Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 1:49 pm

Dez:

"Timothy."

It all happened in a heart beat, the moments just before Kratos spoke. All the while, Logan was focused on Ulric, his every movement and sound. In that instant he seemed very unlike a mighty beast and so much more an alert and cautious prey animal. Ah, but when the moment came he found his predator, he froze - locked in place and set on something Logan couldn't see. She followed his head until her eyes met with what looked eerily like turquoise marbles setting against the forest, though his figure became clear soon after. 

And then she noticed that his eyes were directly upon her. Whether or not her heart skipped or added a beat, she was unsure, but immediately she stood tall, shoulders raised, her chest out, and chin lifted high, like one would do perhaps if they were trying to win a contest of intimidation. No, this certainly wasn't a contest - Timothy had it in the bag. But she was hoping that the posture would deter the onlooker. Inside, her breath had stopped and she was doing everything in her power to fight a violent shake that threatened to overtake her whole figure. Slowly and carefully, without breaking her stare with this figure, she inched back towards the alpha little by little. 

-----

Now the influence of the moon was ready to claim them, her light bright against the earth below. Logans eyes bolted from one figure to another. If she could control her form, all would be well, relatively speaking.. but was there a guarantee of that happening? 

That cursed moon, this stupid disease! What she would give, to be safe under her grandfathers roof, rested comfortable by the fire and listening to one of his stories. 

Then, like a breeze merely passed by, the Alpha changed, and Logan need only one brief glance from the corner of her eye to know this. The others followed, crumpling to the ground under the force, their bodies made slave to the monster. 

The silvery assailant crept up on her too. If only for a second, she attempted to merely let it pass, as the alphas advice hadn't come upon deaf ears. For only a second, and then she resisted against the change. While her body fought, Logan retreated to the safest corners of her mind. 

"There there, Logan, hush now, it will be alright. All things come to pass, all will be well.. I have never lied to you."

The milliseconds passed slower than ever, and like the others, Logan began to sink to the ground as her humanity slipped away. Though her knees never met the earth, she remained hunched over with her head hidden within her growing hands. 

"You must learn to control yourself! I can only defend you so many times, soon you will have to take responsibility for your actions. I can't see you hurt child. Please, do it for me."

"For.. you.." her voice a deep rumble now, she was all but a beast entirely. Now she uncovered her face and stood, slowly, the final details of the werewolf filling out across her figure as she did so. Standing to her fullest, she examined her paws amidst a wave of disbelief, before a tremble took her and she too bowed low to the earth in her exhaustion.

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 1:49 pm

Kaqurei:

The white wolf stood soundless in the path ahead. Her sharp yellow gaze had met Kratos' only a second before the change of the moon; there had been a split second warning, a plea, and then it was too late. The change had come.

But as she watched, her heart pounding with certain dread for the chaos that would inevitably unfold and the lives that would be claimed under the light of this new moon, she saw things happen that she did not expect. Though these were small gestures, they very well may have completely changed the outcome of this encounter. Logan backed up towards the Alpha. Good, Sabrina thought, watching intensely. That move alone, she hoped, would perhaps hinder Timothy's intentions--even if he did not take the subtle gesture for what it was worth, perhaps her being closer to the Alpha would give him pause. Or, at the very least, it would give the Alpha a chance to defend her. Then Jackie and Logan both, struggling, bowed under the influence of the moon and ultimately were caused to take up their wolf forms. Sabrina tensed. If ever, now was the time for things to go awry. 

The most pivotal gesture for how the encounter would turn out rested upon Jackie, and it was her that gave Sabrina surprise. Sabrina, after all, had been there the night of her change and knew her to be a first generation wolf. She supposed then that the madness of the moon would overtake her mind and the events of last month would be fresh to her; Logan would be an enemy. She would attack, and in the confusion Timothy would have the very distraction he was seeking. Yet, this was not so. No sooner had the predator awakened in Jackie and she had gained a consciousness of her surroundings than she growled not at Logan, but at Timothy and in Logan's defence!

