✞ - 𝕴𝖙 𝕯𝖔𝖊𝖘𝖓'𝖙 𝕰𝖓𝖉 𝕳𝖊𝖗𝖊 O/A

[wildsight]

━━ ＳＡＷＹＥＲ ＫＯＶＡＣ

21 moons. male. located in abandon town. tags: kiren

Well, things weren't looking good for him it seemed. Sawyer hadn't moved from his spot by the battered car as the sun continued to rise, not quite sure if he should really. He should be exploring around a bit more, seeing if he could find something of use. He'd never been good at finding things, but at least he tried. Well, he was tired of trying for the time being, believing that he'd might as well have a bit of rest before he go looking again. Though he didn't know how long that might be, since there were still creatures out there that would be less than desirable to come across. He tried to keep his labored breathing quiet, but that wasn't working very well. He was tired, hungry and bored, frustrated even. It didn't seem like things were going well for him at all.

Sawyer had looked the car over and over again, as if hoping that the next time he looked through it, something would appear that he had missed. It had worked before, but this time it absolutely failed him. He was now more-or-less on the ground, sitting there with his eyes closed wondering what he'd do now. Once again, the idea to search for other survivors popped into his head, but he quickly shoved the thought away. No. That was too dangerous. Not to mention the fact coming up to anyone in the state he was in would be beyond embarrassing. If others were out there, they must be having better luck than he was. Perhaps, he should have saved more of the food and water he had had, but he'd been so hungry and thirsty that day...

As the sun continued to rise, it got considerably hotter - at least to Sawyer. He was still quite tired from looking around for supplies all morning, but still hadn't bothered to move from his spot next to the battered car. He didn't want to. Part of this was because, he basically had given up. Part of him anyway. The other part of him wanted him to keep going, but was just as exhausted as the other half. Confliction about what he should do cluttered his brain and he let out a huff as he finally pushed these thoughts away. He'd decide upon that later, he needed to rest first. That's what he should do. But perhaps, he should find somewhere more sheltered first.

As he continued to argue with himself, it wasn't very long before he began to doze off. His eyelids were heavy and he was tired of fighting the urge to let them close, so it was no surprise that he finally dozed off after awhile. However, he never had slept soundly as of late and he was a light sleeper by nature. So, when he heard the sound of something - or someone - approaching he snapped awake with a start. His heart was racing, almost as if it would break out of his chest. He glanced around, all the while trying to calm himself - surely something could hear him. Or worse. Maybe one of those horrid creatures could smell him. As he picked through what it could possibly be, it wasn't long before he got his answer.

It was another person. This person was an actual person though, not like those mindless zombies that were occasionally seen wandering around. And this person had a horse with them. And it seemed like a few bags, which he guessed held supplies of some sort. Sawyer couldn't describe the feeling that he felt at that moment - something between both excitement and dread he thought. While seeing another person (who might have supplies!) was more than okay, it also meant he'd need to be cautious of them. Really as far as he could tell it was 'everyone of themselves' at this point, so he didn't really know if it was a good idea to befriend this person right away. At least, he could try and fight out if this was a good person to hang around though.

Well even just by first glance, he could tell right away that this person was more than glad to find him. They even seemed excited by the prospect. For a moment he was silent, before speaking though remembering to keep his voice low. "Hey there." He managed to say, before looking the person and their horse over. "Seems you've had success out here, so far." He added afterwards, referring to the bags. He glanced around elsewhere for a moment, before returning his attention to the stranger that had approached him.

[`silver]

Silver | the alleyway next to the grocery store | mentions: Grayson, Mazu

The smile that crossed Grayson’s face did nothing to loosen the taut muscles in the girl’s shoulders as her dark eyes sparked with amber-gold as she saw her companion step into the alleyway along with a cougar through the corner of her eye. He was studying her as far as she could tell but she was also doing the same without as much intention in his movements. She was all too aware of the fact that he stood at least a head taller than her and that she had to tilt her head up to match his steady stare, “My name is Silver”, she offered him nothing but a cold, terse tone. Silver didn’t denote herself as someone intimidating but from what she remembered before the apocalypse, people said otherwise due to her nearly pitch black irises and unwavering stares.

