[Flashback]Snakes, Seduction, and Snowfall[Sseevrakressha]

[Ssafirsotibones]

23 Winter 507 Winter in Alvadas... Never a pleasant time for Bones... He preferred it to be a bit warmer really... Why the petch did it have to get so cold? Well, it was not always so bad in Alvadas... Though its weather could be a bit finicky and unpredictable... But it had not snowed in a bit, and was rather sunny out today, so it seemed like there was little better chance for him to go hunting... Still though, as he went out, his robes pulled tight around him, he kept an eye out for caves... If he had to, and it started to snow hard, the only thing that might save him, was to hunker down in one... He had his camping stuff, a tent, a bedroll, and a warm winter blanket, which he could use. Though a fire would be much better, finding wood would be unlikely. But for now, he went out, in his human form, which was a bit easier to keep warm than his scaly ones, to look for something to hunt... At least if nothing else, the old snow that was in patches, made it easier to see were things had travelled... If he was better at tracking, he could probably even tell fresh tracks from old ones... But he did his best, darting out his tongue to taste at the air... Surely he would catch some fresh meat to keep him warm...

[Kressha]

Kressha missed the warm air from Endrykas, and she mentally beat herself for having decided to leave the warmer climate closer to winter just to travel to the city of illusions. This was the farthest north she'd yet to travel, and perhaps that was it really, maybe she hadn't understood that other places, when it became winter, got unbelievably cold. Ok, well it wasn't unbelievably. To a person that was a resident in the area, the weather would have been nice, the sun still shining, currently no snow on the ground. Kressha felt like she was riding in an ice box. She even had herself dressed in nearly all the clothing she owned. Her cotton pants she wore against her legs while she'd squeezed the leather pair over them, a cotton shirt covered her torso while she had loosely tied the leather corset she had into place around her as well. She wasn't wearing it cause she had plans of playing or anything, it wasn't even tied as tightly as she wanted, but it provided another layer over her skin to help keep her warm. Over everything then was a thick fur cloak that she had tightly wrapped around her, Rahhale's reigns were even pulled into the warmth so she didn't have to freeze her hands. The leather gloves she wore helped, but not that much. The cooler weather didn't seem to bother Rahhale too much as she slowly made her way through the mountain range just outside Alvadas. Kressha would have loved to go faster, in hopes of reaching the city sooner so she could find warmth, but that would make the breeze blowing against her stronger and she cherished the moments when the air was still around her. Her stomach let out a rumble with its demand for food and she sighed. She'd been on the go for awhile now and she'd used up what all the food she'd packed with her already. The last week or so she'd had to shift to her Dhani form to go hunt to keep herself fed, but she had no desired to do that today. Even under all her layers she was still shivering slightly. With one hand on the reigns under her cloak, the other had a tight grip on the bow she'd gotten in Ahnatep. It had taken her nearly 30 chimes to finally get the arrow in place where she thought it was supposed to go. Her cold shivering hands hadn't exactly helped. She'd dropped the arrow several times before she finally got it. This would be only the second time she'd fired the thing, the first having been in Ahnatep when she first got the weapon. Ever since then she'd always traveled with someone that willingly did the hunting or she hunted in her Dhani form. She'd never really needed it until now. Not wanting to have to attempt to fire the think with her freezing limbs over and over again, she had dipped the tip of the arrow in the vial pendant that she wore around her neck, coating the tip in her venom. Untucking her face from the fur cloak, she let her tongue slip out for a brief moment, tasting the air, hoping to catch something she could follow. She did this about every 5 chimes or so as she and Rahhale made their way toward Alvadas.

[Ssafirsotibones]

As he walked along, Bones kept himself stooped a bit, so that he would be less noticeable, and his silhouette less human. When hunting, it was a good thing to do, as usually most animals new to look for the human form standing there, and react. After a bit, he tasted the air once more, darting out his tongue, noting its crispness... It seemed like it was slowly getting colder... Already the temperature had dropped since he had left town. Slowly but surely... But he did not want to turn back yet, he still had time... If it got bad, he could still make it back... He noted another cave, as he passed it, marking it in his memory were it was. Better safe than sorry, and to have a place to fall back to. He kept his senses open, watching for the sudden tell of motion... Watching for a giveaway that there was a beast nearby, or that something was coming after him... He brought his hand for a moment back to the gladius strapped to his back, pulling out the blade a few inches, and sliding it back in, repeating this a few times... He had to make sure the blade was loose in the sheath, he did not want it to stick... He of all people knew the fact that in the cold, a blade could stick in the sheath... This was a problem mainly with metal sheaths, on metal blades, but still, he preferred caution. It was as he was walking along, that he heard something, coming from not to far off... The roar of a bear, yelling at something... He was not sure what... But something... Just as he checked to make sure which direction it was, he felt something fall on his face... A snowflake... He looked up, to see flurries... It was starting to snow... Petch... He better go back to the cave he had just passed. He didn't want to be outside if a snowstorm, or something happened... Besides, now that he thought of it, he was pretty sure the sound of the bear had come from that direction.

