So much for grace.

[Rhindeer]

Yarra's long tail lashed out behind him in annoyance, knocking the leaves off the branches it smacked, as he struggled to get his ankle free of the snare it was currently in. Or...more appropriately...the snare that he was currently hanging upside down from in a tree a good ten or twenty feet up from the ground. Gods be damned...he couldn't believe it. Some damned human had laid a snare in the most stupid of places, right out in the open where anyone could walk, and what had he done? He'd stepped right in it. Wow, that made it sound like he'd just stepped in dog shit or something. Ew. That would suck, too, since unlike humans he wore no shoes; he had no need to as the soles of his feet were tough, dragon-like in shape with sharp, black talons growing from each toe.

And yes, he did speak from personal experience.

Hissing in anger and relaxing a moment to catch his breath, he simply let himself hang there, upside-down, with his arms crossed over his chest and the blood rushing to his head, making his pale red skin turn a deeper shade right up to his long, pointed ears. His thick orange braid with a stripe of white on either side swung below him at much the same rate as his now limp tail, which was the same light red color as the rest of his body save for the dark red stripes that went across it. He tapped the claws of one hand against the opposite arm. This was so stupid.

Hanging like that, he thought quickly. It was harder than it looked to get down, and he had momentarily considered magic, but...quickly decided against it. His element was fire, and while burning through the thick rope was a novel idea...he was so dizzy and disoriented that he didn't know if he could flip rightside-up again before he hit the ground. Not a good idea! He'd end up with a broken neck if things went wrong! Hey, it had only been a passing thought...he was just running through his options! He'd get out of this damned thing eventually, anyway; he really wasn't worried about being caught. The only thing he was really worried about was, well...okay, yeah, he didn't want to get caught, but only because this was embarrassing!

Yarra the mighty Drygan. Caught in something probably intended for wolves or foxes or cats or something.

It was just wonderful.

Using the muscles in his stomach, he swung himself back up and flailed in an attempt to grab onto the rope, missing as the blood rushed down from his head and missing yet again when he tried a second time. Augh! Taking a deep breath, he tried again, and this time managed to grab his own ankle. He clung to it, tail swinging around behind him to help balance him, and he lashed out with his other hand to take hold of the rope just above. It was a good thing he was so flexible, because this was really uncomfortable.

Not to mention ridiculous.

Growling, Yarra just let himself hang there, holding on for dear life, for a few moments while he tried to get his bearings straight and waited for the dizziness to pass. This was so stupid. Okay. But he'd done it! He was rightside-up again for the most part, so...where to go from here? The choices, the choices. Well...he supposed he could burn through the rope. Or cut through it with his claws. Then he'd fall and leave it to gravity and hope he wouldn't break anything. He could probably take the impact if he landed properly.

Or...

Yarra frowned, looking at the trunk of the tree. Or, he could try...swinging a bit, try getting a good grip on another branch or digging his claws into the bark. Then he wouldn't have to worry about the impact. He could just cut himself free and climb down.

But that would look stupid. The swinging part.

The choices...

Well, whatever the case may be, Yarra wasn't making much progress, torn between the two choices as he was!

This was so stupid.

[Anonymous]

Yarra was about to get embarrassed. A short, Asian woman was watching him closely, hidden expertly in a nearby tree. Stealth was natural for her and these days the only way she stayed alive. So when she had heard the sound Kit took no chances and hid herself before approaching the possible threat.

Kit would have freed Yarra immediately, if the fact that he was Drygan didn’t occur to her. She had heard of them, but knew little of the species as they kept to themselves and this was the first time she had ever seen one. Her navy blue eyes where intense with curiosity. She smirked in her usual sly way, sucks to be him, at this rate he might hurt himself.

I hope he's one of the clumsier ones, otherwise I fear for his race.

Kit leapt from the tree quietly and landed in the clearing just a couple feet from him, black clock fluttering as she did so. She wore black gloves and travel worn black boots to match, a blue long sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up to just above her elbow, a thick leather vest of a darker blue, and navy blue pants. In one hand Kit held a staff made entirely of steel. Kit herself was 5’ 1�, had tanned skin and was rather curvy. Her raven hair was layered, half falling just to her shoulders and the rest in a low ponytail that reached the small of her back, long bangs hid her eyes from him.

Of course the fact that he would be rather annoyed with someone seeing him like this had occurred to her. She’d find it quite humiliating, but she knew that was nothing compared to how humiliated a guy would feel. Men and their egos. It was just that she didn’t really care. Of course getting someone to accept help was easier when you didn’t laugh at them, so she resisted the urge to smirk and kept a straight face.

Kit looked up a little, “need a hand?�

She wasn’t really expecting him to say yes. And if he didn’t she’d let him down anyway, Kit was kind of pushy like that. It got her into a lot of trouble, but being stubborn just seemed a part of her character, and because of it she was unlikely to change that.

[Anonymous]

((Oh, first RP post, am I doing OK or suck?))

Valhalla sat comfortably, perched high up in a tree. She'd been watching the Drygan twist and curse for some time now, and had finally decided to go intervene, when another stranger appeared in the game. Boy, this would be fun to watch.

Licking her lips in anticipation, she could almost sense the tension in the air and if those two people were about to have the fight she could predict then there would be plenty of blood and body parts for her to caress afterwards.

She'd never done a Drygan before, and had thought it would be an interesting experience, but this one seemed too dominant for her own tastes. She smirked to herself, running a hand through her black curly hair.

Maybe after they fought or whatever she would go introduce herself. Then she would rob them and move on. It was a shame she'd already had blood earlier.

((My charrie is kinda weird- basically she is human but with a vampire's thirst for blood, but none of the powers you'd expect- check out her bio for more details!))

[Rhindeer]

Yarra was still running the options over in his mind and letting his bloodflow normalize again when a swoosh of air and a soft thud made him jerk his head up in surprise, sensitive ears catching the sound. His yellow eyes, the pupils slit vertically like a cat's, narrowed a little and the tip of his draconic tail began to twitch subtly as the rest of his muscles tensed expectantly. Oh no. Don't tell him...

