[Flashback] A Trio of Serpents (Malah and Vatak)

[Yanessavhanet]

Season of Summer, Day 48, 439 AV

Vhanet was shivering with excitement as she slithered her way through the tunnels leading out from the nest and towards Ahnatep. She always loved hunting, but this time was even more exciting due to the lack of of supervision. She was hunting on her own for the first time.

On her own wasn't quite accurate though, and she cast a glance over at the two other Dhani who were coming with her. Malah and Vatak. Though they were both older than Vhanet it was only a few years that separated them, not the decades, or even century or two, that separated Vhanet from her normal company on a hunt.

They weren't strangers, but they were certainly not what she would call friends. Their mothers were friendly with each other, and so they had agreed to send the three of them off together on this hunt. It wasn't exactly what Vhanet wanted, but she wasn't about to upset her Mother. Not while she still lived in the nest.

"Are you ready for thisss?" Vhanet asked by way of attempting to strike up a conversation. She'd never really taken the time to get to know either of them, and she supposed it made some sense to at least learn how they hunted.

[Kalasshvatak]

Kalasshvatak felt a slight chill of exitement run from his spine to the tip of his tail as he slithered after his sister and the other female dhani his mother insisted would go with them on their first unsupervised hunt. He shifted his backpack a bit on his shoulders to stop the chafing of the leather against his scales, the implements letting out a faint metallic tinkle as the items shifted a bit. Wen the stranger suddenly spoke up and asked if they where ready for this vatak nodded. "Yesss, I am prepared for this hunt, just as every dhani should be." he responded to her in a painfully polite tone. A small smile came on the dhani's face, though the undertones of sadism where quite visible in them. "Now lets hurry up, I'm hungry and getting bored of these tunnels."

[Kalasshmalah]

Though Malah was excited to be hunting unsupervised for the first time, she tried to keep it from showing. She couldn't quite succeed however, evidenced by her pace that always seemed to keep her a foot or two ahead of the other Dhani. Being accompanied by Vatak she could understand, he was her brother after all, but why should she be forced to with Vhanet? it's not like she had anything in particular against the girl, but she wasn't needed. Just like Mother to think I can't handle it because I'm the runt she thought, seething. Malah glaced to her two "companions" when Vhanet spoke up, lingering her cold gaze on the female for a long moment. "Of courssse we are ready, we've been waiting longer than you!" she spat out in snake-tongue. Tearing her gaze back to her front, she made an effort to much just a little faster, to make the girl keep up. "Brother, why mussst they tack on dead weight to ussss?" She asked her brother loud enough that Vhanet could easily hear. Maybe if I can provoke her into attacking me I can show her where her place is. In the nest, cuddling with her mother!

[Yanessavhanet]

"Temper, temper," Vhanet replied to Malah in snake tongue with a couple hisses of laughter, "It wasss not I who made you wait, and I am certainly not making you drag me along."

Was Malah trying to pick a fight? The thought amused Vhanet. If she was more hot blooded she might rise to the bait, but she liked to play games with words and actions more. So she simply gave the two siblings the most sickeningly sweet smile she could muster up as she spoke again, "There'sss no reassson for usss to be angry with each other. Can't we jussst get along?" it took almost all of her will to keep from laughing at such silly, pathetic words.

Even as she spoke she could see the end of the tunnel up to the surface. It seemed they wouldn't get long to banter back and forth before they had to get serious.

[Kalasshvatak]

Vatak let out a small sigh, not really because his sister insisted on picking a fight with the other dhani accompanying them. He would find it quite amusing, but that she insisted on dragging him into her fight that was very annoying. “Now, now, sis. I doubt our mother would send dead weight with us. Or she might have send dead weight with us because she was confident we could handle the entire hunt with dead weight at our heels. You can chose whatever one you like the most of those two explanations but just keep your little argument for when we are back, I didn't pack my tools just to let you two chase away all the toy's with you two bickering like a pair of hatchlings.”He said in a tone as if he was explaining something to a pair of hatchlings that where barely able to shift into their dhani forms.He looked back to the front. Signifying that the argument was closed for him. A cruel smile forming on his lips as he saw the end of the tunnel. Finally he could get some data from real subjects and not just the leftovers from when the older ones where done with playing.

[Kalasshmalah]

Nothing seemed to work, and it was starting to piss Malah off. Why would this girl not take the bait? It infuriated her to think of the other girl taking dominance in the hunt. And to top it all off, Vatak wouldn't even back her up. I'll show them. she thought stubbornly. "Oh, there isss plenty of reasson to hate you..." she mumbled lightly to herself. Hissing at her brother, she didn't like his response one bit. He was supposed to back her up in things like this! Flaring her hood unintentionally, she continued to speed her way through the tunnel. She would be there first, and she would make the first kill. Nothing less was acceptable. Passing through the entrance, it took her a moment for her eyes to adjust to the brightness of Syna. Soon though, she made out the pillars around her, and the outcasts that lived within them. Looking around, she relished the feeling that of superiority that the humans all heedless to their impending peril gave to her. It made her feel alive, important, and strong. "Sso Vatak, who ssshall we play with? Maybe the man by that pillar over there?" she hissed out, referring to a rather slightly larger than average sized man, who looked to be alone. He wore typical desert robes, and didn't seem to have a weapon.

[Yanessavhanet]

Vhanet simply chuckled softly to herself at the frustration of the other female. Under different circumstances she might have tried to play the siblings off of each other, try and drive a wedge between them, but that would probably upset her Mother. She did have some respect for the old serpent, and a healthy fear as well. Besides, a more subtle chance for some fun might present itself during the hunt.

Following Malah out into the light Vhanet looked around for a moment. Though Malah had spoken to her brother Vhanet interjected with a smile, "Where'sss your sssenssse of adventure? Sssure he looksss fat and tasssty, but probably alssso ssslow and easssy. Even were I a dead weight sssurely the two of you could find a better toy than him."

Casting her eyes about she spotted a younger man and woman, dirty and despairing, huddled together against the side of a pillar, "What of them? At leassst with them we would get two to play with, and a bit of real exercissse for our fun asss well."

[Kalasshvatak]

Vatak mentally sighed as he saw the tension between the two women and cursed the fact that just the time people began arguing and he was in the perfect position to both feed the fire and enjoy the show it was just when they where on their first hunt and that the fact that failure on this would probably make them the laughing stock and their mother would probably begin to treat them as little hatchlings again. Letting his sister speed past him he just exited right after her, quickly shielding his eyes from the murderous ray's of syna as he slithered right beside his sister, looking at her target with a calculating look, before he could go and say that he might make a good thing to warm up with, vhanet butted in with her own scathing comment. Giving a look at her targets he could almost scoff at her, though he kept that inside and didn't let it show on his face. “Well if I have to chossse between playing with two ssstarved people that would probably die from ssshock if we even ssshowed ourssselvesss to them or ssstarting with a rahter well fed and ssstrong looking man that could be a nice warmup I have to go with my sssissster on thisss. Going after the sssmall weak onesss is just to easssy, if you think that isss a good exercissse you really are death weight.” Vatak mentally made a note to keep an eye on vhanet and his sister, if they even thought about screwing this up he would make sure that mother would force them to take care of the hatchlings until they where old enough to bear them themselves.

[Kalasshmalah]

Malah was both angry and worried when Vhanet said her mark wasn't good enough. A light sissing escaped from her when the other female suggested they played with the couple. "Agreed, Brother. Who knowsss what disseasssess you'd get from them? And bessidessss, I prefer ssome meat to my mealsss." She gave one last glance at the two huddles together before bringing her attention back to the man she had selected. "it'sss decided then? I will go up and distract him, you come up from behind and take him down." Malah said with an aura of authority and confidence before starting off. Making her way towards the man, she tried to be as unassuming as possible. The results weren't great, but she didn't come off as threatening. As her approach come close to the man, she was noticed, and she smiled wide for him benefit. "Greetingsss! I'm a little lost, could you tell me where I am?" she asked with as much innocence and charm as she could manage. Hopefully Vatak would be quick though, she didn't know how long she could do this with a straight face.

[Yanessavhanet]

Vhanet gave a sigh and a roll of her eyes as the siblings disagreed with her thought. Sure, the man had more meat, but what fund would it be in taking him down? When Malah then approached the man with a smile and tone that were clearly false it gave her an idea though.

She hadn't been asked to do anything to help, and so Vhanet would do her own thing to make the hunt more fun, for her at least, as Vatak moved into position. Moving a little over, so she was sure she was in the man's line of sight, Vhanet gave him a toothy grin for a moment, and then flared her hood open and bared her fangs.

Vhanet almost burst out laughing as the man's eyes went wide with fear, and he turned to start running away. Still grinning widely she hissed out at the other two, "Hurry! He isss going to get away! Let'sss get him!" as she quickly slithered forward to "help" some more.