A Picnic of Wolves - RPLOG
Participants
Date
11/2/2016
Log
It is cool and clear out in the forest east of Fairhaven. The directions were very specific and easy to follow and the path was as pleasant and feral free as anyone could have hoped for. Little signs along the trail lead eventually to a little log cabin that was probably old and decrepit long before P-Day. A human woman wearing a light robe is waiting out front and a number of others, human and mutant alike mill around chatting together. Almost everyone is wearing plain, light robes and it seems that the woman at the table is collecting belongings and storing them in a very secure looking safe.
"Welcome, friends!" she says with a happy smile, "Please, come sign the roster and check in your weapons and gear. You won't need them for today's observances."
Jill lands on the ground near the women and settles hir wings against hir back and looks around at all of the people here so far. Shi nods and heads over to the women at the apparent sign in desk and shi pats hir utility belt, the only thing shi is waring and says "Do I need to give you my utility belt?" I shrug and say "It just contains some food, items and some things to help me past the time so I don't see any reason to turn it in but if you insist I'll hand it over."
A weird skunk appears. At first, he looks like one of those skunk girls from Fairhaven, but shemale and four-breasted, but odd, cybernetic characteristics are sprinkled all over, from his latex skin to his electronic eyes to tron lines all over. He's wearing a standard zephyr armor and seems reluctant to part with it. He gives a greeting. "Hello, I'm Arona, and I heard there was a celebration here ? Do I have to take off my armor ? I feel naked without it."
Next in line, a Husky male taps his bare foot-paw as if to burn off nervous energy. The small pack carried over his shoulder sways and brushes against his back like a pendulum, bare upper torso offering appealing glimpses of the exaggerated masculine attributes common to his kind. Thankfully, the simple worn pair of military-style came pants do a fine job of censoring any other attributes from casual examination. Seeing it is finally his turn, the husky male steps forwards and fumbles to pick up the pen for a second with his paw-like hands. Finally grasping it, he scrawls out in crude simple letters "REX", focusing as if it the simple task for a slightly more serious feat. Stepping back from the the book, he shuffles over to drop off his limited personal possessions. Looking over towards the human woman, he gently rumbles out "Hey, I'm uh.... Rex." almost more to himself than for her benefit, "Do you have any spare robes I can ... borrow?"
Quietly, a red panda steps up after the husky, signing her name on the sheet equally silently. They come in their usual garb, complete with a rather large amount of firearms and equipment, accompanied by the strap system that holds it all up. Keeping with the program, persay, she unloads these armaments, and moves out of the way, looking solemn. It was a day of remembrance, no?
Edel lived out here. It was only natural that she'd take an interest in any going-ons that took place within the forest. The tanuki woman came unarmed and dressed in her black and gold silk robe, as regal as ever. She signs her name on the sheet and links her sleeves together, humming. "So... What is the agenda for today?"
The human at the table smiles kindly. "We don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable," she says, "But we want everyone to know that this is a PEACEFUL gathering, so we wish to gather up any arms and armor. We will, of course provide robes for anyone who would like them. They are warm and quite comfortable in this weather. We will keep any and all of your belongings quite safe until you return for them." The woman then turns to address Edel. "In just a few minutes there will be a short address from one of the members of our little group, then there will be an activity, probably not very long, and then there will be food," she explains as she carefully bags and marks each person's possessions, trading them a signed chit for their belongings. "Don't lose that," she says, "You will need it to get your things back."
Jill sighs as the women takes hir utility belt and then gives a small subtle chuckle when the women mentions wanting no arms or armor to be brought here. if others notice hir small chuckle they might figure Jill does not need a weapon to be armed. Shi then shrugs and looks back to the women and says "I trust the food won't be laced with anything right?" I wave my hand and say "I don't expect it to be at all it is just the last event I went to which was advertissed with fliers and phamlets was held by the Tanuki and the food and drink there made folks into Tanuki. So please pardon my asking I just want to make sure."
Arona takes off his armor, releasing his oversized assets, that he promptly covers in one of the provided robes. He looks embarassed. He exchanges his armor and weapon for the chit. "I hope this won't be like the last time I went somewhere. I still remember the vines."
Rex stands around, looking at the crowd of mostly unfamiliar faces with the slightest trepidation as he clenches his signed chit in his paw. A gigantic... cat... thing? A synthetic skunk? A quiet Red Panda, and... another one of those dastardly Tanuki! The husky remembers the tainted feast and its transformative influence all too well as he glances at the Tanuki with suspicion, shuffling off to the side. Thankfully, Rex doesn't have to wait long for a robe to be provided, donning it swiftly.
