Prize Feast (Ssavveckammar)

[Rage]

Timestamp: 1st of Winter, 510 A.V. Location: Somewhere north of the Kandukta Basin oocChanged the timestamp to reflect the correct date of the event. "Doesss not the fresssh air feel good in your lungsss, sssister?" Ressa asked as she stretched her short and stocky limbs, the popping of her tendons echoing in the relatively quiet morning. Vennasharessa was small for a constrictor Dhani, only standing at five feet and seven inches in her human form and her snake for did not even reach thirty feet. But what she lacked in stature she made up for in strength and agility. No one has yet to best her in the wrestling pits and few could match her ability to sneak past the Myrian blockade of their underground city. She had snuck past them and returned - with prey! - a total of six times the previous month alone. Needless to say, she was a very sought after individual, both as a mate and as a guide to safely lead those who desired to leave Zinrah. The latter had earned her quite a fortune for those willing to pay for her services, though she was a difficult woman to get a hold of as she was out in the jungle most of the time. Such as now. Ressa had tempted Kammar to accompany her in "getting revenge against the Myrians", for the militant race had slain two of their more experienced males just the other week, impaling their corpses on pikes along the city limits of Zinrah. One of them was even in mid-shift between his human form and snake form, a grotesque figure with a thick tail rather than legs, and stunted arms. He was headless, as that part of him was stuck on another shaft, its skull caved open. Of course, this wasn't the real purpose for Ressa excursion to the wilds. Everyone knew she just liked causing mischief against Myri's people, whether there was reason to do so or not. The two of them were sitting on a thick branch on one of the larger trees in the jungle, having just feasted on the two birds that nested there earlier. Even now, Ressa was cracking open an egg, a small prize she found expertly hidden in the nest of twigs. Poking a finger in the hole she made to stir the yolk, she took a small sip from it before passing it to her companion. "Doesss it not feel better to be out here than ssstuck in our ss-city like a bunch of ratsss in a barrel?" Ressa asked again, spreading her arms wide to indicate their surroundings. "Too long have the Myrians boxed us in, when we should be out hunting like true predators, preying on the bounty of the jungle! Do you not agree, Kammar? "Perhaps, I shall get me a meal after our bath in the Basin. I'm in the mood for a big cat - a tiger, perhaps!" Ressa laughed, a shrill sound. She was bold, despite the fact that at any moment a Myrian patrol could stumble upon them, a constant danger for any Dhani who was out in the jungle. Unlike their kind, who ventured out in ones or twos at most, the bronze-skinned warriors traveled in large groups and it never bode well for Dhanis to encounter such war parties. Skirmishes between them tended to end quickly and usually to the detriment - and death - of the Dhani unless they could slip away. For the moment, Ressa did not care and she reveled in her freedom. Her mood was contagious.

[Ssavveckammar]

Even in terms of a Dhani constrictor, Kammar was rather large for a female, reaching twenty feet in Dhani form. Her heavily muscled snake half was draped around the branch of the tree, her tail hanging down through the foliage. "The ss-city is nicccce and dark; it'sss safe. But you're right about one thing, the Myriansssss have been in power for farrrr too long." Kammar cooed, downing the yolk then licking the remenants of her meal from her lips. "Sssssso, what plansss do we have for the sssssavagesss?" The eyes of the Dhani danced in malicious delight at the idea of brutally killing some Myrians. Much like her companion, she enjoyed nothing more than tormenting and taunting the female-ruling tribe.
"One thing at a time, Ressssa dear. Onccce we sssstir thingsss up, you can feassst on the largessst cat you can find."

[Rage]

