A Beautiful Friendship [open]

[Melissa|Tristan]

It seemed like it had been forever since Melissa had arrived in Noatak. She had acclimated with her usual lack of grace, though after making a few friends…and a few uncertain acquaintances she had adjusted to life in the small town rather well. Vicky had not returned as of yet, though nightmares continued to plague her sleep. Fortunately for her, a certain paramedic named Tristan had been sharing her apartment with her for some time now, which seemed to help slightly. Even better, they had each discovered the other had a talisman and now despite the predator/prey natures of the creatures they had become close friends.

So close in fact that the two had decided to take a jog in the woods together today since the weather was so fine. They had begun on foot as humans, and were currently walking down a narrow but smooth hiking trail commonly used by wildlife enthusiasts and others with talismans. Despite the variety of smells Mel’s sensitive nose could detect she wasn’t worried in the slightest. If her encounter with Vicky had shown her anything it was that being a cheetah had many advantages. And with Tristan following behind her she knew that everything was safe. After all as a prey animal, Tristan was currently much more alert for signs of danger…and though his first instinct would be to run in a tense situation Mel was sure that he would never abandon her.

The pair made their way to the edge of the nearby meadow, Mel striding confidently through the trees with a quick initial look and Tristan trying to glance in all directions at once. After tossing her backpack on the ground Mel laid her jacket flat and sat in the tall grass, easily relaxing while remaining aware of what was going on around her. Tristan on the other hand shifted the instant he placed his bag next to hers, clothes becoming fur, his nose elongating and becoming wide and flat. His waist grew by a massive amount, bulking up into waves of taut muscle. Melissa watched the transformation carefully, noting exactly how much larger Tristan had become as he approached her and carefully lowered his face so that it was on the same level as hers.

Both of their noses wrinkled slightly as they scented each other, predator and prey not only tolerating each other, but being friends. The areas around Tristans eyes became softer and a tiny smile lit up Mel’s face. He nickered and playfully nudged her with his nose, causing her to laugh. The ringing sound travelled across the meadow, carried on the slight breeze to places unknown as the two friends enjoyed each others company. Soon enough Tristan had lay down beside her, legs tucked under his body and Mel was leaning against his back. There was nothing to disturb their peace, no major worries as of yet. Unfortunately things cannot always stay calm and glassy as the ocean on a breezeless day.

[Waddle]

A young, white-tailed doe tiptoed quietly toward the meadow, treading lightly and taking special care to not step on a dry twig or even the smallest of ants. She knew that, being herself, was dangerous this time of year to be out. It was hunting season, when all the humans would bring their guns and disrupt the beautiful quiet of the land. Being careful was just an extra precaution that might keep her alive.

Alexis's fine head jerked up and around as the sounds of hounds barking madly sounded behind her. Her tail went up in alarm, and her first instinct was to run for her life. Instead, she quickened her pace a bit. Then a scent caught in her flaring nostrils - a predator. She froze. It was a scent she hadn't smelt before, but the aroma of any predator was similar to another. At the same time, the scent of horse touched her nose. That was odd. A predator and a prey together?

As the sounds grew closer, she sprang away, bounding through the trees toward the meadow she liked to graze in. The hunters and their dogs were far enough away, and she knew that if they grew uncomfortably close that she could simply change into her human form and go one, but she didn't like the idea of having an advantage over her fellow animal. Other deer didn't have that gift, if one could consider it a gift. She felt bad having such power that others of her kind didn't.

She found the meadow quickly and saw two figures already there; a girl and a horse. She froze again as she eyed them warily. Even from this distance, the girl wrecked of predator scent. That only meant one thing - she was like Alexis.

She changed into her human form. Glancing over her shoulder uncomfortably, she paced closer to them. The lady was older than her by a couple of years. Quietly, she asked, "You won't tell them, will you?" There was an obvious tremor of nerves in her voice. The smell of predator coming from the lady, the sounds of the dogs and, she could now hear, the shouts of humans sent her brain in a billion different directions. Who still used a pack of hunting dogs to hunt deer nowadays? Apparently whoever was chasing her. She looked back at the person and the horse, wondering if the horse was also like herself.

