Post by Kris Rios on Apr 20, 2013 18:45:06 GMT -5
It irked Kris that her life had come to this. She wasn't even sure why; it wasn't like her current situation was that unpleasant. In her true form she wound her way over the shifting desert sands, the sun warming her dark brown scales, her tongue flicking periodically between venom-delivering fangs. The cobra was at home here, comfortable and confident. She had few predators - mongoose and large predatory birds could pose a threat, but they were uncommon in this part of the Boil. Humans were also scarce; Kris' destination was an abandoned oasis no longer fit for people to live by.
It was probably because she was forced to live this way, rather than making the choice herself. Kris was now at the point where hunting for food was a necessity, rather than an option; there were only so many jobs she'd managed to find where she could be paid in food and board rather than in coin, and thanks to the damn curse coin was entirely useless to her. She had also failed to find someone willing to take her across the seas to the Homeland without payment so she was stuck in Litharia, at least for now, making the best of a bad situation. The only upside, really, was that her true form was an effective predator and despite years living among humans and buying food rather than spending all her time finding it for herself, Kris could still catch herself a meal.
The oasis had been abandoned because the water had stopped flowing. The spring had become blocked, perhaps, and although the oasis had been large and flushed with life, the remaining water was now stagnant and green with hardy algae. The people had left months ago and their houses were starting to show the signs of neglect now, as opportunistic desert plants climbed over the stone and slowly set to work breaking it apart. There was an eerie feeling to the abandoned town although Kris was comfortable enough here; the wildlife had reclaimed this oasis, and she was as much wildlife as she was humanoid.
Descending a bank in writhing coils, Kris slid into the water without hesitation. Cobras were surprisingly comfortable in an aquatic environment and she swam easily, before hauling herself onto a rock in the murky pool with silent grace. Her tongue flicked once, twice, and she knew she'd been right - coiling for a moment, the snake suddenly struck and when it recoiled a fat toad was twitching and dying, the venom coursing through its body attacking its nervous system. When she shifted into her half-form Kris brushed the slimy water from her scales and skin and picked up the dead toad, before wading back through the water and to a crumbling house. A once strong wall, now fallen and broken, provided a seat in the sun where she could dry while she ate. Without hesitation the Shifter dug her nails, lengthened into wicked claws in this form, into the body of the toad until she was able to rip a leg off and start chewing the meat off the bone. Raw, just as she liked it.
It was probably because she was forced to live this way, rather than making the choice herself. Kris was now at the point where hunting for food was a necessity, rather than an option; there were only so many jobs she'd managed to find where she could be paid in food and board rather than in coin, and thanks to the damn curse coin was entirely useless to her. She had also failed to find someone willing to take her across the seas to the Homeland without payment so she was stuck in Litharia, at least for now, making the best of a bad situation. The only upside, really, was that her true form was an effective predator and despite years living among humans and buying food rather than spending all her time finding it for herself, Kris could still catch herself a meal.
The oasis had been abandoned because the water had stopped flowing. The spring had become blocked, perhaps, and although the oasis had been large and flushed with life, the remaining water was now stagnant and green with hardy algae. The people had left months ago and their houses were starting to show the signs of neglect now, as opportunistic desert plants climbed over the stone and slowly set to work breaking it apart. There was an eerie feeling to the abandoned town although Kris was comfortable enough here; the wildlife had reclaimed this oasis, and she was as much wildlife as she was humanoid.
Descending a bank in writhing coils, Kris slid into the water without hesitation. Cobras were surprisingly comfortable in an aquatic environment and she swam easily, before hauling herself onto a rock in the murky pool with silent grace. Her tongue flicked once, twice, and she knew she'd been right - coiling for a moment, the snake suddenly struck and when it recoiled a fat toad was twitching and dying, the venom coursing through its body attacking its nervous system. When she shifted into her half-form Kris brushed the slimy water from her scales and skin and picked up the dead toad, before wading back through the water and to a crumbling house. A once strong wall, now fallen and broken, provided a seat in the sun where she could dry while she ate. Without hesitation the Shifter dug her nails, lengthened into wicked claws in this form, into the body of the toad until she was able to rip a leg off and start chewing the meat off the bone. Raw, just as she liked it.