Of flesh and tentacles (Small wonder!)

[Anonymous]

It started off as a good day really. The sun was out the birds were chirping and people walked the city streets as if nothing was wrong. of course they did not know that horror lurked in the city slums.  They never knew that the being of such terrible power had come to visit their fair city. Slowly emerging from an alleyway a figure lurched onto the sidewalk.  This was his first time ever visiting this realm and he was feeling a might hungry, so he did what any other hungry citizen would do and that was to find something to snack upon. Toxic green eyes looked around for a potential snack that would hopefully sedate his hunger.

Taking a few steps back into the alleyway he waited. It was then he saw a person that would sedate his hunger and as the vagabond walked by the strange person snapped into action.  As if by motivated by some otherworldly force he grabbed the man by his neck and pulled him into the alleyway with him. His small mouth began to distend come from his throat of beak emerged. The vagabond struggled against the powerful gripping force of this strange person but the attempts were futile.  First the head was engulfed by the large beak, and then he slowly swallowed the man until the only thing left was the foot sticking out from the large beak.  

With one final contraction of his throat muscles the vagabond's foot and leg disappeared into the hungry abyss.  Slowly the beak retracted back into his throat and despite his now distended gullet it began to return to its normal capacity.  One hand moved over his bare chest to rub his stomach; it was definitely a fulfilling meal.  For the first time since he arrived on this realm he began to inspect his body. Translucent skin covered what people would eventually get to know as his actual self. With a small not to himself he headed out of the alleyway and onto the sidewalk once more. To him this was new adventure and is a new life to begin once more but doubted that any of his kind would have been here before. With fast jerking movements began to walk, trying to get used to his body once more.

The husk wasn't something that he always had to use, and therefore had to adjust to being trapped in a very confined space.  What was this place that he was in? The buildings were quite strange and yet they seemed so familiar, a comforting thought for a creature lost to time.  Slowly he got used walking once more with two legs instead of five tentacles but he knew it was just not the same. His arms were limp at his side as he walked unknowing what to do with them.  People that he passed gave him quite strange looks but he ignored them for they didn't know him.  Slowly a hand rose to his face to brush away matted and clumped Brown hair trying to clear his vision.  Upon success the hand returned to his side and he let out a small sigh.  

He was full but yet he yearned for more maybe not for another person perhaps but he yearned nonetheless. Expressionless he looked around stopping suddenly in the middle of the sidewalk. People walked around him giving him a rather wide berth fearing to get near. Tattered clothes made it seem he was just another vagrant but of course they had no idea what lurked within him.  He decided that he would go to a Tavern or some other drinking establishment.  

The reason was not because he was hungry or thirsty anymore but because he could find information there.  What information did he seek though, just knowledge of what this place was he was in perhaps? Slowly a smile spread upon his face as he found just such an establishment.  He knew it was a Tavern because of the large mug painted above the door.  

One hand went to the door and he pushed but to no avail.  That was indeed strange as most doors swung inwards perhaps it was locked though?  This of course was quickly remedied as the door suddenly swung towards him and a patron exited.  His quick hand grabbed the door and he entered the pub.  It was a fairly well-to-do place actually, well lit, good atmosphere, warm and cozy really. There weren't all that many patrons inside but people were talking in this made the stranger very happy. He found himself a seat and sat down his arms resting on the table top as he simply began to listen to conversations around him.

 He picked up a name, Serendipity, and apparently a city called Arca. He had no idea what the realm was called and usually was bad manners to ask. Instead he waited, a waitress finally got around to him and he ordered his favorite drink, water. With drink in hand he began to sip slowly enjoying and relishing in the crisp, crystal clear liquid. The only thing he had to do now was continue to gather information about strange place. His senses were on overload, he began to try and pick up on anything unusual, which turned out to be a lot more than he had expected.

At least here there was magic. He didn't know why this was comforting but it was. His mind began to reach out and slowly he began to feel people's thoughts and emotions. He only wished he was like one of his brothers, where he could feed simply upon people's energies upon thoughts and the like. This of course was a faint hope as he was still quite young and inexperienced with his psychic powers. He would have to find something interesting to amuse himself while he figured out what he would need to do next.

((Sorry if it's a little long Wonder, I just got Dragon Naturally Speaking and am testing it out X3))

[Rhindeer]

Shink!</I>

The rat didn't even know what hit it. One moment it had been sniffing around the piles of junk and trash that people tended to dump in alley ways, and the next second it was skewered through the middle, impaled at the end of a very large, black scorpion tail.

Which turned out to be attached to a rather tall woman, growing right out of her tail bone.

Grinning proudly, Erus lifted her tail and carefully slid the dead rat off the barbed tip before letting her tail curl back up behind her harmlessly again. Turning the rat over in her hand, she peered around the alley for a few more minutes, sniffing at the air for any more signs of varmints, and then, finding none, she shrugged and stepped out of the alley and back out onto the streets, taking a casual bite out of the dead rat as though it were an apple, and ignoring the horrified gasps of a few people around her that witnessed that. What was their problem? Really, now...wasn't like it was a crime to eat and walk, she thought, slurping up a rat intestine like it was a noodle and licking her lips after. Which it did kind of resemble from a distance...a sauce covered noodle. That was until one saw the rat she held, which was suspiciously missing its belly.

Of course, she was pretty much used to all the odd looks she got on a daily basis, and truth be told she revelled in it! Even as she walked down the street, taking dainty bites from her "snack", she flashed blood-stained grins at the people she passed and waved her tail behind her happily (and it was probably lucky that she had a soldier's uniform and was pretty well known around this part of the town, otherwise she just might have gotten thrown in an asylum). It wasn't just when she was on her self-appointed "pest control" missions that she got stared at, though--she was just plain weird on her own. For one...she had a scorpion tail. A scorpion tail that was really, really big, and really, really long when she actually uncurled it, which was kind of a pain in the butt because it was virtually impossible for her to sleep on her back as a result--though that was also due to the little bat wings that grew from her back, the things absolutely useless; she just never thought about getting them removed. Then there were the ram's horns, a proud set of them growing from her skull and curling along the sides of her face. Tawny lion's ears replaced normal human ears, and when she smiled, she flashed huge canines set in a mouth that, while it looked like that of a weak-jawed human, was well equipped with all the muscles required to crush bones. Which she did, as she ate the things.

Other than that...she looked pretty normal, whatever normal was. She was tall, just a few inches shy of six feet, with a sturdy, muscular build. Her eyes were slightly tilted and gray in color, and her hair was the same tawny color as her ears, shoulder length and dreadlocked as she never had bothered to brush her hair; she saw no point.

Dressed in the blue and silver uniform of a Serendipity soldier (though she'd had to make some adjustments to account for her wings, which resulted in a bare back, and her breeches had to be tailored in a way so that they also fastened in the back, around her rather thick tail), she made her rounds around the city. There were no wars going on. No people breaking laws today. Which...meant today was just one of those days that she spent keeping the rat population down.

Kind of boring, really.

Yawning, she frowned and finished off the rat with a final bite, chewing on its tail absently as she walked (she'd eaten everything else already, bones and fur included), and then she paused to peek inside another alleyway, flicking an ear and sniffing the air. Aw. No rats there...oh well! She was already pretty full, actually, after already eating three of the things, but she could still kill the ones she came across to save them for later!

