Zaryusu went to the hut where Rororo stayed, the four headed hydra looked at him from all its eyes at once, it could feel his tension and responded immediately.

“We’re going somewhere, my friend. I need your strength.” Zaryusu said and held up his hand, the hydra’s heads took turns pressing themselves into his palm before his body lumbered into the open.

“Your pet is impressive.” Crusch said, looking the creature over.

“He’s more my friend and comrade than my pet. I found him a long time ago, abandoned by its mother, most likely over having only four heads as opposed to the usual eight.” Zaryusu explained and reaching up, he patted the hard brown scaled body. Rororo’s tail wagged back and forth with pleasure at the affectionate touch.

“Come on, let me help you up and we’ll get going.” Zaryusu said and held out his free hand.

“We’re going to ride him? Is it safe?” She asked and looked up at him, the oval length heads all turned to look at her and cocked in opposing directions as if not quite sure what to make of her. Long serpentine tongues darted out and wiggled briefly in the air before withdrawing into their mouths.

“As long as you’re with me, yes.” Zaryusu said and patted Rororo again. “Listen to me, Rororo, she’s a friend, not food. Understand?” He asked.

The heads bobbed twice in unison, then the big beast held still while Crusch Lulu took a hesitant step forward. Zaryusu climbed up first, his clawed hands and feet doing seemingly no damage to the monster, not even discomforting it, he was up within the span of a child’s breath. His hand extended down toward her again, she tried to imitate him as best she could, and with a little scrambling that brought a tiny blush to her cheeks, she was up sitting in front of him.

“Alright, go, Rororo.” Zaryusu said and patted the left center head, his hydra turned in that direction and went for the gate.

Crusch looked behind her to see the members of her tribe beginning to divide up among the families of Zaryusu’s people. Many of her people looked back at her, but it was noteworthy in her eyes that only one that she saw, looked back at the departing Zaryusu.

She watched until the entire area was a mere dot, ‘Nobody looked to see him leave… except their chief.’

Zaryusu didn’t say very much until Crusch began to fidget, straddling the beast and pressed into his body, it was already a trifle discomfiting. But the sun was pounding her like a hammer, strictly speaking it wasn’t even that hot, but this much time unprotected in the sun began to leave its mark.

She began to shift as slight pain began to run through her body.

“Are you alright?” Zaryusu asked, glancing down at her from behind.

“I-I’m alright. Please don’t worry about me.” Crusch replied with haste, her little blush returning to her cheeks, her tail went over the side to dangle by and without her intent, caressed his thigh. Rororo continued to tramp through the muck, the constant splash and squish amidst the waters of the lake and the swamps around it were the only constant noises. Though occasionally there was the rush of wind through the trees or the sound of some creature of the waters breaking the surface for one reason or another.

Crusch made herself remain still and stiff for as long as she could, and she did her best to ignore it when his body pressed against hers when he leaned forward to tap one of Rororo’s necks to guide the beast. It was hard not to notice that Zaryusu was there, steady and stable, quiet and focused. ‘I wonder what he’s thinking? Probably only about our task…’

‘To think my brother almost got to do this! I’m the luckiest lizardman alive… I should be focused on what we need to do… but this is the most beautiful, radiant, desirable female I’ve ever seen…’ Zaryusu answered that tumult of thoughts and desires by redoubling his focus and remaining steady and slow in every gesture, ensuring not one touch or action of his own could be questioned in her mind.

But he did notice when she was shifting again. “Have I made you uncomfortable?”

“N-No it’s…” Crusch told him the half truth, and latched onto it by pointing up at the sky toward the bright afternoon sun.

“It’s that.” She said and ran one hand over her pure white arm. “On this.” She didn’t look over his shoulder, that felt too awkward, “It’s that I burn easily in the sun if I’m out too long, normally I wear a bush cloak to hide my body from the light so I don’t get these.” She pointed out a series of tiny splotches of red on her body.

“I burn easily, you see. But unfortunately there simply wasn’t time to grab my usual protection. Everything had to be left behind.” Crusch said with no small unhappiness.

“Oh, can’t you just get another one?” He asked and waved a hand toward the dense trees. “I’m sure there are plenty of bushes in there, aren’t they?”

