Most people would dismiss the rapid footfalls a passionate birdwatcher, or perhaps someone chasing after some sort of animal.
But they'd not be expecting the heavier footfalls that followed the first. A group of men, chasing someone.
But that someone was far from a person. Her cloak lost long ago, dragging her speed down, she'd shed it, and ran with naught but her markings for clothing. Dark almost-purple hair flying out behind her, green pupil-less eyes fixed ahead, wide with fear. Every now and then she'd stumble, but she'd be quick to get back to her feet again.
Rika honestly did not know why she always found herself in this position. Running from the same group of men each time she tried to set foot in the town. She knew it was because of what she looked like... there was no way they'd know she was a dragon, she'd never taken up her true form anywhere near civilization.
She came close to a lake, and leapt over it, taking a moment to stumble on her feet and stand again, dragging back into a run. She was fast, but she'd tire eventually, like any human, she couldn't keep running. She didn't want to fight them either, she had no weapons, and in her dragon form... she'd surely kill them. She had no more desire to spill blood. She'd done enough the previous week in Arca.
The evening was dark, she was using her luminescent horns for light, what little they provided anyway.
All she'd done was try to get some human food to eat from the town, but this group of men had spotted her, and for some reason, had come after her. She could still hear their shouts and the sound of their weapons whistling through the air as they ran. She hated this, it always made her feel like she was an animal that had to be killed. The dragon hesitated again, wondering if... maybe she did take on her true form, just to scare them off, tonight wouldn't turn out so bad.
Then she came to a running stop, having come to some sort of gorge. She stopped, she wasn't going to jump. She cursed loudly, not turning around. She heard their footsteps come to a halt, she closed her eyes, and braced herself to jump. The river below would provide enough to break her fall. Hopefully anyway...