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 Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 5:38 pm
Scheming And A Devious Mind
The cunning problem-solving aspect of the thylacine mind was hard at work, and this time the animal was working to Seth's advantage. The animal man sat at his desk, pondering over the screen of his Dell XPS M1210 laptop computer, the room having gone mostly dark thanks to the night setting in over the island. The only light that remained in the room was the glow from his LCD monitor, which bathed him in its neon light, and only slightly scratched at the rest of the darkness in the room. It was much too late in the day to hunt now, or to trek along his territorial paths, but certainly never too late in the day to think about his plans.
Since he had acquired and safely buried the set of shovels from Gaius's construction site a few days ago, the thylacine-man had practically been on cloud nine. The shovels had been the kingpin in his plans, the most important cog in the machine. Now that he had them, everything else should have been more simple... right?
It wasn't going to be as easy as that.
Seth bit on the end of a pencil as he read over the comments and notes he had written earlier on a Wordpad file and he scratched the side of his head as he continued to ponder over the text on the screen. He had worked out most of what he needed to do, what he needed others to help him along with, but... there were more items to acquire. Some were easy to get, and just a matter of walking into the places and casually picking them up when nobody was looking.
He tapped a clawed finger gently on the screen, mentally ticking off his list of needed items, going over their locations in his head. Shovels, check. Spray bottles or empty shampoo bottles, already acquired from his duplex bathroom - check. Wooden beams? He could steal them from Gaius's construction site, especially if there was going to be another uproar of argument like the last time he visited. Gaius was proving to be very useful for acquiring items from. He had already stolen a hammer and shovels from him. For a moment he felt bad because Gaius seemed to be a good enough guy. He would probably be mad if he found out what Seth was doing to his supplies. Seth would have to pull him aside soon and tell him all about what he planned to do.
That in itself would be a problem. How to tell everybody about his plans without being heard or monitored by the labs? He could drop cryptic hints in code via Richard's newsletter and planned to do just that shortly, but beyond that, he was at a loss. Perhaps leading people one by one to the north side where there weren't many cameras... Seth would have to ponder that one for a while.
He resumed pondering over his list of needed items. Bolt cutters... he needed those for cutting through Feral Labs fences to get into the facility, but he was at a loss on just how to acquire them. He knew of nowhere to get them. The supplies and storage areas in the village were devoid of such things so they were. Ordinary scissors were no good for cutting through thick wire or an electric fence.
Suddenly, a thought came into his head. He broadly smirked and chuckled to himself - thinking of the perfect way to get them. Perhaps if he concocted a lie to Jordan... saying it was a suprise for Dr Moreau and the Feral Labs staff...
"That part certainly wouldn't be a lie," He mused to himself. "Because they're really going to be surprised...." He shut the lid of his laptop and lay down on his bed to sleep for the night.
He had some fun things to do over the next few days.
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Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 3:28 am
The Beginning of CommunicationSeth was awake at early sunrise again, but this time for a different purpose other than to scope out his usual territory and defend it if necessary. He had been pondering what to put in the newsletter for the last few days, and what information to begin giving Richard if he was to get anywhere further with this plan of his.
He had meant to start his article for the newsletter, so he plucked up some sheets of paper and began to write. In about half an hour, he had a small number of coded phrases printed out, and handwrote a small message to go along with it.
He put on some clean clothing and snuck out into the colder morning air to deliver the folded message to the door of Duplex #70. He left the small folded note on Richard's duplex steps, half stuffed under the front door.
Inside was the following message:Seth Callaghan "Hey there Richard, I thought about your informative newsletter on and off since I read the first issue. It was really great and I think it will help several people here. The warning about the wolf also is really helpful. I think people should know about the darker side of things here. If I can think of an article to run one day, I'll send it to you on a floppy disk or something. Anyway, here's my contribution for the next letter. Thanks in advance for printing it. I hope it will tax the intellect of the islander's minds."  The piece of paper is a more yellowed older sheet stuck to the printed sheet. It is the only non-handwritten part of the letter. "I thought phrases, places, and actors was a fun place to start. It's in ordinary all-caps Wingdings font, so if you have a computer you can work it out pretty quickly. Oh and before you decide against printing it, as promised, there's nothing incriminating inside. I'll give you the solution paper to them in about a week or so if you can't work them out already. Have fun, - Seth"
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Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 9:10 pm
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Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2007 7:51 am
Being a Cunning PratSeth had been keeping to himself recently, but it had not been out of defeat at his situation, nor for his desire to avoid people and be alone. The territorial casual walks through the jungle and around the island in general had become routine for the half-animal half-man, and beside the fact it satiated the animal within, it gave meaning all on it's own. For a start, it was something to do, but it also gave him somewhere quiet to plan ahead, to plot and scheme, and just to think. Some of his better thoughts had been concocted while walking his territory paths.
