Tyrus made his way into the swamp, having traveled through a flooded tunnel and a forest he tool no particular interest in this place seemed to have stood out to him. The marsh offered water and insects plenty, and the forest that surrounded it provided a decent cover from any wandering passerby. He figured none would come to wander here as often as most places, so it was here he decided to begin his trial and training. Not taking his time to rest, the little croc approached a log that lay covered in moss leaves. He walked his way around to take a peak inside.

No bugs as he had hoped, but he did find the log to be hollow, and in discovering this a thought came to mind. He scurried back to the side of the log and scratched a spot out of the moss and foliage that had wrapped its way around the soft wood. Thumping his tail against the ground and letting out a squeak he ran headstrong towards the log, his feet digging in with each step and pushing his movement with as much force as he could muster.

~Thwack!~

His head crashed into the wood and it seems he hit a hard spot as nothing happened other than the sound of his skull bouncing off the wood as he fell back and onto the ground. He gave a low grown and shook his head while picking himself back up. He stared back at the log and began to back away, his eyes focusing on the spot he hit while he gained some distance.

He had not been in this world long, he awoke to no brothers or sisters to great him, no mother to hold him, and none to show him the way. He remembered only the canine he met by chance and they did not seem to understand him. He found it difficult to speak words such as that one did, but he was not giving up. He would find his purpose, and until he did, he was determined to prove himself, even if it was only to himself.

Yes, Tyrus was small. Yes, he had not been running around for more then a few days. Yes, the log was much larger then he. No, he was not giving up! The crocodile planted his feet, and aimed once more at the log, not bothering to try his luck to hit a soft spot, but instead maintained course for the location he knew put up resistance just before. He did not yell this time, he lowered his head and charged without a sound.

~Bonk!~

Tyrus's head collided with the log, right in the hard spot dead on, but this time it was the log that gave way. He stood back, shaking his head, a tiny mark from the impact right between his eyes, but the log showed the most damage. A large and deep crack ran down its surface from where the little one had struck its side.

He gave a happy trill, his tail swatting at the ground below him as he proudly looked at his work. The forest around him was foreign and new, he did not know its secrets, or what dangers awaited him, he did not know if any other creatures would be nearby, he did know however that he was not as weak as he thought at first. He could make it, he could survive on his own if need be, and he was determined to do so until he got some answers to the many questions that were buzzing around in his skull. For now however, he would build himself and his mind, he would become stronger.

Backing away once more, his head still sore, and the log still firm. Again, the crocodile lowered his head, his eye focused on the target. That log would give, no matter how many times he had to try. He would not be the one to break this day.

With all his might Tyrus smashed into the log, his head crashing into the wood right at the crack he had made before. This charge was much more successful however. When he opened his eye again he was clear on the other side of the log. It seemed he had plowed straight through it and out the other side. He turned around and viewed his work with growing pride.

A smile spread over his tiny tooth bearing face, his emotions lifted as he now knew his task was not impossible and he was starting to thing he might just be able to do it after all. Just as he was happily scampering in a circle in his victory over his the evil log, his stomach gave a painful rumble and he fell into the mossy grass. He didn't understand, he had eaten a few bugs the day before, and that crystal thingy. Why was his stomach feeling so empty now?

Tyrus curled in pain at the empty feeling in his guy, and his forehead began to burn, at first he assumed it was from where he had been sparring with the log, but soon realized it was not that simple. He felt a growing warmth in his stomach. To his surprise the mark on his head from the impact had begun to sink and slip away leaving no trace of the slight injury. It would be a neat trait to have, but it cause his stomach high amounts of pain.

Wandering over to a nearby tree, he found a large hole in the base near its roots and crawled inside. It was spacious and like a small cave, wet but warm and the ground was soft. Here was a good place he could stay and be sheltered for his time in the marshes. He began to heave into the dirt until one by one he spit out all the shards he had eaten before into a neat little pile...well neat for being covered in crocodile slime.

The pain in his stomach faded and vanished, but now it was empty and he could feel the hunger seeping in. Baby crocs need to eat often, and this was a fact he was learning the hard way as his tummy twisted into knots. He decided food was next on his agenda, the rest of the logs would just have to wait.

Climbing out of his cave, Tyrus began to look around the area in search of food. He wasn't a big creature by any means, and his hunting would have to be limited, but he could easily rely on insects and frogs in the area for now, provided he catch them of course. The croc waddled around near the edge of the marsh and could make out many small insects fluttering around in the air above the water.

He was excited then saddened as he did not have any means to get to them and they could not be his potential meal for now. However when he looked across the bank of the water, he noticed an odd shape. It was dark and hard to see, but an otherwise smooth rock has some strange growth on it. It was some sort of long bug perhaps, but its shade was that of the stone it sat on, making him focus very hard with his eye to try and make it out.

Tyrus crawled closer and closer, sliding along his belly and carefully pulling himself with his feet until he was near enough to the target. It was interesting to him, the bug was a fair size and a fine meal, but it didn't move or try and run. It was very likely that it seen him as he approached, or even when he was headbutting the log earlier. Still, the big did not budge and remained on the rock. Turning so he could see it more clearly with his right eye he was amused by its attempt to blend in, and wondered if he could do any better.

