As dusk encroached, a lugubrious gloom permeated the landscape. The change in the countryside mirrored his state of mind, and the farther into the grounds he ventured, the more stunted and gnarled the growth became until ascending a steep slope he spied a nearby orchard of deformed, dead plum trees, rising black against the evanescent purple twilight. The trunks were stooped by wind and weather like an ancient peasant woman carrying a burden too heavy for her back; the twisted limbs thrust up towards heaven in a mute plea for pity. The land seemed to have grown as misshapen as it's people.

As he continued to survey the area he took note of the towering evergreens. Treetops impaled rising mists, and the cool, damp air beneath his serpentine lower body smelled of recent rain and pine. A warm breeze lifted his pumpkin spice hair, stirred leaves and grass that gleamed, bejeweled with sunlit drops of moisture and he fell at once into a ravenous frenzy. The scent of recent blood was too much for him to resist.
He slithered through the trees, weaving and ducking with the grace of a predator, maneuvering around the low hanging boughs that reached out to scrape his cheeks and sprinkle him with captured raindrops. The further into the forest he ventured, the darker it became, and the heavier the scent of blood became. He moved faster, branches blurring past him like ghouls intent on clutching him. He crashed through the woods in a blind hunger, and then he broke through the trees. There came a heartbeat of silence, and then from somewhere deep within her came a low, ugly snarl.

In the clearing sunlit mists that filtered through the trees beheld a ghastly spectacle; a war torn city, rich with the dead and dying. Overwhelmed with the scent of blood, sticky sweet and calling to him, he bared his teeth and released a low, deadly hiss. Slowly, slowly, he crouched- then sprang effortlessly through the air. He landed on what seemed to be a deceased human soldier, though he could still hear the weak flow of blood as it made its way through whichever veins in his body were still intact. A small gash on his forehead bled profusely, but it was nothing compared to the wound the naga inflicted upon his throat. In a matter of seconds he had so severely mauled him that the skin had been torn away and hung from his neck in a bloody flap, revealing bone, cartilage, and glistening red muscle.

He was still alive and dying quickly, struggling to expel a final scream, a final breath; his horrified eyes were open, and focusing in and out, mouth agape in a silent plea for help. Tiny bright red bubbles roiled up from his exposed larynx, each prismatically ashimmer with filtered sunlight, a hundred miniature rainbows dipped in blood. Nearby blades of grass bowed, laden with shining crimson droplets.

As the venom coursed through the last remaining veins and liquefied muscle and organ, Kirian feasted. Soon, the horrified light faded from his preys eyes. They were pale, colorless, lifeless. And as his blood stopped flowing, Kirian lifted his head, rendering tender flesh with sharp teeth as blood dripped from his mouth and cascaded down his neck.
Abruptly dizzied from his feast, he stood, staggering; blood drunk.

He took a second to regain his composure, hunger satiated for now. As he reigned in control of his senses and licked his lips and combed severed blades of blood soaked grass from his hair, ears pricked high to listen for any other signs of life.

He scanned the vast deserted streets as he made his way onward. It was rare that he ventured from his own domain, but food supplies were running short and he had a duty to care for the other demons that inhabited his lost city.

"Hey!" a voice called sharply, followed by the hollow plunk of a splintered bone hitting near Macario's head. The bone bounced off the cement rooftop once before Macario caught it, bringing it up to his mouth to break through to the marrow. To his disappointment, all of the blood and tendons and chewed off it already. Yet at least he could always count on having the last of the marrow for dessert. His friend Bog, for some reason, hated the taste of marrow.

"Hey, I'm talking to you lazy ass!" Bog spoke up again as he walked over to Macario, leaving behind the torn up remains of his recent victim. Macario still paid no attention as he sucked at the bone, all four eyes on the darkening sky. The fleshy corners at the joints of Bog's beak turned down into a deep frown. Heavy, battered hooves stomped over to Macario's side and Bog reached down to jerk the other demon up by his mess of dark curls.