"Armor, too? Darnit." Phosphorus glances around, detaching the armor plates from her clothing before attempting to hide behind a tree and actually disrobe fully, considering the clothing itself was made for ballistics. She grabbed a robe up beforehand, so the whole embarassment of it is probably nixed, although it still felt rather strange. The entire assembly is dropped off at the desk, and she pockets the token in the robe, making sure not to lose it. All of that stuff cost a ton to make, and a ton to find. "Right, then."
Edel eaches up for a moment to adjust her glasses. "Well, it's a little strange, I must say. But I have no need for weapons out here! THough I probably won't partake of food, I must say. It should be nice to hear, all the same!"
The woman at the table was right, the robes really are quite nice. Not too warm and certainly not restricting at all, though probably not so protective as those who checked their armor would be used to. "I can assure you that there will be nothing added to the food unless you have brought something yourselves," she promises, waving to the group as she turns to the last few stragglers. A little ways from the old cabin, a tall man with dark hair is waving to get everyone's attention. "If everyone would gather over here," he calls out, "We will begin!"
Jill picks up hir token and puts it into hir tentacle hair for safe keeping. Shi then shrugs and follows the women over to the area and looks around again at all the people there before leaning against a tree to listen to what ever is going to happen. As shi is walking over shi mutters something about just waiting for after the event to eat or drink something.
Arona wander over to the tall man, glancing around at the other mutants. He seems to mutter something, seems to be a list ? He adds things to that list with each new and unusual mutant he sees.
Rex joins the small crowd of attendants shuffling over towards the speaker, sticking to the back as they walk. Something about the husky's nature would appear to be ill at ease.
Phosphorus merges into the flow, going with everyone towards the speaker. She draws the string a bit tighter on the robe before tying it off, figuring that was probably good enough, for the time being. She looks back at the others in the crowd, then forwards again, mainly as a way of gauging how many people was there in all.
Edel keeps a pleasant smile on her face as she makes her way over to gather with the others. "Why so tense?" she asks of Rex, ears perking. "Do you expect something bad to happen?"
The crowd gathers around the dark haired man. "Thank you all for coming," he calls out, beckoning people closer, since he does not have any way of amplifying his voice, "We did not expect a big turn out, but I am sure that everyone is in a similar place in their thoughts today." Sounds like he's the one who was chosen to give the speech. "This is the day that everything changed," he begins, "The line between man and beast was blurred and lost and everything we thought we knew turned out to be a lot more fragile than we could have possibly realized. Many of us lost families, homes, and even our way of life." There is a murmur through the crowd as those who can remember P-Day whisper to their neighbors. There really is a pretty sizeable gathering here. A scattering of humans amidst all sorts of mutants, though the mutants all seem to be the sane, in-control kind. "We have had to remake ourselves!" continues the speaker, "To find a new way of life! So while we mourn all that we lost, we are also here to celebrate what we have made of ourselves!"
Jill nods along with what the man is saying as shi very much agrees with what shi has heard so far but this is still an odd location for something like this... In fact it is a pretty bad place for any sort of festival BUT it is a great place for an operation that cannot have witnesses... As shi thinks this shi looks around much more carefully and begins looking around for threats and stops leaning on the tree as leaning while better than sitting for redeniss is still not ideal...
Arona solemnly nods. This is consistent with what he experienced since waking up, far from home, a stranger in a strange body in a strange land.
Rex whispers to Edel, doing his best to stay relatively quiet within the crowd, "We're a bunch of mutts trying to memorialize a catastrophe. How do you even commemorate something you can't remember? It's like putting up a bed sheet over a hole in the wall and calling it fixed." he rumbles, clenching his paw in what appears to be growing anger.
Phosphorus raises an eyebrow at the speech. Sure, remembering what was lost, in terms of family, friends, and, y'know, basically everything else that matters in this world as a whole was a reasonable concept, but simply accepting what was basically a disease? Naw. Adaptation was a gritty necessity, not something to be charished. In her opinion, at least. Physically, she took a page from her school days, and pretended to act agreeing and interested.
"I remember it," Edel says, brow furrowed. "Quite clearly! But this is an odd occasion, certainly. I am here more out of curiosty," she confesses quietly. "To see just what is going on. It should be interesting. Don't expend all your energy being grumpy, now, though. Save it for later?" she suggests with a flick of her tail.
