The shining armor, already being cracked up by the strange youth, speaking words of somewhat dubious intention, not meaning, which was very clear, but intention, the force that drove them... Would he dare to lay hands on him, what could he do to hurt him? These questions were always begging to be answered with mutants who had no obvious sign of mutation. And so it was something very old, something primordial, that was cracking the man up, even before any kind of action was taken on part of the naga. The fear of the unknown coursed through the veins of the would-be-warrior, even as the snake advanced, looking frozen, staring, watching aimlessly, as they proceeded along a path set by the younger, seemingly younger, of the pair. But then came the touch. And he began moving. Edging away, concentration shattered. Panic revealed.

The desk knight had discarded his armor and serenity, letting it clutter to the floor quite visibly as his composed, barely composed one should say, expression vanished. He was standing, turning, running now. And he was slow.

They had, quite literally, managed to crack him up, the well suited, but ill prepared man. A fact that was noted by the young timemancers eyes with a mix of amusement and concern, still shimmering, bubbling like a freshly opened bottle of carbonated water, as he turned around to the snake, still keeping a slow pace, though now he was walking back wards. Waiting for the snake to catch up to him, which it, he, did with surprising speed. It was only then that he spoke, simultaneously directing his feet to lead away from the main entrance, which had, quite rightly, been pronounced unfit for their escape from the premises of this mutant-unfriendly facility. "I suppose you can scale walls?" The terminology seemed somewhat unfit for the occasion, so he corrected himself after a short huff. A huff that said something like "I'm sorry." just far less clearly. "Climb walls."

He was directing them to one of the enclosed sides of the premises, where a cage was leading right up to the end of the zoos ground, necessitating a high enclosure, that could nonetheless be overcome by a skilled climber. The questions were only: What was in it. And would they get out through it? He waited for an answer. To both questions.

Seeing the guard flee quite suddenly once Aleksandr's hand had left his head was amusing, and only slightly surprising. The snake man had been willing to bet the human would have fainted instead of being able to propel himself away so quickly. Panic and a sense of self-preservation could be amazing things when the brain is so overloaded with fright that the body has to react on its own. Amazing, but not exactly pleasant.

Luckily for him, his size and appearance usually caused fright in others, rather than creating it in himself somehow. People were more likely to back away than to try to start anything unpleasant with him. Unless, of course, they were like the employee and had access to a phone with which to call in the police. People always acted tougher when they had a small army of officers to back them up.

The little desk knight didn't hold the reptilian individual's attention for too long. He could only move so far and keep the man in sight before he'd have to turn backward. It was much more challenging to slither backward with any kind of ease than it was for bipeds to walk backward, which his zoo-going companion seemed to demonstrate, as if on cue.

An amused grin spread across his face at the accidental pun and the resulting correction. The young man was still so wary of upsetting him, it seemed. Not a big problem, really. It was more humorous than anything else. Perhaps he'd relax a little more the further they traveled. "Yes, I can climb walls," he replied, redirecting his attention to just such a structure as they came to it.

Apparently they weren't going to risk an encounter with the police just yet. They'd find their own exit. The wall would be not problem at all. It was what was behind it that was the mystery. Did it lead directly to the street, or to another enclosure? If the latter, was it carnivorous, or something more docile and less likely to try and make a meal out of trespassers? There was only one way to find out.

Lifting his body as high as he could safely do so without wavering and putting himself in danger of toppling over, he then proceeded to lay his hands against the wall, his nailed fingers finding whatever little cracks and grooves they were able while the rest of his body lay flat against the cold stone and gradually pulled itself up as well.

"Up you go," he commented, looking back down at the little biped and carefully sweeping a section of his tail against the back of the young man's knees in order to force him to, in a way, take a seat against his scaled flesh. He was very careful to heed to protests that warned against touching the biped's exposed areas of skin, as he was wary to avoid bringing the man uncomfortably close to the wall. He would feel terrible if the young man ended up scratched up raw and bloody in places.

