"Just a day like any other," Throgar muttered to himself.

And he was not far from the discomforting truth. Outside under the merciless sun and the oppressing heat, he kept vigil over his assigned area of the fortress, as he did almost daily for hours on end, as drops of sweat ran down his shirtless body while more concentrated around his crotch, making his pants feel uncomfortable. He glanced at the water bottle on his hip; he had already drained its contents, and there would be no more to quench his thirst.

He had no say in the matter, however. Like pretty much every aspect of his life, past and present. His birth had been unnatural, the creation of some unscrupulous scientists who looked to merge the viciousness of a predator with the sturdiness of his ceratopsian half. His eventual escape had been the only act he had done of his own volition. He had sought refuge among mercenaries as a matter of survival, something he constantly pondered if his life was even worth continuing.

The pain of his two sides always in conflict, needing specialized drugs to keep himself alive. And yet he could not find the will to finish everything. Something urged him to continue the fight. For what goal, however, he did not know.

A rumbling noise alerted him to the arrival of another supply ship. One that had been guaranteed to contain the drugs he needed to keep his body from rejecting the myriad of organs that made up his body. He craved a dose; he had been rationing his remaining supplies and he could feel the effects.

And yet, he needed to wait for his shift to be over.

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Finished pic of my Triceraptor guy, originally posted in two old doodles -- https://www.furaffinity.net/view/22037185/ and https://www.furaffinity.net/view/22035381/

That effing rifle was a pain to get right.

Previously posted on Patreon, then on Bluesky. If you would like to see works earlier, subscribing to the former or following on the latter would be much appreciated.