Starting at the chest cavity—where the previous owner had so helpfully opened things up a bit—I began peeling back the thick hide, carefully slicing, or more accurately, sawing, through the connecting tissues and widening the opening.


    Unfortunately, one jagged, black saw—I mean, knife—wasn’t enough. I broke and remade several more from my obsidian stash before I could fully separate the hide from the underlying muscle. Good thing I’d stumbled upon such a large chunk of the stuff.


    Once I’d wrestled the hide free, I dragged it to the lake for a good soaking, rinsing away the worst of the blood and… other things. I also collected a few of the larger bones, all the teeth—which looked surprisingly sharp—and anything else that looked remotely useful, leaving the rest of the carcass to the now-ecstatic scavengers.


    They definitely wouldn’t go hungry tonight. They’d probably be having feasts for weeks.


    I hurried through the forest, gathering some broad leaves and fibrous vines along the way, until I reached the foot of the mountain. There, nestled amongst the rocks, I found another cave. I didn’t venture too far in, still a little traumatized by my previous underground adventure. Just as I stepped inside, the heavens opened up again, as if on cue.


    The weather here had a flair for the dramatic.


    Inside, I focused on the fur and leather. I’m no master tailor—or even a novice one, really—but with makeshift bone needles and plant thread, I managed to cobble together some rudimentary clothing. It was more like a patchwork quilt than anything you’d see on a runway, but it was something.


    When I was done, I wrapped the remaining materials into a makeshift bag. I might need it later. This makeshift outfit wasn’t exactly built to last. I had a feeling I’d be doing a lot of mending, and I wanted to be prepared.


    As I finished, the rain began to ease, then stopped altogether. I was about to head out, when a low rumbling sound stopped me dead in my tracks. A quick sniff confirmed my suspicions: that familiar, truly foul odor wafted from the depths of the cave. A moment later, the familiar dinosaur-headed lizard crawled into view.


    A wave of affection washed over me, a mix of fondness and exasperation. “Of course you found me again,” I said, grinning despite myself. “You did find me the first time, after all.” It wasn’t exactly a shock. Rexy had clearly been in this area far longer than I had. “You still reek!” I added with a laugh, giving its head a hearty pat.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    In response, its long tongue wrapped around me in a sloppy, enthusiastic hug, its gargantuan body wiggling with excitement, tail thumping rhythmically against the cave wall. The cave shuddered.


    “Seriously, how do you keep finding me?” I asked Rexy, who promptly poked me with its snout, as if offering the most obvious answer in the world. I supposed it could smell or sense me somehow.


    “So, what do you want to do now? Travel with me?” I asked Rexy.


    “Arrerrgh,” Rexy trumpeted in what I took as enthusiastic agreement.


    “But I’ve got nothing to feed that appetite of yours,” I said worriedly. “According to Bailey, the rodents away from here aren’t nearly big enough. And, well, your size? It’s going to draw so much attention.”


    “Aheehehe,” she tilted her head back, gargled, and then spat out a neck leash-like item. It landed with a surprisingly gentle plop at my feet.


    “What’s this?” I asked, picking up the surprisingly well-preserved leash. It looked almost…new. Rexy then nudged its neck against me. “It’s…for you?”


    “Arrerrgeeg,” Rexy rumbled, nodding its massive head.


    I carefully clambered around Rexy’s neck, fastening the leash. It fit surprisingly well, like it had been custom-made. A dense aura suddenly enveloped Rexy, and before my eyes, it began to shrink. In a matter of moments, it was no bigger than a small gecko.


    Dr. Keyser is definitely a comic book supervillain.


    I let Rexy crawl onto my arm. “That’s from Dr. Keyser?” I asked. Rexy nodded in my hand, its tiny head bobbing.


    Carefully placing Rexy back on the ground, I removed the leash. She promptly swelled back to her original, bus-sized proportions with a satisfying whoosh.


    I examined the leash closely, then, on a whim, looped it around my own waist as a belt. Nothing happened. I guess this item is Rexy-exclusive.


    “Guess that solves the size problem, at least,” I remarked. Rexy responded with a massive, toothy grin that could rival a megalodon’s.


    “Arrgegr,” Rexy rumbled, dipping her head in a surprisingly graceful bow for a creature of its size.


    I clambered onto Rexy’s back, and it promptly stood. “By the way,” I remarked, wrinkling my nose, “you should really take a bath.” Rexy instantly bucked me off, sending me tumbling to the ground, and bolted.


    “Wait! You need to clean up a bit! That smell is a bit too… noticeable!” I yelled, scrambling to my feet and chasing after it. “There’s a delicious snack by the lake!” I added as an incentive. It was always good to have a bargaining chip.


    Rexy finally skidded to a halt, kicking up a small cloud of dust. “Follow me,” I said, leading it back to the lake where I’d left the carcass.


    When we arrived, only about two-thirds of it remained. “Well, that’s the snack,” I pointed out, gesturing to the remaining remains. Rexy immediately went to sniff it, then jumped excitedly, letting out a joyful squeal, and took a massive bite.


    Rexy devoured the rest in a few quick chomps, bones and all. “Now jump in for your bath!” I called out, pointing towards the water.