((Lots of muse.. I usually don't write this much, so be prepared for it to decrease quickly xD But I will try to keep it nice and long ))

[Melissa|Tristan]

It was a more peaceful day than most for the strange pair. Not only were they not under attack from Hunters or Innocents, but the usual tension had completely disappeared. Lately the two had been discovering their more subtle differences regarding meal choices and it had been a cause for conflict up until around a week prior.

While Melissa had no compunction when it came to eating meat -being a predator and all- Tristans feeling's regarding the matter were almost polar opposite. The instant he had accepted his talisman was the same instant where he had decided to become a vegitarian and give up eating other animals for good. He'd simply said that it felt wrong to eat another who felt as he did so much of the time -whether the animal was human or not-.

The two had initially tiptoed around the subject but when Mel had unthinkingly put a package of pork chops in the freezer...well let us just say that it didn't go over so well. The two worked it out fairly quickly since both were usually unconfrontational, and the two had gradually come to an understanding of sorts about the food business. So, for the first time in a while both were feeling content and somewhat relaxed as they were enjoying the sunshine.

Too bad for them, fate seemed to have different plans for their seemingly quiet day. Mel sat bolt upright at the sudden baying of hound dogs, and was surprised that they were heading towards the clearing from the sounds of it. Usually dogs headed away from her, not towards her, so Mel's only conclusion was that something was drawing them closer to the clearing.

Tristan's head had immediately bolted upwards at the racket, and he quickly rose to his feet, ears swivelling forward and back as his nostrils flared, eyes on the woods in front of them. The sounds coming from the dogs had stopped increasing in volume, and Mel guessed that they'd lost the scent of whatever they'd been hunting. For all Mel knew they could have just been tracking a rabbit, but it really could have been anything. Just as she thought about that, there was a rustling of leaves on the other side of the clearing and a white-tailed deer emerged.

It was immediately obvious that the deer was female, and within seconds it was clear that the deer wasn't just a deer, but a girl with a talisman. The girl didn't appear to be any older than Mel, and as she approached -rightfully looking nervous- the brunette cautiously took a step, moving slightly in front of Tristan. The girl looked so frightened that when she whispered her question, Mel knew there was no way to refuse. "Absolutely not, don't worry." A comforting, tentative smile was all she offered after speaking, and Tristan was satisfied enough now that he began grazing next to her. While the words were exchanged the bellows of the dogs -now interspersed with the occasional yelling of humans- began approaching rapidly. Making no move whatsoever, Melissa held very still and waited to see how the girl would handle having them so close. After all, the last thing she needed was to have a deer suddenly spring away from where the girl had been seconds before.

((OOC: No worries Hatty I'll try and give you lots to go by, and just do your best))

[Waddle]

((OOC: Hehe, thanks xD))

Alexis looked back at the girl as she replied, feeling a little more comforted at the smile. She was so tired of being pestered by Hunters while in town and being hunted while she was out of town. Especially during this time of the year. It was a beautiful time, with the leaves turning different shades of red, gold, yellow and brown. Spring and fall were both breath-taking times, but she had always favored the fall more, for some reason. Even with hunting season. She wished she wasn't a doe, and loved it at the same time. It was confusing to think about - it gave her a headache if she thought too hard - so she refrained from the act. Either way, she had more important things to think about.

Her shoulders relaxed a little as the sounds of the dogs and humans yelling faded into the distance. Taking a soothing breath, she watched the horse for a second as he grazed. She guessed it had no talisman, though the reason he was still around the girl, who Alexis guessed was his owner, was lost to her. He must have been very well trained or was just a good horse. He was a handsome horse though, his coloring unique and one that she didn't see often. Well, to be true, she didn't see any horses that often. She was pretty much a city girl when it came to country living, without a clue as to how to do anything. It was a good thing she didn't live on a farm. She and her father would be so lost as it to become a new degree of helplessness.

