So much for grace.

[Rhindeer]

Blood? Yarra glanced away from Kit and Whiskle briefly as he heard the new girl approach, then looked over at Whiskle consideringly. He wasn't really in a hurry to see the bastard healed, but then, he also wasn't in a hurry to see him dead, either, and he wasn't all too certain about how much damage a human could take before...expiring. The guy was bleeding pretty good, after all, and while Yarra couldn't see how adding more blood to the already considerable bleeding would help, he also knew that there were a lot of strange magics in the world, so, well, anything was possible he guessed.

Whatever the case may be, that man could not die until he'd extracted the information he needed! And he damned well would get that information, too, at all costs! He didn't really know if it would benefit him or anything, but at the very least he was insanely curious.

For that reason, Yarra lifted his broad shoulders in a small shrug and waved briefly over to the new girl as though to call her over, the one that had tossed him the whip and seemed so...put off when he didn't accept it. Not his fault! He didn't need any weapons--his claws, teeth, tail and magic were his weapons, and all the weapons he needed! They were all he knew how to use, too. "I suppose it may be needed," he told her slowly, much calmer now that the fight was over--if you could call it a fight--and he was free. "Just try not to heal him too much if you can help it."

He twitched a little at his own instructions. Did that even make sense? To be safe, he clarified. "Try not to heal him all the way; I want him weak, still. And--"

That was when Whiskle seemed to come to life. Yarra caught it all just out of the corner of his eye, his body going rigid and eyes narrowing as the man brought the dagger up to the short girl's throat. Rrgh! Dagger! Duh! For a moment, the Drygan wanted to smack either himself or the girl for their stupidity (mostly the girl, though, because she'd picked the guy up before he could get to him)! You always checked a fallen foe for extra weapons!

Only the tip of his tail twitched as he held perfectly still, not wanting to make any sudden moves that would cause the guy to slit her throat. His mind raced as he considered his options, but soon enough, well...it seemed he wouldn't have to think of something, because the guy was still too weak to hold the dagger. It fell from his grasp, and Yarra relaxed and snorted.

...And then he nearly died when he saw that the short girl was blushing.

Was she insane?! The guy had just threatened her and she was blushing because he complimented her afterwards!

Obviously, he was surrounded by idiots...or...just humans. Same difference, he guessed, because he certainly didn't think he'd ever be able to fully understand them. Nevermind that Drygans were part human. That didn't count.

But he kept those thoughts to himself. He was just naturally fairly quiet when he wasn't pissed, so all he did was sigh and follow along as the girl laid the man out by the stream and began to wash the wounds. Standing off nearby with his arms folded, he watched over the scene blandly as she cleaned the wound, then blinked over at her when she began to address him. And as "Drygan", too. Whoa, wait, another person who knew what the heck he was?

There must be some loud Drygan travelling around somewhere or something...

"I'm Yarra, Kit," he introduced gruffly, his tail now twitching with shorter, jerkier movements, the first signs of irritation. An introduction and an errand. How nice. Unfortunately, he wasn't in the mood to be someone's go-fer, and although he was never in the mood to follow orders naturally, this time he had a reason! Really! And that reason? This guy had already pulled a knife on the girl when he'd looked away for a second! And that huge-ass battle hammer was still under that cloak somewhere!

Nope, he was not leaving.

Instead, he simply shook his head and crouched down next to Kit and the man, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the rope. "No. If you're worried, ask the other girl to get it or get it yourself." He reached for the man's hands. Nope, he wouldn't be leaving either of them alone with this guy until he was sure he was stripped bare of any weapons and his hands were bound together with that rope!

[Sorry if it sucks! Sick and tired! Ahaha!]

[Anonymous]

"I suppose it may be needed."

At last, Valhalla thought smugly, she felt needed. Just bring out the magical tricks, and you’re suddenly the life of the party. How novel.

“Don’t heal him too much, hey?� Valhalla arched an eyebrow. She dropped to the ground and peered at the stranger more closely. There was definitely something strange about that beard. She had an urge to pull it lightly, just to see what would happen. Eyes with heightened vision roamed up and down the stranger’s face, taking in every minute detail and storing it for memory. Whatever he was, if he was passing for human he damn well wasn’t doing a very good job of it. Her eyes lingered on the beard again. Ah, what the hell.

She reached out, but just then, Valhalla froze. She caught the gleam of the knife, and her eyes narrowed. Boy did this man play dirty. But then he dropped the dagger and she almost laughed. Her eye caught the other girl blushing, and she shook her head, lips twitching in a smile. So that’s how Kit wanted to play. Not wanting to see any more puppy dog mushiness, Valhalla scooped up the dagger quickly and handled it, tossing it into the air and caught it, but felt no sign of any power. What an anticlimax. Oh well, someone would ask for it sooner or later.

Jogging to where the others were, she arrived in time to see Kit lay the man down and make her introduction. In that rich melodic voice of hers, she said, “Well, seeing as everyone else has made their formal introductions, I’m Valhalla.� She threw Yarra a smirk, after Kit's command, as if to say, go on, do what she says, I dare you, before she bent over the stranger, on the other side of where Kit was currently dabbing.

“I’ll be damned if I’m sharing more than a drop of my blood.� With a quick upwards motion, she swiped her right index fingernail at her left fingertip in a blurring motion, leaving a prick where a single drop of blood was already collecting slowly. “Now that everyone’s nice and calm…�

She lightly touched the cuts from where the stranger’s face had made impact with the ground, and it was as if they’d been erased. Soft as a kiss, she thought. And twice as bad for you my friend. For Valhalla never did anything for no reason at all. There was always another motive, something else behind the act in her manipulative devious mind. Nobody else knew this, but the blood would create some sort of sketchy silvery bond that Valhalla could use to delve into the stranger’s mind, probing it for details of the hammer. If she’d given enough blood, then she could even control the victim to a point, but that involved too much contact and plus the Drygan didn’t want the man healed.

“The wounds have been sealed to prevent infection, but your friend will sport some very unsavoury bruises,� Valhalla commented. She felt for anything, but found nothing aside from a slight magnetic imprint that felt vaguely alien. It was so slight that she dismissed it.

When Yarra began to tie up the man’s hands Valhalla came back into herself. She produced the useless dagger and dropped it to the ground soundlessly. “I like it that we can all be so practical. So, what are you planning to do to him then?� She asked Yarra, hands on hips, eyes already scanning the man for any sign of any other…more exotic weapons.

((*huggles* Well, lunch calls so...))

[Anonymous]

Whiskle was vaguely aware of the people around her. All she wanted to do was sleep the day away and stifled a yawn as she felt her hands being tied in front of her. Oh well, guess I’m sticking around for the moment, she thought. Feeling as if someone had planted a heavy block of stone inside her she sat up into a sitting position carefully, so not to cause those around her to be alarmed.  She touched the torc at her neck and relaxed when she felt it was still there. Be hard to remove from her neck unless she willingly did so herself. Others had tried and failed to disastrous results. Her hammer seemed lifeless against her hip as if she had drained it completly or the other way around, but it didn't bother her.Yet she frowned at her weakness. It would probably take a good few days or a week to be able to use it once more until her strength returned to her.

And what had Lesphares said to her? Something about a girl, and…

Her stomach growled suddenly. Whiskle scratched her chin with a thumb since that is all she could reach with. She couldn’t remember. And right now all she could think of was a decent meal. Oh well looks like that would have to wait too.

That was when she realized what the other had done. A tingling sensation formed on her forehead, and something deep inside seemed to wash over the foreign invader inside her body, tightly imprisoning it in a red blood sphere. It was like something in her own blood rejected it, yet kept it around for its own amusement. Not sure what it was, maybe a spell her master had placed on her, or some kind of power of her own she grasped the substance from within her and kept it there. Not quite expelling it out of her body, which would be gross with others watching, but Whiskle kept the funny substance inside her, curious of what it would do to her. Nothing to worry about there since if anything got out of control or if this woman thought of doing something terrible to Whiskle, Whiskle could get rid of the strangeness in less than pleasant ways. Something Lesphares had taught her before she had ever killed her first Drygan; how to easily repel foreign substances and invaders out of her body if she ever came upon anyone trying to poison or control her. Especially vampires or werewolves. What had she asked him? She had said humans like herself couldn’t do such things, but Lesphares had only chuckled, a smile so wide on his face as if he knew a secret and was enjoying keeping it all to himself.

Closing her eyes Whiskle closed all the doors of her mind until only one thought remained. Food. Hunger. Images of pies, cakes, and sweet things came to mind. They took up residence in her mind in great number that it was all she could think about. All other hostile thoughts shut away into a dark crevice of her being that felt cold and stale. Yes, a good brew would be good right about now, some bread and perhaps meat. When was the last time I had a good slice of pie? she thought.

