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Joshua was anxious as he waited to be picked up - by a helicoptor, no less. He couldn't recall ever riding in a helicoptor before. But he was also excited; after applying for this new job, he was finally going to get back into teaching. Josh barely knew what to do with himself when he didn't have his job to look forward to, but that would soon be remedied once he arrived at the island. He still could not believe his luck - getting accepted to teach on an island. How often does that happen? He began to go though a mental checklist to make sure he packed everything he needed for the fifth time - toothbrush? Yes. Books? Yes - when the helicoptor landed. When the pilot stepped out of the helicoptor, Josh picked up his bags and moved forward to greet the man. He started to hold out his hand, then realized he was holding a suitcase and put it down at his feet before introducing himself - "Sorry; it's nice to meet you, I'm Professor Rivers -" and, after shaking the pilot's hand, he picked up his bag again.

Once Joshua's bags were packed away on the helicoptor and he was settled in, they began the long flight to the island. Josh didn't feel like it was much different from flying on a plane, so he was able to relax and enjoy the scenery - and when he was bored with that, he had a book to read to pass the time (rather, more than one book). However, when the helicoptor landed, it wasn't on an island at all - it appeared to be an oil platform of some sort, a few miles away form the island itself. When Josh questioned the pilot why the landed out here, the pilot explained that conditions on the island were not very safe for landing at the moment, and that they would continue on by boat.

At the mention of a boat, Josh nodded a little, and hoped he would not get too seasick. Joshua did not get along very will with boats, and he had learned this the hard way. He liked the ocean well enough, but the constant rocking back and forth on a ship was not so pleasing. At least it wouldn't be a very long ride to shore, and with that thought in mind, Joshua grabbed his bags and boarded the boat - and, somehow, managed not to get sick on the ride to shore.

The boat to the island was only a small skiff, and such a small vessel on the open ocean did not make for a very smooth ride. While the storm that had been in the area had passed, there were still some distant clouds on the horizon, and the waters were choppy.

Thus, the ride was not well suited for men of weak stomachs. While the boat driver didn't seem very phased, for Joshua it may not have been quite so pleasant.

Fortunately, however, after only about twenty minutes of the boat ride, a sprawling tropical island appeared on the horizon. Expansive sandy beaches, lush jungles, and a mountain towering out fo the center. Any manmade structures were not immediately visable.

As you get closer to the beach, you see a white jeep with the Feral Labs insignia painted on the side, and a man standing nearby, shading his eyes as he looks out towards the boat. He is dressed in a rather hot-looking dark shirt and slacks, and as the boat pulls up to the shore, the white-haired man walks forward with an outstretched han. "Dr. Rivers? A pleasure to meet you in person. I'm Dr. Duvert, and another of the professors here." He gave him a genial smile.

Joshua couldn't remember ever wanting to get off a boat so quickly before in his life. By the end of the boat ride he was rather pale, but relieved to finally be on solid ground again. The ride may have only been twenty minutes, but for Joshua, it felt as if it had been much, much longer. It took him a moment to compose himself, loosening his tie just a little and taking a deep breath. Then, with a smile, he looked at the white-haired man and shook his hand (making sure to put his bag down first, this time). "Ah, yes - I'm Dr. Rivers. It's good to meet you as well, Dr. Duvert. This is certainly a nice little remote island you have here... I don't even see any buildings from here. Are they very far?" he questioned.

"A pleasure!" He responded enthusiastically. "Yes, actually, it's a wonderful spot. It really is more like a tropical vacation than a job sometimes. They aren't very far. The labs are about 20 minutes drive from here from the jeep, and the 'village' as we call it, where the residents live, are only about two or three miles from there. As standard procedure, though, we need to go by the labs first to catch you up on immunizations for the tropical cline before taking you to your duplex."

Sabin reached over to help him with his luggage. "I teach as well, actually." He smield to him. "Anthropology mainly, but I've moonlighted into history a few times." He chatted.

"Well, I could certainly use a vacation, but having a job I enjoy located on an island that seems like a vacation spot works perfectly for me," Joshua chuckled. "Alright, that sounds fine - better safe than sorry." He thanked the other man for helping him with his luggage, placing them into the jeep.

"Oh, anthropology?" Joshua smiled, "that sounds very interesting - I'm afraid I don't know much about it myself. I enjoy history, but I'm an English major, myself."

Sabin nodded. "Some of the discipline has had some crossover work with Literature and English. I specialize in Folklore." Sabin continued the conversation as he hopped into the driver's seat and started the ignition.

"The discipline used to be linked. People went out and collected fairy tales and the such to preserve them. But... yeah, since then there's been more cultural linkage...." He shook his head, chuckling. "I'm sorry, I'm probably boring you. You haven't even started work yet and I'm already talkign your ear off about it!" He rumbled down the dirt path, in the general direction of the mountains, and beofore too long a massive lab complex broke the treeline. "Any questions so far?"

