The Hunt (OPEN)

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It was a fine day for the hunt. Looking down from high above a creature could see for miles before anything would see them, and that is what Trega the dragon loved about flying. Her scales gleamed in the sunlight, from the ground she would appear like a red star soaring lazily along the sky. She tilted her massive wings to catch a warm stream of air, allowing her to exert less energy as she searched for her next meal.

A deep rumbling chuckle would escape her as she flew lower, several small animals would dart into their homes to escape her sight. She also loved seeing creatures cower in fear of her, for all creatures should fear her, her Trega the Red Fury! She would let out a prideful roar at her own thinking, sending a streak of crimson flames into the air she would scare a small heard of deer not far off.

Her eyes brightened at the thought of a deer for her meal, she had enough of small animals for the time being. Beating her wings she ascended several feet until directly above the deer. The tucking her wings to her body Trega would drop from the air like a streaking arrow, spreading her wings seconds before crashing into the ground. She came down upon one of the deer with a loud crunch, breaking its legs, spine, and neck in one pounce. As one passed by she would blast the deer with fire, her flames would kill it within seconds. Purring with a deep rumble she began to devour the first deer, totally consumed by her meal.

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The earth beneath her shaggy, chocolate paws felt like nothing else. The blaze of orange, red, yellow, pink and every other color under the clear blue sky made hunting her prey all the more exhilarating. She didn't hunt for the need to feed or the strong overwhelming urge to kill, she had her day job to satiate those needs and the idea of killing repulsed her. No, this was pure base instinct. The driven urge to chase down and the thrilling ecstasy of the hunt, that made her lunge at full speed. Despite the fragile frame that barely supported her with such maneuverable G-forces pressing down upon her with every weaving dodging action she made. Ohh, it was a truly addictive sport for Tala. Obsessed with being able to easily outrun anything on four legs, let alone anything else on two and six feet or powered by fuel of some sort. Their was no higher pleasure that she could think of, in her mind this form of entertainment even beat sex. Besides, here she needed no other. It was her sanctuary, a space away from the others that would shun and abuse her if they only knew what kind of monster she truly was underneath the delicately soft mottled-brown fur, slender colorful form or even the piercing emerald green eyes that could match the shade of a fresh lime.

Suddenly, she noticed out of the corner of her lovely green eye, a different color shooting towards her clearing like a blistering meteorite. The ruby red flash from somewhere above forcing Tala to abandon her chase mid-stride, to duck low into rainbow of color that usually whipped her belly as she ran. At first she thought the new creature might be a bird of some kind but as she watched it crash land on top of a deer, effectively killing it with one blow. Before brutally, barbecuing another as it fled for its life. She couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the animals it had just killed, thanking god at the same time that the beast hadn't noticed her yet. Creeping a little closer she tried in vain to think of what this bizarre creature might be, Tala had never seen anything quite like it before. Wondering what her new guest was and at the same time cautiously approaching it, the creature didn't seem all that hostile to Tala.... just extremely hungry. A fact of life Tala could relate to, she often had to keep up appearances at work and home. Everyday of her life was a living lie, here though in whatever form she chose or didn't... she had a home. A sanctuary of plentiful food, crystal clear water and eerie music from the spooky woods before it. Perhaps it would have better to announce herself but Tala was a rather shy being on her own, away from society's influences and treacherous lifestyles. She was quiet, calm and collected. A perfectly poised woman of questionable age and mentality, though she had no intentions of making herself known just yet she was beyond anything else curious as to what the furiously red bird-like animal was and what else it intended to do here.

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The dragon would be totally unaware for a long space of time of Tala's approach. She would be to busy devouring the entire carcass of the deer, head and antlers all. Tearing, ripping, violently shaking her head to pull apart her meal, she would eat entire pieces in only a few bites before swallowing it and tearing for more. Her powerful nose unable to smell anything but fresh deer blood, that and she was upwind from Tala, it wouldn't be until she was piratically on-top of Trega that the Dragon would notice her.

As the stunted dragon moved on to her neck kill, she would stop and sniff the air her nostrils flaring as she caught a whiff of something, but then it was gone on the breeze and she continued with her meal. She didn't mind cooked food but she preferred the taste of raw flesh, it was much easier to tear into manageable pieces. However a strange movement out of the corner of her eye dragged her attention away. She would crane her long slender neck around to face... a wolf?

