Broken Path (Amaryllis)

[Nathalia]

The Masquerade picked her way through the alley slowly. She gazed at the cobblestones in disgust, her eyes closing to slits as she tried to push from her mind thoughts of what she was walking on. Her brows furrowed as her hackles prickled angrily.

She should not be out doing this! She should NOT be out hunting for her own food; she had other things that needed doing. The stage still needed help, the two back rooms needed furnishing, the wine needed to be made, grapes needed t be dried...the list was practically endless. Damn that ridiculous Mulsej...of all the nights for him to fall ill, where was that disgusting friend of his anyway? That Maskenji? Ugh, damnable situation.

She stepped over an upturned dustbin and watched a rat push its nose out and stare up at her. Dayobi frowned in distaste, the very edges of her beak seeming to turn down.

"Begone, you..." She whispered, "Or you may have to do for a snack." She watched, slightly smug, as the rat took off down the alleyway.

Her white fur shone dully in the moonlight, bringing out the splashes of purple and green hue. She made soft tinkling sounds as she walked, the tiny metal grapes adorning her body; ringing softly as they clinked together with her movement. She watched a shadowy figure leave the nearby bar, slitting her eyes, she moved her body slowly and sinuously in place, making a small rhythmic tinkling noise.

The human stopped and turned in the direction of the sound. Smiling to herself as her mood lightened, Dayobi began to back away keeping out of sight and leading the human on, the tiny, melodic sound perplexing the man, causing him to follow.

[Amaryllis]

"Mother, mother!"

The little sing-song tune carried through the alleyways as Vikaejiilyr romped along a good five yards ahead of his mother. She appeared to be intent on ignoring him, so Vik sang louder, and when that didn't work, he paused, a little frown winding its way over his delicate features. Moments later the frown was abruptly replaced with a smirk, and he spun around, made a mad dash for Nibavasi's gently-swishing tail.

It was only when he dug his little claws into the thick fur that she finally reacted in a way her son deemed satisfactory - he laughed like a madman when she flicked him off sharply and showed her sharp, ivory teeth. "Are you mad, boy?" she whispered. "If you must go for walks in this ... this place, you'd do best to refrain from declaring your presence with this cacophony of -"

"Maaaaa," Vik interrupted. "You're one to tell me what I can and cannot do. This is where you met dad. You were out here by yourself, you've told me this story one too many times for me to forget -"

"I was older then than you are now," Ava snapped, "quite a lot older. Shut your maw, ruffian, or we're going home."

"Are you scared?" Vik cackled, his voice wavering on a high pitch meant to be mocking but sounding decidedly eerie in the damp quiet of the dark alley. "Scared ... scared that the big bad -"

"Hush," Ava hissed, and by the glint in her eye, Vik could tell that she was even more serious than she normally was. Taking this as a sign that he really ought to respect her authority for once, particularly in this unfamiliar and potentially ... interesting place, he quieted, and watched her small ears seem to strain against the very skin that held them in place.

"Bells," she whispered, quietly as she could. "Quiet, boy."

She lowered her slender body close to the ground, the soft white fur of her belly growing dirty in all sorts of grime Vik didn't want to wonder about. He moved closer to her side, youthful eyes wide.

"Bells," Ava murmured again. What little mothering instinct she had chose that moment to exercise its influence, and she pulled her son close. Hidden in a heavy shadow cast by some abandoned human trinket, she watched intently for whatever source should happen to make such a peculiar noise in the dead of night.

[Nathalia]

Dayobi paused. There were voices behind her...one loud one soft. They were quickly quelled.

The Director frowned. For the love of Dark, now what? She backed up a bit further, twisting lithely before ducking into a partially empty rubbish bin lying on its side. She continued to move a forepaw deftly, the tiny grape shaped bells ringing softly as she lured her human onward. To hell with it, if the voices behind her really wanted to join in, she'd toss them a leg, all she wanted was to go home.

Focusing on the shadow making its way toward her, Dayobi unsheathed her claws, readying herself for a strike.

"S' at yew, Molly?" Came a confused voice. There was a crashing sound as the human stumbled and cursed. "Whatcha doin' out 'ere girl? Why ent yeh back at 'ome?....Molly?"

The humans' large boots crashed awkwardly along as he stumbled drunkenly on, pursuing the sounds of the bells. Dayobi gave them a last flick, letting the soft ringing echo and dissipate. She reveled in the silence; in the extreme discomfort, the fear, she could practically see radiating off of the creature...that would make the meat taste all the sweeter.

"Goodnight, dear." Dayobi whispers, just loudly enough for the human to hear, he turns confusedly toward the left just before Dayobi cannons into him.

A loud 'Snap!' rang out as the pair hit the cobblestone. Dayobi's forepaws, placed one atop the other, claws spread, make a small pinpoint area of pressure on the man's sternum, snapping it in half. The breath is knocked out of him and he begins to struggle, gasping for air in sticky wet gulps as his punctured lungs fill with blood.

"Such an interesting visage you creatures have!" Dayobi laughs, setting her claws to each side of the man's face. "An odd mask to hide such a disgusting creature. Let's see what you look like without it, shall we?" The Masquerade's shoulders wrench to the side and the human gives a gurgling scream as his face is ripped away from his skull.