Sabrina almost, but not quite, dared to breathe. The danger had not passed yet. The Alpha still had yet to claim the situation, one way or another, and until he did and Timothy yielded to him, she could not assume all would be well.

****

Levi had been very quiet since leaving the ranch. His earlier nerves seemed to have abandoned him, and in their place was a deepening solemnness. This sensation rose as the moon did. His eyes, cast down and thoughtful, seemed a million miles away, and his pace began to become ever slower, inch by inch.

Once or twice he glanced up in the direction of the beta. She was too far ahead in the dense forest to see now, but he knew she was still there, and likely very aware of everything transpiring in these woods. Lost in his own thoughts, with a mix of wistful melancholy in his eyes, he did not respond to Theo's suggestion of a game. He did not even seem to notice that anyone had spoken at all until Chime spoke directly to him.

"..Erm, will you be joining us? It's.. well, to me anyways, funner to play in a group."

"Hmm?" he asked, raising his head to look at her directly. "Oh. Ah, aye, 'tis been my experience most things are better in... a..." but his voice trailed off. He had caught a... a strange scent on the air. His eyes wandered upward. That daydream look came to his eyes again. He was quiet for a moment. "Yeh know," he said softly, his pace falling just a little more, "The Midnight Lady's always had a way o' sneakin' up on a body..." His eyes fell to look at Chime. Then he looked at Theo. There was a tinge of guilt or regret in his eyes. "Uh," he said, "I'm... sorry."

And like that, with a flash of fur, he raced forward, swerved right, and bolted!

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 1:49 pm

May:

Kratos did not have the advantage of assessing the situation from a distance as did Sabrina, which caused him to hesitate. He of course stood prepared to take whatever needful action, but as things unfolded at a somewhat slower pace, he was inclined to observe how things might turn out. 

Timothy did not advance. As the others changed forms, he stood passively, but ever his eyes were trained on Logan. All three werewolves nearest the Alpha crumpled, and this seemed entirely inline with Timothy's expectations, but then something happened which he did not entirely expect. It was Jackie that threatened to attack. This action brought Timothy's eyes away from Logan for the first time and his gaze became even with Jackie.

What the young rogue was thinking could be all but guessed from the outside, but for a moment it almost seemed that he was confused and might have been seeking a way to communicate. Then it all vanished from his expression and his eyes grew sharp as the fur across his face wrinkled and his teeth were bared. 

Not a moment after Timothy had forced himself to some unknown conclusion concerning Jackie then the Alpha acted. In a single stride Kratos came between that of Timothy and the others, and there he held his ground. The Alpha's face was not twisted into a snarl, nor was there a growl rumbling in his chest, but his eyes were trained and his stance unyielding. 

Timothy of course had withdrawn the moment Kratos had moved, ducking and flinching away as if he feared perhaps to be physically reprimanded. Yet after a moment he found this not to be the case, and Timothy lifted his head slightly to see if the Alpha had done anything at all. What he saw was that Kratos' ears were held erect and his tail was also somewhat stiff, all signs to Timothy that the Alpha would not relent on this decision. 

*********

Mildred's hunting group had hiked for most of the evening in a westerly direction when they had come upon obscure wolf tracks that had begun to lead northward. After crossing a river, the trail grew more narrow on its way up the mountainside, the group by necessity had started walking single file, but now the path was also becoming quite steep, and one member who was in the back was struggling to keep up.

When at length the group had come upon a wider shelf, McGordner called the company to a halt and counted the members of her party. It was then that the group leader noticed the other woman's struggle to remain on her feet and inquired after it.

"I'm sorry," the lady said, she had done her best to conceal the source of the hindrance for as long as she could. "I hurt my leg rather badly two months ago, but I thought it was all healed. I didn't know it would start acting up tonight."

"Nothing for it now, Adelaide," Mildred said in her same stern voice, but it was easy to see that she was sympathetic. Then the options were weighed of heading on or calling an early end to the hunt, at which point Tammy volunteered to have a look at the old injury and see if she might know something that could help.

