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 Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2006 12:34 pm
"...a REPLACEMENT?"
The clear shock and disbelief in his face was echoed in his voice as he echoed her words back at her louder than she had originally spoken them. He reeled backwards and stood up quickly, eyes lighting up with fierce indignance, yet he couldn't bring himself to say anything else. All he could do was just stare at her unblinkingly, even as she got to her feet and started to slip away.
He turned and edge around her, cutting off a direct path to her duplex, the ability of speech finding itself again in the black man. When he spoke, his voice nearly vibrated with the intensity of his confused emotions. He was irritated, and it was clear in his body language as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Where da -********- did you get -dat- idea?"
Jamal still hadn't linked her change, Kaveri's scent, or this new drama together. He hadn't seen Antony in weeks, thanks to his trip to the lab 'white room' and her reclusive behavior after her transformation, so there was no reason for him to make the connection.
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Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2006 12:46 pm
Antony jumped at his sudden yell, skittish squirrel behavior evident in her movements. Her heartrate picked up considerably as he cut off a straight path to her duplex, all her tails bristled and barely moving, solidly wraught in a state of tense fear. After all, he had BIG a** teeth! Used for eating little furry animals like itself.
Somehow, she managed to stutter the word out, "Kaveri." When Antony realized that her name wouldn't be much of an explanation, she took a deep, pained breath and attempted to explain it in as little words as possible. "I've met her... She's... Me but... human..." Her expression was one of utter fear (thanks to the squirrel) and hurt.
Taking a few steps backwards, the squirrel woman looked for an exit, a way to get into her duplex safely.
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Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2006 12:57 pm
Jamal stared at her for a long time, not saying anything. She looked TERRIFED of him, and he didn't understand why. Odd, considering he ought to know how instincts ******** with one's personality, but it struck a delicate nerve. The accusations coming out of the woman's mouth were not helping the situation.
"SO?" he hissed despite his best intentions not to come off as mad, but it was clear that he was quickly becoming just that. It wasn't a violent sort of mad...more like a "I can't believe what I'm hearing" sort of mad.
"What does her bein' human got ta do wit' anythin'?" he said, forcing his voice to resume a level tone, though he couldn't help the cold edge that creeped in. "Do ya think I'm a big enough a*****e ta think dat makes her betta' then anyone else? Betta then -you-? Is dat what you be tryin' ta get to?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2006 1:08 pm
Anger was anger to the squirrel, which was nearly entirely in control, and she remained positively still as she calculated a path of escape. Antony could practically smell the anger oozing from him, despite the fact that he was trying to remain calm. She could sense it, feel it, and it didn't help her calm down any.
A few more steps away.
His entire response made her wince, and before she could regain control from the rodent, Antony was sprinting towards her duplex. This time however, with the squirrel in control she did not trip, able to make it back to her nest.
They were safe there.
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Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2006 1:19 pm
He was hurt. Of all the people he knew, Antony was the last person he'd guess that would have a fit over something like this. It made his blood boil...to an extent, she had betrayed him. The countence of fear that was so evident on her form made him sick; he was -tired- of everyone thinking he was a goddamn lunatic! He never thought Antony would crack like she had.
"Fine, Antony. -FINE-," he snapped, waving his hands in the air as he unable to contain his complete disappointment in the situation and any facade of concern towards her wellbeing. Had he the capablity, he probably would have had a meltdown there on the spot, but the sedatives were robbing him of that luxury. Dammit to HELL. He couldn't even be properly mad when he wanted to be. "You go on thinkin' stupid s**t like dat. I don't give a ******** no'mo." He didn't care if she heard him or not; he was yelling fairly loud as she retreated into her duplex.
He spun on a heel, face contorted into a pained expression, and stalked off to his duplex. Jamal just couldn't win. Antony's reaction still made no sense to him but her words stung. How could she think him to be -THAT- shallow after all the s**t they'd been through together. He had hoped she'd think him to be a better person...a better friend then that.
Jamal stomped through the open door of his home and slammed the door so hard he fancied it almost jumped off it's hinges, and shucked his jeans off again. He wanted nothing more than a shower right then. A shower and then a long session in the jungle.
He was tired of trying to be a good person. Maybe that was something he wasn't meant to be.
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Posted: Mon Apr 24, 2006 9:11 pm
Jamal stood in the shower for a long time, neglecting to touch soap or shampoo the entire time he was there, instead letting the scalding water assault his face and scalp. He wanted to be angry; if he could be angry, he wouldn't have to concentrate on the other emotions that swirled violently in his thoughts...the 'weak' feelings of betrayal, hurt, and uselessness. Unfortunately, he couldn't coax the rage out of the recesses of his mind.
He stared at the wall for several minutes, teeth grit against the sting of hot water, before snarling "******** it" aloud and shutting the water off. Caring little for the water he was casting all over the floor, he stalked to his dresser and pulled out fresh clothing, all the while replaying everything in his mind. He didn't understand what had happened...only that it had happened and now he considered his one friend to no longer be that.
"I don't ********' get it," he murmured bitterly, tugging a pair of jeans over fresh boxers with so much force that he turned a small tear at the knee into a giant slash that went from seam to seam. Jamal cursed and kicked them back off, throwing them into the corner before grabbing another pair and a t-shirt as well and putting them on.
He then realized he had no where to go. He had no one to go see and frankly he didn't -want- to see anyone. He didn't have any real friends except for maybe Anjali, and that was more of an understanding than anything else. Awen...well....she had lost a lot of respect from Jamal ever since she sided with Aubrey.
And Antony? He didn't...couldn't see where they stood anymore. Jamal did not deal well with being betrayed or anything close to it. People who treated him like that were effectively cut out his life by being ignored or literally removed (usually at the hand of a gangmember) from the realm of the living. It was doubtful he'd ever try to kill her, but her words continued to sting in his mind as he stooped to tie the laces of his shoes. Antony was hardly entirely in the wrong here, but the black man was horribly self-centered. Surely if he could see things from her view, he wouldn't be so mad.
Unfortunately he didn't care to try and work it out in his head. It hurt too badly to do so.
Jamal stood, clenching his fists, and shoved Antony out of his mind. She could be mad at him, scared of him...whatever. He was strong. He would exist on this goddamn island with or without support from anyone. He was Jamal Reedy for ********, ex-leader of a powerful gang in Detriot. He had lost himself amongst all the bullshit here. He'd grown soft (and blamed Awen for that). He was a murderer who ruled with an iron fist and worked under the cover of night.
Yet as he tried to reassure himself of all this, the tiger chose then to chime in, inserting it's desire for the jungle's comfort as night fell on the island. Jamal sighed.
"Jus' fo' awhile," he said softly in response. There was enough jungle out there to give him privacy.
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Posted: Mon May 01, 2006 10:09 am
A Walk on the Wild Side Jamal_Reedy Jamal had spent the night in the jungle after the little incident with Antony and had missed the party at the beach, though he had heard sounds of a fight when he peeked out to see what the fuss was. He had woke early, taken a bath in the river, and was now currently lying crouched beside a fallen log, his attention focused intensely on some sort of rodent-like animal that was nibbling delicately on a wide piece of leaf. The tiger, being robbed of pure anger that it so easily harnessed prior to sedatives, had become a very intense presence now. If Jamal couldn't destroy anything in a fit of rage, a hunt was the next best thing. He'd been at it for probaby an hour and a half and had yet to actually get his hands on anything, but he wasn't ready to quit. He had to do something to keep himself from dwelling on less-pleasant things and shedding a little animal blood seemed like a small price to pay for peace of mind from his predator. The black man watched the rodent carefully nose about and as it turned its back to him, he lunged forward and barely managed to sink his stubby claws into it's back. The animal gave a shrill scream and fought wildly against the hands that quickly enclosed it's body. Jamal paused, feeling it struggle and momentarily considered letting it go. ...it was just an animal though, right? Pyroth Ignatius
Pyroth had gone into another one of his downward spirals just as he was certain that things were getting better. Things had been looking bright when one day, he just found himself unable to get up to speed. He had resorted to staying in his duplex, not sure why he couldn't bring himself to leave, just tired and wanting to sleep all the time. It was a dark week, made worse by the fact that Pyroth's cure for a raw mood was solitude.
But that morning he had woke up feeling restless and half starved, the coyote practically pacing in his head, impatient, wanting to do something about the mess he had gotten into. Eventually he gave in, the tension too much for him to bear, the room's walls seeming to press in from all sides. He left, heading around the back of the duplexes towards the jungle, walking still awkwardly but swiftly, his ears flicked back. He was unsure why he was angry, but a fury seethed in him at this longing, not his own, to kill indescriminately for food. He had always set up death in a calculating way, for the money, nothing more. And now here he was, like a barbarian, stalking the jungle.
It made him growl, at least until he realised this was not a human thing to do and he picked up his pace.
He was moving as though he chased his humanity, despite his awkward shape managing a decent degree of swiftness and grace. Not that it mattered, there were no familiar scents, at least not until he picked up one which raised alert flags in his head, familiar but human. Jamal. He was sure.
Changing his course he tried to follow on the trail of the other islander, following the only good thing about this form, his sense of smell.
It served him well enough, and after a while he drew within hearing range of the other, not stealthy in his movements, he'd probably be easy to pick up on.
Jamal_Reedy The rodent continued to keep and scream, it's heart thumping rampantly against Jamal's palm as he held it tight in his claws. The air was quickly growing heady with the metallic scent of blood, thanks to the dribbling rivers that puddled in the creases of his palms before splattering to the jungle floor. This was the point where he normally would deftly twist it's neck and end the animal's suffering, but instead he let the very life ooze from it's wounds and held it fast as it struggled. The tiger was annoyed; it wanted a swift kill and this went against it's instincts, but Jamal held it at bay. Perhaps it held some sort of significance for the black man as the animal slowed it's struggling, eyes becoming glassy as the blood started to crust on it's fur. A symbol for every human that would walk onto this island and for every half-breed that would die in the clutches of the doctors. As the rodent gave a soft mew and expired in his grasp, he caught the sounds of an approach. Jamal immediately bristled and turned to face the intruder, the tiger immediately ready to defend it's kill. Certainly Jamal wasn't going to EAT what he'd just murdered...but still. A murr of warning left his throat as he waited for the approaching figure to become recognizable. Pyroth Ignatius Pyroth heard Jamal before he saw him and some odd flash of instinct made him circle around, away from the sound, his ears back almost submissively. He knew he was outmatched in the shape of the other man and wasn't about to provoke him. It was only when he was a suitably distanced that he finally showed himself, stepping clear of the undergrowth, still hunched slightly in the posture he had found to be most comfortable, ears back, gaze averted at the ground. It bothered him to do so but some part of him put gestures like that at the top of his list of survival tactics. It didn't quell his anger though, just made it rage fiercer in it's intensity under the posturing.
Still not quite looking over, he spoke "It's only me again. Hope I'm not interrupting anything." the slight roll on the "r" was involuntary and it made him cringe.
Only when he dared did he look up, finally realising why the salty scent of blood hung lightly on the air, enticing his hunger. A rodent. Not big enough to sate it though, not by a long shot. Unlike Jamal, Pyroth probably would eat it if he'd been the one to catch it. Jamal_Reedy Jamal stared unblinkingly into the brush as he sought out a clear view of whomever was coming to bother him. His ire was only pricked slightly, thanks to the sedatives, but that didn't keep the territorial instincts from flooding freely from his tiger counterpart. It was when the semi-familiar scent of Pyroth overpowered the blood in his nostrils did he relax and he did so further when the coyote man showed himself. The tiger lost interest immediately, seeing that Pyroth was hardly a threat, and instead focused on the dead body draped in Jamal's claws. "You ain't interruptin' nuthin'," Jamal grunted curtly, his gaze flickering back to the carcass momentarily before letting it drop to the earth with a dull thud. "I'm glad it's you at least 'n' not some ********' moron. Not dat I kin do anythin' ta 'em if it was someone I didn't like...." He flared his nostril in annoyance and glanced back at Pyroth, seemily oblivious to his advanced transformation....or he didn't care. "What brings you out herr? Out doin' a lil' huntin of yo' own?" Pyroth Ignatius Pyroth relaxed himself as Jamal did, noting that he had gotten pretty good at reading mood signals, possibly as a result of the animal. He watched the mouse hit the ground with the faintest ferine look in his eyes before snapping out of it and returning to Jamal with a sympathetic grin. "I'm flattered." he raised a brow "But I'm sure if it was someone you really couldn't stand you could make them leave /somehow?/"
In response to the other man's question he nodded, Pyroth didn't deny that he had lost a lot of ground to the "other side" it was the only way to hold onto what he still had of his rationality.
"As a matter of fact I was, nothing quite like countering a bout of depression by spreading the misery." he gave a toothy grin. "Haven't caught anything yet." his eyes flickered to the rodent again and back "Still hungry." it was probably the first time he'd admitted he ate what he caught, for the human side of him it was shameful but the coyote was proud, at least it wasn't eating dead things. Jamal_Reedy Jamal gave a choked snort, idly wiping some blood from his hands onto the pockets of his jeans, and gave Pyroth a dark, narrowed stare. "I ain't so sure anymo'. Normally I could jus' set ma'self off inta a fit 'n' peeps be runnin' off like I was the devil himself...but I kin't even get out a good yell no mo'. Don't matta if da ********' tiger...if dat's what it is...wants ta get mad too. Somethin's stoppin' me. It's bad 'nough I kin't control what I'm turnin' inta...but I kin't even get MAD about it." He grumbled and kicked the rodent body off into the brush, disinterested in it now that it was dead and wasn't giving him the sick satisfaction of screaming and struggling any longer. "I been out herr awhile...dat's all I've managed ta catch. Anythin' bigger gets away. I ain't good 'nough ta get anythin' worth braggin' 'bout." The black man had heard the "hungry" comment and looked slightly thrown off at that; he hadn't expected the man to actually EAT what he caught. Jamal had neatly surpressed that urge and the tiger had been contented enough with blood. Perhaps it was the fact he wasn't all that transformed yet...who knew. "Ya...look diff'rent," said Jamal lamely, finally touching on the fact that he did see Pyroth's change. "How long...?" Pyroth Ignatius
Pyroth raised a brow, that sounded like a case of major frustration. If you couldn't even vent, what the hell could you do? He wasn't a psychologist but even he could see something would have to give eventually. "That sounds painful. Not body painful, head painful." he frowned. "I can still get mad, been getting pretty good at it of late." his snappish comments to Chana, a stranger and someone he would normally have been nicer to were just one sign of that. "I'd go crazy if I couldn't."
Pyroth grinned slightly at his catch and nodded "Yeah, the animals on the island used to be quite tolerant of humans, at least they were when I first started going after them, but they are getting smart, that or the stupid ones are getting killed off." Besides, Pyroth had training from when he was a kid to fall back on, things that he had thought rediculous proving useful out here.
He glanced down and agreed "Yeah, went through another change a few..." he paused to think "..weeks ago I think? Time in this place is too slow then fast to keep track of." he shrugged as best he could "It just makes walking more difficult."
