Slithering dreams [Open]

[Nidassasyae]

The air smelled of lightning and smoke, and some foreign darkness that Nida’d never encountered before. She felt the scent enter her body and awaken some primal fear. Any composure she’d felt earlier was lost. These creatures… these monsters were not children of Siku. Nida didn’t mind their stench of blood and death, but there was something purely unnatural about these monsters of the air. Something that sent shivers down Nida’s spine. Her mind screamed for her to run, to hide, that rational actions had no place here.

Seliarus, where was he? The Kelvic cast about frantically, looking for the viper that was on her neck moments ago. But he’d disappeared, slithered off with the other serpents. Siku’s children would take care of themselves. It was up to the outsiders to find their own way of survival.

“We’ll go faster if you ride,” the Kelvic cried over the shrieking winds, her black hair whipping about her. Nida’s body began to dissolve into a million points of light, who zipped about and formed themselves into a large cat-like shape. Then, as abruptly as they had ignited themselves, they died out. In their place was a massive dire snow leopard, the size of a warhorse, standing at a foot and a couple inches taller than Serrif. The leopard crouched down, nodding to Serrif and to Sabe.

Though the two of them would slow her down, she couldn’t leave them. There was something in her mind that forbid that course of action. It allowed for no compromise. As a leopard, Nida’d never been a part of a pack before, but she imagined that it’s restrictions felt something like this.

She would wait for a few moments to see if either had the courage to ride on her. Then the Kelvic set off into the woods, springing in the opposite direction of the monsters. She could feel the darkness at her back, snapping at her heels.

The clank of chains rattled in the branches overhead, growing closer and closer. Nida wove among the trees, frantically trying to outrun whatever monster was following them. She was panting with exhaustion, but still the Kelvic ran. This was her kind of nightmare: running, being chased by a nameless and unknown entity. But she did not know it was only a dream. Her heart pounded and her chest couldn’t seem to contain it.

A rustle in the leaves above her alerted her to the arrival of something, but she didn’t know what. Suddenly a feather-like weight dropped down onto her neck, curling around her. The viper was back, and its slitted eyes were fixed firmly on the sky behind them.

The forest around them seemed to grow thinner as the moments passed. The underbrush disappeared, replaced by rocks. Nida’s feet pounded against the ground like drumbeats, their rhythm frantic and fast. She kicked up sand as she ran, not grass. The ground beneath her was slippery, her body was not made to traverse this kind of terrain with ease.

Where she had seen only a distant horizon of sand before, suddenly there was a chasm at her feet. The Kelvic skidded and tried to turn, her momentum carrying her closer and closer towards the drop. She felt her claws dig in under the sand, scrambling for a foothold to stop her progress. Perilous inch by perilous inch, she slid towards the edge of the gaping maw. If the two strangers had ridden on her, Nida hoped they and the viper had enough sense to dismount immediately. She closed her eyes, expecting herself to topple over the cliff at any moment. But that moment never came, and she swayed precariously a mere inch or two away from the hungry chasm.

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

Sheer terror was seconds from overtaking him. Those beasts looked like slavers…but hellish slavers sent straight from Rhysol himself. They were here to claim him again, there was no hope left in his body all he could do was run…far from the smoke and those…those things. Why was he the only one that sensed the urgency here? Did the Konti not know what those men would do to her if they caught her? Rak’keli’s grace wouldn’t even be able to save her if the men got their clawed hands on her body…Nothing would help her if they got hold of her. NOTHING and he knew it. Why didn’t she? Was she completely naive to this? He was about ready to take her and this other woman by the hand and run off with them somewhere safe…anywhere that was away from the impending torture that awaited him if the smoke caught up with him. Anything even death was better than that; something he had resolved himself to a very long time ago.

The cat like woman was looking for something, likely her snake friend who had left in the sea of animals rushing away from them…and the new more threatening creatures who had introduced themselves to this forest. She seemed to be the only one that understood the danger that was moving toward them. But she made the strangest comment…riding? Where were they going to ride and what were they going to ride? There were no horses here! What was she getting at. Panic began to sit in as the smoke kept moving…scarring the landscape in front of it. But then the most remarkable thing happened. The woman changed; but she didn’t change into a simple cat or panther like he had expected. No; she changed into a huge leopard of some kind. She was absolutely enormous, standing taller than he did. This kept getting stranger and stranger to him. HOW was that possible?

