Lives end/Life begins (Open)

(Feel free to bump into April on Main Street if you want a little interaction ; )


April was already late for training with Antonio when she somehow managed to drop her keys into her cup of coffee on the way out of the door. There was a muted "Ting" as they hit the bottom, sinking like stone into the steaming black coffee, and as she paused in mid-stride, staring in disbelief as the ceramic mug, the thick stack of books she'd been given, slid out from under her arm, crashing on the floor. Books, book marks, and sticky notes scattered across the tan carpeting.

"Ah, shit.... That's what I get for actually doing what Ant told me to do...".

She cheecked her watch as she turned back toward the kitchen, cup in hand. Antonio had called her training/information session for 9:00 PM sharp, which meant she had about nine minutes to make the ten minute drive, find a parking space on main street, then get her butt into the Golden Gavel. For the first time Antonio said he had information since she'd begun training with him.... Hell, the first real break they'd had.... And she was going to be late.

Figures.. Probably the first time in years I actually give a rat's ass about being on time and I fall apart at the door... she thought to herself.

Muttering darkly she hurried to the sink, feeling tense and angry with herself for not getting ready earlier. It was what happened, she knew it was because of what had happened. She'd picked up her reading material from Ant right after breakfast and spent all day digging through the various books, searching for something Ant had missed and the cops simply didn't know existed at all. Felling more and more frustrated as the day slipped past, she'd failed to come up with anything concrete... A few hunches, a few educated guesses, but nothing she was willing to wager on.

She dumped the mug and scooped up the warm, wet keys, wiping them against her jeans as she hurried back to the front door. She crouched down to gather the files, then stopped, staring down at the glossy color photo that had ended up on the top...

Oh..... The girls....

She picked it up slowly, knowing that she didn't have time and yet unable to look away from the tiny, faces. She felt the knows of tension that had been building all day intensify, and fora moment it was all she could do to breathe as she stared at the photo.  Beth and Paula, ages five and four. She'd flipped past it earlier, telling herself that there was nothing there she needed to see...

But it isn't true, is it? You can keep pretending, or you can admit it.... Everything, everthing is different now, it's been different since the day they died... And it's never going to be the same again... Is it?

When she'd first moved to Mission Valley, she'd been under a lot of stress, feeling uncertain about transfer to a new school moving to a new town, not even sure if she wanted to stay with her mom. She had been good since they'd moved from back east... But had only been good because of Rich.... After the indictment, he'd started to pressure her to stop the criminal activities he'd taught her. It had taken some serious thinking, but her father was persistent, telling her again and again that one Janus in jail was one to many, even admitting that he was wrong to raise her the way he had. With her training and background it wasn't easy.... But she'd tried to give it up for both her father and her mother. The change had been surprisingly easy at first, made Rich happy, and gave her the opportunity to see how the other half lived.

Still the move had been harder on her than she'd realized... For the first time since Rich had gone inside, she'd felt truly, utterly alone, working to fit in with the people who'd always treated her like an outcast. Her mom took a desk job at some pharmaceutical company in town, a nice little house in the suburbs, it was crazy, and she'd been giving serious thought to just blowing out of town, giving the whole thing up, and going back to what she'd been before.... What Rich had trained her for.

At first April wanted to pack her things and run to the hills, as she had no interest in class, other classmates, or any of the other things she was supposed to have an interest in as a normal sixteen year old girl. She simply felt alone in this place, despite how "Good for us" her mother said this move was. More and more it seemed like she was someone, whose reflection was as foreign as the town she was living in,  hesitation was the only thing that keeping her from bolting town. A lot of times all she could think about was blowing away when her mother wasn't looking, until after a few weeks these feelings began to fade. It happened in perhaps the most subtle of ways, one that maybe she didn't even pick up on right away, brought on by her chance encounter with the two girls across the street.

It was amazing what two little girls showing up on your doorstep, asking with wide, tear stained eyes if she was really a superhero (She was wearing a Captain Incredible backpack she'd picked up at a tag sale she and her mom stopped at a few weeks before.). It seemed their parents were at work, and they couldn't find their dog. Beth in her green school dress, little paula in her overalls, both sniffling, and shy like she was. The puppy had wandered a few blocks away, getting into someones garden, and was found in thiry minutes, and she'd made two new friends as easy as that. The sisters adopted April, showing up after to bring her scraggily flowers, playing in her yard on weekends, singing endless songs, and watching movies and cartoons. It wasn't like they'd miraculously changed her outlook on life, taken away her loneliness, or hurt over what had happened to Rich.... But for the first time in her sixteen years, she'd started to feel like a part of the community she lived in, the change so subtle and gradual she'd hardly noticed herself.

Suddenly skipping town was put to the backburner, as  April began to adapt to her new life at Mission Valley High, making some new friends, staying out of trouble, even doing well on her first few tests. After the first month of school, with things going quite well, Silvia Janus proposed that April get a job in town, as she'd seen a number of "Need Help" signs hanging in many of Main Streets shops windows, and figured it'd be good for her daughter to get a job. According to Silvia "Working builds character. Plus it gets you making your own money, so you won't need me to give you money any time you want to do anything anymore.". Eager to try and make some extra spending cash, as she'd developed and expensive taste by then, April applied to nearly a dozen retail outlets, restaurant's, and even antiques auction house. In a much needed confidence boost, April heard back from four of the place she'd applied to, and after some consideration, she decided to go with the auction house (Since it paid the most.). Things were going well for the two Janus women, Silvia had found a good paying job, April was fitting in and doing quite well in school again, and now she even had a job. However this sort of "Normal", simple kind of life, simply wasn't for April, who now found herself, or better yet was found by her servants of her true father...