And it was then that she really thought - it was the stupidest thing of her to do to have changed into a human right in front of the other girl. Her mind had said that yes, it was safe, but she might have been wrong. Mental note - never, ever take that risk again. Ever. It would probably get her killed next time. Or get whoever saw her thrown into the loony bin. Or something like that. It was lucky it had worked this time without getting her into huge trouble. She wasn't going to push that good grace she had been momentarily blessed with. The girl's reaction, though, said that she understood about talismans. Or that she was just a very easy-going, or stupid, human.

"Thanks," she said, in her normally quiet voice, eyes going back to the girl. "Sorry about that... Got a little scared." She reached back to scratch behind on ear and realized her dirty blond hair must have been a complete mess. Oh well, there wasn't much she could do with it right then. She probably looked pretty ruffled, and her hands ran unconsciously through a few strands of her hair, out of nerves or dislike for the tangles, she didn't know.

[Melissa|Tristan]

As the dirty blonde haired girl continued to move towards them Mel held her ground, allowing the stranger to move closer. Tristan shifted his weight and had lowered his head, breathing softly into her hand. To an ordinary human the relationship between girl and horse would seem beyond strange. With no tether holding the two together, and no obvious food in Melissa's hand, the human would instantly wonder why the black and white paint remained solidly at her side, appearing to have no intention of leaving.

As the barking and yelling noises began to fade, the girl had visibly relaxed and was now looking closely at Tristan. Only a few people had seen Tristan when wearing his furry self and -thanks to his flashy colouring- this was most people's reaction to him. While waiting for the girl to recover Mel reached a hand over and rubbed the horse's shoulder, carefully avoiding projecting any threatening body language in the girls direction. It wasn't often one came across another with a talisman who wasn't trying to kill you and she wanted to make the most out of this rare situation.

As the girl spoke, both horse and human listened carefully, taking in the tangled mess that was the girl's hair. Judging by the rumpled state of her clothes the girl had been running for some distance, and Mel could see the girls shoulders still rising and falling sharply as she tried to recover her breath. "S'okay, most of us feel that way at one point or another." Some more than others. her talisman interjected, causing Mel's smile to fade slightly. "It's nothing to be ashamed of."

Now it was Mel who took several steps forward and stopped again. "Whose side are you on?" The blatant question had obviously surprised Tristan also, as he snorted loudly behind her and stamped his foot for emphasis. Mel simply rolled her eyes and continued to watch the girl. Tristan had never before encountered a Hunter, so he'd never felt the basic fear when you knew you were being tracked by one. Mel however had so she was instantly wary, even though she doubted this girl was a Hunter mostly due to her talisman. After all, what good was a deer for hunting things? The way the world worked, it was definitely the other way around, meaning she would have been a liability rather than an asset to their side. Nonetheless the cheetah was willing to take no chances with this girl.

[Waddle]

It was Alexis's turn to take some steps now, but back wards. The thought occurred to her just then, that maybe the older girl was a Hunter. She wouldn't doubt it, just from her stance and the look in her eyes. The horse snorted and stamped his hoof, causing Lexi to start anxiously. Why was she so jumpy? She was usually a nervous critter, but not this bad. It might be her instinct telling her to hightail it out of there. Or it might have been the dogs. Or the weird relationship between the horse and the girl. Or something like that. She wasn't sure and she didn't want to think about it.

Should she lie? If she said she was an Innocent, and the girl was a Hunter, she might be in for a fight. The horse could also be a Hunter, and that would mean double the trouble. A horse as a Hunter, though... Maybe not. If she said she was Undecided, she would probably be able to scamper away without any trouble. After all, what use was a deer to the Hunters? But that was if the girl, at least, was a Hunter. If her theory was wrong and she was an Undecided, she guessed there would be not many consequences no matter what she said. So she decided on the truth.

"I'm an Innocent," she said, her voice strong for once. She was pretty proud of the fact, too. "What about you?" She was prepared for flight, tensed once more. Why was she so stupid? She had risked too much today, and she knew it would come back to bite her in the butt. She didn't know that many other people with talismans, and only half of the ones she did know were on speaking terms. The others were on run-away-for-your-life terms. That basically added up to less than half a handful of people, really.

[Melissa|Tristan]

It took the girl quite a while to answer the question Mel noted. She did understand however that the girl was deciding whether to lie or tell her the truth, and hoped that the truth would be the end result. From the way the girl squared her shoulders and tried to make eye contact, Mel would have bet her talisman that she was telling the truth. Too bad. Mel had actually begun hoping that the two could be friends.

As the girl proudly declared herself an Innocent -Makes total sense her talisman noted- Mel tensed her own muscles in imitation of the girl. It was plain to see that the girl was afraid, no matter what weak sort of front she was trying to put up. She was as see-through as a glass window, and right now Mel didn't know if she liked what she was seeing.

Curiousity overruled everything else now, so the talking continued. "I'm an Undecided." The finality of her tone enforced that she was certainly not looking to join either side, and her mouth hardened into a line. She couldn't imagine the girl trying anything with a talisman like that, however anything was possible. Just look at how Vicky had appeared in the beginning. Vicky. Her talisman spat the word out like acid as they remembered the terror like nothing else they'd ever felt before. No matter, it didn't appear that the situation would repeat itself with this girl.

At Tristans silent nudging Mel cautiously took another step forward until she was within reaching distance of the girl. Another slow move -she carefully raised her hand for the girl to shake- and Mel had made herself more vulnerable. "I'm Melissa." Glancing back at Tristan and seeing his minute nod, she continued. "And this is Tristan. He only discovered his talisman recently. And you are?" She gave a hopeful smile, tentatively deciding to try and make friends. Hopefully the girl would want the same.

((OOC: Hope it's enough...not my best, but maybe we can start some action going soon ))

[Waddle]

((It's fine! xD Yeah, got anythin' up your sleave? I don't! xD I'm bad with plots...))

Alexis's fake front dropped when the girl said she was an Undecided. She knew she should try to convince her to be an Innocent - But she sounds very sure about her alliegnce, and you don't want to get into trouble with that kind of talisman, said a gentle, motherly voice in her head she hadn't heard from in a while. The last time she had, Alexis had begged it to be quiet and stay quiet. But appartently it was back, and perhaps she needed to listen to it. It sounded like it knew what it was doing, anyway. No, she wouldn't get intangled like that with this girl. She was too sure of herself, and Alexis was, obviously, not. It was too late to pretend to be stronger than she was. Even when she had tried, she had failed, and the stranger had seen through it easily.

The horse nudged the girl forward - Definatly not your average animal - and the girl raised her hand. Alexis looked at it for a second, doubt still in her head. Anybody could lie about what side they were on. Making contact would mean making both of them more vulnerable. If it came down to pure muscle, the other would win. Alexis was small, but fast. She might be able to outrun them if they were all on foot, but she still dind't know what kind of talisman the girl had. It could be something fast or something strong, or both - just be careful.

But, no, she had seen the truth in the other's, Melissa's, eyes. Alexis took the offered hand and shook slowly, hesitantly. "Alexis. It's nice to meet you, Melissa, Tristan," she said, nodding to them both. Quickly releasing Melissa's hand, she took a step back, just to be safe. She paused, wondering what to say. Her mouth opened to say something, then she realized that she was about to say 'nice to meet you' again, and closed it. Alexis was never good at making conversation with anybody - she liked to sit back and listen to other people talk, just nod and smile every now and again.

[Melissa|Tristan]

((OOC: So so so sorry it took me so long to reply Hatty! Hope you can forgive me? *offers cookies* Pwease?))

At first it appeared that the girl would argue with them...perhaps try to convince them to join the Innocent side. It was somewhat ironic, the name of that faction being the opposite of what they really were. At least the Hunters are honest about what they are, Mel thought irritatedly. No matter how ruthless and cruel they are, her talisman added.

