Emperor's time if it proved to be nothing.
However, as he turned towards the group, he offered one last glare of warning not to toil with them to whatever was out there.
What Reptile was right about was that there was someone watching them, but they were not his target— for now.
It was after something else that could be more dangerous than any of the potential prey that he saw before him.
He watched as they discussed amongst themselves, their language alien to him but similar to that spoken on the human’s world. He traced patterns in their words, trying to distinguish what was being said. Despite the familiarity of the language, they still were stranger than any creature he had hunted before and that alone sent anticipation through him.
He would eliminate what he was charged to do first and then make a hunt out of all the creatures to bring back their heads to his clan.
They all looked to be warriors, and he would more than exceptional trophies compared to human skulls. He particularly had his sights on one of them: a large human shaped beast with feathered hair and whose skin burned hot with the intensity of the sun.
There was a large beast with a smaller one upon it, but it did not impress him as it should— he had taken larger creatures. The Burning One was what he wanted; he was the alpha.
He watched as they proceeded to the camp they had established not far from the wreckage of the escape pod.
He glanced upon the craft with irritation that he would have to accomplish this chore before he could hunt. It was imperative that it did not find what it was looking for
He hoped he would be able to do so before ruin could overtake it. It would be such a pity to let this place go to waste to the black serpents.
A lone Osh-Tekk warrior paced his way through the jungle with a dreadful weight of trepidation. He was no oblivious observer and noticed that whatever wildlife that was present had suddenly and ominously departed.
He clutched his spear a little tighter as he looked for the survivor of the craft and hoped they were not hostile.
He heard something in the brush and turned to meet nothing.
Panic set in.
His eyes darted from left to right as heard what sounded like scuttling through the forest floor. He turned to face the sound of the noise and felt his eyes bulge in alarm as something raced at him. He thrust his spear towards the brush violently began to push aside and whatever underneath quickly advance on him. He felt himself take a step back, the brush covering whatever was coming for him. He prepared his spear for an attack.
Suddenly, it stopped a few feet from him, the brush still once again. He narrowed his eyes and slowly and as quietly as he could, he approached. He held in his breath as he used his spear-tip to move the leaves away.
A yellow and red spotted lizard native to the Kuatan Jungle hurried away and he let out a sigh of relief. He shook his head, laughing at his own foolishness and turned back in the direction he was heading when he felt himself halt.
Something clung to the tree nearby he had not seen before. It was a small, white animal that hung silently on the tree as if it were a piece of fungus. He approached the seemingly harmless new animal to gaze closer inspection on it.
He didn't even have a chance to scream when it abruptly attacked him with a lightning speed he would not have thought possible.
He cried out in terror as his vision blackened and held onto his face with a strength he could not break; it's bony and wet fingers held onto their back of his head like an iron mask.
He gurgled and fell to the ground, the last thing he felt was something wet, hard and yet pliable being shoved down his throat before darkness clouded him.