[Kressha]

The cold had Kressha only paying attention to what was in front of her, not wanting to lift her head out of the warmth to look to her sides where her eyes couldn't already see, she wasn't watching her sides or behind her. Because of this, she didn't notice the bear just in the opening to a cave until it let out a loud roar and was charging at her. Petch, the wind had been against her and she'd not noticed the beast until it was too late. Rahhale, having grown used to beasts of all sorts attack them while they were on the road now, turned away from the bear and kicked her back hooves out toward the bears face over and over again before bolting forward to gain some distance. Having not been holding on all that tightly to start with, Kressha nearly fell from her saddle as Rahhale kicked out. She somehow managed to keep atop her but when she bolted forward, Kressha and her still not awesome riding skills, rolled backwards over Rahhale's rump and thumped down in a heap on the ground. Having gotten at least one hoof to the face, the bear held back for a moment, shaking its head as it got its bearings again. Still wrapped in her heavy fur cloak, Kressha was pretty much a sitting duck on the ground and as the bear started charging for her again, she ducked into the fabric and crawled out the bottom just as the bear's claws came down where her head had been. Now free of the restricting clothing, Kressha sprang away from beast, her breath catching in her chest at the temperature change from inside the fur to outside. Her arm that was still holding her bow raising to point at the bear. She knew the basic idea of firing a bow. Gripping the string with her whole hand, she pulled back until the edge of the arrow head scrapped at the wood of her bow before releasing. It was nowhere near a good shot, the arrow wasn't smooth in the air and when it sunk into the bears back leg, she watched as it drooped down then fell to the ground. Petch! Her mouth quickly opened so she could taste the air with her tongue, and there was a small hint of blood, so she'd at least broken the skin but she had no idea if it had been deep enough for the venom on the arrow to soak into the blood. The bear was looking directly at her now, she could practically see the anger in its gaze before it roared again and charged. Spinning, Kressha dropped the bow before she sprang upward, grabbing hold of a tree branch just before the bear's jaws snapped closed right under her.

[Ssafirsotibones]

Bones had been approaching the cave, when he heard the bear roar again. Or whatever you called it, when a bear made its screaming growl thing. Bones just preferred calling it a roar, as it seemed much simpler. He had been pretty close, by the time he heard some horse sounds, he came into view of the cave, about the time a horse came tearing away from it. It took Bones a moment to take things in, a horse running off, which would probably stop once it thought it was safe. A bear, which had been the one he had heard... And a woman. Or he figured a woman, by its general shape and size. He could not be certain though. Just as he noticed the woman, he saw the bear coming at her, and then saw her pop up, and grab at a tree branch, pull herself up just out of reach in the nick of time. An oddly fast maneuver, considering she had done it fast enough to avoid a oncoming bear. Though he simply figured it was from the fear that she had been able to do it. Or in medicinal terms, as a doctor or person experienced in medicine, adrenaline. He had no idea of how she was so fast, or the truth, that she was actually much closer to what he was, than a human. But he knew that would not last long, if he did not do something. Bears were notoriously good climbers, as any person who had spent much time in the area would know. He was already kicking off his sandals, throwing off his cloak and shirt, and dropping his pants. He let out a deep throated yell, both from the shock on his naked skin at the cold, and full of anger... Anger was one thing Bones always had to spare. The bear turned to look at the new sound, its attention and rage called to this new voice. Bones had long since noticed, that animals seemed to find him a much better alternative to there rage, than others. He of course had no way of knowing, that the maledicted trinket he owned, had something to do with this. But the moment he had gotten off his gear, and let out his yell, he had begun his change into his dhani form. By the time its attention had been pulled, and possibly that of the woman in the tree, they would see something odd. Bones legs were melding into one, stretching out far behind him. His head was also changing, flattening, lengthening. His neck getting longer. Already mid change, Bones bent down to pick up his gladius, which seemed oddly small in his hand, which had also grown bigger, and was still growing. He began to move forward, a bit awkwardly, as his legs were only partially shifted into his snake tail. He tossed back his partially changed snake head, and let out a long hiss, glaring at the bear, who turned on the spot, seeing this new thing, and came running at him instead.