Hmm, PIE. A bath didn't sound that bad either.

Another lesson she learned when faced with other magical beings without escape. Close your mind to all else, and think of something random in case anyone sweeps your mind. Whiskle had been afraid at her master’s words, but he laughed and shooed Whiskle away. What secret was he keeping from her? No one is going to find out quite that easily that a Dragon of my power is with you he had said then. No, my spells are too powerful to break. The only way anyone is going to find out any information is if you freely give it.

Oh well didn’t matter when the pay was good, and she was doing something she loved doing. The Dragon had been sure Whiskle would not speak freely, tongue wagging to just anyone who asked her questions. Yet however she knew she should be careful in case she said too much to the woman who was called Val. After all that foreign blood of hers was still in her body no matter how much Whiskle wanted to keep it inside her and toy with it. If she wasn't careful or had too much to drink her defenses would drop drasticly, leaving her open to any attack.

Whiskle turned to look at them and then at last to Yarra, sighing. “Looks to me you want me to say something. I can read it all over your face, you want some answers. Well,� she said with a slight smile, “I really can’t think on an empty stomach. Why don't you be a good boy and fetch the ladies and I something to eat? And don't worry I won't keep them to myself, you can join us too.� She chuckled slightly.

Turning to Kit she humbly lowered her head. "My apologies bright one, I wasn't quite sure who was carrying me, or if they were going to toss me over a cliff. It was just a reflex, no harm meant towards you." She pressed Kit's hand slightly to her heart and then let it go in a gesture of good will.

To Val she simple stared, head tilted to one side, positively glowing. She reached for Val's hand and kissed the top of it. "My lady," she said lowering her head over the hand, eyes finding Val's and holding them for a while. Yes, let's play your game. I love games. But, the question is, can you handle each move I make?

Whiskle's lips lingered too long on Val's hand she let it go and winked at her from the corner of her eye. "You must be hungry too my lady..."

For other things that is, Whiskle thought dryly realizing what Val might actually be. She shivered ever so slightly finally remembering at last what her master had said to her. Wasn't going to be easy seducing the creature known as Val, not when the woman possessed so much dark magic of her own. And especially since all she found alluring were males.

Later she thought looking up to Yarra, rolling her eyes. "Well?"

(ooc: Hehe, won’t be that easy! But it shall be fun as they butt heads sort to speak! Val’s blood is still there, just the Drygan blood in her that the Dragon knew of is sort of keeping Val at bay, toying with her as it is in her body. Especially with the Dragon almost already possessing her mind some that too is aiding Whiskle from keeping Val from fully invading her mind. BUT, still in her body. Hehe. Whiskle is still vulnerable to Val especially if a good ale is present! LOL)

[Anonymous]

Truth was, Kit just blushed easily. Compliments for her were few and far between as she was attractive but she was also quite intimidating when she wanted to be. Which would be most of the time. Adding to her shy and modest ways and it was likely she’d end up blushing a lot around these three.

Kit could not spare a moment to even attempt at a relationship, even she did find the right man. It was likely her enemies would find out if she kept such company and use it against her. They already used perfectly innocent bystanders, so she never doubted such a thing would happen.

So of course she blushed a little again when Whiskle took her hand. Luckily her hand was given back quickly, a second more and she would have taken it. Kit twitched a little and glared. Why are these two so damn friendly!?! She was already beginning to prefer Yarra’s company, he wasn’t exactly nice but at least he didn’t touch her in annoyingly intimate ways when they’re just met.

…Oh please! Get a room…

She sighed and got up to stand near the red Drygan, but not too close. Kit had a feeling he thought likewise about personal space. She shook her head at Whiskle, couldn’t she tell that Yarra shouldn’t be messed with? Was she provoking him on purpose? Ugh, what do I care? As long as Yarra doesn’t kill her, I’m curious too. Of course that wasn’t exactly true, Kit didn’t tolerate killing unless the reason was justified. What that meant…well they’d all find out eventually…

She waited for Yarra to calm down as he would likely lash out at such instructions. She would too after all, Kit was likewise the type who didn’t like being bossed around. When he was done she whispered, knowing his Drygan ears would hear it anyway. “Why don’t we just play along for now? He won’t talk until we do as he says. That, and I’d rather not be near them…� Just being close to one of them set her on edge, and it wasn’t just the touching. Kit didn’t trust people easily, but a woman disguised as a man and a woman who could heal using her blood were two highly suspicious characters.

[Rhindeer]

"Do to him?" Yarra blinked over at the other girl--Valhalla, she'd said her name was?--and tilted his head, making a face. It was a disdainful look, his lip curled just enough to bare one gleaming fang. But then he just shook his head and pushed some of the shorter orange bangs from his eyes. "I plan on getting him to talk, that's what. What it takes to get him to talk is another issue altogether," he answered, glancing over the black claws of his left hand. He'd just leave it at that and let the vagueness of his words do the rest for him. She, and the others (primarilly the bastard) could draw their own conclusions, and chances were they would be far worse than the truth.

Sighting the dagger the girl dropped, he snorted softly and finished tying off the knots before giving Kit a wry look. Heh. Lookit that. Valhalla got it for them without any of them having to ask.

Yarra scooped the knife up and stuck it in his belt for safe-keeping, and only safe-keeping, because he honestly had no practical use for it. Then he watched Whiskle, still crouched down near and watching over him cautiously. They guy still looked all out of it even after Valhalla had treated him with her blood, his eyes closed and hands bound, and while this was a good thing because he didn't have to be concerned about him trying anything funny, it was also kind of annoying. Because that meant he had to wait, wait for him to wake up or whatever, wait for him to be able to form a coherent sentence, wait for him to be able to <I>understand his own questions. Very frustrating, because Yarra didn't have all that much patience. Still, he knew he'd punched the guy in the head pretty damned hard. Maybe he'd even given him a concussion...

Oops.

Apparently not, because then his eyes opened and he turned his head, looking at Yarra. Yarra shifted a little, arms folded across his knees relaxedly and tail waving high behind him.

Then he twitched.

That little bastard!

In an instant, Yarra's right hand was balled in a tight fist and raised threateningly. "I'll give ya something to eat, you bastard!" he hissed, flashing his fangs. Good boy? She was talking to him like he was a dog! His tail lashed angrily behind him and for a few seconds he was seriously ready to knock out some teeth. But then he closed his yellow eyes, took a deep breath, and let his hand drop to his side. Aw...dammit. As much as he seriously wanted to beat the shit out of the guy, he couldn't. Not just because he wouldn't really be able to talk if he didn't have any teeth, but also because, well...

He just didn't fight people that couldn't fight back.

He could, however, smack the guy a bit for slobbering all over Kit's hand, and he did, indeed, swing that tail of his around to smack the guy's hands when he was through. "Well, what? Would you knock it off already?" he growled, and that was when he finally really noticed Kit, but only because she had whispered to him. Sure, he'd obviously noticed her before, since Whiskle had been kissing on her, but...he had a bit of a one track mind, and he'd really only been looking for an excuse to smack the guy. He twitched again. Play along? The bastard was the one that had been hunting him and she was telling him?

Somehow, that seemed kind of backwards.

But the last part of what she said made him sigh a little, and he snorted. Argh...she had a point. "Fine, whatever." Then he stood up to his full height and leaned in close to her. "If you don't wanna be around them, why don't you get the food, then. Let me stay here with the two...people here," he whispered back before giving a wry smile. Why yes, he did want to be left alone with Whiskle!

Kit may have had a point, but Yarra also saw no reason why he should follow the rules of the attacker. That was also rather backwards. The victor did not dance to the tune of the defeated. If he was going to do this, he was going to do this his way, on his terms. But right now, he was trying to be civil, letting Kit off easily and all. But if she protested...yeah, heads would collide.

[edited, because I made a stupid typo. XDD]

[Anonymous]

She hadn’t meant for her question to Yarra to be interpreted in such a way. Honestly, did they think that little of her? A small part of her wanted to curl up and cry, but she shoved it where and replied calmly, without even batting an eyelid-

“But what if pretty boy here won’t talk?� Her eyes travelled to Yarra’s black claws, which glinted ominously in the watery light and she nodded curtly, one expert to another. Torture wasn’t something she ever took part in, partly because that same small part of her couldn’t stand it, mainly because the smell of the blood when cutting up people drove her blood lust crazy.

When Whiskle took Valhalla’s hand and met her eyes, she had to fight so hard to control the lust that would undoubtedly appear in her eyes. Blood lust, that is. She reeled back, slightly dizzy and blinked a few times, whilst her eyes bled back to their normal startling violet. To the others, it would look as if she was smitten with Whiskle, but they already had such a low opinion of her that it mattered not.

