And there was light;

[Elisabeth Ramsey]

Elisabeth wound and unwound her fingers through the long grass that she had been staring at for the past hour. The morning sun was focusing uncomfortably on her back, and she could feel the beads of sweat gathering at the bottom of her hairline on the back of her neck. It had been almost dark when she'd opened her eyes, but the sun had since risen high enough to give her some light sunburn. She should get up and do something, she knew, but what? Everything around her was entirely foreign. Even the smells; she'd never smelled a single thing like the parade of aromas that were marching around the meadow. The sounds, too, were alarmingly unfamiliar. The trickle of a stream in the distance, the flap of some large bird's wings, the call of an animal... Elisabeth shivered slightly. This place, wherever she was, seemed very... primitive. She wasn't sure she liked it.

The girl slowly propped herself up on her left elbow, taking care not to catch any of her long hair as she did so. She didn't get far, though; raw pain made her eyes widen and she gasped. She had felt slightly sore while lying still, but that was nothing to the shooting pain that was now immobilizing her left side. What is this? The thought rang loudly in her spinning head as she turned over into a sitting positioin. Never in her life had she been in so much pain. In fact, she had hardly ever dealt with it. The most she'd gotten hurt was when she was nine and had fallen out of bed. The arm and leg she'd fallen on were dotted with bruises, but they had faded within a couple weeks. But this... this was entirely different. Tears welled up in the corner of her eyes and she bowed her head forward. Crying was also something new to her; she'd never had much to cry about before, except when she was sent to bed without dinner for forgetting to do a chore or something.

But a tear slowly made its way down her cheek and fell onto her still freshly pressed and clean blouse. While it was clean, however, a few of the buttons were undone. The temperature seemed to drop a couple of degrees as she raised shaky fingers to redo them. How had that happened? The last thing she remembered was sitting on that rock... Or, no, she had felt so free. She hadn't been on the rock, she'd been flying... And then what? Elisabeth struggled to clear her memory, which now felt very muddled and heavy. She hadn't been getting very far when a movement in the grass not too far from her caught her attention. Elisabeth glanced around, feeling the muscles in her stomach clench in apprehension. She wasn't frightened, exactly; she didn't know enough about the human nature to be scared of a human, and if an animal tried to attack her she could just shift in fly away.

"Hello?" Her voice cracked from a couple days of being unused, and for the first time she recognized the sand-paper feeling of her dry throat and the sharp stabs of hunger in her stomach. She put a hand to her stomach and almost whimpered. Elisabeth just might not like this place.

[for Tori/open c: oh, and rumor, so sorry about how boring this is xD I'm going to try and finish her header image thing soon so it won't be so... blah xD]

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[Tori]

Massive paws pressed softly against the warm earth, stride smooth and sinuous as the cat slid silently through the tall grass. Tufted ears flicked about to catch the rustling sounds of small creatures, jaws were parted slightly to draw in the scents. The rising sun beat down on his back, unseasonably hot and uncomfortable against his thick fur, but he was used to heat. Having grown up close to the equator, it was nothing new.

It was rare for him to wander so far from home, but the ring needed information on the herd of Retromorphs that had claimed the Meadowlands. A scout could have done the job, but Salvatore disliked being contained in one area, so took it upon himself to perform some of the tasks. Admittedly, the last time he had done so it hadn’t turned out very well, but hopefully this venture would go smoothly. As of yet, it was looking good.

Presently he paused, green gaze alighting a form sprawled on the ground some distance ahead, barely distinguishable through the grass. The lynx crept closer, wary and alert, considering the possibility of an ambush. Soon he could see the figure clearly. It was a girl or young woman, lying with her back to him. Only the rise and fall of her side, and the scent of life, revealed that she lived. More important, though, was the sharp smell of Keepers that cloaked her. It reminded him of hospitals; an unpleasant mix of humans, metal, chemicals, and Shifter fear.