"Knock it off, Macario. You've been laying around here for weeks, and you don't even chip in when we go hunting anymore. You just lay around here like a prince waiting to be fed."

"So what," Macario retorted as he yanked his hair out of Bog's fist. "Where's the reason of being a demon anyway if you have to be loyal? Stop bitchin' about teamwork all the time, Bog. At the very least it might get you laid for once in your sorry life."

"My sorry life?" Bog replied in indignation, stepping forward to jab at Macario's chest. "Don't even flatter yourself! The only things you've laid weren't even conscious of the fact they were being raped. Monkey's don't count either," he added quickly as Macario opened his mouth to retort again.

Macario glared back at Bog, both trying to stare each other down coldly. For a long moment only the sound of the wind could be heard whistling through the dark streets below. Then finally Macario turned away first with a sigh and shake of his head.

"Fine. I'll go out and get my own meal. Happy?" Macario sneered. Bog's tense stance did not change in the slightest, so Macario just rolled his eyes and turned to head for the low crumbling wall that encircled the roof. In one leap from a standstill start he cleared the wall and flipped once in midair to grab hold of the side of the building. His two extra arms unwound from around his thin waist and he turned upside down to crawl down the side of the building. The alley below was always deserted. The humans knew well that this building was one of the main hangouts for demons, so they kept far away.

Once on the ground Macario shifted to stand on his two feet, winding his extra arms back around his waist where they rested fairly inconspicuous. The growing darkness was never any problem for him. His vision outmatched Bog's, or any of his other demon friends. The darkness would only aid in his ability to sneak up on his prey.

He would need to find a reasonably sized group of humans- between three and four at least. But where? With his face turned towards the sky, he tongue tasted the air as a snake would. Tasting no live scent, he let out a hiss and grimmaced, peering through the broken glass window of a tall building. The city was large, but there couldn't be that many places for a human to hide and not be detected, could there? As he slithered his way down a debris strewn road, he thought to himself. The only humans he had come into contact with were the brave and foolish adventurers who had wandered too far in his direction. There they had met their fates.

As he searched, he grew increasingly impatient. Minutes passed by in couples, then groups of five.

Angered at his inability to find something with a pulse strong enough to survive the trek back to his land, Kirian halted. Amber eyes with long black slits for pupils scanned the demolished city from right to left. A fleeting glace to a tree gave way to subtle movement. His muscles tightened and he coiled around himself, in case defense was needed. Gingerly, that serpentine tongue flicked at the air. As he did so, a bird burst through the foliage of a tall oak tree and flew off quickly.

"A bird?" he hissed in anger. Shaking his head in disgust, he slithered over and climbed the oak, wrapping his body around a strong branch that was well hidden by dry, sunburnt leaves and crossed his arms over his chest.

"so much for the city.." he spat, referring to the advice he had been given by a member of his council. The advice which had prompted this journey in the first place. "What a disgustingly disappointing place."

(( sorry this is so short in comparison, my roomate is peering over my shoulder and i feel awkward typing with him standing over my shoulder, but I wanted to go ahead and get some sort of reply out of the way before i resume cleaning. ))

The timing would be perfect. Macario had spotted the hunched, middle aged woman from an alley, and now he crouched as if to pounce as she struggled with a large bag. This prey was far too easy to boast about later. Despite that though, he wasn't looking for an extreme challenge. Just something to show Bog and hopefully get the stupid beaked pig off his back for once.

Extending his extra arms and unhinging his jaw to let his fangs slide out fully, he was just about to take a leap at the woman when another sound broke the silence. A quiet woosh of wings and the caw of a crow. The woman froze in her efforts to move the bag, then whipped her head around wildly in panic. She spotted Macario and let out an ear piercing scream before letting go of the bag and taking off as fast as she could down the street. Macario gave a deep sigh and stepped out of the shadows, resituating his jaw and extra arms to normal.

