𝐑 𝐄 𝐕 𝐄 𝐑 𝐈 𝐄 𝐒 [closed - pm if still interested]

[Cats&Cucumbers]

† Mave ❅ The Snow Leopard ❅ 26 ❅ Female ❅ The Royal Keep (Old Wooden City)
Tagged: Other Shifters, Advisor
Mentioned: Vasily, Leo, Misha
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_____Mave was ready to jump out of her smooth, vulnerable, human skin. Never in her life had she even neared the edges of the keep's guard walls, let alone come inside of it, and she had never planned to. She had never gotten in trouble with the law— never gotten in trouble with anyone, really, and she didn't plan to start now. Her antler business was really only semi-legal— in the last 10 years, laws had been put in place to restrict hunting shifts from selling more than a certain number of animals (or equivalent in animal parts) a year (depending on the type of shift), with other hunters feeling as though it was otherwise unfair competition (they had to hunt in their human form, absent of a hunting shift, while shifters like her took down prey with relative ease, combining their shift's physical ability and their human mental capacity). Of course, as had been the trend with the government lately, they neglected to sympathize with the way of life for solitary creatures (the majority of which were predators) or small family clans in the wilderness, and if she were to abide by their laws, she would barely be able to afford more than spices and fruit. Besides, she knew how to manage deer populations— she doubted a single soul in this keep knew the intricate details of population management the way she and her mother and ancestors knew it. But all that to say, the sizable collection of antlers stored in her small hunting shack, hundreds of miles north from here, were not wholly legal, and she'd prefer not to risk exposure by waltzing into the only center of legality in their entire country. Yet, waltz she had done, initially summoned 3 months ago and immediately dropping everything to begin the trek down to the city, her haste not born out of loyalty to queen and country, but rather the innate drive that had never failed to keep her out of trouble in the past. When the big bear shift grunts move and shoves past you, you keep your head down; when the wolf clan 40 strong warns you off their territory, you scram; and when the leaders of a barely-civilized country command you to drop everything and come, you drop everything and go. So to the legal center she had gone, bypassing the inn in the trading district she frequented once a year, greeted by guards as soon as she entered the business district and validified herself as a "snow leopard shift"— the words which had immediately warranted a knowing, apprehensive glance between the guards (something which had almost caused her to shift on the spot out of fear). Her proverbial hackles only settled once the council revealed that she was not there to be punished, but rather to go on a rather risky and unnecessary quest.
_____She understood why the winter was bad— really, she did. She couldn't imagine what the flamingo shifts could be doing in this sort of weather, and if you were any sort of reptile or amphibian, this probably really sucked. She understood that, she even sympathized with it... minimally. Even she preferred a more normal winter that didn't erase the tracks of her prey as soon as they were made and didn't stifle any hope of tracing a scent most days. But to be honest, this winter was entirely livable for her, even as north as she was. As a skilled huntress in both forms with a with a shift designed for permanent winter, this was more like inconvenient weather than the fatal curse it had been to most of her neighbors. The most pressing consequence would be an inability to be human for very long, but that had never been a concern of hers anyway. A part of her wondered at the council's true concern over it, in fact, because even if there were a good amount of shifters taking a hit, there was no question they were the best suited for the cold compared to the other kingdoms. If she were them, she might be hoping the winter wrecks their competition, so they could return to the days of legend, united under one rule (a Shifter rule, of course). But, here she was, in a balmy 20 degrees, risking her life to end the "winter" instead of stalking elk up north, with strangers.
_____Yes, that was certainly the catch, wasn't it. A mission, even a dangerous one, fine, she could evade any confrontation, dodge any attack, and if hunting had taught her anything, it was a swift killing blow. She wasn't a "fighter" per say, but she was most certainly a killer, and if it was a choice between jail or a mission, well– she could always "go missing" on a mission, which was a lot harder to do from jail. But now, conveniently erasing every trace of her existence and was not an option— the shifters in front of her made sure of that. She walked— yes, walked, in her human form, to her continued distaste— at the back of the group out of habit as they crossed the courtyard. She knew them, now— she had watched most of them arrive, being one of the first to reach the city— but she didn't trust a single one of them yet. She had not seen them shift yet so she had no idea what the group consisted of, but from the way Vasily walked— long, striding steps and a sense of intention, she could only imagine he was a large animal of some sort. She felt similarly about the other silver-haired man in their group, Leo, and in fact, their hair was so similar she had initially wondered if they might be related, but they treated each other as strangers. Regarding the other 3, she was at a loss. If they weren't being sent on a deadly mission she would have thought them rather normal, but she didn't think the government was stupid enough to send normal humans into the catacombs, after what she had heard about them in the mission discussions.
_____Her lip curled faintly as they passed the people in the religious center. She had never sympathized with the need for a god— it reeked of weakness to her, of needing to feel mothered and watched over. She preferred to live in a world where the only thing above her head was a winter sky. Her gaze turned to the king's advisor as he spoke. He reeked of weakness too. The sight of him summoned the ever-pressing question to the forefront of her mind. "Why does our government, made up of champions and warriors, summon 6 everyday citizens to fight their demons?" It was the question they weren't allowed to ask, though, and she shoved it to the back of her mind. Eventually, curiosity (isn't that meant to kill her?) summoned her forward to peer down the tunnel. She didn't feel fear, or, at least, she wouldn't once she was able to shift— the darkness had always been a friend to the huntress. In her human form, however, she found everything caused the anxiety in her stomach to coil tighter. She imagined the sight was even more terrifying for those in the group without enhanced night vision. She glanced to her right, accidentally making eye contact with Misha, mostly because they had established themselves as a nervous character and she was secretly wondering if they would take off at a sprint before they even began their mission. But Misha was still there, so Mave turned back to the entrance with a huff of frustration to cover her nerves. "You too." She muttered ominously to the advisor as she stepped forward, hoping to leave him with the same sense of foreboding for his own safety as she currently felt for herself. They were going to have to move eventually, she reasoned, and she wasn't going to deal with the indignity of deciding who would be first. As she entered the catacombs, she felt immediately more comfortable than she had been in the courtyard of the castle. At least here, she was reminded of the dark rocky caves she frequented in the north, trickling water frozen into icy trails down the sides of the walls. The only difference was here, the wind didn't curl down into the courtyard, so the air was stagnant and still, an uncomfortable combination with the cold that she was unfamiliar with, having grown up in a land of railing winds and blinding winter sunshine.

