▆ ☾ ▆▆▆

[ghast.]

( 🗡 )t𝘓𝘈𝘙𝘚 𝘝𝘐𝘌𝘙𝘙𝘈
────────xxxxx𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒚, 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒎𝒚 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒘,





xxxxxdarkness. god, full on darkness. swallowing everything lars had ever known, the town he'd lived in for nearly nine years now gone. everything stung. he was bleeding out, lying on the forest floor, and he couldn't move. was he dreaming, or was it all some sick prank someone pulled on him? someone just happened to dress up in some massive wolf costume and go prancing around in the woods, just happened to stumble upon him and decide to have a little fun with the unsuspecting man. and here he was in all his glory, blacked out and with a monster of a bite that he'd never be able to explain to anyone else.

hey, it couldn't get that much worse. some other poor lady had gone missing around the same area a few weeks back, and he was pretty sure he'd come face to face with the creature that killed her. he was only out there for a smoke break - and hey, who was to say he wouldn't solve the case on his own? the police could run through the area a couple times, ask locals and those who had last seen her questions, but they didn't know the place like he did. he'd spend the lunch breaks he earned from his job at the supermarket scouting the forest, a cigarette in his hand and a butterfly knife nestled in a pocket. he'd ranted to many about how you never know who could be sitting out there, waiting for you to step into their stupid little trap.

but the thing had him cornered, backed right into the base of a tree and staring like a deer in headlights. his whole life flashed before his eyes, and for a split second he could see death, but the thing latched onto his shoulder and in a quick motion he threw the butt of his knife into the canid's ribcage, enough force that it yelped in surprise, but still wouldn't let off. a pacifist he was not, but if he stabbed it he'd probably never forgive himself, and it'd probably limp off, dejected and murdered by his hands.

so, y'know, as any rational adult would, he poked his fingers in it's eyes. somewhere, however long ago he heard that if you did that to sharks (was it in their eyes, or in their gills?) then they'd leave you alone, so it had to work for wolves, right?

off in the distance he heard some call, and the thing went running. ha, a lot easier than he'd thought. he threw a knife-wielding fist in the air, saying some sort of mumbled variant of 'take that!' before tripping over his own feet and staring up at the sky. huh. looked a lot prettier from the safety of the leafbed than it did standing up. stars began to cloud his vision, blurry and hazed from the attack.

when he woke up, he was in the same position, butterfly knife in hand and burnt-out smoke in the other. god, what a waste. turning his head, he had to hold back a scream. an entire circle of his shirt was torn, soaked in blood that had covered the same area on his jacket. goddamned wolves, he pushed himself up and walked quickly to his car, driving home and bandaging the bite before anyone could notice. then, throwing the shirt in the trash, because there was no way he'd be able to take that big of a blood stain out of a white shirt. lars would have to sign in to work the next day and say he threw up while on break or something.

--

the pain never went away, a quirk he realized as time passed. and with it came the ability to turn into a wolf at will.

then he met the rest of them. people he'd seen once before, one of the many times he'd been out in the town, causing trouble and annoying civilians. he didn't want to get close, didn't want to even look at them. they weren't family and if they thought he'd join their stupid little clan thing, their vision needed to be checked a few times over.

but he found his head buried within his folded hands, balanced on the counter of their stupid cabin's stupid kitchen, blocking out the slivers of light that crept through the windows and over his fatigued frame. behind him, near the entrance of the building, he could hear the familiar, booming voice of ajax threatening lil' hippie boy iggy. hah, he was going back to sleep. right here, leaned against the granite countertop and exhausted.

[azhefa.]

x.

xxxx
❝ ♛ ┄ 𝑬𝑽𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬𝑳𝑰𝑵𝑨x ❞xx eva x●x 25 x●x female x●x the hikerx●x has 2 dogsx●x heterosex/romx●x single
────────────────────────────────────────────

every morning was the same routine for the blonde. wake up at dawn, feed the dogs, feed the chickens, open their coop to let them into their enclosed pasture, collect the eggs, top off the water in the coop, feed and water the goat, and tend her gardens. only after all the chores were finished does she finally sit and eat her breakfast. this morning was the same as all the others, though this time she had to check on the new pig she had purchased a few days prior. her little homestead was really growing and it gives her such pride to sit back and admire it all. she doesn't have to deal with traffic, rude people, or even money. everything she has is either grown or made by her own two hands. the solar panels and a few things in the house were the only items she had to actually purchase, but it was a one-time deal that she now doesn't have to worry about. she has an endless supply of electricity from the panels as well as a small windmill she has set up in the backyard. her water is from a clean running spring nearby and all her food is grown by hand.

eva sits in her kitchen and eats her breakfast while her two dogs lay spread out on the floor to enjoy the sunshine that was streaming through the windows. it was such a lovely morning. after breakfast, eva washes her used dishes and goes about cleaning her home even though it wasn't really needed since everything was already perfectly in place and wiped down. once she has nothing else to clean, eva heads outside and goes about tending her gardens some more, checking their growth and health. there wasn't much to do after an hour of gardening and it starts to get boring, which isn't something she really enjoys. eva decides to go on a walk to relieve her boredom. she dresses in wool-lined leggings, boots, and a comfy sweater over a tank top since it felt weird to wear just a sweater. eva grabs her walking bag and sets out with her two dogs out ahead of her, their usual place whenever they go for walks.