Dayobi's face is the picture of delight as she beams down at the devastated being. "You humans don't deserve the masks you wear!' She hisses, before plunging her beak down into the center of his face, tasting blood, flesh, and spongy brain tissue. Pulling her head back and smiling she pants slightly, allowing her passions to cool. Calming, she lifts the torn face and lays it out on top of the dustbin and steps off of the carcass. Without turning she addresses the space behind her.

"I know you're there, come out. I'm willing to share some of my meal, if you are."

[Amaryllis]

( ; I'm so slow. )

Ava watched the entire escapade with a mixture of emotions. It hadn't been long ago that she had lived among the humans ... but they hadn't been particularly good to her, anyway. She leaned her head against twisted metal and tried hard to control her breathing, hoping the imposing creature hadn't heard -

She had.

Damn the boy.

Vik had been staring out from between his mother's forelegs the whole time, eyes wide, little paws shaking, mouth half-open, gaping. His mother had never hunted like that. Never killed that mercilessly, that completely.... He whimpered a bit as the scent of warm blood hit his nostrils, and he turned to his mother, sinking his little teeth into her fur hard enough to pierce the skin.

"I'm hungry," he whispered.

"You're -" Ava began, her voice taut, torn between berating and reluctantly agreeing. Her empty belly and weary limbs finally won out over her wary intellect, and she shoved Vik roughly back into the darkness before stepping out, alone.

She didn't particularly feel like introducing herself - if the Euclides before her (elegant, poised, Ava noted, even when her white fur was stained red) had already heard her conversation with her son, then she knew enough to make an informed decision as to whether or not she particularly cared to know Ava's name.

"You're fortunate I mean you no harm," Ava smiled, opting for the route of bemused politeness. "It's daring of you to offer a share in your kills to just anyone."

[Nathalia]

Dayobi watched the other Euclides approach. Only one...? She knew there must be another somewhere...she had heard two voices, one had been childish and-.....ahhhhhh... Hm, a mother then? Perhaps, no good to leap to too many conclusions. Dayobi stood over the corpse, posing slightly, moving her stubby tail gently, to continue the soft tinkling noise.

She listened to what the Euclides said, and smiled, the very corners of her beak were malleable for a few, quite odd expressions. So, this other didn't think she could take care of herself? Heh, worse come to worst she was an incredibly quick sprinter...whatever, if this Euclides felt the need to puff herself up, by all means let her, no harm in that.

"You are correct of course, my friend..." Dayobi murmured, bowing her head lightly in a motion of deference. "How incredibly foolish of me, I do hope I haven't set a bad example for anyone..."

There, she thought, that was enough of a hint toward her suspicions. If the other wasn't with a child, then she probably wouldn't react...if so...Dayobi smirked to herself, she would just have to see.

"As it is," The Masquerade continued. "I still have no qualms in sharing my meal with you." She pushed the body over slightly, proffering it. "I simply ask that you leave me the mask..." She whispered, an odd lilt to her voice as her eyes strayed to the ripped and bloodied face on the side of the dustbin.

Dayobi then settled, and turned her head toward the body, before pausing. Whether she really wanted to know this creature or not...names were important...you never knew when you might need to know one.

The Masquerade appeared suddenly embarrassed, raising a paw to her mouth. "Oh, how rude of me," She said, feigning a blush. "Where are my manners this evening?" She extended a purple scaled paw. "I am the Lady Dayobi, whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?"

[Amaryllis]

Ava wanted to smile. Really, she did. This one came off as quite ... theatrical, and that sort of quality was entertaining in its own way. But smiling at strangers had never once failed to get her into an unpleasant situation, so she settled for an expression of vague indifference. Vague indifference, in Ava's experience, neither endeared nor offended.

However, this particular female seemed harmless enough now that she had her meal, and if those talons did prove to be an issue, well, Ava had suffered worse injuries. And Vik was hungry. At the other's first comment, Ava tilted her head to the side politely and waved her tail briefly in her son's general direction. The boy came traipsing out almost immediately (Ava had expected nothing less - in fact, she was surprised he hadn't already crept out of his own accord) and she was forced to put a warning paw in his path to prevent him from attacking the carcass the moment he was in range.

"I think," Ava said, unable to hide the irony in her voice, "that he's managed to find himself a fair number of bad examples already. I somehow doubt that you could make it much worse. And whatever you wish to be yours is yours, certainly, it is not our kill to ration. I appreciate your generosity," she added, while Vik whined quietly into her fur. "It's not often that one is met with such kindness in these parts."

That being done, Ava moved her paw slightly, and Vik wound his way around her foreleg, his little tail ruffling her fur as he moved it back and forth in quiet eagerness. "My name is Nibavasi," she said in response to Dayobi's introduction. "This is my son. I hope you'll forgive his behavior; the hunt has not been good for us, tonight, I'm afraid."

His mother's subtle hints lost on him, it finally took a nudge of her paw to remind Vik that he ought to wait his turn. His ears twitched in indecision, before he finally took a few steps backward and sat at his mother's side, staring up at Lady Dayobi with wide eyes.