Closed Haphazard.

[Ssafiracitlali]

21st of Summer, 514 AV "Quiet." Yolotl's hiss pierced the silence as he slithered over the ground, coils in endless undulation and tongue flicking, tasting the air and the rain that continued to fall. Matli and Citlali didn't respond; to answer him would satisfy both but the instinct to hunt quietly would have gone unsatisfied. Their own quiet conversation had to die to reclaim the silence now. Out of the three of them Yolotl did the hunting normally. He was smaller than both of his sisters but they preferred their own hobbies to catching prey unless absolutely necessary. Therefore, the two of them were inexperienced in a formal hunt. It was shameful. He liked to gloat. It was there still in the way that he swayed as he led them from one of Zinrah's entrances to the outside world. That pride that he was better than his own sisters. In all truth, Citlali would not begrudge him his lingering pride. He was not good at much, but hunting mattered in their world. Three snakes, each of remarkable length, relished in the clear air above Zinrah's expansive caves. The lethargy they had felt deep down... it lingered, but it seemed as if all they needed was a breath of open air, muggy and threatening a storm, to awaken them. They needed the excitement of a hunt and- Yolotl halted suddenly. Matli and Citlali continued forward for but a single tick before pausing as well, slowly lifting their heads in comical unison to look around warily. "What is it?" Finally, Citlali spoke out and broke the silence. She couldn't smell or see what had caused his hesitation, and it seemed Matli was the same way. Note : So, I wasn't too sure what to start with, but this seemed adequate for me. Let me know if it was the same for you!

[Traverse]

oocA good a start as any!

Yolotl took a long moment to collect himself. With the frequency he hunted the lethargy had effected him less than his siblings and other cohorts, but his mind still spun a bit as he tasted the fresh air. First there was the problem of Myrians. This exit wasn't as close to the blockade, but they still patrolled regularly above Zinrah, and it never hurt to be cautious.

He beckoned his sisters with a flick of his head and started out through the wilderness, moving surprisingly quiet for such a large snake. The first part of their huntw as slow and boring, Yolotl would stop every now and again, letting his sister's peruse some tracks, agouti here, small deer there, even a panther pawprint.

"You can tell thessse are fresh for the rain hasssnt washed them away, but they are from early early lassst night, the edges are already fading." He was right of course, the pawprints had begun to grow indistinct and the water that pooled in them was high and stagnant. So they pressed on.

Matli drew ahead, refusing to be shown up by her brother, and Yolotl stayed at Citlali's side. "Why become a hunter now, sssisster?" He inquired curiously.

[Ssafiracitlali]

At every pause they took where Yolotl allowed Matli and Citlali to investigate the animal tracks, Citlali chose to hover over them a brief bit longer, tongue flicking rapidly as she tasted the air for a trace of the prey the tracks belonged to, hoping to catch something, anything, even if it was faint. She even tasted the water before moving on, sliding after her siblings with a hurried "hsssh" as she slid over the ground. Citlali did not miss Matli's impatience but it didn't warrant a comment. Consider Citlali arrogant-- or exhausted by a lethargic weight, but she was unconcerned. She did enjoy Yolotl's presence as they moved, side by side, two imposing serpents with business. She was languid in her response, which would normally have irritated her under normal conditions without her head clouded by lethargy, but she did not leave his question unanswered. "I grew tired of watching and wished to participate in the doing," she responded. Her amusement shone through, a bit of an allowance to take humour in her desire to be above and downwind, where she could hear and watch to her heart's content rather than participate. She might have admitted to being lazy, but that was an insult. "You ssseem to be very ssskilled, brother. I wish to be as ssskilled as you."

[Traverse]

Yolotl's eyes narrowed at his sister's very unabashed compliment. It was hard to tell as a male whether to be gracious or suspicious of such praise, but for now the hunter decided to proceed with the former.

"Thank you sissster..." His normal boastful self slipped down a singular notch for a tick, "I am ssure your skillsss can grow with practice, perhapsss even reach mine." His tone held the same jocular note hers had just a chime before.

"If you're both done touching each other, I've found sssomething." The hushed voice of Matli called back to them. Yolotl hurried the pace somewhat, a tell tale hissing of scales over ground as he wound his way around his sister, waiting for Citlali so he could tell them both about the tracks. They were at the edge of a river bank, steeped into the soil. Mostly it was just a mess, it was slippery and dripping on the bank and what Matli had mostly found were a bunch of streaky lines, crushed foliage, and indiscernable indents in the soft soil.

