The real danger lurks outside the gates (closed)

[Clockwork 45]

[B]WARNING: IT MAY GET GRAPHIC!![/B]
ZeroKay crouched down beside the only window in this old abandoned cabin. Her stomach grumbled a protest as the sun slowly descended behind the marble Shrine City. She watched the residents gather their children and take them behind the city walls. The guards at the gates stood to attention and gathered their harsh faces. Zero was glad she didn't have all the Hunter's instincts, she'd be out in broad daylight killing everyone in sight. Her black hood was resting on her back, like is normally was while she was hiding. She glimpsed in the smudged mirror. Her eyes were silver and red. Her mouth had a dried blood stain that stretched from the corner to the edge of her chin. Zero was a messy eater.

The final streaks of sunlight died out as ZeroKay bounded on all fours, in a similar manner as a Native used to. She didn't bound like any four-legged animal, but more like some sort of well oiled machine. Zero slipped the hood over her head, shrouding the only weak spot she had, and hiding her eyes. She closed her door behind her and crouched down on her doorstep, her hunter-vision kicking in, along with the incredible sense of smell for blood she had. Zero looked up and leapt up onto her roof. She ran across her rooftop and leapt onto the city's wall.

ZeroKay smelled a teenager, possibly an elf. She tracked the man across the city. She was silent, careful not to step on any squeaky gutters and such. Zero's muscles tensed up, and her eyes flashed red, the Hunter in her taking over for a split second. She crouched low on the gargoyle. The elf turned and looked up at her. "Wh-wh-who are you?"
[COLOR="red"]"Me?" [/COLOR]she hissed.
"Yes," he drew his sword, "What do you want!?" He held out the hooked blade as she leapt down and crouched in front of the elf.
[COLOR="red"]"What do I want?" [/COLOR]She crawled closer and whispered, [COLOR="red"]"Everything you have to offer." [/COLOR]She unleashed a blood-curdling screech, worse than any banshee could even fathom about.
Zero pounced ontop of the elf. The elf's eyes widened and he reached forward and grabbed her hood at lightning speed. He started pulling it back, "Who are you!?", but at that second, ZeroKay had her hands around his throat, [COLOR="red"]"We can't have you screaming now can we?" [/COLOR]The elf choked out one last cry as her hands tightened around his neck and crushed his vocal cords. He fell to the ground, the blade slipping from his fingers. Zero moved in, [I]At last,[/I] she thought, [I]Fresh meat.[/I] She jabbed her hands into the elf's stomach and tore it open, blood pouring out. [COLOR="red"]"Me? I'm your worst nigtmare." [/COLOR]She began to feed, not wasting any of the vital organs and careful to not spill blood on her hoodie.

When ZeroKay was finally done with her meal, she stood up, something she didn't do often and looked around. No one had seen a thing. Or so it seemed. She leapt back up onto the rooftop and creeped away, back to her cozy little boarded up cabin. Edited September 3, 2011 by Clockwork

['Rax 9]

A patroller, that's what she was. Not a human or elven patroller. Something far more sinister, like a vulture hovering over your head before death. Shrouded in darkness, flying high as she watched over the city for any sort of violence or death she could get her clawed hands on. She didn't like to waste her energy on hunting when there was a perfectly good way to get a meal.

Of course, a city was generally her last choice. Anthrax was no small animal, and she could not fit well in the city streets without being seen or hurting herself or destroying something. So, her plan was generally to swoop by and pick up whatever she had her mercury eye on and leave without so much as a hair left in her tracks. This was no easy feat either. A blue and black dragoness wasn't exactly well camoflauged.

On the other side of Shrine City, there was attack underway, and she knew about it. Her ears were fine tuned to sounds of screaming, her eyes used to violent movement, her nose drawn to the smell of blood. With a great flap of her wings she shot forward and hovered several hundred feet above where the attack had happened, just in time to see a corpse laying there and a creature bolting away. More interested in what the attacker had left behind, she dropped down a bit to see it better.

A mutilated elf, insides completely eaten out, blood everywhere.

That would hardly be a snack for Anthrax. Regardless, she scooped up the body and flew outside the city gates where she promptly devoured the rest, bones and all. Now her attention turned to the attacker. No civil human or elf would have killed in such a manner. The dragoness knew she was dealing with a fearsome creature, yet it had looked so human. This only heightened her curiosity. Backtracking slightly, she recalled seeing the beast run off to an abandoned cabin, and so she followed the scent to it. The cabin reeked of blood and rot, which wasn't a horrible stench to the scavenger/hunter dragon.

She was amazingly silent, creeping along much like a cat around the cabin. Finding a window, Anthrax peeked inside, sticking her three-foot-long head inside to see what was there.

[Clockwork 45]

ZeroKay screeched from the rafters at the dragon-beast. Her only sanctuary had been invaded. Quickly she flipped her hood over her head and backflipped down onto the ground, landing in her causual crouch. She bared her blood stained fangs at the beast, blood running down her cheeks from her eyes. Zero didn't really understand why, it as just another Hunter thing. The mercury eyes of the dragon peered inside, curiously. The huntress screeched again infront of the dragon's nose. The beast had an odd scent. One she wouldn't forget.

