✞ - 𝕴𝖙 𝕯𝖔𝖊𝖘𝖓'𝖙 𝕰𝖓𝖉 𝕳𝖊𝖗𝖊 O/A

[☪ℓυηαя∂яσρ☪]

Tagged: The Doggies
Rikimaru steeled their nerves as the jackal growled, holding their ground to show that they weren't a pushover. A fond smile crept its way across Riki's face as the jackal seemed to calm down and accept their presence. "Good boy."
Blinking in surprise, Rikimaru turned to look over their shoulder as another canine appeared. A wolf, and -unless they were mistaken- it was the one from the alley. So they had sent one of their animals to track Riki down- great. All the stealth and soundlessness in the world couldn't hide their scent trail. But the jackal growled and bared his fangs, warning the wolf to keep its distance. Relieved that the jackal was officially on their side, Rikimaru looked into the wolf's eyes and saw that same spark of intelligence the rest of these animals had.
Deciding to try to diffuse the situation, Rikimaru cooed soothingly, "Easy there, bubby. See?" They held their hand out, palm up, just as they had done to introduce themself to the jackal. "We're friendly, it's okay." The irony that they were better with diplomacy between animals rather than that of with humans did not occur to them; they had always been more comfortable with animals, and found them to be more empathetic as well. Bug was an excellent example of this, but Rikimaru had found this to be the case even in the beforetimes- they had found comfort in animals during mundane anxieties like overstimulation and self-doubt. They just made Riki feel safe and -above all- loved and appreciated.

[`silver]

Silver | pharmacy rooftop | mentions: Jackson, Grayson

Grayson’s offer for Jackson to join the group right after the valiant act he’d done not only for them but also their animals shouldn’t have come as a surprise but nonetheless, Jackson’s disbelief was obvious. In pinpointing his own faults he was honestly only helping the cause for bringing him into the group itself as they weren’t meant to always work as one single hive mind but rather individuals with their own weaknesses and strengths coming together to cover each other’s backs. Whatever group that Jackson had eloped from didn’t sound like a very good one if they’d just left him by himself. In a world like this, you really couldn’t afford to abandon anyone. At the mention of the stranger having taken residence at his camp, Silver turned her head to look for a familiar splotch of white in the near distance. Her shoulders loosened a little as she managed to catch a glimpse of Kiba slowly moving into what seemed to be the shadow of a person. She wasn’t too worried about the stranger harming him due to the fact that they would’ve done so already to either Mazu or Grayson when they were given an open chance earlier. Another bout of tautness in her chest had Silver muffling her cough again, causing her to take a seat on the edge of the building just to prevent herself from swaying or anything that would be a tell-tale giveaway to her incremental deterioration. She tended when she felt eyes on her and quickly fumbled with the collar of her trenchcoat in reaction, keeping her gaze elsewhere so as to not be read.

“I’ll be alright.” She repeated with a steady tone, almost as if she was speaking rhetorically to herself. “I’m not sure if your rooftop oasis can hold a horse as well.” Silver quickly attempted to change the subject as she gestured towards Kiren and Sawyer whom were getting closer to their general area with every passing moment. She was sure Grayson would’ve wanted to recruit as many friends that he could find, especially those that had a means of protecting others with their abilities. A horse would be an interesting dynamic in these times. Nature taking its course provided less areas to see larger expanses of pavement that didn’t have patchy areas of growth somewhere on them, offering quieter treks for heavier animals as well as the fact that such a large animal could provide transportation. “Seems like there are six people in this whole town so far.”

Bright amber eyes swept slowly to and fro between the human and canine friend that Kiba had been seeking out. He tilted his head slowly to the left as the jackal growled defensively at him, his tail flicking in reaction to Riki’s attempts to quell the smaller canine’s concerns in seeing him. He was mentioning something about how he seemed to be the larger threat by how he barked at him. Riki cooing to him caused his head to tilt slowly to the right as he now sat down in reaction to his own puzzlement. This human was dressed quite similarly to Silver now that he got a better look at them, their hand outstretched in the same offering they’d given to the jackal. Kiba barked gruffly, sounding a bit awkward as wolves really weren’t ones to do so very often. It was meant to mimic the jackal—reassure him perhaps that he had simply been wanting to meet him. His larger size was of no assistance in this matter, he figured, which had him slipping down into a laying position where he placed his head on his paws. At this length, his muzzle was long enough that when he placed his head down, he also took Riki’s hand with him. He barked gruffly again and looked between the two for confirmation of sorts.

