After the Hunt [o]

[Ceresi]

Far out on the tundra, an elk paused, scenting the air. Something wasn't right here, something big. He could sense it, but when he tried to decipher just what it was over the howl of the northern wind and the deadness of the snow, he would come back with nothing. All was safe. All was well. Uneasy, he lowered his head back down to nip at the grass that was poking out from the snow, something he had kicked at until it was free, and then suddenly he knew what it was. There was a large beast bounding towards him, and with a frightened bleat, he managed to get two steps before the monster was upon him.

It was a shame, Ceresi mused as she cleaned her paws of the elk's blood, that the hunt had not been as successful as it used to be. She usually managed to kill the beast before it was even aware of her presence. Unbidden, a memory of a time when she would never have hunted came to mind, a memory of a gentle smile and soft touches that promised protection and providence, but just as suddenly as it had come, the snapshot left, abandoning the taguel once more to the harsh reality that she had been trapped in for almost two decades now. It was a credit to her that her expression didn't change, even in the limited range of emotions that a taguel was able to show, and she turned her back to the kill, letting one of the bodyguards that had accompanied her rush in to take the meat up onto his broad shoulders.

"Let's go," she stated coldly, her fur ruffling in the wind that blew snow around her form. "This will feed us for at least a few days until the Gammas return." She let out a low growl from her chest, fur fluffing out slightly with distaste and barely supressed hatred. "I dislike the stench of humans so close, even if it is a necessary sacrifice for game."

Words. -- Tags. Open Notes. Humans are welcome to join, just remember that Ceresi will not take well to them in any way whatsoever. And would likely try to slaughter them. Vengeful taguel woman hates humans for what they've done to her warren, after all.

[Azrael]

blah blah blah. wanna join me, come and play. But I might claw you in your face. wings and tails will do the trick, what do we need is? a little bit of panic!

''Hey 'cuze you I don't stink!''

She exclaimed, as her body rose from the snow with a pout on pink lips. She had just been thinking 'Oh god another one of these days' 'cuz she had been so /bored/ out of her bloody skull. The manakete had, amusingly enough stuffed herself into the snow, to see how long her cold resistance would last. That tuff of grass that the elk tried to eat? Was like two inches from her head. Luckily for the not human creature, she had managed to avoid the thing falling on her, and the subsequent monologue of the huntress. And that's why at the end of it, she protested, focusing on the fact that she did not smell thank you very much. That was all elk. Or was it the silly people in the village nearby?

She did hug one too tight trying to keep them from going into the burning house she had set on fire. Oups. Well okay, she know realized that the taguel wasn't by herself, but the girl just gave an amused snort, before shaking herself of the snow like a dog. ''Hey, hey, bunny lady, ya think y'all can even eat that? Aren't bunnies herbivore?'' she asked, tilting her head, an amused smile on her lips. Okay she wasn't trying to be a butt, but she was being a butt and she didn't even know it. As far as she was concerned that was a valid question, as the girl twirled her braid innocently, as if thinking of too many things at once. Not that she was thinking, she was needy to bounce off her feet and do something.

Like maybe steal the carcass and taunt them as she ran? Naw, they were both taguel, she could tell by the ears. So she wouldn't get far unless she transformed, and that was cheating. And sure, Az wasn't above cheating yannow, but that didn't mean she immediately wanted to cheat. So the girl waiting, her body swaying a bit as if something else was inside. Although she wasn't sure if the other would recognize what Az was, simply because she had legit been around too many humans right now and smelled of them and smoke. But maybe the stone, held by a leather cord at her throat would be clue enough.

And maybe an innocent flash of shark like teeth whilst she waited would work too.

(C) ELLIE @ GANGNAM STYLE

[Ceresi]

Granted, the moment that the stranger came up out of the snow, Ceresi wanted to start. Her instincts screamed for her to start. They pounded in her, pleading with her to run, run far away, run to somewhere that was safe. But there was nowhere that was safe left for her. She clamped down on the urge until the instinct left her just as suddenly as it had come. She was still in her beast form, and her tuft of a tail twitched. "You smell like the man-spawn," she spat, distaste seeping from the word. "And even if you did not, you still smell more of.... ah, that's it. You're a dragon-spawn." If she had been a lesser taguel, she might have attacked then, just to stave off the memories. Humans were low, yes, but manaketes.... she had no lost love for them either. The only reason they were remotely tolerable in the first place was because they were merely dishonest, breaking their vows to creatures who weren't as ancient as they, versus the flat-out destruction and death that came at the hands of humans.