This whole experience was just a little surreal to Joshua as Sabin drove the jeep down the path. He had been a teacher before, of course - but he couldn't get over the fact that he would be teaching on such an amazing island. He had a feeling he was really going to enjoy this place, and enjoy teaching here. "Oh no, you're not boring me at all!" he insisted. "I think the only question I have right now is when do I begin? I have to admit, I've been looking forward to this ever since I was hired. I've been rather down on my luck lately, this is was really lucky break for me."

"I'm glad to hear that, Dr. Rivers. And I think you'll come to enjoy yourself here! As far as what you need to do, first we'll get you your innoculations, and then all you need to do is get yourself situated and rested from the journey before worrying about starting. We've got you slated for a week of time to yourself, where you can familiarize yourself with the island and some of its residents before worrying about the teaching schedule."

The jungle whizzed by the jeep as it rumbled along the muddy dirt road. Screeches of monkeys and birds sounded out in surprise as they pased.

After about fifteen minutes, the lab complex was fully visable behind a tall gate also with the feral labs logo emblazoned across it swung open as they passed and Sabin skidded into a vacant lot.

Hopping out he got the door for Josh and gestured to the building. "Follow me if you will?"

"Ah, that will be good. I do want some time to look around this place, and a week sounds like plenty," Joshua said, thinking it will be nice to just relax for a little while. Birds weren't unusual, but he was a little surprised to hear the screeching of monkeys coming from the jungle. But if you travel deep into the jungle, where else would they be? He supposed he just had figured the area would be much more cleared out than it was, with far less trees and many more buildings.

Joshua climbed out of the jeep, "of course. should I just leave my bags in the car?"

"That should be fine. No reason to haul them all over the laboratories." Sabin replied offhandedly as he led him through a plush, extravagent lobby, down a sterile hall to an elevator that slid open as he pressed a shiny metallic button. Stepping inside, he spoke aloud "Floor 8" . The door whisked shut and there was a sudden, quick feeling of motion before it dinged open into a large lab room.

"Come in, come in. It will just take a moment. I can even administer it myself."

Joshua was impressed by the building, it was obvious a lot of money has been spent on this place. The security at the place also seemed very high. He couldn't imagine what the rest of the 'village' looked like, and was looking forward to explore the place. He followed Sabin down the hallways and into the elevator.

"Oh, great - thank you," he said, following Sabin into the lab room. "Is this whole building just the medical facilities?" He imagined that some of the students must come to this building for some of their classes, as well.

"Primarily. There is a great deal of medical research that goes on as well, so it's not just practicing medical doctors. Although that is admittedly an aspect of it."

He picked up a file folder that was sitting on the counter, and flipped through the pages before pausing, reading closely, blinking in surprise, and then a silly grin spread across his face. He seemed lost in thought for a moment before closing the folder and going to a cabinet. Opening it he carefully selected a vial after doublechecking the label, and drew the contents into a syringe.

Then picking up a cotton swab and bottle of alcohol in the other hand he returned to Josua.

"If you could roll up your sleeve, this will just take a moment." He smiled benignly.

Joshua watched as Sabin read the pages in the folder, a little curious as to what he was grinning about. But he waited patiently for Sabin to finish, glancing at the cabinet of vials. "Of course." Joshua removed his coat, folding it up before he rolled up the sleeve on his right arm. "What was in that folder?"

"Just an instruction as far as which dosage and immunization you needed." Sabin replied as he wiped the arm with the alcohol swab and then administered the serum.

Joshua felt a pinching sensation as the serum traveled into his arm. Shortly thereafter the warm sensation seemed to travel down his arm, to his chest, and then quickly spread across his body before dissapating.

He was left with a remnant soreness in his arm. "That might be sore for the rest of the day. Like a tetanus shot. You can get some tylenol from the town center if you need it. But... other than that... you're done!" He tossed the used needle into the biohazard bin and dusted his hands off on eachother.

"Ready to go see your new home?"

He winced at the pinch from the injection, and the strange feeling of the serum spreading through his body - shots were never fun, even at 45 he didn't think he would get used to them. "Alright, thank you. It does feel a little sore, so I may just pay a visit there, then," he smiled, rolling down his sleeve again carefully and slipping his coat back on, smoothing it out with his hands. "Yes, I think I'm definitely ready to see the rest of the village now. Lead the way, Dr. Duvert."

Sabin smiled. "Of course Dr. Rivers." he responded amicabally as he led him back down the elevator, out the front door and back to the same jeep with his luggage.

"It's just a short drive to where you'll be staying." Sabin smiled as he drove out a different set of gates and down another dirt road towards a cluster of uniform buidings. They seemed to be gathered around a much larger complex in the center. Off to the side there was a large construction area that was fenced off. "We're still working on expanding the housing areas. The island has been becoming quite popular and we need to keep up with the new arrivals. You will be staying in Duplex 41. A Miss Kaveri porter is your upstairs "roommate", although there is no connection between the units on the inside. A nice young woman."

Sabin pulled the jeep up to the compex and handed Joshua a key. "Here's the key to your duplex, although many people don't even bother to lock their doors." He griinned.

