Let's Play a Game [Ljerka]

[Lamina Markov]

Lamina crept along the edge of the abandoned building.

She figured that she was pretty much invisible. For one, she was in the shadows, and it was the middle of the night, so it was hard to see her to begin with. Her movements were pretty slow, so it would be hard for most people to see her anyways. And she was camouflaged, so it would be hard to see her even if she wasn't in the shadows. Put together, she was probably like a ninja. Like a shadow in the night. If anybody wanted to track her down, they'd probably have to do it by scent- of course, the Menagerie was full of shifters, so most people would probably be able to do it with enough trying. Of course, being quick enough in moving could possibly throw a few people off.

Lamina was only being stealthy because she actually had buisness here. Another Nakoma member, one of the anthros in training, had run back to the base, scared out of her wits, too much so to accurately explain the threat. Something about a really big... Thing. A Keeper-created monstrosity, maybe? A virus? Whatever it was, she had been sent to go figure out what it was. Eliminate the threat if she could, otherwise go back to the other Nakomas and explain what it was so the proper measures could be taken if she couldn't take care of it on her own.

And the chameleon anthro thought that she was a pretty good pick. What wasn't to love about her stealth skills? She could change colors. Seriously. She could blend in and nobody would ever see her. And furthermore, she could hang from things like poles with her tail. And she wasn't afraid to resort to violence if that proved to be the most viable way to deal with the threat. I totally forgot to bring a weapon. A stick, anything would have been a great choice to bring. Just in she needed it. And considering the nature of the Menagerie, she probably would. Oh well.

She slipped through the door of the building, and into an open place. It was more open that she would've liked, but hey, what could she do? A wall on her right side and open space on her left side, she kept her eyes glued to the left, watching for whatever had scared the young Nakoma so much. This was her job. And honestly, she loved it. She missed the chill of Siberia, the snow and ice and the "wild" feeling compared to California, but as far as she was concerned, this was the next-best thing. Plus, she could act like a ninja when she did this stuff. Who wouldn't want to be a ninja?

Unfortunately, the wall on Lamina's left side ran out and she was all the way out in the open. Before she had realized it, she'd run smack-dab into a giant web.

The anthro cussed in Russian as she struggled frantically to escape for a moment, before deciding to be a bit more logical and looking around to see whatever had spun it. On the far reaches of the web was a dark figure- after a few moments, Lamina recognized it as a spider... Centaur... Thing. An anthro of some sort. A spider.

The other Nakoma must've been arachnaphobic.

"Uhm, hi. I'm Lamina, an outrider of the Nakoma Tribe. An anthro like you. So, uhm. Hi. Kind of an awkward meeting, don't you think?" The outrider was praying that the other anthro was friendly, and if not, hopefully this would buy her time to formulate a plan.

[ljerka]

This was her castle.

Sheets upon sheets of deadly silk, spun from roof to floor. The massive tapestry was covered in a cloak of shadows. It was her haven, her precious home. She knew that she had trespassed into Nakoma territory but... the place she had picked seemed relatively deserted. And besides, she wanted to be part of some sort of group. She had been alone for too long, and her most recent company had been composed of people who wanted to hurt her.

To entertain herself, and keep her mind away from those dark memories, Ljerka thought back to the anthro girl she had scared earlier. It still amused her, seeing her scream at Ljerka's jet-black form and then tripping over herself. Of course, the black-widow anthro would never have hurt her. Hurting innocents was not something that she did. Scaring, however, was something she always lusted for. Oh, it never got old.

Ljerka was about ready to add more silk to her web when she saw another anthro - scratch that, another victim! - enter the building. Ljerka fixed her sparkling, black eyes as the reptilian woman crept forward. Oh-ho-ho, she thinks she's so sneaky, Ljerka thought delightedly. She stayed absolutely still in the shadows as she watched the anthro approach closer and closer to her trap. Come on. Come on. You're almost there. Just a little bit more; that's it, now...

Peeeeeeeerfect.

The black-widow horror smirked wickedly. The reptile struggled in the web; the vibrations of her movements danced underneath Ljerka's sensitive legs. Then, the victim caught sight of Ljerka. The stranger spoke - quite kindly, considering the situation. No screams or wild thrashing. She was clever and brave. Admirable.

Ljerka took in a deep breath and moved lazily down her web. Her legs stepped skillfully on the silken threads as she descended. She reached the floor and silently stepped onto its cold surface. Her icy gaze was fixed on Lamina. She folded her two lower arms, and kept one hand placed on the web. She ran her four-eyed gaze along Lamina's form. What was her animal DNA? It was reptilian, that much was clear. She almost reminded Ljerka of an Iguana. Was she a snake? Wait, no... chameleon? Ljerka had once seen a chameleon in Hawaii. It had been beautiful.

Finally, Ljerka spoke. Her voice was chilling and gravelly. Her face held barely any expression, but her eyes gleamed with a mischievous enthusiasm and amusement. "I'm used to my prey thrashing about until I have to put them out of their misery. You're quite calm." Oh, this was fun. Ljerka took a step closer to the trapped Lamina, her one hand still gripping the web. "I presume that the khugen girl sent you." Ljerka had made up some of her own words and expressions during her years of isolation, and frequently used them when she talked to herself. Suddenly, Ljerka frowned as she scanned Lamina more carefully. "Is your weapon well-concealed, or were you too confident to bring one? Do you have venom in your fangs?"