Swamped

For just a moment, you see a large reptilian face and freeze in fear. Has a tunneler surfaced?

But then you realize it's a lizard-worm and it's just very close by. In that it seems to have knocked you over just as you were getting your bearings.

"Are you the human who brought this here?" someone asks. "Don't worry, its teeth haven't grown back yet. It's safe to just push it off."

You do so, and then you get up to see a very tiny grebling. A child? They've got the lizard-worm on some sort of leash.

"Well, it wasn't my idea, but I guess it was with my group," you say. "Last I saw it, it was still missing its head."

"Yeah, they don't usually grow back this fast, that's what Max says. But the teeth are usually fully formed by the time the head comes back. Not this time. Max thinks whatever sped up the growth doesn't work on teeth, or not as well."

"You don't say."

"So Max asked me to help feed it stuff that it doesn't need teeth for."

"At this hour?"

"I'm old enough to stay up until midnight," the child shoots back. "Besides, I'm hunting sand beetles to feed it, and they don't leave their nests until it's dark."

"What's your name?"

"Max Junior, but everyone just calls me Junior," says the kid. "It's not a very good name, Max just couldn't think of anything better."

"I see. Well, nice to meet you. I'm Corvus."

"That's a way better name," Junior says, sounding a little jealous.

"I could call you something else if you'd like. Where I come from, most people pick their names. Well, sometimes they can't think of anything and they ask for a name. When that happens, they usually get stuck with a name they don't like."

"That sounds like a cool place," Junior says, awestruck. "I wish I could pick my name. I'd be..."

Junior seems lost in thought.

"I don't know, actually. Never realized just how hard this was. I guess that's why Max gave up."

You figure you may as well get some information out of this kid.

"Well, you don't have to answer right away. By the way, have you seen any other humans around tonight? I'm trying to check on the rest of my group."