Josh followed behind Sabin as they made their way back to the jeep. "Ah, I don't mind a little construction, just so long as it's not during the evening." A young woman? He wondered if the students and the teachers were housed all in the same area. Well. He would just have to hope he lucked out and didn't get stuck next to any of the more... obnoxious students that seemed to be around in every school. One thing was for sure - he wouldn't be leaving his duplex unlocked at all. Once his luggage was unpacked from the jeep, he turned to face Sabin. "Thank you very much, Dr. Duvert, I appreciate you driving me around this place. Again, it was nice to meet you. I think I can handle things from here for the rest of the week, until I get my teaching schedule anyway," he said with a smile.

"No problem at all, Dr. Rivers. And if you need anything, just dial zero on the intercoms. That will put you in contact with someone on the administration. The town hall should be able to see to any of your basic needs. We've got a cafeteria, laundromat, they have basic supplies like medicine and toiletries, and we've even got a recreation and workout room. All of it is complementary with the position of course." He gave him a winning smile before assiting him move the rest of his luggage in.

"So... rest up - get yourself settled, and don't worry about work until next week!" Sabin waved and headed back to the jeep.

It was only after Josh had unpacked and organized his duplex - entirely - that he decided to leave in search of those pain killers Sabin had told him about for his arm. He left, making sure to lock his door, and walked towards what he hoped was the town center. If not, he would just have to wander the 'village' a little more until he found it. Either way, it would be a nice walk, and he wanted to look around his new home anyway.

The 'village' seemed like a cozy place, if not a little too uniform, with all the buildings looking alike. Even so, that didn't bother him.

Luckily he was able to find the town center without too much trouble, getting some asprin to take with him back to his duplex. He read over the label as he walked away, and placed the bottle into his pocket. Now he just wondered where would he go to find some new reading material. Surely there was a library of some sort around here somewhere, right?

Kaveri usually had no reason to be in the center of the village, often finding solace in the garden behind her duplex or inside painting her mask. But today she decided to head to the cafeteria, especially upon realizing there being free clothing, so she emerged out with a small stack of pants and shirts over her shoulder and a tofu sandwich in her hand.

As she started to make her way back home, she spotted an unfamiliar figure -- most likely one of many, although from the back he looked rather... un-changed. The vulture-woman hesitated, taking a small bite out of her sandwich as she looked on, taking a cautious step forward and closer to the man. No tail, no signs of pointed ears, from the back, he looked completely normal!

"Er... Hey! You new here?"

Josh stopped when he heard someone call out to him, and he turned around to greet the woman. "Yes, I just arrived not long ago, I'm Profe..." he began to introduce himself, but trailed off when he finally got a good look at the woman.

Oh my God.

What was wrong with her neck?

He knew he was being rude, staring at her with a slightly horrified expression on his face. And it didn't apprear that he neck was the only thing strange about her - his eyes travelled down to see her clawed, greyish looking hands as well.

Joshua couldn't think of a thing on Earth that would cause this to happen to a person. And she was a person - right? He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out at first. He cleared his throat, and tried again.

"Are you - I mean - I... your neck... I don't mean to stare, I apologize, but - are you alright!?" Yes, there was a hint of panic in his voice. He was sure there were a million other things he could have said, but he certainly couldn't think of them. What were you supposed to say when a woman with an unaturally long neck spoke to you? Surely that wasn't... normal.

Kaveri cocked her head to the side, leaning it at an angle that would be impossible for most humans. She was used to the reactions her neck got by now, and gave a small, helpless shrug aided with a smile.

"I'm fine. It hurt when it first happened, but I'm getting used to it." She chuckled and waved her hand dismissively, and it hadn't occured to her yet that this poor guy had yet to, uh, discover the 'wonders' of this island. The fact that she's so casual about talking about her transformation could even be rather unnerving -- it was almost like she was talking about a new tattoo or piercing. She didn't think there would be anyone new on the island so soon after the last mess...

Kaveri straightens her neck back up, rolling her shoulders, chewing on the inside stud of her labret as she thought about what to say next. Maybe she could divert attention away from her neck! "So, what are you in here for?"

When it happened? Okay, so that ruled out a birth defect. But how could something like that have happened in the first place? And even if it were from an accident, would it even be possible to move it around so well? He couldn't wrap his mind around what he was seeing, trying to think up explanation after explanation, but none of them making any sense whatsoever.

His thoughts were interrupted when she asked him a question.

"What? Oh - oh, yes. I... I'm a teacher here. Professor Rivers. Are you, ah, a student?" Yes, a change of subject is good right now. Just... don't look at her neck. Easier said than done.

"A teacher?" Kaveri parroted, smirking with mild amusement. Did Moreau think he could round up his lovely experiments and have this man try to teach them to be human again despite their animal instincts? The mental image of hideous animal-men shoved into those little plastic desks made Kaveri giggle, reaching up to cover her mouth. The poor man looked so uneasy, she thought to cheer him up with dumb humor (and still under the assumption that he knew what was going on here).

"So, ah, what subject do you teach? Anthropology? Humanity 101?" Kaveri asked, then tried not to laugh again when Joshua thought she was a student. Did she really look that young? "I dropped out of high school years ago and couldn't afford to go to Evergreen. Can't say I'm a student."