She nodded to Serrif and he climbed onto her back offering the Konti a hand up so she could ride as well. He would place the Konti behind him and he would hang on tight for his life. His hands on the giant cats shoulders and his legs around her body like a giant horse. He knew he had to stay on if he wanted any hope of the smoke leaving them alone. The leopard ran with prowess like he had never experienced before. IT was…breath taking and his heart grew lighter as they put all kinds of distance between them and the smoke. But as they hit the sand he could feel her lose traction. Then a chasm opened up out of nowhere…He felt the leopard grow frantic and he knew having his weight and the added Konti’s weight wouldn’t help her any.

He took decisive action, to protect himself, the Konti and lighten the load for the massive animal. He reached behind him and gripped the Konti. Then without so much as a word he fell off back first. He pulled the Konti close and tight to his body so that his back and body would take the brute amount of the fall and force. To her it would feel like she had hit a relatively hard pillow. But to him it was quite different. He hit hard against small rocks and sand, he could feel the rocks scar against his body as he came to a stop. But the entire time he didn’t let go of the Konti, He held her until they stopped. And when he finally had he looked first to the Konti then the large animal who had stopped only inches from the hungry fissure. He was glad they had saved themselves, but his body paid the price. He nodded and released his arms from around the Konti who he had been hugging tight to his body only moments before; and sighed some…was it over yet?

[K'Sabe]

Before her eyes the naked woman seemed to dissolve into light and reshape her body and in only a fraction of a second an enormous leopard of some kind stood in the woman's stead. Her withers reached higher than the man even and yet her massive, lithe body didn't seem clumsy or slow at all instead she showed off pure energy and power barely contained in her animal body. Sabe had never seen a Kelvic before but she guessed this had to be it and even in the midst of all the chaos the Konti admired the elegant feline and was glad the woman didn't seem to have any incline to eat them for she was certain neither she nor the man would have chance in that case. Gratefully Sabe accepted the man's help and with some effort on her part she managed to get her dress out of the way so she could swing her leg over the cat's back, seating herself behind the man. She had ridden horses before but this experience wasn't even close to that. Muscles flexed beneath thick fur and the nimble powerful gait rolled beneath her. As soon as Nida started moving Sabe realised it would be more difficult to ride a cat bareback than a horse, gripping the leopard's body hard with her knees hoping she wouldn't slip on the silky fur and wrapped her arms hard around the strangers waist as the wind threatened to tear her off. Despite the threat behind them Sabe enjoyed to high speed run, the feel of raw power and dexterity as Nida weaved through the trees with a great darkness chasing after. Sensing more than knowing Sabe felt the great cat tiring, her large body heaved for every breath and her strides had not the same feel of unsurpassed energy. Cats, no matter their size were as far as the Konti knew not suited for riding, at least not in the way one would ride a horse. With extra weight added to that it was no wonder Nida grew tired. Soon, though with their speed Nida must have managed to take them quite far already, their surroundings changed. The forest thinned out and vanished as the forest floor changed to sand causing Nida to struggle for every step, like she was not accustomed to this environment. As Nida's whole body tensed up and strained to halt her reckless speed, desperately digging her paws into the loose sand. Sabe wondered what was ahead off them, leaning to the side slightly she too caught sight off the large rift cutting through the ground like a deep wound. She had barely enough time to feel the wave of fear crash over her as the man grabbed her and threw them both off the giant leopard. Encased in an iron grip by the man Sabe only felt the crash onto the ground like a short fall onto a semi hard surface. As they skidded to a halt over the sand and rocks Sabe saw the great animal manage to stop mere inches from the abyss, her entire body shaking with effort and fear. Quickly Sabe rolled off the man but stayed on her knees, making sure Nida indeed was safe. "Are you alright?" She asked the man worriedly, he didn't show any large signs of pain but that fall must have hurt him. "I can heal your wounds otherwise," Sabe offered, her need to help others were for now only over shadowed by fear if her healing would work in this strange place. If he accepted her help she'd place her hands on his back and a swirling mark beneath her collar bones, half covered by her sea green dress, would glow a pale blue while she used her healing. Standing up Sabe looked around them, the gorge seemed endless in both directions surrounded by sand instead off grass. In the deep abyss tall stone pillars rose out of the pitch black depths, creating a way to get across if one could traverse that distance between them and also dared test their stability. For now though it seemed like their followers had lost their tracks. "What do you think we should do?" Sabe asked Nida and the man. "Should we try go around the abyss or do you think you can jump across those pillars?" Sabe directed the last to the enormous leopard as she was the only one who had a chance of succeeding.