"Kill the firssst Myrian we run into, of courssse!" Ressa laughed. Unlike her companion, the shorter Dhani was in her human form, finding it easier to balance herself on the branch in such a form. She stood up suddenly and allowed herself to fall, catching the branch with both hands at the last second to reduce her momentum before letting go once more. She dropped to the ground in a crouch, her muscular legs easily absrobing the impact. She looked up as she stood. "Coming, sssister?" she called. And then she was shifting into her snake form. Tendons popped and bones shrank as her arms were absrobed into her body and her lelgs fused together to form the tail. Her face elongated and her hair shrank into her head. In no more than half a minute, where once stood a naked woman was now a coiled python, its dark scales easily camouflaging it in the jungle floor. Its tongue darted out once, then twice, tasting the air. As if detecting something, the serpent uncoiled and slithered away, eastward to the surprise of Kammar rather than south where the Kandukta Basin lay. --- Nearby, a quarter mile due east, a lone Myrian followed the usual winding path that led to the Basin. Older than those who usually patrolled the jungle, as evidenced by her wrinkled face, she nonetheless strode in a confident, if somewhat hobbled, gait. She used her ironshod staff for support as much as to part the leafy fronds before her. Three wicked looking knives were strapped on her belt. She was Ehra, aging matriarch of the Snapping Jaws clan, and she was on her way to inspect the work of her people in the Basin. Just a week prior, she had received news of a particularly large crocodile wreaking havoc near the drinking areas of land bound animals, killing several without bothering to eat them. She intended to see if her people had managed to relocate the bothersome creature or, failing that, slain it to restore the nature's balance. A proud warrior in her day, she had refused her daughters' offers to accompany her for the journey. It would be a decision she would regret before the day ended.

[Ssavveckammar]

Staying in her true Dhani form, Kammar let her tail wrap around the thick branch she rested on, lowering herself to the ground safely. Her midsection collided with the leafy earth with a heavy 'thud' and she instantly followed after her reptilian sister. Not even bothering to try and camoflage herself, as to protect herself from any Myrian ambushes, Kammar's heavy body slid silently over the foliage.

Travelling east undetected, it did not take long for the larger female to sense the presence Ressa had detected so long ago. Hissing in thrill for the upcoming battle, Kammar quickly slithered up to her sister's side. "I wasss hoping for a larger group; not sssome novicce who ssstupidly wandersss the foresssst on her ownn. Maybe we ssshould find a larger party.

[Rage]

"Do you not sssmell her, sssister?" Ressa asked in snake-tongue, even as she glided through the dense foliage of the jungle floor. Her movement would seem like an illusion even to those who looked directly at her, an effect caused by the perfect combination of earthen colors and zigzagging patterns of her scales. The sound she made, if anyone else other than her Kammar heard it, would be nothing more than a soft, hissing rasp. Such were the Dhani's advantage of traversing the jungle in their serpent forms - perfectly concealed, able to strike from anywhere. "She sssmells of age - experien-sss! A warrior! A worthy kill if I have sssaw one. Firssst one there getsss to play with her food," the snake-Ressa taunted, challenging her companion to a race, knowing that Kammar's bulkier Dhani form would hinder her in moving through the thick walls of vegetation. She slipped easily through the roots and grasses of the jungle floor, hardly waiting for Kammar to catch up. A Myrian as a meal waited for them!

[Ssavveckammar]

"Being an old warrior meansss nothing! You losssse your sssstrength with age. Your only gain iss wisssdom. If ssshe is intelligent, it ssstill won't prove a challenge for my strength." Kammar hissed dissapprovingly at Ressa's explaination, narrowing her brown eyes at the camoflaged python, deciding it not to be a good enough cause. The Myrian's had strength in numbers, no matter how old one was, the power and battle prowess did not compare to that of a groups'. Why should she waste her time and energy fighting a lone warrior, with a companion none-the-less?! Kammar wanted a challenge, how else would she continue to best others in the wrestling ring?

However, her companion's challenge to a race couldn't be left unmatched, a fault of her large ego and pride. With a hiss of irrritation, it seemed the large Dhani had no other choice but to chase after her smaller counterpart. In her snake form, Ressa had an advantage of speed and her smaller, slim size prevented her from being caught up in branches and other such obstructions which provided a challenge for Kammar. But with Kammar's large size, she had more strength behind her movements, and so pushing her muscles to work harder, Kammar came up behind Ressa. Paying little attention to the branches which whipped at her scaled skin, Ssavveckammar reached out and grabbed firmly onto the other Dhani's tail. With a sharp, and powerful, yank, Kammar somewhat tossed her comrad into the air behind her, only inches off the ground, but enough to set the girl into second place in their little race.

Smirking, she pushed herself to go faster, trying to get as much distance between them as possible. "I will try to leave you ssssome ssscrapss, sssissster dear~." Kammar taunted.