[☪ℓυηαя∂яσρ☪]

Rikimaru melted at the wolf's friendly gesture, devolving into a bunch of 'aww'ing and cooing as they pet the large canine. "Good dog." Smiling, Riki looked back at the jackal behind them. "It's okay, buddy. C'mere." Rubbing the base of the wolf's ear with one hand, Rikimaru reached out with the other to beckon towards the jackal.
From inside Riki's pocket, Bug exuded exasperation, and resigned himself to bunching up into a ball and closing his eyes, tired from the day's events. He was such a little guy, 6 all, and he needed to be rested up when night fell so he could go out and hunt. It took some time and difficulty, but eventually he devolved into a quietly snoring little ball of fuzz, ears, and wings.
Rikimaru had almost forgotten themself, too delighted at the prospect of petting a friendly wolf to remember they had a job to do. With a pang, they remembered and quietly cursed themself, standing up and looking back into the streets where the zombie hoarde had shuffled away. In the alley, where the group had previously been cornered, there was not a single person to be seen.
%#&*£.

[hxenir]

22. 𝑨𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔. 𝒑𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒄𝒚 𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒇𝒕𝒐𝒑 . 𝑺𝒊𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒓, 𝑱𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒔𝒐𝒏, 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒔

The early signs of sunset covered the sky, Grayson knew that night would fall soon. Everything became more dangerous then, due to there no longer being street lights, unless you had the good eyesight or if the moon gave you enough light no one would be able to see more than a couple yards in front of them. Jacksons offer of staying at his camp would be the safest option for everyone. Unless zombies gained the ability to fly, or became spiderman. Grayson doubted they'd be able to get to the roof without someone noticing. Gryason's brown eyes shifted over to Jackson's, "I don't see why anyone would leave you behind, everyone has something they can bring to the table. Even if they don't a good human life will always be worth saving." A cold breeze ran through the air hitting Grayson's face, as he exhaled his breath became slightly visible. Even though it was spring, the nights where usually cold. Cold enough to see someones breathing, if Grayson knew he'd be living in a world like this he would've appreciated the warmth of his blanket at night. But now even sleeping became a luxury. "I won't leave you behind I promise." As the words left Grayson's mouth he couldn't help but wonder where they all came from. He'd never been one to make such promises, mostly to someone he'd just met a couple hours prior. " I don't know what it is about you Jackson but-" A sigh left the males mouth, then he continued his sentence. "It's hard to find someone who carries as much light as you do. I think it's worth keeping around." Warmth filled the males face, his eyes that once looked into Jacksons had now shifted to the floor. "I'll take the offer of staying at your camp, since it's your camp you can decide what to do about the stranger." Grayson's tone rapidly switched back to being cold and stern, Grayson knew he said too much and became embarrassed by what he said to Jackson. With those last words, Grayson turned around leaving Jackson to look at his camp from the ledge of the roof.

Grayson walked over to Silver, he could tell the female was sick from using her powers. He could imagine emitting such a large amounts of electricity where exhausting on the body. Lack of food and water only weakened the body which could only make the pain and sickness followed by the large usage of power even worse. Without hesitation Grayson reached into his bag for his last granola bar handing it to Silver. 'It's small but it'll hopefully do something." A warm smile appeared on his face as he waited for his friend to take the offer. Grayson heard Jackson walking over to voice his concerns for Silver's health. "If we stick together I think we can be a strong group. We might actually survive this." The thought of possibly making it through this terrifying world gave Grayson hope, but he kept the idea to himself. Grayson watched as Silver's companion Kiba left, after he looked over to Mazu and whistled. Grayson watched as the large feline lifted her head then turned her head in the direction of the noise. "Hey love can you go get that deer please? I'll meet you on your way back and help you." Grayson smiled as he watched the large feline walk over to him. Mazu huffed in annoyance, "I'm sorry. I promise after this you'll be able to sleep." Grayson ran his hand down the cougars back. The male watched as his companion slowly walked down the stairs and headed off into the woods.

[kalo.]