Need a hand?

ACK!

He jerked in surprise and, as a result, accidentally let go of the rope and swung back down, back arching and tail whipping around in wide arcs as he tried to right himself. He cursed loudly, hissing and twisting around and grabbing for the rope again, but finally decided to give up until he stopped swinging so crazily. That was when his narrow yellow eyes found the short girl below him.

And she was even shorter to him since he was rather tall himself, standing at least six feet tall. When he was standing.

His eyes narrowed even more and he hissed and bared his sharp fangs, his tail going rigid. "No!" he told her firmly, and he was kind of glad that so much blood had already rushed to his head, because otherwise he might have been flushing with humiliation. The one thing he didn't want to happen...happened. Of course. Just his luck. "I'm fine. Lemme alone!" Damnit. Too late to take on a human form, not that he could have anyway. That took concentration, and his concentration was severely lacking right now. The only thing that would have happened had he tried that was the facade would were off in a most...inconvenient fashion...

Still, it wasn't that big of a deal. Reclusive as his kind were, he wasn't the type that liked to hide in the shadows. If other Drygans had a problem with that--though it had been years since he'd run across any of the remaining one-hundred, though there were likely even less now--then they could go stuff it up their ass!

No, he wasn't in the best of moods.

Swinging back up, he latched onto his brown pant leg, which was tied off at the ankle, and managed to climb his way back up until he was gripping the rope and hanging there in that uncomfortable, curled up position. From there, he glared daggers at the human girl. Stupid human! She was probably the one that set the snare to begin with!

And angry as he was, he didn't even notice the other presense in the trees,

[No! You're doing great! <3]

[Anonymous]

Valhalla suppressed a giggle, violet eyes flashing in the shade as her Latin features rearranged themselves back to normal. This Drygan was one of the most ungraceful creatures she'd seen in a while, and if his magical ability was as null as she thought- from what she sensed anyway- then she had nothing to fear from him.

No, the more appropriate train of thought would be if he tasted as nice as he looked.

She smoothed her black dress, which had ridden up to her knees, and stretched lazily against the branch like a cat. Soft calf-length black boots completed her outfit, a leather thong crisscrossed up the sides. Her clothes covered a lot more of her body than they normally did. Whilst travelling, Valhalla didn't want to be anyone's jail bait and was beginning to grow weary of fighting random thieves. The blood was OK, but the scars weren't worth it. Especially as she couldn't even heal adequately. What kind of human vampire was she if she couldn't heal, fly, or hypnotize with her eyes?

At least her normal five senses were heightened slightly. That added to the entertainment. Because of her heightened vision, she could make out the detailed profiles of the two characters below her, she could catch the fleeting expressions that betrayed their thoughts.

A smile twitched on her full red lips, and she stroked her lightning whip lovingly as she watched the face-off that was surely about to happen. That pretty little girl would be so fun to chop up, ever so slowly...

[Anonymous]

Kit couldn’t help but smirk at his reaction, seeing as she had already predicted it. She found his cat like eyes quite interesting, and was very tempted to touch his tail. Though she really had no idea why, perhaps because she didn’t have one? Her curiosity got the better of her at times. Though she felt that would be rather rude of her as they had just met, and she wouldn’t dare ask permission if she could. That would be awkward. Kit had no idea the significance of a Drygans tail, her only knowledge was of their appearance.

She grinned as he continued to protest about getting assistance, not finding him intimidating at all. I have fangs too. But Kit did take a moment to glance in the direction of the other individual who was watching. She could tell another person was there, nothing more, but whoever was watching wasn’t one of her typical opponents. So, for now at least, she didn’t label the person as a threat.

Her attention returned to the Drygan as he continued his struggles. She blinked and smirked again as he finally got a hold of the situation and glared at her. Again, Kit did not find it unnerving at all and responded with a clever smile. She backed up a little so he had room to land, then she leaned on her steel staff. She continued to watch him, curious as to where his plan to be free would go next…if he had a plan…

“Sure you know what you’re doing? You won’t land on your head will you,� she questioned. If Kit didn’t find watching a Drygan intriguing she would have rescued him already. Of course she would step in if she had to, but she was deeply curious. Kit wanted to see if he could keep his word.

[Anonymous]

(ooc: Don't mind me...just joining in. Hope you don't mind me saying someone hired to kill the Drygan, if it bothers you, I can just edit that part out.)



Whiskle had been following the Drygan for quite some time now. Not that it had been a fun two days of tracking down her latest assignment through dense forest, she thought as she lit her cigarette and stared up at the trees before her, yet all the same she kept a calm and sharp outlook on how this chapter in her life would turn out. Not like last time when her precious boat “The Eden� had exploded because of a little mishap with a client who didn’t want to pay her after completing the job for him. That had been her fault she knew; she should have not trusted that nobleman so easily. Had a backup plan and all.

Whiskle had taken this assignment because it was rare that anyone these days would hire someone to kill a Drygan, and the Drygan was a race she loathed with every being in her body. She wasn’t quite sure why she hated the scaly bast**ds so much. It was just the mere thought of them made something inside her rise up in grief and rage. When she thought about it, it made her sick to her stomach. That is why she set the trap, so she didn’t have to lay hands on the poor beast to draw blood or take his head off, whichever came first.

With the Drygan all to herself alone out here and no one to interfere or witness, she would be back home before the Hivan brought in the next tide.

Following him had been the easy part; if he knew Whiskle had been trailing him or not…no matter, she could handle one measly little Drygan. After all this wasn’t her first Drygan she had slain for payment in the last year, and with her athletic build and height, this sort of work came easy. Especially since she had her secret weapon hidden tightly against her body underneath her long black leather coat. Whiskle bit her lip just thinking about stirring it to life once more. It always made her body tingle to use such a magnificent weapon. None who had seen what her Dragon’s Fury could do ever lived to tell about it, and that was good too because there were still those damn monks she would have to deal with eventually who were after her for stealing the sacred war hammer from their shrine the year before.

