[Venks]

You can just enjoy your easy ways
and neglect the world for countless days
but destruction will you find
when nature repays you in kind
- Cris

Chapter 1

Ugai woke up stretching his scrawny, yellow arms while yawning. Perfect timing the sun was just setting and the sky was a beautiful orange-pink mixture. I nudged the Mudokon sleeping next to me. "Get up get up," I said sleepily, "the suns going down check it out."
The green Mudokon looked up taking off his straw hat to get a better look at the magnificent sky. "Not to shabby," Ugai's companion replied. After a moment longer of gazing at the sky the sun-tanned Mudokon pushed himself off the wooden fence he was leaning on only to fall face first onto the ground.
"Way to go Joe!" I laughed merrily. Joe stood up brushing grass and dirt off himself and his fading brown shorts, which besides his straw hat was the only clothing the Mud had.
"Come on you guy help me gather up the Meeps before Jonuk finds out were goofing off again." Joe said angrily while tromping off towards the Meeps.

What a emotional bunch those Mudokons are, they always get sad or angry at the drop of a hat. Joe always calls me "you guy" when he is mad, to remind me how much my name sucks. I remember the day I got named as if it were yesterday, I was fresh out of the barracks. Through back breaking research I managed to locate a dream job few sligs knew about. A young dreaming Glukkon Pud named Jonuk had won a decent amount of money gambling and unlike most stupid Glukkons he actually stopped betting and took his winnings. Jonuk used his money to start a simple business titled "Jonuk's Meep Ranch." The pay wasn't much, but I could tell this would be a laid back job. I quickly applied and got the job. When I first arrived at Jonuk's Ranch, Jonuk and his single Mudokon employee were there waiting for me. The first thing my boss said to me was: "Hey! You guy your the slig who applied to work for me right?"
I modestly replied: "The names actually number fifty-five thousand, four hundred twenty-eight." Guess that wasn't what he wanted to hear.
"What!?" Jonuk shouted, "If I say 'you guy' then your name is you guy!" I thought he was just trying to prove a point, but a couple days later I got a name card with "Ugai" in it for the name.

"Are ya gonna help me or what?" Joe asked interrupting my memories.
"Yea yea hold your elums." I said back to the stuffy Mud. Joe couldn't really do much without me, no matter what he tried he couldn't scare those Meeps into running into the barn. The poor guy had to carry and chuck every single one of them into the shelter and that got quite tiring. For what ever reason the clickity sounds of my pants would get those Meeps running. I'd rather sit around and not work, but with my help things got finished faster and that meant more time for me and Joe to sit around crackin' jokes. Joe may be all heated up right now, but that chump could tell a mean joke. As I entered the wooden fence from the gate the white fluffy Meeps stared at me with their single eyes while they chewed the overgrown grass around them.
"Time to put the ladies to bed," I said mostly to myself. Anticipating the chase that was soon to come I slowly crept towards the one-legged creatures who began to fidget, but did not quite move. my mechanical legs made a chika sound with each step.
Chicka....... chika..... chika.... chika chika chika chika chika.
I ran towards the crowded Meeps waving my lean arms around for extra alarm, the one-eyed Meeps broke into a panicked run each hoping not to be caught by the crazed noisy beast. Having fun I played around with the Meeps a bit chasing them into corners and making them run in circles. I tramped after the Meeps crushing the grass beneath my mechanical stubs that substituted for feet. Slowly boring of my game I scared the Meeps into the wooden barn. Joe quickly moved in front of me and closed the barn door and latching it down.
"Took you long enough," Joe started, "you were chasing those Meeps so long its practically night."
I looked up at the dark sky covered by vast stars and one of the moons was in particularly nice view. "Does it ever make you think?" I asked Joe.
"Does what make me think?" Joe asked no longer angry at me just confused.
"The moon... its just it looks like your hand." Joe didn't answer me, but instead raised his big three-fingered hand into the sky matching it with the moon's face.
For a second it seemed like Joe was going to tell me something important, but then the farm hand turned around facing me and said, "Its getting late Ugai lets get some rest."

