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 Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 9:07 pm
It was twilight as the small, grey kitten walked her way sleepily along the sidewalk. She'd spent so long in this city, and still was a Guardian missing her princess. It was shameful; she was certain her parents would have been disappointed in her.
She missed Merope, Orion and Po. She'd gotten separated from them some time ago, and she wasn't the best with directions. Returning to their apartment wasn't something she'd been able to just turn around and do. Things couldn't have been just a little simpler, could they have? No. Apparently not.
It wasn't that she was a particularly moody cat, no. But the longer her mission was put off, the harder it was to remain optimistic. She was certain Small Lady was in this city...
But it was so large. And she was so small.
The kitten turned off the sidewalk, making her way into the shopping district. She ducked and dodged the feet of all the humans walking around, tucking her tail down and pinning her ears back. It wasn't that she disliked humans, so much as she found most of them didn't seem to notice her.
At least not in crowded situations like this.
As she moved through the crowds, a cold chill ran down her spine, and she felt an incredible amount of discomfort. Picking her head up, she scanned the crowd.
Something was there, but she didn't know exactly where or what. The fur along the back of her neck stood on end. As she raised her head high as she could, the kitten began to scout the area. When she didn't immediately see what she was looking for, she took a few steps further into the crowd.
WHAM!
Diana suddenly found herself flying through the air as the large foot of a passerby lifted her along. The grey kitten howled, apparently she got some good air as she suddenly found herself scrambling on top of a head full of fluffy blonde hair.
Oh dear.
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Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 9:24 pm
Zoe had been mostly minding her own business as she weaved through the crowd - mostly because some people really had a terrible sense of fashion. Otherwise she was strutting along to the beat of music blaring from her ear plugs, hands tucked into her puffy coat and the heels of her boots matching the bass line as they beat a confident 'click, click, click' against the sidewalk. With her mind wrapped up in her 101 things to do, she never even saw it coming..
Out of nowhere, something was scrambling around on her head, shuffling her hair and knocking her ear plugs clean out of her ears as she struggled beneath it. An involuntary shriek filled the sidewalk and all around her people were making a wide path. They weren't stopping to help, of course, but they were nice enough to stay out of the way.
Instinct had her hands moving faster than her mind could process and in an instant they locked around something.. furry? With a huff and a puff, Zoe forcibly removed the creature and held it out in front of her at arms length.
...A kitten?
"Kittens do not fly," she said sharply, narrowing her eyes on the little thing like she was seriously considering dropping it off at a Chinese restaurant. Lucky for Diana, not even Zoe's heart was completely unaffected by the appeal of a kitten, and she simply sighed with annoyance and started for the nearest alley. That's where strays lived, right?
"Do you have any idea what you've done to my hair, you ridiculous little thing?" She sounded irate and was still carrying her at arm's length, as if she were afraid fleas might infest her favorite coat at any moment. "Of course not," a roll of the eyes, "because kittens also don't talk."
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Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 11:05 pm
Diana yowled as she was forcibly removed from the nest of golden tresses. Her red eyes stared back at the eyes of the young woman who's head she'd invaded.
Her little head tilted as she was suddenly chastised for flying, the little gold bell around her neck tinkling as she did so. Of course kittens didn't fly! But physics and it's darned force of motion aspect was a cruel mistress.
...
Her ears flattened against her head, and she seemed to glower back at Zoe as the girl complained about her hair. And calling her ridiculous? What was that all about? Young people of this time were such strange creatures.
Oh how she longed to chastise the young lady (and the term was tossed around loosely) for her poor manner. But if her parents had taught her anything, it was not to speak around the humans.
The kitten began to wriggle and squirm in Zoe's arms, though she stopped suddenly when that eerie feeling crept down the back of her spine once more. Ugh, why the al-
The thought was interrupted as a dark shadow passed under Zoe's arms. It whisked by, getting half way to the other side of the ally before it stopped.
Oh no.
The kitten wormed around frantically, paws going every which way as the shadow slowly began to stand up from the ground, appearing as a shaded , humanoid figure.
