The Deadly Forest

I strut into the woods, my feet sticking in the soggy ground. I may have lost that one victim, but I'm certain I struck fear in her heart. Besides, I catch a young camper exploring the forest everyday. I'm sure I'll get some kind of casualty. I continue on, deeper in the woods, as to make certain my prey isn't heard when they scream. I take out my whip and lean against a tree trunk, my poisoned nails clicking against the sharp wood. I check the time. Almost 6:00. It'll be dark soon. The air is breezy, and my acid-green hair blows in front of my face. I can see rain clouds in the distance, and I can tell that they'll be over me soon.

Cassandra was still shaking off that I-just-woke-up-from-a-nap groggy feeling. Knowing a good walk would do her well she zipped up her black leather jacket to cover up. The camp was always a good temperature, nice and warm; she had recently discovered that the weather is controlled at this camp and found it rather convenient that they choose warm summer weather all year long. With the white of her shirt poking out from under her jacket and a good pair of dark washed jeans with expensive tough leather boots that rose to just below mid calf she made her way into the forest.

The forest back home was nothing like this one, she found out her first day here that she should be aware that the forest in this camp didn't have the cute rabbits or deer she was used to hunting, instead it was infested with monstrosities. After learning her lesson she figured she would hunt something small to further calm her down from her fit earlier today. It wasn't hunting that made her happy, it was shooting; she could always just go to the archery range but it wasn't the same sense of accomplishment that you could get from killing something you know could hurt someone else if you didn't.

The sun was starting to doze off, it was almost time for the moon to make her debut for today and Cass figured she had enough time to get a small monster. Probably a hellhound. She took the cross bow charm off her bracelet and it grew into a full sized usable version, black and sleek like the rest of the charms on her bracelet. Taking a single arrow charm from the same she pushed forward, sidestepping as she heard noises grow louder the deeper she got.

The wind blew at her face tossing a few strands of her dark chestnut hair back behind her shoulder and making Cassandra grateful she zipped her jacket up earlier. She took a small turn and curiously saw an unnatural color in the dense woods peak from behind a tree followed by a tapping noise. Curious, she lowered her bow and took a few steps to the side and walked from behind the tree, to the right of it.

What is she stupid? It's getting dark and she's just standing there? Is it a death wish or something?

"Ahem. You're tapping is going attract something you know that right?"
Cass looked down as she spoke, a measly whip wasn't going to save anyone from a chimera maybe a hellhound but with that tapping noise she was going to invite something far more gruesome her way.

I smile when I hear a voice. Twilight is falling, and the shapes in the forest look oddly like glowing balls of darkness, just waiting to be caught. The trees trail upwards, creating an eerie scene in the glow of the remaining sunlight. It's almost time. I just need a little more time before its dark enough to attack.

I study the girl. From what I can see, she has some dark color of hair, maybe dark brown. She's maybe half a foot taller than me, but I've won fights with people an entire foot taller than me. She uses a crossbow, whose shape I can somewhat still make out. She probably won't be able to aim in the dark.

I stop the clicking but continue leaning on the tree. What method will I use this time. Something that buys me time. Maybe I could chat her up.

"I was hoping to attract something, just not the same thing you're thinking of." I reply, smacking my whip lightly against my leg as I always do before a kill.

"I'm sorry if this is rather spur of the moment. Your name, please?" I ask, in an almost friendly way.

Cassandra watched the girl, reserving assumptions for when she knows more, the young lass seemed to toy with her whip while giving Cass an up-down glance as if she were judging her. Cassandra had a personality they defined her as respectful person, she often gains the respect of those around her and is far less likely to reciprocate if she feels they are undeserving. As annoyed with the girl's response as she was, for it sounded absurd to go in the night, she could relate, she had gone hunting in the night for years, it wasn't preferred but she liked the challenge every so often. Looking at the girl Cassandra deemed she was snake, she had the looks, one she had seen every so often when playing poker. Snakes couldn't be trusted, if she ever lost a game it was to a snake player; they hid their cards for almost the entire game but like any good snake, they can't resist rattling their tails before  they strike with what the think is their winning hand.

Cass was always good at reading faces, but she near perfected it with the years of poker, some might say she had a gambling problem but she didn't care, it was fun. The moment she saw the girl toy her whip she knew. Pursing her lips for a moment she pulled out her stone face and reciprocated little emotion.  "I'm sorry if this is rather spur of the moment. Your name, please?" Cass tilted her head at the question; Really? I hate small talk and this sounds like that's exactly where we are headed. With a slight sigh she closed her mouth and paused for a moment before replying.

"Cassandra. My name is Cassandra." Rather uninterested in a snake she didn't bother getting her name back; it didn't matter, there was no way Cass could trust or respect a rattler like her. Figuring she would just head over to another part of the woods and do her hunting there she spit back the up-down analyzing look that the girl initially gave her and gave a condescending look.

"Well this has been the light of my day, no really my whole life has been leading up to this. But I think it's time for me to get going, I have other things to do." Cass smiled sarcastically and wove her hand gently in the air with a bid-you-adieu manner. She walked forward, about two trees to the right side of the other girl and rose her cross bow, it was now dark and Cass wasn't taking chances with the evil spawn that rose in the night in this god-forsaken forest.

