Completed The Feline and the Snake. A Bite for Trickery.

[Samantha Grenth]

Samantha could hear faint growling mumbles but she couldn't piece together anything. When she attempted to at least open her eyes nothing happened. Aggravation built up in her, she hated feeling so open and when she had a predator in striking distance to her.

The world around her sounded like she was underwater. And bless to whom whoever for that, Samantha didn't want to die feeling like she was reliving her mothers last moments. Samantha was almost ready to stop trying to hold on when something slid slowly under her and lifted her limp body up. Samantha wanted to try and fight back and lay there and maybe see her mother, but she couldn't move anything.

Samantha was slowly settled to the ground again and let out an uneasy breathe of relief. It was cold and damp, it helped sooth her probably burnt back and sooth her rising temperature. Something landed beside her with a muffled thump before Samantha felt something wrap around her arms. Pain flooded her and she whimpered.

Something pressed to her mouth and a cold liquid began to fill her mouth. Samantha wasn't afraid of drowning but she needed to breathe. Not wanting to fight whoever was helping her Samantha slowly let the water slide down her throat. Samantha wanted to be greedy but her body would only allow her to take small amounts at a time.

"...sorry." Samantha caught a word and felt proud of herself. But it was short lived as a hot shiver racked through her body. The water was taken away and Samantha whimpered. She was thirsty and tired. Why couldn't they just let her have her water in peace?

After a while her blood began to slowly stop, though not completely. Something was placed on her chest and she was lifted again. A whimper ran though her with the contact on her back and her arm brushing something. her back was raw and her arm sore.

Samantha tried to move something but nothing happened. She could breathe better and that helped but her breathe stuttered when someone spoke, "Even if it kills me." Samantha's eyes slowly opened enough for her to see a blurry image of someone that could only be Svan.

Samantha wanted to protest. But she couldn't. Samantha let out a small whimper and raised a hand, unsteadily and slow, to his chest. Her hot finger's landed on it and she lightly gripped it. ' Svan, you won't die. Come on....' Samantha blanked out for a second and a hot shiver ran through her. Her vision blackened again and her hand lost a little of its grip.

[Licearsvansan]

While the reassurance of a dieing tiger was absolutely wonderful, Svan decided that he would rather not take his chances by going slowly. Instead, he walked with as brisk a pace as his weakened limbs could manage, and before long he stood before the Gaping Maw.

"You have come in search of the City of Illusion. Tell me, stranger, why are you here?"

"Oh you know. I was just taking a stroll outside the city, smelling flowers, frolicking in the woods, and enjoying nature."

"And the woman?"

"Oh I just found her lying on the floor and thought to myself; do you know what would look good hung right by the chandelier? A CORPSE! What the petch do you you think I'm doing here?!"

"It sounds like interior decorating."

Svan hung his head in defeat, "By the gods, I cannot be having this conversation right now." Svan looked back up towards the stone face, "Can't you see I have a dying tiger in my arms?"

"Strange, You seem to have a-"

"YEAH. I know what she looks like! The tiger looks like a person. Its such a funny joke. Ha ha ha! Can we come in or not?!"

The stone face went silent for a moment "Welcome to Alvadas...again."

Moments later Svan was in the city with a bloody and mostly naked woman in his hands. He would have lamented the loss of his public obscurity, but he was far to busy trying to find the medical station, and think of ways to get back at the gaping maw for wasting his time. Turning down the first street, Svan nearly knocked into the very building that he was seeking. Svan looked to the woman in his arms. "See? What did I tell you?" He gave her a broad smile. "I promised you were going to be alright."

The series of events that followed, happened in a haze for Svan. Immediately after entering the building, the pair was swarmed by all sorts of medical staff eager to learn what happened. After a few fuzzy explanations he and Samantha were ushered into a room, and the tigress was taken from him so that the doctors could treat her. Svan spoke a few words of reassurance before turning to leave the room. He hesitated a moment and glanced back at Samantha. He had a a regretful look on his face that slowly changed into one of confidence. "Until we meet again" Svan mouthed the words with a smile as he turned once again to leave the room.

Five meters from Samantha's room, Svan walked and regarded all that he had done. He felt accomplished. Not only had he won the duel, but he had also kept his promise to Caiyha by sparing the kelvic. Though he was the reason that she had been in danger in the first place, he didn't care. As far as he was concerned, he had bested his demons, and saved the day. Svan was proud of himself. A feeling that he had not felt in honesty for a long time, and it was a feeling that he wanted to hold on to. As he moved forward, Svan felt the incredible urge to smile, and so he did. Even as his body collapsed beneath him, and he fell to the floor with his cold blooded body dieing of shock. Now that Samantha could no longer see him, Svan let himself fall into blissful unconsciousness. The next time he would wake would be a day later on a hospital bed. He would come to learn that he had only barely been saved from death by the staff, and that while he would retain a few scars and light burns, his internals would make a full recovery. Svan would never bother to ask how the tigress fared. Instead, he simply left the hospital without a single word, and carried the battle pack one of the people had retrieved for him. As he left the hospital, Svan wore a half smile on his face. He had no doubt that Samantha had survived the ordeal. While this was in many ways a good thing, it also meant that Svan was likely to run into her again someday.

