For the first time in her life, Ess was alone. Now, of course she had been by herself plenty of times. After all, it was hard to avoid moments of solitude when one lived for thousands of years. However, those moments spent by herself had been a choice. She could always call upon her servants, interact with her family members or even venture out of the palace to meet new faces. Right now, though, in the middle of the desert, all she had for company were assailing bandits that she wanted nothing to do with. Moreover - and this was probably the worst part - she didn't have anyone to tend to her needs at her beck and call. Yes, Yi, Er and San were missing.

She hadn't seen Er in a few days. In fact, the rabbit had disappeared soon after their arrival at Sunagakure, after attempting to kill itself in front of the cultist priests. Such things were common in her servants, to the point where it was either a minor nuisance or a funny joke depending on Ess's mood. The following day, Yi had scampered away, fearing reprisal for using dragon powder in a public place, potentially exposing humans to its hallucinogenic effects. Finally, today she had ventured into the dunes alongside San, only to have the rabbit disappear from one moment to the next.

Lost, assaulted by the heat and feeling annoyed, it was no surprised that Ess would lash out at anything or anyone that came near her. She had always seen bandits in particular as a nuisance and with the rumors that they were working alongside the cultists to undermine any restoration movement, violence seemed to her like the only viable reaction. Anger coursed through her veins, hot and imposing. She had started to lose control over her human form. Pale skin gave way to bright scales. Green hair turned vibrant shades of white. Light enveloped the entirety of her body, wrapped around her like a cocoon and triggering her metamorphosis. A loud roar spread through the open landscape, reverberating and echoing against the dunes.  

"WHERE. ARE. MY. RABBITS?!?!?!" She cried at the men, consumed by pure rage. Having seen nothing but a defenseless girl in a fancy yet revealing outfit before, they thought they had chosen the perfect target - likely a noble woman that had been separated from her caravan. Alas, they had not. Confused and not exactly understanding what was going on, the men hesitated. With their makeshift weapons still drawn, their bodies tensed, unsure whether they should press on or flee. That moment of uncertainty proved to be their undoing.

Maybe they could have run away. Maybe they could have managed to subdue the lunar dragon before them. Or maybe it would have all been for nothing and resulted in the same scenario. Ess whipped her tail at one of the men. One claw swiped at the other. Her teeth sank into the fleshy neck of the last one. In the blink of an eye, one was strangled, the other shredded and the final one mauled.

Ess discarded the bodies as if they were little more than rag dolls. Each tossed aside simultaneously. Normally, she would have felt at least a modicum of regret. She viewed humans as humans themselves saw animals - cute, adorable and worth petting, for the most part. There were a few such as these, though, that should be put down and left at that.

As she finished them off, a second group approached. At the very least, they looked to be more orderly than the bandits. Had she not been blinded by her rage, she would have noticed their headbands and singled them out as shinobi. However, her focus was elsewhere.

"You! Where are my rabbits?" She asked the girl. Her lips didn't move when she spoke, her voice seemingly emanating from everywhere and nowhere at once. Her teeth flashed, sharp and ready to tear into flesh once again. Blood still coated her fangs. She addressed the girl that seemed to be the group's leader, patience wearing thin.

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