The lack of ring scent told him she was new to the Menagerie, yet another caught and mercilessly tossed in. With a silent sigh, Tori decided he couldn’t just leave her alone. It was disorienting waking up; not all were drugged upon coming in, but many were, and he had first hand experience with it. Knowing better than to try and fight the drugs she was on, he backed into the grass again, settling on the ground in a sphinx pose with long forelegs stretched before him. It was best to let them come around at their own pace. For now, he would wait.

Only a half hour or so passed before the stranger stirred, with a gasp of pain. Tori wasn’t surprised; the Keepers didn’t exactly have a reputation for being gentle. She sat up, head bowed forward, and he could now see that she was still a girl, not quite an adult yet. That would change quickly, now that she was here, a pawn to the Keepers' whims. He shook his head at the thought, and she must have seen the movement, because her head lifted and she looked around. “Hello?” Her voice cracked on the work, rough and dry.

Salvatore levered himself up onto his paws, padding out of the tall grasses. “Hello. My name is Salvatore, Fallenring Delta, and you are now living under a giant glass dome. You’re here because you’re a shifter. The Keepers - the scientists - put us here because they want to observe, want to experiment. Then again, you might already know that.” People came in with various degrees of knowledge of the Menagerie’s purpose and set up, depending on their lives beforehand, and how much they remember about their capture. However, the general aspect was all they ever seemed to know, even the best cases. “You have a lot to learn.”

[toshiro]

Toshiro's steps were less than the echo of a whisper as he made his way through the meadow. Winter's death had come swiftly this year, and spring, the season so beloved by the Fallen Scout, had kissed color back into the bloodless cheeks of these lands once more. The earth beneath worn pads was as dry and rough as the cracks that decorated the underside of the male's feet. The grass of the meadow, that flushed like a maiden with pale jades and cool yellows, quivering and vibrant with the kiss of life from spring's rays, now lay underfoot a dull bracken color. Even the tallest of grasses, at best troublesome and an annoyance to struggle through by late summer, as they snagged at pelts with greedy burrs for fingers and shaggy beards of wheat full of seeds,were still several inches shy of their normal height.

The gentle rolls of the meadow still compelled, and were of course, still beautiful--even in their faint colors of light golds, dirty yellows, and olives. The fox's pelt flashed a rich russet as he wove through the meadow, his steps cautious. Toshiro hadn't been in the Menagerie long himself, but the heavy scent of the Fallen ring still clung to his red fur. The Scout had no real direction in mind this afternoon, and so he did what he did best--he relied on his wits and his sly and slinking nature of the fox to gather more information.

The wind shifted then, just slightly. But it was enough to bring the musk of feline to his nostrils--rank and decisively masculine. Toshiro's ears folded against his head in displeasure.

Shit. While he was quick in this form, and at times stupidly fearless, he was not foolish enough to think he was any kind of match for a feline of great size. He had half made up his mind to veer to the left of where the scent was coming from, avoiding the other entirely, when a more subtle scent touched his quivering nostrils. It was the undeniable scent of another Fallen. Toshiro relaxed then, marginally. He was still too new to put names to scents, and frankly, since being appointed the rank of Scout, he'd lived mostly on the fringe of the Fallen ring--a victim of the universal language barrier and his poor grasp of English.

But curiosity gripped him in spite of himself, and he found himself trotting purposefully in pursuit of the scent. He wasn't too cautious about keeping himself concealed from sight-- the absolute last thing he was looking for was a fight--for once. And creeping up on the other male was probably not the wisest idea in case he startled him.

He had only gone a few feet when the soft rise and fall of hushed voices reached his ears. Their blackened tips flicked once, forwards and back in a mild moment of uncertainty. There in front of him was a young girl, seated in the long grass with the slightly faded and darker stains of tear tracks along her cheeks, shining faintly as they caught the light. And in front of her, a little ways away, stood the feline he smelled earlier. Probably the other Fallen member.

He debated whether or not to interrupt with himself for a moment, before heaving a sigh and emerging from the bracken.

