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 Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2006 7:49 pm
((Unless anyone has any complaints, I'd like to do a smidge of skimming to be able to let us get to a point where the camp is functioning and assumptions can be made that, unless said otherwise, we've got food and notice that the facilities are still down. This way smaller RPs can come and go as you like, you can pull your character away from the camp for a time to do something, or if anyone would like to schedule a larger RP with us then they are welcome to initiate someting smile ))
Angelina gets back to the campsite not long after discussions of worry of her absence are brought up. She had gotten a bit turned around on the way back to the campsite, and discloses information about the power still being down.
Ambrose finishes cooking the meat (resisting the urge to 'snack' - just barely - distracted by Angelina's return and making himself stand up and pace around the cooking fire instead of sitting near the supply) and distributes it to anyone who wants some.
That evening, he does the best he can at smoking the remainder of the meat and collecting it. It will last until it goes bad.
Between the work done on the lean-to's, the supply of mangos and meat (and a few of the 'weapons' are distributed' if people decide to try to procure more) - there seems to be ample food and shelter.... for now. ^_~
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Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2006 2:43 pm
Ambrose had been doing... alright... for the past few days. They had food, a supply of water... their shelters were holding up. However, the food wasn't going to last forever, and the meat - while more than enough for several days, wasn't going to be good for very much longer. Getting up early one morning, and whispering to Angelina where he was off to, he grabbed one of the make-shift spears and knives to set out to try to find them some fresher meat.
He also was worring about the others... they had been out there for a while... the power was still out, and there was no sign of anyone else. They had to be others out there on the island, right?
He picked a tiny path which he smelled to be a relatively-recently used game trail, and began to follow it.
Greer was surviving fairly well on her own, having come to terms with the fact that she was going to starve if she didn't do what the hawk told her to. Raw meat wasn't her idea of a good time, but it kept her fed and moving. Had they learned how to make fire in the girl scouts? All she remembered of being a Brownie was selling cookies and sewing situpons. Talons were very useful when you didn't have a knife, and washed out killing jars made lovely little water cups. And hey, notebook or no there was plenty of nature around to study.
She was lonely, but she'd learned to deal with that before and could survive it now. The hawk was getting antsy though - where were the males it could boss around?
Sitting in a tree with her legs hanging over the side, Greer watched a rabbit hop slowly towards her. Hawks might be able to swoop down from the air onto their prey, but all she could manage was flopping out of trees.
Ambrose paused ever dozen feet or so, swallowing his pride and glad for the time being that he was traveling alone, and sniffed at the ground. Rabbit his mind linked the smell with the image of the animal in his mind.
He was getting closer, and he quieted his footfalls. His stomach was growling at him. He hadn't eaten since yesterday, and the meat was getting old. The scent of the rabbit made him hungrier than he was comfortable to admit.
He left the 'spear' tied to his back. It was too big of a tool for the job at hand. He gripped the scrapmetal knife and edged closer.
Just a little closer... Greer watched the fluffy creature intently. After much trial and error, she'd learned you were either patient and timed things right, or you were hungry with sore knees. One more hop, and the bunny would never knew what hit him.
The small creature was in sight now, Ambrose peered out of the underbrush and crouched, ready to spring. It was facing the other direction. It hadn't even noticed him yet. Ambrose's vision focused in on the little animal...
He gripped the knife.
Holding his breath, he sprung. His mind was on the thought of a fresh meal... it was right there...
Perfect! Greer slid off the branch and into the air, taloned feet spread to grab the rabbit as the impact broke its back...
He was in mid leap as a figure dropped out of the tree and hit the rabbit before it knew what hit it..... however that was not the only surprise. Less than a second later the wolfman bowled into her, only having a split second to move the tip of the knife away.
Ha ha! Greer was always damned impressed with herself when she actually caught her prey. She had about three seconds to mentally gloat- and then she was slammed back over a large tree root, narrowly missing smacking into the trunk. Ow. Everything hurt, and a weight was making it hard to breathe. She really hoped that warm wetness underneath her was just a squished rabbit.
"What the hell?"
"OUFG" Ambrose squelched as the wind was knocked out of him as well as he collided roughly with Greer. IT was certainly not what his body had been preparing for - a small, soft rabbit to bring down a knife sharly on.
"Ugghhhh." He shook his head, tryign to clear it, and blinked blearily at the mass of brown feathers.... to yellow and green clothing..... "Greer..?" He slowly pieced together as he tried to remove himself from her.
"Mostly." She blinked, frowning up at the talking thing that had smacked into her. "Ambrose?"
"Yeah.." He winced sheepishly, slowly getting to his feet and brushing himself off. He was dressed in a pair of sleeppants, a crude spear of wood and twisted scrap metal tied to his back, a shorter knife of the same substance in his hand. His fur was matted, his hair tussled.
"Where... have you been, Greer? Have... you been alright?"
"I've okay, in a relative sense." She stood slowly, easing herself to her feet. The rabbit had not found its way underneath the two hunters, and was instead by her feet, just where it had been when she'd landed on it. Positioning a foot on its neck, she stepped sharply, finalyl killing it. Not her favorite part of hunting, but you couldn't make the poor things suffer if you could avoid it.
Of course, if the feeling of blood wasn't a product of their prey, it was probably coming from her. Smiling sheepishly at her unkempt friend, she turned to show him her behind. "The back of my shirt's wet - can you see if I'm injured?"
Ambrose blinked in alarm as she mentioned that she might have been hurt.
He nodded quickly, ignoring the final dying scream of the rabbit as best he could and turned his attention to the back of her shirt.
He winced as he leaned forward. There was a telltale reddish wetness near the waistband, a small tear. He wet his lips as he carefully lifted the back of the shirt.
"I'm so sorry! I.... I should have been paying more attention! But the rabbit..."
He looked at the injury. Thankfully, it didn't appear to be much more than a few shallow scrapes. "Phew... it doesn't look bad, Greer..... scrapes... but not deep. Just make sure to try to keep them clean. It looks like for the most part they're not even bleeding that badly now.
He stepped back and owered her shirt gingerly again.
