Hail's Story

A giant beast crouched low in the forest bushes and trees just outside the village of Serenity. There was a group of teenagers parting ways, one of them lived on a farm about a ten minute walk out of the village. He watched patiently as the young girl said goodbye to her friends. He waited, waited, waited until she was deep along the path in the forest, where no one would hear her scream. He pounced lightly on her, which seemed impossible considering his enormous size. She had a total of three seconds for her brain to process the attack. Three seconds to attempt a scream to rise in her throat. Three seconds to put her hand up in a futile attempt to block the massive animal. Three seconds to pray to whichever god she worshiped. And then her life, as short as it was, was over.
He slit her throat first, opening up her jugular vein and spilling the warm red liquid out all over her heaving chest. She tried to scream again but it was strangled and only resulted in more of the life blood to be spilt.
The beast drank her blood greedily. His hunger seemed to never be satisfied. He tore at her skin and muscle tissue, ripping out her intestines and lungs, pausing briefly to listen to her still beating heart. He had to eat quickly he knew for as soon as her heart stopped beating, that was when her body would grow cold and the flavor would leave her flesh. He practically inhaled her insides, spitting out the splinted ribs and spine that managed to get caught in his teeth. Bones were so troublesome, and so fragile.
She tasted delicious; sweet, innocent and untainted, a virgin he knew as he could taste no other essence, no other being on her. She tasted like food, and he ate as if he was starving. But then, to him all humans tasted the same. Always sweet and yet sour. With malice and innocence mixed into their beings.
Even as he feasted he could sense the urgency in feeding this close to the village, the risk, and that made things all the more sweeter. He smelled the Dragon near him and smiled, tongue darting out to lick the remaining on his lips. Darting back to her he shifted back into a human, naked body covered in the girls blood.

"Palmira, be a dear and find me some clothes will you, it's almost time for Aura to deliver her report and don't think she would appreciate me showing up like this, do you?" He nearly purred and licked some blood off of his hands

As the scene of horror and carnage took place in the clearing but twenty feet away, one other remained unmoved by the desperate cries of the quarry, keeping its gaze facing down toward that small puddle collected before her until the reedy screaming guttered out and the huge feline had finished most of its meal.

It was neither something she sought to involve herself in, nor something that actively bothered her. It was hard to continue to identify with these creatures that Hail brought down and tore to pieces, even though superficially she resembled one. In her mind, the face that looked back at her in the water's reflection was like a mask, a costume, something put on. It was false. As far as Palmira was concerned she had ceased to be part of that species entirely when part of that species had seen fit to turn her into an abomination. Her life before the research seemed so distant, but the pain, fear, humiliation and powerlessness of being a living canvas on which men sought to paint a murderous beast was still fresh in her mind, and not likely to be easily forgotten.

The creature was crouched on top of a large fallen oak, knees drawn up to her chest and arms folded; hair tumbling over her shoulders like a curtain. She'd been there for a while, waiting for Hail to be done playing with his food. Her companion seemed to take great pleasure in the murder of others, and she was not planning to spoil it for him; if for no other reason because he was her saviour. He had gotten her out of the place, saved her from whatever horrible fate had awaited her there. She could tolerate his penchant for murder on the strength of that alone.

"No. I can't imagine she would."the dragon girl impassively, golden eyes flickering over in the direction of the Lion Expri, who looked as if he had taken a shower in a abattoir sluice.

The hybrid creature rose to her feet and hopped nimbly down from her perch, over to the tree where a canvas bag was hanging. Pal had been stealing supplies as often as she dared, and as a result had amassed a decent cache of random items, notably clothing. It was probably just as well, considering Hail's fondness for both transforming and for guts.

"You might want to find some water to get some of that off." she added as she dropped a shirt and some pants down in front of him, apparently entirely unfazed by the man's nudity.
"If not for because of how you look, because it will start attracting flies."

There was blood in the air. Sin could taste it.

She opened up one eye, then the other, quietly flicking her tongue in and out, in and out. It smelled fresh, even through the thick doors of her cell. The girl lazily straightened herself out, stretching every limb before standing up. This was one of the few pleasures her captors allowed, at least: even prisoners should be given the luxury of a somewhat-comfortable sleep. She rolled her head around her neck, breaking any kinks that may have formed as she slept.

