A Roleplay between A Tattooed Girl, lonewolf888978, Question Mark and LoneSilverWolf
Characters Played by Each Roleplayer
A Tattooed Girl as Allie, Davina and Stormy. lonewolf888978 as Jason,HavenandDrake. Question Mark as Atlas and Hades. LoneSilverWolf as Navarro and Lucinda.
Some of our characters are from old apocalypse roleplays we had back in RolePlayerGuild forums, and a couple new as well. Allie and Drake originated from a zombie apocalypse RP called Plagued that I (Tattooed) made back when I first joined the Guild. Stormy and Navarro are from the first Wolves of the Apocalypse, also made by me. LoneSilverWolf and I decided to carry on the old Wolves which was based (originally) out of Citi Field (Mets Stadium) but at a different location, as if the old safe zone had been compromised. Characters are coming back together, and others are being torn apart. DUN DUN DUN! (OOC)
Roleplay Guild:
Bold is for spoken words
Italics are for thoughts
White text is used for MPC's.
Color coated text specifies which character is acting out or speaking in one's post.
Our quad-collab roleplaying is performed in a Google Docs document. Once we feel the doc has become overwhelmingly full, I, myself or one of the group will post up what we have.
Jason woke with a start, the pound of hammer's pounding on nails, and the sound of order's being barked. Two nights before, a group of raider's once again assaulted the stronghold, killing one and injuring another two guards, and destroying several barricades. He looked around the single cell makeshift bedroom like he expected to see someone. With no one around, he rolled out of bed and grabbed his shirt and a baseball cap off the floor and walked out the room, into the common's area. the morning sunlight blinding Jason's eyes. Making his way outside, Jason headed towards the main gate of the prison, or at least what was left of it. The gate was off it's hinges, a van full of armed men drove through it, starting the raid nights before. Grabbing a tool box, he headed towards one of the towers that guarded the gate and began patching several holes in it.
Drake
Drake sat quietly atop the prison's main building, his sniper rifle sat at his feet, and in his hand's fiddled with an empty beer can. The screech of a hawk snapped his attention up, his hand going to his rifle. Relaxing some, he spotted the hawk flying over the prison, circling it like it was hunting a group of mice. Looking towards the road, he spotted a man walking along the side of it. Quickly aiming in, he confirmed it wasn't anyone he recognized and he sent his hand towards his radio, speaking into it with an instinct to speak in a hushed tone "Yo, Navarro we got one guy walking down the street towards the prison, want me to shoot his ass or you gonna go sniff him out?" He laughed at his own joke, not realizing he left the radio on as he laughed.
Davina
It had been just over 3 ½ weeks since I'd joined up with Allie-- who actually almost killed me in cold blood, believing me to be some lost wolf without it's pack. Food--up until I practically screamed into her mind that I was just like her. A shifter. It didn't take long for us to introduce ourselves and somewhat get to know one another but in the end I decided I needed a protector cause I knew I wouldn't be able to survive this world alone, eating what little I could find. The thought of eating another bug or piece of roadkill could make me gag. As I sat there beside the fire keeping watch, I noticed Zephyr sitting up as well while he watched into the far off distance of the trees, hearing things that even I couldn't. 'Maybe if I was in my better form,' I thought to myself. 'Maybe then..' I stood up slowly and walked over to Allie who was resting in the one sleeping bag that we shared. I knew she hadn't gotten any sleep since we stopped to make camp, but she hadn't said a word to me all night long. Gently grabbing her shoulder, I shake it once and softly say, "Allie, it's sunrise. We better get going."
Allie
I slowly opened my eyes, looking straight ahead to catch a moving figure off in the distance. Sighing, figuring it to be another walker but having enough sense to fear it to be another group of raiders, or even just a single man out on a hunt, I knew we had to move. Quickly standing to my feet, I fold the sleeping bag in half and roll it up, tying it off and strapping it to my backpack. "Shall we travel on two or four feet?" I could see the smile in Davina's eyes before it even reached her lips, and knew her answer without her saying a word. As fast as I had been trained to do so, I stripped down just as Davina did and as my last piece of clothing came off I quickly stuffed mine into my bag. Keeping my eyes on the ground, I could feel the heat in my body rise and the all-too-familiar pain of my bones snapping and reforming. To a mere human, the shift would be over within a couple seconds, but for us.. it seemed to take eternity. Every snap of our bones took minutes at a time in our world-- once my shift was complete, I turned to look over at the petite little black wolf standing just a couple feet away, shaking out my pelt. "You ready?" Davina's reply came quick and without hesitation, "Let's go."
Atlas
"Yo! Atlas buddy, where ya going?" A black haired man caught up with the one he called Atlas. He grabbed his shoulder but Atlas just pulled away. "Away," He replied and kept walking. The man cocked his head to the side and rolled his eyes. "Oh not this again, seriously dude!?!? What's the point of being a pack if you're always going to walk off. We're the misfits dude! And guess what?" The man caught back up with Atlas, smirking from ear to ear. Atlas ignored the man and just kept walking. Once again this man just rolled his eyes but this time with a chuckle. "It means you're family dude and you can't leave family." Atlas simply replied coldly. "Watch me." The man just stopped and crossed his arms over his chest. Frowning a little bit and watching Atlas walking off. A woman walked up to the man and placed her hand on his shoulder watching Atlas leave as well. "He'll be back, we'll see him again." The man shook his head and turned around shrugging his shoulders. "I-I just don't get it." Sighed and walked back to camp with the woman following him.
Two months later Atlas was still moving, not stopping. A backpack hung over his right shoulder, two tomahawks strapped to his sides, and a black long barreled revolver strapped to his lower back. High in the sky flew his female hawk Phantom. She was a northern grey hawk and she was his eyes in the sky. She spotted anything or anyone before they spotted Atlas. The bird spotted the prison and called out before disappearing higher in the sky. She was perfect, her color helped her blend in when clouds were in the sky. Atlas heard her calling out, snapping back to reality he saw the prison. Phantom flew over spotting the sniper and made her descent down on the sniper. Atlas stood there calm and cool waiting for his moment. The hawk gripped the barrel of the rifle and pulled up on it, interrupting his line of sight. With this opportunity, Atlas hid in the cover of the thick line of trees beside the road-- knowing something was up. Phantom was doing something over there, he knew that much. Once the snipers line of sight was interrupted she disappeared into the sky yet again.
Navarro
I sighed, staring at the woods in front of me, my feet making imprints in the snow as I slowly tread through the trees not terribly far from the prison that has been my home for just over five months now. My gaze was set forward, teeth clenched, as I walked, my assault rifle slung over my shoulder and pistol holstered at my hip. I was thinking….perhaps too much. But then, I did a lot of that lately. I was supposed to be reconning for zombies, walkers, shufflers, whatever the hell you want to call the damn things. And, to be fair, I was doing that too...but I had alterior motives. I was also looking for bandits, raiders, anyone who might be known for...kidnapping. Because I had my mind made up; I was going to find out the fate of Stormy, one day. I didn't give a flying fuck what McKinley thought about it either--or anyone else for that matter. Luckily for the ilk out there that liked to kidnap, murder, and pillage, I didn't come across any. Probably, they all realized that this was a bad area to try anything in; at least, after the last attack. Yeah, the prison gate got smashed to hell, but those stupid-ass bandits never made it out alive. That's what happens when you screw with a pack of wolves.
