[h3][color=orange]TEAM CARROT[/color][/h3]

Lily raised an eyebrow when Spook revealed the drawing of their quarry with a flourish. Cat dragons. Of course, it had to be cat dragons. She leaned forward, tilting the pencil sketch up to the light with one finger, and was about to ask exactly [i]how[/i] they were supposed to go about catching the little beasties when a little hand fastened around hers again.

She sighed as Amelia dragged her away, regaining her usual graceful stride after an initial surprised stumble. [color=DDA0DD]"Amelia,"[/color] she said patiently, glancing up to the stairs winding away to the top of the hill. [color=DDA0DD]"You're going to need—"[/color]

Lily blinked as Theodore appeared, then smiled as she spotted what was in his hand. [color=DDA0DD]"A cage,"[/color] she finished, gently tugging the young girl to a stop. [color=DDA0DD]"There—Mr Taylor's kindly brought you a new one. Good luck, sweet."[/color]

As the girl retrieved her new cage, Lily took her own path up the crumbling stairs. She wasn't wearing her usual fair—there was much less skin on display, for one, and for another, she was wearing an old pair of her sister's boots, tightly bound above her knees so they'd stay up. For a split second, she missed the heeled sandals she'd thrown into her bag—at least they were familiar. Also horribly impractical, though at least she didnt have to wear three layers of socks to get them to fit.

Her musings were interrupted as she reached the top, and she planted her hands on her hips as she surveyed the ruins. Dumpy little statues that were nonetheless creepy as anything; an impression not helped by the eerie music the wind played across them; and a host of felidrakes, dozing or grooming themselves in the sun. Of course, most of them vanished with a slight [i]poof[/i] when they spotted her, and the ones that remained were just far enough out of reach that they'd have plenty of time to bolt if she went after them.

So Lily simply gave a deep, put-upon sigh, and picked the best, sunniest, most comfortable spot for herself. 

She had some experience with cats and none with dragons, but she figured that this spot—where it was sunny but not blindingly bright and there was a moss-covered statue at her back—must be fairly desirable. These weren't felidrakes in the middle of hunting or looking for water, either—these ones were sleepy and lazy. The best way to approach a cat. Lily sat down cross-legged, making sure that the iron cage she'd brought with her was well out of sight. She dug in her sack for a moment, pulling out a small burlap bag of travel rations. A piece of her favorite jerky was laid in front of her, another in her open hand resting on her knee, and then the bag was stuffed back deep in her sack. She leaned her head back against the (admittedly still creepy) statue, closed her eyes, and waited.

Long minutes passed where the only sounds were the quiet [i]pops[/i] of felidrakes, reclaiming their spots on top of statues. Once, one appeared so close she could feel her hair move with the momentary breeze of movement, but still she held her stock-still posture. If nothing else, she thought, at least she was getting some sun.

Finally, though, she hit pay dirt. Lily didn't dare to even crack open an eye as there was a [i]pop[/i] followed by a snuffling sound, then the unmistakable sound of chewing. Then, ever so gently, she felt a small paw on her leg—it withdrew quickly, but then returned, as if testing if she was really as lifeless as she appeared. Lily fought down the smile as something small, curiously heavy, and fluffy crawled into her lap. Her fingers twitched as a rough tongue and tiny teeth pricked at the piece of jerky left in her hand, but the felidrake didn't seem to mind. Only then did she dare to open her eyes and grin down at the tiny creature, and a good thing to—if she'd been completely unsuspecting when the drake suddenly jumped up to curl across her shoulders, nosing its way under her hair, she would've done more than just twitch. As it was, she was proud of her reaction to this thing suddenly deciding it wanted a higher vantage point.

Hesitantly, Lily raised a hand to touch the tail, with its strange mixture of fur and dull spines. The tail jerked away under her fingers, but the felidrake continued to munch contentedly; when it was finished, it burped, then curled its tail loosely around her neck, settled its chin on its paws, and apparently dropped off to sleep. She stayed perfectly still, but couldn't help smiling.

Maybe she wouldn't need a cage after all.

[@Bornlucky] [@Irisity]