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𝐉𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐀𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐘 ── 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐅𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐑
[ word count; 998 ] [ mood; flustered and soft ] [ tags; grayson+silver] [ location; pharmacy rooftop]
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yuck
indentWhen Grayson started to talk to Jackson about him joining the group he felt his face flush slightly. It was odd. To have someone reassure him about something that could be described as his biggest flaw. He let out a soft chuckle before shaking his head, unsure of what to say at the moment. He kept his eyes looking away though, scared that if he did look at Grayson he'd see just how much these words meant to him. But when Grayson promised to not leave him behind Jackson tensed and looked at Grayson with wide eyes. "You mean it?" He felt his throat go dry. No one had made that promise to him since this started. And even if the promise was a risky one to make it meant a lot. It made Jackson want to hug Grayson. But he wouldn't. Not yet at least. He planned on giving everyone a hug at least once. Even the stranger that seemed to dislike human contact. "What can I say. I'm a delight to be around." He joked, running his hands over his arms as the breeze of the night came through and sent chills down his spine. "You're not too shabby yourself Grayson." He joked as he punched his arm playfully.

indentWith the thought of staying at his camp Jackson hoped he had everything they would need. He didn't have a lot of stuff-just stuff that would last him through the year. So blankets might be an issue but if he needed Jackson would sleep on the roof with nothing besides Dog. The Jackal was a heat magnet and could always warm Jackson up if he needed him to. He had, what, maybe three sleeping bags? They would be tucked away underneath some of the wooden grates he hulled up there with the help of Dog. It took a while but the grates could be used to store stuff underneath them and also provide a little more comfort if one wanted to sleep on top of them. Jackson himself never found it comfortable but hey, to each his own.

indentThe male was lost in thought for the time being. But standing next to Silver and Grayson reminded him he needed to get on the road. To get to his campsite rather quickly so Silver could lay down and relax. How to get there without making her or himself sick was the question. The zombies were temporarily distracted and stayed off a few stores down, so they could simply make a run for it. But maybe it would be easier to just phase everyone through the record store's front instead of going through the barricaded doors? Or where they still even barricaded? Jackson prompted to just phase through the wall by the stairs when he needed to leave. He hadn't even been in the record store enough to get a good look around. Maybe now would be the chance to look the place over. See what it had left in it and what needed to be fixed. Mostly the door. He didn't like having the door sitting free and ready to be open. It gave him shivers thinking about someone just walking in and coming up to his camp without making noise.

indent"Silver if it's easier for you I can phase you through the walls so you don't have to wait or walk through the mess that is the record shop below my camp. I can put you in right by the stairs. Even you too Grayson. It's not hard." The fighter let out a shrug to play it off, knowing that the phasing was labor-intensive on his body but getting these people to his camp for the night was more important. He'd be able to recharge overnight anyway. Incase they needed him for a swift escape. It was bound to happen. Jackson could recall times before he settled down in this camp, where people tried to get him and he had to swiftly phase through the floor or walls. Once he phased over fifteen times in one day to get away and the aftermath was awful. He was severely sick and exhausted. If it wasn't for Dog... well let's not dwell on the past.

indentA shiver ran down Jackson's spine before he shook his head. "Better to start heading over now. It's bound to get a little chillier and I would kill for something warm right now. I have some supplies we can use but not a lot. I can always just use Dog. He's warm himself. Unless someone wants to be my sleeping buddy~" Jackson let out a little purr at the end of his sentence, winking at the two before a laugh escaped him. "I'm joking don't worry." Jackson couldn't help but let his mind wander-a simple 'Unless' was enough to have Jackson look away with a faint flush on his cheeks. But the cold from the night was already making the fighter flush, so it was easy to play it off.

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indentThe Jackal kept his golden eyes on the white wolf. Never once leaving them. But seeing the wolf almost stand down and sit was enough to calm Dog for the moment. He lifted his head back up but kept his defensive posture. But hearing the wolf bark back at him caused Dog to tilt his head in confusion. The wolf was... barking at him? Dog let out a bark bag, almost as if he was curious about the wolf. It wasn't every day a wolf barked back. Or, ever, really. While the wolf and the stranger cuddled up together Dog kept his distance. He let out a gruff expression but his tail betrayed him and wagged a few times behind him. Almost as if he was excited to see another canine he could play with. But the canine would never admit that. No. The Jackal was tough, rough, you name it. He did not want to play with a large and intimidating wolf.

