Once, in some unknown place, a lizard lived. She was quite cute, had a greenish-blue skin tone, a red split in two at its tip, a tongue, and eyes with a yellowish iris and a vertical pupil.
The lizard ate big grass. Usually this herb was hard and not very pleasant to the taste, but sometimes it came across very tasty weed. On the delicious weed, sometimes she saw little sweet things. Although they were tiny, she preferred to eat these things separately. Sometimes, when she felt thirsty, she had to walk to the nearest river.
Her very first memory is the fear that she experienced in early childhood. She does not know what happened then, but she remembers that it was at that moment that she received her only scar on her front right leg. From that moment on, the lizard is very afraid of dangers.
On one of the warm summer days, lying near the stream, the lizard enjoyed the pleasant warming sun. Suddenly, out of nowhere, she heard a very soft rustle and some frightening sounds, the likeness of which she had never heard before. She was alert, and was about to run away, but looking down to where this low noise was coming from, she saw some small creatures there.
The lizard realized that these strange sounds were made by these incomprehensible babies. Interested, she did not run away. The creatures themselves were short and reached about half of her paw. The babies had four limbs, white skin, and strange, long fur on their heads. They also had strange rags hanging from them. Each of them held a wand in their paws. For some reason, these little men ran up to the lizard and began to poke these sticks into its paw. This made the lizard tickle. She lay down on the ground and began to gaze at them intently. What these kids were doing seemed interesting to her. She even licked one of them, but the little men for some reason after that began to run away from her, making strange sounds. She drooped, and slowly wandered towards her house.
From that moment on, nothing interesting happened to her. She, as before, walked through the thickets of grass and ate it when she was hungry. I went to the watering place when I felt thirsty. She came to big pebbles and basked in the sun when she wanted warmth. This time was no different from her rest of her life.
One day, the lizard heard a strange and remotely recognizable noise. Curious, she went to the source of the noise. In the place where these sounds were coming from, she saw a very strange thing. She was gray and round and tall. From above, along its entire perimeter, this thing had rectangular protrusions. There were also small turrets in this tiny wall.
Inside this round thing lived those incomprehensible little people, met by a lizard by a brook. She decided to watch them. The kids began to scatter in fear, but many of them, realizing that the lizard would not attack them, stopped panicking.
After some time, a group of several of these little men came out to her. They did something strange and incomprehensible to the lizard. The kids themselves were different from those seen by the lizard for the first time. This time they weren't wearing rags, but something strange, gray and shiny, completely covering their bodies. And in their paws were not sticks, but some much shorter, about the length of their arm, thin, gray and shiny things. They looked sharp and a little dangerous.
When it started to get dark, the kids went into their gray circle. The lizard also decided to leave.
Since then, the lizard has become a frequent visitor to this place. She liked to watch the movements of the little ones in this circle. At one point, they brought her strange things, which, as they showed by their example, they needed to eat. She tasted them, and she really liked these sweets. She began to visit this place even more often. Every time the lizard visited the little men, the kids gave it goodies.
Once, when the lizard came to the ring again, he saw how many babies had come from nowhere. They were different from the inhabitants of the circle, they wore different clothes and the things in their hands were different from those worn by the kids familiar to the lizard. The lizard approached them, but they first started throwing strange projectiles at her, and then after a while they began to run away from the lizard to where they came from. For a while, the lizard watched in confusion as these kids escaped. But when she got tired of it, she went to the circle to which she was originally going.
When she arrived there, she saw how a huge multitude of little men emerged from the circle, at the head of which were two babies, who had in their hands an even tinier baby, twisted into a strange white cocoon. They put it in front of the lizard and waited for something. The lizard came up and sniffed this cocoon, with the baby wrapped in it. She licked the cocoon, and the baby answered her with a cheerful laugh. The lizard liked the girl.
One of the times, when the lizard came to this strange circle, a baby came out to her. The lizard sniffed at her and realized that this was exactly the girl who was wrapped in a white cocoon at one of her last visits here. It seemed strange to the lizard, because very little time had passed since that moment. Are these babies growing so fast? Then why none of them grows to normal growth, and so remains a baby? Unclear.
The girl, in response to the sniffs, laughed and began to stroke the lizard on its nose. The lizard licked the baby, who laughed even harder in response.