Hand on the top of the wall for added support and leverage, the lower portion of his tail gently looped around the young man once and hoisted him up and then over, lowering him back down as cautiously as he'd been lifted before releasing him. The snake man then proceeded to make his own was down the other side of the wall and to the ground.

Straightening himself out and making sure none of the length of his body was in the other individual's way or even too uncomfortably close, Aleksandr then turned his attention to the enclosure they'd entered to take stock of what was housed within it. He should have known it'd be too easy to just end up out on the street. Or to end up in an exhibit for a docile creature.

"Crocodiles," he stated, his yellow eyes scanning the perimeter in order to find and count the reptiles. Three on the opposite bank, two more already in the murky water just barely visible in places above the dark surface. They were gorgeous, but he knew better than to get too close or to bother them as he did to the creatures in the reptile house.

"Stay away from water at all cost," he warned, slowly moving to place himself between the beasts and his companion. With his size he stood a better chance against the beasts than the more human individual did. "Crocodiles are very territorial. Will get very upset if you touch their water. Are not quite so fast on land, but watch for tail. Is very powerful. Do not move too quickly toward exit."

They scaled the wall. The snake by its own innate ability - it was really quite unusual to see a person strech out that length without even getting into trouble - and he by some skill he found in the depths of his memory, buried beneath a myriad of pictures, feelings, old things, rusty, dusty things. Shoving aside the paintings of the past, memories unfolding, folded back into dusty storage rooms, compartements, departments of his mind unknown, hidden well beyond a veil of thought. Shadowing them again, his eyes now settling upon their reached transit point in direction of their destination:

A cage of crocodiles.

It was somewhat fascinating really, to see those thick, those heavy, bodies lay in the water with impeccable stillness, immovability, like the trunks of fallen trees, but ever watching, valiantly, for some animal, a victim, that might pass in the place of their vigil only to find their demise at the power of the vicious teeth, short thick nails of doom and their last resting place to be the stomach of the voracious animals. This new situation necessitated a reassessement of priorities as well as of practicality of their escape. Escape fromthe compound of the animalic institution as well as the polices grasp, havin by now, quite expectedly, closed in on the main entrance of the facility.

But they had to get past these beings now, lesser animals then those waiting for them at lighter paths, easier ways to pass, only to fall for the spell of pointed guns, of firearms and polite smiles.

He did not wear a polite smile any more, as he thanked his snakelike companion for the lifting and carrying of his own frail body. The snakes one hind appendage had really felt quite powerful. "It seems we will have to maneauver our way through this." As he pointed towards a narrow space between two ponds that filled out most of the space present, while the rest of it lay partly shadowed by a single tree that looked quite old and sturdy. And at its feet lay a single one of the species of which a few more could be found in the murky waters.

And so Martin began to proceed with careful steps, showing an unusual agility, to balance his way through the enclosure, all the while keeping his eyes not, or rather barely, on the path and more upon the predatory animals he was working with right now. Working to get by. He proceeded. But what would the snake do?

Aleksandr watched both his companion and the surrounding enclosure very carefully, his yellow eyes never settling on any one place for more than a moment before shifting to a new location. All it would take to lose track of one of the monstrously-sized reptiles was for one to sink silently below the water's murky surface and reappear somewhere unfavorable.

Those teeth would be exceedingly uncomfortable if they caught hold of him. Plus, they'd potentially ruin his lovely scales. It could even create a scar. How on earth would he deal with such a mar on his flawless body? Though, some women really loved scars. Perhaps it wouldn't be completely devastating.

However, there was time to worry about such matters at a different time. It would be best if his mind was occupied more with keeping track of the reptiles than worrying over what would happen after one got a hold on him. He was fast, and on land Crocs were generally slower, leaving their speed to sudden, short lunges at their prey. Especially well-fed Crocs that weren't required to move too much in order to be fed.

The water was the real problem. The pot-bellied beasts could move impressively fast in it, and with their intended path running directly between two bodies of water, their chance of a close call or worse was only increased. Hopefully the ones on the bank were content enough to continue sunbathing, and the ones floating in the muddy ponds would stay put as long as the intruders didn't enter the water.

