PTU: The Beginning

[Tybar]

Marcus heads in behind Wes then, motioning for anyone else remaining behind.

[carnackiArdent]

On the one hand, Clara would normally be perfectly happy to follow Marcus's gesture and stay here and let the others investigate the whimpering she can't hear in the direction of the awful stink. On the other, though...

"Really?" she hisses at Marcus. "You seriously expect me to stay over here by myself?" Not having everybody investigate she can understand, but when everyone else has already left it seems kind of pointless for just one of them to remain behind. Especially when it's her. So she'll trail after him regardless, straining her ears to hear whatever it is is drawing the others on.

[Tybar]

Marcus looks a bit sheepish when she says something. "Wrong hand sign, sorry."

[carnackiArdent]

"Oh." And now Clara looks embarrassed about getting upset over nothing. She tugs her cap down a little farther, trying to hide behind the brim as she follows him.

[TwilightKiwi]

When Juliet joined him, Tobias made no protest; he trusted her not to make any stupid mistakes. But when everyone else barreled after them with no concern for subtlety, Toby rolled his eyes in exasperation. "What part'a 'gonna scout ahead' was too complicated for 'em t' grasp?" he chuckled to Juliet under his breath, electing to remain hidden and observe for the moment in case things went south. At least the rest of the group provided a handy distraction, making it that much less likely something dangerous would notice Toby right away, and hopefully give him a chance at surprise.

[MrE]

Juliet nodded, grinning at Toby. Clearly the others would not be taking orders from him, and they'd probably ignore her as well: she wasn't the most authoritative character, and her softly spoken nature and slender frame made it hard for her to boss around the older boys. She joined Toby in hiding as they approached the noise.

[Arcran]

As the group trudges through the underbrush the source of the smell comes nearer and nearer as the stench becomes more and more foul until finally it's almost enough to make the collective group puke. It isn't for a few minutes until they find the source.

A massive creature, at least the size of a horse, lying dead on the ground, nestled securely under some tree roots. The beast would not be nearly so terrifying if not for the fact that it is quite clearly a dog or wolf of some kind only so monstrously huge to hardly resemble one anymore. The fur is thick and matted with blood, the original color of the beast impossible to guess. It could have been brown, gold, black or even white for all that is distinguishable at this point. The method of its death is quite clear; dozens of barbs, perhaps six inches long, are imbedded in the hide of the beast. The flesh instead of decaying at a normal rate seems to have become liquid in some places; perhaps poison or acid were at play?

However, the most interesting part is not the dead creature but the five small alive ones scurrying about, eyes barely open. Their hides are a wide range of colors. They nuzzle the dead creature, either trying to get food from it or wake it. The beasts have clearly been at it for some time; they're emaciated, clearly not having eaten for quite some time. They are covered in blood and the decaying flesh of the beast they stumble about. They occasionally make a sharp whimpering noise at the beast, each shrill and loud. It's a wonder that a predator has yet to find them.

They hardly seem to have noticed you despite your stomping about through the forest. They each have a slight different coat; one is a simple dull brown, another slightly darker, one almost gold, one a deep ruddy red and the last black as night.

Celestia looks at the beast in horror, quickly turning around to avoid the sight of it.

[Tybar]

Marcus stops at the sight of this, frowning as he guesses the pups nuzzle at the dead...monster. He feels a twinge of something, likening them to some of the orphans he's seen...he looks to the others, clearly not quite sure what to do about a threat that is child-like, but will probably turn into whatever that was later.

"They're...really small."

[MrE]

"Whatever you're thinking right now, just don't," Juliet quickly says to Toby before he can do anything stupid. Noting an absence of danger, Juliet stepped out of her hiding place and rejoined the group.

"They're...really small."

"Yeah, but they aren't normal Marcus. They're touched by the Light. They're not animals, they're monsters." One of Juliet's friends back in the city had had a pet mouse. She'd kept it even after the world was ending and he'd been like a mascot for the gang for a while. That was until the Light came and he gnawed off half the girl's face. Juliet had put it down herself.

She did notice the irony of her words, that she was also touched, but she wasn't about to show weakness or pity to these creatures, not if it might give her away. Anyway they'd grow up and terrorise the group if she didn't do something now.

She took a step towards them, sword drawn.

[Tybar]

Marcus frowns at that. "What about Stephen?"

He looks at Juliet, never great at assessing motives, but putting out the question as bluntly as possible.

[MrE]

Juliet paused and pursed her lips. "Stephen's different. You know that. He was a man, not a greyskin. Not one of these creatures." Even as she said it she knew Marcus had a point. Light's sake, she'd known it before. "This isn't about him, or what happened to some people. We have to protect the camp. They're going to grow up and become just as dangerous as this creature. We should kill them and get out of here. It's what needs to be done." By this point Juliet was struggling to keep in control, and both her hands were shaking with fear, sadness and anger.

