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 Posted: Tue Jan 16, 2007 5:37 pm
"Its been along time." Richard though out loud as he settled under the tree that bent itself over the river. With the newletter out and delievered there was nothing to do but wait for now. Besides after that all nighter Richard felt he deserved a little time off. He was eager to hear what people thought of his newletter but nobody seemed to be breaking down his door to talk about it. He'd managed to convince himself that was a good thing. It was supposed to be a seed. Gotta give it time to grow.
He opened up his tackle box and selected a particularly shiney lure. Might as well start flashy.
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Posted: Tue Jan 16, 2007 6:07 pm
Part of him told himself he was doing this to 'expand his territory'. Another part of him told himself that he was doing it to look for likely starting places, appropriate places to plan out what he kept calling "the beginning of the end". In any case, both animal and man were in agreement early that morning as the thylacine-man wandered out of his duplex to begin his daily morning wanderings around his 'territory'.
The air was clean and crisp, the day had not yet heated up. Seth inhaled the air and sighed - just the way he liked it. He took a step off his sad excuse for a porch (more like a door step) and something crinkled under his bare foot. He glanced down to look, finding that he had stood on a curious note left by his door. He picked it up to glance over it - it was mildly soggy with the morning's dew fall, but that didn't bother him too much. It was still quite readable.
"A newsletter, hmm." Seth carried it off with him to read as he walked away from his duplex, not bothering to lock the door, wandering off into the scrubland nearest the duplexes.
Reading and not paying attention to where he was going led the man far off course, his feet inadvertently heading him towards the river. He found the newsletter quite interesting, or parts of it anyway. A feeling of panic slowly rose up within him as he read one particular piece of information however - the part about one "Angharad Anderson" killing people. He hadn't known anything about this...
Seth stopped, his tail going stiff, ears attentive. Was he safe on this island? The letter mentioned that she hadn't attacked islanders yet, but they were probably next. He headed towards the riverbank, deciding it would probably be a good idea to get a drink.
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Posted: Tue Jan 16, 2007 6:14 pm
Richard attached the lure to the end of the line and cast his line in to the river. The fishing spot sat on a natural widening of the river, the flow was fast on the far bank and slow near where Richard sat. His tail curled around his body, the very tip of it curling and uncurling as Richard waited, watching his bobber for any sign of a fish.
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Posted: Tue Jan 16, 2007 6:26 pm
Seth wandered down to the riverbank, standing at it's edge. He stuffed the newsletter in his back pocket. He crouched down on 'all-fours' and lowered his head, his snout near the edge of the water. It smelled clean and looked clear, good enough for drinking.
"Nnngh..." He reached out for it with his tongue, intending to lap some of the crystal clear water up. Before he could even get a taste of the water, his front 'paws' slided out from under him courtesy of the muddy bank, causing him to fall bum-over-head into the river. There was a loud splash as the thylacine fell in on his back, causing enough disturbance to scare away any aquatic animals living in that part of the river.
"Urrr-urrr-urrr!" The animal-man made a loud startled coughing bark as he stood up again. The water was deep, but shallow enough to stand in.
"Bugger!" He growled. His bright orange casual shirt was fresh on that morning, and now it was already soaked with river water and mud. "Stupid bloody river!" He snarled and clenched his fists, slamming them down on the water's surface, sending water splashing everywhere.
He snarled as he climbed out again, then shook himself off.
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Posted: Tue Jan 16, 2007 6:42 pm
Richard heard the splashing somewhat farther down the river. At first he figure it was some aquatic islander come to disrupt his fishing. . That always seemed to happen to him. Might be Cody, Richard wouldn't mind seeing the tyke again, it had been awhile. He started to reel in his line. Then the barking and cursing reached his ears. Fish don't bark and none of the aquatics he knew cursed like that.
Curious and somewhat annoyed at being disturbed he set his reel down, hooked his claws in to the tree behind him and hauled himself up. He adjusted his straw hat and slipped his feet back into the sandels. He was wearing a green T-shirt with kakhi shorts.
He cerpt forward with cautisious steps, not wishing to alert whom ever was there to his presence. He was reasonablly sure it wasn't Anne or Jamal but it was better to be cautious. He's tentacles quivered as they curled over his shoulders.
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Posted: Tue Jan 16, 2007 6:56 pm
Seth sat down about six feet away from the riverbank, sprawling his front feet out in front of him on the ground. He yanked off his sodding wet tie and shirt, hanging them up to dry on a nearby bush.