"Ah, well, I majored in English Literature... I haven't revieced my teaching schedule quite yet. Dr. Duvert explained that I have a week to get to know the place and meet the other people on the island, before I will get my schedule. I believe he is the anthropology teacher here, is that right?"

Dropped out of high school? He frowned a little, wondering why anyone would want to drop out of high school and try and get into Evergreen, of all palces. She couldn't be a teacher, then - could she? Perhaps that was why Joshua was accepted - the teaching standards here might very well be low. Which he didn't agree with, as he was fairly sure he wasn't a bad teacher.

"Are you a teacher, then?"

Kaveri thrummed with mild interest as she took a bite out of her sandwich. "They're planning on putting a school here?" The vulture looked curious and amused, evident by the smirk tugging at her lips. "Sabin, apparently, is a man of many professions and many stories. I'm sure you've already heard things from the other islanders..?"

When asked if she was a teacher, Kaveri snorted. "Oh, not really... but if you asked me how to garden or something, I could probably help out with that. I know how to grow nice healthy organic vegetables without the use of pesticides..."

"Most of the things I know are skills that can't be taught, you kinda have to learn them on your own." She smiled and shrugged, absently patting the folded clothes thrown over her shoulder.

Joshua was frowning more, now, as Kaveri continued speaking. What did she mean by that? "Planning on putting a school here? I was under the impression there already was one..."

Surely, they couldn't place a school here within one week alone. And even so, he would think that everyone would know about it. "No, aside from Dr. Duvert, you are the only person I have met so far."

"If there is, it's news to me," Kaveri said, arching her brows. And then, Joshua had to mention that she was the first one he'd met outside of Sabin. Her jaw dropped, and she gawked for a moment upon this realization.

Step one: Open mouth.
Step two: Insert foot.

"Wait, you... you're really, really new here, aren't you? s**t." Kaveri herself started to look a bit uneasy, how was she going to explain this without excessive profanity? "Well, uh, you're in for a trip. It's gonna be hard to explain and you'll probably not believe me at all, and--"

As if on cue, Zach HAD to come tumbling out of the greenery with a dead rabbit impaled on his hand. Her eyes widened as she took a step back to give the charging dragon-man a safe berth to run into. "Zach?! What the hell... where were you?" She craned her neck to the side, looking at the carcass.

"Did you escape from the labs? What happened? What... what's that on your hand?" She approached him carefully, holding out her hands to get a better look at the rabbit. Without even realizing it, she licked her lips at the sight of the mangled animal.

Joshua was more confused now than ever, he couldn't understand what Kaveri was talking about. What was hard to explain? But it seemed he would have to wait to find out as a voice from the jungle interrupted Kaveri.

If Joshua thought Kaveri's long neck was strange, this had to be even worse.

He took a few steps back as the... creature... ran towards them. Was it the one that called out someone's name? But as it came closer he realized there were still some very human features on this man, and he was startled when it spoke to the long necked woman.

He gasped upon seeing the mangled and bloody rabbit clutched in the lizard man's... claws. He was staring again, now, at the man's strange looking ears, horns, and even - were those small wings!? Dimly, he heard Kaveri speak of labs and escape.

Something was wrong here. Something was very, very wrong.

"What is going on here!?" he demanded. The panic in his voice was back again.

"Bullshit!" Kaveri spat, lifting her head in a display of aggression. "Those bastards probably set you up!" Had she any feathers, she would be puffing them out now, but instead she holds out her chest and puts her hands on her hips. She looked quite like an angry bird, regardless of her feathered status. <********, man! It's a rabbit! Calm down, if it was really a problem you'd get your a** zapped for it. Here, let me take it." She stuffed the last of the sandwich in her mouth and snatched the rabbit out of Zach's hand, bringing it somewhat closer to glance at it. She gave it a quick shake as if to confirm the obviously dead state of the animal.

In her mind, thin black lines were starting to wiggle up around the very edges. "They probably set you up for this s**t. A few days ago, those bastards had me pretty convinced I did it, too. Just... ******** 'em!" She shook the rabbit again, its blood getting on her hands, too.

She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Dude, Zach, I don't think he was around for that... he's new. Like... hot off the chopper new." She pinched the bridge of her nose, careful not to poke her own eyes out with her claws. "God, this is one hell of a way to get the hard s**t broken to you. I was given to it rather gently in comparison..."

Kaveri had been lucky, all things considered. Joshua, on the other hand...

Could it really get any worse for him?

Joshua watched the two of them interact, the scene before him so unbelievable he wasn't sure it was actually real. How could it be real? It was so bizzare he wasn't sure how to react to seeing all of this. He wanted to go right back to his duplex and pretend the whole ordeal never happened. Maybe he was having a bad reaction to the injection Dr. Duvert gave him. What was in those vials, anyway? And Dr. Duvert did have that strange grin while reading over the files...

Maybe he was just hallucinating.

He would have to contact Dr. Duvert about this, and ask him about the side effects of the injection. Surely he would have mentioned things like this to him...

