Parthenogenesis

Big Claws was looking at the young ones on the beach, and felt a pang of jealousy toward the other females lying around, oblivious to their own luck. She wished she too could create youngsters. She knew she should be able to, but that power somehow kept escaping her. What did the other females do, that they were capable of creating life? What did she do, that she wasn't allowed the same faculty?

Shifting her forelegs uneasily in the warm sand, she remembered that clutch of freshly laid eggs that she'd found the year previous. How exhilarated she'd felt, when she'd stumbled upon those! She hadn't managed to catch any decent sized prey at the time; she was still quite inexperienced in hunting large animals. So she'd had to make do with stinky civets, skinny monkeys and tough-skinned goats. That large clutch of fat, protein-loaded Komodo dragon eggs, badly hidden in the dirt, had seemed like a gift, a treat sent just for her. Now, looking back, she thought maybe her indulgence was being punished, and that was why she couldn't lay eggs of her own.

A movement to her left forced Big Claws to push herself up onto her four legs, alert. There he was again. That large male had been flicking his tongue at her all dry season, and she'd done her best to ignore him. Male dragons intimidated and disgusted her all at once. This one in particular made her feel queasy, with his cut tail, probably bitten off by another male, and the days-old piece of flesh rotting between his teeth. Didn't he ever lick his lips or rub his mouth in the bushes?

Big Claws had always managed to keep Rotting Teeth at bay so far, but this time she had a bad gut feeling. Eyes fixed on her, he got closer than was comfortable. She tensed. He got closer still, flicked his tongue again, and her gut told her to constrict her hind legs, ready to leap away.

When Rotting Teeth jumped without warning, she was prepared. But he was faster than she was, and much heavier. She struggled under his weight, trying to bite and scratch him off, in vain: he had her pinned down. She could feel the length of his whole body crushing hers, scale against scale, claws digging into her hide, his male organ searching her behind. Revulsion shook her body. In a last desperate pulse of energy, she arched her back all the while heaving on her forelegs. The male, engrossed in his own business, shouted in surprise when Big Claws managed to topple him over, extirpating herself from his clawing grip.

She ran.

In the shade of the forest, Big Claws felt safe. This was her home now. Her peers preferred to lay in the sun, only coming into the forest to hunt or lay eggs. She made sure to avoid them whenever she could smell that typical Komodo dragon scent nearby. She hadn't seen any in months now, and was quite proud of her stealthiness. She'd sworn to herself she'd never get ambushed by another male like Rotting Teeth, even if it meant living in self-exile from her own species. Even if it meant she'd never get to crack the other females' secret on how they created eggs from which life emerged.

She'd been busy splashing around in a delicious muddy stream, when she smelled it: a water buffalo! Her belly grumbled, and already she was salivating at the thought of a feast to come. Tongue out, she tracked her prey up the stream, hiding in the bushes so as not to scare it away when she'd reach it. The smell got stronger as she got closer, so that Big Claws almost lost her head and rushed at the beast senselessly. But she was more experienced now, and knew she had to evaluate the situation first. She kept to the bushes, observing her prey.

It was a female water buffalo, quite old but still fat and fleshy, bathing in the water. The herd was nowhere to be smelled. Perhaps this female too, was avoiding its kind? Big Claws shook her scruff, killing the thought before she could take pity on her prey. The water buffalo's aroma was too tempting anyway. Head lowered to lap water from the stream, it hadn't noticed her. Big Claws crept closer, the beast's appetizing underbelly just a bite away.

The deal was sealed in just a few seconds. Her prey never saw Big Claws coming, and barely had time to register its own death as its soft belly was torn inside out. She dragged the twitching corpse to the shore, and began spreading her red saliva all over it. This would ease the swallowing. She still had to tear the body apart though, as this was not a mere goat that one could swallow whole in one go. The meal was consequent, and she took her time to eat her prize.

Morning was well past when Big Claws was finally done eating, and she knew she had to find a spot in the sun for digestion. This meant getting out of the shade, an idea she didn't relish in. If only there was way to sunbathe without leaving the safety of the forest… Yes, that was it! There was, she remembered, an area up in the hills, where the sun reached more easily through the canopy. Heavy from her meal, she set forth, until her steep hike up was finally rewarded by a warm patch of dirt, in which she soon fell asleep.

She was woken up by the familiar need to regurgitate. The pellet that came out was a satisfying mix of crushed horn, mushy hair and flat teeth. It was a good hunt, Big Claw congratulated herself while cleaning herself up. As she was carefully rubbing her face on the dirt to remove any chunk of meat that might have gotten stuck in her teeth, she heard a scream. It was a tiny thing, so high pitched she almost missed it. Some kind of instinct made her run down the hill toward the sound, and when she finally smelled the Komodo dragon, it was too late.

Big Claws was shocked to happen upon Rotting Teeth on a hunt. His target was a tiny animal, one of those tasty and chubby two legged preys that sometimes wandered into the forest or observed dragon packs basking in the sun from a distance. His prey was a youngster, judging by its size. Barely bigger than a palm civet, and definitely not as stinky. It had been over a year now, yet Big Claws still felt uneasy when in her enemy's eyes, she recognized the same insatiable hunger she'd felt when she'd shoveled in those dragon eggs. Or was it that other strange kind of hunger, the one he'd reeked of as he'd attacked her back on the beach?

Something flared up inside Big Claws. Not taking the time to question her actions, she rushed at Rotting Teeth and rammed him into the closest tree. The tree broke down, but Big Claws didn't stop there. She plunged her long and strong claws into the lower belly of the disgusting male, and ripped his intestines out like she'd done the water buffalo. Pushing her away weakly, he scrabbled and took off, limping toward the beach. Big Claws decided against pursuing him to finish him off. He'd die anyway, she'd seen life leaking from his eyes when she'd ripped him open.