[Nidassasyae]

The Kelvic’s legs shook slightly as she pulled herself away from the edge. Heights had never bothered her before, but she didn’t fancy a grisly death smashed against whatever sharp rocks were certain to be at the bottom of such a drop. Her limbs were protesting from the strain of her running and her transformation, and she gritted her teeth against their complaints, making her way towards the two-leggers. Her lungs worked frantically as she panted, slowly easing into a crouch before her companions.

The strange male’s fear had some trace of… recognition in it? Did he know what those monsters were? Nida’s curiosity was nagging at her to ask him, to change back for the simple purpose of voicing her question, but she quickly pushed it aside. The Kelvic needed a short rest, and to use up what remained of her energy in morphing back would be pure folly. She recoiled in shock as a familiar metallic tang hit her, and her eyes narrowed at the human male. Blood? He was hurt. She felt a part of herself gnash its teeth in eagerness, trying to move her body towards the man. No doubt he’d be tastier than that sailor in Zeltiva, who’d tasted of dirt and booze.

No, Nida told herself, careful to keep distance from the wounded human. He knows something about the creatures. He’s given no offense. He protected the fish woman without complaint. He is not an ordinary male.

Why do you care? Why has it taken you this long to remember what he is? A human! A meal! Kill him now, while he’s not suspecting it. You are the predator, he is the prey.

The Kelvic eyed him solemnly, but did not move towards him. Instead, she rested her head on her paws, watching as the woman asked him if she could heal him. Healing? What other strange things did this place have in store for them? Magic was all well and good, but Nida couldn’t understand it; therefore, she distrusted it. She didn’t like the thought that two-leggers could wave their hands and make the impossible possible. It was too much power. Of course, the hypocritical Kelvic never considered her own transformation as their kind of magic. Hers was a part of her.

Oh great. The woman wanted to plan. Nida was no good at those sort of decisions, fearing that her own choice could affect the group for the worse. Her vision was directed towards the pillars in question, and she eyed them uncertainly. They formed a bridge across the gaping chasm. What if they weren’t stable enough to support them? If it was a only question of weight, the problem could have been much more easily solved. She’d use up more energy, shift, and the companions could make their way across the chasm. However, as fate would have it, things couldn’t possibly that easy. The distance between each pillar was far more than a human could jump. But it was a distance that a leopard built for leaping could manage. Could she do it with the weight of the two-leggers on her back? Nida wasn’t sure.

The Kelvic then straightened up and visibly shrugged her shoulders. She couldn’t communicate through voice with either of them, and had to use her own version of sign language. Her large head nodded towards them, as if passing the decision onto them. Nida was no leader, and she’d never trust any decision that she made herself. It was a relief to have others make it for her, if they would.

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

The pain wasn’t horrible although he knew that it would require some kind of medical attention if he wanted to continue. Although he had suffered far worse in far more unforgiving situations. The Konti questioned if he was ok, it was about now that the injury was beginning to settle in. His body was twisting as if to let him know he had indeed abused it. The feeling was unpleasant. He knew though when he rolled off the large cat and provided his body as a buffer that he would likely suffer far worse. The sand had caught most of his weight and although some of it was packed the smaller rocks were what had done the damage to his back. He knew his white bodysuit wouldn’t be white anymore on the back…it would likely have streaks tainted crimson red by his blood. He sighed and swallowed before he answered her.

“I’ve had worse.” He said standing as he stretched his body out some making sure nothing else was wrong. He wasn’t completely declining her offer he only wanted to make sure in his mind that, “we need to get a handle on the situation before you worry about me.” Serrif looked to the gorge and shook his head…where were they that such things could happen?