['Rax 9]

At the sudden sound Anthrax instinctively lurched backwards, baring her front teeth in shock. She poked her head back in the window just in time to get a noseful of Hunter stench. Yech. Anthrax smelled mostly of blood and tree bark and dogwood flowers, but this zombie-creature stank like a long-dead deer. It made the dragoness chuff and snort, but she put her head farther into the window. She was silent, studying the morbid-looking thing with an analytical, intelligent expression on her narrow face. She was trying to 'hack' into the creature's brain for communication purposes. At this point, all that the Huntress would hear was distorted speech, voices clambering over one another and trying to get in order, interrupted and broken by radio static.

[CENTER][COLOR="mediumturquoise"][I]"Crzaturz! Lzzt mzzz in!"[/I][/COLOR][/CENTER]

[Clockwork 45]

The dragon snorted and seemed to cough. [COLOR="red"]"Yeah it's true," [/COLOR]Zero chuckled, her voice sounding like a harsh whisper (another bonus of being a Hunter [sarcasm]), [COLOR="red"]"I need a bath pretty badly." [/COLOR]She crawled over to the window where the dragon had its head in. She pulled her hands from her pockets, blood-stained and unhuman they are, but she was 30% sure this beast could be trusted. Afterall, the Dragon God was said to be the last dragon, this one needed protection. ZeroKay stood up, her back slighty haunched due to all the crouching. Zero held her arms out near her knees a little for balance. [COLOR="red"]"You tried speaking with me?" [/COLOR]she asked, a little shocked. Edited May 9, 2011 by Clockwork

['Rax 9]

She tried to walk in the door, but there was no door, and she cracked the wood slightly. Oops. Ignoring her own stupidity, she huffed out her nose and watched the creature.

[center][i][color="mediumturquoise"]"Yzzs. Plezzse opzzzn your menzzzzal wzzlls. I zzzzznnot gzzt throuzzzzzh."[/color][/i][/center]

A dragon's tongue and lips were not made for oral speech. If the creature couldn't clear up her mind a bit, communication would be difficult. Anthrax tried to back out the window to find an entrance to the cabin, but her horns hit the upper pane. She hissed in frustration and kept trying to get out; those horns were such a burden sometimes.

[Clockwork 45]

ZeroKay heard the last message and opened her mind. [COLOR="red"]"Here, go around back. I'll come to you."[/COLOR] she said. Zero hated her voice, well atleast she could talk, the other Hunter couldn't. The fist lights of dawn were coming over the city. [I][COLOR="red"]We need to hurry,[/COLOR][/I] ZeroKay shot into the dragon's mind as she leapt up into the rafters and swung out onto the roof from the skylight, and slid down to the ground. [I][COLOR="red"]There will be triple the guards because I got messy with my meal. Trust me, that is something you don't want.[/COLOR][/I] She went back to her casual crouch, much more comfortable than standing upright. She smiled satisfied, [COLOR="red"][I]Perhaps this dragon will make good company.[/I][/COLOR]

['Rax 9]

She snarled at the window and finally managed to get out of it, bringing a chunk of wood with her. She ignored it and simply walked around the back of the house. She was thirteen feet tall just at the shoulder, so she could almost see over the top of the house. Anthrax reared up on her hindlegs and propped her arms up on the roof, chuckling in her mind. Now that her voice - or rather, voice[i]s[/i], were in order, she spoke clearly. She didn't much care for how she sounded either. It was a central, feminine voice surrounded by half a dozen other voices of mixed genders.

[center][i][color="mediumturquoise"]"Oh, do not worry about the mess, creature. Iheheheheheh. I got that for you."[/color][/i][/center]

She licked her velvety black chops with a long green tongue and grinned widely.

[center][i][color="mediumturquoise"]"And 'this dragon's' name is Anthrax. Hehe."[/color][/i][/center]

[Clockwork 45]

[I][COLOR="red"]Oh did you now?[/COLOR][/I] ZeroKay chuckled. [COLOR="red"]"Wasn't much left.[/COLOR]
[I][COLOR="red"]And I'm a Hunter. I'm the only one. Basically, I'm half-human, half-zombie.[/COLOR][/I] Zero muttered in her mind. She hated those facts.

['Rax 9]

She seemed to lack eyebrows, for her eyes were surrounded by her horns, and yet it looked like she raised a brow curiously.

[center][i][color="mediumturquoise"]"Grisly."[/color][/i][/center]

She made a deep rumbling sound and stretched out her wings before folding them back against her sides. She wanted to be back up in the air, but this creature was quite fascinating.

