Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 12:01 pm

May:

It was now early in the evening, though Ulric felt for sure that is ought to be late at night. He was quite awake and alert as he drove the old car back to the ranch, but his body felt stiff and clammy.

He was on orders to head back to the ranch and inform the Betas that Jackie was alive, at the hospital, and that Kratos was with her. The Alpha had also given orders that Ulric was to get some rest, but that would of course be taken as a suggestion.

There was still the dilemma of the pack mistaking Ulric for an intruder, as they likely did not know he had been there the previous night.. But at least they did in fact know him and that Kratos accepted him; hopefully that would be enough.

As Ulric's mind wandered from one concern to the next, his eyes were ever on the road ahead of him. He had come out of Reknab Bend a short time ago and the road to the ranch was less than a twenty minutes drive out toward the mountains.

Ulric had been told where to look for the pack and that not many, if any, members would be at the cottage. So he turned off the asphalt and drove up a beaten dirt road which passed by the ranch, on the further side of the horse corral and corn field from the cottage, and lead up into the mountain. Passing under the trees of the forest and continuing on for a short time before a bend in the road, Ulric's little car came around the corner into the clearing and approached the dormitory houses.

Rumbling to halt the engine settled, then Ulric opened his door and pulled himself from the vehicle. He tried to stretch the soreness from his limbs in vain as he looked up at the "dens" and wondered in which one he would find the Betas. He had hope that his presence had not gone unnoticed and thereby avoid having to look around the area as an uninvited guest.. Uninvited that is, by his own disregard toward his adoptive brother's welcome.

****

Kratos had placed custody of the two intruders from the previous night in the hands of the pack. Securing the experienced werewolf spy in the ditch by the new dens and the woman at Kale and Zeit's pleasure; knowing well that even if the stranger could control her form, that not even an above average-sized werewolf could overtake two experienced Betas.

Then the Alpha had left to track down whereabouts of Jacquline whom he supposed to be dead; having been fatally wounded by the female intruder and perhaps killed by the rabid instincts of Timothy. The trail he found left him many questions and a reason to hope when he detected Ulric's scent, but the severity of Jackie's condition was evident under the light of the sun and his heart was heavy.

Continuing to seek out his injured pack member and adoptive brother, Kratos had followed the trail down to the cottage, then to the road and from there the trail was lost. He was left to assume his brother's intentions while placing himself in the mindset of a young lad in such a situation, and came to the conclusion that Ulric must have taken Jackie to an emergency center for help.

Kratos had not been raised within the pack which Ulric had, thus he recognized the danger of taking a werewolf to a human hospital where his brother did not..

Quickly returning to the dens Kratos informed the Betas and Gammas of his findings. Then he requested the service of Ziet's truck and drove to the emergency center where indeed he found Ulric and Jackie, whom was much to his relief alive! That was about the time Kratos broke in, though he did do so within the building or around anyone else. And at length Kratos returned to his adoptive brother's side, welcomed him to the pack then sent him to the ranch for a rest.

Now standing quietly by the window of the large room Kratos stood in silent thought. He knew Jackie was a strong person and a werewolf, though she would have done better under Sabrina's care without the chemicals in her veins. He was thankful for the prompt actions of Ulric, but of course the hospital would not release her now before a full recovery, and the dangers of bringing Jackie here would have to be considered.

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 12:01 pm

Hour Glass:

Zeit dusted her hands as she stood up, just finishing up on switching one of her tires to the spare one she kept on hand. She made a mental note to head to town later in order to get a new set of tires anyways, all the running around with the wolves was seriously wearing down on the treads of her tires, and starting to cost a fortune in gas, and food to keep the hungary pack fed. Sometimes she was glad she had cattle nearby, if it ever came to it, the wolves would still have some source of fresh meat.

She patted her truck as she walked around tot he back, and unlatching the back hatch door, opening it so she could pull out some objects she had packed up that morning. The new buildings were already being inhabited, but Zeit thought she might bring a few housewarming items for the wolves, mainly because she was their neighbor, and she had some things she was ready to get rid of.

She sighed, reaching in to grab the first box off the bed of the truck, and pulling it closer so she could lift it out. It was about midday, meaning the wolves would need to fend for themselves for lunch, but dinner would need to be made. She thought to herself for a moment as she lifted up the box, perhaps some thick steaks for the wolves, since they would still be hungary from last night's run. She thought about it for a moment, pondering the best dinner combinations until she heard the sound of a truck pulling up.

She stood straight, peering down the road as she watched an older car pull down the dirt road. She stopped in her tracks, moving back, and carefully placing the box next to her truck, before standing right back up, a commanding gleam in her eye. Kratos wasn't around, which meant she and Kale would be in charge, and it was against her policy to let an intruder wonder on her terf.

