gnashing of teeth | joining

[Dazir]

♛

It started when her hind leg became ensnared within a crude trap of some sort. Once stoic eyes grew wide at the feeling of her bulky weight being dragged down and slid across the muddy surface of the earth. A bone chilling roar in protest had been her initial response as she thrashed about. That is until some tanglewood individual came running up to her, chest puffed and pride swollen. "Seems I've caught a trespasser, give me one reason why I shouldn't lock you away!" The child turned her head in the direction of the male, her faux smokey mane billowing semi transparently around hr neck. dark sable lips peeling back to reveal countless teeth in a way that would not leave empty promises. She could not allow herself to be taken captive again, not so soon after escaping bondage. She refused to spend her days fighting for survival in some sick twisted spectator sport for those that bid on her for money and bragging rights.

He wanted a reason? She would give him a reason. In sheer desperation the manticore reached forward, allowing thick curved claws to hook into the canine and drag him to her, where she delivered a gruesome bite to the shoulder. "Ahh! Somebody help me!" Came the tangler's reply as they continued to wrestle for control of one another. Gone was the confusion in her eyes, now overtaken by a wild look and fear. [member=16541]ELSWEYR[/member]

"better start running" —-- Dazir / Tanglewood / misc. / [color=black]kagome

[rhosmari]

AND IT'S HALF PAST THREE
[align=center]AND I GOT ANGEL WINGS

BUT A DEVIL'S GRIN

AND ONLY ONE CAN WIN

elsweyr — tanglewood — three years

She had dealt with much these past few weeks. Watched things evolve and change, how some things had changed even her. This group she had decided to dedicate her time to had definitely changed her. The ongoing revolts against the forces that tried to stamp on them. She concluded that she wished to stay, she wished to fight. Her tail swayed back and forth as she tried to determine what else she could do, what else was there that void rip them from the grasps of their enslaves. Tanglewood was as old as her own tribe was although perhaps younger, yet it was rich in it's own tale and people. Her thoughts strayed as she took a step forward along the swampy grounds, listening to the way the water moved. How it seemed to hiss as it touched her skin. Whatever that...lion had done to her it had awaken something and she was not too sure she could control it. What if it got out? Perhaps awakening it made it more and more powerful. She was sure that Stryker could force it out of her again and she felt revulsion.

Yet her head snapped up as she heard something. A shout and then the sounds of fighting. Immediately the king cheetah moved, head covered on her croc skull as she prayed to Cipactli that no one else was getting hurt by those Wanderers. And it seemed her prayers were met with agreance as what she saw was not the enemy but a creature ensnared and fearful, snapping powerful jaws on one of their own. It was not a Wanderer but it made it no different and she stepped forward holding her skull wearing head up high as the beads in her braided mane clicked together. "Release him and she will be fine. Tanglewood is no threat to her. We do not wish to harm her. Be calm." Her voice was low and gentle as she took another step forward, this time lowering her head a bit.

Gently she reached a paw forward to attempt to remove the thing that was holding the young manticore down. She had never seen one before so she kept herself on guard but she made sure to keep her eyes on the other's gaze, hoping she would release the Tangler once her entrapment was gone.

[wormwood.]

NOTHING BESIDE REMAINS — Truthfully, the lion had not approved of the traps that had once covered Tanglewood's territory in quite some time. He could acknowledge that they had once served a purpose, particularly when Tanglewood had first been founded and the Beyond had still been a rather lawless place, but over time, they had lost their appeal. They had done little to keep enemies out, and had usually only ended up leading to trouble for those within Tanglewood. This trouble came from various sources, whether it be their members getting ensnared, or potential joiners, or even diplomatic visitors. The last one was especially bad, since no one felt particularly glad to work with a group when they had just been caught in a trap. So, Aurum had been rather glad when most of the traps around the territory had been disabled and cleaned up, replaced with more practical ideas. Unfortunately, it seemed as though not everyone had gotten the memo. While he could certainly appreciate someone making an effort to try and keep the group safe, this girl hardly seemed to be much of a threat. She still seemed young, and frightened, and despite her menacing species, she didn't deserve this.

