Chapter 3: Game of Chase

"Hey! What are you all doing with my prey?!"

Most of the carnivore halted their activities and the vulture's talons were inches away from ripping up the smooth belly of the human. Saigo will never understand his impulsiveness that got him to where he's at.

"What did you say, croc?" the vulture let out a throaty squawk. Saigo crossed his arms before grabbing the human by the neck. He prayed that his strength did not snap her neck from the sudden hold.

"That's my prey that escaped from him," he told the old raptor nonchalantly, his tail was moving slightly to prevent him from stumbling backwards. "I'm going to take it from here, so thank you for finding it."

"I caught this first," the vulture sneered. "You should be fast when catching your prey. Oh wait, you Crocodylus are too hefty with those stubby legs to even run."

This made the caiman even more angry but he had to curb his temper and play his cards right. Sometimes, life in the Black Market was a bit of a gamble for him. The vulture was about to ignore the caiman's words when he was knocked out quickly.

Saigo had to react fast before the other carnivores salivate for the bruised human. Carefully, he hoisted the human up before carrying her as if she were a sack of potatoes. The human's muffled voice sounded like she tried to protest but he decided to take a short cut that most carnivores won't take.

"Can you swim?" he asked, trying to avoid looking back in case those carnivores were chasing them.

"Yes..."

Without hesitation, he plunged into the cold waters of the sea with the human in his arms. Luckily, not all carnivores can have large lung capacities as he does unless they are hippopotami. With his scaly tail swishing in the water like a propellor, Saigo began to swim until he could reach the shores that was close to his apartment.

Once he noticed the pursuers were gone, he began to surface along with the human. She gasped out for air, clinging onto him in her wet, baggy clothes. Unlike the first encounter where she was skulking around in his apartment for food, here she looked so vulnerable and small like a herbivore.

He dared not think about eating her since he still wants answers.

"We're almost there," he murmured, minding his teeth close to her face. "Just hold on..."

...

So far, his apartment wasn't the most hospitable type to bring home anyone or have a guest come over.

He hasn't had anyone over for a decade and he was used to the lonely life he lived in. The human was laid on the sofa and a lamp's light was shone over her body to give her some warmth. From what Saigo remembered during his schooling days, humans are homeothermic just like birds and mammals.

Once he noticed the human has stopped shivering, he leaned back on his wooden dining chair and sighed. He was so exhausted from the chase, he had forgotten to pawned his pulled out teeth for the money he needed. He checked his pant pocket, letting out a relieved breath when he pulled out a little pouch bag that contained his pulled out teeth.

He heard groaning sounds coming from the human before she sat up. Her beanie and masked were down so he got a glimpse at her face. Pale, her cheeks slightly sunk due to lack of food, her hair was a tangled mess as if it were matted and her breathing was slightly shallow.

"Why did you save me?"

"After almost dying, that's the first thing you'll ask?" he asked, slightly amused at the human's spirit. The human pulled her knees close to her chest, face staring down. He frowned, wondering if there was something he should know about humans.

He decided to make the both of them cups of ramen for some damn reason. After the incident at the Black Market and the price he had to pay for accumulating his debt, he shouldn't waste the last ounce of his energy on the strange creature.

"I'm making the both of us some curry pot ramen," he called out, glancing at the human who was still in that same curled up position, hiding her belly and hunching her shoulders as if she were in danger.

To be honest, he felt bad for her but it doesn't justify the fact that she broke into his apartment and steal his food.

While he was busy boiling water from the electric kettle and taking out two instant ramen pots, the human began to get up slowly, making her way to where he was. Now that they were not chasing each other or fighting, Saigo noticed how small she was compared to his 5'7 height. He assumed she was either 5'1 or 5'2.

"Sorry..." her soft voice managed to uttered out. He crossed his arms, wondering if it was a trap or...

When she lifted her face up, her soft brown eyes gazed into his yellow reptilian ones.

"I'm sorry...for stealing your food..."

He nodded, placing a careful clawed hand on her shoulder. "Hey...you don't have to be scared of me. Those carnivores aren't going to get you. I'm not going to eat you."

But he was caught off-guard when she placed an ungloved hand on his snout, tracing the intricate scales as if they were fine jewels until it reached his maw. She held her hand there.

"Your mouth is bloody," she pointed out. "Did you eat something at the Black Market?"

Saigo became silent, thankfully the human took a hint. "Oh, it's personal? Sorry, I was just curious about it."

"It's okay," he assured her. He then watched carefully as the human took something out of her baggy pockets that looked like rocks but he knew better. It was likely that she has stolen them from a supermarket or one of the restaurant's kitchen.

"Can I used your stove and pot?" she asked hesitantly. "It's to boil these potatoes and it's my way of an apology and thanking you for saving me."

Saigo paused in his action for a moment. They just met again and yet this human was going to cook some potatoes for him? A miserable mid-thirties of a caiman that has nothing except his body to offer for money to pay off his debts?

"Alright but I'm keeping my eye on you."

The human smiled and bowed her head to thank him. He would lie if he doesn't find her smile cute. He couldn't help but show off his own toothy grin.

"Oh, so that's how crocodiles smile."

"I'm a caiman," he corrected her, ready with the pot ramen noodles and two glasses of water. "By the way, since we are not stealing anything from each other, what is your name? Do you have one? I'm Saigo."

The human pushed back her hair as she dropped the potatoes in the boiling pot of salted water. "My name is Yura. Saigo...That's a pretty name..."

Yep, the human's name is Yura and I've got an idea how humans are treated in a society full of animals. I'm not going to tell you.

I had to watch and read the manga of where this caiman appeared several times to get his voice and behaviour right.