There were a few distinctive marks, however, clearly paws prints. Sometimes revealing only the front most toe pads, one or two complete prints standing out.

"Akila houndss." Yolotl breathed. "You can tell by the ssize and number of the markss. A pack went through here. If it wass a tiger or a panther the padss would have been bigger, wider, and there wouldn't be sso many."

"How far away?" Asked Matli, trying to be unimpressed by her brother's observation techniques.

Yolotl shrugged, he was skilled, but not so experienced as that. "Good thing about houndsss is they leave noticeable tracks, they aren't sstealthy or ssubtle. Bad thing isss if we find em we'll have to kill the whole pack."

He glanced at both of his sister's. It meant a lot of meat for the city, but also meant a more challenging fight, he hoped they were ready. Gesturing languidly with one hand Yolotl bade Citlali to proceed first. "Try to find the broken piecesss of foliage and more tracks, ssisster, thisss iss a good firsst hunt for you."

Matli huffed silently behind them, but followed closely on Yolotl's tail as the proceeded.

[Ssafiracitlali]

Citlali grinned as best as she could in her dhani form, which amounted to a quick flick of her forked tongue. Her brother seemed dubious... She somewhat appreciated that. Of course... Matli interrupted the moment, and anything else Citlali might have had to say. She huffed and followed closely after Yolotl, approaching with a mild sort of wariness that spoke of distrust, however quietly it was relayed. She peered down at the tracks indicated by both Yolotl and Matly, cautiously leaning over to see them herself. They were unremarkable to her, but it seemed that Yolotl found in them to be a remarkable treasure with the way he hissed.

Citlali went so far as to roll her eyes, but only once making sure he would not see her.

When he turned from Matli, Citlali tilted her head. She had chosen to listen, finding the information better this way. "That isss a lot of meat," she said, acknowledging that they would need to kill the lot of them and finding that more than agreeable. It would be a good day for them.

She inclined her head when he gestured her further, sliding languidly into the point. Unlike Matli before her, Citlali moved at a slower pace, inquisitive and desiring a stealthy tactic as opposed to stumbling upon them and ruining swift kills. She was a Dhani who considered herself best at an approach that involved ambush, because frightened prey gave her the satisfaction she craved in her endeavors.

As per Yolotl's guidance, Citlali sought out the broken pieces of foliage and tracks, touching to identify what she was uncertain of. A broken branch hear, a muddy print on a trodden leaf- these were things she pointed out to Yolotl, to seek his guidance, and his assurance. It was Citlali's goal to be one of the better hunters, so she sought her own brother's advice. It would one day be her tool to outshine him.

To add to her seeking fingers and eyes, her tongue flicked rapidly. On the heavy air, she sought the taste of the Akila hounds for her memory to use on future hunts.

"There are more of thossse tracksss here," she told the two of them, once pausing at a trampled area that she decided must be sign of one of their resting spots. She observed the obvious, speaking with a tone of practiced interest at the sight, and awaited some form of reprimand from either one of the two for stating the obvious as she did. To be proactive, Citlali circled the area to find a path they may have slipped through.

[Traverse]

Yolotl watched his sister closely, ignoring the closeness of Matli, who was practically breathing down his neck at the sudden switch in favor between the siblings.

He nodded a few times, not speaking as Citlali guided herself through the damaged pathways. It took a keen eye, but Akila Hounds were the easiest of prey to track, their numbers and viciousness negating most of the need to remain stealthy.

When they reached the second little clearing, much trampled foliage and tracks Yolotl drew up close to his sister. "Yesss good, they sstopped here for ssome amount of time." He glanced around, circling the tracks, but slowly as not to mar them beyond recognition. There was a chime or so of silence as all three siblings sought the path, and it was Matli that hissed in triumph, pulling aside a large clutch of ferns draped over several paw prints and leading to more crushed foliage.

Yolotl led the way this time, but urged both of his sister's to keep an eye out in case he missed something obvious. To this Matli snorted derisively, but followed her brother's lead nevertheless, he would pay for this insolence, just when they were back in the city with a half dozen akila corpses to show for it. They traveled for a bell or more, sometimes losing the trail, yet everytime it seemed it had vanished someone would discover its continuation, usually hidden by overhanging leaves, ferns, or vines.

The closer they got the more silence was necessary, until Yolotl held up a hand sharply, and twisted, making sure both of his sibling's had stopped moving to listen. It took only a few ticks before snuffling, low growls and the shuffling of foliage could be heard, followed by bickering yaps and more growls.