Silver exhaled ever so slightly as he began reaching for his bag, taking the opportunity to breathe a little as well as take a slow step back if what her instincts were telling her were correct. While still gripping the gun, he offered her food and drink. Disbelief shot through her as her eyes narrowed at his wager, her stomach betraying her instantly at the sight as she still hadn’t calmed it since before she burnt that zombie to a crisp. A trap, perhaps? She didn’t have time to make a decision before her body shifted fluidly, taking a small step backwards as the same burly body she’d seen a glimpse of before now crouched before her with clarity.

The girl’s eyes now burned with interest as she squatted down to Mazu’s level. She was a gorgeous feline. The desire to rub the big cat’s chin had her reaching slowly into her trench coat for something that may be of interest to her. Silver unfurled a small brown package in front of the cat, her attention no longer on Grayson as she placed its containments on the ground to reveal a morsel of fresh rabbit meat. Glancing into the cougars eyes, she was essentially proposing a trade as she gestured to the meat. “For you. If you feel I could be worthy of your trust and perhaps that of your partner.” Silver spoke to the cougar as if she was Grayson or any other person.

Kiba knew when Silver’s guard had faltered, there would be no need to block the exit any longer. She purposely put herself in a position like this not only to emphasize her vulnerability in easily being mauled by Mazu, but to earn her trust. Grayson seemed to want to form a pack of his own and the way for Silver to truly understand his intentions were through the animal partner of those she didn’t trust. Animals had no concept of right or wrong but they did have an intuition that could pick up the desire of the subconscious that even humans couldn’t foretell. The large white wolf’s footfalls were masked by the dirt built up on the pavement here but he announced his presence to Grayson by brushing lightly past him to sit by Silver. If one had glanced at them, you could say she looked like a child squatting next to him but upon further inspection, it was easy to see she was a product of her cruel environment. The expression she wore was serious as Mazu’s next decision could potentially change both their lives.

[kalo.]

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𝐉𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐀𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐘 ── 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐅𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐑
[ word count; 553 ] [ mood; confuzzled ] [ tags; jackal, riki, bug ] [ location; rooftop ]
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yuck
indentthe male watched as the stranger took the bat back and scolded him, using their finger and tapping the bats forhead. jackson couldn't help but chuckle at it. he did the same thing to his jackal whenever the dog would howl or bark for no reason. but at the same time, the jackal did it to him as well. the canine was known to bark and growl at jackson for being an idiot. which was most days if both of them were being honest. jackson tended to get into his own head and forget what reality really was. he kept thinking of the days where he'd spend days laying on rooftops with his friends. joking about anything and everything. it made jackson's face falter for a moment. thinking about his short time in college with his friends. the late nights they spent stargazing and talking about anything and everything. especially aliens. what a time. jackson missed it. a lot.

indentwhen the stranger started to speak up jackson simply nodded in understanding. but at their last comment, jackson felt his eyes widen as well as a nervous chuckle snuck out from behind his lips. "well that's a relief I guess. get to live another day." he let the joke out of habit, something he knew he wouldn't be able to shake. but it wasn't terrible. it was a way to lighten the mood. hopefully. but his thought was quickly tossed aside as the stranger kept on talking. "wait, what?" jackson paused. they could hear heartbeats? the pebbles? what was going on? did they have a power as jackson did? it would explain why they came up here and practically yelled at him about some stupid rocks barely making any noise. but yet if they had, what seemed to be, hightened hearing then it made sense.

indent"you hear people in the stores? I couldn't even hear the rocks falling, let alone them talking. that's crazy." jackson let out a small 'huh' before resting his hands on his hips. crazy world they lived in. but jackson more interested in the people that were down below. "you said you can hear them? what are they saying? or do they at least seem friendly? if they have animals accompanying them maybe they're friendly. at least i'm assuming they are since we both have animals and we're friendly. at least I am. you seem cool." jackson let out a goofy smile before making his way back over towards the ledge to look at the road. he couldn't see the people anymore, but just barely he could hear something. it sounded like muttering but again he couldn't hear it. it was more of background noise.