“My Lady.�

“Charmed,� she purred, rolling the word off the tip of her tongue like a strawberry kiss. Turning around, she sighed inwardly, eyebrows furrowing. How much longer would she have to play? She was hungry, she had a headache, and she wanted out. The whole situation had finally turned political, so it was best for the body count if she just kept her damned mouth shut.

However, when Whiskle used her own magic back on her blood, caressing her blood bond like it was a little baby, Valhalla did a double take. That wasn’t supposed to happen. No normal human mortal was supposed to be able to do that, let alone even detect it. That sneaky bastard. Maybe she should get Yarra to just kill that weird sexless man right now, but then she’d have to explain why and her own plans would be exposed.
 
She picked up a stick and began to fiddle with it, twirling it around in her hands. She wasn’t used to having her blood bonds toyed with, or even the social situation she was currently in, and it made her nervous when she couldn’t be in control. She really hoped the others wouldn’t pick up on this, as she’d already given them at least ten different reasons to burn her at the stake so for the first time in her existence, Valhalla folded in on herself, making her body as small as possible.

“It looks like we’ll be here for a long time then,� she murmured to herself, poking absentmindedly with the stick at a pile of dry leaves, which randomly burst into flame. Emitting a tiny shriek, she leapt a few metres away before laughing edgily. That wasn’t supposed to happen either. Last time it did…the whole village had burned down whilst she’d been making the landlord’s son’s dreams come true. They never did find his body. She hastily blew out the fire. Knowing the others, they’d see it as a paranoid attempt on their lives, probably burning her here and now.

Valhalla had caught the end of Kit’s whisper to Yarra and threw her a dirty look.  Yarra may have been the one to take charge but she’d be damned if she was going to listen to him. Leaping vertically up, she landed on a branch, crouched like a predator and waited. Here, birdie, birdie, birdie! Come to Valhalla… There was a rustle; she dropped back to the ground, wiping blood from her chin. She caught the shiver of the one named Whiskle and grinned toothily at him, flashing him fangs for an instant before they retracted. The others seemed to be arguing about who was going to find them food. Patting her stomach, she glanced up to notice that it was already late afternoon, early evening even. Boy had time passed. Soon the other blood drinkers and monsters would come out to play, and then she could choose which side to take.

Let them all think I’m a monster. It’s no different to what everyone else calls me.


((Not sure if that made sense...and sorry for the lateness, I got possessed by the spirit of shopping.))

[Anonymous]

Whiskle shook the sting from her hand and rolled her eyes. So far nothing seemed to be going as planned. Well, time for plan B. However she wish she could just get to plan C, but plan B seemed to work in every situation where she was defenseless. It might be a dirty trick and the Drygan if she didn’t kill him quickly when his defenses were down during plan B would certainly take her head off for what she was about to pull. Plus, she didn’t want to lose her precious beard.

Oh well I can grow another one, she thought pulling out a flask of wine from inside her coat and setting it down on the ground. Next followed a loaf of bread she had stolen earlier when she was in town, followed by a chunk of cheese. She tossed them onto the ground and waited for someone to start cooking the dead bird.

It was such a slight of hand movement that she wasn’t sure anyone in their group noticed so quickly her hands were unbound now as she stood up chomping away on a piece of the bread, playing with her beard with her other free hand. Oh, she loved her beard but she thought someone might notice a woman walking around with a beard a strange sight indeed. Time to get rid of this disguise and become my beautiful self.

Whiskle inwardly frowned. There was another reason she hated plan B. Even though it worked every time and plan B was the reason three of the five Drygan were now dead, it still made her feel a bit dirty. She hated sleeping with the enemy, and she wasn't sure this Drygan had his head in his pants or would act like all the other Drygan had acted when she confronted each one as a female having the scent of the Drygan and hair of one, but looking perfectly human in every naked curve of her body. Those Drygan hadn't reconized her at all when meeting them in her female form. The scent on her had droven the other previous Drygan mad with sexual hunger.

But Lesphares had a dirty mind and the dragon lord would be pleased another Drygan died because he couldn’t keep things in his pants. Her only real Drygan power would be out of the bag too...well not really since she would be someone else entirely and the Drygan would probably realize the assassin did give him the slip.

So that no one would worry at all this movement she glanced over her shoulder at the Drygan and flashed a smile. “Don’t worry I’m not going anywhere, you yourself know I have no strength to escape. I’m going down to the river to wash,â€? she said rolling her sleeves up, taking off her hat and placing it on top of a rock nearby. She threw off her coat and tossed the war hammer by Yarra’s feet. “Here, hold onto this till I get back. It might be a little heavyâ€"but anyway I’m not going to leave without it, so why don’t you give me a little privacy unless you want to watch a naked man bathing.â€? At this she laughed and disappeared into the shadows making her way down to the river. She clutched the strange object tied about her neck that she carried with her at all times to mask her female Drygan scent. The same pheromoneal scent that seemed to draw any Drygan in the vicinity to her once it was off her. As soon as she took it off all hell might break lose, hell she might have no power to control what happened next when she released the heated perfume of her Drygan sexuality. But until she did she thought taking her hand away from it…

Time to shave this facade and become someone else entirely...
 
She dropped to the ground and pulled out a razor and lifted it to her neck.


(ooc: ooh, watch out for PLAN B! *laughs* Well gave her at least one Drygan power...if you can call it that. She smells strongly like a female Drygan and the thing about her neck masks the odor. *snickers* I'm evil, yes I know.)

[Anonymous]

Kit gave a clever grin to Yarra’s whispered words. Yes, whether they would end up butting heads or not, she would rather be around him. Unlike the other two, the Drygan made sense. Kit nodded and whispered back, “just don’t kill anyone.� As she said that last request her grin widened a bit, as if saying it was just a suggestion.

She looked to Valhalla as she leapt into the tree, the scent of blood came not long after. Then she came back down quickly…and whipped blood from her chin. Kit frowned a little, this woman was becoming more suspicious by the second. Her senses were better than a normal human but her eyes were also different in that she was able to detect movement easily. So she caught the fangs for the small second they appeared. Of course in the next second she caught Whiskle without her hands bound. These two were getting on her nerves, but she just sighed and said nothing.

Kit glanced at Whiskle before returning her gaze to Yarra, a faint frown on her features. Then she grinned deviously. She didn’t bother with whispering now, purposely speaking so that Whiskle could hear her. “Our friend is quite good with quick escapes.� Then she smirked, “I’d suggest chains but there is no reason to doubt he would get out of those as well. Constant surveillance is a better bet.�

That causes slight complications. Kit watched Whiskle leave to bathe, she was going to suggest that one of them follow, but who? If she followed it’d be awkward, as their ‘friend’ was currently thought as a man by the others. And if Yarra followed…who knew if Whiskle would come back. What then…Kit blinked and looked at Valhalla for a moment before smirking a little. Well the two were already flirting as it was…and she would love to see her reaction if she did find out Whiskle was female.

Kit could be quite mischievous it seemed, but then, she was dubbed 'the Black Fox' for a reason…

She smirked at other known woman, “why don’t you watch him Valhalla? Or,� she again turned to red Drygan beside her, grinning again, “you could Yarra. Of course whether he comes back alive or not is not my business.�

Then she removed her cape and gloves, walking over to the stream to wash her hands. Kit then went about preparing the bird. It really didn’t concern her who would decide to watch Whiskle…if they even decided to do that. She wasn’t going. Kit didn’t know her well enough to know what reaction would come of her ‘finding out’ she was a woman.

(unfortuantly if plan B happens Kit will know...cuz her sense of smell is very accute ^^ At least she's won't be attracted to Whiskle, but she will be suspicious as to why there is suddenly a feminine scent similar to Yarra's. This will be interesting.)

[Rhindeer]

[Whoo! Sorry this took so long! College and getting used to a normal sleeping schedule (I'm a total night owl normally) has been turning me into a zombie x__x]

"...I'm not gonna kill anyone," Yarra grumbled at Kit, rolling his eyes. Gah, why did everyone keep looking at him when they said that?! He wasn't the one that had made the first move to kill anyone! He tapped the claws of his left foot irritably against the ground, obviously not catching the joke. He couldn't help if he was undersocialized!

Valhalla's sudden shriek, however, made him jolt and spin back around to face the other girl, but then he relaxed again when he saw she was just being...spastic...and freaking out over a fire she'd accidentally started. Yarra just smirked a little, shaking his head in hidden amusement. Ah, another one who had fire as their element. Very interesting, only she apparently wasn't as in control of it as he was. Oh well...as long as she didn't burn the forest down, all would be well, and she did blow it out. He also didn't really think much of her leaping into the trees and coming back down with blood on her lips. It just didn't bother him.

