By The Light Of Day (Yeti!)

[Eckhart_Von_Musel]

Dawn was when the jungle was at it's noisiest. As the oppressive light of the sun rose above the horizon, thousands of birds began to sing in hopes of finding their match. The chirping of the night insects began to slow, taking a backseat to the chorus of birdcalls. Occasionally the rumbling of a larger animal could be heard over the rest, as if telling the jungle to quiet down. It was to no avail- there was no such thing as "sleeping in" when you lived in Kishahn.

Tsijiari sat atop the emergent layer, watching the dreaded sun make it's way into the sky. The golden-haired child stared defiantly at his foe. "You look-see me?" he yelled, a scowl etched onto his face. "Your light harm-fouls me none! Flee ever-quick to the other side of the sky!"

The sun said nothing in reply, which Tsijiari took to mean he'd intimidated it. Climbing down gracefully from the treetop into the understory, the boy began to search for his breakfast. After a few minutes he had two mangos in his satchel- one for now, and one for later. As he closed his bag and slung it over his shoulder, Tsijiari noticed something that nearly caused his heart to stop...

Tsijiari's compass had stopped spinning.

The boy was soon dashing through the jungle, compass held in front of him. "It has finally happened!" he thought, a determined grin on his face. "I have finally sought-found a crystal!" The boy looked down at his compass again, double checking that he was going the right way...

And promptly collided face-first into someone.

[Yeti]

"Foolish boy."

Four eyes settled on the human who'd clumsily barged into her territory, lips pulling back to reveal a wicked snarl. Gasira had smelled the unfamiliar scent only a moment before he'd stumbled into her, and she was pissed. What a pleasant morning it had been up until this sudden, unexpected arrival.

The half-dragon barely slept, the sun's rays stirring her out of another fitful dream. Birdsong kept her from finding her way back to sleep, annoying feathered alarm clocks. Gasira had managed to silence one of them for breakfast, stealing the eggs to fry later. Once food was taken care of, it was time to roam her territory, acknowledging every rock, mango and tree under her domain from anyone who'd try to take it.

This is my rock, yes, not yours. This is my squirrel, my prey. This is mine, this is mine, this is mine...

Oh, and this is mine now too!

A little white crystal, only two inches tall, but oh so shiny. Maybe it was a shard of stained glass or a piece of quartz. Whatever it had been, like all things that ended up over her border, it was now hers. A new trinket to add to her hoard.

She was ferrying that crystal towards its new home when the boy came. Of course a human would show up when she'd found something new to play with! They were always looking for jewels and gems and treasure. Like greedy bloodhounds they sniffed out her hoard so frequently. Well not today. She held the crystal in her hands as far away as physically possible from the trespasser. Gasira towered over him, hissing like a crocodile. Humans were scared of those, right? Maybe the sound would give the kid a hint.

"I'd turn back if I were you. You humans are not welcome here."

[Eckhart_Von_Musel]

It was an odd sensation, as if he'd slammed into a human shaped wall. Stumbling backwards, Tsijiari looked up to see a hideous scaled beast towering over him. He scrambled backwards in a panic, as if to make a run for it- but then he saw what the monster was carrying.

A clear stone was clutched in the beast's claw, held high above the boy as if it was spitefully being kept from him. Tsijiari's eyes widened, his mouth slightly ajar. The chosen one pointed at the crystal, and as if on cue the early morning sun passed through it, reflecting it's light onto the forest floor. "That... that is it!" the boy said, perhaps a bit louder than he'd intended. "That is the crystal I need-seek!"

Tsijiari stood up, and would deftly take a dart from the sheath on his leg. "I do not mean to scare-harm you." the boy said, an incredibly serious look on his face. "But if you do not hand-gift that to me, I will be force-pressed to take it from you."

[Yeti]

"Uh, what?" Gasira's gaze shot from the boy, to the crystal, then back to the boy. She scoffed. "You? This?"

Was this kid trying to stand up to her? And worse, was he trying to threaten her with a pointy little dart? This little human wanted to fight her! Or at least, that's what Gasira thought. Scare-harm... pah. If she had felt any inclination of handing over the crystal (which she definitely did not - it was hers now, wasn't it?) there was no chance now. Smirking in a way that suggested she was three steps away from ripping him a new one, Gasira's voice dropped into a low growl.

"Let us see you try." Quickly, Gasira flicked up the crystal, the object going airborne before she caught it by the end of her tail. She held it up and behind her, waving it from side to side. "You've gotta earn your victories human. No treasure leaves my territory without my permission. That's a rule I just made up now and I'm sticking to it. Now scram!"

Snarling, Gasira leaped up and kicked her hind claws out, intending to make the boy flinch and/or run for it.

[Eckhart_Von_Musel]

Tsijiari listened to the beast speak, his heart racing. The village elder had told him there would be trials he must face, but to run into such a fearsome monster this early on? The chosen one steeled himself. "This is it!" he thought, his grip on the dart tightening. "I must prove-show that I am worthy of my destiny!"