I snarl silently as the girl walks away. Her crossbow looks worth something, easy to trade, hard to steal. She seems to know what she's doing. I wouldn't care to underestimate her.

But, still, she had disrespected me. That's something you never do, especially when you're prey. I sigh. And grab a branch on a nearby tree. It's rather sturdy, so I swing myself up onto it, and begin jumping from branch to branch, blending into the shadows, one of my many talents. I continue on, making nearly no noise, until I sit, patiently waiting, over her head. This girl was to be my kill. I had lost one victim today, I wouldn't lose another. The sweet taste of blood is reassuring to me. I've grown dependent on it, going without it can make me incredibly sick.

Cassandra wasn't stupid, she figured the girl wouldn't just let her leave. However, like most snakes, she would be patient when it came to winning, only instead of a poker game Cass was sure she was playing for something a little more valuable. Patience, a virtue Cass was definitely not a master of; something the girl trailing her would have over her. Cassandra looked around for a moment, throwing glances at trees, she even watched the black fur of a hellhound rush past; almost insulted that it didn't bother coming after her.

She figured if she was being tailed, the girl already knew where she was so she had little to lose.

"You couldn't have just let me go could you?" Cass stopped, dead in her tracks and shouted in front of her, she had no idea where the girl was. When she did this to a friend at a mall more often than not it took a few embarrassing tries to get the right person, but when it worked it always had a victorious feeling to it. Hoping it would get the girl off guard Cass figured talking aloud as if she knew where the girl was would work.

"I guess now would be a good time to ask your name?" Cassandra walked in a slow tight circle and glanced around the forest, her shoes making gentle soft crackles as they stepped on the forest floor debris. She knew better than to take aim at a random place and give away the fact that she had no idea where to shoot if she was wrong. The soft fog settled in at the base of the forest and Cass was getting tired of waiting around she raised her crossbow closely and tightened the arrow to a good position to shoot at a moment's notice. She took a deep breath and exhaled sharply as she put her back to a tree after glancing up to make sure no monster was lurking in it. If she was going down, it wasn't going to be by some hell spawn.

I sigh rather loudly, making sure she can hear me. "So now we consider manners?" I ask, my voice carrying to her. I can see her, clearly, backed up against the tree directly in front of me. I jump to the tree across from me, before she can figure out where the voice came from. I'm now directly over her. I could drop down in front of her now, take the crossbow, and run. But I like to play with my toys. Like a dog, I squeak them and bite them until all the stuffing has been ripped out. But, like a lion, I know I must wait patiently.

"My name's Nepeta." I respond to her, jumping to the tree directly to the left of her. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you my real god parent, so just assume it's Thanatos." I tell her, even though she hasn't confided anything more than a name with me. I jump to the tree to the right, once again directly above her.

Cassandra was getting weary and rather annoyed that her opponent wouldn't show themselves. She decided to let the girl come to her and started walking to the closest clearing she could find and unzipped her jacket. The warmth never got to her, but she liked the refreshing feeling of a summer breeze and with the humidity of the fog, she enjoyed it. She walked to the center of the clearing and glanced around. Come and get me princess.

"Nepeta? Slow down there twinkle toes, I only asked for a name. I don't care who your parent is." Cassandra hated when people considered themselves important on the basis of who their parents were. To be honest she had developed this hate from her prep school, it was full of students who were all too proud of their parents and sought to be identified by them. Cassandra had always seeked her own name, her own reputation. She didn't use her parents name as an identifier or a descriptor for her person.

Cracking her neck a little she looked up at the canopy and saw a small set of leaves fall gracefully to the floor. A few birds flew past  overhead and she saw a small sliver of the moon surrounded by a few dark masses of clouds. She knew the main campgrounds were protected from bad weather although she wondered if the forests had the same attributes.Unconcerned, she blew a small puff of warm air from her mouth and pressed her lips. Unworried, she smiled and looked around her for a moment, no trees too close by she knew her opponent would have to drop and have a fair fight.

That same moment Cass recalled another time she had a "fair fight". A boy had hit one of her friends and all she could remember was the look on his face after she shot a glare at him. He had grabbed his throat in panic, as they all do, and gave Cassandra a horrified look when he couldn't speak. He could breathe, hard dry breaths, but he couldn't speak for a good five minutes. She smiled at the thought of knocking someone who had thought themselves better than a friend of hers down a tier.

She heard some far off growls, they were not getting closer but parallel, she figured they were unaware of her presence. Still it was best to take caution and she pulled her bow closer for a ready aim.

"Yo, Neps. Don't got all day. And assuming from the hungry growls not too far away those hellhounds don't got all day either." Cassandra spoke with her signature snarky sarcasm.

I flinch. I wouldn't need hellhounds to get in my way, but I don't yet know what this girl was capable of. She would probably have powers where I didn't. Being a daughter of Aphrodite gave me some challenges.

It would be terrible, though, if she got away. I need to watch this one.

I hang done from the tree I'm watching from and flip down onto the ground. I take out my whip and stay close to the shadows of the trees. I can't go out yet, not until the time is right. Thunder rumbles and lightning strikes, but I know the barriers will protect me.