Yolotl carefully pulled some foliage aside, Matli drawing up close so they could peer through to see 7 Akila hounds of varying sizes and ages fighting over the carcass of a Nandhai, creatures normally too large to take down, but not so much of a problem for the numerous canines. This is where Matli took the reigns from her brother, gesturing for Yolotl to move around to the left, her sister to the right, they would make a circle and try to kill as many of them as possible with surprise. The good thing about the hounds was that they would fight, not run away, the bad thing was their powerful jaws were enough to rend even Dhani scales, and do serious damage.

oocThese are your siblings so I figured I'd let you depict any fighting techniques or weapons they might have, feel free to go as far with the next post as you like, the beginnings of a fight, the whole of it if you wish. I'll just continue where you leave off in my next post, so its up to you how long you'd like the combat to be

[Ssafiracitlali]

In private, Citlali resented that Yolotl dared claim the right of leadership in this hunt, as her sister openly expressed. She followed, placated by the knowledge that she could rely in his ability. She could disregard the slight, although the amusement at Matli's simmering discontent was a palpable feeling, sort of like the awkward sensation that crept upon a cavern when a Dhani made a stupid comment.

Citlali had not been delicate in investigating the tracks, marring more than a few in her clumsiness, but delicately testing at what she found important as she parted leafy plants and dipped her fingers into mud. In following Yolotl, all care had ceased. This was the hunt now, she could feel it. It quickened her blood enough to ease the last of that tasteless lethargy from her body.

It took a long time. Matli possessed impatience enough for both herself and Citlali, so where Citlali was content in the pace of the hunt, she could often feel the surge of anger that accompanied every loss of the trail. It was only when Yolotl gestured that they all could pause and listen, even Matli falling still. Slowly, as stealthily as she could, Citlali lifted her head and tasted the hounds upon the air, experimenting to learn that actual scent. The sounds they made had no meaning to Citlali but to suggest that the beasts were preoccupied, and when Yolotl parted the leaves, the notion was correct. Her mouth slavered immediately, and a hunger that had gnawed into her stomach in that single moment suddenly reared its head.

Again, Citlali accepted the leadership of a sibling. When Matli gestured and Yolotl fell into line, she acknowledged that she may not be granted the same leniency with this sister of hers, and she resolved to make do without it. As directed, Citlali wound her way right of their position, keeping low and delicately easing herself over leaves and crushed shrubbery. When she'd taken position, that was it.

Matli's signal came with a savage hiss, pent up anger and dissent welling out in one loud cry as she lunged forward. Yolotl and Citlali were a moment behind, colliding with the feral dogs as they turned to Matli, distracted.

One was seized by his jaw, caught in Citlali's grasp, and she beat into his back with her free hand, striking at the ridge of the dog's spine before striking the back of his neck. Yolotl and Matli were doing what they were doing elsewhere, the yowling and sharp cries a noisesome cacophony on its own, but Citlali was enthralled with the fading light of a dying beast's eyes. In her entranced state, she was distracted from the approach of more, and was snapped out only when one latched himself to her forearm.

The pain exacerbated sudden anger. Citlali dropped his brother, seized him by his upper jaw, and pushed. Behind her, her tail thrashed and collided with the legs of another.

And suddenly, Citlali wished she'd thought to learn how to throw a proper punch.

[Traverse]

Matli had her coils wound around a large female, constricting inch by inch, the sudden and very ominous sound of bones breaking as she strangled the hound, Yolotl whipping his body wildly from side to side, one hound having lunged upon his back, his body on top of a second. This left only one Akila hound to be calculated for, and she was the alpha. A massive and muscled beast the female hound was eyeing the best place to enter the fray, the sight of her dying comrades not dimming her furious spirit one bit.

In the end it was to Matli that she attacked. She was too late to save her sister in her powerful coiled tail, but Citlali's sister was distracted so that when the akila hound got a running start and leapt straight for her neck...she was not aware of the attack as it came. Dhani scales were thick, but Akila hound jaws were powerful. A scream rang out in the clearing as two canines punctured Matli's neck, both hands latching onto the alpha and trying to rip her off, which would be a terrible, terrible idea, as it was clear the dog was not letting go.

Yolotl having crushed the Akila beneath him, cried out and flopped onto his back, simultaneously crushing the second Akila as well which he finished with a vicious snap to its neck before picking up his fallen weapon, a massive machete that only a Dhani could hold and slithering over to his sister, Citlali being left to fend for herself against her three opponents.