The baby began to walk somewhere and beckoned the lizard. She followed her. They came to a large, spacious clearing, where they played together for some time. But it got dark and the girl had to return home. The lizard began to come to the strange gray ring even more often to play with the girl. Sometimes the girl brought her different tasty things. The lizards liked them very much. They tasted better than the rest of the kids give her. Every time the lizard saw the girl, she grew taller. It was incomprehensible to her why the babies are growing so fast?
Once a lizard, in the presence of a girl, got sick from her childhood scar. The girl, seeing this for some reason, ran to her home. She returned with some strange smelling substance. The girl applied it to her hand, and for some reason began to approach the lizard. I didn't like the smell of this substance, and it began to move away from the girl. The girl stopped, thought, took out a dagger and made a small cut on the back of her hand. Then she applied this substance to the incision, waited a couple of seconds and removed it from the wound. The wound disappeared in an unknown way. The lizard thought, and let the girl put this stinking substance on her paw. After that, the lizard's scar never hurt again.
The lizard often played with the girl, but one day she stopped going to her. The lizard was very upset and offended by the girl, but she did not stop coming to the place of their meetings and to the gray circle, where most of the kids live. After quite a long time, an old woman came out of the gray circle to the lizard, sniffing which the lizard recognized in her the very girl. Although the lizard was delighted, she did not show it, pretending to be incredibly offended and insulted. Let the girl know not to ignore and forget her friend.
Interlude 1.
Hello. My name is Zlata. I am the third daughter of the Ausberg barons, rulers of the Ausberg county. The capital of our county is the fortress city of Kera. Our city has an ancient patroness Beshutse. Even as a child, my great parents brought me to our beloved protector. This is a huge and very beautiful lizard, which has been patronizing our city for several hundred years. Since childhood, I have been friends with Besha. Beshutse in the southern language means patroness, but I have shortened her name to sweet Besha.
She comes to our fortress about once a year. Sometimes more often sometimes less often. Every time she comes to our fortress, Besha and I go to play on a large field near which our city is built.
As far as I know Bechet has been for over a thousand years ... Perhaps she is immortal? Many residents consider Besha a goddess, but I believe that she is just a big and cute mischief. She licks me all the time.
Once I saw that Besha was limping on his front right paw. She had a very large and terrible scar. I ran into town to buy her a healing potion. It is very expensive, but I will explain that Besha needs it, I hope they will believe me and sell it cheaper ...
I was still able to buy it. I had to spend almost all of my savings on this potion, but Bechet will not have to suffer for another hundred years ...
When I came to her and tried to apply the potion, she began to run away. Was there something she didn't like about the potion? That's the same fussy. How can I get her to trust me? HM…
Maybe I should show what it is? Yes, I will. I took out the dagger that my dad gave me. I made a small incision and applied a healing potion.
Yes! She held out her paw to me.
- Well done, Besha! Good girl.
I put a potion on her wound. For some reason, Besha turned away. Is it really unpleasant for her? When the scar healed, I removed whatever was left on it.
Besha turned to me and began to examine her cured paw. She even licked it.
- What a fool you are, Besha.
After that we played a little more and I returned home.
***
When I turned 15, I was married to Count Bruyere. We had to move to his hometown. After some time, we had a daughter. We named her Anyone. Unfortunately, it turned out to be very painful. None of the priests, magicians, or healers could cure her. We tried to save her for a very long time, but once, at the age of 4, our Lyuba died ... I forgot about everything in the world and only thanks to my beloved, I was able to pull myself together.
Several years have passed since Lyubochka's death, and our son, Kolenka, was born. He was very strong, but I tried not to leave him a step.
At night, I always told him fairy tales, in which I told him about the world, about my hometown and its protector. I even wrote down some of these tales. My fairy tales have become popular among the people.
10 years later, my husband also passed away ... I was left to raise my son alone. A few years later, my son became the new Earl of Bruyere, got married and started his own family. I think I should leave them, there is no need for the old woman to interfere with her son and his wife ...
Again my back hurts ... Even potions and magic are not able to heal old age and resurrect the dead. I don't feel long left. Lyuba, Kolya, beloved, how I love you all ... Several tears rolled down the face of an old woman tired of life.
