.:A Whole New World:. ((OPEN))

[Deleted]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; height: 495px; background-image:url(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/Majestic_Wolfess/Ztable_zps55382855.png)] She had been unceremoniously dumped here by those they called the keepers. They had at least had the decency to dump her among her own kind rather than "enemy" territory. She didn't know much about the factions here yet except that there were others just like her, no longer able to shift but stuck somewhere in between. Though more often than not she found that the others were closer to their human forms than herself. It unnerved her that even among the anthros she was painfully different. You'll never be accepted truly. the fear nagged at her. But she was a survivor and she would find her place. As she stood atop the factory gazing out into the dusk she found herself cursing her sense of fashion (and the keepers for not bothering to provide her with more sensible attire) as her skirt whip around her thighs in the wind. At least she had been wearing boots that day and not stilletos, even if they didn't fit quite right these days. As disturbing as it was for the first time she was thankful for the coat of thick black fur that covered her body as the cold winter winds threatened to bite at her flesh. She had been accepted into the Nakoma sort of by default but she was determined to actually make use of herself. She wasn't much of a fighter but she did have a keep sense of hearing and years of pick pocketing and sneaking through alleyways had made her light on her feet so she had offered to be an outrider. On the roof of the factory she began her duties. She surveyed the land as far as she could see and did her best to put the terrain to memory. She had to know her lands if she were too help protect them. She walked along the edge of the roof taking note of the landmarks and the lay of the streets. This was her home now.

[Vivian Whitman]

It was cold but quiet here and that was something Vivian had always enjoyed about this place. There were certain days when some of the Nakoma members would be here working on certain things, but for the most part it was quiet. Sitting silently on one of piles of junk that was currently being unused by the other anthros, the once canine shifter carefully stared up at the stars that just barely beginning to sprinkle across the sky. The orange and red streaks were slowly receding as the sun continued to sink farther and farther beneath the horizon. She had come to her spot earlier than usually, using the area as a place for rest or even sleep at time. But, she had found no reason to stay out wandering and had decided to come to her spot before night had truly claimed the earth. The canine anthro usually chose to come later to avoid the watchers and guards that would make their rounds in this part of the Nakoma territory, but Vivian was sure that they had already passed through here.

There had been many times when she had used the Nakoma's territory for her own needs, using it as a place for sleep, food, and sometimes even water, though she usually went elsewhere for that. One would no doubt question why she didn't just simply join the tribe that was made for those who were unfortunate enough to be deformed and mutated just as she had. They were all kind and accepting of others like her, but Vivian simply felt no urge or desire to be brought into any sort of 'family'. Frowning faintly as her ears flattened back against her head, Vivian gave a harsh huff as her tail curled over onto her lap, stirring some of the metal scraps that rested beneath her. Her tongue lazily ran over the sides of her muzzle briefly before her jaws stretched out into a wide yawn. It had been another hard day as they always were, but it was something she had grown used to by that point. The Menagerie never made it easy for anyone to survive whether they lived on their own like herself or in groups as the Nakoma and many others would. As the canine anthro continued to stare out blankly at the darkening sky, she had failed to realize that she wasn't alone...

[/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Deleted]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; height: 495px; background-image:url(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/Majestic_Wolfess/Ztable_zps55382855.png)] Her mind was wandering as the darkness of night crept in and the stars began to poke through the thin blanket of winter clouds. There wasn't much to see and she wasn't really sure now what she was doing. Making herself useful? By wandering through piles of junk? She had been told she'd have to learn to fight before taking on any more serious jobs. For now it was all she could do to keep watch at the factory where the Nakoma stored their supplies. She had almost given up on trying to make herself feel useful and was going to find some place to sleep for the night when she heard the clatter of scraps tumbling down one of the many piles. Her hearing was the gift she had in exchange for being stuck in this bestial form. The noise as innocent as it was sent her heart racing and she found herself following the sound. She made her way quickly and silently up the junk pile, her stealth being a gift learned on the streets of Detroit, her grace learned from her former profession. Only when she reached the top of the heap did the other females scent reach her. She would have thought she would retain all of her wolf senses but despite her canine muzzle her sense of smell was only slightly better than it was when she was human. Her eyes saw well enough in the dark though. She made out a shape not terribly different from her own staring into the stars. She didn't recognize her though she had only been here a short time and had hardly met anyone. As far as she knew this could just as well have been a sister of the Nakoma tribe. She cleared her throat hoping not to startle the stranger. The sound came out as more of a growl than she had intended. She still wasn't quite used to how this mutated body of hers worked. "Excuse me." She said in a soft voice hoping to show that the former growl was not intended as a threat. "A bit chilly to be out star gazing isn't it?" Normally she would have smiled but that particular facial maneuver had proved difficult with a canine muzzle and inch long fangs. "I'm Ziaki. I don't believe we've met." she stood where she had emerged at the top of the heap and moved no closer. She had been instructed to be weary of strangers, trust no one unless they were proven brothers and sisters of the Nakoma. Unfortunately nobody walked around with name and faction tags pinned to their chests so it was all she could do to err on the side of caution even this deep into Nakoma territory. She kept a safe distance.

