In each and every village that she had been to, heroic tales were written about Kalera’s exploits and actions to save them from destruction, either at the claws of some monstrous beast or from a natural disaster. Even if she was small enough to be able to read these stories, the mountainous reptile had no interest in dwelling on how her actions deified her. She just did what she thought was the right thing to do.
There was no pattern to her travels; her exploits taking her across the world, having saved many thousands of lives without taking the time to join their celebrations of her or even to give them comfort after saving them from certain death. This remained true when she stumbled upon Waris, a small village facing an immense problem. Or at least it was for the villagers.
Much like Kalera, the foe before her was reptilian, a bipedal, flightless dragon. Despite only coming up to the komodo’s calf, the mountain of difference between their strength was equal to that he held over the helpless villagers below. By now, almost a fifth of the houses had been flattened, and several villagers, brave or foolish enough to face him, had met their ends either by being crushed under his claws or chewed as though they were candy.
To any micro, the sight would have been nigh-apocalyptic; however, to Kalera, the sight of some six-inch-tall lizard stomping around to prove his dominance was comedic, pitiful even. Careful as to not cause more damage to the village, she casually strolled a few steps over and bent down to pick the dragon up.
Zalthug was so focused on his own rampage that he never recognized the ever-growing thumps of Kalera’s footsteps, presuming the earthquakes were due to his own exaggerated stomps. It wasn’t until the sky became drenched in shadow that the dragon realized that something was very wrong, but by then it was far too late for him to make his escape.
Unbecoming for a ferocious dragon such as him, Zalthug let out a high-pitched yelp as two massive claws gripped around his frame. Not having wings to fly with, he had never experienced the disorienting nature of lifting hundreds of feet into the air, voluntarily or otherwise. It wasn’t until he was face-to-face with his captor that he finally returned to his senses.
Each of the two purple eyeballs was the size of Zalthug’s head, as they seemed to stare straight into his soul, a scowling expression treating him not as the menacing tyrant he thought himself to be but as a simple annoyance to be snuffed out. An insect. Zalthug felt a chill race down his spine, fear he had not felt in decades, but the dragon knew that to express said fear was to accept his own death, and so he gathered the little courage he had to face his foe.
“I’ll destroy you,” he snarled. “I am fire, I am death, I will be your end!” Kalera rolled her eyes, having heard the same song and dance from dozens of the megalomaniacal fools that she encountered on her travels. None ever had the bite to back up their bar, and she knew the dragon didn’t even believe his own words. To Zalthug, this lack of a response acted as a death sentence, proven when this behemoth effortlessly lifted him further above her head.
Already aware of his impending fate, he didn’t need to look down to know the jaws below had opened, a gust of humid air blasting against his form telling him all he needed to know. Not wanting to waste any time, Kalera released her grip on the annoying pest, leaving him helplessly flailing his limbs as he tumbled towards her gaping maw. Kalera closed her eyes in wait for the satisfying taste of meat on her tongue…
Only to feel nothing.
Zalthug had also expected to have been consumed by now, but somehow he had moved his limbs in such a way to catch either side of the komodo’s jaws, suspending him in place above the pit of death. Kalera’s razor-sharp teeth had pierced the dragon’s hands, yet he fought through the pain and bleeding to remain steady.
Using all of his strength to keep the jaws pried open, Zalthug felt a massive sense of pride, a guttural sound emanating from the cavern below him indicating clear discomfort from his would be devourer, if not pain. Knowing he was now locked in a stalemate with Kalera, the dragon turned his head to shoot a ball of fire down her throat, sure to cause greater irritation that may pave the way for his freedom. But Kalera had other plans.
Waris village was built at the base of a mountain range, one that was previously used by Zalthug to mask his arrival. An impressive waterfall cascaded from its peak, bringing with it more than enough fish to the village. This gave Kalera an idea, one easily humiliating enough to suit her unwilling meal.
It was uncomfortable, walking over to the waterfall with her jaws wide open, but Kalera was more than willing to make the short journey, not just to get rid of the pest wedged in her jaws, but also to remedy her seared throat, having been caused by the continual volley of small fireballs.
Positioning herself knee-deep in the lake, Kalera quickly moved her head to the waterfall itself, allowing the cascading stream of water to race down her gullet. Met with the force of a firehose, there was little that Zalthug could do against this immense natural pressure, his grip immediately torn from his handholds of the komodo’s teeth. Now with nothing to support him, the dexterous tongue below was eager to snatch him up, voraciously gobbling him down.
In less than the span of a second, the dragon had entirely vanished from the outside world, save for his tail, still dangling from outside Kalera’s jaws as he was slowly drawn down the throat through peristalsis. A second gulp handily finished the job, the only thing left of Zalthug being a pathetic bulge that eventually vanished as he passed into Kalera’s chest cavity.
Of course, Zalthug would continue to fight from within Kalera’s stomach. But the organ was used to fending off far greater foes, the komodo not even feeling the beast’s struggles as he digested over the next few hours. Her enforced thirst quenched from her drink, Kalera simply let out a satisfied belch before turning around and wandering off to lands unknown.
For those in the half-destroyed village, there was barely time to comprehend what had happened. Many had expected to simply be stepped on or devoured by this far larger beast, but as she paid them no mind, they knew the truth. Over the decades, oral and written tradition would continue to tell the tale of that day, their silent protector, forever on the move but willing to always save lives, no matter how small.