welcome to your new hell, Welcome to the Menagerie. Or as we like to call it, Dome Sweet Dome! We are an eight-year strong futuristic shapeshifter and sci-fi creature roleplay, dedicated to bringing you a world unlike any other; a world in which your character has become an experiment and must fight for survival in a domed city, cut off from the rest of the world. Choose to be any animal in your fight for survival in an artificial world built by the Keepers as they subject you to experiments beyond your control. Choose to wander the world inside the walls alone, as a Rogue, or find safety in numbers in one of the groups known as Rings. How will you survive?
60 - 65 ºF
blustery with scattered showers spotty sunshine
YEAR 2309
shift bans.
» Cougars (aka Puma, Mountain Lion, Panther)
» All Tiger Species
» All Lion Species
» All Wolf Species
» African Leopards
group bans.
none.
encouraged !
FEMALE CHARACTERS! create a RETRO or ANTHRO and get 250 CP + a free skill! read me for more info!
last updated: april 19th, 2016
Click on each Ring or Retro group image to view their ranks!
GROUP UPDATES
CARNARING
Jocelyn Edelwolfe is the new Alpha! Seija Mulviene is the new Beta, and Grey is the new Delta. Lead Hunter is now Boone Haywood, Head of Border Patrol is now Noelle Ndango!
FALLENRING
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FULSIRING
Fulsi has a standing treaty with the Nakoma, granting limited access to their fresh water.
NAKOMA TRIBE
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ANALOYA PRIDE
a while back, the Analoya suffered a suspicious poisoning of their river, luckily with few casualties; the Bellator are suspected of having taken part in it, and there are whispers that Pride leader Wanderer is talking alliance with the Nilda for access to their clean water.
BELLATOR HERD
As new leader of the Bellator, Loril has instituted some rank changes. See this thread for more information!
LAWAII FLOCK
no updates!
NILDA PACK
no updates!
CARNARING QUICK STATS
ALPHA -- Jocelyn Edelwolfe, Clouded Leopard, played by IronChild
BETA -- Seija Mulviene, Spotted Hyena, played by Seija-chan
DELTA --Grey, Mackenzie Valley Wolf, played by Kriss
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She covered the city at a trot, passing through the deserted suburbs at the southern edge of Fulsi territory and beyond, where the land fell away to scrub and sand. Jared jogged beside her in his hound form, tongue lolling in the heat. Though her bow was strung, Charm left it slung across her back, the curve settling over the quiver. Although she didn’t want to come across as aggressive, she wasn’t foolish - a knife was strapped in plain view to her belt, and a second was hidden under the archer’s guard on her left forearm.
The pair slid down the ridge, slowing to a halt at the bottom. They parked themselves in the meager shade offered by a stunted tree, and settled in to wait. Charm folded her arms and leaned a shoulder against the tree, while Jared laid beside her, panting with paws stretched before him. The desert sprawled out, far as the eye could see. Tiny, dark bumps in the distance, visible though the heat waves, were all that could be seen of the old car on the train tracks.
“I hate this part,” the hound grumbled. “I hate it even more considering it means we have to stand around in the desert in the middle of summer.”
Charm’s lips quirked in a wry smile. “I know, pup. I know.” It didn’t change the fact that now was the time to act. She had been toying with the idea for a while, and now that Fallen had experienced a change of leadership, it provided a good opportunity. She had given them a few weeks to settle from the change, but the Fulsi-Fallen relations had never been easy. It was time to make an overture.
The shadows had begun to lengthen, as morning edged into afternoon, before they caught sight of a patrol in the distance. They made no effort to conceal themselves, and the figures angled their path toward them. Jared growled softly as, a few minutes later, the Fallen formed a loose half circle around them, but neither of them changed their position.
“You’re trespassing.”
“I am Charm Antoni, Fulsi Alpha. I seek a meeting.” The woman who appeared to be leading the patrol eyed her, then shrugged.
“Wait here.” She beckoned to the Fallen, pulling them away a hundred feet or so, where they huddled to confer. A few moments later and a hawk shifter took to the air, banking toward the heart of the desert and leaving the others to loiter. Charm watched the hawk go, wondering if it was her message being sent, or if they simply wanted a signature on her death warrant.