Her golden orb like eyes would blink at the appearance of the wolf, her mental powers told her this was no ordinary wolf, as she extended her mind outwards to it and came upon a more intelligent mind. The dragon would blink again and licked the blood drooling from her chops to make herself presentable. She then began to carve something into the dirt with a single claw. The carving would be a rough image of herself and the wolf, with an arrow pointing from her head to the wolf's, asking if she could communicate through telepathic means.

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For the longest time imaginable, Tala waited. Sitting patiently, with a constant flicking of her tassel like tail. She was waiting for the creature to notice her, as she sat in what she presumed to be a safe distance away. She wasn't quite sure what this new animal was... It could have been friendly, or it could have turned out to be her natural enemy. Curiosity entwined with her adventurous nature, gifting Tala with an absurd realism as she tilted her head to one side. In a rather questioning glance, she briefly wondered which meat it preferred the cooked deer or the raw? it seemed peculiar to have roasted one when it seemed to enjoy the fresh kill so much more. As a Werewolf-Lycan hybrid, Tala's tastes usually varied with whatever form she was in at the time. Her human form preferred cooked meats, her werewolf raw meat but her current form seemed to favor neither. Thinking about whether or not the creature would choose to barbecue her next, seemed far from Tala's erratic mind.

Tala remained motionless, as she watched the gleaming red lizard-like animal finish off the first deer and move to the cooked one. Watching for all intensive purposes, like a spectator at some political meeting. She made no attempt to communicate or to announce her presence she just sat and watched with an abundance of curiosity. Then, just as she was wondering if the creature would ever notice her... it did! Tala's leafy green eyes widened slightly with shock, her right ear flicking backwards nervously as though she'd suddenly heard something calling her name. Shuddering ever so slightly in the breeze with the new found tension in her leg muscles, Tala crouched low in preparation for a sprinting dash into the Treacherous woods. Then her ears flicked forwards as the animal began drawing something in the dirt with its razor-sharp talons, piquing Tala's interest further. She sat quiveringly crouched in the mass of new foliage and blooms, her curiosity eventually getting the better of her as she stood back up slowly to investigate the image now etched into the rich dark earth.

She could just make out an image of the lizard creature and what she supposed to be herself as there was no-one else here. Drawing nearer with a few more tentative steps she also noticed an arrow, a rather vague and meaningless arrow. what was it supposed to mean... was she next on its hit list? Did it intend to eat her as well or was it only trying to start some kind of conversation? Confused and slightly bewildered, Tala backed up a little retreating back to her original location as though it were the only safety she was comfortable in. Surely, if this creature wanted to communicate it should bark or make some kind of noise. Not draw meaningless scribbles in the dirt! She was almost certain that the image was meant as some kind of warning to her, though not entirely sure if it was telling her to go away or if it was trying to mention something else. Eventually, Tala got fed up with waiting, feeling rather impatient today as far as conversation went she barked loudly at the ruby red dragon. Hoping it would not offend the creature further, she backed up a little further just as a precaution. Nervously awaiting some form of response, she tilted her head from one side to the other before barking playfully again. Not entirely sure how to provoke a reply she went back to watching the creature and its cooked meal still sitting lifeless in the dirt as it grew cold.

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The dragon simply watched as the wolf approach, examined her sketch and then back off to her original spot. She got the feeling that whoever the wolf was they didn't quite understand her drawing, it wasn't the first time, Trega has even been attacked this way. There would be a deep rumble as the Dragon chuckled at the wolf's reaction to her drawing. She didn't like the taste of wolves and they were much to stringy like wild bunny rabbits, but she thought wolves were more of a pack animal than a solitary creature. Then again it wasn't a normal wolf she would remind herself.

She would blink again as it barked at her, and Trega noticed it eying her meal as well. Turning away for a moment, the dragon bit down on the deer's hindquarters and held it down with one of her claws to pull a reasonably large piece of it off the carcass. Turning back to the wolf Trega dropped it before herself and offered it to the wolf with her snout, rolling it over there was a slight puff of steam curl from the warm meat. Then laying down on her belly, she would lower her head to the Wolf's height and blink at it again.

