| Homeward Hound | |||||
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| What: Jack Russell goes searching for Vukodlak at a lighthouse to bring his friend home to Castle Russoff. The were-kitty, Nekomata, meets them there. | |||||
It's New Year's Eve. Although, Vukodlak doesn't know what that means, really. Xe knows that years are a measure of time and all that, but isn't very observant of calendar days. All xe knows it that the city is noisy tonight, with lots of bangs and pops of explosions. Xe's decided to stay inside the lighthouse xe claimed as den, huddled under a mass of probably-pilfered blankets. Outside it is very cold in the stone building.
Wisps of black with golden light emerge briefly from a nearby shadow, followed soon by a man in jeans, with a shirt and jacket on. Golden eyes do not gleam so much as burn in the darkness as Jack Russell steps out. His mane of hair is tied back in a ponytail.
Nostrils flaring, Rus takes a deep breath -- and with it all the scents in and around the lighthouse. The fire in his eyes fades back to normal, and he wets his lips with his tongue.
"Vuk!" he calls out. "Vuko, it's me!"
Vukodlak yelps, having not expected to hear a voice so close inside xir head. Instantly the wolflike being is backed up, cowering, tangled up in the blankets xe had been burrowed under.
Sniff, Sniff.
"Rus...?" Vuk whines, and actually paws a bit at the ground. "Where been? Vuk - I worried!" The wolf seems awkward when using the first person pronoun, like xe hasn't used it much. There's also a sense of - anger? No, not quite. "You disappeared. Left Vuk..."
Russell blinks.
He noticed that pronoun.
He walks calmly further inside the lighthouse, his eyes already attuned to the darkness. Seeing Vukodlak so tangled up in blankets almost has the older werewolf chuckling -- but he just smirks instead.
Crouching down to the ground as he draws nigh, he explains: "I'm sorry, pup. I didn' wanna go. I got trapped, ya see -- somewhere... else. A long way away. I couldn't get back."
The smile on his face fades, turning to sorrow.
"I'm sorry," he repeats.
Vukodlak whines again, ears flat in a submissive posture, rather than aggressive. "Vuk... Vuk -" it's the word after xir name that's giving the pup trouble. Xe whines again, in frustration. "Vuk have no one! Moon-man come visit. Brought food. Turkey Day, he said. Said was for fami- fami" Another frustrated whine, and this time Vuk stops talking altogether, whimpering.
Russell lets out a breath, then lifts a hand to his forehead to massage right between his eyes. "Family," he finishes for Vukodlak, his tone warm -- fond, even. "Ya shoulda seen where I was... heh, actually, it's probably a good thing ya didn't. Hell ain' exactly a nice place."
He pauses and spreads his hands with a light shrug, still crouching on his haunches. "I'm back now. Ya don't hafta stay here, Vuk -- an' even if ya want to, I can make it a nicer place. Don'cha wanna come back?"
Vukodlak whimpers a bit more, sounding confused this time. In truth, Vuk had left because xe felt out of sorts with the wereguards, who didn't speak and who hunted together flawlessly. Vuk didn't feel like xe belonged at the castle.
A cold gust rushes around the old lighthouse, fairly shrieking in its intensity. Vuk flinches a bit. "Rus.... not mad?" xe asks finally, trying to disentangle xirself from the blankets. None of which came from the castle. Now untangled, it's clear that Vuk is thinner than when Rus saw xir last.
Russell shakes his head.
"Not mad. I wasn't there -- ain't yer fault, pup. Vuk." He looks over Vukodlak and lets out a breath. "I feel terrible. Shoulda toldja where I was goin' -- couldn't get word out once I was there. Some things've... changed. Nothin' you gotta worry about..."
He trails off, watching his friend with concern as wind blasts through the room. It causes him to scowl at the weather in accusation. It causes him to glower at the air between himself and Vuko, pondering something.
"I could try'n help ya," he ventures, as his eyes seemingly appear to burn once more. "Ya don't smell right -- don't look strong enough. Ya need a decent meal, pup."
Vukodlak ducks xir head low. "S-sorrie..." Xe shivers, coarse hair bristling a bit. The glower makes Vuk paw at the ground again, broken off claws skittering on the hard floor. "Vuk... eat what cou-" xe grimaces. "Eat what was around. Moon-man and other brought food, sometimes. Was warm. But not now. Icy. Not much food."
The wind howls again, and brings with it the sound of fireworks being shot off early. Vuk shivers again, cold even with a coat of fur.
"It ain' yer fault," Rus reminds his friend -- and his eyes shift from their usual gold to become orbs of night with golden fire deep within his eye-sockets. He bows his head -- partly to concentrate, partly to hide the change in his face -- and summons energy from his own life-force.
Extending a hand toward Vukodlak's shoulder, that same golden light washes outward from Russell's arm and over Vukodlak's body -- bringing with it warmth, strength, and healing... at least a small degree of it.
However well the magic works, it clearly weakens Russell somewhat, and the man slumps into a sitting position afterward.