And thinking straight. But he didn't mention that.Jamal_Reedy "It's drivin' me ********' nuts...ever since they locked me up in da labs, I ain't been right," he snapped bitterly. "I know they did somethin' ta me but what, I ain't got a clue. They ain't against doin' whateva' they want ta us..." Jamal sighed and ran a blood-crusted hand through his cornrows before flopping down on the fallen log he had been crouching behind earlier, giving Pyroth an appraising look over. He certainly looked more advanced than Antony, he decided, but then a sour expression passed over his broad features. No. He wasn't going to dwell on that, dammit! Jamal rocked back on the fallen log, his eyes half-lidding as he forced his thoughts in another direction. He was certain if he could just get pissed about something, he would feel so much better. The topics of transformation was the last thing he wanted to think about right now though; he was always wondering when he'd be the next 'victim'. Perhaps talking about hunting would divert his thoughts for now. "I bet you kin catch big s**t. Man, if I could get ma hands on somethin' big, maybe da tiger would shut da ******** up fo' awhile. Or maybe it'd keep me from whinin' 'bout s**t. What I wouldn't give ta sink ma claws back in da Aubrey b***h..." Pyroth Ignatius
Pyroth raised his brow a little higher and looked thoughtful, could they mess with their heads? Slip them brain treatments? Sedatives? Anything was possible on the island, it was odd he hadn't even considered this before, what if the serums were only one of the jabs they got?
The coyote man grinned "I probably could catch decent sized prey if I wasn't so skinny. I have no weight behind me to bring them down." he shrugged "About the biggest thing I can bring down is a boar and those ******** kick." he snapped his ears back, remembering the last time he got a connecting blow from one of those hooves, he hadn't expected it at all from an animal that in his mind had been nothing more than a glorified piggy.
"But yeah, I'm sure we could bring something down easy. You have the claws after all." he smirked wickedly "And with taking out prey practice makes perfect, if you can take out a boar in a 2 second suprise ambush, a person is easy. Take it from me, people are fragile."Jamal_Reedy Jamal's eyes acquired a very constricted, predator gleam to them as he considered Pyroth's words and stared at the blood streaks on his hands momentarily. Was he suggesting....? "I've seen them boar things out be'fo...they get real pissed off if ya bother 'em, so I kin only guess how hard it'd be ta kill one...not dat I wouldn't mind tryin'..." His gaze snapped upward to Pyroth, a challenging air to his expression now as he gave the coyote man a fangy grin and a lifted brow. The tiger was interested...but was the coyote? Pyroth Ignatius Pyroth nodded "Yeah, they are vicious and fast, surprising for something related to the complacent fat things that live to die. They actually put up a fight when you try and take them out." it was a metaphor really, he thought. People could either choose to be wild boars or factory farmed domestics. In this shape, he was going with the wilder option and it was more empowering than anything he had ever done.
He met Jamal's gaze with his own chilly canine one and nodded
"Call it the aim of the day?"
Sometimes it was good to just tell civilisation you'd be back later and not to wait up. Jamal_Reedy Jamal's lips curled into a sneer, whiskers fanning against his cheeks as his focus shifted to the possiblity of fueling his foolish male ideals by asserting dominance over a stupid boar. "I'm up fo' it," he said after a pause as he pressed his fingertip together as his hands lay draped in his lap. No one else had to know that he'd decided to go off on a bloodthirsty romp through the jungle with Pyroth. Maybe it'd help shake off the weird funk he'd fall into lately. Perhaps the animalistic hunt would bring out that anger he had come to rely so heavily on. "I kin be da claws 'n' muscles 'n' you kin be da nose 'n' brains...I kin't smell nuthin' dat great yet unless it's right in front of me." Pyroth Ignatius Pyroth nodded the affirmative. "My nose has problems too with all the smells in this place but with a muzzle it has double the strength it had before. Sounds like a good deal." he smirked, it was certainly unusual having someone else join him on a hunt, something which he had been convinced was merely a sign of him losing the battle to keep his humanity. Pyroth had always been addicted to something, these days it was adrenalin.
"I'd assume the tiger would know how to out stealth me by miles anyway, we'll have to split up if we find the boar, I'll head in front of it, you circle behind. There won't be time for talking if we do manage to find one. It would hear us rapid."
And with that, he turned and headed into the undergrowth, pretty sure Jamal would follow, switching from conversation mode to listening-to-his-nose mode. The scents mingled around him like tangible webs of coloured silk caught in a breeze. It was overwhelming, but if they walked for a bit, he was sure they'd get something, the island, seperated from the mainland, was teeming with animals. Jamal_Reedy Jamal nodded in agreement. "I kin't keep track of what is what sumtimes," he commented, his attention shifting as he took a deep breath, confirming his statement when his brain buzzed anxiously with all the inputs. He wondered if he'd ever get used to that. The claws had taken some time to learn how to manipulate harmlessly and he still caught his own lip or tongue on his longer fangs...but there was so much involved with scent that he hadn't ever considered before. There was more to be learned from a smell than whether or not something was edible. Pyroth's words were noted and filed away at the forefront of his thoughts before he let the tiger have a bit more reign. The beast was already calculating a great number of variables as Jamal picked up pace behind Pyroth. Tiny noises that Jamal wouldn't have ever paid any mind to were being analyzed quickly and dismissed as unimportant or potentially worth looking into faster than a normal human Jamal might have done, even if his life might have been on the line. All in all, it might have been interesting to the black man if Jamal had the slightest inkling of pleasure in what was happening to him. He automatically grew more cautious in where his steps fell on the jungle floor, careful of fallen twigs that might snap or piles of leaves that would rustle should he tread on them. Pyroth Ignatius Pyroth had taken a bit of a back seat to the coyote, letting it stretch it's legs, show him what things it knew that he couldn't even begin to comprehend. It had scared him the first time, but so had his first high. You wondered if you would ever come back down, scared to let go in case it was the last time you did. But now it was all but second nature. An ear quirked slightly to listen to the sound of Jamal behind him, or at least the distinct lack of sound that was him.
He was actually moving rather quickly, his usual half-lope pretty useful for recovering from stumbles in the tangled roots that strew the ground. But it was his nose that was doing all the thinking now, lines of crystal clear info flooding parts of his brain he didn't know he had. Then, one a different colour from the rest (for colour was how his human brain showed the scents beyond it's normal range) It was what they were looking for.
Smirking, he glanced back over his shoulder once and nodded to Jamal.
This way.
He wasn't as quiet as he would have liked, but quiet enough. Fur softened sounds. When they were near enough he paused, able to, if he strained his ears, hear the sounds of rustling up ahead and could imagine the boar rustling around looking for whatever it was they ate, roots or something.
It was a signal for Jamal to go on ahead and get ready for the ambush. Waiting was always the worst part, Pyroth himself was the impatient one in this instance, the coyote could wait for hours if it had to. Jamal_Reedy Jamal followed behind Pyroth as quietly as he was physically able. He was barefoot, so that helped some, but he lacked the pads on them that acted like natural silencers. He would have wryly told himself they would come in time, but now wasn't the time. No, there were more important things to do. He kept his gaze locked on Pyroth as he pushed through the foliage so when he did slow, Jamal became more alert immediately and scanned the immediate jungle. When he saw nothing, he glanced back at the coyote man in silent question. The nod only confirmed what he had fleetingly inquired...had he found something worth their time? The black man strained to pick out a particular scent amongst those that flooded his nose, but the creature was too far away for him to distinguish. Again they started to move and Jamal followed willingly, this time continually processing the scents as they went and slowly finding one stood out among the other (the tiger was focusing on it intensely now). The tiger knew what to do now. Wordlessly, Jamal broke rank from Pyroth and started a wide circle around where the boar's scent radiated the strongest, careful to choose the path that kept him downwind. This was what Jamal had never cared to worry about...but he'd never let the tiger take this much control during a hunt either. He kept low, almost literally crawling as he went to avoid low-hanging branches, eyes focused towards the center of the 'circle' as he looked for signs that the boar was moving closer prematurely. Pyroth Ignatius Pyroth waited until Jamal had been gone a few moments before he started inching ever forward, dropping into a crawl, it hurt his back but it was only temporary. Besides, at that moment in time, pain was merely secondary to the intense focus with which he was listening to the jungle. Normal people could only imagine the vividness of the world when you were hunting, the nearest they usually came was opening a ready meal. All that mattered was the boar, the kill, everything else faded to black and white.
He moved painfully slow, inching forward until he could just make out the brownish fur through the undergrowth as the boar rustled with it's nose in the leaves. It was being careless, probably one of the more complacent ones, the others checked their vicinity all the time.
Jamal would be the one to catch the beast, but Pyroth could drive it in his direction. He couldn't get a grip with his unretractable claws on a running boar.
Grinning like a madman he waited for just that sweet moment, clear as a bell when he took in everything like a snap photograph, and then he drove forward in a quadrupedal gallop, letting out a vicious snarl as he drew nearer the pig, fangs bared.
It saw him and turning, ran behind where it had been standing, Pyroth hot on it's heels, still snapping at it's flanks, just missing. Jamal_Reedy It never occurred to Jamal that if he was the brute force to stop the animal once it charged in his direction that he would take the brunt of injury should the boar dish it out. The tiger was confident that it could take the beast down, but neglected to realize it's vessel lacked a great deal of the natural strength and size it's true body ought to have. Regardless, Jamal continued to circle around until he was more or less directly behind the boar and slowly got into a crouch, hands placed on the earth in front of him but his legs coiled underneath to allow him the ability to lunge or move quickly when the time was right. He had just barely taken up position when he heard Pyroth's snarl cut the silence and the crashing sounds of two body hurdling towards him. The tiger viciously snapped to attention, yanking fiercely on Jamal's remaining control. Adrenaline flooded the black man's body and he tensed, the very minimal fur he had standing on end as he waited. The tiger's focus couldn't be broken now. Within seconds, the scent of fear, boar, and Pyroth struck him so forcefully that he would have been literally blindsided if the tiger hadn't know how to react. A flash of brown ahead was the cat's only cue to act...the ambush was sprung. Jamal found himself lunging forward with a snarl almost as vicious as the one that the coyote had given, claws bared and lips pulled wide. He moved to cut the boar off and attempted to bowl the animal over, hands clumsily raking forward to sink the claws into the creature's flesh. The human in Jamal was vaguely left in disbelief as everything seemed to move in slow motion. Pyroth Ignatius
Pyroth rode the few moments of nothingness in awe as always. The coyote knew equally what to do, slowing so that he wasn't knocked over also by the force of Jamal's leap. He had anticipated the boar's possible reaction though beforehand and sprung forward into the chaos, managing to crunch down, hard on one of the boar's free hindlegs. It wouldn't be kicking so hard now, and it also satisfied a quiet little desire Pyroth had for vengeance on the beasts after his own encounter with them.
Still, other than that snap and leap back, he left it up to Jamal, backing off to catch his breath, tongue lolling. He was already impressed with the other man's agility and skill, actually worried at one point that he might miss the kill. His reflexes had been quick, no wonder the doctors were worried.
He looked on with interest noting all the while that the smell of prey was intoxicating but also bearing in mind that it would be madness to rush in right away.Jamal_Reedy Jamal barely registered the sickening crunch of bone snapping due to Pyroth's quick action, claws scrambling on the rough, bristled hide for purchase. He pulled his weight over the beast's back as he kicked off the ground, swinging his weight forcefully to the side where the broken limb was, and the movement drew a long line of zagged wounds from the beast's opposite shoulder, across it's back, and down it's flank thanks to Jamal's underdeveloped claws. Luckily the weight was enough to at least trip the beast up, unable to flee as quickly as it ought to thanks to a bum hindleg. The boar started to stumble, head bucking downward to the earth, which threw Jamal forward much like a cowboy on a bucking bull might do. Unfortunately, as Jamal lost a firm grip and swung forward, the boar's sharp forehooves crashed down on his side and abdomen with a loud snap and rip of fabric. A strained yowl left his lips as he blindly slashed the air, finding the jowls of the boar soon tangled in his claws. The tiger was outraged and wanted Jamal to sink his fangs into the animal's throat as it staggered about searching for earth to set its hooves upon, but he didn't have the right jaw configuration for such a thing. All he could do was tear at whatever he could reach as he tried to roll free. He was already becoming soaked in hot, sticky blood as he kept slashing and his own blood was seeping through where he'd been trampled. As much as Jamal might not believe it, he was not invincible. Pyroth Ignatius It took Pyroth a few moments to register what was happening, his head somewhere between coyote and human in it's reasoning. He had been the brunt of that sort of kick before and winced as it connected. Scrambling to his feet, he ran over to aid Jamal, the scent of blood confusing his logic.
About the best he could muster in the confusion was to steer the coyote towards the still struggling boar. His jaws were already in their canine form, albeit larger in scale than the normal animal and he managed to get a grip on the flesh at the back of the pig, just behind it's neck. He clamped down, hard, before attempting to haul the thing off of Jamal, getting a few scratches and bruises himself from the flailing hooves and tusks. This one was a lively one. It was slow to budge though and it took another good few bites and probably clawings before it gave up enough that he could move it.
With one last flick of his head, Pyroth, fangs around the bleeding pig's neck, attempted to finish it off.
Jamal_Reedy Jamal kept slashing upwards, bits of flesh flying into the leaf litter, until Pyroth was able to get the animal to move enough to where he could skitter out from underneath. The tiger was in bloodlust now though and instead of sensibly backing off and letting someone with more experience take up where he left off, he whirled, claws again bared, and slammed one set into the animal's face and the other higher on the neck. He'd try to hold the animal while Pyroth cut the vital vessels in it's neck. The pain continued to ebb at his abdomen and the cuts continued to bleed, though they did so sluggishly. Dark bruising was starting to set in around the slashes, but the fight-or-flight instincts kept his attention on the task at hand, not at the damage. Pyroth Ignatius Pyroth had lost control again to the much more experienced coyote and could only watch as he saw himself bite and bite again into the boar's neck, drawing in more tissue until he could twist just so and get to the jugular, all of this made easier by the fact that the beast was held steady. Finally he found what he was looking for, evidenced by the boar's renewed flailing and the blood that seeped into his mouth. Good, they could end it.
With a rather messy crunch, Pyroth severed the carotid and refexively worried the pig in his fangs before gaining just enough sense to know that it was doomed and to let go. It took a bit of mental conflict to release what the coyote considered as lunch, but he did anyway, wiping some of the blood off of his face as he staggered to his feet. Letting the pig go through it's death throes where it couldn't kick him again.
His brain was a complete jumble, as if he'd been smoking too much. Pig, eat. Food.Hurt..Jamal hurt. Pig hurt Jamal. Pig hurt Jamal, is he okay? His brain somehow managed to bitchslap enough sense into itself for Pyroth to come back into reality, his head still cloudy with the scents but wary of the urgency.