Even if he did manage to escape, he wouldn't be able to go home again. He was well aware of that truth, but continually pushed it from his mind and continued on with his desire to escape the prisoner hell that was the island. Just the desire to cause trouble, to be a rebel and cause the island staff anguish, to repay them some of the misery they had caused him... Revenge. That alone was reason enough to continue.
That, and the fact that it gave him a purpose, and something to invest his time in. Sure, helping Gaius and the others out with the Theater Construction had been a worthwhile persuit, but it didn't ultimately help his situation any and it was ultimately boring. Plotting against the labs had a much more dangerous and thrilling edge to it, and it continued to give him hope for getting off the island one day. Perhaps he couldn't rejoin society now. But anywhere was better than here, he concluded.
He smirked as he passed by the area where he had buried the most valuable tools in his plan, noting that the soil was still freshly dug. He kicked some sand over the soil and continued on his way down the path, sniffing the air as he casually went along. Nothing unusual, no signs of danger. No sounds of danger nearby either. All was good. All the while the thoughts of the rabid wolf had been in the back of his mind but he had never seen it or heard any recent accounts of it's movements. It hardly seemed like a threat right now.
Since his last meeting with Jordan on the beach, Seth had been pondering just how to construct this dummy statue that they had spoken of and how to gain more supplies to suit his plans. While the statue of Moreau could be sculpted out of the unneeded dirt that would be dug up and moved into the village, he still faced the issue about what to do if it rained... the dirt sculpture would erode first sign of rain, and he guessed that dirt couldn't be moulded and hold up on it's own as well as clay could. It would need a concrete 'skin' but he did not know how to acquire such. Seth growled and suddenly wished to himself that he knew of an artist on the island. Maybe he would have to go looking. The statue seemed like such a hassle, but he would need to invest careful thought and time into it, especially if it was to serve as a distraction to the real plan he had in his mind. It had been all sorts of trouble so far, but it would be ultimately worth it in the end. Perhaps he woulf have to call the labs for tools and supplies. He figured he would need to call them anyway, as they pretty much provided everything to the islanders. Asking for concrete for the statue sounded innocent enough.
He had drawn up some plans on the back of a napkin from the cafeteria last time he had ventured there. He would need to send the plans to Jordan to further authenticate his plans. Casually, he folded up the napkin and took a piece of blank paper from his desk for writing on.Quote: Jordan, This took some time to think about, but I think it'll be just great. I can get most of the supplies for it including the dirt and the concrete if the labs will let me have it. Should be able to acquire most of the other stuff too. Anyway, here's the plans. The project manager should oversee this and discuss whether he likes it or not, afterall.  I personally think it should be bigger, but we may lack the means to do so. Making it 5 metres (15 feet) would be stretching it to the limit. If these plans are alright and OK by you I will go seek out a sculpture artist for the finer details. We wouldn't want Doctor Moreau to look like a half-assed job, or shonky now, would we. Either leave a note on my door, or call my room number (#65). Whichever works for you. - Seth
Things were getting interesting indeed.
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Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2007 6:21 pm
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Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 5:10 pm
It starts with your feet, you look down at them as the muscles ache, as they begin to stretch longer, making your now digigrade stance easier to walk on. You feel the same ache, only worse in your tail bone, as the thick tail you'd been growing before grows longer still You reach up to feel your ear as it grows larger, still staying round but now longer and rounded outward. The most surprising part comes with your face though. Even as the muzzle you started forming in the last change begins to grow longer, much longer. Your teeth follow the growing mouth, and even as they grow longer and sharper, particularly the canines. The canine nose grows more distinct and you feel whiskers sprout. As your eyes look down your long face you realize... this is going to make things interesting. 
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Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 1:56 pm
Changes... Again.
It seemed like any other ordinary morning. Just another standard casual wander around the island like he did any other day, walking past the jungle edge that led onto the beach, back up behind the duplexes, by the lake, and towards the cliffs. He only slept in small snatches in recent days - walking around to check for any minor changes around the island seemed far more important than sleep, especially if that crazy wolf was still around, and the tiger. The man within puzzled over why he was doing this day after day, yet the animal found it normal, comfortable to do. So, he continued. It gave him something to do in any case.