Vukodlak is caught off guard as something strange happens with Rus. The touch - coupled with the odd but wondrous feeling of life courses through Vuk, and the wolfling presses into the touch. When Rus sinks into a sitting posture, Vuk's worry gets the best of xir. Xe startles, and pulls Rus into an awkward embrace, nosing and sniffing with concern.
As the wind HOWLS without the lighthouse, Jack Russell sits on the floor within -- one knee drawn up, and resting his elbow upon it. He massages his forehead with the same hand.
The magic fades.
The wolfman -- although in human form now -- takes a deep breath and looks over at Vukodlak. "I, uh... learned some skills while I was gone. You should be feelin' stronger now -- fer a bit. Ya still need a good meal... I'll fix that."
He glances at the closed windows. Most of them are broken.
"Wish I could do somethin' about that howlin' outside..."
Vukodlak nuzzles Rus, xir wiry frame draped around the other wolfman. "Vuk... Vik worry. Vuk miss - " Xe takes a breath. "I miss my brother." it's a shockingly proper sentence from the usually odd-speaking wolf mutant. "I miss my home. I miss..." Xe turns away, seeming shy now. "Sorry..."
A soft japanese voice seems to enter the minds of the two. (Did I come at what is known as Male Bonding time? Or is this the part where you sniff each other's tails?) is heard. Standing off to the side is the young catgirl mutant. She gives a cat like yawn as starts to move. Her ripped up clothing still seems to be her normal attire as she moves towards Jack. Her ears come up, as she looks around, and winces.
Russell's nostrils flare and he turns about to look over at the newcomer. After a second, he smirks and motions for Nekomata to approach. "'Sokay, Neko," he tell the catgirl.
Apparently having someone in his head doesn't bother him like it used to.
Reaching over to give Vuko a bit of a 'bro-hug', Russell gets off his butt to crouch again on his legs. "Didja follow me here?" he asks Nekomata. "I been away a lot. Only jus' got back."
Vukodlak's ears flatten, but only for a moment. Xe sniffs. "Neko!" xe greets, returning the hug from Rus before backing up a bit - only to fetch a blanket to wrap around xirself like a cloak. Because the stone in the lighthouse is cold. "Why Neko here?" xir asks, keeping polite distance away from the catgirl.
Neko stretches for a second before moving down to all fours, and moving gracefully light on her...'paws'. The woman circles the pair for a second before she stands up. (I was out and about. Saw a shadow, so I followed it.) is heard. (Nothing more than that. I am still getting used to everything. Such as this no claiming victories over others, and no punching glass and taking champion's markings after giving over funny card.) is then heard. The woman just kinda hops up on a railing where she can see the water below her, and sits there all cat like as she watches the pair. Her cat eyes scanning them...
Russell's nose twitches.
The scent of cat still... well, he's a dog.
Nevertheless, Neko is a friend and he smiles -- pleased to see her. To Vukodlak he replies: "This is no place for you to be living, Vuko," he tell xir. "Ya didn't hafta leave the castle at all -- I don't care HOW the guardwolves behave... most of 'em are dead now, anyways. I need ya back home."
He looks back at Neko. "How ya been?"
Vukodlak tilts xir head, crouching back on all fours, the blanket covering ost of xir frame. "Pack... gone?" xe asks quizzically. Strange, the concept of 'death' seemed, well, different to the younger wolf. "Need Vuk? Vuk -" Xe shakes a bit. "I... come back, if you ask. But this home... not okay?" Vuk is confused.
Vuk looks over to Neko, sniffing again. "Neko not have sick-scent. Neko better now?"
Neko stretches out a little bit, as she watches Vuk. (Not wound sick anymore. Wounds clean, black liquid and green skin cleaned out. Still in pain, but it is normal.) is heard. The woman hops down. Her shoved in cybernetics seem to look a lot better, and she moves around with ease. (Castle? Is that not a warrior's statue?) is gentle heard, as the catgirl cants her head slightly.
"Come home," Rus reiterates, keeping it simple for his friend. "Be pack-mate again, yeah?" He looks from Vuko to Neko. "The Castle? The castle's my home -- well, our home. In fact, we should head there now. This place... sucks."
He snorts and stands up.
Vukodlak nods once. "Okay, Vuk come home." Xe stands up - well, in a deep crouch, but still. Xe takes a moment to fold up all the blankets - veritable hodge-podge, and there's definitely an old baby blanket in the mix. Xe wants to keep them, it seems. "...Can home, be Neko home, too?" Xe gestures to the cat. "Neko, same as Vuk. Want to aid Nako."
Neko stretches out a little bit as she walks around with a light grace. (I am not a hunter like you, Vukodlak. I was one of the Arena fighters. I fought in the Pit to claim the Champion's Marks for my master. Now that I am free, I do not know my place in this....world. It's too big and loud.) is heard. The woman paces a bit as her tail swishes...
As he stands up, Russell brushes down his jeans and sniffs the air. He motions for Vukodlak and Nekomata to follow him to the door. "It's a smaller place if ya gotta home ta get away from everythin' else," he tells them both and kicks the door open with his foot.
"An' this place ain' it. C'mon. I'll cook us up somethin' proper when we get there."