Finding his voice again, he managed to ask (in a still somewhat canine manner) "You okay?" Jamal_Reedy Jamal wrenched his grasp free of the boar as it screamed and thrashed, certain that it would die soon to judge by how much blood had been shed and staggered back with lips pursed to hold back another hiss of pain. The bruising was already rather spectactular; he'd probably at least cracked a rib or two, if not broke them completely. He crouched a few paces away from the animal, flashing Pyroth an angry sneer. The tiger man was literally covered in pig blood. "I'll live," Jamal managed shortly, face twisting in a pained manner as he tried to catch his breath. "********' thing..." His eyes gleamed but whether it was from pain or the rush of the kill, it was hard to tell. Part of him wanted to rush in again and latch on until the boar finally expired but even the tiger knew better. It would save a lot of trouble to let it bleed itself to death. "...dat was ********' AMAZING." The rush was unbelieveable. Oh man...it was like the same rush he got when he went after Aubrey at the beach bar, but this wasn't anger-induced. This was a natural compulsion of the tiger and it was done in a cool, calculating way. He wondered if he had ever thought so clearly before in his life. Pyroth Ignatius Pyroth nodded to Jamal, content that he would get by. Those pigs really were feral, something that had only been driven home further today. But one thing he was sure of, he'd hunt them and hunt them until he learned all their tricks, and then he'd move onto bigger game, he might have disagreed with what they were doing on the island but he'd make them regret it eventually. "Told you they were vicious." he added with a wicked grin. "Though not as vicious as we can be." it almost made him want to laugh out loud, before he'd have needed some heavy weaponry or at the very least a knife to do the kind of damage they had done right there. But both were unarmed and that was the sweetest thing about it, home grown weapons.
The coyote-man flopped down to sit on a fallen and slightly rotten log, his tail flicking behind him, panting to catch his breath and cool down, noting as he did so that he had only sustained a few bruises and even less cuts from the scuffle, apparently fur had it's uses when it came to sharp objects. Still, didn't mean that he wouldn't be feeling the exertion in the morning.
"It always is." he smirked wickedly, that cold look in his eyes that few ever got to see "Better than any high I've ever had." There was nothing quite like snuffing out the life of another creature to remind you how alive you were. "That and it keeps the coyote quiet, a small compromise to make." Jamal_Reedy Jamal wiped some of the thickening blood from his face, having to severely resist the urge to lap it off his palm, and dragged it instead across the nearest pile of leaves. The twinkle in his eye and the leer never left his face. "Well since we ain't da ones dyin', I gotta say dat we clearly be mo' deadly then dat thing," he said wryly, glancing at the boar, pleased to see it was only barely struggling, the life leeching out of it's body into a puddle about it's upper half. It should die any moment now. "Now if only I could do use this s**t on sum docs. Then I'd feel like I did somethin' real good." He chuckled darkly and shook his head. "Jus' need some time. I'll get 'em eventually." He gently brushed the wounds on his chest and upper abdomen, wincing as the pain started to grow a little stronger as he was starting to come off the high. Jamal'd probably regret this hunt later. He'd been shot before, so the pain wasn't unbearable. More of an annoyance really. The pig paid for the trampling, in any case, and that's all he really cared about. So now they had a dying (or dead at this point) boar lying in the leaf litter not too far away, had a few bruises and cuts, and their rush of blood lust for the day. Jamal wondered if Pyroth was actually going to -eat- the thing like he said he wanted to. The black man wouldn't say a word if he did, but he wouldn't join in. Not yet, anyway. Pyroth Ignatius
Pyroth nodded with a satisfied grin "There will probably be an opportunity at some point, some careless mistake." the coyote man actually felt right now that he wouldn't hesitate to take a chance like that if it ever presented itself. He should have taken the chance when he first laid eyes on Moreau, armed guards or no, he would probably have saved a lot of heartache for people if he had. He wouldn't miss twice. "They'll regret handing us weapons"
He was sympathetic about the wounds though, he had been kicked before on his shoulder, ended up having to go get it stitched up, explaining it away as a fall. "We'll probably hurt like hell later for it, but it's worth it."
The coyote was nagging him, hungry, wanting to eat what it had caught, what was the point otherwise? But Pyroth wouldn't tolerate it, not with someone else around. Eating was always a traumatic thing for Pyroth, even before he came to the island, when he ate he felt like everyone was watching him, judging him, it was intolerably humiliating for himself to even think about eating like an animal, it was enough for him to stem the urge to tuck in.
He'd come back a little later and god help any creature who had tried to steal their kill.
He stretched casually "At least it got me out of that bloody duplex. It's beginning to feel more like an enclosure than a room." he'd never been claustraphobic before but the feeling of unease he got in there these days was unnerving.Jamal_Reedy "I kin take a lil' hurt if it means I get practice," he said smugly, though again he winced when he shifted and also took a position on a fallen log because squatting wasn't comfortable. When Pyroth didn't make a move for the dead pig, he didn't ask why. Perhaps he was restraining himself like Jamal had to do in some cases...or maybe he really wasn't as hungry as he looked. The man looked downright malnourished, but some people were born that way. In either case, he wasn't going to ask. The mention of confinement brought him further into reality now that the ebb of adrenaline had slowed and everything had fallen to an almost serene calm. Enclosures...Jamal shuddered involuntarily and looked up through the tree canopy, remembering his stint in the cage. Ever since then, he rarely spent time in his duplex unless the weather was poor or he had a real reason to be there. "It's a good thing there be a'lotta jungle our herr ta lose yo'self in...I never thought I'd willin'ly give up a roof ova' my head." Or the company of people. He wasn't normally social anyway, but he used to be able to exist in a city crammed with people and not be bothered. Now it felt like everyone was stepping on his toes and there were only forty or so people here and hardly any of them paid him mind anyway. Pyroth Ignatius As the adrenalin ebbed away, Pyroth relaxed a bit, never able to find a position to sit in that was comfortable, his spine too curved to sit up, too straight for anything else. He occaisionally cast glances at the pig, unmoving now but still like heaven to his nose.
He noted with his usual eye for posturing that Jamal seemed to have the same problem with being trapped that he did. "Yeah, if there wasn't any jungle I'd probably have gotten a bad case of cabin fever or just gone crazy." Especially with some of the islanders turning into prey animals. "At least out here I can redirect whatever instincts there are to prey rather than anything worse."
"But still, I'd say this change has been the worst so far." he glanced at his paws "It's not really the physical side of it, that's okay, I can deal with that the way I've dealt with the rest, and the fangs aren't unwelcome. It's the other things, like I say, claustropobia and my sleeping patterns." he frowned "I'd guess coyotes are nocturnal just from how messed up my head is lately."
He shrugged "But whatever, I'm not even caring anymore. For me it's all about getting back at those that put us here using what they gave us." he smirked again, as he did so noticing the pig and smirking, he might not want to eat it out here, but he had an idea.
"Think it would ******** with their heads if I took the pig back to the cafeteria and made some bacon?" Jamal_Reedy Jamal nodded in acknowledgement of Pyroth's problems but wasn't sure how to sympathize as he honestly hadn't been there yet...at times, he thought maybe he was losing his mind, but it didn't seem that bad yet in comparison to what Pyroth was showing him. However, the idea of hauling their kill back struck him as amusing...plus it'd show those stupid staff people what they could do if they worked together. Surely having a dead boar hauled into a public eating facility at the hands of these two men would be somewhat unnerving. If not for the staff, then perhaps for the islanders. "...don't sound like a bad idea ta me..." he drawled. "I'm already bloody as ******** mind carryin' it to da village if it means we could mess wit' some people." Pyroth Ignatius
Pyroth grinned, glad that Jamal agreed with the idea, it would definately unnerve people to see what they were capable of, maybe in some small way reminding some of them that they weren't /entirely/ helpless the way the lab made them out to be.
"Besides, I'm hungry and wild pig tastes better than the cheap crap they've been stocking lately." People would pay a fortune in resturaunts for fresh and exotic rare meat, they had it right there. Taking it to the cafeteria made the idea of actually eating the thing more tolerable to Pyroth.
Getting up off the log, he walked over to the pig and grabbed it's forelegs, just to get an idea how heavy it was. It was slightly weightier than he'd expected and would be ungainly to carry unless they found some way to truss it up and spread the weight. There was always hogtying the thing, but he wasn't sure if that was something that actually worked or just something you saw in movies. Jamal could probably carry it without much hassle normally but Pyroth didn't want to push it, not with the man's side still pretty debilitatingly injured.
"Shifting it's going to be a problem. Any idea how we can split the weight?"Jamal_Reedy "Yeah...da steaks are gettin' pretty shitty," he said in agreement as he too got up, hiding a wince, and went to investigate the boar. He prodded the thing with a toe, a thoughtful expression on his face that didn't quite smother out the bloodlust glittering in his eyes. "Tie it up somehow, I guess," he mumbled with a shrug. "I ain't got any rope..." He absently rubbed his chest, then realized his shirt was probably ruined. Might as well make a last use out of it. Without a word, he stripped off his shirt and started to tear it into long pieces. Pyroth Ignatius Pyroth helped tie the boar up, learning just how useless his digits now were in terms of flexibility. It was surprisingly difficult to do and made frustration rise up in him again, the same frustration he had felt earlier, only dulled by the hunt, never removed. Deciding that they might as well try out tying the thing to a branch and splitting the weight, he left Jamal to it and went to get one of the many fallen branches, picking one that wasn't rotted yet and looked sturdy. He brought it back.
"We could tie it to this, split the weight, it'll make the crappy terrain easier to cross."
He didn't mention that it might also be useful for Jamal to avoid putting too much strain on himself while he was still wounded from the boar hunt itself.
"I mean, I've seen it done in movies , not sure if it would work in the real world." Jamal_Reedy Jamal didn't seem to notice the problems Pyroth was having or he simply didn't comment. Probably the latter, as he knew it wasn't really smart to comment someone's difficulties when they had sharp teeth. The black man could probably take Pyroth down if he wanted just because of sheer size but really...why have it come to that after they had such a good hunt. When the coyote returned with the branch, Jamal glanced up from his tying and thought about it. "Well hell, them ********' spike pits peeps use in movies work well 'nough ta catch s**t wit' so I figger this'll prolly work," he commented, nodding as he put another set of knots in the binding around one of the animal's forehooves. "Jus' slide it between da feet 'n' then I'll tie da front legs t'gether 'n' do da same with da back ones. Then da pig hangs unda' it, jus' like da movies, yeah?" Pyroth Ignatius
"Yep."
Pyroth nodded, he could never have guessed that watching old movies on TV would have been any use anywhere, let alone here in the middle of the jungle, in such a crazy situation. He complied and slid the branch into place, making sure Jamal was done tying it up first. He gave it an experimental lift and was surprised to find that it actually worked.
"Good stuff. Guess you find knowledge where you find it."
There was something primative but pleasing about the kill all trussed up and ready for transport, the scent pleased the coyote but the fact they had pulled "technology" out of nowhere pleased Pyroth even more.
"We off then?" he smirked "Can practically taste the bacon already."
and then he took up his end of the branch, ready to follow behind Jamal.
Jamal_Reedy Jamal grinned at Pyroth as he stood up after giving the hindleg knots a last minute tug to tighten them up. "'N' ta think I thought I was wastin' ma time watchin' s**t movies like dat..." he said in a surprisingly cheery mood as he shouldered his own half of the contraption, glancing behind to see how the animal was hanging. It was still giving off a fairly dribbled stream of blood from it's wounds, but it certainly wasn't going anywhere. "Right, so...to da cafeteria then. I got a cravin' fo' barbeque ma'self..." His side still ached in complaint, but he wasn't going to let it ruin the hunting afterglow. Especially since they were going to go torment people shortly. Pyroth Ignatius Pyroth nodded, most of those movies had been watched on late nights when there was nothing else in the whole world to do. He sort of wished he'd watched more, maybe could have learned how to get poison from coloured frogs and such, the way the natives did on nature programs.
Still, as he shouldered the pig, Pyroth was hopelessly amused, it really did feel like they had stuck two fingers up at the scientists. He wasn't dependent on them like the patient they treated him as, he could look after himself. It was a subtle but in the coyote's mind, potent signal of strength.
He walked through the jungle, just following Jamal for a bit before he spoke again, his tone still bright. "Heh. Wonder how they'll react to us not needing to eat the stuff they serve up? Their "little subjects" are more self-sufficient than they probably thought."
The coyote couldn't care less wether or not this was what they'd intended, he just hoped it drove home something, /anything/ to those who saw them. Jamal_Reedy Jamal was fine with the silence as they went, his slightly improved sight, hearing, and smell providing him with interesting things to ponder as they went even though the pig blood all over him was definately overpowering for the most part. However, Pyroth's comment did pose an interesting question. What -would- they think? "I dunno," he started, his tone conversational and relaxed for what had to be the first time in awhile. "I figger they'll prolly be a lil' annoyed at da least. I dunno what they ********' expect though. Afta' makin' us stay outside fo' two months, they gotta know we kin' take care o' ourselves a lil'. Prolly didn't figger we could take somethin' down though. It took two of us, but ******** did it. 'N' if we kin do dat, I don't care if it takes two or twelve of us workin' togetha' to take down...larger things." Jamal carefully steered them away from fallen logs and other obstacles that he couldn't easily step over, feeling that if he couldn't do it without complete ease, it could cause Pyroth problems. Pyroth Ignatius Pyroth cringed at the memory of those hellish months in the jungle. It was there that he first heard the overpowering voice of instinct, almost losing complete control and harming another islander. He hadn't even seen Em since that time either so hadn't had even half a chance to apologise. "Yeah, they messed with us then, but this time we are actually bringing down the right kind of prey, and like you say, one prey animal is very much like another. Scientists don't have hooves or fast reflexes either last I checked." still on the thrill of the hunt in some ways, he felt near invincible and really would trade in anything for a shot at one of those scientists, he had some time ago stopped caring if they were only labtechs and lackeys, anyone would do to slake revenge.
"Wether or not twelve would ever pull together is questionable though. Even I was getting complacent at one point."
He noted Jamal's cautiousness where they walked but wasn't even sure if he was just imagining it. He was grateful regardless, with the state of his current legs, he wasn't much good for anything bipedal. Jamal_Reedy Jamal would have sympathized had he known of Pyroth's attack on Em. It seemed that they were more alike than one would guess. "Ya got a point," Jamal admitted as he swung a wide path around another fallen log. "I don't think I know even six peeps I get along wit' a'ight, let alone twelve. Plus there's islanders dat LIKE da staff. Ain't dat some ******** up s**t right there?" As they went, the smell of the village was growing stronger and with it came the scent of food. The cafeteria wasn't much further.
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Posted: Mon May 01, 2006 10:10 am
Nice to Eat Meet You Jamal had spent several hours in the jungle earlier in the day, trying to spur up enough courage (and stupidity) to try and sharpen his hunting skills on another boar like the one he and Pyroth had taken down the other day. However, Jamal was left to instead take his frustration out on more small rodent-like animals since the larger prey was no where to be found, and had given up his search about early afternoon. He was in a crappy mood, thanks to the fact that he STILL was on rocky terms with Antony, but it only showed in the slight scowl of his face as he tromped towards the village.