My blue contacts are possibly showing in the pale moonlight, so bright they reveal me. My green hair, I know, is visible, and my piercings may be glinting. It was my choice to get them, though. It wasn't a mistake, I'm certain, because I know it pisses my father and my godsdamn mother off that her daughter isn't the stellar little brat all her kids grow up to be. I shouldn't even be here. I should be chasing my own dreams, not doing what my dear old father wants me to do.

Now annoyed with the cat and mouse chase, Cassandra kicked around some leaves into a small mound. She loved making sandcastles and the small mound reminded her of the sandcastles her adoptive parents made, small and pitiful but she loved the effort they put into making it and they all had a good laugh about it. Cassandra was a self proclaimed professional sand castle maker, and she adored it. But the moment she thought about her parents she had small flash backs of the night they passed away. She recreated the images of the EMTs taking them both away in stretchers  as she stood in the doorway. It really shattered her.

After a few moments of quiet nostalgia she shook off the feelings and saw a gleam off to the side. She was a very talented archer and hardly ever missed her target; still, she didn't want to hurt the girl, it would be disrespectful to shoot someone who hadn't threatened her. Cass wasn't threatened at all by the girl.

She's just some punk who hasn't grown up yet Cass, don't shoot her.

"Looks like it's your lucky day kid, my morality is in your favor, young grasshopper." Cass let the words slip off her tongue like sharp knives intending on digging at Nepeta's self esteem. She turned around and stood for a brief moment purposely had her side at where she saw the blue shimmer so as to not alert that she knew where her opponent was. After a good moment she turned swiftly and in the same instant she let an arrow launch and with a sharp whoosh it latched itself into the very side of the tree that had blue eyes next to it.

Satisfied with her perfect shot she waited for the girl to give it up and leave her to hunt some small fry down, it was getting late almost 7 or 8, she couldn't tell how long it had been but she didn't really care curfew wasn't until 10 anyway. She waited only a moment before the arrow charm she had taken off to use had evaporated from the tree and reappeared on her wrist once more.

One more shot left with that charm; Cass thought to herself as she took it off for the last time and reloaded her weapon. Her bracelet had been enchanted to have a total of fifteen arrow charms, each, after a good minute or so, would return to her wrist only once before being used up completely; unless broken that is, making a total of thirty shots before she had to replace the charms at the forge. It was convenient considering it can be hard to dig an arrow that was launched with such power, so deep into a tree, out of the trunk.

"Are we done now Neps? What are you 14? Shouldn't you be with your cabin leader or something? It's a little late out for you kiddo" Cass smirked, she knew she was older, that didn't make her better, but she knew it made her more experienced. Not that it mattered to her, she had more respect for a handful of fifth graders than for this childish girl. Someone who is to much of a coward wasn't respectable in Cass's book and she was dangerously close to making "The List".

I step out of the darkness, as it wasn't much use to me before. I grimace at the age comment, knowing that it wasn't true. "I'm not saying that there's anything special about you. But I think you've earned my respect, so you deserve the truth." I shrug. Occasionally I would come across some of these kinds, who would hear my secret before they meet they're maker. I pull out a cigarette and light it. "I'm on a mission to kill all of my siblings." I say casually, almost as if I was telling her about a new tattoo or hairstyle. "I'm addicted to the taste of blood, and my siblings know. They pretty much kicked me out, which I don't mind. I sleep out here, eat my kill." I step closer to her, casually clicking my nails against my hip, where my whip sits, curled, ready to grab.

Cassandra sighed unamused and rather annoyed she couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Look, princess, everyone has issues, grow up and get over them." Slightly agitated, she was, at the very least, relieved that she could be face to face with her opponent. Now that that she was out of the darkness Cassandra could see all the little details, the piercings the contacts as that shade couldn't possibly be natural.

After hearing enough of her plot Cass was fed up with small talk; Dear god please, just kill me; it would be less painful. Does Sally Sobstory have an off button?

"You just don't stop talking do you?" The moment those words slipped out of her mouth Cassandra realized what she could do. Shooting her would take only a second, but still a second was enough for a fast moving person to react. No, she had to do something no one can tell she was doing. With that, she locked eyes with Nepeta, and held her breath tightly as she focused hot desert air through Nepeta's mouth and nose. She had done this before to others, instantly they would grab at their necks, a natural instinct, it caused no harm, other than shock and confusion, Nepeta would still be able to breath dry hot wind, it merely prevented speech for a good five minutes unless they drank water earlier. To be honest, it was the only power Cass felt she could control.

"Seriously though, stop talking." As her glare finished she waited for a reaction, after seeing the claws she hoped that Nepeta would think before grabbing at her neck and digging those nasty nails in on accident. Regardless of the outcome of using her power she knew her opponent would feel the heat around her, the hot air would surround the area she glared at and there wasn't much time before she would react and come after her, speaking or not. With that Cassandra took her crossbow and aimed just above the younger girls head, it was pure intimidation at this point, she didn't want to hurt the girl, again she was hardly a threat.