[`silver]

Silver | pharmacy rooftop | mentions: Grayson, Jackson

‘A good human life will always be worth saving.’ Those words alone were enough to make Silver shudder slightly as she breathed a shaky exhale. She couldn’t tell if it was that phrase that was giving her a bit of renewed strength or just the idea that such a placid mentality could still exist in a wayward world like this. People that weren’t lucky enough to survive with the strengths they’d obtained as a result of the world as they knew it beginning to deteriorate before their eyes were probably fighting tooth and nail to stay alive or had given up entirely. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to reiterate Grayson’s promise as well but pressed it into a firm line as pain swelled once more from her gut, her head turning sharply so as to hide the grimace that shadowed her face. It felt convenient that her body decided to act up now out of all the times it could’ve done so earlier. Just when she thought she should’ve stopped being the silent observer of the lovebirds behind her. Maybe someday she’d be able to speak so easily about such matters with genuine feeling behind them, but for now, she kept her normal silence.

Footsteps shook Silver from her thoughts as she tensed at Grayson’s approach, not expecting to hear the zipping of his bag again as she watched him from the corner of her eye only to look up at him in wholehearted disbelief—the first emotion she’d shown either of them. Not only did he offer her food for a second time but his smile reminded her of something from before the apocalypse, before she’d begun growing so cold and calculative. Even as a young child, she remembered she’d always wanted some sort of familial relationship that her parents never could’ve compared to. Silver had always wanted a brother.
Her eyes flickered with some unknown emotion before she averted Grayson’s gaze, breathing a sigh as she took the granola bar and stood up. She snapped the bar into four mostly even pieces as Grayson sent Mazu off to find them the promised deer and took his hand moments later to plop one of the granola chunks into his hand. The girl refused to eat the whole thing by herself when the others were probably in need of some energy as well.

The contemplative look on Jackson’s face after having mentioned a ‘sleeping buddy’ nearly made her stare daggers and regret her decision as she took his hand as well to place a piece of granola in it. “If you phase through that wall again, I’ll make sure to knock you into it just before you do so for being an idiot. You’re only going to hurt yourself if you phase again.” She growled but it came out with more concern than she had intended. “Although unfortunately, it might be our only choice unless someone is to be a distraction. In which case, I would volunteer.” After popping the third granola into her mouth, she slipped off her trenchcoat that held the fourth piece and went ahead to drape it over Jackson’s shoulders without hesitation. “In which case, you two could make for an easier escape and the moment Kiba can’t see me I’m sure he’ll start coming after me so there’ll be extra coverage if there are any stragglers. Only after the escape route has been cleared can you start worrying about snuggling with each other.” Silver offered them both a small smile as she fixed the mock neck and long sleeves of her black top, having seemingly made up her own mind although she paused for feedback. Whether there were objections or not, she didn’t want either of them to be put into danger when daylight was fading so quickly and with her experience of traversing areas that carried normally only moonlight, she felt it would be the best bet considering neither of them had their animals with them either to help guide them. “If your only objection is that I shouldn’t be doing this for my own safety in any way, I’m going regardless.” Their safety was her top priority at the moment and so she worded herself rhetorically for obvious reasons.

Kiba’s ear flicked only once upon being touched before his tail started thumping happily against the pavement , acting more like a delighted dog than a wolf at this point as he received affection from Riki. This must’ve been the human he’d scented earlier during the quarrel with the undead and the odd scent coming from their pocket must be their companion as well since it carried a tiny heartbeat with it as well. A mouse, he thought, but the shape in dark clothing was too large for one? No matter. He’d finally found the other canine whose scent was plastered all over the man that had somehow put them inside a building. A weird chuffing noise left Kiba’s maw at the jackal’s confusion as if he knew exactly what he was doing. Slowly, he shifted so that he was crouching now, slipping out of Riki’s grasp to crawl closer to the other canine before lifting up to his full height to touch noses with him, his tail wagging as he froze up in that position. It was as if he was readying himself to start play fighting as he sensed Dog’s excitement solely through body language.