In an instant the crystal was thrown into the air, only for it to be caught by the crature's tail. The scaled beast had soon aimed some kind of kick at him, but Tsijiari jumped backwards. Drawing his blowgun, the boy loaded the dart and fired, aiming for the monster's tail. It wasn't a deadly poison, but it would cause whatever limb it struck to go numb...

[Yeti]

Assuming he had taken the hint, Gasira was far from expecting any rebuttal from the half-pint. She flipped backwards in the air after her kick, landing gracefully at the base of a kapok just in time for the kid to load his weapon and fire. Thankfully, her tail was too thin to land a decent shot unless very close-range. But her arm? Fair game.

"Ouch." Gasira raised her left arm to see the dart's head poking out from the thinner skin on her underside. As if on cue, it felt like an immense weight had been placed on top of it. It sank uselessly to her side, the limb now adrift in the sensation of nothingness. It took every ounce not to pounce on the kid immediately. "Grr, you're really pushing your luck with this human."

Although it would be awkward without her arm, she began climbing up the trunk of the tree. Surprisingly she was still moving at a fast pace, using the thorns on the kapok as footholds for her taloned feet. As she went she called out, "I'm still not giving you what's rightfully mine!"

[Eckhart_Von_Musel]

Tsijiari's eye's brightened when the dart connected with the lizard-person, then fell when he saw it had missed it's mark. The beast's arm had gone limp instead, and she quickly fled into a nearby kapok. The chosen one moved to follow, angrily yelling after her as he scaled the thorny tree. "That bright-crystal is mine! If I don't have-get it we'll both end-die!"

[Yeti]

Hop-climbing with difficulty up the kapok, Gasira could hear the high-pitched wail of the human child shouting below her. It was like a gnat in her ear-fin. More stuff about how he 'needed' this crystal, how it was so important. You'd think he was talking about the apocalypse or something. Little did she know how close her statement came to truth...

"Excuses, excuses!"

Soon she reached the first, thicker branches of the huge tree. Across reached more branches from other trees, forming an overlapping network of tree limbs that snaked into the distance. Momentarily, she twisted around to look down, spotting the child still in pursuit. She snarled, baring her many fangs, her tail (still holding the crystal) lashing. "Quit following me!"

[Eckhart_Von_Musel]

"Never-ever!" the boy cried in response, scrambling up the trre as fast as he could. The spiked trunk made it simultaniously easy and difficult to ascend- on one hand, it gave Tsijiari plenty of footholds. That a single slip could cause the boy to accidentially impale himself caused him to move slowly, however, and the creature was soon far ahead of him. "Get back here!"

In an act of desperation, Tsijiari grabbed another numbing dart from his leg pouch and flung it at the monster. It wasn't the most precise throw he'd ever made, but maybe it'd be enough to startle her...

[Yeti]

The dart flew overhead, striking the wood just in front of Gasira's good hand. She recoiled like a noble woman in front of a mouse. That had almost been a direct hit! Why did she have to encounter a brat with such clear aim?

"Are you for real?" Gasira snapped. Lining herself up, she flung herself towards the network of tree branches, numb arm flopping behind her. For a second it looked like she might fall without it, but thankfully her right hand held true. She clutched at each limb with her good arm, flexible enough to bend and dodge any overhanging roots. It would be at a slower pace than she would've liked, but Gasira was navigating the emergent layer deeper into her territory.

The light of the crystal behind her was slowly sinking into shadow, the forest growing darker due to how the trees seemed to be pressed together, chewing up the sun from the jungle.

[Eckhart_Von_Musel]

The dart (suprisingly) almost hit it's target, the creature evading in the nick of time. She snarled loudly, and quickly began to traverse the branches of the emergant layer.

Finally reaching his destination, Tsijiari followed the dragon-lady through the emergant layer. The beast's limp arm hindered her movement, and soon the choson one was within arm's length. "Come onnnn!" he said, sounding awfully whiney for someone fated to save the world. "I want-need it!" The boy reached to try and grab her tail...

[Yeti]

Damn this labyrinthine jungle! Gasira had spent so many years memorizing her territory. Every niche and cranny was its own supercharged neuron in her brain. But without the use of her arm, she hadn't known just how much the tangled woods could slow her down. She was moving like a foreigner, her numb arm dragging on branches and catching on vines with every step. Like a clumsy old gecko...

Eventually even the human was catching up! She felt the lightest touch of fingers on her tail. The kid nearly had her! Gasira screeched. In a flash, the tail whipped back, curled and then aimed to strike the offending hand. Mostly to get the kid to pause so she could scramble on ahead.

"You do not! Touch!" A low, green light began to emanate from Gasira's throat. She didn't want to burn the boy, but at this rate, they were getting closer and closer to her treasure. She was growing desperate. Nobody had come this close to catching her before, and now a child was about to be the first.

How shameful. I'm a dragon! This should be easy!

[Eckhart_Von_Musel]

With a horrible shriek, the beastwoman lashed out her tail. Tsijiari  recoiled in pain as it struck his wrist, letting out a stifled grunt as he did so. "Stupid..." he muttered, slowing his pace slightly. "You'll slay-kill us all!"