So far luck seemed to be on her side, and the Drygan hadn’t confronted her on why she had been following him all this time. At least not yet. But still to be on the safe side she had set up that oddly placed trap to see if he would avoid it or not. Once captured he would be an easy kill.

Blue and plum colored vapors drifted about her making her look like she was walking through great clouds of fog. She hummed a little ditty she had heard from a travelling bard recently, the song stuck in her head. The trees swayed to the rhythm of her movements across the broken trail like a creature of the forest awaken by mist and magic. Walking steadily yet surely to the place where she had placed the snare the day before she wasn’t quite sure this Drygan would be stupid enough to fall for her trap. Yet she had a feeling he would be there waiting for her, all to herself.

Whiskle stopped short from her destination and tossed her cigarette aside, crushing the burning embers underneath her boot. The breeze rippled through her long black tresses curling about her neck. Almost there, just passed this great monster of a tree and--.

She hurdled herself up onto a large bolder overlooking the vast area where she had set up the snare, one leg in front of her and looked down to see the massive beast dangling like a hooked worm on the end of a fishing line.

“Gottcha,� she whispered narrowing her eyes underneath her wide brimmed hat.

Whiskle flashed a toothy grin, an excitement coming to life inside her when she saw the Drygan up close. But there seemed to be a bit of a problem. Frowning she eyed the two life forms nearby, one half hidden in the trees, the other obviously in her path.

Damn them.

If it were possible to snatch the Drygan and make a run for it, possible the two females wouldn’t be able to follow her, and the way she was dressed made her appeal male, a large one at that. She always got mistaken for a man, but of course the beard she grew sort of made people see that she was a guy. Her tight leather vest across her chest took care of any other obvious reasons she was a woman underneath all this. She was a bit overbearing all dressed in black from her boots, pants, long vest, coat and big floppy hat, except for the show of white from her shirt. A brilliant silver dragon torc seemed to be the only thing that stood out from her ensemble wrapped tightly around her neck.

Whiskle played with the short wispy hairs of her beard that hugged her jaw line and grinned a bit wider before standing tall and leaping down from the rock to land several feet away from the black-haired girl. Head lowered to hide her eyes she flashed another toothy smile to her Drygan.

“Well he can get down himself,� she said with a laugh. “After all, with the threat of death looming over his head right about now, I’m sure he’ll find a way to get down on his own.�

To the Drygan she called out, "Hey, you piece of shit, how does it feel to be caught in my trap?!"

She gripped the hammer ever so lightly and slid it out with ease from beneath layers of black fabric. The chain rattled painfully against her hip that was connected to the handle, and the hammer came to life in her hand for her soul was bonded to this strange yet beautiful weapon. Funny how at first when she had tried to pick it up she had nearly broken her hand because of the weight. But after a year of wielding it, she had finally begun to feel the weight shift against her grip and become lighter as the days grew long. Short and stout and made of strange silver metal with a large dragon’s head at the handle, it was her pride and joy.

Whiskle let it go suddenly as chains came lose from her belt and fell to the ground. The links slide through her fingers with ease, and she gripped them tightly in her gloved hand as she began to spin the hammer around and around with such force above her head. Faster, and faster now. I hope they know to move out of the way. Lifting her eyes to meet the Drygan’s she stepped closer to her target, her ferocious weapon taking leaves and branches down to the ground as if a tornado blew around her.


(ooc: MAN! She is so prejudice!  :lol: I wanted to keep his sexual identity a secret for now, lol. She looks like a HE at the moment. )

[Rhindeer]

[Not a problem at all! YAY excitement! XDD Welcome to the thread!]

Yarra only continued to glare daggers at the little black-haired girl below him, and he snorted at her when she moved out of the way. Smart move. Because once he jumped down, he really didn't care if she happened to be in the way--he'd land on her and it would be her own damned fault, not to mention she'd deserve it for...for...for seeing him like this! He huffed in aggitation and twitched his tail, the skin oddly smooth and soft; as a matter of fact, there wasn't a part of his body that had scales, for it was all of the same texture as a human's. Almost. It was tougher and thicker, but it was still skin.

"Just...mind your own business, will ya?" he snarled down at her, rolling his eyes. Fall on his head...yeah right. Maybe if he was still dizzy, but he wasn't stupid enough to try a stunt like this when he was all disoriented.

Well, whatever the case may be...he still wasn't making any progress. And now he had an audience--one person, to him, was as good as an audience, and once he learned of the other person in the trees, oh man, that would only make it worse. Rrgh...damn it all! Finally, he heaved a sigh. "Just get out of the way. I'm coming down, so back off unless you wanna get smacked." It wasn't so much of a threat as it was a statement of fact. Once he started falling, that long tail of his would be swinging around like crazy to keep him upright and it wasn't exactly pleasant to be smacked by a Drygan's tail. That thing could easily knock someone out. After all, it was basically pure muscle.

So, that settled it. Down he'd fall, and he'd make an extra effort to land as stylishly as he could, too! Hopefully that would make up for this whole debacle. A little. Because hell if he'd try swinging around like an idiot now. That was something he'd only do in private! So, that only left only the option of falling.

Summoning a bit of fire, he let the rope above his ankle spark into flame, and then he glanced down at the ground as he waited for the rope to fray, measuring the distance and preparing himself. It wouldn't be long, and he was keen on taking his time. He could wait. Maybe it was a pride thing, but he wanted to make it out like he had it all under control and wasn't in as big of a hurry as he was. Nope. He wasn't worried. He had all the time in the world and could take even this at his own leisurely pace.

That was when a figure landed near the girl below, large and distinctly masculine. At first, Yarra thought nothing of both him and his sly save to groan again and roll his eyes skyward. Yeah, yeah. Laugh. Haha. This was so freakin' funny, wasn't it? Of course. The one day everything goes to hell would be the one day the whole world would be there to wa--

Huh? Death? He snapped his eyes back down to the man, sensitive ears picking up that bit and pupils dilating. The rest was shouted right at him, but already he could feel the anger swelling within him. It was an emotion Drygans knew well, and if there was anything true about them, it was that they didn't tend to feel any emotion half way.

And no, he did not take kindly to being threatened.