She much preferred fresh meat to the stuff they served down in the mess hall. Gross stuff, that. But she did like the socializing, so she still ate there, sat down with all her buddies and munched on whatever it was she caught that day. They never liked that, but as long as it wasn't them, they didn't complain too much.

Picking her teeth with a claw to remove some fur that had gotten stuck there, she gave a bored sigh, flicking the fur off her fingers, and headed toward the nearest tavern. Nothing was going on so she could afford a pit stop! Besides, she was thirsty now, anway.

Opening the door to the tavern, she stepped inside and gave a sniff, loving the scent of human flesh that filled the closed space. Ahh...her favorite...but she had to use restraint. She was under the law, now, but it wasn't too big a problem. She still got her fill now and then.

Erus strode up to the bar and ordered an ale, and the bartender was quick to serve her, though he oddly didn't seem intimidated or weirded out at all; nah, Erus was a regular and after a few years of the same thing, well...he seemed used to her. Even if she had given him a bit of...trouble a few years back, but she had since stopped trying to nibble on drunk customers after she learned that was apparently very rude. Taking up her mug and taking a sip--she didn't really like or dislike the flavor, she just liked the color, foam, and bubbles, and lucky for her, her alcohol tolerance level was sky high; poisons in general just didn't have much of an effect on her--she headed on over to find a seat...

And ended up sitting at a table across from an interesting pale, veiny man. Erus found it rather boring to sit alone for, despite her odd habits she was a strangely social creature. The table was chosen completely at random, as usual--she did the same thing at the mess hall, unless she could find her favorite elf, Khas (but he seemed to try and avoid her for some reason), because it allowed her to talk to (and bother) a lot of different people!

Kept her entertained and all!

Uncurling her tail and draping it across her lap--for she couldn't sit in the chair otherwise, not chairs that had a back to them--she stretched out her long legs and crossed them at the ankles, setting her mug on the table top and leaning back in the chair a bit, squishing her folded wings. Then she grinned at the man across from her, her lion-like ears perking up. "Hello there. Who are you?" she asked bluntly, smiling genially.

[Anonymous]

He was about to leave, at least, he was about to think about leaving. Honestly he had no clue what he wanted to do, and in this husk it was difficult to remember how to stand up. Slowly his arms raised up, and he started at them. No...that wasn't what he wanted. Right direction, wrong appendages. Letting them lower he sighed, staring at the table. That hadn't worked out the way he wanted, but then again he still had to remember how to do all this. Something caught his attention, which made him forget all about leaving.

A woman entered.

Not to say that seeing women wasn't a daily occurance of course, but this one was a hodgepodge of design. Bat wings sprouted from her back, ram horns covered her head, a large scorpion tail sprouting from her tailbone. He had never seen anything like it before....well, he had heard of a chimera before...but this didn't work out to be one.

She seemed to know the place fairly well, and people seemed to know her, so maybe she wasn't all that abnormal. He turned his attention away from her, to look downwards at the table once more. He had to stand up and go now. Just as he was about to however, there was movement from across the table. His  eyes jolted up to look her, locking the illuminated bright green gaze upon her. It was that woman!

Idly, he wondered what she would taste like. No doubt it would be delicious, but he really didn't like the idea of that tail sticking into his eye or any other part of his body. It would no doubt really hurt, and then he would get blood everywhere....It wouldn't be worth it. He'd lose more energy than he'd gain.

He noted that she even had ears that resembled lions! Extraordinary indeed! Then she talked to him, after she seemed to get adjusted. His name....His name? Apparently this woman had no psychic abilities. Well, nothing wrong with that.

"Name....Nagranesh." His voice was like a small screech, as if it was being forced harshly from the vocal cords. Closing his mouth he kept his face expressionless, mostly because he hadn't gotten the hang of facial manipulation. He slowly tilted his head to watch her, examining her face, and the rest of her as best he could.

"Who...what....are you?" He asked, his english was obviously broken, and he had a strange accent to him as he continued to watch her, not blinking once. He did wonder just how many things this woman was comrpised of, it was going to be interesting if she told him.

[Rhindeer]

Oh good, he hadn't run away! If he had, that would have been pretty sad, because a lot of people ran away from her. Flipping her ears back relaxedly, Erus flashed her teeth at him in a happy grin. It didn't seem to bother her that he had such a weird voice and way of speaking, but she didn't exactly have a human's mentality and tended to take even the oddest of things in stride. "Mm, pleasure to meet you, Nagranesh!" she told him cheerfully, wiping the foam from her ale off her upper lip. She also didn't mind his own rather blunt question. In fact, she only grinned more and lightly ran her flat pink tongue (which, yes, was scratchy like a cat's) over her sharp teeth.

"Me? Oh...I'm just a manticore," she told him slyly, leaning over the table a little with her hands clasped before her. "My name's Erus. Now, Nagranesh...what are you?" She paused, then gave a soft chuckle and shook her head. "Silly question, yes? I'm just playing. You're a human...yes?" Another pause as she swept her gray eyes over him, studying him from across the table. And then she shifted slightly and rested her cheek on one hand, still watching him from beneath hooded lids. "Ah, it's been so long since I've...had...someone like you..."

If any other woman but Erus had said that, it might have sounded scandalous. Erus wasn't thinking like that, though; nah, she wasn't really looking at him as she gazed at him, but rather she was studying the veins that showed through his translucent skin, recalling in her mind what human flesh and blood tasted like. She always heard humans saying that once an animal got the taste of human blood, it would forever be a man-eater. Perhaps they were right, because she always craved it, and she'd practically been raised on it as a cub. That was what manticore meant, after all: "man-eater". But...oh, she was only allowed to eat those she killed in battle. And sometimes she was able to sneak scraps from prisoners who had been executed. If the crows could have some, so could she!

She couldn't misbehave, though, and she'd been taught proper human behavior by her foster parents (brave souls, those people). Still, those learned behaviors warred often with her natural instincts and the lessons she'd been taught by her own kind. Sometimes, it was just so <I>tempting, and the only thing that swayed that temptation more often than not was the knowledge that, if she slipped up, she'd be crow-food herself.

Nasty crows.

That didn't mean that she couldn't still mess with people, though. That at least helped her vent some of her natural urges in a non-lethal, almost playful way. For her.

Still smiling at Nagranesh, her tail twitched slightly in her lap, almost like some strange cat's, and she clicked her nails on the table idly. She shot a quick look over to the bartender to make sure he wasn't paying attention--she didn't want to get in trouble!--before turning her full attention back to the being in front of her and leaning in closer, purring. "Humans always were my favorite..."

[Anonymous]

Nagranesh had heard of manticores actually, in passing, in one of those strange collections of papers. Koobs or...no...Books! Yes. He had read and seen a picture of one in a book before. However, the one in the book looked nothing like the woman who sat in front of him. He tried to smile but it looked a little screwed up, one corner of his lip went up, while the other went down, resulting in a strange expression. He let the face go emotionless as she spoke, asking him what HE was instead. This scared him slightly, but he remembered that his eyes might have given away something of a different nature.