[cainhurst]

♜ ━ 𝙹𝙰𝚈𝙼𝙴𝚂 𝙼𝙸𝙽𝙴𝚃𝚃 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

indentindentthe anatomist ✦ // location old wooden city innxx tags nym xx mentions other creators xx word count 1,520

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In nearly 30 years, Jaymes had never travelled before. Somehow, there had never been an opportunity for him to do so, not with how much of his time his studies and, later, his work occupied. He was much like his late father in that regard, he supposed, always too busy and caught up in his duties and research to make place for anything else. Truth be told, seeing the world had never been particularly high up on the list of things he wanted to do in his life in the first place; Aaron had always been much more inclined to leave their home up in the clouds and explore what else life had to offer in different parts of the world, a desire that had only seemed to grow with each passing year. His brother had often begged him to come along, naming a hundred different reasons as to why it would be beneficial to Jaymes, tempting him with promises of rare diseases to research (macabre, but certainly intriguing) and pleading puppy dog eyes (irresistible to him since day one) until he finally caved in, promising to tag along once the time was right. 'Someone has to keep an eye on you, after all', he'd said, if only to keep from smiling too much at the victorious look on his little brother's face.

Unfortunately, the right time hadn't come. Instead, the Creators Republic was ravaged by a devastating illness, leaving Jaymes to watch helplessly as it stole away his father and put a halt to all of his plans, including the ones he and Aaron had made with each other. In an unexpected turn of events, he now found himself in an unfamiliar land surrounded by equally unfamiliar people for the first time in his life - without his brother, and on a wild goose chase for a cure he wasn't even sure existed to begin with.

How strange life could be.

Lost in his own thoughts, the sound of the door being thrown open startled Jaymes enough to make him flinch. The cup of coffee in his hands—long cold by now—shook precariously before he managed to steady his hands, gazing down wearily until the dark liquid inside stopped sloshing from side to side. It was certainly good that the cup was nearly empty by now; if not, he would have likely spilled its contents and the idea of pouring coffee, cold or not, all over his lap wasn't appealing in the slightest. Once Jaymes was sure that there was no longer any danger of ruining his clothes, the man exhaled deeply, directing his eyes over to Nym just as she threw herself into a free chair. Where she got all that energy from, Jaymes didn't know, but at times simply watching her was exhausting. She was an absolute whirlwind, always moving or talking or doing both at the same time to the point he found himself struggling to keep up with her more often than not. They couldn't possibly have been more unlike each other, and the fact that they were now actively (trying to) work together was testament enough to how dire the situation back home was.

"You could at least try to seem a little sad over his death, you know?" It was a low mumble in an even, non-accusatory tone, spoken softly against the cheap ceramic cup as Jaymes raised it to his lips for another sip of coffee. It tasted awful now, of course, but he wasn't about to waste any of it. Not with what today had in store now that death had come knocking.

It wasn't surprising to hear that the old man had passed. As strange as the sentiment felt to him, it was what they had all been waiting for for the past few days. One look at him and Jaymes had known that the man didn't have much longer until his time ran out. Hell, even someone completely clueless in the doctor's area of expertise would have known based on his milky eyes, frail body, and rattling breath that sounded like pained gasps more than anything else. He'd felt awful about it, and he may have sought the man out privately a few days ago to provide him with medication to at least ease his suffering in his final days and make the process easier on him, but that wasn't really important. What mattered was that he was gone now and they could finally stop twiddling their thumbs while waiting for the next step of their plan to be set into motion.

Gulping down what was left of his coffee, Jaymes placed the cup on the nearby table and rose to his feet, making sure to stretch out his limbs in the process. He really wasn't looking forward to what was yet to come. The thought of dropping himself down the same chutes reserved for the recently deceased was even less appealing than the thought of spending another day out in the merciless cold while attempting to squeeze through tight passages, but there was no real alternative. They'd wasted precious time waiting for this opportunity already, and waiting even longer simply wasn't an option.

Jaymes' steps carried him over to where he'd put away his things, bending down to fish out and inspect the contents of the portable first aid kit he always kept on hand. He hoped they wouldn't need it, but it was better to be safe than sorry, especially while following risky and highly unpredictable plans such as theirs. "Make sure to cover up as much skin as as possible," he reminded his companions, fingers hovering over the small selection of disinfectant, medical gauze, and other assorted supplies as he double-checked that nothing was missing, "and bring something you can easily cover your mouth and nose with. The last thing we need is someone catching something from any decaying corpses we may come into contact with."

Pausing for a moment, Jaymes tilted his head to the side, losing himself to his thoughts once again. "Or toxigenic mould. I'm sure there'll be mould down there. Venomous spiders? Possibly. Diseased rats? Definitely. What kind of provisory underground mass grave doesn't have those? Hopefully not the rabid kind. Now rabies, that'd just be awful. Especially furious rabies. Saw it once, during my studies. Not a pleasant way to go. Poor soul couldn't even drink water anymore. Merely suggesting he drink something caused muscle spasms in his throat and larynx so painful and severe he... Oh, I digress. I'm sure it'll be fine. We'll be fine. Don't worry."

Even as he went off on his "what could potentially lead to our slow or not so slow, yet very much untimely death barely a week into our mission" tangent, he sounded remarkably calm, like he was exploring the options rather than actively worrying about them. Now, the fact he was prattling on and on, that could have been a clear indication he was more nervous than he let on. He had a tendency to fill the silence when he was nervous.

Satisfied that the kit still contained everything he might need in an emergency, Jaymes carefully tucked it back into his bag, taking it with him as he went to retrieve the rest of his clothes. As long as nobody shattered a few important bones on the way down, he'd likely be able to at least temporarily patch up any other potential injuries until they could be tended to properly. "Treasure hunt? Well, that's certainly one way to look at it. Almost makes it sound fun," Jaymes muttered back, fingers nimbly buttoning up his coat before moving on to gloves, hat, and a thick scarf loosely wrapped around his neck. Anything to keep the cold at bay. Slinging the bag over his shoulder and securing it, he stole one last, wistful gaze at the warm fire, hoping that today would be a success. It had to be.