Not only had the High Priest of Janus found April through her enrollment in school, he'd also quickly found out about her employment at the auction house, which presented him with opportunity to reveal himself to the girl. Luckily for him, besides the 'Help Wanted' sign in the auction houses window and the fact he loved antiques, another sign hung in the window, which said 'For Sale', and seeing as the High Priesthood of Janus still had considerable wealth, he made the kindly, longtime owner an offer he couldn't refuse, and assumed control of Mission Valley's Golden Gavel Auction House. The Italian born High Priest of Janus, who was named Antonio Givet quickly befriended April Janus, who was clearly surprised to see that the former owner had sold the Golden Gavel. Nevertheless Antonio seemed nice enough, as well as enthusiastic, which meant April had a guaranteed check, which she earned by cataloging the Golden Gavels collection on the auction houses new computer based catalog system.

After a few weeks of working at the Golden Gavel, April and Antonio were working late one night, bringing the new catalog system online, so customers could see what was being auctioned that day, when the Golden Gavel was the target of a break in attempt. Two masked men, each armed with pistols burst into the auction house, attempting to subdue Antonio and April, while making off with the Golden Gavel's most expensive pieces. The robbers were worried about the police, when they should have been worried about the now seventeen year old girl they had tied to her boss. Quickly getting free of the rope, much to the happiness of Antonio, April quickly dispatched the two would-be robbers, knocking both of them unconscious with a piece of heavy, gold, ancient Sumerian artwork. Once both men were subdued, April attempted to call the police, as Antonio came over and hung up the phone. As he did this, the High Priest of Janus said "Have you ever wondered why you have such power? Why you can knock out two men that have you outweighed by a hundred pounds in a hit? Why you feel out of place, even in your own home? Because I may have a few answers....".

Upon learning of her true heritage -Born of the last earthly power of a long forgotten pagan god, April Janus is unknowingly a demigod. It's quite likely that she was born of the Roman God known as Janus, or someone very near to him... Who is the god of beginnings and transitions, among other things. These pagan gods, slipping from their once proud stature to mists of legend, as humanity forgot their names. As such, they began to diminish in power, as well as their ability to manifest themselves on our earthly domain, and soon their combined power diminished to a sliver of what it once was. No longer were they able to level mountains, part sea's, or control the winds, and their remained only one thing left to do... Using all of their remaining power on this world, they made this power manifest and into someone flesh....-, the fact that there are others like her, as well as learning that Antonio had been "Stalking" her for quite some time, April simply runs, leaving Antonio to deal with the two foiled robbers. The scared girl ran across Mission Valley, feeling more alone than ever in this world, yet for some reason feeling less alone in the universe. When she finally got to her house late in the morning, she climbed into her room, so her mother wouldn't ask any questions, and wrote in her journal "This is your shadow on my wall.... This is my flesh and blood....This is what I could've been.... Yet is no more... As I am just a thing... Cast against my will...". These lines clearly representing that April no longer feels human, her disconnected to the world feeling seemingly more than just a feeling, but something very real indeed. Nevertheless she decided to due as her father had instructed her, she'd tell no one of what happened, because like he said "They won't understand.". Antonio couldn't force her to be this force of good if she didn't want to, and if he did.... Well he'd just look crazy... Right?

If there was one thing that truly connected April Janus to the world, it was most certainly the girls, Beth 5 and Paula 4. As weekday after school visits became weekend songs, then a week turned into two, summer into fall, April seemed to dwell on what had happened less, though she still cast a sideways glance at the Golden Gavel when she passed it. Then.... Everything changed... Everything was different since the day they died... When she heard on the news six weeks ago that Beth and Paula had wandered away from a family picnic, becoming the first two victims of the psychopaths that had since terrorized this city.... That was the day she accepted her destiny, becoming the "Daughter of Janus", and returned to the Golden Gavel.... Everyday for the last six weeks she's trained with Antonio, honed her fighting skills, learned of her origins, as well as the origins of some of the other demigods and "Meta's" in this world, and all the while her mind was consumed by one thought... Vengaence...

Enough! They're gone, but you can finally do something about it! she thought to herself.

April fumbled the papers back into their folder, then stepped outside into the early evening, breathing deeply. The scent of freshly cut grass was heavy in the sun-warmed air. Somewhere down the street, a dog barked happily amid the shouts of children. She hurried to the small, dented gray hatchback parked by the front walk, forcing herself not to look at the silent McGee house as she started the car and pulled away from the curb. April drove through the wide suburban streets of her neighborhood, window down, pushing the speed limit but careful to watch for any dangers. There weren't many kids or pets around.... Since the trouble had started more and more people were keeping their children and animals indoors.... Even during the day.

