Quote from Mae on January 4, 2019, 5:45 pm

---(~Mae~)---

At Jackie's words Diane turned gracefully on her heel to face the other two. Considering what might have been taken as an accusation of ulterior motive, her eyes narrowed without removing from Jackie’s face and she tilted her chin down thoughtfully. The gesture, though casual enough, did not appear to be without some guile.

 "I would like to believe a favor doesn't cost much, but I can understand not wanting to owe one to a stranger..." Diane said. Her words were slow as her eyes leveled with Jackie's and she let the last word hang a moment. Then her chin was lifted and a smile came to her lips.

 "So, I'll tell you what," the woman said pleasantly, "If my service to you is in the end of any help, you may reward me according to your pleasure. Deal?"

Almost instantly following that remark Diane's gaze took swiftly to the woods, though her posture remained with the same confidence and casual reform as ever she stood.

Quote from Mae on January 4, 2019, 5:46 pm

---(~Addie~)---

Currently, Kimberly made her way across a thin in the river, where the cool clear water was no deeper than your ankles. She had to take a long detour, to find her away to the other side where the fugitives might be, but at last, it seemed that Axel had again picked up a scent. At this point she only hoped he had no lost interest in the perpetrators and began to follow the path of some wild beast roaming the forest. And then, just as she felt she was getting close, an icy voice crept up over her radio. Afraid to lose her position, she quickly turned it down and put it to her ear.

"Officer Kimberly Roberts, please come in… over."

The instructions were clear enough, and Kimberly bit her lip. She didn't want to respond, but knew she had to follow the orders of this mystery woman.

Just as she moved her finger to the on switch, another voice came up on the radio.

"Ms. Melinda? I must apologize but it seems that in her haste to follow the suspect, Ms. Kimberly left her radio behind. I will have to have a talk with her on the matter when she gets back, but in the meantime, she will continue to follow my orders.. is that clear? Over." Mr Coopers voice only seemed heavier and held more rust to it over the radio, but the true meaning behind his words may have been obvious.

Kimberly smiled, dropped the radio, and continued on in the direction Axel was pointing her in. With a new respect for her overseeing officer, there was a revived pep in her jog. She WOULD find the suspects!

"Come on Lyra, they can't be.. far." what had started as an excited shout was quickly shortened to a quiet mumble. She found her way to the clearing where the trio stood, coming up on them from the left. Axel whined and tugged at the rope, and Kimberly noticed that he wasn't the same as he normally was.. he seemed to want to get further away from them instead of closer. Kimberly reached to her holster and pulled out a gun, taking a proper stance and aiming it at no one in particular in the group.

"The games over!" she called, suddenly feeling.. awkward? Who was the other woman? Nobody from her team, unless she worked under Melinda. "Come quietly and you guys can avoid additional charges." she began to approach them slowly, Axel hesitantly following behind.

'What's wrong with me?'

She wondered to herself. She could feel a shake in her hands. She had only ever had to point a gun at a person two other times, but she was never afraid. And there was a certain thrill to finding her suspects and catching them, however this time it was a completely different feeling. Perhaps it was just because Axel was acting strange, she reasoned to herself, then continued.

"Look, it's nothing personal but people could have gotten hurt today. The charges are racking up against you and if you don't come along quietly, you're going to be in a whole lot of trouble. My leading officer is already looking to have you extradited from this state if he can find any reason to, and he knows people who can do that for him. Don't let it come down to that!"

--

Logan raised a brow at Jackie with piqued interest. This was the calmest she had sounded all night. Jackie had piped in all too soon for the other to give her own thoughts to Diane regarding what was said, but now she let it pass, though she considered Diane's words carefully.

Then Kimberly entered the scene, and her eyes bolted quickly to the other female. How funny she should pull out her gun so quickly after Diane's idiom, but at least she didn't seem to share the same philosophy. And now they definitely seemed caught somewhere between a rock and a hard place. She made no reply, but rather waited to see what Diane or Jackie might have to say.

Quote from Mae on January 4, 2019, 5:49 pm

---(~Mae~)---

Diane had perhaps seen Kimberly a moment or two ahead of the others, and appeared not in the least surprised. She of course had known for the most part where the officers had been, or at least knew how long it would take for them to catch up, and felt confrontation unavoidable. The two other women had spent time they did not have if they intended to get away unhindered...