One of her guards started forward, a large rabbit whose back started to arch, legs coiling as his tail lifted into the air, but it only took a shift of Ceresi's weight for him to calm again, too in tune with her wants. "It's not just for me. The warren can eat all of that in a matter of two days, if we aren't careful. Three if we ration." Most taguel would have reared up on their hind legs already, but not her. She was stronger with her hind legs, and she was far faster at wheeling and kicking out, having trained herself tirelessly in this after her mate deserted her. She had children to protect. But no more, no more.

"Do not bother us, dragon-spawn. Otherwise I shall teach you to regret it. And then you can crawl back to your kind and tell them that the north does not break." Sure, it was a message meant for one, but she didn't care. Hatred was her comfort now, her companion and her partner, and she was hardly going to discard it over some interloper in her warren.

Words. -- Tags. Azrael and others Notes. Humans are welcome to join, just remember that Ceresi will not take well to them in any way whatsoever. And would likely try to slaughter them. Vengeful taguel woman hates humans for what they've done to her warren, after all.

[Azrael]

blah blah blah. wanna join me, come and play. But I might claw you in your face. wings and tails will do the trick, what do we need is? a little bit of panic!

Ceresi

''Oh woaaaaah someone had a grumpy experience. I didn't accidentally burn down your warren did I?'' the manakete said, throwing both hands up level to her head, shaking her head. ''Such passive aggressive, such wow. But okay, that means Taguel bunnies aren't herbivores gotcha. But no seriously, I don't think I did it, but someone did hurt you didn't they?'' she said, pink red eyes oddly perceptive. She hadn't discarded the woman's use of spawn and then fittingly, dragon or human for the race. Yeah, something was definitely off with this child, because she was so full of hate that even Az wanted to gag at it. She half wondered if she should mention it, and then felt a little grin slip on her face.

'I don't stink but you do!' would soo childish, but so right. Strangely though, the girl restrained herself, normally she wouldn't worry about antagonizing others. But it was three against one, and despite being a dragon, Taguels /did/ hurt and Az didn't really like fighting against fellow non-humans. ''And if you're wondering about the human smell, which I guess stinks, I had fun. I burnt down quite a few houses, but despite that I ain't a murderer you see. So I had to stop one from diving into the fire to retrieve a sword that was perfectly fine afterwards. Friggin' stupid most of 'em.'' she said, shrugging. The woman seemed to want to dismiss her, but no one dismisses Azrael but herself, as she felt her body slide gently.

Ah, the stillness was getting to her again. ''You do realize I don't even know where the nearest of my kind is right? If you want sob stories I got a handful that'd make you hate humans more then you do now really. I doubt you truly hate our kind, just feel personal betrayal.'' the girl decided to judge, because she was bored and she wanted to see how far she would slip into this woman's mind. Although when one of the guards had been stopped by her, Az just smiled then, showing the row of shark like teeth that was present even in her human mouth. That deterred most, even Taguels, because serrated teeth meant trouble. Since speed would work against you with a pair like that.

''But naw, I was gonna offer to help actually. I could use the exercise and well I'd rather help a warren right now anyways. Seems you guys are interesting. The North eh? I used to live here, long time ago. Wonder how it's changed?'' she said again. Man she could talk and even if they tried to get away from her, Az was stubborn. She would follow them to the warren if she had to, although escaping their attacks would be harder then. She was used to being restricted after all, people liked to throw her in jail a lot. It didn't surprise her, since her... no she wouldn't think about that, not more then the surface.

That was one can of worms Az didn't want to revisit.

(C) ELLIE @ GANGNAM STYLE

[Ceresi]

The taguel snorted softly but didn't answer at the question, deeming it beneath her. Obviously the manakete should know whether or not she attacked a warren; if it had been Ceresi's, the dragon wouldn't be alive to tell the tale. "Obviously we are not herbivores. Why should we be? We are not rabbits, we are taguel." And once again, she was ignoring the finer parts of that, the question of hurt. Yes, she had been hurt. She had been so badly hurt that she had nursed the broken parts of her, tacked them up again messily as best she could so that she could keep going and protect her babies and her warren. She had wrapped herself in hate, the one emotion that numbed all else and hardened her into the leader that could properly lead, and she would let it guide her, shape her the way that she had twisted and morphed from the innocent little bunny that had given herself up to the big bad dragon in the mountain if it meant that her warren could live in peace.