The morning had begun early, before sunup, with Brax banging tactlessly on the door of Tom's train-car. He made a few muffled curses, pulled on a pair of pants (in the summer it was hard to sleep in clothes) and trekked to the door, stubbing his toes on various somethings along the way. "Wake up, McKellar!"
"Brax? The hell you doing?" Tom rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he heaved the door open. He blinked at the grinning face of his friend in the pre-dawn light."Caught myself an elk." Brax said it proudly, with a notched chin. With that said, Tom noted that the other shifter had some marks of blood on his hands, probably from cleaning it.. Damn Hunter. With ridiculous hours. "Why... do... I... care?" It was the first night that Tomas had gotten close to eight hours of sleep, and he wasn't ready to beat the sun up. His words were a growl, but he couldn't keep his face straight when Brax cocked a brow and said, "'Cause I'm going to make a cannibal out of you, elk-boy. Put some meat on those vegetarian bones." As if to add emphasis, Brax slapped him soundly in the ribs.
Tom was anything but a vegetarian. The idea of breakfast had roused him enough that he shoved Brax's head and slammed the door closed--the clang of it was accompanied by Brax' laughter. He got dressed, checked his gig line out of habit (not that there was much of one, when wearing a button-up with ripped-off sleeves and a pair of jeans) and made his way to breakfast.
It was good, though. It had been a while since Tom had had fresh meat. Brax continued to give him hell throughout the duration of it, though, which was a welcomed lightness to Tomas' days. After that, he checked up on Link's and Iskander's patrols, chatted with a few Fallen, and drove himself crazy with plans for the future.
When Mara dropped in, seeming out of breath, he was sitting out in front of his train-car, looking over those damned maps again. Mara had flown in a semicircle, spotted him, and dove. She hit the ground as a girl, and was stumbling over her own words. He was more than surprised, and stumbled to his feet, placing the maps haphazardly on the sand.
Tom arched a brow, humored her with a smile (although he was a little anxious to hear her news) and told her to stop tripping over her tongue and calm down. So she did. Took a breath, notched her chin, and shifted her weight nervously. "The Fulsi Alpha is at the border wanting a meeting."
Tom did a double-take. That explained why she looked so... so... well flustered. Mara was generally a pretty shy girl, he knew. "I see. How many were with her?"
Mara shook her head. "One, sir." Tomas nodded. "Go and get Brax for me, will you? He just headed out to relieve Raj from patrol and is heading east, towards the lowlands." The girl nodded, shifted into a hawk, and flew off.
Tom wondered why the Fulsi Alpha was requesting a meeting with him. Her intentions were probably better ones, being that she hadn't outright attacked him and Mara had said there was only one with her. Tomas wasn't stupid enough to be relaxed about the situation, though... He was hopeful, if anything, but also cautious, as he began to head towards the border.
Brax showed up within a few minutes in his Aplomado falcon form, knowing Tom well enough to meet him on the way Tomas had not extended the arm he normally would have, for Brax to land on, and so the falcon had circled and then shifted mid-air as he came down, hitting the sand as a man.
"So, got yourself a date with Fulsi, huh?" Brax jested, but they were close to the border now, and Tom only offered a fleeting smile. His mind was going too quickly for him to tease, at the moment.
The pair crested a sand dune, and Tomas caught sight of the patrol lingering nearby, and then the pair of Fulsi. He had never seen or met Charm Antoni, and his eyes swept her, and then her companion. Tomas approached without expression, initially. But once they neared, he gave a small smile. "I assume that you're here peacefully." He did not specify why. It was obvious. She had come in person, with only one other companion. So Tom closed the distance between them, keeping a watchful eye on both Charm and her friend while simultaneously appearing relaxed (quite the feat, really). He extended his hand in greeting. "A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Antoni." His smile was cool, but polite, and so was his handshake. "I'm Tomas McKellar."
And who said chivalry was dead? The thought was sarcastic. After the initial greeting, Tom stepped back, giving both Charm and himself space. Brax was already unsettled, he knew, from the way he held himself stiffly. "Mathilda?" The leader of the patrol neared him at the sound of her name. Tom did not glance away from Charm. "You may continue your patrol." She seemed uncertain for a moment, but didn't argue. She nodded, and waved at hand at the rest of her group. They headed out.
