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Post by Alex on Dec 8, 2008 22:07:14 GMT -5
The funhouse mirrors reflected the clown's face, frozen in a maniacal beam that sent shivers down the dog's spine. Rune ducked his head to the right, effectively blocking out the nightmarish image from his vision, but the smoldering eyes lingered in his mind. Ugh...clowns.
The large paws padded across the littered sidewalk, felled leaves crunching as he passed. A quiet wind blew the clouds from in front of the moon, and the entire fairground was bathed in a harsh, silver glow. The dog's chocolate orbs squinted against the sudden glare, and he veered off the main drag between two towering carnival rides. Their metal supports loomed above him as he passed silently through the barred shadows. The Anatolian Shepard's tail drooped as he slunk through the striped of light and dark. This was not where he wanted to be. All around him he could smell the territory markers: both human scent as well as animal. This must be one of the guilds' areas. He cast a furtive glance around the corner before he emerged once more into the moonlight and on to another of the winding asphalt walkways. He paused in the center and lifted his muzzle, nostrils flaring as he tested the air. Stale candy and popcorn, fear, excitement, grease and metal; more recent smells such as the autumn scents that accompanied the dying leaves and the chill in the air. He lowered his nose and trotted onwards, black nails clicking softly on the ground.
A faint rumble resounded up the dog's vocals and he froze mid-step, orbs locked on nothing in particular but the shadows around him. His ears perked and swiveled back, and he whipped his head around to confront the source of the noise.
Nothing stared back at him but the black shadows.
Rune glared at the abyss and turned to trot on nonchalantly, but his focus was behind him. He was sure someone was there...
OOC|| Done
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Post by sleepwalker on Dec 10, 2008 20:20:42 GMT -5
Gliding through the darkness silently, Emrea made her way past an abandoned ticket booth, her eyes studying it momentarily. Harmonious silver bathed her surroundings; she paused to note its beauty, resting on her rear. Her red coat still stood out in the darkest, but muted into a dark brown. The red panda continued through the amusement park, her round tail swaying behind her, unsure of how she had come to arrive in such a location. What an eerie place... She turned to observe the area around her once again when the sound of faint clicking met her large ears.
Her ears twitched, trying to capture the location of the sound. Quietly she stood on all fours and crept towards the direction. Who would be lurking around in a place like this? She chuckled mentally, reminding herself that she was ‘lurking’ in a place like this. She had to be careful not to let a human see her, least of all not an adult. Red pandas were more than rare in this area. Come out, come out, where ever you are. A grin spread across her pale muzzle.
The faint outline of a dog came into Emrea’s view, the creature was larger than she had expected. She couldn’t very well chase off something that much bigger than her, could she? After all, she was only the size of a small dog, so she had nothing on such a larger one. As the dog glanced around Emrea crouched lower, her stomach on the cold ground. She did have the advantage of cover, but the dog’s ears were alert. It must know I’m here. Soundlessly, her teeth rubbed together in irritation. There goes half the fun.
Her breathing caught as the dog seemingly stared at her, but he quickly moved on, scanning the rest of the area. Maybe I should get out of here. But then again... She weighed her options, but figured that she would have a hard enough time slipping away unnoticed anyways, the dog was on high alert now. With a light sigh she watched the dog trot away, her breathing returning to normal.
Reluctantly Emrea pried herself from the shadows, walking steadily behind the dog, but this time she didn’t hide.
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Post by Alex on Dec 11, 2008 18:44:46 GMT -5
A faint shuffle followed Rune as he picked up his pace, limbs moving stiffly now as he hurried away from the source. Okay, so someone was definitely behind him. He slowed for a fraction of a second; just enough time to be able to hear his pursuer still behind him. He trotted another few steps, auds flicking backwards to locate the footsteps.
Just about directly behind him.
Rune's tail raised to half-mast and he whipped around, front paws landing on the ground with a loud thud. The dog's orbs blinked in surprise as he looked at what he saw; well, what he didn't see, rather. There was no one there...?
He glanced down, confused, meeting a pair of dark eyes. They seemed to be an abyss in the reddish-brown tinted face, with a small sparkle of reflection shining back at him. The dog stepped back, tail flying upwards in surprise, ears pricked toward the small creature. Overall, not a very threatening pose.
The creature looked like some kind of raccoon. He wondered why it seemed to be following him.
"Eh? Why're you following me, little guy? Sorry, but I don't have any food for you. And anyway, humans don't approve of feeding wild animals," Like I'm any human at all, he thought. But it was odd that a raccoon had dogged his heels the past few minutes.
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Post by sleepwalker on Dec 11, 2008 19:12:47 GMT -5
Halting as the dog swung around, Emrea’s sharp eyes watched placidly, her tail twitching as his paws met the earth with a thump. Down here. She called mentally, as the creature looked around. As the dog withdrew a step, Emrea advanced curiously. Judging by the dog’s stance, she came up with the quick assumption that he wasn’t going to attack, If anything, he’s just being cautious.