"Better than you'll feel when I'm done with you!" he roared back, and already he was struggling to get loose, clawing at the rope even as the fire burned it.

As the stranger below pulled out that huge ass hammer and began to swing it, Yarra acted fast, swiping at the rope above him with his sharp claws, right where the flames had started to eat at the threads. It took two good blows before the rope finally snapped, and in an instant he was falling, braid whipping up behind him and tail working to keep him balanced even as he fell. He landed hard, knees bending to absorb the impact and hands flattening on the ground, but a second later and he had sprang back to his taloned feet. His tail lashed out to the side abruptly, whacking into the short girl to knock her roughly out of the way. "Move!" he demanded sharply, not even bothering to look over at her.

It wasn't to be mean, even if she had annoyed him. It was just that he wasn't the gentlest of people. Just the same, Yarra honestly didn't want her to get hurt. He'd been threatened and this was his fight. He didn't know this human...thing...whatever it was! But he was after him, and he didn't want anyone getting caught in the crossfire. Baring his teeth at the man, he crouched slightly, tail waving behind him like a predator about to strike. "Do I know you?" he hissed suddenly, watching the human and his spinning hammer through narrowed eyes. Something seemed...oddly familiar...

But he wasn't all too concerned. His eyes were focused on that hammer, and he was ready to throw himself out of the way at a moment's notice.

And, of course, to strike.

[Anonymous]

Kit just grinned more as he continued to yell at her. She wasn’t even sure why she found it so amusing, perhaps because he was threatening her while he was still tied up? Whatever the case she made sure not to laugh, knowing it would make things worse.

She blinked as the Drygan conjured a flame to burn the rope. Interesting, another who wields fire, so these Drygan are capable of magic as well. Kit presumed that her fire magic was stronger than his, but it wasn’t because she felt she was better than him. It was a complicated story, and unfortunately no one had been kind enough to give her the details. All she knew was that the flames she could wield were like none other on this earth.

In the next second however she sensed another person, looking to see the man even before he landed. Her clever smirk returned as she gripped her staff. She glanced at Yarra for a moment, “it seems you are popular friend.� Kit automatically assumed the man was after the Drygan. If she were his quarry he would have kept his gaze on her for one thing. For the other, his words, she was only awarded a comment, Yarra had his full attention. And of course the obvious, if the man wanted her, he would have asked for Vixen.

Kit sidestepped the tail so quickly it appeared she hadn’t moved. She did not mind his rudeness at all, as she was obviously not involved in this fight and she respected him for throwing her a little concern. In fact…he was acting just as she would if this was her opponent, making sure she would be the only one who would get hurt. She also felt that it was his battle and she had no right to interfere. And so she would back off…unless he fell unconscious…then she would step in.

“I hope to see you alive again,� without another word Kit leapt easily next to the other she had sensed. Landing quietly on a nearby branch, she waved to Valhalla casually and proceeded to watch the fight. Though she kept ready, to help Yarra and just in case the one next to her was also hostile.

[Anonymous]

Valhalla was slightly put off by the fact another man had entered, as she was about to go introduce herself, but it would be interesting to see how the Drygan managed to get out of this. That she had no doubt of. Fire versus thunder? Maybe the other man would be up for some fun afterwards.

She was touched by the Drygan's honour, that he would think to make sure Kit was safe whilst his own life was in danger. Some deep part of her felt sad, that she wasn't or couldn't be like that, but Valhalla told that part to shove it where. Emotions like that were only going to blind her in her quest for revenge. And once she gained morals? ...she'd have to get married.

Valhalla glanced at Kit for a second, taking in her features. She had a feeling the girl next to her was a magic user too- geez, why did she have to end up with the short straw? Sexual powers could only keep you going for so long until you grew withered. Maybe it was time to start looking for a new profession. Not drinking blood on sight would be a good way to start.

Hiding her lightning whip in case it looked threatening, she leaned back and yawned, more interested in the girl right now than the fight below. Magic hammers? She'd seen it all before.

"Seems everyone is after Drygan meat today," she smiled lazily, inspecting her nails. "What type of being are you? Your blood smells..." She leaned in closer, curly black locks tumbling as heavy waves of nightshade perfume spilled out, engulfing the poor girl, "like...the taste of honey in a dark, silken dream..."

She allowed her eyes to bleed to full violet, so the pupils were only pinpricks. A glimpse of the monster inside. A blink later she was back to normal.

"...However my dear, my hunger is satiated, so..." she placed a fingertip provocatively on Kit's lip, who drew away in an instant, "...you are safe."

Each word was rolled off the tongue casually, and Valhalla threw Kit another glance to see what effect it had had on her.

A sound below made Valhalla turn her attention back to the fight. Two men battling it out? So much better than a night in the brothel. And if everyone was as sarcastic as the Drygan, then they'd all get on peachy afterwards.

((Urgh, my posts are always so short.))

[Anonymous]

Whiskle glanced up when the Drygan spoke to her. “Doesn’t matter if you know me,� she said, and the amused look she had earlier was suddenly gone. “Just doing what I was paid to do, and believe me there isn’t anything I like better than taking down a Drygan. And there isn’t anyone I hate more than your kind alone.�

Her grip tightened on the chain. She screamed suddenly, eyes wide, face suddenly pale under the strain of power she was wielding as she fed her life force through the chain into the hammer. A whimper escaped from her throat that felt painfully dry. Her knees went weak, as if lead weights had been attached to her ankles, and an empty heaviness beat against her chest. She widened her stance ready to attack, but she held her position until she contemplated what she would do about the two girls nearby, and if at all possible she could let them go unharmed.

Even if she took this Drygan down there still was the problem of witnesses. There had never before been witnesses to her killings for she was used to working in remote areas, drawing out her prey away from people who could be hurt in the crossfire. Killing bad guys was one thing, for she only took jobs killing people who in some way were a threat to society or to her own life, but harming someone else who wasn’t involved in the matter was something she vowed to never let happen.