Then again, he was more animal than human most of the time himself.

Seeing that all was well, he switched his focus back to "the bastard" and...nearly fell over in surprise. What the hell?! Where were the bloody ropes?! "No shit!" he told Kit, and with a soft snarl he began to march his way right over to Whiskle as he stood and munched his piece of bread for all the world like he hadn't just gotten his ass handed to him and wasn't now a prisoner. And then the man had the nerve to say he was just going to go wash? Alright, so he had tossed the war hammer to him, which Yarra paused to stare at briefly, but still...Yarra didn't know the value of the weapon so he sure as hell wasn't going to take this man's word for it.

"Like hell you get privacy..." he muttered, then spun sharply to look for Valhalla. Instead he saw Kit, and he sighed a little in exasperation. What was with her and thinking he was going to kill someone?! Whatever. "No Kit, I'm watching the guy. Valhalla can guard the hammer thing. And I'm not gonna kill anyone!" It wasn't that he didn't trust Valhalla, it was just that, well...okay, he didn't trust Valhalla. But it wasn't anything against her. He wouldn't have trusted Kit with watching the man, either. It was just how he was. For something this important to him--and finding out why the hell someone was going around slaughtering his species was rather important to him! It wasn't like there were many of them in the world!--he really didn't trust anyone but himself to do the job.

Then again, that went for things that weren't all that important, too.

He was just a do-it-yourself kind of person.

If anyone wanted to follow, he didn't care. All that mattered was that he was there.

So, with that said, he simply followed after Whiskle, the man's threat of seeing him naked not bothering him in the least. He had no interest in men and nudity didn't bother him all too much but, most importantly, he didn't want the guy doing some other trick and making a dash for it. Jeez. Apparently he did need constant surveilance. He looked away for a second and suddenly he was free again, acting for all the world like he called the shots. Oh well. Yarra wasn't going to bother with restraints again, seeing as how the rope had failed and he had no chains like Kit had suggested. It was really only night time that would be a problem...he'd have to stay awake to make sure the guy didn't try and kill them in their sleep, or give them the slip.

Watching the man drop to the ground and begin to shave, he guessed, Yarra simply settled down on a nearby boulder and waited boredly for him to finish...though he watched him like a guard-dog, face blank. Somewhere in the back of his mind he realized he didn't know the guy's name, but...that didn't matter. He was a murderer and he had no interest in asking.

[Anonymous]

((Don’t sweat it! I’m gonna be starting college next Wednesday…*terrified*))

Urgh, this was soo tiring. And boring. Too much talking, and not enough doing. It took a blink to remember that the Whiskle man was actually a prisoner…but the others sure weren’t treating him like one. Not my problem.

“Chains? Magic will be the only thing he won’t be able to escape from. Just place a curse on him.� She smirked evilly, running over the witches- not the powerful ones, mind- she’d stolen books from…and used spells to practice on. Dangerous, but fun. And very, very educational. And yet, she still had no aptitude for magic of any sorts.

And now that man wanted to bathe! She had already slashed magical beings off her “will bathe with� list, so she simply rolled a lazy eye at Kit, cooing: “seeing as you were the most affected by said prisoner’s charms, why don’t you go instead?� Her voice dripped with honey. Under her breath, she muttered, “And save me the pain of having to be near you.�

She sank to the ground, back against a tree trunk and wiped any dust from her black dress. Yarra spun around suspiciously…eyes flicking from her to Kit. {i} The hammer, the hammer…[/i] She willed it with her mind…and sure enough…

“Valhalla can guard the hammer thing. And I'm not gonna kill anyone!�

Score.

“You’ve been repeating that like a mantra since we got here,� she suppressed a lazy grin, “maybe you need some therapy, honey. Just let it out.� She made exaggerated motions, watching for his reaction. He wasn’t someone she’d wanted to piss off, but for the love of the gods, if everyone just stood there, milling around like cattle. If it was up to her any information she wanted would already have been extracted from the prisoner. Yarra was just…too human. And Kit? Apart from carrying Whiskle like a man, what had she done?

Yarra had left to go follow Whiskle, muttering sarcastic thoughts in his wake. It was almost a relief after he’d left. Half the hatred now. Plonking herself next to the hammer, Valhalla stretched out and revelled in the last rays of the sun, smiling merrily at Kit, and radiating a calm, neutral, aura. No one trusted her, but did she care? No, because she didn’t trust anyone either. Maybe they should all have therapy together.

((I would make it longer but I'm not sure of which direction this is going...oh, and I'm going to be possessed by the shopping ghost in a few minutes.))

[Anonymous]

(ooc: Hope you don’t mind, umm, she took the liberty of "touching" your tail? lol. And warning this post is a little pervy--okay the ending is a lot pervy. I can delete that last part if you want to give Yarra time to react. *giggles* Hmm next post I'm thinking of bringing Lesphares' shadow to bother the girls. Maybe we can form some kind of evil plot? Btw Vixen, that's fine...just give Yarra a chance to respond, lol)


Whiskle paused when she felt a presence behind her, razor pressed gently against her chin. She glanced over her should briefly, then splashed some water on her face, scrubbing away dirt and dry blood. She had just finished shaving her beard off when the Drygan made a place on top of a large boulder behind her. Unsure how to handle this situation she kept her back to him, still squatting by the water, a smile tugging on the corners of her mouth as she dried her face with her sleeve, pulled out a bottle of lotion and tenderly patted her face. “Well, well,� she said not exactly to anyone directly. “If you’re this persistent, maybe I will tell you everything I know.� She shrugged and chuckled softly. “Maybe if you do something for me that is…� She left it at that, and said no more. Give him a moment to think about it.

Whiskle looked back again and stared this time, her eyes doing a double take as they drifted down the length of his body. For some reason she couldn’t take her eyes off of him, and felt her skin flush suddenly in awareness that her body was responding to what her eyes were trying to make out he was like underneath all those clothes. A knot caught in her stomach as she concentrated on the Drygan, her eyebrows lifting in admiration. He wasn’t moving, just glaring she supposed. Wasn’t this a good opportunity for him to ask her questions when no one else was around to hear her? And her being so relaxed now, she could almost tell him anything. At the thought of telling him what she knew she found her hands shaking, eyes holding back tears. She looked away quickly so he couldn’t see. No, why would she want to do that? Slightly confused at those thoughts she distracted herself with a song, singing the words softly.

What the heck was wrong with her? She shouldn’t be this scared, should she? And why was she looking at him now like THAT? Swallowing back the anxiety she began to undo the buttons on her vest and was relieved when the tight pressure lifted from her breasts. Yeah maybe she wasn’t scared, maybe she wasn’t starting to doubt her intentions; maybe it had been her vest that was flattening her breasts to death. Yeah, good excuse as any to answer this feeling of dread that began to take shape inside her heart. The round soft curves of her bosom once hidden showed underneath her white shirt, which she stripped off next. Yeah, she thought chuckling softly. Hadn’t Lesphares told her she was strong enough now to handle any Drygan? Yet, when she thought about it, there was something a little more terrifying about this one. Something about him…something she didn’t want to mess with now that she had fought him once. A sense that he had some kind of power over her and it made her feel completely vulnerable to him. No! She shook her head back and forth violently, the gold and red of her eyes becoming hard as steel. She needed to drown out these thoughts she knew as she made a fist and punched the water, scattering her reflection in distorted ripples.

Oppressing as her thoughts may be, she still had a job to do and do it according to the dragon lord’s plans. Or else his wrath would be tested severely. He received some kind of sick pleasure when she faced Drygan as a full-fledged female, perhaps because in his twisted ways he liked to see her suffer more than she already did. Satisfied with that she began to undress, keeping her back towards the Drygan, humming softly that song that spun its lyrics around in her head. Another song she could not forget. One she had heard the dragon lord singing the last time she had been present at his estate. A haunting melody about the legend of how the Drygan race came to be. How could she even remember the words when she had only heard it once? No bother.

Whiskle closed her eyes as she let her shirt fall to the ground, revealing malicious claw-like scars that ran down her back and out of sight down her butt cheek. Clutching the tiny jar of musk that hung loosely around her neck, Whiskle pushed back the hatred still wallowing around inside her back to a place where it couldn’t be seen on her face. Why does it have to be this way? she thought. Why couldn’t mother just have aborted me instead of just dumping me onto the streets? At least I could have had peace or maybe not even have existed at all!

Eyes wide with uncertainty she folded her jacket, shirt, and vest into a neat little bundle, stood and dropped her pants, her skin showing more smaller scars painted about on her back leg. She self-consciously touched them, her mind drifting to the scars on her back, thinking of the first time she had disobeyed Lesphares and he had given her those as a reminder of who she belonged to.