He could have followed her, but that may prove to be troublesome. Her scream was loud enough to have alerted any other humans nearby. Or possibly other hungry demons that might be out to hunt. Either way, he'd be better off starting over. A movement caught his attention, and Macario looked to see the bird that had startled the woman sitting atop an old street lamp. The bird stared back at him motionless. It was wondering whether or not to flee or stay. Macario grinned.

In a split second Macario had opened his mouth wide and his long, fleshy tongue shot out to snatch the bird from the air just as it made to escape. With a crunch he whipped the bird back into his mouth, then spat it out onto the cracked sidewalk where it lay dead. His grin returned and he chuckled to himself. No better way for him to show that bird what happens when things interrupt his goals.

Kirian lounged lazily on the branch, a few of his coils hanging down into the leaves while the rest of his body rest of the rough wood. With his head rested on a folded arm, he peered through the foliage in thought. What if he couldn't find enough food? What if he returned empty handed? What if, while out on this ridiculous adventure, something were to happen and his people were caused to frenzy? What if he returned to find his lost city in ruins? So many thoughts flew through his head, it began to make him dizzy. With a hiss, Kirian rolled to his back and closed his eyes.


It was then that he heard it- the blood curdling scream. Kirian sat upright and searched through the dense leaves. The sound had been close, but he could see nothing. No sign of who or what it had come from, no sign of who or what had caused it. Only the sound, so sharp that it rang in his ears.

And then, as if by fate,she came running through the streets like a bat out of hell, constantly looking back over her shoulder to see if she were being followed. He watched the woman as his muscles tensed up, readying himself for a strike. But then the frightened and frantic woman rounded a corned and disappeared down a stairwell to what looked like an old subway entrance. A sly grin spread across Kirian's face. If there were one, there would be more, right? Humans traveled in groups, naturally.

So he untied himself from the tree branch and slipped down onto the ground with the silence of a killer. Staying low, he snaked his way to the subway entrance. A quick check to see if the thing responsible for the panic was near, and he went in.

The sleek scales of his belly were much more silent than footsteps, so Kirian knew he wouldn't need to try too hard to be silent. But as he drew farther from the entrance and the light grew dim, he knew that whatever humans were there would have heightened senses, so he traveled slowly, following the sounds of the womans footfall.

Macario had just rounded the corner the woman had disappeared behind, casually sniffing the air as he walked for any other scents, when he saw a movement in an old oak halfway down the next street. He quickly sidestepped into the shadow of a torn awning, eyes wide as he stared straight at the tree. Whatever it was, he knew it was far bigger than just an ordinary bird. Bog maybe? No, the guy wasn't that agile. He was built for a fight, not for stealth.

What did come out of the tree intrigued Macario though. The flash of copper-ish hair, followed by soft surface of human skin connected to the glimmer of a long, scaly tail. What an interesting sight. He had never even heard of a demon like this one living around here. Could possibly be a new arrival, or a young demon trying for a first hunt. Although this creature moved with enough stealth and grace to match any experienced hunter. Even maybe himself. Macario grinned, his shorter fangs creating a half moon in the darkness of the shadow.

He waited until the scaly creature had disappeared down the stairs to an old subway station, then he dashed out of the shadows and across the street, ducking into the crumbling entrance with as much silence as he could manage. He could not go as low as the creature, but he didn't have much trouble squeezing in even with his height. Now that he was in the passage, he could faintly hear the echo of footsteps far ahead. Besides that, every now and then he could hear the slight hiss of the creature's scales over rough spots in the passage.

Extending his extra arms, Macario got down on all six in order to crawl through the passage with far more ease then just using his two feet. His longer extra arms balanced out the difference between his legs and normal arms, and soon he was crawling along just as quiet as the creature a few yards ahead of him.

Kirian continued to follow the distraught woman until he could hear faint voices, she was obviously talking to someone else- a male- telling him what she had encountered. But the snake beast really had no interest in the spooky things that haunted the city, so long as he didn't run into them himself. As the humans talked among themselves, quietly, Kirian stopped listening. He had paused and coiled himself up into a confined area where he could see the two, but not be seen.

