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
-
FULSIRING
Fulsi has a standing treaty with the Nakoma, granting limited access to their fresh water.
NAKOMA TRIBE
-
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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Post by Maya Esquivel-Haywood on Mar 6, 2015 22:23:42 GMT -5
Maya stuffed Mu into her backpack, zipping it closed with a look of determination.
She was a grown up now, she wasn't a baby anymore and she wasn't going to let Papa keep treating her like one. He left her behind, but she was damn well old enough to make her own decisions, to decide what Ring she could and couldn't belong to. And if she wanted to join the Carna, then she would. That had not stopped her fears from creeping into her mind when she had been caught on the Carna borders this morning, the scent of rogues all over her. She had thought they would turn her away or kill her, but something in her face must have convinced the equally as young looking scout that the twelve year old meant that she wanted to join. Even he had tried to turn her away, but she was stubborn and hard-headed, just like her papa. Which wasn't always a good thing.
Joining hadn't been quite what she had expected, to be honest. She was more welcome than she had been expecting, although treated warily.
She didn't receive the mark that papa had, although she hadn't really been looking forward to getting carved into. The deerling looked over her shoulder, looking warily at her own new sewer-mates. There was another girl here although she looked about sixteen and meaner than a snake. The rest were boys, and they were too interested in their mock battles than to pay attention to fresh meat. There were plenty of rules to keep her safe, but she had no idea if anyone actually listened to them. She slung her backpack on, her worldly possessions inside.
She tugged down her winter cap, and clicked her tongue softly for her cat who had sprung up by her side. Papa had given him to her ages ago, and he had been a good protector for her. He wasn't very pleased about their new living arrangements and let her know with a disgusted yowl. He had always been the prissy type, that one. Pat followed his mistress, avoiding any wet spots that he found. Maya's hand held the wall as she walked, the tunnels quiet for the time being. She'd only been allowed down here for a couple of days, so she was always getting lost. And she hadn't seen Papa yet, which she wasn't sure if that was good or bad.
Pat gave a warning yowl in the dark as someone came walking in a hurry. The dark figure bumped her, shoving her out of its way and stepping on her cat. The tabby hissed, and Maya scraped herself off the wall.
"Hey, watch where you're going, ass!" She said, her temper hot. She tugged down on her hat, wiping off her shoulder and knees. "You ran me over, and Pat."
Post by Boone Haywood on Mar 7, 2015 0:31:00 GMT -5
Things were looking up, if one could say such things inside the walls.
He was Lead Hunter now, after Seija had been promoted to Beta. The title meant nothing to him other than the fact that he could now buff up security where he saw fit. Not that Seija hadn't covered the bases well and kept her Hunters safe over the years he'd worked under her; but there were things he thought needed to be done, none the less. Needless to say there had been little sleep for him since the changes in rank. He strode through the tunnels, Loo's trusty paws clicking ever at his side in his seemingly endless patrols through the tunnels, checking and securing possible points of ingress the enemy may take advantage of, setting sound traps and the like. There was an endless stream of worry and frustration as he paced the darkened tunnels that filled him with a sense of dread, even after nigh on six years spent learning their depths. There was always the echo of a voice, or a laugh, or a scream that brought back flashes of raid after raid that had left his ringmates cut down in their sleep.
He strode through the swarm of Carna, brushing shoulders and carelessly shoving aside those who didn't know to get out of his way. Most did, by now. He wasn't tall as most of the men in the Ring, but he seemed to exude an air of "Get the hell out of the way or I will run you up against the wall", and now that he was Lead Hunter it only seemed to amplify. He had business to attend to, as ever, and nothing and no one would slow him down on the way. It had become such a habit now that he didn’t even see people in his way anymore, or rather he didn’t pay attention—so when he shoved his way through the tunnel to the outside, he didn’t notice that he’d shoved anyone aside until the sharp yowl of a cat and a small voice drew him from his concentration. He would’ve kept walking, but the voice was impossibly familiar.
It couldn’t be.
He drew to a sharp halt, shoulders squared as he slowly turned around. Loo walked in a small circle around him, sniffing after the tabby that darted under the girl’s feet until she realized whose feet she was sniffing. Loo let out a sharp yip of excitement and jumped up on her master’s pup, tail wagging furiously.
Boone just stood there like a dummkopf, slack jawed with a deep furrow in his brow. Maya was here. In the Carna. His daughter was here. Oh, he was going to whup Digg’s ass; assuming Digg still had an ass to whup. He did a quick once-over to make sure she wasn't bleeding out or mangled half to death by a Fulsi. A tumult of thoughts thundered through him, but the only thing he could manage to say was, “Watch your language, young lady.”
His voice was stern, his creased brow even more so. He crossed his arms over his chest, his lips set in a thin line. “Christ on a crutch, Maya, what in the world are you doing here? Where’s Uncle Digg? Clem? Did something happen?”