"So.... you mean you've been out here... alone all this time...?"
She chuckled at his apology. "Don't worry, I know you didn't mean it. We were both hungry, and besides, it keeps life interesting."
Inspection done, she turned back around and picked up the fluffy morsel. "I'll keep it doused with sea water, thanks. It's not the first patch of skin I've lost in the search for food, and probably won't be the last. And yes, I have been alone, my search for Sean and the others having been rather fruitless." There was a tinge of worry in her voice, but she covered it as best she could.
Forcing herself to cheer up, since she'd feel sorry for herself and end up useless if she wasn't careful, she smiled at his somewhat grungy appearance. "I never thought I'd ever see you without impeccable grooming. You're adorable."
With a rueful look, Ambrose self-consciously ran a hand through his hair. "Not by choice.." He replied. "I didn't exactly have the opportunity to bring a brush... or soap.... or shampoo with me on this 'excursion'."
"And... you mean you haven't been with the Dude? I... I had assumed that you two were with eachother.." His face lined with worry. "I have run into a few others, and we've kind of formed a camp. Amaya, Vasile, Angelina, Emelyn and I are about a mile or so back that way." He gestured behind him.
"I... I was wondering where others have been.... but I haven't left much from the East side of the Island. It's bigger than it seems when you're normally pent up in teh village with only a few explorations elsewhere."
Her face fell again. "I haven't seen him in weeks! Actually, I was kind of glad when everything shut down - I thouught that might mean he's escaped. The other option was that the doctor had him cooped up somewhere doing terrible things to him."
She shuddered, running her fingers over her feathers as she talked to set them straight. Her hair was sticking up a little funny, but it had always done that.
Ambrose's ears lowered anxiously at that news. "Really..? Dear lord, I Hope he's alright. It's been.... I can't even remember the last time I saw him. The halloween party, maybe?"
He averted his eyes and fingered the handle of his knife. "I... you haven't been by the helipad, have you..." His voice was quiet.
"I saw him a bit after that - the day I went off on Jamal... still haven't apologized for that."
The helipad? Never! She'd become a recluse ever before the island shut down, and had gotten far too used to avoiding places she thought people might be. "No... what happened?"
"Really? That was.... that was a long time ago." He stated the obvious.
"Uhm.... there... it looks like there was an accident." He glanced at her only quickly. "A crashed helicopter... There were two bodies - but... too .... damaged to identify ..... No one really knows what happened... Some people think it was an attack... some people think that maybe someone tried to... escape..."
Greer was silent, staring blankly in front of her. People dead from a possible escape attempt. Huh. Sean had always wanted to escape...
"Oh. Hmmm. Well." The possibility that the Sea Lion was dead had never really crossed her mind before, despite all the time that had passed, and even the maybe of it wasn't really processing.
"There's a group of islanders living together, you said? Do you think I might join you?"
Ambrose was immediately regretting saying it... giving voice to the possibility. But.. why else would The Dude not have seen either of them in so long? was he off living happily with the fishes off the coast after another transformation? Or...... something much worse.
He nodded. "Of course... the more the merrier... And I think the easier to help eachother out. We've got a fire... we can build you another shelter..."
A fire? Yays! Greer opened her mouth to say something, and just ended up laughing. "I have to admit, I never thought there would come a time in my life when things like, 'Oh good, I've been missin cooked meat.' would come out of my mouth."
Using the change is subject, she pushed the thought of Sean's possible death as far away as possible. Until she saw a body, he was alive.
Ambrose was more than glad to drop the subject of the bodies at the helipad. "Yes! Between Amaya, Emelyn and I we've been keeping it going. And.... yeesh... you've been having to eat things raw?" He swallowed, thinking of the few times he had nearly done so and there HAD been a fire available.
She made a face, "Yeah, and I'd like to say it wasn't that bad, but I'd be lying. I wash the blood off, but it's still all squishy and ick."
He nodded. "I.... and I would be lying if I haven't had the urge to try myself instead of wait for the fire to do it's job..." He shoved his hands quickly into his pockets. He hadnt' admitted that to anyone yet.... but.... Greer was becoming a predator as well.... he... she could sympathize where others couldn't due to still being not very far along in the changes or not being carnivorous.
Greer nodded sympathetically. "I think the texture is the worst- well, the taste is bad, but that's because it's meat. Honestly, I kind of wish it bothered me more than it does... as it is, it shows me just how much I've changed."
Ambrose made a face, sticking out his rather lengthy tongue. "I try not to think about it.... but something tells me that the taste wouldn't be an issue for me..."
"Well, you can bring the rabbit with you. We've still got some meat at the camp so we're not starving yet, but I'll have to go hunting again soon because it will start to go bad. And you can have a cooked meal!" He grinned.
"Oh goody! You know just what a girl likes to hear!" she smiled, taking a quick lookaround to make sure she wasn't leaving anything behind. "Lead the way. Oh, and I'll help you with that hunting if you'd like."
Ambrose barked a laugh. "Yup, riverwater, fried rabbit, and mossy lean-to's .... we've got ourselves four-star accomodations!"
"And between you and Amaya, sounds like we can have ourselves a merry hunting troupe!" He offered her his arm, and led the way back to his 'packsite'.
She giggled at the chivalric display, but took his arm anyway. "You, me, and Amaya all hunting together? It'll be like rustic family outing."
He snorted. "That's right! You've taken her under your wing as a daughter, right? Well, me and 'sis are good hunters, 'Mom'" He gave her a fangy grin. "Caught ourselves some kind of giant taillless swamp rat!"
"Ooo, an R.O.U.S.? I'm so proud!" A few minutes and she was back to the social thing. It really shouldn't be that easy, but Greer didn't actually mind.
Another barking laugh, reminded of one of his favorite movies. "You know! It was a lot like that!" He snickered. "A little cuter I suppose."
"That's good. I hate to try biting into one of those things otherwise. Dare I ask what it really was?"
Ambrose shook his head with a shrug. "I have no idea... It looked like a big rat... with a blunter face and no tail, and a taller stance. It tasted good though!"