"It's...been never since...you've had someone...like me." He told her hoarsly as he kept his eyes upon her. The flesh of his arms and neck began to wriggle as something seemed to move under his flesh, bumps and lines shifting as he watched her. Then, just as suddenly as his flesh had begun to crawl and squirm, it stopped, residing completely. He had known what she meant, he could smell the blood and flesh of many men upon her.

"One bite into...me...and it would be all over for you." This perhaps would sound just a little strange to someone who didn't know about what lurked under the surface of the human husk. HIs blood was very acidic for most creature, and usually biting him meant a very painful burn or death.

"Not a human...not a man...but a creature." Nagranesh told her carefully as he shifted in his seat. He really didn't like how she was looking at him, but he was pretty sure it was like one of those...large cats looking at its prey. He tried to smile again as he let his hands move over the tabletop.

"I would not be...tasty...at all." He shook his head, letting his eyes focus on her. Then, carefully his flesh started to move again around his head. Slowly his eyes seemed to disappear from the sockets, letting a black membrane pass over them, and then, two more eyes seemed to fall into the sockets.

"What...lurks beneath...the surface." He asked her cryptically. It was his time to have a little fun with the woman, and he was really enjoying this actually. It was fun to say the least, very fun.

[Rhindeer]

Truth be told, it never even crossed Erus' mind that he might not be human. Sure, he smelled weird, but some humans had weird smells and he looked human enough! She just figured that he'd asked her species (which seemed perfectly obvious to her!) as part of another weird human ritual, like how humans always had to ask each other their names. One person asked another their name, and visa versa, and it was polite, which Erus always thought was strange; if she had it her way, she'd just sniff the person! You could learn a lot more that way, after all--but she'd learned early on that sniffing people was considered impolite or somesuch. So, she'd stopped doing that--unless she wanted to creep the person out. Anyway, so just like humans have their little ritual of name exchanging, maybe species exchanging was the new thing? Even if it was obvious? Made sense. So, really, she'd only asked his species to be polite!

She liked being polite, even to the people she liked to eat and mess with.

"Never, hmm? But you're human, yes? I've had humans," she answered with a toothy grin. "Many humans. And other things."

Though that was before his skin started to wiggle.

Erus' eyebrows rose slightly with interest, her keen feline eyes catching the movement. She even leaned forward a bit, enntranced. The man had wiggly skin! Like there was something under it. Oh. Maybe he had parasites of some sort? That would be interesting, and it didn't bother her. Oh no, she'd eaten things with parasites before, many things, but her digestive system was rather good. It had to be to keep up with her! But no, not parasites. He...was not human? His eyes were strange, yes, but some humans had strange eyes. Or maybe they weren't human? Who knew, Erus wasn't good at telling the difference.

"All over for me?" she purred, tilting her head to one side curiously, totally unphased. "Not tasty? Oh, so says the prey..." she said quietly, clicking her nails on the table and rotating her ears forward, flicking one lazily to ward off a pesky fly that decided to visit their table. "The prey always tries to convince the predator that it is nasty. But I've eaten many things some might consider nasty. They're always good." She couldn't help but puff her chest out a little in pride at that. While she was primarilly a hunter, she was also a scavenger, and she had no issues with eating things that had been dead a while, or that had spoiled. Her system could handle it. All the silly humans always got so grossed out by that, but it was fun to her! Better than that gross cooked food they ate. "I think I would have to try you to find out. A predator can never believe the prey--"

Then she blinked, her ears flipping back and flattening to her head a little as his eyes rolled back and a strange black...something...appeared where his eyes should have been. Erus wrinkled her nose a little and furrowed her brow, watching...and then she suddenly perked up, her eyes going big and a smile spreading across her face.

Oh! That question! Was he asking her a riddle?

She rather liked those, and in that moment, her mind abruptly switched gears from "attempt to intimidate the new person" mode to "yay riddles!" mode. Even if it wasn't really in the form of a riddle, but it was still close enough. It was still a guessing game, and those were fun!

"What lurks beneath the surface...ah..." She tilted her head to the other side and sucked on her bottom lip thoughtfully. "A creature...but not a human..." She leaned forward again and took a deep sniff, then frowned. That strange scent. She couldn't place it. "A creature in a human body...mm...a shapeshifter, perhaps?" she guessed, though she was still frowning, not at all confident in her guess.

[Anonymous]

"I stay...one shape...but borrow...the body of another." He said to her with a small smirk now playing about his lips. He had finally managed to manipulate that all properly. Slowly his hand spread open, palm flat as he watched her. The drink slowly started to wiggle, and then it moved towards him. He picked up the mug and looked at it curiously before setting it down.

"I am...horror. No true name...for what I am....but I exist...and I am thankful." Nagranesh said as he kept his eyes upon her. He knew she would love to bite down into the husk's body, but it was simply a skin to keep around him and let him blend into the local populace. He felt he could tell this woman, she wasn't one to argue with him anyways, nor to go about revealing what he was. She was in the same boat as he...well...somewhat.

"But know...that what is beneath...is not tasty...bad blood...burns things...melts them." He told her carefully, not as a bluff, but as a true warning. He didn't even want to think what would happen if she managed to pierce his stomach and let those acids out. If it could dissolve everything from armour to bones, then it was very powerful.

"Observe this, and understand...Nagranesh."

He looked around, it was pretty dark, and no one was really paying any attention to them. The bartender wasn't watching, and everything seemed to be clear really. He opened his mouth, and slowly a long thin tentacle was produced, sliding from his orifice to land on the table. It stayed there for a moment as it seemed to feel about uselessly, then it slid back into his mouth, disappearing down his throat.

"The husk is dead...preserved by power." He reached to his skin and plucked at it, just as one would pluck at a new shirt or pants. It snapped back like elastic as he moved his gaze back to her.

"Does...Erus understand...what is Nagranesh?" He asked the woman, his head tilting slightly. This was out of curiosity, and because of the weak neck that this host inhabited. Sometimes he wished these humans had bigger heads so he could fit comfortably within them, but alas, beggers can't be choosers at this time.

[Rhindeer]

"Borrow the body of another..." Erus murmured, tilting her head from side to side curiously as he explained. She was really quite fascinated now, no longer really interested in scaring him now that her natural curiosity had kicked in (and he had proven unphased--most people that didn't know her just got creeped out by her looks alone). She blinked down at her mug as it slid over to Nagranesh without him having touched it, and then she straightened, watching him closely with those catlike gray eyes as he picked up her mug. He better not drink it! It was her bubbly and he could get his own! But then he set it down again, and she reached across the table quickly to reclaim and take another swig as he continued.

Mm...horror. Yes, she was intrigued. It really was nice to find someone among all these silly humans and pretty humanoids that was, well, nice and familiar--something strange and deadly and likely appalling by human standards. No, he was like her. She couldn't eat him, even if he didn't have...not so tasty blood. Absently, she ran her flat tongue over her teeth. Burning blood. Well, that was one thing she couldn't consume. She could consume any manner of unedible-by-human-standards stuff and her own digestive system was acidic enough to make short work of bones, fur or hair, and clothes, but she wouldn't be able to handle something that was basically pure acid. She was a mammal, after all, made of soft flesh despite her hardened appearance.

Pity...