"Stupid river... I'm never coming back here, one of the other islanders can have the stupid bloody place..." He growled to himself as he ran his clawed hands through his greying hair. He shook himself off again and lowered his head, his mood certainly not lightened any.
"Oh s**t, the letter!" He reached into his back pocket to retreive it again. It was ruined, nothing more but a mush of paper and river-water now. Seth picked what was left of the paper pulp out of his pocket and sighed.
"I didn't even get to finish reading that!" He made a loud snort in disgust. Then he was suddenly dead silent, attentive and wide eyed. Despite all his anger and yelling, the thylacine within had been keeping alert. It sensed noise, movement nearby, and its instincts took over dominance of his senses for the time being.
He shuffled into a position he could easily rise from if need be, his hopping legs ready to spring him from danger should it arrive. He sniffed the air for a brief moment and frowned, quickly giving up on that. Whatever was nearby, he was upwind from it. And he was out in the open too, so he had even more the disadvantage.
What if it was the wolf?
He remained wide-eyed and attentive, part of him ready to flee, another part of him willing to fight if he needed to.
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Posted: Tue Jan 16, 2007 7:19 pm
When Richard saw he had been detected he chuckled quietly but loud enough to be heard by Seth's ears. It had been a long time since he had seen the man. He had changed but judging from his loud outbursts and antics he was still the same fool Richard had met at the beach bar.
Richard had an urge to climb the tree he was hiding behind but quickly dismissed the notion as silly. He wasn't particularly stealthy on the ground, let alone in a tree. Besides Seth might be good for gossip.
"I have extra copies you know." He said in response to Seth's destruction of his newsletter. However Richard remanied out of sight, peering at Seth from behind a tree over the tops of a patch of reeds.
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Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 7:54 am
Seth's sensitive ears flicked as he heard the chuckling noise. He once again instinctively sniffed the air, hoping to catch even a trace of the other's scent. It was a total failure.
"Extra copies of the letter, ey?" Seth hesitantly paused, wondering how this person knew what he was reading. "I hope so, because I hadn't even finished reading it. I don't know if you know what I'm talking about though. You may not have received the letter. I wouldn't know, I'm not well connected with anything here."
He rose to his feet and batted his paws at his sopping wet muddy jeans. They needed to be laundered now. Great, more work to do.
"It was an informative newsletter too, what with news of somebody killing Guards here and such. So much for Moreau's little island paradise being safe, huh?" He half muttered the last part, his voice scathing as he said it.
He glanced around the area once more, scowling. He didn't like the fact he was talking to somebody that wasn't visible. It made him more nervy than normal. He did take the opportunity to kick at the ground however, frowning in thought. It was soft loamy soil below his feet, soft enough to dig in. But the river probably made it a bad location.
"Come out of hiding," He finally grunted. "I don't wanna talk to the trees."
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Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 4:16 pm
Richard chuckled again. "How do I know? Because I wrote it." Richard knew if he'd like to continue this conversation then he would have to show himself, yet he found the idea of willingly exposing his location distasteful. He mulled over alternatives in his mind, but Seth might have some further news and he didn't want to drive him away. Reluctantly, Richarch stepped out of his hiding spot. He wore a smile but felt a bit on edge, his tail flicked about with jerky motions.
"I beleive paradise is a long way from here. Maybe some other island."
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Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 4:44 pm
Seth stumbled back on his feet as he watched Richard move out into the open. He managed to keep his balance, but his tail remained stiff and straight out behind him. It took him a couple of moments to relax again.
"Hah, I remember you. It's been a long time, hasn't it." He gave Richard a curt nod. "I see they got you too," He pinned his ears back and mumbled, disgruntled. "I guess that's to be expected in this place."
"Nah, this is paradise," He yawned, curling his tongue as he opened his growing maw to it's inhuman limit. "To the dellusional, perhaps. Like the Jordan bloke I met down on the beach. Not me though, I'm not too fond of walking around knowing that some crazed lunatic killer is capable of clawing me in the back when I'm not looking."
"So, you wrote the letter left on my door, huh?" He seemed thoughtful. "It was interesting. Got another? I wanted to finish reading it."
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Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 5:07 pm
Richard couldn't prevent himself from smiling at Seth's unease, the predator in him peeking through his mind. "Seth was it?" Richard advanced into the clearing, taking a seat on a near by rock. His tentacles remained alert.