Though something seemed... strange today though. He felt overall uneasy, overheated even. The animal-man wandered south, heading towards one of the streams on the island. It only took him a few moments to reach it, and he crouched down, splashing his paws in the water so he could rub it onto his face. He felt cooler, but no less uncomfortable.
Seth eyed the southern side of the island and sniffed the air. Somewhere else to claim perhaps?
He didn't have much time to ponder this however, as a sharp stabbing pain rippled through his legs and feet. He glanced down to see what had happened, to see if anything had bitten him. Instead of seeing a spider or similar, he saw his feet stretch and change shape.
"No!!" He yelled. "Not now!" He couldn't do anything except clutch onto his feet in pain as the bones and ligaments warped and changed, taking on a much more digitigrade shape than before. He yelled out and made a loud guttural animalistic noise of pain as his tail grew longer than it had been before.
"Why now!?" He hissed. He tried to stand up and run, immediately tumbling down onto his side again. He felt his ears shift and change shape, the sensation of a thousand hot stabbing needles pricking both sides of his head as nerves and cartilage shifted. Then the stabbing pain grew in his nose, his sinuses, his jaw especially. His snout made a horrible crunching noise as bone grew and changed shape, causing his nose to bleed in the process, huge muscle growing to support and power his new jaw. He clenched his jaw as he felt his teeth grow further - the pain was worse than anything he could think of previously. The pricking feeling on his skin as his whiskers grew almost went unnoticed compared to the rest of the changes on his face.
Seth lay there on the ground beside the stream for a good ten minutes afterwards before he slowly opened his eyes again. A long snout had replaced what used to be there before, and he did not like it one bit. It was odd to stare at, always in his field of vision. It would take some getting used to.
"Bloody hell..." He mumbled. His jaw ached like hell, his nose bled, and he felt horrid all over. He opened his mouth for a moment, then closed it shut again, thinking better than to move it and cause himself more pain. The man slowly rose to his feet again and hobbled back to his duplex. It would be some days before he would venture out again. For the time being, he needed time to recover.
"Damn island..." He snarled as he made his way out of the jungle once more.
There was definitely no turning back now.
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Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 1:19 pm
The Beat of Instinct
Everything still hurt, even now. His body dully ached all over, especially his jaw. It had hurt worse than any dental procedure he had ever had in his life before when he had initially changed, now it ached like he had a bad toothache. His mind was a total hazy blur also.
Only this time he wasn't drunk.
Still sore from his recent changes, Seth wandered out of his duplex and stood on the stairs just outside the door, shivering slightly in the cold morning air. The sun was barely up yet and warmth of daylight was yet to come. He was immediately hit by the olfactory explosion of smells in the air, his newly upgraded nose being able to smell far more than he could just a few days ago. His nostrils almost felt like they were burning with the new sensory overload, but for reasons he could not explain, he found himself raising his head, sniffing, ears raised, highly interested. His sense of smell was powerful now, and he could smell the muffled scent of nearby duplex inmates, his own scent-marked trails into the jungle, even food cooking in the village.
Food... the smell of it made his stomach growl. He was hungry. Ravenously hungry at that. He hadn't eaten yesterday, or the day before. He hadn't really been motivated to eat since his changes, and it was beginning to take it's toll on him. He was lethargic and ********..." He growled at himself. He hadn't meant to starve himself, he just hadn't been motivated to eat in recent days, post changes. Pain was a great way of killing hunger. But now it was back with a vengeance.
Well, that much was certain – he needed food. Without thinking about it, he found himself walking down off the duplex steps, out of the village area, and into the jungle. He vaguely wondered in his head why he was going this way, and not to the cafeteria in the village.
“Ah well...” He thought to himself. “I can always go there later I suppose...”
Ears flicked as they picked up every minute sound in the cacophony of the early morning. He heard tiny frogs croaking in the river several metres away, he heard something rustling through the grass and leaf litter. And then soft bounding noises. He seemed to wake up and come quite alive at that, although he was unsure of the exact reason.
Soon he was wandering into the depths of the jungle, walking along at a casual leisurely pace. He rarely felt compelled to run and right now he doubted his feet would let him. They still hurt... and now they were even stranger to walk on. He was walking on the balls of his feet and his toes entirely now. Yet another thing he would have to get used to, he supposed. Although he had to admit, it felt more comfortable than before.