The stone pillars seemed to raise out of the depths of the darkness and form what was a laughable way across. He knew he wasn’t agile enough to traverse them without great effort on his behalf. He shook his head and then looked down into the never ending abyss. There was no way he would ever get across those things, maybe they would form a bridge? No, he had a feeling that he wasn’t going to be quite that lucky here. With his back to the women they would get a glimpse of how ‘unordinary’ he really was. The rocks had cut the bodysuits back in several areas exposing what could only be explained as a lattice of scars and valleys in his skin; much like the gorge that sat before them.

Scar Layout :

Just focus on the ones on the back because that would be all you would be able to see.

He eyes the pillars suspiciously and shook his head again; he didn’t trust these pillars. Not one bit. But he knew that they were running out of choices here and if they were to really escape that rolling fog and those…things they would have to cross. But could those minions from hell cross too? Well the only way he could know for sure was to cross himself. He would’ve let the Konti try just because he knew she was the lightest but he wasn’t sure she would be able to keep her footing on each of the platforms. He knew the Kelvic could likely manage it…but in her current form she weighted a decent amount likely five times what he weighed…So in his mind he was the logical choice. Even if he was a little torn up.

The top of the platforms were a good three and a half feet across. They seemed to be made of a rough surfaced stone meaning if he managed to get across them he could still manage good grip on them with his bare feet. He removed his boots and tied the laces together. He judged distance by throwing his boots across the chasm with all his strength. They flew like a makeshift boomerang and just barely landed on the other side. It was a good distance across. But exactly how far he couldn’t tell. He counted the number of pillars then tried to judge distance between them carefully it seemed like five to eight feet between pillars…give or take a foot; he hoped more take than give. He was starting to think if he got a running start he could bound to the first pillar and then keep going across. He wouldn’t be able to stop though, because that would halt his forward inertia. He shook his head one last time in disbelief for what he was about to attempt. He looked back at the group and then smiled and laughed a little to himself. He wasn’t afraid, but he was indeed nervous.

“Well…ain’t getting any younger.” He then took about six or so steps back and started off toward the first pillar. They were in a relatively straight line so as long as he kept going he would be fine.

He reached the edge of the chasm and his right foot landed right on the edge as he then powered upward and extended his left foot outward to meet the first platform. Sailing through the air he made sure not to look down and focus on the task at hand. If he looked down he wouldn’t be able to focus on what he was doing now. And that could cost him horribly. His foot landed and like he had planned he kept moving forward. He didn’t feel the first pillar shift at all underneath his foot, and even if he had he needed to keep going forward no matter what. He had committed and that meant seeing this through to the end no matter what. His right foot again met the edge of this platform and he powered onward jumping to the next platform, so far everything was going admirably.

[K'Sabe]

A look at Nida as she walked over towards them told her that while the giant leopard seemed stiff and over worked she did not seem to have any obvious wounds and Sabe relaxed a bit more. Thankfully her atmosphere reading could not pick up the blood thirsty hunting need that Nida gave off towards the injured man, as her gift didn't work on animals, even those with a human form. Though the Konti could see Nida keeping her distance as she laid down, large head resting firmly on her paws, a serious gaze fixed on the man and Sabe. In the cat's silent answer it seemed she gave the decision to them, something Sabe wasn't so happy over, she could make decisions alright but she disliked making risky choices that affected other people. To make it worse the man seemed less bothered by his wounds than she would have guessed by his stiff movements when he rose up, Sabe felt awful that there was a wound in front off her and she could not heal it, or rather the stranger just waved it off in lieu of the dire situation, it went against her nature to ignore a person who was hurt, and the blood on the man's back was a sure tell sign he was hurt. But she also couldn't force her help onto someone unless their life was in danger and Sabe had to admit, though reluctantly, that their situation was more life threatening than his scrape wounds, however bad they may be. When he turned his back to her to inspect the gorge Sabe realised why he seemed to handle pain well, his entire back was malformed by thick scars covering his entire back, at least as much as Sabe could see through his dirty and ripped bodysuit. The sight of what must've been excruciating torture gripped her heart and latched her throat together, any kind of violence made her feel almost physically bad, the more violence and the worse did she feel herself. During that the man had approached the chasm and seemed to inspect the width, at least that seemed like a logical guess when he threw his boot over to the other side. Sabe had barely time to react as the man backed up a little and then took a running start before he leaped across the abyss. Before the man landed safely her heart raced in fear for the risk of the pillar giving away or his jump being too short. Relief was short as he continued his perilous leap onto the next pillar. So far they were solid and stood securely as he reached one more pillar safely, for every success Sabe felt a bit more at ease but also the fear grew that sometimes things went wrong when you got too cocky.

