[center][u]Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon[/u][/center]

[b]Emily[/b]

After he had threatened his holder, she watched Cerberus fold into a lounging position with his forepaws crossed over his front while his head lowered down. Emily could help but shiver at Cerberus’s words, she knew his warning was not to be taken idly and with that in mind, she inched herself off Vignar. Still sore and injured, she knew standing was out of the question. Any attempt would’ve just sent her slamming hard into the desert sand where she would just hurt herself worse. As she carefully made sure not to farther injure Vignar, she owed him that much if not more, she was now aware she had landed on top of him. A bad position. While she finally pulled off, Emily listened to Diane bravely take up the reins and try to negotiate. She soon found her stifling an inward groan. This wasn’t going to end well at all and her head turned to Cerberus, eyeing for movements to interrupt. Cerberus’s thoughts seemed to reflect her own as he scuffed the display with a snort. He seemed unimpressed at Diane’s cheerful display and made no effort to stir, instead he continued to watch things play out. His unease, on the other hand, was much harder to overlook. 

Like before, Diane’s words were followed by a guttural language. It was a series of growls, snarls, and more which the only thing Emily could figure out was that it held a random pattern. All meaning and understanding beyond that was lost on her. She gave up shortly and looked at her spirit, partly expected a translation like before. He understood it once, why not again? She was rewarded with an indignant huff followed by his head shifted away from her. It seemed just because he was made from several animals, it didn’t provide any help on this. 

She tried to ignore the edginess that had crept into his body now. Of course he had noticed the werecat’s look, like herself, which gazed at her with hunger and need. To them, she was an injured prey, easy pickings. She shook the thought away. Focusing on it would only feed her fright; the sensation had already started to claw at her as the anxiety built in her wait for the dragon’s reply. 

It only worsened when the werecat pointed out Sean’s corpse, her head twisted into the direction and caught a full glimpse. A wrench of guilt seized her chest to see where her weapon had scored. A bloody hole was the dominate feature now, instead of the eyes, nose or hair from her memory. Her heart dropped into her stomach where it tossed and turned into knots. [i]What could’ve I’ve done differently?[/i] Emilyt felt her mind reliving those horrid moments over and over, trying to discover that key difference where everything could’ve changed. Part of her knew there was nothing she could’ve done to change the outcome. Both Valor and Sean had come here ready to die just to chase them away, the price still seemed too high to pay for a simple task. 

‘Death always seems too high a price to the living… ‘Cerberus said, seeming to answer her silent question. In reality, he had said that before to her. It was the day her Aunt had died. ‘In the end, every death serves a purpose. Understanding what that purpose is happens to be a much harder matter. You really need to focus on the present.’

Emily blinked for a moment. It was strange to hear words so old and familiar uttered from her spirit when things seemed changed. Any farther conversation between Cerberus and her was cut when he suddenly stood, his fur bristled on end and teeth bore in a threatening growl. He had caught movement of dark shapes from her vision’s corner while the old woman was forcing herself through the translation. Several werecat were skirting past the glass domes and sand dunes, drawn by the scent of blood, as the dragon gave a primal growl in warning. All listened saved for two. The sound held little meaning it seemed to their starved bellies. Without warning, they leapt. 

Both spirit and holder acted impulsively. Cerberus jerked his corporal frame in between, his hunches lowered and snakes raised in a hissing warning. All three head glared at his holder’s attackers while Emily twisted in place. She barely registered her arms upraised and now held the gauntlets, poised to slice into their hides. Regardless what hellish condition she was in, Emily’s soul was always a fighter by instinct. Even if got her in trouble. She had expected to feel the first claws bury themselves into her clothes and flesh, ready to lash out but instead they were battered away. Landed heavily into the sand, Emily and even Cerberus were shocked to discover it was the mother dragon’s doing causing the three headed spirit to relax slightly. Emily, however, hadn’t moved. At first she merely stared at the mother dragon until she looked down at her arms, acknowledgement filled her pale expression. Her sick look increased when she hear Eight and Octal speak. Slowly that sourness at her throat back was shoved back, replaced by anger at the pair for wanting more fighting while all she wanted to do was to stop. No fighting….no more death, this was enough! Emily almost screamed it out loud. 

Emily forced herself not to react when the dragon’s wings puffed out, increasing her size. The last time the mother dragon opened her wings, it was followed by a blast of fire and screaming. It was an incident she didn’t want to repeat.

She managed to bury the fear for a moment, enough to allow her weapons to vanish and speak steadily. “There have been reports of raids on caravans near here, but not by just creatures but holders too. So far all the intelligence we’ve gathered seem to lead back to you. After the last encounter, we found it hard to believe. So in hopes to prevent something far worse, we came back against your warning. Our original intentions are to avoid bloodshed, including our own, so we had brought a translator to ensure there was little misunderstanding. Yet we were stopped by one of our own. One of the few who were left behind and he told us to leave. Angry we didn’t, he believed we would do more damage and sought to stop us by any means needed including killing us. Our current state is the result of trying to reason with him, instead of hurting him. It didn’t work and in the end, I had to make a choice: two lives or his. I wished it had been otherwise.” 

Emily took a breath, gathering herself, before she made herself continue. “What we need from you is answers to questions and if things are as we fear, we need to know why. I made a mistake out of ignorance already and I refuse to stand back, and let it happen again.” 

 ‘And I thought you couldn’t surprise me anymore…’ Cerberus commented, figthing not to inwardly groaned at his holder’s words.