[Vivian Whitman]

Being on her own and having to rely on purely herself for protection, Vivian had learned how to pick up sounds much easier than she had before. During her earlier days in the Menagerie the canine anthro had been horribly clumsy and useless, hardly able to decipher a footstep from a whisper of the wind. But, she had developed the skill of listening well enough to survive and it was not hard to hear the sounds of another approaching. Ears shooting up and twisting on top of her head as she listened, the fur along her neck and back bristled at the sound of a low growl from behind her. Moving as quick as she possibly could, her ears flattened against her head as she pulled her lips back over her sharp canines. Vivian wasn't exactly what one could call a fighter, but she knew how to defend herself well enough to run from someone. Her hand was already prepared to reach for the bow that was wrapped around her back in case this newcomer felt the need to act brave.

Her tail lashed from one side to the other as her ear momentarily twitched at the sound of the other young woman's voice. It was much softer than the growl she had given only minutes before and as Vivian continued to watch her the small, faint motions of the female made her assumptions clear. This anthro was new. Allowing herself to relax somewhat, the canine anthro hid her canines back beneath her lips, straightening out faintly. Her ears remained flat and the fur along the back of her neck still bristled out of caution. One could never be too careful in this land. Running her tongue over her lips as the woman gave her name, Vivian debated for a moment on whether or not to offer her own name as well. 'Well, it wouldn't hurt to give her my name', she reasoned. "...Well, of course we haven't met," she said a bit harshly, snorting faintly before continuing on. "My name is Vivian."

Crouching back down onto her spot, Vivian kept a close eye on this woman, her muscles remaining tense and ready to run if she needed to. Though it was still fairly faint the canine anthro could scent the faint smell of the Nakoma Tribe on Ziaki's pelt which brought a new sense of uneasiness to her. She always tried to avoid the tribe members, never knowing just how they may react to the idea that she wasn't part of the tribe though was freely using their territory.

[/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Deleted]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; height: 495px; background-image:url(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/Majestic_Wolfess/Ztable_zps55382855.png)] Ziaki stood where she was. This stranger was tense. She had a knack for reading body language. She had to in her former life. So she stayed back but knelt down in a comfortable position but one that would allow her to get up easily if she needed to. Her words came out harshly. Whether or not they were meant that was a mystery. Ziaki often found that she sounded more stand offish then she meant to just because she wasn't used to the way her own voice sounded anymore. "Well Vivian. It's nice to meet you." She said flatly as she studied the other female returning the suspicious gaze. Everything about the stranger screamed that she didn't belong here. She was a trespasser it seemed. If she didn't turn her in she would be neglecting her duties as an outrider. But she wasn't quite ready to make a foe so early in her new life here. She allowed herself to glance up at the stars slightly but still keeping Vivian in her sight. It's funny isn't it? How much our lives can change but the end goal remains the same. Survive or die, kill or be killed. . . steal or starve." She let the words hang in the frigid winter air for a moment. She stared intently into Vivian's eyes searching for some clue as to her intentions. "I'm not your enemy. Well, at least that's not my intention. There's enough of that here already it seems."

[Vivian Whitman]

During her time with wandering in the Menagerie, Vivian had learned the hard way how you could trust no one. Any of them could turn on you in a second if they didn't already do so. It was something that she found to be a common thing with anyone who belonged to a Ring or other group that lived in this hell hole. The retros were greatly territorial and hardly took any sort of liking to most shifters and anthros so whenever she did happen to wander into their lands she usually got some sort of hostile welcoming. Her worst experience by far, though, had been from the feline group, or the Anayola as they called themselves. Given that she was both an anthro and a canine, Vivian had been quickly chased out of their forest in a rather unkindly manner. She had gotten quite a few nasty scratches from that encounter and one of them had even formed into a thin scar on the outside of her upper arm. The members of the Rings weren't as hostile except for those of the Carna. The name itself sounded unfriendly and cruel, so the fact that their members were just as cold was not too surprising.