I was lost in deep thought when the radio belted to my shoulder crackled to life, and I heard a familiar voice buzzing through. "Yo, Navarro we got one guy walking down the street towards the prison, want me to shoot his ass or you gonna go sniff him out?" I frowned at the words, and outright scowled at the laugh on the other end. Maybe at one time I'd have laughed right with Drake. But not this time. I hadn't laughed in months. Rolling my eyes and shaking my head, I punched the button on the radio, and spoke into the thing. "I'd let you shoot his ass, but I'm pretty fucking close to the gate anyway. May as well check it out. Maybe he'll give me a reason to rip his damn head off. Nav out." With that, I pulled my FN SCAR from my shoulder, holding it in my hands and was about to take off for the front gate. Whoever was on the way, was about to get one hell of a welcome. And then I heard the gunshot. 'What the hell?' I thought, eyes widening. Did he just shoot the sorry guy, whoever it was? Blinking, I dashed off, wondering if I'd hear further gunfire.
Despite the snow, it didn't take me long to spot the guy. I remained hidden in the woods, moving with deceptively soft and silent tread; this is what I was trained to do. Former Force Recon, my dog tags still dangling around my neck, I crouched low, watching the guy as he headed towards the prison. It was now or never. I either shot him, or hopped out to meet the guy. He looked...dark. Black hair, dark eyes, a mean look etched into his face. Could be a bandit, but I didn't think so. I pressed the button on the radio again, contacting Drake once more. "Nav here, about to make contact. Make sure you got my back and don't shoot unless I'm about to die. He tries anything, the fuckers' mine. Nav out." With those words barely escaping my lips, I stood to my face and leapt out in front of the man, aiming the wicked looking assault rifle right between his eyes, my own still glowing violet. The wolf within was stirring, as it had been the last 3 months. Ever close to the surface, ever close to losing control, my eyes had been violet nearly the entire time that Stormy had been missing. I was on edge, and everyone knew it. Most just stayed away from me.
"You there; take one more step and I pull the trigger. Who the hell are you, and where do you think you're going, stranger?" I didn't take my eyes from his, I let the glow show that I wasn't entirely human. If he was...human that is, then it'd probably intimidate him. If he wasn't...well, then things could get real interesting, real quick.
Drake spoke back to Nav, his words were quick as his crosshairs covered over the stranger, "Alrighty Navster, I got your back in case it's an ambush or someth-" A black spot soon blocked his view and Drake looked up, the hawk from earlier grabbing ahold of the barrel, flying off in a different direction. Startled, Drake's finger pulled the trigger, the bullet going off into the air. Falling sideways from his chair, Drake landed with his head hanging over the side of the tower, his face facing the ground below. Luckily, the shot scared the bird away-- for the moment, at least. Noticing people reaching for their guns, Drake called down to them, "Sorry about that, that damn birt scared me half to death."
Jason
Jason wiped some sweat off his forehead, and laid down the hammer that he was using to fix the tower. It look a little better now, but could've been better if he could smelt. He started to head in, to get some breakfast, but stopped mid stepped and reached for his gun, as most of the soldier's did at the sound of a gunshot. After the shot everyone looked at each other, then heard the sniper on the roof yell down "Sorry about that, that damn bird scared me half to death."
Davina
With my light-weight pack hanging from my jaws, I ducked down under some low hanging branches and scouted ahead--as was always my job in the two-girl pack we had going. I could hear Allie and Zephyr padding a few yards behind me, Allie's footsteps light as if walking on air and Zephyr was shuffling through the leaves. Poor pup, he must have been exhausted. "God my mind is all over the place.." In the back of my mind, I could hear Allie speak through our telepathic mind link, "Yes it is. I've been listening to it bounce back and forth all morning long." I smirked mentally and shook my head, breaking through the trees and stepping out onto a road, peering down both ways. "We might have some luck finding a house, or something along this road, Allie.. and come to think of it, this is the longest we've gone without any Geek run-ins."
Allie
I follow behind Davina, every now and then nudging Zephyr's side to keep him moving along with our pace. I knew this trip was taking a toll on the poor dog and we needed to find a place for him to rest, and maybe for Davina as well. She'd refused to sleep the last few days and the thought kept recurring in my mind that if none of this had happened and things were still what they used to be, Davina would have made a fine soldier. "Might not wanna jynx us yet." I pushed past the treeline as well, suddenly hearing a gunshot and ducking back into the brush. "Shit, Davina get back here!" It then dawned on me that the sound actually came from a good distance away. A mile or so? I looked out at Davina who was unfazed by the noise, standing in the middle of the street looking down it in it's general direction. "Wanna go check it out, or do you wanna keep going?" The second Davina turned her bright orange eyes on me and gave me a wolfy grin, she didn't have to say anything--in fact, she didn't. I knew it wasn't a smart idea to be walking directly down the middle of the road so I nudged both Davina and Zephyr onto the opposite side of the road and finally into the woods beside it. I gave one last look down the road before I picked my bag up over a fallen tree and jumped clear over it, disappearing into the forest and heading towards where the gun had sounded off.
Atlas
Atlas heard the man's call out to him but he remained hidden. One shot was already fired off but how mainly more shots would they be willing to fire off. Atlas reached for his gun, The Rev. He stepped out into the open with his gun pointed up in the air, making eye contact with the one that spot knowing damn well the sniper would be able to spot him again. His finger on the trigger ready to fire off a shot? Into the air, but why? What good would that do? His hawk staying in the sky watching over the events that were taking place. Atlas kep cool, a calm look on his face as he spoke. "How about you lower your weapon and I won't fire off mine. You already fired off one shot and I'm not afraid to fire off another. Sure this area is yours which means I don't give a damn about how many ghouls and or bandits hear gunfire." Ghouls, that's what he called the dead. "As for where I'm going, I'll go where I damn well please." Atlas was cold, he wasn't really a fan of people. People pointing weapons at him were always bumped down to the bottom of his list. Atlas stood there a few moments saying nothing else.
Navarro
"How about you lower your weapon and I won't fire off mine. You already fired off one shot and I'm not afraid to fire off another. Sure this area is yours which means I don't give a damn about how many ghouls and or bandits hear gunfire. As for where I'm going, I'll go where I damn well please."
My violet eyes narrowed into slits at the mans words, glaring coldy. Snorting, I lowered my weapon--slightly. Now I was aiming at the ground and not at the mans head--but I was clearly ready to bring it up again if the need arose. "Trust me, if our guy was trying to hit you, you wouldn't be talking now, stranger. I'm not the one who fired--could've been a warning shot. I don't know what the fuck that was about, to be honest." Shrugging, I ran a hand through my short cropped hair, paused, taking a breath and sizing the man up. He seemed pretty cold, but then again, I was was said to be cold lately too...so who was I to judge? "Well, you're right. This area does belong to me. Well, to be more precise, the people I'm working with. That means, if you want to go any damn further, you're going to answer my goddamn questions or you can turn the hell around and go back the way you came. I don't give a shit if you draw those stupid ass shufflers our way either. I'll rip em all new asses, and enjoy the chance to add to my kill count. Now, I ask again, stranger, who are you? Oh, and if you threaten my territory again...I'll shoot you in the ass. I've been shot in the ass myself, trust me--it hurts like shit." With those words, I kept his hands on my weapon, but loosened my control over the wolf within. If this stranger decided to get cute, I'd be ready--not with bullets, but with Snowball; I'd let the wolf roam free.
Drake settled once again, his rifle ready to aim and fire if he got the chance, and with his free hand he reached for the walkie-talkie and spoke into it "Yo Nav, watch out that guy either has a killer fuckin' bird or the luckiest guy in the world!" Setting the radio to the side, he reached towards another beer, the last of his six pack. Sure he was a little tipsy, but what'd it matter nowadays? Taking a sip, he looked towards his watch and frown, mumbling to himself, "My shift is almost over! Navarro better hurry his ass up and take care of this new guy!"
Jason
Jason walked towards the cafeteria to get his breakfast, a simple slightly rotten apple. Reaching for it he mumbled under his breath "We need some fresh food soon, or I'll lose my mind and/or teeth." Taking a bite as he walked away towards his cell to get ready for his next shift, guard duty. The last time he was on guard duty was two day's ago right before the van crashed through the gate. Sure he should've been on better watch but how was he to know that van was gonna kill someone? "Oh well," Jason thought as he slid his military boots on, now that he was in the comfort and safety of his cell.
Allie
I made sure Davina and my pup could keep up with me before I started running through the trees, ducking and jumping under and over objects in the way. Coming up onto a clearing I stop abruptly-- stopping so suddenly that Davina runs right into my back end and pushes me out into the open, Zephyr running under me between my legs, then jumping out to the side. I freeze for a second then quickly back up, staring out at what looked to be a prison or a jail. My eyes found the sniper up in the tower and decided it'd be best to stay out of his line of fire, no telling if these people could be potential friendlies or enemies. "Davina, whatever you do.. please don't do anything to give away our position, 'kay?" I had thought too soon-- turning to peek behind me, Davina wasn't in sight but I could feel through our pack bond that she was still close. I mentally narrowed my eyebrows and grit my teeth.
Davina
"Yes, mother." I rolled my eyes and dropped my bag into a bush, being sure it's hidden well enough no one but Allie or I would find it. Well, or someone with a really good nose. I quickly crossed the road and dove back into the cover of the bushes, hearing a couple of men talking quite a ways away, I decided to get a little closer. "--enjoy the chance to add to my kill count. Now, I ask again, stranger, who are you? Oh, and if you threaten my territory again...I'll shoot you in the ass. I've been shot in the ass myself, trust me--it hurts like shit." My ears perked up at the last part of it, a low bark sounded from my chest in a sort of wolfy laugh and I immediately ducked down as low to the ground as possible. "Shit.. shit shit shit!" And of course, without a second passed-- "What the hell did you do?!" Allie thought at me, but all I could do was freeze and wait, hoping I wasn't heard.
Atlas
Atlas watched the man lowering his gun and listened to him speak. He still didn't trust the man and kept his gun held up in the air, a straight look of his face. "Why the hell should I even answer this guy?" He thought to himself. "It's not like he's asking for your REAL name though. Atlas should be fine." Atlas sighed a bit before speaking. "My name is Atlas. That is all you need to know. Oh and here's a little tip for you bub, shooting someone in the ass is a waste of a bullet. You look military you should know this. It's much more effective to shoot them in the head or chest." Atlas smirked a tiny bit, this stranger mostly knew that and was just talking trash but Atlas didn't care. It had been a while since he came close to a smile, but as soon as his smirk appeared it was gone. He looked over at the prison and then back at the stranger. "A prison for a home? How...how depressing."
Phantom was still in the air watching over her master, circling the area for him. When she spotted something else in the forest moving around then coming to a stop. The hawk flew over in that direction and called out. Without any hesitation Atlas spun around and pointed his gun out in front of him. At this moment he couldn't spot the others, they were too well hidden but his hawk never called out for no reason. He glared and continued to looking before looking back over his shoulder at the man. "What's going on?" His tone cold as ice, he thought it might of been people from the prison sneaking up behind him to ambush him. Then again that shot that was fired could of brought ghouls here, or bandits. He looked back out in front of him, his weapon still ready to fire. He was a sitting duck here. He'd try and run for cover but he didn't wanna be shot at by the stranger behind him or the sniper. He didn't like this though, he hated it. It was slowly starting to anger him. "If they are yours you better call them off, bub." He said directed to the man behind him with the assault rifle.
Navarro
Atlas. I thought the name was rather interesting, instantly connecting it to Greek mythology, being the geeky sort I am behind closed doors.I was just about to reply, when he made the comment about a bullet to the ass being a waste. If Atlas had met me 6 months ago, he'd have seen me laughing. Hard. I usually have a pretty good sense of humor, if I do say so myself, and I'm usually notorious for being a smartass. But that was old Nav. That was the Navarro before my best and only friend went missing. That was the Navarro that died five months ago. What once would have made me laugh with glee, now hardly phased me. Still, I could tell the bright violet of my eyes lightened for a small moment, my features relaxing every so slightly--though not even a smirk crossed my lips. I didn't extend my hand, but I lowered my weapon further, and nodded briskly. "Well, Atlas, the Name's Staff Sergeant Navarro Ethan Harper; but you can call me Navarro. Yeah, I think some tango's in Afghanistan found out the hard way that shooting someone in the ass is a bad idea." I winced at my own words, memories flooding back to me.
I saw myself surrounded again, shot, and struggling in hand to hand combat against three guys. One managed to knock me to the ground, holding a knife to my throat--but I was doing a fine job, injured as I was, holding him off. That said, 1 vs 3 was not good odds, and I might've died then--but the guy trying to slice my throat suddenly coughed up blood, slumping over. I rolled him off my chest, rising to my knees and reaching for my pistol--but I saw two knives fly through the air, catching the other men, dropping them instantly. I looked over, and there she was; Devereaux, Navy SEAL, the girl who saved my sorry ass during that joint op. I didn't know it at the time, but she'd become my best friend...someone that I'd never imagine how I could live without. And now….now she's gone.
The screech of the hawk snapped me from my thoughts, and I instinctively raised my weapon--but I saw that Atlas had done the same damn thing. I remembered Drake's words about the guy having a killer bird, or being very lucky, and deduced he did indeed have some kind of killer bird. Just as I was about to tell him to lower the damn gun, he threw a look over his shoulder, warning me if they were one of ours, I'd better call them out of hiding. 'Well, they aren't his then,' I thought to myself, eyes narrowing again.
"Ain't any of ours," I called out, glancing about wildly and nearly on the verge of going wolf. "I should be the only one patrolling this area at the moment. And whatever the fuck is going on, it's obviously not yours so…." I let my voice trail off, the rest of the words unspoken as my eyes surveyed the trees, looking for whatever Atlas'...pet?...has obviously warned him of. I pressed a button on the radio of my shoulder, speaking into the thing. "Hey, Drake, you see anything out here, aside from me and the newcomer? Something's fuckin out here, but I don't see a damn thing. Did you send anyone?"
Lucinda
I walked through the forest, feet barely making a sound, dark eyes taking in the frozen landscape around me. The weight of the MP5SD slung over my shoulder was comforting. VERY comforting. It was my lifeline, my weapon against the walkers and the various bandits that wander the land in this treacherous age. I've lived in the wild, on my own, for years. Survival; it was what I was trained to do. Russia. Iraq. Afghanistan. Korea. China. Libya. The Ukrain. France, Germany, Poland, Britain. I've been around the world, and I've done a lot of wetwork for the Central Intelligence Agency. I knew a thing or two about survival in shitty situations. And I knew a thing or two about getting my way; it was one of my specialties, and is precisely why I was one of the best spies the CIA had at the time.
Of course none of that mattered now, as I walked through the frozen woods, wandering the area aimlessly. I stopped dead in my tracks, however, when a gunshot pierced the night. Frowning, I crouched low, hiding behind the trees and slipping forward ever so cautiously. Bandits? Or was that from the prison I'd seen a few weeks ago? Yeah, I knew about the prison. Never had any inkling to join those inside though. I was a loner, always had been, and likely always would be. As I reached the edge of the treeline I saw two men speaking...and rather harshly to one another at that. And then, the piercing cry of a hawk. The two men exchanged words again and began to look around. I worried about being spotted--I didn't exactly want to be seen. But if I was? Well if they were troublesome, then I'd let Verelle loose; I always had her to fall back on. But then, I noticed the violet eyes of the guy with the assault rifle. I blinked, arching a dark eyebrow. Another wolfie for sure, like me. Still crouching behind the tree, I quietly unstrapped by MP5, then my Five-Seven, and finally my combat knife. Removing the veil that covered the lower half of my face, and began to remove my clothes; they were surveying the area, and I knew I'd soon be spotted. I'd rather be ready to shift at a moments notice; besides, I had no problem with my body. It's not like I hadn't used it before in the field. Not that they'd see me anyway, I'd be a wolf the second I thought they got wind of my location…
Drake settled once again, his rifle ready to aim and fire if he got the chance, and with his free hand he reached for the walkie-talkie and spoke into it "Yo Nav, watch out that guy either has a killer fuckin' bird or the luckiest guy in the world!" Setting the radio to the side, he reached towards another beer, the last of his six pack. Sure he was a little tipsy, but what'd it matter nowadays? Taking a sip, he looked towards his watch and frown, mumbling to himself "My shift is almost over! Navarro better hurry his ass up and take care of this new guy!"
Jason
Jason walked towards the cafeteria to get his breakfast, a simple slightly rotten apple. Reaching for it he mumbled under his breath, "We need some fresh food soon, or I'll lose my mind and/or teeth." Taking a bite as he walked away towards his cell to get ready for his next shift, guard duty. The last time he was on guard duty was two day's ago right before the van crashed through the gate. Sure he should've been on better watch but how was he to know that van was gonna kill someone? "Oh well," Jason thought as he slide his military boots on, now that he was in the comfort and safety of his cell.
Allie
I made sure Davina and my pup could keep up with me before I started running through the trees, ducking and jumping under and over objects in the way. Coming up onto a clearing I stop abruptly-- stopping so suddenly that Davina runs right into my back end and pushes me out into the open, Zephyr running under me between my legs, then jumping out to the side. I freeze for a second then quickly back up, staring out at what looked to be a prison or a jail. My eyes found the sniper up in the tower and decided it'd be best to stay out of his line of fire, no telling if these people could be potential friendlies or enemies. "Davina, whatever you do.. please don't do anything to give away our position, 'kay?" I had thought too soon-- turning to peek behind me, Davina wasn't in sight but I could feel through our pack bond that she was still close. I mentally narrowed my eyebrows and grit my teeth.
Davina
"Yes, mother." I rolled my eyes and dropped my bag into a bush, being sure it's hidden well enough no one but Allie or I would find it. Well, or someone with a really good nose. I quickly crossed the road and dove back into the cover of the bushes, hearing a couple of men talking quite a ways away, I decided to get a little closer. "--enjoy the chance to add to my kill count. Now, I ask again, stranger, who are you? Oh, and if you threaten my territory again...I'll shoot you in the ass. I've been shot in the ass myself, trust me--it hurts like shit." My ears perked up at the last part of it, a low bark sounded from my chest in a sort of wolfy laugh and I immediately ducked down as low to the ground as possible. "Shit.. shit shit shit!" And of course, without a second passed-- "What the hell did you do?!" Allie thought at me, but all I could do was freeze and wait, hoping I wasn't heard.
Atlas
Atlas watched the man lowering his gun and listened to him speak. He still didn't trust the man and kept his gun held up in the air, a straight look of his face. "Why the hell should I even answer this guy?" He thought to himself. "It's not like he's asking for your REAL name though. Atlas should be fine." Atlas sighed a bit before speaking. "My name is Atlas. That is all you need to know. Oh and here's a little tip for you bub, shooting someone in the ass is a waste of a bullet. You look military you should know this. It's much more effective to shoot them in the head or chest." Atlas smirked a tiny bit, this stranger mostly knew that and was just talking trash but Atlas didn't care. It had been a while since he came close to a smile, but as soon as his smirk appeared it was gone. He looked over at the prison and then back at the stranger. "A prison for a home? How...how depressing."
Phantom was still in the air watching over her master, circling the area for him. When she spotted something else in the forest moving around then coming to a stop. The hawk flew over in that direction and called out. Without any hesitation Atlas spun around and pointed his gun out in front of him. At this moment he couldn't spot the others, they were too well hidden but his hawk never called out for no reason. He glared and continued to looking before looking back over his shoulder at the man. "What's going on?" His tone cold as ice, he thought it might of been people from the prison sneaking up behind him to ambush him. Then again that shot that was fired could of brought ghouls here, or bandits. He looked back out in front of him, his weapon still ready to fire. He was a sitting duck here. He'd try and run for cover but he didn't wanna be shot at by the stranger behind him or the sniper. He didn't like this though, he hated it. It was slowly starting to anger him. "If they are yours you better call them off, bub." He said directed to the man behind him with the assault rifle.
Navarro
Atlas. I thought the name was rather interesting, instantly connecting it to Greek mythology, being the geeky sort I am behind closed doors.I was just about to reply, when he made the comment about a bullet to the ass being a waste. If Atlas had met me 6 months ago, he'd have seen me laughing. Hard. I usually have a pretty good sense of humor, if I do say so myself, and I'm usually notorious for being a smartass. But that was old Nav. That was the Navarro before my best and only friend went missing. That was the Navarro that died five months ago. What once would have made me laugh with glee, now hardly phased me. Still, I could tell the bright violet of my eyes lightened for a small moment, my features relaxing every so slightly--though not even a smirk crossed my lips. I didn't extend my hand, but I lowered my weapon further, and nodded briskly. "Well, Atlas, the Name's Staff Sergeant Navarro Ethan Harper; but you can call me Navarro. Yeah, I think some tango's in Afghanistan found out the hard way that shooting someone in the ass is a bad idea." I winced at my own words, memories flooding back to me.
I saw myself surrounded again, shot, and struggling in hand to hand combat against three guys. One managed to knock me to the ground, holding a knife to my throat--but I was doing a fine job, injured as I was, holding him off. That said, 1 vs 3 was not good odds, and I might've died then--but the guy trying to slice my throat suddenly coughed up blood, slumping over. I rolled him off my chest, rising to my knees and reaching for my pistol--but I saw two knives fly through the air, catching the other men, dropping them instantly. I looked over, and there she was; Devereaux, Navy SEAL, the girl who saved my sorry ass during that joint op. I didn't know it at the time, but she'd become my best friend...someone that I'd never imagine how I could live without. And now….now she's gone.
The screech of the hawk snapped me from my thoughts, and I instinctively raised my weapon--but I saw that Atlas had done the same damn thing. I remembered Drake's words about the guy having a killer bird, or being very lucky, and deduced he did indeed have some kind of killer bird. Just as I was about to tell him to lower the damn gun, he threw a look over his shoulder, warning me if they were one of ours, I'd better call them out of hiding. Well, they aren't his then I thought to myself, eyes narrowing again.
"Ain't any of ours," I called out, glancing about wildly and nearly on the verge of going wolf. "I should be the only one patrolling this area at the moment. And whatever the fuck is going on, it's obviously not yours so…." I let my voice trail off, the rest of the words unspoken as my eyes surveyed the trees, looking for whatever Atlas'...pet?...has obviously warned him of. I pressed a button on the radio of my shoulder, speaking into the thing. "Hey, Drake, you see anything out here, aside from me and the newcomer? Something's fuckin out here, but I don't see a damn thing. Did you send anyone?"
Lucinda
I walked through the forest, feet barely making a sound, dark eyes taking in the frozen landscape around me. The weight of the MP5SD slung over my shoulder was comforting. VERY comforting. It was my lifeline, my weapon against the walkers and the various bandits that wander the land in this treacherous age. I've lived in the wild, on my own, for years. Survival; it was what I was trained to do. Russia. Iraq. Afghanistan. Korea. China. Libya. The Ukraine. France, Germany, Poland, Britain. I've been around the world, and I've done a lot of wet work for the Central Intelligence Agency. I knew a thing or two about survival in shitty situations. And I knew a thing or two about getting my way; it was one of my specialties, and is precisely why I was one of the best spies the CIA had at the time.
Of course none of that mattered now, as I walked through the frozen woods, wandering the area aimlessly. I stopped dead in my tracks, however, when a gunshot pierced the night. Frowning, I crouched low, hiding behind the trees and slipping forward ever so cautiously. Bandits? Or was that from the prison I'd seen a few weeks ago? Yeah, I knew about the prison. Never had any inkling to join those inside though. I was a loner, always had been, and likely always would be. As I reached the edge of the treeline I saw two men speaking...and rather harshly to one another at that. And then, the piercing cry of a hawk. The two men exchanged words again and began to look around. I worried about being spotted--I didn't exactly want to be seen. But if I was? Well if they were troublesome, then I'd let Verelle loose; I always had her to fall back on. But then, I noticed the violet eyes of the guy with the assault rifle. I blinked, arching a dark eyebrow. Another wolfie for sure, like me. Still crouching behind the tree, I quietly unstrapped by MP5, then my Five-Seven, and finally my combat knife. Removing the veil that covered the lower half of my face, and began to remove my clothes; they were surveying the area, and I knew I'd soon be spotted. I'd rather be ready to shift at a moments notice; besides, I had no problem with my body. It's not like I hadn't used it before in the field. Not that they'd see me anyway, I'd be a wolf the second I thought they got wind of my location…
----
Drake
Drake thought for a moment, both hands firing to hold the rifle steady. Speaking into the radio, he shook his head instinctively. "Can't say I did send anyone out there Navarro, but I'll scan the area for any thre-" Stopping mid-sentence, Drake saw some slight movement behind a tree, but the blink of an eye later, he didn't notice anyone or thing. His eyes then darted towards some nearby bushes, but what he believed was a tail, was just the leaves rustling in the wind. Finally, he reached for his radio, just as a figure stumbled out from the forest line, just around the corner of the two men's conversation. The body of what was a man, blood slathered on his mouth, chest, and neck stumbled into the conversation of Nav and the newcomer, hoping to get a quick bite in on one of the two men. Speaking into his radio quickly he said "Found your problem, a walker just came outta the forest a few yards from y'all, I got him for yah." Steadying his aim again, Drake took aim and fired one more shot. From below he heard one of his friends, Jason call up to him "Another bird scare you again D-Dwag?" Laughing, Drake replied by flipping Jason off, his eyes concentrating on Nav.
Jason
Jason got dressed quickly, his mask and helmet were the last thing he slid on, and he quickly grabbed his MG4, two ammo belts, his flare gun and left the room, going to his post next to the main gate. As he left the door of the building, another shot rang out. Looking towards the road, Jason smiled and called up to Drake "Another bird scare you D-Dwag?" The answer he got back widened the smile on Jason's face, a middle finger aimed at him held up high towards Jason. Returning a laugh, Jason walked towards his post.
Davina
I lay my ears back against my head, listening to the two men exchange words and the third party speaking over the radio. I heard the geek shuffling a few feet behind the men before the man on the radio confirmed it, taking the heat off of me and my almost-major-fuck-up. "What's going on over there, Davina? I can only hear so much from over here." I chose to ignore Allie, creeping up a bit closer, staying on the outer perimeter of the men and staying the hell away from the sniper's sights. I didn't want him-- like Allie, mistaking me for an actual wolf. "It was an accident and you know it!" Allie's thoughts echoed through my mind and I only wished I could shut them out. "God she never stops talking!" From the other end, I could hear her again, "I heard that." Ugh. Crouching down behind a bush, once more-- I waited.
Atlas
Atlas heard the second shot going off and just rolled his eyes. He thought it wasn't worth the risk firing off another shot when there was just one of them. It could be easily taken out silently. He shook his head and took a few steps forward pulling his gun away and pulling out a tomahawk. "I still don't like it. I'd much rather trust my instinct on this one, and my eyes in the sky. So…" He kept his weapon ready taking a few more steps forward, his eyes darting around for any movement. "If someone is there you better come out now." He spoke his tone still cold, he walked slowly checking all his surroundings. Someone was hiding around him, he just didn't know where they were. He continued to move slowly through the wooded area till he stepped on the paw of wolf that was hiding. He didn't notice her paw but she would.
Navarro
"I still don't like it. I'd much rather trust my instinct on this one, and my eyes in the sky. So…" I shrugged. If he didn't want to believe me, then so be it. It was then my radio crackled to life, and Drake confirmed what in truth, I'd already known. He hadn't sent anyone. I gave Atlas a look of "see? Told you it's not ours" before I heard the rest of the sentence. "Found your problem, a walker just came outta the forest a few yards from y'all, I got him for yah."Shit. Son of a bitch. I thought, spinning around and bringing my weapon to my shoulder. "Hey, Atlas, fuck what's in the woods, my buddy up top just said there's a goddamn shuffler over there--you wanna show me you mean no harm, then get your sorry ass away from those damn trees and ready your fucking weapon." I called to the man, bringing the barrel of the gun in line with the zombie that Drake had spotted. He wasn't far away at all and coming in fast. Barely a second later, I heard the gunshot, and knew it was taken care of. Drake never missed. Well, unless a damn bird screws up his aim anyway. Still, I kept my eyes open, looking down the path where that one had come from. There was seldom ever just one. They were like rats, or cockroaches--where there was one, there were usually several. I was so caught up peering into the woods looking for more shufflers that I didn't even notice that he'd stepped on...something in the woods.
Lucinda
It was getting awfully crowded for my tastes. That's what I thought as I saw the zombie come marching down the path. I heard the radio on the shoulder of the one called "Navarro" crackle to life, and I heard a voice on the other end point out the creature long before any of them actually saw it. Great. No way I'm getting out of this unseen I thought. I was about to turn into my wolf form, leaping out of hiding when I saw the other dark, almost Gothic looking man step towards the woods--but in the opposite direction of me. Letting out a quiet sigh of relief, my toned muscles relaxed. I considered what my next move should be. I was getting cold, crouched behind this tree with no clothes on. Not to mention, I didn't exactly want them to see me, who knows what they'd think. That I was a mad-woman? Or some kind of zombie myself, and shoot? I followed the man called "Atlas" with my eyes, and my own went wide when I noticed the little wolf hiding behind some shrubs and trees not terribly far from me. If she or he didn't move, that little pup was going to get--yep, knew it. Stepped on. Snorting to myself, I decided it was time. There were likely to be more walkers coming, a little puppy was just stumbled upon and would probably be noticed, and it was just a matter of time before *I* was noticed too.
"All in, chips on the table, and ready to go," I muttered softly. Standing to my feet, I dashed forward at a full run, barreling towards the area the zombie came from. At least if they saw me headed *that* way, the sniper was not likely to shoot me. Maybe. And if he did, he did. Not like I'd care once I was dead, right? Charging forward, I shifted at my full (and by no means slow) human speed, body morphing on the fly. Bones snapped, pain ripped through my body, tufts of fur began to poke through my flesh. Mouth became snout, teeth became fangs, and my eyes went from green to bright violet. In moments, I was standing at my full 3' 11" height, timber colors gleaming in the light. White and grayish-silver, with tufts of black lining my ears and streaking my fur in various random places, I was, by all appearances, a timber wolf. Except for my height and glowing eyes. Ruff raising like a porcupine, I stood over the walker's corpse, impressed by the marksmanship of whoever shot the damn thing. I glanced over my shoulder at Navarro and Atlas, flattening my ears and only slightly lifting my lips in what *might* have been a wry smile on human features.
---
Drake
Drake smiled at the shot, but quickly his eyes darted towards Nav and the newcomer. Drifting off into thought, his sights hovered over the newcomer as he walked towards the forest edge, and he began making shooting sounds as if he was shooting at him. He noticed movement near the dead man. Looking over, his eyes widened and his hand shot towards his radio and he practically yelled "Nav, there is a mother fuckin wolf standing over the dead walker."
Haven
I swore, as my car came to a stop, the gas running out of it. Stepping out of the old pick up I looked around for any sign or building, and putting a smile on my face I spotted a sign on the road. Grabbing my gear, I walked down the road towards the sign, my rifle on my back and my pistol in my right hand. Finally reaching the sign it read 'Cook County Jail, Next Right' Smiling, I picked up the pace, and said "This v'hile be a fun time, spending a night at the big slammer!" Laughing at my own joke, I started humming 'If You're Happy and You Know It'. Jogging down the next road that turned right, I saw the prison up ahead and heard a shot fire out. Instinctively dropping to the ground, I looked around and got back up and started down the road again.
Davina
"If someone is there you better come out now." I get a sudden rush of the chills, realizing just how close this guy was really getting to me. "Please don't fucking see me.." I closed my eyes and grit my teeth at Allie's response, "Well, you shouldn't have gotten so damn close, Davina!" I couldn't help but feel I had made a mistake letting her be my Alpha-- I'd never had nor ..well, I'd had one before and never had a good experience with one. Slowly, I lost myself in the moment to my thoughts, remembering what it was like under the rule of my last Alpha-- my father, the psychopath. I could almost feel his teeth sinking into my neck, back, paws, legs and face all at once. The nightmare that just wouldn't go away, the one I couldn't escape for even just a day. I winced as another memory flashed across my mind, and through my pack bond I could feel Allie's emotions about all of it as well-- she, as well as I, felt broken. "--you wanna show me you mean no harm, then get your sorry ass away from those damn trees and ready your fucking weapon." I opened my eyes again, just as I felt a sharp pain in my left paw. With a yelp, I pulled my paw back-- a snarl ripping through my chest as I lunge forward and clamp my jaws around the man's calf screaming in my mind, "OW, YOU BASTARD!!!"
Atlas
Out of no where Atlas felt something digging into his calf of his leg. His eyes shot wide open as he turned to look over his shoulder and down at the wolf. "...fuck." Was all he said before falling to his knees, his calf tearing more now as he did that. He squeezed his eyes shut and he let go of his tomahawk before reaching for The Rev. He turned to turn his body to aim his weapon at the wolf but he couldn't. The more he moved around the more her teeth dug into him and ripped at his flesh. Pain coursed through his body. "You better…" He looked down dropping his pistol as the beast inside him started to show it's ugly head.
Atlas would change before everyone's eyes from a man to a beast. The clothes started to rip off his body, no matter though, he had extras. He was changing into a werewolf, his leg now slipping from the wolf's mouth. He looked no different from a normal wolf, he was also very slender. Atlas only stood about three feet off the ground and his fur was black. Violet eyes glared at the wolf before he lowered himself. He was injured, pissed, and ready to attack. Showing his teeth and jumped at her ready for the attack. Atlas's eyes in the sky were watching this all good down. The hawk circled around the area and called out a few times. Then she started to dive bomb the wolf attacking Atlas, her talons ready to strike.
Lucinda
I watched as all hell broke loose. First, the little wolf pup chomped down...HARD...on Atlas' calf. I knew the moment her teeth sank into flesh that it was a bad move. But then, in all fairness, who wouldn't have done the same thing, getting their paw stepped on like that? I would've too, only I probably would've chewed off a hand. The lil wolf was doing good though, she managed to keep the man from shooting her, and he did try--just couldn't get in a good aim. But then he shifted too. I blinked, a little taken aback that I was in the midst of other wolves. Shit. Shit shit SHIT! I thought to myself. The last thing I wanted to do was confront a pack of friggin wolves. But then...I saw Atlas leap forward, as if in slow motion, lunging for the wolf pup. A child...she was just a child, couldn't that...that monster see that?? I could feel a red fury rising within me. I had a special place in my heart for children. Maybe because I could never have one myself, not after that time….
Blinking again, and shaking my wolfy head, I lifted my lips and let out the deepest snarl, leaping forward at my very considerable speed. My wolf form was built more for speed and agility then power, and she was a fast one, Verelle. In moments I was flying through the air, landing upon all four paws and skidding sideways, coming to a stop right in front of the pup, my feet kicking up snow as I came to a halt, fur bristling and ears flat, head lowered, and bright violet eyes glittering menacingly. I bared my fangs, let out another deep snarl, crouching slightly and ready to pounce at a moments notice. Or leap out of the way if need be, to avoid a quick bite.
"Leave the child alone, you son of a bitch!" I yell telepathically, screaming into my mind. And if that didn't get the point across, the fact that my fur was bristled as much as a porcupine would let Atlas know that I meant business.
Navarro
"Nav, there is a mother fuckin wolf over the dead walker." I heard Drake's voice crackle through the radio. "Goddammit!!" I thought to myself, letting out a deep sigh and swinging my weapon around to face the newcomer wolf. About the time I saw her, I heard a loud yelp, and then snarling. I was about to turn when the large Timber wolf that had been standing over the body of the fallen walker leapt forward so fast she looked like a fucking blur. I immediately squeezed off a few shots, thinking she was attacking, but thankfully I missed, because she didn't attack--instead, I watched the wolf land right in front of...what the fuck?? ANOTHER wolf?? A wolf pup no less?!
"What in the sorry fucking hell is going on here?" I shouted out, tossing my assault rifle to the side. I was about two seconds from going wolf myself, my eyes flashing brighter--I could even feel the little barbs of fur about to sprout through my skin. I was frustrated, hungry, ready to get the hell back inside, and STILL no closer to finding anything out about Stormy. All in all, this day was a bitch. Glaring at the wolves surrounding me, I punched the button on my radio. "Drake, are you seeing this shit?! We've got not one wolf, but two wolves! and our newcomer was a fuckin' wolf too. What in the royal shit is going on here? If one more goddamn wolf shows up I swear to GOD I'm going to start eating someone! FUCK!"" I sighed in exasperation, and then yelled as loudly as I could to try and get everyone's attention.
"Um..As I am the fucking GUARD around here, how about all of you damn OUTSIDERS just stop. Right the hell NOW, before someone gets shot, ripped limb from limb, or otherwise torn to shreds. Preferably right the hell now... please. I'm getting a damn headache here….. son of a bitch!"
---
Drake
Drake froze in the confusion of several wolves appearing, including the new comer. His sights hovering over the newcomer, he about to pull the trigger, but the sound of the hawk screeching made him jump a little and the shot flew up and hit a tree branch. By the time he looked back through the sights, Nav fired off a few rounds, threw his gun to the side and started yelling into his radio "Drake, are you seeing this shit?! We've got not one wolf, but two wolves! and our newcomer was a fuckin' wolf too. What in the royal shit is going on here? If one more goddamn wolf shows up I swear to GOD I'm going to start eating someone! FUCK!" Drake ignored the radio for the moment and couldn't help but laugh as Nav started yelling at the wolves in the forest. Before he knew of the government 'War Hounds' (What he calls them when they aren't around) he would've thought Nav was crazy, but then again what wasn't crazy anymore? Realizing something, he grabbed the radio and spoke into it. "Am I the only one here that can't turn into a fucking wolf? This is seriously no fair. Want me to finish those wolves for you Nav or you got it because it's like 3 minutes past my break time." Hearing a truck start up he looked down to see a few men jumping in the back to go investigate the gunshots Nav shot off moments before. Speaking again, he said, "Hey Nav, reinforcements are on the way…"
Jason
Jason quickly ran down the tower stairs, the sound of gun shot's coming from the woods. A man he barely knew sat in the drive side and two other men he didn't even recognize sat in the bed of the truck. Getting in the passenger side, the truck rode out towards the gun shots.
Haven
More gun shots caused me to drop down again. I saw the prison now, it was just a few minutes walking now, but in the silence of the world, I managed to hear some a trucks motor humming loudly. Putting the sound of gunshots and a truck possibly coming to meet me, I feared the worse and sprinted more into the forest. Laying in the grass, I swore to myself out loud. "Damn American's, I v'ish I v'as in the homelands, v'here it is nice and cozy, and so I don't have to lay on the cold ground like a pig."
Davina
Before I had much time to react, there was another she-wolf in the picture jumping between the man who stepped on my foot and I, kicking up snow right in my face in the midst of attempting to come to my rescue as if I was some D.I.D.. I stood there silently with my back fur bristled on end, teeth bared waiting to hear someone say something but nothing came, telepathic silence on their end. I grit my teeth, hearing the she-wolf snarl at the man--well, wolf in front of me. Watchful, my orange eyes burned with a small tinge of anger, feeling as if this she-wolf thought I couldn't take care of my own damn self. As the she-wolf crouched, I thought to myself, "Girls ain't always gotta stick together," just as I pushed passed her and stood between her and the man-wolf(Atlas), keeping them each on one side of me, glaring at them and snarling right back at the she-wolf though hers was not pointed at me. Before I could make another move, I felt a large weight slam into me from behind me, yelping as I get pushed down to the ground right at the man-wolf's feet. I groan as I hear Allie laughing in the back of my mind, ears flattening against my head and letting my body go limp, not fighting her whatsoever cause in doing so it would be pointless.
Allie
I ran forward as fast as my feet could carry me, hearing the confrontation unfold in the trees ahead, I targeted Davina and dove straight for her, tackling her into the forest floor and planting one giant paw on the side of her neck, a back foot pinning down a couple of her paws. "Allie! Let me go! I had things under control!!" I shook my head and looked down into her wolfy eyes, "Davina, don't ever try and take a wolf who looks like they could eat you in one bite, if they wanted to. Mkay? There's obviously a misunderstanding, and there's always--" "Um..As I am the fucking GUARD around here, how about all of you damn OUTSIDERS just stop. Right the hell NOW, before someone gets shot, ripped limb from limb, or otherwise torn to shreds. Preferably right the hell now... please. I'm getting a damn headache here….. son of a bitch!" I looked over in the direction of the man speaking, and could see his bright violet eyes glowing as he stared each and every one of us down. There was a power in his voice, not just because he had been yelling but there was ..a power that only high ranked wolves normally radiated. Alphas and Betas normally. He had to have been one at some point and lost his pack. I immediately felt bad for the guy, knowing exactly what that was like. I let my thoughts get away from me so much that I had forgot about Davina beneath my feet who had managed to wiggle her way out from beneath my grip and stand a good yard away from me, glaring at the she-wolf who had seemed to have hurt her pride. Poor kid, I knew she was desperate to prove she could do things on her own, that she wasn't the child everyone seemed to see her as--or used to see her as. She almost reminded me of myself, in some way.