it was a nice day for a walk too, a perfect fall day that wasn't too cold and not too hot. the wind made it a bit chilly, but she enjoys the cooler weather. plus, both of her dogs had heavy coats so they preferred the cooler weather as well. it was pretty easy to forget about the drama that was going on lately with the missing girl, but as with everything nice, it comes to an end. eva's thoughts keep circling back to the missing girl and she wonders if they will ever find her. living in the forest alone makes it a little hard to ignore the feeling that it could possibly happen to her one day, but then again, she lives in this forest so it's hard for her to get lost in a places she calls home. she just hopes they find the girl soon and all the drama and tension that was settling over the town leaves. news crews were constantly milling about and she doesn't want any of them to find her and start poking around her home and asking questions.

as she walks, eva admires the surrounding trees and all the colors that were starting to change. it was so beautiful here. her thoughts were broken as her two dogs decide to have a wrestling match off the side of the path. eva shakes her head at their antics and chuckles to herself before continuing to walk, knowing they will follow once they realize she was leaving. stella gives a snarl and yaps at the much larger luka before sprinting after eva. the berated male gives some grunts before following at an easy lop, his longer legs keeping pace with the smaller female. it always makes eva wonder when she looks at luka and how large he was. it's clear he was a wolf hybrid of some kind, likely a very high content one as well, but he was so well mannered and mellow that she can't help but feel lucky at finding him. eva pats stella's head as the female passes by and goes on ahead and then rubs luka's back when the male falls into step beside his human. his back reaches up to her hip and it makes her smile at how gentle he was around her. she threads her fingers into the thick fur on his back and clutches it lightly, enjoying his presence at her side and feeling safe as always.

x.

xxxxlocation; home > walking in forest x●x mentions; none x●x tags; open
────────────────────────────────────────────

[welter]

█│⸎║ ── 𝐑 𝐎 𝐁 𝐈 𝐍 ─ ⚜ ─────────────── ─ ─ ─ ─ ─╶╶╶

The fluorescent lights hanging above Robin's head flickered, breaking her out of her trance. She had been blankly staring at the papers strewn across her desk all morning, mulling over the thoughts in her head instead of reading a single sentence, because none of what was written on the file was new to her. When the documents regarding the missing person by the name of Amilia Kennedy were piled neatly together, there was barely enough to consider it a file. They had some personal information, involving things anyone who had spoken to Mrs. Kennedy for more than fifteen minutes could have told them, as well as useless tidbits such as former addresses with neighbours that had changed a dozen times over by the time they had called. If any of the information could have been referred to as useful, it would have been the few, flimsy records from the people who had last seen her, and what little they had managed to learn from her sister. It didn't seem like they had been close in the slightest.

When Mrs. Kennedy had first been reported missing after stepping foot into White Stag national park, the station had gone into overdrive. Park rangers had been alerted, details of her appearance and clothing at the time of disappearance had been distributed, and each and every willing local had gathered at the gates, ready to sweep the park to find the missing hiker. Back then, they had been racing the clock, hoping to find Amilia ─ cold and likely exhausted, but alive. Frankly, the situation was looking more and more grim as the days swept by, diminishing the likelihood of Amilia ever emerging from the woods alive. Sure, there remained a slim, hopeful chance that the stretching wilderness hadn't been the stage of her disappearance, but the other possibilities didn't look much better, not to those who wished to see her again, alive, somewhere far from a morgue. After three weeks of no results, things had calmed down as the search parties and determined volunteers trudged out into the woods again and again, but further and further apart. The town, however, was buzzing. Robin certainly wasn't someone to consult on the tourism of Oxbrook and its surrounding area, but she doubted that each fall brought droves of news reporters and exceedingly sleazy newspapers capitalizing on the disappearance and the possible involvement of... werewolves.

Werewolves. The word had popped up once in a while ever since she had first arrived in Oxbrook, but it seemed that the disappearance had fueled the local lore and fired up the enthusiasts. But no one actually believed it, right? Men turning into wolves and hunting young women in a national park of all places? One of the junior officers, a man by the name of Miller, had been assigned to comb through the calls flooding into the tipline they had set up, and telling by the exasperated ─ although occasionally, entertained ─ look on his face, they were getting more than a few calls about werewolves. Before that, a significant amount of the calls had been reporters, clogging up the lines for the slim chance they could pry some information out of an officer, but the department had refused to give them anything after a request for them to encourage readers into calling in or visiting the station if they had seen anything in the park around the time of the disappearance had turned into more fearmongering and rumors.
indentBut there remained one lead they hadn't yet explored: a cabin, just inside the borders of White Stag. Robin hadn't allowed herself to speculate about anything its inhabitants could possibly tell them, because it was more than likely they had seen as little as everyone else visiting the park between the time Mrs. Kennedy had entered the grounds and the day she had been reported missing, but now that she was about to head out, she wouldn't intentionally tamp down the hesitant optimism bubbling up somewhere within her. Robin grabbed her jacket from where it had been draped across the back of her chair, and exited her office.

As soon as she stepped out through the station doors and onto the sidewalk, she wrapped her arms around herself, tucking her hands underneath them before they had a chance to freeze. The approach of winter was obvious, and although the temperature itself wasn't plummeting quite yet, the wind had grown merciless. Crispy leaves tumbled down the paved main street, carried by the same breeze that nipped at Robin's skin on contact. It wasn't long until she was passing by the local bakery, which a few, if not all, of the officers frequented. As much as Robin tried to discourage the stereotype that cops loved donuts, no one seemed to have a single mean thing to say about the pastries at the establishment. The thought of stepping in crossed her mind, but then her eyes briefly locked with those of a blonde customer through the tall windows, and something about her sent an ominous chill down Robin's spine. Her gaze quickly shifted to the woman standing behind the counter ─ the owner, Suzy, if she remembered correctly ─ before leaving the interior of the bakery altogether. She would stop by later.

