Dangerous Lizards Among the Sand

—An anonymous short writing somewhat in response to the successful Caring for Unee detailing the creatures across The Outcropping that prey on Unee.

Information

Class: Journal
Wc: 728

Publishing

Aut: Unnamed Xiruen
Dt: 598 A.T.
Ogn: Visage

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You might have read Caring for Unee, a short guide by Usambaa-Cinaecc on how to care for your new Unee. I did. Nothing in the book prepared me for what The Outcropping would throw at me in terms of what would not care for or about my unee. I hope to get this out as a warning to every other xiruen interested in raising unee like I am that there are many likely dangers both you and your unee will face.

I did not even bring my first unee home before it was dead. For me, it was a day long trek to get to the closest point of purchase for a unee. Because of the creature’s slow speed, it was a two day trek back. I was but an hour and a half from safety when out of nowhere a group of aisanee attacked. I counted at least four, but they kept running away and returning. There could have been more. Every time I would try to swipe at one to grab or strike it would jump back and retreat and another would come at a different angle. They circled around me and my unee, biting and slashing at the defenseless unee. I bought one that had recently had its tail removed. Easier for me to afford, but without its tail it was basically defenseless. The front claws were even slower than I was. The unee bled out from all of the bites and scratches but the aisnee wouldn’t even let me drag the body home. I had to leave it. They won. All that money and I couldn’t even take some meat with me.

Another year or so went by and I had worked my way to purchasing two unee, and security for the trek home. In the dwellings I live in there is a large open area carved out, surrounded on all sides by the rock we live in. While it took some work to get the unee through the dwelling and into this open area, I do not know of a safer place within days travel in any direction. Even this was still not good enough. One night I heard a deep scratching sound that from previous experience knew there was some large clawed creature on top of our dwelling running about. By the time I got outside to the clearing, my two unee were gone other than the back leg of one, and a small part of the other’s tail. A couple weeks worth of meat. Almost all of the sand was disturbed. I could tell the unee attempted to fight back and flee, but closer to one of the walls where I could see obvious scratch marks were footprints larger than my own. A kiindem must have tossed one unee up the wall and carried the other off in its mouth.

Less time went by and I was able to convince some other xiruens to buy unee with me. We took them home ourselves since we had strength in numbers to save money. No trouble getting them home, and with enough Unee owners, we had enough xiruens to keep watch on a multi-hour rotation. Aside from some minor scuffles from time to time between two unee that didn’t like each other, things were good. Even when they were bad. One of the many nights I had duty I saw something hop into the area from on top of the wall. From where I was leaning against the rock, this creature just disappeared. As I ran over the only thing I could think of was a vaaakoiz. I’ve never seen one and only heard rumors of what they looked like but they were said to blend in easily. But by the time I made it over to where the creature was rustling in the sand to slowly sneak up on some unee I could tell it was just an opportunistic urgai. A few kicks to its body sent it running back over the wall.

So, my advice is to not get a unee by yourself. Whether you think you can or not, it is hard to take it home, care for it, and keep it alive alone. We are independent creatures yes, but find other xiruens looking for unee. Move if you have to. Otherwise, be prepared to keep buying unee.