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 7:05 am
Zoe wasn't quite as observant as the tiny kitten in her arms, probably because of the tiny kitten in her arms. As she walked into the alley she was completely distracted by the way it squirmed and flailed frantically but misinterpreted it as an attempt to get away from the restriction of her hands. She didn't blame it, she wouldn't want a giant manhandling her either.
"Calm down, calm down," she tried, though her voice wasn't quite as soothing and playful as most people would manage when talking to a baby animal. It was a little tense, a little annoyed, but mostly just impatient with an experience she had been over as soon as it started. This was why she didn't have pets.
She stooped low and was just about to release the kitten when a shadow loomed ahead of her and got her attention. She glanced up casually, expecting to see some shady hobo lurking in the alley, but was met instead by.. a ghost? Her brows rose a little and her hands tightened around the squirming kitten, the only other living creature within grasp. Though panic was setting in, and quickly, she simply pulled the kitten closer to her chest and very, very slowly rose back to her feet.
"What," she breathed quietly with her bright, pink eyes still focused on the shade. She took an experimental step backward and away, towards the mouth of the alley and the promise of freedom back among the crowd.
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 7:18 am
Zoe's agitated tone did not help the situation in any way. Diana continued to struggle, mewling pathetically, trying to get the silly girl to look over. Her attempts seemed to be in vain as she felt herself being lowered to the ground. Well, at least she'd be able to get between the human and the yo-URK!
Diana suddenly found herself being squeezed tightly, not unlike some sort of stress squeeze toy. The kitten gasped in breath as she was pulled back against the puffy coated chest of the girl.
Oh this was just not going to go well.
The kitten's red eyes looked down the alley where the youma stood. The shadows on it's face parted in what appeared to be a toothy smile. Diana's ears flattened against her head once more, and a low(for her) growl pressed forth from her throat.
The shade seemed almost amused by this, and it suddenly slammed itself down to the ground, zipping along the alley floor, below the girl's feet. It all whirred by in seconds, and the light that had been creeping in from the entrance of the alleyway was suddenly gone. Leaving the alley dark.
And eerily cold.
What sounded like an echoed laugh floated slowly through the air to their ears. Diana continued to growl, worming around in Zoe's arms again. She couldn't do anything from this position, and the girl had a grip like a vice.
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 7:36 am
She was beginning to panic so much that the sound of her own labored breaths filled her ears and drowned out the noise of the crowd beyond. As the shadow flew past her she whirled, trying to keep it in sight, though seeing it loom up and block out the light did not help calm her. Her limbs were tensing and she began to feel frozen, rooted to the spot as the specter cornered her in the alley. At least, until she heard the low growl from the furball in her arms.
If Zoe knew anything from her parents continued attempts to force their daughters to enjoy the wonderful world of nature, it was that she didn't need to be inbetween an animal and its source of distress. Very slowly she reached out and set her atop a closed dumpster nearby, though she refused to tear her eyes away from the shade and its.. mouth of pointy, dangerous teeth.
She wanted to look around and find a way out but was afraid that the second she did, it might close in on her. There had to be a fire escape or ladder, maybe something she could use to propel her onto the roof of a building, but she had no time to find one and even less to utilize an escape route if she did. Was this really it? Was she about to become part of the bastardized urban legend of Destiny City?
It was so cliche she could have groaned.
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 7:47 am
Diana suddenly found herself placed atop one of the nearby dumpsters. She blinked, confused, but didn't let herself linger on the thought. No. That damn youma was not going to claim the (obnoxious) girl's life force.
The shade began to reach out towards the horrorstruck girl. Taking a few paces back, the kitten leaped from the dumpster top, claws outstretched at the arm.
She found herself passing through the shade, howling out as cold ripped through her tiny body. Ear piercing shrieks sparked in the air around them as the shade reeled back. The kitten, meanwhile, rolled and thumped into the wall of the alley. While she hadn't been able to get a physical grip on the shade, she had persisted in buying them time as the shade had to slowly reform it's arm.