Greer cocked her head, trying to place the description. "All I can think of is that you ate a capybara."
Ambrose blinked at her. "A capy-wha?"
"Capybara. World's largest rodent. Lives in the Amazon, so I sincerely doubt that was it." she chuckled. "They look like tall gineau pigs the size of border collies."
"Well, that does sound accurate, though! And.... we're not far from South America, are we?" He shrugged. "Who knows what all has been imported here though. Not that it really matters anyway."
"Well, it didn't have sharp tusks like some of the boar that I've heard crashing about... and it tasted good. So I suppose that's what's important."
The smell of smoke soon met her nose, and a thin trickle climbed its way above the treeline not far ahead.
"Eee!" She nearly bounced, terribly excited about the prospect of fire. "I think I'm going to be a cooked meat fangirl."
"I feel like cooked meat tonight~!" He sung with a grin as they emerged into the small grouping of lean-tos' around the fire.
"And here we are... home sweet home~"
She looked around the small gathering of lean-to's and people, amazed at how homey it looked. "Thanks, Ambrose. I owe you one."
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Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2006 7:44 pm
After Amaya meets with AwenAmaya had been absent during the time Greer had been brought back to camp, having sort of skidaddled out of sight for her own little bath and basking. After running into Awen she found a nice warm rock to bask on. Once she was fully energized, she got up and wandered around outside the camp until she found a small handfull (well, small compared to her hands) of fruit. Mangos, some other... weird... looking things that looked kind of edible, whatever she could find that smelled alright. Though she tried to keep only what looked familiar.
After eating a mango herself she went back to camp with all the fruit she had gathered and looked around at everyone. She wanted to talk to Ambrose about what she had said to Awen before anyone else. He had sort of become a leader of sorts without any of them really meaning to. Though that wasn't a bad thing at all.
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 9:37 am
((^_^ Assume Em has been wandering out by herself a lot at night and sleeping during the day. Something about being out in the wild has brought out some innate tendencies...
That, and she doesn't want to feel any tension in the group.))
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 4:09 pm
Quote: Ambrose was poking at the fire with a long stick, his head rested boredly on his hand when he heard Amaya's return to camp with her arms full of fruit. His eyebrows raised and he was to your feet. "Wow, Amaya - nice work! Do you need any help with those?" Quote: "No, I got it. Thanks though." Amaya smiled and walked over to where all the other fruit was stored for the time being and set what she had collected down gently. "By the way, I ran into Awen by the river... you know her? The girl with blue hair?" She asked, looking over her shoulder at him. Quote: Ambrose's brows furrowed for a moment before the blue hair comment was made. "Ohyes! I remember her! She's okay? So there are more of us out there still alright? What did she say?" Ambrose immediately barraged Amaya with a slew of questions, his ears pricked. Quote: "Yeah, she was alright." After putting all the fruit down, she stood up again to face Ambrose. "She's actually been staying in a camp with Chubbs, Joilette, and Lauren I think. As far as I know they're doing alright, if not a little dissorganized... I guess were one of the few camps that sort of have everything as order. Or at least the best we can make it. I invited them to join up with us, I hope you don't mind. But I figured it would be better for all of us to stick together if we could." Quote: Ambrose listened carefully. "So Chubbs and Joli and Lauren are alright as well! That's wonderful news. I was really worried about them. Well..." He cleared his throat. "Lauren wasn't first on my mind-I know that's horrible - but.... hrmm... she's out here too... I thought she was in good with the staff. Maybe that is a point of argument for the theory that this isn't a scheme of theirs..." His tail moved back and forth a bit. "Glad to hear they're doing alright, though.... but I wonder how and where the others are - if they've seen anyone else. Like... Colche... or Julian or anyone else..." Quote: Amaya nodded, relating all too well with the whole Lauren thing. "Yeah, though I wouldn't put it past Moreau to make her suffer like all the rest of us. Just because she's willing doesn't mean that he's not turning her into an animal." Her scaled shoulders gave a shrug. "I think she mentioned Jamal too... and a woman named Antony, though I don't know her." Quote: "Truuue.... although last I saw her she seemed all but giddy about her own transformation." Ambrose looked consideringly. "Jamal too, that's ... good. I wonder if he's still upset at me.." He scratched the back of his head. "He was really... touchy last I saw him - about this whole transformation - he hadn't changed yet but had been here several months. I don't know an Antony either...." He sat back down by the fire. "It's ... scary how many of us there are here now." His ears lowered as he looked up to Amaya. "Thank you... this is important news. And That's fine if they would like to join with us - I think the more we've got the better we can maintain a relatively well-working campsite. And keep tabs on eachother." Quote: The iguana-girl nodded and took a seat next to Ambrose by the fire, enjoying the warmth it let off. "And... about transformations..." She trailed off and rubbed the back of her head with one of her large hands. "Awen... transformed again... without an injection." Green eyes locked with the wolf man's, preparing for the shock that would follow. Quote: And she wasn't disappointed. His eyes widened and his back straightened. "Wh... what??" He paused, and then shook his head. "But... that's not pos-" He cut himself off. what the hell was he talking about? None of this was 'possible' - nothing more should suprise him. But still. "So... even if they're gone... even without the injections... we will still change?!" He swallowed anxiously. "Well, I mean... they said our DNA was unstable without the injections... that we could get cancer... maybe... maybe changing more by ourselves... is another possibility??" Quote: Amaya hugged her scale-covered legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, unable to keep her eyes locked on her older brother. "Yeah... That could be a possibility..." Her voice was low and her eyes stayed hooked on the fire. When you thought about it and realized that even if you would rather die of cancer then change again... not even that was an option anymore. Quote: Ambrose's ears lowered as he watched her again and he scooted closer, venturing to put a furry arm around her shoulders. "Amaya..?" He asked quietly. "Are... you alright?" He could smell her anxiety in response to that suggesiton. "I mean... the way I see it... even becoming more of an animal is prefereable to a painful death..." Quote: The young girl leaned up against Ambrose, her eyelids drooping halfway and a frown on her features. "I'm fine... it's just... scary. Knowing