Jaymes stepped towards the door quietly, cracking it open just enough to risk a peek outside. He wasn't the only one, he noted - if people seemed to share one trait everywhere, it was a morbid curiosity and fascination with death. Careful not to draw too much attention to himself, the doctor solemnly watched as city guards pooled into the old man's room to retrieve him and carry him to his resting place. Little did they know they'd also be serving as a guide for the living today, and Jaymes intended to keep it that way. The moment the guards emerged with the corpse covered underneath a flimsy sheet, he withdrew again, softly clicking the door back closed. "May you rest in peace," he uttered under his breath, shoving aside the pang of guilt of not having done more to help. This wasn't the time for that.

Straightening up and clasping his hands together behind his back, Jaymes turned to face his companions once more, only briefly holding eye contact with each individual as to not seem impolite. "Everyone ready to get going? All covered up? Grabbed everything you need—or want—to bring along?"

[cainhurst]

➸ ━ 𝙺𝙰𝙻𝙿𝙰𝙽𝙰 𝚃𝙰𝙻𝙸𝙽 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

indentindentthe wind ✦ // location outskirts of the wooden city, sewer entrancexx tags caj xxmentions other elementals xxword count 1,510

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Soft summer breezes and harsh gusts of winter wind, Kalpana knew both intimately, like an old friend that had walked alongside her for as long as she could remember. She loved the wind, and the wind loved her, that's how it had always been. Well, every relationship came with rough patches, and this was certainly theirs; the harsh winter storm ripped at her shivering form as though it intended to tear her apart and blow the pieces far away, never to be found. Sputtering to get a stray strand of long hair out of her mouth for what felt like the hundredth time within the span of a single minute, Kalpana forced herself to take a step, and then another, and then some more, almost blindly following the flicker of Caj's flame ahead of their little group. Bless him. If she squinted hard enough, she could almost imagine it to be the glow of an alluring fireplace, calling to her with promises of warmth, safety and comfort.

Almost.

At first, Kalpana had done her best to shield the group by softening the storm bearing down on them, but that soon proved to be a task far bigger than she could handle. It worked briefly, but the further their journey led them into this blinding, seemingly endless wasteland of snow and ice, the harder it became to provide any sort of protection from the sheer unrelenting element she usually controlled with a playful ease. When faced with the decision of either continuing her fruitless endeavour of trying—and failing—to make the trip easier, or saving her energy, the latter option was clearly the favourable one. Especially with how exhausting it was to pave a path through the thick blanket of snow, even with others walking ahead of her. There was no point in overexerting herself before they'd even gotten anywhere close to where they were supposed to be. Hopefully, she'd get plenty more opportunities to be useful and do her part.

She was going to have a serious talk with her element about treating her like this once they were out of this blasted storm. Not that she could actually communicate with it in the form of words, but nothing, absolutely nothing, would stop her from trying... If they even managed to make it to their first stop at all, that was.

As though the world had heard her thoughts and decided to show the weary travellers braving the storm some mercy, her eyes caught a fleeting sight of the first sign of civilization through the heavy snowfall. "Thank the Heavens," she breathed out, the words immediately torn from her cold lips and lost to the howling winds around them. Suddenly, it seemed as though movement came easier, her tired limbs rejuvenated at the mere thought of making it out of the blizzard still threatening to swallow them alive.

Kalpana pushed herself to pick up the pace and go just a little faster, ignoring the burn of sore muscles struggling against the snow and the weight of her supplies. Raising an arm to shield her face and better keep the glorious lustre of illuminated windows in sight, she briefly mulled over how they would proceed once they arrived. She'd never been one to make detailed plans for every possible outcome, much preferring to tackle any potential issues head-on whenever they arose. It wouldn't be much different for her this time around; they had managed to construct a rough outline of where to go and how they expected to get there, but the details needed to be ironed out as they went.

No problem, she could work with that. Kalpana worked best on her feet and finding a spontaneous solution to problems came easy to her, yet she'd be lying if she claimed to not be at least a little nervous. It was less the unexpected and more what she already did know about their plan that worried her. The prospect of heading into a location like the sewers of a giant city, more likely than not a confusing maze of potentially narrow pipes and tight spots, unsettled her. If she couldn't see the sky, she didn't like being there. Though, at this point, the discomfort of entering an underground location would likely prove more pleasant than staying outside for even a second longer than absolutely necessary. Frostbite and hypothermia were two experiences she could definitely go without.

The last stretch between them and their goal was somehow both the easiest and most gruelling part of their journey so far. With the promise of shelter, no matter how unsavoury, dangling right in front of her, Kalpana found herself counting each step under her breath, unintentionally reminding her of just how long she continued to march on still. By the time they'd finally made it to the city's massive outer walls, the elemental had to heave in breath after breath of burning cold air. Bending over to place her hands on her knees, Kalpana took a moment to collect herself and catch her breath, blinking away the wetness in her eyes to clear her vision. She wasn't sure whether it was snow or tears from the sheer exhaustion of that final spurt towards the metaphorical finishing line, but either way, they'd made it and that alone instilled a sense of renewed determination and strength in her.

Looking up but remaining in her hunched over position just a little longer, Kalpana found herself silently admiring the city towering above them. Obscured as it was by snowfall and clouds alike, it was still a wonderful sight to behold. Knowing that there was no time to go sightseeing was disappointing, but the way she saw it, there'd be plenty of time to do so one day, after this journey came to an end. "Well," as her breathing levelled out, Kalpana struggled back into an upright position, putting her hands on her hips, "nothing quite like almost freezing to death together to get your blood pumping and instil a sense of comradery, no?" Dropping her gaze from the beautiful architecture down to the sewer pipe they'd found themselves in front of, the entrance not unlike the maw of a beast ready to devour them, her face scrunched up. "Though, honestly, I'd rather skip the 'crawl around in filthy sewers' part and head inside the city to warm up in front of a nice fire and share a few drinks to celebrate our survival... Well, nothing we can do about it now. Maybe later? First round's on me."

