homeless_pard | A flight long in the running...

Entry tags:

jason au,
starter

A flight long in the running...

Who: Khem and a new world!
When: Start of canon smash here!
What: Terrified kitty arrives in the vague area of St. Louis.

Tired. She was so bone weary that had someone told her that she'd die but it would be in a bed, she might honestly accept that trade at this point. The pads of her feet were leaving red marks along the rough stone she scrambled and clawed haphazardly upward, ever upward, ever away, through so many terrains they all blurred together in a haze of color and snatched hunts.

She should have lost him. Should have, and there had been times over the past turns where she had almost believed him gone. Finally shaken from her trail and naught more than a shadow left in her mind to spur her onward. Any hunter would eventually give up on game when coursing it had run to long...

...surely?

Ah, but she'd little experience with hunters, those near the abbey were more farmers with the occasional lord's man, and even had they needed care it was likelier that they would seek tending from their own ladies. AN isolated abbey was not easy to seek out when ill.

Still, it had seemed logical that he'd stop. At the Wastes perhaps.

At the Falls.

At the turn of blasted scree to strange, new lands past where tales she knew ended...

...and yet here she was, his shadow practically nipping at her heels. She was flagging and he hadn't stopped. This hunt was soon to end, as any chased thing knew in time, escape simply wasn't going to happen. Mayhap it would kinder, cleaner, to miss a jump. To tumble and not reach for ledges as she went down.

Kinder...but she shrank from it none the less. A little further...

...a little further...

...until there was naught left but sheer walls and a deep, dark crack between. A cave, not a passage. No exit. A tomb for one hard worn girl who had thought, foolishly, that finding fur had granted her freedom. And so it was to end.

If he hounded her even here, his bootsteps harsh on the stones behind her, then she was determined he would know who he was to slay. Not some cat that had teased him, not some furred prize, but as a woman. If he was to slay her, let him slay a woman and be haunted by her face. An unkindness perhaps, but she was far past ability to feel for him.

To wonder if she could explain, or beg her safety somehow.

No, let him have a flickering pang of conscience as he did his fell deeds. And so as the mouth of the cave darkened she set her back to the stone, fingers rather than claws lifted to shade her face, skin covered in long, dark hair and gooseflesh that gave some semblance of proper depth to her too-thin frame.

Let him slay a woman.

And yet, as she watched the dull, metallic sheen of a dart gun rising, it wasn't pain she felt burn through her chest but warmth where her single item, the amber stone on a string about her neck graced to her by Gunnora, flickered like sunlight and the wall at her back faded to naught so that she was falling...

...falling...

...falling...

...there was a brief scream, she couldn't help it, as her shoulders struck beaten grass and tree roots, shock making the sound choke off as abruptly as it had started. A heartbeat, two, as she stared up at tangled tree limbs and dappled light she shouldn't be seeing then she was sitting up with a gasp, trying to espy the Hunter.

And he was not there. Somehow, somehow...he was not there, and she sat in a wood far younger than the one before the stones she'd climbed, hands and feet still bleeding harshly from the abuse she'd pounded into them over the many moons of travel. She was alone and she was...naked. The stone upon her breast cooling from it's earlier warmth. She'd give thanks somehow, later. For now she shivered back into fur in a blur of mist and achingly, carefully, hauled herself up into a tree to try to determine where she might be.

A how would take much longer no doubt, but...

...rest seemed a blessing, and she was still so very, very tired.

With luck there would be no fresh, strange beasts to contest her claiming the crook of a tree, there to watch, or likelier pass into blessed unconsciousness.

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The afternoon was warm but overcast, and apart from birdsong and the buzz of insects it was blissfully quiet. Jason wasn't exactly an outdoorsman, but these were the afternoons that he relished the chance to get away and just be for awhile. He jogged the trails for a bit until any signs of retirees and dog-walkers became scarce, then plunge into the brush for some off-trail running. He ran until he got to a small formation of rocks along a small rise, slowing to lean against the stones. Panting softly, he lifted his t-shirt to wipe at his face as he glanced around him. The sun broke through the trees in dappled pools, and he closed his eyes as his head rested back against the warm stone.

Restful. No pack drama, no vamp politics; just the sun, the breeze, and the smell of the warm grass and trees...

...and...blood?

He frowned slightly as his nose flared delicately, though he didn't move from his resting place just yet. Something smelled off here, but the mild breeze must have been dissipating the scent or sending it away from him.

He opened his eyes slightly to squint up into the bright, sunlit trees, still not moving from the warmth of the rock. He wasn't afraid of anything out here, but he wasn't stupid enough to let himself be caught completely off-guard if there was something in these woods with him.

Off indeed, the clearing smelled of stone colder than this park should allow and of air far wilder than anything this state had seen in centuries. Alive, fresh, and clean in a way that was impossible to describe. It was slowly dissipating as the modern world pulled it apart though.

The blood scent stayed though; a single, faint handprint on the stone, then, oddly, paw prints leading back toward the trees. Exhaustion and fear laced the shadows under the leaves, but the wildlife wasn't spooked in the least, hardened as they were to shifters and joggers alike.