"Ogenki desu ka?" he inquired from Elisabeth, brow furrowing slightly. It was only then that he realized his mistake, and cursed himself for it. "You okay?" A foolish question. She looked like a wreck. Not that he could entirely blame her.

His eyes lifted to Tori then, and he dipped his muzzle slightly in both greeting and apology. "Sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt."



[Hoboy. I hope the both of you don't mind my jumping in. :3]

[Elisabeth Ramsey]

Elisabeth looked around sharply as she heard a noise, triggering mild vertigo. She blinked drunkenly at the cat-like creature that was approaching her, too dizzy to realized she should be frightened. She had, after all, read about cats and their claws and teeth. Lions and tigers and leopards were the most fearsome, but she'd never seen one. For all she knew, this could be a lion or a tiger or a leopard. The only cat she'd seen in person was a tiny kitten that her younger brother Samuel had found on the beach a year or two ago. Her parents had agreed to let him keep it until it was old enough to be on its own. He had called it Moze...

The voice, filled with authority, cleared her head. She unconsciously sat up a bit straighter, looking for the man who was speaking. Hope made her heart feel a little lighter. All her life she had been taught that adults were good. They were the light, metaphorically speaking; they protected and nourished her, they helped her. Never in her life had she been given reason to not trust her elders. Well, other than that time her parents tied her up on a rock and left her to die. But their actions were justified. Her mind drifted for a moment, but then she remembered she had also been taught to listen to adults. ’You’re here because you’re a shifter. The Keepers - the scientists - put us here because they want to observe, want to experiment.’ Elisabeth had heard up to ‘observe’ when she finally matched the voice to the creature speaking. She made a soft noise and her eyes widened as she recoiled from the lynx. Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh, Her heart beat out a frantic rhythm in tune with her thoughts. Moze had never talked. It was impossible; animals were not as intelligent as humans… Plus, they lacked to vocal cords needed to utter the different sounds.

Apparently, the laws of science had not been taught here. Elisabeth had been using her left hand to support herself, but snapped it to her chest when the fox came closer. Most foxes didn’t scare her. They were small, and would be out of their minds to attack a human. One well-aimed kick from a human and they were out. This one, however, was different. ’ Ogenki desu ka? She stared. For a moment her breathing was almost irregular enough to qualify as hyperventilating, but she calmed herself down. Oh dear God, where am I?

”I’m fine, thank you,” Her voice was a little higher than usual, but it wasn’t shaky. Elisabeth turned to Tori and gave a slight nod. ”Good day, Mr. Salvatore.”

[egad. Rumor, this is the SECOND TIME I've done this to you x-x I am soooo sorry. You ay beat me with a wooden spoon, if you want. And sorry the post is crap, I threw it together as quickly as I could D8]

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[Tori]

He flicked an ear at her reaction. Poor thing obviously didn’t have a clue, which was odd. For all that many of the newcomers didn’t know about the Menagerie, he’d never encountered one that didn’t know what shifters were. It was clear, however, that she was the exception. The girl’s evident relief at the sound of his voice turned to shock when she realized that he was, in fact, the lynx. About to go into another round of explanations, they both looked around when a fox slipped out of the grass. Scent told him it was another Fallen – he racked his brain for a moment before recalling the name. Toshiro. A newly appointed scout.

At the apology, he gave a faint nod of acknowledgement, then turned his attention back to the girl. “Good day, Mr. Salvatore.” The corner of his mouth twitched with amusement. He’d been called many things, but ‘mister’ was not one of them. They would get into titles and etiquette later, though. She was making an effort, but he had no doubt she was still bewildered. “Watch.” He shifted, form rising to its full height before he knelt down, so they were on the same level and a Bellator in the distance wouldn’t spot him. “I’m just as human as you are.” Well, that could be debated, but for scientific purposes it would suffice. “Toshiro here is the same, except his shift is a fox. Don’t you have an animal you can become? I don’t think they’d put you in here otherwise.” Unless she was a virus. But she didn’t smell like one, and there weren’t any other indicators that suggested otherwise.