Suddenly, the creature's throat began to glow a sickly green. Tsijiari had no was of knowing what it meant, but his gut instinct told him it was a bad sign. Still, with the foliage as dense as it was, he had no other option but to press forward. No longer close enough to make a grab for the crystal, the chosen one braced himself for whatever was about to happen...

[Yeti]

"No, you're stupid. Idiot child."

The kid made to defend himself, and that was exactly the hesitation Gasira was looking for. She stifled the flame in her throat, using those precious few seconds to add a yard or two of distance from her pursuer. Only a tail-length from the heart of her territory, she desperately clawed to where the branches seemed to drop down into the shadows.

Her arm dangled helplessly behind her as she threw herself down. She landed first on a lower branch, then jumped to the ground into the dark, slimy pit she called home. Condensation stuck to the leaves and roots of the trees below, the soft sound of a bubbling brook in the distance. Tropical frogs croaked by the water's edge, dotting the deep jungle with spots of color.

Gasira looked up, wondering if the kid would dare follow. Unfortunately, being this far down robbed her of visibility up in the foliage of the trees. She tossed the crystal back to her one hand, except she'd aimed the wrong one. It fell to the floor, and she growled, picking it up with the arm that wasn't entirely numb.

This was getting to be incredibly annoying.

[Eckhart_Von_Musel]

"No, you're stupid!" Tsijiari called back, now struggling to catch up with the lizard-woman again. "You fright-ugly beast!" Slowly the boy began to regain ground, getting closer to his target with each passing second...

Then, with a single act, the creature did something Tsijiari didn't expext- dive head first into the Dark-green. He hesitated. Nobody went to the Dark-green, not even the most daring villagers! If this thing lived down there, than that meant...

The chosen one shook his head. This wasn't the time to think about what it meant- all he could do was act. Steeling himself, the boy would beging to descend the branches into the leafy abyss below...

[Yeti]

One finned ear twitched, catching the sound of feet scuffing the side of the tree, the subtle rustling of leaves indicating movement above. Was he really, honestly coming down? Gasira shot a look of pure venom at the sky. Unable to see him or gauge the distance, she was frustrated beyond measure. In trying to scare the boy off and take the crystal, she'd inadvertently lead him to her home!

Throwing a tantrum sounded like a good idea right now. Gasira stomped her foot, hissing. Stupid, stupid, stupid! This is my home! Not your playground! Get out!

"Rrragh!" She was so mad. So utterly, unbelievably pissed off. In an instant she belted a blaze of flame up into the air. Her aim was exceptionally poor, so angry she was. But all she wanted was to get him out. Thankfully none of her trees actually caught fire. Birds squawked, flying out of the canopy at the sudden puff of heat and smoke.

Dramatics aside, Gasira stomped her foot again and snorted, a bit of smoke rising from her nostrils for good measure.

[Eckhart_Von_Musel]

Apprehension turned into determination as Tsijiari descended, his pace increasing by the second. Where the beast had hidden was no longer a concern- for all he knew, traveling the Dark-Green was one of his trials.

He had made it halfway when the jet of fire shot towards him, narrowly missing him. The heat alone was enough to make him wince in pain, and the boy nearly lost his footing in the confusion. With an angry growl, Tsijiari doubled his pace- it would be bad if he got himself caught in a forest fire.

The chosen one lept from a low branch and onto the ground. An awful squelch beneath his feet indicated he'd landed in... something. It was too dark to get a proper look, which was probably a good thing. The boy looked around wildly, trying to make out where he was on the dimly lit forest floor...

[Yeti]

Unlike the little human with his weak, pathetic, humany eyes, Gasira could see very well in the dark. Her lower set of eyes were attuned to the shadows of her dimly lit home. And now that the kid was no longer hidden by the trees, she could see her intruder standing plain and blind ankle-deep in...

Fish eggs?

Gross.

What would he do now, having followed her down? There was nowhere to run, nowhere safe to turn. Gasira's treasure was buried only a few feet away: The loosely covered entrance to the pit bordered the stream, protected on all sides by sharp, black rocks. And the half-dragoness herself was fuming.

Her low growl broke the tense silence in the air, "Did I not make myself clear? I'm going easy on you, because you're a kid, but I ain't about to stand around while you get your grubby hands on my stuff."

As she spoke, her throat began to glow again. Soft as it was, it did make it a little easier to spot her.

[Eckhart_Von_Musel]

The jungle chatter- already nearly inaudible in the Dark-Green- went completely silent as the beast's voice emerged from the darkness. Tsijiari whipped his head around, searching desperately for it's source. "I spoke-told you, I need it!" the boy spat angrily. "The world will dead-end if I don't get it!"

Finally, he saw it- the beastwoman's throat glowing softly from the shadows. Without hesitation the boy ran at her, and would aim a fist at her gut...

[Yeti]

Did Gasira expect the kid to fight? Not at all. The 'beastwoman' was caught off-guard yet again as the human ran fist-first into her stomach. Her weak-spot...

Gasira yelped, a pathetic puff of fire spitting from her mouth and fizzling up into the air. Without hesitation, she clumsily attempted to swipe the boy with her good hand-claw. "You're going to be meeting a dead-end if you don't lay off you jerk!"

Hypocrite much?