The gate leading into White Stag loomed at the edge of town, its reputation slowly growing ominous at the hands of the reporters milling about Oxbrook. The low din of the wind rustling the canopies grew louder the further Robin wandered into the park, but by now, she didn't spare it much thought. She wasn't an especially outdoorsy person, or someone whose first choice of holiday would have been hiking in the wilderness, but one too many chilly nights spent in the woods with a search party had sapped any ounce of unfamiliarity out of the national park. She had walked past the edge of the property she was looking for enough times to find her way back without a map, and the trees soon parted to reveal a sizeable cabin ─ well, it was only sizeable compared to the image she had formed in her mind. It was in shockingly good condition, not something she would have expected from a building in the middle of the woods.

Robin followed the path to the front door and rapped her knuckles against the wood before stepping back to see if she could spot any movement in one of the wide windows adorning the exterior of the cabin. "Hello?" she called out at the desolate exterior, internally grimacing at how loud it sounded in the midst of the trees. "This is detective Adler, Oxbrook PD." She wasn't superstitious, or jumpy in the slightest, but in all honesty, the place was creeping her out, just a little. She felt as if she was being watched. The cabin itself seemed open and modern, nicer than any other building she had seen in town ─ no offense, Oxbrook, but you're more quaint than luxurious ─ but it was doing little to ease her mind. Some of the most horrific things she had witnessed on the job had been committed by people with just enough money to believe they were untouchable. And frankly, the folks living on the property seemed to lean more towards reclusive, considering she couldn't connect a single face to the house. All she had was a list of names pulled from estate records, and when she had first heard there was a private residence on the grounds of a national park ─ oh boy, had she done some research. It didn't seem quite legal, but a musty pile of records in the library had clued her in on some agreement between a past mayor and a former owner of the land. She hadn't dug any deeper into the legality of it ─ it was a small town, and she didn't want to be the detective who arrived from the big city, found some issue with old permits, and drove a family from their home. White stag could tolerate one private residence.


location; station > cabin ─ tagging; open ─ mentioned; Naomi, Constance, Suzy ─ wc; 1,348

[Cats&Cucumbers]

▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄

Full Name: Ajax Soltren
Nickname: Jax
Species: Werewolf
Age: 26
Gender: Male
Plays: The Hunter
Location: Living Quarters
Tags: Robin, Uggi, Lars,
Constance
Form
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄

xxxxxJax made his way around the house, throwing another log on the fire and his empty coffee cup in the sink and heading upstairs to get changed. He returned to the ground floor in his signature black leather jacket, a bit worn from use in the woods. It wasn't a fashion statement, despite his recent sightings of many flimsier versions of the article of clothing on the teens in town, but rather served a practical use for him. Warm enough to keep him comfortable, but not so warm he ever had to take it off when he went inside, and it covered the bite mark on his right forearm that could otherwise draw some unfortunate attention when he was bartending. As fun as riling people up was, he preferred to do so without pulling the "I'm a giant wolf-man" card.
xxxxxHe was crouched in front of the fire, poking at it with a rather tranquil expression as he watched the flames lick around the metal tool, when he heard distinctly unfamiliarfootsteps approaching their door. In a flash, the poker was clattering against the ground and he was at the door, peering through the blacked-out windows. He was fairly sure the sudden noise would have woken Lars and definitely startled anyone else in the home, but he didn't particularly care. "Cop." He warned in a quiet voice, knowing the only people who needed to receive the message had ears sensitive enough to hear him. He let her do her thing, walk up to the door and announce her presence, and opened the door with a lazy grin on his face.
xxxxxHe had been on the side of the inspector plenty of times in his life— perhaps not in a very official way— but he knew that he was far more likely to suspect someone who was too nice. He played the role of the easy-going, somewhat impolite-but-not-so-bad-you-really-question-it-too-much local bartender excellently. His story was smooth and practiced, he came from money, he was the family's black sheep, never went to college, left town to avoid being a townie and ended up being a townie for a different town. "Well, hello officer." He greeted, a lazy, charming smile on his face. He doubted she was the type to be easily seduced, but he did always love to try. "I didn't realize it was a special occasion..." He looked over his shoulder as though expecting someone to explain before letting his head fall forward again, tilting his chin down and fixing a striking blue gaze on her. His eyes just barely flickered a bit to the left of the house as her heard familiar paw steps approaching. Uh-oh.
xxxxxBracing himself, he opened the door wider as quickly as he could without seeming too abrupt, and let a bit of the intimidating implications of his gaze fall in a desperate attempt to get her in the house faster. "But I'll take what I can get— would you like to—" The goal had been to get her into the house before Constance could be noticed, but her entrance was so abrupt that even an idiot human would be startled. "Oh my god!" He exclaimed, seeing Constance, timing his head jerk to find the source of the sudden (ridiculous) noise (he wouldn't be letting Constance live that down) as though he hadn't heard the werewolf's approach for the last 30 seconds. "Get inside, that thing's enormous." He said in a half-whisper, playing the part of the concerned, terrified citizen flawlessly, gesturing frantically for her to get inside. When he was sure the detective wasn't looking at him, he shot his leader a poisonous glare. All the while, he was desperately trying to discern how many weapons this woman had on her, and how fast he would need to shift and rip her head off to prevent Constance from getting hurt, if the officer decided to try to stand her ground instead of take shelter in the house. He realized a shift would likely be impossible without leaving Constance on her own for a good period of time, which definitely wasn't an option. He'd have to take her by hand. Not usually a problem— he was well-versed in fighting techniques— but this was a cop and she had a gun and he wasn't an idiot.

▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄

@indo same as above, if they're not supposed to be found yet, I'll just edit mine ^^

[daices.]

☾ SUZY ☾
〘 location ↠ her bakery | feeling ↠ skittish | tagged ↠ constance 〙
“ my eyes wide open, fallin' in and out of focus ”
- - - - - ☾ - - - - - ☾ - - - - - ☾ - - - - - ☾ - - - - - ☾ - - - - - ☾ - - - - - ☾ - - - - -

Suzy blinked owlishly, biting her lip and fiddling with the edges of her apron when the silence stretched on. The look that Constance gave her almost seemed to pierce through her, and she didn't particularly like the way that stare made her feel incredibly small.

Right when she opened her mouth to press her question again, Constance leaned in; rocking backwards, Suzy's eyes widened at the vitriol that the woman spat out. "Um- I, uh... I'm- sorry?" She squeaked, gaze flicking at the door, then the clock. She was sorely unequipped to deal with any aggressive individuals at seven fourty-two in the morning, or at any time, for that matter. The last time she had done a push up was... Never, really. Oh god, she really hoped she didn't die; she hadn't even had time to enjoy herself today yet, so caught up with baking.

Mouth shutting with an audible click as she watched Constance get a donut from the case, she was rendered mute from the pure absurdity of it. She saw her fair share of weird things in Oxbrook -barring a werewolf, even if she knew they were out there- but this strange woman she didn't think she had ever met before, and her mannerisms... It was like she had never stepped foot outside of Oxbrook before. Which, given the circumstance of the town, wouldn't be too far-fetched. When she had first arrived, she could feel the spirits; phantoms, keeping people within the borders. Constance seemed to be plagued with one of her own.

Gaze following Constance's, Suzy tilted her head at another figure making their way down the street. So many new people, all at once. Things were definitely changing. Perhaps the missing girl's spirit had disrupted the balance of energies in this place. Whatever it was, the stranger in her humble shop definitely didn't seem pleased- Suzy winced as the donut fell, glaze side down, onto her newly polished countertops. She felt compelled to pick it up, maybe replace it -really, Constance just looked like she was having a hard time, if the sneer on her face was any indication- but before she could move, Constance was leaving the shop.

"Um, hey, you still have to pay- alright." Suzy trailed off, tapping her fingers against the counter, gaze focused on the smear of smooth chocolate on the table, the remaining sign that... Something had happened. What had even happened? Something had walked out without paying, that's what happened. Not that the donut cost more than a couple dollars, but a dollar was a dollar. Should she run after the woman? She didn't really like the idea of running after an angry woman and demanding money before it was even eight am; that was how all those netflix docuseries that she binged religiously started. Suzy glanced at the clock again, heaving a sigh when she saw that only four minutes had passed. "Yeesh, that felt like a year..." She mumbled to herself, unhitching the wet cloth from her waistband and wiping down the counter til it shined again.

Suzy felt off-kilter after that; the woman's abrasive attitude, how strange it had been, the new woman making her way down the street: the sense that Suzy was missing something grew stronger every minute that she worked. The few customers that she helped, she did with a vague smile on her face, going through the motions with an autonomy that a year of the same work would give. Had the wool been pulled over her eyes? What were people not saying? Not telling her?

During a lull after the morning rush, Suzy found her gaze straying to her small tv, currently playing some infomercial trying to sell her some strange ladder. "Werewolves... Werewolves in the woods..." She mumbled to herself, thinking back to the news report that had been playing in the morning. "I'll go see for myself." She resolved, gaze hardening.

It was like she was waking up; for a year, she had told herself that she would go visit the national park, the energy in those woods palpable enough to pique her interest immediately. But then work, or remodeling, or expenses, had gotten in the way, even though the park was a mere five minutes away. Not anymore. "Tonight; after I sweep. I'll go tonight."

[ghast.]

( 🗡 )t𝘓𝘈𝘙𝘚 𝘝𝘐𝘌𝘙𝘙𝘈
────────xxxxx𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒚, 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒎𝒚 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒘,





xxxxxin this day and age, lars could never sleep well. dark circles constantly bordered his umber hues, and a lack of trust coupled with the sound of someone knocking on the door at what, seven in the morning? ugh. he'd be better off hiding somewhere under a log and curling up for the night, rather than sitting here in their dreary kitchen. weeks had passed since he met the pack and he still didn't really care to associate himself with anything past their names. yea, he was used to them by now, but ask him if he even liked them. god, they were the most ragtag, loathsome group he'd ever met. but he couldn't leave, because honestly he wouldn't get far without them. he was still new to the side effects the bite had caused, and even though he would be glad to shove a middle finger in all of their faces and run off, he couldn't bring himself to actually do it.

sleep had never been a friend of his, anyway. sometimes he'd stay up all night in his one-bedroom apartment, coffee in hand while he scrolled through his phone, fully aware that he had work the next day. he'd end in the supermarket bathroom, combing through a dark brown mop that he'd ignored in his two-minute rush to get ready. raccoon-eyed and all, he'd take his place as a cashier, socializing with the few people who he didn't scare away. nothing better than fifty year old women telling you to lighten up, eh?

groaning, he turned to the clatter of metal upon the wood flooring, some fire thing that jax had dropped to run to the door. "at least give me a goddamned warning," he muttered, head still balanced within his arms. he watched his back around the pack, treading lightly so they couldn't use anything against him. they were a hell of a lot better in combat, skilled with their fangs, but he'd stand his ground. the scars dotting his back were just a testament to his philosophy. the one branding the bridge of his nose he'd earned by running into a wall as a kid. yea, he knows he's graceful.

he lifted his head for a moment, willing himself to stick the finger up at jax before he mentioned who was standing at their door. ha, maybe they finally would get arrested for what, nearly giving him a heart attack? biting a poor, unsuspecting kid who had done nothing to them? the woman looked familiar, but not by her name.

tapping his fingers on the granite countertop, he sighed, listening to their conversation. out of all the clan members, ajax was probably the one he could tolerate most. but wow, flirting with a cop? one of the easiest tricks in the book. now the twenty-six year old was only drawing attention to himself, a suspect in the disappearance of miss amalia kennedy. blinking, he leaned his head onto one hand, staring out the door at the woman.