"I'm even less of a human than I used to be..." He seemed quite depressed at that thought. How long had he been on this island now? His thoughts drifted back to a time when he was a normal person, doing normal boring things such as sitting on the couch watching the AFL. Staying up very late and using the internet. Connecting personal LANs up for clients. Dealing with idiots who didn't know how to use computers. Catching the train from Dandenong to Melbourne's CBD, complaining about the price of tickets to use Melbourne's Met rail system. A city full of faceless people, a city full of ordinary normal people... mental images of his parents came to mind and he wondered what they must be doing now, his head and tail lowering with sadness at the thought. It all seemed like it was a lifetime ago now. He was a different person now, in many ways...
He was suddenly ripped from his thoughts as he heard movement close by. He snapped his head up again towards the noise, eyes wide and attentive. He froze in place, still, his tail raised and stiff.
He saw a grey rabbit bound across his path.
He completely lost all sane composure. The human-side of him was utterly forgotten as the thylacine's instincts kicked into gear. The animal man leaped off after it, chasing it into the underbrush of the jungle. While the Thylacine alone wasn't fast with hunting, combined with Seth's bipedal stance, he was quite fast moving and agile. His long legs and bipedal posture allowed for greater speed and he was able to cover much more distance than he otherwise would have if he was a quadraped.
The rabbit charged ahead, Seth hot on its heels, sloppily bounding after it. He was starving and right now for some reason that rabbit looked absolutely delicious. His mind was a tangle of questions, he wondered whyt he hell he was chasing it. Rabbits weren't food!
But he pressed on, continuing the chase. He was nearing the southern-most edge of the island now, and noticed that the rabbit was slowing down. He sprang forward and lunged at it, jaws first seizing his chance. Powerful jaws came crunching down on the rabbit as the animal-man hit the dirt. His jaws were stiff and crushing the animal to death as he sat up again.
“What the ******** am I doing!?” The human side of his mind screamed and he spat the rabbit's body out onto the ground, spitting out the taste, as well as fur and blood. What the hell had he just done? He stared at the half-chewed up disfigured animal before him on the ground.
He had done that.
He was visibly shaking now. Why had he done it? Why couldn't he stop himself? What would happen if he did it again? His mind was a tangle of questions, and the human side of him was screaming that none of this was normal.
“s**t, Seth...” He mumbled to himself. “You're losing it. Gotta pull yourself together... this island is turning you into a whacko. Gotta fight it...”
Walking around the island was alright. So was territory claiming. But that was one thing - hunting? It wasn't right. Seth rose to his feet again and ran back to his duplex to hide and be alone. It would be some time before he would emerge again. This island was getting to him in many more ways than one.
And he didn't like it one bit.
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Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 2:01 pm
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Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 8:33 pm
Territory
Seth makes paw prints at the swamp.
- Transcribed by Bilious
---------
A day had gone by, and the frog had kept to the swamp. Birds fluttered past, only to be snatched up by his powerful tongue and jaws to be swallowed whole like a giant fly. He swam, he hopped, he caught things to eat. When he had eaten his fill that morning, he had spent a good long while searching for Dee. He croaked and croaked, trying to call for her, but despite his efforts, no one called back.
It was a foreign croak to the local frogs, only a few croaking back in an attempt to announce their territory, but Newt only ate what ones didn't hop out of his way. Disheartened, he hopped towards the river where they had fished, stupidly wondering if she might have been there, like a lost dog searching for it's owner only far larger, slimier and greener. Once parked there, he lifted his head, throat sacks inflating like twin balloons to rabid fire his desperate wooing croaks as loud as he could in hopes that she would hear and come hopping back to him.
"Mine, mine, all mine!!"
Seth bounded through the jungle with enthusiastic gusto, his feet trouncing through the soft jungle soil that was damp and softened with the last rain that had gone through. He imprinted his pawprint-marks into the ground for all to see, claiming yet more land for his own. He had wandered through this part of the jungle many times now - it seemed safe enough, no others around to compete with him for the land. He might as well add it to his growing patches of Real Estate, but why he wanted it exactly, the human part of his mind didn't really understand.
The thylacine however, demanded more territory. It needed more land to hunt in, more safe places to hide. He would need as much land as possible to find his food in, and the male side of him wanted mates, so more land was needed to find them in. Also, the more land he had, the more cameras he could knock out in the areas that were his. So in his own way, he was doing a service for all the residents of the island.
He had bounded towards the swampy-like areas near the more southerly parts of the island, where the soil was even muddier, more impressionable to his paws. He casually bounded through, until a loud croaking noise stopped the thylacine-man dead in his tracks.
