That could have gone better. [open!]

[Rhindeer]

All Katxiel wanted was some fresh air, free of all the fussing of her servants.

And so she had slipped out of the temple when they weren't looking, well familiar with their habits and routines, and headed out into the jungle where she could be alone. She knew better than to go too far; it was dangerous out there, and all too easy to get lost. But she felt confident that her goddess would keep Her avatar safe, so what was the worst that could happen?

That was Katxiel's thought an hour ago.

Turns out, a lot could happen in an hour.

Like losing herself in her thoughts, and not watching her feet, and stepping on what she thought was solid land and plant matter--but that turned out to be a hole covered by leaves.

In the fall she'd twisted her ankle, of course, and now she was stuck at the muddy bottom of a pit, mud covering her legs clear to mid-shin. She couldn't climb out despite how she'd tried; the sides were too sheer, too soft, and she couldn't gain purchase. And even if she could, her ankle was already swollen and bruised and not much use when it couldn't support her weight.

After an hour of trying and failing, all she could do was lean against the pit wall, supported awkwardly on one leg, and shout for help.

And hope the hunters that set the trap would come by soon, and that they hadn't already checked the traps that day.

If they had...

She could be here all night.

"Hello! Anyone! Please, if you're out there, help!" she called, miserable in her coating of mud.

Hopefully the priests and servants would notice her absence. Hopefully they'd come looking for her.  And soon. She couldn't stay here all night, in the mud and filth! What would she eat? And how...how would she take care of other functions?! She couldn't hold her bladder all day and night!

Oh, she had wanted some alone time. But this wasn't what she'd had in mind!

[Yeti]

Lounging up in the trees was not a big cat nor monkey nor tropical bird as you might expect, but a humanoid figure. The day was on its downward swing. Soon night would fall, and if not for the intervention that came with screaming coming from down below, Gasira would have soon slept peacefully; Drawing the day to a close. However, there was somebody yelling out there.

Panicked cries for help by the looks of it.

Initially, the half-dragon waited for the telltale sound of boots and shouts that would indicate a rescue, but this far out that was pretty unlikely. She was free to creep at leisure. And so, confident nobody else was around, Gasira hooked her hind talons deep into the thick branches and followed the noise.

There were many pitfalls in the jungle. Traps and natural divots in the ground that the unwary could easily fall into. It didn't surprise her that somebody had found one. Deer often did and Gasira relished the easy catch. She usually stole the prey before the hunters could come to claim it themselves. But this was not a deer, she noted with a disappointed glance down. It was a woman.

By her jewels and dress she had to be somebody notable, a native of one of the hidden kingdoms. She could recognize it easily from afar. With that in mind, Gasira's disappointment turned into an outright resentful sneer. She hopped out of the trees, landing at the edge of the pit with a loud thump.

"Now that wasn't very smart, was it?" Gasira chided, an almost playful tone. Crouched there by the pit, she leaned down to see the trapped woman better. "I've seen quite a few slip-ups in my time, but gotta say, haven't seen one quite so... valuable! For me, at least."

All four eyes locked on to the girl. Gasira grinned, slowly, showing as much of her sharp teeth as possible.

"You can freak out if you want. I won't mind."

[Rhindeer]

A loud thump cut Katxiel's cries short, and she perked up in a mixture of hope and dread. Someone was out there--or something. Had someone found her? But it was too quiet. It could just be an animal. And from that thump, it sounded like a large animal.

And then it spoke in a chiding but unfamiliar tone. Katxiel's relief was cut short by embarrassment, at being called out on her foolishness. No. That wasn't very smart at all, but they didn't have to rub it in! She let out a small huff, opened her mouth to retort--but the words got caught, because that was when her "rescuer" revealed itself.

A bald, scaly head, framed by the darkening forest. Four green eyes. So many spines, so many teeth glinting in that predatory smile like something straight out of a nightmare...

MONSTER!

Katxiel didn't need permission to freak out. She let out a shriek and toppled into the mud as her legs gave out, throwing her arms over her face as though the monster wouldn't be able to see her if she couldn't see it. Oh gods! Was that what it meant by her being "valuable"? That she was this thing's prey?! Was it going to eat her? She shook her head as she shrank back against the pit wall, rooted to the spot in fear.