Figuring the barks were meant as her acceptance, Trega would extend her conscious over to the wolf again. A deep rumbling but ancient voice would echo through Tala's mind. 'Fear not shape-changer I do not eat other hunters such as yourself, the hunt is dangerous enough as is. My name is Trega the Red-Fury, for my anger knows no bounds when I meet my foes in battle. You must have some name you are called by, speak up now I do not bite.' Her throat would rumble again as she laughed at the irony of her statement, her rows of sharp ivory teeth were indeed made for biting.

((I feel so outclassed in skill))

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Ooc: For some unknown reason... I get that a lot.

Tala continued to watch as the lizard-like creature blinked at her yet again, its unnerving amber-yellow eyes didn't really help to ease Tala's tensions any. Though she figured if it had meant to harm her it would have at the very least, tried to do so by now. Blinking back at it with her own bright green eyes in what must have looked a rather dumbfound expression, she waited and watched for her new arrival to do something or to make another useless drawing in the dirt. Maybe this creature didn't know how to communicate, like the deer or the rabbits who just ran away? perhaps her meaningless drawings were the only form of response... Figuring she better take another look at the drawing just in case there was more to it than she had been able to sustain. Tala stood up again, tip-toeing closer slowly and quietly almost in a hunting fashion before she suddenly noticed the creature moving again.

Freezing in place like a petrified hare, she could only watch helplessly as the lizard-like creature took the few remaining steps to its meal and tore off a large chunk, turning back towards her it gently put the cooked meat down and rolled it with its snout towards her. Slightly alarmed at the creatures unexpected generosity, Tala was completely unprepared for the mental wash over her mind. As ancient and powerful as fire itself, the voice spoke to her and Tala completely unaware that this new terror in her mind was coming from the dragon, yelped loudly like a frightened pup and tore across the botanical wonderland in an effort to get away. Eventually though, when neither the voice or the unnerving feeling she was being watched went away, did Tala calm down. Scanning the meadow wildly for any sign of life other than the dragon, Tala gradually and ever so cautiously made her way back towards the ruby red lizard creature now chuckling softly at her own irony.

"Ohh it was you... you could have warned me first! but how do i respond to you? I haven't spoken to anything quite like this before."

Tala muttered in her mind, her thoughts a random assortment of puzzles and a constant niggling desire to keep running because it was something she enjoyed more than life itself. She decided very quickly that she would have to amplify her thoughts if the creature was to understand her and so she did, having all the effect of someone trying to yell at a deaf person she continued. Her words sounded loud and overly pronounced as though she were trying to convey her words across a large chasm of some kind. "My name is Tala... I am not a shape-changer. I do not often choose my shape, it is chosen for me by the moon. What kind of creature are you Trega?... I have never met anyone with such vibrant scales." She hoped that Trega would be able to understand her and that it didn't come across as too soft or too loud for the red dragon but she'd never had the opportunity to speak like this to anything before and wasn't quite sure how to communicate properly or how much it would understand of her language.

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If she could smile, Trega would grin at Tala's reaction as she dashes away only to realize that it was she who had spoken and not anyone else. However she wouldn't apologize for the intrusion as technically they were both at fault for missing the others intentions. She would however lower her head and close her eyes as Tala introduced herself as a sign of respect and proper manners. 'You are doing well for your first time. Try not to think so hard on your words for they echo much to loudly. My body may only be three but my mind is far more ancient.'

At Tala's question the dragon spread her massive wings, making her appear much larger than she really was. The thin flimsy membrane full of veins would cast a reddish shade as the sun shone through them and reflected off her scales. She was saddened that Tala did not know what a dragon looked like, even if she was only a dwarf in comparison. 'I am a dragon, and quite possibly the last free one at that. There are no other creatures in this world with scales so beautiful as my own and no jewel that can compare. We bring fires of death from the sky and doom to the many men who hunt us for our scales. Our claws can rip gashes in the earth and our fury knows no bounds. We are as ancient as the earth itself and not even the Nightwalkers are as old as we. Her voice was full of pride as she described her species.