"What the bloody hell was that?" It sounded like a frog, but... a really loud one? Frogs weren't part of his diet, but the animal was curious enough to go see to it. His ears were raised as high as they would go. He proceeded onward once again, snout sniffing the air, eyes wide and bright with wariness, his tail stiff and straight behind him.
He inched into the heart of the swamp, ducking, keeping low and hidden in the plants. He wanted to know what this racket was before allowing his presence to be seen.
"KrrKIT! KrrKIT! KrrKIT! KrrKIT!" Like a great hammer crashing down on unseen rocks, the carpenter frog cried out frantically for his companion. He stopped and stiffened in the water, listening to the distant sound of crinkling dried leaves and ferns. Was it a threat? Was it going to eat him? Was it something to eat? He turned his head this way and that, wide, giant bulbous eyes looking this way and that to spot the source of the sound.
Seth got down on all fours, allowing his nose to lead the way. He found it uncomfortable to move along like this, but the animal within him told him that it was a much more natural way to walk. He sniffed the air, finally peeking his head out of the underbrush, staring at the ginormous frog in the middle of the swamp area.
The animal was wary as hell, it had never seen anything like this and it was practically screaming in his head to run. But Seth mentally pushed it aside and stood up on all fours, grinning. He only knew of one person like this.
"Hey there, frog-dude?" He grinned,showing off his set of teeth as he moved to stand out in the open. "You OK there? I see you changed as well."
Newt cocked his head to one side, boggling at the other creature with a dim look of animal stupidity. Words words words, he knew they were words , but they were gray and muddled and blurred in his ever pounding mind. When his mouth opened, a territory-announcing croak poured out, warning the other creature that this was his land. There were words to go along with this, wasn't there? Words, he was supposed to speak words. "Mmm..." He started, but before it could form something coherent, it ended in an amphibious squeal.
"Urrrrrr...! Yrr-yayap!!" He made a progressing-loud guttural noise, ending it with sharp quick yapping noises.
He was standing in a defensive pose, his lips curled back in a snarl before he even knew what was happening. The animal saw the display as a threat and reacted to it with a threat of his own. In another moment, his jaw was open wide, as if in mid-yawn, displaying his full jaws and teeth to the 'threat' as if to deter it. The hair on the back of his neck stood up with his heightened mood.
"Wh... what the hell?!" Seth fought against what he was doing and promptly snapped his jaw shut again, but he couldn't shake the fact that he felt like he was being threatened.
"Are you OK, mate?" He offered. He took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He was doing so many things recently that he couldn't control completely, and it was beginning to be quite alarming. "Er, sorry about that..." He said, looking quite sheepish.
At the threatening display and sight of sharp pointed teeth, the frog gave a terrified ribbit and turned to leap towards the water. He landed heavily on the bank, throat quivering as he turned a wild-eye back at the thylacine to see if he would give chase.
Seth shook his head and sighed at the frog's reaction. He regretted the fact that the animal had taken dominance over him and made a mental note to fight against it even harder when it came up again in the future.
"Hey, come on, relax." He raised out a paw-hand towards Newt, as if trying to offer his peace. "I'm not going to do anything to you, don't worry. I was just wandering through here, doing my own thing really. Is this your patch of land then?"
Your patch of land. The phrase registered easier than the other snippets of language and he crawled back across the moss, "Mmm... M-mine!" There, he managed! He managed! He spoke! the corners of his mouth twitched up as he gave a proud sort of ribbit at this accomplishment.
"Right, So it is yours, then?" Seth noted, subtly brushing a clawed foot over some of his own paw-marks in the mud. He had always liked the frog guy and didn't want to encroach on his patch of land.
"I've no need of a swamp or a stream anyway," He offered, inventing a reason in his mind as to why Newt could have the area. "I hate seafood. I also don't like swimming either. Consider it yours." He inched closer, wanting to get a better look at the frog-man. "You really have changed, ey? Is it over for you, then? You were always kinda green, but now...? Damn."
"Just keep an eye on the cameras. I've been chewing up the ones in the jungle around here, but the labs will probably chuck 'em in your bits of land too."
Newt trembled, as though fighting the urge to leap away. Seth had changed as well... he could see that. He could recognize him by the stripes and the voice, albeit muffled by the snout. He found himself looking away, large eyes rolling and head and shoulders twisting to get a better view. There were no traps protecting him. His brain was a fog. He crawled back a few steps at the mention of cameras, throat trembling in his heightened worry. Friend, friend... this was a friend, not a predator. Not someone who was going to eat him or hurt him. It was.. was... what was his name? He'd seen this man off and on for a long while, since the thylacine had been human. He wouldn't hurt him. He opened his mouth, a wavering croak coming forth before he managed to form words. Last he had seen him had been at the construction sight. "Sssho-KRIIT!" The croak interrupted the word.