The one settled in under the tree at the other end of the path could prove to be a problem. It had to be one of the bigger ones in the enclosure and he could already hear the odd reptilian growling and occasional hiss that rumbled in its throat as its bottom jaw dropped and hung open, waiting for anything large enough to be snack-worthy to pass through its teeth.

His attention shifted sporadically to his companion as the bipedal young man began to make his way down the path between the water. Aleksandr fell into motion soon after, tailing the other young man as closely as he dared. It wouldn't do to accidentally startle the young man with an uncomfortable amount of closeness in such a place. A misstep could prove to be the trigger that set the beasts into action.

It was more difficult for him to maneuver his body down the narrow path than it was for the more human individual to do so. His serpentine way of moving required his tail to curve back and fourth, meaning the outermost arch of each curve was forced uncomfortably close to the water. A few ripples were sent gliding through the waters surface where the path got a little too narrow, one of the reptiles in the water ducking beneath the surface in response.

He moved as quickly as he was able in order to get away from the duel edges of the water. Thankfully they seemed to be shallow enough that he'd have seen the out-of-sight Crocodile if it had approached. Though the one by the tree was still a problem. He could hear the intermittent growl growing louder as the beast gradually hauled its body in order to face the pair of mutants. "It will lunge if you tread too closely," he warned his companion. "The jaws are not easily opened once they have been closed. Be very careful."

Carefully he bunched his tail closer to his torso, trying to keep a better distance between himself and the water, however the tail still remained between the ponds and his companion, not wanting to risk the chance that one beast would finally get irritated enough and creep up behind them. "If Crocodile moves too close, you allow me to deal with it. I am probably able to subdue it long enough to avoid serious harm. You are to keep moving toward exit."

=PM me for anything you want changed=

Ripples through the water, disturbing the peaceful mirrored image of a soul, walking down the path to freedom. Martins reflection did not object to being lost in the shimmering of movement, though its eyes met with the ones of the template for a second or two as he was overtaken by the wave, the speedy wave, heading for the end of the muddy waters, to rise against the concrete confines. Rise up in a splashing of green, leaving traces of wetness on the algae, litchens that had found their abode on the corners of the living. Just to fall back again having reached its attempted goal. Nothing. Martin was walking still, the small path between salvation and destruction. Only to have his steps fall unto solid, safer ground again as he reached the end of the shallow, the narrow path sucessfully and permitted himself to take a deep breath of the rather musky air, lifting up his arms.

He was in a lions den after all. A metaphorical one. And there was no one watching. so wah not raise your hands after the artists piece for some applause? And none came. His hands though, they remained, where he had put them with his will. Raised high above his head, expecting in silence the arrival, the actions of some other beast. Rising your hands when confronted with a predatory animal. It was an instinctive reaction. Make yourself appear as imposing as possible. But has humans lacked many-colored feathers or maybe a puffy flesh collar they had resort to what little they had to impress the dangerous. Hands and arms. Raised high at the one crocodile under the tree. The saving one, for his branches went up far beyond the reach of the zoos confines. But there was a crocodile beelow it. And he was supposed to leave it alone.

The crock was watching them. Eyes following the possible dinner supplement. He was the king of this cage after all. And the lowly beings that had till today dared to feed him only dead meat finally had given in to his persistent nudging at their legs. They had give him some living food. Something hearty to eat. The old crock was all about them. With its eyes. Dissecting them, cutting them up. Its mind was sharp still. Its legs were strong. But they didnt know that. He was the king. And he was to get his prize today. Finally.

And blue eyes were watching. So not to get close to that one, but get to the tree, yes?

And he moved to the side, the left one. And the king moved to the left one. And Martin backed away a little. And the King came closer. Behind him was water. In his fron twas th amphibian yearning for a good bite of thigh. And he had a problem it seemed. So he raised his hands. Yum... more delicious The king came closer even. The hands went down. Wrong reaction it seemed. Very wrong reaction.

