((LOL! Yeah. He definitely wants to push her off the cliff. . . .))

Neeraj waited, watching closely as his companions swung over. They'd avoided the fire and the other tributes. This was, by far, the simplest path to take. The dark-skinned male tried to ignore the bitterness he felt at having to run from a fight. He was eager to test his skills against the other tribes, after all.

Gold eyes flickered over to Riya. How strange was it that she'd never been found by any of the clans! This single woman had escaped everyone's notice. She had knowledge about the dragon, too! Was it luck, or fate?

"You've met the dragon before?" His question was quiet, and the male moved forward to help Demicora as she prepared to swing across. "Or have you just heard about him? How much knowledge do you have about the beast?"

Riya didn't say anything to him as he moved to help up Demicora, she even moved to go help also but but she stopped seeing the look upon the male's face, she sighed slightly as she clenched her fist before she put a hand up to the scar upon her face. She had gotten lost in thought once more, a sad look upon her face before she sighed as she looked back towards the two tributes.

"I more then met him." she said to them simply before she motioned for them to follow after her as she headed away from the fire and other tributes, finding her way down wards instead of up. "I have a lot of knowledge about him. I know that every story that you have heard about dragons are lies. I know that if it had not been for him, I would have died. I would still be very weak and submissive. Razeil is more then just a dragon to me. I love him. I will find him and finally tell him. I swear to you both that i will personally kill you if your intent is to kill him." she said to them seriously as she spun around, pointing a razor sharp dagger at them. They could think that she was kidding, joking and that it was an idle threat, no matter she could slit their throats in their sleep if she had too.

(SORRY SORRY SORRY!!! I had absolutely no internet over the holidays when i got home after finals. I'm posting now)

Demicora had watched as the girl ran off, swinging from the cliff and getting to the other side. She hoped to god that Neeraj would not push her off the cliff though she knew he was half tempted to do just that. With a quick thought running through her head, she cut a bit of the rope on the tree. Hopefully, not too much to break when she was still in the air, but more of when she hit the cliff. She tied the end of the rope around an arrowhead and a medium rock, making it tight so the rock wouldnt slip. Hoping and praying to the horse and wildling lords above, she swung the same way the other two did. The feeling of the rope unwinding itself made her very uneasy as she swung through the air. Before she even got to the cliff the rope decided to snap. She had to grab onto the cliff free hand quick action made her take her side of the rope and threw it up at the top of the cliff. This was just a sort of luck thing. It was a hit or miss sort of moment and from what she could see she was probably going to miss. Reaching for the rock face, she felt a tug against the rope and instantly felt relief, but that relief came too soon. Almost instantly, her body smashed into the rock face of the cliff. Bruises on her body started to form instantly as she climbed up the rock face. With the help of Neeraj, she finally made it to the top. Showing a bit of pain, she let her two companions talk for a few minutes, but as soon as she heard that what they had learned about dragons was wrong, she wanted to prove her wrong. "So dragons are not majestic creatures that saved our tribes from continually fighting. Raziel saved out tribes from fighting each other and we sacrifice one male and one female every year for him. The victors are those who are able to track him down and take a scale from him, bringing it back as proof. If anyone from the other tribes comes back afterwards or without a scale, they are automatically sacrificed or under such disgrace they are used as servants.... Are you going to tell me that they are evil creatures?" Her anger was driving her to yell at this girl. How could she just walk up to them and say that she was going to help them, but then tell them that what they had learned was wrong. Dragons were fierce creatures. A force to be reckoned with, but definitely not evil. "Please dont assume what our traditions and history are." With that, Cora got up and started to move, glaring at Neeraj for a second as if to say she didnt really like the girl.

Neeraj felt fear bite at him. He'd hated the thought of losing Demicora, and just thinking of her time at the cliff made him wary. As she spoke, shooting a glare in his direction, Neeraj smiled grimly. They were on the same page once more.

The dark-skinned youth coiled up what rope was left over, slinging it over one shoulder. "You're blade won't be enough to threaten us, chit." Chit. It was a term usually reserved for children - not offensive, but perhaps a bit like calling someone a youngling. "Your help is appreciated, but we can always search for him without your help. We aren't going to kill the dragon."