And it wouldn't be a lie to say that Svan was dreading such a day.

[Samantha Grenth]

When Samantha finally came to and wasn't in a haze it was, as the healer had said, the next day and she was fine. Samantha could raise her arms, with staff protest, and see the new scars that slid up her arms. Samantha sneered at the scars and the staff went scrambling out. Finally having a moments of peace from pesky humans Samantha sighed.

She was still naked and they had, had her laying on her right side the entire time. Samantha slowly turned her feet off the bed and breathed slowly. She wasn't staying any longer in the damn building. What she needed to do was find Svan and bash his head in. She couldn't remember much after the fire appeared but she remembered seeings a blur of his face.

He wasn't supposed to kill himself, she was. He owed her his... Samantha stopped. No, she owed him her life. Sighing Samantha ran her hands through her hair. She didn't want to accept that she couldn't kill him just yet, that she owed him something precious to her. 'Maybe he'll take my first born.' she mused with a slight smirk. Shaking her head again Samantha let her feet touch the ground.

Samantha almost lost balance but was able to regain it. Wobbling her naked self to the door she was met with a worried woman trying to get her back into the bed. Samantha let out a snarl and told the woman to piss off before sliding past her. Samantha finally reached outside just in time to see the retreating back of Svan. Before Samantha could call out to him with what ever, a building quickly moved in place.

Samantha glared at it and turned. Her key... her key was back at the clear... " Miss, I advice you get back in the bed. If you do we'll let you leave tomorrow. Your belongings are he..." Samantha watched as the man fumbled with something in his pocket and Samantha let her clawed hands reached out to tug his arm out. Out came her key with a clattering 'ching' on the floor. Samantha smiled and picked it up. "Thanks."

Samantha turned and began to follow the pull home. Samantha swore she caught a glimpse of Svan again but she blinked and he was gone. Rubbing her eye's Samantha looked at the area again. Seeing nothing Samantha sighed and shook her head. Samantha ignored the different looks coming from parents as they covered their children's eyes as the naked tigress prowled home.

'I think it's time to visit dear papa before I do die.' Samantha mused in her head as she unlocked her door. Walking in she sighed. Her eye's raking over her mothers ashes before she slid to the ground and placed her palms to her eyes. Tears pored out and Samantha let out pathetic whines. Samantha couldn't stop them no matter how hard she tried and it frustrated her, to the point that she began biting at her lip and causing a burst of metallic taste to coat her tongue.

Samantha opened her red eyes and glanced at her hands. One finger no longer had a nail and was black. Samantha's blurry vision settled on the scars that ran from her wrist to the back of her forearm and she flinched. She had caused those, no one else was to blame. Samantha couldn't see it but her back had four small circle scars the size of Svan's hand and beside her right eyes there was a small scratch that was now a scar.

Samantha pulled her legs to her chest and laid her head on them. Her breathing was stuttered and whimpers fell from her mouth every now and then. Samantha's predator eye's were rimmed red and tears still fell free. Samantha studied the light that came in from her window and silently wished for everything to be right.

Samantha was conflicted between her predator instincts to go and just run, leave, and never come back. And the small little cub her mother had left in the ashes.

[Whimsy]

Licearsvansan

Experience	Lore
+3 Tactics	The Dhani Form
+4 Brawling	Kelvic Shift
+2 Acrobatics	Dislocated Shoulder
+2 Medicine	Feinting
+3 Morphing	Gaining the High Ground
+2 Intimidation	Taunting
	Morphing in Combat
	Using Fire in Combat

Samantha Grenth

Experience	Lore
+1 Tracking	The Scent of Licearsvansan
+3 Hunting	Distraction in Tiger Form
+4 Unarmed Combat	Dislocated Jaw
+3 Tactics	Frustration in Combat
+3 Intimidation	Taking Advantage of Kelvic Forms
+2 Acrobatics	Pinning One’s Foes
	Dilemma: Human or Animal?
	Having One’s Body Give Out

Comments
A very interesting thread that involved lots of techniques and tactical knowledge. You made a training thread interesting, not just hack and slash. Just a few notes: Samantha, I'm going to request that you change your font in the future. It's fine on your CS but reading it for extended periods of time gets confusing and irritating. Svan, I still think that the skill you use is more Unarmed Combat than Brawling: everything is far too considered to be brawling. However, I awarded you Brawling. If you decide to change to Unarmed Combat, just change it in your CS and this award. Both of you, be careful of assuming your attacks are successful before you give the other player a chance to react, and watch out for overplaying your skills: Svan, at only 13 Morphing, it would take you a while to morph those body parts, and would be exhausting to keep up. Don't forget about how quickly combat happens: morphing in the middle of battle would take a while. Finally, you will both be feeling very sore and stiff for the next tendays. Samantha's wooziness will last for fifteen days, and you'll need some serious rest and recuperation. The scabs over all of your scars will last until the 32nd of Winter. PM me if you have any questions or concerns.

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