The forked tongue that resided in his mouth slid out every so often and flicked at the air, bringing back with it the taste of filthy human. Multiple, from what he could tell. The subway system must be a refuge for them, he thought. Fantastic. Now all he had to do was charm them into following him back to his own land, but getting to one without causing commotion would be difficult. Especially with the lighting supplied in the tunnels, he knew they would be on edge.

He crossed his arms over his chest and continued to watch the two as they finished their conversation, agreeing that they would no longer leave as singles, but in doubles, maybe even triples for added protection. They disappeared further into the subway, but Kirian stayed put to formulate a plot that would get them rounded up.

Once he was sure they were out of hearing range, he let out a hiss and relaxed a bit, oblivious to the creature that had followed him. "What to do.." he murmered, curling his slender tail tighter around himself. The lack of light in the subway was not helping his coldbloodedness, and he would need to act quickly in order to get back out into the warmer air. A plan would need to be made, and fast.

Macario crept over a pile of rubble, beyond which he could see a faint light and hear the whispering of human voices. The sounds from the other creature had also stopped. When he came down over the rubble he saw the creature had curled up in a spot where the humans could be see without alerting them. Macario slowed down immediately, creeping forward in the shadows to come to a stop at the opposite wall of the passage from the other creature.

Once the humans had started to move, Macario thought about leaping after them. There were only two after all. Not much of challenge for him. But just as he tensed his limbs to spring, he heard the creature muttering to himself. Macario couldn't tell exactly what the other had said, plus now it was a little distracting wanting to know what this suddenly relaxed creature was up to. So he turned a little to face the creature, taking a step forward.

"You missed your chance, ya know," Macario said quietly with a smirk across his lips, just loud enough for only the other creature to hear.

The voice hadn't belonged to the woman, or the male. So who had it come from? Every muscle in his scaled body tensed and readied for any action necessary. Uneasy, Kirian turned to face the direction that the voice had come from and hissed his reply, just as low.

"The chance has yet to present itself." he spat, his voice snarky. Another hiss, and he shifted, tightening his coils. He could barely make out the other demon, and he couldn't taste his scent at all, which was why he hadn't been able to detect him in the first place.

Kirian's black pupils turned to thin slivers in his amber eyes as he tried to focus on the demon before him. "Besides," he continued, "If there are two, there are more. A group, just waiting to be discovered." He shook his head. Didn't this other creature know anything? Kirian tried to stay focused on him, but it was difficult in the unflattering light.

Macario chuckled quietly to himself as he watched the other try in vain to see through the darkness. Forget any idea of this creature being an experienced hunter. Crawling around down underground with no natural night vision was an accident waiting to happen. Even more incredible was that this creature obviously expected to catch a human by himself down here. He had to restrain himself from laughing any louder just in case the humans might hear.

"Is that so? Well, you can sit here and wait for chances then. I'm going on a hunt, and I assure you that no weak little group of humans is going to do much against me," Macario said with a sneer. Then he turned away from the other to creep on along the passage, winding in and out among the rubble and twisted metal pipes. Confidence spurred him on, a grin on his face in anticipation of the blood bath he imagined in his mind. Too bad for that cowardly snake, not having the gumption to take on things as weak as humans. How fun it would be to taunt the creature later with his victory.

Kirian let out an angry hiss and picked up a decent sized rock, then chucked it towards Macario. The aim had been for his head, but in the dim light, Kirian had missed and the rock hit against a pile of debris. It was unfair, in his mind, that he had been the one to find the humans and along came this beast to steal them away. And on top of that, he was getting colder the longer he stayed in the tunnels. "This is unacceptable" he hissed, and in a flash he had unknotted himself and was winding his way after the other demon. Having a tail instead of legs meant that he could easily slide over obstacles instead of going around them, and that made him quick.

As Kirian caught up to the beast, and the lights grew a bit brighter, angered thoughts bounced around in his head. He would be damned if he let this creature best him. He, who had put himself in danger for the benefit of the demons of his land. He would be damned if this trip to such an ugly city was useless.