that even if we might not have gotten cancer we could sort of live like we are now. But now we don't have a choice at all, even with Moreau gone." Quote: He looked down at her hands and put his free hand on her big one. "But... even changing... we're still us." Ambrose hesitated on the last part, remembering some very distinct feral urges since they had been 'exiled.' "I think... together... we can even help eachother out. Stay... more human where it counts." his voice lowered to a whisper. "As long as we're honest." Quote: Amaya looked down at his hand on her's, dwarfing it with her own. Taking a deep breath she nodded and tried to force a smile, looking up at him. "Yeah..." Quote: "You don't sound too convincing, 'sis'." He looked at her expression. "And I want you to know, that you don't repulse me. I still see the adorable young lady I always saw in you." Quote: She smiled, this time not having to force it. "That's good to know." Leaning closer to him, she wrapped her arms around his torso and burried her scaley face into his fur. "And I think the same of you." Quote: He smiled very sincerely, hugging her tightly - her scales cool and smooth - not slimy at all like many people who havent' actually touched a reptile think. "Thanks, Amaya." He gave her a comforting squeeze, not hesitating at all with touching her. Quote: The iguana-girl hugged Ambrose for a few more moments before finally letting go. She felt a little better, but was still scared about the overall thought of it all. So she chose to change the subject. "Have you run into anyone else?" Quote: Ambrose smiled, worried for his 'sister', wanting to look out for her and protect her from her apprehensions. But he noticed her change of subject, and knew that perhaps the best way would be to cater to the change of subject. "Unfortunately not since Greer. But... there's got to be more of us out there. Maybe... I should go scouting." Quote: Amaya nodded, having spotted Greer around the camp upon arriving back from the river. "Only if you can find your way back though... I don't normally venture very far because I'm scared of getting lost." Quote: Ambrose nodded. "One thing I have to thank the transformation for is my new sense of smell. It... it sounds strange, but I can follow my nose from a decent way back to the fire... or even follow my own scent back." He gave a small half-smile. Quote: "Well that's good then I suppose." She smiled, trying to make light of the conversation. "I guess if I have to thank anything for it... I can climb better now." Though it wasn't much, she thought she might as well try and make whatever postive of all of this she could. Quote: He nodded. "it's not exactly something I ever sat back wishing I could do... and it's still a... strange reminder any time I have to use it.... It's really... odd to think on what's happening to us to say the least." Quote: Amaya nodded in agreement. "Though I'm used to being cold-blooded and stuff, I can still remember what it was like to be warm-blooded. I think that's one of the things I miss the most. Even more then being able to eat meat." Quote: He nodded. "I can only imagine what that might be like. It's still strange for me to run my hand down my arm... anywhere... and feel fur instead of smooth skin. Or... even to look in a mirror. It is frightening - in all honesty. But it helps knowing I have friends and those who love me here... helping me through this and at least don't see me like.... a freak..." Quote: The young girl nodded, able to sort of relate even though she didn't have nearly as many scales as Ambrose did fur. She wanted to ask what he thought about certain things... like what he thought would happen to them all and what they would do for the rest of their lives on a tiny island... but those topics were much too depressing. So she remained silent, not sure of what else to say. Quote: Eventually, Ambrose just closed his mouth. He let his mind wander to depressing subjects like this far too often for their mental health. "I"m sorry. I'm sure I'm not helping things at all, kiddo." Quote: Amaya laughed and looked up at him. "It's okay, I don't mind. It's not like we can help ourselves but dwell on these subjects... not much else to do." Quote: Ambrose gave her a lop-sided smile. "This is true... unfortunately no books, no TV, no fencing... my mind tends to wander to our predicament. We need some more distractions...." Quote: "Yeah..." She trailed off, then looked in the direction the labs were in. "Even though I hate his guts... Moreau is the only thing providing us with entertainment and living expenses." Quote: He nodded. "Maybe this is all one sick exposition of how much we depend on him." Quote: The iguana-girl frowned at the thought, though definatly wouldn't put it passed him. "That could well be it. That and maybe he's trying to force us to give into whatever animal instincts we might have already developed." Quote: He frowned. "I also wouldn't put that past him. But... It's not going to work." He said adamantly. Quote: Amaya nodded firmly, even though she didn't really know what 'instincts' she herself had. Aside from basking she really couldn't think of any... and she had given in to basking so she would end up a tired lump. After a moment she released a sigh and stood up, scratching the back of her head with her claws gently. "Well... I think I should go take a nap. I didn't sleep very well last night." Quote: Ambrose patted her on the shoulder and nodded. "I understand. You rest well, let me know if we need to get you any more moss to make your shelter more comfortable. Maybe sometime soon I'll go scouting to see if I can find out if anyone else is alright." Quote: "Alright, I'll see ya Ambrose." She smiled and waved before walking to the leanto she now shared with Emelyn for a nice little nap. Quote: Ambrose smiled and waved to her and stoked the fire a bit more, looking down at his furry paw-hands and thinking about what she had said.
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 9:42 pm
Even on a tropical island, January and February are still relatively chillier than their summer month counerparts. As the sun sinks, the chill of the night air even permeates the jungle, making the fire a welcome sanctuary for the cold-blooded of the group. As Cassidy is sitting, staring at the fire, much like Amaya earlier, other less humanoid reptiles of the forest sense the warmpth coming from the campsite. Cass's reverie isn't disturbed until IT has slid down over her shoulder, flicking its familiar tongue probingly, unafraid of its scaled perch or the warming fire. 
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Island of Moreau Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2006 5:46 pm
Cassidy yawned and poked at the fire with a stick, for lack of anything else to do.
She just felt so useless, really. She was more-or-less stuck here, with whatever tasks she could do, and she couldn't shake the feeling she wasn't doing her fair share. But, really... what else was there to do other than tend the fire?
Not a lot.
The air was cool, but the fire was comfortably warm and Cass, at the moment, was almost content. Nothing to do but sit, and think, and...
There was a touch on her shoulder.
Cassidy turned, unalarmed; she expected one of the others. Vasile, with any luck.