It seemed like there was no where he could look to see something normal - either at the frantic lizard looking man with blood dripping from his claws, or at Kaveri, who was shaking around a dead rabbit?

"Lost my memory?" he said in response to Zach's question. "No, no, I - I haven't lost my memory at all." Although now, he wasn't so sure that was the truth. Did he lose his memory..?

He looked at Kaveri again, trying to ignore the dead rabbit. "Have what broken to me, exactly? What is all this... why... why is your neck so long, why do you have claws? Why does he have claws - and a tail, and horns! This doesn't make any sense!"

"How do they know it's hers and they're not just setting you up as a scapegoat?" Kaveri frowned, ending her sentence with a decidedly inhuman, gutteral click. "It's easy to accuse someone of something and have it be that, especially at a place like this -- I somehow suspect the justice system here is more retarded than it is in the States."

She looked down at the rabbit again, its blood glistening in the sunlight. Her thoughts became more and more clouded by the black lines, and she turned it in her hand. Upon turning it at a wrong angle, a line of viscera quickly drops out of the rabbit's belly and hangs there, swinging limply. "I... I don't think this had anything to do with it, either way. They're looking for an easy blame, don't let it get to you." Even though she had already eaten, she kind of felt the need to eat again by looking at the carcass. This one, unlike Aubrey, was actually dead and could be quite palatable to the vulture.

A few of the lines withdrew and she snapped her head up to look at Joshua, her mouth gaping slightly open. "s**t!" Kaveri exclaimed, "I don't know how to explain it, especially not why! Your guess is as good as mine, man, as to why those doctor assholes are doing this -- but see, for some reason, upon being dragged upon this horrible rock... you get turned into some half-human, half-animal crime against nature. I... I guess it happens once every few weeks or something, I was here for about a month before I got the way I am now."

"It's been... wow, almost two months since I've been here." She paused, then quickly added, "Don't ask me what the ******** animal I am, by the way, because I don't have a clue."

"Changing into animals," Joshua replied. Oh, of course. Well, that explained everything. He wanted to say that's impossible, but the evidence was staring at him right in the face.

No. It was impossible.

It must be some sort of large, elaborate prank the students decided to play on the new teacher. Because there was no way that people could turn into animals. Just... no way.

"Yes, right. This is ridiculous. Turning into animals? I can't even believe that for a second. Even worse, you both killed a rabbit for this... prank? A living creature!? You should both be ashamed of yourselves, never in my life have I seen such disrespectful behavior."

"A prank?" Kaveri snorted disdainfully, rearing her head back. "Does this look like a costume to you? Moreover, do I look like the type of person to be able to afford a realistic 'costume' like this?" She pointed to the small pile of free clothes hanging over her shoulder that she had gotten from the cafeteria just moments before, then turned her head on its side to emphasize that this is not fake.

She motioned to Zach, unintentionally waving towards him with the hand holding the rabbit. "He's not an animatronic whatsit from Disney or whatever. Those little wings you see, his tail, that huge beefy arm are all made of flesh and blood, not rubber."

Kaveri slumped with mild annoyance. "At least you got informed of the bad news first thing rather than waiting and getting it dumped on you. Enjoy being normal while you can, you may even lose your opposable thumbs."

A month. He had one month to enjoy - what? His humanity? Before he would start to look like - these people?

No. Joshua shook his head, obviously still in disbelief. "It isn't possible. Science is not that... advanced. I came here to teach, not to be a science experiment. Dr. Duvert explained everything to me, and he certainly didn't mention any of this." He was growing aggravated; despite the evidence in front of him, his mind would not accept it as reality. None of the pieces were fitting together, no matter which way he tried to place them. "I signed a contract to work here. It is illegal to preform science experiments on people without explicit permission, and I never gave anyone such permission."

He wanted to escape back to his duplex, back to where things were normal and he wasn't being told such a ridiculous story by these strange looking people. There was no way any human could have real tails and wings, no way a human could have such a long, flexible neck.

He needed to contact Dr. Duvert.

He needed to make sure he was not going insane.

"And will you please, please not wave that rabbit around?"

"It's true, this would be illegal," Kaveri mused, rolling her head to the other side, "if we were in the States. As far as I know, this place isn't under any government aside from the crazies in the lab. So whatever hangups there are about legality and law are thrown out the window."

"But on the plus side, they don't care if you smoke pot or whatever. Just be careful, it might be laced," she added helpfully, then paused to look at the rabbit that she had just been so carelessly waving around like a ragdoll.

The vulture woman blinked and stared at the carcass, slowly bringing it to her face to sniff at it. She didn't quite understand this odd craving, the desire to pluck out that little indistinguishable blob of organs and swallow it. But it was there, and it was quite strong. Craning her neck forward, Kaveri opened her mouth and caught the viscera with her lips, sucking it into her mouth with a sickly, wet slurping sound as it slid smoothly down her throat.

For a moment, she was completely oblivious to those around her.

