[CENTER][h3][color=lightseagreen]S A I T O[/color]
Forest[/h3]
[i][b]The First Hunt, Part Two[/b][/i][/CENTER]
[hr]
"--yaAAAAAH!"

[b]Crack![/b]

Saito's staff snapped in half upon striking the beasts's armored plate--it had curled up, and only reflex had saved the goblin's foot from being trapped in there with it. As the "young" greenskin stumbled back, the Scaled Shrew wobbled back and forth with nary a squeak. He blinked as he watched his prey--he had honestly not expected that. Although his memories were locked away, even if he had them he would have been genuinely confused--in the old world he had never actually seen something like an armadillo.

The creature's shell had no holes like a turtle's--[i]Does this place have turtles?[/i]--and it seemed perfectly content to stay tightly sealed until, presumably, whatever predator chose to leave it alone. His staff was no proper weapon, but it had been green wood, not dry or brittle, and still it had snapped. So obviously this armor couldn't be broken by simple means. Saito glanced down at his broken staff's pieces. They had splintery ends, but he doubted they would be sharp or sturdy enough to pierce the armor. [i]What if I drive them with the rock? The wood is probably too soft, the tips will blunt.[/i]

He tossed his broken weapon aside, and noted the Shrew's still exposed tail...

[i]No, wait. I wondered if the creature could use it as a weapon...and to leave it exposed to attack like this is odd.[/i] He removed the berries and rock from his loincloth and placed them on the ground. [i]Those spines might stick me when I grab it. Are they barbed or poisonous?[/i] He wasn't sure if such thoughts came from the cautious instinct of a Goblin, a creature so naturally weak and feeble and stupid, or if they came from the hazy dreams he could not recall.

With a tug at the knot on his hip, his loincloth came undone. Though now exposed in all his green glory to the elements, Saito did not care much for modesty at the moment. He wrapped the filthy undergarments--were these made of cloth, or pelts of creatures hunted by other goblins?--around the rolled-up Scaled Shrew, tying a plain knot and pulling it as tight as he could.

Now the creature's defense had become its cage. It might be strong enough to break the loincloth, but Saito doubted it would do so without a struggle. In the meantime, he grabbed the spare ends of the clothing and, with a grunt, lifted his prey. 

Feet wobbling, muscles taut with effort, he started to spin. He whirled the makeshift net around his head, building up momentum with his whole body until he had its weight suspended. He kept the Shrew going with just his arms now, and though his run meandered like that of a drunkard, he set course for the largest tree he could see.

With all the strength and speed he could muster, as well as the built up centrifugal force--not that his goblin mind really understood such a thing right now--Saito dashed towards the sturdy wood and swung the Scaled Shrew with all his might.

"DORYAAAAAAH!"

He tried to slam the beast against the trunk. If he couldn't pierce the armor, then perhaps he could crush the foe's soft body inside it, like bouncing someone's brain inside their skull pan with a hard punch to cause a concussion. He wouldn't stop at just one attempt either--until he was certain the other monster was dead, the goblin would continue to heave and heft and spin, beating the spherical animal trapped inside his underwear against the trees.

Some part of him marveled at this odd turn of events. The other part really wanted to eat that Shrew.