The Worst Kobold Chapter 39: Chapter 3 - A Haunting Scream

Read chapter 39 of The Worst Kobold by Thalaas on NovelPedia.

Young ones, from any race or species, seem to grow up so fast. And the same is true for kobolds. They mature slightly quicker than other races, where they are considered to have reached adulthood at sixteen. It may be because they are one of the smaller races, usually barely topping four feet, and weigh at most a hundred pounds. One certain kobold though, was a bit big for his age. At ten years old, he was already well over a thousand pounds. His deformities have grown more extreme as he aged. His black fingernails have grown to foot long talons, and are so dense they are all but impossible to file down. His neck and tail were both several feet long, and each moved like serpents in the grass. And while most kobolds had fine, minute scales that looked almost like skin, he had scales that were already as thick as plate armor. Fluke, or as he was currently called Big Red, wasn’t the most popular hatchling. Besides his unusually misshapen body, and his timid personality? Well, Fluke had a habit of eating anything he could get his mouth around. He’d eat the bones, hides and skins that were normally discarded while cooking. He’d been seen scrounging out of trash piles, or even snapping up the occasional rat that wandered the tunnels. It gave him the reputation as the fat, weird kid. And a target for bullies. The play areas were generally abandoned mining areas that had been stripped clean of anything of value. Since they were shored-up well, inspected many a time, and had huge expansive areas? They were a popular place for younger kobolds to just have fun. But while most hatchlings were sprinting, wrestling, or playing games of rockslap and tag? He just found a corner and curled up away from most. It was nice just to watch, and well, he wasn’t the only hatchling who wasn’t running wild. Grassweaver was on top of Big Red’s head. The two freaks of the clutch had gotten close over the years. Big Red had been her legs, carting her to and from class, physical therapy, and wherever she wanted to go. She in turn, had simply been a good friend. Which is all Big Red wanted. “C’mon…,’ Grassweaver growled a little as she practiced the motion of weaving once more. She used her one good hand to stitch reeds back and forth, making a lattice of sorts. It was a simple, but necessary skill for making baskets, nets, and other necessary items for the clan. She was already fairly decent at it, and it seemed to be a skill she could become proficient in. Though, she had to work harder than most. “How’s the weave, Grassweaver?” Big Red spoke softly, even though his softest voice was like an encroaching storm. Grassweaver was a newer name for his friend, and Big Red thought it was a nice one. It matched her scale color, and would fit if she kept up working with basket weaving. “This new one is a tricky little one,” Grassweaver grumbled slightly. “It uses smaller reeds than I’m used to. But if you do it right? The basket is almost waterproof. You can use it for moving grains and other small stuff. But, this feels like a two handed weave. And I only got the one good one,” she said as she lifted her left arm. It still had a skeletal look, like someone had coated wax over bones. “I’m sure you’ll get it,” Big Red held up his front hands and wiggled them a little. They were massive, with thick black claws as a couple feet long. “And you got one talented hand. I got these two big things,” He made a small flex of his own. One of the claws scraped the wall, and left a gouge. He winced. He knew he had to be careful of motions like that. “I can’t even hold a piece of grass without tearing it,” he said as his voice dropped a little. “Hey, hey,” Grassweaver gave Big Red a pat on the head as hard as she could with her good hand. Even then, the sensation barely registered to the giant secret dragon. “You got two strong hands at least. And legs,” she encouraged her friend. “I’m thankful for that at least. I ever tell you how much I appreciate you carrying me around like a