With another angry hiss, Kirian ordered the beast to stop. They were nearing the humans, and he could taste their scents. There were many. A definite refuge. But they would meet resistance, and Kirian still didn't have a plan.

Macario froze for a moment when he heard the rock crash and break among the rubble. The sound echoed throughout the passage, but he couldn't tell yet if the humans had taken notice. So with even slowly steps he eased himself along until he came near another flight of stairs. The source of the light that reflected faintly above his head was far at the bottom. It was also unusually quiet down there. Not even the sound of a whisper or movement. The humans had heard after all.

He looked behind at the approaching creature as the other spoke, the light reflecting in his eyes and hair. "Nice job, moron," he whispered back, "The humans heard you. Now what do you plan to do?" Really, the only option now was to give up and go back. Attacking unsuspecting humans and sending them into a panic was easy. Now that the humans were alerted and on the defense, it would only be luck to catch even one. Yet since this creature was so diligent to have itself heard, he was going to sit here and wait for whatever reasoning the other had in mind.

Kirian let out a sly chuckle when Macario had stopped. "A bet. " he said simply. " A bet between you and I on who can round up the most. If I win, you get to help me bring them back. And if you win.. well. Name your price.." he paused, as if to think, as his forked tongue slid from between his lips and flickered at the air. "But they have to stay alive. If I lose, do with them what you please. But until a winner is determined, they stay alive. " He needed them alive. The demons of his land, vicious and disgusting as they were, would not feed on anything dead. At this thought, Kirian grimaced. Of course it would be easier if they were dead, but he had an obligation.

After a second longer, he looked at the beast and extended a scaled hand. "Deal?" A devilish gleam in his eye and a smirk played across his lips as his serpentine body tensed and coiled around itself.

Macario didn't even raise his hand toward the other. Instead he shook his head and snorted. "I'm not an idiot, you scaly asswipe. You're not suited for hunting down here, and I'm not gonna carry the load of having to catch those humans myself. I'm going elsewhere to hunt. You do whatever you want."

Macario turned around sharply to head back along the passage, not really caring anymore if he made a noise here and there. He wasn't the type to make bets with strangers, especially if that meant having to take time to help the scaly creature. The only part of that bet that had appealed to him was how the creature left it wide open for Macario to come up with whatever he wanted. The dark haired demon could think of countless ways he could abuse that to his own glee, if not for having to endure through the rest of the bet.

Outside was dark too, but the moon was out in all its glory tonight. Macario smiled up at the bright sphere and stretched, thankful to be out of that tiny old passage. He took some time cracking his bones and twisting his muscles, then let out a long sigh before standing upright and wrapping his extra arms back into place. Where could he go now to hunt, he wondered. By now every human would be grouped up together to sleep, even the smallest of children. A catch in the city would be impossible...but beyond the city lay a new wild world Macario had seldom thought of.

After a brief moment of indecision, Macario nodded to himself and headed off at a casual pace toward the wild growths that would eventually turn into the wilderness that surrounded the old city. Once long ago Macario had heard from one of the local females that she had found him as baby hung from a tree in a makeshift bed of vines. From the size of the nest there had obviously been other offspring, but they along with the mother was no where to be found. Macario had never tried to figure out this mystery out of sheer indifference. Who was he to care about something that had so long ago anyway? It was common that most demons were never raised by their true mothers. If his mother was still alive, Macario doubted if she would give a care that he was her son.

-----

Walking through the quiet night under the branches of these moss covered trees was kind of beautiful, Macario had to admit. Some were old and twisted, others young and straight as an iron rod. A crisscross of old logs connected them all, most long since given away to the plants and young trees that grew out of them. If only Macario's group would agree to live here. And some of them might go for it if he asked, but Bog would never agree. The lumbering beaked demon had built their hangout on the grounds of his ancient family home, or so he often said. Macario never believed a word of it.