However deep down inside she knew both women would have to be taken care of too, to protect her identity, and from this event to ever see the light of day. It made her feel dirty all of a sudden. Not since the night her older sister had been slain by that man because she had been in the way too did she feel like this. She could still hear the cackling laughter of the guy as he bent down and kicked her sister’s dead body with his foot.

“Listen kid, if there is one thing you should learn to stay alive, that’s not to butt into other people’s business!�

Images flashed through her mind. Someone who saw her freezing to death on the street corner had taken her in after her older sister’s death. Whiskle had been only seven at the time, and her name had been different too, but she still remembered the warmth that mysterious stranger had possessed. The promises he made, and the safety she felt when he protected her. How he watched over her, fed her, and made sure none of the brothels nearby took her for their amusement; for a child living on the street at such a young age, the stranger had took pity on her.

Then one night her guardian had up and left herâ€"no! He abandoned her all alone! The last thing he had done was given her this dragon torc that she wore around her neck, promising to return for her, but he was never seen again. The dragon torc with the gemstone eyes missing always was a cold reminder of the Drygan who left her to become who she was. It clung to her neck like poison.

Images faded. And Whiskle snapped back to attention as if waking from a long dream. There would be time after this killing to feel those emotions, but now wasn’t the time. The man who had killed her sister was already taken care of. Right now, all the hate she felt towards Drygans was all she could think about. And she could do nothing about the others nearby watching. Let them see her sin with open eyes.

 No emotion showed on her face as she faced the Drygan. Her posture, her face was hard and cold as stone. She didn’t want to touch innocent blood, but it seemed fate was cruel to her.

During most killings she was calm and quick, the target never knew what hit them. She never allowed herself to speak to her target or get close. Most of her killings had been human, this was a rare second chance to face the one creature that haunted her dreams every night, the one creature that when she thought of, made her body shake with an emotion she couldn’t put words to. There was no pity or remorse for killing a Drygan. She had been glad to learn that her next assignment had been this one. And perhaps she could put to rest the past that didn’t want to shake free from her thoughts.

Her shoulders tensed, arms painfully straining as the weight of her weapon increased. And taking one step towards him she let her hammer go suddenly, the chains sliding through her fingertips. With a loud THUD! the hammer blew past the Drygan by an inch, missing him and lodging itself tightly into the tree behind him. Whiskle dropped to one knee, breathing hard, sweat trickling down her face, arms shaking uncontrollably. Her hammer was perfectly stuck behind the Dryganâ€"hell she wasn’t even sure she had touched him or not. But at that moment when she tugged on it lightly the tree behind him began to wail and shake and started to fall…towards the two girls idly watching them.



(ooc: Hmm, one male, three females…where is the big hot springs when you need one? I’m not saying Yarra is the one who left her alone, up to you what you do with it, but I needed to find a reason why she hates Drygans so much, hehe. Feel free to hit, slashor whatever you want to do with her. I’m okay with people hurting/moving character around a little.  Sorry it was so long. )

[Anonymous]

"Bloody hell!" Valhalla yelled, as she felt the thud of the hammer rock her to the core of her being. Half vampire or not, she sure wasn't immortal and holding onto her mortality was one thing on her list of priorities which she valued very highly. She didn't care if she'd given away her position- they all had probably guessed she was there anyway.

Even though that weapon had landed in a tree nearby, it still caused the very air to vibrate and tremble. Electricity tingled down her palms like marching ants, causing a small involuntary gasp. Suddenly an image, a door to a memory that had been hidden from her for so long was smashed open, and in her mind she remembered this very feeling. The taste of magic in the air, exactly like the taste of copper blood. Forces being melded together, the very atmosphere pressing down on her, and that man, that figure who was still just an empty hole in her mind, who kept whispering soothing words, telling her it would be alright. Smoke and mirrors, and ashes...and the fear, whispering to her like an old friend.

Valhalla wasn't made for this sort of magic...or memory. With a snarling yowl she snapped out of it, and grabbed hold of Kit, before leaping off the branch. With a whoosh, she landed onto the ground, and let go of Kit, breathing heavily, puzzlement flashing for a moment on her face as to why she just did that, before her features rearranged themselves back into innocent sin.

"No fair, stranger. Magical weapons versus claws and teeth?" She purred, eyes flicking from the stranger to the hammer. Reaching into a pocket in her cloak, she produced her lightning whip and tossed it in the Drygan's general direction.

"Your pride may not appreciate the help, but unless you can pull that hammer out and learn to use it, why you'll just be fresh meat for the scavengers." She said offhandedly, eyes gleaming at that suggestion as they bled to the intense violet again.

Inside she chuckled. If the Drygan caught the whip, he caught it. She'd landed a few feet in front of him, but to the side so she was out of the line of fire and didn't see how the Drygan reacted to the unexpected help.

((Hehe...hot springs?...not once did that idea pop into my mind, promise...when is your OC gonna reveal that he is a she- I think Valhalla might try hitting on "him" if she gets hungry ^^))

[Rhindeer]

"Heh...didn't think so. Just thought I'd ask, though, since you seem so keen on--what?!" Yarra froze suddenly, narrowed eyes going wide as the rest of the man's answer truly registered. Paid to do? Taking down Drygans? This man had...done this before? He'd killed other Drygans? That the man knew about his species was shocking in and of itself--his kind were rare, so rare that there was only ever one hundred of them in the world at any given time. It was their curse, and there could never be any more than that, just as they could never fit in with either humans or dragons. It was one of the reasons they were so reclusive. That, in and of itself made interactions between their own species a rare event, practically only occurring for mating if they were lucky. Or fighting. But it wasn't just that that was surprising, even chilling--it was that he'd even been able to kill a Drygan to begin with!

Really, the only species that Drygans were most threatened by was, sadly, also their own kind.

Maybe he was just bluffing...though...how did he even know about Drygans to begin with?! Shit.

"How do you even know about us?" Yarra finally asked, seemingly unphased by the hammer he continued to swing around. Maybe the answer to that was obvious, he thought suddenly. After all...he hadn't exactly been hiding, either. Then again, he hadn't expected to be found by two other people the one time he got snagged. But if more Drygan were spending less and less time in hiding, maybe some people did know about them? Maybe...