Even in the dim light of her cell, Sin could see the scales on her arms and hands; the mark of the freak, the outcast. There was no way that she could go back to the others looking like that. Even if she managed to escape somehow, if they put a bounty on her head, the others would definitely take the money over her, especially for a test subject. They'd do anything for a quick buck... she thought to herself as her tongue darted out again and again.

"Code 4, Code 4, Code 4. Subject Ursine has escaped prison block-4, and is heading towards other cell blocks. Non lethal rounds onl-" Quickly the announcer was cut off by the sound of metal bending, breaking, and screams of other scientists. In the background, right before the intercom cut out, the huge, blood curdling cry of an angry bear rang through the intercom. In the very next moment, the lights to Sin's cell shut off completely, leaving her in complete darkness.

Fantastic... she smirked to herself as she tastes something else in the air now--not just blood, but some sort of musk... Definitely nothing she's ever smelled before.

And then the thump thump thump of something huge heading toward her cell, followed by the sound of metal being torn apart. With a yelp, Sin leapt back toward the furthest corner of the room, waiting for whatever was roaming the halls to pass and hopefully not see her--

The scraping sound grew louder and louder until a roar shook the cell. Sin closed her eyes and covered her ears, not wanting to see what this thing could do. A grating sound pierced into her skull for a brief second and then the thumping moved onward, deeper into the facility.

She opened her eyes and tasted the air once again. There was still the scent of blood, but somehow more overpowering than before. Sin could make out in the darkness something... off about the door to her cell. Whatever had run by only moments before left huge gashes in the metal. Carefully, ever-so-cautiously, the girl squeezed her head through the hole, taking care not to cut herself on the jagged edges. A quick flick of the tongue in one direction, another flick in the other--there was no one coming. The scent of blood still lingered on, though, and she wondered whether something would come for her.

With a bit of struggle, Sin managed to squeeze through the opening with minimal injuries. A few scratches on her scaly hands, but nothing too drastic otherwise. She cracked her neck to one side, then the other, before sprinting down the hallway away from the musky smell of whatever inadvertently freed her from her prison. As much as she wanted to thank whoever it was that allowed her to escape, she thought it would be better to leave the facility before she could be recaptured.

She ran as fast as her feet could carry her. Just like the good days... she thought to herself. She could almost hear the crowds around her, screaming for the guards to capture her and take her away to get what she deserved--rather fitting that she remembered this freedom as she attempted to escape from a prison... no, something worse than that. Here, she was no prisoner: Sin was condemned.

A door at the end of the hall. Sin sighed in relief until she stepped in something wet. She flicked her tongue once more and the scent of blood overpowered her once again. She felt dizzy--No, I have to keep going! I'm so close! Despite the bodies around her and the pools of blood at her feet, Sin stumbled toward the door and pushed it open.

The light blinded her at first--she didn't remember the outside looking this bright. As soon as she regained her composure, Sin ran off into the forest as fast as her legs could carry her. Her chest was burning, her heart was ready to burst from her body, but as long as she could keep running away from that musk, she would be free, and that's all that mattered in this moment.

After running for a while, Sin came across a clearing where two people stood over a mauled corpse on the ground. One of them, a male, was covered in blood; Sin could taste something feral about him with a few flicks of her tongue. The other, however, was quiet. Unsure of what to do, the girl slunk into a bush and watched them, hoping that they did not see her...

Hail

He chuckled. His Dragon companion was always there to provide him with entertainment. "Ah yes, I think I smelled a stream just over.....there" he pointed in a random direction and grinned. Starting to whistle and still licking blood from his arms he picked up the clothes she had thrown him and walked the short distance to the stream. He could smell someone and it was quite interesting.

After cleaning off the rest of the blood and putting on the clothes - green shirt and brown pants, when would Palmira steal something fashionable? - he leisurely walked back to the Dragon. "Don't you smell something...cold Pal? Like a ... snake?" He purred and looked in the direction of the girl with half open eyes.

Pal had returned to her perch by the time the other Expri returned, having no desire to stand and watch him wash. She had other things that took her interest more readily anyway. She'd managed to steal a locket from one of the residents not long before. The picture inside had little relevance. but the shiny silver and sapphire inset did. Palmira liked such things...though more to look at and less to adorn herself with. She saw no reason to wear them and show them off to others. She wanted them for herself.