She then folded her wings back and lowered her head, gazing at Tala with one large eye. 'So tell me, if you are not a shape-changer and yet you still change shapes with the light of the moon, what does that make you then?'

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Tala lifted her maw slightly to sniff the air tentatively in the dragons direction, now that she'd introduced herself as such. Astounded by the glimmering dragons fierce display, she shone like a sparkling array of fireworks in the sun. A myriad of fiery oranges, ruby reds and the glinting golden yellow of her eyes as she loomed in on Tala as she sat inspecting every inch of this strange yet beautiful creature. Cringing slightly as the ancient mental prescence once again entered her own, Tala tried not to shy away from it so much. Listening to every word intently, as though she were a child merely listening to her favorite elder at story time. She had never met anything even close to the wondrous marvel now before her, it almost made Tala squeal with delight and bust out her awesome dance moves. Though in her current state, it would have looked awkward indeed to see a muddy brown wolf dancing around the flowery meadow like a fool.

Her leaf green eyes opened wider as Trega went on describing her kind and what they were capable of, placing a chocolate colored paw either side of the offered meat she gnawed gently on the cooked lump of deer. Listening intently to Tregas story and then her subsequent question about Tala's history. Pausing a moment to chew and then swallow her mouthful, Tala thought carefully about how to word her response the dragon spoke differently than she normally did and Tala was unaccustomed to speaking to strangers let alone strange creatures such as this one. She wasn't sure if Trega could read all her thoughts, or just those she projected towards the dragons consciousness. Eventually, she came up with a few erratic thought patterns that seemed to fit in with what she wished to convey. A muddled-up series of visions flashed across her mind of being small and alone, followed by flashes of bright light and pain, heart-breaking howls that echoed across the void between the dragon and herself.

In an effort to control the sudden tidal-wave of emotions welling up inside and to make some sort of sense out of the blurred images of her past the Lycan-werewolf had conveyed to Trega she spoke as well emptying the void of all her thoughts until it was pitch black again a swirling grey mist remained behind as a result of the damage it did to burden such a terrible story but she seemed unafraid of it or the future as she continued explaining herself. "I am a mixture of shape-changing Lycan and the wolf that is unable to choose. I have a human form but i can only change during the days that have no full moon. At night i am this wolf, and during the day at least those without the moon I can change to whatever form i choose." She didn't mention what it was like the rest of the time, the tragic influence the full moon had on her or others that happened to be in the same space at the time of her unnatural changing.

Stealing her consciousness away like a ravenous beast, it took over everything almost like another entity living inside her. If only she knew the truth about the other part of her that fed off her fear, anger and wild desires. For it was the part that made up the living consciousness of the animal within, the animal that took control of her conscience and pushed it into the background when it was able. As if to demonstrate her point, Tala took a few steps backwards allowing herself to change into the human form she liked so much to hide behind in front of others. Her long slightly curled, dark brown hair shone like a polished piece of antique furniture. her skin was pale contrast though as delicate and flawless as china, it clung to her slim well-toned features like a jungle cats fur might. Her muscles sheathed behind beauty, her emerald green eyes the only recognizable feature of her new form now that the wolf inside her had all but disappeared. Wearing a bright sunflower yellow dress that fell elegantly to her ankles, Tala bowed her head respectfully.

"This is my human form... I prefer to use my wolf form as much as i can though, it is more fun to run and be free. Than it is to pretend i am someone i am otherwise not..." she added quietly.

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Trega lay quietly as Tala recalled images of her past, only from her long slow breathing did she make any sound. Her eyes blinking with each imaged that passed through her vast mind, the tip of her tail lifting up and down like a cat enjoying a scratch behind the ears. What she assumed from the images was that Tala had a troubled history and the Dragon didn't inquire further. It was an all to apparent occurrence these days she thought, she often pondered on this, she felt as though something large was about to happen, it often speculated that Dragon's could sense the events of the future but never proven.

