A Case of Mistaken Identity [Oni]

[Py Ackerman]

[bg=3d3838][atrb=width,400,true][atrb=border,0,true] To say Py was drunk was an understatement. While he hadn’t consumed nearly as much as he had before the barfight that had occurred the week before, the fact that he was already staggering as he moved along confirmed that he’d had more than his fair share of alcohol. However, the amount he’d drank was, in truth, surprisingly low, for the steel flask that he continually took sips from could only hold a few ounces. The liquid itself was a whiskey of strong quality, and had quickly gotten to his head, regardless of his usual tendency for taking a while to get to such a state. The prospect of spending the night alone while far from Carna had filled him with a sense of unease, despite having done it many times before. He loved how close-knit his ring was, and, being the social butterfly that he was, he already missed the sights and smells, the warmth that circulated through the sewers from the sheer body heat they all produced...while the spirits he’d drank cheered him slightly, they did nothing to take the edge off his nerves. If only Maddox hadn’t had to turn down his offer to join him on his hunting trip, he would’ve felt a whole lot better, but her duties as a scout came first, of course. He’d left for the Meadowlands early the previous day and had only reached it in the afternoon of the next. One thing the hunter was good at, blessedly, was travelling light; the provisions he carried in the worn pack that was slung over his shoulder was just enough for him to make it through those two days and not an hour longer. Other items he’d tossed in were a small lantern, a blanket stripped from his bed - folded as tight as possible – and a bottle of water. His belt and pockets held more valuable things – his hunting knife and his lighter, namely, both of which he habitually checked on with a free hand whenever he had a moment to spare. The man had briefly considered continuing on to the Hunting Grounds, where the prey was most plentiful, but had opted out of it as soon as he set foot in the spacious meadow. Not only was he tired from his travels, but he didn’t want to take the risk of being attacked by the cat retros when he had no one to back him up. Rolling his shoulders and stretching while checking to make sure there was no one in sight, he promptly lay down in the grass and dozed off. When he woke up an hour or two later, he felt refreshed and energized, and, after setting up camp, went and laid out some smaller traps a few yards away. They weren’t meant to catch larger animals, only small ones such as rabbits or squirrels. The Carna members were getting entirely too sick of seagull meat, and it was almost impossible now to convince them that it tasted exactly like chicken, because, realistically, it tasted completely different. And now, there he was, hours after, sprawled against his pack with the blanket tossed over him haphazardly after he’d decided that he was no longer fit to stand up. Of course, he wasn’t a lost cause entirely – he’d had enough sense not to start a campfire in the middle of the field. The lantern beside him was lit instead. Screwing the cap back on the flask for the final time, having officially drained it of its contents, he closed his eyes tiredly and hummed under his breath before cracking an eye open to stare towards the mountains that rose off in the distance, barely visible in the dark. And then, because the silence was too much for him to handle, he began to sing in a loud, slurred voice, “There ain’t no mountain high enough, ain’t no valley low enough, ain’t no river wide enough, to keep me from getting to you.” Little did he know, he wasn’t the only one occupying the meadow that night, and as the tune carried out through the air, it reached the ears of every living creature within hearing range. So much for good hunting. word count; 700 ooc; Py...e.e;;

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[Oni]

[bg=00000][atrb=width,500,true][atrb=border,0,true] Oni had retired early for the night, tucking herself away in the center of the meadow where she thought was safest. She had an early patrol in the morning, and she was taking a newer Scout along with her (this was a bit harsh of her, as she was still so new she didn’t know everyone’s name) which meant she’d have to get up extra early to go over some rules with him. The sun was still up when she closed her eyes and dropped her head, but she hadn’t really fallen asleep until darkness fell. It was no wonder she wasn’t in a good mood when some loud, off-key singing woke her up. She spooked at the man’s first bellow, leaping away and nearly tripping over her legs. But she steadied herself and stood still, ears pricked in his direction. “…ain’t no river wide enough, to keep me from getting you.” Worry lines appeared over her eyes at the unfamiliar, almost drunk-sounding voice. She wanted to close her eyes and hang her head and go back to sleep, but this unknown imposter could prove dangerous to her herd and herself. And, as the Caput Capitis Curator (or at least, that’s what she thought it was called…) she knew it was her job to control the borders. The herd felt safe because she was making sure only Bellator and those with good intentions set foot in the meadow. With her jaw set, she stepped forward, relying on her nose and ears to guide her to this man. He wasn’t hard to find. Oni slowed her steps when she saw the flicker of the lantern. It was nearly consumed by the tall grass, but she guessed that was where the man was hiding. Either that or it was a trap. She opened her nostrils and walked lightly, skirting around the lightest areas the best she could to keep from being too much of an open target. This wasn’t helped by the fact that she was a pearly white color; she nearly glowed in the darkness, even with the new moon. The strong scent of alcohol mixed with Carna did nothing for her nerves, but it made her even more determined to escort the man out. She hadn’t met a Carna yet, but the tales she heard of them were not kind. Oni turned her attention to the area around her, looking out for someone who could be hiding in a position to attack, and nearly stepped on the pink-haired man. “Oh!” She rocked back, narrowly avoiding hitting the lantern. He did seem and smell completely drunk, which surprised Oni. She’d expected the alcohol to be a ruse, so the Bellator would have a false sense of safety in knowing that the hunters were drunk and sloppy. But then, maybe he wasn’t a hunter? Maybe he was on a journey and decided to take a rest in her meadow, which, admittedly, did seem a lot safer than the Analoya’s area next door. She backed up a step and onto a string. The string broke and a box did its best to snap down on her back leg, but it was very small and she was quite large. She looked at it with interest. He would need a much bigger box if he wanted to bring a Bellator down. “You know, you might have better luck if you try a snare.” word count; 569 ooc; lol fail table X’D