Once again, she leaned forward a little as he told her to "observe", watching his mouth as he parted his lips. And then a tentacle slipped out. At first, Erus thought it was his tongue, but then after remembering that the black membrane had appeared in his eyes, too, she ruled that out. Aha! That was the thing living inside the human body thingy! Watching it as it felt around on the table, she had the sudden urge to poke it, wondering what it felt like, but she behaved and only smiled when it returned back inside of him. So that was what Nagranesh was! Then what did the rest of him look like? His whole body beneath that husk?

It was a mystery, and Erus loved those. Dead husk, hmm? Very interesting...though she really wished he didn't pluck at the skin like that. She hadn't had human in far too long, and it reminded her all too vividly of how much fun it was to peel that soft skin off...

"Yes, Erus understands now!" she answered, folding her arms over her stomach to try and keep it from rumbling. She'd just had some rats and she wasn't allowed to eat humans! She had to rein in those cravings. "You're a monster like me, yes?" And that wasn't meant in a derogatory manner at all. Oh, some people had called her that before, but she liked it. It made her feel fierce. "I think I like you, Nagranesh. There aren't many of us around anymore. It's a shame you have to hide. What do you look like all over?"

[Anonymous]

A monster? Well it was sort of true. In these humans eyes, for all intensive purposes he was a monster. He sort of liked that term, it induced fear and panic. Just the word itself had such power. Monster. Nagranesh gave a weak nod and a smile as he watched Erus carefully.

"Good...Nagranesh pleased Erus understands now." Ugh, how he hated the common tongue. It was so difficult to get the vocal cords to resonate and expel air properly that it would work. He could hear her stomach from all the way over here. One thing about Humans is it was very easy to get the inner ear to listen to sounds and such. He was about to say something about that but she started talking again.

"I don't...need to explain. Can show Erus instead. Mind is...powerful." He grinned as he placed his hand palms flat down on the table, his eyes locking onto her. Slowly he let his presence, his mind, seep out and touch Erus's mind and consciousness. Finally the two connected, and he was pleased.

There, no more bothersome breaks in the conversation, no more need for silly concentration. His voice was powerful, and sounded like he was talking beside her ears almost, no doubt a little disconcerting to say the least.

Minds are such interesting thing. They can accept information, voices, thoughts, sights, anything you could possibly want. For example.

Nagranesh let a picture seep through the line of communication, filling Erus's vision for a moment. It was a tall creature, very octopus like with a large bulbous head that housed fifteen toxic green eyes, a very large almost parrot like beak that seemed very dangerous, and fifteen tentacles extending from the lower half of the body. The creature was completely black, and unlike an octopus the tentacles seemed neither slimy or had suction cups on them. Five of the much larger ones were flatter on the bottom however, indicating that they were no doubt used for moving about.

Do you see? Truly I am a monster as you say. Proud of it too. These squishy little creatures are food, I hide myself from them. After all, if I were to walk around as myself, people might avoid me. Besides, it's easier to talk with people this way...I always like to learn about new cultures and races. It was true, he didn't always think with his stomach. He was mostly good at fitting in. Usually people saw his eyes and simply assumed he was cursed or some such thing. No one would believe what the strange green eyed creature really was.

So what does a monster do for fun in this town?

[Rhindeer]

"Show me?" Erus repeated, leaning forward interestedly. Whatever was beneath that skin, it was quite fascinating and she really was looking forward to seeing more! It was far more interesting to her than all the pretty humanoids; then again, she was a bit fascinated with the grotesque. She could relate to it more. "Yes, show."

She was actually expecting him to literally show her, physically show her. She wasn't expecting the connection that was made, but she didn't respond with much surprise, because not too much was strange to her. She only blinked curiously, then smiled pleasedly when he began to speak to her, right inside her ear seemingly. Oh...well that was interesting! Useful, too, she imagined. Her tail twitched but other than that she was still, simply listening as he explained, completely calm.

And then it happened. He showed her.

Oh wow! He really was a monster! A particularly hideous one, too, which made her grin, quite enjoying the sight. He looked pretty scary, something she could respect and admire, yet in the midst of it all and even after the vision faded, she found herself staring at him and wondering how such a large body fit in such a small space. Her gray eyes narrowed a little, studying him...some part of her wished she could tear him that human shell open just so she could see how he was packaged, how he worked.

She was just curious like that.

Finally, she stopped thinking about all that and simply grinned. He sounded a lot like her. "I see perfectly now, yes. We are a lot alike, Nagranesh. I'm proud of being what I am as well, and it seems we have the same...tastes...as far as meals are concerned. Even if I am on something of a forced diet." A slight smirk, and she paused again at his next question.

Hmm...good question, actually.

"What does a monster do for fun around here...mmm..." She looked toward the ceiling thoughtfully, tapping a finger to her lips. Then she gave a sharp-toothed grin and looked back at Nagranesh, ears perked. "I play with the humanoids. But!" She held up a finger. "Only certain ones. I must behave or else I'll get in trouble. Not everyone understands this monster's idea of fun."

The idea of leaving this civilization and living out her life as, well, a manticore had never crossed her mind. Then again, for a manticore she was oddly civilized, having been raised by humans from an early age. Not that she had really needed to be raised--manticore children were born equipped for survival, and in fact they weren't raised by their mother. Once they were born, it was time for them to leave because if they didn't they might end up as a snack for mother dearest, if she was feeling hungry after those draining hours of labor. In fact, Erus was, as far as she knew, the only survivor of her mother's litter, and the only reason she'd even survived was because her mother knew that at least one of her spawn had to have a chance at making it to adult-hood. That, or she'd just been full after eating the other three.

In any case, she'd been discovered some years later after growing into her humanoid form (though she did still have access to the far less pleasant beast form) and, despite her stinger, some human had taken pity on what to him had probably just looked like a really, really strange, feral child. Thus she'd been taken in, hissing and screaming, and, well...she'd been civilized eventually. Somewhat. Her "parents" had eventually made her enlist in the army, though; she always had been a "difficult" child, and they figured the military could provide her a nice outlet, and some discipline. It had.

She liked killing stuff when they let her. Sometimes she even got to eat it!

But it had never clicked in her head that she could leave all this, become feral again. No, the concept of rules and laws had been pressed into her mind.

"Mm...I also enjoy hunting. Play-hunting, of course! I have a friend I often hunt...I've even gotten to paralyze him a few times! Sometimes he even lets me taste his blood.. That's fun." Of course, her definition of "lets me taste his blood" was pretty different from the mainstream definition. Actually, Khas didn't let her do any of that, but she did it when she was feeling "playful", and often scared the crap out of him. No, he only "let" her taste his blood when he was too exhasperated or exhausted to fight back. Oh, it was nothing major! The worst she'd ever done was take a bit of meat off the tip of his finger!

She saw nothing strange about this at all. Indeed, her idea of play was very rough and tumble and, well...violent.

"It's still hard to say, though...that is only what one monster does for fun. There aren't many of us, though, sadly."

[Anonymous]

Nagranesh had now finally decided. She wasn't going to be food. She was going to be a friend. His friend. Something he didn't have much of due to what he was and his eating habits.