"And to what, Ms. Antoni, do I owe the pleasure?" He smiled again, but there was something assessing in his expression. Tom wasn't an idiot. He took note of her visible knife and bow, and wondered just how many weapons she may or may not have had hidden. He wasn't worried, though. Just cautious and interested. Besides that, Brax had more than enough knives to spare, if it came down to it.
At the very least, she appreciated the Fallen Alpha’s haste. Jared was on edge enough as it was, without giving him time to mull over possible outcomes. Pushing herself off the tree to stand upright, Charm assessed the Alpha as he approached, matching him look for look, one brow raising a fraction opening statement. “Good assumption,” she agreed, returning his handshake, then hooking her thumbs into her pockets as he dismissed the patrol.
His stare was irritating, and it put her hackles up. He could simply be cautious, but the unbroken eye contact spoke of challenge. Charm didn’t drop her gaze, however briefly, until he did - she’d gotten plenty of opportunities to practice staring contests when corralling Adam’s people. Now, in enemy territory with only a single companion, would be an unfortunate time to slip up.
She shrugged a shoulder in response to his question, deliberately relaxed in face of his formality. “A statement of intentions and a proposal, I suppose you could call it. I was going to come earlier, but then....” A tilt of her head and a uplift of one hand indicated all the events of recent months. “I am sorry, for your loss. Skye was a fixture of the dome.”
Fingers tapped against her leg for a moment, as she organized what she wanted to say. “I have no quarrel with you and yours, McKellar. I am tired of fighting for scraps on my borders. You may have already heard that I have allied with the Nakoma.” She had little doubt that the Nakoma would have wanted to spread the news. Having Fulsi to back them in a fight would deter most larger attacks. It was a loose alliance, more of an ongoing exchange of resources than anything else, but she liked Zephyr. If they could reduce some of the prejudice against anthros, it would continue to become a closer partnership.
“My sights have turned toward the wilderness areas. The only issue is that your territory extends right up to the mountains.” It certainly wasn’t the only issue, but it was the one that concerned Fallen. The rest was all logistics. “We have to cut through the edges to get around them, and I’m sure you’re aware of problems that has caused over the years.” Mainly, it fed a continual stream of low grade tension, making it easier to spark larger conflicts. “If you were to grant safe passage through the outskirts of your borders, I can guarantee you will have no problems from Fulsi.”
Charm left it at that, confident that the unspoken caveat was obvious enough. She didn’t want to threaten McKellar, but the unavoidable fact was, if she couldn’t feed her people they way she proposed, she would revert to raids. Much as she was trying to avoid war with the other rings, she would fight if it was necessary. She felt it was a good deal for Fallen - all they had to do was not attack Fulsi that were passing though the outskirts, and they’d stop getting raided in return.
Good assumption. Tom's hand fell to his side, middle finger aligning with the seam of his pants. Old habits died hard, as the saying went. He did not have to wait long for her explanation as to why she was there, not that he had expected otherwise. With people of power, it was better to get to the point, and he could appreciate that.
Tom stood quietly, until she spoke. "Thank you for your condolences. Things change, as the saying goes." His tone suggested that he was musing, more than anything. As sad as it was, Skye was gone. Life would go on. But it was also the unavoidable, he figured. No one remained a fixture forever. He glanced upward, towards the blank sky, and then returned his gaze to the pair of Fulsi as Charm continued.
She was offering what he had wanted with Fulsi, and had been considering; a cease-fire, in exchange for something that was easily given. He glanced at Brax, who was standing without expression. Tom knew him well enough to see the surprise in his eyes, however. But he was not outraged at the proposal. Tom mentally took note of the Nakoma tidbit. He had heard of it, but he wasn't sure until now, and figured it would be an interesting thing to tell Quick. "I don't see why we couldn't work this out. I hold no personal grudges against your Ring, and it would be beneficial to Fallen." He scuffed a boot into the sand and continued to think it through. It would mean one less border to be concerned about.
"Your Ring will be allowed passage along the border, but not beyond. Any Fulsi exceeding the border will still be regarded as a trespasser and captured, accordingly." Tom made it sound like a statement--he wasn't threatening her, or trying to. But he didn't want Fulsi inside of Fallen unless they had a more extensive treaty. "Which I would hate to have to do. I'm tired of the border skirmishes. And Lord knows I was a Scout long enough to know how much of a pain in the ass they are." Tom offered her a smile and a shrug.