Today he was clad in torn-up jeans and a stained wifebeater that bore flecks of blood spotting here and there from his hunting and he was shoeless, having grown accustomed to walking around in the jungle barefoot thanks to the lockdown. That and he didn't want to ruin his basketball shoes any worse than they already were.
He wasn't paying too much attention to his surroundings as he passed the river and continued into the deeper part of the jungle, weaving over fallen logs and whatnot as he went.
Billy was on his way for another swim. He liked going to the water. When he was young he had enjoyed swimming, and he supposed it was an easy way to appease his inner octopus. Hah. He was still frustrated with his situation, despite Antoyn's... cheering attempt. Hah. Pity ******** by a giant rodent. He was being harsh, yes, but he was bitter and felt he had every right to be. Afterall, they weren't the ones with tentacles tucked descreatly down the front of his shirt. He could hear the river nearby, and faintly taste water in the air. Human sences that were still effective, even if he wasn't turning into a bloody doggy or kitty.
Jamal grumbled and swatted at a swarm of insects that had been drawn to the metallic tang of blood and sweat as he went, cursing under his breath about something or other. Even if his anger was under control via the doctor's sedatives, he was still capable of feeling the slighter emotions of annoyance that seemed to hover over his thoughts as of late. He was tired of this island and tired of the people on it...he couldn't even act out properly to show it.
As he stepped over another log, he heard noises of someone or something approaching. Great...he had half a mind to try and cut a path in the other direction so he'd miss whomever this was that was tromping about in 'his' jungle, but it seemed like too much effort at the time. Well whatever. If they gave him any trouble, he'd just act unpleasant and they'd go away. He had such a talent for that, apparently. He couldn't surpress a growl from escaping his throat out of reflex though; damn territorial instincts!
Billy heard a noise as well, pausing in his tracks. If it was that psychotic little dink of a preist, he'd have no choice but to break his nose. "Hoy!"
The black man groaned inwardly. Dammit...way to blow your cover with a stupid growl, dumbass.
Jamal stopped walking and flicked his whiskers irritably as he crossed his arms and peered into the underbrush. Maybe if he didn't say anything, the speaker might think they heard something. He was hardly the stealthiest thing in the jungle; he managed to upset a great number of twigs and leaves before he stopped, so it made enough noise to give him away.
Billy glanced around. He had heard someone. He knew it. He had had a lot of practice learning when people hwere watching him or following him, and this case was not a hard one. They were in the woods, clearly... but from where? "Wha' y'go' a problem wit' me too, then? Jes' gonna stare?" He called out in his implacable accent.
"Oh ******** you," Jamal snapped irritably in retort before thinking better of it. It looked like his sour mood was ruling over common sense today. "I kin't even ********' see ya wit' all these ********' tree in da way, let alone stare." The accent didn't ring a bell with him at all. "I didn't get no goddamn supa' powers wit' dis transfo'mation bullshit."
He sneered into the darkness in case the stranger could see him, just to confirm the fact he wasn't feeling charitable today. Go awaaaaaaay.....
"So we jes' gonna' shou' through th'woods a' eachother? Is tha' th'plan, then?"
That idea did heavily appeal to him....but with all likelyhood, Jamal would run into this guy again later at some point so it was pointless to avoid an inevitable meeting. At the least, Jamal could make it clear to not mess with him later.
He didn't answer, but did start to move towards the voice, assuming a stalking-like position as he weaved through the trees, the sneer fading to a mere cast of annoyance. When he got close enough to see a figure, he snorted.
"I don't like ta yell...don't like ta ruin ma voice onna stranger," he replied icily as he leaned against a tree, eyes narrowed but vision as sharp as ever thanks to his tiger eyes.
At the sound of the voice being closer, Billy turned to spot the black man leaning nearby. Judging by the man's large ears and the discoloration of his arms, he had changed. Into what, Billy wasn't quite sure."Ah, there y'are, then."
"Yeah, here I be," he said curtly, not moving from where he was leaning. "-Now- you kin stare at me 'n' I kin stare at you."
As he stared at the man, something nagged at the back of his mind. What, he wasn't sure, but it'd come with time. Maybe he did know this guy. Maybe it was a drunken meeting, hence his forgetfulness....
"How many times y'change so far?" Billy gave a grin, tossing his towl over his shoulder amiably.
The black man bristled slightly at the question, but it was a fair enough one to ask, he supposed. It was obvious he had changed. "Once. 'N' if I had it my way, I'da killed all them ********' docs 'n' dat'd be the last time of it," grunted Jamal flatly. "You don't look dat ******** up...why da hell would I waste ma time starin' at you?" He couldn't really see the tentacles as they were tucked away and the odd purply color of his limbs and whatnot he passed off as shadows.
Billy gave a laugh, "Ach, they're right basards, aint they? I whole heartedly share yer feelin's there, brother." Already, he thoguth he liked this man. He reached up a discolored hand, using one of the remaining fingers to point at the blue on his cheaks, "No' tha' fecked up, eh?"
"'n' if I had been able ta finish off Aubrey, dat'd be one step closer ta shuttin' dis ********' place down." They could keep him from going into a rage if they wanted, but they couldn't change his feelings on the staff. It was doubtful that would EVER change.
"I figgered it was shadows o' sumthin," Jamal said dismissively at the man's question, though it irritated him to be corrected in any manner. "Colored skin ain't bad. s**t, I'm turnin white." The way he said it made it sound like it was the worst thing in the world, but he didn't mean it in a racist manner...he was just very proud to be a big black man. "Jus' changin' skin ain't s**t."
"Oh, there's these a'well," He shrugged, unbuttoning his top button for a tentacle to slip out and wave at him playfully. At least he was getting better control of them. "Tried t'cut one o' 'em off bu' it jes' grew-" He paused, brows furrowing as his expression suddenly dripped with hatred, "Aubrey?"
Jamal eyed the tentacle with a neutral expression, though he was sure his skin tinged a faint green. Okay, that was sort of gross. Tails were one thing, but a rubbery looking arm?
"Yeah, Aubrey. ********' b***h," he spat. "I 'spose ya know 'er then. Ain't no surprise...she likes da ******** wit' ev'ryone."
The nagging at the back of his mind continued, but still he couldn't place this man with anything major yet. He seemed, for all purposes, a decent enough guy, though he seemed sort of skeezy and dirty. At least he hated the staff...Jamal wouldn't bother to keep talking to this guy if he liked any of them.
"Aye, I know 'er," He growled, unbuttoning his shirt the rest of the way. The damn things were feeling cramped anyway. His hands were shaking as he did so though, the tentacles wriggling downward in a preditorial fashion.
"Too bad fo' you then fo' knowin' 'er. Stupid b***h. I'll get 'er soon enough."
He hissed and curled a lip over a fang as he watched the tenacles with a sort of morbid curiousity, caring little if the guy got offended or not at his staring. God that was ******** up s**t.
"I'm surprised I ain't run inta you b'fo since it look like you been herr fo' awhile..."
"Been here a couple months," Billy said lowly, frowning at the path as a lower tentacle slid into his pocket for a cigarette as an upper one pulled his matches from his shirt pocket, both distributing their goods into his hands. "An' y'aint touchin' her wit'out me there. I go' me own score t'settle."
"I think you ain't gonna tell me what ta do when it comes ta killin' staff," Jamal said, his tone adopting it's icy overtone again as he pulled away from his leaning tree. "If ya beat me to it, then fine, but I ain't throwin' off a chance ta knock 'er off jus' cause some random ********' in da jungle said I kin't." This tentacled man obviously didn't know who he was talking to.
"I'm jes' sayin' save a... piece... o' her fer me," He snorted, giving a bitter little chuckle.
"If I got it my way, there'll be lotta lil' pieces fo' ev'ryone," he drawled, his tone full of dark humor.
Funnily enough, Billy laughed. "I like y'lad. Wha's yer name?" He struck a match, lighting his smoke, "f**?"
Jamal eye quirked. Did...he...just call him a f**? What? Surely this guy wasn't THAT stupid to call a big black guy with claws and teeth such a nasty, offensive term. Jamal most certainly was NOT gay.
"Jamal," he said, his tone clipped due to his brain trying to work out this guy's comment among trying to figure out the reason why this guy was familiar some way or another.
Billy raised an eyebrow at Jamal's expression, "Well I aint puttin' mine out, even if yer a not into it, *Jamal*," He attempted to say the name with Jamal's accent, but only ended up sounding rather silly.
Jamal stared hard at Billy. What the fuc...oh, he's talking about a SMOKE. Okay. ******** foriegners and their wierdass words.
"Oh, s**t," he said, feeling a little stupid, but passed it off with a wave, slightly bemused at the way the grungy man slaughtered his name. "I got some of ma own...jus' had a smoke b'fo I walked inta you...you got a name 'o you onna them peeps dat like ta pretend like they got secrets when da truth be dat nuthin' is a secret out herr?"
"Oh, there's plenty o' secrets, brother, I'm sure," He snickered, waving out the match befor taking a happy puff. "Th'names William. Friends call me Billy."
Jamal would have rolled his eyes somewhere at that point, but instead his gaze grew sharper and he gave Billy a very calculating stare. Billy...billy...where the ******** had he heard that name...It was clear Jamal was sizing him up for some reason or another.
The octopus man frowned, htough, his brows furrowing, "Somethin' th'matter?"
Jamal kept staring at him as he was rapidly trying to remember why his name was familiar. "You know many peeps herr yet?" he inquired in a ploy to perhaps dig some information out of Billy. Maybe that'd help. Jamal had heard of Billy before, he was sure of it, but from who?
"Aye..." He frowned, "Friends wit' ah... Th'squirrel lass Antony... an'... th'dark skinned gel, Kav.. Kuv... Feck I kin' ne'er get it!" He laughed, "Ah... aye, Pyroth tha' coyote-man... y'know him?"
"Kaveri," Jamal supplied, since that was the only name that sounded remotely like the nonsense that Billy had muttered. "I know all three of 'em."
Wait. Antony...Jamal closed his eyes momentarily to focus on a past memory. He and Antony were talking about something or other...she had marks on her neck...something about a grungy, hairy, sleezy white man that went after her and tried to strangle her.
It suddenly all made sense.
"Your da ********' a*****e dat went after Antony!" shouted the tiger man into the silence that'd fallen, eyes flying open into an accusing glare as his lips parted over his white, partially formed fangs. "I ********' KNEW I hearda you b'fo!"
As he spoke, he shoved through the shorter brush and fallen logs with a sudden urgency in his motions that did not bode well. Jamal looked displeased, to put it mildly. Nevermind Billy had said he was a friend of Antony. He didn't care.
"Ye..w ha'?" Billy laughed weakly, taking a step away, "In all techni'cality, she went after *me*, brother!"
"Ya ********' tried ta choke 'er! She told me all 'bout it!" retorted the black man with a great deal of venom in his voice. "Tried ta KILL her!"
When Billy took a step away, it only seemed to make Jamal even more displeased and he moved faster with bigger steps until he was closing in on the smaller man at what could have been classified as a charge. God dammit, where was the outright anger that he had promised Antony he'd use on this worthless sack of s**t? He promised he'd tear this guy apart, but right now all he felt was a sort of incredulous disbelief and irritation.
Billy staggered, tripping over a rock as he began coughing and sputtering, grabbing at his throat. That inignorable feeling had swept over him to take use of an octopussian defence mechanism he simply didn't possess, managing to mearly spittle a bit of siliva down his beard nad practically choke himself. After a few clensing gasps of air and many leaping steps, he managed to cry, "Tha' was a bloody month ago!!"
"'N' it's a ********' shame it took me so long ta find ya, ya dirty ******** lashed out with aim to grab the man by the trailing button edge of his shirt, brows furrowed heavily over his narrowed glare.
Usually, Billy would have faught back. Sniff a buzz and the world is in sharp, video-game focus. You have extra lives. Your playing the boxing game in the pub. Only it's a person and you don't feel pain. Just go and go and go. But he was clean now, appeased by the mellowing pot, and despite what his criminal record might have lead people like Bobby to believe, Billy was a coward. He sputtered, coughing and gagging as the octopus used this to it's advantage, his tetnacles flailing as though they could help him run faster, trying to break out of the tiger-man's grasp.
Jamal yanked Billy forward so the men were practically nose to nose, only jamal's whiskers breeched the open air between them both where they brushed faintly against the smaller man's cheeks. His eyes were mere slivers of icy blue underneath Jamal's heavy brow as he attempted to hold the man steady and ignore the slapping tentacles.
"Don't think yer gonna jus' run off when I been keepin' ma eye fo' you fo' so long!" Jamal hissed, wrinkles showing above his nose as he sneered directly into Billy's face. "Ya messed wit' da wrong lady...even if she 'n' I ain't talkin' right now, I made a promise. Those sorta promises I like ta keep."
That was when the Billy instincts overtook the octopus, his leg jutting up into the taller man's gut like a man experienced with his common irish bar fight.
Jamal made a strained grunting yelp as he released his hold on Billy, the kick connecting well enough to where it stung a great deal. If Jamal wasn't sufficiently mad beforehand, he was definately moreso now. "Son of a b***h," Jamal managed between gritted teeth as he tried to resist the urge to doubleover. A hand groped blindly at his waistband where his stolen kitchen knife lay concealed in a makeshift sheath of old shoe leather.
Billy took this moment to get a head start, darting off down the path. He'd loose him! Somehow... have to loose him... what the HELL was his problem?? Had he not talked with her lately? (At least on the topic of Billy) What was with people jumping to conclusions about him?? Murder! Rape! Attempted murder! He wondered just what he would find himself up to next!
Jamal panted and tried to shove the pain away, his gaze lifting long enough to catch sight of Billy hauling a** down the path. Ooooh no. Octopus man was NOT going to just run away now. Not after that knee to the gut....
He started to lope after Billy, giving up on trying to find his knife right now. If worse came to worse, he could use claws. Oddly enough, he still wasn't exactly infuriated...he simply had a sense of duty to fulfill his promise...and the sedatives were still in effect. DAMN THEM.
"Ya know if ya run, I'm jus' gonna get more pissed," he yelled, even if it was probably a bluff. Jamal wasn't sure what he'd do to the guy if he got his hands on him again. Scare the piss out of him, at the very least, seemed to be the best option, but maybe a little scratch or two would get the point across better.
Billy was gasping for air by the time he reached the river, throwing off his shirt as he ran befor diving into the water, praying upon steriotypes to come to his aid as he let the current speed his swimming.
Jamal came up to the riverbank not long after Billy entered the current and hardly paused...if Billy was hoping that Mr. Kitty didn't like water, he picked the wrong cat. Tigers LOVE water.
The black man sloshed into the water, clothes and all, and started to paddle after Billy at a fairly decent pace.
Billy actually thanked his slighter frame and the changes in his bones the transformation had left him, able to ride the river much faster, but at the rate of his persuer, he would only be able to keep a distance between them, unless the current picked up down the bend. "Wha' th'feckin' hell is wrong wit' ye??" Billy shouted over his shoulder, but iddn't stop his swimming.