Seth pinned his ears back as he watched Newt's movements, seeming concerned now. He was acting totally unlike a human in every aspect. Everything from the way he was acting, to his movements, his words. Or lack of them.
"Did the labs mess with your head too? You're not really making any coherent sense there, mate." He wondered aloud. "My god. Is this what the labs do when they're finished screwing around with you? They mess with your head too?"
He was in utter disbelief. Some of the changes that had occurred to him over the last few months were still sinking in. And sometimes he STILL found himself staring awkwardly at some of the changed islanders. But this? Was he destined to lose his mind to the animal as well when they were done with him? It certainly seemed that way with everything that was happening to him so far.
"If you can understand what I'm saying, raise your left ha..." He stopped himself. "Paw, foot, flipper.... er. Your front left appendage."
Newt's breathing quickened in frustration. He heard the words, but only a few of them sunk in. His ears were buzzing with the distant sound of wings. He was hungry, he needed to go find food, but here was someone he needed to speak to. Someone like him... but he wasn't like him. He swallowed, lifting his hand not because Seth had asked him to, but because his skull still throbbed from the recent change and he needed to give it an anxious rub. "Sssh..." He could do it.
"Sho-sho-sho-shovel-KRRIIT!" Shovel! Seth had been stealing shovels, right... right, he could remember, concentrate on that.
"Shovel?" Seth tensed. "Er... yeah. What about the shovel..?"
Did Newt know about the escape plan too? Just HOW many people had Gaius told? And Jordan of all people - he had known to dig. Though whether it was a co-incidence or not, he didn't know. All he knew was that occurrences like this were making him very paranoid indeed.
"Can you think straight any more?"
Think straight? The frog clenched his eyes closed, remembering the hole, remembering spying on him while he skulked around like he was up to no good. "B-b-b-buh... buried-KRIIT! H-hole... sh-shovel.." His voice broke as though he were a teenager again battling with puberty, but the second voice was an inhuman croak.
Seth made an inhuman yipe of shock. "Hey hey, shhh!!" He leaped over the bank of the swamp, heading towards Newt, splashing into the water, intending to move over to him and cover the frog's huge mouth with his paw. "Nobody's supposed to know about that, keep it down!"
He looked all around him, ears perked up as high as they would go, wide eyed and attentive.
"There's cameras all over the place, don't say too much around them." He mumbled in a low, barely audible voice. "If they catch wind of any of it, we're all screwed. Can you understand that?"
Seth was speaking to fast, too low for the frog man to follow, but he did catch his urgent tone enough to give a spooked yelp and try to spring away, but was thwarted by Seth's arms and merely managed to give them both a good splash.
"Yuck..." Seth moved his arms away as they got splashed with smelly swamp water. "I don't know how you can stand to be in this muck."
He stood on the entire length of his feet, his height lowering as he looked all around him once again, turning his head in all different directions, ever attentive, listening for the sounds of camera lenses refocusing and moving.
"Look, I don't know how much you know about the scheme," He said, moving his arms away as they got splashed with water. "But keep it down, okay?" He sighed. "We shouldn't be talking about it here, in the open like this. It'd have to be discussed somewhere quiet, like the rocky crags at the edge of the beach, somewhere like that."
"Now, tell me..." He frowned, concerned. "Did Gaius tell you? How much do you know?"
The frog boggled at him stupidly, mouth opening and closing a few times before an unhelpful whistling chirp escaped his throat. "G-g-guh-g-gaiusKRRIIK!" He knew Gaius! Memories flickered back, wading through the bog that had filled his head, but as soon as the most recent snippets flashed through his recollection, he gave a disturbed croak, huddling down into the murky water until only his eyes showed.
Seth glanced back at Newt and sighed, assuming that he was upset because of what he had just said.
"Hey, stop that, I'm not scolding you. Come on, stand up. I'm not going to hurt you or anything." He shook his head. "Look, I don't know what you know about the plan, and what you don't know, but - the shovels in the ground are going to serve a very useful purpose. We're going to get out of here, or at least cause the lab staff some hell in the process." He paused, hesitant for a moment. "Want to help?"