Her thoughts were broken as Tala transformed into her human form after answering Trega's question. Her mind turning over to her partner, who would likely be if he were present, drooling over the beauty of the woman standing before her with his mouth hanging open and a glazed stare over his eyes. Stifling a snigger of amusement she would take in the sight of Tala's human form before saying, 'I to prefer your other form to this as well. Pretty females tends to make my partner lose focus and his mind wanders to being a gallant fool whisking some pretty maid from an evil man. It is not his fault, being a human male his body naturally thinks first rather than his mind, and it tends to lead him into more danger than I would like... all the time'

Sending an image of her partner to Tala, a memory of some recent time. It was somewhere near the ocean was gulls squawked in the background along with the sound of water lapping at the sand. A man stood on top of a boulder; tall and with a hansom face, his muscular arms crossed over his broad chest as he watched the sun slowly creep below the horizon, his gray eyes nearly hidden behind the mat of shaggy blond hair. The sun glistened off his vest of silver ring-mail and he wore a pair of now dirty white pants, a wide claymore was strapped to his back he looked like a warrior out of the past. 'This is my partner. His name is Dirk and that is all he goes by for he has no family name.'

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Ooc: See told you i'd post.... eventually ^_^

Tala giggled at the influx of images in her mind, it wasn't particularly funny to see such an image of a man standing by the ocean, the blackened rocks swathed with crashing waves but this image delighted her as it was not one Tala had seen before in her lifetime. She laughed at the stories Trega told of her partner, the warmth of her memories and Tala was even sure she could all but smell every displayed location as well. She remembered the Knights of old as more than noble creatures from the stories her mother told and the very few she had ever had contact with as a young child. Suddenly her face formed a deep frown as she remembered something else from her past, ignoring all the bitter backlash of her parents deaths in the process as the memory she locked onto was not a sad one but one that dredged up comforting aromas and a strong feeling of nostalgia.

"Excuse me for sounding rude... but aren't your kind generally a lot.... bigger? and how did you meet Dirk?.... I'd love to know everything you can tell me, I don't often speak to many people you see... I prefer to keep to myself most of the time."

She didn't add that it was her own private sanctuary here, a place away from the hustle and bustle of the city limits. It was a place for her to escape to that didn't have dune buggy wielding, teenage yahoos tearing up the place, like her usual spot in the desert. This seemed to be a place most had forgotten, buried in the depths of a forbidden forest and surrounded by the mysterious remnants of ancient times. She could run free here with her good friend and run for as long as she liked, for as long she had time for. It had always been this way for well over a century, she didn't mind being on her own so much now that it was her freedom she insured by returning here as often as she could. As she thought about this place and her loyal canine companion, she was not quite as careful about what she shared with Trega. Thoughts of her other brutally mutated form and what it regularly done here, in the confines of this sanctuary and away from the humans, most certainly would have leaked through by now. Tala seemed a little distracted though either by her own thoughts and memories or by Trega's, she liked the image of Dirk and wished to meet him some day, perhaps one day soon she would.

For now though she kept replaying countless images and memories some buried so deep they were only smells, as she ransacked her brain for a handful of important memories that might make sense of the question she had asked Trega. Why was Trega so very different to all those wonderfully ancient dragons, large and fierce? The ones she been told about by old bards and gifted grandparents, the stories passed down from generation to generation had obviously lost something along the way as the mental image she'd formed in her head as gloriously accurate as it was seeing something so grand first-hand, seemed to be lacking something in the height department. Constantly popping up in this random montage though, was the image of Dirk... she was curious as to what he was like, it seemed strange to have someone of the old days roaming in the broad daylight of modern times.

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Trega's eyes glinted with a flash of anger before the Dragon lowered her head, her entire body drooping with sadness. Still, that did not distract her from taking note of the darker shades of memories leaking into her vast mind like a low stream. She wasn't saddened by them, nor was she reflecting anger towards them. It was her size, ashamed of it as she is. By three years, a normal dragon could swallow Trega up whole, for she was no larger than an over-sized Horse. "Aye, tis true that Dragons are much larger. I have a rare...." She paused at the word, slowly trying to work it out. "A rare genetic disorder, something in my cells that prevents me from growing larger than this... dwarfism I believe it is called."