"I have my things with me, we can probably wrap this up and it shouldn't be a problem for the rest of the evening." Tammy said after a moment. Adelaide agreed and Tammy began to fetch a few things from her bag, meanwhile Mildred looked toward the Game-Warden.

"What do you think, Tom?" McGordner said, tilting her flashlight down toward the tracks.

"I'd say these are about three days old, and probably lead back around to the river." Tom replied, he stretched out a few papers to shine his light on and made a few notes. "But they're pretty small, can't be more than a young loner or escaped yard dog."

Mildred considered this solemnly, then turned toward the steep edge of the trail and aimed her flashlight down on the lower terrain. Most of the area that she could see through the trees were uneven paths and lenient rock slopes. It was a good land for critters to hide in, and the paths might well have been tread by smaller animals coming and going between their dwellings and the river.

"Why don't you fellas go on ahead," Mildred said after a moment, turning to look at Tom and the two other men who were in the group. "See if there's much else further up, otherwise we might just need to take this other trail or head back. The three of us will wait here. I don't think this dog is big enough to be one of the critters they've been seeing around town anyway."

Tom nodded in agreement and began leading the other two men up the mountainside. Meanwhile, Mildred turned back toward Tammy and Adelaide and stepped a bit closer in toward them.

"How we doing?" McGordner inquired, shining her flashlight down on the other two. Tammy had bound up Adelaide's knee and ankle for a bit of support and relief for the rest of the hike, but Mildred had Adelaide sit a while and rest regardless. "It'll be alright, they'll be back down before too long and then we can make a decision."

Time passed in the dark and Mildred shown her flashlight upward on the trail. The men had not returned.

"Do you think they found anything?" Tammy asked after a moment.

"How long has it been?" said Adelaide.

Mildred narrowed her eyes and looked at the woods on the other side of the trail from the edge. "They probably just found another trail," she said, but she sounded as if preoccupied by other thoughts. Tammy noticed this, and felt somewhat disconcerted as she followed Mildred gaze and the beam of her torch out at the surrounding forest.

"Do you think they'll be back soon?" Adelaide attempted to ask, but at that moment both Tammy and Mildred hushed her for perhaps the same or different reasons. Mildred had got the faintest idea that she had heard something and gave Adelaide the flashlight, then she handled her riffle in both hands and continued to search the immediate area. Tammy however knew for certain that there was a odd smell on the air, and that caused her not only to jump to her feet, but also her heart to skip a beat.

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 1:50 pm

Theo:

Theo watched Levi scamper off into the woods like a rabbit, his poise momentarily frozen from the shock. The full moon did nothing to ease his nerves, but rather served to intensify it. That was nothow the game was meant to be played. Everything was going wrong! The alpha would be disappointed at how easily he was tricked! He felt as restless as a caged animal seeking it’s liberation, as pathetic as a shrimp in a bench-pressing contest. 

He turned to Chime without speaking, as though trying to convey something in the silence that followed. His nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed. His blood was hot with energy. Then like a bull her charged in the direction Levi headed, his muscles overjoyed to at last have some use for his anxious energy. 

He did not know if he could be faster than Levi. He did not know if he could even come close to Levi’s speed. But he did know these woods well—having spent quite a few lonely outings in them—and it was with that knowledge the youth hoped he might be able to catch up to the prisoner. After that… Theo had no idea.

---

Whether or not Jackie had seen the strange look in Timothy’s eyes and found any meaning in them was difficult to say. Her body language certainly did not give any indication she saw anything other than a threat. There was only the briefest twitch in her gaze, and whether that meant she had acknowledged that communication, found some understanding, or simply was victim to an involuntary gesture would have been anyone’s guess.

Even as Timothy retreated, Jackie did not lower her guard. Her lips were still drawn up to a smart snarl and her gaze seemed icy with focus. Every twitch Timothy made was watched, every movement was analyzed for the implication. It seemed it was only the Alpha’s calm authority that rooted her to the spot, as immobile as a statue.