After a few moments, he took a deep breath and pushed away from the stone and turned, casually scanning the rocks. The scent of the place was shifting though the wind hadn't changed, but that scent of blood was still prickling his nose.

There...

The small, smudged bloodstain on that stone, already darkened but fresh enough to catch his attention. He leaned closer, frowning at the human-shaped hand print as he sniffed daintily at it. It didn't smell like a human...but it didn't smell like any shifter he knew of, either.

He turned back towards the trees, his attention a little sharper. "Hello?" he called out quietly.

The wood did quiet some at that call, and it was the quiet that roused her slightly more than the call. Something had changed and she had bee a fool to let herself sleep...

...but she didn't feel the shivery trace of the Hunter, had it been something else? She pulled herself painfully upright in the tree and blearily peered around. What had changed?

What?

The warning, exhausted cough was very big cat?

A hunter, but not a Hunter. And one clearly used to relying on other senses as he still hasn't noticed the paw prints leading into the treeline.

The sound instantly brought his guard up and he stared intently in the direction it came from. With that dappled sunlight, it was harder to make out any distinct shapes in those trees, but he could feel something there.

He took slow, careful steps closer, eyeing the area he heard the sound come from. "Not here for any trouble," he assured softly as he tried for a closer look.

Edited 2021-12-08 06:18 (UTC)

Trouble? Trouble?! Of course she'd manage to somehow escape and yet here was yet another person already. The warning rumble was certainly far from intimidating coming as it did from a cat starved and stunted due to her flight, BUT SHE TRIED!

And then her leg buckled and slid, claws tearing bark from the branch and the warning ended on a 'Mrrt!' as she chinned herself.

Ow.

He started back, crouching in a defensive stance at the rumbling growl before finding the source as it lost its balance in the nearby tree. He stayed in a crouch, but blinked curiously up at the strange leopard.

"Um...hello...?"

It was a strange creature, smelling like nothing he was familiar with. He could smell blood coming from the cat, and it smelled the same as the handprint on the stone. But this leopard didn't feel like any wereleopard he knew, and he doubted a real leopard would stalking the woods of Missouri...or at least not one like this. Tentatively, he sent an exploratory trickle of power towards the strange cat, feeling out for any familiar brush of power in return.

Paws and tail too big, and each rib visible under fur, but certainly a pard, if lighter than those he knew in color. At the trace of a strange power she shivered, hauling her slipped paw back under herself and gold eyes seeking out his through the leaves.

It felt...strange. Like singing too low to quite catch, and it made her fut puff a touch, but it did get a questioning chirrup at least, and a different, high, wild sense probing back on sheer instinct. Had she found bloodkin somehow? Or an olden mage that might aid against the hunter?

He felt that touch of strange energy in return and cocked his head slightly. Not a lycanthrope, but it was something Not Human. He felt the corner of his lip quirk upward at the chirrup and he slowly straightened, holding his hands up in gesture of harmlessness as he found the golden eyes staring back.
Whatever it was, it didn't look to be in the best shape.

"I won't bother you. But you can come down if you want. I'm not gonna hurt you."

No, not human, not in the sense he understood by far, but clean? She felt clean and of the righthand path if that had any place in this world. A kind voice, dear Powers and Paths when had there last been a kind voice in her life?

Gravity was more responsible for her getting out of the tree than grace, but she did come down and carefully sit where she could be seen, bleeding paws and all?

He was quick to note the source of blood (how could he not?) and the very visible bones jutting out from beneath the fur. He was careful not to move while the leopard dropped from the tree, but kept an encouraging smile on his face as he waited for it to ease into a comfortable position.

So it understood him at any rate...

"I'm not sure what you are, but you're bleeding. Do you need help? Can you...talk, or...?" He faltered, not knowing exactly what he'd be able to do if it couldn't communicate: Having an injured leopard following him out of a public park wouldn't exactly be inconspicuous.

He was dressed so very oddly, but not bearing either sword or gun so she didn't feel immediately worried so much as utterly baffled. Where even had she fallen to? What land or people dressed so...?

About all she was comfortable ruling out was the Sulcar, he was neither red haired nor large enough for that seafaring race of people...

Talk? Hah, no, not in this form though the cat did look briefly amused? Then crouched and eyed the ground contemplatively for a moment before tracing claws along the litter, I am hunted. If you are kind, a moment to rest in safety?

He was less shocked by the scratched out words than he might have been (though he didn't think he'd be able to write in wolf form), but one word sent him immediately into high alert. Hunted

His eyes immediately left the exhausted leopard to scan their surroundings, subtly scenting the air. They didn't have "varmint" laws in St. Louis, but that didn't stop the more determined hunters, and they usually were able to find plenty of loopholes to justify their use of deadly force.

"Do you know how many there are or how far out they..." he rolled his eyes and shook his head at himself for being stupid. "Sorry. You rest; I'll watch for them. If you recognise their scent before I do, give me warning and hide. Ok?"

