Welcome to Gaia! ::

Lauren looked over to Zach with her arms crossed and gave an intimidating hiss at his jumping, her tail was all poofed out like a pipe cleaner and a slight animal like odor wafted through the air. With a deep breath, she calmed down a bit, her tail dropping but still very fluffy and frazzled in appearance. "Can you find out please?"

"Yeah... we don't know what happened. But we are screwed if Sabin has taken over the island. He just might keep leaving us out to the jungle for dead. Sick b*****d. Moreau cares too much about us to leave us like that!" Moreau had taken care of her, Moreau had given her everything and had taken her away from all the evils of the streets. He couldn't leave her to die, there was just no way. But a small voice in her mind told her he did, reality was there trying to tell Lauren the truth.

"Smart move living out here. If you want, you can have my bow and arrow that I made. I'll bring it by later." She no longer needed that anymore. Lauren was reluctant to give up her knife though, she had grown fond of the crude tool.

Emelyn put her hand out again, this time to Zach.

"It's just a noise she makes when she's agitated. I hiss as well," she explained, "though usually when I'm hurt. We all pick up things from the animal DNA that's encoded with ours- but we're always still human. It's what we identify as, and it's our brains that matter." It was less of a lecture than a reassurance- it was a lot to swallow, but she was sure that in the midst of all this science-fiction like dehuminizing, Zach would eventually find the core of what made him human in the first place, and embrace it.

"And Lauren, I would love to have that bow. Thank you. I didn't even know you'd made one!" She said, smiling at the girl. As a hedgehog, she wasn't apt to hunt- her meat needs could be satisfied with the occasional grub, snake, or earthworm- but beyond not wanting to mention those unseemly things in front of the already anxious newcomer- she realized that the bow and arrow was more of a peace offering than anything else. That, and she didn't take the wild for granted- anything could happen. The day might come that she'd be glad for the protection.

"Heh, it's no problem." He lied innocently. That hiss was inhuman. "I didn't realize you couldn't help it." He felt some more guilt. The longer he talked, the more damage he'd end up doing, he was sure.

"Emelyn, I'll meet you here again sometime... and tell you what happens."

Now seemed as good a time to head back as any. He was a little eager to try the intercom...

He looked over at Lauren. "I think I'm going to try to find my way back to the village and give the laboratory a call. Which is the fastest way?"

Lauren nodded, not at all offended by Emelyn's jumping in, "That's the right way." She looked over at Emelyn. "I better get to swimming before the sun gets down further and the water chills. Bye it was nice seeing you again." And she waved at Zach, "And good meeting you too, don't worrying about spazzing." it's quite intertaining she added in her mind.

Lauren walked off into the vast waves of the ocean and could be seen off in the distance, swimming around.

Emelyn watched both of them go- hoping for both that they found answers that they could live with... for those questions that haunted them. She saw Zach disappear into the trees, and kept an almost protective eye on Lauren as she dove into the waves. She felt a little like a mother, sitting on the beach and hoping for the best while those who seeked answers and guidance went out into the world. It was a strangely sage thought, and the hedgehog-girl laughed at the mock-seriousness of it all as she set her eyes back down to her task, one hand picking up the weave once more and the other hand reaching into the basket beside her to pop a sweetroot into her mouth.

The day was young- and she had much to do, yet.

Madison jogged down the sandy beach, splashing her paws in the shallow surf. It was a lovely morning indeed, the sun was out and not a cloud in the sky.

A pretty girl came into view who had three squirrel tails and tattoos galore. Mad ran up towards her with a kind smile.

"Hi! How's it going? My name is Madison and It's nice to meet you"

Pyroth was feeling more like himself again now that he was back in the villiage, away from the temptation to succumb to the coyote instincts, he had calmed right down. He had scrubbed his fur and clothing until not a single remnant or reminder of the jungle remained, then he had dined in the cafeteria on nothing but cold meat. It made him feel human again, and, after a fitful sleep he felt refreshed enough to take a wander down to the beach. He liked it there, you could almost imagine when you stood there, the civilisation you had left behind, ticking happily away without you. He had never been an integral cog in the gears of society, merely making those more unfavourable aspects dissapear conveniently for huge sums of cash.

In the tropical sunlight, the shadows of despair and of the jungle seemed to pale to insignificance.

He stepped onto the white sands with a confidence that hithero he hadn't displayed, his tail held low as it always was, but his overall demeanour actually semi confident. He spotted a few others a little way down the beach and raised a brow, heading a little closer. They all looked relatively early in the transformation process bar a....vixen? Who had made her way over. His temptation to growl did nothing but make him smirk slightly, he was in control today, nothing would change that.

Either way, he was prepared for the possibility of a negative response to his appearance and merely said as he headed over, in the form of a greeting. "Wow. Four people I haven't yet met? I must have been out of it for a while." His grin was amiable but unmistakably canine.