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 1:50 pm

Dez:

As long as Timothy's eyes were no longer upon her, Logan's own gaze shifted freely in between everyone else who so much as moved a muscle. Jackie held her stance, even after the Alpha had come between them and Timothy. The three were given the most of her focus, while the white wolf and Ulric became like shadows in the background of her mind. 

She took the moment to toy with her new-found abilities, like a toddler that had just discovered it's fingers. Her toes tensed then relaxed over the earth. The scents of the others were no longer a muddled mess but each was sharp and distinct, and as her ears twitched in every which direction, she became aware of their sensitivity. What a strange set of sensations! And yet so natural all at once. 

Now she moved forward, coming up beside Jackie. Who was this Timothy? Her ears were erect and her hackles raised, but with the Alpha standing firm, she had little to no fear of this character, just a piqued curiosity. In any case, it seemed that whatever his intentions had been, they were all but stamped out by Kratos. 

Logan swayed to the side just a bit, letting her shoulder lean against Jackie's just so - a subtle movement she intended as a gesture to let the other know that it was fine, she could back down.

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 1:50 pm

Aim:

Chime watched Levi ran off, it stung like a blow. Why did she let her guard down? He was a prisoner after all, why was this turn in events so surprising? Did she not count this as something that may happen? He was so... well, likable. She guessed she just didn't want to believe that he would.

She turned her glaze to Theo, tensing as she did so.

He darted after the prisoner, she followed in his wake. Wondering briefly if she should go to inform the alpha or beta, though decided against it, he was their responsibility, besides the others were most likely busy with the tasks they were assigned. 

Keeping her ears pricked for sounds of hunters, she hoped that they wouldn't be in this area, it was harder to keep a lookout running.

Another worry filled her mind, what would Levi do? She guessed he, if wanted, could be sneaky, and she never had to do this sort of thing before.

Starting to wish she had explore the area a little more during her months of being here, she hoped that Theo knew the area better then she did.

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 1:50 pm

Kaqurei:

Levi felt a pang in his chest as he ran on. He genuinely liked Theo and Chime. Tricking them like that made him feel sick. But it didn't matter. He could not stop, and he could not look back. He had to get out of this place. He had to get back to Sabres' pack, back to Ireland, back home, whatever the cost!

He could hear them taking pursuit behind him. He had a short lead, but he would have to be more creative if he was going to keep it. He took a sudden turn and wheeled to the north east. He had scouted this area before, a month or so ago. If he remembered correctly, there would be a river up ahead. More importantly, there would be a glade of the Phantom herb along its banks, and he could abandon his scent there.

His heart pounding hard in his chest, sending thrills of adrenaline through his limbs, he raced on, looking for any sort of obstacle along the way he could throw between himself and Theo to slow him down. Chime was smaller and thus would likely be faster, but he figured he could overpower her if it came to that. Again a biting pang hit his chest at the thought, and he threw a wild glance behind him to see if he might spot them on his heels. He didn't want it to come to that. He just wanted to get home.

It was thus that he was totally caught off guard by a sudden flash of blinding light ahead of him--so off-guard, that he did not even stop or turn around, he just barrelled forward out of the forest feeling much like he had been struck in the head! There was a loud noise. He had only a split second to consider what was happening. He froze, and as he stood there in the clear, he realized the light beaming in his face was that of a flashlight, and just beyond its point he could make out three human figures!

The hunters--here?! No they were supposed to be--! Why hadn't he smelled--?!

There was a loud noise, or several, but he had no time and was too discombobulated to realize exactly how many or exactly what the noise was. The moment passed faster than one could think. In those milliseconds, his eyes darted from the glaring beam of light to the foremost figure--it was moving quickly. The motion registered instantly--the person had a gun, and was moving to shoot him point blank. With a short yelp he sprang to the next bank and took no other thought then than just to run, run, mindlessly run!