[The Grim Author]

"Yeah... they may be touched by the Light, but... that doesn't make them evil. They... they look like... they might be babies." Sinclair knelt down and reached into his pack, grabbing a small bit of food (a small bit of bread) and putting it in his hand. "Hey... hey, little guys... I have food."

[Hefty Lefty]

Wes and Juliet think alike as he picks up a nearby rock with both hands. One of the smaller kids might have had trouble with it, but Wes raises it above his head with relative ease.

"We should kill them and get out of here. It's what needs to be done."

The boy nods to Juliet, then turns to the group. "We've all seen things this size tear sh*t up. Don't get soft, guys." They are really small though...no. I bet the red one breathes fire. No f*cking way. Wes looks back to the swordswoman with the rock high above his head. "Just say the word, J."

[Arcran]

As the group gets closer to the pups they finally take notice, most quickly backing away. Only the black and the red stand their ground, hackles instantly raising at the foreign Trainers who keep edging closer. However, it's not those two but the gold who approaches, going up to Sinclair with a sort of stupid trust plastered across its face, sniffing eagerly at the bread and snatching it off Sinclair's hand before dashing back behind the bigger red and black.

[The Grim Author]

Sinclair slowly approaches the three of them, holding out his open hands and keeping his eyes down. Eye contact could probably be a bad idea, and he had to be non-threatening. Once he's slightly closer, he reaches into his pack again and breaks off another bit of bread. "I'm not going to hurt you." He does his best to keep his face somewhere between neutral and friendly, but since they're growling and baring their teeth, he's not going to show his teeth... they'd probably think it a threat.

[Tybar]

Marcus watches, curious, but doesn't move yet, standing his ground across from the pups. "At least they're brave."

[TwilightKiwi]

At the sight of the pups, Tobias stood straight up, Juliet's instant reflex to reign him in barely faster than his own reaction. "Awww, but Juuuuuuules, me an' Sinclair were just talkin' about if we found a smaller beastie..." The boy's eyes were wide as saucers at the his luck on being given this task - he might get a pet robot AND monster both out of the deal at this rate. All thoughts of caution - let alone the massive rotting carcass - were suddenly far from his mind. "Look, that one's friendly enough. Bet we could teach it some tricks." He glanced at Wes disapprovingly. "Use your head, dude, we gotta keep at least one'a the little fiends alive. Y'know. For science."

As the one Sinclair fed scampered back, Toby sized up the more defensive pair before him, approaching slowly with arms crossed and a discerning glare. "Me, I like th' cut'a these two. Either brave enough t' stand up to a pack'a folks bigger'n they are, or honest enough not t' play at innocent helplessness. Dependin' on just how monster-like they really are." He crouched a few feet away from them, pulling back his goggles before shuffling through his backpack. "Think you're pretty tough guys, huh? Betcha didn't count on having t' deal with...this!" Toby pulled his secret weapon triumphantly from a side pocket and waggled it enticingly - one of his 'treasures,' a dilapidated old tennis ball.

[Arcran]

The red and black continue to snarl as Sinclair gets closer and the two browns shy closer to the mother. The golden, on the other hand, seems eager to get some more bread but a quick snap from the red puts the golden back behind. The golden jumps on top of the red and soon the two are rolling about, nipping at one another and snarling in a way that is far from menacing.

The black tries to continue its vigil but decides against it, slowly inching forward, sniffing rapidly as it looks at Sinclair's outstretched hand. However, as Tobias raises the ball the black quickly backs away, obviously expecting an attack of some sort. The two browns dash behind the corpse, trying to put some distance between them. The golden and the red continue to wrestle, oblivious to what is going on.

[Hefty Lefty]

Wes brings the rock to tucked underneath his arm - this is a bad idea, but it's not like I'm gonna throw this with Sinclair right there... Instead he shifts his attention to Juliet again; while before, he was looking for a signal to attack, his expression now pleads for her to drive some sense into the two boys, since it doesn't look like they'll pay much attention to him. Despite his caution, the innocence of the pups is quickly wearing on Wes' inspiration to attack: So if these are dogs the light touched... maybe they still act like dogs...just, ya know, with f*cked up superpowers... The two wrestling pups especially catch Wes' eye. Eager, tough, playful dogs - that's what he would've wanted in a pet, had he been born into a world which allowed such fantasies.