For a moment she stood there letting the breeze lift her black tresses from her warm body, watching the water move swiftly downstream, wondering if her life would have been different if she had known real love. A tear escaped and she wiped it away quickly, eyes narrowed, lips curved ever so slightly into a seductive little pout. She threw off the necklace into the water, and turned around to face the Drygan as the person she truly was. At least if there was going to be any fight in her she would face him as herself and nobody else.

Not sure if he was paying full attention she walked right up to him, her soft body just inches from him. She reached over him suddenly, a hand stroking his long tail seductively. "What do you say? You know I have something you want...and you of course have something I want," she said her tongue finding a tender spot on his tail.


(ooc:Oooh, edited the tongue back in, lol. *giggles and blushes* I found it so amusing, and so wrong on so many levels, but just wanted her to touch his tail at least once in case she doesn't get the chance to again. *evil grin*)

[Anonymous]

Kit gave Valhalla a fierce glare at her suggestion. She was 23 and no man had managed to bed her yet, something she was quite proud of. If she really needed something from a man she’d just outsmart him…or beat him…or kill him but she usually didn’t do that unless absolutely necessary. Plus it was usually on accident during the beating part. Like Yarra, Kit didn’t exactly know her own strength.

She gave a low growl, “Actually I find his strange affections highly disturbing.� By the frown she gave it looked like she would kill ‘him’ on the spot for touching her. She might have, but Yarra wouldn’t get any answers then. But then she gave Valhalla a clever smirk, hearing her easily. “Though I’d have to agree with you on that second point.�

It would be soo much easier if she could just use her black fire, but she wasn’t alone at the moment. Flaunting such power was not wise. And so Kit set up a fire like any normal person would, glaring for a moment at the hammer. She didn’t trust magic toys. Her staff was just metal, though it did have a few enchantments on it to prevent from melting in her hands if she chose to channel her fire into it. The same was for her clothes, as only her body was initially impervious. Even her blood and tears did not react to the flames.

Kit had the bird cooking over the fire when a new scent came to her. It was similar to Yarra’s, definitely a Drygan…but this one was female. This day was becoming quite eventful, of all things, another Drygan. She looked to the fire for a moment, curiosity beginning to overwhelm her. Finally she stood, looking to their direction for a moment before leaping into the trees, landing noiselessly from branch to branch with practiced stealth. Kit didn’t worry about leaving her staff with Valhalla as the woman was more likely fiddling with the hammer. Besides…she could always take it back…by force if she had to.

She stopped a distance away, not wanting to be too close. Kit stared for a moment. Not because of what was happening though, she didn’t even realize what was going on in her focus to find the owner of the new scent but…there was no female Drygan…And yet the scent was coming form where the two where. Wait…Whiskles scent had disappeared… Her brows furrowed, that scent was coming Whiskle…how the hell did she do that?! Then Kit blinked and blushed darkly. This was not meant for her eyes…

Moments later she was back at their little camp, luckily her blush had faded by then. Valhalla might have had some interesting queries for her if she saw her cheeks flushed after going in the direction Whiskle was. She would probably think Kit was spying on ‘him’ ether way though. She returned to her spot before the fire, the heat of the flames not affecting her at all. Kit sat cross-legged and appeared to be rather bored instead of being in deep thought as she truly was.

First she pretends to be a man, now she has the scent of a Drygan… She sighed, oh well…it’s not like I can go ask…no way in hell am I going back there, her history is not likely what I’ll hear…

[Rhindeer]

[>_> I just realized I need to edit some of my posts because I got something wrong. XD Only the Chosen can take on a human shape; normal Drygans can't. Not that I had Yarra do it, but I had him think it! Oops. ^^;;]

Yarra wasn't really paying attention to Whiskle, only watching him out of the corner of one yellow eye. Oh, he planned on asking his questions, all right, but he was actually pretty patient when he had a mind to be. Once he was done with his bath, he would interrogate him. Hmm...actually, maybe he'd start that process when he was naked, since humans seemed to be more easily intimidated when they had no clothes on. He was in the process of mulling that over when Whiskle spoke up suddenly.

And Yarra just snorted.

Yeah right. Do something for him? Seemed like he forgot who was the prisoner here.

He didn't answer that, though, and simply stared back blandly as he stared at him, then snorted again and went back to glaring steadily at him until he finally looked away and went back to his grooming.  Yarra, on the other hand, went back to staring past him at the river, taking in the scenery and the quiet. None of the others had followed, which was good...he wasn't used to so much, well, loudness, and truth be told that was why he didn't start questioning Whiskle now. Soon enough, it would likely be chaos again, so...time to eat up the peace while he could before he went insane! His tail swayed behind him relaxedly, and he tapped the claws of his toes absently against the soft soil beneath him. He wasn't even aware of him--or rather, her--undressing. He just wasn't all that interested and it didn't bother him.

The song "he" hummed, however, did catch his attention. Blinking, his eyes narrowed as he tried to place the song, and then widened as he recognized it. It was a Drygan song...

He wanted to kill Drygan...why the hell would he be humming a Drygan tune?

Wait...he...?

Yarra's focus had drifted over to Whiskle, who was bare down to "his" bottom, only...his hips looked like they curved a wee bit too much to belong to a male...

His thoughts didn't get any further than that. Whiskle threw off the necklace, and turned around.

Female...she...was female...

And she was walking toward him, naked, and a strange scent tickled his nose as she drew closer, a familiar one he'd smelled before, a scent that suddenly filled his body with warmth. Drygan pheromones. She was a Drygan. She was a female Drygan. Wait, what?! No! She...Yarra blinked rapidly, confusion washing over him and battling with the sudden influx of hormones that the scent stirred in him. She didn't have a tail...or ears...or the hair. She was human. But she smelled like a female Drygan. His tail stopped swaying relaxedly and instead began to curl a little, the scent obviously affecting him strongly as instinct began to take over. He watched her approach, blinking up at her, frozen and torn between instinct and the confusion that told him something wasn't quite right.

And then it happened before his brain could try and process everything further. Whiskle's hand found his tail...and stroked it. Right near the base where it was most sensitive.

Yarra's body reacted before his brain could, his body going rigid, his eyes widening and glazing over, his tail arching high along his back and curling forcefully in an intense pleasure that tingled right down to his clawed toes, making them curl and dig into the soil. Something between a gasp and a deep growl escaped his throat before he could think to shut his mouth or, much less, to think at all. He hardly even heard what she said, all his senses suddenly zeroed in on that one simple sensation, and for a few moments he was completely frozen as his brain tried to process what the hell was going on.

Then her words began to register, because she had stopped petting his tail just long enough for him to function again. Something...she wanted? She...wait. Wait, no, hold on! This wasn't right...what...what the--?

"What the HELL?!" Yarra suddenly roared, snapping back to himself abruptly right as she started to lick his tail! Another intense jolt shot through him, making his breath catch in his throat harshly and his eyes half close in pleasure, but his head was working again now, thank the Gods! With a harsh gasp and a snarl, he snapped his eyes open and literally threw himself backwards away from her as though he'd been burned, toppling backwards off the boulder and landing sprawled on his back with his tail up along the side of the boulder and legs splayed. Panting, he scrambled around to his feet (probably not the best idea, considering he now had a, erm, problem) and curled his tail defensively around his left leg, then just stared at her, a brilliant blush turning the light red skin of his face a far deeper shade. The hormones were still pumping through his veins, the animalistic instinct to mate, to reproduce, surging strongly through him as more of those pheromones wafted to him. But he held it off even as it wanted to cloud his brain and judgment.

She had just tried to kill him. She wanted to kill Drygans. She smelled like a Drygan. She was a human. Was she a human? Yes, she was a human! Drygan blood was always dominant--if she was part Drygan, she would look it! But she smelled like a female Drygan. She wanted to mate.

Augh! Shut up!

He wanted to punch her. He couldn't believe she'd done that, pet and licked his tail! That was so wrong. It was like the equilivant of her grabbing and licking his crotch! And had anyone else done that, they would have gotten smacked right away. But the scent...the confusion...it stopped him from reacting with the usual violence that he would have reacted with.

"How...who...how do you smell like a female Drygan...?" he managed to get out, breathing harsh as he stood there, keeping the boulder between himself and her. He should have just grabbed her by the throat like he wanted to and gotten his other questions answered, too. But he couldn't think clear enough to do it. In fact, that one question was all he could think to ask.

[Anonymous]

Valhalla looked up slyly at Kit as she came back. Nothing out of the ordinary from Miss Pervy Pants- no blush, or anything, but she did catch the faint smell of confusion. The hammer was proving quite difficult to lift, and she had already explored as much of it as she could; the probing fingers of her mind locked out from a cold mysterious door. Instead she’d been stroking the hammer absentmindedly, eyes lingering for a bit too long on Kit’s staff.

Why was she pursuing so many exotic weapons? Her mind turned to her whip lovingly; that electric jewelled beauty had been her best friend on more than one occasion. She wondered how much help the whip would be now if she decided to make off with the staff and hammer.

Valhalla raised her head lazily, and inspected Kit again. Her beady violet eyes narrowed, trying to pinpoint the scent of confusion to a concrete thought. What had the girl seen that had made her so confused? Valhalla chuckled softly to herself; perhaps Kit had never set eyes on manhood before. No, it had to be more than that…but judging from Kit’s earlier blushes…Yarra had been gone for an awfully long time too…Shaking her head to rid herself of these thoughts, she prodded the fire with a stick and stared pointedly at the flickering flames.

“What sort of bimbo would you take me for if I were to pretend that I didn’t notice anything was out of the matter?� It was a quiet voice, with none of that teasing tone, just quiet, neutral curiosity.

She had no interest in the Drygan or the stranger named Whiskle. Polite chitchat seemed particularly civil right now, even if it was with someone as venomous as a tri-forked cobra. It was night, and other dangers would be afoot. Not that she would be particularly happy to have Kit at her back, if anyone did attack she wouldn’t be anything less than grateful. Even enemies could pretend to be friends by firelight.

Whilst the fat on the roasting bird crackled and spat, and the owls began to make their presence known, Valhalla sat by the fire, drinking in it’s warmth and protection, waiting for Kit to speak.

((Tried to keep this post as out of the action as I could so sorry if it is slow. Just want to see where things will be happening, plus it'll probably be a good time to sort out conflicts-*haha*- for Kit and Val *waving a peace flag* ))

[Anonymous]

Whiskle stared at the Drygan opposite of her, everything she had ever wanted to be just within her reach, and everything she wanted to destroy watching her with feral eyes. Was he mocking her? She couldn’t tell. She let her hand fall to her side; ready to pick up the blade she had hidden nearby when something made her hesitate.

Why? Why do I have to kill him?

Whiskle clenched her teeth and once again pushed these new and unfamiliar ideas out of her head, steadied her gaze as she stared him down. “Eh, don’t give me that look, it’s not like I wanted to do that to you,â€? she lied looking away with a look of feigned disgust. Yeah, she thought remembering how his hard tail felt against her skin. Not that she had anything against him physicallyâ€"for he was the finest specimen she had encounteredâ€"but, “I have no desire to go around sleeping with every Drygan I meet, and it’s not like I can turn my scent off whenever I want to. I mean I know that sounds stupid, but I never had the chance to ask another Drygan HOW. I always smell like this.â€? She also doubted a Drygan would be so kind in helping a murderer of their race out.

Whiskle paused before looking away, his glare making her feel completely uncomfortable all of a sudden. She carefully reached down and picked up a spare shirt she had placed nearby, trying to hide the fact her face was beat red by the time she got it over her breasts. What was he waiting for? For her to get dressed first? For her to answer that question like she would actually sit down and tell him her life story. Hell this must be the reason her master told her to do this. He knew it made her anxious, made her feel completely vulnerable. Because from this point on, who knew what would happen. Hell, she had almost died the last time she did this; the last Drygan fully enraged at her nearly taking her head off.

Whiskle swallowed hard thinking back to that night. She knew she had given the Drygan too many wounds for him to survive, but he was determined to take her with him to the grave. If Lesphares hadn’t stepped in at the last minute she knew she wouldn’t have survived. It had been her master’s arrival that finished the fight. She couldn’t forget her master’s rage as he had taken her back to his palace, forced her into his bed and then punished her. A tear fell from her eye and she closed them for a moment in thought…no she would rather die here than let this Drygan see her break down. There was no turning back now, no tears.

Then why did she feel like she had already lost the fight?

After a moment Whiskle closed her eyes, breathing steadily as she answered him this time, all laughing aside, the tone of hatred gone from her voice. “Yes I’m human, but…my guardian father was a Drygan. A powerful one from what I remember because other Drygans were always hunting him down, trying to kill him.� A faint smile. “I wanted to be so much like him. But I could never get close enough, because I knew I could never be,� she looked down at her pale human hands and clenched them tightly, “Drygan.

“The one thing I wanted most in the world was always out of my reach. And when I thought at last we would be together forever...he abandoned me,� she said shaking her head suddenly overwhelmed by emotion. “Yes,� she said convincing herself again. “That’s right. That bastard made me believe in him! He said he’d return for me! He lied!� she said suddenly looking up at Yarra shaking with hatred, a blue faint light possessing her eyes at that moment. She could feel the dragon lord’s power suddenly out of nowhere filling her up again and she laughed hysterically, eyes gone mad with rage.

Doesn’t matter she thought picking up the knife. Whatever happened it would be over in a matter of minutes. Suddenly she was flying over the boulder, landing in front of Yarra; an unsteady hand raised high in the air. “It ends here,� she whispered.

A breeze blew the tears from her eyes, and as if waking from a dream Whiskle suddenly felt her hand betraying her, releasing the blade as it fell to the ground before she could use it to harm the Drygan. A cold chill ran up her spine as if she could feel the dragon lord watching her, feel his presence in the wind that appeared all of a sudden as if a storm was beating down upon them. Movement from behind caught her eye and she peeked over Yarra’s shoulder, a mountain of fear gripping her insides.

A Dragon Wraith had been watching everything unfold, sitting hidden in the treetops, right behind the Drygan. It had no form, no scent, but was clothed in vapors and shadows able to move most of the time unseen. Everything this monster would see, Lesphares would see, but that wasn’t what made her terrified at the moment, having seen this one poised and ready to strike the Drygan from behind. Frozen in place Whiskle knew any slight movement would rouse the beast to strike. And right now its arrow was pointed directly at Yarra’s head, ready to release.

What to do, she thought running the past two hours through her mind in a vivid memory. The trap she set, fighting with the Drygan, being beaten by him, and carried by the young girl. The kiss on the hand, the mild mockery…she couldn’t help but think how curiously fun it had been even if their meeting hadn’t been on good terms.

There was no going back. No. Once she made her decision all hell would break loose.

Holding her breath until all she could hear was the beating of the wind against her body, Whiskle closed her eyes and finally made her choice.

Taking a deep breath she jumped into action, reaching out and grabbing Yarra by his vest, roughly throwing him down onto the ground. Hazardously she fell on top of him, unable to control where they both landed, the sting and hiss of the black arrow piercing her unguarded flesh. She held back a scream and pretended she was fine, a glimmer of a smile on her face. She didn’t need his sympathy after all, and she doubted that she would get it anyway. In some twisted way fate was repaying her tooth for tooth. And she didn’t feel sorrow at all that she might die trying to save this one mere Drygan’s life. But if she could save him, perhaps it would make up just a little of all the dishonor she had brought to the Drygan race.

Feeling as if the weight of the world just lifted from her soul, she gazed into Yarra’s eyes, almost as if pleading for his forgiveness, the cold steel of the arrow ripping away at muscle and tendons in her right shoulder. That haunting song filled her ears again. This one, no it was different. A lament. She could hear the dragon’s voice loud and clear as if he was stooped down over her singing his beautiful song to her, knowing that she was going to die. Had he really known she just now betrayed him?

“Run,� she said to him as if speaking was the hardest thing to do right now. Rolling off of him she braced herself against the boulder nearby, the poison in the arrow causing her body to stiffen. “Go on,� she hissed. “And you better not die.�

A heavy cloud descended upon the forest and the temperature dropped drastically. A loud shriek was heard throughout the surrounding land as other monstrous voices replied in unison. Suddenly several dragon wraiths flew down towards them, great wings spread, hands holding gigantic spears and crossbows, their icy tails thrashing about dangerously.

Whiskle looked up, her breathing ragged. Hell, one of those freaks Lesphares had created scared her shitless, how the hell were they going to fend off that many! What was going on? Why would he be sending so many all of a sudden? That mean he knew she betrayed him...


(ooc; Yeah everyone is in danger. Eh, they can be killed btw…sorry not very creative in coming up with monster thingies. You can leave her there if you want! I need to post Lesphares too in the other thread, I'll probably cross-post it in here next turn.)