Neeraj stepped forward, looking toward the mountains. "This is a matter of life and death, girl. We get a scale, we survive. If we don't find the dragon, we may as well never go home." Impatience entered his golden eyes. "Let's go. We've wasted enough time."

(I will post once killa posts. K?)

((;) Sounds good! I don't want to leave anyone behind. Hahah, it's easier to do this "round robin" approach. LOL))

(absolutely. I dont want to leave anyone behind either)

(FINALLY GOT NET!!!!)

"Look I am not saying that what you have told me of your history is wrong. It is actually something that he would do. What i am saying is that there are probably plenty of other stories that you have heard. Try dragons attacking humans and eating them, taking virgin sacrifices fighting with knights. Those stories are wrong. And dragons are not that. Raziel is that. Think...what are the chances that a dragon will actually help your tribe? Yes there are good dragons but there are bad dragons also." Riya said to them as she shook her jacket off, she was getting tired of these two, they want to kill her yet they want the information that she had which she wasn't exactly going to tell them willing. Though she had gotten some of the information out of them that she wanted, she just needed to get the rest of it. Her golden eyes racked over their surroundings before she carefully picked her way through the brush and trees, making sure not to leave a trace behind. "I am not assuming about your traditions and history. I am assuming that you have tried to learn about dragons from others." she said to them as she sighed slightly, though she made a slight turn to follow after Demi, thinking for a few moments before she smiled at the female. "Do you know that dragon saliva can heal? Because of this property they are hunted down for it though it gets twisted around to make it seem as if it was a valiant knight saving a princess." she shared this little bit of information with them, to see what their reaction was going to be to it before she decided on what to say to the male. "You can get any number of scales from a dragon cave, off the ground or even in shops. Considering your not wanting to kill him then we have no problems with each other." she said in a friendly manner though she still had her doubts about what they wanted with him. "As for finding him.....i have spent years searching for him so be prepared to not go home for a long time."

Demicora had had about enough of this girl. She kept rambling on about them hurting Raziel or even about the stories they heard. All they had to do was find the dragon and she could do that through tracking. At least she hoped. It was the best she had. Keeping her mouth shut, she decided to let Neeraj talk if he wanted to. She was tired of talking. The girl continued to talk, giving them information on dragons that made her listen in. The only problem was she didnt know what a knight or a princess was. As soon as the girl talked about how long the journey was going to be, she almost wanted to smack her, but as long as she knew that neither her or Neeraj was going to kill the dragon, she was ok with her. They continued to walk as she looked to Neeraj in case he blew up as much as she wanted to.

(I have writers block for this one. I have no idea why... Sorry guys)

((It's fine, Demi! :D And Kilia: yay!!! ))

Neeraj frowned at the mentioning of knights and princesses. He knew what a princess was due to the customs that his father had spoken of, but . . . knight? It must have been someone powerful, if they were to hunt dragons.

The dark-skinned male avoided an animal print as they walked, his golden eyes trailing after Demicora. It was strange having a third person added to their group. It wasn't altogether "legal" in the standards of their tribes, either. They were supposed to be in pairs, for they represented their own communities with their presence.

With all of Riya's information about the dragon, however, Neeraj knew that she would be an asset. That, and she KNEW this dragon. What was his name? Raziel?

As Riya continued, Neeraj settled into a kind of rhythm. He would listen as long as he could without getting lost, and then turn his attention to Demi. He found her cheeks flushed with irritation when they caught one another's eye. At that point, Neeraj couldn't help but laugh. It rudely interrupted something that Riya was saying.

"You know they say the dragons dwell in the mountainside caves," he said, taking a breath and offering a wide grin. "We've been finding the scales there for years." The stories that Riya told were interesting, but Neeraj was convinced that they knew where to look. "My father gave me knowledge that the others lack."

This time, he addressed both Riya and Demicora. "He said to look at the falls near the cliffs. It's cold, and icy, but there are some perfect hiding places there."