[Nidassasyae]

OOCSorry for the late reply!

The Kelvic’s nose twitched at the delicious coppery scent emanating from the man. As he stood and walked forwards, she could see the red- streaked tatters of the back of his body suit, and the thick scarring that covered the flesh underneath. Nida could feel her ears prick up in interest. This human was more interesting than he seemed. Two opinions fought within her as she examined the scars. The animalistic side that cowered at the thought of slavers and torture felt a twinge of sympathy towards the strange male. How long must he have had to endure while they beat his body to create such a collection of scars? But the other part of her, the part that her Bondmate had created, drank in the sight with pleasure. Would her Dhani lover one day do that to someone? Would she find herself opposed to it, or readily offering to join in?

The Kelvic shook herself, forcing her thoughts away from that. No sooner had she cleared her mind than the man leaped over the gap and across to the first pillar. Was he trying to kill himself? The Kelvic didn’t lunge towards him to attempt to stop the obviously insane two-legger. If he succeeded in hurling himself off the edge, it was no skin off her nose. But he didn’t kill himself, he landed successfully on the pillar and took off towards the next. Interesting.

Nida watched intently as he propelled himself forwards towards the opposite end of the chasm. Reposing with her head atop her large paws, she could savour the fear scent emanating off the fish-woman, while watching the show. The Kelvic was very much interested in what would happen if he fell, or even if he made it across. It was a daredevil feat, to be sure.

But there was now another scent in the air, besides the coppery perfume of blood and the appetizing aroma of the Konti’s apprehension. It stank of brimstone and pitch, and rusted metal. Nida was on her feet in a moment, scanning the treeline behind them. There, just off in the distance, were black spots. They became larger with each passing second. At first they were merely blobs, but then they grew wings. The silhouettes spouted arms and legs. As they came closer still, she could see they were bristling with weapons, and their eyes glowed feverishly red. The monsters they had fled before had followed them, and grew closer with each passing moment. Nida could feel their eyes latch onto her, calculating how wring the life from her and her companions.

Her mouth bared in a growl, putting a brave front over the fear that coursed over her body. She was no naïve little girl, to not know what slavers did. She nudged the Konti roughly with her snout, and nodded her head frantically in the direction of the monsters. They couldn’t wait to see if the male had made it across safely, or find another way around. There wasn’t time for that! Nida hoped the Konti would get on her back once more, so they could make a desperate series of jumps over the chasm and continue fleeing the strange slaver-monsters.

With or without the fish- woman, Nida would rise and sprint towards the pillars. She could feel her hind legs push off against the sandy ground, slipping the slightest bit, before propelling her towards the first pillar. The leopard flew through the air for the barest fraction of a second before landing roughly on the pillar’s surface. It groaned and protested under her weight. Nida didn’t hesitate before pushing off once more and throwing herself at the next pillar. It too protested and creaked, just before a frightening crack echoed though the chasm. The pillar she was currently on started to break!

The frightened Kelvic continued, throwing herself over pillar after pillar until there was only one more left. She felt the slightest twinge of relief, but quickly quelled it. They weren’t there yet. Nida couldn’t see if the human had made it all the way across, her eyes were slightly blinded as the remaining light reflected off the millions of grains of sand.

A flash of light blinded the Kelvic completely for half a moment. She misjudged the distance and barely made it, her paws scrambling at the sand. She could feel a large boulder buried underneath the shifting surface of the sand, and latched her claws onto that. Her front was clinging to the edge of the cliff while her feet dangled. If the Konti had clung to her back, this would be the only time she’d have to disembark. Nida could feel her paws slowly slipping and growled her anger and frustration. Petching sand! Petching cliffs!

If the fish-woman yet remained on Nida’s back, she’d growl a warning at her. It was filled with urgency and there was a underlying tone of resignation to it. Nida knew she’d fall, but this was the Konti’s chance at sparing herself such a fate.