[Anonymous]

Kit noticed Vals eyes on her staff as she kept the hammer near. Not even lifting her gaze she sighed tiredly, “You will find nothing interesting about my weapon. It is just a finely crafted hunk of metal. I trust magick weapons even less than magick people. Of course,� she gave a clever grin, “trusting people is something I’m not very good at.�

Though she had to admit, the hammer drew much curiosity from her. The way Whiskle had wielded it, what sort of power it might have. It took a lot for Kit to resist examining it as Valhalla had done, the fox’s need to know everything knocking at the back of her mind. If it were not for the strange aura she felt from the weapon she might have. Kit glared at the hammer again. She had half a mind to destroy it, but it didn’t belong to her, nor could she possibly know what might happen if she did, let alone if she could.

Valhallas words caught her off guard, she lifted her head a little and met the woman’s gaze, blinking. Then she chuckled, a rare occurrence these days unbeknownst to Val. How unusual. “A pretty big one I’d say. I didn’t think you wouldn’t be curious, it was more of a false hope. Even so, I am not a liberty to speak on someone else’s private matters. That means you don’t get to know unless I feel I am allowed to let you.� Even as she said this Kit was grinning. She wasn’t as bad as she seemed, just rough around the edges. Of course it also could have been that her isolation for so many years combined with actually having someone to talk too caused her to be a bit more social.

Then Kit froze. She looked around, a low growl coming from her throat as she bared her fangs like any beast would. What was that? That strange presence…it sent chills down her spine. And she didn’t like it. Kit rose quickly, staff in hand as she backed a little ways from the fire, her features becoming more shadowed. Though it made her look more intimidating it seemed as if she belonged there, half hidden in the night. Her growl grew steadily as she looked to the hammer for a moment. This presence matched that odd feeling the weapon gave off… Then her growl stopped for a moment…someone…singing? Kit could not hear the song clearly, it was muffled and distant so she could not hear the words. Her body did not react to the sudden cold, being to closely tied to fire she did not feel it, but she did look as the sky darkened and a much more noticeable sound made itself known. She had never heard such a cry…and there was more than one…

Kit didn’t need any more incentive. Without a word she vanished from Valhallas sight, not but a blur moving with incredible speed, the grass waving with her motion a few moments after she had actually passed through. Kit appeared at Whiskles side, looking up towards the dragon like beings as well, a dark intimidating glare on her face. She held her staff out at her side, it looked a rather casual pose but it was actually one of the most versatile positions for such a weapon. Kit gripped her weapon tightly, poised to strike, the air around her began to heat up as she prepared to call on her back flames.

“This a private party or can I fight too?� Her voice was low, not taking her eyes off the things heading right for them and belaying no fear. Kit was ready to help, but only if Whiskle would allow it, whether this was a fight for survival or honor was not made clear by the dragons sudden appearance.

[Rhindeer]

Wasn't like she wanted to do that to him?! SHE'D ONLY JUST LICKED HIS TAIL</I>! You did not DO that except for mating! And there was no way in hell that you could do that on accident! The utter shock, confusion, and horror soon began to turn to rage as he stared at her, baring his fangs, a low growl rumbling deep in his chest though his face was still flushed with embarrassment and, well...hormones. What the fuck?! Clenching and unclenching his hands, he hissed at her and slammed a fist against the boulder, just to vent a little. Better than slamming it into her face like he wanted to. Which was a good thing, because the boulder cracked where he hit it. "You did NOT just accidentally lick my tail!" he shouted at her, bristling all over and thrashing his tail behind him; it hadn't stayed curled around his leg for long, not when it wanted to move. "You do not DO that unless you're TRYING to fucking MATE</I>!"

That had nothng to do with her scent! And here she was all acting like she hadn't just molested him! Come on! She had to know that much! If she'd been tracking Drygans, smelled like a Drygan, and had immedietely gone for his tail...there was no way he was going to believe that it was all just some stupid, innocent, human mistake. He wasn't stupid and he wasn't going to believe she was that stupid, either, not when it had all been so deliberate!

He took a deep breath, breathing still harsh as he fought to control his anger. It was while he was struggling to regain his composure, to think clearly again--damn pheromones--when Whiskle, now covered, began to speak. To answer his question.

And he blinked.

So, she was a human...but with a Drygan guardian? He supposed it wasn't unheard of, but the rest...

Yarra stared at her, his tail still thrashing, and he crossed his arms over his vested chest to give her a level stare. So, she'd been hurt. Abandoned because Drygan tended to be natural loners. She was an outcast, too--a human that wanted to be a Drygan? So she was angry. Yarra could understand that, he supposed, if he looked at it like a human would, but he still gave a soft snort, suddenly much calmer--Drygans were rather extreme creatures, after all, and could go from one extreme to the next in the blink of an eye--and raised one dark orange eyebrow.

"...So because of what one Drygan did to you, you wanna kill us all?" He snorted again and shook his head, an amused smirk actually forming on his lips. But it was a dark sort of amusement as he met her hate filled eyes with his feral yellow ones. Humans...he couldn't understand them.

...Until she burst out laughing at least, hysterically. Once again. Yarra blinked rapidly, confused. Er...okay...

Then she snapped out of it, pulled out a dagger, and was flying over the boulder at him. The confusion flickered away as he looked at her, and he bit back an annoyed sigh and rolled his eyes.

...Hadn't she already learned her lesson?

Humans...

He was quite prepared to catch her wrist and give it a good twist if she struck for him, but she seemed frozen, and he only watched her with wry amusement. She didn't seem to even know what she was doing anymore, and Yarra couldn't help but wonder if she'd ever actually killed a Drygan before, since she was going at him right now with a little dagger and so much uncertainty--it certainly took much more than that to kill one of his kind. But, sure enough, she dropped the dagger...and Yarra was starting to wonder if all humans were this loony.

"That's what I thought..." he said softly, smiling vaguely, but he was still on guard. Either something strange was going on in that head of hers that he didn't know about, or...who knew what. But he was honestly starting to think she'd been bluffing, that she had never killed one of his kind, but he had been assuming to begin with when he thought she had. Perhaps he was the first other Drygan she had come across?

He didn't get very far in his thoughts. Suddenly Whiskle had grabbed him by the vest, and he was so taken off guard he toppled backwards with a hiss of breath and a grunt as he landed, and soon enough she was on top of him. Bloody hells! At first he thought she was being "pervy" again, or maybe trying in vain to kill him again. But then the scent of blood filled his sensitive nostrils and he saw the arrow shaft poking out of her shoulder. Blinking, he stared back at her as she looked at him...apologetically? What the--?! She...he'd met her and she'd wanted to kill him, then she molested him, and now she just took an arrow for him?! What...what was up with her?!

She rolled off of him and told him to run, but like hell he'd do that. He wasn' the type to run, and she acted like she expected him to leave her there. Psha. Yeah right. He may have been confused and pissed at her, but he still needed answers, she had just sacrificed herself (who knew why!) and...

Rrrrgh...humans were so damned confusing</I>!

"Like hell," he grumbled, and, bouncing to his feet, he stooped to scoop her up and sling her over one shoulder, one arm wrapping around her legs to keep her there. The arrow he'd deal with later; he knew from experience how pesky those things were to remove, and he knew humans weren't nearly as tough as Drygans were--just yanking it out wouldn't do. Of course, he also didn't know it had been tipped with poison. "You still owe me answers."

Like why the hell there were freaking dragon things all over that were obviously after them! Normally, Yarra revered dragons, the majestic ancestors of the Drygan. But these things...were obviously out for blood.

Shit.

But, Yara had also taken note of their tails. Icy tails. Heh. Wouldja look at that, ice, and his primary element was fire. Yarra grinned, flashing sharp teeth.

Perfect.

That was when Kit fell in beside him, and he turned his grin on her briefly, a look almost akin to excitement on his face. Those creatures were strong, he could tell! Perhaps it was insane, but he looked forward to the challenge. "Knock yourself out," was his answer as, tail waving behind him, he could feel his power welling up inside him to the point of overflowing, building as he prepared to unleash it on those creatures.

Run? Hell no. He'd be more careful given he was holding someone, but there was no way in hell he'd pass this up.

[Anonymous]

At the exact same second Kit had vanished, Valhalla had too, only she’d taken up a more fruitful position. Perching in the branches of a tree, she masked as much of her scent as possible but it wasn’t necessary. There was another scent in the air, one similar to her own, only more musty. It smelt, truly like a creature of darkness.

Just by scanning the situation, and from the leftover pheromones in the air, and the Drygan’s fierce blush, she managed to piece together what had happened. Valhalla whistled softly to herself. That Whiskle woman was a nasty piece of work. Now would be an opportune time to escape with the hammer…but the thing was, she couldn’t even pick it up! She cursed softly to herself, even more so as Kit appeared beside Yarra. Damn. She would have to throw her lot in too.