The girl was quite obviously afraid to shake hands, and Melissa almost withdrew the gesture out of pity for her. An encouraging noise from Tristan halted that though, communicating his intention as clearly as if he'd spoken out loud. So it was with a silent sigh that Mel reached out a few inches further towards the strange girl.

"Nice to meet you Alexis. Have you been in Noatak very long? We haven't seen you in town." In a town as small as Noatak it was only a matter of time before everyone met everyone, though lately the local culture had been expanding into many varieties of Asians, limiting the number of people who could be communicated with in English. Thank goodness this wasn't the case here.

Immediately after making contact with the girl, Mel found her hand being released, almost pushed away. It was painfully obvious that the girl -she'd introduced herself as Alexis- was terrified by the physical contact. Why was anyone's guess...perhaps she'd gotten a whiff of Mel's scent as they'd come closer? Melissa knew that the girl's scent was almost overwhelming as they shook hands, causing her to sneeze afterwards. "Excuse me, sorry about that." Seeing Alexis back up a step caused Mel to take a few back herself. It was easier to keep control this way, so she ended up leaning against Tristan's shoulder, her arm slung over his withers. She was secure in knowing that Tristan's talisman was much bigger than Alexis's...not to mention that the girl seemed to be terrified of them. If Alexis wasn't faking the whole thing it would be interesting to see what she was going to do about them

[Anty]

Anthony tried to blink away the sweat and tears that were stinging his eyes. There was a trigger between his eyes. He was holding a gun to Evan's head. "Shoot him and I spare you your life," the masked man behind the gun told him. The trick was, if he shot Evan his life would be spared, if he didn't, he died. It was a dream. A nightmare; a very familiar one. But who was behind the gun... was is Tomislav? It was very possible. Tomo was Evan's half brother. He hated Evan, he hated Anthony. But he had his rights, Anthony did try and kill him after all. "Evan's not the one that you want, I am," he told the masked man. The stranger just laughed. Anthony's hand had started to burn, the hand that held the gun. He swallowed. He had made his decision: he was going to let Evan live. But he pulled the trigger anyways. He could never control this dream. No matter how many times he tried, Evan always died and it was Anthony who killed him. He saw Evan's brains splatter everywhere. That's when he woke up.

He was leaned against a tall pine tree, his legs stretched out in front of him. His hand was still burning. It was his cigarette, it had burned down to his hand. There were black burn marks between his fingers. He tossed it carelessly into the woods. His other hand was resting against the ground, a beer bottle placed loosely inside it. He drained it and threw it at a tree. The beer bottle shattered against the solid trunk of the tree. He was hung over from another rough night. He hadn't showered in a while and he smelled strongly of alcohol and cigarettes. He was supposed to be at work, and yet here he was. He was not his paycheck. He was not his schedule. He wasn't hidden from sight. If one looked for him, they would spot him. Only because if it led to something, he loved a good fight. Hounds were baying in the distance. He closed his eyes and listened for the gun shot, but there wasn't one. But there was something else... just a twig snapping in two, but it caught his attention. His eyes blinked open and he jerked his head around to see a deer. He scowled. He was hoping for something... more. But something inside him, probably instincts, told him to keep watching. And he did. And to his amazement the deer transformed into a young girl. He smiled, an idea unraveling.

He rose to his feet stiffly and stretched his taut muscles. He wasn't sure how long he was sitting there, but he was glad to move around. He had come to the woods because he had needed a place to think. He didn't need distractions. He moved now to the edge of the trees, but something made him hesitate to go on... more voices. He found cover in the shade of the trees and listened to what was being said, fingering his gun involuntarily. There was an innocent and an undecided... but there was something else... another talisman, he was sure of, but were they an innocent or an undecided? Well, he couldn't wait all day, he decided. He moved out from behind the shadows and into the meadow. He looked at ease, even bored, but really he was scared. Three to one. The odds were against him. He knew one was a deer and another a horse, but the other? What they didn't know was that he had a loaded gun with him, which always helped. But still he wasn't sure if he was going to survive his first job... "Oh how cute," he said sarcastically, clapping his hands lazily. He licked his lips and looked at each one in turn.