You want to hunt me? I could do with a friendly game of hunting. However, please be gentle...My blood you understand. I wouldn't want to damage you. Nagranesh said as he slowly picked himself up from the table. It must have seemed odd to everyone around them. One monster talking to a green eyed fellow, he not saying a word, but she was doing all the talking. That must have been disconcerting for some people to say the least.

Slowly he reached down to his leg, to put both hands on it, rubbing it once with the palms of his hand. Underneath his tentacles moved and squirmed, rearranging themselves properly. Two tentacles in each leg, five in each arm to control fingers, and the beak pretty much took up from shoulder to crotch. He usually had to pick taller people to be his husk, as smaller people would be ripped open by his beak.

Also, please be careful with how you think. Every thought that you recall, every memory that you bring up, I can hear, I can see, I can taste what you've tasted, smell what you have smelled. It's very...very distracting sometimes. Not as distracting as some people I've been around, but every time one recollects something while I have the connection open, I hear it clear as day. He didn't MEAN to pry on her personal life and such, just she was the one who had brought up the thoughts and memories. If he could make it so he didn't see, hear, or feel them he would, but alas he hadn't honed his skills that far yet.

If only night was here, then we could have a real game of hunt. I have very little in the way of scent, and my black body makes it increasingly difficult to find. As well as my rather flexible body allows me to hide in the most unusual places. Nagranesh commented idly as he watched her carefully with his eyes. He only wished that he could be in his regular form, but was scared of what the humanoids might think of him. He didn't much enjoy being run out of town after all.

Let's go outside and stalk someone for a little while perhaps, then when darkness falls you can hunt me. I'll bet you one vagabond that you won't be able to find me once the sun goes down. Nagranesh truly was a monster, he bet on human lives usually, and he found this behaviour to be completely acceptable actually. He had said it casually, and he knew she would love that bet, as she mentioned she wasn't allowed to kill people all that often. Well, she didn't mention, she had thought it for the most part. Still, same difference.

[Rhindeer]

...Whatwhat?

"You would let me hunt you?" Erus asked, genuinely surprised and yet perking up with interest and a little excitement. If her scorpion tail weren't completely unsuited for it, it would have probably been wagging at this point. "Oh, yes, I would be gentle! You have bad blood, I understand! I won't hurt you!" She scooted her chair back and also stood, her tail sliding out of her lap and curling up along her back as before, the dangerous tip curled inward so it didn't accidentally hit anyone. That would be bad. It couldn't actually kill anyone unless they were very weak or small and she could control how much venom she injected, but all the same it wouldn't be pleasant for a poor, unsuspecting civilian to suddenly find themselves with a numb arm. She was also completely unaware of how strange their conversation probably was to any bystanders. Then again, she wasn't the most socially savvy creature.

"Mm?" Be careful of how she thought...? Oh! Their mind connection thingy! So he could hear everything? Oops. Well, that was a little easier said than done, though she never really knew thoughts could be loud! "Oh, sorry! I'll try not to think so much, then!" Probably not what he meant at all, but...ah well. She didn't seem very worried or upset that he had seen into her personal life, either. Honestly, she was an open creature; she didn't know the meaning of secrets or why that was even such a big deal at all. Thus, there truly was nothing in her life that she had ever considered "personal" or "private"--it was all just "life".

Humanoids were just weird.

"Well, it should be night soon, in a few hours. Then we could play, yes? I really would like to try to find you; I love challenges like that." It wasn't a matter of winning or losing for her, either--she didn't have that sort of pride. She just liked the experience itself and to try new things, anything to keep her curious mind sated and happy. If she lost and failed, that was all right by her so long as she'd had fun in the process of failure.

Nodding at him and grinning, she stretched her arms over her head and arched her back until it popped, then she flexed her fingers to crack those as well. Oh yes, she really liked Nagranesh. Stalking someone...that sounded like fun. And then she'd get to hunt him! This really sounded like it would end up being a fun day after all...

"Sounds like a plan to me, Nagranesh," Erus said, running her flat tongue over her large teeth. Betting on humans...hmm...perhaps she was being a bit bad. She probably shoudn't agree to this, she could get in an awful lot of trouble if someone found out about this, but if it was kept a secret... "And that's a bet I'm willing to take. On one condition!" She held up two fingers; poor thing couldn't count for the life of her. She was great with riddles and word games, but numbers had always evaded her. "This must be a secret, please, or my friends would be very unhappy with me." Understatement. She'd probably get put down, or at least wind up in jail.

But other than that? She had no problem whatsoever betting oh human lives, either. It was all food to her. Hell, her own species ate each other. Of course it was no big deal to her, and completely natural, too.

"I will find you, though," she added with a smile, turning then so she could walk to the door and hold it open for him in a rather polite gesture.

[Anonymous]

I'm not afraid of you hurting me. I'm afraid of me hurting you. Nagranesh said with a shrug of his shoulders. He didn't much like the idea of her suddenly biting one of his tentacles and sending the green liquid everywhere. He would have to be careful, and he knew that if he did get a wound, he would have to stop all flow to that tentacle. Luckily he could control that much of his body. His husk smiled slightly at her as he watched her, seeing her be careful not to smack anyone. She was quite an interesting design, and he hoped she would be able to control her animal instinct. Hm. He'd have to offer her celerity so she wouldn't fly off the handle and become enraged by her more...bestial side.

That would help me immensely. Also, don't speak with your mouth. Think with your mind. This way it keeps your head occupied and I focus more on the thoughts. Right now you're thinking and then speaking. An awful echo if I've ever heard one. Just speak with your mind Erus, I'll be able to hear you. He always found that much more helpful anyways. It would help him and stop him from getting a psychic headache at least.

I can wait a few hours. Let's entertain ourselves by harassing a poor humanoid. He grinned at that point, starting to move toward the door. His actual stride seemed to get much better now, after he had rearranged his tentacles properly. Perfect indeed. He still hobbled and once in a while his leg would drag slightly but he had it almost down pat perfectly.

An eyebrow was raised as he turned to look at her. One condition but two fingers held up. Poor thing. It was cute to see, and on the inside he was laughing, but his husk was just smiling as he nodded.

You have yourself a deal Erus, and I'll go one better. If anyone is to find out, they won't remember it. I'll wipe the memory from their mind. Still, we'll be careful and I shan't say or think a word to anyone. He told her, putting a hand over his chest, signifying he promised on his life, such as it were. Still...what could the fleshlings do to her? She seemed strong enough, she would be able to handle them, wouldn't she? No matter. He'd protect his new friend, and he'd try to explain to anyone who wanted to harm her for having fun.

Oh you think you'll be able to? Well, we'll just have to see what happens Erus. I'm quite the talented hider. After all, I've been hiding in the guise of humanoids and such for a while now, and they still haven't found me. Nagranesh said to her with a small wink as he headed to the door with her. She even held it open for him, how nice. Once outside he extended his arm to hold it open for her, though he wondered if that was a good idea. He didn't like the idea of her walking through the door way and accidentally swinging her tail in his face. Thankfully humans had such thick skulls, if it did happen, he probably wouldn't feel it.