[Py Ackerman]

[bg=3d3838][atrb=width,400,true][atrb=border,0,true] He’d almost fallen asleep – his random outburst of singing having sapped the last of his energy, it seemed – when a distinctly feminine voice cried out and he cracked an eye open to see a hoof hovering over his body; that alone was enough to cause him to jerk awake, body instinctively tensing to roll out of the way. That is, of course, until his attention was diverted when she nearly toppled over his only light source, and he sat bolt up, flailing his arms slightly as he checked to make sure the little candle was still properly lit. When he was sure it was fine, his drunken gaze fixated on the creature before him, taking note as she proceeded to accidentally stomp on the trap he’d set nearest to him, and then lecture him about using a different type of trap. Py regarded her with lazy interest, and then his eyes widened, and he beamed madly before exclaiming, “Maddox! I didn’t think you could come. Did scout patrol end early or something? And don’t be ridiculous. You know I left those snares behind; I couldn’t possibly set one up even if I wanted to!” The fact that her voice sounded rather different from that of his friend’s never even occurred to him, given his current state of intoxication and exhaustion, and the obvious differences in the coat colors of their shifts were not quite so obvious at this time of night – she’d stepped into shadow when she stumbled over his box trap, and as much as his lantern tried to cast light over her, it only succeeded in bathing her legs in a warm glow. If he’d looked down, he might have noticed, but his focus was on her face rather than her limbs. The fact that they were also more or less the same height also contributed to his confusion of their identities, no doubt. He pushed himself to his feet and staggered a few steps before finding his balance, and then made his way over to the horse, shamelessly leaning against her and petting the side of her neck affectionately before moving away to plop himself directly in front of her, staring up delightedly. “Why don’t you shift and stay a while? There’s some food left over if you’re hungry...” his face fell a little and he continued in graver tones, “I wasn’t expecting you, though, so I didn’t pack much extra.” He paused, looking as though he were deep in thought, and then broke out into a grin again. “Sorry, but I didn’t save you any liquor.” word count; 430 ooc; ...I've disowned him.

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[Oni]

[atrb=width,500,true][atrb=border,1,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][bg=bfe3fd] Oni’s ears stood upright at his sudden outburst, but they relaxed soon enough. Her expression, however, did not. She stared, perplexed, trying to make heads or tails of what the man was going on about. Maddox? Who was this? “No, I’m not taking the scouts out until morning. Which will be early, you’re right…” She said, more to hear her own articulate speech than to actually inform him of anything. It might be unwise to tell him about the scouting schedule, but she felt safe he would have too much of a hangover in the morning to remember much. She frowned at him as he spoke of snares. He obviously wasn’t their star hunter if he had the audacity to freely admit to her that would’ve set up traps meant to bring down large animals—such as herself—if he’d brought them. He did know she was what he would be catching, right? She watched with mistrustful eyes as he smiled at her. She still wasn’t sure if he meant to be an enemy (he did have traps, but they were completely harmless to her and her herd…) but she still didn’t want him hanging around in her meadow. It made her uncomfortable. Besides, he could knock over the lantern and start it on fire while they were sleeping over something. She was appraising him, trying to figure out what would be the best way to remove him from the area, when he got to his feet. The mare collected herself when he neared her; she was like a spring, compressed and ready to flee. But he only greeted her with a pat, like he would an old friend, before he sat down. He was sitting nearly underneath her, a position that favored neither of them. She could step on him and seriously injure him easily, and he had a perfect target if he wanted to plunge a knife into her chest. So she took a step back and to the side while he spoke, now becoming more irritated than fearful. “Look, I don’t know who you think I am, or you are, but you’re not allowed here.” She began testily, not-so-subtly refusing his offer of food and relaxation. “Come on, let’s get you to the Carna border.” Her voice became a little gentler as she gingerly nudged his shoulder with her nose, hopefully to get him on his feet. It was late, she was tired and cranky, and she did not have time for this. Oni did smile at his last comment, though. “Sorry, but I didn’t save you any liquor.” No shit. words; 434 ooc; … she’s not good at letting people down gently XD

