Uninformed [Open]

[Tinka Hoppe]

It seemed she'd slept a lot longer than she'd intended. Having left Fallen territory on a bit of a run, she found herself in the lush lands of Delica Park, and couldn't resist a nap in the soft grass and the sunshine. It'd been a beautiful day when she'd laid down for her nap, but when she woke up, the daylight was readily disappearing and the sky was not nearly as cheerful anymore. Dark clouds bloomed over the horizon, hiding the purple of twilight from her. Apparently, she'd been a lot more tired than she'd let on.  Rising from her warm spot, she took a long moment to stretch out her long legs, shaking the grass and dirt from her coat. She was at least a two hours walk from Fallen territory, it'd definitely be dark by the time she got back. No one would miss her, fortunately, since there wasn't much work to be done these days and she had no friends to miss her. Sometimes she regretted not connecting with others, but she pushed those self-pitying thoughts away as quickly as they came.

Ears perked, she trotted across the park, weaving between the rusted metal bars of the playground. Maybe if she was lucky enough she'd find a bite to eat before heading home. Long nose to the air, she sniffed, but caught nothing that stuck out to her. It seemed all the wildlife had retreated to their homes for the night. An eerie feeling came over her, made her wonder if maybe she should follow their example and high-tail it out of there. But these lands were neutral, and that meant she was safe. Mostly. There were the arrogant pricks who insisted on bothering poor souls in the neutral parts, trying to cause a fight. She was good at brushing people like that off. She didn't like confrontation, but she wasn't scared either. Not many could outrun her, nor could they catch her.

Just as she was about to turn the other way and leave, movement caught her eye. A field mouse, who was obviously terrified of her predator scent and was trying to escape unnoticed. Eyes wide and tongue lolling, she was on the rodent in a second, following behind it for a moment, jaws chomping unsuccessfully before finally, she caught the tiny thing in her mouth and gave a squeeze. She always hated the noises they made, but her animal instincts were stronger, chewing slightly before bolting the food down whole.  It wasn't a very satisfying meal, definitely not enough to feed her incredible metabolism, but it was something. Licking her muzzle clean of blood, she sniffed the air again, and satisfied, turned to leave the way she came. She stopped mid-stride, a voice behind her calling for her to stop. Fear rushed cold through her body and she froze, trying to decide whether to run or wait to see what they had to say.

[AKANE]

It had been a long time in passing since Akane had ventured outside the Fallen territory. Carrying a child as she was there were few excuses that she could come up with for either the father of her child, Slansky, or her own father, Husher, that would suffice in order to have any fun. The two were too fearful that something would happen to her without direct supervision, and to Akane it was a ridiculous alarm. Regardless, both were on a mission – together no less – and the sly vulpine shifter was becoming bored. They had been gone three days, and she was starving. Alone and already outside of the Fallen territory, there was little anyone could do. She was hungry, and here was her best chance of catching food for herself and developing child … cub … child was away from the repressive desert. Aside from that, the gregarious teen was lonely. Why had no one approached her? What was it that kept the group from a simple greeting or inquiry … those irritating pretenses of beginning friendships that never seemed to hold? Akane had been a member of the Fallen for over a year now, and few had been interested in making friends with her. Slansky had been popular with the females before she came, and the fact that she was so much younger than he was could not have helped. The males of the Fallen had likely gotten an overprotective and reprehensive talking to from Slansky and/or Husher to keep clear of her, so more than likely it was these two things that had slaughtered her ability to socialize. Great. She didn’t doubt their concerns, or question them. She simply chose her battles, was careful with her promises, and went out when they weren’t here to worry over her. She would be careful. There had never been a time before that she had gotten caught, so why would she now? Following a well-traveled path, the red fox kept up a smooth pace through the dunes. It was not long before the sand gave way to sod and foliage, and she was on the outskirts of Delcia Park. With her black nose to the ground she suddenly caught a foreign scent and froze. Her chestnut colored fur blended with the autumn colors beautifully, lending an odd cover for the cream bib that colored the underside of her cheeks and down her throat and belly. Black tipped her ears, legs and twin tails. Two tails for a fox was odd, but Akane had gotten use to them with time. Sampling the aroma a moment longer, Akane recognized the scent as Fallen … or at least, she thought so? ‘She had not yet met this person’ said her sharp vulpine nose, but She could be friend none the less? The new person was moving away and Akane was worried that she would lose her. Halfway between fox and awkward, second-trimester sixteen year old, Akane called out to what she could see was a wind hound of sorts. The half-Japanese, brown haired teenager loped to catch up. The greyhound froze in its tracks, and Akane put up a hand with a smile and called a hello. Hopefully her ring-mate wouldn’t bolt. Self-consciously her arms wrapped around her middle that, from the skinny frame most carried in The Menagerie, showed the small roll beneath her belly button that could not be mistaken as anything but a child on the way. “Hey! Haven’t seen you around. How’s it goin?” she asked in shifter-tongue as her blue-grey eyes scanned the trees and bushes. Her nose had not sensed anyone else around, but you could never be sure. Her attention settled on the dog that still looked as if she was unsure whether or not she would run anyway.