As the words strummed from his muzzle the fur on her back prickled, Since when can dogs talk? Awestruck, she stared at him, not fully taking in the words until seconds later. “Little guy? Hey mutt, who do you think you’re talking to?” She spoke through her fangs, “And I’m not a wild animal. Besides, you’re no prize winning show dog yourself.” While her current form was less than provoking her words were aimed to sting. Even if it had been without realising it, he had insulted her, and now she was quickly returning the favour.
Her midnight paws met the ground beneath her as she took another step towards him, her eyes focused on his. Tail dragging along behind her, she pondered who the dog was. Having never met another shifter, Emrea was left in the dark. “Who are you? What are you?” She continued to prowl towards him, her round, white ears erect.
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Post by Alex on Dec 11, 2008 19:44:37 GMT -5
"Oh crap!" Rune nearly yelped and leaped backwards away from the animal. "You're talking!" It took him a second to calm his frayed nerves and compose himself well enough to think straight. Talking animal? Normal animals can't talk back...does that mean...
"You're a Shifter?" he asked incredulously. "Sorry! I didn't know you were a...human," His large brown orbs lowered closer to the ground, at the animal's height, peering into the odd little face once again. "I didn't mean it rudely, just...I didn't know, is all."
A grin split his maw. "Me?! Obviously, I'm a dog. I'd like to ask the same of you, though. This is a very interesting form. I don't think I've ever seem this kind of animal before." It was different than a raccoon, he could see now. The body wasn't quite the same, and the fur was very different. He tilted his head curiously, sitting down on his haunches and allowing the Shifter some space.
"I'm Rune," he offered.
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Post by sleepwalker on Dec 11, 2008 21:57:22 GMT -5
Emrea laughed as she experienced his reaction, He definitely wasn’t expecting that one.
“You’re talking!”
“Yea, I tend to do that.” She continued to laugh, slouching into a sitting position. “A ‘shifter’? So is that what they call this... ability?” With her back leg she kicked her chin softly, scratching it. “Well, I’m not as human as I once was.” To tell the truth, she was locked in her animal form, always forced to return eventually.
“Don’t sweat it.” Her round, small hazel eyes met his as she returned his gaze. He’s apologizing? This baffled her, hadn’t she return his innocent insults with hostility? Just goes to show, nothings what it appears like at first glance. Her eyes traced the outline of his head, bathed in moonlight. She had been expecting a fight, but then again, he wasn’t quite a real dog like she thought he was.
“I’m a red panda, they aren’t found in these parts of the world. Frankly I had never seen one either, well, until -- y’know.” Emrea shrugged, remembering how after she discovered her shifting power she had to conduct a fair bit of internet research. She glanced downed at herself, her lower half nearly invisible in the darkness.
She nodded happily as he shared his name, “Rune? That’s an interesting name. I’m Emrea.” Standing, Emrea wandered around Rune. First looking at his paws, her nose barely an inch away, and then moving to sniff his tail. Her movements were sleek, the dim light dancing on her coat. “Does that mean you’re a human? Are there others like us?”
“What are you doing in such a weird place like this, anyways? Got a thing for clowns or something?” Chuckling under her breath, she batted his tail briskly with one paw, and then spun, skipping a few steps backwards. She had a thousand of questions to ask Rune, but she would have to be patient, no doubt he wouldn’t appreciate being bombarded by her curiousity.
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Post by Alex on Dec 16, 2008 16:24:50 GMT -5
The canine features broke into another grin and the dog let out a chuckle. "Well, I've never seen one before, either. A rather stunning coat color, too, if I might add,"
Rune held still as the red panda, Emrea, inspected his from all angles, sniffing at his paws and completing a circle around his body. The dog endured it, though it felt a bit awkward. Normally he'd be fine with any other normal dog, but Emrea was a real person. Who could talk...
He shook his head. It had really been a while since he'd actually talked to someone. And he could barely remember the last time he had spoken to a Shifter in animal form. He wagged his tail she completed her inspection, and answered her question as best he could, without giving too much about himself away.
"Yes, there are other Shifters. They have gangs that two of them have formed. Don't really know the purpose of that, and I'm not about to find out. And yes, I do have a human form. As do all Shifters," he wondered briefly why he seemed to be talking rather...formally? Maybe because he wanted to make a good impression. Emrea seemed to know her way around by what he could see, so maybe she could help him learn more about the town?
But then, why didn't she know about the other Shifters? Well...maybe they'd help each other out some.
"Well, I kinda just...wandered in. I wanted to know what's here, was all. Although it's really creeped me out," The image of the clown flashed in his mind again and he frantically pushed it aside. Suddenly he felt something tap his tail, and spun around in shock only to find the red panda grinning at him.
He let out a nervous laugh, flattening his ears against his ruff. "Heh, see what I mean?"
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