[Ssafiracitlali]

There came a point during the skirmish that Citlali believed she had grossly misunderstood what she'd gotten herself into and experienced a bit of dismay at the fact she could come out of this with scars in her scales, marring her otherwise flawless body with ugly wounds. The thought crossed her mind that she'd overwhelmed herself, a bit too soon, and should have thought out what she was doing.

That thought died while she strangled the dog that had caught her forearm, fingers having pried the hound's jaw free from her body and then tightening on his snout, squeezing until he lost breath. Her thrashing tail beat the ground, and the dog was swung viciously at the hound struggling to his feet after being thrown by the bucking length of coils.

Ssafiracitlali had entered that slowly simmering rage, pent up wrath at the sight of unworthy men challenging one another for her attention, and the thought of failure at something as simple as a hunt, and fell upon the hound with a savage snarl, wrestling it with both arms streaked with blood into her embrace and crushing it there. The pain burned hotter than her rage, but she didn't let up as the dog snapped and struggled and bloodied her snout with Citlali's beloved scarlet.

There was one more, yet, and Citlali had a moment to glance around while she sought the hound out, releasing her brother to grab him by the back of his skull and toss him aside at the dog.

The female had her hackles raised, openly aggressive and calculating, and Citlali let loose a drawn out hiss in response to the challenging stance. She couldn't speak animal, but she could see what the bitch was posturing.

There were likely more steps to the dance of intimidating one's challenger, but Citlali wouldn't stand on ceremony to get the point across that she intended to kill the dog. With scales streaked red, both with her blood and the blood of the beasts, and pain lancing from her wounds, she did not want to waste a lot of time when there was more yet to do.

So, she lunged forward, all of her weight and length intent on reaching the dog, dragging her by whatever could be reached, and smothering her under the Dhani's massive body.

She caught the bitch by her foreleg, but only barely as the dog sidestepped to dance away and come at Citlali by her flank. In response, Citlali swung out with her other hand as the one the dog escaped pushed her up again, and slapped the hound in the mouth. More blood welled up from her vulnerable palm coming across the teeth, but it was meaningless in the haze of anger and intent.

The dog whined. Citlali grabbed her again, and this time succeeded in dragging the dog to her, but not without pain for her trouble. The teeth of these monsters were simply wonderful, and truly Caiyha had done good with making these. Admiration would not save the Akila hound, though, when Citlali once more dropped her weight down, pinning with the hand that had grabbed the dog in the first place, and felt the satisfying sensation of something alive breaking beneath her.

This was why her kind liked to rip people apart, after all.

Citlali pushed herself away when she was certain the dog was dead, raising her head and taking a good look around to find her sister and brother. Seeing them, locked in battle with the hound at Matli's throat, urged a hard bark of laughter from Citlali's mouth. She closed in on them, intent on assisting Yolotl with removing the largest of the Akila from Matli's throat before it got really unpleasant.

[Traverse]

It took but a moment for Yolotl and Citlali to stand before Matli, trying to figure out the best way to remove the last living Akila hound, clearly ready to take her opponent with her to the grave. Thin streams of blood dribbled down her neck, and her eyes darted from one sibling to the other, if she had access to her vocal chords there was no telling the obscenities she would be shrieking at them, as it was only a furious sounding gurgle came out as she continued to tug on the hound.

"Ssstop it now!" Yolotl said harshly, ripping her hands off of the creature's body. "You'll rip out your own throat that way." He grasped the top of the Akila's jaw with two hands, gesturing with his eyes for Citlali to fasten her Dhani strength into the lower portion of the alpha's jaw, enabling the two of them to wrench the canine off and then promptly snap off her jaw and kill her.

Matli gasped in pain, hands clutching her neck where two deep punctures, torn a bit from the struggle lay. Thankfully they were a bit lower than a certain fatal spot the Akila hound could have found, but nevertheless, their sibling was losing a lot of blood. Yolotl slithered around, collecting bits of moss to help stem the bleeding, a scene of carnage and crushed hounds circling the three siblings.

"All in all, that wasssn't ssso bad." He mused.

"Petch you sstraight to Dira." Matli was able to utter, sliding herself over to the lee of a giant tree where she thankfully took the moss and applied it to her wound, then closed her eyes.

Yolotl grinned a bit then looked at Citlali, something genuine lurking behind his serpentine eyes. "You did well sisster, perhaps we should eat a couple of these, lessss to carry back to the city that way."

He found the smallest, and perhaps oldest male of the bunch and began ripping apart its body for easier digestion. A quick meal was good, but it could also render a Dhani more sluggish, better to only have the stomach dealing with one body part at a time.