Joshua frowned, shaking his head. "No, I don't have a cell phone. I never saw a need to get one. Besides, Dr. Duvert - who seemed perfectly sane, in my opinion - said that if I needed anything, I could use the intercom in my duplex. So I assume I do not need a phone, here." He was under the impression that everything he needed within reason would be provided here. Joshua didn't believe Zach for a second - of course the strange lizard-like man would blame the first person Joshua mentioned.

Why wouldn't they stop joking? This certainly wasn't funny anymore. It was never funny to begin with.

"Pot? Well, that's wonderful. Don't you know that pot is--" but whatever Joshua was about to say, they would not find out, as he stared in a mixture of shock, horror, and disgust as Kaveri slurped up the piece dangling from the mauled rabbit.

"Oh my God," Joshua gasped.

He was going to be sick.

If all this was a joke, by now, he was willing to let them win.

Before either Zach or Kaveri could stop him, Joshua turned and ran, as fast as he could, back to the safety of his duplex, locking the door behind him to make sure the - whatever they were, did not follow him.

He needed to speak to Dr. Duvert, and he needed to speak to him now.

Kaveri was very sorely tempted to poke in and feed some more, having been entirely wrapped up by the vulture's chokehold on her line of thought. As she leaned in to take another bite, she felt hands on her shoulder before she was shaken a little. Her head rattled back and she dropped the rabbit with a messy splatter on the ground. She blinked a few times, looking around rather blearily.

"What? What did I do?" There was nothing out of the ordinary, was it? She looked over Zach, watching the professor scramble away in terror. The scavenger bird's grip was starting to fade away, quickly drawing back to the far back of her mind once more and leaving Kaveri feeling very muzzy-headed. She turned her head in all directions, very clearly confused as to what had just transpired.

A frightened, uneasy look crossed Kaveri's face. "I... ********. Did I really just... start eating that?" A quick swipe of her tongue over her front teeth confirmed this, and she tasted blood on the inside of her mouth. That one time she nibbled on Aubrey was just the start of her trouble. Hell, a lot of things have been bothering her lately. Maybe... maybe she was just coping with the fact she had eaten parts of Aubrey. The rock thing could be explained by that. But what she just did with the rabbit was not something that could easily be passed off as 'coping.'

Hell, it completely went against Kaveri's typical diet to begin with. She looked down at her bloodied hand, although it wasn't nearly as coated as Zach's. "I really don't know," she said plaintively, looking at the carcass on the ground, "I don't think I need to lie down, but at this rate, maybe I'm better off locking myself up in my duplex and not coming out until I've gotten over the Aubrey thing."

The vulture woman shook her head. "I have no idea. We should probably do something with that rabbit first, though," she said, "we can't just leave it out in the middle of the village. Maybe we should bury it somewhere, it's the least we can do after defiling it so much already..."

"Maybe I didn't attack her, but... I had blood on my tongue, down my chin, I was laying right next to her and she had little bite marks-- I don't normally eat meat, I'm a vegan," Kaveri said. Maybe she hadn't been the one who attacked Aubrey, but she still had the metallic taste of blood all over her mouth that day. "Perhaps I didn't murder or attack anyone, but I still committed cannibalism. I don't understand why I'd do such a thing, but I'll deal with it..."

At least she hasn't attacked anyone yet. In all honesty, the fact Kaveri hadn't gotten in an aggressive fist fight with anyone yet is a bit of a shocker, give her temperament. Eating something you didn't kill was better, right? Not that eating meat wasn't a resentful thing in itself in Kaveri's mind.

The woman chewed her bottom lip in thought, looking out in the direction of the jungle. "I know of a spot we could go. It's nice and out of the way," she suggests, already with a place in mind, "Once I drop these clothes off at my duplex."

After speaking with Dr. Duvert, Joshua was feeling much better. Now that he knew the rabbit was fake, he didn't feel quite so queasy anymore - in fact, he realized he was actually rather hungry. He left his duplex (again, making sure to lock it behind him, especially now that he knew the students enjoyed playing pranks on the new people), and he headed towards the buildings in search of a place to eat.

It wasn't too long before he managed to find the cafeteria, and he was pleased to see there was a nice variety of foods to pick from. He helped himself to a salad, adding some chicken on top of it. After a moment of debating, he decided to eat here instead of taking the food back with him to his duplex. It was empty right now anyway; and even if someone else did come in, it would be nice to have some company. As long as they didn't try to play a joke on him.

Joshua had just been cutting up his chicken when the cheetah girl walked into the cafeteria, and he looked up to see who it was that entered the room. Was she... naked? Joshua couldn't quite tell, watching the girl as she made herself a plate of food and sat down right across from him.

Indeed, she wasn't wearing clothes at all.

And was that fur?

He quickly averted his eyes politely, wondering why this woman wasn't wearing any clothes. One thing was certain - this island was full of very unique people. Maybe this girl was just playing a prank on him, too - or maybe it was just something she was studying. The fur, the fangs, the claws, the animal-like muzzle - was it body modification?

When the girl spoke to him, he still didn't move his eyes back to look at her. The nudity made him uncomfortable, even though she didn't seem to have any problem with it at all. He wondered how many more unusual situations he was going to find himself in on this island.