Hearing the footsteps approaching her gaze flicked round onto the man, gaining her attention when he mentioned that something else was there. Her sense of smell was not as acute as Hail's, but now that he mentioned it there was something in the air. Stuffing the locket beneath her top she sprang down next to him, casting her gaze around in some suspicion.
"Another Expri?" she asked, her hands pressing shut and jaw clenching...she was on edge.

Palmira was paranoid by default. Could it be that it was one of those trained by the organization? Could it be something there to kill them, or worse, to drag them back to that place? Pal had already made it quite clear that she would rather burn herself to a charred skeleton than go back to that place, or leave anything that they could use. She was not so certain that no longer being alive would be enough to prevent further use or abuse.

While her sense of smell was not highly powered, Pal's eyesight was highly acute, and tuned toward movement. A slight shift in the undergrowth was enough. The hybrid gave a growl and barrelled forwards towards the figure hiding there, moving to seize her by the throat. She did not take chances and she did not let people spy on her. She wanted to know exactly what motives this creature had.

Sin tried to catch her breath as she hid in the bush, the fatigue from her her escape finally kicking in. From her position, she could see the male walk away for a minute; the female was playing with something in her hands, but from this distance, Sin couldn't tell what it was. The male returned, looked up toward his companion for a second and then continued walking. Immediately after that exchange, the girl began to look around frantically. They haven't found me already, have they? Sin thought to herself as the female began charging toward her hiding spot.

Well, damn... Sin exhaled, flicking her tongue and anticipating the second when she could leap to the side. The air still tasted of blood, and she cursed silently as she realized that there was still blood from when she had stepped in that puddle in her escape. Sin bit down on her lip and waited... waited...

Now!

At the last second, Sin leapt out from the bush perpendicularly from the charging girl. She managed to stay low and tumble across the ground, although she knew she wouldn't be able to do that again so quickly. Sin was fatigued; she could feel it in her arms and legs. There was no way she was going to be able to evade her attacker forever, and she laughed at the thought of trying to take her on in combat.

"Eassssssssy!" Sin cautioned--wait, did she just...? In this moment, she realized that this was the first time since being taken away that she had actually said anything to anyone. Her eyes grew wide as she clamped a scale-covered hand over her mouth. You've got to be kidding me... she muttered to herself as the other girl turned back toward her, a scowl on her face.

It was in this moment that Sin noticed her eyes--yellow and slitted, just like her own.

Hail

Hail chuckled at Palmiras frantic actions. Surprisingly she had missed the snake hiding in the bushes but not by much. Hail clapped his hands as he walked towards the two girls. "Easy Pal, she's not going to hurt us." Turning to the snake she smiled.

"Impressive. I've never seen anyone dodge Pal before, she incredibly fast you know. But you are a snake after all. Tell me little one, what is your name and why are you out in the middle of nowhere hmm?" Behind the humoured smirk Hail sensed they would need to get a move on soon. Cara was meant to be meeting them in the clearing and she was a very impatient woman. She would get annoying if he Palmira were very late. But he really wanted this snake! Ah well. Lions were known to be lazy and possessive, Cara would get over it.

"Easy, Pal, she's not going to hurt us..." a voice called out. Just like that, the attacking girl stopped, leaving Sin to hear nothing but the pounding of her heart in her ears. She slowly turned her head and watched as the bloodied man made his way toward them, a smirk across his face.

"Impressive. I've never seen anyone dodge Pal before; she's incredibly fast, you know. But you are a snake, after all. Tell me, little one: what is your name and why are you out in the middle of nowhere, hmm?" the man purred. Sin flicked her tongue nervously; the overwhelming scent of his musk coupled with the blood mixed inside her mouth and she began to feel sick. Still, he seemed the type to ask questions... unlike his companion...

Just tell him exactly what he asked you, nothing more--he hasn't told that girl to kill me yet...

"...Sssssssssssin..." she hissed, still attempting to adjust to this new lisp. There was something about the way it felt coming out of her mouth now, as if it was something foreign that no longer belonged to her. It had lost what meaning it had before she had been taken away, mocking her new situation.

The longer she stalled, though, the more impatient the bloodied man looked. "...there wassssss... sssssssssomething big got out, and in the chaosssssssss I managed to esssssscape." After thinking her options over, Sin realized that if they wanted to try and drag her back to her prison, they would have done so already. "I jusssssst ran through the foresssssst... had to get away from there..."

She looked between the both of them, yellow eyes darting quickly as her tongue flicked around in the air. "Now it'sssss your turn: who are you and what are you doing out here in thissssss part of the foresssst... and why are you covered in blood?"

Palmira whipped around, about to pounce on the newly arrived hybrid, when a call from Hail caused her to hesitate. She straightened up and stepped back level with the lion man, her arms folded and golden gaze still fixed squarely on the girl. She didn't trust her, but then Palmira didn't trust anyone, Hail being a possible exception. The hybrid tended to assume the worst motives in people until they have proved otherwise, and she couldn't be sure that the reptile was not just out to save her own hide. It didn't help that the remark made her slightly indignant regarding her own abilities.

"I could've got her...it was beginner's luck.." the dragon muttered, kicking up some fallen leaves with one foot. The boots she'd stolen were a little large on her, designed for hiking, and probably not the best to be wearing. She was vaguely aware that it would be a good idea to dispense of them if she wanted to transform, else they'd either get shredded by her claws, or the claws would get snapped on the internals. She would also need to cut slits in the back of the top she wore.

The young woman paced, watching the snake girl with an intense suspicion, though deciding to leave the talking to Hail. He was more...diplomatic..she supposed. He was also quite capable of ripping an intruder to ribbons if he saw fit.

Hail

Hail smiled and noted Palmira walking away. She was an impatient one, he understood. She would rather beat the answers out of someone, or just beat them in general. He loved that quality about his companion. Turning to the snake - Sin - he extended his hand in greeting. "Hail, ma'am. I am like you. Only...not. Heheh. I'm a lion. The blood? Well lions are not known to be clean eaters. I thought I had cleaned most of it off....oh well. Tell me sin, did you happen to see a female panther in the place you escaped from? Blue hair, gold eyes, silent? You can tell me while we walk - I'm off to meet a friend and she's quite impatient if we are late. Do join us?" He turned to head in the direction Pal had head off to, turning and stopping to wait for the girl.

The dragon's--the bloodied man called her Pal?--pacing kept Sin on edge. Even as the bloodied man calmly introduced himself as Hail and explained the nature of his... feasting (There was no other word she could use to describe it; he even seemed to be proud of the fact that he had apparently mauled a passing human), those eyes scanned her, pierced straight through her as Sin tried to find a semblance of anything other than fear and anger within. Sin didn't know what exactly drew her to those eyes in particular--perhaps it was because they seemed so similar to her own...

"Tell me, Sin, did you happen to see a female panther in the place you escaped from? Blue hair, gold eyes, silent?" Truth be told, Sin had been too focused on escaping without being caught than searching for anyone in particular. The entire scene had passed by in a blur. Her tongue flicked out in the air, once again tasting the blood lingering on Hail and in the general area. Sin was nervous, indeed; she had escaped one prison to nearly be killed outright by passersby: one hostile, the other sadistic.

"You can tell me while we walk - I'm off to meet a friend, and she's quite impatient if we are late. Do join us?" Hail strode off after Pal, waiting at her side expectantly for Sin to catch up. The black-haired girl looked toward the ground for a moment, weighing the decision in her mind. On the one hand, she was nearly killed by one of these vagabonds, and the other could easily overpower her if he so chose to; on the other, she could not go back to the others, not like this... Besides, if they wanted her dead, they could have easily killed her by now...

"Two conditionsssssss: one, neither you nor your companionsssss try to hurt or kill me; and two, I could really ussssse ssssssomething to eat sssssoon..." Sin's tongue darted back and forth through the air as she took a few steps toward the two waiting Expris. She did not want to talk if she did not have to, but at this point, it was inevitable that she do so. Besides, if this was how she would sound whenever she talked, she might as well begin to get used to the impediment. "Alssssso, it'ssss not the ssssssight of blood I'm worried about, but moressssso the ssssstench..."

Hail

Hail chuckled again. This girl was certainly interesting. What a find! She took a few steps towards them and he smiled, letting Pal walk ahead - she knew where to meet Cara, they always went to the same little clearing in the forest, away from the prying eyes of the village guard - while he stayed back to walk with the hesitant girl.

"Deal, Neither Cara or Palmira will attack you. And I'm not going to hurt such an interesting find like yourself. I've never met a snake Expri before." The word Expri was spat out with disdain. Humans used that word to label them, remind them that they were just experiments, nothing more. And to think he used to BE one! Well at least now he could kill them extremely easily. "What sort of food would you like to eat then young one? Animal...human....vegetable?" He chuckled as he sounded like a waiter reading off a menu. They were the superior species, they could have whatever they wanted after all.

"Deal, Neither Cara or Palmira will attack you. And I'm not going to hurt such an interesting find like yourself. I've never met a snake Expri before." Hail sounded amicable enough to Sin, despite the fact that his companion had nearly torn her to pieces moments ago and Hail could probably do the same to her. Still, she was safe for the time being: that was more important than anything else.

"Eksssssspri... Issssssss that what they call me?" Sin tilted her head in confusion. "I wasssss never aware that they had a name for what I became... They alwayssssss called me 'it' or 'that thing'... Never assssssked me for a name, or maybe they didn't even care..." Her tongue darted out more frequently now, trying to get a feel for the scent of the area. The taste of blood was overpowering as she walked alongside Hail, but she ignored the pain in her stomach as best as she could. Perhaps it was due to hunger after all; no matter the cause, Sin realized that if she were to stay with these Expris that she would have to get used to the scent quickly.

"What sort of food would you like to eat then, young one? Animal...human....vegetable?" The lion Expri offered, looking around the area for anything in particular to satiate Sin's hunger.

"...meat... They alwaysssss gave me meat..." she replied, brushing the hair out of her eyes with a scaled hand. "I don't know what kind, but it wassssss alwaysssss meat..." Sin looked up toward Hail, a glare in her yellow eyes. "And sssstop calling me 'young one'--I'm not ussssssed to being addresssssssssed like that. Sssssssin isssssss fine enough. I'd rather hear my name being sssssspoken again..." She flicked her tongue around, tasting the air and the blood that lingered there.

Palmira had moved a few steps ahead, keen to get going in case any villagers had heard the awful noises and were intent on coming to look. Such a thing would not end terribly well. She cast a glance back in the direction of the other two briefly, in order to get her two cents on the issue.

"I'll agree to that, though if you try to hurt either or us or steal my things then I'll rip your head off." she muttered as she walked.

As they moved that dragon girl cringed, clasping a hand over her stomach and struggling to maintain her pace. She said nothing to the other two, keeping the pain in her middle internalized as best she could. She didn't want to appear weak or feeble in front of the new arrival, so she supposed as a consequence that meant keeping her mouth shut. It was very uncomfortable though...and it did not set her in the best mood. So, when the snake girl began to complain about being referred to as 'young one', the dragon became irritable.

"I don't think you're in much of a position to be making demands." Palmira growled, narrowing her eyes.
"He's offering you something, you could at least pretend to be grateful."

Some people seemed to have no sense of priority. She had to wonder.

Hail

listening quietly as Sin complained about being called young one and Palmiras retort, Hail had grin a wide feline grin. Everything was going so well! He must have had the best luck in the world. They had walked a bit - Expris always tend to walk a bit faster than humans - and he saw the path that cut through the forest to the meeting area. His eyes narrowed. Aura got on his nerves; she was an Expri by choice and let everyone know it. If he hadn't thought he could use her 'skills' he would have killed the damn fox. As it was, her reports on the Village were late and useless so his decision was if she didn't bring him something useful today he would kill her. Or make her kill herself. He hadn't chosen how yet, so many possibilities.

He was wearing a smile on his face when he realized that he had tuned out and so hadn't responded to Sin in a few minutes. Oops. Meat, she wanted meat. Probably best to start her off on some of the local deer. They were easy and the girl seemed very hungry. Plus he didn't think she would be able to stomach human flesh just yet. Figuring Aura would be late already he raised his voice to Pal could hear him.

"I'm changing the course. We are all going to find that herd of deer that lives in the middle of the forest. Aura is going to be late anyway so our new friend Sin should get some food. Pal do you need to hunt as well? I don't want you trying to bite Auras head off while she giving her report. She's an annoying fox but useful for the moment..."