It was pretty obvious why Dazir was displeased, not that it was a good thing for her to be holding violently onto one of their members. It wasn't pleasant, just understandable. Aurum held a stern expression on his face as he moved over, tone scolding as he glared in the direct of the Tangler, "There's a reason why we don't widely use traps around here anymore, dumbass. It's not as if anyone will get in here without one of those damn Wanderers letting us all know about it, anyways." He then turned his gaze towards Elsweyr and the girl, watching as the cheetah moved to let Dazir go free. As he waited to see what she would end up doing, he spoke in a more soothing voice than before, reassuring, "I promise you, we're not all that cruel or idiotic... you didn't get hurt by that trap, did you?" He hoped that this could all be resolved calmly, without any more potential bloodshed. He wasn't sure where exactly Moth or Kiira were at the moment, and he wasn't sure that either of them were actually up for healing at the moment. Especially not healing wounds that had come from a manicore, no matter how young or old she was. — OF THE MAN WHO WAS BORN AND DIED A KING.

[arrow]

CAUSE EVEN BLOOD WILL RUN, LIKE THE TEARS OF A SAINT !
Ah, good old traps. She'd seen her fair share of damage from the less than effective things, the cruder they were the more issues arose from them working properly, ironically enough. She didn't remember ever running into one herself, but the clearly displeased reaction from Arrow came from the injury itself more than it's cause. She kicked a back leg at the mere imagery running rampant in the back of her mind already, a vision of torn flesh and exposed bone.

Once her self indulgent attack on her psyche was said and done, it occurred to Arrow that she'd never actually seen...whatever their new guest was. At least she didn't think so. Her memory was more or less...unreliable beyond specific names and events prior to death. Dazir looked quite intimidating, even weighed down by a surprisingly effective trap, but who could deny the sense of unease by the size and sheer amount of teeth? Perhaps if her heart was still beating, she'd be unnerved. There wasn't much else to say that hadn't already been said, however, so Arrow just watched the scene play out from her nearby vantage point, not far from the two Tanglers that weren't getting their shoulder torn apart.

[Dazir]

♛

The fight between herself and the tangler felt more like a blur than anything. The familiar sound of snapping teeth and the feeling of torn flesh pushing her back into haunted memories, thus causing her act on instinct alone. However, there was another voice that called out distracting her from placing a final bite to the dog's throat to end it all. Dazir's paw remained firmly planted upon his head, holding him there as she hesitantly looked in the cheetah's direction. She offered promises of safety and another low growl vibrated within the child's throat. As much as she wished to believe that were the case she was not entirely convinced that this was not some sort of trap.

That is until she felt the thick rope holding her down slacken due to the cheetah's interference. With an air of caution she looked over at her now free limb, only feeling mild bruising and rope burn in its place. Reluctantly she released her hold on the dog and he went scampering closer to his fellow tanglers. "I didn't think she'd attack me! She hasn't even spoken, its like she's feral or somethin'." The dog muttered in response to Aurum's chastising, before heading off to patch himself up. The muscles of her jaw clenched in response. She was not feral, she understood what they were saying but no one bothered to teach her. Living the life of a gladiator of sorts within an arena does not warrant such luxuries.

Dazir's gaze then fell in the direction of the lion, listening as he more or less apologized on the canine's behalf. In regard to being hurt she glanced at her leg and simply shook her head no. The had child survived much worse in the past. Some mild bruising, raw skin, and bite wounds from a dog would not kill her. Considering Elsweyr was the one to free her she gingerly took a cautious step in the cheetah's direction. A shallow nod of her head meant to show some equivalent of thanks.

"better start running" —-- Dazir / Tanglewood / misc. / [color=black]kagome

[SirDio]

[align=center]

Icthyovenator —  Tanglewood — Adult, unconfirmed age — Heterosexual — Physically hard — Mentally strong

[div style="width: 51%; text-align: justify; font-size: 10pt; letter-spacing: 0px; font-family: trebuchet ms; color: #281B7C;"] Traps, though now few and far between, has caught Tide in the past. As she followed Aurum, there was a visible limp to her from her left side. Her left leg had been caught in a rudimentary bear trap, and it took her some time to get out of it. She stopped as the canine rushed past, then confined until she saw the commotion.

Yellow eyes assessed Dazir as the massive body relaxed and laid down, hoping to seem less threatening. "She understands you, it seems. Do not worry, do not be afraid. I won't hurt you," She noted to the manticore, body leaning to her scarred side. "I was caught by one of those things some time ago. But mine had teeth."