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

Serrif sprung from pillar to pillar making note of how each reacted to his weight. They seemed to be relatively anchored pretty well into the abyss…which was saying something since he couldn’t see where they had come from. With each additional pillar crossed he got more and more anxious. He knew that he was getting closer to the end which made him more and more nervous. The pillar could give out from underneath him at any moment plummeting him to a very painful death. But he had committed to this and there was no simple turning around now. It wasn’t that simple, his forward momentum was the only thing making these jumps possible at all. And if he halted it there was no way he could make it. So he moved on…not looking back. He figured the Konti would mount the large leopard and the two of them would traverse the chasm together; because in his mind there was no way the Konti could do this alone.

There was only one left before he had crossed the chasm entirely. His foot landed on it and with a run across it he jumped again to the far side…but then…what was that black little pool doing on the other side? It looked almost like tar bubbling up from the sand. His body hit the sand on the other side and he rolled. It was about this time that Nida nudged the Konti to the shadows that were emerging from the forest… But Serrif had bigger more pressing immediate issues. From the tar rose a figure rather quickly. First the tips of long bat like wings, then the head and those glowing red eyes…It was one of them…but just one. The figure rose and stood the same height as him, in his hands was a long bullwhip a weapon Serrif was all too familiar with.

The fear that shot through Serrif almost held him captive as he scurried through the sand and then found two opal colored hilts in the sand and a leather strap sticking up from it. He pulled the leather strap from the sand and it was a weapon harness with two daggers attached to it. Almost without thinking at all he pulled the daggers from the sheaths and put one in each of his hands…He was going to face this monster. The beast stared at Serrif and then made a movement to crack the man with his whip. Serrif ran forward and then rolled forward efading the whip…but not completely.

The whip tore through his left shoulder and split him open. Pain was a familiar feeling for Serrif…Especially the pain suffered at the hands of a whip. He was able to shrug it off and get to his feet. He was now within range to place a dagger in this beasts body. He switched the grip of the dagger in his left hand to be an icepick grip, with the blade facing down. Moving closer to the beast he placed a stern punch in the gut. He didn’t even know if his hand would connect…but it did. He could feel the beast almost cower in shock as he assaulted it. He then took his left hand rose it high and then simultaneously shoved his knee into the animals chest with all the force he could muster while he drove his left dagger into the base of the animals neck.

This…thing was stunned and now going to die at his hands. Without even thinking Serrif kicked the beast forcefully in the face sending it backwards onto its back. It struggled with its wings to try and stand again but this was cut short when Serrif jumped on top and began brutally stabbing it with the daggers he had found in the sand. The animal clawed at his chest and dug in a few times, but for the most part Serrif had won this encounter. The beast fell limp on the ground bleeding deep dark lifeblood into the sand. Serrif was covered with a mixture of his and this beasts blood. He stood and turned around right in time to see the large leopard struggling to get her footing. She was going to fall.

A few things came to Serrif’s mind as the daggers fell to the sand and he rushed over to help the woman. He rushed to the precipice and offered his hand to the Konti if she was there. He would help her off and pull her to the sand. Then immediately he would reach down and grab one of the animals massive arms and assist her in pulling herself up as well. He wasn’t about to let her perish…He had to be a sight to see, covered in blood his shoulder and chest ripped open in several places form his struggle with the wild creature from the nether.

“I’m not giving up if you aren’t” He said as he threw every ounce of strength he had into helping the large cat scale the wall.

[K'Sabe]