[Tinka Hoppe]

Amber eyes settled on the human behind her, waving her hand around. Before the girl could wrap her arms around her torso to hide herself, the hound got a good look at her. She was definitely young, at least three years younger than herself. She was also a brunette, but obviously of mixed ethnicity. Not only was it obvious, but the pheromones pouring off the young teen screamed 'I'm gonna be a mommy!'

She'd seen a lot of teen pregnancy back in her old town, plenty of babies brought into horrible living conditions with too young parents who could barely support themselves. Back in civilization there was a way out, but here under the dome and the sadistic scrutiny of the Keepers, she couldn't even imagine what could happen to this child and her young mother. There was hardly ever enough food to go around. She was aware that for years now others had been raised in the Menagerie, but it was a horrible place to raise a child. Was that what the keepers wanted? Them to procreate so they have another generation of 'monsers' to torture? Many a person in her past had disappeared completely into the compound and never returned.

As well as the pregnancy pheromones, she smelled familiar, the woody, almost starchy smell of Fallen. Relaxing slightly, she turned to face the girl, shifting to her human form without even a flinch. She shared the same dark hair, but hers fell in dark curls to her mid-back. Her face was rather round, her round cheeks giving her a youthful appearance. Her brown eyes were also a little too large for her face, but her pouty lips pulled it all together perfectly. She was dressed in a simple outfit, jeans and a tanktop. She stood up straight, eyeing the girl from a distance, only smiling a little after a minute.

Hi. No. I tend to stay away from people. she said, her eyes still focused on the young girl's stomach. Um, exactly how far along are you? she asked, head tilting and eyes coming up to meet hers. She was very inexperienced at conversing like a normal person. She tended to spend time around children, who didn't dance around the point very much, and it bent her conversational skills a lot.

[AKANE]

Akane looked around again, regarding the landscape to see if perhaps there was anything or anyone lurking about. It was a habitual pattern most living in the Menagerie for any amount of time acquired. Satisfied nothing was nearby; she focused once more on the woman and found the stranger’s eyes on her stomach. The girl sighed with a patient roll of her jaw as the scrutiny she endured was tenuously tolerated by the dog. It was rare to see a pregnant female in the dome. As she was usually quite opinionated on most matters, it had been pointed out to her that pitching her thoughts at people like a sling shot didn’t exactly make friends. So she kept her peace and let the stranger gawk. Most people, even those she saw daily in her Ring, took the opportunity to stare at her. Akane was a friendly enough person, but was slow to trust others. Aside from her small family, it was only recently since she had begun to show, and because of it she had been singled out both positively and negatively. Some treated her as if she were holy, thanking God that she be blessed with a miracle, and that they were blessed enough to see it themselves. However, others used it as an opportunity to scorn her; commenting on how criminal it was to bring up a child here. How irresponsible it was. Some, who in loss of their own children offered to take the baby from the new, and very young mother. These she noted, and responded firmly but kindly to. Any opinion rolled off her back without concern. They judged her as if she had put herself on trial, when on the contrary not once had she asked a single person their opinion. She still felt alone. There was no interest in her past her pregnancy, and it was obvious. After a moment, the inspection irritated her and she hefted a larger sigh – shifting her stance and placing her hands on her hips. Any self-consciousness or weariness she’d had in concern for her unborn child was carried into the aggravated pride that told her she held no shame. Akane flicked her long, healthy dark hair back over a shoulder as she repressed suggesting the chick take a picture. How far along are you? She’d asked with a soft smile and the fox shifter relaxed a touch. People were curious; if not at least forgivable it could only be expected. Akane’s eyebrow rose over bright and intelligent blue-grey hues and she cracked an easygoing smile, answering without contemplation or need of it. “Long enough to be past losing my lunch all the time – though I don’t think I’ll ever be able to eat fish again, but briefly enough that I can still see my toes,” she said with good humor. It was better than saying, ‘Oh I dunno – depends on when my fiancé knocked me up.’ Her eyes lifted from the greyhound shifter to their surroundings – ever vigilant before returning her focus to the woman. The stranger was older than herself. She tended to stay away from people, she admitted. Akane didn’t miss much. She smelled new to the fox shifter’s sensitive nose; still unsure of herself in the dome and not very sociable as she flat out confessed. The Fallen were a tight commune, and everyone helped each other out and looked out for one another. Though pregnancies were exceptional, children were not. More and more were dumped into the dome every year, and many of them ended up in the Fallen. “Sometimes it’s like that at first. Other times, people never get over it. I’m Akane,” she said in a beautiful non sequitur - using the Japanese articulation auk-an-aye. “Or, Akane is fine too. Whichever,” she said nicely enough. The second time she pronounced the name, a-konn-aye. She answered to both, as different people found It easier to pronounce her name. Others forgot completely. “Your name?” she asked casually with a gentle smile.