"Speech"

[rhosmari]

AND IT'S HALF PAST THREE
[align=center]AND I GOT ANGEL WINGS

BUT A DEVIL'S GRIN

AND ONLY ONE CAN WIN

elsweyr — tanglewood — three years

Her ears twitched and she pulled them back slightly to listen to the others as they spoke. Though her eyes didn't leave the one that she was speaking with. She did not want to spook her but what Tidefall said seemed to be true, the child did seemed to be able to understand them given the step and the slightly cautious nod that was directed her way. Why then could she not speak? Maybe she was never taught? She could perhaps teach her but not here. They all should get back to camp especially with all of the Wanderers around here. She was tired herself and her limbs seemed to sag before she took a deep breath and tried to give a warming smile. "She comes with us? We can help her at our home. She will be safe here and she can stay with her." The king cheetah motioned to herself so that the other could understand before she turned slightly and looked to Aurum and Tidefall.

After that if Dazir followed she would show the path to the town that they all lived in, the place she now called home and with a tail she would motion to her home. The one decorated with skulls and horns. ''This one has her home here. She can call her Elsweyr, ah, once she can talk, yes?"

[wormwood.]

NOTHING BESIDE REMAINS — Relief spread throughout Aurum as Dazir confirmed she had not been hurt, glad that the child had remained unharmed. On a lesser level, he was also glad that the Tangler hadn't been killed, but he had really brought that whole mess upon himself. After all, what kind of idiot just went out and got all proud of himself after capturing a child? That alone was enough to make Aurum shake his head, flicking his tail sternly in the direction of the town and watching as the male rushed off. With all of his attention on Dazir, the angel nodded along with Elsweyr's words, rumbling, "I'm glad to hear that you weren't hurt... like Elsweyr said, we'll be able to help you at our town. You'll be safe from any traps, and we can also get you some food, and maybe someone to help watch you around here." The lion was unsure of whether or not Dazir would want to stay within Tanglewood, but if she did, she would need some kind of caretaker to show her the ropes. Even if she didn't stay, having a temporary caretaker to help out before she went on to wherever she wanted would be helpful.

With a turn and a lazy roll of his shoulders, Aurum then followed after Elsweyr, his paws easily and comfortably following after the familiar path. His gaze flicked upwards when they came to the cheetah's home, a bit of an uneasy look upon his face. He wasn't sure how much he approved of Dazir staying there, considering all the bones and the reminder of death it held. Death was a part of life, yes, but one didn't need to shove it in the face of a child. Despite this, both Ares and Salvia seemed fond of Elsweyr's company and guidance, so it wasn't as if her home could be that bad. For now, the lion decided to relent, knowing that it was good for Dazir to have some sort of shelter. Turning back to the young girl, he introduced himself plainly, "I live nearby, in the large two story home over there. My name is Aurum, and I've been here for quite a while, so if you have any questions or are looking for anything, you can feel free to ask." He slipped easily into his usual accommodating role, noticing but not particularly caring. After all, he liked helping others. — OF THE MAN WHO WAS BORN AND DIED A KING.

[Dazir]

♛

Her steps slowed once she noticed another individual approach. One far larger than most creatures she had ever come across and battled in her short life thus far. It would be safe to say that Tide was certainly the first dinosaur she had ever laid eyes on. Dazir was nearly tempted to take a step back but then the large reptile shifted to expose deep jagged scars. The child's gaze snapped up as Tide explained the story behind the horrific marks, her brow pulling taunt as she remembered such contraptions in the arena. Traps with teeth, pitfalls, fire and more.

It might have been are to tell, for it lasted only for a fleeting moment, but she gave the large dino a fleeting sympathetic look. She then turned her attention to Elsweyr and began to quietly follow behind. She was skeptical, however she assumed that if they wished to attack they might have done so by now. However, the cheetah's smile was warm and the others demeanors pleasant. Dark ears rotated to listen to the lion's words, while her eyes continued to take in the decor of Elsweyr's home. She gave them a single nod, one that bordered appreciation before going to lay down on the porch and rest for the evening.

"better start running" —-- Dazir / Tanglewood / misc. / [color=black]kagome