[Rhindeer]

"Oh, you couldn't hurt me!" Erus insisted with a slight wave of one hand, still grinning from ear to ear. "I'm tough!" Which was true. She was tough with a pretty thick skin, even if it didn't look it in her humanoid form, and she had a high tolerance for pain, but it wasn't like she was invincible. That acid stuff would hurt like hell for sure, but she wasn't thinking about that. No, she wouldn't bite him. After all, they were just playing a game! It was play hunting, so there was no need to hurt him, not if she couldn't eat him and not if his blood was acidic. Not that she was thinking about eating him anymore. Nah, she was far too fascinated with him, could relate all too well to him.

This would be so much fun! She was already getting all hyped up!

"Hmm?" She looked back at him as he told her not to speak with her mouth...and then her grin turned a bit sheepish. Echo? Oh! And it probably did look kind of funny to everyone around them. She had sort of forgotten that he wasn't speaking out loud, because it just sounded like he was talking normally to her. Speak with her mind...hm...she'd never done that before. But hey, it couldn't hurt! Seemed kind of fun, anyway...like having a secret conversation that no one else would hear!

Got it! Talking with my mind, will do! she replied, testing it out, her lips twitching a little because she wanted to talk. It felt weird just talking in her head, like she was talking to herself. In her head. Or something. But it was also fun.

Erus listened as he suggested harassing a humanoid--which sounded awesome to her! She did that often, just more so to her fellow soldiers than to random fellows off the street, because that would get her in trouble--and for a moment she was uncertain. She was tempted to agree, but she wouldn't until she had his word that he would keep it a secret. She didn't want to get in trouble, after all...she didn't like it when people were mad at her. And while she was strong, insanely strong being a manticore and even stronger in her actual manticore form, she could still be shot by arrows, sliced by a sword, and harmed by magic just like any other beast. Of course, if she slipped up and got in trouble to the point that she'd have to be executed or something, it wasn't like she would just go along with it--assuming she actually understood what was happening. Unfortunately, she was a simple creature with a simple mind.

And she actually clapped her hands when Nagranesh agreed to keep her secret. "Oh excel--" She paused, then smiled again. Oh excellent! You could do that? That would be great! she agreed cheerfully, and the curled, barbed tip of her tail did wag a little as she trotted outside after him, careful not to spin around to face him too quickly because she didn't want to smack him with a wing or a tail. She'd become rather good at judging distances.

And yup! I think I can! I have another form, you know, my real one! I'm bigger in that one. But... Erus glanced around the town briefly. I don't think I can use it here. It scares people. We should find a nice empty place for our hunt! she said with a firm nod. Or maybe it wouldn't matter at night. There wouldn't be many people about, right? And even if there were, they wouldn't recognize her, right? Well, except for the tail and wings and horns...but...even though manticores had a rather human face, her face looked so much different in her real form.

It had to in order to make room for the three rows of teeth that filled her mouth, much like a shark's.

Nah! No one would know it was her! Even if she was the only manticore around here that she knew of. But never mind that! Besides, Nagranesh could just do his cool mind erasing stuff if anyone knew it was her being bad!

Smiling at her new friend and brushing her dreadlocked hair over her shoulder, she gave a little bow to him, bending straight-backed from the waist, careful to keep her tail tightly coiled. Thanks, Nagranesh, by the way! Oh! So where should we go looking for a humanoid? In the alleys? Lots of urchins hang out there, I know that! Ah, she couldn't wait...this would be a lovely prequel to the great hunt that awaited later that night.

[Anonymous]

Please, let's not go through such an idea of who can hurt who. I've squeezed men from their plate mail before. Mm, that is always rather delicious. They became a gooey paste of sorts of brains, blood, organs, skin and bones. It's rather delicious. Nagranesh commented to her with a small grin spreading across his face. His eyes looked away from her, to start scanning the crowd of people around them. Nagranesh was searching for a target, sifting through minds to look for the right person. He needed someone that wouldn't be missed, that no one would really care about. Probably someone who was a vagrant and moved between towns. Yes.

He was rather pleased she was able to speak with her mind, or at least could think instead of speak. That was good indeed, she had a nice level of intelligence then. That was good, he hated to consort with those creatures that could simply think 'eat, sleep, defecate, mate, eat, sleep' and so on. He hated the lower life creatures like that. They...angered him to say the least. The minds were much too muddled and never thought properly.

However, right before him he had the strangest being he had met. She looked feral, a destructive evil being who actually had a fully working mind. Though Nagranesh noted she did seem to slip into certain patterns of simplicity. That wasn't a concern though, for the most part she was cognitive and lucid, which meant he wouldn't end up being hurt in the end.

Good, so we both have different forms. That's another thing in common we have isn't it? I wouldn't worry about your other form however, as it will be dark. Just keep in your other form for the time being though. Nagranesh told her with a grin, his teeth flashing as he continued to search for a particular person. He blinked rapidly as he looked to her, as she bowed to him and thanked him.

I'm already looking for someone. People don't often keep their minds closed as they never expect a telepath. Just wait...I think I found a vagrant who is new to town. He's not completely drunk, but he's tipsy. Mm, and no one will really miss him as only a few other vagrants know he's here. Let the chase begin. Nagranesh lifted one arm to point to a swaggering and dirty fellow. He was trying his best to make his way down the street, to what Nagranesh believed was a degraded part of town.

Looks like he's headed somewhere, I'm not sure where, but if it's a lousier side of town then we'll be able to get him easier. That tail of yours will come in very handy my dear. Nagranesh said as he moved over to her, his hand coming out to gently touch the length of the tail for only a few seconds.

This is going to be a very fun time.

[Rhindeer]

Oh stop, you're making me hungry! Erus thought at Nagranesh, his vivid description of gooey, pastey human parts making her stomach rumble, which she slapped afterwards as though to silence it. It's been so long since I've had human...I'm not allowed to, really. Sometimes I'm allowed to pick off corpses when no one is looking, but...Gods, it's been years at least! Not since the last big battle... Back when some rag-tag group had invaded Serendipity. Oh, the clean up had been fun! She just made sure to sneak out at night when no one was awake to feast on the corpses when no one was paying attention. Honestly, she hadn't known if she was nibbling at the bodies from "their side" or the bodies of the invaders, but she didn't care. Really, they were dead, they shouldn't complain! And eating the stuff was better than those weird burials. That was so pointless! A waste of a lot of perfectly good meat, and it made her kind of jealous to know the maggots could happily feast upon it in the ground while she couldn't.

Well...for the most part. Sometimes if she was feeling particularly naughty she would dig up fresh graves. But she hadn't been doing much of that lately. The villagers had blamed it on wolves and some soldiers had been sent to guard the cemetaries. So, that had put an end to that.

Agh! She'd only just eaten some rats and she was hungry again after Nagranesh's talk! Then again, manticores did have ravenous appetites and she sometimes seemed to have a bottomless pit for a stomach. Snapping her head up, she also started to scan the crowds, flicking an ear absently to ward off a mosquito that buzzed there. Hmm...who would they choose? She decided she'd let Nagranesh choose. After all, this whole thing had been his idea! So he should do the honors.

Yes, that is another thing in common! I can't wait to see your form in real life! You will use it, right? Mine is fun, too. I think you'll like it, I can't wait to use it, too. It's been so long...I feel almost cramped up like this. Only figuratively speaking. Erus just felt more at home when she was herself, so to speak, and it was easier to move around that way, too. She always felt so clunky and awkward in her humanoid form; her mismatched parts were certainly better suited for her other form. But yes, I'll stay like this until it's safe. Oh! You already found someone?