[Rage]

Ressa hissed in consternation at the sudden yanking sensation. In her snake form, the momentary flight as she was thrown was disorienting, but a couple of flicks of her tongue as she tasted the air pointed her to where her companion had slithered off to, her acute sense of smell easily picking up the other Dhani's scent. So Kammar wanted to play that way, did she? Well, two could play that game, and Ressa was well versed in it, having chased prey through the thick underbrush of the jungle during her many jaunts out of Zinrah. She was familiar with terrain and knew the fastest of ways to cut off whoever or whatever she was chasing. In no time at all, the serpent woman found herself before the tip of Kammar's powerful tail. Her companion was still oblivious of the racket she was making in her Dhani form as she crashed through the tangled vegetation that seemed like walls of green boxing them in from all sides. With a sudden springing action, Ressa darted forward, her mouth wide open in preparation to bite at the undulating tail. She had timed it perfectly, her rows of sharp teeth hooking themselves on to Kammar's scales that she did not even need to clamp down her jaws. The movement was so subtle that, except for a slight weight on her tail, she doubted Kammar would even notice that she was there. Especially when she was busy pushing aside branches and leaves in her bulkier form. She would let the silly Dhani do the traveling for her, riding her like a human would a mule. And when they neared their prey, Ressa herself would jump out and claim it - literally a come from behind victory for her. Ressa chuckled to herself, if snakes could chuckle. As they cleaved a path through the jungle however, a new scent filtered through her senses. Similar to their intended prey, it spoke of other Myrians moving towards their direction. It's possible that they were just passing by, or more likely looking to join up with the lone Myrian elder. She wondered briefly if the group had detected their presence, what with the noise Kammar was making and everything. She wondered too if her companion had sensed them as well.

[Ssavveckammar]

She didn't bother looking back to see where Ressa had disappeared to. The female was smart, she was most likely already formulating some sort plan to get ahead of her and reach the Myrian before her. Slightly parting her lips, Kammar allowed her tongue to sneak out and taste her surroundings, picking up small things her eyes might have missed or overlooked. Upon tasting that decadent smell of Myrian; something akin to sweaty flesh and blood, Kammar froze in her tracks, flicking out her tongue in more rapid intervals to firmly locate the wandering dinner. They were close; if not having noticed them and come to a stop she surely would have blindly ran into them. It seemed the Goddess Siku was with her this day.

It seemed that the small party was meeting with the two Dhanis' prey, and that knowledge made Kammar smile sickly to herself. She couldn't have asked for anything better. Now it seemed that there was plenty of food for her and her sister to play with and enjoy. Moving her body as to climb up into the tree tops, a most definite advantage over the savages, Kammar found her tail to be heavier than usual to move. Taking a glance down, the brutish Dhani began suddenly aware of Ressa latched onto her. Letting out a warning hiss, Kammar lifted her tail into the air with a quick, sudden, and powerful yank. And with that same amount of monstrous strength, Kammar went to slam her comrade to the ground."Niccce try, sssissster. But I fear you'll have to do better than that."

[Rage]

Ressa had already detached herself from Kammar's tail even before the larger Dhani slammed the appendage against the ground to dislodge her. Quickly, she slithered between the mass of roots and detritus that littered the jungle floor, but reared back immediately to face her companion. An angry hiss escaped her serpentine lips, reprimand in her retort. "You are too eager for blood, Kammar. Don't underessstimate them! Your form already betrays our presence to them, don't let your lust of the kill cloud your judgment. Myrian archersss sssurely travel up the treesss to give them better vantage pointsss. Hide yourssself for an ambush!" She did not have to add that one or both of them dying because of their carelessness would be a blow to the nest. As females, their people depended on them to help boost their numbers. Meanwhile, killing a handful of Myrians, even if they could manage it (which Ress doubted due to the savages' expertise in group combat), would be hardly put a dent in Taloba's population. It may even incite a massive hunt in the jungle if they discover that two Dhani were traipsing around in their jungle. No, it was best to strike from concealment, where the Myrians won't know what hit them. In and out, they should whittle away the unsuspecting fools' numbers without revealing themselves to them. The Myrians seemed to be less than a spear's throw away from them, and both could discern bits and pieces of some sort of argument within the group. The elder Myrian they had sensed earlier seemed to be irked by the other group's arrival. "...doing here?...at the Basin, helping..." "But Mother! We..." "...as I say!" Only unintelligible murmuring could be heard from the second speaker now. The group seemed to be focused on the two arguing Myrians, no doubt they would ever detect the two Dhani if they crept in close in their snake forms. Not waiting for Kammar, Ressa slithered towards them, hoping to get a better look at the group before she struck. Perhaps she could nail one of them before they realize their doom.