"No, no, please! Please don't eat me! I can't die yet!"

[Yeti]

A dark snicker escaped from her lips as the girl begged for her life. It was exactly the reaction she'd gone for and the satisfaction of scaring somebody was clear on the reptile woman's face. Smug and delighted, she shook her head, feigning nausea.

"Ugh, gross... no. I would never dream of eating a human." Gasira snorted, "You're too gamy and, frankly, as disgusting as you folk look."

The woman's dress agitated Gasira all the more. Even though she was coated with mud, the bright fabrics and accessories could still be identified. It reminded her of her half-sister's dresses and robes, the way she fashioned jewelry into her outfit. Pampered and pretty, always lavished with attention. Nobility were so proud of their fancy clothes. Gasira could never wear something like that without tearing it apart. The half-dragoness frowned.

"Yet? What do you mean by yet? Did somebody already mark you as prey? Are you for ransom?"

[Rhindeer]

Katxiel didn't know whether to be relieved or insulted when the creature called her disgusting, but she ultimately settled on relieved. Sort of. Partially. Peeking out at the monster from between her fingers, face pale, she shuddered as she got a better look at its features, and that small thread of relief soon frayed. Just because it didn't want to eat her didn't mean it didn't want to hurt her; some predators were known to hunt for sport.

The creature's questions didn't make her feel any better on that front. Did someone else mark her as prey? Was she for ransom? What?

She slowly lowered her hands, staring up at the beast with wide eyes. "N...no, I just...yes? Maybe?" She was Ixtacotl's avatar, after all. Technically, wasn't that...kind of prey? If she broke it down and looked at it like an animal might. She took a deep breath, trying to control her voice's tremble. "I'm Ixtacotl's. Her avatar, Her sacrifice, Her..."

She hesitated a beat, the thought strange to her. "Her prey. I...I can't die until next year! Or I'll fail everyone." And who knew what the consequences would be? Paradise if she succeeded, but failure? Would she damned to nothingness?

A chill went down her spine at the thought.

[Yeti]

"Sacrifice." The word practically dripped with malice. Gasira's four eyes narrowed. "Huh." Though entirely solid and lacking pupils, one could feel the weight of their stare, unblinking and unwavering. She twisted herself further down, examining the woman closely. Specifically searching for any signs of the goddess' touch.

Gasira had never believed in any of that. Why would she? The deities had created her, and that had been the catalyst for many things Gasira did not want to remember. In her eyes, they'd forsaken her. So the idea of someone being sacrificed to one of those deities like some kind of messed up blood debt...

Well the thought left her angry. A whole lot of angry.

"You know what? Here's what we're going to do." The half-dragoness climbed halfway down the pit, her hooked hind-claws easily gripping the side of the opening to hold her in place. "I am going to take you out of this pit, and you're coming with me. If you've got a problem with that, you can wait until the hunters decide to finally head out this way. Knowing what's out here, I'm sure they'll give your sacred bones a proper burial."

As much as she hated humans, it would be a delight to see how the kingdom would react to losing one of their precious vessels. She'd never considered taking someone hostage before... But this woman was her only source to the kingdom. Her curiosity outweighed the cost.

Plus, for once, Gasira was going to rustle some feathers.

[Rhindeer]

"W-wait!" Katxiel yelped as the creature climbed closer. She scrambled to her feet--and gasped in pain as, in her terror, she put weight on her injury. She nearly buckled and fell, but she grabbed onto the wall for support just in time and grit her teeth, biting back against the angry throbbing.

Oh goddess, even if she could climb out of this pit, there would be no running from this monster, she realized with a sharp spike of dread. And now that the creature was even closer, she could truly make out the smaller details--and see more than just her head. Her eyes flicked to its hooked claws, its long tail. What was it? The way it moved, so dexterous and nimble...no, she didn't think she would have a chance even if she was in perfect condition.

"Wait," she repeated breathlessly, the panicky tightness in her chest making it hard to breathe. "I don't--what do you mean? Where are we going?"

Another thought struck. Hold on. Stop. Calm down. What if she was panicking for nothing? What if this was a good thing? Hadn't she hoped, prayed someone would find her? Hadn't she felt, deep in her soul, that everything would be okay because she was Ixtacotl's? Maybe this creature was sent here for a reason. Maybe...

