Following the slaughter of her kin and her former master, Ekess has been on her own now. She is away from Viri'sadra's mountainside lair and struggling to survive alone against predators and adventurers. Her belly protested as she sat upon a stump, gnawing at the only thing she could find for sustenance. The bitter taste of bark and insects lingers in her mouth, metallic and unpleasant against her needle-like teeth.

A few bugs, some bark from a nearby tree, and leaves of a plant that may or may not be poisonous. Stuffing the bugs into her maw, she cringes at the taste and crunches the hard shells quickly, forcing herself to swallow hard. The forest air feels cool against her blue scales as she looks down at her tattered tabard stained with both her own blood and other bits of viscera. She runs her clawed fingers over her prominent ribs, feeling each bone beneath her emaciated frame. A small whimper escapes her muzzle, barely audible above the rustling leaves.

A crunch, a snapping twig, and the sound of footsteps snap her attention away from her measly meal. Her amber eyes widen with terror as she darts for cover, one eye peering through the scrub brush to watch the approaching figure. The forest suddenly falls silent around her, the usual sounds of birds and insects gone as if sensing her fear. Her body goes rigid, tail standing straight out as she falls catatonic with a thousand-yard stare plastered on her face, unable to move.