onepassingnight | (Two) Days in the Village

[ Dark, bleak, and damp - it's night in the small, desolate mountain village on which this dream centers, and by its sodden state of disarray, some kind of vicious storm must have just passed through. Everything about this place is nightmarishly exaggerated, drawn from the memory of a creature with only passing knowledge of human dwellings -- and no fondness at all for the proprietors of such strange establishments.

Eerily abandoned, no light shines in any window-- Except for one, whole and filled with the warm orange glow of one last burning lamp. And it's into the shallow reflection of this warm light that a lone, pale figure steps. A large, lanky silver wolf or a tall, thin man with only the attributes of the same animal, however he is perceived, his intent is the same. He's rarely been more determined in his life (or maybe that's more terrified, though he'd never admit to that), and it shows.

This is a dream he's had often, since then. And though he knows that it spells certain doom, he stops to look through the lit window, all the same.

No one's here.

Another empty room, filled with queerly-shaped furniture (another word he doesn't know). The light goes out immediately on the heels of this realization, and another one appears in a window on the other side of town. And when he slinks away from the safety of the first building's shadow, this is where he heads, to look again for something he's so stupidly managed to misplace. ]

[ooc: Anyone looking for an extremely surly rescuer is welcome to dream as another "animal" (or human) who's been captured and caged in the village. Otherwise, it's all good! Wacky timeline shenanigans with this month's theme included.]

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[Teddy's eyes immediately focus on the newcomer, and for a moment, he's concerned. What if this is the person who's imprisoned him? Normally Teddy has no fears about the matter, but when he doesn't have any of his powers, well... but then there's that voice, and Teddy breathes a sigh of relief. He's almost tempted to laugh, but when it seems like those eyes are looking for any reason to not help, Teddy isn't going to risk it.] No, no, of course not! Why would I want to eat you?

How should I know? [ His ears twitch irritably, but he stalks a little closer to the cage, just the same, casting wary glances around the room on his approach. ] I've never seen one of you, before. Whatever you are.

[ And he's never seen locks like the ones on this cage, either, if his expression is anything to go by. Dim light glints off the round lenses of his glasses as he scrapes a claw across the metal experimentally. ] ...What is this stuff?

That's... kind of a complicated answer. [Sometimes... sometimes Teddy wishes he knew exactly what he was. Oh sure, he knows the biological make-up, as weird as it is, but... that doesn't really explain what he is. Or more appropriately, who he is. But he doesn't need to burden this newcomer with his existential angst. Still, when the other man scratches his claw across the metal, Teddy's heart sinks. That's... not a positive start.]

It's steel. MasterLock, I think. Normally I could break it myself, but... [He shrugs, frowning as he does so. It's galling to not be able to Hulkling Smash his way through this, but there's no point in worrying about that. That's also why he doesn't bring up the ears or anything else- he doesn't want to risk anything that might make this man walk right out that door.]

[ Good thing Souichi doesn't seem all that interested, then -- he doesn't ask any follow up questions on that point, now too busy puzzling out the lock to bother with details like that. Tail lashing at the backs of his muddied khaki pants, he starts working at the weird contraption in earnest, even going so far as to pull it through the bars and bite at it, dragging sharp eye teeth across the metal. Hard enough to scratch, thanks to the slightly skewed physics of his dream, but not enough to put much of a dent in the lock, sadly.

As he pries at the fastenings, though, there's something distracted in his expression. This isn't what he came here for, not exactly, and he can't help lending an ear to that nagging feeling still hanging in the forefront of his mind. ] If you know what it's called, do you know how to break it, too? I'm looking for someone else these humans have taken, too. A bear. If they're planning to kill him, I probably don't have much time left.

Break it? ...no, but there's probably a key around here somewhere. [He hopes so, anyway. He's pretty sure that this guy can't rip down the cage on his own strength, and he's a little surprised to see those teeth raking across the steel. If he does that, then he probably doesn't know how keys work, so Teddy speaks quickly.] It'll be a small steel thing. About this big, with sharp indentations all along one side. [He makes a small shape with his fingers, roughly guessing at the size. Hopefully that will help.

And at the statement... Teddy's throat goes dry, but then he grimly nods.] If you get me out, I'll help you find him. I can fly, I can find him more quickly than you can.

[ Just for good measure, he rattles the bars as hard as he can -- but wolves are more speed than strength (outside the jaws, anyway), and there isn't even the slightest bit of give. Frowning quite severely, Souichi listens almost reluctantly to the large, green creature's explanation.

...And his offer. Even if he doubts flight will be of much real use on a night as black and hopeless as this one, a second set of eyes doesn't sound too bad at all. ]

Fine. [ He nods, ever severe, and then turns his back on the cage to search the room for something small and metal that'll fit that lock. A few minutes of sniffing about -- and there's a very strangely-shaped key half hidden in the straw littering the dingy floor in a corner near the door. It's his uncertain imagining of a human thing, and a little hard to look at because of that, never quite the same shape between blinks. But it's better than nothing, surely. ]

This it? [ ...But he doesn't step forward to try it, just yet. That calculating, cold look has entered his eyes, again, as if he's reassessing the stranger's previous assertion of meaning him no harm.

It isn't that he doesn't want to help (won't be able to leave without doing so, thanks to his conscience's constant nagging), but just how to go about doing so, now, gives him pause. ]

[He shouldn't count Teddy out. Of course, not that the guy's gotten any really good reason for why he should trust Teddy, but... the young man's got some tricks up his sleeves. His shapeshifting is incredibly precise, after all. There's a lot he can do to work with it.

For now, at that cold and calculating look on his rescuer's face, Teddy frowns. Maybe he doesn't know how the lock works?] You can just give that to me. I can reach the lock from this side and let myself out.

[ His suspicion remains, but that's a perfectly good out, and he isn't one to neglect such a thing. With almost expertly hidden hesitance, he steps forward to poke the key through the bars, wary of the caged stranger's hands.

As soon as it's handed off, though, he's taking one liberal step back. Just in case. ]

...How'd you learn so much about this stuff, anyway?

It's... kind of common knowledge. At least where I come from. [He takes the key carefully, still a little surprised at how reluctant the other man is. Does he really think that Teddy's going to be doing anything to someone who's rescued him? That's a really depressing thought. Especially for a super-hero who's gotten very good at the whole 'rescuing' thing.

So after he unlocks the door, he steps out and stretches his aching shoulders and back, then offers a winning grin.] Thanks, I didn't think I'd ever get out. Now, who are you looking for, again? I said I'd help, and I will.

[ It's nothing personal; Souichi's always had trust issues, and what with all the attempts on his life that've been made, lately, he's not about to stupidly let down his guard, again. Not around anybody.

And that grin, unfortunately, falls incredibly flat against the stalwart brick wall that is his own perpetually unimpressed expression, because of this. ] A bear. A black bear the villagers here took from the forest, because they mistook him for one that's been causing trouble.

Since I know for a fact it's not him, that's why I'm here. He doesn't deserve to be killed for this. [ Other things, maybe, Souichi's defensive posture says - but not this. ]

[Well, Teddy can deal with dour. A black bear who was falsely accused of causing trouble... well, so far as the young man's concerned, his rescuer is exactly right. No one deserves to be killed for something they didn't do, and the other man doesn't need to say anything else. Teddy's body shifts, growing long leathery wings, and he grimly nods as he starts moving to the door.] We shouldn't waste any time, then.

(Two) Days in the Village

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