Sin listened to Palmira's remarks about her "demand" to be called by her name. She didn't understand what was so wrong with her request; after all, she had spoken the truth. Those "scientists"--the ones that she woke up to after everything went dark--never even referred to her as a girl, only some number that she didn't want to remember. She was either a number or an "it", nothing more than a test subject for whatever they had planned for her. Now that she was away from that prison, she didn't want to lose her identity again.

The girl flicked her tongue out several times, tasting the air and sensing something... different now, almost as if something was left on a fire for too long and left to char. This particular scent, coupled with the blood wafting from Hail and his... musk, for lack of a better word, began to make Sin dizzy. Her head began to swim with the overabundance of sensations that she could taste. Her vision began to get a bit fuzzy and a sharp pain built up in between her eyes.

Hail had been oblivious to all of these events for a bit, a grin across his face. As soon as he turned toward Sin once again, he snapped back to reality. ""I'm changing the course. We are all going to find that herd of deer that lives in the middle of the forest. Aura is going to be late anyway, so our new friend Sin should get some food..." The girl had stopped listening at this point, focusing instead on the prospect of eating something. Now that she stopped to think about it, it had been over a day since she had last eaten anything; she was feeling a bit weaker than usual...

The dark-haired girl walked alongside Hail as they searched for the clearing where deer were supposed to be gathered. After mulling it over in her head for a few minutes, Sin looked up toward the lion, a skeptical look in her eye. "...normally, I'm not one to look a gift horssssse--er, lion, in the mouth; however, you've met me lessssssss than an hour ago, your companion ssssseemssss ready to rip me to shredsssss at any ssssssssecond, yet you wish to help me..." her tongue flicks out of her mouth a few more times, catching another condescending gaze from Palmira out of the corner of her eye. "Don't take thisssss the wrong way; I'm grateful for it, abssssssolutely... but what do you want from me? Usssssssually, nothing like thisssss comessssssss without sssssome sssssssort of prissssssse [price]..."

((OOC: Words in brackets indicate what Sin is trying to say when her lisp gets in the way or to clarify a word.))

Hail

She was weary of him, and she had every reason to be. Hail was a huge lion, the only lion Expri that he knew of. Scientists had said it was forbidden from using lion DNA at the point of his experimentation and yet they had been foolish enough to do so. Even before the lab, he had been treated like some kind of enemy from everyone, even his family. Unlike his ....... acquaintance Kai, he remembered all of his life before the lab. People had always been afraid of him, for some reason or another. It was no surprise that Sin was worried about his intentions.

And Pal. It was true, she didn't trust anyone. He was still surprised that she had stayed in his service for so long. He felt no ownership over the girl, and if she hoped to repay the debt of freeing her from the lab he found her in, in his mind it was already paid. In his mind he could hear a memory of Kai speaking to him from his days at the lab. Something about friends.... Hail scoffed. There was no such thing has friends. People did things only if they gained something from it. Only if they had to give nothing up for it. Only if it kept them alive. Not out of kindness, not out of 'friendship'. So why did he want to help this girl?

Because he was bored?

Because he needed more people to work for him to kill all the scientists and ultimately Tacrus?

Because he felt guilty for killing so many people?

Because he was lonely?

He shrugged, who cared why he did things. The fact was that he did them and he didn't need to put a reason to it.

"You were alone, and hungry and probably don't know how to survive on your own with your - I'm guessing new - animal DNA. I can help, and so if you wish it I will. Oh I'll probably ask for a favour or two if you stay with us longer, I did that with Pal when she decided to stay. But then again, I am one man, I cannot kill every scientist all at once. That would require me to be in multiple places at once. Now, consider your 'price' for helping you is to accept my offer of acquiring you food, and of course provide some conversation if it's not too much. Palmira doesn't talk to me much.... I get a bit lonely I'll admit. So I'll not turn down the opportunity to have a 'chat' with someone when it pops up."

