Pride and Perpetration

As they approached the door to the chamber something large started to move. Grunting and slow at first, it stood on two hind legs. It stood just over four yards high, had rusty brown scales and had a disturbing number of efficient looking teeth. The animal moved toward the door in the gloom and searched the darkness for the two figures it knew were there.
Fitz and Beth ducked behind a door frame.
“What the hell is that!” asked Fitz in a hoarse whisper. He had tried a Zebra whisper but they were almost inaudible.
“I think it’s a Gavinodont,” replied Beth, equally hoarse.
“A what?” It was amazing how quietly he could shout.
“A Gavinodont. I am sure we dug up a skeleton like that from some bone bed from the Euphoric Era. We named it after a kid at school who had big teeth.”
“And let me guess, his name was Gavin?”
“Yes. But it is supposed to be extinct. The rock it comes from is millions of years old. But it is really quite exciting to see one with its skin on.”
“Well will you go and tell it ‘Excuse me Gavin, but you are supposed to be dead’?”
The creature sniffed the air again. Puzzled at this new smell it opened its mouth to what Fitz expected to be a roar. Instead a high pitched whistle came forth (it wasn't loud enough to get a podium finish).
“Is it dangerous?” asked Fitz
“Look at those teeth.”
Fitz took a quick look around the corner. The pile of bones in one corner of the dungeon confirmed his not to wild hunch that this was a carnivore of some appetite.
“So how do we get past it?” he asked again.
“Search me. I have no idea.”
The opportunity to search Beth at any other time would have been an extremely entertaining idea, but at this moment he was more concerned about remaining in possession of most of his limbs. A casual whistling of something tuneless wafting down the corridor shook him out of his present state of terror.
Holding a small lamp, a dungeon drudge came to where they were hiding. He was small and skinny with an assortment of warts, sores and pustulant scabs across his face and hands. Fitz was fairly sure that was a fair representation of the rest of his body which was thankfully hidden in an odd assortment of clothes, obviously taken from previous guests of the dungeon who would have no further use for them. He had an unusual mix of body odour, halitosis, flatulence, dungeon muck and strangely, roses.
“No need t’ be frightened of Fluff here,” he said loudly as he spotted them cowering behind the door frame. Fitz took a look at the scaly creature and couldn't see a scrap of fluff.
“You just have ter know where ter tickle ‘im.”
The scruffy man walked into the chamber with the beast who raised itself in surprise at such a bold entrance. He reached up to its belly and started rubbing and scratching to which the creature seemed to respond favourably to. He waved them into the room and towards the far door beyond to which they sidled with great relief.
“See, there be nothin’ to…”
For some reason Fitz just had to take a look as he closed the door behind him. A pair of legs continued to stand swaying in front of the creature which was heartily swallowing something large. It looked at Fitz just as he slammed the door shut and slid home the bolt. The subsequent thumping at the door encouraged them to move on as quickly as possible and so they continued down the sloping tunnel.
“That man got eaten didn't he?” asked Beth.
Fitz nodded. It was not a pretty sight and it would give him bad dreams for some days.
“The poor thing,” said Beth.
Fitz agreed. “Yes, what an awful way to go.”
“Oh no not him, the creature. Did you see how many diseases that man had? I will be surprised if it survives a week after eating him.”