[hxenir]

22. 𝑨𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔. 𝒑𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒄𝒚 𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒇𝒕𝒐𝒑 . 𝑺𝒊𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒓, 𝑱𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒔𝒐𝒏, 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒔

The sky slowly started to become a dark shade of blue as the sun hid between the trees the moon slowly becoming more vivid. Cold breezes of wind starting rushing past the mans face more frequently. His hand's beginning to shake, and his breath becoming more apparent. Grayson's eyes focused on the setting sun, when Silver tapped him to hand him a piece of the granola bar he smiled a small thank you leaving his mouth, as the male ate the bar he heard Jackson and Silver discussing a possible plan to get through the zombies. Knowing how selfless this small group was deciding who would be a distraction would prove difficult. But Grayson knew he would do anything in his power to make sure it would be him.

Upon hearing Jackson talk about using his powers Grayson was quick to jump into the conversation. " You shouldn't use you power unless you need to. Right now we all have the strength to walk or run if needed. Save it." Graysons voice was friendly and warm yet had a deep and stern ring to it. Silver was the first to volunteer herself as a distraction. A chuckle left the males mouth. "Your funny if you think I'm letting you do that. Your not in the best condition." Grayson paused as he looked at the town. Zombies where crawling everywhere but there had to be some way to make them focus on an area away from Jackson's camp. "I'll go it makes the most sense I've only used my power once, I have enough ammo to kill them from a longer distance, and I need to meet Mazu anyways." Grayson knew going would be a risk but he felt it was the best decision for him to go. The male had enough confidence in his abilities to know he'd be able to make it out alive. Grayson looked over to Silver and Jackson knowing it would take more effort to convince them.

"I have a plan, I'm pretty sure I can jump between the roof tops." Grayson scanned the area, looking around the town for something useful. Grayson pointed over to the fire station which was located 6 buildings over. " I'll take the rooftops all the way to the building before the fire-station and take the side ladder down to the alley. The sirens in fire-stations are battery operated if start one the noise will be enough to attract the majority of the zombies. I'll have enough time to find a safe place to hide, from there I'll meet Mazu and head back to camp." Grayson knew this plan could work, but it had one major risk. If the batteries attached to the sirens where dead he'd have to find another way to distract the dead.

A small knot formed in Graysons throat as he thought about what would happen if he failed. Not only would his life be in jeopardy but Jackons and Silvers would be too. The doubt that started clouding the males brain was quickly washed away, "If I do this and I don't come back in 2 hours you can come looking for me." Graysons eyes filled with bravery and determination, he knew if the group trusted him with this task he'd be able to show his worth. "The only way I'm not doing this is if someone has a better plan." The male turned his face looking over at Jackson then Silver.

[kalo.]

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𝐉𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐀𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐘 ── 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐅𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐑
[ word count; 1176 ] [ mood; inspired! ] [ tags; grayson+silver] [ location; pharmacy rooftop]
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yuck
indentJackson couldn't help but laugh at the statement Silver had made. "While it would be a smart idea I'd just phase through the wall before I even hit it. Probably bring you with me too." But he took a moment to let himself get serious-they had to discuss how they were going to get back to the camp untouched. That meant a plan. And Jackson was known to mess up plans. So. He had to listen. He let his carefree persona shift slightly and become more aware. "I should be fine with phasing more. I'm at my safe amount now, maybe a few more, until I start to get really sick. Plus if we get to the record shop without me having to phase I only need to phase once more. Once more is well within my range." He let out a smile to convince the others he was fine-and truth be told he was. The water was a big help in cooling him down, and so was the cool breeze. Maybe a little too much.

indentThe feeling of a coat being placed on his shoulders caused Jackson to blink himself back to reality. He looked to see Silver's trenchcoat resting on his shoulders. He let out a soft smile before adjusting the coat. He wouldn't dare try to put it on-it was something he'd probably not fit into. His broad shoulders made it hard to find clothes that fit just right. He crossed his arms before Grayson started to speak up about a plan. The firehouse wasn't a terrible idea, but Jackson didn't feel right sending Grayson out by himself. If it went wrong he didn't have any backup. "It's not a bad plan Grayson. But I'd like to keep you around longer, and this plan doesn't sound the safest to me." Jackson let out a sigh and bit his lip as he started to think about other options. If only he had- that's it!