Moving quickly and circling around the green haired lass Cass smirked and spoke with a tone as inviting as a hug from a cactus; "Your move Princess." She winked and jumped back a good bit to get some more distance between her, Cass hardly ever missed, but in the case she did, a shot too close would kill someone. Knowing that arrow would never return to her wrist, unlike all the other charms, now that it's been used up, Cass took another off and lodged it in place within the instant, it was a skill that done unconsciously now, a habit if you will, she could do it without thinking after years of fixing and forging bows; she didn't even have to look.

Keeping her eyes on Nepta Cassandra narrowed her eyes and took an offensive stance.

I feel hot air fill my lungs, but I clench my fists to keep me from grabbing my throat. I don't clench tight enough to draw blood, just enough to have some control. I pretty much have two options now. Run, and stay hungry for the night, or fight and possibly get my kill.

The answer's obvious. I uncurl my whip in one quick move, and spin it in front of me in fast figure eights, like a child playing cowboy. The difference? My lasso has deadly 3 inch spikes with blood stains permanently marked. I smile. I'm fast, I'm aggravated, and I'm extremely thirsty. I don't even care about the crossbow anymore. It's simply a bonus.

I continue on with the spinning for a few minutes, the speed growing faster and faster. I slow down and start circling my opponent, slowly decreasing the radius of my circle.  I finally get close enough to touch, and stop the whip. I then swing back, ever so slightly, and aim for the back of her back. The spikes that should spear through her body glimmer as they fall down. I wait for the satisfying crack of when the whip hits her back.

Cass had to admit, she was slightly amused by the lasso show. The lasso seemed average length, and it had lengthy spikes flowing over it. Well, to be fair, I did ask for this; on the bright side at least she can't talk for a while. She followed Nepeta's circling perfectly, to the step. It was obvious that she was going to whip it at her, what else do you do with a whip? She waited for the right moment to grab at it, where there was a clearing from the spikes.

"Awww, cat got your tongue Neps?" Cass was starting to get full of herself, she knew she could handle it, she just had to wait for the right moment. She could see the plain fury in Nepeta's eyes and it made her uncomfortable. Suddenly Cass heard a familiar whipping sound that broke the pattern of the sounds it made when she made her childish figures.

Determined to get the whip out of her hands Cass dropped the moment she heard the sound. A sound that reminded her of the sound the chains of the traps she made back home for bears, a lighting speed crashing sound. She dropped and rolled,taking her bow with her dominant left hand and throwing her hand out to a part of the whip she saw was lacking spikes.

Cassandra's hand moved as quickly as a gator chops on it's prey but she was too slow.

Cassandra let out a blood curdling scream as blood squirted out of her hand. The area between her thumb where her index finger connected  had a spike going right through it; as did the chunk of skin that poked out of the right of her pinky finger.

"GOD DAMNIT!" Cassandra clenched her teeth and took her grip harder, using the pain as fuel; she let the spike dig deeper into her gushing flesh until the spike was nearly completely on the other side and ripped and separated her flesh. She snapped her arm back with all her might and power as she yanked at the whip and looked at Nepta dead in the eyes with blind rage, grinding her bared teeth.

"You. Will. Suffer." Not even caring if the whip was out of her opponents possession or not Cass let the whip go and balled her hands into a tight fierce fist.

No. Cass. Don't, don't do it. It's not worth it. Control remember, control, that's the whole reason you're at camp; think about Daniel, CASS-

She shut her better instinct up in her mind and gave Nepeta an evil glare as blood trickled down her fingers and plopped on the floor. Focusing all her rage, she wouldn't let this girl get out of this forest alive. She could run, but there was no hiding, the time for diplomacy was over and there was no stopping Cassandra now.

The earth around her began to rumble gently at first, not like an earthquake, but like someone was blasting vibrations from the world below. You could hear the woodland animals whimper and scatter away, running at full speed out of the area. Cassandra's eyes started to be covered by a thin layer of cloudy dark red, the way a red t-shirt would look if you accidentally bleached it; almost pink. Clouds came about her, the camp can control what gets in, but they can't control what was already in to begin with. Pulling all her strength gusts of wind flew around her, pulling leaves out of their homes. The black clouds surrounded a good fifteen feet around her; it's a shame Neps just had to test me, and bring that whip so close to me. The wind formed a twister that towered five feet and was just as wide at any point. Tilting her head Cass felt the serious rain slash at her face, slapping her, it hurt her, but in this state she didn't care.

It was then that Cass took a good step back. She knew it wouldn't hit her, it never has, but she also knew that it would always come down first right in front of her face and she wouldn't risk it. As if it read her mind the first strike of lightning slammed it's ugly face directly in front of Cassandra with a power so mighty that it light the forest as far as the eye can see until it looked like day for a second. She knew it wouldn't hit Nepeta, but she also knew it would make her wet her pants, maybe even throw her back a few feet. After the first lightning strike Cassandra wouldn't dare move until the storm was over; she had no control over the lightning and was terrified it would hit her if she didn't stand exactly where she was when she conjured it.

Cracking her neck once more she started to shake and quiver, she clenched her bleeding hand until a good amount of blood poured out like a small stream and she screamed at the top of her lungs " GOD DAMNIT "; just like that the twister moved around the area, aimlessly, uncontrolled by her maker.

