Side-Write: What We're Made For

I've largely tackled a lot of the perspective from the side of the "people" in Project Wild One's setting, the furries that make up the original population of the world. This time around, I wanted to take another look at one of the other species, to see how folks live elsewhere in the world and explore a part, perhaps, of why they live so differently. This is only one explanation for one subgroup, of course, but I thought it made for a decently light case study.

As always, this isn't to be considered canon so much as a possibility for the world of the game. I hope you find it an interesting read!

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What a shock. The seeds aren't taking well. Again.

I've gotten pretty used to watching the farmers, if you can actually call them that, staring and frowning at the dirt like it'll tell them something if they give it just the right level of stink eye. If anything, it starts making me feel a little warm in the belly, knowing what's coming. Even when they turn their nasty looks on me, like it's all my fault, they don't put the slightest chill on it.

Sure enough, they start talking about sending me down again. It's only been three days this time. They really want it to work this time. Each of them has different ideas for what I should be looking for. Some want me to really look hard at the dirt down there. Maybe even steal some. Others want to know more about the tools, get more diagrams, or make sure I didn't miss something in the ones I've already drawn. Still others want me to steal seeds, or watch how exactly the farmer works, or taste the water and see if there's something in it. Like always, I refuse to steal anything. One wrong move there, and the game is up. I don't actually know if they would care about dirt, but I don't want to carry stuff back anyway. That'd be work, and it'd get them thinking I could bring other things all that way.

So once they're all done yelling about what I should look at, I get washed up and head on down the mountain. If nothing else, it's great to get out of the caves for a while. Away from these crackpots. The longer I do this, the more I'm convinced that it's just never going to work-- that kobolds and tall'ns are just made different. There's no point in trying to imitate their tricks.

Most of the old ones say that the tall'ns were around first, but they disagree a lot on why come the gods made us, and all the other people besides the tall'ns. Some say we were made to punish the tall'ns, some that we were meant to show them the proper way to live, to shame them for their own failings. That we're the better version of them, that the tall'ns were like a... first try, to see what works and what doesn't, then try again. None of those ideas really make much sense to me, when you look at us, then at them.

Everyone knows it used to just be chaos, with all the people running around screaming and dying, till the gods took away killing. That's when things changed, and people finally started to settle down a little. But the tall'ns settled down the best, and the fastest. They built their cities, and their farms, and they found ways to kill people that doesn't count as killing. Now they get all the best land, and we're all still just squabblin' and scrabblin' in the dirt, killing each other and being jealous. If anything, I guess my little squat of kobolds is kinda weird, cause we're actually putting in an earnest try at working together and making our own food. We're just... not very good at it.

Now, some of the old ones say we were made for a different reason. They say we were made to tempt the tall'ns, to prey on them-- not like a dragon does a deer, but like a woman does a man. And that? That makes sense to me. Maybe I'm a little biased there, but everything I've seen of what works and what doesn't work for us seems to agree with that idea. Even if that's not actually what we were made for, it sure seems to be what works best.

At the foot of the mountain, I have to go slower, to sneak past the angry farms. These ones right at the edge, we raid them all the time for food. We wanna grow our own, but till that's working, we take what we can get. The tall'ns here are almost crazy with constantly looking every direction, and I gotta waste a lot of time going out of my way to avoid their dogs. This is the worst part of my job. At least they just kill you normally in these parts, I guess. I couldn't risk it in the places where they drag you off to do you permanently.

Half the day's gone before I get past the angry farms. The deeper I go, the less the tall'ns watch out for little ones creeping in their fields, so I can finally relax and mostly go straight for my destination: the Lonely Farm.

Deep in the farmlands, there's a tall'n couple with no kids running a smaller farm. I don't know why they never had kids, but I can tell it leaves them... frustrated. When I creep into the barn and find the wife working, she looks at me nearly the same way she did when she first spotted me, maybe a year ago. That look? That's why I think we're meant to be something special. There's a little fear in her eyes, sure, like she doesn't know what I might be capable of, but there's... excitement, too. She takes in all of me in a quick glance, and something about just looking at me puts a smile on her face. Like the gods crafted us to make something in their heads turn on.

Well, it probably helps that we don't steal from their farm. We picked it special to never steal from, and maybe they understand why we don't. Or maybe they just don't care that we steal from their neighbors. Whatever it is, she doesn't bother me while I look around, and watch her work. If I tried that in any other farm around here, I'd have one of those big forks through me in no time, but here she just keeps looking at me, too.

We both jump at a noise outside, and she hisses at me in Tall'n, gesturing for me to run away. I scurry out of sight, but I don't leave the barn. I hide where I can watch and listen. The husband comes in, and they talk in their weird, moaning language. It'd probably be a lot easier to learn their secrets if I understood their tongue, but nobody I know does. I guess I'm the only one that even has a chance to learn anything besides their curses and threats, now I think about it. The two of them argue some, and finally the wife leaves with some snippy comments and a big huff. The husband is silent, then grumbles to himself once she's gone. I watch him work for a while, and when he's about to leave again, I make a little noise so he'll turn and spot me.

And there's that look again. Surprise, a twinkle of fear, and then... excitement. Hunger. I walk the way he likes, and he picks me up and fucks me on a hay bale right then and there. He's always so eager when he spots me, it kinda makes me feel good, too. I let him have all he wants of me, and I don't complain when he puts it in my mouth after. He's got a lot to give.

Finally, he's all worn out, and he's all lazy smiles as he lets me clean up. He thinks I'm only here for food, and I don't complain when, after taking a peek outside to check for his wife, he leads me to their food store. The sex is pretty good, but this is probably the best part of the job. The other kobolds complain, but I tell them the tall'ns like me fatter, all soft and smooth. I think it's probably even true. So I can't carry extra back, but it's important I eat all I can while I'm here!

The farmer tenses, though, and quickly gestures for me to hide somewhere. I duck behind some sacks, and he closes up the stuff I got into just before the wife arrives. They argue some more, and he leaves. I wait a minute, then poke out to let her see me. She jumps, and laughs, and checks outside... then locks the door. She says something to me that sounds very sweet... and then she lifts her skirt. Guess she was sore we got interrupted before.

I gotta wonder, while I'm eating her out, why they don't have more sex together. They're both pretty needy, but I guess it's worked out pretty good for me. Well... I've seen how they look at each other. And I've seen how they look at me. Maybe that's answer enough. Maybe it's thinking I'm their little secret from each other, too. All I know is... As nice as it might be for the kobolds back home to at least try and make their own food, I'm pretty sure they're all idiots. I mean, just look at me. I'm taking my time squeezing her dry so I get a chance to digest before she has me eat my fill, too. I'm living the life, out here.

Whatever the gods made me for, I'm pretty sure I'm a lot closer to it than any of those dirt-scratchers back home are. But... having a safe bed to come back to is nice, too. So I keep studying all I can, when I'm not between tall'n legs, so I can give them more info when I get back. For all the good it'll do 'em.