[Py Ackerman]

[bg=503e1a][atrb=width,490,true][atrb=border,0,true] Py frowned at the mare and tilted his head questioningly, confused as to why his ‘friend’ was acting in such a way – he seemed fixated on only the first part of her statement and refusing to acknowledge the latter; it wasn’t as though he were all that difficult to recognize, after all, what with his bright hair and short stature, and there was no doubt in his mind that this was Maddox and that she was either teasing him – a relatively easy thing to do when he was as exceedingly drunk as he was just then – or that she’d somehow run into a wayward tree and contracted a nasty case of amnesia. Why, of course! That must have been it! The sheer idiocy of having not thought of it sooner nearly overwhelmed him, and he gaped at her first in horror, and then sympathy. It was a true shame that she couldn’t even remember her own best friend! Before he could reply, however, he found himself being nudged, and automatically stumbled to his feet. He barely managed to avoid tumbling over again a few seconds later, and sought support by leaning most of his weight against her. It was only then that he looked up, blinking from beneath his fringe and then peering at her with wide eyes in a manner that might have been almost...cute, had it not been for the fact that they were now brimming with tears. Unimaginable sorrow was written all over his face. “But, but Maxy!” he whimpered, “You’ve got to remember! It’s me, Py! Just because you ran into a tree or something doesn’t mean you can just forget about me like this, please! I...” he paused, fumbling for words, and then pointed at his hair with a shaking finger, at a loss for anything better to do. “Pink hair, see?! You call me Pinky all the time! I won’t even mind if you call me that this time, as long as you remember who I am!” It was at that moment that the tears began to spill down his face, and he scrubbed them away roughly with the back of his hand before glancing back at her, expression pleading, searching, hoping that he’d somehow helped to jog her memory about who he was. “We aren’t going back to Carna until you remember!” word count; 389 ooc; OMG, SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT D8 ...buthere, have some crack? 8'D ...I've disowned him. Officially.

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[Oni]

An amber eye followed the pink-haired man as he staggered to his feet and all but fell against her. She had her head turned towards him as a precaution, but she wasn’t paying him much attention. She’d gotten him to his feet, which was the first step towards getting him out of her meadow, but what next? She was wondering how much damage she’d really do if she gave him a good kick to the head when he looked at her. At first nothing seemed too out of the ordinary; he was giving her puppy dog eyes, which, though adorable, Oni was able to ignore. On further inspection she saw tears—tears!—starting to well up in his eyes. Alarmed, the mare stared at him as he spoke in near hysterics. She’d thought human (or creatures closer to humans than animals) men never cried, that they were ashamed to. Apparently ever rule had an exception.

“I’m not Maxy, I have no clue who that is!” She spoke more harshly than she intended, but she was getting nervous and uncomfortable herself. She’d seldom been in the company of someone so distraught, and did her best to block it out of her memory. Affection was not Oni’s forte. “No, we’re going back to the Carna now and that’s final!” Her words came out a little panicked and with all the delicacy of a bull in a china shop. If only he would stop crying, she could think straight!

His tears and defenseless, harmless attitude were enough to trigger her neglected mothering instincts. He was like a small child who needed to be protected. And shown how very wrong he was. Oni shifted her weight uncomfortably, trying to pick the best course of action. No matter how she chose to handle the situation, shifting seemed inevitable. Maybe she resembled this Maddox in horse form, but the chances of that carrying over to her human body were slim. So, grumbling to herself, she took a small step away from the man and shifted.

In place of a large, heavy white horse a slim girl stood. Her hair was long and thick and, for the most part, straight. She was almost exactly the same height as Py. It made things a little less awkward when she didn’t have to crane her neck down to talk to him. Oni took a hesitant step closer to the Carna and touched his shoulder in as compassionate a way she was able to. “See, Pinky? Er, Py? I’m Oni. I’m a Bellator. And you don’t belong here, c’mon,” She grabbed his wrist loosely and pulled him with her as she bent down and began to gather everything he’d brought in his blanket. The lantern she left out, but she secured the rest by tying the blanket up snuggly. Oni straightened up, grabbed the lantern, and offered the bundle of Py’s things to him. “Ready?”