indent"Wait! I have an idea. I have a Jackal, the most intelligent dog i've ever met. Smarter than me, but that isn't saying much-" Jackson let out a chuckle before clearing his throat and continuing, "-I can whistle from here and most likely alert him. From that whistle, he knows that something is up. He can either alert the stranger in my camp or he can do his job and try and round the zombies up. We've done it once before when someone needed help. It was kind of a risky mission for all of us, but in the end, it paid off!" The fighter looked up at the two with bright eyes, a large smile on his face. "It gives us enough time to sneak by the zombies without having to worry about any of us being a distraction! Dog can save us!" Jackson let out a laugh and threw his hands up in the air to show his support for his own plan. In doing so Silver's jacket fell off his shoulders and onto the ground. He let out a soft 'sorry' before picking it up and handing it back to her. "It's probably best if you hold onto it. I'm known to drop stuff. Which isn't a great trait to have but hey, I made it this far."

indentJackson took the moment to look over his shoulder at where his camp was. It wasn't that far-enough that a loud whistle or yell would reach the ears of the Jackal. Plus the canine had incredible hearing. He would hear the whistle even if it wasn't that loud. So a swift whistle to the dog and it would alert him. Hopefully, the dog would come over to the ledge and gauge what Jackson was trying to tell him what to do. Simply drawing his hand in a circle would be enough to get the message across. The odds of the zombie catching Dog were slim. He was fast, agile, and lower than a human so zombies could get disoriented easily from the dog. Plus Jackson was pretty sure dogs had more endurance than humans. At least it seemed that way. He didn't pay attention in school that much. Whoops.

indentThe odds of both of them agreeing to his plan were just as slim as them both agreeing to Grayson's plan. If they could all three of them would be the distraction for the others. At least they trusted each other that much. But if all three of them could get through this without risking their own lives, it was a win for Jackson. Plus if anything went wrong he could easily grab them and phase through a building. It was their safest bet. If Grayson went off on his own and got stuck or cornered, Jackson couldn't be there to save him. And even though he just met him the thought that happening to Grayson sent shivers down his spine. It didn't feel right. He couldn't just let him go off and nearly get himself killed. Jackson would call this him just caring about Grayson, and even Silver, but deep down he knew there was something more. But for now. He wanted to be their friends, and that meant having the two of them alive.

indentIf Jackson was being honest he wasn't sure how he got these two to trust him and accept him so fast. Last time he trusted someone so openly it backfired badly. Jackson nearly lost his life for simply trusting someone around his age. It pained him to think of the experience, his right hand subconsciously making its way to his left shoulder where he knew a large and nasty scar was. It caused him to shiver and lower his gaze. As much as he wanted to say he learned from the experience, he didn't. He still went out and tried to be friendly with everyone he saw. It would be the bane of his existence. And possibly even the reason why he loses his life. Trying to clear the thoughts from his head Jackson cleared his throat and looked at the two. "So? What will it be? I have to agree with Grayson on the point that you-" He said while motioning towards Silver, "-are in no condition to be used as a distraction. I'd rather have you alive anyway." Jackson cracked a small smile, knowing with the darkening sky it would be harder to see each other. So they had to act fast. The only point Jackson could make if Grayson was stubborn and still went with his plan would be that his dog could see better in the dark than they could.

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indentDog watched as the wolf slowly inched towards him. His first instinct was to stand up and growl at the wolf, but he stayed put. When the wolf touched his nose Dog let out a soft bark and let out a sneeze. In a kind of playful angry way, Dog surged forward and thumped into the wolf. So it wasn't exactly playing but the Jackal was trying his best.

[☪ℓυηαя∂яσρ☪]

Tagged: Jackson (by Bug)

