[Mekatra]

At first her only answer was a snarl, but then he spat something that certainly sounded less than friendly in his native language, but paused when he actually took a moment to look at her. A strange half annoyed, half surprised expression came across his face and he stopped screaming and fighting for moment to examine her. "Kistari...half-man..." He fell silent for several long seconds then screeched again, not wanting to give the humans any kind of relief. It was only when he saw a red bird dip low in the sky, alight briefly on his cage, then fly away again that he dropped quiet.

He slumped down, as close to squatting or sitting that the tight confines of the cage would allow his slender frame. "I scream to alert others they are here. Not just enemies that would fight them, but animals they need to hunt. They will have no fresh game this day to supplement their meager rations. My people have ensured there have been no supply caravans able to make it here in two full moons. If they will not leave this place, we will make sure they starve." He flashed a violent sharp toothed grin. [b]"If you are that easily defeated by these people, you are not the one. You will die."

He fell silent again and snapped his eyes shut as one of the guards came closer, apparently checking to see if the Strix had died since he had stopped screaming and throwing himself around. They came closer, trying to see if the creature was breathing. The soldier nervously poked the blunt end of a spear into the cage to prod at the winged creature. He jumped back with a pained feral yell as Jezel snatched the spear away and stabbed it with one deft move through the man's unprotected leg. Several other soldiers came and beat him down into submission before dragging him out of the cage. They stretched him out on the ground and staked him out half a meter or so from the halfling's cage. He was unconscious now, with a bit of blood trickling out of his mouth, but his heart was certainly still beating.

It took nearly half an hour for him to come back around, but when he did he looked up at her with an impish grin. It is a pity you do not have very long arms, Kistari."