The Iron Teeth

Written in Blood 1

Blacknail was just hanging around. Also, since he had nothing better to do he was re-examining some of the choices he had made recently.

He wasn't quite sure why things had gone so badly, but it didn't help that he was very new at all this. He was new at re-examining things that is. Although, this was also the first time he had been hung from a tree by his ankle.

The hobgoblin jerked around again as he tried to pull himself up and reach the rope noose around his ankle, so he could cut it with his claws. Unfortunately, he couldn't muster the strength and all his efforts did was send him swaying back and forth through the air. The swirling greenery around him almost immediately started making him more than a little nauseous.

With a hiss of frustration, Blacknail gave up and decided to wait for Saeter to come back out of his tent. The upside down forest spun and swayed around him as he waited. He should have known better than to try and go against his master.

Blacknail had thought for sure that he had come up with a good way to show Saeter that he couldn't just boss him around. Apparently, he had been wrong.

It had all started several days ago. Blacknail had awoken to find himself in a strange lean-to out in the middle of the woods. This had confused him because he was fairly sure he had gone to sleep in a completely different place. Where were all the human bandits?

Still sleepy but feeling alarmed, he had gotten up and looked around. To his relief he had spotted the familiar outline of Saeter's tent off to one side, and another tent alongside it.

Blacknail had been pretty sure that meant he hadn't been abandoned. It must have been Saeter that had brought him here while he'd slept.

Curious as to why he had been moved, he had decided to find his master and ask. So he had tried walking over to the tents, only to immediately trip over his own feet, and find out what the nearby dirt tasted like. Bleh, too salty!

It was then he had looked down and discovered that his body had changed. Blacknail had gasped in surprise and felt his stomach twist up in fear. His limbs were all thin and weak looking! What had happened to him?

No, wait. He was thinner but that wasn't the biggest change. Blacknail had wiggled his toes as he stared at them. His legs were definitely much longer now!

That was when he'd heard a snigger of laughter, and he had looked over to see one of the scouts from the camp grinning at him. Blacknail growled at the man in annoyance. Who was he to laugh at Blacknail?

"Saeter, your hobgoblin is finally awake and he's grumpy as a hungry bear," the man named Varhs had yelled.

The scout had then grinned with infuriating smugness and looked Blacknail over. He hadn't seemed impressed. The hobgoblin had wanted to poke the man's eyes out.

Luckily for him, Blacknail's master had arrived and immediately ordered Blacknail to do all his usual chores. For some reason this made Blacknail angry and resentful, but he had stifled his emotions and done as he was told.

He was rewarded with a large slab of meat that he had hungrily scoffed down before getting back to work. It had tasted like tasty fresh deer! Saeter should have given him more, though. Not getting enough food made him so mad!

"Why I bigger?" he had asked Saeter as he gutted and skinned a rabbit with his new longer and more dexterous fingers.

"You've turned into a hobgoblin. It happens to some goblins. They get taller and meaner," his master had explained in his usual gruff voice.

Blacknail had remembered his master mentioning hobgoblins before in the past. He was pretty sure there had been more to it... He hated it when his master gave him such short explanations. It made him angry.