Lesser is Superior (Open to all)

Some of the interlopers were vile tasting. But others had an almost human-flavored flesh. It was one of these The Manticore currently feasted on. Servius growled in annoyance as he took another piece from his kill. The monsters caused the bipeds to stay in their cities. It wasn't much of a bother for Servius, for humans had been created for snacking, not fearing, but their increased defenses against the monster were slightly troublesome. At times, Servius just didn't want to be bothered to work for his meal. Could you blame him? Humans had been created by Shardas to feed Servius Eirene Koinonia. They lived to one day fill his belly; they bred to ensure his favorite snack never ran out. Humans served no other purpose for there was no other purpose for such a weak species to serve.

There was only one good thing about these monsters. They nearly wiped out the wretched winged lizards. With hardly any dragons about, The Manticore could claim whatever territory for himself he so chose. The monsters were hardly a bother in that respect; few were formidable enough for the great winged lion, whose strength could match the largest EarthWing.

Servius discarded the monster carcass and licked his muzzle clean. Then he walked on through the small patch of forest he had been in. There was a river beyond and in it he cleaned his pelt and washed down his meal. Monster flesh would do, but his next meal would be a true meal, a feast of humans.

It had been a long time since she had touched the ground the last time, but slowly she felt her wings aching and tiring, a clear indicator that it was time for a short break in her travels. She still had a rather long way to go to reach the NightWing territory and wasn't very keen on spending the night in unclaimed territory. Sure, she could deal with the monsters and only catch a few hours of sleep before venturing on, but she felt the strain of the journey on her and longed for more than two hours of sleep. Her plan was to arrive in claimed territory before noon, so she could find a hidden cave or one of her many contacts  who'd surely let her stay a couple hours and rest, so that she could continue her journey with the dusk, where she would be safest.
The dragoness spotted a clearing in the trees a few miles ahead and decided to land there. Maybe she could find a small river of lake to have a drink and rest a little before going on. Merakeen slowed her flight, circling above the tree tops for a few miutes, making sure no monsters hid in the cover of the trees and it was somewhat safe for her to descend.

Her body gave of a quiet thumb, when it hit the earthy ground in the clearing. So far she hadn't spotted any monsters, but that didn't mean they weren't around. She kept to the shadows cast by the ancient trees around her and begann trotting south. Merakeen had spotted a small river during her landing and was now heading towards it, unaware of the huge manticore that would eventually cross her path.

The Manticore growled. His keen nose picked up the scent of one of those overgrown lizards. This wasn't his territory, but that didn't mean he couldn't pretend it was. Granted, he couldn't really claim a river... unless he wanted to be that Manticore. Why not? Dragons did and took whatever they wanted. Servius shook the water from his pelt and went in search of the dragon. He would meet it before it got to the river and get it to leave.

It didn't take long for Servius to find the lizard. The beasts smelled, making them easy to track. He ended up a few yards away from it, off to the left. The Manticore raised his scorpion tail and launched three quills at the ground just a foot ahead of the dragon. "This area belongs to me, lizard."

She heard the beast before she could see it, a Manticore that large couldn't walk through a forest without being heard, yet she had decided not to confront him. She didn't want any more trouble on her journey, didn't want to exhaust herself more than she already did with flying such a long way. She just wanted to get a drink from the river and be on her way, but apparently the Manticore had a different idea.
She wasn't keen on fighting a Manticore, but when three spikes landed just a few feet from her body, she let out a deep growl, gathering some shadows around herself to help her blend in more with the trees.

"No area belongs to any being like you." She growled back stretching her claws and sizing up the huge manticore with his spike covered body. He was much larger and definitely much stronger than her, so she had to be smart and fast if she wanted to win a fight with this beast. "I am not here to fight." She stated calmly, still trying to avoid a fight that would just delay her. "I merely want a drink and then I will be on my way."

One would assume a 70ft feline couldn't go undetected. Servius Eirene Koinonia, however, was a feline. Going undetected was their specialty, no matter how big they are.

The lizard began drawing shadows about itself as The Manticore approached, moving around to face the stinking beast head-on. But it was broad daylight; the canopy was not thick enough to block out all of the sun's rays. And a lion's sight was very sharp. The shadow were not sufficient to completely hide the overgrown lizard's form, it's smell was too pungent to go unnoticed. Servius' scorpion tail lashed back and forth, eager to sink its stinger into something... the lizard would do, in the absence of real food or a worthy opponent. The quills covering The Manticore's tail seemed to vibrate in anticipation of being launched, to inflict pain.

The beast began speaking and seemed to prepare for a fight. Servius growled back at it. "Not everything belongs to lizards. Like my territory. There are many places to find water that are not in my territory. My western border is marked by a large boulder on the river bank. You can drink yourself to an early grave beyond it. And I don't want you fouling my forest with your stench. You flew here, you can fly away."