Diana limped over to the young girl, hitting the wall had hurt a little more than she would have cared to admit. She nipped at the bottom of Zoe's pantleg, tugging for the girl to move back with her, almost like she was saying "C'mon! Let's go!"
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 8:23 am
Zoe watched in confusion as the kitten leaped from the dumpster and valiantly, if a bit clumsily, darted right for the shade. Her hand was halfway up in a dramatic 'no!' by the time the furball went right through and rolled unceremoniously into the wall beyond.
All thoughts of the kitten were momentarily lost as she saw the way the specter's arm.. disappeared? broke? vanished? She had no idea what it was, but if a kitten could do that then the creature had to have some substance to it and could thus be harmed. It made the panic in Zoe lessen just a fraction. Probably a good thing, because the kitten was suddenly there again, pulling and tugging on her pants leg.
She didn't need telling twice, even if she was sure she would later question her sanity for listening to a kitten. She glanced away from the reforming shadow creature and instead peered up around them, looking for anything that would give them a way out. Then she saw it, a half deteriorated fire escape tucked in a back corner. It didn't look particularly safe, but neither did the monster blocking their only other exit.
"Come on, furball," she mumbled beneath her breath, then began to back up as quickly as she could towards the fire escape without drawing attentiont o herself. Once they neared it she reached down and picked up the kitten, planting her carefully on the first level overhead, then tested her weight on the half hanging ladder. Convinced it was good enough, she started to pull herself up, though she winced at the way it creaked and groaned beneath her weight.
She just needed to get to the first level before the shadow got its arm fixed.
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 8:43 am
Diana had been staying between the girl and the shade. Her little paws spread apart as she bowed down to hiss and growl. It was quickly interrupted as the blonde plucked her up from the ground, scrambling to make her way up the rickety looking ladder.
By this point, the shade had completely reformed it's arm, stretching it out to the side. It's attention snapped back to the two of them as the ladder loudly gave away their position.
It threw itself against the wall, the black shadow speeding along the bricks. As Zoe climbed, shadowy fingers silently pulled from the wall, wrapping tightly around her ankle. There was a blast of cold that emitted from it's hand, and as it gripped the girl's ankle, it slowly pulled the rest of it's body from the wall, that wicked grin cut out of it's face once more.
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 8:50 am
Zoe screeched as the cold, death-like grip caught her by the ankle and sent pain like a thousand needles straight to the bone of her leg. She struggled against the force of its pull and curled her fingers tighter around the degraded, rusty bars of the fire escape ladder. She knew that if it kept pulling much longer, she was going to be fighting a losing battle.
With her fight or flight response kicking in and her body stuck somewhere between both, she resorted to kicking out at the shade's head with her free foot. Her boot was solid, warm, and most importantly: it had a skinny, deadly heel. She wasn't sure if it would do the same kind of damage as the kitten's claws, but it was certainly worth a try.
She'd rather die fighting than flailing like a damsel in distress. Of course, she'd also really just rather not die at all..
The ladder above her began to creak ominously between her flailing kicks and the weight between her body and the shade's grip. It didn't look like the most sturdy thing to begin with, but with every shift she could feel the joints grating and breaking.
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 8:56 am
Panic.
That's what coursed through Diana's veins in that moment. The shade had the girl, the ladder was creaking and groaning quite vehemently and she wasn't exactly sure how she was going to stop it! Ugh, her mother would have known exactly what to do.
Suddenly the girl below her began to put up a struggle. The tiny kitten watched as Zoe pulled her foot back, bringing that spiked heel down into the 'arm' of the creature. It reeled back once more, the same way it had when Diana had passed through it. Though for Zoe, that cold feeling in her leg would linger on.
The shade was hastily reforming it's arm, that shrill shriek piercing through the air once more. Before it was completed, it was frantically hurling itself towards the young girl, desperate to claim her life force.
