onepassingnight | (one) day in the forest

Entry tags:

(one) day in the forest

[ To think his dreams might resemble, to the outside viewer, a pleasant storybook reality is purely offensive - but for this one, in particular, there are few more apt descriptors. The sun shines bright, high overhead on this perfectly Spring day, and the world below is all warm, flowering meadow and leafy green forest as far as the eye can see. The terrain is a bit rocky in places, of course, and occasionally ends in a dangerous-looking drop-off, but that's the trouble of living on the mountainside.

At least it makes for some rather breathtaking views - though the dreamer of this rather ordinary (patently unimaginative) dream has no interest in sightseeing, himself. ]

Oi! Over there, don't go wandering off!

[ Scattered throughout the clearing above one rather low, unmenacing cliff edged with wildflowers, a pack of wolves are at rest, at play. His pack, over whom he watches, diligently, businesslike even in his habitually casual style of dress and bare feet. And it's to the stranger on the edge of this clearing that he calls, an individual he would not recognize in the waking world, but for now who his rational subconscious attempts to disguise as a familiar face. Just another member of the group. Family. ]

You know it's dangerous this time of year with humans in the forest.

[ooc: For his intro, Souichi will be seeing any visitors as "wolves" (kemonomimi like him) ~~because he doesn't like change~~. But immersion in the dream is totally optional (i.e. characters can be entirely themselves and confused by all of this, or aware of having ears and a tail, or just be chill and go with the flow). Play it literally any way you like. ♥]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[he's... furry.

His unnaturally blue eyes narrow and one of his ears twitches.

He's not supposed to be... furry.

He's not sure what he's supposed to be but - he's pretty sure it's not supposed to be quite this... fuzzy.

The huff he gives through his nose feels familiar though and he shudders, a kind of rippling that runs down his full body and shakes his shaggy coat. His ear twitches again because someone's yelling but it's not a voice he recognizes and so it buzzes past his ears without settling. Instead, his head comes up from where his nose was resting close to the ground and his ears perk forward. He inhales again to be sure but the scent is true.

There's something dead in the forest.

He's going to go roll in it.]

ooc. I just got back and I'm catching up so I'll be a little slow to start but really - I couldn't resist this set up. Also, I'm fine with threadjacking and multiple people in this thread if you want to go that way. Though Souichi may not want all the hassle that could be since Cloud's going to keep him busy as is. >;)

Hey! Wh-- [ ...is about as far as he gets before that idiot takes off (because he must be an idiot, in Souichi's humble opinion, if he's just going to blatantly ignore the pack leader like that!). ]

Where the hell are you going!? [ Bristling visibly, his own ears set back against his skull, he doesn't hesitate to give chase, barking some absentminded version of "Stay put!" back at the rest of them as he passes - a display that earns him only a few arched brows and vaguely curious glances before normalcy reasserts itself automatically.

As faithful as his subconscious' interpretation of plain, boring reality is, his memories of the other wolves are just as much so. Merely humoring his tirades, even in his dreams.

When he catches the smell of something in a fairly advanced state of decay at the edge of the woods, his glower becomes a grimace. It's harder to pick up a less offensive scent trail under something that pungent, but being disregarded without a second glance has him determined, nonetheless.

When I catch him, he's dead! Dead! ]

[ooc: lmao, this is awful and awesome. Slow tags are no problem, either! And I would definitely not mind any potential threadjacking, if anyone else feels like being hideous. |D]

[Cloud's making no attempt to disguise himself. It doesn't occur to him that anyone would be interested in him or what he's doing. And what he's currently doing is laying on his back, all four paws in the air as he contentedly rubs himself backward over what might once have been an otter. Or a muskrat. Or maybe a beaver. Whatever it was it has a slightly fishy tang under its meat smell and the rot is long set into it. Cloud's busy working hips and shoulders and even the top of his head very, very thoroughly through its remains with brief moments of still pauses before he starts wiggling again.

He's going to smell awesome!]

ooc. LOL - glad I could help. I'm already laughing at these two. Cloud's got his... er, moments. ;)

[ The reek of it is unbearable, but the smell hardly compares to the appalling thing he's doing to that unidentifiable carcass. Souichi may have the same instincts as any other wolf (loathe as he is to admit it, in these less glamorous instances), and he knows the routine as far as masking one's natural scent by any means necessary goes.

But doing something like that for fun?

He'll make a mental note to stare daggers at whichever one of them dragged this imbecile to his doorstep, for the next year or so. That seems fair. ]

Oi, you! What're you doing that for!? You defective or something? That's disgusting.