There was a snake on her shoulder. Not a huge one, smooth, and mottled brown in colour. It had slipped over her scaled shoulder, where Emelyn's shirt had been pulled aside, and was currently investigating its new perch, tongue a-flicker.
Cass was paralysed from fear, too scared to move lest it bite her or... or... something. She choked on her own scream and it came out in a frightened hiss. The snake itself was quite unconcerned, slipping back and around her neck, to the other shoulder.
ohgodohgodi'mgoingtodiemakeitgoaway
And the snake ignored her, as though she were merely a rather interesting rock.
If she screamed, would it bite her before someone came? Was it venomous? She hoped not. She really had no idea how to tell.
It occurred to her, suddenly, that this was ridiculous. She was at least as scary as that... that... that thing.
It had scales, she had scales. It had a flickery tongue, she had a flickery tongue. It was weird and legless... and she was weird and footless.
pleaseohpleasedon'tbepoisonous
Pheromones occurred to her. It was a stupid thought, but irresistable. If it were male, and she were female...?
No, that was dumb.
She hoped it was dumb.
The snake crept down Cassidy's front; for one horrible moment she thought it was going to go inside her shirt, but it went over the fabric, not under. She could barely breathe, she was so frightened.
The snake coiled on the ground beside her, and Cassidy suddenly understood. It, like her, had been interested in the warmth from the fire. Tonight seemed a little chillier than most, and this particular snake, either very brave or very foolish, had slipped in amongst the makeshift shelters and sleeping people.
It suddenly didn't seem quite so scary. It was, well, it was like her. Though it still would have raised the hair on the back of her neck had she hair there anymore, it was slightly less alien.
A little easier to take.
Didn't they treat phobias with desensitization? Well, Moreau had one hell of a phobia clinic here. Some side effects may occur.
Still, Cassidy inched away, now that the snake seemed settled, and was very glad when it slithered off into the forest again.
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Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2006 10:44 pm
((Poop, forgot to post this yesterday.)) Quote: Greer was officially a fan of fires. Having gone out to hunt in the early light she'd returned to the camp Ambrose had invited her to join in the hopes of cooking her food. Now she sat by the fire, roasting two skinned rabbits. Mmm. It smelled heavenly, even if the hawk was grumbling about wasting time ruining the food. She couldn't care less what the bird of prey thought - meat was only really palitable when cooked and unsquishified. Quote: After Amaya had talked a little with Ambrose, she had taken a nap despite the time of day. The past few nights haden't been kind to her. Giving a small "hnnn" sound the lizard-girl stirred. It was kind of cold out... was it early morning or early night? She couldn't tell and slowly sat up, looking out of her leanto to try and make out what was going on. Quote: "Owwie!" Greer hissed at her food, burning her tongue and fingers on the sizzling flesh as she gulped it down. Eating meat off the bone was difficult with have a beak and half a face, but when you were hungry enough you managed it. The hawk's attention was drawn by movement behind her, but the entomologist was too hungry to respond. The camp was safe - Ambrose had said so. Quote: After slowly sitting up she tried to adjust her eyes to the dim light outside. "Hnn... Greer?" She asked, remembering the woman's voice and the fact that Ambrose had said she had come back to camp with him. Though she remained in her leanto, the back of one of her large hands rubbing at her eyes. Quote: At that her head turned. "Amama!" she said, her mouth too full of meat to speak right. Hastily swallowing her current mouthful, she tried again. "Amaya, good morning. Hungry?" Quote: "No... I'm good." Amaya blinked a few times before crawling out of her leanto and over to Greer. Letting out a loud yawn she sat next to her, grateful for the warmth of the fire. Her scales reflected the light, this probably being the first time Greer saw her from head to toe after her transformations since she wore so little. Quote: Finishing her skeletalization of the first rabbit, Greer smiled at her 'daughter'. It was good to see the girl again, even if she had far more scales on her then the entomologist remembered. Had she changed again? Greer opened her mouth to ask this, but thought better of it before the words came out. It was too early to speak of such things. "How are you holding up hun?" Quote: "Pretty good, you?" She tucked her scale-covered legs to her chest slowly and hugged them. It was still cold out in the morning, so her words were slow as were her movements. Quote: "Enjoying the fire." She lifted an arm, holding it out. "Want to steal some of my body heat?" Quote: "Don't mind if I do." Amaya laughed and scooted closer, grateful for the offer. Quote: Greer ruffled the girl's hair. "Ambrose told me you've been helping him with the hunting - catch anything interesting?" Quote: "Not really, he's the one that did all the work." The iguana-girl said, not bothering to smooth down the mess that was her hair. Quote: "Well, he is the big scary wolfman, so you have to give him something to do." Greer said, chaffing one of Amaya's arms to get some heat in it. Quote: She gave a small laugh and wiggled her long toes around the fire. "Yeah, guess your right." She chose not to mention what had happened between them at the river. Ambrose probably wanted to keep that little 'wolf instinct' to himself. Quote: Reaching forward, she pulled the stick with the second rabbit skewered on it out of the fire. Squee, cooked food! "Sure you don't want any? I sacraficed some of my knee cartelidge for this bunny." Quote: Amaya smirked, but shook her head. "Meat isn't exactly appetizing to my pallet anymore, if you know what I mean." She missed eating meat, but at times like these were it was actually something you had to make sure you cooked yourself she was sort of glad she could stick to fruit. Quote: Greer frowned for a moment, before smacking herself in the forehead. "Right, because iguanas don't really eat it. Yeah, okay. There are days you can really tell I went to college." Quote: The lizard-girl laughed a little again, but other then that remained silent for a few moments. Green eyes stared into the fire, having always found it almost mezmerizing. "So when you were out there, did you come across anyone else?" Quote: Sliding the meat off its cooking stick, Greer began to nibble as she responded. "Nope. Twas just me, the hawk, the prey, and the wilderness. Very boring." Quote: "Ah." She said with a frown, shifting a little in her seat so her tail could swish behind her and find another comfortable position again. "Everyone I've come across hasen't seen Hargun... I'm worried about her." Quote: She nodded. It was toughing being on your own. "Yeah, no one's seen Sean either... but I'm sure they'll turn up!" She said the last quickly, as if using to sweep away her doubt of the same. Quote: "Sean?" Amaya asked, looking up a Greer. She had no idea she was refering to Mister Dude, having never found out his real name. Quote: "The Dude. Being his girlfriend meant I got to use his real name." she explained, forcing a smile. The worry in the pit of her stomach always got worse when she talked about him... especially after her talk with Ambrose. Quote: "Ohhhh." Amaya nodded, resting her chin on her knees. "I haven't seen him since Halloween... though your right, we'll run into each other eventually. This island isn't THAT big." She tried to sound reassuring for both their sakes. Quote: "Big enough. I'm still suprised how long it topok me to bump into Ambrose." Greer chuckled, making light of it. "Are the others also in camps and such?" Quote: She nodded, glancing up at Greer then back at the fire. "I bumped into Awen and she said that her, Chubbs, Joliette, and Lauren were all in the same camp. Jamal and some lady named Antony were together too." Quote: She cocked her head, expecting a longer list. "What about the rest of us?" Quote: "... I really dunno. That's all I've managed to run into. Besides all of us right here." The iguana-girl frowned. Quote: Crap. Good job on the non-worry there. "They're either off on their own or in other small groups - we're all fairly capable and/or social people, so I'm sure we'll make it. I just wish I knew what this was all about." Quote: Amaya nodded in agreement, knowing that Hargun could survive off bugs... so there wasn't really any need to worry about her. And those who couldn't hunt could always eat fruit and find the river eventually. "Yeah, me too... I'm guessing Ambrose told you about the helicopter crash, right?" She asked, green eyes looking up at Greer again. Quote: She nodded, looking away. "Yeah. Those poor people." Sean wasn't one of them, damn it. Quote: "Yeah..." She frowned and stared back at the fire. Slowly she stood up silently and walked over to where most of the fruit was being kept. Picking up a few in her long fingers she headed back to the fire and plopped down. Despite it's heat, she could tell she was still a little drowsy. Quote: Smoothing down Amaya's hair, Greer smiled a little. "I swear, the world made more sense when all you had to worry about was a needle full of animal serum. This place never gets anywhere normal, does it?" Quote: "Doesn't seem like it." Amaya smiled a little and took a bite out of a mango, chewing it with her mouth closed. After swallowing she licked the juice that happened to trail out of her mouth with her large, pink tongue more out of reflex then anything. She always tried to hide it. Quote: The woman chuckled, casting the mango a loving glance. "Ah, fruit. How I miss thee." Quote: The lizard-girl just smirked, unable to reply after taking another bit out of the mango. Quote: The entomologist sighed happily, just glad to have her friends around again. She'd survived on her own, but there was a big difference between survivng and actually living. "Do you still have those comic books with you?" Quote: "Not on me, no. I was asleep when I was dragged out of my duplex." She said after eating, tongue flicking out momentarily. "Didn't even have any clothes on." She frowned, clearly not liking having to walk around in her undergarments. Quote: "Aww, sweetie!" Greer hugged her, knowing how bad that must be for Amaya. "Well, I only have the one shirt on me, but I'm happy to share it if you like. I only asked about the comics because I pine fore the written word." Quote: "No, that's okay... I can survive in just my undies." Amaya laughed a little, realizing how weird the conversation topic was. "I've been wanting to read too... read or TV or listen to music or anything to keep me occupied." Quote: The entomologist reached behind herself and pulled out her bug net. "We could always go insect hunting." Quote: Amaya blinked and looked at the net, then at Greer with a smile. "I guess I could. Though I probably don't really need a net for it, do I? They're everywhere." Quote: "This is true, but I'm a traditionalist." She winked at her friend, twirling the net idly. "Besides, some of them move pretty fast." Quote: "Guess your right." The lizard-girl said, watching her with interest while nibbling on her fruit. Quote: Greer grinned, standing and brushing off her pants. "Come on - there's some huge cicaidas that look like bad special effects in a 50's sci fi movie you have to see. As well as some actually pretty bugs." Quote: "Okay!" Amaya said enthusiastically and finished off her fruit before standing up. Quote: She smiled, leading her companion off into the jungle. Insects would be an excellent way to distract both of them from the depressing thought that their dear friends could be dead. Being sad and worried all the time was no way to make sure you survived and ordeal. Quote: The iguana-girl followed happily, glad that she had something to occupy her mind.
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Island of Moreau Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2006 11:39 pm
AMAYA & GREER: ((For whenever Amaya and Greer go out Bug-Hunting))
When you're out in the jungle, away from the camps of people, there are indeed many varied kinds of insects - some of them quite large and menacing if it weren't for Greer's knowledge that most of them could care less about people let alone do them any real harm.
However, through your explorations, you hear a weak rustling sound in the bushes. Greer's instincts would p***k - suggest perhaps an easy prey.
But when the bushes are pulled aside, the sad creature doesn't succeed much in its running. It looks like a mangled cross between a white labrat and a pigeon. But... oh so wrong. The beak is coming out of the rat's mouth, giving it a sort of double-mouth look. The wings are not adaptations of the forearms of the creature, but strange, half-formed and twisted, growing out of the elbow in the case of the one on the left, and jutting from the back in the case of the right. Its tail looks broken, a few errant feathers sprouting from it. All of its fur has fallen out, and a few pinfeathers have begun to sprout along its naked flesh - painfully by the look of the swollen pores at their base. At many places along its skin where the feathers aren't emerging are painful-looking boils and sores.
The worst part, the creature is very much alive. It hobbles awkwardly, but does not appear to be in an awkward midpoint of a transformation, but physically stable. Occasionally, a leaf will catch at a partially-grown feather and it will emit a shrill, pained noise.
EMELYN: Your dreams that night are particularly turbulent. Perhaps your animal instincts are picking up at sharing a camp with predators, perhaps it is a response to the stress that has been just at the edge for several weeks now - avoiding certain individuals you have been staying with, but regardless -your dreams are those of... anxiety.