She hated herself already for giving in but she didn't know how to stop; it could be a good fifteen minutes before it ended, she lost all control and was simply a useless vessel for the power of her father. Set.

As if she was trying to redeem herself she screamed with her withering will power. "RUN!"

Warm air splatters across my face, the storm barreling closer to me. I hear someone scream, but I can't make it out. Lightning strikes, temporarily blinding me. I raise my hands to block my face from the winds and flying debris. I knew I had lost this battle, but I wasn't going to give up. I would keep fighting until it killed me.

At least, that's what I thought. A piece of debris suddenly comes flying at me. It looks like a large branch of some sort, twisting through the air. I see it disappear and quickly feel a sharp burst of pain on my right arm, then numbness. I have nothing left to do but run. I can't fight if I'm seriously hurt, not in this condition.

I use my left arm to grab onto a branch and pull myself off onto a branch and run through the trees, shooting the girl a last look before moving on past the clearing and out of the forest, breaking into moonlight.

Cass couldn't see the younger girl anymore, then again she could hardly see much of anything. After a few moments the twister puffed outwards until it settled into a few leaves frozen in mid air before floating down to earth. The rain stopped completely, and the night sky shone once more, now that the black clouds evaporated, even the middle of the night was brighter than the void of black that was experienced under the clouds. The lightning seized and the gusts of wind remained for a few moments.

Exhausted, Cassandra fell to the ground, her knees bent slightly her hand above her head and the bleeding one on her drumming chest. Just before she passed out she clenched a handful of debris from the ground and crumbled the wet leaves and mud  in her good hand. The hand that was bleeding had slowed, she hadn't lost too much blood but it ached to moved it and sharp knives stabbed at her hand if she tried. Breathing heavily she could only think about how she hoped another camper would come along and find her; with Nepeta long gone they could get her out of the forest quickly.

Nepeta. That witch. I hope I never see her again. She did this.

Cass threw the blame of her own lack of control on Nepeta, full of hatred and fury she had only enough strength to recognize she would hunt the wretched girl down if she ever caught whiff of her again.

"I'll.. get.. you" Cass wheezed, it hurt to breathe, and she felt so nauseous and fatigued she couldn't afford to speak to anyone that wasn't right in her face; she was basically threatening the bugs as far as the forest was concerned.

That was when she realized she couldn't see her cross bow charm on her wrist. Everything was blurry, and still a fading shade of red, it would be awhile before she could see things normally again. The only way her crossbow wouldn't come back was if it was broken. Too weak to recall that in her fit her weapon was blown deep into the forest by the twister, Cass figured it was busted. If even the slightest part of that bow was broken the enchantment would be broken. Not that it mattered, the only way her charm worked was if she willed it to come back to her and Cass had no willpower left in her in this weak feeble state.

Gasping slightly and letting the forest bugs move around her limp body, she figured she would come back when she was healed to find the cross bow, fix it and re-enchant it into a charm. She could easily fix it, or ask a child of Hephaestus to help her with is, but first she had to find it. Unable to get up Cass laid there in the filth and let herself pass out for the rest of the night. With her eyes closed and her senses dulled, the last thing Cass felt was the burning in her hand, the throbbing of her head, the sounds of the bugs she was too weak to swat off, and the feeling of pure hatred towards the girl who pushed her limit.


OOC: Yo, I don't have anyone on the waiting list for Cass yet (that is available) so we can keep it going but Cass will have to go to her cabin when she wakes up in the AM before coming back to the forest. Unless you want to end it here and you need Nepeta for something else. Whatever floats your boat :D P.S Happy Birthday Nutella ;) Have a good one!

OOC: Yeah, that sounds good. I'll try to make my posts a bit longer when we rp again. And thanks :)

BIC: I lean against the rough wood of the Aphrodite cabin. My previous death threat still lay spray painted on the wall. I know I must reenter the forest, maybe find some animals to kill, but for now I just want to rest. My stomach clenches and I feel like I'm about to throw up. I'm familiar with this feeling, but have yet to find a cure.

I get up with a quiet moan, and make my way back towards the forest. I have no weapon besides my nails, the girl took my whip. I don't know what's wrong with my right arm, but I can't move it. Thoughts of paralysis prance through my head as I finally break through the trees. I continue moving, stopping once I reach a tree. I still have enough strength to pull myself up on it. I close my eyes, trying to fall asleep on the low branch, but thoughts of what would happen if I lost my arm chased dreams away and herded nightmares towards me.

I would be meaningless, purposeless. An acrobat without an arm is basically none at all. I could always get a prosthetic, but it wouldn't be the same. I'm sure there'd be restrictions, maybe even glitches. I always rely on my acrobatics when hunting. I'd be nothing without the ability to flip, pull, or support myself.

I must have fallen asleep sometime, because when I open my eyes sunlight streams through.

Groaning softly Cassandra woke up, startled, and perplexed. Slowly, the pieces of last night started to come back to her. Images of her screaming, a spike dug deep in her hand. My hand. Oh god it hurts. Cass looked at her injured hand,a big chunk was pinched off the side of her right hand next to her pinky finger, and an even bigger chunk was ripped out between her thumb and index finger. The bleeding had stopped and she saw maggots crawling in her skin; disgusting little- well, maggots, that's exactly what they are. She would have wiped the insects but she knew they mean no harm, the only eat rotten flesh, not thriving flesh; in fact, Cass was almost grateful, they might have saved a serious infection.