[ Of course, even that's being kind, watching the equivalent of a grown man roll about merrily in such muck. ]

[ooc: Heyy, we all have that one really weird dream, every once in a while. :3c]

[why would he do this if it wasn't fun? Cloud blinks mildly at the new arrival and then snorts through his long muzzle. Slow, very deliberate, he rubs his shoulders again, smearing the stench just that much more across his coat, watching the stranger the whole time with smug eyes. Then, slow, almost lazy, he rolls himself over so he's resting on his stomach, facing the strange creature.

The look is all but a 'what're you gonna do about it?' one.]

ooc. oh, Cloud's definitely chalking this up to 'one of those' dreams when he wakes up - lol. And, excuse him, please, he can be a bit of a jerk when he puts his mind to it.

[ Strange? Is that how he thinks of a fellow wolf? Souichi would be even more offended (were that possible), if he knew. He is, of course, the most ordinary and upstanding of wolves. And to think otherwise is purely ridiculous - at least as ridiculous as his own perception of this truly unpleasant snapshot in time: the blond guy on the ground with filth all over his clothes, looking entirely too smug for his own good.

Naturally, his response is an expression of the utmost disdain. ]

Don't come back until you've washed that shit off, then.

[ And then to turn promptly on his heel, turning back in the direction of the rest of his pack, at least collectively more sensible than this gem. ]

[ooc: fffff, poor Cloud. He can be as jerky as he wants, though. Souichi is King Jerk.]

[to Cloud's subconscious he's not human at all but entirely wolf, from the tips of his ears to the end of his bushy tail. If he was human he wouldn't be rolling in a dead animal, now would he? Of course not. But as a wolf it's the only acceptable thing to do and so he relishes the freedom to do just that.

Even if, in the back of his mind, there's a part of him that realizes Tifa will insist he take a bath if he comes home as a stinky wolf. It will make the kids happy though. He knows they want a dog.

maybe... maybe he'll be a better wolf than he is a man...

the disgust in the stranger's voice however rolls right off of his back. He doesn't know the weird looking creature and so he can't imagine why it's opinion would matter to him. So he gives his wolfish version of an opinion, both of it's opinion and him for any reason wanting to go 'back' to wherever the critter thinks he should.

He yawns. It's wide and vocal and careless and stretches his huge jaws completely.

yeah. He's not impressed and he doesn't take orders from strange critters with big ears.]

ooc: good. I enjoy jerkishness but I always want to be sure it's not bothering the other person. We'll let them be jerks together ;) it probably serves them both right.

[ He almost manages to walk away, yet - almost disappearing back into the brush and off to return to the rather self-important business of before.

But that yawn.

His ears flick back, again, a sure sign of anger, as his tail swishes irritably behind him. There's no doubt of it left in the look he casts back over his shoulder, brows drawn down severely over sharp, golden-brown eyes, a flash of oversize canines in his retort. ]

Haah-- Whadda you have a death wish or somethin'?

[Cloud's... always had a bit of a problem with picking fights. The problem being that he does it. Not as much as he used to as a kid but despite Tifa's best efforts it's not something he's entirely gotten over. He doesn't so much pick them physically anymore but there's something about annoying someone by casually responding to their tirades that never gets old for him. More often than not, it gets him in trouble.

It doesn't seem to stop him from doing it.

So when he sits up, it's casual. And when he uses his back leg to scratch behind his ear it's just as casual. His blue eyes watch the strange creature however and they're definitely laughing.]

[ He's probably in good company, then -- Souichi's always had a bit of a penchant for starting trouble, himself. Or at least for finding it. He's got some impressive scars to attest to that.

So when this lowlife continually brushes him off, he doesn't do the smart and levelheaded thing and ignore him in return. He turns right back around and marches toward him, throwing a particularly vicious kick at the dumb mutt. ]

Hey! Listen to me when I'm talking to you!

[fuzzy or not, Cloud's been in fights most of his life and a kick isn't exactly going to surprise him from someone he's just watched storm over. He's got the option to dodge it of course and there's the rational side of his brain that tells him that's the appropriate response.

Instead he lunges, launching forward instead of backward. It catches the kick against him but a lot further back than it had been intended and he's already inside the creature's guard by the time it connects. Which means the creature's also only on one leg. He keeps his jaws shut and his head is down in a ramming motion instead of a snapping one but even if his launch wasn't fully extended, he's always had a lot of power in his legs and he's a pretty solid guy.