Her voice was cold, emotionless and clinical as she stated simply. "You should have let the man-spawn die. If such creatures are stupid enough to bring about their own end, then let them. Survival of the fittest dictates such edicts. The laws of the north ask for nothing less." It was the way of the taguel to fight and fight and fight and not give up - or was it the way that she had turned, a small voice inside of her wondered quietly, pity stabbing through it as it remembered a time when she was allowed to be soft and eat without worrying where her next meal would come from or even about hunting or foraging for it since she was provided for and the only thing she had to worry about was keeping herself cool wrapped up in so much heat - so the thought of saving some human disgusted her. "It matters little to me. Dragon-spawn are nothing to me, as long as they keep well enough out of my way."

Her bodyguards shifted uneasily at the sight of the serrated teeth, but Ceresi herself was unruffled. She'd seen, and kissed, with far more dangerous. "Taguel do not need help. We are perfectly capable of bringing back meat for the warren without the charity of some... interloper." It was an insult to her pride, really, that the manakete would assume that she would be so incompetent as to bring a lack of strength to carry the meat she had hunted specifically for her warren. If she wanted, she could have even brought the meat back herself. "The North is the North. Why you would think that winter has changed is beyond me."

Words. -- Tags. Azrael and others Notes. Humans are welcome to join, just remember that Ceresi will not take well to them in any way whatsoever. And would likely try to slaughter them. Vengeful taguel woman hates humans for what they've done to her warren, after all.

[Azrael]

blah blah blah. wanna join me, come and play. But I might claw you in your face. wings and tails will do the trick, what do we need is? a little bit of panic!

Ceresi

Ah, bunny was ignoring her questions. Poo, that went half of the fun, but the Manakete had more then enough material to keep going. How could she not? This one was so rigid, so full of hate she couldn't even see the big picture. Azrael had been like that once, when she was locked up by the villagers she had been protecting for generations. She could see that this one was wrapped up in that, and Az for a moment, felt pity. But then realized that pity wasn't quite the word. The manakete could have been like that for far longer then she had been, and it was true. But that way of life got stale, it just made things worse in the end, and the Manakete found that right spot.

''You're pretty uptight uh? Ever thought that exact attitude is what is making you, and your warren, weaker?'' she said, bringing this one out of left field. Az had not been stupid, she had listenned, she had watched. The pride. She could find that and zoom on it like a predator, it was blood in the water after all, as the girl's grin grew wider. ''No need for help uh? Then why is everything you're doing screaming save me, save me, I'm so weak I'm losing to my hate, and losing everything I ever loved and cared for? Why do you scream such things with the way you are, little bunny?'' the blue haired dragon said, knowing the smile on her face was becoming predatory.

Oh yes, this bunny was either going to snap or wake up. Azrael had no pity for the truly weak, the ones that thought they were strong but in fact just made themselves easier targets, as the girl's body shifted, coiling. ''And winter always changes. Back when I was on these plains, there were no weaklings like you, covered in their hate. Their hate killed them, drove them to useless wars. Sound familiar? It should, because you aren't a true taguel right now. You're just a pathetic human, no better then their meaningless struggles in the names of hate and the perception of whatever strength they acquired.'' Oh dear, now Azrael was relishing in how positively vicious she was being.

Bunny-girl would wonder where this was coming from, but it wouldn't matter. Azrael knew the feelings, knew the pride one had when fortified. That had been her battle, long ago. So she knew the weak spots, the armor chinks. Of course, she couldn't always be right, but she had a feeling she was on the right track, as the girl stared at her finger nails. ''Winter changes, just like the hearts of all living things do. Are you sure it's their fault you lost everything, or wasn't it your own pathetic excuses that lost you everything?'' the girl asked, slight tension amongst the whole of her body. Oh yes, she enjoyed hitting spots like that, either to have the Taguel fly in rage or her guards.

In either case, Azrael would have what she wanted, even if she had to drive it into this silly bunny's little snow buried head.

(C) ELLIE @ GANGNAM STYLE

[Ceresi]

Ceresi was familiar enough with this type. Oh yes, the sort who wanted to toss daggers in places that they shouldn't be just to stir a reaction. She didn't need to be ancient to be able to see that, and as such, she schooled herself, making sure not to let the other see how much her fur ruffled. It would only encourage the manakete, and Ceresi didn't need that sort of argument. There was nothing that she had to say that the other would find of any use anyway, so why was she going to bother protesting in the first place? The taguel was many things, but the sort to enjoy impossible tasks of banging her head against a stone wall or running around catching snow was not one of them.