indentthe jackal let out one more growl at the stranger before sulking over towards jackson. the canine hopped up onto the ledge and started to walk along it, his golden eyes narrowing in towards the alleyway by the grocery store. jackson turned towards the stranger and let out a smirk. "seems like they're still there. wanna see what's going on? I mean you're welcome to stay. my boy here will be watching you." jackson motioned towards his jackal who, promptly, let out a growl. jackson let out a shrug before jumping up on the ledge with his jackal. "so, what are you doing stranger?"

[☪ℓυηαя∂яσρ☪]

They looked "cool"? This guy must not have gotten out much before the world turned. Still, the compliment was flattering; it had been a long time since anyone had said anything nice to them, other than Bug. Rikimaru blinked owlishly, taken aback for a moment. It didn't help that Bug jumped on the bandwagon and began to pile on compliments aimed at Riki's more poised qualities. Riki put a hand up to their forehead to try to focus- they were starting to get overwhelmed by all the noise and psychic static, and they left their soundproofing earbuds at "home". Thankfully, Bug caught on and promptly stopped his onslaught of affection and praise, withdrawing in on himself a little in solidarity.
Trying to get their thoughts all together while simultaneously taking in new information, listening to far away voices, and singling out Jackson's voice, Riki shut their eyes to process everything. Okay, so this gu-Jackson was asking them... something about the others. What was it? Upon opening their eyes Rikimaru saw him starting to walk away only to turn back to them, asking what they were going to do. Ah, so he wanted company. Could they do that? They'd really like to get their earbuds first, but saying they'd be right back after getting something was suspicious. And there seemed to be a lot of people below- surely it wasn't safe to confront that many people. Why were they considering this again? Oh, this guy wanted to go and wanted company. Oh dear, it was getting hot out, Riki wanted nothing more than to go back and take a nap. Their head was swimming, what were they originally planning on doing today?
Bug perked up, listening as his partner started to withdraw into their head and begin to confuse themself. Using a trick he had learned while living with Rikimaru, Bug spread his wings and flapped them a couple of times, the membrane between his fingers beating against Rikimaru's neck while also giving them outside stimulus to focus on in the form of touch, sight, and sound. It worked; Rikimaru looked over at Bug and grimaced. They were incredibly out of their element here. But they had an idea. "I... will watch over you." Wow, that sounded creepy.
"You will not know I'm there, but I'll come with you." That wasn't any better.
"If they pose a threat, I can provide a distraction for you to escape. Alright?" It was as close to a declaration of friendship as they would get, and Rikimaru spoke with sincerity. Even with the quietness of this new world, they were confident that they could go unseen and unheard. They had been able to do so all their life, after all. It's how they survived the beforetimes, and it has saved them many times presently.

[FluffyBirdie]

Kiren Stewart | Lead Doctor | Location: Near edge of town | Tags: Sawyer

As Kiren waited for a reply, his common sense kicked in, and he started to look at the other person more carefully, though he didn't lose his excitement at seeing another human. The other guy was about his age, and was he sleeping before Kiren approached him? Sleeping here, just out in the open, with only a car to shield him? He couldn't see any other kind of shelter or appearance of a plan, so the man must have just dozed off from exhaustion. And he looked tired, even after waking up from a nap, though that would likely be the same for any survivor. Fear over being caught off-guard by zombies plus whatever feelings they had about being the only person left alive in this world rarely equal a restful sleep. The more Kiren scrutinized the stranger, the more concerned he became. There were no visible injuries, but that did not always mean a healthy person. He couldn't exactly ask the other person if he had injuries though. Who would tell a stranger that they were weakened? Pulling out pill bottles and mysterious lotions wouldn't help Kiren's case of trying to prove he knows medicine. He could have just raided a pharmacy, and read the labels. So he'll have to ask if the other person is injured later when there was more trust, or observe how he walked and moved. Bandages were a pretty harmless offering, right? Regardless, the stranger definitely needed water, and something to eat. The apple perhaps? He was saving it for Aria, as fruits would likely be impossible to find as the months drag on, but he knew she wouldn't mind giving it up for someone else. He'll give her some oats later today then, as thanks. Another thought was drifting around in the back of his mind, asking if the other person even wanted company. But even if that was the case, Kiren wanted to leave him with something. He had supplies, and the man looked hungry; it would be morally wrong to leave without giving some water and food. His parents would roll in their graves for sure.