Riya could the air between the three of them, she knew that they wanted nothing to do with and one still wanted to kill her but they needed each other especially since they are looking for the same dragon. She had just finished telling them about reasons that dragons were killed before her eyes cut over to Neeraj as he started to laugh out loud. She kept a straight face as he told her about the caves, her gold eyes looked over the area once more as she thought about what he was telling her. She wasn't going to give Razeil's secret away, that he could turn into a human and that caves were not exactly where he would be. After walking in silence, following after the two, she couldn't help but stop in her tracks as she looked at the two of them. "Do the scales that were brought back look like this?" she asked them as she reached down her shirt and pulled out a gold scale, though it looked as if it was made out of gold to look like a scale. She was gentle with it, treating it as the most fragile thing in the world.

When Riya reached for the scale, Neeraj's eyes immediately widened. Just as he turned his gaze elsewhere, the glint of gold caught his attention. The hunter reached for the scale, but caught himself before he did. "That's what we're looking for," he said, narrowing his eyes.

It was true then. Riya knew this dragon. "Why did he leave you?" he asked, looking partially ready to take the scale. Instead, the hunter stayed civil. They'd stopped walking for a moment, but Neeraj kept them moving forward. He had to distract himself somehow.

((I'm thinking we need to move them along to find Raziel. :) I miss that guy. hahah, any suggestions as to what else should happen? I have a night-time scene planned for them. >:D))

Demicora was happy that Neeraj knew what she was thinking. The girl was sort of getting on his nerves as well. For breaking the rules of the games, they could have easily been hunted down by the other tribes and killed for. Having a third person to the group was a dangerous game. He started to laugh which brought her out of her thoughts. They had to tread lightly so as not to make any tracks, but she had been so spacey she forgot. Quickly she began hiding her own tracks with her light step.

The unfathomable seemed to happen as the male started to talk. His father had told him about the dragons. He had knowledge that he hadnt planned on sharing with her. Was she really that terrible of a person that everyone in the tribe had no trust in her including her partner? Not revealing such information was the reason they hadnt gone towards the mountains. The girl looked as though she had gotten kicked in the face from being so rudely interrupted about the killing of dragons. Then again, there was something that her mother had told her about dragons and their appearance, but she couldnt really remember what that was.

Suddenly the girl pulled out something that shone in the sunlight. The two pairs of golden eyes were able to look at the object even while shining. It was a golden scale! Where had this girl gotten a golden scale?! Could she really know this dragon?! The voice of her mother popped into her head. I dont know much about this Raziel dragon, but every year the contest makes the contestants look for his scales. From what I have heard, the problem is that if he is a golden dragon, he can change his form to look like one of us. "He's a golden dragon.... That... changes things a bit." She said to herself under her breath as if she just had the realization. Her eyes were still widened at the sight of the scale. The hunter got closer to the scale which is exactly what she wanted to do, but she stopped herself. Instead, she thought of a proposition to give the girl as she followed Neeraj. "Well then... How about this? We help you find the dragon and you give us the scale for the proof to our tribe." She continued at a faster pace, brushing passed Neeraj softly and looking back at him with a rare smile you could never find on her face back home.

Riya took a step back when Neeraj moved towards the scale that hung around her neck, though they had not exactly answered her question, she watched them carefully as they continued to move forward. She let the silence roll over them as she listened to everything that they were saying, she could see the sun moving lower in the sky though she had no clue as to where they were at or how far along they had gotten, she sun tucked the scale back in her shirt after the two had looked at it. Soon it started to grow darker, having thought over everything that they had said to her and the offer that the female had given her. "I will tell you when we set up camp." she said to Neeraj, meaning she would tell him the answer to his question then, she looked at the female though and thought for a few minutes, trying to figure out if it was a good deal or not. "Three heads are better then one. Is there a chance that I will get this scale back or what?" she asked Demicora, giving her a slight skeptical look before she jerked at the sound of something that was far off, though to her it seemed as if it was getting closer. "Did you hear that?" she whispered to them as she pulled her hood back up, getting a bit lower to the ground as she softly moved from one tree to another one, gold eyes turned to the sky as she listened and moved about.

Neeraj felt his companion brush by. Golden eyes immediately followed Demicora, catching the smile on her face. It was so strange to see that kind of smile, he nearly forgot what was being said.

R-right. Compromise. Sheesh, get your thoughts together.