The speaker does not really seem to mind or even notice the chatter among the people in the deep forest clearing. "And we could not do all of this on our own. We support one another in these hard times, whether we be members of new families, or of companies or other groups," he says, though his eyes keep wandering somewhere behind the crowd, "We have called upon science and religion to help us understand what has happened to us and the veil between worlds has been made thin and gods walk once more among us!" The tone of his speech seems to have taken a sudden and strange turn.
Jill gives a small chuckle and looks around with a small smile on hir face. Shi seems to be waiting for something to happen with a bit of anticapation and a bit of annoyance. Sort of like a teacher watching a scene unfold in the class room. Slightly ammussed but waiting to make sure shi knows what's going on before shi acts. Shi does flex a bit and stretch out hir tentacles some maybe getting ready to fight or something else.
Arona raises an eyebrow. He was starting to doubt his original assumption, that this is all a dream (though the weird guy in that silly zoot suit didn't help make this more real to him), but now, Gods ? He *has* to be dreaming. What's next ? Alien wizards ?
Rex kicks the dirt in mild annoyance, but acquiesces to the Tanuki for the sake of not starting a larger argument... not yet anyway. "Gods, Tanukis, nanite transformations... where is this all going?", he wonders to himself. Was coming here a mistake? An idle part thinks back to what the man said about commemoration, and seems to linger on it.
"Gods. None of this again, dammit..." Phosphorus mutters, an ear twitching and quirking reflexively at the change in the mood.She looks around over at the various other people muttering in the crowd, including all the way back beyond the crowd,where the primary speaker is actually looking. "I really hope one of those don't actually show up, dammit."
The speaker smiles. And it is not a pleasant smile. Another robed figure has run out of the forest and is waving his hand as some kind of signal. "We have become Survivors!" he calls out, a frightening, growling quality to his voice, "And we have become strong!"
The crowd starts to murmur uneasily as clouds start to roll over the clearing, dimming the sunlight and a chill wind blows through the trees heralding. . . yes. . . snow!
"In conclusion," the speaker says as his ears grow to points and gray and black fur sprout from his flesh, "HAIL FENRIR WOLF! Let the hunt begin!"
He and several other robed attendees around the dimming forest clearing join in a spine tingling howl as their forms melt and shift into monstrous wolves!
Jill joins right in with the howling and grins hugely as shi cracks hir nukles and gets ready to move. At this point shi is definitly up for some hunting but if the lot of them decide to hunt the smucks who came here then... Well there will be issues. First of all there is no fun or challange in fighting unarmed people at all. Second gods are Fenrir's legtimite pray. And finally while setting traps and all is great hunting the folks here falls into the catagory of /very/ dishonorable. Luring people here with false promises and then disarming them? Where is the sport in that. If they want to hunt someone let them have a weapon or it will just be boring as shit.
Arona boggles, then gets a twinkle in his eyes. Now it's Norse mythology ! Truly, a great dream he's having. He should go check that norse temple that is on his map when it's over, probably after getting mauled viciously.
Rex lets out a deep rumbling sigh, ears and eyes alert and muzzle beginning to snarl. The husky tosses off his robe, clearly deciding it's no longer needed as the wolves emerge in a cacophony of chilling howls. As a feral, Rex had no need for weapons or armor. The husky's muscles began to coil and ready for action, whether it was to be fight... or flight. As a tip top kind of top dog, Rex wasn't all too partial to the latter.
"Well, well," Edel says, grinning a little as she kneels down. Earth nanomagic applied to the earth to fashion for herself a dagger of stone. With luck, she wouldn't need to use it. "I'm all for hunting. But I do not believe I'll be partaking today," she declares, standing back up once her work is done.
The wolves circle the clearing as a frigid winds starts to blow. It almost seems like there is the sound of a distant howl on that wind. The pack does not seem to be attacking immediately. Instead, they are gathering together, slinking around and around the clearing.
"Are you hunter or hunted?" growls the leader, now a huge, shaggy black wolf, "Hunters will join the pack. The Hunted. . . will do what the hunted always do."
While the speech was going on, it looks like the wolves were busy making preparations. Around the clearing in all directions, boxes are set, each marked with the number of the chit in the possession of the attendees. It looks like they have a choice to make. Join in the hunt, try to get their weapons and fight, or run like hell.