The echoes from the song still carried on the air…Valhalla took the melody and wrapped it in herself, feeling energised. Being a leech of magic was one way of coping with her strange bloodlust. Whatever the presence was, it hadn’t noticed her yet…or perhaps had already acknowledged her. She wasn’t worried. Not many physical injuries could kill her. Hell, the only way she could die was if someone chopped her head off and burned her to ashes, but that still didn’t mean that any other injury wouldn’t hurt. She still didn’t know how much of her was actually vampire…so… she didn’t want to put it to the test.

Just then, she heard the whistle of an arrow…D-dragon Wraiths? Shit. What had she gotten herself into? She looked around for a second; trying to find a way to flee, but…they were everywhere. The stuff of legend. Ice and shadow. And one of them had its eye on her.

What in the name of hell had she gotten herself into? Just a simple crossing from one town to the next and…?

Maybe she could fight her way out. She closed her eyes, and tried to bring back that spark of fire from inside, but…what an anticlimax. Shit, hell, crud, what an abso-fucking-lutely big disaster.

Aside from actual fighting, there was once other thing she could do. She called up all the sexual power she had- and that of the three figures down below- and flung it in a protective circle around her. She sent waves and waves of sexual power crashing over the Wraiths around her, and whilst she did, she laughed inside at the lack of power she’d managed to extract from Kit, and the whole abundance of it she’d gotten from Yarra and Whiskle. She wasn’t sure if it was working or not. Pausing, she opened her eyes, but…

But then, a wave…she swore it was an actual wave…a wave of fear washed over the entire area. She was paralysed, caught once again in that dank laboratory. Blue electricity flashed, crackling over round glass flasks as strange colours of smoke billowed gently. Instruments made from various metals lined the old tables, and on the floor…etched on the floor…was a goddamn pentagram…a fucking pentagram…

“Shit!!!� Valhalla cursed, eyes wide, sweat dripping from her face. Frozen, she could only watch as a Wraith swept towards her, and through her, turning her insides cold…so cold…How could they fight something that was made from fear itself?

Trembling, teeth chattering…she saw once again the strange runes and the huge shadows as the fire roared. That sinister man, he loomed ever closer, teeth flashing…�everything will be alright, my dear…�

She screamed as she fell, landing with a sickening crunch twenty metres opposite Yarra, Kit and Whiskle. The others would surely have seen her now. She tried to raise her head feebly, but the image of the pentagram flared up again in her mind. Once again, she screamed, and fell into an icy oblivion of torment where every nightmare became her reality.

((Don’t write off Val yet guys...^^ she's a lot harder to kill than she looks))

[Anonymous]

(ooc: This is going to be cross-posted.!)


Lesphares turned his head from his cozy little spot on the balcony, raised an eyebrow at Nephele’s presence and then went back glaring at the stupid servants who were stepping all over his Azaleas down below.

Blasted, what does that wife of mine want now?

Even though his eyes were on what was in front of him, his mind was miles away on that traitor of his. He thought it impossible she could break that spell of his, but she had found some way of stopping herself from killing that Drygan and then the bitch had saved his life! His fury had been roused and he clenched and unclenched his hands working the song through him into the sky, while another part of him still knew perhaps someone else would take her place…yes the other dark creature Whiskle had met prior to this betrayal of hers. What was her name? Valhalla.

The girl who was curiously close to his hammer that he used to manipulate and somehow possess at times that dimwitted girl. She would make a perfect new candidate for servant to her new found master. She would be easy to lie to, manipulate. All he needed was for her to be close enough to him so he could search her mind and her memories for something to use against her. But how to draw her to him? Better yet, if she had the hammer on her he could use the same method he used against Whiskle on this pesky insignificant child. Yes, he thought sending another dragon wraith to Whiskle’s location to wipe out any trace that he was involved in this affair. If she was holding the hammer he could use it to grab her.

With that he called out to Val, a song rising from the depths of him, words mingled and hidden, he sent the message to her on the wind for her ears only.

In another message he told his servants, Don’t kill the girl, but bring her to me…

Too late. One of his mindless, stupid dragon wraith had nearly killed the girl!

Curses!

Casting a look of impatience and annoyance Lesphares pushed off the railing he was leaning over and walked back inside his music room. A glare from him told Nephele all she needed to know. “What is it, wife of mine?� Lesphares said making his way over to the piano, sitting down and allowing his long fingers to hit a few notes. He looked over his shoulder at her again, playing a cheerful melody this time; one he knew that Nephele hated the most because it was so bright and sunny. He wasn’t a stupid dragon after all, he knew exactly how much his wife of his hated his music, and thus that was the reason why he had kept her at arm’s length for so many centuries. He didn’t need any distractions getting in the way of his beloved pastime.

After a short intro Lesphares calmly looked over at her again. Right now he was working a gigantic spell with his dragon wraith to have them come into one single formation and attack as one. And at the moment didn’t want her distracting him. Closing his eyes, he sighed and told her, “Whatever it is, you can have it. Now go, leave me to my privacy.�

* * *

The roar of another dragon wraith caused a shutter in Whiskle. She blinked as she found herself staring at the ground and at a long thrashing tail. How did she end up here? Why was he carrying her around like a sack of potatoes? Where the hell were her pants? She blushed red hot as she realized her backside was mooning the whole countryside. She squeezed her fingers the best she could and grabbed a hold of her shirtâ€"thank goodness it was long enough to her kneesâ€"and held on for dear life.

Another screech and Whiskle closed her eyes tightly, feeling the poison work its way inside her body. What the hell was this dark stuff these dragon wraith tipped their arrows with? It was burning inside her as if it was eating her from the inside out slowly, and then in a matter of seconds, it ceased as if it had never been there.

Huh, strange Whiskle thought suddenly uncertain if it was her own head that thought she was poisoned. She didn’t know. All she knew was her body was slightly paralyzed because of the pain, yet she could still feel her toes. Good sign. She closed her eyes swinging about on the Drygan’s shoulder feeling slightly nauseous all of a sudden. Hell it would be too embarrassing to throw up all over the backside of this Drygan. He’d probably end up dropping her on her head. She moaned silently holding back her breakfast and swallowed, turning a light shade of green.

The song suddenly and eerily changed. Whiskle let out a small scream and then was quiet. From the corner of her eye she saw what looked like a runt dragon wraith that held no weapons merrily prance towards Val, scooping the hurt girl in its leathery arms, and vanishing without a trace!

“Hey you,� she said suddenly to Yarra. She wasn’t sure if he saw that or not, but it was definitely not good! Not good at all! Because before Valhalla had vanished, she was sure she caught sight of that cursed hammer in her possession…


(ooc: Eh, not sure where the hammer was, it was heavy so it just sort of vanished along with her!)

[Anonymous]

Kit looked to Whiskle as she screamed, noticing the arrow now. She had been too focused on the enemy to see it before but even such a distraction didn’t prevent her from hearing Val fall from her perch. Kit turned to see her in the arms of one of the Wraiths. Not good. Yet for all her speed the fear the creatures instilled cause a stall. Just seconds after the beast vanished Kit was there swinging where it’s head had been. She froze at the end of her strike for a moment. Then she roared in frustration and struck the earth, leaving a deep gouge in the ground from her staff. How dare she let it get away! Stupid, stupid, stupid!

She snarled and came back, leaping quickly onto the boulder and then swiftly springing again to the ground a ways in front. A low growl formed in her throat as she noticed the wraiths come together into a single formation. Then cruel smile came to her face, how convenient. Kit held her staff in both hands then, in a ready position pointing towards the sky.

The air within five feet of her heated up drastically, no normal human could withstand such temperatures, but Kit stood as if it were not more than a cool breeze. Soon she was enveloped in flames, the hottest point a bright white light, fading to blue then gradually becoming the ominous black she was know for. The ground beneath her became like molten rock, and her raven hair flowed and waved about, suspended by the hot air. Then the flames concentrated on her staff, burning brighter at the tip. Kit kept her eyes on her target, “hey Yarra, make sure you get the ones I miss!�

She was going to pour everything she had into one shot, after that she wouldn’t be able to do more than stand. Kit growled again and braced her self. Then her right hand pushed the staff foreword, letting her left hand loose to allow the metal to slide through. It looked almost like she was striking a billiard ball in a game of pool. The fire surrounding her followed the strike up into the air, straight for the formation of Wraiths. Of course as she anticipated they parted, and she moved her staff to point at the larger group, in doing so the blast turned followed catching them in the back. Being tied to ice they didn’t stand a chance, as the flames dissipated there was nothing left of them.

Kit sighed and fell to her knees, supporting herself on her staff, both she and the weapon sinking a little into the softer earth. She sat there for a moment, catching her breath. Soon though she got to her feet and slowly walked back and sat against the boulder. Kit gave a tired grin and pointed up to the remaining ones, “your turn.� She hand fell limply to her side but she kept her gaze to the sky. Just a few left.