Perking with interest and listening to him "speak", she followed his arm until her sharp eyes spotted the swaggering man, and for a moment her eyes narrowed and her body went still as she watched him interestedly. Oh yes...he was perfect. Like a wounded animal being singled out from the herd...yes, he would do nicely...she ran her scratchy tongue over her lips. She hoped they would get to eat him...it had been so, so long since she'd really tasted fresh, hot human blood, gotten to tear still soft flesh from the bone, gotten to enjoy the marrow...

Then she shook herself and took a slow breath, snapped from her thoughts when Nagranesh touched her tail.

Which she didn't mind at all. In fact, she actually turned her head to grin at him, completely switching gears from "predator mode!" to "happy, weird manticore" again. It was actually kind of cool that he did that. Most people got all freaked out about it and tried to keep as far away from it as they could, and while she also liked that because it appealed to that predatory part of her that liked to see the little prey animals tremble in fear and keep their distance, to finally find someone that wasn't afraid of her and who was just as monstrous as her...it was nice. That was probably a bit strange because she was a manticore and they were solitary beasts by nature, but she'd also been raised and socialized by humans, so...maybe she was sort of torn. She wanted to be solitary, feared, and dominant as was natural for her kind, but maybe part of her also wanted some friends. Khas was her friend! He was just scared of her and didn't know he was her friend. And now there wasd Nagranesh, her new hunting partner as she had deemed him! And he wasn't scared at all.

It always comes in handy, yes. I can stab with it, but I have really good control over it, too, and it has good venom! It makes you go numb, and be unable to move. But I can also just paralyze some parts of the body. It all depends on where I strike and how much venom I use, she told him, uncurling her tail a little before curling it back up again, flexing it. When extended all the way, the thing could arch all the way over her head out in front of her, and she could strike with a snake's precision and speed. She really liked her tail.

Okay! So do we follow him now? Oh! Oh! Maybe you could lure him towards the bad part of town. You look like a human right now. But...it is always fun to have the challenge of separating the prey from the herd, so even if he remains in this part of town...oh, never mind all the talk! Let's go, Nagranesh. And with that said, she started to follow after the vagrant, far too excited to wait too long before getting started.

What could she say? It had been so long since she'd last hunted.

[Anonymous]

Don't you fret young one, you'll get your food soon enough. We just have to be a little patient. Nagranesh told her, grinning at her as he kept watching that one man.

You'll see my form soon enough, not to worry. I'm glad that you don't fear me. I could only get such acceptance when I was back with my family, and this really strange being I met a few centuries ago...Ahem. However, you can't seriously be cramped. I'm a fifteen foot tall, twenty five tentacled, fifteen eyed creature with a beak that can swallow something larger than a horse stuffed into a six foot two human. Don't you tell me about being cramped. His tone was joking though as he looked at her and winked one of his eyes. It was hard to tell how many other eyes were winking though, as he did have quite a lot of them.

He noted she was happy with his tail touching. It was only natural, because no doubt after he emerged from the husk she would want to touch a tentacle or his beak for that matter. It was only fair after all. He did like the feel of her tail, it sorta reminded him of his beak, though a little rougher. His beak was sleek, hard, very smooth to say the least. Hard as hell though since he had to crush bones, bite through metal sometimes and even dig himself a hole in the ground.

I know a creature whose teeth and fangs can secrete a toxin to paralyse. Oddest creature I ever met, fed on Magic and Negative emotions. He wouldn't kill, couldn't really kill with the toxin, but he was an odd one. That had been the being he had met many...many centuries ago. The creature was immortal as far as he knew, and he would have to find out if that being still existed one day.

He wouldn't have to actually lure that man, he just had to tweak his mind. With it, he could make the man go and do whatever he wanted. Hell, he could make the man kill himself if he so wanted. However, that wasn't what he wanted at this point. He just wanted the man to head to a more secluded part of town. Maybe to other vagrants. That's just what he implanted too. He made the man long for more of his kind, more people like him who would identify with him. Heh heh, sometimes it was so easy.

He's headed that way now actually it seems. Hopefully he'll find people like him...then we can have a true feast! He wasn't actually that hungry, he wanted to see this woman in action, before they hunted each other for fun. He wanted to see her hunting and killing when he wasn't in the path. Ah, he hadn't been on a sort of quest like this in a long time, hunting, killing, and just being himself. He even had a friend to come along with him. That was always a bonus. Someone who appreciated the finer points of hunting and eating their prey, no matter what it was.

Oh he could get used to this woman real fast. She was going to be a fun friend for sure.

[Rhindeer]

Psh, how could I fear you? You're one of my own, yes? A monster like me, even if our species are different, and for that matter, it has been ages since I've found someone completely unafraid of me. The last people like that were my 'parents', and I even made them a little nervous. They had reason to be nervous, I was a very bad child, but they were never afraid like most people. Not that I mind, completely...I like making people afraid; it's fun. Which was both true and untrue.

Erus liked it because it appealed to her predatory instincts and felt only natural, made her feel strong and ferocious and also amused her, but it could also be a little annoying when she actually wanted to make friends. She had an odd way of showing affection, after all, and she honestly didn't know her own strength--which was bad, because her idea of play and affection was rough and tumble. Not to mention she wasn't light at close to two-hundred pounds. Her body was pretty much solid muscle, and her horns and tail only added even more weight to her overall mass; they were probably what made her so heavy to begin with, honestly. A playful pounce from her could easily result in a concussion, and if she accidentally butted heads with the unfortunate pouncee, a coma.

It was like she had to walk on eggshells around all the soft little humanoids.

Even though she was told to speak with her mind, she couldn't help but laugh with her mouth, and a chuckle escaped her as Nagranesh teased her about the whole being cramped issue. Well...he did have a point. Oops. She wasn't stuffed into any bodies or anything, her entire anatomical structure was just...changed. But it still felt awkward! With a laugh, she stuck her tongue out at Nagranesh and then winked one gray eye after. Maybe you should just find a bigger husk thingy. Maybe a half-giant! Or a horse! Could you be a horse? That might be weird though... she added, looking thoughtful, or as thoughtful as she could look.

Then she looked interested as Nagranesh described that other creature he had met, the one who could also paralyze, eyebrows raising. Oh! That would be interesting! She didn't know anyone else that could do that. But then once Nagranesh got to the part where the thing fed on magic and negative emotioned, she wrinkled her nose. That doesn't sound very good... Then again, Erus also couldn't understand vegetarians or people that cooked their meat. Ew. Took all the flavor out of it. First time she'd eaten steak, she'd nearly lost her lunch.

Yes...Erus was practically a living garbage disposer, could eat rancid, maggot-infested flesh and enjoy it, but cooked meat turned her stomach.

What was he? He does sound interesting though! Mm...you've met a lot of people like us, haven't you? She wondered where they all were. Probably scattered...after all, such creatures didn't only have to worry about being hunted by those outside their species, but also by their own. At least, that was the case of her own kind.