[Kressha]

Kressha was surprised she actually made it up into the tree without getting her foot bitten off. The cold had made her feel sluggish, her body stiff and uncooperative. Even though she had the rush of the moment flowing through her, it wasn't enough to loosen her joints. Having never actually seen a bear in her life before, Kressha had no idea that she wasn't safe in the tree. Perched on a branch close to the trunk, she steadied herself before her attention was caught by the yell not too far away. Lucky for her the bear also had its attention drawn. Being able to only see feet from where she was, Kressha flattened herself against the branch she was in as the bear lowered itself back down to the ground. Was that guy.... Yep. She couldn't guess as to why he was naked and yelling at the bear but a moment later she saw his legs starting to fusing into one and growing in length. She watched as the thickly muscled body of a man changed to that of a thick, very large Dhani. From the size alone she knew he wasn't a viper like herself, and he didn't have a rattle so that left only one other breed of Dhani. As the bear charged at him, Kressha looked between the two before letting out a hissing sound. That bear was hers! She found it! Well, ok, the bear found and attacked her first, but she still saw it first. She moved her hands up to her top and started to pull it down and hissed at the cold as a few flurries landed against her skin. Her whole body tensed up and she quickly covered herself. Petch! She was starving and knew she had to eat but she knew with how unfamiliar she was with this weather and how her muscles were locked up on her she'd be more of a target than the half shifted male Dhani. Climbing down outta the tree, she dropped lightly to the ground and gritted her teeth together as her knees wanted to buckle under her. Her eyes shifted from the bear that was nearly upon the man now and her fur cloak that she had abandoned for safety. Petch petch petch.... Maybe the constrictor would share a leg or two of the bear, that's all she really needed. What was she thinking, it was her bear! She better get a leg outta it even if she wasn't the one to kill it. Making up her mind, she darts toward the warmth of her fur and dives into it, letting out a sigh of relief at the protection it gave against the falling snow. Wrapping herself tightly, she climbs back to her feet and with her heat tucked in, she watches the two fight.

[Ssafirsotibones]

As the bear came at him, Bones zeroed in his focus, to the exclusion of all else. It had taken a good 5 seconds for the bear to register him, and get moving. Another 10-20 seconds, to get close enough to be in range... So by the time it had reached him, he was already more than half way shifted. In his dhani form, from snout to the tip of his tail, he was over 20 feet long. Quite a formidable size. Along with that, his head and neck changed to that of a snakes, and everything below his torso turned into a giant tail. And since this meant his torso and arms would be out of proportion, they also grew, getting larger and longer, and thicker. Becoming several sizes times larger, (though not longer). As they closed, the bear swatted at Bones with its claws, and Bones blocked with his gladius. However he was not yet fully strong or changed, and the weapon was knocked loose. Bones moved forward, grappling with the beast, hand to hand, trying to push it. However for the moment, it was winning, having more weight and size and strength to back it up. But every second brought things closer to his own favor. After 5 seconds, he was able to stop sliding back... After another 5 seconds, his change was solidified, complete, and he was a finished dhani... He let out another hiss, and prepared to fight back. With a twist of his hips, and a turn of his body, Bones brought his tail around swinging, catching the bear in the side. It let out a groan, and was knocked off its feet, sent sliding through the snow. Bones took the opportunity to pick up his gladius, which know looked more the size of a long knife in his grip, as the bear got back up, ready to fight again.

[Kressha]

Kressha stayed in the safety of her fur cloak as she watched. She'd only ever met other viper dhani and never before had she'd seen a constrictor. Her eyes couldn't decide which of the beasts to watch, her soon to be meal, or the male. Her stomach let out a rumble and she tried hitting it to shut it up. She watched as the bear was hit by the constrictors tail and went sliding through the snow and she felt her head tilt a little. That was something she couldn't do, not with a beast the size of the bear at least. A human or a smaller animal, yeah, she could maybe then. Strength wasn't her strong point, she had her speed. Feeling a violent shudder travel through her body, she tries tightening the cloak around her, her interest in the fight and even in eating was quickly getting replaced with her survival instinct to stay alive. Looking around herself, she spotted the cave that she guessed the bear had come out from and after a final glance at the fighting duo, she sinks back toward the cave. Lifting her hand to her mouth, she let out a loud whistle, calling Rahhale back toward her, hoping the horse hadn't run too far away. As she got closer to the cave, Kressha tilted her head as she heard two distinct grunts and growls coming from inside the rock shelter. Stopping in the mouth of the cave, she looks back over her shoulder toward where the other two were still fighting then looked back in the cave. She could see two smaller versions of the beast the constrictor was fighting, both towards the back of the cave beside each other. She felt a smirk come to her lips. It wasn't much, but she wouldn't starve tonight. With the cloak still draped over her, Kressha worked on undoing her clothes, letting them fall to the ground at her feet. Ducking her head in under the cloak, she closed her eyes and tried to focus her thoughts on the meal she was about to have rather than the cold blowing up under her fur protection. Once her clothes were off and she stood naked under the cloak, her on transformation began. Her legs started at her thighs and started fusing together until she no longer had two legs but one long tail that continued to grow in length under her. Her torso and chest didn't change much other than growing a bit in size and becoming covered in scales to match her tail. Her head shifted to that more befitting a snake while her neck flattened and fanned out to form her hood. She kept herself crouched down throughout the change, slowly shifting out of the eyes of the bear cubs. Once the change was complete, she poked her snout out through the opening of the fur cloak, her head now too large to fit through the smaller opening, and flicked her forked tongue out to taste the air.