“Yes, but the bushes that work best are harder to find, the red berry ones are thick and protect me well from the light, but the rest might as well not be there.” Crusch answered.

“Why not that?” Zaryusu suggested, then pointed down at the water’s edge. The wind was blowing slow and steady, sending ripples over the waters that caught the light of the burning sun and sent the white reflected light glinting toward their eyes.

“How can I wear water? Or are you saying I smell? I’m sorry but there was no time to wash before we ran for our lives-” Crusch said, glaring back at him before he gave his head a fierce shake.

“No! Don’t wear water, and you smell wonderful, I-” Zaryusu stopped in mid sentence.

Crusch Lulu brought both hands up to the sides of her slightly open mouth, the redness on her cheeks had nothing to do with the heat or rays of the sun above and everything to do with him praising her scent.

“I, ah…” Zaryusu almost said, ‘I didn’t mean it…’ but thought the better of it as that would have sounded too much like going back to saying she stank. “What I meant was, was not that way… I meant…” He swallowed and thrust his hand toward the shore again. “Wear mud. Cover yourself in that and you’ll be protected from the sun.”

“Mud…?” She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Yes, mud. It isn’t perfect, but coating yourself in it will cover your body so that you don’t burn.” Zaryusu tried to stay as practical as possible and did not meet her narrow gaze.

“I suppose… but it would be difficult to get on my back.” Crusch Lulu remarked.

“I’ll help!” Zaryusu offered, and her tail lashed reflexively.

“Is that an offer you make to many females? Some way to excuse putting your hands all over them?” Crusch inquired almost as curious as she was embarrassed.

“No! I- That isn’t- I’m just trying to solve your problem…” Zaryusu stammered.

“So you find my body repugnant do you? That is a common sentiment, few would want to touch scales like this.” Crusch replied, only for his vigorous head shake to redouble.

“Certainly not! I would love to touch your body, it’s beautiful, you’re the most beautiful female I’ve ever seen and-” Zaryusu replied and both he and Crusch Lulu sucked in air in disbelief at the bold statement.

Rororo however, ignored it all and simply jogged along.

“So you are a pervert who wants my body after all?” Crusch Lulu demanded.

“No! Yes! I-” Zaryusu darted his eyes about like he was seeking an escape.

“Which is it?” Crusch asked.

With nowhere to go verbally or physically, like some deep primal call from the depths of his soul, the female of his dreams before him as they rode on an errand of desperation that could very well fail and doom them all, his body did the one thing it did not need to think to do.

His powerful hands gripped her shoulders, claws lightly pressing into the white scales, his back arched close to her, his head tilted toward the sky and tail stiffened out behind him. Then from his open mouth, “Eyaaaa… Eyaaa… Eyaaaaa…”

The high pitched noise was nonsensical to anyone outside their race, it was not even a word within their spoken tongue.

It was a mating call of lizardman to lizardwoman, the most primal expression of desire and want their kind could emit.

“Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What… What did you do…?!” Crusch blushed a deep crimson over her cheeks and looked up behind herself.

He did it again.

There was no doubt in her mind. ‘A mating call… I never thought I would hear one for myself…’ Crusch’s tail began to flail about and pound his leg, while Rororo simply rode on.

“You can’t mean it…” She said, but he nodded.

“I do! I can’t deny the depths of my heart! As soon as I saw you, I hungered for you, I wanted you. You are the most beautiful female of our kind that I have ever seen… and I cannot help myself. We will die if we fail, and we may even be killed trying to win over our neighbors. If we are going to die, I want to live honestly, and make my desire known to the woman I love.” Zaryusu proclaimed, and it did nothing to quell Crusch Lulu’s blush.

“We don’t even know one another!” She exclaimed.

“You led your people to safety and put yourself at the front, risking death by doing so, that tells me you are a female among females, the greatest of your tribe… anything else I am content to learn later.” Zaryusu answered her with confidence.

For seconds she could think of nothing to say, but she did finally come to ask… “So the mud suggestion, was that just so that you could touch me?”

“No. That was to protect you from the sun. That I would get to touch your body is only an added privilege that I would greatly treasure.” Zaryusu answered and Crusch fell silent again.