She had no idea that it was Nagranesh that was influencing the vagrant, but she only got even more excited when she heard her companion's announcement. Oh...even more vagrants. If he found other people, and they really could go all out on this hunt...Erus could feel her pulse begin to quicken, her slitted pupils dilating. But she continued to walk calmly, her movements surprisingly quiet now that she was putting her mind to it, "stalking" that vagrant as well as she could while in this form--which wasn't very well, to be honest; this form wasn't meant for stalking and she stood out like a sore thumb, but she was too "in the zone" to realize that. Idly, she sheathed and unsheathed the claws of her hands as she walked and flattened her wings to her back, her ears also laying flat against her head. The crowd was starting to thin out the further away from the good part of town they got...

I wish he'd hurry...oh, I hope he leads us right to one of their little hide-outs. I've busted thieves before. Sometimes they dwell together in small groups. Hopefully he's that type... But anxious as she was, and eager as she was, she was luckily a hunter, and that meant she could have the patience of a saint. Despite her own wishes, she could easily trail prey for hours, waiting for the opportune moment to finally strike. Every predator had to have patience; besides, it always paid off in the end.

[Anonymous]

He smiled at her and nodded. That was very true. More often then not, monsters didn't get scared of each other. How could they? Each one of them was different, and yet...they had something in common. They weren't accepted by normal society, so that in turn made them their own society. However, one had to go searching through realms to meet each one.

Nagranesh wasn't as playful as Erus was. For the most part he was calm and collected, stalking amongst the humans with the grace of a newborn calf. He literally had so many lies that he could tell the humanoids that it was not  repeating some of them. Then there was the truth, which wasn't widely accepted by them. Why should it be? A fifteen foot tall octopus like creature ready to eat them? Seemed a little...scary to him even.

I would find a bigger and better husk but my favourite food is human. I've tried all sorts of creatures, large lizards, small flying creatures with strange snouts and scales, hundreds of beings who fell prey to me...and I prefer humans. They're tasty, mostly clean, and often aren't hard to catch. That and I love their thumbs. Humanoids have it way too easy. I've got small tentacles to wrap around things, while they have hands with thumbs. Nagranesh was glad he wasn't slimy like an octopus or a squid, leaving a trail behind him as he walked. No thankfully his real form was dry, except for the inside of his beak of course. He had been told by quite a few minds before they plunged down his throat that it was quite wet.

I can't remember the name he called himself. It was such a long time ago...Sometimes the details just slip my mind, sharp as it is. My life has been...strange. I live for two purposes. One is to feed, the other is to search. Search for creatures like me so I and they may be accepted. I have the means to fling myself from realm to raelm, so why not use it to look for creatures that I can related to? Yes, Nagranesh was always searching for new beings, on the look out for creatures that humanoid societies rejected. Sometimes he even found friendship with humans who weren't accepted by other humans.


Nagranesh stayed calm as he walked beside Erus, despite his companions all out want for more bloodshed and to hunt. There were only a few people out on the road, and when they saw Erus coming they just seemed to hurry along as fast as they could. He didn't pose much of a threat after all...he was just a human with green eyes. He smiled at her as he listened to her quick thoughts.

In time. We're close I think. I can...hear others...not like him completely...but like him. He might be heading there... If this was like some of the other worlds he had been to, no doubt they would be huddled together in a large alley with fires going and small tents and shelters set up, or inside an abandoned building. His thoughts were confirmed as he slipped inside a rather decayed looking building with large holes in the room and most of the windows broken out.

I sense seven of them in there, including the target. Two doors apparently, one at the front, one at the back. I'll head to the front door and seem like a vagabond to them. You however, go to the back door. When you hear a sound that resembles flesh ripping, you burst through the door. I think it's safe for me to reveal my true form to them. Nagranesh always loved to plan. He loved it because when he made plans, usually the offending party had no idea about them, and he was quite into surprises and the like. He loved to see horrified faces, and for that matter, he loved to be able to get some food as well.

This was going to be very fun. His eyes scanned Erus for a moment, making sure she was ready, then he grinned and started walking toawrd the front door.

Remember the plan.

[Rhindeer]

Erus couldn't help but bark a laugh at that--and then quickly slap a hand over her mouth, since she was supposed to be being all stealthy and stuff, and Nagranesh's thumb comment had effectively snapped her out of her little hunter's trance. Not that it mattered, really, because she really couldn't be all that stealthy in this form; it was very hard to slink around in an awkward human form, and she always felt sort of off balance, teetering around on two legs and having to hold her tail just-so, otherwise, well, she'd probably end up stumbling around a lot and looking like a general fool. Which she probably did already, considering all her mismatched parts, not to mention she stuck out like a sore, well...thumb.

They're nice, yes! she agreed with a wide grin, hooking her own thumbs into the belt loops of her breeches as though to demonstrate one of their excellent uses. I don't have any in my true form...just a lot of claws and paws, which are nice! But I don't need 'em, I got a mouth, but there are so many fun things you can do with fingers. Like count! I'm not very good at that yet, she added with a frown.

Which was highly frustrating, because she did have a few strange habits that directly involved counting. She was a bit obsessive on some levels and, odd as it probably was, she liked to be organized--because she was possessive of things that she considered to be <I>hers. Probably that whole territorial lion thing going on, only magnified because she wasn't a lion but was a strange...thing. If someone were to throw a bunch of her stuff on the ground, she would be compelled to pick it up immedietely and count it all to make sure everything was there. And that usually lead to her getting all distressed because she couldn't count.

It just didn't work very well, but by now most people back at the barracks knew not to touch her things. Because no good could ever come of that.

Glancing over at him as he spoke about realm travelling, she blinked owlishly, not really understanding...but she did perk up when he mentioned finding creatures like them so that they could be accepted. Really? You think they'll be accepted one day? she asked, and then tilted her head, cat-like. <I>But...that means we're not already...but...we are right? Everyone accepts me here! Some are scared, yes, but they're friends! Never mind that she had a somewhat skewed idea of what a friend was. A friend was someone she didn't eat--if she occassionally nibbled here and there--and who didn't want to kill her. She had a lot of those!

However, Erus fell mentally silent again when Nagranesh did, and listened to him as he mentioned that they were close. That was when she started to slowly grow more serious, more focused, her eyes becoming a little more intense, when the smell of humans began to fill her sensitive nostrils again. Her breathing slowed, becoming calmer, and she suddenly didn't seem so, well, hyped up anymore. On the contrary, she had become strangely calm and relaxed, even if on the inside she was bursting with energy and bloodlust.

She slipped into the room after him, and then stopped as he began to "speak" again, explaining the plan. And a slow, sly smile spread across her lips. Ripping flesh, huh? She always liked that sound...

Licking her lips, she nodded at his instructions and took off silently for the back door, getting ready. Understood! I like this plan! We'll surprise them good! she commented, even as she came to a stop beside the back door and crouched a little, waiting, getting ready to bust down that door on a moment's notice. This would be so fun! And it sounded like Nagranesh was finally going to show off his real self.

She was looking forward to that...

Ready when you are! she announced, but then quickly spoke up again when another thought struck her. Oh! Since you're gonna get in your real form, can I get in mine? It was always fun to play show and tell! And she was certain that would only add to the element of surprise.

Poor vagrants. Oh well! This was clean-up! She liked clearing up all the rats, and they were like rats, right?