No matter! He could ask questions later!

And man, did he have a lot of questions to ask. He'd have to keep this one alive when all was said and done.

That was when the man screamed and whimpered, and Yarra actually raised an eyebrow. That is, unless the guy ended up throwing his own back out or something weilding that thing. Yarra smirked a little, tail still waving behind him. This would be easy. The guy was obviously beating himself up enough under the strain of his own weapon! Because of that, Yarra only continued to wait, not attacking, simply watching, still crouched a little with a smile that was half snarl barring his pointed teeth. No, there was no need to attack yet. He'd wait and the man's own weapon do some damage. Idiot, weilding a weapon like that...

Suddenly, the man stepped forward and the weapon was released, heading straight for him, but still he didn't move except to step aside a little, and the hammer flew past him, beating him with the wind of its passing. He heard a loud thud as it struck a tree, and he glanced over his shoulder briefly to see where it was now stuck as the man dropped to one knee. Then, still casual as always, he looked back and smiled a bit too cheerfully. "Nice aim, friend," he softly growled, flexing his clawed fingers to pop them.

Time to take him down.

That was when the tree cracked suddenly, and Yarra spun around to look. The tree was falling all right--toward the two girls. Wait, two girls? He'd only ever seen one! Augh! No matter! "Bastard!" he hissed, and he was about ready to rush over and get the two out of the way, but it seemed one of them, the one he didn't recognize, already had control of the situation, so he turned back around again. Good...because, ugh, he really didn't want to have to worry about innocents getting involved. That would...only make this whole thing tricky.

Excellent. Now it was time to--what now?!

With a snarl, Yarra caught the whip in one hand and promptly tossed it back. "Just stay out of this!" he snarled, and that done, he wasted no more time. He launched himself straight at the kneeling man, cranked his fist back, and...

Aimed a punch straight for the center of the guy's face with all the intentions of knocking the man clean out. There was no need to use his magic, it seemed, no need to draw this thing out. He could finish it right here and now in one clean strike, and hopefully that's what would happen. And, hopefully, he didn't end up bashing the guy's skull in. If there was one thing Drygans were known for, it was their strength--it was quite deceiving given their overall body structure, and Yarra was no exception--and up to now, Yarra had only ever fought with other Drygans. Drygans who could take his blows.

He couldn't really be blamed if he didn't know his own strength.

And if he got killed at all it would be because so many people were distracting him!

[ooc: LMAO! A hotsprings...ahaha, hoo boy, lucky Yarra. XD And yeah, Yarra wouldn't have been involved with that. 8D Quite interesting, though! No need to apologize for length at all! <3 Oh yeah, and I don't mind my character getting hurt or anything either. XD I'm very laid back, heehee!]]

[Anonymous]

"Just stay out of this!"

"Well la di dah!" Valhalla said sourly, planting her hands on her hips and puffing her impressive cleavage out. But both men seemed impervious to her charms, which made her even madder.

Valhalla caught the whip single handedly, affronted by the rudeness of the Drygan. Her eyes narrowed as she realised this Drygan had actually taken her offer of help and...thrown it right back in her face...hand. Lip twitching, she actually considered mauling him to pieces right here and now. If the rest of his race were equally as rude, then those blasted walking scales deserved to be cursed until Hell hath no fury left.

She didn't normally show as much emotion as this. Pouting, in that put-off way that had been every teasing man's last jest, she held her head high even though her pride was broken. Itchy fingers got the better of her; she raised her whip and was about to yank the tail of Scaly in a very immature "screw you" way when she thought of something much better. Revenge and a new toy...how unresistable indeed.

Through the branches of the fallen tree, her eye had caught the sparkling gleam of the hammer again, and it was just inviting her to go touch it. Whilst the Drygan aimed a punch at the stranger who'd turned out to be a bounty hunter of some kind, Valhalla sidled off to the sidelines, inspecting her nails and whistling in that way that makes you even more conspicuous.

Ducking beneath the foliage, she didn't need to watch the fight to know that something had made impact. A groan later, and she was beside the hammer, which for some strange reason now seemed to be whispering in her mind, calling to the part that craved power, the part that gave her power over men.

Stroke me, you know you want to... it whispered in that seductive way only Valhalla knew how do. Mesmerized she reached out to touch the hammer.

((Haha, Vally wants to kill Yarra now XD but she wants the hammer more...))

[Anonymous]

Whiskle looked up in time to be punched head on by a ragging fist. She felt her head crack open and blood begin to trickle down her forehead into her left eye. Her body flew backwards. She landed a few feet away, the air completely knocked out of her, clouds of dust coming to fall on top of her. Coughing slightly she rolled over to her side one hand gingerly touching the painful gash on her forehead, the other twitching slightly still holding onto the chain of her weapon that now clanked loudly to the ground far and away from her. She looked up at the Drygan’s imposing figure standing above her, slightly confused until she realized he had taken her down with one blow.

Oh, that’s what happened, she thought miserably with a laugh.

“You’re the first Drygan…who’s been able to knock me down,� she said spitting up blood. Even though the blow had been to her head, her whole body was affected, pain tearing through each of her limbs. She finally felt how weak and strained her body had been, but not before she let go of the chain, flexed her hand a little and the hammer lifted from the ground and vanished, suddenly appearing in her hand once again. She glanced at the woman who was about to take her precious item, and gave her a look that a mother would give a child who was reaching for the cookie jar. She wobbled a bit on one hand, sat up, and then finally made it to one knee before lifting herself off the ground. Shaking the dust from her clothing, she wiped more blood from her face and cursed the damn gash for making her temporarily blind in one eye.

There were only two choices in how to finish this she thought. And she better do it soon because she was slowly loosing consciousness. Images faded in and out and everything seemed to dim ever so slightly around her. “Is that the best you’ve got?� she said raising her head to meet the Drygan’s eyes. “Pretty pathetic if you ask me.�

Whiskle raised her fists this time, her weapon put away secretly under her coat. She put her body into an offensive stance and...and fell face forward into the dirt by the Drygan's feet, her hair carassing him in her decent. "Damn you, I was just getting started," she whispered before surcomming to the darkness.