He decided that, objectively, he liked her. Or at least that he could respect her as a leader. She was someone that seemed to take charge, which was what was necessary in the Dome. She wasn't going to sit on the sidelines and wait for other people to make the first moves, or at least that's what he gathered. "Out of curiosity, why do you need access to the mountains? For hunting?" He knew that she was in the city, and thus they had less food. Tom shifted his weight, and glanced at Brax sidelong again. He had edged closer during the conversation, standing protectively beside Tomas. Silly boy, the Fallen Alpha thought, not without affection. His gaze returned to Charm and her companion.
His agreement and interest settled both her and Jared. She had figured he would be amicable, but there was no way to know for sure until McKellar confirmed it himself. A ‘no’ could easily have been accompanied by an attack or threat, rather than a ‘thanks but no thanks.’ This was a bigger accomplishment than the simple conversation would suggest - it meant that she had neutralized two of forces at her borders, and secured safe passage to the wilderness.
Charm dipped her head in concession. “Of course.” That was all she asked for, and she had expected nothing more. The simple fact that Fulsi would not have to worry about sneaking along the border, flitting between Carna and Fallen, would make everything easier.
She flashed a grin at the other Alpha. “Thankfully, I managed to avoid specializing. I prefer a broader scope.” Her jump from tenderfoot had been undoubtedly strange, but maintaining the low rank was necessary to prevent Adam from suspecting her plans. The Fulsi knew her as the reliable archer who could handle as much as her superiors, if not more, and was notorious for getting things done. To the other rings, she was a strange choice that had come out of nowhere.
McKellar had been voted in after a period of uncertainty, if her sources were accurate. Which they had better be.
This grin was more predatory than the last. “Hunting and gathering, yeah. And there’s no love lost between the retros and I.” She knew better than to let a grudge dictate her choices, and she didn’t particularly have anything against the retros. But she certainly preferred conflict with them, rather than the other rings.
Tom responded with a goodnatured smile, but the message was clear enough. Good. Her next comment earned an arched brow and a curious expression, however. He remembered hearing rumors about her having ascended the ranks from a Tenderfoot, skipping to Alpha without much pause in between. Of course, he'd also heard that the previous leader had been bat-shit insane, and maybe Charm hiding her 'skills" had been in her better interests. "You were a Tenderfoot, weren't you?" Just asking to clarify what he already knew.
Of course, her ascent was really no stranger than his own. He was pretty sure that there hadn't been a more... democratic approach to leadership in a long, long time. The Keepers must have been having a crack up after the whole ordeal, to think that shifters could be civil. Imagine that.
Her grin only managed to confirm what he already knew. That he did not want conflict with Charm Antoni. "I see. There isn't much game in the city." Delica park was the closest that they had to "wilderness", Tom remembered, and so when he said it it sounded more like a statement than a question. He offered a slit of a smile though, because he'd become more than familiar with retro conflict. They had the best hunting grounds by far, and as a scout he'd had his fair share of close-encounters with the retros.
The alpha rolled back on his heels, thinking ahead. Hypothetically, if he ever did seek alliance with one of the retromorph groups, this whole "hunting and gathering" could definitely cause conflict. But that's in the future, not now. He had other matters to attend to, one of them being Quick's suggestion to ally themselves with Nakoma. He figured that could be made more difficult if Zephyr was now Fulsi's ally, but he should at least allow himself the option if he chose to pursue it.
"I was wondering," he ventured. "If you would be willing to extend our "treaty" to allow passage along your borders as well." Speaking objectively, there was nothing on that side of the dome besides Carna and Nakoma. He was going to let her take it as she may. For the most part, he was musing, but it was good to have all his metaphorical ducks in a row.
An agreeing ‘mhm’ answered his question, but Charm didn’t expand further. The coup was not something she spoke about much to outsiders. When she did, it was usually intended to drive home the point that she had overthrown Adam because he was crazy and none of the Fulsi approved of what he was doing. It tended to dispose people toward good relations.
At the request, her eyebrows flicked up. “For what reason?” she countered. The only things in that direction were Carna and Nakoma. If she had to guess, Charm would say it was the latter that interested the Fallen Alpha, especially considering she had just told him about Fulsi’s agreement with them. That, and the fact that he could easily access the Carna border without going near Fulsi.