The little hatchback shuddered as she accelerated up the ramp to Highway 101, the warm, dry air whipping her long blonde hair back from her face. It felt good, like waking up from a bad dream. However she knew there was no waking up from this nightmare... She sped through the sun-dappled evening, the shadows of the trees growing long across the road.

Whether it was fate, random, or the luck of the draw, her life had been touched by what was happening in Mission Valley. She couldn't keep pretending that she was just some jaded ex-thief trying to start over, trying to toe the line to maker her father and mother happy, or that what she was about to do was simply going through the motions. It mattered.... It mattered to her that those children were dead, and that the killers were still free, killing a gain.... In that moment April swore to herself that no matter what it took, she was going to find out who was responsible. Whatever she'd been before, whatever she would be in the future, she had changed... And wouldn;t be able to rest until these animals got what they deserved....

Slightly ahead on the lonesome highway, April would see a rather tall teenager on a Moped, travelling at slightly above the minimum highway speed. She slowed to a halt, as a large tree and some rocks that blocked the road came into view. The teenager sighed in relief, her safe driving saving her the trouble of crashing. She saw the car behind her, and got off her scooter.

Xiaolongnu sighed. If only there weren't anyone else on the road, she'd gladly move the tree to save people the inconvenience. Now she'd have to drive around it. She looked at the person in the car, wondering if they'd turn around. So, she simply stood around, looking slightly frustrated, maybe touching the tree leaves a bit.

Of course, to the properly paranoid, there was something incredibly suspicious about a large tree falling onto the highway, when the tree line was at least thirty feet from the highway to avert these sorts of incidents...

April slammed on the breaks when she noticed the huge tree that was in front of her, her little hatchback shuddering, as the tires screeched and smoked, the wheels locked, and a long black skid mark was left across part of Highway 101. A moment ago she'd only been paying minor attention to the road, lost somewhere between a daydream and a tear, now she was as focused as ever, as her little car slowed, but was it slowing quickly enough? As the tree came rushing forward, the car finally stopped, smoke pouring from the tires and brakes, and a burned rubber smell filling the autumn air.

Fuck.... That was close... April thought to herself.

April's gaze was fixed ahead at the tree, her breathing quick, coming in shudders, as she was as surprised by the sudden appearance of the tree as she'd ever been by something. She was so completely focused on the tree, bracing herself for impact, that she'd not even noticed that she had gripped the steering wheel so tightly, she was starting to break it. Slowly letting go, as if somehow quickly letting go of the wheel would cause the car to suddenly smash into the huge, thick tree blocking Highway 101, April thought God am I glad I saw that in time... I need crashing this thing, as much as I need a hole in the head... Only a bullet will kill me a lot quicker than mom... And less messy to!

April's gaze was still focused forward, as she looked through her window, noticing the tree was block all the Highway 101's southbound lanes, as well as all northbound lanes as well. She sighed, thinking Well.... Looks like I'm not going to be getting to the Golden Gavel anytime soon. Ant's going to be pissed. Well..... Not like he can find another Daughter of Janus, Guardian of Beginnings and Transitions... Well I think anyway..

Her breathing more controlled, the shock somewhat subsided, April opened the clanky door to her silver hatchback, then stepped outside. As she shut the door, her legs began to shake so bad, she had to grab onto the car, as it practically seemed like there was an earthquake. She'd been in plenty of fights, robberies, and other high pressure situations, but being a newly licensed driver, and this being her first close call.... She was scared shitless... Even if she wouldn't express it outwardly.

Still focused on the tree, realizing there had been no earthquake, April began to wonder how the massive tree had come to rest across both lanes of Highway 101, one of Mission Valleys main arteries, connecting the isolated city to the rest of the state.

As April approached the tree, she thought Maybe a strong gust of wind?? Not that couldn't throw a tree thirty, forty feet. Maybe a tornado? No.... They don't have tornado's out west... Do they? the newly transplanted east coaster thought, as she starred at the enormity of the tree, which was blocking her way. A look of cocern now crossing her face, as she pondered what exactly could have thrown something so big, so heavy, so far...

Out of the corner of her eye she'd noticed her for the second time, a girl on a scooter who'd been driving very near to her when she had to slam on her breaks. Turning her head towards the girl, April said "Hey! Did you see what did this? A tornado? An earthquake?". April then thought about everything that Antonio had been teaching her about, an invisible world of demigod's, super-villain's, hero's, and all sorts of other bedtime stories... Only they weren't.... And she was living proof. Not to mention it stood to chance that someone... Or something with similar powers could be in Mission Valley.

Thinking on that, April mumbled "A super powered villain bent on the destruction of me being on time?" as she waited for the girls answer.

Xiao watched as the car behind her came to an abrupt halt, screeching on its breaks to avoid crashing for dear life. She looked at the driver as she disembarked, eyes adjusting to the twilight as well as the presence of the car's headlights. There on April, lingered the scent of anxiety and fear at nearly wrecking her car and herself. The asian girl squinted at how she could tell that... of course people would be afraid if they nearly crashed, but just how did she tell specifically? Her nose? were her senses still growing?

Xiao also picked up a little on April's mumbling too. "Villain...?" She bobbed her head, wondering if she was joking or... if she was one of the metahuman kind. Xiao realized the woman was mumbling that, and decided to keep quiet about it, her senses seemingly growing.