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 1:50 pm

May:

Pah-kow! -- Pah-kow!

Timothy's ears pinned back at the noise and Kratos lifted his head in the direction it had come. The sound came echoing over the mountainside from the east with every unwanted feeling of alarm and urgency that it could then conjure; It was the sound Alpha Kratos had been expecting all evening and hoping not to hear.

"Gunfire." Ulric said as he slowly lifted himself from the ground. Though his panting had steadied, he still looked and felt physically exhausted from his unintended argument with the moon, and presently he could only just sit upright. 

Ulric was still positioned toward the back of the company, and as Kratos had only stepped between Timothy and Jackie, he was free to visually examine his unacquainted encounter. What he saw was the black and grey werewolf, camouflaged though he be against the dark forest, unmoving with his eyes concentrated and cunning.

Timothy did not go from where he stood, but he looked at Ulric briefly and then returned his gaze to the Alpha... or rather, as Ulric saw, the two who stood on the opposite side from him. Ulric did well to estimate the strength of this acquaintance, he did not recall having met this werewolf before, but he could make a guess that this was the rogue which Kratos had been searching for since the night Ulric himself had arrived.

"Sabrina." Kratos' deep and powerful voice came and stirred Ulric from his thoughts. 

The Alpha tilted an ear back toward the white werewolf and looked again upon Timothy. 

"What is the boy doing here?" The Alpha asked, and his voice seemed almost irritable though it was calm surfaced. Ulric wondered if the gunfire had meant anything at all, for by the way Kratos acted, such could hardly be guessed.

Timothy's gaze retreated from Jackie and Logan when the Alpha looked at him, he did not seem to want Kratos' attention.

*******************

When Mildred had heard the approach of someone or something in the dark, rustling through the undergrowth, she aimed her weapon to the sky and fired upon nothing. If it was a person the shot would serve as a warning that she was armed, if otherwise then she did not want any creatures about with Adelaide and Tammy behind her anyway, and hoped to scare it off. But the on-comer was undeterred by the shot and a moment later all three companions saw what it was!

The creature was roughly the size of a small bear and that was what Adelaide, who held the flashlight, thought it was. It came thrashing out of the woods in full sprint, and a moment later Adelaide screamed and Mildred's rifle came down and forward! The second shot was sounded, but the aim had merely been a tree in the beast's direction as an attempt to ward the animal away. When once again the shot failed to deter the beast from approaching, Mildred took aim for the third time, and by now the animal was close enough that not only would the bullet meet its intended mark but that it would also serve fatally.

This time it was Tammy that gave a cry. She had stared on like a deer caught in the headlight with her feet faltering backward, when Adelaide screamed again and threw her hands up in a frantic motion! When Tammy was knocked back another few steps it was an accident, but unfortunately there was not ground enough to receive her and in the next moment she fell!

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 1:50 pm

Kaqurei:

Sabrina did not seem overly alarmed by the gunshots, for they were some distance away and she did not feel that they could be much more than reckless boys directed at rabbits or deer this early in the night. There was some concern, however, as she took another sweeping glance over their party and realized that the entire pack was not present. The Beta Zeit was amongst those missing. Doubtless the rest of the pack was with her, and thus, in capable hands. She was confident that if they did encounter the hunters, it would not be so soon after the moon's change.

Her eyes met the Alpha's own as he spoke to her. Then they drifted to Timothy's form searchingly. After a moment, she returned her gaze to Kratos and said, "You might ask him yourself, though I do not know that he would answer. For his intentions, I am not certain, Alpha. I have travelled long with him, as you are well aware, but he has made little communication with me in that time. I may judge, and only by his actions, that he is come to you to tie up ends made loose by the past Moon," she said calmly, with a slow nod in Logan's direction. There was an uneasiness that crossed her wolfish eyes and she added, "I did not then have the time to tell you, Alpha, but he took fever that night, and he has not since returned to the form of a man. It would seem to me that he is..." And she looked at Logan again before continuing, "Hunting."