Having already turned to face Jackie and Logan, Diane could easily see the approaching officer without altering her position. Vibrant green eyes under thick dark lashes were effective in making Diane's every glance seem very purposeful, so her gaze first set upon the officer's face, and then turned toward the accompanying circumstances. One of the most prominent facts taken into account was that the canine was not at ease and more inclined to back off, which alone from a K-9 trooper's companion was disconcerting. Such were trained to be bold and undeniably vicious in an instant. If attended to, the dog's behavior would alert the officer quite quickly of the unseen degree of danger.

Another fact which Diane's visual assessment brought to consideration was the unprecedented stress of the officer, and following another quick glance, Diane saw that there was good cause for it outside the unknown truth which Axel was only now beginning to detect. This officer was alone, completely alone for the moment - there was neither sight nor sound of a radio to be found on her person. That was an incredibly dangerous disadvantage in this situation, but it served a slight foothold for Diane.

After a moment without the slightest indication of fear Diane lifted her hands. Then with her palms facing outward showing that she would not reach for a weapon, the dark haired woman found opportunity to address the situation.

"Pardon, is there some sort of trouble Officer?" She called out, her tone hinting at uncertainty. Diane did not venture forward the slightest step, knowing that such a subtle action could easily cue the canine into aggression; the dog was deterred from attacking for now, but surely should a threat be made against his master he would find his courage, and Diane had no intention to instigate that at present...

Quote from Mae on January 4, 2019, 5:49 pm

---(~Addie~)---

Quietly, Kimberly commanded Axel to be still. Even so, he remained unmoving, his back arched and head low with his eyes intentively fixed on the group ahead. Then her own eyes moved back to Diane, taking into account the female's body language and posture.

“Ma’am, do you know these women? In any case, please distance yourself; they are fugitives and they have been cla-classified as highly unpredictable.” she readjusted her grasp on the weapon, keeping it steadily aimed towards the trio, though more at Jackie and Logan than the mysterious woman. Now she chanced a glance behind her, albeit just out of the corner of her eye, wondering if Lyra was far behind. When her search was fruitless, she shook her head just slightly, and let out a deep breath in attempt to regain her composure. That being done, with slow and cautious steps she began towards the trio.

Now Logan, too, lifted her hands. After seeing two of her pack mates recovering from gun shots, she did not much care to be in the same position.

Meanwhile, Kimberly continued near, all the while her focus split between those in front of her and the uneasiness of her animal companion. His hackles were raised and his teeth were bared, and Kimberly began to wonder if there was something in the forest beyond the trio, maybe a bear or cougar, but she was certain his eyes were fixated on the group ahead.. Any doubt was soon diminished completely; Logan took a step forward in what she had intended to be an act of submission, and Axel immediately went into a frenzy, snapping and snarling and  making sounds that Kimberly had never even heard him make before! Logan immediately stopped mid step, but Axel was not settled. Still, he did not make an effort to break from the lead but settled himself between the trio and Kimberly.

Now Ms Roberts murky green eyes became more intense, “If you have any weapons, drop them now! Then, start walking towards back the main road.” the command was directed towards Jackie and Logan, and then she turned her gaze to Diane. “Ma’am, please come this way, away from the fugitives.”

 

Quote from Mae on January 4, 2019, 5:51 pm

---(~Indy~)---

Tyranny was leading Lyra through the woods and she had to scramble to keep up.  When she could not, the overexcited black shepherd would come charging back to nudge her heel and urge her onward.   The officer was almost growing used to his persistent nudges, and before long Tyranny had led Lyra towards Kimberly and Axel.  He offered an excited yip in acknowledgement to a job well done and sat on his heels. Lyra began walking towards her partner, expecting Tyranny to follow, but the overgrown puppy seemed just pleased where he was.

“Come on, we gotta join them,” Lyra grumbled

The dog seemed unconvinced.

The officer shrugged.  “Suit yourself”

As she approached the could tell the situation had reached a new level of intensity.  Officer Roberts had, apparently, found the suspects—and what’s more, another woman. Lyra was beginning to think she might have missed something, because she could come up with no savory explanation on why there would three well-dress women in the forest.  Taking cue from her superior, she stood a little behind Kimberly and kept drew her gun as well. She tried to look fierce and terrifying like Kimberly, but was struggling terribly.

---

Melinda knew enough to know she wasn’t wanted by either Officer Roberts or her commanding officer; the two certainly had gone out of their way to keep her out of the loop.  Melinda was not pleased; finding the officers without dogs would be a challenge.