"Oh, um... No, I didn't see... I just stopped myself. Well, looks like We'll have to go around it, or turn back..." She responded, starting the conversation between them with an slight east asian accent in her engrish. She really didn't want to leave the tree here though, as it would inconvenience future motorists.

Two shadowy figures in the darkness of the treeline watched as the women stopped on the highway, their hands holding the leashes of snarling beasts. Confident in their concealment, they remove the leashes from the necks of their hunting companions. "The prey is downwind, and have left their horseless carriages. The hunt begins..."

As the sun dipped below the horizon, there was a chilly wind that blew across the highway. Under cover of darkness, the beasts sprinted, their steps masked by the gale and the softness of grass.

They pounced upon April and Xiao; abnormally large Hyenas that emerged shimmering into visibility, fang and claw aiming for a quick, clean kill on the girls. The hounds though, wouldn't know that their prey would be easy, as their purpose was to suppress and harass them- their intended target anyway. All others were witnesses to be silenced. The real hunters followed right behind their beasts.

Two more figures slowly made their way to the highway from the treeline, to watch first how their prey reacted.

Xiao reacted poorly, being ambushed and pounced on readily, driven to the ground by the hyena and immediately bitten on the neck. Xiao whimpered as the thing momentarily choked her windpipe, as the creature bit down with the immense jaw strength of a hyena. The teeth only bruised though, unable to break her skin. Xiao grabbed the thing by the jaws, and slowly began to fight back, the hyena snarling feebly trying to claw at the dragon girl's hardened skin, to no avail.

Augmented Hyenas (x2)

Int 1 (trained animals) Str 5 Spd 6 Dur 5 Abi 2 (invisibility) Fs 4

April nodded to Xiao, as the stranger said in her faint East Asian accent ""Oh, um... No, I didn't see... I just stopped myself. Well, looks like We'll have to go around it, or turn back...". The young, seventeen year old girl then looked about their surroundings, looking for any trace of what caused this huge tree to fall, as she wasn't ready to accept the tree simply appeared in the middle of the road. After another quick scan of the area, April still had no clue of what caused it to fall, which began to trouble her more and more, as she began to think of all the strange occurrences that she'd already knew happened in this town.

Seeing the tree had the 101 totally blocked, April said "Well I don't think we're going to be able to get around it... Looks like we're going to have to go back.". April looked at Xiao reassuringly, as if to say "This is the right thing to do.". Once she'd turned away from Xiao, to move back into her care, she muttered "So I can lose you... Then come back and throw this tree off the road..".

April didn't really have any concern for the other motorists, but she was already late enough for her training/information session at the Golden Gavel. If their was one thing that April couldn't stand, it certainly would be complaining, which she knew Ant would do if she was any later then she already was about to be. She could almost hear him in his Italian accent now, chastising and opinionated as ever, and she wasn't exactly looking forward to telling him this story, which he surely would think was just some tall tale to get her out of trouble.

As April headed back towards her little, beat up, silver hatchback, she looked into the dark forest beside Highway 101. The forest didn't scare her, just gave her that creepy feeling she was being watched. Knowing what was watching her was another matter entirely however... As she could only sense something from the woods, something which made the blonde hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, giving her anxious feeling.... She certainly didn't want to stick around here to find out what caused that tree to crash into the road, but she might very well be the only person in the area that could stop something strong enough to cause this sort of damage to something so sturdy. Of course that was assuming this was indeed something villainous for lack of a better word.

Feeling like the time was now for her new found Asian friend to hit the road, April turned towards Xiao, saying "I'm going to give the cops a call... Why don't you head on back down the road, I'm sure they'll be here in a few minutes, no sense in both of us waiting.". As April waited for a reaction from Xiao, she was visibly surprised to see a demented looking genetically augmented Hyena jump on Xiao, then appear to take a bit out of the girl.

April raced into action, ready to take on the Hyena, which had to be what she'd felt was watching them. Now an assault rifle would be perfect right now... she thought to herself, after Anthonio had spent some time telling her that she wouldn't be working with guns.... Much anyway...

No sooner did it appear that Xiao had been overtaken by one of these Hyena's, a second jumped up, dragging itself and April to the ground with it. April was surprised, yet again by the mystery animals certainly had the jump on the two. As the second Hyena grabbed April to the ground, biting her on the shoulder as it pushed her down. April was head down, the full weight of the Hyena pressing down on her body, making it hard to breath.

After a few moments of struggle, wrestling, and punches, April pushed up off the ground, landing on her feet, while readying herself for another attack this time. She noticed Xiao was fighting back as well, and April thought Well... Looks like  she's more than she says... Don't come across many people who could handle something like this on the regular... . As she readied herself for another attack from one or two of the clearly modified beasts.

Xiao recognized the danger she was in, and promptly grew angry.

"Stupid... beast!" She growled, her voice not quite her normal speaking tone. The hyena, seeing her mate just killed, howled and leapt at Xiao.

The shadowy figures watched and assessed their targets, moving in now that the Hyenas had tested their mettle. Xiao was too tangled up with the other hyena to notice the danger, as a large, weighed net wrapped around her whole body and sent her to the ground. A dark maned lion humanoid leapt onto the tree and dragged the struggling Xiao like a captured animal. She snarled at captors, trying to break through the net but found it strong enough to contain one of her strength.