Slowly, after a considering pause, she shook her head. “I would be willing to give you access north of the Hospital, to the Nakoma border, no further.” With the no man’s land between the three ring territories, there was no reason Fallen would need to cross into Fulsi elsewhere. The short stretch between the Hospital and Nakoma was the only dangerous area. She could understand why McKellar would want to be on good terms, if he was going to try for an alliance with the anthros. Trying to skirt that distance, between two close, hostile borders, would not be fun. Being able to slip behind friendly lines would make the trip safer.
That, Charm could understand, but she wasn’t about to allow Fallen to cross willy-nilly into her territory. McKellar might see that as unfair, so she tried a peace offering. “Speaking of geographical logistics - would you prefer Fulsi cut over to the Inn and follow along your border with Carna, or should we follow the western wall?” From the southern point of Fulsi territory, it was a straight shot down into the hunting grounds. It would be safer, but it was unlikely that Fallen patrolled frequently in that direction. It might be a strain on their resources if they had to keep a closer eye on the wall.
It was up to McKellar - she didn’t particularly care either way. Six of one, half a dozen of the other, as it were. Both options were safer than trying to creep along the border or through Fallen..
ooc; I am rly displeased with this one. /chews it <<
Tom understood her reasons for being vague. It had to have been messy business, Fulsi, with their previous Alpha having been... There were some untactful words he would have used, but Tom let it go. There was no reason for him to care, given that it was all in the past.
A part of him wanted to reply with a straight-faced, jackass remark. "To ally with Carna, of course." That was unacceptable for negotiations, so instead he offered her a grin and said, "Nakoma. Extending them a hand of friendship would cost my Ring nothing." And if the treaty escalated, he would have Carna on two sides.
He nodded. "That's understandable. There would be no reason for my people to go elsewhere on your land." It was of not inconvenience to him or his people, and he was frankly rather thankful that she had agreed to it. He had thought that she might be uninterested in "sharing" Nakoma, so to speak.
Tom thought briefly on her next comment. It would be necessary for him to add more patrols along the wall if they decided to allow Charm passage through that direction, which would probably be more convenient for her.
But with conflict along the Carna-Fallen border, Tomas had most of his patrols there. And he could not help but think that Carna would be less keen on attacking a group of Fallen and Fulsi than they would be a mere group of Fallen, even if their treaty did not extend to backing one another in combat situations. "I would prefer if you went along the Fallen-Carna border. It would be more convenient, overall." Which was true. Tomas was reluctant to add patrols to the western wall, which had always been a relative safezone.
Satisfied, Charm nodded her head a few times. “That’s fine.” There was a pause as she tapped her fingers against her belt, glancing consideringly at the sun, which was just inching past its zenith. “The new moon is in six days - I’ll have the patrols pass through Fallen starting then, if that’s okay with you.” Her gaze lowered back to the Fallen alpha. “If you want to have your people escort, they can meet at the border at dawn. I’ll begin allowing passage through that section of our border at the same time.”
Not only would it give them a chance to get their rings accustomed to the idea, but it would give her time to warn Zephyr that she might soon have Fallen dropping in for a visit. If Nakoma were opposed to the idea, she might have to revisit the terms with McKellar, but the chances of that seemed low. If nothing else, Nakoma were too few to be turning their noses up at possible allies, and Zephyr was not unreasonable.
Another glance at the position of the sun, and she shifted her weight, sand and grit crunching faintly underfoot. “If there’s nothing else to discuss, I should get back.” Dalton and Tarrik were still out of commission, so she was essentially running the ring by herself - not that she was going to tell McKellar that. She’d made a concentrated effort to get a decent night’s sleep, to avoid meeting a rival alpha with glaring rings under her eyes, but she didn’t have an overabundance of free time. Thankfully, Jared was helping with much of the legwork, and the various division leaders were perfectly capable of organizing their people once they knew what needed to be done.
She gave the Fallen a final considering look. “You seem fair, McKellar. I don’t think we’ll have any unsolvable problems.” After offering her hand, she stepped back a few paces, Jared moving to stand beside her. “You can pass a message through the patrols any time.”
