Your writing is so good! I got very emotionally invested in the lizard and bear. I read this first and it stood perfectly on its own.

I still feel this one is a bit all over the place and the main point I meant to use as a driver didn't really come across very well but it does mean a lot to hear you say you thought it came out well enough. I suppose this one could work as a stand alone piece; guess I was just a bit worried there wouldn't be enough context without the first part.

I'm grateful that you'd take the time to read over this, thanks much for that.

This swamp is a very dangerous place! There was a lot that happened just in this story alone, and this poor branded lizardman does not seem to catch a break ever! I imagine he and Shelby might have stories to share about how much the universe hates them lol.

Thank you very much for sharing this wonderful story FtD!

Oh, don't worry about the lizardman, he'll be fiiine. After all, he's got a pet bear now!

I feel that if the two ever did meet, Shelby would still claim to have the worst of the universe's hate: despite finding a kindred soul, she wouldn't be able to speak with him because he doesn't know English!

I appreciate that you'd take the time for this one, very much grateful for that.

What a hellacious existence. Sounds rife for some kind of horrible infection or rot to develop with all that swampwater, dampness, and open wounds. It's almost as if the Australian Outback traded its sands for a bog.

Perhaps it is just my taste in literature, but I still think you might be just a tad heavy on the description here. I mean, that being said, your choice and use of words when doing so is excellent. Granted, by now you know I'm a very to-the-point sort of person, so the sensitivity to literary meandering might just be a 'me problem'.

After everything he's been through, he's still a survivor at least. Even if it becomes out of sheer spite toward his hateful kin.

I fully understand that point; I did tend to let things get a bit away from me as I drafted this one up. Word choice and usage might help but I really need to learn how to rein things in a bit. I never intend to let my shorts go over five or six pages and yet all of them seem to do just that without really adding anything in the end. Perhaps I should ask Vixyy to pose more of the 365-word challenges as practice for keeping these a bit more brief...

I do very much appreciate that you'd take the time to read over these and am very grateful you'd point out what you didn't think worked so well. Thank you very much for that.

A fantastic piece. I really love these two. Me thinks the other lizard probably shouldn't be going after the branded. Better to leave another alone than pick a fight you might lose. Nice of him to show mercy, but with how dangerous this swamp is, I wouldn't be surprised if this defeated individual never wakes up.

I'm glad to hear you thought it came out well enough, I am enjoying putting their background together. And in the other lizardman's defense, he wasn't anticipating any intervention from pesky bear cubs! He'll probably be fine but it isn't really the branded's concern anymore.

I'm grateful that you'd take the time to come back for this one, really means a lot.