(ooc: Men don’t tend to notice women when they are fighting do they…lol

BTW even though she is out cold, you can move her around all you want, kidnap her, etc, but for the the love of GOD, keep her clothes on! LOL. I still want to keep her sex a secret, hehehe

PS, do we wait for Kit to post?)

[Anonymous]

(yes wait for me! Don't post so much, I'm in collage now! >.< )

Kit was seriously contemplating her decision of to help the Drygan in the first place. Obviously she had kept out of the way, it would have been wrong for her to interfere. What annoyed her was the strange woman who had carried her out of the way. Which was the first reason she didn’t like her, Kit could have moved out of the way easily and she didn’t like people like that woman near her. That would be a second reason Kit didn’t like Valhalla, because it seemed her only goal in life was to seduce men. She twitched a little on the inside, remembering what happened before they got out of the tree. She didn’t like people touching her without her consent.

But she was happy to just watch as Valhalla had been distracted…Of course if Kit were a little more considerate, she would have warned against touching things that didn’t belong to you. Especially weapons like that.

Kit watched the man grimly, feeling a sudden bond with him. She had the same feelings of hate, of vengeance. It was likely she looked just like him at times. It was over soon and Kit shook her head before approaching him kneeling down. She carefully turned him over and frowned a little. She brought her face close to his, examining carefully. Then she pulled back rather suddenly a confused look on her face. That scent…was not male. But…she sighed and put a hand on his chest feeling around a little. Then she ran her hand down his side, feeling the figure under the clothes. This is not a man.

She glanced at the Drygan beside her before easily lifting Whiskle bridal style, which must have looked interesting considering the other two still though she was a he.

“Well, unless one of you two has healing magic I’m going to take him to the stream nearby.� Kit began walking an edge of the clearing. She did not say the person in her arms was female, as Kit knew there must be some reason for the disguise. Just as there must be a reason for her hatred of Drygans.

(sorry about that, Kit's too curious for her own good. But she won't tell the others, and she won't tell Whiskle that she knows ether.)

[Rhindeer]

[ooc: we should probably make a posting order. XD So now it seems to be going Vixen, Me, Nightshade, Lazuli! 8D It'll probably be easier that way, so no one gets left behind!]

Yarra ignored the woman that had tried to give him the whip. After all, he was currently in the process of punching that bastardly man, and he was not about to allow himself to become distracted so long as no one else was in any immediate danger around him! His fist connected and the bounty hunter went flying back to land in a cloud of dust a few feet away. Smiling to himself, Yarra dusted off his hands and walked over to stand by where he'd fallen, watching the man closely, ready to punch him again or whack him in the head with his tail if he tried anything else.

The man rolled over, and Yarra blinked. Still conscious? Jeez. But he was bleeding from his gashed open forehead and spitting up blood as well. Hm...something told him this man was done fighting for now, and if not, well, any sudden movements and he would be finished. Straightening up to his full six feet, he folded his arms over his clothed chest and swished his tail out behind him, waiting to see what the guy would do next. Would he be as stubborn as a Drygan and insist on continuing this? Yarra wouldn't mind that; he couldn't say he didn't enjoy fighting. It came naturally.

"Make that first and last," he said softly, quite aware of the implied threat. Still, he couldn't help but jolt a little in surprise when the hammer suddenly appeared in the man's hand and he started to rise to his feet. What the...? He made a soft rumbling sound deep in his throat, annoyed. The man was like a cockroach! Just that punch should have knocked him clean out! Though...okay, so Yarra had pulled his punch a little, having remembered at the last minute that this man wasn't a Drygan. Maybe that was it.

The man was rising to his feet, the huge hammer vanished under his cloak as he raised his fists, and Yarra sighed again and rolled his eyes. He was on the verge of bringing his tail around and whacking him one good in the side of the head--oh yeah, he wanted pathetic? He'd show him pathetic!--when, well, it seemed gravity took over for him.

The man toppled over and landed in a heap at his feet. And Yarra only continued to stare down at him, one eyebrow arched.

"Damn. And I'd only been getting started, too...shame..." he murmured, stepping back and shaking the guy's hair off his feet. Then he suddenly turned and walked off as Kit came over to check up on the fallen man. Yarra ignored it all for now; rather, he was heading over to collect the bit of rope that had once been around his ankle, scooping it up off the ground and picking the knot with his long claws. Knot undone, he stretched it out and held one end in each hand, measuring the length. Hmm...that should do. Turning around, he started to head back over to where the man had fallen--and blinked when he saw that short girl lifting him up into her arms like a new bride!

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked, trotting after her as she headed toward the stream. "He's mine. I beat him, he was after me." He huffed irritably, but didn't attempt to pull the man from her grasp, not yet at least. Instead, he followed along as she headed toward the stream. Ergh...no, he didn't have any healing magic...and it wouldn't be a good idea for the guy to die, because then he wouldn't get any answers. So, after a second, he just shook his head and snorted. "You can wash his pretty little head for now. But he's still mine."

He slipped the rope into his right pocket, still trailing beside Kit. He'd let her do the clean-up, since he really had no desire to be gentle with the guy. But after that...he'd do things his way.

[Anonymous]

When the hammer vanished from the tree Valhalla did a double take, eyes narrowing. Some other trickery was here in play. She'd felt the pull of the magic, binding the hammer to the stranger's soul. How bizarre, she thought. And worrying. That man had sold his soul for the kind of power that would leech off your life, draining everything that was good and kind inside until all you were left with was a burning hatred.

Well, it suited her fine. She felt her soul was already tainted enough that there would be nothing left to destroy, so in her mind she made a note to keep an eye on that hammer. Maybe the stranger would exchange it for...one of her services. Or she could just pay for it instead. She hefted the substantial money pouch which was strung on a belt around her waist. It jingled, causing her beloved lightning whip to crackle slightly. How stupid- why pay when you can just steal it?