Not wanting to overload her with information, Tori changed topics to give her a chance to reconcile with these facts. “You’re hurt, though. Where?” His dark gaze flicked over her, but he didn’t see any signs of blood, which was promising. “And what do you remember? White walls, metal bars, people in lab coats? Where you were before? Anything?” It varied from person to person, but hopefully she’d be able to say where she was from, and what they’d done to her. Normally an accent would be a good indicator of the former, but the girl’s was impossible to place.

No worries, it's fine!

[toshiro]

"Ehh, I dunno, doll. You don't 'look' fine." Toshiro remarked blandly, as he ran a critical eye over the visibly shaken young woman. "Then again, I'm probably the wrong guy to be asking about that sort of th--" he quickly trailed off, the words dying in his throat. Given that Elisabeth seemed to be having enough difficulty following what little conversation he'd interrupted, perhaps now was not the time for such things. He sank to his haunches in the grass, taking care to keep a short distance between himself and the girl. His brow creased slightly in concern.

There was an unhealthy sheen to her gaze. Something more than the turbulent confusion that was so typical of newcomers. There was something...frightening, about such intermingled gaze of both blank confusion and a more primal mistrust. Then again, he couldn't blame her. The 'talking animals' thing wasn't exactly a garden variety novelty. All the same, a lazy grin split his jaws, tongue lolling in distinct canine humor. The tip of his left ear twitched as Tori continued to inundate the poor girl with information, varying from the factual to the quizzical.

"Don't mind the stiff," he broke in gently. "He's usually not like this. Well. Not all of the time," he amended. "We just don't get too many visitors around these parts and he gets a little...excited." His quiet teasing was doubtless doing more to unravel Tori's far more thorough and calming approach to the situation. But when Elisabeth only seemed to be further confused by his mentions of their shared shifting abilities, he exchanged a look with Tori over her shoulder.

"You're gonna fry her brain," he opined dryly. But his expression quickly sobered as the conversation suddenly swung to her injury. His mouth settled into a grim line--no easy feat for a canine. He wasn't particularly shocked by the news. It was hardly a secret that the Keepers weren't precisely gentle in their handling of shifters. Rising to his feet once more, he stepped closer, movements ginger. The last thing any of them needed was for Elisabeth to be startled by his movements and draw away, possibly injuring herself even more.

"It's okay," he said lowly. "You're..." he hesitated for a moment. It would be a lie to tell her she was 'safe.' Nor could he tell her she was among friends--since it didn't look as if she exactly trusted either of them at the moment. Smart girl. "You're okay." Not the most poetic or calming words, and he certainly didn't have the same flair for reassurance as Tori, but it would have to do, for now.



[Fail post is fail. Hopefully the next one will be better.]

[Elisabeth Ramsey]

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[atrb=background,http://usera.imagecave.com/Ravenz/sixingold/lissy2.jpg] “Ehh, I dunno, doll. You don't 'look' fine.”

[/i][/color] Elisabeth turned back again to the fox while at the same time shrinking away from him. What did this fox care about her wellbeing? No, how did he care? He was a fox! Her blue eyes, which had been previously clouded with pain, were now nothing but large question marks. She was pretty much an open book; every emotion she felt flitted across her face. Before she could even begin to fathom how she would reply to the creature, though, Salvatore commanded her attention. She watched as he shifted, bewildered. While all her siblings and her mother had been shifters, never before had she actually seen the change from animal to human, or visa versa. And she’d never known of other shape shifters, either.
And he shifted with such ease! Without any guilt! Blunt surprise melted away to awe, and it was harder than it should’ve been to pay attention and comprehend what he was saying. An excited buzz started in her chest, adrenaline flowing as she reveled in how simply he did something that she didn’t consider strictly legal. She couldn’t get over how he had just changed form, seemingly without fear of anyone seeing. The brief moment of happiness was extinguished when she realized just exactly what she was being happy about. If he didn’t have to worry about others observing him, then they must be somewhere far from her home…
Well, it wasn’t like she could just go back, anyway.