I had a strange feeling, as if I had forgotten about something ... Exactly, Besha! After the wedding with my beloved, we moved to another city, and I never returned to my parental home ... Yes, I need to return and, at least for the last time in my life, play with Besha ...
End of the interlude.
The girl brought my favorite treat with her. Okay, this time I'll probably forgive her. The girl and I went to our beloved meadow. The girl is not feeling well this time. Runs slowly, stops constantly. Maybe she's in pain too? Then maybe she should put that weird, smelly substance on her?
When it got dark the girl went to her home. From that moment on, the lizard never saw the girl again. She came to the gray ring many times, but the girl never came out to her. The lizard was very offended and upset ... The next time she meets a girl, she will definitely not forgive her for one tasty treat!
But the girl did not appear not after 20 visits of the lizard to the ring, not after 100. The lizard became very painful. The lizard stopped believing that the girl would ever come out to her, but did not stop coming.
Sometimes a group of other babies came to the ring, who always ran away at the sight of her. And sometimes large living beings came to the ring and tried to destroy the ring. She chased them away.
Time passed, the ring changed. It has already become a little like a ring. The short ones also changed, they began to wear strange clothes. In general, the kids were few, the whole ring was filled with strange things, in which most of the kids sat and rode in them.
Interlude 2.
- Damn, damn, damn! What the hell was this order given right now? Stupid idiots!
The general received an order from the high command. The meaning of which can be characterized by the following words: "Destroy all over the monsters terrorizing humanity."
The general himself understood the need for this order, but did not understand its categoricality.
Humanity throughout its history has been in danger due to monsters that could completely destroy it at any moment. It is understandable that at the moment when mankind had the resources to destroy them, it decided to throw off the planetary dictatorship of creatures capable of destroying a million-strong city in a few hours.
But why do you need to destroy even peaceful creatures? He sincerely hated the fact that he would have to carry out this order.
He grew up on fairy tales written by one of his distant ancestors. Many of her tales are about the protector of their city: the huge lizard Beshutz. He himself saw her a couple of times, and even fed her himself ...
And he will have to kill her ...
- Fuck, your mother! Fucking imbeciles!
He understood that the whole city would hate him, that if his ancestors met him after death, they would also hate him for his act ... But he also understood that even if he helped her escape, sooner or later others would find and kill the lizard itself people, and he and his family will be brought to court ...
No, if she is destined to die, then let him bear the burden of her murderer ...
At the very least, he will try to do it painlessly, unlike other monsters in human bodies ...
In those tales written by his distant ancestor, it was indicated that she was very fond of arb letters. They should be pumped with sleeping pills and given to her so that death would come to her in her sleep ...
Usually Besha comes to the fortress in late spring and early summer. So by that time, you need to prepare enough sleeping pills to put even a giant like her to sleep. The eternal defender of our city is entitled to a quick and painless death.
***
Now, spring is coming to an end. And Besha came to the city.
In the offering she could also see the arb letters, pumped with a huge dose of sleeping pills.
The general watched her from afar. Here the lizard ate one of the fruits, here is the other.
The turn of the letter came. The lizard sniffed them for a long time. For some reason, she began to back away. Did she suspect something? The lizard turned around and began to run away.
"Damn, she smelled the potion! Don't let her escape, shoot at the joints of her hind legs!
One of the armor-piercing rounds punctured her knee. The lizard fell to the ground. A heart-rending scream sounded, which almost deafened everyone who heard it. The lizard turned with difficulty to her offenders.
- Hurry, kill her, shoot her in the head!
The general saw bitter tears streaming down the lizard's cheeks. It seemed to him that Beshutze was looking into his eyes
A shot sounded, after which the lizard stopped moving. The general approached her and saw pain, misunderstanding, resentment, fear, which remained forever imprinted on her already dead face.
He himself stood for a long time in front of the corpse, beloved by the whole city of Beshi.
One of his deputies, who wanted to comfort him, approached him.
- Don't be upset, General. You should have seen what smelly heaps she leaves behind, you would not grieve so ...
The soldiers had to save the deputy from their general, who almost shot him on the spot.
***
There were ordinary people who saw this inhuman murder of their beloved patroness. They also told in the city about who killed their beloved deity.
The general became the most hated man in his city. Even his family did not forgive him.
The general himself often had nightmares associated with the murder of Beshutse.
One day, he was found hanged at the place where the lizard was killed.