The large leopard nudged her roughly bringing the Konti's attention from the man to the approaching monsters behind them. Having spent her entire life almost on Mura she was very naive to the world in many of its aspects and though she was afraid of these weird winged creatures Sabe first now started realising they may be more dangerous that she'd thought. Turning to Nida she grabbed thick handfuls of smooth, silvery fur and used it to help heave herself up on the cat's back, climbing up rather than mounting like she would a horse, not wasting any time on being careful instead hoping her grip didn't hurt the cat. Feeling a bit unsteady as Nida rose up Sabe gripped tightly with her knees and held a tight grip on the fur. A wise choice she found out as the large leopard took a huge leap out onto the first pillar, her stomach sank and seemed to be left behind on the ground and Sabe cursed herself the moment she against her knowledge looked down into the dark chasm. The feeling wasn't entirely scary though, the adrenaline and the exhilarating jump in her stomach was also almost addicting and it was over quickly. The obvious shift as Nida landed brought her out of it though and the sound as the pillar started moving ever so slowly. Desperately she held fast on the back of the large cat as the frantic crossing continued, every jump was just quick enough to avoid falling down and so far it seemed to go fairly well. Which couldn't be said for the man that fortunately had reached the other side already. He was caught in a fight with a winged creature wielding a whip and even on this distance Sabe could see he was hurt even more know and she worried just as much over his survival as Nida's, her own safety came last in her mind. Things then happened much too quick, just as the man killed his opponent the large leopard made her last jump towards safety but it was too short. Suddenly the world wasn't right anymore, with a sudden stop the leopard know clung desperately to the cliff, her hind paws scratching at the cliff to no avail. Sabe clung to the fur so hard she wondered if she could uncurl them again, dangling above the rift she adopted a knew fear, a fear of falling. For a fraction of a second Sabe hesitated before she let go with one hand and grabbed the man's hand and finally she was safe on the ground again, a quickly passing urge to hug the earth came over her but instead she hurried over to the man's side to help. Sabe wasn't sure how much her small stature could help but she wasn't about to just stand there and watch as the cat fell. Even both her hands couldn't quite reach around one large leg but Sabe curled her fingers into the fur as well, gaining a good grip and pulled with all her strength hoping the leopard would get a grip to help heave herself up.

[Nidassasyae]

OOCI am SO very sorry at the delay, school's taking up all my time! If I take this long again, please just go ahead and skip my turn to post. I'm so sorry!

Nida laughed. Or at least, the growling cough that came from her throat held some semblance of laughter. The dire leopard regarded the man with an amused expression. She seemed to accept the situation, and held herself as still as she could while the Konti clambered off her back. Her gaze did not leave the man’s, observing how deliciously ironic it was that the strange male was helping her. Nida hated many human males, and yet this one seemed bent on saving her.

She considered briefly if she had enough energy to shift. If she could simply revert back to human form, the task of pulling her back up would be easy. And if she did, what then? How could they escape on foot, while the winged hordes of monsters could overtake them with ease? It would be easier to just let go, to fall. To not care. A soft hiss came from around Nida’s neck, and the serpent slowly uncoiled itself from her. As if they had all the time in the world. They regarded each other solemnly, both pairs of slitted pupils unblinking.

It was a reminder: The Kelvic’s life wasn’t hers to throw away.

In a shimmer of white, the leopard disappeared. The human and the konti were grasping the slender arms of a small young woman. An exclamation of displeasure came from the woman’s lips, and she pulled herself up with the help of her two companions. The snake lay at her feet, unmoving.

“You wasted your time on me,” sighed the Kelvic. “I can’t shift back, not anymore. Just go, I can buy you back some time.” The Kelvic and serpent exchanged another meaningful look. She knelt down until her face was level with the Dhani’s, seeming to completely forget about the human and Konti. “Go Sel. This is what I was meant to do. This is why Siku gave me to you.” The snake seemed to reluctantly nod, turn, and slither away across the dunes.

“Run, while you can. I can buy you a few minutes at the most, but after that you’re on your own.” Her attention was now directed completely to her humanoid companions. It wasn’t a question, but it wasn’t an order. Her voice was fierce with conviction and acceptance. It was only by lucky chance that the humans happened to benefit from this last stand. It wasn’t meant for them. Her life wasn’t hers to give. This wasn’t heroism, Nida disdained the thought of that human foolishness. This was so that her Bondmate could escape.

“Siku guide me,” murmured Nida, ducking her head as she prayed to the Dhani Goddess. The thought of dying at at the venom or coils of Siku's children did not frighten her. It was the idea of dying at the hands of these... monsters, that chilled her to the bone. I’m afraid. I don’t want to die at the hands of these monstrosities. Please give me strength. The thoughts whispered softly through the Kelvic’s mind. She did not expect an answer, or any kind of demonstration on the Goddess’ part.

Unsteadily, the Kelvic rose to her feet, surveying the horizon line. Where once it had been a garish light blue, now a writhing black cloud encroached upon the azure sky. They were coming, and coming too quickly.