She didn't want to go in. Kalpana was not usually one to hesitate, but then again, she usually also didn't go spelunking in long abandoned sewer systems. Just don't think about it. The more you think about it, the worse it gets. With one last deep in- and exhale, the woman returned Caj's smile and approached, reminding herself that the sooner they were inside, the sooner they could get out again. "Sure, I'll go first. Thanks, Caj." As agile as she was, the boost was appreciated, especially with the additional weight of her pack dragging her down.

Hands reaching upwards, Kalpana grasped onto the edge of the pipe as soon as it was in reach. Lifting herself up and into the pipe proved to be a little more difficult than she anticipated, though the cold was at least partially to blame for it. Anything was harder when your body felt more like a chunk of ice than flesh.

Trying not to think about what kind of gunk and sludge was soaking into her clothes, Kalpana finally pulled herself fully into the pipe, rising to her feet as soon as she could... and was faced with a dark void stretching out in front of her, no discernible end in sight. She found herself staring into the darkness for longer than she cared to admit, frozen in place for an entirely different reason than the cold this time around. Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Just, do not think about it. Don't be afraid. You can do this. She repeated it in her head like a mantra, her heart thrumming behind her ribs like a caged bird attempting to break free.

She hadn't even stepped deeper inside, yet the knot in her stomach was undeniable. "It's... pretty dark. Like, a bottomless pit kinda dark." Swallowing hard around the lump threatening to form in her throat, Kalpana squared her shoulders, forcing a grin onto her features as she turned away from the darkness to peek back out. "If the next lucky visitor to the thrilling Wooden City Sewer System Tour would like to hand their pack over first, feel free to. Far easier to get in without the extra weight on your back." Lowering herself into a kneeling position, Kalpana extended a hand outward to accept any baggage that might be handed her way. "Right behind me is the first main attraction: gross sludge and the void itself!"

At least she wasn't going in there alone. She would manage... somehow.

[enby]

━ 𝑀𝐼𝑆𝐻𝐴 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

the coyote 〱 location: the royal keep | mentions: Maveric, Vasily | tags: Vasily

Misha's eyes darted around their surroundings, never had they thought in their life that they'd be sent to help the royal keep of all things- they were a coyote shifter, so to many- a thief, a mischievous being with nothing but the intent to do things unwanted by others. They kept their eyes glued to the ground, pupils dilated in a sense of fear, their nose attacked with the scent of others and the scent of people around the area, giving them a bit of a headache to take it all in at once, adding to the headache they already had from the stress and anxiety they consumed their stomach. ''God why did this have to be me, out of everyone, why'd I get chosen for this? My smarts? I can't know.'' They thought to themself, brows furrowing as they pushed ashy blonde hair that blew from in front of their face. They were one of the last to arrive- being hesitant to do so, they didn't trust many people and they knew they were one to sometimes get into trouble, so they feared the worst when they found out they'd been requested to be here.

Their eyes glanced to the figures near them, praying- a grimace expression spread across their face as they quickly looked away, feeling mostly sympathy for those who were desperate enough to do something like that, they felt bad for everyone of course but they themself weren't very effected by the cold, and they rather enjoyed it but weather like this was harsh and they knew not everyone could fair well in such conditions. They listened to Advisor, watching his shaking and weak hands open the gates for the group; their face flushing a bit awkwardly, and nervously as they made quick eye contact with Maveric, quickly looking away and waiting for the others to descend into the tunnel, in which they were a bit to scared to go in first. They soon followed suit though and raised their shoulders to press against their cold cheeks, holding onto the coat that they had wrapped around them and nuzzling their nose in the blanket wrapped around their shoulders.

As they followed the group, they peered up at the taller man beside them as they felt a familiar scent hit their nose- their brows furrowed a tad as they eyed him, their eyes widening a tad as they realized who it was- Vasily. Their cheeks heated with the feeling of mild excitement to see someone they knew. ''Vas..Vasily! It's Misha.'' They spoke out quietly, their Russian accent thick as they held onto his cloak a tad, their footsteps following. ''It's been a while, oh I'm glad to know you're here.'' They let out a quiet weak laugh, they had always felt safe with Vas as he had helped them many times in the past, and Misha had done the same for him and so they had felt the most safe with him as he was even one of the few people they had met in the early days of their running away from home- so to Misha, Vasily felt almost like a home.

[borahae.]

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𝐋𝐄𝐎 ! ! ───────────


wolf shifter ✩ twenty-five ✩ tag: shifters ✩ location: the royal keep

Where the wolf had grown cold in his solitude, distant from society and its many needs and injustices for favor of maintaining his peace in the depth of the woods, he'd been forced to thaw at the beckoning of the royal family to the Wooden City; while unsure how officials had ever managed to find him, and less than eager to ever find out, Leo didn't have long to hesitate when he received the letter, knowing full well that there wasn't much of a choice at hand regardless of the contents of the cursed thing. Albeit new to the world of summons and big cities, aware enough to know the powers of the capital without ever having step foot in it before, the silver haired boy packed a day's clothes into a bag before slinging it over his shoulder and heading out the door, only opening the seal on the envelope when he was already half a day out.

Despite having no ties or loyalties to the royals or the Wooden City, upon reading of the widespread damage of the relentless winters on the populations of shifters throughout their land, Leo felt his chest ache. A winter which seemed only temporary before was plaguing the land, and despite his love for the snow, even the wolf found himself hoping to never again see another snowflake fall. Knowing the plague firsthand, his meals growing skimpier and far-between as the animal populations migrated and left him little to hunt, Leo was completely disheartened to hear that the struggle was spreading further and further to the point that the royals had no other choice but to fight for a solution. And much to his surprise, so much so that he had to pause and reread the statement nearly 4 times over with furrowed brows before he could even begin to comprehend it, the royals thought that he'd somehow be able to assist in this solution.
So, with a fastened pace, the boy continued the journey to the Wooden City with more questions than answers.