Rikimaru let the wolf go, smiling for a second as the two canines began to play. But night was upon them now, and Bug was crawling out of their pocket with new life. "Hey, Bug. Have a nice nap?" Rikimaru smiled down at the little furball as he chirped happily in response. Both of the bat's big ears perked as a new voice continued the conversation that had been happening over the past couple of minutes. Rikimaru looked over towards the source as they listened in, having been blocking out the conversation subconsciously in the interest of being able to try and think clearly. It seemed the bandits were still with Jackson, and he was offering to run as distraction. Rikimaru narrowed their eyes- nope. Not happening.
Rolling their necks to a series of cracks, Rikimaru gently cupped Bug's little body and held him up to their face. They gave him a hug against their cheek and then pulled back to look him in the eyes. "Alright, babe, can you go find Jackson for me? He should get the message- he knows you're with me." Rikimaru gave him one last smile and gave him a kiss on his little forehead. "Be safe, be good. I love you."
Bug chirred affectionately at his partner's words, then dove off of Riki's hands to gain momentum before gliding off into the distance. Rikimaru watched the little bat disappear from sight, then set their sights to the rest of the camp. They had used up their firecrackers earlier, and they didn't have any more left. Rikimaru didn't see anything particularly loud or flashy, which made sense as those sorts of things weren't normally practical to own now, and their eyes narrowed in frustration.
Until they saw the rocks.
A smile spread across Riki's face, as they stooped down and palmed a good number of medium-sized rocks. Satisfied with their charge, they turned back to the dogs. They were still playing, and Riki was certain that they could slip away without being noticed. So, with a silent swerve around an outcrop of rubble, Rikimaru disappeared from sight and deftly dropped themself down onto the street. Checking both ways before crossing the road, Riki silently stole down the block, checking the windows of each building they passed. Finally, a good block and a half away, heaving heavily, Rikimaru discovered an area where the windows were largely intact- or at least had big pieces still hanging in the pane. Hefting a rock in their hand to get a feel for the weight, Rikimaru looked back up at the windows, aimed, and lobbed the rock at it.
The glass shattered with a loudness that pierced the otherwise quiet night. Grabbing another rock from their pocket, Rikimaru chucked it at a large shard that was still holding on to a different window, and then another. They must have broken twelve or so glass surfaces before the first zombie started to come into view. Rikimaru glanced behind them to check for sneak attacks, then -seeing no undead- crouched down. On the balls of their feet, the androgyne hummed to themself in thought.
They hated making noise, and shouting random things was a bit awkward. They'd love nothing more than to tie something metal and loud to a zombie's leg, but that wasn't going to happen. Their eyes drifted to a nearby parked car, and an idea was born in their mind. Sneaking over to the vehicle, cautious of the slowly growing number of zombies, Rikimaru pushed open the fuel cap and put their face up to it. They couldn't see inside, and the smell of gasoline wasn't a good indicator of fuel being present. Rikimaru palmed the box of matches in their pocket- they had eight matches remaining. It was worth a shot.
Looking around, Rikimaru approached a nearby corpse and tore off a piece of their ripped-up shirt. Rolling up the dirty cloth, Rikimaru stuck the fabric down into the gas tank as far as it would go, then pulled it back out. Nothing- the cloth was dry. Grimacing, Riki glanced about for more cars. There was another one about twenty five feet away, much closer to the horde that was steadily accumulating. The arithmetic floated around Rikimaru's head, and they looked down at the cloth in their hands. It was certainly risky- they'd have to check if there was fuel in the gas tank while next to a small herd of dead, but if it worked...
Screw it.
Rikimaru took a deep breath from their aching lungs, and stalked around in a wide half-circle to the broken-down minivan. Thankfully the fuel cap was on the side of the car away from the zombies, so it provided half cover. Rikimaru swallowed hard, especially as they noticed there was an undead underneath one of the front tires. Walking as if on thin ice, Rikimaru delicately reached towards the gas tank- which was exposed as the fuel cap was limply hanging off- and fed the shirt through it. Silently praying as they reeled the cloth back in, Rikimaru suddenly was knocked on their rear as one of the wild swings the trapped zombie was making with her rotten hands connected with Riki's ankle. Wincing as their teeth clicked together painfully, the androgyne spitefully kicked the undead's hand off and jumped to their feet. Standing further away and out of reach, Rikimaru pulled the fabric out of the gas tank, revealing the end of the fabric which was saturated with gasoline.
Perfect.
Rikimaru shoved the fabric back in the tank, struck a match, and wedged the lit match against the cloth for it to light the fabric on fire. Checking for a split second that the match was actually beginning to ignite the improvised fuse, Rikimaru's eyes reflected with the spark of flames that cropped up.
Then they ran.
Recklessly and as quickly as possible, not caring about the sound. All they cared about was getting as much distance between them and the car-bomb/molotov car. (They'd patent it later) A good number of zombies noticed them, but they didn't have much time to move in before the area exploded with a huge flash of fire and a positively deafening boom.