She walked closer to him, right into his view, his scent familiar to her. "Who are you, and what do you want?" she asked bluntly to the stranger.

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 12:02 pm

Indy:

Ulric stayed for a quite a while, although Jackie had a hard time remembering anything specific. Pain medication had dulled the pain, but also the details. Trying to recollect anything from the morning was like trying to see through fog—the main things she could see, but all the little details were one incomprehensible blob. At some point, she thought Kratos had stopped by too, but it was nearly impossible to tell if it had been a dream or reality. Fuzzy-headed on medication, Jackie didn’t mind admitting to herself she preferred believing that Kratos had. Only later, when she was more aware of her own thoughts, did she toss away that comfort.

She remembered dreamless sleeping mostly, with the occasional waking moments of staring at the walls. Sometimes she thought she heard the shuffle of a nurse as they leaned over to add more medication to the IV drip—likely enough to knock out a mule— but she quickly fell asleep after that. It was later afternoon before Jackie began to stay awake for longer bursts. While she still felt a grogginess weighing her down, the nurses had visited less frequently, and she could at the very least stop sleeping. Even though she found herself only capable of staring, she knew sooner or later she would be able to do much more. That’s when she began thinking of the escape plan.

Of all things, it had involved sporks. They hadn’t given her any hospital food (thankfully), but the last tenant of the room certainly had. She found a rather nasty little spork lying between the mattress and the bed post. It didn’t look like much… but with a smile she knew it was all she needed. The small mountain town was hardly sophisticated with its buildings; most had been built well before she was born. The hospital was no different. It was ancient, old, and creaking with old-fashioned, rotted, wood-framed windows. On an (un)related note, sporks had an affinity for gouging holes into things that were rotted and wooden.

While the plan fell into place quickly, it took hours before she had the strength to do it. Yes, she could have gritted her teeth and pushed herself to standing up as she had earlier, but her plan required her to be fully conscious by the end of it. The nurses wouldn’t have allowed her to progress very far, either She knew they were monitoring her vitals and would know if she would do anything too… strenuous. They would have been on her faster than a rat to cheese and her escape plan would have been shot down before it had even begun.

She was left to do nothing but wait and will her body to strengthen. She knew her body healed much more quickly than a normal human, but it was a boring, tedious game nonetheless. She couldn’t sleep anymore; it was too boring. Instead, she played a series of mental games to amuse herself, like count-the-dimples-on-the-ceiling or debating-whether-the-floor-was-crème-or-beige. She even toyed with a few impersonations, like Kratos or Arnold Schwarzenegger (which in pantomime, sounded remarkably similar). Towards the early evening, Jackie concluded it was time to make a move before she grew too tired to attempt it.

Her blue eyes flashed to the hallway; no nurse was in sight. This did nothing to ease her tensions; almost continuously she monitored the status of the door. Still wary, she pushed herself upright. Her heart rate sped up slightly. Her face felt hot and moist as sweat pricked from the strain. Her heart was getting faster, almost suspiciously so if the nurses were watching. Her breathing was quicker. A sharp pain stabbed underneath her chest and her body wanted nothing more than to breathe faster to compensate for it...

“Breathing, control your breathing,” she ordered herself.

Obediently, the quick flimsy breathes strengthened to a slow even rate. Her heart steadied on the monitor. With the same measured breathes, she stooped to the side of the bed. A wave of imbalance and nausea filled her; but it was very brief. Her heart remained steady enough that the nurses wouldn’t be too suspicious. Quietly she edged herself off the stiff mattress, with a quick side glance to the open door-way. She snatched the grimy fork, recoiled for a fraction of a second as the old clinging odor of year-old-eggs drifted into her nostrils, then progressed from there. It was hardly a graceful walk as she staggered towards the window; yet it slow enough that her heart remained evenly paced.

That was where the true ingenuity of the spork really shined. She supposed she could have broken the window as well, but the nurses would have heard it; Jackie preferred to work under stealth. For the next half an hour, Jackie contented herself in working quietly on chipping the molding around the lock. It was mind-numbing work, but she appreciated the distraction it provided.

Jackie hadn’t been foolish enough to let her senses drop completely. In the back of her mind, she had kept tabs on where the noisy nurses were outside her door in case any decided to drop in unannounced. Yet the close she got towards chipping away the lock from the window, the more engrossed she became, and the less he paid attention to outside. She didn’t hear the quiet footsteps approach her door until their owner was only several feet away. The spork clattered on the hard linoleum floor and Jackie made no effort to hide the gaping hole she had made in the window.