"I told ya. Ya messed wit' da wrong lady. I don't break ma promises."
Jamal continued to swim after the other man, making no ground on him but not losing any either. Long hours at the beach had really helped his swimming abilities, that was sure, otherwise he would have tired out awhile ago.
"Ya don't mess wit' ma women. I wanna make sure ya got it straight." He growled and tried to swim a little faster, but it was hard for him to go any faster than he was already. Jamal was a large man with a great deal of bulk to him...definately not water-friendly.
"I jes' slept wit' her! We went t'a party t'gether! We made up!" Billy cried, starting to wear out himself, but far more equipt for the water, even if his changes were only minor. A fisherman's blood ran through his ancestory.
Jamal's bravado sort of fizzled there for a second. "Wait...WHAT?" he snapped, eyes flashing. Slept with him? As in, had sex? Or as in sharing a bed. Either way, it didn't make sense. Antony -hated- Billy as far as Jamal knew. The black man resumed his strong paddle, but now he was confused.
"Bullshit. I don't believe it."
"GO BLOODY ASK HER!!"
"How 'bout I beat yo a**, THEN I ask?"
Jamal was getting tired now...both physically and of this stupid banter. He wanted to give Billy a good a**-whomping and get on with his life. He was only doing it because he felt obligated due to the promise he made Antony and because the man irked him in various ways.
Billy was definatly glad he had choosen the river over running. He could at least manage to float occasionally to catch his breath and still move with the current. Lately he'd been a lot more winded than usual, and he wasn't about to blame his cigarettes and new found pot-smoking. "THA'S JES' STUPID!"
Jamal didn't respond. Now Billy was making him mad because he kept GOING. God dammit, STOP SWIMMING ALREADY.
He wasn't sure how much longer he could swim for. His arms were starting to burn quite a bit and his lungs were also complaining.
Billy turned over to backstroke for a while, giving some of his muscles a break and also to let him watch his persuer. He was going to escape! This was it! Brilliant! He beamed, "No' smart, are ye?" He called back, "Thinkin' y'can outswima damn OCTOPUS!" He gave a cackle befor frowning. The river had widened- no- it had....? The current slowed, untill he found himself nearing the middle of the lake, treading water frantically, "Ah... bloody hell..." He turned, diving under to swim away wihtout the benifit of the current.
As the river widened, an evil leer crossed his face. He knew what they were coming up on. As Billy headed for the middle, Jamal veered and went for the shore. His arms might be tired, but his legs weren't. He was soon up on the sand, dripping wet and winded, but now Billy was stuck in the water and would have a HELL of a time swimming against the current if he wanted to go back into the river portion.Antony had just experienced a rather pleasant meal at the dining hall, and was on her way back to her duplex when she heard the angry yells of two familiar men. s**t. No wait... ********. Against her better judgement, the squirrel woman turned towards the direction of the noise and made her way to the lake, using her sense of smell when the noises eventually died out. "What the ********?!" She immediately exclaimed, eyes wide at the situation as her brain processed it all. What in the world was Jamal doing? Billy was starting to get tired, sinking lower. Tentitively, he tried to swim in a little closwer, keeping low in hopes Jamal wouldn't notice him. Get to shallow water so he could at least stand.*
Jamal was too busy staring off into the lake with a predatory gleam to his eye to notice Antony's arrival, not wanting to lose sight of Billy in the water.
He knew the man had an affinity for water and wasn't sure what he was capable of, but he was certain the man wasn't going to escape without a fight. It was his duty to carry this through, at any rate.*
When neither men noticed her, Antony threw her arms up in the air and made a sort of 'what the ********' noise. The squirrel inside her saw the look in the black man's eyes and demanded an immediate retreat. It was not about to become the tiger's lunch. After further examination of the situation, a sinking feeling of guilt washed over her, but she had to be sure. "What... What's going on?" She finally asked.
Tentitively, Billy crept up into the shallower water, indeed giving his body a break as he panted, hoping he wasn't spotted.*
Jamal snapped his head around at the voice, caught off guard by Antony's appearance, and immediately lost his amused, devious scheming mannerisms to an icy one instead.
"Jus' takin' care of a promise," he said flatly, offering little in explaination as he turned his attention back towards the water, searching for Billy who seemed to have disappeared for the moment.*The change in his eyes caused her jaw to tense, but his next comment made her simply blink at him and then stare long after he had started ignoring her. It all suddenly made sense what promise he had been talking about: the promise to her. The one he had made when he had been shoved in the public cage. Now that she knew what was going on, it was hard to even think through the guilt. "I'm sorry about the other day..." She mumbled, running a hand nervously through her hair before continuing, "I had just changed... My self-esteem... I really didn't have any, and all the senses hit me at once..."
Someone was on eht beach, and at this distance, he couldn't see who. But he was creeping close enough to the shore that he had to swim and crawl along on his stomach through the moss in hopes of not being seen. Just a few more meters and he could loose him through the trees...
Jamal pointedly kept his gaze on the lake, frustration growing more evident as he couldn't seem to locate Octo-boy. Dammit to hell... And of course Antony had to show up.
He wanted to get this over with, simply because it was a promise he made, but she was distracting him. Her apology did little to satisfy the deep-seeded hurt she'd unintentionally sprouted in him.
For all he knew, she might just be trying to keep him from hurting Billy now...after what Billy alledged, how could he know? "Well don't worry, ya ain't gonna have ta worry 'bout snappin' at me no more, a'ight? Jus' let me do what I promised 'n' I'll go find my 'replacement." Bitter? Maybe a little.Maybe she had been wrong thinking Kaveri hadn't actually been a replacement, but his next comment stung, causing her tails to thrash behind her. "Well considering he's been the only one to be nice to me after..." She motioned vividly to her new additions, "All this... I may have to keep you from completing your promise... Oh, and obviously I was right in the case of you ******** Kaveri." She seethed, eyes flicking to where the water was no longer still, and where Billy was hiding.
This was it. They were talking. Go for it. He suddenly jumped up to make a break for the tree line.
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Posted: Mon May 01, 2006 10:10 am
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Posted: Mon May 01, 2006 10:11 am
Forgiveness Jamal_Reedy Jamal hadn't expected her to want him to come in, thinking she'd taken the whole thing too hard to just be like "okay come in biggrin DDD", but accepted the invitation without questioning it. At least she was offering gesture of good faith despite the drama. Her murmured interjection made him frown though. "Don't," he said simply, hauling off his damp and sandy shirt and settling it over the nearest chair so it could dry out and so he wouldn't track sand all over. "We both ******** up in one way o' anotha'. I jus'...don't wanna think 'bout it anymo'." It was easier said than done, but he was truely tired of continuing to think about all of it. It was easier to pretend as though the argument never happened. He gave her a weary, ghost liked half smile as though to prove he was putting it behind him. Antoinette Devereux She blinked back her surprise when he actually did step inside after her, but quickly shut the door afterwards, locking it as she had come accustomed to doing since Billy's original attack. A smile cracked along her lips after his own smile had appeared, despite how forced it had looked. The gesture still meant something. Her shirt and shorts were tugged off when she got to her bedroom, dirty laundry tossed into the basket she had gotten from the intercom person. While the squirrel woman searched through her drawers for something clean to wear, she pulled out her freezer bag of pot as well as a pack of normal smokes. The lighter was on the dresser top already. "He wass a cokehead, Billy that is," she mentioned as she rummaged through her lingerie drawer. "Joli apparently took his stash and he thought I had done it... That's why he attacked me, but he's clean now... Mostly depressed and rather emo." Why she was making excuses for Billy she did not know, but Antony figured she needed to explain why the two of them had 'happened.' Regardless of what that meant. "Ugh, I can't decide... Pick something for me." Again, she threw her hands up in frustration, glaring at the opened drawer as if it were mocking her. Jamal_Reedy "So I 'spose ya don't want me to kill 'em then," Jamal said with a slight wry quality to his tone as he slid over to her to snag a regular cigarette. He wasn't quite in the mood for a joint yet...he rather think things through clearly now until it all worked out in his head, then ******** the remaining thoughts up instead of having all this drama mixed up in it too. "I almost had 'em." He lit the cig and let it droop from the corner of his mouth as he gave her lingerie drawer an apprasing look. It'd been a long time since he was told to pick out someone's nighttime wear. Of course, there was a few scantily formed pieces in there, but Jamal wasn't so much in the mood for being a sex-driven male at the moment either. He settled for what he knew she usually wore, forgoing the risque lace and satin for comfortable boyshorts and a simple cami top, the latter of which dangled by a strap from his finger as he shot Antony a "satisfied?" look. Antoinette Devereux Antony paused thoughtfully at his comment. Almost had him? For once she was thankful for the supposed chips in the back of their necks. "I saw him transform," the tattooed woman began, shuddering somewhat, "It was horrible... And before you found me in the cove... He had just cut off a tentacle with broken glass. If you add what Aubrey did to him... I'd say he's been plenty tortured." She frowned for a moment before letting her lips curl upwards as he picked out something for her. "Thanks," she murmured taking the two articles from him before letting her current ones find their way into the dirty laundry hamper as well. The cami and boyshorts were shrugged on moments later, and once her hands were free she lit herself a cigarette, tucking the pot away once more. After picking up both the pack and the lighter, Antony crawled into her unmade 'nest' to sit, shifting her legs under the covers almost immediately as if to hide her feet. Jamal_Reedy "Hm," Jamal said vaguely at Antony's explaination of Billy's supposed rough time on the island, taking a drag from his cigarette and flicking the ash into the nearest ashtray. The bit about Aubrey did catch his interest, but he wasn't sure he wanted to talk about her either. No more drama plzthx. "Well, he's lucky them ********' docs did somethin' ta me when I was locked up otherwise I'dda prolly tore his a** up way back in da jungle where I ran inta him." He shrugged at that and leaned against the dresser which he had pulled her nightwear from, an arm propped on the top of it with his hand dangling off the edge, the smoke between his index and middle finger. His legs bitched at him to sit down, as did his arms and back thanks to the extensive swimming, but he rather stand for now. Antoinette Devereux Antony had expected he'd join her on the bed, in the least sit on the foot of it, but her face contorted in a confused expression. She nodded to herself, gaze falling to her feet under the blanket, understanding why he'd want to stay over there and away from her. A long drag from the smoke didn't seem to stop her self-esteem, which had been boosted with Billy earlier, from dropping rapidly. Again, her knees bent up towards her torso, arms wrapping around them to pull them closer. "What'd they do to you?" She asked, attempting to avert attention away from her slight emoing to him. Maybe this would keep him from noticing how she was acting? Jamal_Reedy Jamal was purposefully being cautious, if anything. He was more worried about being assured that their little tiff was water under the bridge at this point than getting remotely chummy again. "I don't know 'zactly..." he said after a long pause, snuffing out the butt of his smoke in the ashtray before standing up straight and repressing a wince from the movement. s**t...he wouldn't be able to move at this rate. "Aubrey pissed me off...I remember yellin' at her through a one-way mirror 'n' I guess I lost it or somethin'...then suddenly I woke up in ma duplex. I couldn't do s**t fo' a coupla days 'cept sit 'round 'n' eat. I tried ta lift weights 'n' play ball but I kept gettin' sick and trippin' over maself so I stopped until prolly a day o' two ago. Dat 'n' I couldn't seem ta feel real strong 'bout nuthin' in particular. Couldn't get angry, couldn't feel real happy...still can't really, though it ain't as bad." He kept his tone light and conversational, though he couldn't completely fend off the darkened cloud that passed over his expression. What -had- they done to him? There was no way that they hadn't caused at least some of his symptoms. Antoinette Devereux She glanced up to him when he spoke, but soon found herself examining her bedsheets soon after. Her mind worked over what it could possibly be to make him so apathetic towards most things. After watching the video with Billy she was pretty sure that they weren't past drugging people, and since they were doctors they probably had the means. "Possibly something like muscle relaxants or sedatives or something..." Antony stated, taking another long drag from her cig before blowing a few smoke rings to distract herself, unknowingly hugging her knees a bit tighter. Ever since the change she had gotten rather good at hugging herself it seemed. Jamal_Reedy "Maybe," he said in what sounded, for all purposes, to be an agreeable tone as he finally wandered away from the dresser and plopped himself on the edge of the bed, finding that to be the most comfortable place to settle himself. "I wouldn't be surprised...they'll do whateva' ta keep me from goin' apeshit on 'em again." Antoinette Devereux She simply watched him sit closer to her with a mildly surprised gaze, not really sure why he had done that, but before she could decipher it more, a strong wall of lake caught her nose and she made a face. "Your pants smell," Antony's nose was twitching somewhat as she eyed the offending article of clothing. Had it been any other place but her bed she wouldn't have cared, but her bed could not smell like fish and algae, among other things. Jamal_Reedy Jamal smirked and picked at the material of his jeans. "Ya know, I ruin mo' clothes in a few months on dis ********' island then I ruined in ma entire life elsewhere," he quipped, getting off the bed again and kicking off the offending pants, leaving him in his boxers. "I prolly still gonna smell like lake though, so maybe I oughta take a shower o' sumthin." He didn't have any clean clothes though, but with as many times as he's been over, he's probably left clothing behind at some point. Antoinette Devereux "That works too," she managed a small smile, "I think it's because you're in the jungle so much." Her clothing hadn't, save for those worn in the survivor lockout, been ruined like Jamal's it seemed. Granted they were a bit more worn than usual, but other than that she deemed them just fine. Then again she was also a mechanic, or had been at least. "Everything you need is in the bathroom..." Antony trailed off, not even bothering to ask if she could join him, figuring the answer would be a resounding hell no of sorts. All she wanted was non-sexual, physical comfort, mostly because Billy's suckers had left her horribly sore and she was just drained both physically and emotionally. Jamal_Reedy "Dat's prolly true. I ain't exactly da most graceful person when I'm playin' Tarzan." He seemed to be more or less back to his old, sarcastic self with that statement, having successfully shoved away whatever qualms he had left with the whole argument, and headed into the bathroom. Jamal didn't bother to shut the door, which was normal for him too. It could have been taken for an unspoken invitation in (he probably wouldn't have denied her a shower if she had asked) or just him not worrying about privacy. Hell, there wasn't anything she hadn't seen of him already. Soon enough the spray of water hitting the tub echoed from the bathroom and he disappeared behind the shower curtain, taking the boxers with him to wash in case he wasn't able to find another pair in her room. The warm water was felt good on his aching muscles. Antoinette Devereux Unfortunately, despite the fact that he seemed back to his usual self, Antony wasn't about to play pathetic needy girl who wanted validation that she wasn't the monster she thought she was and follow after him. Nevermind that she did want some sort of validation from Jamal because his opinion mattered much more than Billy's ever would to her. Instead, she simply snuffed out her smoke and lit another one, staying in virtually the same position throughout his shower, simply staring at the wall across from her in what looked like thought. After a while, she let her chin rest on her knees as her tails attempted their best to wrap over her despite them not being quite long enough to play blanket yet. Jamal_Reedy At some point, Jamal put his boxers over the shower rod after giving them a good wringing out, deciding they were as clean as they were going to be. It sort of reminded him of the lockout, when they had to wash their clothes in the ocean or the river. Ick. Hopefully they'd dry out decently if he couldn't find anything. He spent a fair amount of time in the shower, mostly because it was soothing and not because he was that dirty, and didn't think much of the fact that Antony didn't come in like he half-expected her to. He scrubbed himself thoroughly before he finally shut the water off and hauled himself out. Jamal secured a towel about his waist before leaving the steamy bathroom, then began a search for something to wear. "Have I left anythin' 'round here dat I kin put on?" he inquired as he went to check near the other side of the bed in case something might have been flung over there at some point. Antoinette Devereux She lifted her head from her knees at his question, a quizzical expression coming over her features before she responded, "I don't think you've ever left pantsless before." Shirtless yes, pantsless, not that she could remember. "I don't think you could fit into anything of mine," she said thoughtfully as she took a pull from her newest cigarette, attempting not to laugh at the mental images of Jamal cross dressing that, well, crossed her mind. "My robe's hanging on the inside of the door?" The squirrel woman offered with a muffled giggle of sorts. Jamal would be one big, scary crossdresser. Jamal_Reedy "Sometimes I wonder...seems like my clothes keep disappearin'....n' I know women like ta wear guys clothes sometimes." He said nonchalantly until she said her next little comment. Jamal then assumed a expression of mock-terror. "I think I'd ratha go naked then put on a thong," he said with a shudder as he gave her a hawkish, 'don't get any ideas' look. "I like 'em ev'rywhere else but on a dude. Ugh..." He squirmed as he disappeared back into the bathroom and put on the robe, which was sort of small for him but whatever. It worked until his boxers dried. He again took up position on the bed in the same spot he had been before she'd complained of him smelling. "There? Better? I smell good now." Antoinette Devereux "Good, 'cause I don't want you stretching out anything of mine," she chuckled, watching him head to get her robe with wide eyes. Antony personally didn't own any terry cloth, lay around robes, having only brought her rather short on her black, silk robe. Jamal strutting out of the bathroom in it nearly caused an anurism in her brain. It covered, well not much at all, and Antony couldn't help but eye his little friend peeking out in shock as he walked. Him sitting down didn't make things any better, and she simply stared at it for a while blinking. Why did penises seem to love playing the game 'Peek-a-boo'? Not just around her, but in general. And this one seemed to be taunting her in an "Y HELO THAR! *Lengthy pause.