This was a good day. First the water buffalo, now this. Big Claws licked her lips, and slowly turned to return to her sunny hill, when a tiny sound stopped her mid-stride. There it was again, that high-pitched wail that had led her to Rotting Teeth. It was coming from the small two-legged prey, who looked at her with terror in its eyes. It sat on its bottom, frail and helpless. Just like the young dragons Big Claws used to study back at the beach, when she lived among the other Komodo dragons.

What was she to do with the thing? She decided against eating it - her belly was still full after all - but for some reason she also couldn't bring herself to just leave it there to fend for itself. She got closer, and the wailing got louder. She kept approaching nevertheless, feeling the two-legged youngster with her tongue, smelling the fear on its brow, tasting the salty water from its cheeks.

The wailing stopped.

Tiny claws came up to touch the scales on her face. They were so soft, so blunt, Big Claws decided they were not claws at all. How did the two-legged ones kill their prey with such things? She'd seen their adults carry around their loud sticks, but this one didn't show any. It didn't even have horns to defend itself like water buffaloes or even stinky goats did! And just like that, Big Claws knew what she had to do. She turned away from Soft Paw's touch and scurried into the bushes, head rocking, tongue wagging.

When she came back, Soft Paw had barely moved. It was crawling on all four instead of walking on its hind legs like their kind did. Big Claws dropped the plump cockatoo next to the youngster, and nudged it with her muzzle to encourage Soft Paw to take her offering. It obviously needed to eat if it was to become as tall as the other two-legged things, and as far as Big Claws could tell, it was not able to hunt on its own. She'd been careful to remove the intestines, which were full of half-digested roots and seeds. She was afraid it would poison Soft Paw. Birds were so dumb, eating non-moving stuff like that.

Soft Paw wriggled its tiny muzzle, and crawled away from the food. Instead, it put its front legs against Big Claws' side, and pushed itself up straight, standing on its two forelegs like she thought it ought to. She felt some pride at the sight, and wondered why. When the young thing climbed onto her back, she let it.

Her insides were twisting uncomfortably from a slow burn. Leaving the cockatoo behind for other predators to eat, she returned to the sun-dripped patch on her hill to finish digestion, Soft Paw gripping her back.

It was so good to lay in the sun with her belly still full, and her pride recovered. Soft Paw slid down her side and, curled up against her belly, fell instantly asleep. Finally, one thing they had in common!

BANG!

Big Claws was startled awake by two-legged adults shooting their long sticks at her. She knew that if she got hit, she'd die. She'd seen them use those sticks on other dragons before, they didn't even need to get close to tear holes in the flesh. She didn't understand how they did it, but she knew she must flee. Leaping down the hill, she ran for the cover of the forest, bangs trailing behind her.

Big Claws had become the prey. For all her larger size, stronger jaws, and deadly claws, she did not stand a chance against a pack of two-leggeds and their loud sticks. She scurried under bushes, rolled down steep and rocky slopes, swam in a river in hopes that her hunters would lose her track and scent. And eventually, they did.

When she was certain they were not pursuing her, she suddenly remembered: Soft Paw! She'd left the youngster behind, abandoned it! She ached to go back and find it, but the loud sticks terrified her. Turning madly in circles, she didn't know what to do. What if the two-leggeds stole Soft Paw away? She jerked to a stop, flicked her tongue out toward the hills. Her decision was made.

Walking as stealthily as if she were stalking a prey, Big Claws retraced her steps up the forested hill. She was halfway up when she smelled the group of two-legged animals walking down. Hiding, she watched them make their way through the forest, one of them carrying Soft Paw on its back the way she carried it up just a few hours earlier. Her heart leaped. They had it! They had her youngster!

Following the two-legged pack unnoticed proved to be as easy as ambushing an old water buffalo. She kept a reasonable distance, observing the strange animals, waiting for the moment when she could leap and retrieve Soft Paw. At some point, the pack stopped by a stream to drink, then sat on their haunches, dropping their long, loud sticks at their sides. This was Big Claws' window of opportunity. She eyed the two-legged one who had carried Soft Paw on its back as it slid the youngster onto its lap, and tensed her hind legs. The adult was hiding its face behind its own paws, then opening them again, drawing a gurgling sound from Soft Paw. This was confusing to Big Claws. Then Soft Paw cuddled against the adult's torso, who buried its head in Soft Paw's nape, and Big Claws felt the same pang of jealousy she used to feel toward the female dragons down at the beach, those with their youngsters. Understanding dawned on her: Soft Paw was not hers anymore.

She turned away from the two-legged ones as quietly as she'd stalked them, legs wobbly, head sagging, and dived back into the density of the forest. Once again, she was alone.

A drop of rain splashed on the scales of her back. The rainy season was coming, and Big Claws didn't care for it. Heavy bellied, she started crawling aimlessly between the trees, looking for a safe spot. A safe spot for what? She wondered. Her instincts really got the better of her sometimes… Unable to make sense of her actions, she started digging a hole in the earth, softened by the rain now spatting heavily through the broad leaves of the canopy, and once she was done, crouched in the hole. Her insides were on fire, just like that one time when she'd swallowed the slimy transparent thing by the beach. She squeezed and pushed, harder and harder, then relief came. Climbing out of the hole, she looked down. In the dirt lay eighteen shiny eggs.

Big Claws made sure to cover them properly so no other dragon would stumble upon her clutch and gulp them down.

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