The other person spoke, and Kiren turned his attention back on the stranger, listening before nodding in agreement. He was quietly relieved as well, since the other person seemed welcoming. Or at least didn't tell him to go away. "Yeah. Especially since we can carry so much more with her around." At this he tilted his head to the mare, who huffed lightly at the mention. He paused, before walking over to her, opening the backpacks to get the water and apple. "My name's Kiren, by the way. And this is Aria." He returned to the tired man with supplies in hand, crouching besides him and offering the fruit and bottle. "Here. You better be grateful for the apple, Aria's going to be upset otherwise since it used to be hers." He added, smiling. "She doesn't kick but will absolutely bite."

[hxenir]

22. 𝑨𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔. 𝑨𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒚. 𝑺𝒊𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑲𝒊𝒃𝒂

"She's just as untrusting as I am, that's good she has good survival instincts" Graysons thoughts were rushing through his head. Silver's hesitation to grab the food reminded him that people wouldn't see him as trustworthy but food and water where limited now so most people would take it. Graysons muscles tightened as he watched Silver kneel down to Mazu's level, Mazu meant the world and more to Grayson If anyone hurt her they would immediately have a target on their back. Grayson couldn't help but trust Silver though, she was cold and this world had definitely molded her. Not everyone was meant to survive this, the end of the world was survival of the fittest only the healthiest survived the virus, ninety-five percent of people didn't have the strength to survive the virus out of the remaining five percent he assumed only 1% where able to survive in the current state of the world. If silver had the strength to survive both Grayson knew she would be a good ally.

Grayson was thrown out of his wave of thoughts as his attentive eyes became aware of Silver bringing out the small package only to laugh at it's contents. He watched as Mazu let out a hiss at the sight of the rabbit. "Be nice Mazu she doesn't know." Grayson ran his hand through the cougars fur ruffling it a bit in the process. "Mazu is a bit picky with her food, she only eats rabbit when she has no luck hunting anything else. She prefers fish or deer." The words left Graysons mouth as the large feline purred and nuzzled the males mid thigh. Grayson looked down as he felt another animals around Mazu's height brush past him, he looked down to see a large wolf walking past him just to see it standing next to Silver. A grin washed over the boys face, " He's beautiful, we both got lucky and paired with good animals." Grayson's voice was calm, and relaxed as he no longer felt the need to put on a though act. If this new person where to attack him, Mazu and himself would be able to stop them.

Grayson's eyes fixed back down on Mazu as he crouched down and put his palm and the felines forehead. "Show me everything love." Grayson's eyes focused on the felines as her body went limp and she hit the ground. Nothing but silence came from both of them it stayed like that for almost a minute until Grayson finally blinked. " I see, thank you Mazu" The feline's limbs slowly started to move as she regained consciousness. "Don't get up too quickly you'll get dizzy again. I need you at your best." Grayson pet the Cougars body then stood up and looked back at Silver and Kiba. "There's two people in town and another two on the outskirts.I only know for sure two have an animal, it seems to be a horse and a dog of some sorts. If the other two have animals they might be smaller." Grayson paused. "If your staying with us deer's for dinner, there's enough for both of you. If not Mazu can go back out later." As Grayson mentioned Mazu his gaze shifted once again looking down at Mazu who was slowly getting back up. "She's ready to go, it's up to you if you wanna tag along but I would appreciate the company as much as I love Mazu it'd be nice to have someone else join us." A big smiled covered the males face as he began to walk out of the alley.

