<strong>Eshalu - again caught off-guard by the Wilds of Dra Sirdu</strong><br/><br/>The sudden appearance of the fluttering, scaly creature triggered an almost visceral reaction. Eshalu gripped the pommel of her shortsword tight, her biceps tensing with latent energy. The intruder's appearance was not dissimilar to the fierce Saurians they had encountered earlier and, though the Matriarch of that tribe had proven reasonable, Eshalu remained wary of Cold Ones - their terrifying imprint on the darkest, most fearful and ancient borders of her racial memory remained powerful.<br/><br/>"You should not have surprised us so," Eshalu hissed in the common tongue of humans, still surprised that the creature spoke it, "if you mean us harm, I will return you to the Roots of the Great Mother." She sat up, a little unsteadily, the pain in her hamstring an uncomfortable throbbing. She could be quick on her feet - lash forward at the slightest moment of provocation. But she knew that if the scaly intruder had wished them ill, it would have made its intentions known.<br/><br/>"Are you, too, a Cold One? This place is full of your kin." Eshalu said. She remained alert, her gaze fixed on the creature - never moving. It was a hunter's gaze. On further inspection, this particular Cold One was small - very small. She knew the tiniest serpents often had the most lethal poison, but, despite her initial, cautious reaction, she could not see herself being threatened by their impromptu guest.<br/><br/>"If you are hungry you should hunt - there are plenty of insects and rodents in this forest." The immediate adrenaline rush of her response to surprise was gone, leaving room for a the rational aspect of her mind. The creature was unlikely to be of any threat to them, but she was wounded. And that fact alone warranted extreme caution. She needed further knowledge of the creature.<br/><br/>"<em>Kin-Sister,</em>" she said to Reliyian, never once moving her gaze from winged lizard, "<em>do you know what manner of creature this is?</em>"