More babbling! Plan? Plan... plan, he remembered the snake wanting him to... to make things... His head jerked up above the water. The word for the snake chirped from his mouth as he brightened up, "Thom?" Was that the plan? It was the only plan he could think of. His eyes twitched from watching Seth's face to a handful of finches fighting in a bush not too far away.
"Thom? Who the bloody hell is that?" The thylacine looked positively baffled. "No, er... I don't know who that is." He sighed. "So Gaius didn't tell you anything about the plan, huh?"
He climbed back out of the murky swamp water, more than pleased to be standing on dry land once again. He made a mental note to himself not to do that again, and that he would need a shower later.
"You really don't know anything about it at all, do you?"
Newt didn't answer, crawling slowly up onto the bank to crouch in front of the bush with the twittering, buzzing birds with a low rumbling noise in the back of his throat. It was only a moment before one of the birds vanished with a puff of feathers and a snap of Newt's tongue, and the rest fluttered off in terror. That was much better.
The bird working it's way down his throat and into his gut, the frog lifted his head with a distracted, "Ah...? Kn-know... wh-what...krrKRIT!"
The thylacine-man skittered back in fright as Newt's tongue flung out of his mouth. Partially because of the fast movement, partially because it had been completely unexpected and a shock to him, and because he didn't want to get in the way of it. He stared at Newt, wide eyed and disbelieving for a few moments.
"That is just..." He was lost for words. "They really have screwed you up, haven't they?"
He sighed, feeling like he was getting nowhere. "Look, I'll tell you what. When you're good enough to go again - I mean, if the labs haven't screwed up your mind... if you're good enough to string a few sentences together, come seek me out. I know the labs have given you the bum's rap since you got here, and I think you'd be more willing to get revenge on them more than any of us."
"So yeah, come bother me about it when you're better, OK?"
The frog listened, concentrating hard to try to understand, but it was difficult. His eyes wobbled in frustration, and it seemed the very Newtish urge to bawl hadn't been taken from him. He gave an anxious noise, limbs working to allow him to turn around and face the other creature, "Nnn.... nnn... n-no... no... f-fi-KRRIK!"
"No? I don't understand..."
"You don't want to get revenge, then? Why not?" Seth frowned. stopping. "Hey look, I've already said too much out in the open here. If you're not interested in helping out, that's OK. But if you are, come to my duplex or leave a note. Does that sound good to you?"
The frog blinked, confusing himself further, "Wh-wh-what?" As an after thought, he belched out a fresh croak. "N-no... ah..." What did he want? Words! Words, remember words! Make words! Right. Right. "KrrKITKrrKIT! D-dee.... "
"Dee? Wait, you mean 'deal'? Oh I really don't get it..." Seth sighed, sagging his shoulders, feeling hopeless. "If this is what we all have to look forward to when they finish fart-arsing around with me, then I guess we all really have to get out of here, regardless of looks..."
He turned away from the swamp, looking somewhat dejected. He felt like he hadn't achieved anything, he felt bad for Newt also. "See ya around, mate. I hope you're not stuck like that permanently. I'll get revenge on those bastards. You can too. You know where to find me, right? Duplex #65. Leave a note on the door, or knock. Or, er... kick it with those froggy legs if you think that'd be more effective."
"Don't worry," He said finally. "We're going to get out of here one way another. We're going to die free, or die in the attempt." With that, he headed back into the jungle to plot and ponder over the situation.
The frog watched him go, a frustrated noise whistling in his throat. Free? Plan... The words sank in but were almost immediately forgotten as a fat insect of some indeterminable sort flitted by and he was quick to hop in pursuit. He couldn't comprehend what Seth had been trying to communicate, but maybe it was the ringing in his head, the throbbing of his sore skull or the wash of amphibious urges. If he had known, he would have jumped on the offer, vowing to help in whatever way possible, but when he was like this? He could barely comprehend the purpose of a name. Not a particularly helpful state to be in when one needed cunning and smarts to function properly.
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Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 6:37 pm
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Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2007 6:30 am
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Sabin Duvert Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 5:12 pm
When Seth wakes up in his duplex after the Incident!, there is a metal hospital-band securely around his left wrist. Engraved in the metal is a number: 72004100
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Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 9:55 am
April Fool NobodySeth had been puttering around the scrubland beyond the village before the incident had occured. He was minding his own business and sniffing the air in an attempt to work out who had been close by the area, when he felt a sudden sharp jolt in the upper portion of his back, sending white-hot needles of pain throughout his entire body.
He squeezed his eyes shut and his head screamed with the pain, and he finally passed out, landing on the ground in a lifeless heap.