[Ssafirsotibones]

Bones was far to busy staying alive, to notice much of anything that was not an immediate threat... He did not notice the whistle, or when the horse moved about... He had eyes only for that bear, as long as it was alone in attacking him... Of course, if something else threw in a bid to kill him, he would need to split up his focus... But not yet. All of this action was certainly heating him up, but the cold on his scales was sharp, and it was still snowing... Actually, the snow was increasing, slowly getting heavier... Petch, it was just his luck. He needed to end this fast, so he could get safely back into the cave... Bones came at the bear, with his right hand holding his gladius, and his left in a empty fist. Both could be deadly. He closed in with the bear, sliced at it when it moved to slash at him, to knock him flying with a beat of its paw. But Bones was to strong now for that to work. He moved in swiftly slashing, catching the bears upper arm with the bite of his blade. It let out an enraged roar, and took a step back. Bones took the initiative, and pressed on, catching it in the belly with a shallow slash. The bear charged him, forcing him to lock grips, its claws tips on its furry hands poking into his hand scales, some glancing off, but a few finding a weak spot and digging in to flesh. Bones used his tale once more, but this time to wrap around the bears legs, immobilizing them. Once he had it good and done, he swept its legs out, making it fall, still having its legged pinned in his constricting tail coils. Then all it took was one more attack. He moved a bit forward, and sank his blade right into its neck, going in, and coming out the other side, as it flailed around, trying to grab at his hands and tale. Finally, it stopped moving, dead... Bones cleaned off his blade on the dead bears fur, and put it away. Then going over, and grabbing his stuff, he proceeded to drag his bounty, his meal, of a huge bear, towards the cave. Though it was a bit hard to say... Surely it had taken at least a good many chimes for all of this... Hard to say how long he had been at it... Regardless, he was ready to get inside with his meal, out of the cold a bit, and back into human form, were he could warm up with his camp gear.

[Kressha]

Keeping herself low to the ground in her fur shelter, Kressha slowly made her way closer and closer to the two cubs in the back. She could still hear the fighting going on back outside the cave, the bear and its roars weren't exactly quiet. The two cubs were on edge, they could hear their mother out there fighting and they knew they were in danger. Once she was closer to them, she flicked her tongue out for one final taste of the air to judge the distance then sunk down lower to the ground. Her hands grabbed at the bottom of her cloak and her serpent head slowly started to emerge. It took the cubs only a moment or two to realize the danger that was right in front of them and before they could cry out for help from their fighting mother, Kressha coiled her tail up underneath her and sprang forward. She didn't have strength, but that didn't really matter. Each cub was about as large as her torso so it wouldn't take long for her venom to spread through their bodies. Pinning one with her body as her mouth snapped shut around the neck of one, she let her venom sink in before she pulled way again, and snapped down at the one struggling under her. It was fast work and once they were both injected, Kressha took a moment and realized just how warm the little cubs were. Looking back toward the mouth of the cave, she slithered away from the cubs as they quickly started to get weaker and weaker. She just had to wait for them to die now. Picking up her clothes, she let out a hiss toward the opening and the falling snow before she quickly went back inside. Grabbing her fur cloak, she draped it over herself again, keeping hidden under it and curled herself up around the two cubs, letting the edges of the cloak fully cover her. Once in place, she lets out a small groan as her body starts the slow process of shedding the old layer of skin she had worn as she shifted back to her human shape. Her baby soft new skin underneath quickly became covered in goosebumps at the cold and she tightened the neck line of the cloak before pulling one of the dying cubs up and held it against her chest. Eating it could wait, why waste the body heat of the cub. Her fingers were smoothing through the dying animals fur when she heard movement at the mouth of the cave and she shifted her head so her eyes could peek out through the top of the cloak, her head still being covered by it.