((ooc: Gah I can't drag anything up.... My mind is in a rut because of my inactivity... ))

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Suddenly snapped out of her day-dreaming by a soft echoing howl, Tala barely caught the last few words of Trega's reply. Noting the defeated anger blazing like a supernova in her eyes, as well as the overwhelming sadness she felt from within. Tala quickly realized that Trega was ashamed of her size, feeling somewhat responsible for this sudden mood-dampening revolution she quickly back-tracked over her statement. ”You shouldn’t worry about being so different, I’m different and I’ve survived fine… I mean how many others of your kind are left out there? It would be a shame indeed if the world lost another one.” She could see this wasn’t helping, how could she make it better? Keep going and hope the amazing dragon as small as she was wouldn’t eat her whole or should she try and change the subject? ”Uhh, so I’m not sure if you noticed yet…. But we have a visitor. Her name is Shimmer.” Tala interrupted herself. Trying to sound as cheery as possible, she doubted whether Trega needed another visitor right now, especially seeing as her cooked meal was almost stone cold but perhaps being surrounded by smaller animals would help.

With a slight shrug and what would seem to be a shiver of cold, Tala was once again in her wolf form. It seemed to make Trega more comfortable and it definitely made Tala feel safe from harm, though she doubted Trega would do much to a friend, there were other dangers out here being so close to the edge of the deep dark forest and Shimmer never really bothered coming out this far without her unless there was trouble. The echoing howling was only now getting louder, as the unusual dog approached at high speed, it was being chased by something large and furry. Blurs of a purplish-gray, black and even a flash of white raced through the rainbow kaleidoscope of colors provided by the random assortments of wild flowers, the overbearing shade of greens, yellows and reds did nothing to soften the blow as several wolves surrounded the trio. Hunting in the dark forest and beyond, they were tough and mean. The smallest easily the size of Trega herself, with an attitude to match, they seemed unafraid of said dragon let alone the other two now blissfully reunited at her feet.

This was no time for idle chit-chat though, these wolves meant business, snarling and snapping at the dragon's ruby red tail. They weren't afraid to fight, they were too hungry for that and at their unusual size one over-cooked deer wasn't going to keep them satisfied for long, they were bullies and thieves. Ordered around by one massively over-sized human that looked more like a bear than anything mortal. "Glad to see you again... little pup." he snarled, his greeting less than impressed. He seemed to recognize Tala immediately, unlike the other two whom he ignored, the wolves then changed the pattern of their stalking at the sound of his voice singling out Tala and trying to separate her. As panicked and frightened as she was, Tala stuck close to Shimmer, the herding dog stood all hackles raised to these monstrous intruders as they snarled empty threats back at her. The Hunter seemed to have become the hunted as she knew this man to be a stealing liar, he liked to find rare and unusual things, whether they be living or not. He sold them to the highest bidder, usually making a profit and it so seemed that werewolves and dragons were quite a lucrative business to be associated with.

Tala did not speak in her wolf form, at least not directly to the filthy human, he wanted nothing more than Tala's pelt on a silver platter, as luxuriously soft and silky as it was. She doubted whether that was the only thing he wanted from her but she wasn't about to hang around to find out, this in itself posed a new threat, whilst she'd outrun his burly lackeys before, she had not been in the company of such an awesome creature as a dragon before. She had to fight, if only for Trega's sake. She didn't know if the dragon would be able to fend off these brutes all by herself, she dared not think about it. "They will fight at his command, they're slow compared to my speed but they're very strong..." Tala informed Trega linking herself with Shimmer as well so that the three were connected, Shim seemed to like frolicking in the powerful expanse of thought provided by Trega's mind and inter-laced her thoughts through both as strongly as she had with Tala's in the past. Tala's giggles echoed their link "she likes you too..." Tala explained briefly quickly turning to focus on the problem at hand as she too growled aggressively and raised her hackles, snapping viciously back at one of the wolves that drawn too close. The white wolf was the biggest, he carried the hunter on his back as the other ravenous six of brown, red, black, gray and even a purplish blue color, one with a white patch across its mismatched eyes continued to circle like starving underfed sharks.