The Hyena, desiring revenge but trained to follow orders, circles around April once again, walking onto her car; the vehicle was visibly weighed down by it, the beast flanking her and cutting off her escape.

"The subject has been captured. Our mission here is done." He said to the second figure, a much larger lion humanoid that emerged from the shadows, predatory eyes trained on April. Both of these hunters stood taller than men and were clad in leather armor, sporting many small hunting trophies and wide assortments of exoti weaponry. The bigger hunter eyed Xiao, and spat in contempt. The girl who was their target was hardly any sport, already bruised and hurt from taking on their hyenas.

"Hmm Hrmmm. A waste of my time. The whelp does not even know how to fight properly! Well... What do we have here... A worthy foe, perhaps? Someone who can give me sport?" The larger lion man looked upon April, his gaze almost admiring her form, her technique... the way a hunter admires a predator before making the kill.

"Mustafa, might I remind you we are here for the dragon child... Before she turns." The smaller, leaner one said, carrying a large crossbow in hand, his weapons and the bombs on his belt suggesting him to prefer ranged tactics and such devices.

"Then take her Ibrahim, take her and claim your bounty of gold. I am here for the thrill of the kill! What say you, little girl? Care to show me a real fight?" Mustafa, the larger one said, chuckling at April, watching her moves, Before pouncing onto April, swiping his ironhard claws at the demigod at ferocious speeds. He had an array of weapons on his person, but judging from his ego and personality, this one seemed eager to fight 'fairly' in contrast to his companion.

Mustafa

Occu 3 Str 6 Spd 5 Dur 5 (6 armored parts) Abi 1 Fs 8

Ibrahim

Int 6 Str 5 Spd 5 Dur 5 Abi 1 Fs 6

April was ready to press her attack on the massive, demented looking Hyena, when suddenly the creatures attention turned to Xiao, once she'd dispatched the Hyena that had attacked her. April dropped her guard slightly, thinking to herself So what... Am I chopped meat?, as the Hyena turned to attack Xiao.

With the Hyena now attacking Xiao, it gave April a moment of pause, in which she could contemplate what was happening, as well as the odds that she'd meet another meta on Highway 101, while being attacked by some sort of meta-enhanced Hyena's. Certainly the odds of this happening randomly weren't good, so there had to be some design, a puppet master pulling the strings of their attackers. The only question was where were they? Because clearly the tree had been intentionally placed to block their way, the with the way the Hyena's were going after Xiao, it made the April realize that she wasn't intended to be involved in this, as they were clearly after the girl she'd randomly met on Highway 101.

This was confirmed when a dark maned lion-humanoid appeared suddenly, ensnaring Xaio before April finished yelling "Hey look out!!! Behind you!". No sooner had the words left her mouth, when her fighting companion was suddenly trapped in some sort of high tech net, which looked like it would be used on wild game. Hunting trophies, leather armor, and strange weapons, which April had never seen before covered the lion-humanoid's body, giving him an imposing look, on top of his already massive stature.

April stood in silence, analyzing the situation, while partially stunned by what was happening. Ant had told her of the existence of wide ranges of demigod's, meta's, humanoids, and a variety of more exotic creatures, but seeing them for herself, was certainly much different then learning about them in training, or in a book. Still, a bigger shock was yet to come, when an even bigger lion-humanoid appeared, the two seeming to have a conversation. Worse still, this lion-humanoid has its eyes fixed on her!

Not one to back down from anyone, April Janus returned the lion-humanoids gaze, as his remaining Hyena circle around her, stepping over her beat up hatchback. April cringed as she could hear the shocks on the old car strain under the massive pressure of the huge Hyena. She wasn't overly worried about the Hyena, as it was certainly strong, but also pretty stupid, and would play into her hands if it attacked her. Her real concern was the lion-humanoid, whose gaze was fixed on the pretty, young, seventeen year old Daughter of Janus.

April could here the two lion-humanoids talking, though she couldn't make out exactly what they were saying. She figured the girl she'd nearly run over on the scooter had to be terrified, so April reassuringly yelled "Don't worry.... Whoever you are!!! I'll get you out of there, just hang on!!!". She then mumbled under her breathe "Well I think I'll get you out of there....".

April readied herself to make a move, but not before the larger of the two lion-humanoids exclaimed "I am here for the thrill of the kill! What say you, little girl? Care to show me a real fight?".

April smiled, yelling back "As long as you don't give me rabies!!! Or cough up a fur ball on me!!!".

April took a defensive position, allowing the large lion-humanoid to attack first, so she could see what he could do. In the meantime she'd think up a way to dispatch him, then his friend, and save.... Well whoever she was. April was new to this whole hero thing, and part of her wanted to disappear, living to fight another day. Though she was already guilty about what happened to the girls, even though she couldn't have stopped what had happened, and didn't want her conscious to get any heavier.

The lion-humanoid attacked first, swiping a massive ironhard claw toward her with surprising speed, which caught April by surprise. Her first reaction was to simply duck, to avoid getting mauled by the massive swiping claw. The only thing saving her from the lions claw, her quick reflexes. As she ducked to the ground, she kicked upward, trying to catch the hunter off guard. Though her primary thoughts were now about maintaining a good defensive posture, as the time for attacking this creature would come later.