* I SEE YOU~ 8D" fashion. Antony couldn't help but dissolve into uncontrolable laughter, entirely missing his question as she tried not to set anything on fire while rolling with her giggles. Jamal_Reedy Jamal scowled at her...he didn't realize how short it was until he looked down. Wow, he might as well be naked. "Oh shut up," he said with a growl, though he was trying to not sound like he really was mad, just amused. "If you didn't wear such small s**t, I wouldn't have dis problem." He seemed like he was going to be defiant about it. He didn't care if his wee Jamal was out for a breath of fresh air. "I might have ta get me onna these robes," he even dared to comment, wiggling an eyebrow at her as she rolled around on the bed. Jamal wasn't serious, but he rather see her laughing than emoing. Antoinette Devereux "Psh, it's not -my- fault I'm not six foot whatever and all big and muscle-y," she pointed out as she attempted to stop laughing at him, "Besides, I'm not that small for a girl." They both knew she wasn't skinny, but she was quite smaller than him, that's for sure. She groaned when he layed back on the bed and uttered such a comment, "Well it's from Victoria Secret, and I'm sure all the crossdressers will be oh so jealous of you." Her own eyebrows raised in a sort of challenge, "I'm sure you could get one if you asked~." That she had to see. Jamal_Reedy "6ft 3in," he supplied for her as though it were very important information and she ought to know it. He grinned impishly, not looking the least bit ashamed of his currently half-clothed situation. It was kind of funny. "I kin't help I'm ********' beautiful. Let'em be jealous," he said with as serious of a voice as he could muster. "I'll put it on ma next item request." Antoinette Devereux "Oh, six foot three, so sorry!" She exclaimed, putting a hand to her chest dramatically before simply flopping back down against the pillows with a sigh at his next comment. "I'm glad you're still beautiful," the squirrel woman murmured, tone less warm and cheery as her previous comment. When she noticed her slip up of sorts, she forced a chuckle, continuing to stare up at the ceiling, "I'll have to see it to believe it." Jamal_Reedy "I'll bring it to ya when I get it," he answered, frowning as the meaning of her previous sentence sunk in. Jamal lost his jovial expression with her thinly veiled comment, lidding his eyes halfway as he got up and disappeared into the bathroom, wanting to get out of the silly bathrobe now that the goofy mood had passed. His boxers were mostly dry, so he put them on and hung up her robe, then came out again shortly after. Antoinette Devereux "I'll be waiting," she replied, shifting onto her side when he got up so her tails were given more room to move. Sighing in relief at the less cramped feeling, Antony reached over and then pulled the other pillow to her, hugging it against her chest. When he came back in, she offered him a small smile, trying her best not to make it look forced. Jamal_Reedy The little smile didn't do much to make him feel more at ease, if that's what she was intending. He wasn't quite sure what she wanted from him...was he supposed to repeated tell her she wasn't that ugly? Hadn't he done that already anyway (in a roundabout manner)? He peered thoughtfully at her as he stood in front of the bed. "Antony, what do ya want me to say?" he said finally, hands held out in an almost hopeless fashion. Antoinette Devereux Antony blinked, startled by his question, and unable to find the right words. Her eyes drifted down to the floor in a helpless expression as she burrowed herself into the pillow in her arms. "I don't know..." She started, having a hard time speaking what was on her mind, "I don't feel like I'm myself anymore, and I can't even look at myself in the mirror... I'm gone when I do..." With an apathetic shrug of her shoulders, she went silent. It was obvious she was still sensitive about her change, even after the earlier romp with Billy. Jamal_Reedy In truth, Jamal was still trying to take in her change himself; it was such a drastic jump from her first one that it caught him offguard. He wasn't repulsed but maybe he was growing complacent with the fact that the changes were coming and to deal with them when they happened. It didn't do him any good to worry about it now. Even during the lockdown, the staff made it clear that they wouldn't be stopped. "I guess it's jus' gonna take time," he offered weakly, having no other solution, and ran a hand through the furrows of his cornrows. "I can't force ya ta feel better about yo'self. If I could, I woulda done it already I wasn't tryin' ta make ya feel bad wit' ma comment 'bout bein' beautiful. s**t...I'm a guy fo' christsake. I don't wanna be beautiful." Jamal slid back onto the bed, sitting next to her on the edge once more, a troubled frown on his face. Antoinette Devereux "It's been several weeks," she muttered pessimistically, shrugging her shoulders at the apology, "Wasn't your fault." The squirrel woman seemed only more depressed when he didn't even offer her a simple hug. Chert hadn't either, and in fact, the only one she had gotten since her change was from Billy, and she had instigated it. To her, actions always spoke louder than words. Jamal_Reedy Jamal sighed and rubbed his face, deciding he'd give up on trying to talk her into feeling better. However, he had another idea. "I think it sounds like ya need a good back massage, if anythin'," he commented drolly as he clambered fully up onto the bed. "'n' don't tell me ya don't want one. Rememba', I got magic fingers. Ya can either stay layin' down or sit up. Yo' choice." He knew she liked back rubs and he'd be damned if she wasn't going to at least feel a LITTLE better. Antoinette Devereux After a bit of silence Antony finally replied to the offer with a simple, "Okay." Slowly, she pulled her legs out from under the sheet and released the pillow before rolling onto her stomach and burying her face in it once more. Really, who could say no to a backrub? Jamal_Reedy Ah hah, he knew that'd work. Yay for subject change! He carefully took up position by straddling her lower back, careful of her twisting tails as he did so, and carefully pressed the pads of his fingers and palms to her back. He'd gotten good at manipulating his hands without worrying about his claws, though he'd be relieved when he'd be able to retract them. He started below the nape of her neck and went to work there and at her shoulders. His own back and arms complained at the extra work he was putting them through, but he ignored it as best he could. It'd go away eventually. Antoinette Devereux Antony couldn't help but relax when she felt his fingers work into her very tense muscles, and try as she must, she couldn't stop a small murr from leaving her lips. Well at least he was cheering her up? "The fur doesn't bother you?" She asked absently, moving her head somewhat to the side so that she could speak and breathe properly. Her tails had already shifted carefully out of the way of the big black man, being crushed wasn't exactly on the menu. Jamal_Reedy Jamal worked away at each little knot one at a time, moving in a methodical path a bit lower down her back once her shoulders were properly eased. "No, it don't," he said matter-of-factly without much of a pause before it as he glanced down at her turned face. Tentacles would have bothered him a bit, but thankfully she didn't have those and he kept that comment to himself anyway. It was best to keep his replied simple unless she inquired further. Antoinette Devereux She nodded as best she could in her position, noticing that he didn't really pause or seem like he had been lying, and that made her feel a little better. In addition to the lovely massage, of course, which as Jamal had guessed, was making her feel quite good. "Thanks," she murmured, tails twitching pleasantly at the positive reinforcement that he had given her. Jamal_Reedy He smiled a bit now that she seemed to be feeling a little better and turned his attention back to putting full effort in working out a particularly stubborn knot. Hopefully he wouldn't lose dexterity in his hands when he transformed again...he'd be unable to try and bribe her back into good spirits with backrubs if that was the case. It was kind of nice not being stuck in his duplex or out in the jungle by himself another night....though he wouldn't mind running into Pyroth again and having another hunt. He still had faint traces of bruising lower on his abdomen from the boar's hooves but with his dark skin-tone, it was hard to see unless you were up close. After several more minutes of 'magic fingers', Jamal finished the rubbing only because now his fingers were starting to hurt along with every other muscle in his body. Antoinette Devereux When he finished the massage, it took her a moment or so before she moved again, rolling underneath him until she was on her back, tails shifted more comfortably as well. Instinctively, Antony reached up to let her nails scritch along his stomach appreciatively as an added thank you. After a while, she noticed the discoloration and bruising, lightly trailing her fingertips over the marks, "What happened?" Jamal_Reedy He was, of course, a fan of the bellyscritch and grinned until she noticed the marks on his stomach, which she was now running her fingers over. They weren't tender anymore, thank god. "Jus' leftovers of a jungle trip," he said vaguely, giving her a furtive look before looking at the bruises himself. He wasn't lying, but he wasn't sure she'd want to hear the details of a rather feral hunting escapade either. It didn't seem like a good time. Antoinette Devereux She nodded, rubbing her thumb over them once more before continuing the scritches, casually pulling him down next to her so that he could relax as well. "Playing Tarzan?" Antony mused, grinning slightly while giving a look that pretty much told him he didn't have to explain what happened if he didn't want to do so. "Do you want to stay the night?" Her question was a very literal one, her expression hopefully conveying that she didn't want to have sex, but that she purely wanted his company. "I have stolen movies." Okay, so maybe that was a bribe of sorts. Jamal_Reedy "I gotta do a lil' more practicin' on swingin' from tree ta tree so I don't hurt ma'self so much," he said with a grin as he settled on the bed, grateful she didn't pry into the real reason for the bruises. Maybe another time. He propped his head on a hand and considered the question mutely before shrugging. "I didn't have any plans fo' tonight so I don't mind stayin'...Unless da stolen movies are bad ones. Like chick flicks o' sumthin." He gave her a fangy smirk to show he was just kidding; he'd suffer through girly movies if he had to. Antoinette Devereux "Oh? You think I like chick flicks huh? Maybe I should put one on just to -make- you suffer." She gave him a face of mock horror before chuckling softly and continuing the belly treatment he was getting. "I have the Lethal Weapon series still?" It was one of her favorite series to be honest, that and the Aliens series. Then again, Mel Gibson was oh so hot. Jamal_Reedy "You wouldn't wanna make me suffer...come on...lookit dis face," he drawled as a purr throbbed lightly in his throat and he gave his best innocent 'kitty' expression. "Lethal Weapon works jus' fine fo' me." Not surprisingly, action and crime-themed movies were right up his alley. Antoinette Devereux "Oh I wouldn't would I?" She grinned innocently as she dragged her nails a little harder down his stomach, tails flicking loosely behind her as she sat up. After intentionally climbing over him, Antony made her way into the living room, making sure to bring her pack of cigarettes and lighter with her. "Which one in the series, or do you want to just stay up all night and watch them all?" Pausing a moment, she turned around and put on her best 'HOMG cheerleader', "It can be a SLEEPOVER" She chittered shrilly, coughing afterwards from the affects of the high voice attempt. Jamal_Reedy Jamal shook his head no in answer to her question, still looking completely innocent, giving her a 'purr for the road' as she crawled over him and headed for the living room. He eventually rolled off the bed as well and followed after. "I say we start wit' da first and keep watchin' 'til we can't watch no mo'," answered the black man as he flopped down on the couch. Nothing like spending several hours having a movie marathon. It almost made things seem like they were normal. He was amused. That was, until she turned and gave him the cheerleader voice. THAT made his face twist into something that looked very much like O_o, whiskers drooping over his top lip. He looked scared. "...don't EVA' do dat again. Holy s**t." Cheerleader did not suit her at all. Antoinette Devereux She simply doubled over in laughter at his expression, fumbling for her balance so she could pop the DVD for the first movie into the player. When she finally sat down next to Jamal on the couch, her giggles had died down and she had grabbed a pillow to put between her and his lap before laying down properly. This way, her neck wouldn't hurt during the movie. "Don't worry, I think I lost some brain cells from that attempt." Really, like horrible brain freeze that chokes the life out of your thought processes. "But your face was priceless." And thus, it was worth the loss. Jamal_Reedy "I think dat's da most scared I been in a long time," he muttered reproachfully at her as she got settled, shaking his head. "Dat was AWFUL....if I wanted ta lose some brain cells, I ratha smoke a blunt then try ta sound like a cheerleada'." Then again, Jamal even attempting to sound like a cheerleader was more hilarious than scary...just like a cross-dressing Jamal would be. That's what happens when one oozes masculinity like Mr. Kitty does. Antoinette Devereux She simply dragged her nails along his inner knee as a sort of playful warning jab of sorts as she let a soft chuckle escape her lips. "Keep on and I'll do it again just to torture you." Her tails pulled up against her back, the longer ones flicking along his stomach as if to distract him from the movie. Nevermind it was only the opening credits, she was feeling like herself, and that was all that mattered at the moment. Jamal_Reedy He made a noise along the lines of "pffft" and shook his head again, making sure he was comfortable before the movie started. "You always torture me...what else is new?" he said saucily, but meaning it in a good-natured way. The tails were pretty distracting...they brushed on his stomach so lightly that it gave him an eerie chill now and then. Antoinette Devereux Antony kept her attention on the movie, but offered a lopsided grin, despite the fact that he probably couldn't see it. The tails on the other hand continued their motions, half on their own and half thanks to her own free will. What were the point of all these tails if she couldn't have any fun with them? Jamal_Reedy Jamal made a face at the tails as if to tell them to knock it off and turned his gaze to the TV, trying to ignore the continued brushing on his bare skin. He couldn't see her grin but was suspicious. He wondered vaguely if she could control them like Billy could control his tentacles....it would make sense that she was making them drive him nuts. It was like having a couple of energetic puppies jumping around in his lap; the bastards wouldn't stop! Just ignore them.... They aren't there.... "Arrrrr stoppit!" he finally whined, trying to bat the appendages away. "That tickles dammit." Antoinette Devereux "They do it on their own," she retorted, whacking his hand away from the extra appendages after shifting a bit so that she was a little more comfortable. If he didn't know that she could control them, then she wasn't about to let him figure it out quite yet. Not until she had her fun, at least. After a lazy pat on his stomach as if to close the discussion, letting her tails go back to their distractions as hers kind of went to the movie. Jamal_Reedy Jamal gave her a calculating stare as she turned to make herself comfy, as though trying to decide if she was lying to him or not about it. Hmmph...the pat on his stomach placated him for all of about 5 seconds, for that was when the tails started up again. The black man tried to pay attention to the movie again, as it was starting to get into the important early plot and settled for crossing his arms over his stomach as though trying to make a shield to fend off the fuzzy combatents. Antoinette Devereux 'Somehow' her tails managed to find the skin that his arms weren't covering up, and once found, their ministrations started up again. Since when did she go down without a fight? After a while, she let her tails stop, laying dormant until he figured that they were done. And once that happened... She would strike. Jamal_Reedy Jamal's face twitched as the tails seemingly wrapped into the cracks between his arms and started anew with their ticklings and that made him even more suspicious. He was even about to say something outloud but suddenly they more or less drooped harmelessly back down and so he snapped his mouth shut and went back to movie watching. Finally! Antoinette Devereux The tails remained generally dormant, twitching every so often but not enough so that they'd bother him at all. Around ten to fifteen minutes later however, they started up once more, and Antony looked as if she didn't even notice their change in 'target.' After all, she was watching the lovely Mel Gibson. Jamal_Reedy Jamal let a throaty growl of frustration echo from his throat as the tails resumed their attack. He tried to block the assaults with his arms again, but was annoyed to find he didn't have enough arm to cover his belly. He tried to swat at them, completely lost to the movie at this point. "Geeeroff me dammit," he snapped at the tails before shooting Antony an accusing look. "There ain't no WAY you don't tell these things what to do." Antoinette Devereux She really tried to keep an innocent face, but at his look, she snorted while trying to conceal her laughter, rolling onto her back to peer up at him. "I didn't tell them anything," the squirrel woman responded honestly. It wasn't her fault that she had five tails to amuse her when she was bored, or generally feeling like being evil. Again, her hand patted his stomach as she offered him a smile, palm rubbing the skin afterwards for a bit before she rolled over to watch the movie, yawning somewhat. Jamal_Reedy "I don't believe you," he said accusingly, brow furrowed, as he tried to flick the tip of one tail away from his sensitive belly. The pat on his stomach made him mrrr under his breath. She looked far too coy and impish to not have some evil scheme in mind. Antoinette Devereux "Well did you hear me tell them anything?" She asked, stopping the rubs so she could cross her arms over her chest. Technicality. Jamal_Reedy "I don't tell ma'self outloud ta fluff ma whiskers o' ta purr, now do I?" he retorted, looking smug. Ah hah! He was certain he caught her now. Antoinette Devereux "Those things just happen naturally. Do you think I'm able to control -five- tails myself?" An eyebrow cocked as she replied, a smug enough look to rival his forming over her features. Jamal_Reedy "I kin tell myself NOT outloud ta do it," he snorted, then wriggled his whiskers about in demonstration. He was not going to be fooled, dammit.