The tall male looked back over his shoulder to see Riya, wondering if she'd heard the deal. Instead, he saw her crouching low. That was when Neeraj heard the movement nearby. Immediately falling still and silent, the male reached for Demicora's arm. Together, they crouched, hiding themselves among the brush.

If he could have, Neeraj would have warned Riya to fall still. Movement was what gave you away. If one were to fall still, they would usually escape notice. In this dim lighting, their stealth was likely to keep them from being spotted.

((Do you have anything planned for this, Kilia? :3 I can easily pull in some beast, tribute, or something. ;) I think meeting Raziel will have to wait . . . until we find him FIGHTING OTHER TRIBUTES. OMG, LIGHTBULB MOMENT. So . . . we should totally find them in a battle, or something!!! Like, the thing they hear in the woods is someone running away, or something.

Unless, of course, you have something planned, Kilia. ;) We can always move meeting Raziel to the next group of tributes. <3 <3))

(not really lol it was and opportunity for someone to come up with something lol though we shall see what D comes up with lol *waits patiently*)

((I like Esmme's idea of having Raziel fighting off a bunch of tributes. It would make it really interesting.))

Demicora was caught and mesmerized by her own partner's eyes as they locked onto one another. Thoughts slowly drifted from one place to another. It was like some sort of feeling was coming out that she had never expressed before. No there was no way she was falling for the one male in the village that had the ego of a mountain and the mentality of fire. Chaos ensued everywhere this man went. He never cared for his fellow tribe members when fighting. He always just loved to fight. But his eyes were so immaculate in the darkness that started to come over them. It was like some sort of golden sunrise shining on the top of water. His features were now more distinct to her and she started to get a shiver down her spine. No. There was no way she was going to fall for him. Every other girl in their tribe fell for him and he rejected all of them. He was a spoiled brat. No. This wasnt happening.

Something didnt feel right that pulled her away from her thoughts in time to hear the girl ask if the scale would be returned to her. There was just something in the air that caused her to start getting low, when Neeraj decided to bring her close to the ground with him. Quickly, she pulled out her bow and got an arrow ready for anything that could come at them. It was strange. The noise she heard almost sounded just like rustling of a few branches, like a rabbit would make, but it was bigger which meant that it definitely wasnt a rabbit. The noises grew more into what seemed like frenzied footsteps. Trying to figure out what it was, she decided to loosen her bow a bit and put her ear to the ground. It was a technique her father had taught her before he died. She listened to the earth and all of a sudden she knew what was going on. Some of the tributes had found something and were surrounding it like bandits to a family. Before she brought her head up to tell them what she was hearing, the tributes started to cry out their battle cries. Her eyes widened as she looked over at Neeraj, wondering what they should do. Whether they should go towards a different direction or move closer to see what was happening.

(Ill leave the rest up to you Es for what is to come. I have no idea what your planning but i figure this post might help out.)

Gold eyes narrowed at the scenery that was around them, silence soon followed after her question before movement could be heard once more. The white haired female placed both hands upon the ground before she slowly crept forward to see past the bush that was in front of them. She soon stopped as she looked back towards the two that were with her, watching as the female was ready to shot something before putting her ear to the ground. Her gold eyes then moved over towards the male, seeing him sitting so still that you could almost mistake him for a statue. That was when the sound had gotten louder, it was clear that it was a human, and sound to her that it was either trying to get away from something or going towards something. Battle cries, were the next thing they heard before birds that had been awaken flew off from the source of the commotion. She didn't say anything, it was clear that she wanted to see what was going on, but she knew that she had to find Razeil and right now these two where he lead and she was not going to lose the most recent source as to his possible wherabouts any time soon. She planned to stick to them like glue until she found the male that had left her for good.

The sounds grew louder. As Demicora knelt, pressing her ear to the ground, Neeraj stayed motionless. Their eyes met suddenly, and the male hesitated. Going toward the sounds meant they could either be approaching trouble, or winning a fight.

Resting birds lifted from the trees nearby, breaking the silence. Neeraj took the moment to stand, keeping his golden eyes locked on the figure that suddenly broke through the brush nearby. The girl was so panicked, she didn't even notice them. Neeraj noted the fear in her eyes. That kind of fear didn't come from natural means.

