The north wind howled as it swept over the top of the hillside.
It brought with it the chill of winter.
A tiger-striped lizard crawled out from a pile of rubble, looking around vigilantly.
At the same time, it extended its long tongue, sensing the breaths coming from its surroundings.
It wanted to store enough nutrients in its cave for hibernation before the first snowfall.
But the insects had nearly vanished recently, greatly increasing the difficulty of foraging.
Crack!
Suddenly, a muffled thud startled the tiger-striped lizard, causing it to instinctively retract back into the rubble.
After a moment, feeling no danger, it cautiously poked its head out again.
It saw a large patch of grass nearby being torn apart.
A person emerged from underground!
Before the tiger-striped lizard could get a clear look at the figure, a streak of golden light shot forth and pierced its head in an instant.
It was a three-inch-long golden needle!