"Plus yer a woman. Women kin multi-task like ******** class="clear"> Antoinette Devereux "Oh you -know- I can multi-task," she murmured from low in her throat, wiggling her eyebrows at him in a suggestive manner. Suddenly a horrible pick-up line flitted through her mind: 'Hey baby, want to multi-task with me?' And of course she chuckled at it, reaching up to flick at his whiskers annoyingly. "Well I already know you can move your lips. Show me something new," she challenged, wiggling her nose at him. Jamal_Reedy Jamal wriggled his whiskers again in mock-annoyance after she twanged them and stuck his tongue out, giving her a raspberry. She was going for broke tonight or something with trying to driving him nuts. "I think you've already seen all ma tricks," he replied loftily as he peered down at her, trying to look unphased with her devilry. Antoinette Devereux "Seen them all?" She asked, frowning as if she were displeased by the news, "Maybe I should find someone with new tricks then?" Her tails flicked along the front of his stomach once more, though this time they had an obvious motive. See, she could torture Jamal. Not that there was ever any doubt in that happening. Jamal_Reedy Jamal shrugged nonchalantly, leaning back against the couch again as though he wasn't remotely troubled. "Well, I'm sure I could come up wit' somethin' new if I - had- ta," remarked the tiger man in an equally nonchalant manner, moving to brush the tail away again, though he sort of dragged his fingers through the fluffiness of it as he did so. Antoinette Devereux His fingers running through her tail fur was a strange, but not at all unpleasant, sensation, and she relaxed visibly. To counter his movement, her nails ran across his stomach roughly, though not enough to break his skin. "Could you know? What if I don't believe you?" She drawled, one tail moving to wrap around the wrist of the offending hand as best as it could. Jamal_Reedy "Prooooolly," he said slowly, a brow arching now as the tail wrapped around his wrist haphazardly. Hm... interesting. "Usually when ya don't believe me, I try ta prove it...but...we're watching a movie, ain't we?" The latter was said with a smartass grin as he combed the fingers of his other hand through the fur of the hostage-taking tail, forcing himself to not respond to the nails on his stomach. "It's such a good movie too..." Antoinette Devereux She let her eyes half lid when he petted her tail again, one arm reached over to grab the remote on the coffee table, thumb fumbling for the power button. The DVD player clicked off, effectively stopping the movie as her eyebrow cocked upwards once more. "What movie?" Antony asked, blinking up at him as she let her nails trail along the edge of his boxers lazily. Her tail simply tightened as best it could on the wrist, which wasn't actually that tight. Unfortunately, even though she had five tails, they really didn't serve much use aside from balance. At least, not like some of the other islanders' more dexterious tails. Jamal_Reedy "And it was gettin' to da good part too," he said with a highly exaggerated sigh, as though she'd just acted out the greatest injustice of movie interruption ever. The truth was that he had never gotten into the movie thanks to her hyperactive tails...and he'd seen the movie a zillion times. The tickle of nails above his boxer line were not something he could ignore all that easily but he attempted anyway, instead snagging the end of the wrist-wrapping tail and coiling the tip around an index finger, giving her a 'cool as a cucumber' expression. As annoying as the tails were with their brushings and whatnot, they sure were persuasive. ...He'd be damned if she didn't have control over those things. Antoinette Devereux Antony rolled her eyes at his complaint, snapping the front waistband when he continued to mess with her tails. Sitting up, the squirrel woman plucked the pillow from between them and tossed it to the other end of the couch as she casually tugged her tails free. Moments later she was crawling towards the endtable where her smokes were situated, absently letting her haunches raise on their own. Her tails swished and flicked behind her on their own as she moved to shake a smoke from the pack, acting uninterested in the possibility of future calorie burning events. Jamal_Reedy Jamal yeeped at the snap of elastic and scowled at her retreating hind end, though he soon enough cocked his head and decided he'd just stare at it instead of giving it dirty looks. Hehe. Free a** view! He knew better than to take her sudden disinterest seriously. They'd played this game more times than he cared to count. The tails were not going to escape his grasp, however. Oh no. He was too interested in them now. They had begged for his attention earlier and now they had it. He scooted forward a bit and tried to capture one of them in his hands. Antoinette Devereux Said appendages seemed to be keen on avoiding capture now that Jamal was quite interested in them. Shaking the pack again, Antony realized that there lacked anymore cigarettes in them, so she stood up and tossed the pack back onto the end table. Damn, there went her ploy. Time to think quick. Eyes falling on the blue screen of the TV, she made her way over to it to turn it off, letting the furry 'cat toys' continue to tease Mr. Kitty behind them. They definately knew what they were doing. Jamal_Reedy Jamal adopted a "where ya goin?" expression in inquiry as she got up, then narrowed his eyes into a keen, pointed stare as she sauntered around, waggling her tails about to tease him while she messed with the TV. Dammit. He didn't get up though. Oh no. This was another one of the woman's games. But...tails... Jamal almost facepalmed when he realized how silly he was being. WTF. He blinked furiously and sunk back on the couch again. They were nice tails though.... The tiger was irritated that Jamal was letting 'prey' strut around without trying to go after it in some manner but he squashed that back to. First he was playing with squirrel tails like he was a ******** tabby cat and now the tiger was all up for some sort of demented hunt...though he could go with the latter as it usually led up to fun things at the end. Chasing tails though? Antoinette Devereux Antony finally turned around, letting herself stroll back towards him, taking her dear old time. Eventually, she found herself standing in front of where he was sitting, eyebrow cocked upwards in a challenging way. Part of her was tired of playing these games... The squirrel namely. But the rest of her felt entirely back to normal, even if she knew deep down that she didn't look that way physically anymore. "Playing cat and mouse are we?" She murmured low in her throat, tilting her head to the side in an inquisitive manner. Jamal_Reedy Jamal peered at her as she came back, looking less calm and collected than earlier, but still not entirely giving in either. He liked playing games even if the thing he shared a body with disagreed at the time. "If that's what you wanna call it," he said silkily, still sitting back on the couch but now he had his arms crossed in what might have been considered a haughty manner. "Though I think this cat knows what da mouse is up ta." A deliciously devious grin spread over his lips but he didn't move yet. Antoinette Devereux "Oh really?" She replied, casually sitting down on the coffee table across from him instead of sitting on his lap, which would have been the expected move. "What is she up to then?" Leaning back on her hands, she looked not at all bothered by the situation that was brewing between them. For once, she wanted him to actually work for it, to persue her without her having to guide him into it. A hand lifted to scratch an itch along her 'happy trail,' but it simply returned to its previous position, a 'come and get it if you want it' gaze flickering through her albino eyes. Jamal_Reedy He didn't answer her question directly. Instead he grinned ferally and scooted to the edge of the couch, looming in front of her so there was maybe a hand-span of open air between them. The tip of a clawed index finger moved to press lightly under her chin, tilting her chin upwards a touch as he gave her an appraising stare with his ice-hued eyes. "Da cat thinks dat the mouse only plays a game if she's got da intention of winnin', even if it might not end how she wants it," he murred. "So she teases da cat 'til he can't take it no mo' 'n' gives in, which is what da mouse wants in da first place." He regarded her solemnly, pulling the claw beneath her chin forward lightly so it was at the tip of her chin, his head tilting to the side. "So the cat plays his own game 'n' gets the mouse in the end...as long as da cat wins too, he shouldn't complain, should he?" Antoinette Devereux She shivered as the claw pressed against her skin, unable to quite ignore his presence as well as the heat of his breath as he spoke so close to her. The corners of her mouth quirked upwards for a moment as he rattled off the usual 'game,' one that they apparently both knew so well. When he tugged his claw forward, she moved with it almost obediently. Then again, when one has a sharp object pressed against one's neck, one tends to be easily persuaded. Nevermind the fact that she knew he wasn't going to hurt her with said claw. "What kind of game does the cat want to play?" She asked hoarsely, her voice and slight movements the only real give away that he was having an affect on her. Though she could pratically smell the phermones in the air, and something told her that he could probably catch all of the tell tale scents as well. Jamal_Reedy "The cat's already playin' his game," he said with a slow, sensuous grin. "'N' I know da mouse ain't stupid. She knows 'zactly what game da cat's playin'. Dat's why she ain't runnin', isn't it?" He chuckled and pulled the claw lodged under her chin away, his other hand reaching out to wrap around a wrist. He tugged her off the table and more or less into his lap, immediately dropping his head down into the crook of her neck and inhaling the scent radiating off her skin. His brain was assaulted with an interesting amount of information, some of which he had neglected to ever sense before because it wasn't strenghtened when she was only at 25%. Jamal wrapped his arms about her middle, the tips of his claws tickling just above the base of her uppermost tail as he exhaled warm breath against her neck. Soon enough he lifted his head away from the slope of her neck and met her lips with his own. She got what she wanted and he'd get what he wanted. A perfect game of cat and mouse.
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Sabin Duvert Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon May 01, 2006 10:23 am
With the recent sedatives that have been introduced to Jamal's system, things had almost been feeling fuzzy... not quite real, not quite there. Emotions were harder to summon, reactions might have been slightly delayed, and even touches not quite as full of life. While the dosages had been being diminished recently, as the world slowly started coming back into focus, it didn't leave you prepared for this. As with your earlier change, and many of the other islanders' that night your metablism goes into overdrive in reaction to the subtle injection. Your dreams are turbulent and the instincts, the Tiger that had made its home in your soul with the last injection seems to get another boost of strength, claiming a bit more of you as its territory. It begins with that strange, leaching burning feeling that it began with last time... but this time it spreads, racing all over your skin as you watch yourself pale... whiten... EVERYWHERE, leaving behind only cuts of stripes of your former skin color. However, as you are given only a few moments to ponder your new, cracker-white skin, the itching starts. Down your back and over your shoulders and even the backs of your arms and your ears - that are changing shape - rounding out and growing longer as it happens - itch as short, thin, white or black fur clambors its way out of your pores. As you scratch, your fingers and toes hurt, primarily at the ends. As your hands furiously race to try to appease the itching, you see some movement in the claws - as you extend or curl your fingers, the claws poke in and out - not yet completely retractable, but to a lesser degree. It's then that the more... traumatic changes begin. The hair reaches the base of your spine, where it seems to ignite a fire as your tailbone seems to get the message to run for it. Slowly, a longish, sensitive and sparsely-furred tail extends out of the base of your spine - new and strange. However, as that happens, your feet also ache as they stretch, pads forming on the balls of your feet, toes, and your palms - like thickening pink callouses - but that is the least of your concern as your teeth ache as if you had cavities for weeks. Your canines, already long lengthen more as the flesh crawls over your face - becoming more flexible, and your nose protrudes ever so slightly - but more than enough to give you a pounding headache as your sinuses grind out. Finally, the changes slow and then stop, leaving you more of a tiger, and less of a man. 