“Those idiots,” she growled,”What were they thinking?  Now is not a time for pride”

Melinda shook her head in despair.  By the time she found the two officers, the situation might have gotten too far out of hand for her to recover it.  Half an idea struck her.

“You,” she had a sudden interest in the willowy man beside her,”How good are you at tracking?”

“Why Melinda, I’m just a lowly servant to the government.  I’m more of a paperwork man than anything else. Very kind of you to think of me with such bravado,” IRS man beamed.

Melinda glared at him with disbelief, “Now’s not a time for games.  Can you do it or can’t you? If we want to keep things from getting hairy, I would suggest you discover any hidden talents of yours”

“Oh, now that you mention it, I was a boy scout.  I was always very good at finding footprints of tiny squirrels and such; see the trick is—“

“Yes fine, I don’t care how you know.  Just find those two idiot officers before they get themselves hurt”

“Will do.  I am sure finding people is a lot like finding squirrels,” IRS man chuckled,” I admit, I’ve never had a first date in the woods before”

With that, the willowy man set to work.  Occasionally he would stop to look at the earth, his fingers tracing for signs Melinda could not see.  Sometimes he would stop completely and do nothing; it was impossible to see how he was gathering his information, but before long he would set off with certainty.  Boyscout! Melinda couldn’t help but laugh; he seemed far too trained for that. But she did not say anything that would discourage his process and instead did her best to follow close behind.

---

“Well this is just fantastic.  Logan, when this is over, you and I are going to have a chat about talking to strangers”

Jackie glared at Diane as she spoke, making it clear she was not happy and that she blamed this all on her.  Nonetheless, she did raise her arms with a huff, raising them slowly above her head. Jackie wasn’t a fan of bullets, no more than the next person; there was no reason to put more of them in the air than their needed to be.

“Well Diane?  Do you have any plans, or are we going to have to rely on mine?”  Jackie smiled wickedly.

Quote from Mae on January 4, 2019, 5:52 pm

---(~Mae~)---

Diane did exactly as instructed by the officer without the least reluctance. Her hands were still raised as she distanced herself from the other two women, drawing near to Kimberly without the slightest sign of aggression. But as to the question spoken moments afterward by Jackie, Diane made no motion that she knew the name or even remembered that she belonged to it.

"I'm sorry, what's going on? I don't understand." Diane said walking closer, then she pointed briefly toward Axel with a tilt of her finger and added. "Does he bite? Will.. will he attack?"

Slowing her steps accordingly, Diane's body language spoke of uncertainty and caution, and she certainly seemed to eye the dog a great deal of the time while glancing frequently to the K-9 Trooper for some sort of reassurance.

---

Meanwhile, Ulric and Daylight Dream had crossed a level field diagonally from the road. There was a certain degree of tranquility in both rider and steed as they passed over the cropland together, and though Ulric's mind was trained more upon his task than the emotional aspects of the journey, he found quiet pleasure in the rise and fall of his steed's stride.

The horse, affectionately nicknamed Day, had taken across the green acreage at a slow gallop while the sun waned down. The beat of her hooves and the buzzing of various insects were the only sounds in the area, for the seldom-traveled road had been the only one near, and though the passing of cars could still be heard in the distance, it had no direct influence upon either Ulric or Day.

Ulric guided the golden, white spotted mare with gentle persuasion in the directions from whence he caught any slight lead into Jackie and Logan's whereabouts. Sometimes it was an old breeze carrying a faint scent that lead him, other times it was guesses and intuition. Always it was forward, though often more toward this way than that.

It was shortly after dusk when the two travelers reached the wooded area, and by this point Ulric had grown more and more certain of the correctness of his course.

Not long after sighting the scanty grove there had been a smell of burning fuel and metal, an awful smell and strong, especially for one with the keen senses of a werewolf. Then came another smell, so fresh that even Day stopped to contemplate it, and that was when Ulric knew he had found something worth interest. He had dismounted immediately thereafter, and on foot scoured the ground for sign of passage. When he had discovered the fresh marks in the soil and where the traveler had headed, all Ulric's doubts were put to rest.

It had been a steady gallop from that point to the treeline, and when at last Ulric knew what he was tracking, he loosened Day's reins and retrieved a white rag from her saddle.

"Good girl now, Day." Ulric whispered, patting the horse on her neck after he had slowed her to a stop and dismounted. "Looks like we found something, eh? Here now, you're going to have to stay out here, I can't ride you near well enough to keep you from harm. But you can do something for me, okay?"