Fast forward about a week, and here the boy stood, still just as alone among the crowd of carefully selected shifters as he was in his cabin. Following the rest of the group as they weaved through the place of prayer with the royal advisor as their guide, staying a few paces back from his companions for sake of keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings, Leo found his eyes drifting to the people in prayer with the slightest of frowns on his face; after all, if there truly was a god, could they really be letting their people suffer so much?

His past week in the Wooden City had passed by in a blur, remembering little else than the constant overflow of scents clouding his senses as he entered past each ring and met person after person, an onslaught to his already sensitive nose which left him in quite the pouty mood. Irritable and left feeling more confused each time he met with the next official who told him of his quest and it's utmost importance, avoiding telling him any actual details regarding the quest itself for the sake of some vow of secrecy to the royals, Leo couldn't help but to let that moodiness bleed into the introductions to the other members of his traveling team; even after having known these 5 other shifters for the past few days, he'd hardly said more than a word to the rest of them, courtesy of his social ineptness and bad attitude.

So, when they came to a sudden halt in front of the mouth of a cave and were left with the hesitance of having to brave being first, Leo couldn't help but to wish he'd paid a bit more attention to the names of his companions as a brunette stepped forward with little fear and led the way. Wow....that was...brave. And cool. Seriously cool. With a sense of awe and a sudden motivation he'd had yet to find in this new environment, the boy moved past the other members of his group that were still standing still in favor of following after the other, silent but the slightest of grins on his lips as he trailed after her. Remember to ask for her name, next time.

[`silver]

𝐂𝐘𝐑𝐔𝐒 𝐍𝐈𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐒
tags; none mentions; all shifters location; deer village > wooden city > catacombs word count; 1,169

The village elder had warned them all of the impending flurries of snow and ice that the wind carried from the northern territories, cultivating behind the indigo scores of chiseled rock across the horizon. Here, past the rocky outcrops in a valley where they could escape the blistering wind, sat a small village of deer shifters preparing for the harshest winter ever to be predicted. Cyrus shuddered at the bitingly cold breeze that offered but a taste of what was to come. It wasn’t the only thing to steadily bring him to a halt though. His hands were shaky as he tied several pieces of firewood together, mouth pressed into a thin line as his dark blue eyes focused intensely on his task at hand. He wanted to distract himself from the letter that sat in his pocket, prodding annoyingly at his side like a hot coal that refused to be smothered even when separated from the rest.

It was a message from the royal family. They’d found out where him and his parents had hunkered down, likely having to have scoured the countless smaller settlements in the region just to cause a stir with the tightly knit communities. Rumors spread like wildfire through the village, people ducking their heads whenever he passed them nowadays instead of offering their neighborly greetings. Their eyes were full of envy now, maybe even a bit of fear. They spoke in wavering tones, wrought with tension, filling Cyrus’s mind with a kind of irritability that fell like the gentlest snow. It started as a few soft flurries of powder until it built and built, manifesting into a reality within the next few days and refusing to stop.

Cyrus had thought that maybe if no one responded to the message, that nothing would happen. They were far too close to the Creators border so who knew how long it even took for the royals to locate them. Months? Unless they’d somehow gotten the message to personnel in the industrious central territory to cross the unfamiliar border on important business, it wouldn’t be safe. The possibilities were small considering how much the elites in that town whined about how security was incompetent. Not like he knew about their security procedures or anything. He sat on the edge of his bed, sighing deeply as the letter sat in his hands once more. He glared at it, gripping the edges tautly until his hands began to tremble before he just tossed the damn thing onto the floor and abruptly got to his feet to stand in front of the crackling fireplace. If he didn’t respond to the summons, they would just send another one. The elder had told him time and time again that ignoring his birthright as a shifter would do nothing but bring trouble. Dark blue eyes trailed from the fire to a small figure that sat on his desk, paired with a handwritten note. “No matter how far I run, it’s never far enough, huh.” He murmured aloud, walking over to take the figure into his hands. It was a hand-whittled figure of a stag, one his older brother had carved for him when he’d been a child still mulling over what toy to play with. Back then, he hadn’t known his origins nor the powers that sat quietly inside of him. Everyone but him knew, and they all tried so desperately to keep it under wraps under the guise of keeping him safe when in reality, it was all for the sake of his parents saving face.

If he didn’t go, they would just make the village pay for his rebellion and even though their mannerisms down to their very faith in him had been squandered by a single, wax-stamped envelope, he couldn’t blame them for they way they acted. This village hadn’t seen a real deer shifter since the elder had been a child—they merely carried the blood hoping to pass on genes and for another to be born. No one else can take his place. The royal family doesn't even know that he's gone.

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"I'm here to represent the deer shifter." Guards were the only thing that halted his advance into the upper portions of the Wooden City, their eyes challenging his dark blue ones as he identified himself. He could tell they'd expected someone else, their hesitation curbed only for the fact that they'd received word of a few other shifters having shown up to their summons already. Apprehension had Cyrus keeping his gaze at the multitude of buildings that entrenched them, their rooftops heavy with the burden of heavy snow and their structures changing the way the wind sifted between them. The whole city seemed to be howling with a foreign song that nearly made him miss the village. But once you leave, it's forbidden to return. He reminded himself knowingly, stepping lightly across the courtyard caked in several inches of snow as he traversed into the newest chapter of his life. There was no time for looking back.

A different type of chill lanced down his backside upon entering the residence that he would now be sharing with an assortment of shifters. It caught the breath in his throat, not allowing him to swallow down the lump that was gradually forming all because of the fact that his instincts were screaming for him to essentially run as fast he could away from them all. Why, he wondered, out of all the times he'd been in danger they'd never threatened to immobilize him like they were now. They each carried their own recognizable scents, hearts varying in their tempo yet all following the same rhythmic pace. His eyes didn't have to scour their expressions for him to take note of whom was to be trusted and as such, he allowed a warm acknowledgement to leave his lips to them all.