The scales and various colors of the crocodile began to shift in tone as he did his best to focus his concentration. He could not change their color just yet, but he could change their shade to darken the bright ones, and match the tone of the moss and stone around him. With all his effort, Tyrus was barley able to blend in better then the bug had, but this was enough for him to be happy. In his mind, this bug had been blending in with things its whole life, and he hand only just started.

As time passed, his focus waned and the shade of his scales began to return to normal. He was tired from the endeavor and was now more hungry then he had been before. The insect still had not moved however, so he was thankful for that. His one eye was still more then enough to see him, and the price for its inadequacy in its disguise was to be lunch!

Fearing the thing would flee if he was to slow, Tyrus quickly snapped it into his jaws and swallowed after a few chomps. A unsettling chill ran up his spine though as he discovered something. Perhaps why nothing had eaten this bug before was the awful taste, it wasn't hiding from him, it just didn't think the croc would eat it as all the other inhabitants of the marshes by now knew already that his kind tasted foul.

Tyrus ran about squeaking and trilling in disgust at the horrid taste still in his mouth. He quickly darted over to a nearby rock, lifting it with his nose and quickly munching on the bugs beneath before they could run away, the taste however still remained and the new flavors didn't much help the situation as those too were none to pleasant. "Why? Why the yummyies here none the yummy?", he thought to himself while in search of more, anything more to rid his mouth of this burden. He spotted a frog! However, it would seem the frog spotted him as well as it began to hope away the moment the croc's gaze fixed upon him and Tyrus gave chase.

Just before the frog could hop into the water the croc latched onto his leg, and drug him onto shore, but the creature put up a struggle and tried to get away. Suddenly an instinctive thought came to mind, and Tyrus gripped the frog firmly and pulled him into the water. Just as the entered the murky wetness, the crocodile began to thrash and roll, the frog still in his jaws.

Further and further down he pulled the frog, his body twisting and turning harshly in all directions in his death roll. Suddenly there was a soft 'pop!' and the frog was ripped in twain. The croc hungrily gulping down the halves before returning to the surface and pulling himself onto the soft ground. The taste of the frog now finally settled the unpleasantness of the marsh insects. It was mostly the blood that gave this flavor as it lingered on his tongue.

Happy at his catch, and rewarded with a full stomach the little crocodile made his way back further onto land and to his tree. He looker around the area for a brief moment before backing into the hole, his head peaking and peering out at the marsh. Closing his eye and settling down into the earth he rested for now, a rest he felt he had now earned.

Opening his eye the little one stretched out, his tail shaking and slapping at the ground as he shook off the sleepiness. For a brief moment he could have swore he heard something off in the distance, but even if it was there or not he had decided to leave others to their business and mind his own, for all he knew it could be a group of crazy things that like to eat baby crocodiles. So Tyrus crawled out of his tree/cave and back into the open. It was still dark and he was beginning to wonder if it was always like this in this place.

His eye scanned the area with patience and focus, carefully doing its best to pick out each detail he could, the insects that hovered over the water now glowed in the darkness and now and then a strange light would rise from the marsh waters only to dissipate into the air. He looked on in amazement at what could be the cause of such lights, as he did not see any creature or anything else that might be the source. He had to push the thoughts from his mind as they turned into confusion, he focused instead of what to do today.

His stomach was still somewhat full, and he figured there was no point in hunting out more foul tasting bugs. He made his way over the the log he had previously sparred with, the holes of his charge evidence to the reality of his actions. He had not dreamed it, yet now looking at it was not certain how he was able to do such a feat being so small. Just to check he stepped back, lowered his head and charged at a solid spot in the wood.

The Croc's head impacted the wood without much result, other than a bit of pain to his skull. He backed away, shaking his head. He figured he was still sleepy, and not at full energy yet. Not one to give up he stared back at the obstacle that stood before him. He had conquered it once, would it be so hard to do it again? He sat still in the mossy ground, closing his eye and focusing. He cleared his mind, he threw out thoughts of insects, the marsh lights, the frog, the darkness, the noises through the trees, and everything else. He let all thoughts sink away but one. "I strong. Strong survive.", this is the thought that stayed with him, he had to believe it. If it was a lie, he must make it a reality. His vision fixed again on his target he propelled himself forward, ready to strike, ready to prove himself.

His head crashed against the wood once more, and once more there was no result to show for his effort. It had begun to vex the reptile. He paced back, his view ever fixed still on the moss covered, dirt ridden, failure of a tree that blocked his way. This log stood between Tyrus and confidence, and he would have his victory no matter how many times he had to get a headache. Once more he planted his feat, but now instead of tired, instead of focused. Now, this one was filling with anger, anger at himself, anger at the log, anger at the anger. He did not try and dislodge the emotion from his heart, but instead used it as fuel for his next attack. His shoulders stiffened, his tail raised and curled over his back, and his claws gripped into the soft ground to give him as much grip as they could offer. He was not going to let this log stand in his way any longer.