Joe started off to our small shack without me, I stalled a moment looking at the moon... it just had to mean something. It wasn't always our shack, at first it was just mine. I remember back in the early days Joe always slept outside the Meep's barn and if he thought he could get away with it the Mud slept inside it. One day after finishing our work Joe was telling me joke after joke about Jonuk's mom, I couldn't stop laughing. As I tried to regain my calm, ready self it started to rain so I started heading off to my shack when I realized the poor guy would be laying in the rain.
"Hey Joe wanna come over to my place so you can tell me some more jokes?" I asked casually inviting him into my little shack.
The poor little schmuck's eyes brightened up and he replied calmly as if I hadn't just saved him a night of discomfort, "Yea yea sounds cool, wait till I tell you the one about the Mudokon, the Vykker, and the Paramite."
The next day when night was creeping around I slyly invited him over even though it wasn't raining and he has been sleeping in my house ever since.

Suddenly while I was lost in my thoughts I heard a terrifying howl followed by a scream that obviously belonged to my Mudokon buddy. Realizing something was wrong I pulled out my baton from my belt and hastily sprinted down the dirty and rocky trail towards my house. Adrenaline rushed through my body as my mechanical legs pulled me forward as fast as they could. There despite the disbelief of my eyes was a red, four-legged Scrab pacing around my small wooden house, somehow Joe had managed to get on the roof and was looking down hoping to Odd that the Scrab wouldn't get to him. The Scrab was huge, its legs were nearly as thick as my head and its body was covered in strong ready to kill muscles. Maybe if I quietly backed away the thing wouldn't notice me.
Chika.

The Scrab immediately turned around to face me recognizing a threat. Why was a Scrab even here? As far as I know there isn't a Scrab herd within miles. Refusing my logic the Scrab was still there facing me trying to see what I would do next. I decided to wait and try to think of a way out of this situation when unfortunately my old rusty mechanical pants let off a loud kshh noise as exhaust exited a pipe. This signaled the Scrab to attack, with a terrifying shriek the Scrab broke immediately into a trot rampaging towards me. Already tasting my death I ran back towards the barn in a futile attempt to live. I looked over my shoulder at the ferocious beast pursuing me... it was gaining ground and fast. Just like that my shoddy pants malfunctioned and my right leg didn't step right making me fall suddenly on the rocky dirt path. The pain of my fall ached through my body, but I knew it would be nothing like the pain I would soon feel when the Scrab got to me. Luckily the Scrab had not prepared for its prey to stop so definitely, and tripped right over me crashing into the dirt roughly. Taking advantage of the fluke I had been granted I ran over to the Scrab and bashed it in the ribs as hard as I could with my baton... to no effect this Scrab's natural armor was just too much. I stepped back from the Scrab frantically searching through my mind for what to do when the Scrab got back up facing me. I noticed then the Scrab was off balance, one of its legs were injured... what would it do now? As if to answer my question the Scrab lunged towards me attempting to impale me with its beak. I guess from its fall the beast's senses were off because it badly missed in its attack. I took this chance to revert to plan A: Run. I watched the trees fly by as I ran hoping to escape the Scrab, but even though the monster was injured it kept up a steady pace never letting up. This was no good I was running right towards a cliff, if I kept running I'd fall to my death, if I stopped the Scrab would tear me the shreds. I decided to play one last gamble, I ran just to the edge of the cliff and turned to meet the creature. As the Scrab ran towards me I pushed myself sliding between it legs hoping to get past it. A quick jab of pain told me the Scrab kicked me as it tumbled over the cliff falling, screaming in anguish.

In pain, but intact I slowly made my way back to the ranch. Half-way there Joe ran up to me carrying several rocks in his over sized hand. "Ugai! Ugai! Are you ok? Wheres the Scrab?" Joe asked, panic in his eyes.
"I'm fine...Scrab fell off cliff," I replied holding my sides as I panted due to being out of breath.
Joe dropped his rocks and wrapped his arm around me helping me walk as I fumbled around in my pants. "You don't look so good, are you sure your ok?" Joe questioned.
"I'm..." was the last thing I said as I passed out, I don't remember anything after that. I think I heard someone say, "Thank you."

To be continued..

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Author's note:This is my first fanfic so I happily accept all advice and criticism, though try not to be too mean to little ol' me.