Nova's Starlit Scales

Nova was a creature of delightful contradiction: a heavy-bodied, ground-dwelling lizard with the gait of a miniature tank, yet possessing that miraculous, vivid blue tongue. He used it not just for smelling, but for drama. When mildly surprised, he'd give a slow, deliberate gaping display, the blue tongue a shocking flag of protest. It was never followed by aggression, just a huffy retreat to his hide. He was deeply food-motivated, omnivorous joy personified, devouring everything from snails to scrambled egg with equal, noisy enthusiasm. His thick, keeled scales felt like living armor. Our home misses the solid, shuffling sound of his movement and that occasional, brilliant flash of unexpected color.