Meet
The Greater Jak-Jak
An armored behemoth that sets a grim precedent for what this new world has to offer.<><><><>
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You have descended from rocky, brisk heights down into the underbelly of this arctic ecosystem, your already ragged boots dredging through tough packs of dirty ice and caked mud. Your scouts have told you that your target Jak-Jak is an older mother, with her young just now starting to thicken their scaley hides and grow their black claws. She is still a ferocious one, however, especially around her babies; you were told to approach with caution.
You and your team keep descending, the smell of resting snow and compacted dirt surrounding you as you attempt to find your way to the Greater Jak-Jak's nesting area. The once tall trees above have now devolved into warped pines and stubby cypruses, the sub-species cluttering the frosty floor like overgrown shrubbery. Small, rodent-like mammals dart in and out of the diminutive foliage around you, little representations of rats and possums finding their way to their own nests in this icy labyrinth. Goodness, this place really is like a labyrinth; cold, unmerciful, and confusing.
A strong gust of wind surprises you, and you shiver.
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The Greater Jak-Jak starts to rise herself up from her young, up and away from a snowy bed of dirt and under-brush providing any amount of warmth her babies need outside of her embrace. Bringing herself to full stature, a wiggle of her tail and abdomen throws off the crushed ice and snow that slowly covered her backside throughout her slumber. This female Jak-Jak was not as big as the sex got, but it was large indeed. Scars laid across her face from battles against predatory beasts that dare threaten its domain, settling in the skin as testaments to the monster's fortitude. Though she was a mother, she was fierce, and this was not her first batch; at the age of 67, this Jak-Jak had fostered 2 lineages other of her kind already. Successfully.
Nothing got past mama Jak-Jak.
The beast strolled outside, its great muscles creaking and shifting under the thick hide of old scales she wore proudly. Jak-Jaks lived into their early sixties most of the time, but this one had grown even stronger with age. She had the will to carry her kind's ferocity well over her own lifespan. After this host of children, however, she may lay down her supremacy and drift to a world beyond that. Yet, her job was still the same as long as she stood; protect, intimidate, dominate. She had fought off settlers last week, in fact, the puny human's spears bouncing off her skin like pencils thrown at a sheet metal. They ran off hurriedly, and mother Jak-Jak found it pleasing to see such a thing be so.
But here she was, another day of feeding her young, and another day of territorial struggles. As she exited her cold, shallow cave, the Greater Jak-Jak gave a mighty bellow that rang throughout the undergrowth. Mammals scurried into their trees, herbivores ran away from their frozen-over watering holes, and the trees swayed with silent tension. Jak-Jaks were no match for the beasts that trodded up above this labyrinth of caves and stubby plants. But, inside the Labyrinth, they could happily play their part as powerful, egotistical knights. The Greater Jak-Jak gave another final roar, tearing through the cold air with a vocal shout of caution and challenge to those who dare approach her domain. She made it extra loud, for good measure.
The Greater Jak-Jak wandered off to find some food for her young ones.