And he was still watching as the old one came down on him, tail flicking lazily. And he did the only intelligent thing there was left for him to do. He ran straight at the crock. Dinner for one today. But not for you sadly. Such good food... its coming right at me. Just nab it when its close... And as he reached critical speed, he jumped up, lifted off the ground, to jump, with full force, down on the opening maw of the reptile, slamming it shut, immedeately proceeding down the slippery slope of the body. The tree was in reach. His arms closed around a lower branch. Got it. Adn he was up. And the king was furious.

The snake was still in the garden. Oops?

Aleksandr all but forgot about the water behind him and what it held as his attention snapped toward his companion and the beast below the tree as the former began to skirt around the latter. He had never seen anyone raise their arms in such a way unless in a posture of surrender, usually when police were involved. However, a Crocodile wouldn't care if someone was displaying that they were unarmed and wouldn't put up a fight. It was somewhat confusing, but there really wasn't time to dissect such a gesture.

Before he could formulate his own next move, the young man darted toward the croc, thoroughly startling the reptilian mutant, his own body lurching forward instinctively, as if to stop the young man from such a foolish act. However, such concern was apparently misplaced.

The resounding snap of the beast's teeth slamming together as its jaw was forcibly shut made him wince. That had to hurt. His tongue flickered, he tasted blood in the air. The King of the cage had punctured something with those gorgeous teeth. That could only serve to motivate it more. And now that the young man had made his rather creative escape from the enclosure, the only target left was the snake man.

The beast hadn't been stopped, only momentarily delayed, and Aleksandr quickly fell into its sights. In a split second the quadruped was propelling itself forward at an alarming speed. Twisting his long body, the mutant barely avoided the snapping jaws as one scaled body passed the other.

The tree would provide the largest amount of handholds and friction for a quick escape, provided enough of the branches could support his weight. It was just a matter of getting there in one piece. Which, apparently would e more difficult than he'd originally thought.

For a beast of its size, the Crocodile was surprisingly agile and quick on its stubbly little legs. Aleksandr had avoided the first bite, but hadn't been quite quick enough to avoid the snout a second time as it was swung back around, first ramming ito him and then getting a hold on him with the teeth it housed and clamping down.

While the portion of flesh that was snagged was too wide for the beast to get the entirety of his muzzle around, he clamped down as best he could and, when he found he couldn't easily rip the flesh away, fell into a death roll, his legs falling flat against his sides as he attempted to spin his body rapidly in order to tear away a chunk of his intended meal.

The snake man's teeth clamped shut in pain and then the jaw dropped as a low hiss rose into a shout of agony as scales were separated and torn and the flesh beneath it was punctured. The taste of blood in the air instantly grew stronger. He two primary fangs extended as his long body began to writhe and curl as he worked to get his coils around the twisting body of the crocodile. The other beasts in the enclosure crept closer, but by some act of mercy never ventured further than the water's edge, allowing the largest to continue trying to subdue the would-be meal.

Finally managing to get first one coil around the large body and stopping the agonizing attempts to turn, he wrapped another two lengths of coiled flesh around the Croc. And then slowly he proceeded to squeeze at varying intervals in an attempt to mildly suffocate the beast and tire its muscles.

The jaw muscles would be the trickier ones. He wasn't about to squeeze the thing's skull for fear of damaging its eyes, ears, or something else important. Instead, he bent down and slipped his fangs between sets of scales in order to administer a small dose of venom into the reptile's system. Just enough that it wouldn't be able to control how strongly the jaws were clamped shut.

Finally he was able to pry the jaws apart with enough ease to separate the teeth from his flesh with as little damage as possible. If the wound ended up scarring, he might have to be very upset. Relaxing the rest of his tensed muscles, he let the Croc's body slide out from within his coils and then proceeded to make his way to the tree as quickly as he could before the others within the enclosure lost the remainders of their patience.

"I do not think I will be back to zoo for long time," he sighed as his body slid to the ground on the other side of the enclosure's wall, doing his best to avoid letting his bite wound brush against anything as he moved. "I suggest we look before leaping next time."