The proud hunter saw April's movements, and watched with admiration. "Good! GOOD! This little one is swift! LET US FIIIGHT!" Not accounting her immense strength, Mustafa reeled from the upward kick, visibly crumpling his hardened leather armor in his side. Mustafa roared in anger and pain, like the lion he was. So this one wasn't a mere mortal; she had the power to back up her skill.

"Let me go! Why are you doing this? What have I done to you?!" Xiao shouted, her own voice now laced with bestial growling, struggling to free herself from the net.

"Such an inexperienced child. We are bounty hunters, and you are our bounty. If you stop resisting, this will be much less painful for you." He said, pulling the rope to drag Xiao some more off the highway towards the grassy area.

"Who hired you?" She asked, demanding answers from her would be captors.

"Oh, no, you do not get to know from us, child, though I would have thought you'd figure it out. Ask yourself, who would want you taken alive?" He explained, struggling with Xiao's constant resistance. Xiao's thoughts tried to come up with an answer, perhaps it was related to the people who smuggled her to America... but she wasn't particularly eager to think on that at the moment. She stopped struggling on the ground, so the crossbow wielder came over to tie her up with more thick rope.

"Good girl. Just stop struggling, and this will be a pleasant trip. I might even let you have some fish on the- AAUGH!" As he propped up Xiao to tie her with more rope, the young dragon girl delivered a sudden headbutt, causing Ibrahim to stagger away, snarling and clutching his head in pain. Xiao delivered another head butt to his gut, sending him to the ground, the smaller hunter either poor at close combat, or Xiao had simply exploited a lapse in his guard. Xiao was now slowly ripping the net open.

Mustafa snarled in annoyance at his brother's lapse, but ignored it with the spry sport before him. Staggering for a moment, he continues his attack, massive muscled arms ending in claws lashing out at April at incredible speed, requiring one of her skill and reflex to avoid, though if April becomes too occupied evading his claws, Mustafa was not beneath delivering a sweeping kick to trip her up.

April was surprised by the strength she'd put behind her quick kick towards Mustafa, which connected on the lion-humanoid's side. The kick push Mustafa's leather armor inward, into his rib cage, causing him to cry out in pain. The cry coming as a massive roar, which caused April to jump, as she'd almost forgot what she was fighting was more beast then man. However frightened she was by this creature straight out of a science fiction movie, she was certainly happy she'd done some damage to it, as she was starting to realize she was a character straight out of a Greek play of old.

April was certainly worried by the fact the lion-humanoid was so much larger then her, but thought Well at least I know I can hurt Mufasa.....

As April prepared herself to receive the lion-humanoids next attack, she could hear quite a bit of commotion in the area the other lion-humanoid had dragged the girl she'd nearly run over. Though she could only half pay attention to what was going on, as she had the much larger lion-humanoid to deal with, but it seemed the girl was attempting to get away from the smaller lion-humanoid. Xiao clearly had some sort of powers, what exactly they were she had no clue, but there was something obviously more powerful then your average person about her.

Well.... I'm certainly glad she can take care of herself.... 2 on 2 is much better then 2 on 1.

As the massively muscled, lion-humanoid hunter threw another massive clawed paw towards April, she had to use all of her training, reaction, and skill to avoid it. Aprils upper body gracefully moving away from the incoming claws, as her lower body remained grounded. She knew she'd eventually have to stand her ground against the much more intimidating lion-humanoid, but if there was ever a time where she'd take a stand against all that was wrong, and embrace her destiny... It was now.

Knowing her best defense in this case, was a good offensive attack to keep Mustafa off balance. As the lion-humanoid swung and missed, April threw several quick, but still strong punches towards the big game hunter, who she knew viewed her as a trophy to be won. Unfortunately for him, he picked the wrong week to pick a fight with this demigod, as she certainly had something to be angry about. If just for motivation, or perhaps something deeper, April began to put all of her frustration, sadness, and anger over what had happened to the girls into this fight. Making it very possible this lion had bitten off more than he could chew.

Once she threw several punches, April said "C'mon.... Not use to someone who can keep up? I thought lions were supposed to be fast?".

As the last word left her mouth, April was certainly happy Ant wasn't there, as he'd given her a long talk about "Provoking" her opponents. Antonio felt it enraged her opponents, to the point where they were able to tap into additional strength. To April it didn't really matter though, as she simply fought whatever was in front of her. From schoolyard bullies, to robbers, to lion-humanoids, who were very likely from a distant planet. God I have become such a freak... she thought to herself, as she prepared herself for another attack.

"My dear, I would be disappointed if you DIDN'T provide such sport! Clearly, you deserve a challenge yourself... " Now more careful, Mustafa proved quick and agile as he was savage, parrying and weaving with her blows. Despite their roughly equal skill, he did not have as much luxury to evade the attacks of his smaller, quicker prey. April got a couple of lucky shots in, but it was against the thickest parts of his armor now.