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 9:04 am
Zoe wasted no time in climbing up the ladder as soon as her leg was free from that frigid, deathly grip. She scaled the creaking fire escape, albeit with a little limp, and managed to clear the first level just in time for the creature below to throw itself at her. She felt its cold fingers brush against her leg like needles just as she began to pull herself onto the landing. She faltered, slightly, then half rolled, half crawled onto the rusty metal platform.
As safe as she should have felt off of the ground, she didn't. She had seen the way the creature moved and, to add to the issue, there were still more ladders and platforms to pass before they reached the roof. Then there was no guarantee that the roof was even safe..
Not one to let obstacles get her down, she clenched her jaw and reached down to scoop up the kitten again. "No resting, kit." Without glancing back to see what the shade was doing, or where it had gone, she grabbed the second ladder and began to pull herself up. Ladder, platform, ladder. Time felt like it was ticking by slower than molasses, but in truth she was going as fast as her half-asleep leg would let her push.
She could see the sky above and the sun peeking over the edge of the rooftop. She just had to get there and hope the specter wasn't too close behind.
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 9:24 am
Diana clung to Zoe as the girl scaled the ladder and crossed the platforms. She was still growling in the general direction of the youma. Her fur was still standing on end, the bumping of the movement and her own shaking giving cause of the little bell to tinkle around her neck as it had earlier.
The problem with shadows was, of course, they could move uninhibited as long as there was a surface to slide along. When it didn't retain a clutch on Zoe's leg, it crashed back into the wall. Moving to blend into the shadows nearby, it zipped up the wall, and onto the rooftop. While Diana and Zoe made their way upwards, the shade was suddenly looking downward
That wicked grin cut through the darkness of it's face, light shining through giving it an eerie glow. Reaching down, it wrapped it's fingers around the top of the ladder. The already rickety bars began to chill.
It was freezing the ladder.
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 9:36 am
Zoe's confident scaling faltered as she saw the shadow loom down from above, unsure now of going up or down and finding herself rooted mid-way up the last ladder. Panic set in again as she felt the bars begin to cool beneath her fingers and before it could try to numb her hands entirely, she let go.
It was a short fall back down to the last platform they had passed, but the jolt of her weight as her feet connected with the metal made the fire escape shake and shift dangerously beneath them. It swayed on its degraded supports and Zoe reached out to steady herself on the slowly freezing bars. Her hand snapped back like a snake had bitten her and she stood, confused and trapped halfway up a fire escape. Her boots were enough protection from the metal beneath her feet but all around her the metal was becoming deathly cold.
"Damn it," she cursed beneath her breath, holding the kitten close and peering over the edge of the fire escape to find any way out. She could jump, perhaps, but that might risk a broken leg. Even if she could limp afterward, that would make this far too easy for the creature of darkness. Did she die trapped, or die crippled?
She couldn't see a way out this time.
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 9:54 am
The shade seemed pleased with itself as it slowly began to wrap itself around the frozen bars. Soundlessly it began it's slow descent. Diana growled at the shade from the clutch of Zoe's arms. She felt the heft of the platform shift as the unstable supports began to freeze further. The kitten's growling stopped and a soft mewl began as her mind raced for a solution.
Panic must have struck the girl behind her finally as she heard her curse. She nuzzled lightly against Zoe, trying to provide her comfort, when a strange feeling passed over her. The kitten looked up and gave pause.
The symbol burned brightly over Zoe's forehead, between the strands of hair that covered her forehead.
"..."
She wormed quickly out of the girl's arm as the shade drew ever closer. She leapt up against the shade, her paws hitting it, sending it flying back a foot or two. Flipping back to the ground, a strange looking gold pen appeared in her maw. With a twist of her head, she tossed it to the girl.
"There's no time to explain." she chirped out in her childlike voice. "You have to trust me right now." Diana felt herself fumble as the the platform shifted under them again.
"Hold it up and call out Midas Power, Make-Up!" the shade threw itself down on Diana as she called out to Zoe. Breaking a hole through the frozen platform. The shade and the kitten tumbled down to the ground, Diana hitting the alley with a thump.
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