[kalo.]

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𝐉𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐀𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐘 ── 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐅𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐑
[ word count; 713 ] [ mood; >///< ] [ tags; jackal, riki, bug->grayson and silver ] [ location; rooftop->alleyway ]
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yuck
indentjackson felt himself let out a confused, and slightly scared, look when the stranger told him and they'd be watching him. and then soon after tried to fix it by saying they would protect him. jackson simply let out a soft chuckle before nodding. "if you want to you can but i'm pretty good on my own. you haven't seen me in action yet." jackson let out a wink before sitting down on the ledge. then as quick as one could blink jackson slid off the ledge and onto the small awning that was above the record shop. he quickly slid off the metal roof, making only a soft noise due to his clothes, and did a quick roll when he reached the ground. he was able to minimize any damage but at the cost of making a thump. it wasn't enough noise to alert any zombies that were far away but close ones would hear him. but luckily there didn't seem to be any in the area.

indentjackson took a moment to look back up to see his jackal sitting on the ledge, staring towards the entrance of the town. no doubt watching both jackson and the stranger he left on the roof. the canine was persistent and jackson loved him for that. he was able to keep him on schedule. or someone on schedule. jackson had a tendency to just ramble and get off track easily. his mind never ceased to stop functioning. it was in overdrive always.

indentthe alleyway wasn't too far, only a few alleyways down. so jackson started to make his way over. he did so cautiously. to some it might have looked like he was just walking but jackson had his ears peeled. the crunch of his sneakers against the road. the sound of the wind rustling some leaves. and then the voices. the voices coming from the alleyway made jackson assume they weren't hostile. there didn't seem to be raised voices or someone getting attacked, so jackson knew he was somewhat safe. and if not he'd simply phase through the wall to buy him some time. it made getting away from foes easier. jackson could simply run through the wall while anyone chasing him had to stop and open the door. sucked to be them. it saved jackon several times.

indenthe had finally made it to the alleyway, but he stayed cautious. the question was how to approach them. you didn't just approach strangers in an alleyway during this day and age. you had to be cautious with every interaction and person you saw. so jackson did the only thing he could think of. he simply popped his head to look down the alleyway. almost instantly the two large creatures turned to look at jackson. he felt his face pale for a moment before standing up straight and clearing his throat. "thought I heard voices. any chance you guys are friendly or should I start running now?" jackson let out a soft chuckle as the joke effortlessly slipped from his lips. it was a habit and he wouldn't be able to shake it if he tried.

indentjackson's eyes were drawn to the two people. a male and a female. the female looked to have dirty blonde hair and was rather small. one of the large animals was next to her-it seemed to be a large wolf. something that jackson knew would rile up his jackal. in a good or bad way, he could never tell. the canine was unpredictable. his eyes moved to look at the male next. jackson could tell from his build that he was muscular. and tall. but jackson felt his eyes linger on the males face for a moment longer. he was good looking. immediately jackson shook the thought from his head before he saw the other large animal. a cougar. jackson blinked a few times before letting out a rather stupid smile. "you guys have some sweet animals here. large and intimidating. good partners in this crappy world." jackson kept the smile on his face to try and reassure the strangers that he wasn't here to start anything. but yet jackson wouldn't even know if he'd believe him. a stranger shows up and compliments your pets. definitely not strange at all.

[`silver]

Silver | the alleyway by the grocery store | mentions: Grayson, Mazu, Jackson

The moment Mazu's fierce hiss of distaste cut through the tense air, a smile brightened Silver's face as she knew exactly what that meant. A cougar was still a species of feline and she was sure being picky was in their blood. The smile was very brief as Grayson's confirming words washed away her amusement, her expression steely as she stood back up to normal height to face him once more. Kiba lowered his head to snap up the morsel instead as they were both taught to not let even a scrap of food go to waste. Whether it be Silver using the inedible parts as fertilizer for new life or repurposing it as bait, they couldn't afford to not use every part of the animal they capture so as to not leave traces for enemies to gain interest in. Silver gave Grayson a long glance when she noted that his tone had softened when mentioning Mazu, his overall disposition unfurling in front of her as his mask of distrust fell away. The transition from normal human being to being only one out of maybe 75 million with all the rest being spread sparsely across the planet must've been hard for him. An odd feeling washed over Silver which made her hand jump to her chest, grasping the fabric of her clothing tautly.

What is this? Genuine surprise tore away her hardened demeanor as she watched Grayson crouch before his companion, his palm spread across Mazu's forehead. The feeling that was washing over her felt like a mixture of her own as well as that of someone else's. Anxiety. Depression. Solemnness. The words sounded all too familiar echoing in her head as if she had once experienced them all more often than not in perpetual waves and in grasping these horrid emotions, she was reminded of her own humanity. Kiba stood to his own full height upon sensing Silver's sudden distress, pushing his large head between her arm and her side as if to dampen the overwhelming stimulation she had been ignoring. Soft fur sifted between her fingers as Silver stroked him slowly in both appreciation and for her own self-confirmation, as if she was using his presence to tether herself back to the situation before her. "I'm sure Kiba would appreciate the deer as much as Mazu", she looked to the cougar that now lay on the ground due to Grayson using his powers to sift through her mind. Grayson's power was something pertaining to the psyche--mind control of some sort? Mazu had been induced into unconsciousness, after all. "I'll only take your offering from before."

The mention of Mazu catching wind of more people being around with animal companions wasn't surprising. There weren't many zombies here and they were surrounded by empty buildings as well as a forest which meant a safe place to rest along with where to find food were within arms length. The concept of being part of a pack didn't entirely sit well with Silver as idea was still being tossed around in her mind, but a rough nudge from Kiba that sent her uncharacteristically stumbling forward had her sighing audibly in defeat. "I suppose it would be easier to work together for the sake of our survival." She muttered begrudgingly, darting a glare at her wolf whom only gave her a look of innocence as if he'd done nothing at all. He walked ahead of her as soon as he'd heard footsteps coming from around the corner, Silver following suit to walk alongside Mazu as she felt more comfortable in the presence of animals than she did of humans. A jest uproaring from the only exit in the alleyway by a foreign voice was enough for Silver to grow tense once more as she gave Jackson a cold look, shifting noiselessly to stand beside Grayson now. Her size was rather average for a woman of her age but her dark clothing, hair and eyes were usually enough to intimidate even the most arrogant of predators that tended to bumble through the forest as if they were indomitable. Kiba on the other hand was distinct against Silver with his snowy coat. Tasting the air, he caught the scent of an unusual animal stuck to the man and in sensing a lack of a threat, investigated. The wolf easily closed the distance between them and Jackson, now circling him slowly with his tail high in order to signal his interest. Jackson smelt of something similar to a dog but it wasn't quite the same. Silver pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation before crossing her arms against her chest, amber-gold flaring up in her eyes as she looked the man up and down without a hint of hesitation. "If you start running, I'll be sure to pin you to the closest wall." The threat in her tone was blatant, her distrust threatening to become audible in the form of a wolffish growl. The desire to protect Mazu and Grayson was already established, it seemed. "Judging from your lack of weapons, it seems you're the friendliest one." The contrast between Silver's unyielding personality and Kiba's tail that was currently wagging as he looked up at Jackson like he had found someone to play with, was almost laughable if not for the fact that any one of the two animals before Jackson could take him down in an instant.