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 12:02 pm

Dez:

Logan's eyelids parted slowly and the violet eyes behind them stared blankly up at the ceiling. Carefully, the woman pushed herself into a sit and grasped her head with her hands. She noted the fabric tied around her wrists, and slowly began to work at it while pondering that which had happened... was it hours ago, or days? She didn't know for certain at this point. She remembered walking, and remembered there were a few others present, but her memory failed to recall anything else at the moment.

'I passed out.' she thought bitterly to herself. How could she be so careless? She left herself weak, completely helpless to any sort of danger. Of course, in hindsight, there was nothing that could have been done to prevent it; it would have been unnatural for her to remain conscious after having spent so much of her energy. Coming to that conclusion, she resolved to work harder as to prevent a similar situation in the future, and temporarily deemed the previous events, those both known and unknown to her, unimportant. Instead, she decided to focus on her current whereabouts.

She slipped her legs off the bed and attempted to stand, her breath catching briefly as pain shot from her ribs. The other wounds and aches were suddenly dull, if not almost nonexistent in comparison. However, this was something not entirely unfamiliar to her and she continued to sit while she assessed her surroundings.

The area held the scent of werewolves. Although it was faint, it was unmistakably there. That was something even her far lowered human senses could recognize. And there was this underlying sense, maybe instinct if you will, that there were many. A pack? Though, it was hardly what she would imagine of a werewolf pack. Ever since she could remember, she had a certain image of werewolves set in her mind. In those images, she saw vicious snarling creatures that made their dwellings in dark caves. Monsters whose pelts were coated in the blood of their prey, whose muzzles were twisted into malicious snarls and whose eyes were full of fury and hate. This was nothing like that at all, but that alone failed to alter her deep rooted hate for the werewolves. No, there was certainly no way they could be so civil.

Letting her arms rest draped over her legs, she peered down at her wrist to check the time. Her watch was gone. Then she remembered it was in her backpack, along with her belt, her other shirts, her boots and so on. Not to mention the wallet that she'd just spent a day replenishing with money for her journey. Never mind being a captive in a strange place, she was more worried about her belongings for the moment. It soon become apparent to her that she must have lost them not long after she transformed, just outside of the town.

Logan stood now and glanced over the simple room before leaving it, walking out with a seemingly all too comfortable stride - she walked with her hands in her pockets and had an expression that lacked alertness. You wouldn't guess by looking at her that if she was threatened by someone at the moment (or thought she was being threatened for that matter), she'd likely leave them crumpled in pain and out of breath at the least. Typically, she wouldn't be so brash, but then again, this wasn't a typical situation.

Advancing through the house, which seemed to her more like a homey hotel than an actual house, she made her way towards the front door. In the driveway she immediately saw a woman and a man. The male seemed cautious from a first look, while the woman held herself with an air of undeniable authority. She seemed to have no trouble showing the other, who looked to be a stranger as well, that she was in charge.

Moving forward, Logan approached the fiery haired woman and put a hand on her shoulder to get her attention without blatantly interrupting her. A firm yet questioning expression was on her face, and though she spoke no words, her desire for an explanation was obvious.

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 12:02 pm

Mariel:

Kieoki wasn't helping with her being suddenly absent, though no one probably noticed or cared. She wasn't vain about this, but she did know when she was only making things worse and decided to slip away for some peace. She'd been only able to stand there, hiding like a fool behind a door frame and she'd only been able to watch as Timothy was knocked out, the danger from him being doused for the time being. Stunted into silence, Kieoki had quietly slipped outside and into the forest. She knew she probably spent to much time there doing what most would call sulking, but she knew she wasn't needed in the cottages, and she'd rather be alone anyways.

That was always something she could do very well. Slipping away in a moment without anyone realizing that is. So now, for the moment at least, she was sitting with her back to a tree in the forest, not to far from camp actually. She was with in hearing range of the camp because she was still faintly worried that something could go wrong. And she didn't move farther out until she realized that based upon her actions, she wouldn't be of any help to situations that arose. She hadn't helped Timothy, but probably made that situation worse. So with a frown Kieoki stood and walked further away, muttering in anger at herself. "Oh go on Kieoki, sulk away like the lost dejected child. Go on, hide out here till someone comes looking."