"hey, himbo, why don't you just get on with it and tell her you're innocent?" lars loudly murmured, a hint of mischief masked within his english tongue. hands moved to rub his tired eyes, and he leaned forwards, stretching his arms out in front of him with a yawn before balancing his head between two lazy arms.

in the doorway, he could see the massive frame of the pack's pretty lil' dictator, miss constance rivera, stuck in wolf form and barking straight in view of the detective. he rolled his eyes, and with a snort folded his arms back into a comforting position on the counter and let his shoulders fall forwards, head sat on top of his hands. with a huff, he blinked, the foggy haze of sleep still wavering over his eyes. just another completely, totally, one hundred percent normal day in the cabin, hey?

[welter]

█│⸎║ ── 𝐑 𝐎 𝐁 𝐈 𝐍 ─ ⚜ ─────────────── ─ ─ ─ ─ ─╶╶╶

The door opened, revealing a tall, dark-haired man with icy-blue eyes and chiseled features, his lips curled into a bordering-on-noxious smile. Robin dug into her pocket to retrieve her badge right when the man spoke, and the tone of his voice paired with those words nearly made her drop the thing into the turf covering the forest floor. Not because she was flustered, but because it definitely was not what she had been expecting. Seriously? It seemed the man was certain he was being absolutely endearing. She knew exactly the type she was dealing with, and perhaps in a different setting, she would have actually paid more attention to those piercing blue eyes, but not while she was investigating a disappearance, much less at a cabin that was making the hairs at the nape of her neck stand up. She hadn't been able to shake the feeling of unaccounted eyes boring into her, either. Robin produced the badge, holding it out for the man to see with slightly cold-stiffened fingers before slipping it back into her pocket. Her holster and the handgun sitting in it peeked from underneath the hem of her jacket as it shifted. "Detective Robin Adler, Oxbrook PD," she introduced herself. "I have some questions about the─" she was cut off by the man, who appeared to have abruptly forgotten his suave demeanor. Why was he already floundering?

Robin followed the man's line of sight past her shoulder as he shouted. Yes, it was enormous. A jet-black wolf with shovel-like paws stood in the middle of the path leading to the house, powerful jaws lined with ivory teeth puffing swirling breaths into the crisp autumn air. It seemed that her foreboding sensation of being watched had received its explanation. For a split second, she sort of hoped she would have decided to stop by the bakery after all. The woman behind the counter must have been much more friendlier than a wolf. Even the customer that had given her a bad feeling would have trumped the wolf staring at her by a wide berth. But the rumors and local lore about werewolves suddenly made quite a bit more sense. If all the wolves in White Stag were this large and strolled onto peoples' driveways entirely unabashed, it was unsurprising someone had decided they must have been dealing with something unnatural.
indentDuring moments like these, she could notice herself seriously reconsidering her decision to remain in Oxbrook, even when she could have requested a transfer somewhere with slightly less wilderness and a little more civilization. Her former captain had made the reasoning behind his orders clear once Robin had asked, and when she had examined her life a little closer, it had made sense to herself, as well; a change of scenery might have been exactly what she needed. Besides, something about the small town had drawn her in. It was actually quite refreshing to be able to recognize some of the faces passing by on the street and giving her a sincere smile even if they had never personally met. Sure, she had encountered quite a bit of weird during her time in the town, but compared to Oxbrook... the city had been cold.

Robin was awfully conscious of her movements as she turned around, impossibly slowly. Although she managed to keep herself outwardly composed, her heart was hammering inside of her chest. The air around them had stiffened, and the forest had fallen quiet ─ or more likely, the noise had been drowned out by the blood rushing in her ears. This had not been covered at the academy. "Stay back," she breathed out, not entirely certain whether she was addressing the man or the animal. She wracked her brain for the guidelines printed across the outdated park brochures she had absentmindedly eyed through while waiting to question one of the rangers about the conditions in White Stag this time of year. Stand tall... Well, that one was a slap across the face. Compared to her towering figure at five-foot-four, the man standing behind her had a better chance at following the advice than she did, but as an officer of the law, it was her duty to place herself between a citizen and danger.