Last Edit: Mar 7, 2015 0:35:28 GMT -5 by Boone Haywood
Post by Maya Esquivel-Haywood on Mar 8, 2015 22:42:34 GMT -5
Pat meowed his displeasure at being stepped on by Boone's big feet, pushing his head against her leg. The hair on his back lifted, his dislike for dogs apparent as the dog sniffed after his trail. Maya let out her own yelp of surprise as the dog jumped on her, pushing her back against the sewer wall. It was rather frightening at first, not knowing just what dog was jumping on her but just a moment later she knew. It was a mixture of happiness and dread as she put her hands to the dog's head, ruffling the pointer's ears with a little smile. As soon as her dad spoke though, Maya knew that she was in all sorts of trouble. The girl gave Loo's head another rub and pushed the dog down, squaring her shoulders to look up at her papa. She had known that he lived here with the Carna, but she had been here a couple of days without seeing him. It was a surreal moment, seeing him again.
Living with Uncle Digg had not made their separation any easier, and though her uncle looked just like her papa, they were vastly different people. Maya looked up at him and taking in the deep crease in his forehead, the firm line of his lips. She swallowed hard, looking for her own resolve as he asked her what in the hell she was doing here. "Papa." She said, trying to bolster her nerve again. Her own face hardened up, years of practice against her papa's own harsh looks making it easier than she expected. Still, she was completely out of her element in the Carna, while Papa had the advantage. He lived here. She adjusted the backpack on her shoulder, running her hand under her nose as she clenched and unclenched her jaw nervously.
She did not know exactly how much trouble she was going to be in for doing all this behind his and Uncle Digg's backs, but she wasn't a little girl anymore. They could not shelter her forever, and she hated being a rogue.
"No," She said sternly, shaking her head. "They were fine when I left a couple of days ago." Pat came meowing, keeping away from the dog on her other side. "I joined the Carna, Papa." She told him, knowing that it would be more trouble if she deserted now, which meant that he wouldn't have much choice in the matter of letting her stay. She reached up for her cap, tugging it down over her dark hair, then shoving her hands into her pockets. "And you can't make me leave because I ain't going to go. I'm gonna stay here with you, Loo, and Pat." She looked quite determined to stick by what she was saying. She gave the tunnels a sweep, making sure that they were alone. "I don't want to stay with Uncle Digg and Clem anymore. I'm not nothin' but a bother to them anyway."
Post by Boone Haywood on Mar 13, 2015 22:06:46 GMT -5
He watched her carefully, clear grey-green eyes taking in every inch of her round, inexplicably stubborn face. He could see the look of determination settle firm and steady. Oh, he knew that look. He knew that look all too well. He’d given his father that look time and time again, and his own son Reilly had been trying that one out himself before Boone had been taken. With practiced ease he shut away the flood of happy memories of his wife and children before the dome, focusing like an arrow to its mark on Maya.
“Ay, dios mio,” he groaned when she said she’d gone and joined the Carna. He shook his head, bewildered at what she’d done. But he was glad at least that nothing dangerous had happened for her to end up here. He supposed rebellion was preferable than being chased into the Carna through violent means. But Boone still wasn’t sure that he could handle her being in the Carna on top of his new responsibilities as Lead Hunter. “You didn’t think that I, as oh I don’t know your father, might possibly want to know this rather pertinent information?” He asked, though didn’t really give her time to answer. “Why do you want to join the Carna, Maya? You are safer with Uncle Digg. The Carna is not…” he paused, pinching the bridge of his nose. He did not want Maya here. She didn’t know the things he did, she couldn’t know. He wouldn’t let her see what the measures he took to keep her safe and sheltered, even as far away as she was—he had eyes, allies in the woods that had kept an eye out for enemies. Enemies that he had taken out to keep them from encroaching on Digg’s turf, wherever that may have been for the day, week, month; he had risked life and limb to get his family supplies, time and time again, while still getting food for the Carna as well. But she couldn’t know how he went about it. She couldn’t know about the blood he has shed, the lives he had cut short just to keep her out of harm’s reach.
“It is not safe here. There is a lot you do not yet understand about this world, Maya. You’re not ready,” he paused, though, seeing the hurt look in her eyes. He kneeled in front of her, placing a hand on her shoulder, tipping her chin up so she would look at him with the other. Loo whined and nosed her way in between them, her tail thumping against Boone's side. Boone chuckled and patted the needy dog, but moved her aside with a firm hand, motioning for her to sit. He looked back to Maya, marveling at the strong young eyes staring back at him. There was such strength there, for one so young. But then, she had always been strong. “Maybe that is not the whole truth,” he said, with a small, sad smile. “It is more that I don’t want you to be ready for this life. I want you to be naïve and innocent for…well for as long as possible.” He knew that was selfish and irresponsible, though. He knew it, and knew that deep down that Maya needed to know how to survive. Digg and himself had been teaching her already. But it was different in the Carna. He sighed, and shook his head. “Why’d you have to go and do a fool thing like this,” he said. “I love you, mija, but why did you not come to me first?”