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Trega had long gotten over the shame of her size, it was only a constant reminder now and one that was easily dispatched. The sound of the echoing howl came to Trega's ears, that and the sound of many feet rapidly running across the ground. Different odors of many wolf like creatures came to her and that of a human, most foul odors most of them and Trega shook her head his disgust. Then, she seemed to ignore the incoming threat, raising her head and gazing off towards the forest, eyes gleaming with excitement that of a dog waiting for its master to enter the door. Her attention quickly returned to that of the threat, the wolves surrounding the now trio of misfits. Trega's lips parted, showing her rows of still bloody, sharp ivory teeth, large rumbling growls emanated from deep inside her chest, flames licking the sides of her mouth, her eyes beaming with the wild look of a crazed monster.

One of the unfortunate wolves had bitten off more than it could chew, snapping a mite too close to Trega's tail she took action. Snapping her powerful tail like a large whip, catching the wolf creature hard in the side with the spiked end of her tail, crushing several of the creatures ribs and puncturing several holes into its lungs while sending it flying away from the dragon. Rearing up onto her hind legs. The dragon roared out her challenge, sending flames shooting into the air, he mind yelling out to the attackers, furious and full of wrath. "BACK OFF OR I'LL TURN YOUR BONES TO ASH!" She screamed, hoping her vast and ancient mind suddenly invading the weak minded fools would scare them off, if not, then she would have to do things the fun way.

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Weaving under and through their haphazard line of defense, Shimmer ran. Not entirely frightened or put off by the massive red lizard now pouring out her rage and declaring war. Tala swiftly followed leaving just a little too late as the next circling wolf drew too near, distracted by Shimmers escape as it was. Leaving Tala with but one option, she leaped elegantly upwards, clamping her razor-sharp teeth down on the underside of his throat. Tugging downwards with a vicious tearing motion Shimmer whirled around and raced back to help, with two attacking him he fell to the ground quickly, rasping for breath. The others were outraged, this over-grown lizard and the half-breed had already wounded two of them, they needed to strike now whilst there was still a hope of outnumbering them.

Slightly afraid of the dragon and yet still awaiting commands, they halted the circling pattern to charge at the dog, the weakest one by far or so they assumed. "Attack the dragon you useless fleabags!... Or i'll sell you back to the pathetic git i stole you from!"[/i] The hunter ordered, as they circled back around in three pairs. The mottled gang pressed together, shoulder-to-shoulder forcing Tala and Shim back towards Trega. "what now?... we can't hold them off forever, and they're too big and strong for us to kill ourselves." Tala muttered to them both. Clearly unsettled by the fact that the hunter had yet to add his piece, something wasn't right about this... was he planning an ambush? how many more of these wolves were there or was there just these seven? it seemed unlikely that he'd have anymore with him, these things didn't exactly grow on trees around here with all the lycans and other werewolves taking up residence in Noctum itself... there simply wasn't enough prey for them all to eat. Even though she'd come across these before they were no easy task for Tala or Shimmer to dispatch, already being much smaller than Trega, to them it was like taking down a fluffy dinosaur.
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The dragon’s mind was rather calm despite the fact that outwardly she appeared in full rage, and while she had managed to startle their attackers, the fear tactic wasn't going to work today, how unfortunate for them. Trega's last words to the monstrous wolves were nothing more than a dark ominous hiss, "So be it" Before she retracted her mind from their foes, and cast it over Shimmer and Tala, creating wards against unforeseen mental attacks however unlikely. These slow minded fools could no more stab at her mind than her iron like scales, they will come to know and fear the name Trega the Red Fury before they die.

Feeling the uneasy thoughts from Tala, Trega sent soothing and calming emotions as she assessed their threats actions. Noting that her flank was now relatively open, the Dragon shuffled backwards a bit to keep everything within vision, her quick tactician like mind forging some type of plan. ”Fear not little one, for we have our own surprise on his way. We need not fight them off, only distract them, and for that we shall use you and your friend’s speed to our fullest advantage. They cannot capture you while I am the larger threat and therefore will have to focus on eliminating me, if they don’t they are dead. I will use my fire to split their defense, I want you and Shimmer to get to the outside and attack their flanks. It may not be much but we’re only trying to distract them after all” With that said, Trega picked the pair to her left. Closing her mouth, Trega’s throat seemed to swell like that of a frog as she concentrated her flame into a single fireball, opening her mouth wide while exhaling the deadly liquid flame straight at the wolves in hopes to burn them or at least separate them for her plan to work.