When Salvatore mentioned Toshiro, Elisabeth correctly assumed he was talking about the fox. She looked at him curiously, and was still listening to what the Fallen Delta was saying when she understood. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped slightly. “You mean there are more? More like us?” No longer was Elisabeth frightened of the talking fox; he was just like her! Her family wasn’t alone! She nodded breathlessly as he asked about her shift. “Yes! I mean, yes, I’m a dragonfly. Not all the time, though, I’m normally human. Oh, I’m Elisabeth. Elisabeth Ramsey,” She was eager to share with her new acquaintances. She was lucky Tori and Shiro had no malicious purposes; she knew no fault to seemingly friendly humans (or shifters).

What Toshiro was saying didn’t make complete sense to Elisabeth, but she smiled anyway. She was about to question what he meant by ‘around these parts’ (where exactly were they?), but Salvatore spoke again. “I’m not hurt, just parched and hungry…” Her voice trailed off, though, as she really examined herself. Blue eyes wandered over her body, pausing at the insides of her elbows where there were a few small red dots, like she had after getting shots. It didn’t hurt, so she did her best to ignore it. However, she was starting to feel a sharp pain just under the left side of her collar bone. She undid the buttons of her blouse that she’d just closed, more curious than wary. The large band aid that was there almost fooled her, it was so close to her skin color. Her fingers brushed over it, and then, before she had the chance to think about it, she pulled it half-way off. It hurt more than she’d been expecting, but that was quickly the least of her worries. Underneath the band aid, a quarter-sized chunk of skin was missing. The bleeding had mostly stopped, but the wound still made her baulk. The Keepers had merely taken a skin cell sample, unbeknownst to her. Elisabeth replaced the band aid and looked up at Salvatore and Toshiro, eyes wide and frightened. She was vaguely aware of Tori questioning her more. The girl shook her head slightly. “No, I… I don’t remember any lab coats or bars or white.” She left out a few words accidentally. It was all a bit much for the sixteen-year-old, though it was nothing compared to others’ welcoming to the Menagerie. “The last thing I remember, is I was on that rock… Oh, no, I was flying. I tired of waiting all day on the rock. I was tied there,” By her parents, but they didn’t need to hear that part of the story.

“You’re okay,”[/i][/color] Elisabeth turned with a furrowed brow, but said nothing. You’re okay. Was she, really? Then what was this, under her collarbone?

“Where did you say we were, again? Sir?”[/b] She asked Tori. She wasn’t sure what a ‘Delta’ was, but it sounded regal. She hoped ‘sir’ was an adequate title to give him.

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words; 758
ooc; Fickle Lissy is fickle xD
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[Tori]

[bg=000000][atrb=width,500,true][atrb=border,0,true] At the Scout’s teasing, he sent him a silencing look. Now was not the time; it would probably just confuse her more. However, her questioning expression turned to one of enthusiasm when he mentioned other shifters, so he nodded. “Yes, more, and others, creatures you’ve probably never seen before.” Viruses, anthromorphs, retromorphs. Who knew what else would be released into the Menagerie in the future? At least she knew about shifters – a dragonfly seemed fitting for her, for some reason. The questions about what she remembered only brought back the fear and confusion, and when she spoke she seemed unsure. “It’s alright,” Tori soothed. “Anyone could have caught you and turned you over to the Keepers, and they would have drugged you. It’s not surprising that you don’t remember. They would have done that -” he gestured to her collarbone, referring to the chunk of missing skin “- while you were in the lab or holding cells. Probably just to run tests or take a sample. It should heal fine.” Her question on their location was easier to answer. He sat back on his heels and gestured around them. “This entire place is the Menagerie. This particular location is the Meadowlands.” Picking up a nearby stick, he sketched a rough map on the bare earth between them. “The outside border is the glass wall. Here is where we are now, the meadows. This is the city, the center of which is where the FulsiRing is. CarnaRing live near the waterfront. The FallenRing is out in the desert, here. Then you have the forest, the lake, and the mountains.” He pointed out each place as he named it, deciding to leave the explanation of the retromorph groups for a later time. “There are also a few rogues – loners – but most of the shifters live in the rings. Here, your ring is your family. Or gang, depending on how you look at it.” That was a harsher way of putting it, but she needed to hear it. Families love and support you. Rings value you, and only support you as long as you share a common goal. Trying to leave a ring can result in death; once you join, it’s binding. He glanced at the sun, judging the time. “We shouldn’t stay here, though. You might be okay, because you’re new, but Shiro and I are trespassing. This isn’t our land, and we’ll be in trouble if we get caught. Do you want to come with us? You’re welcome to stay with our ring for a few days, and you can decide to stay permanently, or leave if you want.” Tori certainly wouldn’t recommend it, but he wouldn’t stop her if she chose to go. If he tried to save every poor sap that didn’t have enough sense to find protection and cling to it, he wouldn’t have time to breathe. ooc; not happy with this post. >.> words; 479