With a quiet sound to signal Demicora to follow him, Neeraj drew a small blade from his belt. He didn't look back to see if the girls were following him. Instead, he became a hunter - his very movements changed. Neeraj lost his name - he lost his humanity - and allowed instinct to guide him. It didn't take much to follow the trail toward the battle.

The noises were the worst. Screams, snarls, clashing weapons, and cries broke the darkness. As the moon illuminated the clearing, bursts of flame blinded everyone who watched. Neeraj froze at the edge of the treeline. That was no normal battle between tributes. That . . . was . . . something else. It wasn't entirely human, either.

Neeraj slipped into the darkness, disappearing from view. Not even Demi could have seen him then, and she knew where to look. This battle wasn't theirs . . . but it would be.
-

A single man stood tall in the middle, lithely dodging the wild swings of a youth's blade. The sword was swift, but none of the blows connected. He wore no armor, and splashes of blood coated his hands and had splattered onto his chest. The male looked deadly - and the way he acted was even more frightening.

The sound of leather snapping taut made one of the attacking tributes back away, but it was obvious that the man didn't intend to fly away. Instead, moonlight glinted off of fangs and scales alike. Raziel's human features were lightly covered with scales, as though he wasn't completely . . . normal. This alone frightened the tributes that attacked him, let alone the blood on his hands.

A few wounded tributes had been pulled away, but others stubbornly pressed on. There were six of them total - three separate tribes joined together. There was no talking - only battle. Raziel growled, the sound rebounding from the trees and filling the clearing. The dragon male lashed out at the attacking tribute, bringing him to his knees. An inhuman hiss followed, and he squeezed the boy's throat.

The blade fell. The tribute choked on his breath, staring into the red eyes of what he called a demon. To be honest, Raziel looked the part: evil.

Demicora swiftly moved alongside her partner. Her footsteps were so light, not even a snake could feel them nor a bat hear them. Her features changed drastically as she became the huntress she had always been. A deadly tracker. An assassin to those she hunted. Her knife was released from its sheath as she brought it up to the body of her bow. Close combat was always tough when it came to using long range weapons. She always needed a short range one just in case. Neeraj seemed to disappear as soon as they came on the scene. A male stood there. His appearance was golden and majestic. The creature was so unnatural, but she knew exactly who it was. It had to be the one person they were all looking for otherwise the tributes would never have attacked. That is unless he attacked first, but at this point, she was just hoping that it was the one person they were looking for. His appearance was so beautiful. It caught her for a second until she heard the cries of the other tributes. That was when she realized what she should do so that he was not hurt. Besides, it wasnt like no one died in these games. Quickly, she strung up three arrows onto her bow. Without even taking time to aim, she loosed the arrows. They all went straight for those that were fighting. It looked as though she was shooting at the unnatural male, but the arrows hit three of the tributes, each in the chest, right through the heart. Two of the 3 tributes left, looked towards her and started to charge. Quickly, she grabbed another arrow and loosed, hitting him right through the heart as well. The second one came up on her too quickly to loose another one. Instead, she brought the knife up, but he tackled her to the ground. They started to wrestle around, throwing punch after punch as his friend's life was being strangled out of him. She was about to have the same done to her at this point. She couldnt get the male off of her.

The arrows that struck the tributes made Raziel pause, holding his prey at arm's length. Curious, predatory eyes watched Demicora as she struggled with a male. The dragon never flinched whenever blows were dealt. He didn't look particularly worried about the outcome of the battle, either.

Neeraj ended the fight. He left his hiding place to aid his companion, ditching any advantage he might have had in stealth. Grabbing the male's shoulders he yanked him back. A blade was swiftly embedded into his chest, silencing the other tribute. That blood, though - it made Neeraj frown. Killing tributes to save a dragon? He could hardly justify it. The one thing he could agree with was killing a tribute to save Demi.

Offering a hand, Neeraj distractedly helped Demicora to her feet. He didn't ask if she was alright - they had bigger problems. The dragon's hiss broke the silence, and he tossed the boy in his grasp to the side. The youth didn't move.

"Leave this place at once," Raziel said, his speech slurred by fangs. Glowing eyes locked on them, and the smooth movements of the dragon brought him closer. The tributes thought they were good fighters, yes, but they were human. Raziel was not. "I don't know why you attacked the others," the dragon's voice held no emotion as he stepped within a few feet of them, "but neither do I care. Run while you still draw breath."