At the mention of Jordan, Richard perked up. He was curious about how the young man was dealing with the island. Jordan had reacted very oddly when Richard had met him. "Jordan? I've met him, he wasn't delusional when I met him. Not the brightest young man I've come across though. He likes it here now?"
A slight concern touched his brow when Seth metioned Anne. "Well Anne has yet to attack any of the villagers as of yet. I wonder how long her war can last. Only way to keep tabs on it is to hike over to the graveyard. The Labs don't exactly do press releases."
"Glad you liked the newsletter." This time the smile was geniune. "I have a couple extra copies in my duplex if you'd like another."
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Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 5:30 pm
"It was a good read," Seth nodded. "And like getting The Age delivered to my doorstep every morning, when I was back home." He paused for a moment, muttering quickly. "Which is... a newspaper in Melbourne. Anyway I'd like another copy if I can get it. I'd also like to get something printed in your newsletter later if I can. Especially if it's delivered to the doorstep of every islander. That could be really useful."
He scowled at the mention of Jordan's name. "Oh dear god, Jordan? Bloody hell, where to begin." He shook his head and wrinkled his brow in distaste. "When I first met the bloke on the beach, he was dellusional as all hell. He told me he was here to study marine biology. When I told him about what the island is really for, he got all tetchy and told me to stop ripping on the lab staff and Moreau. Then he socked me one in the face, the b*****d." A harsh growl rose up in Seth's throat, and his tail was stiff and raised behind him. If he had hair on the back of his neck, it would be raised right about now. "He's the most dellusional ******** I ever met. And if he wants help from me, he's not gonna get it."
"Has anyone mentioned the wolf to you yet? You should write an article on it if you already havent. Aparently there's one loose on the island. I've never seen it, but Newt told me about it when I got here. The newsletter would be a great way to warn people." It didn't occur to Seth that this 'Anne' person WAS the wolf.
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Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 7:59 pm
Seth wanted to contribute! "Excellent. I look forward to it." Seth didn't seem to be spouting escape ideas to random passerbies anymore at least. "I'll drop another one on you doorstep later."
Richard rubbed his chin. "So Jordan actually bought into all that phooey that Moreau was feeding him. He's probably a lost cause. Still... Maybe if I remind him who Moreau really is..." Then he looked up at Seth, eyes questioning. "He asked you for help?"
He smirked as Seth ranted about the wolf. "Um Seth... The wolf and Anne are one in the same. Besides I'm just as worried about a Tiger Man named Jamal right now."
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Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 8:23 pm
"Ah, so the wolf is called Anne? That's good I suppose, it means there's only one crazed killer out there. Though I still have to watch out for the thing." He looked quite bothered at the mention of Jamal. "Great, there's a tiger man on the loose too? What next, a leopard? A jaguar?" The thylacine-man made a loud exasperated sigh. "Never a dull moment around here, ey? I just hope I don't go bonkers and turn into a feral animal like them."
"Is it okay if the message I have printed isn't exactly... well, in english?" Seth began to ponder to himself for a few moments. "It'll be translatable to english sure enough, because it will be in code. But..." He flicked an ear and returned to thinking for a moment, silent.
"The finer details aren't worked out yet. I have the basic idea in mind, but not much more than that. When I'm done, I'll write up information in code, and the smarter islanders can work it out all on their own." He chuckled for a moment. "It'll be like one of those mind puzzles, sukodu thingamees, or the crossword in the back of the newspaper. It'll be fun at least."
"Pfeh... Jordan." Seth's mood was soured again. "He's loyal to Moreau, I don't think he'll listen to anyone else. I tried, but he is a lost cause. He didn't ask for my help, but if he realizes what the hell is going on and turns away from being a blindly loyal dog, if he tries to ask for my help, I still won't help him."
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Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 8:39 pm
Richard let the comment about feral cats pass without comment but a worried look passed over his eyes. Why had it been so important to him to stay hidden just a moment ago? He pushed the thought away, he didn't want to deal with it now.
Richard sighed when Seth discussed secret messages and shook his head. "The newsletter will be monitored Seth. I welcome good content, rant yourself horse. I'll print it. But..." He raised a clawed finger. "No planning escape or rebellion through it. I don't need to give the lab a blatant excuse to stop it." Richard dropped his finger and pause for a moment before adding quietly, "yet." Richard didn't reguard Seth as subtle enough or smart enough to pull something off. Despite that, anything Seth did come up with might inspire something more prone to work.
"Maybe I'll pay Jordan a visit sometime." He smiled cryptically.
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