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Posted: Thu May 04, 2006 11:26 pm
A Tiger in a Cage Jamal_Reedy Jamal had fallen into an easy sleep that so normally followed his sexual escapades, yet something was different. His dreams, which had been nondescript, fuzzy, and bland since his time in the labs were now vivid, flashing, and full of violence. He murred in his sleep several times and rolled over, face squinching as a particularly brutal scene played out, involving more of the faceless beings he'd seen the last time he transformed. There was so much blood... He sat up, jolted awake by a queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, the blood starting to pound in his ears. A light sheen of sweat covered his skin, which had started to feel...strange. Like a mix of crawling and burning. Jamal glanced over at Antony before sliding as quietly as he could off the bed and padded toward the bathroom, his stomach rolling more forcefully. He was certain he was going to be sick as he hovered over the sink, drawing cool water to splash on his face, then catch a glance at himself in the mirror. He looked up in time to watch the color literally be sucked out of his facial skin, the pain suddenly flaring in intensity so he gave a loud "Aw HELL Naw!" in shock and agony, leaning heavily forward on the sink as he stared in disbelief. Antoinette Devereux His shifting didn't do much to wake her, the squirrel woman simply rolling over somewhat so he could leave, intending to fall asleep once he was gone. He could easily move her about when he came back from the bathroom. Her eyes shot open at his sudden masculine yell, causing her to sit up sharply as her eyes darted about her. She, or rather the squirrel, was tense, ready to flee at any moment. It had been rather uneasy sleeping with the 'enemy,' and certainly didn't like the smell in the air. Something wasn't quite right. Antony carefully slid out of bed, pulling on a tank top and her discarded boy shorts before cautiously, and against the squirrel's best interests, stepped towards the bathroom, eyes widening at the sight before her. "Oh ********..." She gasped as he turned to MJ right in front of her. Jamal_Reedy Jamal skin burning intensified as the color started to trickle away in all of his limbs and on his trunk, leaving dramatic slices of dark brown in the beginnings of proper tiger stripes. He ran his hands frantically down his arms as though it would stop the bleaching, the panic in his face starting to be replaced with anger. The barrier to his emotions had been shattered, at least for the moment, and he felt the presense of the tiger stronger than ever. "No. ******** no," he hissed in disbelief, oblivious to Antony's appearance at the bathroom door, as fur started to sprout along his upper body like a hyperactive weed, making him scratch rabidly at the patches from the itch. A choked snarl escaped as he whirled away from the sink and mirror with the intent to leave the bathroom, and nearly ran into the squirrel woman. Antoinette Devereux She gave a startled bark when he nearly bowled her over, jumping out of his way, but managing to push the squirrel at bay enough so that she didn't run away. Her first thought after seeing him transform the first time was to get out of his way to avoid being sliced and diced. The anger radiated from him, and both she and the animal within her could smell it. After a moment of thought, Antony darted into the bathroom, opening the medicine cabinet and fishing out the Tylenol before returning to her bedroom. Better have it with her already then have to get up and get it later. "What can I do?" She finally asked cautiously, keeping space between the two of them while attempting to keep her expression as neutral as possible. Jamal_Reedy Jamal panted as as panic tightened his chest, whirling away from Antony as she jumped back at the same time, eyes tightly clamping shut as the tiny nub of a tail he had suddenly felt like it was on fire. He yelled something...whatever it was came out managed and whined because his jaws were shifting and his canines stretched longer until they seemed to be full-length...or maybe even longer. When he clamped his jaw shut, the tips were just barely noticable between the crease of his lips. His new tail snaked out and lashed the air, sending spabbing pains up his back because it was so sensitive, the fur racing down his back now to the new appendage. All the while, the bones of his legs and feet were changing too. The pain was growing to be too much. Antony's inquiry wasn't even heard, his brain fuzzy and screaming from the constant pain. He was on the verge of tears, but his self-pride was furiously fighting the urge and the tiger's furious interjections were only making him more confused. A low growl started to boil in his throat...one that sounded deeper and much more animalistic than it ever had before. Antoinette Devereux When he didn't seem to hear her, Antony didn't push the matter. The squirrel was already edgy enough, but the low growl caused her to stiffen, her tails grinding to a halt as well. Maybe if she didn't move, he wouldn't eat her... The lack of trees made her nervous. Nowhere to hide... No! She wasn't going to hide! She wasn't a squirrel! The woman stayed rooted like a statue, simply watching Jamal with a strange intensity. Regardless of whether she claimed to be still human, the squirrel was still currently screaming with fear in her mind. Antony didn't know what to do. Jamal_Reedy Jamal's head snapped around suddenly, his feral stare locking with Antony's eyes for a moment. There was no glimmer of recognition at all in the look. He stared at her intently as his chest heaved in an attempt to catch his breath and to breath the pain away.... but then he all but let loose a chilling mix of a man's scream and a roar. He started to stalk forward towards the squirrel woman, his abused body held in a hunched posture as he kept his gaze on her. Again he snarled viciously at her but the noise soon dissolved into a yowl of anguish as his face started to stretch out into the beginnings of a muzzle. His head felt like it was going to explode. The tiger was growing more and more angry with the pain that continued to radiate down Jamal's body and was becoming paniced at the same time when it wasn't stopping. It wanted out. It needed out NOW. Antoinette Devereux That was it. That was the look the squirrel had been expecting. Without her knowledge she had been backing up when he began to come towards her, hand fidgeting behind her as she got closer to the door. Just get out. Get out and away from the tiger. Away from the predator. The yowl was the last straw for the squirrel. She suddenly turned, tails whipping behind her as she started to run, bursting out of the door with a newfound panic pumping through her body. Jamal wasn't Jamal anymore, and the squirrel demanded no risk taking with their life. They needed to get away. They needed to find a tree. Jamal_Reedy The situation quickly dissolved into a full-blown predator vs. prey scenario...and it wasn't a game by any stretch of the imagination. Jamal lunged for her retreating form, missing by a longshot because his muscles ached horribly in complaint at the sudden movements and Antony was much more graceful and fast at the moment than he was. That wasn't going to stop him though. The tiger was pissed and the closest target was the furred woman that was pelting across the village grounds. He followed her outside, giving another screaming roar at her as he loped forward clumsily, each footstep sending shooting pains over his lower body. Everything about him oozed full-blooded predator despite the fact he was still half-human. In instinct, he was all beast. Antoinette Devereux The failed lunge attempt caused her to pick up her speed as she headed straight for the nearest set of trees with branches low enough for her to catch. She moved as if he were snapping at her ankles, not bothering to look behind her to see if that were true or not. It would only slow her down. Her chest was heaving when she finally got to the target tree, and despite the burning of her muscles and the cramp under her ribs, Antony jumped to grab the nearest branch. She hoisted herself up with the help of her tails and her strength. Once she was up it wasn't too hard to climb up further, nimbly weaving through the branches as if she knew them by heart. Naturally, the squirrel was in control, leaving her no time to really think of what had just happened, only urging her on. Survival of the fittest remember? A voice reminded her. For once, Antony couldn't disagree more. Eventually she found herself wedged between a rather tricky array of limbs about midway up the tree. Her claws dug into the bark as she attempted to tuck her tails out of view so she could hide. Only then did she look for her persuer, but the foliage not only hid her, but Jamal as well. In attempts to remain unseen, the squirrel woman tried to calm down her breathing and nerves while staying relatively motionless. Just stay perfectly still... Jamal_Reedy Below, Jamal stopped at the base of the tree he had seen her go up, his eyes searching the greenery above for signs of the woman. He grunted and exhaled loudly. All the while the tiger was grabbing a firmer lock on his mind and thus his actions by proxy. The sedatives meant nothing now with his increased metabolism. The anger that had been lost to him for what seemed like weeks was back in full force and the big cat's instincts were taking advantage of it. Antony could probably hear him circle the tree and continue to growl in frustration, the noises deep and shortened as he sniffed the air at the same time to appraise the situation. Perhaps the squirrel woman had forgotten, but Jamal had grown rather good at tree climbing and his strengthened claws would only aid him now. Tigers seldom climbed trees, but they would if they felt so inclined. It was apparent that today would be one of those times. She would certainly find this out soon. Jamal hissed as he stared up into the branches, the scent of fear as thick in the air as the smell of the woman, and set his hands onto the bark of the tree. His claws sunk in as to test the strength of their hold a moment, then were released as Jamal torn his hands away, his eye catching the same low hanging branch that his escaper had used. He was taller than her and so had less trouble getting a grip on the branch. He, however, was not nearly as nimble as she, thus he was very slow at hauling himself upward. Regardless, Antony would hear him coming. Antoinette Devereux The sounds of him stalking and growling seemed to be amplified due to the fear as well as her larger ears, doing nothing more than aiding in freaking her, and the squirrel, out even more. And the wait was killing her. She could never remember staying that still in such an awkward position for that long. Tattoos were nothing compared to sitting there, waiting for an bloodthirsty, giant tiger man to come -eat- her. She could hear him clawing at the tree, her breath quickened as the noises of his own climb reached her. It didn't matter that he was slower than her, he was clmbing and getting closer with his squirrel eating dentition and squirrel mauling claws. Her eyes darted around to possible escape routes. Down was out of the option, and up didn't seem like a better one either. Antony looked instinctively towards the nearby branches of another tree. They weren't too far away... Jamal_Reedy He slowly slithered his way up the tree, grasping clumsily at the rough branches as he hauled his bulk skyward, ears pressed back to his head as far as they were able to protect them. Each breath was a raspy growl. As he got closer, he could just make out whispy bits of white fur through the greenery and his growls intensified, lips parting in a snarl. Internally, Jamal was struggling against the instincts that were spinning out of control, horrified at what he was doing yet being unable to stop it. His own anger from the pain of the transformation and the trauma of losing another part of his humanity was only making things worse, but he couldn't seperate his feelings of rage from the tiger's nature. The constant pain was like the jab of a stick through cage bars to the tiger. It needed retaliation. Antoinette Devereux He was getting closer, and the nearby tree seemed to be the only choice. She crouched, weaving her way through as quickly as possible to get as close as possible to the nearby tree. The jump itself wasn't far, but the branches that would be able to support Antony's weight were further away than she liked. However, squirrel was failing to consider the weight difference, urging her on in the internal debate. And then his snarl echoed through her core. Decision time over. Without really thinking, Antony took the leap of faith after a sort of running start, managing to get a rather healthy push off the tree branch. The time in the air seemed like forever, whereas it was really a few seconds. She landed ungracefully in a pile of limbs. She had made it! She was safe! Seconds later a sigh of relief was interrupted by a surprised scream when her legs slipped, leaving her grappling to grab something on her way down. Luckily the branches slowed her down, bouncing her around like a ping-pong ball. The long 'ride' down was ended by a thud and sickening crack as she landed in a heap on the jungle floor, a sharp pain shooting from her left ankle. One look down caused her to growl, gritting her teeth as she tried to sit up through the pain. Jamal was still behind her, and she still had to get away. Somehow she managed to pull herself till she was on her good foot and leaning against the offend tree, the adrenaline kicking in as she attempted to make her way back to the duplexes. Fight or flight had kicked in. She had to get away! "Help!" Antony cried through swallowed tears. Maybe someone would be around to help? Jamal_Reedy Jamal gave a hiss as he saw Antony trying to escape and sped up his climbing, just barely reaching the branch she was on when she took her flying leap and appeared to have made it away safely. However, even the tiger was startled when she gave a scream and plummeted to the earth. He peered down the branch to see where she had fallen, but again the branches hid her. The tiger was starting to lose interest in her, thinking she probably had escaped, but there was still the matter of getting OUT of the tree and that was tricky business. The tiger man started his downward path back to earth and heard the strained shout below, his ears pricking at the noise. Sabin Duvert Meanwhile, in the labs, Jackson, the man on moniter duty slapped the intercom to whomever was on duty with the medical staff as he flinched as he saw Antony's unpleasant fall from the tree. He got the recognition of the call, and went back to watching the moniters closely, fingers at ready if Jamal got close enough to do anything to either Antony or if he was still in the viscinity when the arriving staff showed up. Within minutes a jeep pulled up to the edge of the village where Antony had taken to tree. As soon as the rumbling was heard by Jamal, dismounting slowly from the tree, he felt the familiar tingle at the back of his neck that always preceeded the swiftly following unconscious. The lab techs weren't about to take MORE chances with him, especially freshly changed and now armed with even LARGER teeth and wicked-looking claws. As soon as he was out, two of the three men hopped from the jeep and walked anxiously to Antony, asking her to come with them back to the labs to have her leg looked at. They seemed anxious talking with her, and the third man in the jeep stared uncomfortably at Jamal - even unconscious the man who remained behind didn't seem to want to get anywhere near him. They'd assist her to the back of the jeep and drive her back to the labs, where she would be taken to the second floor. She'd be first cleaned up - the scratches and abraisons tended to with antiseptics and bandages, before her leg would be x-rayed. They would tell her the damage - a clear fracture of the distal tibia - and put it in a cast for her, and give her crutches. They'd adivse her that it would likely need to remain in the cast for approximately a month, at which point she could come back to the labs to have the cast removed. Stocking her with some mega-tylenol, and a reccomended dosage, they'd drive her back to her duplex when they were finished. Jamal_Reedy Jamal didn't even get a chance to fully put weight on the foot that managed to touch the grass before he was knocked out. He crumpled into a heap at the foot of the tree with a single rasped grunt. --Later--It might have been minutes...it might have been hours...before Jamal rolled fully onto his stomach with a weak groan and attempted to sit up. The furious aching of his entire body jolted him into full conciousness in this simple movement and tears stung bitterly at the corners of his eyes. Laying under a tree for what could have been hours certainly didn't help. At first he had no immediate memory of what had gone on, only that the tiger was now irritable and desired something to eat. There wasn't pure, outright anger, but there was an overpowering need for him to feed. He slid into a kneeling position before he got up, wobbling uneasily as the new configuration of joints and bones of his legs threw him off balance. He was working mostly with a man's mind now and this odd posture of walking on his toes instead of the soles of his feet didn't function well with this. "Wha' da fuh," he slurred, the odd feeling of a partial muzzle and a mouth full of sharp teeth hampering his speech, as he realized he had just woken up on a tree. Why the hell was he outside? His first impulse was to go back to Antony's duplex, which he did, but he paused briefly when he saw the door was thrown open. That was odd, but maybe she was inside? A quick glance around told him she was not there and even though her scent was all over the place, there was nothing that smelt TOO new. "An'ny?" he called out, just to be sure. That was weird...she never left her door open like that when she left, especially not with Billy around. He ran a clawed hand across his face, rubbing his chin for a moment before he felt the rough calloused pawpads and dropped his hand away in disgust. He hadn't even seen himself fully yet and wasn't sure if he wanted to. The pale skin he had seen already was enough to make him sick. He left her duplex in a daze and instinctively headed for the jungle, a vague sense of disturbance lingering just out of reach of his thoughts. Like the tiger knew something he didn't. For now, he'd gather his wits among the trees and come back to the village later in the day.
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Posted: Thu May 04, 2006 11:27 pm
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Posted: Thu May 04, 2006 11:28 pm
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Posted: Fri May 05, 2006 10:23 am
Jamal would be either in the deepest recesses of the jungle or his duplex the following day. He would be avoiding the public buildings of the village completely.
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