---

words; 485
ooc; I officially declare that I LOVE this thread XD

[Py Ackerman]

[bg=503e1a][atrb=width,490,true][atrb=border,0,true] Her words did little to console him; in fact, it did nothing more than cause him to whimper quietly in weak protest, knowing full well that this was Maddox and that something was obviously very wrong with her, not being able to remember her own name and all. Tears continued to leave streaks his cheeks, and Py wiped at them with a hand absent-mindedly, not out of shame, but out of simple discomfort at the wetness of them. He rarely cried, but when he did, the waterworks took a rather long time to slow down, much like a leaky pipe in dire need of repair. They’d continue for a while. His breath, too, was coming out in jerky, hitching gasps, and he looked a great deal paler than was considered healthy for a man who wasn’t actually ill. In between each sob he managed to get in a few words, broken though they were. “But..but y-you are! You’re j-just confused! You need...you need a medic, yes!” He cringed away from her a little as the sharp tone of her next words reached his ears, and his eyes dropped, feeling as though he were a small, ignorant child being scolded rather than an adult with an – alarming - taste for excess amounts of alcohol. Another mild objection rose to his lips, but it was left unspoken when she stepped back, and he watched her with wide eyes as she began to shift back to her original form. The man certainly hadn’t expected her to do this, and he nearly cried out in alarm, terrified that by shifting, she was somehow going to be permanently stuck in such a state forever more. Of course, his alarm was abruptly interrupted when he realized that this wasn’t his friend. This wasn’t Maddox. Hell, he didn’t even know this person! His relief was so great that he broke into wild, hysterical laughter that probably only sealed the girl’s opinion that he was in fact a madman, and when he finally caught his breath, the wide, Cheshire grin that he sported was more than a little worrisome. The fact that he was crying even harder, this time for joy, was probably quite concerning as well. What better way to express his happiness, then, by through some much needed (for him) – and probably unwanted for her – physical contact? He listened to what she said, although it went pretty much went in through one ear and out the other, and he stood there watching while she gathered up his stuff, expression quizzical. When she finally straightened up again, the Carna took the opportunity to seize her in a crushing, though friendly, hug, muttering a stream of gleeful nonsense. When he finally took a step back, he took the opportunity to look at her properly, almost scrutinizing, and then he nodded. The hug had only affirmed his thoughts, for it showed that she had a rather noticeable lack of something, which was unfortunate, because it was a something he rather liked. “Yep. You’re definitely not Maddox. She has more curves. And more...y’know...” He paused, not sure if she quite understood, then cupped his hands to his chest with a sheepish grin, mimicking breasts. “...More...boobage.” Another pause, the grin wavering slightly, and he added hastily. “I...I mean that in the nicest way possible?” He cleared his throat, figuring that it was best to shut up before he got kneed in the groin, and offered her his best, charming smile. “I’m ready, though, yes.” He then proceeded to march off in what he presumed was the correct direction...before falling flat on his face again. word count; 602 ooc; SORRY ONI 8'D.

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[Oni]

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[bg=9f2843] Oni had barely lifted her head up before Py’s arms were circling her. She stiffened up immediately and dropped everything she was holding. The blanket fell open and all the things that she’d just gathered spilled out, and the lantern fell over into the grass. She paid them no attention; she was a bit more concerned with the Carna who had her in a hug so tight she was seeing stars. But that didn’t stop her from hearing the gibberish he was muttering into her ear. At first she wondered if she wasn’t just hearing him incorrectly, but when he let go and she was able to pair the gibberish with the grin he was giving her and the maniac laughter she’d heard earlier to come to the conclusion that he was, in fact, a lunatic. And a rude lunatic, at that. Oni watched, mouth agape, as he proceeded to illustrate her A-cup breasts. He’d rendered her speechless, a rare thing; most of the time she kept quiet by choice, not because she was at an absolute loss of words. She could only watch as he turned to start on their journey back—the wrong way, of course; he’d wouldn’t see the Carna land for days if he took that route—and fell. Again. Who did he think he was? While he was on the ground she snuck a self-conscious glance at her chest, or lack thereof. She’d always been glad she wasn’t as well-endowed as some women, for their… ‘boobage,’ as Py so delicately put it, seemed to just get in the way. Well, a drunk Shifter won’t change my opinion about that, Oni thought and set her shoulders, eyes narrowing in on the man laying in the grass. She marched forward with a purpose, her arms stiff and ending in tight fists. None too gently she grabbed hold of his left arm and yanked him up. She slapped him once across the face and let go of him. She wasn’t actually sure why she was slapping him, but she’d seen girls do it in movies and felt like it was an appropriate time. Her anger dying down a bit, she gathered up his things once again, tied the blanket more tightly, and tossed it at him. She picked the lantern up and lifted it so the light illuminated them both. “Now, I don’t care how intoxicated you are, you’re too unhinged to stay in our meadow. You are going back to Carna right now. March! For emphasis she jabbed her finger in the correct direction, then moved that hand to her hip. She was content to supervise his attempts at walking, but a shrill, hair-raising whistle coming from someplace close behind her caught her attention. All thoughts of Py were gone from her mind as she pivoted, raising the lantern as high as she could into the air. A strange glint was reflected as the light flickered over the thinly forested area that had been at her back. She nearly choked—they were eyes. Eyes of some kind of canine creature. Oni stood with the classic deer-caught-in-headlights look, the knuckles on the hand gripping the lantern turning white as all six pairs of eyes were revealed. --- words; 538 ooc; dholes >D