She sat up straight coughing and wheezing as she rose, and she took notice of her environment for a moment. It was a little after dawn, the sun cut through the trees around her, leaving small light rays sparkled around the area. The forest wasn't too dense where she was, although she couldn't see much past a few yards. All around her were branches, fallen thin trees that couldn't have weighed more than 100 pounds, forest debris scattered on the floors.

Wait. Where's my crossbow? And the whip? Damnit.

As she tried to recall, she saw flashes of images from last night run through her mind. She saw the twister go past her, taking the whip and crossbow and spitting it out somewhere else in the forest. Snapping out of it, Cass shook her head, the migraine hadn't left, and she still felt nauseous. Really nauseous, Jesus I feel- With a splashing sound Cass turned over, ignoring the shooting pain in her chest and vomited over the leaves and dirt to her left. After covering up her mess with undergrowth, still wet from hours before, Cass slowly stood up and took small steps forward.

She kept her injured hand close to her torso, and inside her jacket. Her jeans were filthy and her once white t-shirt was nearly all black from mud and gifts of the forest. It could be days before I find that crossbow. Days more to fix it and have it enchanted again. She looked at her bracelet and counted up the charms. Out of the five main charms, her quiver, compound bow, recurve bow, and cross bow, only three were left dangling. Of the arrows Cassandra had only two charms were missing. That means I have a good twenty six shots before I have to get a refill at the forge.

She slowly made her way out of the woods the moment she got out she had a few campers run up to her and help take her to her cabin. They wanted to bring her to the infirmary but Cass just told them she just needed to rest for a moment. One of the younger helpers gave her a small cube in a bag, she stuffed it in her jacket and told them that she was fine. Grateful Cass could see the cabin now and insisted they allow her make it the last few feet on her own; she didn't want to derail them from their day, but also she preferred if they didn't know what cabin she was bunking in. She wasn't ashamed, but she didn't want to be identified by who her father was.

OOC: I'll post in my cabin for a second and come back after you post :D if you wanna read it it's just the Egyptian Cabin, it won't have anything important that I wouldn't reference after returning to the forest.

I stretch and sit up, before jumping off the branch, my body covered in dew. The nauseous feeling from last night has gotten worse. I try and search for my whip, but my right arm won't move. I use my left to search for it and remember that it went flying last night. I'd have to search through the woods to find it.

I whistle for Freedom and wait a few minutes. I see a dark shape barreling towards me, almost as big as a horse. It gets closer and closer, but I stay where am. Finally, Freedom knocks me off my feet, onto the cold ground, and licks my face like its a fresh sirloin. I laugh, something I rarely do, and pull myself up, before pulling myself up and mounting him, as I usually do. I continue on through the forest. My fake nails are currently soaking in poison in cups attached to my belt. I grip Freedom's coat as he races off once again.

About Thirty minutes into my search, I see a gleam in the leaves. I direct Freedom over to it, and he obliges, as usual.

The young woman took slow steps into the forest, she had all day today to find what she had lost and the sun was beating down brightly; just the way Cass liked it. She was wearing a dark red shirt covered by a tighter, black leather jacket. Her hand still not completely healed up ached to move, but with the old, brown, dusted up glove she threw on it was manageable; so long as she didn't use too much force on it she should be fine.

Cassandra treaded carefully, using the trunks of trees to hold her up every so often and regain balance. Feeling the bark slough off the trees with her unharmed left hand, Cass was reminded of her time in the woods back home. The way the air smelled, natural, dry and summery make Cass smile half way through her pursed lips. Eyes darting everywhere Cass could see better today, nothing was blurry and she regained control of herself.

She found her way back to where she exploded, there was almost a perfect square of land that showed damage, roughly the size of a smaller cabin. She saw some trees broken in half, she hadn't noticed it before but it was pretty bad. Ok Cass, it was here and then.. well, and then it just blew up into the air along with that blasted whip. She traced the path of her weapon in her mind, mapping out a general direction it would have fallen in. She realized it could be stuck in a tree or it could be in two, doubtful of the later, she assumed it would just have a broken latch or something the material it was made of was strong and resistant.

Walking deeper into the woods she figured it was no longer safe to be walking unarmed. She looked at her bracelet and debated over using her compound or her recurve bow. After a few moments she decided that she would bring out her favorite, recurve. Unlike her crossbow, her recurve bow had small hieroglyphics etched into the frame. Cassandra couldn't make out what it said, considering she didn't know ancient egyptian, but the letters seemed to dance more the more she stared at it; though, she never stared long enough to decipher its meaning. It had happened the day che enchanted her weapons, only the recurve and dagger were brought out with hieroglyphics.

Her father Set had blessed both of those weapons to never break, but Cassandra wouldn't know, considering she would never willingly try to break her own weapons. Especially not her dagger, she didn't even bother bringing such a useless weapon with her. She can't fight hand to hand. Damnit, where are you? Frustrated that she couldn't find her crossbow anywhere Cass picked up the pace. It wasn't even noon yet but she was getting ticked.

