The Start of the Blaze

Suddenly, there was a bear.

Rather, a few things happened in short sequence that led to there suddenly being a bear.

Iskra never walked around much outside of her hyena form, at least not when exploring the forests around her home. Now would usually be no different, except that she considered this place near an area that she "owned" and thus didn't have to practice much stealth.

The bear would be the first thing apparent, and the woman on its back would be a secondary sight. The dark-skinned woman with white, spotted hair would fold her arms, her deep blue eyes examining the "trespasser" as the bear bellowed beneath her.

"Hey," she would greet him shortly from about a dozen feet off of the ground due to the sheer size of the beast below her. It must've been twice as tall as a normal bear, and spittle flew forth from its mouth as it blew salmon-scented air into the man's face.

"I don't mean to be aggressive, but you're in my territory, if you use that term. I don't want other demons bothering my people on my spot."

[ EXP: 214 || +1 TEXP (2nd thread) ]

Iskra didn't really acknowledge him trying to walk away. She simply moved her bear to block him.

"Wait a minute..."

She appeared to genuinely be lost in thought for a second as she stared at him. She brought her hand to her chin and furrowed her brow, somewhat perplexed.

"You've got pointy ears... I have a friend with pointy ears and he's only half spirit."

She was, of course, thinking of Lethe, though his ears weren't as pointy or as long as the entity's before her. Lethe didn't have a tail either.

"What exactly are you?"

From her lofty perch atop the bear, she couldn't really get a good handle on his scent, especially with the smell of bear filling her nose.

The bear bellowed again. More spittle flew forth. A fish bone would smack the man in the head from the back of the grizzly's throat if he didn't pay close enough attention.

[ EXP: 179 ]

Iskra continued to look down at the man, intrigued. He must not have seen the great scope of demons in this world, or so she thought. Her friend Jack looked completely human save for red eyes, and his blood was wholly demonic.

"So what are you good at?" she continued without skipping a beat, her bear still observably blocking his way. "Surely you have some talents? Some goals that you want to get accomplished in this life?"

Of course, her intention was to somehow use these talents and desires for her own gain. It wasn't often that she had an ideal situation like this. The guy didn't seem very strong and could more than likely grow into a powerful instrument in her service. Potential was better than power in a fresh servant.

Yet, she wouldn't articulate these thoughts. She simply spoke as though she were asking about the weather or the statistics on some far-off gladiator.

[ EXP: 182 ]

Iskra appeared to be thinking again, but she was taking a ponderous approach to this entire encounter.

Perhaps it was her paramour tendencies showing through, but she thought this particular half-demon was a thing of beauty. His bright red hair reminded her of the odd, bright-red breed of Amaranth growing on her territory, and his tail looked rather cute on him.

Not that she had any thoughts of starting a romantic relationship, however. She simply made it her mission to use her powers to protect things that she thought were beautiful in the world and destroy what she thought of as ugly or bad, because it increased her quality of life in these realms.

For this reason, she appointed herself the sometime-guardian of this red-haired entity, and thought she should see to it that he was at least prepared to go out into the world. From the sound of it, he hadn't experienced much life outside of his home.

"The road is full of dangers..." she began, dismounting her bear and pulling a long chain with a pair of blades at either end. She took a step back and began spinning the weapon, as though she intended to attack, as she gently chanted a spell.

"You will have less fun if you lose an arm and you will have fewer adventures if you die. If you are half spirit, then you should have some strength in you, but how trained is it? Come. You can attack me first."

[ EXP: 281 || +1 TEXP (5th post) ]

Actions:
> Used Shield of Keuakepo [Mastered]
:: > Effects: Creates armor of ice (3 density) around herself
:: > STA: -11
:: > HP: 100

Iskra sidestepped the charge easily, though that might be attributed to the fact that she was much faster than him [strong speed] and was expecting a hit.

She tilted her head to the side as he went past. Her bear sat down and mimicked the gesture behind her.

"You really should work on your form some more..." she said distantly, not sure exactly how she was going to train him.

Idly, she reached for his tail to see if she could pull it. She was much stronger than the average demon, as strong as demons were as a species, and somehow his tail looked as though it might be warm or something... not that there was usually a rationale behind her doing such an action. It didn't come off as strange to her at all.

"Your tail is cute, though..."

If she could grasp a hold of the appendage while sidestepping his charge, she'd merely hold it and ask him, "Have you ever considered working at a brothel? People are into really exotic stuff sometimes. I haven't come across a hybrid with a tail in awhile."

[ EXP: 209 ]

Actions:
:: Attempted to grab and hold Bran's tail (Strong Mov/Dex, Abnormal Strength)

Iskra's brow furrowed at the yelp. It didn't offend her at all, but it immediately told her where they were relative to each other now. She considered herself on top and this hybrid was on the bottom. Precisely the way it should be.

"Fair enough," she said, pulling the appendage enough to get it up to her mouth, where she rather brazenly licked it. The demon didn't do it to freak out this fellow or intimidate him or seduce him. It was the practical matter of injuries. Her grip was very strong and thre was a chance that she might have injured his tail in grabbing it the way she did. Her saliva had healing properties when she willed it to, and any pain or bruising or sprains that she might have induced with her grab would be pleasantly numbed away.

Having done that, she used her proximity to shove him up the back of her bear. "If it's something new for you to do, you're talking to the right person."

The beast bellowed in protest, but soon stood up, and she joined the man atop the bear back. "Take us back to Rasvamaal."

With a lumbering gait, the grizzly began to walk, complying with the orders like any given warhorse.

[ EXP: 235 ]