[center][i][color="mediumturquoise"]"I thought zombies had rotted flesh and couldn't catch a running human no matter how hard they tried. You're an impressive beast, if I do say so myself."[/color][/i][/center]

[Clockwork 45]

[COLOR="red"][I]Think what you want. Stereotypes are rather funny aren't they. I thought dragons were fat lazy green lizards with wings. Besides, I'm my father's own creation. Or mistake actually.[/I][/COLOR] ZeroKay's eyes flashed red again. She inhaled the air and quickly said [COLOR="red"]"HIDE!"[/COLOR] then vanished into a tree. Soldiers were walking toward the odd couple. Closing in very fast, and seemed to be interested in what just shot into the tree.

['Rax 9]

She huffed indignantly and dove behind the house, out of sight from the guards, for now. Problem with being a dragon - you can't exactly hide. But you can defend yourself fairly well, if necessary. The dragoness hunched down like a stalking cat and tried to hide in the cabin's shadow. If it weren't for her bioluminescent eyes and hair, she would be practically invisible.

[Clockwork 45]

The soldiers stopped. "Hey, did you just see that?" One nudged the other.
"Where?"
"In that tree. Look right there! Looks like a person! HEY YOU," he pointed and yelled at ZeroKay, "COME DOWN HERE!"
[COLOR="red"]"You really want me down there?"[/COLOR] she asked, in her harsh whispery voice.
"YES RIGHT NOW YOUNG LADY!"
[COLOR="red"]"AlrightI 'm coming down!"[/COLOR]she said. Zero shrieked and leapt ontop of the nearest soldier. She was about to make a scene, but she didn't care. ZeroKay yanked open a soldier's stomach then let him drop. She grabbed another soldier by the throat and crushed his wind-pipe. An arrow tore through her chest. She turned to face the shooter. Some chick in black leather. "Stop it now, you daemon." She smoothly said.
[COLOR="red"]"Or what, Robin Hood, you gonna shoot me again?"[/COLOR] ZeroKay replied, taking another arrow to the chest. [COLOR="red"]"Ow. Yeah that totally did ya some good."[/COLOR] She chuckled and leapt at the girl, knocking the crossbow from her hands, and then getting kicked in the face hard enough to get knocked down. Zero crouched down again and leapt back ontop of the girl, but the girl was ready and swung a punch at Zero's mouth. Zero opened her mouth, latching her fangs onto the girl's knuckles, making the girl scream in anguish. [COLOR="red"]"Atleast be thankful I'm not hungry."[/COLOR] Zero said, spitting the girl's fist out. [COLOR="red"]"Now. I'm going to give you ehh. I dunno a 50 second headstart to get into the city. And then I'm coming after ya. Got it?[/COLOR] ZeroKay said. The leather-girl turned and hauled her little butt as fast as she could toward the city.
[COLOR="red"]"1..2skip a few49..50![/COLOR] Zero yelled in her harsh voice and pounced straight toward the girl as she hauled it by the cabin. ZeroKay's arms tore at the girl's shoulders until the girl was forced down. Zero wrapped her hand around the girl's throat and squeezed until she stopped fighting back. [COLOR="red"]"Yo Anni,"[/COLOR] Zero called, crawling over behind the cabin, [COLOR="red"]"Hungry?"[/COLOR] Edited May 10, 2011 by Clockwork

['Rax 9]

All this time, Anthrax was watching with some kind of sick pleasure, a grim smile on her lips. She wouldn't need to hunt today. Since she didn't need to be so stealthy anymore, she sat upright and purred softly, watching the gorefest. At the smaller Huntress' question, she licked her chops and purred.

[center][i][color="mediumturquoise"]"Hnnn, I'm ALWAYS hungry."[/color][/i][/center]

And so she went about scavenging the dead soldiers, able to eat most of them in three or four bites, able to snap bones like toothpicks in her jaws. The sound of crunching bones was quite disturbing, especially with the odd smile on the dragoness' face.

[Clockwork 45]

[I][COLOR="red"]I take it you appreciate my aggresion.[/COLOR][/I] Zero laughed. She watched the dragoness munch on what remained of the soldiers. [COLOR="red"]"We need to leave soon,"[/COLOR] she announced, [COLOR="red"]"The reinforcements will be arriving soon, and the two soldiers I didn't maul made it into town. They'll tell everyone of my being here."[/COLOR] Not that it was any of the dragon's concern, ZeroKay just felt like sharing. She bounded up onto the cabin roof and slid inside the skylight.

Inside, Zero searched until she found the writing tools she left laying about. She scrawled down:
[B]TO DO:[/B]
[B]1. Wash up.[/B]

The rest she left blank. Her father had always told her to keep it simple, one thing at a time. When you reach that, move to the next goal. She folded the piece of paper-like material into fourths and tucked it safely into the back pocket of her jeans.
And that was how Zero lived. Accomplishing one thing after another, keeping it clean and simple. Well, except for the hunting part, but that was besides the point.
[I][COLOR="red"]Hey Anthrax,[/COLOR][/I] Zero shot into the dragon's mind, [I][COLOR="red"]Do you know how I can manage to keep my hands on some soap?[/COLOR][/I] Edited May 10, 2011 by Clockwork