Whilst she still had her back turned to the action, she could view it in her head as if she was watching it by theatre. She felt the impact of the punch herself, saw the man fly back as if in slow motion, and not only heard but felt the thud of him as he landed on the ground. She turned around to catch the stranger rising from the roiling dustclouds like a creature from the deep, before toppling over again. She tittered. They only did it like that in the theatres!

She watched the Kit girl lift up the stranger in one hefty movement, but made no move to help, and saw the look of surprise on the Drygan's face. Charming. Another sexist in the world. A low growl rose from her throat. Both had been, oh so hostile to her.

As they began to walk away, not even paying her any attention, thoughts raced furiously across her mind.

They didn't need her...but she was bored. Kicking dirt in the ground bored. Man undressing too slowly bored. Stirring up trouble seemed the next best thing to do when she knew she had no chance of becoming "friends" with the Drygan or the girl now. She'd been too rash, played the game and lost. But there was still the subject of that mysterious stranger. She'd be around when he woke up.

Skipping lightly, she hummed a tune before she leapt onto a tree and proceeded to follow them with catlike grace. She knew where they were headed. Maybe after a nice bath everyone'd be more friendly.

[EDIT]

Suddenly she remembered something. "Wait!" She yelled to the disappearing figures through the keafy foliage. She wasn't sure if they heard her or not.

"I think my blood has the power to heal him."

She scampered through the clawing leaves and branches, until she had caught up with them. But by then, they were almost at the springs anyway. "My blood, anyone?"

((Argh, my character's turning into a version of Team Rocket from Pokemon O.O Damn...y'all seem to be getting on so well that it's getting hard to keep writing her in lollage. But, like the piece of gum that is stuck to your shoe, Val just won't give up ^^))

[Anonymous]

It didn’t take long for Whiskle to regain several of her senses back. Even with the black forbidding cloud sinking her deeper into sleep she could hear the sound of whispering voices, the soft touch of a warm hand, the heartbeat of someone close to her. She coughed; lips parted, wet and red as if they had been overcome by kisses. An arm fell to her side, and at the moment the scene to any onlooker made her seem like some precious angel who fell from heaven being carried off to where the darkness couldn’t reach her. Sunlight touched the leaves above her, caressing her face in shadows and light as she passed under the canopy of the forest. I must be dreaming she thought and felt her hand twitch and fall onto something warm and soft. Lightly she squeezed whoever was carrying her and she turned to wedge her warm body in their arms, breathing in the warm female scent. A little like Sandalwood and cinnamon she thought, and she nuzzled her nose into the open bosom. Smells just like…

Then the scent faltered, and changed and jarred at her sense of smell. Suddenly tense and agitated Whiskle found herself standing before her master, yet she knew she was still unconscious. Fervently she bowed and kept her eyes from his, his feet making no sound as he drew close to her subconscious. Her knees shook and her hand trembled as she pressed it against her chest. She opened her mouth to speak, but her voice was cut off by the sound of his.

“You have been riddled, strong one,� his voice breathed in her ear. "I know this beast troubles you. But I have found a way to help you. There is another nearby you, a female who could prove to be useful to you. One who could be twisted by enough of my power to aid you in your job... Arise soon from this, and I will instruct you on what to do…�

Whiskle felt herself fully aware to her surroundings because of the pain. Her body was stiff and warm, and while she knew she was still alive, the thought of opening her eyes to the real world seemed at the moment impossible. Especially when blood was turning like glue inside one eye.

“Put me down,� she said her eyebrows drawn together. Pulling out a knife she had hidden carefully, she raised it to the girl’s throat. Then again she decided perhaps this wasn’t the best course of action to take. Three on one. What was she thinking? Heads would roll, but it would be hers. Especially in the state she was in now.

Whiskle flashed Kit a warm smile head tilted back, slightly flirtatous in the way she eyed the poor girl with one good eye. No, not this girl, the other, she thought. Unable to keep the dagger within her grasp she let it fall to the ground. “Couldn’t ruin a perfectly good face, now could I?� she whispered.



(ooc: Don’t fret Val! You are still WANTED! *glomps*  Alright, I feel seductive! Time for Whiskle to be seductive and unconscious all at the same time! *cracks herself up*

So no one is confused...Anytime Lesphares speaks to Whiskle, the letters will be in dark blue. If they are in Italics, they are pretty much in Whiskle's mind, so only she can hear, the dragon is speaking in her mind. Anything I write that is "thought" will pretty much be in italics. If it isn't and she is awake, anyone is up to listening in...

I updated Whiskle's page at the bottom of this post, it's her stat page now and has a lot of information about the plot involving the assassination.)

[Anonymous]

Kit looked to back Valhalla for a moment. Blood? …Was that really safe? Whiskle coughed and her attention came back to her, Kit picked up her pace. Then she twitched a little, finding the person she was carrying becoming a little too friendly. Especially when Whiskle nuzzled into her chest. Kit bushed, finding that an inappropriate place for her to be even if she was really a female too. Wait…they still think this is a man…awkward…oh well …

Kit became worried when the body she held became still, but it soon seemed that she need not worry. She stopped once she felt the knife press to her skin, meeting Whiskle’s slight frown with a passive face. Kit seemed way too calm when she was being threatened…almost as if she were ignoring words and weighing her options.

Then suddenly the stranger smiled and gave her a rather interesting look. Kit couldn’t help wondering if she was just acting or if she was serious. Nonetheless she gave a small blush at being complimented. A smirk tugged at her lips and she arced a dark brow in amusement, before looking forward again and continuing on. “You couldn’t ruin anything at the moment friend.�

In a couple of minutes they were at the stream and Kit gently laid Whiskle near the water. She sat down and took a cloth from her backpack, dipping it in the river before coming back to her side. Kit washed the blood away gently, especially around the wound. She worked silently, eyes focused. Kit didn’t even look up as she asked, “Drygan? Forgive me, as we have not properly introduced ourselves yet. You both may call me Kit. Anyway, would you mind getting that knife he dropped a while back?�

She braced herself, knowing he would likely protest. Kit only asked because she was busy at the moment. Asking Yarra to take care of Whiskle while she got the knife would be all kinds of stupidity after all.