Attempting to send them both down in a flailing pile of legs and fur probably isn't the most sensible thing, especially since Cloud's got no plans for directly afterward if this works. But it's a physical attack and his first instinct is to respond in kind.]

[ Such a simple tactic works like a charm, of course. With a look of tragically comical surprise, Souichi is upended quite easily, though even in mid-fall he's recollected enough of his wits to go down fighting.

Confrontation is something he has earned years of experience in, as well, defending his own honor with a ferocity that is as yet unmatched. (Really, he should've been voted Most Likely to be Rabid in school.) And when presented with the opportunity to work out some of that aggression, he doesn't hesitate.

In a flurry of limbs and snapping jaws, he twists around and dives right for the other wolf's throat, intending to shake at least a whit of sense into him. ]

[Cloud's far too good at bring the fight into close range with the enemy. However, no matter how furred and pawed he is in this dream, Cloud's no wolf and probably the only thing that saves him from getting a new necklace of scars around his throat is the fact that his subconscious sees his throat at wolf level while Souichi's sees it at man level and, somewhere inbetween, the structure of the dream's enough to throw the bite off.

Cloud still realizes he's far out of his league with both lack of hands or sword to use and his unfamiliarity with wolf fighting tactics when in wolf form. He takes the bite with a snarl and, lacking a better plan, decides to spur of the moment it and rolls them directly into the foul mess of now quite wet and smeared dead animal he'd been in previously.]

[ As if the taste of it on his mangy fur wasn't enough -- the temptation to vomit is strong and compelling but if he really thinks a juvenile tactic like that will really shake Souichi off, he's got another think coming. If anything, this move has only served to further piss him off.

Unfazed by the filthy dead thing's remains ruining his clean white shirt, Souichi digs in his claws, scrambling for a grip, and shakes the other wolf furiously. He may look slight and lanky, at first glance, but there's a fearsome strength underneath it. Especially when he's been so blatantly provoked. ]

[Cloud's still not fighting to hurt the weird ass critter that's trying to take chunks out of him. Yes, the bite hurts like hell and the shake attempt has it tearing a bit more since that's jaws on his shoulder but... he's stronger than normal people. A lot stronger. And he's not very good at fighting to not kill. Nasty words and attitude - on his part at least - aren't a good enough reason for him to want to kill someone - but, dammit! those teeth and claws hurt! The guy needs to fucking get off of him! So there's no hesitation when he brings his very hard, very solid head around, aiming to smack it hard into the side of the face that's gnawing on him.]

[ But wandering was his specialty, though usually it was more of a figurative wandering considering that Peter was a daydreamer at heart. And in a place like this, it was hard to do anything but. Far away from the skyscraper-ridden landscape of New York, wandering along the mountainside was almost achingly pleasant.

Turning at the sound of the voice, the only thing that seems to be off is... well, the fact that his ears are twitching. Peter notices it almost immediately and his eyes go wide, tentatively reaching up to give one of them a flick. Yup, definitely wolf ears. Oh, this was going to be interesting. ]

Yeah, well-- Humans are the least of my worries.

[ It's not quite the reaction he expects, but a little bewilderment isn't an abnormal response, by far. As much as he is (willfully) unaware of his own faults, Souichi is not unused to startling other animals, and it doesn't put even a bit of a hitch in his casual approach. ]

Eh? What's that supposed to mean?

[ Great, so apparently he's just supposed to act like this is completely normal. Peter contains his second reaction, which is to grumble, but in all truth, he's been in weirder situations. So he sucks it up, giving one glance in the opposite direction before starting to walk closer. ]

Nothing. Never mind.

[ Not one to press on personal matters (he may be a lot of things, but he isn't a hypocrite), Souichi merely shrugs, turning the focus of his attention back to the rest of the pack with this wayward newbie reigned in. If he wants to talk, he'll talk -- and if he doesn't, that's just as well. Compassion is definitely not the strong suit of the fearless leader. ]

Have it your way.

Not if we find them first! Damn humans, makin' us skulk around like this ... [ there's a low growl in his throat; he already sees himself as something of an outcast in real life, so being half-human, half-wolf somehow doesn't phase him. ]

And what'll you do when they come after all the rest of us with those weapons of theirs? It's best just to stay out of their territory and make sure they stay out of ours. [ It's kind of a sullen response, but Souichi will be forever dissatisfied with the state of things where human beings are concerned.

...And a day where he isn't particularly sulky is a day that has yet to pass, in any universe. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

(one) day in the forest

no subject

no subject

threadjack us, please!!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject