Maybe, I'm A Different Breed

[Zachey]

For ten years, the stench of abandonment filled the air. It made everything reek with who knows what kind of odor. Nikolai had to fight the miasma that was filling his strong lungs in order to keep going forward even though his nose felt as if it was on the brink of exploding. That was his duty as a scout: scavenge the grounds above to see if something useful could be found hidden within the barren wasteland.

For ten years, nothing had been found. Well, something extremely useful that is. Something that could ensure his people of surviving the next decade to come. Only small nothings that only the pups could take interest in had been found. The thought made Nikolai scoff.

"Pointless," he heard himself whisper as he walked down the debris-filled streets that used to be that of a city. There were still a few lampposts and buildings standing up, but they were on the verge of crumbling down at any given moment.

As if on cue, one building had given out. The base of it collapsed bringing it's higher stories down with force, sending debris in all directions.

"Shit!" he said unknowingly as he ran towards a car that was flipped onto it's side, to shield himself from the clutches of the rubble. He held his breath as another wave filled the air. Nikolai could feel a whimper growing deep in his throat, but he'd be damned if he'd let that escape him. What kind of a grown man, or wolf for that matter, would let a damned whimper out?

Once the detritus settled, he attempted to take in a deep breath only to have it cut off from the intolerable stench. Having only coughed to clear his lungs of it, he went on to continue his duty.

[taylor]

It seemed as if every few miles, there was another fire or even fight breaking out among the rubble and waste in the streets. Riley didn't really know what to make of it anymore, it seemed like each year that had passed the city was going to recover, or something was going to change, and then boom! It would go completely back to how it was. Gloomy skies, and horrible, fumy kind of smell that tortured the nose and lungs to inhale.

It was like it's own rubbish tip really, there were some places around the city- the nice places, but all the rundown places were where all the drama tends to happen, so that's where this one girl was headed, tanned legs, stepped over things and gracefully slipped through tiny spaces. Sometimes, Riley found her height a blessing, being quite short- but when fighting, it wasn't that handy and she wasn't fond of it there and then. But she handled it and will have to deal with it until the moment she died.

Looking around, Riley seemed to be analyzing every last item her blue eyes fell upon, wondering what on earth had 'caused all this damage and sighed, running a hand through her long blonde hair and continued walking on through the streets, nudging things every now and then with her boots, almost gagging at the site of dead animals on the streets. Now, blood and violence she could handle... dead, rotting animals? Yeah. Not so much. Riley seemed almost as if she were in a daze, walking through the streets- seeing as she hadn't been let out of the Trusted quarters for a while, due to some restrictions even she didn't understand.
Maybe it was something to do with her brother, Odion, Riley shook her head ever so slightly to herself and briefly wondered where he was about now. Damn it! Why couldn't she focus today? Riley bit her lip and scanned the streets again, things were quiet today... possibly a little too quiet for her liking, or for anyone's liking really.

[audramya]

There were so many positive reasons for being above ground, but the main one had to be the hunt. Oh the hunts topside were nothing compared to the hunts below ground in the tunnels and the cramped spaces. No. These were much more fun. There was more room to chase your prey around. More room to torment and play with them. And there were a lot more choices. Her personal favorite were the Barin, but she certainly wasn’t going to be too picky.

Aslyn could practically smell the fear of these people (though granted it hadn’t come from her, but the crumbling building that had fallen not much a few meters away) and it was delicious. She leaned against the wall nearby as she tried to control her instincts. Last time she’d attacked a member from another group she’d been reprimanded. Some mess about keeping peace.

But she couldn’t help it. Slowly she peeked her head out from around the corner and focused on the person she’d been following for quite some time. They didn’t know she was there--or at least she didn’t think they did. All she needed now was the perfect opportunity to strike.

[Melinda]

Ally~ In wolf form

The street ahead seemed empty and bare, the only sound coming from it was the sound of approaching rain drops. The smell of it was in the air around her, it clung to her fur making her shiver and move on. Glancing for a somewhat safe building, Ally darted into some type of old coffee shop, with her backpack hanging from her mouth. The smell that came from the place was musty, but there was also something else, a smell she had always welcomed. Moving through the littered floor, Ally bypassed an old body and went behind the counter. Before reaching the item there was a loud noise outside, sounding like a building Ally ignored it. Though she couldn't help think if it was done by the government. Noising through the open cupboards, Ally pawed through rubbish until she found a plastic bag of sugar. This would be a treat, but would keeping it be the best thing? Her pack could use it, but the amount of supplies she could get from it was better.

Once Ally had finished searching the small coffee shop, she nuzzled the sugar in her backpack. Moving on to the next store she hoped to find more food. A book store sat beside the shop which could be in handy, but she needed food or medical supplies at the moment. Slowly moving down the street and passed shops, Ally could smell something near by and paused. Her ears perked and her body held still for a moment or two, before letting a soft growling noise escape her throat. She never did like vampires, they always caused to much trouble and stunk to bad. Choosing to ignore the smell, the she wolf slipped into a general store and disappeared.

[colleen]

Welcome to Wonderland, Alice.

Wonderland: a place or land of wonderful things; a textbook description. For most, Wonderland is a place where you wildest dreams and real, and your worst nightmares thrive. This city, once an active and bustling metropolis now was reduced to a barren wasteland. It had become a Wonderland for all of its older inhabitants. Many could remember a time where lands such as this one, were splashed across television screens and video games. It was world that humans were exempt from creating. They considered themselves too intelligent, too important, too filled to the brim with morals and ethics to ever have considered this as a possible outcome.

Humans were foolish.

The city had been destroyed, along with the rest of the waking world and now the survivors were left to fend for themselves. The remaining government, forced to admit their mistakes regained power and controlled what crumbling buildings and decayed rooftops were left. They lived in luxury, whilst the rest scavenged the rubble for anything of use. Although, using the term 'the rest' would be incorrect, those that searched the bodies and the buildings were those only from the appointed squads, Scouts generally, unless of course you managed to slip away unnoticed.

Sidney of course, needed not to 'slip away’; no he was clever and bold. He simply walked out of the complex and into the putrid haze of the upper world. Of course, he was only able to do this because of the changing of the guard, and a few packets of tobacco hidden in the correct locker for the correct guard. Once knee deep in the wreckage, few care to see if you actually have the proper documentation to be above ground. Most keep their heads in the sand, so to speak, and desperately try to hoard precious supplies for themselves. And with that, Sidney was a free man, free to duck into buildings, sit on the few sturdy benches and forage for items left from a world past.

He sauntered down an alley connecting what once were Third Street and Parkview Avenue, whistling a tune. He seemed in jolly spirits, despite the recent shortage of decent and profitable goods. Sid had watched as a building heaved its last breath and toppled into it, chalking up a cloud of dust and a mountain of exposed rebar and metals. It was salvageable goods, something always in demand, needed for basic expansion for any of the underground groups. But it was too much work, with little pay off for Sidney. Everyone and their seconds cousins would be after what they could pull from the concrete, leaving everything else, like the shops clear for merchants needing new product.

His first stop, an abandoned coffee shop. A place he used to frequent as a teenager, in better times. Sometimes for a moment, he could still smell the pretentious bullshit that filled the air of the coffee shop. As he approached he noted the collapsed building a few block ahead of him, faintly he could make out shapes of people further up the street. There was no need for him to get involved. He passed through the door, hearing a small 'ting' of a bell in his head, of course someone had already looted the bell, it provided such a use.

Sid cracked a smile and leaned on the counter, forcibly ignoring the scent of decay from the body below. "Say, love you wouldn't mind fixing me a Americano, now would you?" His voice echoed, the place once filled with such sound and delight, mourned in silence.

[Zachey]

Once he was able to regain his ability to breath, let alone smell, he walked around the car that had provided him shelter. The amount of paper that was scattered around told Nikolai that the building that had gone down only a few moments ago had been a office building. Good thing it had gone down then. Nothing of value could be found in those places. The thought alone that people could obsess over money and their attire made him want to laugh, however only a chuckle had escaped his lips. Where would those people be now? How would those people perceive life if they were around to live in this?

Pathetic.

Going back to his dutiful train of thought, he remembered why he was out here. Medicine. Salvageable food. Anything that could be of some use to the rest of the pack had to be found. Sure, they had their own means for remedies, but sometimes the technology that once flooded the goddamn earth produced better results for treating infections and illnesses.

Just then, the faint scent of a Cold Blood caught his attention. Evidently, there was one around somewhere, but there was too much rubble to pinpoint where. The wind was coming from his east, which meant it was somewhere in that direction.

Damn coward can't even show his face.

His hands fisted almost instinctively. This creature was going to try to make a meal of someone. Nikolai knew he wasn't the only scout in the streets at the moment. It had been established that a member of the pack would always have someone to watch over them. It was either a team of two or more, or the rest of the pack was never too far if another member were to be in trouble. Now it was only a matter of finding out who the target was.

A low grumble began building up inside him, but he made sure to keep it inside him.

[taylor]

Riley could tell there were other people around her- Hell she could hear it. It was like a sixth sense to her- managing to hear things, or maybe it was something she's just picked up in her years of training. She wasn't too sure. Her walking slowed, and her eyes darted left and write- if only she could tell what was around her, she'd be happy. She laughed quietly and bitterly to herself, still walking slow. Her hand twitched to her side, readying to get her stake, or whatever else she may need. A Trusted was always pretty well equipped, some more than others- depending on your importance and training.

Riley was one of those that had a few on her, a dagger down the shoe, a stake under the top (awkwardly attached to her belt), along with a gun or two. Depending on how she felt that is. Glancing at the sky with a scowl, she spun around and wasn't all that shocked to find a Nabila behind her. Vampires. They were always 'talk, talk, talk' and threatening before they really did anything. They also got irritated very easily. Or maybe it was because Riley never showed any emotion and was always sarcastic rather than just getting on with the job.