______________________________________________________________________________________________


Bug silently sped through the air, ears rotating like sonar dishes, until he came upon the familiar shape of his newest friend. With a high-pitched click of happiness, the little bat dove down and latched himself onto the front of Jackson's shirt. Landing square on his chest, Bug grabbed on with his little hands and began to make clicking noises in delight.

[`silver]

Silver | pharmacy rooftop | mentions: Grayson, Jackson, Bug
Silver’s expression was steeled during her entire proposition as she spoke with adamance. Her gut on the other hand was offering no bolster as the granola she’d consumed was giving her a quiet wave of nausea now. She hated the fact that they could both somehow tell she wasn’t feeling up to speed and in part, her decision to volunteer was to fulfill the selflessness that seemed to be in all three of them. “I agree that the use of powers should be kept to a minimum but you setting off a siren by yourself would be just as bad as mine, full strength or not. Who’s to say when that siren will ever stop either?” The point was to try and prevent the group from having to separate especially since zombies were beginning to swarm excitedly in the frigidity of the early night.

Jackson’s smile didn’t warm the girl’s stern look when he reassured them both that he wasn’t quite at his phasing limits just yet. She crossed her arms stubbornly at Grayson’s equally matched adamance in his own plan and sighed quietly when she realized that weren’t getting anywhere with this. They were stuck in a triangle of selflessness. She blinked at Jackson’s exclamation, having taking a small step back as he introduced his jackal into the verbal scene with a possibility of whistling to the canine for his assistance in herding up the zombies. The idea of having the jackal be used as the distraction was still somewhat concerning as she didn’t want the canine to become injured by any means but as Jackson described: he was more agile than they were. “Wait, you named your jackal... Dog?” Silver pinched the bridge of her nose in disbelief while also weighing their options. The soft plop of clothing hitting the ground caused her to catch Jackson just as he was mouthing an apology, taking back her trenchcoat while shaking her head in amusement. “It’s not like it would’ve stayed on for long but either way, I think your plan could be our best bet. It at least allows us to not have to become martyrs with the stakes being so high.” White wisps left her lips as she spoke, warmth returning to her quickly as she sunk into the comfort of her coat. She was about to turn to Grayson in order to get a better sense of what he thought about all of this when she realized the zombies were not only beginning to clamber out of the shadows but few also seemed to be moving in a particular direction. Glass shattered like water shone on a dark surface, thousands of crumbling shards causing a cacophony of noise against the otherwise quiet night air at least a block away from where they were currently positioned. It was convenient—almost too much so. Her eyes snapped to the barely visible white blaze that was Kiba still on Jackson’s campsite but the shadow from before that would’ve been the stranger he’d described was gone? Or was she seeing things?

“I think our options may have changed again, it doesn’t look like your stranger is at the oasis anymore.” Were they the one making the racket so that they could escape? Or maybe it was a trap of sorts. Only moments passed before a thunderous roar chorused with a brilliant orange-yellow light that began billowing hefty smoke into the air, Silver having to shield her eyes a bit at the sudden brightness against the night. Gasoline reeked in the air and she narrowed her eyes at the scent, concluding that someone had to have been listening in to their conversation to be providing such a useful upper hand for them. Movement hovering through the air caused her to step away from Jackson just as a shadow glided across her vision and stuck to the man’s chest like Velcro. A chittering noise bubbled from the living thing abc upon closer inspection, it looked like a fuzzy bat of some kind. But how? “I’m going to assume that you know that bat?” Silver hid a grin of amusement but knew that now was the time that they had to come to a conclusion as to what they were going to do now.

Kiba went to thump Dog in return as his tail lashed happily, his response to his playful advances being reciprocated easily as he huffed and nudged him. The sound of glass breaking in the distance caused him to tense up sharply only moments later as his ears pricked alertly. That person that had come here to befriend the jackal, were they attacking Silver and her group? He growled lowly at the thought, looking to the jackal with concern now as he wanted to return to her with urgency now. Would the jackal follow him if he were to run off to find Silver? Surely, she was still with the other humans, including the one that carried his fellow canine’s scent. The following explosion was enough to set him off as the wolf exuded worry for his companion. He bolted down the way he’d used to originally get up onto the rooftop, his claws clacking lightly as he raced towards the direction in which he remembered taking.