HUNTING

[revulsion]

Nightfall is approaching, leaving the sky streaked with colours.

They have to find the cat.





[NAVIGATION:
IC Body | A Man | The Cat
OOC Plot Organization | Friday Night

A post for the hunting group. ]

Comments

BODY

[revulsion]

Late newspapers are talking about a body surfacing in town, pulled out of a back-alley. Someone -- or something -- dragged him under a dumpster and left him there. The catch? He's missing a torso.

[imnot_likeyou]

[Sam follows the rumors because that's how he rolls. He hasn't really had the chance to look at one of the bodies yet, and even if this one is just parts, it might have clues that the other victims missed.

So he heads into town to figure out where they took the body.]

[gottaknockhard]

[It's actually been a while since Spike has run into Sam, but he recognizes him as was headed to the castle (after stopping by a church for "supplies"... if that even works). Curiosity isn't only dangerous for cats.

He stops once he gets the sense that Sam isn't just out for a stroll.]

Nice night. [Not that he'll ask right away.]

[imnot_likeyou]

[glances over to Spike and nods.]

Sure. Always a great night for body snatchers.

[gottaknockhard]

[Well, now that he mentions it. Spike keeps his eyes on Sam for a few seconds, trying to figure something out, then breaks to look off in the distance.]

It left the castle?

[imnot_likeyou]

I don't know if it left, or it just took a while to find it, but I heard there's a body somewhere around here with a torso missing.

[gottaknockhard]

[... Maybe he shouldn't be heading back so soon.]

I guess it's finally branching out.

[imnot_likeyou]

[shrugs]

I'm just hoping the bodies will have some clues.

[gottaknockhard]

[You're more morbid than he thought, Sam.]

You do that kind of thing?

[imnot_likeyou]

Back home, yeah. Sometimes it's the easiest way to figure out what we're dealing with.

[gottaknockhard]

[He keeps his hands in his pockets, keeping something concealed. He doesn't want to look like he buys into everything he hears.]

Any ideas so far?

[imnot_likeyou]

[shrugs]

Could be anything, really. I haven't run into a lot of feline creatures into body snatching where I'm from, but the thing itself might not even really be a cat.

[gottaknockhard]

Maybe the cat is the decoy.

[imnot_likeyou]

If the cat's the decoy, then who needs the body parts?

[gottaknockhard]

Who knows. Maybe he's building a better friend.

[imnot_likeyou]

[smirks]

Sure. That would be the least interesting thing he's doing with them.

[dontpatr0nizeme]

[Well, doesn't this sound too damn familiar. Guess he's due a visit to town. With a good gun. Unfortunately, he isn't bringing out his best weapon. The brute shot is too conspicuous.

He's armored and stalking around. Man on a mission. Especially after what happened to South.]

A MAN

[revulsion]

After taking a tongue, the cat has headed into town -- if you can even call it a cat anymore. People are out for the Saturday night scene, people dancing and carousing and heading home from work and all manners of things, and there are seas of people everywhere.

How do you find a cat who is actually a mangled collection of body parts?

Walking down a back street is a man in a long jacket, with the collar popped up and a hat worn with the brim low. He walks with an awkward limp, as though one leg is shorter than the other. His clothes are ill-fitted. In one hand, he grips a dead cat by the scruff.

[hellshaped]

[Hellboy is pretty conspicuous himself, but as he investigates the back streets, he can't help but notice this fellow. He glances over, then glances again once he sees the cat in his hand.

That can't just be a coincidence, he decides.

Being seven feet tall has its drawbacks when trying to tail someone, sure, but the worst part has got to be the hooves. Though Hellboy tries to move as quietly as possible, left hand hovering over the gun at his hip, his hooves still click against the cobblestones.]

[schrodingersghost]

[Wow, that wasn't suspicious at all. After what had happened to Peter, Danny was smart enough to know he needed to be sneaky. He turns himself invisible and follows after the man in the jacket.]

[revulsion]

[The man doesn't seem to notice -- he's grumbling to himself under his breath -- and he turns off the back street into a darker alley.]

[hellshaped]

[Feeling distinctly like this is a bad idea but not really caring, Hellboy follows around the corner.]

[revulsion]

[The man stops at a dumpster, and he lifts the lid up to put the cat in. He coughs heavily.]

[schrodingersghost]

[Okay, still creepy. Danny watches warily.]

[hellshaped]

[Well that's a fine way to spread disease! Hellboy squints a bit, not stopping when the man stops, instead continuing to come closer.]

Is that the best way to dispose of that?

[revulsion]

[The man turns, startled, dropping the cat in favour of putting a hand to his chest. His voice is gruff, well-weathered.]

Agh! Cruel to sneak up on a man like that on a dark night. But what else do you do with a dead cat? I'm not so poor that I'd skin and eat the vermin.

[hellshaped]

[Hellboy eyes the cat, then looks back at the man. Well, he ... appears to be just a normal guy? Not one with a Frankensteined-together body, anyway.

He ignores the question.]

Was it yours? A pet, maybe?

THE CAT

[revulsion]

It's quiet all around, no sound but the crickets chirping and the distant sound of the city. It -- whatever it is -- is standing in the local cemetery, hands in the pockets of an overcoat, face to the wind.

It just stands there, unassuming.

[mom_to_us_all]

The wind carried the smell of a cat. It was still there, faintly, mixed with the distinguishing smell of several other humans. She recognized one smell in particular; Sayaka's. Amaterasu knew that there was no way Sayaka was around and she could only assume, hope it was what she was looking for.

Finally, as the smell becomes stronger, she finds the creature. The view is... rather confusing, if not disturbing. The wolf approaches from behind, cautious and ready. A quiet snarl coming out her snout as she shows her teeth.

[ofhope]

Having heard all of this nonsense about stolen body parts and nobody really doing anything too interesting yet, Joshua can't help but want to get involved. While he doesn't want an anticlimactic Halloween, he doesn't want to go without enjoying the before party.

Also, the fancy spirit wolf that like birthday cake is going along, and that's just always fun to stalk. The dog and cat chase scene seems inevitable to him!

Joshua doesn't much worry about invites, but he keeps any aggressive actions subdued for now so as not to alarm the wolf to the wrong party. Instead he's hanging back, just looking to the supposed bad kitty (human now?) in the distance and wondering if it still wants something, and if the wolf's going to attack before it even matters.

[revulsion]

It turns at the snarl. It manages to stand somewhat straight despite the obvious mismatched legs, one side on tip-toe, and its balance is remarkable... but it doesn't quite manage "human." Its entire posture is stiff, as if all its effort is put into staying upright, and most telling of all is its face.

Its face -- or rather, the face of Dhaos -- is devoid of all expression, and eyes staring straight ahead, unblinking.

"Eve-en-ing," it says, South's voice but all too syllabic.

gah sorry about the slow! didn't notice this reply dfsdf

[mom_to_us_all]

If anything, she had opted not to deal with people who wanted the creature dead, she knew it'd be a waste of time to try to persuade them from it. She wished no ill to it, not even after showing a display of utter disregard for human lives. She wanted answers.

"Why are you doing this?" To human ears, it might be nothing but another snarl and low growling, was this being still cat enough to understand her?

[ofhope]

Joshua doesn't say anything to the cat, staying several yards back from Amaterasu and waving a greeting in response. He's just being polite!