"But play time is over, it's time to carve out a trophy from your hide!" The hunter seemed no longer interested in using his claws to test April, as he pulled out a the biggest, serrated kukri she'd likely ever seen, its ergonomics suited to the giant hunter's frame. He held in it a reverse grip, making it look even more menacing. One cut from that could likely take a limb off.

He moves in now, more carefully, using his free hand to menace April and to defend- if she didn't pay attention, the big kukri could be tasting demigod...


Meanwhile, The pained Ibrahim roared at the Hyena flanking April, and rushed to attack the escaping Xiao. the Hyena, eager for a little payback, made the mistake of blundering into Xiao, making her hit her head very hard on the tree, drawing blood. The Hyena bit down on some shoulder, ripping off some of Xiao's clothes and leaving a shallow scratch, but the angry teenager picked up the beast and slammed it face first into the concrete, caving in its skull like a wet paper bag, the crunching bone audible. At least now it would join its mate in death. Xiao looked at Ibrahim and roared, as her face rippled with a transformation.

Retrieving his bearings, the hunter struggled to his feet and saw their hunt tossed a bolas at Xiao, which released a knock-out gas- but it was too late now. Erupting from her very skin and clothes, Xiao's dragon transformation began, the ropes snapping like string as her body changed, and gained mass, wings erupting from her back and limbs becoming draconic.

"... Accursed Mustafa... Brother! The bounty is loose!" Ibrahim shot his crossbow and tossed more grenades at Xiao, but she deflected the bolt and seemed rather unaffected by the gases, as her hide hardened to their true form.

In the midst of his savage attacks and his focus, it seemed hearing his sibling in danger caused Mustafa to have a momentary lapse in his own defense, one that could be exploited to turn the battle, if the proper attack were delivered...

April smiled as Mustafa said "My dear, I would be disappointed if you DIDN'T provide such sport! Clearly, you deserve a challenge yourself... ", sarcastically responding "Well you certainly know how to charm a girl don't you? And I always did enjoy a good head of hair.". April tilted her head to the side, giving the lion-humanoid a coy smile, as she tried to play enrage him.

Wasting little time, April went on the offensive once again, throw a multitude of punches, many were misses, as Mustafa proved he wasn't just some lumbering brute, but rather quite an agile fighter as well. This worried April, as he was certainly both the largest, as well as the most skilled of anyone (Or thing) she'd ever faced. Worse still, the only punches she'd managed to land, hit the lion-humanoid's leather armor, doing s much damage to her hands as they did to Mustafa's sides. Her knuckles burned, as she could feel the blood dripping down, they'd heal in a moment, but for they hurt like hell!

Once April's attack faltered, it appeared she'd succeeded in pissing the lion-humanoid off, as he roared ""But play time is over, it's time to carve out a trophy from your hide!" as he unsheathed his monstrous serrated kukri, making it clear he wished to end this fight in one death stroke.

As the two warriors once again sized themselves up, April tried to reassure herself by thinking Remember your training.... Don't freak out.... So what if he has the biggest blade you've ever seen, which could have you attending prom in a wheelchair.... Or little pieces.

As the April and Mustafa faced on another, further away there was a great commotion where Xiao and Mustafa's brother had been fighting, since Xiao had managed to free herself. April and Mustafa briefly stopped fighting, turning there attention to the great commotion behind them, as they both turned just in time to see Xiao transforming into what could only be described as a dragon.

Seeing this, April sighed, saying aloud "And mom moved me here to keep me out of trouble..... Of all the towns in the country, she had to pick the one with a dragon.". It seemed the other lion-humanoid was quickly losing control of the situation, as he yelled "... Accursed Mustafa... Brother! The bounty is loose!" as it became apparent no weapon he had was effective on the dragon.

April noticed Mustafa's look of concern at hearing his brothers voice.... Knowing sheer aggression was the only way for her to win the day, now that the massive lion-humanoid was wielding a massive serrated kukri, April charged forward, throwing caution to the wind. It seemed she'd caught Mustafa at the right time, as she jumped through the air, delivering a massive roundhouse in the direction of Mustafa's surprised face.

Mustafa turned around to come face to face with April's high kick, delivering a terrible concussion to the large predator's head, bypassing his thick braided mane. The hunter's eyes rolled up, his lights went out and he fell to the floor, unconscious but not for long. His weapon clattered at her feet, his equipment exposed.

Ibrahim meanwhile, ducked and rolled to evade the dragon's massive claws and bite, the beast lashing out in measured anger. While he was not his brother's equal, the smaller hunter proved an able fighter against the big game. He rolled with the dragon's jaws and tossed his last bomb into the creature's maw. Leaping onto the dragon's head, Ibrahim ties her jaws shut with his remaining bolas, while the choking bomb caused dragon!Xiao to cough and choke, retching up the chemicals and being distracted.

The smaller hunter roared reflexively in his triumph, a vestigial instinct to intimidate its larger foe... Ibrahim looked around and saw that his worries were not over, as he saw his brother fall, and he audibly swallowed...

...His character was revealed though, when he gave his brother a cruel look, and began sprinting on all fours back to the treeline, saving his own hide and leaving the larger Mustafa to their mercy.