She bit her lip. "Are you...going to take me home?"

[Yeti]

Rolling her eyes, Gasira hopped the rest of the way down. It was somewhat cramped for the half-dragoness, but she could see the woman far more clearly, along with how she winced and stayed off her ankle.

Ah, the human was also injured. All the more difficult for this priestess to get away. Gasira may not have looked like the most intimidating thing in this jungle (though she sure believed herself to be), but even a healthy human would have difficulty avoiding her pursuit.

Tricky thing it would be to lift them both out of this pit though. Deer were so much easier to throw out than somebody nearly the same height as her. Gasira turned around, displaying her spines, and gestured to the priestess.

"Climb aboard my back and find out." She added with a smirk, "I won't bite you."

[Rhindeer]

Katxiel flinched, heart skipping a nervous beat when the creature hopped into the pit with her, now uncomfortably close. She willed herself to calm down, to just trust in her Goddess. It would be okay. She'd called for help and help had come! If the beast wanted to hurt her, surely she wouldn't still be standing here in one piece now. It certainly wouldn't go to such lengths to gain her trust just to tear her apart! That was so much extra effort. Right? Jaguars didn't make friends with deer and tapirs before they ate them.

But when the creature turned and presented its spiny back to her, and invited her to climb on, Katxiel shook her head.

"Ah, I'm not sure how to..." She gestured at the creature's back, making a face. "How should I...?" She swallowed, trying to work moisture back into her mouth. "Those look sharp."

Not only that, but she was afraid of touching the creature at all. All those scales, like a snake or lizard! She knew scales weren't actually slimy at all, but reptiles still creeped her out! Why would Ixtacotl send her this as her savior?

...Probably for that reason exactly. Because this was a test.

[Yeti]

In response, Gasira shot the woman a glare. "It's not that difficult. I'm sure your hands wouldn't be too mangled..."

She assumed (correctly) that the noble lady just didn't want to touch her with a single dainty finger. Despite being covered in muck, she probably felt Gasira would only add to the filthiness she was already in. Which was such a shame because Gasira took such pride in her scales. They were a nice, pristine collection of bright greens. Pretty much all the greens in the rainbow coalesced in freckled patterns across her body. They were shiny too! Yes, only a proper dragon would have such scales, thought Gasira.

But the priestess probably wouldn't appreciate that.

"Just hold on to my shoulders or something. Not too spiky then right?" Indeed her shoulders were bare from spines. Under her shoulder blades were two bandaged masses as well. They might've been wings once, but now the odd limbs were wrapped up. Those were also devoid of spikes.

If it didn't work out, perhaps Gasira would find a vine. It was the only alternative she could think of, not having access to an actual rope or most supplies.

[Rhindeer]

Katxiel paused, staring at the creature's back a moment longer as she wrestled up the courage to do what had to be done. With a deep, resigned breath, she placed her muddy hands on its shoulders and tried not to cringe. It didn't feel like much of anything; slightly textured from scales, but muted by the mud caking her hands and slimy only as a result of that. But she still didn't like it, and she was still kind of afraid it might decide to whip around and bite her still!

And what were those bandaged lumps on its back? Eugh...

As soon as the thought went through her head, she winced. Wow. What awful thoughts she was having. This creature was helping her! It was perhaps even Goddess-sent, and she was judging it to the ends of the Earth and back! She was supposed to be better than that!

She adjusted her grip on the creature, making sure her hold was secure. "Uh...thank you, by the way," she said quietly. "I think I may have been, er, a bit unfair to you."

[Yeti]

Oh, the priestess's thoughts had not been unfair in the slightest, but Gasira wasn't about to ruin her cooperation. She felt the weight of the human on her back, fighting the urge to twist around and push her off. This was all going to work out in her favor, she assured herself.

"Would not be the first time." She leered.

Awkwardly piggy-backing the woman up the pit, Gasira's talons had little trouble scaling the dirt packed walls. In fact it almost appeared as if she were taking a stroll to the top. At the ledge, she had to reach to pull them both out, but soon the two were above the pit's entrance, on solid ground.

"Was that so bad?" Gasira teased, but made no effort to help the woman down from her back. She started walking into the jungle...