[☪ℓυηαя∂яσρ☪]

Rikimaru gently plucked Bug off their shoulder and stashed him in their pocket. Realizing this was quiet time, Bug settled down in the pocket and remained still as Riki followed Jackson, their footsteps completely silent and their footfalls carefully placed. They picked their way down to the alleyway, eyes scanning every angle for potential threats, and touched down onto the broken pavement. Riki's long hair laid across their back, with a select few locks slipping past their shoulder and dangling in the air. Buffing the collar of their coat, the sneak took to the walls- their profile casting a much less visible shadow and becoming much less noticeable in the process. Their silhouette was inhuman, with Rikimaru's oversized clothes hiding their figure and their long hair further muddling any defining features from the waist up. The dark, saturated, and natural colors of their clothes meshed with that of their surroundings, the only color out of place was the sharp blue of their eyes- but that was mitigated by the brim of their hat being lowered. If people felt your eyes on them they could detect you, Rikimaru knew.
And walking straight up to people and brashly introducing yourself was another way for people to detect you, it seemed.
Rikimaru scrunched up their face and shut their eyes in lieu of a facepalm as Jackson carelessly meandered up to the group and declared his presence without even scoping the place out. And now he was staring down two deadly predators. Of all the animals Rikimaru had expected to see, a wolf and cougar were decidedly not on the list. Fantastic. But, they could work with this. All they needed to do was throw a knife, and send Bug to the other side of the supermarket and make a racket while Rikimaru collected Jackson in the confusion and ran.
Rikimaru had found an excellent vantage point in the form of a hollowed-out crevice that had been broken through by an old truck. The car was being held up by the front end, its front tires suspended in the air. Rikimaru took cover underneath the vehicle, with the assurance that they could likely dislodge the truck with a firm tug from its precarious position to fall into place behind them as they fled. Riki had made no noise as they got into position, and sized up the group of people that were talking to Jackson. They looked rather athletic, and their faces were solemn.
But the people seemed to be reigning their pets in, however slightly. There were no threats or attacks, but there were no words of comfort or friendly rapport either. The situation was still clearly uneasy, and Rikimaru narrowed their eyes as they prepared for whatever might happen next.

[hxenir]

22. 𝑨𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔. 𝑨𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒚𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒔𝒕 -> 𝒕𝒐𝒘𝒏. 𝑺𝒊𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒓, 𝑹𝒊𝒌𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒖, 𝑱𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒔𝒐𝒏, 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒔

It was as if the second Grayson stepped foot out of the alleyway everyone decided to visit. "Well so much for us going to them" Grayson mumbled down to Mazu. The felines expression was filled with annoyance, Grayson was much more of a people person then the large predator. She never understood why Grayson always wanted to find more people. Gryason turned around, his gaze fixed upon the two new people. Silver had already pinned the male onto the wall, so Grayson focused on the other person. "Mazu you know what to do." On command Grayson watched as his partner ran and leaped in front of the other person until their back was up against the wall.

Slowly Grayson grabbed his gun and walked over to the new comers. "We won't hurt you if you don't hurt us." Grayson's tone shifted quickly from his natural friendly voice to a cold and stern one. "If you do plan on hurting us, I have no issues fighting as I'm positive I know who would win." Grayson glared at the brown haired male Silver held hostage, his eye's softened for a bit. He couldn't help but give him a small smile. "No, don't soften up." His survival instincts screamed the phrase over and over again until Grayson clutched his gun again. Looking up at the person Mazu cornered. " I want both of your names starting with you." The male looked up, his eye's staring directly at the person who stood behind Mazu. He could hear Mazu growling and hissing at the person. "What's your name and what do you want. Also where is his animal? I can tell your's is in your coat pocket. Don't underestimated Mazu, she'll go after it"

Grayson stood right in middle of both people, if Silver lost control over the male Mazu would be able to keep the other person busy while Grayson helped Silver. If the other person attacked Mazu, Grayson would be able to attack the them. Just as Grayson waited for a response the male heard groaning and dragging footsteps. Grayson turned around as zombies started coming into the alley, all the noise and commotion was enough to attract them into the alley. Grayson's expression remained calm, "well we seem to have visitors." Grayson smirked. " Well lucky for you guys, you seem to have another option. Help us kill the dead." Grayson swiftly put away his gun and pulled out his crossbow as he started shooting the zombies. "Mazu let them be and clear a path." The feline jumped over Grayson and began attacking the zombies.