[Py Ackerman]

[bg=190902][atrb=width,400,true][atrb=border,0,true] Py was just starting to marvel at how comfortable the grass beneath him was, and how lovely a bed it would make, when he found himself being abruptly hauled to his feet. He stumbled a step or two back, managed to regain his balance, and stood there wavering, staring back at the young woman with an expression of mild disbelief. She was stronger than she looked, for he was no lightweight. A yelp of surprise left his lips in a rush when her hand smacked him across the face, and he winced, quite sure that that would leave a nice mark. It was a good move for her to make, though, for it caused him to sober up considerably; the man regarded her with a sullen look. “Was that really necessary?” he whined, rubbing at his cheek. His jaw clicked shut, however, with an audible snap when she continued to speak, and he tilted his head, listening thoughtfully. Once he deemed that she was finished, a grin lit up his face, only to be wiped away immediately when the blanket she tossed at him hit him squarely on the forehead. His mood soured, he muttered, “Well, that’s where I was trying to go, love,” His eyes followed her finger as she pointed towards the Carna’s territory, and he tucked the blanket under his arm with a huff. “I just got a bit turned around, is all. No big deal. Off I go, now, just you see.” And so, off he went, and although his steps were considerably shakier than normal, he was still far more balanced than he had been before she’d ’woken him up’, so to speak. Of course, when he failed to hear her traipsing after him, he called back, “What you doing, girl, primping?” A quick glance over his shoulder froze him cold on the spot for a moment, and then he was hurrying back over to her, dread filtering through his system as he spotted the eyes being reflected back from the light cast by the lantern. Adrenaline followed in quick succession, making his heart pound and his blood sing, and he loosened the knife from his belt. His buzz had long since disappeared to be replaced with a dull ache at his temples, but even greater than that was the sense of purpose he felt. He was a hunter, not the hunted, and his host, while a bit grouchy, wasn’t to be hunted either; he stepped forwards and gave her a light shove back as the first of the canines made its appearance. Py would have laughed, if the situation hadn’t been as dire as it was; they were dholes. He knew these types of creatures well enough thanks to his apprentice, who shared the exact same shift as they. He also knew that one alone was dangerous enough; three was taking on a bit more than he could chew. But hey, what was he if not a risk-taker? The spittle dripped from its parted jaws as it drew closer, and he could see how thin it was; no, more like how hungry it was. He swallowed heavily and approached it, a snarl of his own forming on his lips as he drew the knife back. When it lunged, he did as well, and the quick, clean slicing motion of the blade left a wound on it that was at least two inches deep and ran from chest to shoulder. As Py tried to roll past it, its head snapped around, and he felt its jaws close around his forearm sharply. He choked on a loud yell of pain, hissing furiously when its teeth sunk deeper. While it was preoccupied, though, he took the opportunity to plunge the knife deep into its chest; it yowled and struggled, and eventually fell over limp. He extracted his arm from its mouth and scrambled up, panting, before remembering the other two dogs and jogging back towards Oni. They were circling her, snarling and snapping, but as of yet they hadn’t attacked her. Eyes wide, he whistled a sharp pitched whistle, enough to catch their attention and to give her a chance to put some distance between herself and them. “Oni! Oni, we need to get out of here now! C‘mon!” ooc; Fffuu, sorry, this took forever x.x Lemme know if I need to change things, etc <3

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