<strong>Eshalu - confronted by an old <del>fiend</del> friend</strong><br/><br/>The swarming of apparently countless, nimble Saurians on the tree branches up above took Eshalu by surprise. She knew from legend that certain bloodlines of the Cold Ones could change their scaly hides to match their environment, passing unaware under the watchful gaze of even the finest hunters. But nothing could prepare her for the sheer number of creatures that seemed to emerge, strangely curious and circumspect rather than slavering and hungry, after the envoy's departure.<br/><br/>Eshalu's instincts told her that no threat was imminent. Yet. When hunting, Cold Ones would not make themselves known so easily. They would strike without warning and without sound. She still had no intention to let her guard down.<br/><br/>When the envoy returned in the company of the powerful, muscled alpha, its fanged jaws open into a reptilian distortion of a smile, Eshalu felt her heart begin to hammer in her chest. The fight-or-flight mechanism in the back of her mind was beginning to spread tense, furious tendrils through each fibre of her muscles. Her throat went dry and, for an instant, she felt the overwhelming need to reach for her spear.<br/><br/>It was only the Saurian alpha's seemingly nonchalant demeanour that dissuaded her. Something wasn't quite right. Then, when the scaly brute greeted them in the human tongue with its sibilant baritone, Eshalu decided that the island simply could not become any stranger. She curled her fingers reflexively, like gripping the hilt of a blade. "You! Cold One - " she said and paused, thinking Reliyian or Aeryn better speakers under the circumstances.