She brought a paw up almost lazily, licking at it to try to get off some of the blood. "It raises warriors. I fail to see how warriors make a warren weaker." She snorted - yes, she could tell for sure now, this one was just trying to wind her up. She hadn't raised two kits without picking up where some of the cues were. The manakete was poking around for a reaction, and she couldn't have screamed it any plainer than when she started asking questions and pretending that Ceresi wanted to be saved. Perhaps she had once, long ago, but that woman had died out in the winter cold, waiting at the entrance to a cave for a mate that would never come.

And that was why she ignored the dragon as she spoke, even purposefully turning her back to the body that was coiling. Most would have taken it as a threat, and indeed, it was one on a primal level. But Ceresi wasn't afraid. She was more than strong enough with her paws and her teeth to fend off an attack, and again, if she reacted, it would only fuel the dragon more. It was almost like hunting a wounded bear - let the animal rage and snort and run and swipe out. It would only tire itself out, leave an opening if you waited long enough. She remembered that much from when she was learning to hunt. She started tuning the words out, instead focusing on cleaning her paws of blood just as daintily as though she were going back to curl up with some mate. She could see the tension in the guards as they listened, their fur bristling up, but they would not attack when their leader seemed to show no care for it.

Having inspected her paws and deemed them clean enough, she then lifted her gaze to level the dragon with a bored look. "Are you quite done?" she asked, showing off that clearly none of the slings had hit any of their targets; a few might have come close had she been paying attention, but she was smarter than that. "The longer you rant and rave like a spoiled kit, the colder the meat gets and the more my people will need this kill. Unlike certain people, I happen to have duties towards me and mine." Yes, it was a subtle dig at the fact that manaketes often outlived any children or emotional attachments they made, but she would never admit to it, oh no.

Not after what her mate had done to her.

Words. -- Tags. Azrael and others Notes. Humans are welcome to join, just remember that Ceresi will not take well to them in any way whatsoever. And would likely try to slaughter them. Vengeful taguel woman hates humans for what they've done to her warren, after all.

[Azrael]

blah blah blah. wanna join me, come and play. But I might claw you in your face. wings and tails will do the trick, what do we need is? a little bit of panic!

Ceresi

Oh my, this little bunny was brave. Hiding things under like that, and even turning her back to the dragon? The girl felt her her eyes narrow and slit, and her smile turned positively dark. Part of Azrael wanted to snap that neck, to show her just what that 'strength' she gathered was. Useless, broken. But the dragon felt her body shiver with pure excitement, tilting her head upwards, as she let out a breath. Too much excitement was throttling her body, and the pink-red eyes were just positively glowing, even as the girl smiled wider at the little bunny's own dig. ''Ahaha! Little bunny thinks she's a warrior! Cute, and adorable bunny aren't cha?'' the manakete let out, now the tone no longer one just digging.

No Azrael had found out what she wanted, as she inspected her nails, that smile still on her lips. ''You know, being a spoiled kit is harder then you think. Then again, I'm sure we could relate in some regards. Hmm, we probably could, except one thing. I don't pretend to be someone I'm not.'' she said, her tone sounding bored now. In fact, she was both excited and bored. Excited because this taguel, this tiny little taguel, was trying to tell Azrael that she was above her. And bored because really? ''Did you have to act like every human lord ever? Kind of hilarious to consider you're acting so much like a human when you despise them.'' she said. Shaking her head, the girl flicked something from under her nail, but she felt the smile still on her face. That crazed one.

She wondered who would get back to the warren faster? Her as a flying dragon, or them dragging a corpse? ''I'm kind of happy I don't have duties. I mean what kind of person wants to be 'dutiful' to people that lock them up and rape them for pleasure right? Or you know, abandon them in the middle of a frosted mountain? Having duties to those kind of people is almost exhausting yannow.'' she said, before she bounced towards them, uncaring of the fact that she had probably antagonized them for one, and second, they would probably not enjoy the girl coming back to their warren. ''If you're gonna complain about the food getting cold, then get moving. I'm not tying you down here, oh so great warrior. In fact, you're staying here of your own will~'' she said, now much closer then before to them.

How far is too far, and until what point will this woman tolerate Azrael? That was for the dragon to find out, to her very large amusement. Not like she had anything better to do right at this moment, actually.

(C) ELLIE @ GANGNAM STYLE