----------------------
He did not know the time when he woke up again. When he woke, he groaned in discomfort. He had stiff limbs, and part of his mind was telling him that maybe he had overslept, and perhaps he had been asleep for a long time. He thought nothing of this at first and sat up, moving a paw to his head.
His attention was immediately attracted to the metal band on his left wrist.
"What the bloody hell?" He yelped, and tried to yank it off. It wouldn't budge. He lowered his head and began to gnaw and chew at the metal with his sharp carnivorous-marsupial teeth, but his efforts were wasted. It just would not come off. He closely examined the band, looking for clasps, a weakness, anything. It was then he noticed the tag, and the engraved number: 72004100.
"What in bloody blazes did those shitheads do to me!?" Seth was on his feet now, paw-hands feverently patting his body all over for signs of injury, surgery scars, wounds, anything. He glanced around the room for any hints as to what was going on. He noticed that it was night outside, which made him turn his attention to his wall clock to check what the time was. 9:42pm, that was alright. Getting late, but not too late for a walk outside.
It as then he noticed the calander on his wall - August 29th, 2007.
"What..? August 29?! Wasn't it March..? It's March, damnit!?" He yelped and checked himself over again. Had he really been gone that long?
He quickly headed over to his laptop to make a note of it. He turned it on, and checked his desktop. It all seemed fine enough...
Then he noticed the clockdate on the laptop.
Sunday, 01 April, 2007
A loud snarl rose up in his throat.
"Very funny, idiots..." He growled in response, working out instantly what was up. He was more than familiar with the April Fools jokes people played. Thanks to his being addicted to the internet, he knew for a fact that websites all around the world played similar pranks on this day, releasing fake video game information, declaring unrealistic features, or saying they had been hacked. Sometimes he had fallen for it, at least until he had seen the date.
It made sense, as well. He would have been groggier if he had been out of it for months. There would have been dust in his room. And it just seemed like something those idiots would try.
Seth closed the laptop again and headed outside. They had fooled him for a short time, but he would pay no more mind to the prank. He wondered about the chaos that would occur for other people, and shook his head, feeling sorry for them for a moment.
Now, if only he could get the metal band off his wrist...
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Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 3:53 am
To Embrace Insanity
For the first time since his arrival to the island, he no longer felt like he was away from home, and miserable about it. For the first time in many months, he felt content. The last several weeks had seen many changes in the one that was now more marsupial than man, and none of them had been serum, or physical transformation based.
Seth spent most of his time outside now, away from the duplexes, away from the bustle of the more human islanders in the village. He only ever went back to the village when he was in dire need of basic necessities, or sleep away from the harsh elements. Or when he wanted to play with his laptop.
He had migrated into the dense growth on the south-side of the island, having mostly abandoned the more northern territory paths he had spent many hours establishing just weeks ago. He was more comfortable in the dense forest area, and he had fully established a base territory here now.
It hadn't been easy to intergrate into the 'wild', although he wasn't willing to admit that's what he was doing. Why he did it exactly, he did not know, but it had felt right... and that had been his reasoning for doing anything now. It hadn't been hard establishing the south area as his new home - there was nobody to contest it down here, not another male thylacine, nor an animal of a different species, and certainly not another islander. However, food supply wasn't stable, causing him to head back into the village when he needed to. He had mostly done that when he was sure nobody was around.
He still buried alcohol around the place, and obtaining that was never an issue. There must have been at least fifty to a hundred bottles buried by now, which would keep him content for a long time. Seth sleepily smiled as he thought about it - he knew where all of them were, too. At least that part hadn't been an issue.
Shelter had been an initial problem also, at least until he had found a massive old tree that had decayed and fallen down. For how long it had been there, he did not know. But it made a suitable hiding spot away from the wind, and it was cool during the daylight hours. He was very quick to establish it as his, marking it with both scents from his back paws, and claw marks from his front ones.
He still craved the desire to hunt, although the human part of his mind still found it horrific and disturbing. Although, he had to admit, it was certainly fun to persue animals that wandered into his territory. He had nothing else to do these days, and so he spent a lot of his time doggardly chasing anything that wandered through his area. He had eaten a few rabbits so far, and at first found it nauseating to do. But he let instinct take over, and soon found that swallowing them whole proved to be less disgusting.
Somewhat.
He knew he would probably have to give into that part of his mind sooner or later. Maybe another day, perhaps. For now, he was content to curl up in his territory and nap until dawn.
For now he was biding his time, but he still had a lot of planning to do.
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