She paused at those words, starring at the forest floor for a moment before she picked out a tree and nimbly climbed up into it. Her mind was starting to whirl with contradicting thoughts, and a headache was on the rise. She realized that she was acting inappropriately -to some extent- and she had the feeling that someone would eventually be after her, but she didn't want that. She really knew that she was just trying to distance herself so things could be worked out without her screwing things over. She didn't want anyone chasing after her. She wasn't used to being with a pack yet, and didn't want others worrying. Hopefully, no one would follow her trail and drag her back. Her feet hung over a branch in the tree she'd climbed, and she frowned at the thought of someone trying to find her. They had more important things to worry about.

But then what? Should she slip back into camp later and act as if she'd never been gone? Or should she go back now? But what good would that do? She'd just be a nuisance as she'd sit there awkwardly as she tried to not screw something up. This thought produced a fake smile on Kieoki's face, and she chuckled at herself. "Lovely Kieoki, play yourself up some more to sound lost." She rolled her eyes and then moved her left arm that'd been resting on her lap until it was swaying free over the branch. Kieoki closed her eyes, enjoying the silence of the forest, trying to ignore the pain coming from her arm. At least her sash had stopped the bleeding. A soft breeze tickled her legs and started to lull her to sleep. After all, she hadn't slept last night and was fairly tired. Surely it wouldn't hurt to doze off for a few minutes? Kieoki agreed with herself and let herself drift off to sleep.

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 12:03 pm

Indy:

The dying orange lights of the sun cast ugly shadows across the newly built-room. From outside a glossy new window peered a scenic view of the forest, hinting only traces of snow, and a setting sun that was drifting close to the horizon. A faint star had even begun to peak from behind the darkening azure veil of evening; it was Venus, likely, given it’s location in the sky.

Theo had been watching as the sky transformed from early morning, to afternoon, and now evening. He had barely moved, save to eat or stretch. While he had been brought up to be patient and understanding of the way nature worked, his interest had been unnaturally focused even for him. Yet, it wasn’t the nature that captivated him. It was his thoughts; they were troubling him.

Last night hadn’t gone well. Theo himself had been an angel all night, with mental barrier upon mental barrier to ensure nothing went wrong. Yet it wasn’t him that had caused the trouble—so many of the pack had wandered off, been overtaken by their own wolves, and several hurt as well. Theo knew first hand the destruction a werewolf could wreak. There was no controlling it, no reasoning with it, no calming it. The only way to tame it was to reach the human aspect of the wolf, and hope that whoever it was could fight it back.

The pack helped sometimes. Werewolves were no different than regular wolves. They liked traveling in a pack and felt safer in numbers. Hierarchy and rules provided the strict structure to subdue the wolfish instincts and allow the human to remain in control. But sometimes the pack was not enough. Sometimes the wolf could wrench itself free and sometimes others became hurt.

It was all his fault Jackie had gotten hurt, or possibly killed. He had been careless the first transformation, before officially joining the pack. He hadn’t understood how dangerous a werewolf was when they weren’t controlled... and he hadn’t been able to stop himself from turning the strange woman. She had survived that time, but not without getting dragged into a giant uncontrollable mess of the pack. Anything that happened to her now was certainly his fault; without him, she wouldn’t have been forced into this life.

The brooding might have gone into the night if he hadn’t heard that sound first. It was slight, although sudden, and caught him by surprise. It was likely someone from the pack stirring, but he couldn’t help but feel slightly curious on what it was. Quietly he crept from his room and wandered down the hall.

“Hello?...”

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 12:03 pm

Cassie:

It had started getting colder and colder. Now, the sun was sinking below the horizon like a downed ship. Kaleb sighed, in his wolf form, having stayed that way after being forced to change the other night during the full moon. He looked back at the sun again, the pretty colors dancing across the land and the clouds above in the sky.

Kaleb began to walk on, his heavy winter fur keeping the cold from sinking in and making him cold, or at least, really cold. He started trotting, his paws flinging out and hitting the ground, their pads giving him good traction on the dirt.

He ran, the forest racing past him in a blur, all the colors and trees swirling with color. He wasn't sure that he was headed in the right direction, but he tried to follow his nose to where he thought there would be the city.

--------------------------------------------------------

Soon, he had reached it, and sniffed around for the scent of his home. He followed his nose, and when it had started getting really dark, he found it. The stars twinkled above, and a breeze had started blowing through. He was glad when he walked inside and realized his house was warmer than outside.

But then it hit him, a stench so great he began to retch. For a few moments, he threw up, but then he was left there dry heaving on the floor. Not having realized it, Kaleb was back in his human form, and not really covered.

He ran to his room, and looked around for some clothes before he went to investigate what was going on. If he ran into his mom, he didn't want to be indecent.

Once he had some nice, toasty materials on, he went into the kitchen. He opened the fridge, and a stench wafted to his heightened nostrils, but it wasn't what he had smelled earlier.