"Colche? It's - it's very nice to meet you, Colche. My name is Professor Rivers, I just arrived here very recently," he said. "I hope you don't think rude of me to ask this, but - why are you not wearing any clothes?"

Joshua finally looked at the girl, then, as she tried to pronounce his name. It was hard to tell if she was faking it or not, but she seemed to genuinely have trouble pronouncing it. Why was she on this island if she didn't know what a professor was? After his run in with Kaveri and Zachery, the fact that Colche didn't have to - and, as it appeared, didn't want to - wear clothes, Joshua was not too surprised at this. While he still wasn't comfortable with her nudity, he supposed it was just something he would have to get used to.

He assumed she must be a student - she seemed to young to be a teacher, and even more so if she didn't even know what a professor was. Perhaps she was from another country, and did not know how to speak English very well yet?

Joshua smiled at the cheetah girl. "Yes, that's right. Pro-fes-sor Riv-ers," he said, but he said his name a little slower, letting the girl hear the words and how he pronounced them in hopes she would be able to catch on. "But, if you like, you can call me by my first name, if that is easier for you. My first name is Josh."

As he spoke, he watched the cheetah girl's tail twitch beside her. It must be something like Zachery's tail and wings. Why would she want to be modified in such a way? Joshua couldn't understand the appeal of wanting to do such a thing to one's body.

"A professor is someone who teaches things to people, so that they can learn new things," he explained. "I mostly teach English Literature, which means I teach people about books and writing."

Okay, then. So Colche could also obviously purr. That... is strange. It sounded very real, too - very cat-like, instead of a human making purring sounds. Well. There would obviously be a simple explanation for how she did it.

Joshua smiled, pleased that the girl seemed eager to learn. "I like to read, too. I would love to teach you, Colche. That's what I'm here for." Of course, he thought that he was here to teach everyone, not just Colche. He didn't have a teaching schedule yet - but he figured starting a little early, at least with the cheetah girl, wouldn't hurt. It was something that he could keep himself busy with, at least.

He thought he would have to start with something easy for her, but he didn't think he had any books her level. "Colche, do you have any books that you don't know how to read, yet? Maybe we can start with one of your princess story books," he said with a smile.

Joshua caught notice of her feline-like tongue. Even her tongue was modified!? That seemed a little too advanced for body modification... and Colche didn't even really seem the type to want body modifications in the first place. She seemed far too young and innocent. But what else could it be? For a moment, Joshua remembered what Kaveri and Zachery were telling him - everyone is turning into animals - but he quickly shook off that thought.

No. Nobody is turning into animals; even Dr. Duvert laughed at the very idea.

"Ahhh, yes, Charlotte's Web. A good book," Joshua said, thinking that the book might be a little too advanced for her. Maybe he would have to look thought her books and see what she had. If not, he figured he'd be able to work through Charlotte's Web with her well enough.

He blinked when she pointed at his face. "My glasses?" he asked, taking his glasses off. "Well, I use them because I can't see very well without them. Most of the time, I only need them when I read." He smiled at the complement. "Thank you, Colche. I think you are very nice, too! Do you want to try the glasses on? They will probably make things look weird," he said, holding out his glasses to her. "Just be gentle with them."

Joshua chuckled as she tried on the glasses, and when she handed them back, he put the glasses back on his face. He had been started when their hands touched - well, her hands seemed more like paws. But his mind still refused to believe it. Somehow, it was fake; somehow, Joshua believed there was a reasonable explanation as to why the cheetah girl's fur seemed so real. After all, Dr. Duvert wouldn't lie to him.

"Yes, they are better for me. They help me see, but you don't need them if you can already see well." When Colche began to eat again, he began to eat his own food as well, having almost forgotten about eating at all during their conversation.

"Hmm? I'm sorry, I don't think I understand what you mean. What am I going to be?" he said, repeating her question. He didn't understand what she meant by that. Princess cheetah? Indeed, the markings on her fur did look like they belonged on a cheetah...

Pretty? Well, no one had ever called him that before, but it made Joshua smile anyway.

That is, until she began to talk about animals. He was disappointed that she seemed to be in on the little joke, as well. He had hoped she was better than them, she seemed like such a sweet girl, despite her odd appearance. "Colche, I'm not changing into anything. Dr. Duvert already told me that people are not turning into animals, here... I'm not turning into anything. I'd rather not play this joke anymore. Please, Colche."

Joshua smiled when she told her joke, even though she didn't say the joke the right way - instead telling the whole thing herself rather than letting him say the parts he would have been supposed to say. He couldn't help thinking how cute it was - especially when she scrunched her nose up like that. "That's a very good joke, Colche! I like those kinds of jokes much better."

When she had moved her ears, they distracted him, and he couldn't help noticing them. He wished he could understand how they worked, so they wouldn't weird him out so much. Would she know how to explain? "Colche, tell me... do you know how you became a - princess cheetah?" he asked, using the words she had used to describe herself.