[Waddle]

(OOC: Hehe, it's fine, Mel xD *takes cookies and passes them out between everyone* Good post, Anty My post won't be good at all... No muse, sorry. )

"I'm a little new, been here for a month," she replied, smiling a little more easily now. She was still wary, but not as much as she had been before. These two were the first Undecideds she had met, and she already liked them, even if the one Tristan hadn't done anything but stand there. Alexis didn't want to make them enemies. She wasn't even in this fight between Hunters and Innocents. Sure, she would help out her side, when she could, but she wasn't going to fight to the death for it. She had better things to do than that. In her mind, if she get into this fight, it was practically suicide. She wasn't stupid enough to throw herself away. What use was a deer in a war anyways?

She laughed quietly when Melissa sneezed. "It's quite alright." Someone laughed behind her and she turned. A man was standing behind her, and, even from this distance, she could smell cigarette smoke on him. Uh oh... He didn't look like good news. She backed up a few steps to stand beside Melissa without realizing it. Was this guy a Hunter? Quite possibly. If he had a Talisman, he certainly was not an Innocent. And just the way he acted made it seem like he was a Hunter, not an Undecided. Then again, he didn't even have to have a Talisman. He might have just been in the forest and heard them talking.. But they had been talking about Talismans. That didn't seem to confuse him at all. Putting two and two together, Alexis knew that this guy was bad news.

[Melissa|Tristan]

The forest was light and alive this time of day, giving the false sense of security that made it so dangerous. Melissa was feeling pretty confident today though, and she had Tristan now to worry about things for her. It didn't mean that she was completely oblivious to the other sounds and movements in the forest however. So distracted by the sudden noises was she that Mel heard but did not comprehend Alexis's current words. The fact that she didn't need to worry about Alexis meant that she was better able to focus on the other noises coming towards them.And she could tell by one of Tristan's ears which way the intruder was coming from. It had swivelled around to focus on the sound, and the horse looked quite comical standing there with one ear on the forest and the other continuing to move between the girls.

As the intruder -a man- came out of the woods behind Alexis even Melissa's human and therefore slightly less sensitive nose caught a whiff of cigarettes and what smelled suspiciously like alcohol as a draft of wind carried the man's scent towards them. As he lazily approached, clapping she was slightly surprised at his boldness. Usually Hunters hunted in pairs or groups, however Tristan gave her a look that told Mel the guy was alone. Stupid move number one.

"Oh how cute." The guy continued to clap his hands sarcastically, and Melissa pulled her body away from Tristans to stand straighter. Alexis had moved over until she was close, most likely scared of the stranger. Making fun of us. Stupid move number two. she thought as her face hardened. Her intuition was screaming that the stranger was trouble with a capital 'T', but it seemed the meeting was unavoidable now. Tristan's body had straightened also and he drew himself up to his full height and wrinkled his nose slightly, eyes worrying. A quick rub on his shoulder was all Melissa felt comfortable doing with the man being so close, and she murmured softly to both of her companions.

"Easy, easy. We'll be okay, just take it easy. Don't take off." They were almost inaudible, but the tone conveyed what she was trying to communicate effectively enough. The man had moved closer, and his lazy gait was even more frightening than the stalking posture she'd come to expect from people who looked like him. Why wasn't he nervous? It was three to one. Two to one, her talisman corrected, noting that Alexis most likely wouldn't really count in a fight, having the talisman she did.

The stranger looked them each over in turn, and on Mel's turn she defiantly met his gaze. Conflicting with her expression however was the slight trembling of her body, which she fervently prayed he would not notice. It was probably best at this point to say nothing and hope that he would simply go away. Her cheetah snorted as if to say Yeah right, our luck isn't that good. Just standing her wasn't getting anything accomplished either though. Chin raised a notch higher, she ran a hand nervously over the opposite arm. It wasn't good . . . she could tell already.