Kaleb went into the living room, and saw that it was empty. He thought he saw something move, so he walked foward, and looked behind the chair, where the stench was the worst.

Kaleb backed up, his stomach clenching. The small body of his street kitty lay there, limp and nonmoving.

But...how? Kaleb began to think, Mom would've......no.... and the horrific thought struck him.

He walked where his nose led him, to his mom's room. Terrified but slightly optimistic, he walked in. The scent hit him like a brick wall.

"Mom.....," he whispered.

Then his foot hit an object. Or actually, a body. Kaleb's eyes widened like big moons. His pupils waned to pinpoints in his eyes. Even his irises shrunk a bit. It felt like he had been hit by a truck, no, more like ten trucks. It wasn't just that she was.....dead...... The overwhelming scent of the body filled his nostrils. It felt weighing, like the whole room was caving on him and bringing him down. He started coughing, and fell to his knees. Then he noticed the bottles.

Around his mom they were spread. Beer bottles and pill bottles. Her medication for depression and other pills lay all aroud. His eyes were hot and tears fell in waves down his face. He sobbed. But he knew he couldn't stay.

-----------------------------------------------------

Kaleb raced out of the house. He Shifted, and now only wet trails were on his fur. He ran, his paws carrying him far in a short amount of time. He got back to the houses in what seemed like an instant.

Kaleb Shifted back, and darted inside. The room started spinning, and he couldn't get the smell out of his head. He doubled over and felt like he was going to puke again. He looked up, but everything was a swirl of color. He couldn't stop crying on top of all of it, the wet, hot droplets of water tearing down his face and falling on the floor. He fell to his knees on the floor, then was completely down. He lay there, sobbing, his body racked with the fear and hopelessness. Now, he was completely alone.

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 12:03 pm

Indy:

“Hello again?,” Theo ventured, creeping farther down the hall.

Someone was there, he was certain of that much. He could hear some other body moving frantically, and he could smell their presence too. Unfortunately, he couldn’t quite tell who it was; Theo hadn’t learned many of his packmates by smell, or in some cases name. In fact, he knew so little about any of them, he still felt as though he was living in a house of strangers.

Sobbing. They were sobbing hard now, their body likely racked with the sadness. Of all things, it had been the last he expected. Theo was not the best at dealing with emotions, yet there seemed something morally wrong in just walking away. Taking his chances, he walked silently towards the horrible, lonely sound. It led him towards a room.

He brought his hand and knocked twice on the door, but he found that the door simply parted at the second knock. Theo saw the sad huddled shape of Kaleb, shaking with each new sob. Suddenly Theo felt like an intruder, but it was far too late to be walking away.

“Are you… alright?” the boy asked uncertainly. It was an obvious question, but unfortunately the only thing he could think to say.

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 12:04 pm

Nequaria:

Not terribly far from the ranch, a lone werewolf crept among the mountains. Her dark fur hid her against the rocky mountainside, but her vibrant green eyes boldly stood out from her dull coat. 

She had no intention of coming close to the nearby pack of werewolves. She had known the pack was close for a while, but their carelessness on the night of the full moon had reaffirmed her beliefs that it was a large pack containing inexperienced, young wolves. She had seen first-hand the strength of their alpha, as she had been observing them for quite some time, and this caused her to keep even more distance between the pack and herself.

Although she was trying to evade them for as long as she could, she knew it wouldn't be possible for very much longer. She was running out of food, and she would either have to resort to venturing into town, or perhaps even picking off livestock from a nearby farm. Either way she would have to pass through the territory of the werewolf pack. 

With a sigh, she meandered her way down a rocky slope, causing a few pebbles to tumble down the stone hillside. She fought to find solid pawholds on the cliff face as she climbed down. She couldn't take it any more. She had to take the risk.

Maybe the pack wouldn't notice a stranger on their land. 

She would pass through their territory as quickly as she could and still try to remain hidden. If all went well, she would reach the nearby town without much trouble and be able to stock up on food before finding a new hiding place. 

The dark-furred werewolf rarely dared to stay around humans for long. An incident that shattered her old pack had also destroyed any trust she had in humans. Even when in her human form, she felt as if she stood out from the true humans around her. This caused a great deal of anxiety, thus resulting in her rather solitary existance.

When her paws finally touched down on the grass, she shook her fur out and collapsed on the damp ground. Her legs ached from weeks of climbing through the rugged, stone hillsides. Her lime-colored eyes darted around for a moment, making sure she was alone. Once she was certain she would not be disturbed, she shifted her position until she felt comfortable.

She would continue on her way into town after she had rested for a little while.