She heard what seemed to be trotting further ahead, and assumed it to be a satyr wandering about. The tree's got denser and covered up some of the sun above her, not disabling but annoying. Taking a deep breath she kept her bow up and an arrow in place with her hand pulling back and forth every so often to keep it active; it hurt but she knew it was necessary.

I walk forward, cautiously. The gleam had apparently come from inside a fallen tree. The tree was large, and probably very deep. I trail around to the side, where an opening in the tree lay, wide and welcoming. I can see the glint better now, and reach out to touch it. My hand almost reaches it, when I hear soft, barely audibly footsteps. They near, and I panic.

I can't see in the log, except for a patch of sunlight shining through. The rest is completely dark. I climb in, shooing Freedom away, so he knows to hide. I sit in the log, listening as footsteps near. Suddenly, I see the glint again.

The glint is what I can clearly see now as a spike on my whip. It also looks like the girls crossbow is beside it. The only problem? The weapons are in the single patch if sunlight. If the person comes along, they'll see me.

I internally sigh and slowly lean forward to grab the weapons. I keep them beside me and pull back quickly once I grasp them, hoping no one saw me. I feel a sharp tug on my head, though, as I pull backwards, and see my green hair glinting in the sunlight. I slink further into the darkness and slow my breathing as the footsteps near. I quickly take out my fake nails and snap them on my left hand, seeing as I won't need my right.

A soft rustling sound was heard ahead, the sound gently crushed leaves make when released from whatever was holding them down. Picking up her attention, Cassandra first drew a quick glance above her, in the broad daylight the woods was her playground. She took a single step forward and heard an angry hissing noise from under her foot. In Egyptian mythology, Set was often considered the protector of Ra, supposedly having fearlessly speared Apep in the form of a snake before he could get to his brother. It was no surprise that at the moment of hearing the hiss Cassandra looked down, stepped off the scaly black snake and laughed. "HA. How about No?" Cass dug her foot swiftly under the debris below the snake and kicked it over to side without a second thought seeing only a gleam of light reflect off the sleek scales as it flew over. Stupid snake, that's what you get for getting in my way. Still, she kept an eye out for what she was stepping it, it was careless not be wary.

Walking in the direction of the soft rustle, Cass peeked through to a patch of thick trees. The roots had created small, dark, tight hollow cavings. In the light the grey brown of the trees contrasted on the red, brown, and black debris of the forest floor making Cass particularly aware of her surroundings. Suddenly she saw a small twinkle near by, hopeful that it was her crossbow, she approached it. Before her eyes she saw something reach out from within a tree and twinkling was gone. She saw a slightly dirty hand, but with clean fingers, curious as to how someone can have a dirty hand but near perfect naturally manicured nails, Cass tilted her head in confusion. Below the hand Cass could only see a small outline of a tattoo where thorns linked with each other to form a thin bracelet on their pale wrist that for some reason seemed vaguely familiar.

At least it's not that psycho from last night. Cassandra figured she could reason with whoever it was into giving her back her weapon. She did after all have a silver tongue, it didn't always work, but it was worth a try. Taking longer steps forward Cass didn't want to startle the person and get off on a bad start, so she went around the tree a few paces to come in from the side and not behind. As she approached she heard a snapping sound and froze in her spot.

Acid green hair. A small glimpse of it was all Cass needed.

She sighed internally as she looked up at the bright sky with an annoyed face. Really? She questioned the gods she figured she was supposed to believe in, wondering if they thought this was funny. I hope you're all having a great big laugh up there. She took a good step back and connected the dots. The tattoo had been on Nepeta's wrist, which is why it was so familiar. And her fingers were so clean because she has those nails, hell, and I thought she was just born like that. Cass smiled for a moment at her inside joke, literally. Rather annoyed with herself that she didn't make the connection until she was almost right in front of the girl.

"So you weren't always such a weirdo huh Neps?" Cass was slowly building rage up, but knew better than to burst two days in a row, it might kill her this time. "You know there are somethings, you just can't hide. Like your hands for instance, the same naturally perfect manicure as the girls in cabin ten. Not giving your insane little brain any ideas, but, you would think it be easier to use what your mother gave you against her as opposed to furiously trying to hide what you have naturally." With her bow ready to shoot as she spoke, she jumped out in front of the tree she saw the hand reach out of and shoot an arrow.

Right into an empty trunk.

Confused but not stupid, she dropped to the ground and rolled over until her back was to a near branchless dead tree where she stood up at. She waited for her arrow charm to return; damnit, waste of a shot. As soon as she willed it to come back she put it back in place in the recurve and pulled back sharply keeping it pointed at the ground in front of her until she knew where to shoot.


OOC: Sorry for so many OOC's but I can't, for the life of me figure out what Nep's nails look like D: I would have gotten into detail but I was stumped do they look like any of these, relatively? Or describe them a bit in the post so I can get a general idea :D  P.S Nails as a weapon: pretty good idea for a weapon! Easy to carry around and use; good choice :)

Spoiler:

OOC: Aww, thanks :) And like option A, except blue with golden speckles. The gold is powdered celestial bronze.