Neeraj felt a cold feeling sink into him. As Raziel stepped closer, the hunter tensed. Too close. This was far too close.

Riya stood up as she watched the two headed off towards the commotion, she watched them for a few moments before she followed after them eager to find out what it was. She soon spotted a but further back then the other two, watching what was going on. No sound came from her, her expression did not change as her eyes were locked on the fight in front of her. Her hand was on the hilt of her daggers as she was ready to kill the two tributes that she was traveling with, waiting to see what they were going to do. Only relaxing when it was finally over, and nodding approvingly at the fact that they had helped the dragon. She waited for a few moments more as a soft loving look crossed her face though it was hidden with in the shadow of her black hood. When Razeil had moved closer to the two, she finally came forward, stopping between the three, being a barrier for them, after all they had done their job. "It is because i want you to live." she said to him simply, watching him closely to see what his reaction was going to be. After all she was not going to reveal her self to him just yet, she did not know if he even remembered her.

Neeraj had darted out of his hiding place taking down the male that was about to strike her down. He had her pinned before being pulled off and stabbed quickly. The disappointment on her partner's face made her realize that he was itching for a fight with the dragon. Sighing, she took the male's hand and let him help her up. She had not been discreet about killing the other tributes and the dragon's hiss made her thoughts stop as she looked directly at him, crouching low to pick up her bow and knife. As she stood, she looked back at the girl who had decided to stay back from the fighting. A dangerous glint was in her eyes as she watched the girl come between the three of them so that they would not be killed. At least she was keeping up her own end of the bargain, though it hadnt been made just yet. As the girl spoke, she got ready to defend her, her silver tipped arrows itching to pierce the male's skin if he attacked the girl. Her knife was back in its sheath as she looked at Neeraj with a look of being ready in case anything happened.

"Oh, really?" Raziel bore his fangs, obviously not trusting the newcomers. They were still tributes. They were still human.

The cloaked girl didn't hold herself like one of the others. She was different. She smelled different. The dragon tilted his head, regarding her for a few moments.

"You are not from the tribes." Lips parted as tasted the air. There was something familiar about that scent. Perhaps she was from the city lands? Raziel's wings settled back, and he lifted a clawed hand up to inspect the bloody fingers. "They have either brought you here to hunt, or you wandered in of your own accord."

His reasoning was . . . off. Less human, more beast. Basic, perhaps.

The golden scales on his cheekbones glistened as he smiled. "Either way, it will be a refreshing change." Raziel tore a stray article of ruined clothing from his torso, looking annoyed. "It's been a while since I've tasted lighter meat." As he spoke, the male seemed to grow more imposing. Raziel was taller, and he was changing. He was looking more like the dragon he was rumored to be.

Neeraj jerked his blade free from the fallen tribute, his eyes wide. This dragon was . . . getting bigger. And less human. Glancing to Demicora, his slight smile was the only thing keeping the fear from attacking him. He fostered his eagerness and excitement, letting his urge to fight surface once more. This was going to be an interesting fight - he wasn't going to be eaten because a stranger told them to stand down.

A crestfallen look crossed the white haired female's face, she could not help but turn her face away from the dragon. Taking a step back at the comments that he made to her, she let him speak what was on his mind before she placed a hand over the scale pendent that was around her neck before he looked back at the tributes that were with her. "Thank you for helping me." she said to them softly before she looked back at Raziel, watching him starting to change more into his dragon form before she took a deep breathe, pulling her daggers out. "No i am not from a tribe. I was orphaned and had a bad life that i been saved from." she said to him in a voice as calm as she could, trying to hide the hurt that she felt at how he was treating her though she couldn't blame him, it had been years since they had last seen each other. "If you want to fight and eat me then go ahead but these two have nothing to do with this." she said to him, glancing back at the two behind her, she knew that she couldn't take on Raziel but she could give him a run for his money. Her mind then reminded her of why they were both there in the first place, sighing for a moment, she broke the chain before tossing it to Neeraj, keeping her end of the deal, though they could have just sliced one off the male before them.