Ulric took the rag and rubbed his face on it, running in down his cheek and across the back of his neck. Then he thoroughly rubbed his wrists and hands into the white cloth and brought it up against Daylight Dream, wiping it across the seat of the saddle then across her neck and down her legs. Afterward Ulric returned the cloth to the saddlebag.

"There now, you smell just like me." Ulric laughed quietly, looking the horse in the eye and feeling that Day was not entirely pleased with the prospect. The horse did not make any obvious objections however and seemed to fairly tolerate the situation. Still, Ulric felt to apologize. "I know, I stink huh? Yeah I do. Sorry about that, but if anything happens the others will be able to find us easier. Will you tell them where I've gone, huh, Day? That's a good girl, look out for yourself."

Ulric felt bad for leaving his companion, not only because he had grown fond of her, but also because she was his responsibility. Yet he knew that the penalty for bringing her with him was likely far steeper than leaving her behind to find her way home…

Going alone now, and with darkness creeping up on the world like the greedy hand of a thief on the unsuspecting, Ulric was prone toward caution. There had been no prior experience that lead him to know of the advantages at his disposal; he was neither a loner nor tracker, yet these were the parts that he was called upon to play. But even under such circumstances, neither facts were enough to cause his sense of uneasiness… No, indeed. There was something else.

Quote from Mae on January 4, 2019, 5:56 pm

---(~Addie~)---

Kimberly eyed Diane closely, her every move and word carefully considered. However, Kimberly just barely missed Jackie mentioning a plan. Regardless, she was skeptical.

Then Diane spoke with a small gesture of her finger, and Kimberly seemed to snap out of her trance.

"Not unless he doesn't trust you.."

She replied mentally, but before she could give a real response to Diane, Axel answered himself; as Diane drew near, he began to bark and tug at his leash that much harder, "Hold on, don't move any closer. He's acting.. strange tonight.. about to be retired, this old dog, his sense of smell and eyesight are both giving out on him." she rolled her tongue in her cheek, pulling Axel closer with a tug of the lead. Of course, her last sentence was only half true - he was acting strange, but beside his old hips and his back right leg, he had gotten a clean bill of health from the vet during the last check up.

Now she looked over her shoulder to Lyra upon hearing her approach, and noted that Tryanny was just as uneasy, though he expressed it differently. At that point she began to back up slowly to her partner, feeling a bit of relief. When she was close enough, she moved her head to Lyra's, but her eyes did not leave the trio.

"Something isn't right about this. Axel is really nervous, I've never seen him like this before. That other woman, she could be a suspect, or maybe they're planning something. Anyway, we need to get them cuffed at least. Hold Axel." sheathing her weapon, she took hold of a strap that clipped the two dogs together by the harnesses, and she advanced towards Jackie and Logan with cuffs in hand, keeping her other hand on her belt should they attempt anything..

Meanwhile, Logan was inclined to follow any order right now, unless it was another one of Jackie's schemes. "We're going to have a talk about your driving, yeah?"

---

Somewhere in the boughs of the trees, nearby and overlooking the events in the clearing, a pair of cold blue eyes watched with a cautious and calculating gaze.

"Hmm.."

He did not know if he was supposed to be here, nor did he care. He had his own mission and he wouldn't abandon it's course.

Quietly and carefully, a furry appendage reached for a long black tube strapped to his back, and he lifted it up and pulled it forward so that is was positioned before him.  Two silent shots were fired from the treetops, sending a pair of feathered needles flying right in the direction of Axel and Tyranny! Just as quietly as they were fired, they struck the dogs in the flanks and the next instant, the hounds had teetered over and hit the ground with a light thump.

---

Kimberly did not notice right away, but then her attention was caught the quiet of the dogs. Just a moment ago, Axel was snarling and snapping, now there was nothing. Just as she moved to lock the handcuffs onto Logan, she felt a prick in the back of her neck not unlike a bee sting. But before she could so much as reach up to meet the sting with her hand, the world was taken beneath her feet and she fell forward into Logan's back. Confused, Logan turned around and took hold of her, lowering her to the ground slowly, and laying her down, but not before plucking the syringe out of her neck..

"Jackie?" she asked, raising the needle to her fiery haired ally. "She's asleep."

Lyra was the next target, and the small weapon was sent flying in her direction.. the werewolves however, were not met with the same fate. Already Logan’s eyes were searching for an explanation, but she found none, and so she looked to Diane instead.