Although the cheetah girl couldn't describe it in words, Joshua understood well enough through her actions. From an injection. But who was the person that gave her these injections? "Who is mommy?" he asked. For some reason, it was easier to believe Colche over Kaveri and Zachery. Perhaps it was because she didn't seem quite so... insane as they had been.

Yet, even though Joshua was able to believe her, he still didn't believe they were actually turning into animals. It was possible that Colche didn't understand it herself - but would that mean they were doing these things to her against her will? He hoped not - he certainly didn't want to work for anyone who would do such things to a person without permission.

Lives at the lab, hm? She must be one of the other teachers, or perhaps just a scientist. Dr. Duvert did say they did research in the labs as well. Although... he never said what kind.

He curled his fingers gently around her hand, feeling the soft fur and the rough pads on her paws. Joshua noticed the callous on the girl's wrist, and he couldn't help wondering where it had come from. He didn't know what to make of all this. He had many questions, and he knew Colche would not be able to answer all of them. Would he ever understand what was going on here?

Maybe coming here to teach wasn't such a good idea.

When Colche spoke again, he came out of his thoughts, looking away from her wrist and back up at the girl's face. "Hmm? Oh, right - yes, I would love to see what books you have! Perhaps we can pick one out that I can help you read while I am there," he said, smiling at her and trying not to let his worries show on his face.

Joshua smiled, standing up and leaving the rest of his food on the table. He reached out and took her hand, "okay Colche just lead the way. I don't know my way around this place very well yet, I wouldn't want to get lost!"

Although previously he had avoided looking at her, after seeing her face and hands, he couldn't help glancing down at her legs to see if they were changed too - and indeed they were. In fact, it seemed like their whole bone structure was changed, standing on her toes like a real cheetah.

How, how, how? Joshua felt a headache coming on, unable to understand the things he was seeing and desperately wanting explanations. Perhaps there was a book around that might help...

Joshua followed her to her duplex, making a mental note of where he could find it later if he needed to. All the while, he kept telling himself, it isn't real, it isn't real, it isn't real. There was nothing else he was could to accept - nothing else his mind would accept. The more he thought this, the easier it was for him to be able to relax.

He saw the bunny run and hide as he followed Colche inside, and he smiled. "You have a bunny, Colche? What's her name?" he asked, allowing her to lead him to her bookshelf. He looked over the books, trying to see which ones might be her level and which ones they should wait on reading. He took the book from her when she held it out, opening the book to where the paper was placed. "Yes, this book might be a little hard - but why don't we try it for now? If it's too hard, we can always try a different book, and then come back to this one later," he said with a smile.

"Bunny? That's a perfect name for a rabbit!" Joshua said, grinning as he was pulled over to the bed. He sat down next to the cheetah girl so he would be able to see the book with her, and he turned the pages back to the beginning of the first chapter. He was encouraged by her eagerness to learn, most of his students usually took his class because it was a requirement, so this was a nice change to teach someone who actually wanted to learn.

"Alright, Colche. Let's start at the beginning. Will you read this out loud for me? When you get to a word that's too hard, or that you don't understand, we can stop and I will help you with that," he smiled, handing the book to her so she could read from it. Letting her read out loud first would help him get a handle on what she knew and understood so far.

Joshua leaned over to see the word she was having trouble with, and nodded. "That's very close. It's a ssw-ee-ng," he said, again, saying the word slowly so Colche could hear the correct way to pronounce it.

"A swing is... it's a toy for children. It's a board, held up by two pieces of rope. The tops of the rope are tied up to a tree. You sit down on the board and you can move back and fourth," he explained, trying to make it simple enough for her to understand.

"Does that make sense?" he asked, hoping he explained it well enough to her. He thought maybe he could draw her a picture, but he wasn't very good at drawing.

Joshua was always ready to praise her when she needed it; he was a firm believer that positive reinforcement helped encourage people to learn. He helped her when she needed it, explaining words that she didn't understand, and he was sure to not interrupt her until she asked for help or started to struggle with what she was reading.

He smiled and chuckled when the cheetah girl held the book out to him, and asked him to read some. He felt she was doing well so far, so he took the book from her. "Alright, I'll read to you," he said. Joshua looked down at the pages and began to read the story to her out loud where Colche left off. If she was ever confused about a word he had said out loud, he would stop and explain it to her before continuing on.

As Joshua continued to read to the young cheetah girl, he couldn't help wondering if this is what it might have been like if he had a daughter. He wished he could have known, but it was too late for that now. He glanced at Colche, noticing that she was starting to get drowsy. "Are you tired, Colche? Would you like to go to sleep now?" he asked, picking up the paper and placing it back inside the book to mark his place.

Joshua stood up as she moved under the sheets, and he placed the book back onto the bookshelf for her. Then he turned back to the bed and helped her settle down under the covers, tucking her in so she was comfortable. "Yes, I promise to come back and read with you again," he said, smiling. "And you're welcome, you're a very good learner. Sleep well Colche, we can read again sometime soon."

With that, he turned and left the cheetah girl's duplex, shutting the door behind him before he made his way back to his own duplex with questions still plaguing his mind.