Post by Maya Esquivel-Haywood on Mar 14, 2015 22:01:01 GMT -5
His eyes had always been sharp, and watchful. Sometimes she noticed the strange look he had when he looked at her, although she never understood the moment of hesitation before he focused. Sometimes she wondered if he were looking at someone else, and felt a flicker of doubt within herself. He groaned as she informed him of her decision to join the Carna, shaking his head at her as though he were disappointed! Why would he not be happy? She was coming home, old enough at last to take care of herself. They could be together. She had been waiting for this day since he had left her with Uncle Digg, but lately she had realized that the day would never come if Papa had any say in it.
The muscle in her jaw clenched, her teeth aching as she bit back her anger and indignation. He questioned her, but didn’t give her a moment to answer although she opened her mouth to, continuing on. Her jaw clenched shut again, the stubborn look hardening on her face. She had worried about upsetting him by coming here, knowing that ultimately if he wanted to make her leave then he would find a way to do it. The cat meowed at her feet, standing on one of her boots and eyeing the pooch suspiciously. Maya shifted her weight uncomfortable with her father’s irritation, a strange feeling in her chest as she folded her arms. She had wanted to join the Carna because she wanted to be home with her father. She wanted to be a family, be the family that she felt that she deserved. Not Uncle Digg and Clem, because they were rogues in the truest sense of the word.
She was growing up, learning about the world around them, and her innocence was fading. This was the world that she had grown up in, but there were whispers of things. Something lay beyond the glass at the edges of the world, but she had no idea what. She was clinging to things that were familiar, and that included Boone, whether he wanted it or not.
”Because,” She began, pausing, her thoughts jumbled. She had prepared a speech, but now that he was here…she could remember nothing of the practiced words. ”I wanted mi papá.” She said plainly, finding it worked the best. She could tell that he thought her a child, kneeling down to look at her as he told her just what she didn’t want to hear. He still found her to be a child, that she was not ready to join him here. The hurt was revealed in her eyes because he touched her, forcing her chin up to look at him. The pointer whined then, wiggling her way between them until Boone pushed her away. Pat gave a warning growl from against her leg, leaning heavily back on her. She stared at him, clearly unhappy with what he had said, and she pushed his hand away.
”I don’t have to answer to you.” She told him, lifting her chin defiantly. She might have shown her hand by telling him the truth, but that would not make her weak. ”You would have never let me join, if I waited to ask you.” She took a step back, shouldering her bag with a new determination. ”It’s always later, mija. Always another day.” She reached down to pick up the tabby from the sewer floor, and he gave a meow of displeasure. He had always hated to be picked up against his will, but living with a child had gotten him used to such things. ”I don't know when or if I will see you again, because you are always gone. I am alone. I don't have a family.” She swallowed hard. Uncle Digg wasn't the kind of man that her papa was. She felt alone, she had doubts.
Loo gave her an inquisitive look, whining from where she sat. Maya hesitated where she was standing, staring at him for a moment longer before turning away. She had felt her face warming, warning her that she might cry. She swallowed it back down, running her tongue over her teeth, resenting the way he had made her grow up. She had never known what other kids knew of families, her mother a memory...her father a ghost. ”I have to go.” She lied, the words heavy and different on her tongue. She did not lie to Papa, but she just had. Maybe she was more different than she had thought, maybe she was already changing. She stormed off in the direction that she had originally been going, knowing that the other way would take her back to the sleeping quarters of the other tenderfoots.
She didn't look back, feeling her anger sizzling in her blood.
Post by Boone Haywood on Jul 5, 2015 16:22:40 GMT -5
"Mija ..." he started, but stopped. He would let her speak her piece. And speak she did.
“Because I wanted mi papa.”
The words were said simply, plainly, and still they cut him. To hear those words, sounding so accusatory, he felt as if he had failed as a father. She was not his daughter by blood, sure. But she was still his daughter. But as he thought on it, he realized that she was his daughter by blood. How much blood had he shed to keep her safe, to keep her sheltered?
”You are always gone.”
He killed enemies of Digg’s group, of which there were many. He had spilled their blood, and blood of his own to protect her.
”I don’t have a family.”
No. She was his daughter. His eyes narrowed in the slightest, the only sign that her words had affected him. He was silent as he held her lightly in place, his hands resting on her shoulders. The dome was no place for a child, obviously. The Carna wasn’t, either. Not when she was still capable of so much good. He didn’t want to see her become like him. He didn’t want her to be driven by the same fears.
He didn’t know what to say to her as he stared into those bold, angry eyes. His brow was furrowed deep as ever, eyes hard and unyielding. He was not a soft man, not even around his daughter. He was a hard man of calloused mien, the world defined in black, white and red. He was not cruel, not unjust. He was capable of kindness and love, thanks to her and Luther. But she knew what to expect from him, knew that there were moments for hugs and kisses and laughter.
He lifted his hands from her shoulders when she started to pull away, shaking his head as she stormed off. He stood up, one hand resting idly on the knife sheath on his hip. She had only marched a couple of feet before he spoke, his voice low, but sharp to cut through the noise of the tunnel. “Maya.” A pause, but she didn’t answer. “You will answer your Lead Hunter, Tenderfoot.” If she wanted to be Carna, he would treat her how he treated the others.
Last Edit: Jul 5, 2015 18:13:31 GMT -5 by mo money