In fact, their very auras were already shedding their light to him as the proximity to their destination decreased with every mousey little squeak that chirped from their skittish guide. It would only be a matter of time for when they each shone the brightest. Somehow, they'd all been convinced to head into the catacombs of the city. The wide, yawning mouth seemed to pull Cyrus in the longer he stared at it, his legs bringing him to stand beside Vasily whilst Mave and Leo were swallowed up by the darkness. He could hear trickling coming from the interior, stagnant air halting the unrelenting wind he'd gotten so used to with it's clammy reality. Cyrus opened his mouth to say something to the silver-haired man, but upon hearing an excited whisper he simply smiled at him reassuringly before following after the two that had gone ahead in order to give them some space. Nobody was fully hesitating nor did there appear to be any discord and that alone reassured him. Their destination was unknown, guided only by words of legend, but for some reason his chest felt warm.

[`silver]

𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐖𝐎𝐎𝐃
tags; kalpana, caj mentions; all elementals location; Trader's Haven > Wooden City's sewers word count; 1,372

A dark shadow loomed in silence over several fallen bodies strewn across an alleyway, dark eyes sweeping across their unconscious faces as if ensuring they weren’t feigning their slumbers before their shoulders lowered ever so slightly. A scarred hand slowly wiped away the stream of crimson that flooded from their nose, pausing when a booming voice broke the air. Her cue to leave. Silver merely glanced over her shoulder when footsteps bounced rapidly off the walls, using the sounds to judge just how far she’d have to run before they’d cease their chase and swiftly exited the interval between buildings. Another exclamation nearby meant they were hot on her trail, but she dove for a crowd of people by Trader’s Haven, thinking to blend in with the multitude of cloaked and long coated individuals that appeared to be gathering at several stands for some kind of event. Luckily, most of her perpetrators raced past her section, only a few lingering in order to scour the sea of humans for her familiar face. Silver was recognized only by those that she was hired by contract for, her powers having been a boon more than a curse as of late since it seemed like the particular town she’d strode into was rich in people hiring hitmen like her to do their dirty work. A port town, bustling with life and potential riches to be both made and also not so humbly acquired, it seemed.

Unfortunately for her though, she’d sifted her way through an assortment of people that had a few royal ambassadors inserted into the mix and one in particular took enough interest in her appearance to approach without any caution. It was a woman about her age whom caught her by surprise, grabbing her hands and pulling her to the front of the line, blabbering excitedly about how she’d found the perfect contender for their excursion. “I.. No, I think you’re mistaken..”, Silver tried to raise her voice over the chatter, but if the woman had heard her she’d been promptly ignored as an envelope was now being stuffed into her hands. The woman was bright eyed when she matter-of-factly brought up how she’d seen Silver beat up the men in the alley, her voice still cheery when she drew closer, mentioning how she could just as easily hail over the nearest royal guard to arrest her. Silver’s eyes snapped harshly up to the woman’s beaming face, a glare settling into her eyes as she radiated an energy that had the crowd beginning to part away from her. The woman had seen her face, analyzed her abilities and given her a task on behalf of the royal family according to the letter that she half-heartedly read in front of her. The woman gasped in delight when Silver pinched in bridge of her nose before muttering a low agreement. Damn it all.

She had to admit, whomever had sorted all of this out truly was putting all of their faith in a handful of people and just expecting them to get along. Of course to the royal family, anyone that wasn't them or those directly below were likely seen as disposable, but why go through the effort of summoning individuals or picking them up like lost children? There was an understandable reason for the sudden roundup though. The rot that was wreaking havoc across the once illustrious land was a product of humanity, from how people were describing it. She had yet to see it's effects up close, but enough stories had been passed around including those from Caj of how it could swallow the land and change lush greenery into the barren tar pits of ages past. Ever-gnawing away at both land and water, spreading like a plague and sentencing those unable to escape it's vice to an untimely demise. The idea of everything you know being there one day and being gone the next, it stirred something in her. Regret? An unshakable type of loneliness? She couldn't give it only one name. The loss of something physical for it to become real in only intangible memories or photos frozen in time, it was indescribable.

A crackling, amber-orange light acted as a literal beacon for Silver to follow for when her vision was blurred by the endless swathes of snow. Entering the northern territories of the Shifters provided her with a sight she'd never thought she'd get to see. Snow, ice, frost. The warm, humid climates of the region where Elementals existed could've never been graced with such a welcome sight and even now that they'd been trudging through it at a merciless pace, she still couldn't help but allow the ghost of a smile to settle on her face at the howling whirlwinds or the fact that she couldn't feel her hands. It wasn't something that happened often so her appreciation for it went unhindered. Should anyone look behind themselves in her general direction, her deadpan expression would promptly return, but the childish streak of excitement remained in her thudding chest and in the way she refused to stagger.

Part of her had some hope that they'd come across some kind of animal to break the bleakness of their surroundings, but on the other hand it was probably better that they hadn't considering they had crossed into territory where beast could also be man. With a broken sigh, she worked her shoulders a bit to get some of the stiffness out, nearly running into Kalpana when she finally realized that they'd closed in on the wall of the Wooden City's outermost ring. Thankfully, she'd natural swerved around the woman as she spoke, following her gaze skyward to assess the first marker of their trek. The wall stretched far beyond what she could see past the snow flying into her vision, thick windowpanes lining their smooth, durable structure, marred only by their planned point of entry into the city. A glance to Kalpana and Silver nearly wanted to reach out and help the woman back up in seeing how she initially struggled to return to her standing position, noting the way her face fell when she looked at the sewer pipe before it scrunched up. She's ... scared? Her eyes drifted to Caj and his big grin, her eyes narrowing a bit at the fact that he'd take a sewer over the snow. Her numb hands would probably agree with him.

She had to give Kalpana the benefit of the doubt for not being the type to allow her fears to reign over her sense of duty. The wind elemental had thanked Caj for the boost, pulling herself up into the shallow-looking stream that was coming from the pipe, but when she froze Silver tilted her head a bit, unable to see her expression as her back was now turned to them all. She'd just barely made out Kalpana's words as the fact that she should probably go next stamped out all other thoughts, her heart beginning to thud rapidly as her eyes swept from Caj up to Kalpana's outstretched hand. Wariness struck her, nearly cemented her in place if not for the mental shove that propelled her forward a few careful steps. "I'll.. go next." She half murmured to herself, shrugging her shoulders to adjust her pack's straps before taking a long glance at the both of them.

"Caj, thank you. Kalpana, watch your hand." Without Caj's boost there was no way she could've reached that pipe, but she was sure that she could keep her belongings on her. The moment she touched the metal pipe, a shock of cold raced down her arms and she fought the instinct to release as she pulled herself through the grayish substance that lined the bottom of it, huffing with quiet effort. The sudden usage of strength made her muscles burn with defiance, but she didn't allow it to stop her from raising to her full height, looking to Kalpana and dipping her head respectfully before venturing further into the darkness. She strained to hear or see anything that might be shrouded by the lack of light, but her senses told her that it was just them and the gunky underfoot right now.

[Crazycookiemonster]

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ALEX schmitt ▪ 27 ▪ shifter - lynx ▪ located royal keep > catacombs ▪ tagged shifters
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Alex stopped right before the decent into the wooden city to pull out a hand carved metal flask, letting her fingers run over the engravings as her eyes soaked in the peaceful city center. The flask had engravings of trees which had been craved by her father many years ago before his unfortunate death. Her thumb circled the top of the flask for a minute before sneaking under the top to release it with a satisfying popping sound. She pulled down her scarf and let out a deep misty breath as her eyes followed a few people braving the blizzard, before taking a quick deep sip. The warmth of the home made vodka gave her the last little kick she need to start the descent towards the wooden city. Candles were constantly burning even in broad daylight as if acting like a beacon through the relentless snow. As Alex started to make her way to the guards stationed at the gate she couldn't help but think about why she had been chosen for a this task. Alex had spent most of her life alone at the edge of the mountains in a cabin with her father, learning how to survive on her own. Her father had taught her how to get everything she needed from the forest and land around her, so they barely ever came to the wooden city. So when she received a letter asking her personally to come, she was very taken back and reluctantly agreed since they were six other shifters were asked to come as well.

One of the guards flagged her to come over as she approached the gate, "Lynx shifter, as per requested by.." Alex started to say before pulling out the letter only to find the ink had smudged and become unreadable, "ugh.. by somebody." She looked back up at one of the guards with a weak smile, he rolled his eyes and stood aside for her to pass through the doors of the gate. Quickly walking pass them before they could change their mind, Alex pulled her scarf back up over her nose not really enjoying the smell of the town. It was so inorganic and almost smelled dead in a way that made her nose tickle.

Walking up to the building where she would be spending the next couple months and her nose was overwhelmed by how many scents were floating in the air around the building. She pulled hard on the door before stepping into the room which felt colder then outside, taking a quick look around she felt quite small compared to everyone. An empty bed caught her sight and she walked over to it then dropped her bag down on it, the quietness was a little overwhelming. As the week went on it seemed like the group of shifters where being dragged all around being lectured at about something to do with ending the blizzard which Alex didn't really pay much attention too. She actually preferred the cold, she loved how the snow would blanket everything. The world with snow in it was quite simple, survive or don't.

Following the advisor down a dark set of stars, Alex was determined to just drift away into her own thoughts, not excited to be lectured again about some hot springs, but was taken back when it landed in front of a cave. Alex had stayed at the back of the crowd for the most part just feeling like a child being dragged to events by their parent, but their was something about the smell of the cave that intrigued her. She took a few steps, pushing past what she could determine was a deer, a bear and a wolf, to stand behind the leopard. The whole group had been pretty silent even though they had spent close to a full week together so Alex wasn't sure of everyone's names, but she could smell what they were under their human mask. Intrigued for the first time since walking through the gate the wooden city she followed the leopard into the catacombs, letting her fingers trace along stone that been hidden away from the frozen world above. Taking a look back and then to the leopard, she tilted her head toward the depths of the catacombs almost like a tease, wanting to dive into the darkness of the unknown.

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[Stargazer3000]

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location the catacombs
mentioned other shifters
tagged cyrus, misha

Vas knew darkness - to him it was the embrace of the wilderness; a lingering promise of freedom. No sense of trepidation held him at the mouth of the catacombs, but rather a remnant skill ingrained into his very bones from years of adventuring; the shifter paused to inhale deeply, his eyes involuntarily drifting closed as he cradled the chilled air at the back of his throat deciphering what he could of the unknown in front of him. Mold, stale air, and decay swept over his senses, telling a wholly expected story of eternal rest, but there was something else, something…sweet that he couldn’t quite place, so faint that for a second he thought he’d imagined it.

Vas’s eyebrows furrowed as he tried to pick apart the scent - rotten. Or rather rotting - the dead have no place above the ground - his thoughts were interrupted as the group began to make their way forward. Unwilling to remain in the hallowed, oppressive silence of the ornately decorated chamber Vas followed, still turning over the scent in his mind, determined to figure out its meaning.

Briefly he felt a pair of eyes on him and turned to catch their source, his gaze settling on a man who had drawn close as the group funneled forward across the threshold into the yawning darkness. The man opened his mouth in the same moment that Vas had inhaled once again, but instead of picking up the stranger’s scent as intended, he instead registered a much more familiar smell behind him, cocking his head slightly to catch a glimpse of the crafty shifter.

A small upward twitch in the corner of his mouth was the only indication that he was pleased by the coyote’s presence - and he was pleased. “Misha,” he murmured, his voice gruff with misuse, the rumbled name passing for his version of a warm greeting. The fact that he hadn’t picked up on their presence was, if anything, a testament to their stealth skills, and with a gaze that might even be taken as fond in the flickering light of his lantern, Vas stole a quick glance down at the shifter. It wasn’t their unease that struck him first, but rather their slight figure - it wasn’t unexpected given the length of the storm, but still, concern brushed over his conscience.

Feeling the gentle tug on his cloak, a smile ghosted across Vas’s face as he slowed his steps, giving the coyote time to get in front of him, murmuring in a low voice, “I’ve got your back”. The words were swallowed by the darkness as he fell into the tail end position of the group - though not before he’d grabbed a slice of jerky from the pouch at his waist and pressed it into the smaller shifter’s hands.

The air didn’t stir in the catacombs as the group moved continually downward following a winding path with an increasingly steep grade. The first rooms that they’d passed had been ornately decorated - clearly recent burials with shimmering shrouds wrapped around bodies or tombs, golden embroidery at the edges of tapestries telling the stories of saint and royals, heroes and martyrs. The bodies were encased in a kind of glass dome, and Vas idly let his gaze linger on them - horrible to be on display like a bug with a pin through you. Here the trail of the catacombs was wide, allowing at least two to stand shoulder to shoulder, but as the group’s elevation decreased, so did the space of the winding path. The rooms too became smaller, the gleaming opulence giving way to rich colors, then dull hues, then simple linen then nothing at all as the off-shooting rooms became corridors. Vas grew increasingly aware that the group was in a maze, marching blindly downward and simply following whichever path was steepest. As far as plans went, it wasn’t by far the worst one he’d participated in, yet the narrowing passage still made his hands clench into fists.

An hour into their journey, the catacomb walls pressed in on all sides, pathways leading off into unknown darkness sprouting periodically in their lamplight before being swallowed back up by the darkness. The trail had grown increasingly steep, and was now pitched a grade that was beginning to make Vas’s boots slip on the floor slickened by a trickle of running water - likely snowmelt coming in through the cracks in the walls. The air was warmer, for certain, but damp and thick, and the tail end of Vas’s cape grew heavy as it dragged behind him. The trickling droplets soon became a steady stream as the group continued down, covering the entirety of the pathway and reaching above Vas’s ankles.

Water never bothered Vas, but it made the going slow, and worse yet his lantern was beginning to fade - a result of the damp air. For a moment it sputtered pathetically, and as Vas turned his gaze to the dying flame he felt a sickening crunch beneath his boot. A rat, now undeniably dead, drifted forward away from his position at the tail end of the group buoyed by the steady flow of water, and a low grumble of displeasure made its way up his throat, the noise lost amongst the warbling of the stream.

Vas raised his gaze to the others, intending to let them know to look out for the rat’s body, but the words died on his lips - before them the trail ended. ‘Ended’ wasn’t quite the right word, though, because there were technically two trails before the group, a fork in their path. To the right, a trail led sharply upward into the darkness, with a matching stream to their own - the exact opposite direction that they needed to be traveling in. To the left the trail sloped steeply downward, the water filling in the space between the floor and ceiling leaving a gap just high enough for a head; they’d have to swim if they chose this path.

In truth Vas didn’t care which path the group settled on; as an ice bear swimming came naturally, so instead of providing his input, he took a beat the inhale once again. This time the sweet smell wasn’t just strong, it was oppressive - focus, what is it, where is it - and Vas whirled to find its source. Behind him in the tunnel the group had just emerged from he heard the scratching of thousands of tiny claws, accompanied by a chorus of soft chittering. As his lantern sputtered again, a rat emerged from the shadows, its emaciated body clinging to the wall with wildly rolling pale eyes built for the dark searching out Vas’s form. And now, at lost last, as he eyed the foaming white spittled dripping from between the rat’s yellowing teeth Vas figured out what that sweet smell had been; rabies.

Rabies was a sealed death curse with no cure, likely festering among the rats who feasted on the remains of whoever was entombed in this damned place - and it certainly explained the glass cases on the upper level - it’s hard to pay your respects to a half eaten corpse. Like a dull roar the chittering grew, and though he couldn’t see them just yet, Vas knew there were hundreds, maybe thousands of infected rats clawing their way towards the first fresh meat they’d likely seen in years. Growling an expletive, Vas drew forth a dagger from his belt, slamming the blade into the rat crawling on the wall just as his lantern sputtered futilely once more, being careful not to let the creature sink its teeth into him. Making sure that the group hear him, Vas shouted over the sound of the running water and incoming swarm, “Whatever direction we’re going in, go NOW.”

[Crazycookiemonster]

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ALEX schmitt ▪ 27 ▪ shifter - lynx ▪ located royal keep > catacombs ▪ tagged shifters
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Alex let her fingers wander over the stones of the catacombs, her nail digging under the slimey moss texture. Pulling a bit of moss off the wall, she gave it a few squeezes, finding that it was rather tacky, she gave a quick side glace to the rest of her companions who looked like stoic statues all very expressionless. With an eyeroll her fingers pulled off a little bit more of the moss, before catching up with the group, all while letting her hands play with the sticky mess.

The catacombs were a wondering mess, they pitched tons of different smells and it was hard to tell were the scent was coming from, since it seem to just be seeping through the walls. Soon the tunnels started to get narrower and more claustrophobic causing Alex to slip to the back of the pack. Since she had spent most of the week not paying attention she had no desire to take lead and dictate which direction to go in, she would save that for the fearless bear leader. Though the further they wandered into the maze an underlying smell was very apparent, and alex couldn't place it no matter how hard she thought about it. A small stream of water was the only sound that could be heard echoing through the tunnel and Alex was now convinced that a few of them had to have their tongues frozen off since she had only heard the bear and coyote speak. Not that Alex was much better.

Alex was following up the trail end of the shifters as the caboose since the tunnels had narrowed to really only allow one person to walk and with her being on the shorter side the jolly green giants in front of her it was getting darker and darker. She couldn't help but keep failing behind, there was just so many things to look at from the various types of tombs to carvings, not to mention the smells. It was almost like walking into a spice shop, not that you wanted to buy any of these spices, but it was just overwhelming that it couldn't help but continue to pull Alex's head. Though as Alex started to follow the scent, she found herself crouched on the floor looking at the body of what she thought could be a rat. It was bloated and smelled of something foul, that didn't stop alex, no she stood up and gave it a little kick with her foot, but the second that her foot made contact with the rat it clicked. Alex's back straighten up stiff and she looked quickly at the bear who was staring right through her to where the group had just came from. Coming form the tunnel was at first a very faint scratch sound, then it turned into a hum, and that was it for Alex.

Without even thinking about it she shifted as a fear coping mechanism and darted through the group. In her lynx form she was far more agile, not to mention it made it much easier to push past everyone, before darting straight up the incline. She knew very well that rats could swim and hold their breath, but that she could easily out run them assuming this tunnel didn't lead to a dead end.

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