But, for the most part she found it relatively easy to go from one territory to another. Of all the groups the Nakoma gave her the least problems. In the rare occasion that she had actually ran into a scout or patrol they hardly did much of harming her. More than once they had asked her to return to their home, but the canine anthro had bluntly objected. Crouched quietly before the other female, Vivian listened to her words, hardly giving her any obvious emotion. While yes she could obviously relate to the fact that it was interesting how things could change so quickly she hardly had much to offer. The anthro did what she could to survive, but she was one who still held firmly onto her morals. She hated fighting and avoided it whenever she possibly could. "Yeah, I guess. Especially if you aren't use to anything like this," she gave in a sort of heavy sigh, finally turning her gaze away from Ziaki. By that point, though she was still wary of this young woman, Vivian felt no need to be overly cautious. She did not seem to be of any threat...for now. Ears pressing forward once more, she eventually sat herself back down, her paw-like hands fiddling with the wooden shaft of her bow that clung onto her form. "I suppose so. I tend to stay clear of such things, though," she said with a shrug as Ziaki commented about enemies in the Menagerie, which was nothing foreign or uncommon.

[/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Deleted]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; height: 495px; background-image:url(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/Majestic_Wolfess/Ztable_zps55382855.png)] Ziaki released her own heavy sigh. Some scout I am just letting trespassers stargaze in our territory. The whole thing, this whole place was just completely ridiculous. These were people, real people that had real lives at some point. And here we are shoved into a cage and lowering ourselves to this bestial behavior just because we have some connection to animals and because the keepers say so. It was just sick and thinking about the reality of the situation tied Ziaki's stomach in knots. She had joined the Nakoma for the promise of safety among the tribe. She had agreed to become an outrider as she was determined to prove that she could be useful. But now, here, with a potential foe just feet away from her she couldn't make herself act. Any of her Nakoma brothers and sisters would probably not have hesitated in capturing Vivian. I just can't do it. This is just ridiculous. We are all just trying to survive. "I know you don't belong here." She tried to say it nonchalantly. She didn't want to come off as threatening. "I'm not sure I belong here. Well I mean. I know I don't belong in the Menagerie. None of us deserve this. In any case. I just got here only about a week ago. I joined the Nakoma for safety and protection. The keepers were nice enough at least to dump my unconcious body in their territory. She stopped for a moment considering her next words. Though the other female seemed to have relaxed a bit this was still a delicate situation. "I'm just kind of wondering why you haven't. You are one of us after all. And. . . well . . . you seem to like it here just fine." She shifted as her legs began to cramp underneath her as she knelt resisting the urge to sit down and relax. "I don't presume to judge though. I suppose my curiosity just gets the better of me." She shifted uneasily again as she realized she was probably talking way to damn much. She had a tendency to do that when she was nervous. She was good at talking herself out of situations but just as good at talking herself into them. She wondered if this was a good idea, chatting up a trespasser. And what was to happen when Vivian grew tired of listening to her drone on and on. Ziaki knew basically how to defend herself but she wasn't much of a fighter when it came down to it. She didn't think she could take Vivian even if she had wanted too.

[Vivian Whitman]

Her light brown and green speckled eyes lingered on the young woman she had happened to stumble upon, her ears twitching faintly. Vivian wasn't use to being actually spoken to by others. Since she had been forced into this container the anthro hadn't tried to get close to anyone let alone speak with them. She did what she could to avoid others simply from wishing to stay out of the trouble she was sure followed them all. The fights between the Rings, the disputes among the land and territory, it was all just a waste of time and energy in her opinion. She hadn't had anyone to depend on when she was left in this dome and saw no need to support or help others in the same way. But, what threw Vivian off even more was not only was this girl talking to her freely but was actually telling her about herself. Her lips pulled back into a sort of awkward look of confusion as her ears flattened back against her skull.

After spending months of being on her own and having little contact with others outside of the bickering from being on anothers territory, this was quite odd. During all of this Vivian had remained silent, having nothing to add or even know what would be appropriate to add. It was clear that after isolating herself from others for so long had greatly harmed her social skills. When Ziaki finally paused in her words, the African Wild Dog anthro was tempted to say something of her own before the young woman's question fell onto her. Her jaws quickly closed as she glanced away, snorting sharply. "What does it matter to you," she growled faintly, her tail lashing off to one side as she turned her head away. "Besides, just because we look something of the same doesn't I have to follow you all like a mindless piece of cattle." Her tone and body language had once again become bitter and tense. There was a true reason behind it all, but it was not something she was quite fond of sharing with others.

After being torn from her home and seeing her family broken and killed, Vivian feared the thought of possibly bonding with anyone else. The pain of losing her family and friends had devastated her and she never wanted to go through such pain again. And, it was because of that that she stood clear of others in fear of even beginning to build a friendship.

[/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote]