Contest January-February 2020 Short Story Contest (Entries Now Closed)

The theme for our 21st seasonal short story contest determined by @WhenTheSkinksMarch "New Beginnings or Rebirths"

The Rules
-We would like you to try to keep your story between 500 and 2000 words. I am requiring that entries do not exceed 2400 words. This is counting title, poems, quotes, any add-ons. If I get a submission that exceeds 2400 words, I will trim it till it meets the limit, and you may not like what I choose to cut.
-Your name must appear nowhere with the story. There is no point in having an anonymous competition based on skill if we know whose entry is whose.
-You must send your story via private message to Scalenex before midnight (US Central time) on January 31st
-The story must be new. No dragging up a story you wrote months or years ago.
-No plagiarism. This means no stealing a story verbatim. You are free to use characters or settings from other works including other writer's fluff pieces and past short story contest entries.
-The story must involve Lizardmen (or Seraphon or Salamanders or Saurian Ancients), at least a little.
-The story must stick roughly within the theme, at least a little.
-No comics or illustrations. This is a short story contest. Visuals are limited to fonts and text colors.
-Only one entry allowed per person.

I will do my best to providing proofreading and general advise to writers who ask for it though real life is full of many challenges for me right now. If you wish me to provide a detailed edit, please try to get your draft to me as much before the deadline as possible. You are welcome, nay encouraged, to ask anyone else you wish for help or advice.

Once again, the winner of this contest has the honor of choosing the next contest theme if they so choose. This time because I do not want to be saddled with coming up with a last minute topic. If the winner does not give me a topic, I will pass this burden honor on to the runner-up.

If you want to talk about the theme or your eagerness to write or read something. Please do so below!

 

Interesting theme... and i could already have an idea.

 

The Contest is five years old...

 

We'll overlook it if you write something.

 

Okay, so there are about 13 days left of the contest entry period, and I haven't gotten any submissions at all.

You all love to make me all nervous don't you?

 

I don't, but i still have to write a single word.
The story in my mind is at a good point, so at least it's something.

 

I wrote half of my story! rejoice!

 

Two people have sent me a submission.

2 stories is all that is required to have a contest, but I'm hoping for six or seven. Based on past events, six is predictable. I tend to get three times as many entries as I have ten days before the deadline.