As April's huge roundhouse kick slammed into Mustafa, the lion-humanoid's large, maned head jerked back violently, as the warriors foot connected with his skull. All of the lion-humanoid's weapons now acted against him, weighing his body down, causing him to come crashing to the ground, as April stood in a ready position before him. It was however quickly apparent that Mustafa had been KO'ed, at least for the moment, which gave April valuable time to see to perhaps the more important matter at hand.... A massive dragon that seemed as if it would be romping through Downtown Mission Valley in a few minutes, if the girl she'd met on the highway didn't have control of the dragon within.

Passing Mustafa, April sarcastically remarked "Lights out cat breath!" as she ran towards the other lion-humanoid, who was skillfully fending off the dragon, though just barely.

Nearing where the dragon and hunter were doing battle, April only hoped the girl retained some form of humanity when she... Changed... For lack of a better word. If she didn't April was not only outnumbered between alien hunters, but now seriously "Outgunned" by this hulking dragon, which was only a few minutes from stumbling into a major population center.

The smaller hunter threw some sort of decive, which held a chemical mixture, which after he threw it, caused the dragon to begin to choke and spit up the chemicals that had been breathed in. It was a perfect weapon to allow the smaller lion-humanoid to regroup, then press home his attack renewed. The dragon/Xiao was still choking, as April began to race forward, hoping to get a better idea if the dragon was still a friend, or simply another enemy to be fought, and to perhaps even deal with the smaller hunter.

Seeing this.... The smaller lion-humanoid quickly about faced, then racing on all fours left the field of battle, where it seemed only a few moments ago his brother had been so confident of their victory.... He should have listened to his smaller kin, who was now saving himself, leaving him to his fate.

Seeing the other lion-humanoid gallop away, April did not pursue, instead she turned towards the dragon, calling out and saying "Soooo!!!! You're not going to go all psycho on me?? Right??".

As she spoke, April began to come up with a plan if the dragon was really "Hulking" out. She'd get to the downed lion-humanoid as quickly as possible, take what weapons she could, and lead the dragon away from the city. She only hoped he had some weapons on him with which to take something of this size down. Otherwise.... She'd really be in it now.

It was not the most prudent thing to approach a retching dragon, as dragon!Xiao coughed up some dragon spittle on, or perhaps near her. Xiao refocused, having caught some of what April was saying to her, despite the horrific amount of caspium in her maw. She lifts off with a powerful wingbeat, and circles once in the air above April, before getting a good grip on the tree. The heavy fallen timber weighed next to nothing to the might of the dragon.

The highway was clear now, save for the twigs and leaves that littered the road. Mustafa was slowly recovering his strength, groaning and growling, but the roar of a dragon caused him to wisely stay down. Xiao lands and slowly transforms back into her human form on her knees, a dark grey wetsuit reforming over her to keep her modest.

Xiao looked up at April once she was human again, though still coughing from the effects of the enhanced tear gas, eyes red from the irritation too. "Um... the road's... clear now. I could use some water once in town..." She coughed again, trying to get up but slightly shaken, before remembering they still had one more problem.

Mustafa eventually came to, but the blow to his ego was worse than the strike to his head. He sat there, willingly depriving himself of his weapons. He seemed... ashamed, the once proud hunter now looking down at his amulet of wild teeth. He looked up at April, his ears drooped like a cat that had been severely scolded. He said nothing, as if awaiting what was next.

As Xiao transformed into the girl April had nearly hit with her car, in the moments of confusion leading up to this whole situation with the lion-humanoids, April breathed a sigh of relief. As much of a warrior as April felt she was becoming, she figured anyone else in her situation would do the same thing, looking up at the size of the monstrous dragon, now transforming back down into size. Truth be told, April wasn't even quite sure how she would have gone about fighting Xiao if she'd "Hulked" on her, then made a mad dash for the city. Though with all things, she figured slice and dice always worked well. However she was truly happy she didn't have to do any of that, instead able to focus on exactly what the hell had just happen...

A smile crept across April's face as Xiao cleared the felled tree, which she easily hoisted into the air in her massive hands, then tossed aside like a twig. Chuckling to herself, April sarcastically said "Hey... You don't mind coming to my house right? My mom wants me to do a whole bunch of things around the house that I think you could help me with!".

However the thought of a true to life dragon lumbering around her house made April think twice, so she quickly retracted her statement, then saying "On second thought.... I should just probably get you to Antonio... He's an expert when it comes to this sort of things... I'm sure he'll love meeting you.".

April could tell that her new companion was shaken, as she said  "Um... the road's... clear now. I could use some water once in town...". April nodded, saying "Ahhhh water... Sure thing. I know what it's like to get that shit in your eyes... Long story.... Anyway! Why don't we hop in my car so we can head into town?". Glancing at her car, April softly said "If it's still running....".

As she readied herself to head towards her car, April realized she'd nearly forgotten about Mustafa, whom she'd vanquished in single combat. The lion-humanoid was stirring, clearly coming to from a blow that should have knocked him unconscious for quite a bit longer. Well.... He's got to have a better protected skull then the average human... Or demon... April reasoned with herself, as she suddenly felt as if she'd lost some power in her kicks.

Turning to Xiao, April said "What do you want to do with him?", as she causally motioned towards the defeated hunter. Which after thinking about for a moment, April said "I suppose we should bring him with us?".