I stop breathing as I see the footsteps' master, the girl from last night. Her face is clearly visible from here, as well the arrow pointing right at my chest. She shoots, and the arrow whizzes past, hitting the shoulder of my numb arm. I bite my tongue and hiss through my teeth, before removing the arrow. I have to hide, as I'm in no condition fight. I need something to chase her away.

The girl disappears out of view.

Suddenly, I hear a growl. Deep and pure, I recognize it as Freedom's. He appears in view of the trunk, low to ground, an evil look in his eye. He gives a nasty bark, and jumps towards where I guess the girl is. I hear a lot of barking and scratching, but can't decipher what's going on.

Cass has her recurve bow firmly in her left hand and her weakened right pulling the arrow back and forth. Hearing a hard growl back where the tree was Cass rose her bow, thinking of a hellhound. She turned her head over with fear showing, still for a few seconds before pointing her weapon at the area. A black mass jumped out of the bush behind her and Cass lowered her weapon. A dog? There's no mist, or whatever it's called  in camp grounds, this is literally a dog, someone's pet.

The black labrador's fur spoked up at the back, showing signs of aggression as it hunched down for a pounce, baring its teeth at Cass. I'm not going to shoot a dog down, it's a stupid animal. Still, she didn't feel like getting rabies today; she rose her weapon and waited for the lab to pounce. At first it was just waiting then it pounced and scratched up the tree behind her and growled. Cass got a small scrape on her elbow from the dog but it was trivial. Annoyed, she kicked it off of her body, for it had pinned her down for a second, but it was still just a dog, a large one, but not a hellhound.

Frustrated, Cassandra took a shot at the dog, she missed the paw she was aiming for; to disable it. She figured it hit something else, but knew she wasn't anywhere near the heart of the beast and was unconcerned. "It's a broken crossbow anyway. You don't know how to fix it, considering I'm the one who brought it to life. Keep it, just don't let me catch you alive. Hope I don't see you around princess" Cass growled out to the forest knowing Nepeta would hear, the dog no longer pursuing her she huffed out of the forest and started making schematics for a new crossbow in her mind.

I'll be back, it's just a crossbow, but it's my crossbow. Cass couldn't let go of her weapon and planned on getting it back one way or another, if not today than another day. Maybe after her hand was fully healed up. Sulking out of the forest in daylight, Cass headed in the area of her cabin. She had things to do on her schedule, inspection could be any day now and she figured it was never too early to try and help out, besides, she needed something to get this day off her mind.



OOC: Last one I promise, lol. Thanks for a great topic, lemme know if you wanna meet up again another time ;D

OOC: That was a really good rp :) I'm glad I could do this. I'll make sure to do just that.

BIC: I hear a yelp and footsteps trotting away. As soon as the noise disappears, I crawl out, frantically, and find Freedom on his side. He appears to have been hurt. I sit beside him, and bury my face in his fur, crying. A flashback of a time when I was in this same position shoots towards me, and I'm unable to stop it.

"Nippy, I know you disapprove of this, but it must happen. I want you to reach your full potential, not be chasing stupid dreams." I hear my father's muffled voice from outside my bedroom door.

"IT'S NOT STUPID!" I yell through my new puppy's fur. "I'll do anything, I'll ruin your stupid reputation, since that's all you care about!" I snap, no longer yelling due to my crying. "I'll be the famous acrobat and you'll be the fool! The one the people hate because you held your daughter back from joining the circus! All because you thought it was childish!"

"Nepeta, don't you dare say that! If your mother was here right now-"

"THEN WHAT?!" I yell, once again, lifting my face from my dog's fur. "DON'T YOU GET IT? I DON'T CARE WHAT THE STUPID B***H THINKS, SHE LEFT US!" I place the puppy on the floor and walk to the entrance of my bedroom, a white door with little pictures of European circus acrobats, flipping in the air. The room is still a pastel pink, even when I'm 13. No one could ever notice, though, because it's covered with pictures just like the ones on my door. I open it and look at my fathers face. I can tell he's scared, studying me. My thin lips and rosy cheeks, standing out against my pale china doll face. My wavy platinum blonde hair framing my green eyes.  

We stare at each other for a moment, before I walk back in my room, leaving the door open. I grab my already packed suitcase and walk out the door, the puppy on a leash.

"I'm leaving." I tell him, walking down the long hallway into out huge kitchen. I grab ten hundred dollar bills from his pocket as I pass, and run. Sadly, though, he catches up with me, and grabs my shoulders.

"Why?" He asks, squeezing my shoulders painfully. His nails dig into my skin and draw hot, sticky blood. "After all I've done for you, you little demon! You're staying!" he throws me against the wall, and the puppy yelps as I pull his leash. My father comes towards me and slaps me, hard against the cheek. He continues slapping, for five minutes, but stops. He stands there a few seconds, before walking me over to the knife drawer, and pulling out the sharpest blade he can find. He brandishes it in front of my face. He begins making cuts, all over my body, me screaming. The puppy cowers on the kitchen floor.

I've finally had enough, and grab the knife out of his hand. I scratch him across the eye, grab his wallet, and run, the puppy, who I've decided to call Freedom, trailing behind me.    

I lift my head off of the now fully grown dog's fur and, after making sure he can walk, leave.