Regardless, Riley took up a defensive stance and almost hissed at the vampire. The city streets were no man's land. Which meant no one gave a shit what went on there. The one bonus. No one would give a damn if Riley staked this stupid creature and sent it back to the morgue it came from, back down to hell. Some say when the devil wants to dance with you, you better say never because a dance with the devil might last you forever, it seemed to be how it was for a vampire, they were changed- regardless of whether it was willingly or not and then they were the devil's forever. Riley glared at the Nabila in front of her and even though she was pretty, looks can be deceiving. The girl was a red-head, and was easily taller than Riley herself. The couple of steps Riley had seen the other girl take were lithe and graceful, far greater than Riley's own clumsy steps. Shaking her head, she forced out a sentence to the Nabila girl,

"You should leave before I make you.."

[audramya]

The girl she’d been following must have noticed her because she seemed to turn around all too quickly. Aslyn jumped back slightly, knowing that she’d been caught. But what intrigued her was that the girl wasn’t running or begging for her life. In fact she was the one threatening her as if she had any kind of leverage that might make her think twice about taking her life.

Aslyn began to circle around the girl in a large diameter. “You knew I was here and instead of seeking help from someone nearby, you decided to face me? Alone? I can’t tell whether that’s noble or stupid,” Aslyn commented with a laugh. She stopped and brought a hand to her chin as she stared at the girl, her eyes shimmering with amusement. “What could you do to me, dear?” she asked tauntingly. “Kill me? With what? Bullets? Sorry, hon. That doesn’t work.”

With each step she took closer she examined the girl more carefully. “Is that-“ she began as she pointed to the thing awkwardly attached to the girl’s belt. “Is that a stake?” Aslyn debated for a moment whether or not it was still safe. She slowly resumed her advancement forward after a minute to test the waters.

“A stake will do it, you know,” she said slowly. “But you know what the downside of that is? You actually have to get close enough to me in order to do it.”

Aslyn’s fangs shot out of her mouth as she flashed her a grin. She was excited. This was the first time she’d gotten to have some good fun in what seemed to be ages! Not to mention that this girl looked like a fighter. Those were always the best to play with. Her eyes twinkled playfully as she asked, “Want to see who’s faster? I’ll even give you a running head start.”

[Melinda]

Shifting out of the crippled general store, Ally glanced down the bare and empty street littered with garbadge. Kinda sad to look at these days. Moving back the way she came, the brown she wolf kept her eyes open. She needed to be on the alert for anything, these days you never knew what could happen. Sniffing the musty air around her Ally picked up on a few people, the streets seemed to be to busy. It was never a good sign to see to many people in one place, it attracted the wrong kind of people. That's all she needed today, the government would set her free, but it would be a waste of her time. Ally stopped moving, she realized that Nikolai was still in the city some where. She should find him and scout together, it would be a little safer that way. She should at least stay close, encase the government decided to show up. Taking a step forward again Ally picked up a scent, though it wasn't the one she was looking for it perked her curiosity. This could be an easy meal, or at least something interesting to play with. Crouching low to the ground, Ally approached the small coffee shop once again. Her mouth tried to lift her backpack high off the ground, though it drug slightly across the ground. The scent got stronger the closer she got to the shop, if she guessed correctly it was human.

[colleen]

"Christ, you've really let the place go."
"I'll just tidy things up, you don't mind if I relieve you of some of your material goods?
"Nah, of course you fucking don't. I'll just take this, right here."

He fumbled with the drawers and cabinets, the shelves and the floorboards, anything could be hidden anywhere. It was like an easter egg hunt for him, with hints and clues hidden in his memories. Sidney tried to imagine the place prior to its destruction, the relaxing atmosphere. Stained shelves, display cases filled with pastries and sandwiches, long gone. Underneath a mess of concrete, ceiling tiles and dust was the first worthy find of the day.

It was a book, which to some mean nothing, and to others the world. The dust jacket long gone, and the hard cover beat up with the wear and tear of lounging on the floor for a decade. Sid leaned against the counter, and flipped open the navy covers. "Introduction to Human Biology … 1964 … utterly fucking fascinating." He muttered to himself, and tossed it lightly down the counter.

It would appeal to someone, even Sid himself if he chose to read it. He quickly returned to his task of scavenging, taking notice of the animal out on the street. Dogs were often mutated into wretched killing machines, or outright extinct depending on your area. This however was not mutated or grotesque, although it might as well have been. It was was Jabari, a ruthless, ignorant creature. Violence is the first and only answer for most of them. Excellent entrepreneurs however, they drove a hard bargain. This one however, was smaller than the average, obviously female or a young pup, most likely a scout. Sid didn't see the threat, although he was prepared if the need be.