Robin's right hand inched towards her holster, deftly snapping open the leather strap holding her sidearm in place, and in a flash, she was pointing the matte black barrel right between the beast's eyes with surprisingly steady arms. The safety flipped off with an oddly comforting click. As she squeezed the trigger, she jerked the barrel of the gun towards the canopy overhead, firing a warning shot that boomed in her ears and rang through the forest. If that couldn't scare the beast off, she would have to seriously reconsider her stance on White Stag and the sanity of living near it.


location; cabin (aka death's doorstep) ─ tagging; Jax, Constance ─ mentioned; Suzy ─ wc; 811

[azhefa.]

x.

xxxx
❝ ♛ ┄ 𝑬𝑽𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬𝑳𝑰𝑵𝑨x ❞xx eva x●x 25 x●x female x●x the hikerx●x has 2 dogsx●x heterosex/romx●x single
────────────────────────────────────────────

the walk was rather uneventful, there weren't any other hikers wandering about due to the fact that no one wants to end up like the missing girl. the town's police have also told the townsfolk to not go into the forest so technically, she shouldn't be out walking either. but she doesn't live in town so their rules don't apply to her. she also wasn't scared of the forest like the other townsfolk, this was her home, there's no way she can be scared of her home.

evangelina takes a break at a stream and sits on a log while her dogs get a drink from the cool water. she sits with her eyes closed for a bit, head leaned back while listening to the sounds of the forest. the birds weren't as loud as they would be in the spring since most were headed south for winter, but those who stay behind were still singing their songs. the peace was broken by a sharp bark from stella as she lunges after a fleeing squirrel and luka eager follows. eva huffs a sigh and shakes her head at them as she gets to her feet and brushes the dirt and leaves from the back of her sweater and leggings. she pauses after shouldering her bag and cocks her head to the side to listen, but there's only silence. the birds were silent and her dogs weren't making their usual fuss. a chill starts to worm it's way down her spine as she calls out to her companions. "stella! luka!" she calls, but still hears nothing.

the blonde starts getting weary and heads in the direction that the dogs had went, hoping they were just trying to find the squirrel they had been chasing. she shakes her head a little and sighs in a bit of exasperation, so much for a nice calming walk to clear her head of all the drama going on in town. eva pushes through a few patches of underbrush and comes to another path that wasn't as worn. seems she hasn't seen everything in the forest as she had originally thought. a bit of rustling draws her attention and stella appears, tongue lolled out in a wide wolfish grin and her tail wagging happily upon seeing eva. the girl sighs in a bit of relief and pets the shepherd mix for a moment before pausing and looking around for luka. "stella, where's luka?" she asks the canine in their native german and the pup responds with a soft woof before turning and heading back the way she had come.

eva hesitates only briefly before following after the dog and heading down the strange path. after a few moments of walking, a large cabin can be seen breaking through the trees and bush and voices start to drift towards her. had luka gone to investigate this place? it wasn't really like him to approach strange people and it makes her weary. eva steps from behind a bush to see luka sniffing around, but is unable to see the large wolf partially hidden behind some brush. eva shakes her head again and opens her mouth to call the hybrid to her, but suddenly the figure on the front porch pulls a gun and fires a shot. from where eva stands, she can't tell the shot was too high to hit her pet so she gives a little scream and bolts towards them. "no! don't shoot him! he's not dangerous!" she screams towards the figure with the gun, a woman she realized as she gets closer. luka is terribly spooked by the sudden loud shot and yelps before running to eva with his tail tucked tightly beneath him and his body low in fear and submission.

when luka gets to her, eva hugs him close and pets him all over checking for wounds. all the while murmuring soothingly in german to him and trying to calm her racing heart. once sure there's no injuries, eva looks back to the woman with a gun and gives her a glare before turning to check on luka again, but spots a large shape in the brush where luka had been before. a huge wolf was standing half hidden in the underbrush and it makes eva freeze. a weird sensation comes over her, as if she knows this beast. it was such an odd feeling that she can't help but ignore it for now. there's no way she knows this big wolf, she's never seen it before, but she still has that feeling. to make things worse, the beast looks at her and it's icy gaze reminds her strongly of the woman who comes by from time to time for some company and patching up. why would a wolf remind her of constance? that doesn't make any sense.

eva shakes her head as if to clear it and waves her arms around a bit to shoo the beast away like she would with any other wild animal, she wasn't scared of wildlife like the other woman on the porch seems to be. "go home! go on before you get shot," she calls to it, cutting an icy glare towards robin on the porch and her gun. people like her was the main reason she hates town and the people who live there. they were always eager to explore the wilderness, but aren't as eager to see the wildlife and would rather shoot them. eva remains facing the wolf while she calls to the people on the porch, not wanting to turn her back on a wild predator but is careful to keep from locking eyes with the beast. staring down a wolf is a challenge and that's not what she wants right now. "i suggest you all go inside, it won't leave until it feels safe enough to do so." she says to the people on the porch, but makes no move to join them. she wasn't scared of wolves and would rather see this one leave peacefully than simply hope it does.

x.

xxxxlocation; forest > pack cabin x●x mentions; none x●x tags; robin, constance, those on porch
────────────────────────────────────────────

[Cats&Cucumbers]

ℑ 𝔟𝔯𝔬𝔨𝔢 𝔞 𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔲𝔰𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔥𝔢𝔞𝔯𝔱𝔰 𝔟𝔢𝔣𝔬𝔯𝔢 ℑ 𝔪𝔢𝔱 𝔶𝔬𝔲

▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄

Full Name: Ajax Soltren
Nickname: Jax
Species: Werewolf
Age: 26
Gender: Male
Plays: The Hunter
Location: Living Quarters
Tags: Robin, Uggi, Lars,
Constance, Eva
Form
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄

xxxxxJax had been fully expected this miniature cop on his doorstep to scuttle into the building with her tail between her legs— pardon the pun. So, when he realized the petite woman was instead slowly turning to face her would-be-huntress, his eyebrows quirked up in surprise for a moment. He didn't have time to dwell on the topic, however, because it didn't take him long to realize where her hands were going. His jaw tightened, eyes flaring with the instinct to put himself between his friend and any sort of danger, but he managed to hold himself still for a few moments longer. He was fast enough to position himself in front of the gun the second he saw her finger press on the trigger, so until it came to that, there was time to end this peacefully— he knew from various incidents at the bar that cops would often show their weapons as a means of intimidation, rather than to actually attack. When the safety clicked off, though, he braced his muscles for a quick maneuver. Fortunately, his supernatural eyesight caught her pointing the gun upward before any human would have, and after the shot fired over his leader's head, he allowed himself to relax slightly. He hadn't truly been scared for Constance's safety, however, until he saw the animalistic fury in her eyes as she stood. Damn. He thought, moving himself to stand slightly further to the side to be seen more clearly around the officer, and fixing her in what he thought was an intimidating stare. Rather, his pale blue gaze was edged with a strange sort of pleading— a level of care that only emerged in the rough man's expression for a select few individuals in his life. It was most likely that, rather than the severe edge of his jaw and tense readiness in his shoulders, that compelled the wolf to come to her senses.
xxxxxHe missed most of her retreat, however, as his sharp ears caught a cry from the woods when the shot fired, and he vaguely recognized the head of blonde hair. Eva. He realized after a moment. When Constance had first mentioned her, he went to her home to check thing out, not quite believing there was someone who was willing to help someone— no questions asked— just for the sake of helping. But after a thorough— albeit careful— check of her humble home (the only trace of his presence she would have noticed was a broken lock on one of the windows), he found no traces of secret connections or motives. She seemed to be just what she said she was— a green thumb with a few dogs living off the land, and he didn't think much about her after. His lip curled in a dry smirk as she attempted to advise this woman, a cop, and himself, a werewolf, on what to do. He didn't know about the cop, but he sure as hell wasn't taking anyone's advice. Nice of her to look after Constance, though, he figured absent-mindedly, even if she doesn't know it. Didn't make him like her presuming tone any more, though. That was probably the worst part of blending in with humans— pretending he was scared of anything. Even now, he could feel the adrenaline that would make a shift almost seamless fading from his veins, and from it lingered the reminder that he had the power to decapitate this cop with his bare hands, if he got her in the right position, before someone could even get their phone out to call 911. As though more policemen would serve as anything but more lives for him to take.
xxxxxConstance's disappearance from his line of sight jolted him from his brief, violent fantasies, and he knew it was only a matter of minutes, if not seconds, before he was relieved of his personal encounter with the detective, and he stepped back into the doorway, positioning himself to the side so she could walk in if so inclined. His eyes were less condescending than before, as he looked at her. As futile as it was, she did stand her ground between what she perceived as a threat and a citizen, even though she had the invitation to bunker inside. Human stupidity. He thought dryly. Still, he wasn't quite as imposing as before. "Thank you, officer." He said in a low tone, returning as best he could to a startled human facade. "So... would you like to come in?" To a human's ears, his voice sounded pleasantly polite, if still a bit "shaken"; to a werewolf's ears, each world faintly dragged with reluctance. He didn't love the idea of the officer in their home.

▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄

ℑ'𝔩𝔩 𝔟𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔨 𝔞 𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔲𝔰𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔪𝔬𝔯𝔢, 𝔟𝔞𝔟𝔶, 𝔟𝔢𝔣𝔬𝔯𝔢 ℑ 𝔞𝔪 𝔱𝔥𝔯𝔬𝔲𝔤𝔥

[arabella !!]

────────────────────────────────
; ━ ━ ━ ━ ‘✦ ＭＡＶＥＲＩＣＫ ！！ ━ ━ ━ ━
────────────────────────────────
❝ { location - just everywhere } ,, { tagged - naomi, suzy, uggi } ,, { mood - tired } ❞'''

sunshine gleamed through the curtains effortlessly, casting an everlasting glow on maverick's face, as he peacefully slept with no concern in the world. the sun's beam glistened on his pale skin, depicting numerous sparkles on every inch of his body that was not covered by an article of clothing. unsurprisingly, the dust that was beginning to clutter within his room had now been properly illustrated by the sunlight from his window... not serving the most attractive first impression for anyone who just decides to walk in without warning. other than the dust, the numerous insects --- maverick would not even dare to discuss the size of those hideous creatures --- and his piles and piles of endless litter just sitting around, this man would take pride in what his room turned out to be. unfortunately, he has never been able to achieve the right mind space to get anything done lately...

amilia's death was a lot to take in. for him, and for everyone else who knew her.

she was... perfect. almost too perfect. the kind of perfect that nobody would even imagine getting broken, or shattered. and indeed, in some way, amilia lived a content life. not a single soul could argue that. even for the people who didn't know her, they acknowledged that her social media pages always seemed to be sculpted by the gods themselves. those --- like maverick --- who kept her close to their hearts, also knew she was doing well. however, maverick was very aware of the fact that amilia did face some ups and downs in oxbrook. i mean, who doesn't? it's the type of town that minds its own damn business, but there ought to be some type of disturbance to shift the once peaceful town to an entire train-wreck. all it takes is one change in a continuous cycle. a butterfly effect.

and amilia's disappearance was just that.

maverick woke up abruptly, gasping for air as be began to uncontrollably cough. oh god... oh god... i'm losing it. i need water. crap, where did i put the bottle last time? he thought frantically, panicking as his hands shuffled around his stuff in search for some water. he knocked something off his nightstand in the process, which produced a sound similar to glass cracking. "jesus!" he muttered aggressively under his breath, his vision still cloudy as he just opened his eyes. he decided to blink a few times, getting his mind cleared before he messes up more of his life than it already is. maverick stopped moving for a sec, shifting his weight under his blanket a few times. he stared at the ceiling for a few minutes. his mind was racing, and his thought continued to race all at once. a single tear fell down, wetting his cheek until it reached his lips. now i'm crying? amilia, you really outdone yourself, huh? making a grown ass man cry. nope, i'm not dealing with this today. i need to wake my ass up. and with that, maverick got up and went straight to the bathroom to splash water on his face. he realized too late that his nightmares about his former friends were beginning to become serious to the point they were negatively affecting his mental health. however, he wouldn't be able to get the help he needed in this shabby town.