Quote from Mae on January 4, 2019, 5:57 pm

---(~Indy~)---

Lyra had the misfortune of watching everyone on her squad drop like flies, but the fortune of ducking at the right time to better inspect poor Tyranny’s condition.  Just as Lyra found an emptied dart in the police dog’s scruff, she felt something pass very quickly by her side. Had she been standing where she was, it would have been a clean shot.  It did not take long for the police woman to put two and two together. And what’s more, she was getting out of here! Heroics were for idiots that wanted to get shot. Lyra took off running like a deer before anyone had a time to react.

‘Alright, I’ll just tell Cooper an update on the situation, ask for some backup… then it will all be alright’.

Lyra liked that plan.  It didn’t involve her being an open target.  Her fingers were just reaching for the radio at her side—

Woomph!

The young police woman fell to the ground, winded.  She squinted against the sun, trying to make out what she had just ran into

“Oh look Melinda, isn’t that one of the police women that were sent in?  Dear me, how lucky of us to find her”  replied one shadowy figure.

“Yes lucky,” a second figure retorted.  She seemed annoyed. “It appears she was in a hurry too.  She will have many interesting things to tell us”

Lyra gulped.  Time for a new plan.

---

If Jackie was at all surprised to see two canines and a police officer drop like flies, she did not let on.  She did not inspect those that had fallen as Logan had, but seemed reasonable interested by Logan’s find of the dart.

“Yes I would expect so,” she mused to Logan’s question.

Jackie took it from Logan’s hand without permission, absorbing what little information she could off of it.  After a few seconds of this detailed inspection, she discarded it beside her.

“Very kind of you to go breaking the law for us.  Now, Diane, what might your kindness cost us? “

Quote from Mae on January 4, 2019, 6:00 pm

---(~Mae~)---

Diane had not moved after she was told to stop by Officer Kimberly. There was much to observe in the interactions of the officers and their canine companions, every subtle gesture and word Diane's vibrant green gaze and keen ears gathered. Yet ever she feigned obliviousness and caution, right up until the moment when the dogs collapsed.

Instinctively there was a change in that second, Diane's expression took on a more genuine display of awareness. Moments before the first officer fell, Diane had already deduced the direction of the attacker's position, yet even so she did not sight the shooter and could trace nothing as of yet to scent. All this told Diane plenty enough, not the least of which was that the attacker was specialized in his pursuit, though his or her identity was still to be revealed.

Diane slowly tilted her chin downward and seemed for a short time to be listening, or waiting after the initial attack, but whatever she anticipated delayed its coming. The second officer fled into the woods, and everything fell to seeming silence...

Then at last, the corners of Diane's lips curled into a delicate smile and her act was repaired, she lifted her head and returned to her all-too-casual stance.

 "Seems their intentions are in our favor for the present, though we'll likely learn something about their objective soon." Diane commented as she at length released her position and strode forward to where the dogs had fallen. Here she bent down and slipped her hand under Axel's chin, raising his large head and giving him a scratch behind the ear.

"Good boy, Axel." Diane whispered with a smile. "There’s certainly nothing impaired about your senses, now is there? But she trusted in your instinct a bit late, didn't she? Ah well."

Diane's free hand withdrew to the peculiar fastenings on her dress for a moment, then returned with something that looked akin to a unlabeled lipstick container. She seemed to open the container, dip a finger in it, and smear the contents on Axel's nose before she lay his head down again. Then she repeated the motion on the other dog and stood up to face Jackie and Logan.

"You two should take the opportunity to get a headstart in that direction." She said, nodding diagonally from the way she had originally approached. But as for herself, Diane did not pretend to be limited on time and would not yet retreat. She went to the fallen officer and began to search for some form of identification.

Diane made it her business to discover what she could about the fallen officer before she would abandon the area. However, once she had found the objective of her pursuit, she erected her stance quickly and distanced herself from the fallen K-9 trooper without having taken anything. She stepped into the brambles and cast a long look over her shoulder, her slow dark lashes highlighting the direction of her gaze. Then she turned and at last abandoned the scene.

It was dark now, the shadows had grown thick beneath the trees. While the sky might still have been pale blue beyond the lengthy boughs, all color in the wood had turned dark grey and Diane slipped soundlessly in with it. She was now pure black in color, yet ever as small and lithe as her original form, Diane easily became as if adapted to her habitat. It would be hard to see her again as the night grew on, and hearing her would be a trick in of itself, for even should her paws not have been so keenly trained, her weight left nothing to be heard under her footfalls.