Sin listened as Hail explained his thoughts behind allowing her to follow the two of them: about how he sort of took pity (in not exactly those words) on her after hearing about her escape, about how she still needed time to adjust to her... transformation, but what caught her ear was the idea of being needed for 'favors' like Pal. She had absolutely no idea what sorts of favors he required, but she imagined that they probably had something to do with killing off scientists--

Fantastic... Not only does he kill for food, he also kills for sport. What have you gotten yourself into now? You may be a thief, but you would never stoop so low as to kill another... Even if they were the ones who turned you into a freak...

"Now, consider your 'price' for helping you is to accept my offer of acquiring you food and, of course, provide some conversation, if it's not too much..." Hail purred, turning his gaze toward the snake Expri. Sin responded by flicking her tongue between her lips, tasting the air once more. The lion's feral scent seemed to have disappeared or, at the very least, reduced the severity to the point where it did not seem overbearing anymore, which helped to reduce her headache but did nothing to reduce her hunger pains. The blood, however, still lingered; Sin wondered whether he enjoyed reeking of the stuff... perhaps he could barely detect it at all--why did she have to be so sensitive to every smell now?

The girl merely nodded at his request, not knowing how else to react. "I'm not ssssssssure what you could posssssssibly want to disssscusssssss with me, but I'll do what I can, I guesssss--"

Sin pauses, tasting the air once again. A new scent, this one gamier and... fresh. "...I think we're clossssse..." The girl felt a kink in her neck and cracked it almost out of instinct.

The dragon Expri walked along with her shoulders drawn up, looking back at the others distastefully. She didn't appreciate being talked about as such, nor did she appreciate being referred to as being bad company, though she didn't feel strongly enough to argue.

She only saw fit to interact with the others in order to answer the question regarding hunting.

Palmira shook her head, dropping into a sitting position against a nearby tree, hand still clasped around her middle and head bent forwards. The dragon Expri rarely ate if she could help it, even if she was hungry. Eating made the stomach pains worse and she didn't feel like she could afford to debilitate herself to that degree on a regular basis.

"Not hungry." she replied.

That was a bit of a lie, she was, but she did not feel she could risk it at that point. Thankfully, as she possessed reptile genes, she could go for days without food fairly easily so long as she did not try and use her fire abilities or transform.

Hail

Hail wasn't really expecting Pal to be hungry. The entire time he had known her (and he had known her for quite a while now) he hadn't seen her eat. Obviously she had to, Expri weren't created with an immunity to hunger. But whenever she did eat he hadn't seen it, she most likely hunted far away from him. He shrugged and smelled the air a couple times, each time getting closer to the herd of deer. When they reached the edge of the territory he noticed Pal had sat down. She said she wasn't hungry and held her stomach. Hail frowned slightly in worry but quickly wiped it off his face. The deer were very close and he figured that Sin would be able to hunt on her own....but he wanted to be friendly....was that the word? Ah it didn't matter.

Walking behind a tree so as not to disturb his new guest he left the two girls alone long enough to strip and transform. It took longer to shift to a lion than it did to shift back to a human but soon enough he was padding softly in the direction of the deer.

There they were. They weren't as .... sweet as humans but they would provide food for the snake. Running up to a doe he alerted the herd to his presence and they were startled enough to stand and stare for a few seconds before fleeing. The doe he had chosen as a target was fast but not fast enough and moving quickly he jumped at her. She struggled and bleeted ((OOC: IDONTKNOWWHATSOUNDSDEERMAKEOHMYGOD!! :O)) in a frantic attempt to escape. Biting down on her neck her dragged her a short distance, not bothering to pay attention to the rest of the herd. The bite wasn't hard but it cut into the flesh and some of the muscle; the blood filling his mouth was rich and warm. Once he had dragged her a bit he worked quickly, moving to break her two back legs before standing and backing up. Seeing that despite her struggled she couldn't stand he ran quickly back to his tree, noting with satisfaction that he had dragged her within view of the two girls. Going behind the tree with his clothes he shifted back into a human. There was a bit of blood on his hands and face and he licked and wiped it up as much as he could before putting the clothes back on. Once that job was finished he put his smile back on and sauntered back to stand near them.

"I would hurry, once the deer dies it will lose the warmth and flavor rather quickly. I didn't know how much you would like to eat, but you can always catch another if you feel up for it after you're finished. And with that," he gestured with a flourish towards the deer, "dinner is served milady." The tone for the last part was humorous and friendly.