"as if i could afford it anyway!" maverick whispered to himself, spitting out his mouthwash.

after quickly brushing his hair, he entered his closet and put on the same brown shirt and pair of jeans he wore yesterday. today just wasn't that kind of day for him. he wasn't overly enthusiastic about anything. nothing sparked his interest, or creativity. in fact, the only factor about this town that motivated him today was grabbing something to eat and getting a decent job. and then maybe, just maybe he could find some therapy sessions around here? who am i kidding, this miserable town has enough to deal with, i don't need to add myself to the equation. maverick scoffed gently after his thought before walking down the hallway, greeted by naomi's lovely yet sleepy face on his pullout sofa. god, she was gorgeous in his eyes. incredibly gorgeous at this time of day, too. maverick had no idea how she pulled it off, and the fact that she wouldn't even tell him her secrets?

naomi was a blessing and a curse without realizing it. that's the excuse maverick uses to conceal his fondness for her. and he most certainly has no guts to admit that to her, if he can't even look at the mirror and say it to his own face.

maverick tries not to get too close to naomi. for the sake of both of their feelings, as he is unsure how to protect them. especially during this time... he understands why naomi is here. why she chose him. he knew his sister, probably more than anybody in this hell hole of a town. they were college buddies; the type of friends that would do everything together. maverick always felt like he was living in a fantasy world whenever he was around amilia. everything seemed surreal, and magical. whether or not feelings actually were involved, their were sparks that even a stranger could notice between them. they had study sessions together which would last the whole night, enjoyed shopping until their pockets hurt, and even had picnics in the park. now, maverick has almost the exact copy of amilia. it felt... strange being around naomi, as he could almost see her sister in her. sometimes, if maverick thought about it for a few moments, the atmosphere would begin to get cold. he would almost experience physical chills. so, he tries to brush it off. and these days, maverick has been good at it, because the more he spends time with naomi --- the more he realizes that she is an entirely different person. and he is absolutely satisfied with that notion.

except when she devoured his entire kitchen.

maverick snapped out of his mesmerizing period when he acknowledged her taking handfuls of froot loops out of the cereal box. he grunted in annoyance while grabbing his coat, before hinting at a smile. "you are so lucky that your rent date for owing me all the food i buy in a month after eating it all is due in a week from now. i'm gonna find some job so this isn't a problem, okay? call me if you need everything." maverick was not usually this friendly, only around the people he cared about... and frankly, he did not care about many. naomi is one of the only people he can trust in this town. and ever since her sister's disappearance, his trust issues have been becoming more severe. he barely goes outside anymore, and believes that soda, popcorn, and a good movie can be the answer to all his problems. truthfully, it can be for only a short amount of time. besides, there can only be so many harry potter movies you can binge watch until you begin to mentally breakdown. maverick kissed naomi on the forehead lovingly as her cheeks were filled with froot loops, understanding that she could not reply back. letting out a small chuckle, he opened his door and left the comfortableness of his own home behind him.

for the first time since amilia's disappearance.

maverick cupped his hands in his pockets, walking along the sidewalk as the chilly breeze pushed his curly hair to the side. maverick could never comprehend the fact that this town could receive the most amount of sunlight in history, but still never raise its temperature. it was absolutely insane. however, this day was quite decent... maverick might even consider it to be hot. he smiled warmly at the thought of naomi hating this kind of heat, but he knew she would never get the hang of this unpredictable weather. it is only what the east coast is known for. maverick remembers the promise from naomi, that once all of this unnecessary crime investigation mayhem is over, they could go back to her apartment in new york and finally have a breather.

unfortunately, maverick believes that it is far from over. it is quite possibly just the beginning.

as maverick was walking, he glanced over to his left right when he passed uggi's bookstore. hmm, this might work... he thought to himself, before entering the shop. realizing that uggi was not currently working, he sighed and was about to leave when he noticed the business cards. smirking to himself, maverick grabbed one and placed in his pocket and left before he can ponder over the delightful books. uggi was one of the many people he could tolerate in the town. they won't close, but a possible phone call could change that. maverick was desperate for money at this point, and working at a bookstore may soothe his nerves from all of the chaos. he didn't mind reading when he actually had time for it.

maverick turned around the block to suzy's bakery after realizing his stomach was making a fuss over skipping dinner. he probably shouldn't have, but hey, he he was practicing a new song on his guitar before realizing it was already 12:00am. what can you do? maverick had to force himself to not make a look of disgust as he walked into the bakery, rolling his eyes at the many pastel colours which were splashed on every wall. although, maverick could not simply ignore how bomb the muffins were. in fact, he believes that suzy must have noticed him just grabbing all of them and running every times he comes to her bakery. okay, maybe it wasn't that intense, but he took a lot of muffins. probably enough to call the cops over.

sheepishly sitting on one of the stools near the front counter, he noticed that suzy was quite uncomfortable. which confused him a bit due to her overly charismatic and bubbly nature, maverick slightly frowned. but, nonetheless, he still asked one of his many dumb questions.

"hey suzy, still got one of your amazing muffins you could spare?" he raised an eyebrow.