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Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2006 8:47 pm
Ambrose, that morning, lets the group know that he is heading out into the jungle for a while - in search of some of the other islanders - to hopefully find out who is still alive and well, and see if anyone knows anything more than they do, and to let whomever he might meet that he and his group are likewise alive and well.
He promises to return soon, that they look out for eachother (and after a heartfelt parting with Angelina), and assures them that he will be able to follow his nose back to the campsite.
So with a makeshift spear strapped to his back with some vines, one of the knives at his waist, he follows the river Westward.
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Island of Moreau Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2006 9:37 pm
Whenever Emerwyn awakes from her nightmare, and after Ambrose is gone... something feels wrong. Unfortunately, the wrongness is hauntingly familiar of a time several months ago now. It begins with a nausea, and a prickling of her skin all over. The few spots of coarse fur that had been on Emelyns skin appears to be spreading like a rash, and she can feel the sensation of each... new... strand, all over your body. But that's not the end of it... The length of your hair becomes stiffer than it was even before.... but your quill-like hair is soon joined by a sympathetic prickling down your back... then... a shapr pain! And another... and another and another and another... Thick hair-colored spines push their way out of the tiny hair follicles along your back, blending with your long spiny hair that lays down your back. It seems to last forever, and you can feel your back muscles twisting and tensing, feeling the roots of the spines in the muscles as they erect and lay flat with each spasm. Finally, your nose pushes out with a grinding sensation just a wee bit further... and then .... finally... you're just left with a residual soreness.
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Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 5:38 am
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
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Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 5:55 pm
Island of Moreau AMAYA & GREER: ((For whenever Amaya and Greer go out Bug-Hunting)) When you're out in the jungle, away from the camps of people, there are indeed many varied kinds of insects - some of them quite large and menacing if it weren't for Greer's knowledge that most of them could care less about people let alone do them any real harm. However, through your explorations, you hear a weak rustling sound in the bushes. Greer's instincts would p***k - suggest perhaps an easy prey. But when the bushes are pulled aside, the sad creature doesn't succeed much in its running. It looks like a mangled cross between a white labrat and a pigeon. But... oh so wrong. The beak is coming out of the rat's mouth, giving it a sort of double-mouth look. The wings are not adaptations of the forearms of the creature, but strange, half-formed and twisted, growing out of the elbow in the case of the one on the left, and jutting from the back in the case of the right. Its tail looks broken, a few errant feathers sprouting from it. All of its fur has fallen out, and a few pinfeathers have begun to sprout along its naked flesh - painfully by the look of the swollen pores at their base. At many places along its skin where the feathers aren't emerging are painful-looking boils and sores. The worst part, the creature is very much alive. It hobbles awkwardly, but does not appear to be in an awkward midpoint of a transformation, but physically stable. Occasionally, a leaf will catch at a partially-grown feather and it will emit a shrill, pained noise. Quote: Amaya was having a blast with Greer as they walked through the forest. She probably wouldn't remember most of the names Greer was giving the bugs, but whatever she said was dangerous she would definatly remember the apperance of. A little slow on her feet, she walked a few paces behind the woman clumsily due to her large appendages. The weather was colder then usual too, which made her a little weaker and slower as well... though when someone else saw her they probably just thought she was a little tired. It didn't look like anything to be concerned over, not even Amaya was worrying about her slower pace even though she knew what was causing it. Quote: The entomologist was in high spirits, walking at a reasonable pace only because if she went any faster she'd miss all the interesting insects. It was times like this, with a friend in tow and bugs everywhere, that Greer really enjoyed the island. It was a pity every moment couldn't be this fun. Sharp eyes catching the tiniest of movements, she stopped short at a tree and waved the younger girl over. "Look Amaya! A leaf insect." She pointed at what appeared to be a big, think, extremely green leaf. Had it not been for the legs, eyes, and antennae, it most certainly would have been vegetation. Quote: Head perking up, she jogged up next to Greer and looked at where she was pointing. It took her a few moments before she actually noticed it was a bug instead of a leaf. "Wooooah, I could barely see it." She resisted the urge to poke it and see if it would move. She didn't have any bugs like this back in Pennsylvania! "Does it eat leaves too?" She asked, genuinly interested. Quote: "That it does. This way, when a predator gets hungry, it thinks that the insect is just some more of the bug's food, and bird don't eat leaves. Such camouflage is called mimicry." Greer explained, always happy to lecture about her subject. If she did it enough, the world would hopefully agknowledge that bugs were cool. A faint noise caught her attention, and the woman found herself turning her head slowly, trying to locate the source. She'd never done that before the feathers. Quote: "Ohhhh..." Amaya said in understanding, green eyes still watching the bug until the woman's head turned slowly. Catching the movement out of the corner of her eye, she looked at Greer and fell silent. Her smile faded and slowly her eyes trailed to where the bird woman was looking at. She stood stock still, asking in a small whisper. "What is it...?" Her senses were nowhere near as developed as the others after they're second change. Amaya's large, pink tongue flickered out of her mouth to try and maybe taste whatever Greer had heard or something... but nothing caught on. Just Greer's and her own feelings which still gave her a creepy feeling in her spine. It was like being able to read someone's mind. Quote: She clacked her teeth together in annoyance, waiting for the sound to come again so she could be sure of where it was. She smelled something that made the hawk interested, but it always got excited about silly things... Quote: The iguana girl shifted her feet and glanced back at Greer. She was still unsure what had gotten the woman's attention. Was it a predator or wild animal coming after them? The faint rustling came again, this time loud enough for Amaya to notice it. Her head snapped to stare at where it was coming from and she hesitantly took a step back. Quote: "It's not dangerous." Greer said automatically, noting Amaya's move without turning her nead. "I'd know if it were. Too small." And too warm, were the words she didn't say. Not a snake or other reptile. Mammal. Smaller than a rabbit. Slower. But a mammal. Food, the hawk thought. She stepped forward in a slow, smooth motion, shifting her weight quickly to free one foot for slashing. Reaching forward with a hand she grasped the bushes, yanking them aside and intending to slap her talons down on the hapless creature in one fell swoop- Instead, she froze mid-attack, frozen in horror. "Oh my god." Quote: "Good." Amaya said, though made no approach and let Greer handle it. That is, until she froze. Blinking, the young girl's curiosity got the better of her and she walked up behind the woman and looked down at the... thing before her. Her eyes went wide and she froze just like Greer had. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out. Quote: It was a creature all right, but it defied any other type of description. It looked like it was in mid transformation like the rest of them, but its change had gone horribly awry. Part rat, part bird, Greer guessed it had begun life as a regular albino rodent, but it was hard to be sure. The appendages had not gone correctly. The feathers had not grown like they should. The small ball of misfortune was clearly regretting it's stay on this earth, mangled, pained, and barely able to move. The entomologist couldn't think of a thing to say- the only thing that was clear in her mind at that moment was that her appetite had fled. Quote: "... Oh god." Came the strangled, shakey babble from her throat as Amaya's large hand rose to her mouth. She continued to stare at the horrible mix between bird and rodent. It... it... Not even her brain could make any proper sentences to describe what she was feeling. As the pathetic creature hobbled foreward, a leaf got stuck on one of the painfully potruding feathers. The rodent-bird shrilled in pain, causing Amaya to give a startled scream. Quote: At Amaya's scream Greer reached out to her, automatically offering comfort. And seeking it. "An early experiment." she said flatly, knowing a lab animal when she saw the remnants of one. They were part of the reason she went into entomology - she might kill insects, but she didn't torture them. Quote: Taking a step back, she half-hid behind Greer and stay almost pressed up against her with her arm. She was shaking slightly and tears brimmed in her eyes. All she could do was nod to her, though eyes remained on the mangled animal. "We..." She paused, her voice cracking. "We gotta help it... somehow... we can't let it suffer." Her voice choked out, green eyes going up to Greer. Quote: The hawk woman smiled, giving the girl a hug. She too wanted to scream and run, but sometimes you had to be stoic for other people. Handing the controls over to her science brain, she looked at the creature with a detached air. Huh. Poorly designed. "Do you want me to kill it?" Quote: Large eyes went from Greer back to the helpless creature. She didn't reply for almost a few minutes before finally giving a tiny nod. The least they could do was put it out of it's misery. Quote: "Okay, sweetie. I promise it'll be quick." She was suddenly glad she'd hunted before - otherwise she was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to do this. Stepping over to the half-thing, she placed a foot over the back of it's neck, elliciting the same horrible sound it had made before in reaction to the leaf. Poor thing. It struggled for a moment- and then Greer shifted her weight and it's neck snapped. Moving her talons, she reached down and picked the mutated mess up for a closer examination. Quote: Amaya twitched upon hearing the snap, but thankfully she had hunted before too... though she had never had to kill something out of sheer pity. Biting one of her long fingers out of nervousness, she approached behind Greer and looked at the thing as well but for now said nothing. Instead a long finger reached up and pet the rodent on the head, a sort of 'sorry' gesture. Quote: The woman looked the creature over critically, frowning from confusion. It had barely been able to move in the thick jungle under brush, and presumably had begun it's weak journey in Dr. Moreau's labs. So how the hell had it gotten all the way out here alive? I mean, it admittedly wasn't appetizing, but surely there was some creature that would be happy to pick off such an easy meal between there and here... Noting Amaya's sympathy for the unfortunate creature, Greer snapped back into her more empathetic mode of behavior. "What would you like to do with the corpse?" Quote: "Can we bury it?" The lizard girl asked, though couldn't look at Greer. Her mouth twisted up and a strangled sob came from her mouth. If there was one thing that made her cry more then anything, it was watching some helpless thing suffer. And the poor rodent had to be the definaition of exactly that. Another sob escaped her mouth and tears started to spill down her scaley cheeks. Quote: What she wanted to do was show it to the others and ask what they thought... but the entomologist took one look at the girl beside her and revised her opinion. They could figure out what this beastie meant even if it was stowed safely in the ground. "Why don't you find a nice place for him to be buried?" she said gently. Quote: Amaya sniffled and nodded, rubbing away some of the tears on her face with her large knuckles before stepping away and looking around for a clear spot on the ground. The thought of showing the others didn't even occure to her. The only thing she could think of was how pathetic and in pain the rodent bird had been. It deserved a final resting place in the least. Quote: Taking the moment to look the pigeon-rat over again for any clues, Greer flipped the creature over carefully, watching the limbs flop akwardly. It had to have been carried. Quote: Eventually she found a spot about 10 feet away from Greer. The ground was soft enough to dig into, covered in moss. Kneeling down on her knees, she stabbed one of her hands into the ground and shoved her fingers in as deep as she could before pulling back. It was amazing how easy digging was when your fingers were like spears and your palms were like shovels. Pulling what she could back off the top, she set the dirt aside and dug a little more deeper and at the sides. It didn't take long for it to get a decent size for the small animal. Another sniff and a wipe on her shoulder, Amaya called back to Greer. "Done." Quote: She trotted over to her friend, carefully laying the body in the hole with it's limbs solemnly folded. "Be at peace, little one." she said under her breath. Quote: Amaya couldn't bring herself to say anything to it and gently began pushing the dirt over it. She knew that some other animal might dig it up as an easy meal... but at least it would have had some moment of peace. Once all the loose dirt was back in place, she put the moss on top and pressed it down to try and make it look as undisturbed as possible. Quote: Greer smiled at the girl's kind efforts for the abused creature. "You okay?" she asked, smoothing Amaya's hair gently. Quote: Amaya nodded, sniffing her scaley nose and wipping her eyes with the back of her wrist. Her palms and under her long claws were filled with dirt. "I'll be okay..." Quote: She nodded, not believing her companion. "Why don't I we go back to camp? Maybe grab a bite to eat?" Quote: "Okay..." The iguana girl sniffed again and stood up. She was a little disoriented which was was camp, so she waited for Greer to lead. Quote: Taking the girl's hand in hers, the hawk woman lead the way back to the safety of their current home. She wanted to talk, to speculate on the nature of the thing they'd just buried and how it got there, but she knew Amaya wasn't the right audience.
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Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2006 7:09 pm
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