[The Grim Author]

Sinclair kept holding out the piece of bread. "C'mon, little guy. You should really eat something. Your friend tried some, and he liked it. I bet you'll like it too." He turned to look at the others briefly. "We should probably take care of these little guys... I bet that's their mom." He turned back to the dog-thing. "They're orphans." The "Just like me" was left implied.

[TwilightKiwi]

"Obviously you never got t' play b'fore," Tobias sighed dramatically at the black pup's reaction. "Or you'd know what this's for." He'd never had a dog as a kid, but he knew plenty about what they were supposed to like from reading comics. And however freakish these things were, they sure looked like some sort of mutant dogs.

Ignoring the foul taste, Toby managed to grip the ball in his teeth, shaking his head back and forth to demonstrate. Spitting it out, he held it out slowly for the canine to smell, then juggled the ball a few times, tossing it higher each time and laughing as he tried to catch it. Then, finally, he looked back to the dog that was still confronting him, then tossed the ball off to the side, careful to aim its arc so that it was far from being directed right at any of the dogs, sending it bouncing merrily into the bushes. "Fetch?"

[Arcran]

The dog instead shies away, clearly scared of the ball and Toby by extension.

[TwilightKiwi]

"Hmmmm." Obviously Toby's approach wasn't working; this thing had likely never seen a human, after all. Leaving the ball where it landed, he decided to take a page out of Sinclair's book, fishing out a chunk of dried meat (at least, it claimed to be) rations and breaking off a bite for the dog. "Sorry 'bout that. See look, I vanquished th' evil ball! Peace offering?"

[MrE]

Juliet watched the proceedings with a growing sense of despair. The animals were cute, and she would like to allow herself to befriend one of them. But there was danger here, and she couldn't lose her head. "Guys, can't you see the danger here? We're out on a mission and you're playing with these dogs! Toby, a moment ago you were sneaking here, and now you're throwing a ball around and talking. We have to be careful." She had quickly realised she wouldn't find it half as easy to kill these pups now as she had first hoped, but still, this was just plain reckless. "What if the creature that did this comes back? Or something else? Clara, Celestia, you know I'm right. Help me talk some sense into these idiots."

[Tybar]

Marcus rummages around in his pack for a scrap of food, then leans down roughly in front of the scared ones (reminding him of some of the kids he'd met), and offers his hand with the treat, holding very still. "We may need help, if what Wes said about Aron was true."

[Arcran]

The black eyes Tobias with no small degree of aprehension but, at the offer of food, rapidly dashes forward to snatch the food, so eager to eat that it accidently bites Tobias slightly, needle-like teeth drawing blood.

The two browns keep their distance from Marcus, shying closer to the corpse, pieces of rotten flesh falling away as they push backwards.

Celestia looks at Juliet, clearly scared. "I agree with Juliet. Something killed this monster. What if it's still here, waiting for us?"

Spoiler: Perception DC 8

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As you play with the puppies a nearby bush shakes ever so slightly, giving away the location of something.

Spoiler: Intuition DC 14

Show

You are not alone.

[The Grim Author]

"If whatever did this comes back, then..." Sinclair swallowed, but shook his head. "If it comes back, I'll fight it. I'm not abandoning these little guys." He looked over at the bush that was shaking. "And if whatever is in that bush did it..."

[Tybar]

Marcus sets down the food and backs away, letting the pups have it, then turns to Sinclair after he speaks.

"What bush?"

[MrE]

"There!" Juliet said, pointing at the bush whilst she spun her sword into a ready position. "You can stop playing now and get ready to fight." If there was no further movement from whatever was in the bush, Juliet began to approach it, slowly.

[Hefty Lefty]

The support for attacking the dog-creatures is quickly waning. Wes shrugs towards Juliet; it appears their pleadings are falling on deaf ears. Still, Wes stands at the ready until Marcus speaks up.

"We may need help, if what Wes said about Aron was true."

"Sh*t man, you're right..." Marcus apparently knows just which strings to pull to convince his friend. Anything that inspires proving Aron wrong or taking him down is going to pull Wes to the hot-headed athlete to that side. "Big Chief hides behind his METANG. If we can trust these little things to fight for us..." he starts, as if it were his unique idea being voiced for the first time. His thought his interrupted by Sinclair addressing the rumbling ferns.

"If it comes back, I'll fight it. I'm not abandoning these little guys." He looked over at the bush that was shaking. "And if whatever is in that bush did it..."

The adrenaline rush of pre-battle has been rising and falling with every snapping twig over the past few hours. Once again, with something new approaching, everyone's hearts race. Wes brings the rock above his head again, ready to hurl it at anything aggressive. He instinctively and subconsciously places himself between the pups and the young girls in the group as he takes his stance next to Juliet.