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[toshiro]

Had Toshiro been in human form, he'd have rewarded Tori with a rather unflattering gesture. Either that, or his response would have been a pointed grimace and a mocking tongue protruding from his lips. As it was, a low, protesting grumble issued from his throat. Not quite a whine, but not yet a growl, either. The pale umber of his eyes seemed to take on a particularly sly glint then--though one could argue it was merely the slant of light. He blinked rapidly--the fox equivalent of batting the lashes. However unappreciative the Delta may have been of his antics, it seemed to be cheering the girl--however tentatively. He rose to his paws then, circling Elisabeth lazily in a cursory manner, narrow muzzle extending.

He gathered the ends of her hair on the edge of his muzzle, lifting them slightly as he took in her scent. Seemingly satisfied, he gave a rather canine-like huff of something torn between approval and amusement, his tail drifting aloft behind him like a banner erected in victorious declaration.

"See?" he muttered in her ear, his voice pitched just low enough to be meant for her ears alone. If he'd been capable of rolling his eyes in that particular shift, it was a certainty he would have done so.

It wasn't that Toshiro disliked the Fallen delta. Quite the opposite, in fact. He hadn't encountered him enough times to form a true opinion of the man. He seemed calm and composed--which was a cornerstone of good, assured leadership. But the truth of the matter was that his solemn speech droned on and on in the young man's ears, and his restless nature simply couldn't stand for it. Far be it for him to interrupt any further, however--the man had made it quite clear that humor was some sort of infectious disease, and he should be ashamed to be the carrier of such a catastrophic thing.

The two of them seemed to be fairly well engaged in conversation regardless, their enthusiasm radiating thorugh their tones. Toshiro himself found it all rather dull--it was merely rehashing what he himself--along with half the residents in the M--already knew. And since he had nothing in particular to add to the conversation, he let Tori monopolize the conversation in silence. He yawned then, and, moments before his jaws shut once more-shifted in mid-yawn.

What sat before Elisabeth now was no longer the fox, but a rather lanky youth, with a shock of lavender hair. He shot her a lazy wink, cradling his chin in the palm of his hand, looking rather like a pretzel, with his legs crossed one over the other. When Tori suddenly glanced skyward, checking the position of the sun, he too, grew a touch more solemn. Unlike the Delta, however, he was far more lax on the concept of 'rules.' No--what bothered him wasn't so much the worried sentiment of the other man, it was the fact that, very soon now, it would be dusk.

And, Fallen or no, it was best to be well inside your own territory by nightfall. He stood then, casually brushing a few blades of dried grass from the legs of his pants.

"He's right," he said, tones suddenly curt. "We need to get moving, soon. He cocked a brow in her direction then. "You don't have to come. But if you change your mind, you could always head that way," he said, gesturing in the direction of the Fallen territory. "We're kinda hard to miss. But either way, if you don't come with us right away, just make sure you're somewhere safe by nightfall, hmm?"

[Soy]

We're closing the thread here ^^;
Lissy followed them back to the Fallen and they all had a jolly good time 8D