Jill takes a look around and chuckles as shi sees the whole set up. It really does look like a great hunt but the issue is the pray... Murder is still a not so small deal. Shi then looks over the leader and grins showing off hir sharp teeth and shi goes over to him and says "I'll admit this is quite a nice set up you have here. The only issue is dealing with the normal folks when they hear about what we did out here." Shi shakes hir head and says with a grin "Oh no I am trying to talk you out of this as that would be a waste of a perfectly good opertunity." Shi grins even wider and says "So lets compramise. You versus me. You win. You do what you want. I win and your pack goes home. sound good to you?"
What to do, what to do... On one hand, Arona isn't quite built for predation. He's more an adventurer than a warrior. On the other hand, running along big, badass wolf people ? How awesome it sounds ? It is then that he notices that the weird be-tentacled wolf woman-person that came with him ALSO is a Fenris wolf, but disagrees with the pack surrounding them, and resolves to take the high road and help her however he can.
Rex eyes the situation uncertainly. Hunt or flee? And now the one gargantuan mutant was trying to bargain with them? Tch. Joining the hunt felt like an uncertain and rather ominous prospect - just how do you signify you'd want to join such a thing anyway? Meanwhile fleeing from it presented a clear and unpleasant certainty: Being chased by a horde of vicious looking wolves. While he preferred not being mauled, Rex was confident that wouldn't be a problem if it came to it; After all, he didn't have to be the fastest. The others just had to be slower...
The panda darts straight for her weapons, sliding her hand into her pocket and clutching the chit in her fist and aiming to use a bit of fire magic to ignite the foliage in front of any wolves that may choose to pursue her. Even if she did choose to flee, there was no way in the seven hells Phosphorus was going to leave without her gear. Also, if the wolves seem to be collecting in one spot, that seems like the perfect time to actually put her regular clothing back on, because there's also absolutely no way she was going to be running through the forest with a robe, of all things. A ROBE. Bah.
Edel glances at the others of the crowd and shrugs. "Would that I had my sword on me. Alas, I do not," she muses to herself, though she makes no effort to move. Not attack anything, not to join, nor to run! She just waits and watches.
The entire pack looks at Jill for only a moment, then they erupt into gales of howling laughter. "You smell like a wolf," growls the leader, "But you speak like a mouse! Run away little mouse! RUN!" At that last word, the pack erupts into another bone chilling howl that is echoed by more voices out in the woods. That is enough to send most of the gathered humans and mutants scattering. Some scramble for their gear and some abandon their boxed possessions in favor of just getting the hell out of dodge! One or two lucky mutants simply take to the air, leaving others to scramble into the woods, alone and in small groups. The wolves scatter after them!
It looks like Phosphorus is in the clear for the moment. She got the drop on the mass exodus from the clearing, and though she has marked herself as prey, most of the wolves seem to have opted for other targets at the moment. The others, those who have not run are encircled by three great wolves, each of them rather larger than those who left to chase. "You would be hunters?" growls the leader.
Jill chuckles at the wolves and says with a shrug "So be it. Just for that you're eating dirt." before shi even finshed talking shi lashes out with hir tentacles. Except instead of being fleshy the tip of these tentacles arre vicious spikes that are coming both straight at the Alpha but also from both sides and in the midst of the storm of tentacles shi lashes out with hir four clawed hands.
Arona has no idea what to do. He tries to sneak off toward his stuff while the bad wolves are concentrating on the big lady, if only because he feels safer with his laser gun in his hands.
Rex flashes his teeth, a stark predatory husky glare shooting out from the normally "domesticated" looking canine. By all accounts the usually oh-so-agreeable looking mutation begins to look downright... fierce. His posture is aggressive, muscles coiled and ready for action, his "swimmer's body" showing just what it is capable of as pockets of nanite laden flesh show definition. Teeth, eyes, and ears, all harkening back to his breed's ancestral roots in this heightened state of danger, reminding you of just how little at times separates huskies from their wolfish cousins. Triangular ears twitch with alertness as blue eyes center on the nearest wolf with his instinct driven glare. "If you want to have a go, then lets go. You won't find a scaredy bitch running off with his tail between his legs- I'm the one that does the chasing." he says with a growl.
After Phosphorus actually gets to the box, the first thing she does is tear the lid open and pull out a carbine, swiveling around to gun down any that may be running after her. This is to buy time, so she can actually, you know, grab and put the rest of the stuff on, and perhaps switch to something with just a little bit more stopping power. She starts to glance over to the hut, then back at the other wolves, figuring that'd be a good of a place to hole up as any, trying to lug the box over there.
"I am indeed a hunter. Though of a different kind of prey," Edel says, whiskers twitching. "I am afraid we have little in common, I think. But I've no reason to be at odds with you, either, yet," she says, before turning and setting off at a walking pace. "Perhaps we shall encounter one another again?" Assuming they do not try to make an encounter of it as it is.
The lead wolf yelps as he leaps back from Jill's attack, biting and snapping at the lashing tentacles, though he does not manage to land any hits. Jill herself does not seem to do any damage either. He growls at the dragoness. He gives her a . . . well. . . wolfish grin, then turns and dashes off into the forest, on the trail of some other mutant. The only way to continue this fight would be to follow him.
The second of the large wolves, this one a bestial female looks down on the bristling form of Rex. "Hmmm," she hums, "A Hunter, then." She leans in close to the Husky, sniffing at him. She whispers something to him, then turns and bounds away into the forest as the snow falls down.
The third, losing interest in Edel is finally drawn toward Phosphorus! The panda's shot is spot on, but the wolf is fast and was expecting it, leaping off to one side to avoid the shot. In seconds, he covers the distance between them and lunges at her!
For now, it looks like Arona is in the clear and Edel's refusal to either fight or run has left her safe as well.
Jill breaks out into a huge grin and tear off after the wolf who is running from hir. So much for mr wolf being a wolf. In fact he seems like the mouse here. Jill has the scent and takes off after the Fleeing Fenrir on all six of hir limbs. Shi always enjoys the part when the prey tries to escape hir
Arona pries open his box, taking hold of his weapon and armor, then shifts his torso to that of a shadow dragon to lift off, to get a better strategic look at the mess under him.
Rex glances around in alertness, peering left and right to see if anyone is preparing to attack him; Yet in the chaos of it all, the wolves appear more interested in chasing down their pitiful prey (with some impressive success) than in chasing him. Yet the wolf's words linger in his ear. He knows he should leave... but something stirs within him like a compulsion. The cries of the doomed prey, the howl of the hunters, and the crack of a gun shot is a muted whisper compared to what rings in his ears as he begins running after the wolf into the forest.
Well, shit. Phosphorus attempts the canter off to the side away from the lunge, dipping a hand into the box to grasp for one of the many swords inside, if she could get to it, which should give her a bit of melee defense. If she wasn't quick enough, hopefully this would result in a bite, at which point she'd do the exact same thing and start whacking at the biting mutant. If she was tackled, the same thing would happen, perhaps with a lot more of the spilling of the contents of the box. Whoo, knives!
Edel excuses herself to the sidelines, then, content to watch events unfold. If they weren't going to bother her, she didn't need to bother them! Unless it got TOO out of hand, maybe... Where that line is drawn has yet to be determined. For now, she idly plays with her stone knife, tossing it up and down in her hand.
The howling of wolves fills the dark woods in all directions, though from time to time the cries of their prey can be heard.
The Biggest wolf can't outdistance Jill with the dense foliage and large trees and she catches up with little difficulty. He doesn't seem to be trying too hard to avoid her, though. As she bounds up behind him, he suddenly reverses direction, lunging at the dragoness!
From above, the view is not much better than from below and Arona can see the last of the wolves in the clearing facing off with Phosphorus. If he just took to a tree branch, he might be able to wait all of this out! Or he could probably just flap his wings and fly away from this dangerous game!
While Rex can't keep up with the four footed lope of the wolf, there is no way she can escape him now! Her scent lingers in his nose and leads him from tree to tree, almost like she wants to be found. There is something in that scent that is incredibly enticing to his inner feral. And his outer feral if the reaction of certain body parts is to be believed.
Phosphorus manages to roll out of the way of the attacking wolf. The shaggy monster turns adeptly and squares off with the red panda, teeth bared and a growl on his lips. And it is definitely a he. No keeping that sort of thing secret after P-Day.
After a few minutes, a robed figure emerges from the cabin. It is the woman who greeted everyone earlier. She is carrying a large tray with a setting for tea. The woman wanders over and takes a seat by Edel, setting the tray on the ground. "Are you the only one still here?" she asks.
Jill grins as the big wolf turns around right into another hail of tentacles. Shi can reach out and hit someone from about twenty feet with hir tentacles so shi was just waiting for the wolf to be unable to get out of the way of this attack. As shi lashes out with hir tentacles straight at the wolf shi doges to the side to get around him as hir tentacles streak toward him and as he is in mid air there really is almost nothing he can do to avoid being impaled by a swarm of spike tipped tentacles.
Arona doesn't want to flee or hide. Instead, he dives and uses his shadow breath from above on the wolf that he still can see, if only to distract him. He's not gonna let somebody die if he can help it !
Rex stalks through the woods at a consistent run. He can't hope to match her beastial speed, but the husky's keen senses are more than able to detect the signs of her presence. Paw prints, broken twigs, her scent... her scent... lingering in the air almost like an invitation, or a dare. It makes him feel like pressurized electricity. In more ways, and places, than one.
Firing a rifle, especially an automatic one, with one hand is extremely unpleasant. Due to this fact, Phosphorus goes a more conventional route, seeing the winged creature descend from above, and lights the ground underneath the wolf ablaze. Now, the panda was nowhere near dying. In fact, if she could just get to her box, she could probably take out a few more wolves more quickly. And maybe hole up at the top of a tree. Trees are good defensive points.
"Hm? Oh, perhaps so. I was just watching the proceedings," Edel says, tossing her dagger down into the ground. "This prey offers me little sport. Not to mention the unfavourable pretenses of bringing them all here. No fun when the targets come to you!"
The dragoness is fast with those tentacle strikes. But the big wolf knows his work, curling himself up to present as little target as possible before he crashes to the ground. Jill's strikes have opened up a few bleeding gashes on the wolf's shaggy hide, but he is hardly out of the fight! He paces slowly around the small clearing that the pair have found themselves in. "You like the blood, don't you," he says, sharp teeth glistening in a shark's grin, "Can't you smell it? Hear it calling to your own pulse?" He stalks slowly around, watching the dragoness closely.
Arnor and Phosphorus should have had their wolf dead to rights. But somehow, between the fire below and the frigid shadow breath above, he managed to roll out of the way with preternatural speed, with only a bit of singeing and some frost at the tips of his fur. He snarls, looking from the panda to the winged skunk above, then turns and flees into the woods, looking for easier prey.
It does not take much longer for Rex to finally catch up to his quarry. She is waiting for him. . . In a deep alcove made by a pair of fallen trees, the wolfess waits, back turned to Rex and tail raised as she looks over her shoulder. "Mmmm," she growls, "Slower than I hoped, but tenacious."
The woman nods to Edel. "It is not the way I would have done it," she agrees, "But they are young. My first hunt was nothing so foolish. I think that is why Gregor held this so far from Fenrir's domain. The God-Eater does not hold with this sort of mock-hunt."
Jill chuckles at the wolf and says "Of course I do and what it tells me is that you are a piece of shit. Running away from a fight, refusing a challange and AND you think this is a HUNT!" I shake my head as I keep my eyes on you and I say "It's bloody pitiful! Where the fuck is the hunt in bringing all of your prey to one spot! For fucks sake you might as well just go to the store and buy some raw meat if this is what you consider a hunt." I look at you and smile as I say "So tell me why on earth do you and your pitiful pack need such a big handy cap? You scared? Cowardly? Too dam LAZY to hunt?" I spit on the ground and say "You are fucking disgusting and know nothing of the world you live in so I'm knocking you down. Maybe bloody vilence will teach you a leasson." With that Jill continues to watch the wolf circle hir with hir tentacles spread out behind hir just waiting for the pathetic wolf to attack. It really doesn't help that much knowing tentacles are coming as there is precsios little that one can do to avoid a flurry of spikes that can be guided all the way in and from several sides at once.
Arona lands, glances in the direction the wolf fleed toward, and shakes his head, muttering "Well, at least we know who the villains are" under his breath. He then turns toward the red panda lady. "Miss, What do you want to do about those mutts ? Because I'll be honest, I have no idea what to do."
Rex looks at the wolf, icy eyes simmering. "Moving about on two leg's isn't built for the quick chase, it's about endurance: Consistently tracking and following your prey, always trailing just at the edge of their vision, driving them into a restless panic. They slowly resign themselves to their fate, knowing that your will and hunger are ... inescapable." He pants gently, catching his breath while taking in the the scent of the wolf and nature around them. "That suits me just fine." he rumbles as he stalks closer, examining the wolfess for the first time yet keeping some distance as he steps gingerly. She was certainly strong, but it was her demeanor that stoked his interest further. Not at all like the weak, and admittedly sometimes vapid huskies he dutifully cuddled.