Atlas
Now there was another wolf right in front of Atlas, and the one who bit him got away. He lowered himself a little, his ears leaning back and bared his teeth with a low rumbling growl. At this point he was ignoring Navarro and was focused on this new wolf. Her words though, he took a moment to think about her words before attacking her. "Leave the child alone, you son of a bitch!" He slowly shook his head and looked back his injured leg before looking back at this stranger who was defending this child. "Fine. Treat her like a child and she'll die a child." He spoke back to the stranger before turning around making eye contact with no one at the moment. Atlas made his way back over to his bag and took one of the straps into his mouth before walking off behind a tree to change back into his human form. Standing there clothe-less in the snow he sighed and started rooting through his bag.
He pulled out some of his extra clothes and started putting them on. A shirt first, then a simple black sweatshirt, boxers, and now the his pants. His bare feet going numb as he just looked down at his pants then to his injured leg. "This sucks…" Was all he said before sliding on his pants his non-injured leg first then his injured leg. His pant leg quickly becoming soaked with blood. 'I'll clean it up and fix it later. I'll be fine.' He thought to himself before reaching into his bag to pull some socks out throwing them on now before walking back out in sight. Next thing he went for was his boots, quickly putting them on. After they went on he looked over at his jacket, all ripped up. He bent over to pick it up. He looked over the torn remains of this jean jacket before a moment before throwing it on the ground and cursing at it. "Fuck you!!!" He said before kicking it with his bad leg making grunt out in pain.
Finally his weapons, he just picked them up and threw them in his bag before turning and facing one of the wolfs starring her in the eyes. The one that pinned down the wolf that bit Atlas. (Allie) "I'm guessing that young wolf is with you. I'm sure you can understand so listen up. Don't end up like this one." He pointed over to the third wolf that came out of no where to defend the young wolf and ordered her to leave the child alone. (Lucinda) "Don't treat that young one like a child, there are no more children. You're not a child, you're not an adult, you're not an old person...You are alive; end of story. We all are alive. It's people who are over protective who are really the ones hurting everyone. Don't you end up like that...and besides." Atlas looked over at the wolf who ordered him to leave the younger wolf alone. (Lucinda) "She took a chunk out of my leg, I'm pretty sure she's not some helpless weakling who isn't able to fight for herself."
Navarro
I sighed bitterly. Things kept going from bad to worse. Not only did that wolf that darted out of nowhere get shoved aside by the smaller wolf she seemed to be intent on protecting, ANOTHER wolf dashed out of nowhere, slamming her aside. Then Atlas threw a hissy fit, cursing and kicking his jacket, before uttering words that struck a chord in my heart. "You're not a child, you're not an adult, you're not an old person...you are alive; end of story. We are alive. It's people who are over protective who are really the ones hurting everyone. Don't you end up like that…" I blinked, my vision beginning to gloss over as tears threatened to fall. No. Now was not the time, goddamnit! His words reminded me of Devereaux. Stormy...I swallowed, a lump forming in my throat. She and I protected each other, and we were the better for it. I'd not be alive right now, if she hadn't saved my ass...more times than I could count. And she was gone….no. Protecting each other, I decided, was something we should do. It's what kept us human, kept us compassionate. It's what kept us together. I failed Devereaux. I should've been there with her that day she disappeared. I shouldn't have let her walk out of that fucking gate by herself, just her and that dog…the last person I ever thought that needed protecting...had I been there to protect her, she would be here now. Glaring, fists clenched, I snarl, with enough ferocity that my wolf was showing through my human form. Had I been covered in fur, it would've been bristling right now.
"Fuck that, Atlas!" I shouted, an edge to my voice that had nothing to do with him or his words, but my own self-hate for allowing my best friend, my pack leader, and the one person I ever loved to end up...dead? No...she was alive somewhere out there, I had to believe that. "No, Atlas, you are wrong. Helping each other, protecting each other, it's what helps us keep our humanity! Maybe you can justify walking away and letting someone die by saying 'they should've been tough enough on their own' but that's not the way humankind should be. We're supposed to be compassionate, to care...to love. And damn it, we protect the ones we love, and we protect each other because that's all the FUCK we have." And sometimes we fail, I thought...but did not say. Shaking my head, I raised my assault rifle into the air, and fired off half a dozen shots to get everyone's attention.
"LISTEN THE FUCK UP!" I called, raising my voice. "I'm Staff Sergeant Navarro Ethan Harper, I'm one of the security personnel for that prison up ahead. Now, I got a sniper lookin' through his lovely little scope right now, and I'm pretty damn sure after those little rifle shots earlier, more forces are on the way. I'd LOVE to be able to report to them that I have everything under control and wrapped up in a nice little bow. So why don't all of you do me a favor, and settle the FUCK down, line up in front of me, and for the love of God, chill the hell out before someone ends up getting hurt. And to all of you wolves here, kindly return to human form, before *I* have to go wolf myself. You don't want me to do that." With those words, I let my gun drop to the ground, staring everyone down without a trace of fear. Truth was, I didn't fear anything anymore. With Devereaux gone, I felt like an empty shell. Honestly, part of me was hoping one of these wolves would try something; if I went down fighting, death would be a sweet release from the pain in my heart, the failure I had to live with every fucking day.
Lucinda
When the man called Atlas spoke, I was taken aback at his words. "Fine. If you treat her like a child she'll die a child." I remembered my own time out in the field, my first undercover op. I remembered how scared I was, knowing that I had nobody to watch my back if things went bad. I remembered how, because I was out in hostile territory and had to rely only on myself and my wits, I grew to be able to protect myself...to survive. My glare relaxed, as did my fur; and I lowered my head slightly. He was right, of course. I let out a sigh, which came out almost sounding like a snort in my wolf form--when suddenly the little wolf stepped right past me, standing between me and Atlas. No...she didn't just step past me, she pushed me out of the way! And then I realized...she wasn't a pup...she was an adult wolf, just...small. I suddenly burst out laughing to myself. I had mistaken an adult for a child! I felt rather silly just then, not just shamed at Atlas' words. I was about to say something, when yet another wolf leapt from seemingly out of nowhere, plastering her to the ground.
I was too dumbfounded to hear Atlas' little speech. 'What in the hell...I go from not seeing another wolf in almost a year to stumbling on an entire damn pack of them!' I thought, my violet eyes blinking. I was about to say something (well, telepathically at any rate), when a burst of gunfire cut me off. 'Oh great,' I thought at Navarro's words. 'Looks like I'm stuck now. I run, I get shot at. I stay...he'll probably take us to whoever is in charge of that settlement. Fuck…'
When Nav demanded that we all change to human form, I glared at him. Catching the color of his eyes, I knew he'd be able to hear my telepathic thoughts and I shook my head at him. "Change into wolf form? And be naked in front of you, and how many ever snipers on that building are watching us now? And everyone that shows up, if you are telling the truth? Fuck that! I'll stay as I am." I defiantly stood my ground--though I did stand in front of him as he asked, wondering if the others would comply as well. Last thing I needed was to end up shot by a damn sniper.