"What we do, is we go take that wolf down." Phosphorus grumbles, strolling over to get her gear up from the box, now that nobody was attacking them. Once all of the gear was on, she'd pull out a coilgun from it's holster (the other weapons are back where they're supposed to be) and gives Arona a nod in the direction the wolf fled to, beginning to crouch and move in a brisk pace in that direction.
"I am sure he doesn't. No true hunter would," Edel says, folding her arms. "So, why did they do it, anyway? You seemed to have a prominent role in it. Surely there was more than just a desire to hunt, to bring such numbers."
The huge, black wolf stares at Jill in silence, his wounds already closing. Then he laughs! He laughs long and hard! "Are you actually that stupid?" he asks, through gales of laughter, "You really think that we brought those people out here to hunt them down and EAT them!?" The wolf sits down and starts to pant, his face a picture of canine amusement. "Gods above and below! If that was the goal, then every one of you would be dead back in that clearing! You flatter yourself." The wolf starts to swell and grow before Jill's eyes until he is the size of a large draft horse! "I am a son of Fenrir Sun Eater!" he growls, "You are not even sport to me. You have joined the game without knowing the rules and you dare call me coward with your naninte crutch. HAH!" The wolf lets loose an ear-shattering howl, like a feral railway train and turns his knife edge grin back at Jill, his wounds completely vanished.
Rex's encounter is much, much different. "Come on, Fluffy," she teases, "I won't bite. Hard." The big wolfess rolls onto her back and exposes her throat to the husky. "What are you waiting for, big guy," she asks, a shark's smile on her muzzle.
Following the fleeing wolf will be difficult now as the snow starts to stick to the ground and the trees. Supernatural snow. As if there weren't enough problems to deal with.
The robed woman sips her tea and smiles kindly at Edel. "That speech earlier was sort of a pep talk for new recruits," she says, "Most of the guests here were just plants, really. I can't believe that so many people showed up to a P-Day memorial out in the middle of the forest! It sounds absolutely ridiculous to me. But it was also a bit of a recruiting drive. Gregory thought that more people would try to hunt. He's not especially smart in the PR department. Otherwise, the real event was for a few new recruits. They were supposed to try to harry someone into chasing them. To try being the prey, just once and never, ever again. Gregory is too soft. When we were initiated, it was a pack of experienced wolves who chased us and taught us a lesson I will never forget." She touches some remembered wound, then shakes her head. "I was rather impressed with your approach though," she admits, "Very smart."
Rex grins as he slips out of the last of his human vestments, casting them to aside to the base of a tree trunk as his canine body drives into motion and pounces atop the she-wolf. Canine paws are soon busy stroking and petting to the best of the husky alpha's abilities, complimenting playful nibbles and bites around her throat. Hungry like a wolf.
Jill looks to the now much bigger wolf and says "Well that makes a lot more sense. I'll readily admit that while I have been a Fenrir Wolf for quite a while now I
Jill looks at the big wolf and grins and then breaks out into a huge fit of laughter and shakes hir head and says "Then I must readily appologize. I thought I was dealing with one of the off the rails packs. One that had really just gone to shit hunting people and needing a massive handycap." I shake my head and say "I heard about those in my pack and thought I was dealing with that type of situation." I then grin and say "So be it knowing what I know now I will readily say it has been an honor to fight an Alpha and I am quite pleased with myself for doing as well as I did while we were still on evenish footing." I nod and say "Lets head back to the hut before either of us do anything we will regret and welcome back the new wolves. They are new right?"
Arona lets the red panda try to hunt the giant wolves, looking doubtfully at the snow. This is too cold and close to becoming a nightmare. He's had enough and decided to just fly away. He flaps his wings and leaves in the direction he came from.
The cold never really bothered the panda, even when she was human. The whole thing with the nanites only made that more significant. She shoots a bit of a glance at the skunk as they fly away, hefting her rifle up to her shoulder and continues attempting to follow the tracks through the woods, despite the new snowfall starting to cover the tracks. She was determined, and would keep this up to nightfall, if need be.
"Good boy," is all the response Rex gets from his pleased partner before chatting is no longer an option.
The enormous alpha looms over Jill. "We were never on equal footing," he growls, then turns and vanishes into the trees.
There was a party that did not go as advertised.