He offered a reassuring smile while still trying to keep part of his attention on the threat of hunters.

One. He was close, then I fell here. Her script certainly would not be praised in pard form but it was neat and well written at least? Emphasis on fell though, she had no idea where she was.

At all.

What should she ask? Where could she even start? Ah, where she must of course, my thanks lord. She leaned against the trunk at her side and painfully curled tight to try and nap! She'd fail, but even just a chance to be still would help before she had to run once more.

He blinked in confusion at that. Not the mention of one hunter, or falling (there were rocks and ravines throughout the park), but that last bit. Lord?

He watched as the leopard tried to relax against the tree, and once it was settled he moved back towards the rocks where he could keep watch without looking too suspicious. His curiosity was about to burst, but he had more respect for the immediate threat at hand. He could get his answers when the danger passed.

Thankfully, or perhaps not for his nerves, it was a long, quiet vigil. This was a wooded park, not some wild life preserve and the Hunter made no appearance.

None at all.

At least it gave him time to trace the scents and realize it truly did just APPEAR with no explanation on how she had gotten to the rocks? That wild, tingle feel of the area faded as the hours crept past and the Pard did eventually seem to pass not into sleep but into unconsciousness. And, annoyingly, she still hadn't healed. This person in fur didn't have a single hint of shifter healing ability it seemed.

After the first hour his wariness had faded, but he still kept watch.

By the second hour his phone was out and he was quietly texting.

>>Nat, at a loss. having a run at park and found weird leopard. NOT LIKE US. says its being hunted but like two hours and nothing. its ptfo and losing daylight. ???

>>WHAT. is it a shifter

>>I DONT KNOW

>>Can u sneak it to ur car

>>?? AND DO WHAT WITH IT

>> circus. by the time u get back JC should be up.

Jason eyed the slowly lowering sun. He hadn't had any sign of a hunter, but staying out past dark would certainly get the attention of rangers locking up the park and seeing his car. He moved quietly towards the unconscious cat. "Hey...can you hear me?"

It took more than one or two prods before she was starting and peeling an eye open in panic, claws flashing out to sink into the dirt rather than striking at him at least? She was not a violent thing, just very tightly wound! The panicked look faded a touch when she saw only him though?

Um.

Yes?

Her heart was hammering in her chest which made her feel to shaky to write but she peeled one paw off the ground to gently pat his knee as a 'yes I can hear you?'. Dirt and blood would wash off thankfully?

He wondered what happened to it that it's still bleeding.

He gave another reassuring smile. "Nothing from any hunter, but it's starting to get dark. If we don't get out of here, we're going to either have rangers looking for us or my car's gonna get locked in for the night. We should really get moving...I can take you somewhere if you have a safe place you can go?"

He paused, a questioning look on his face. "Are you always a leopard? Or can you change?"

For all he knew, the leopard was some Cursed creature, since it sure wasn't like any shifter he could imagine.

It took her a few moments to parse that; he could take her if she had a place to go? And she had no idea what a car was, but a town's rangers certainly would not approve of a large predator on their lands that she knew from tales?

More startling was the question about shifting. Was it a foregone conclusion since she had taken the time to write to him? Was he prying to learn if she should be taken to a cage?

To say she tensed would be an understatement yes, just sudden, screaming tension through every inch of her as she stared at him in growing fear, eyes drowning gold and far too luminous to be that of normal creature. Was it best to run now? Or answer and see how he reacted since at least this man was unarmed?

She wasn't sure...

That sudden rush of fear from the leopard filled his senses and he had to close his eyes to make sure he had a hold of himself before continuing on. Fear was intoxicating and so hard to ignore, and he felt his beast stir with interest.

He tried to send out some calming energy, knowing that at least it had felt the touch of his power before.

"Hey, it's ok, you don't have to freak out. I just...if there's a hunter or not, we should clear out of here before dark." He paused, thinking for a moment. He was a stranger, after all. "You don't have to tell me where you live. I can take you anywhere you feel safe."

He wasn't demanding, that helped a little against the fear, it let her try to think, to somehow parse how to be gracious in this circumstance because rudeness would only serve to push the risk greater towards a new hunt wouldn't it? It was only sheer will power that let her ease slightly and stretch a paw out again, the words certainly far shakier now but...

...best to know.

I have no home. Nor clothing.

They would see if that admission gave her reason to flee.

The words hit closer to home than she can know: so many of his friends have been kicked out or estranged from their families. His own family wouldn't even speak to him when they'd found out. It just made it that much more important for them to stick together.

His expression became more gentle. "If you want, I can take you somewhere safe. No one will bother you and there's people who can figure out what to do next."

Then he smirked, but warmly. "If you think you'll be ok by yourself for a bit, I usually keep a spare change of clothes in my car. I can run and get them for you?" If the leopard can shift, it would be that much easier to get out of this park without causing a scene. And while he's on the petite side for a man, clothing is clothing.

Edited 2021-12-09 05:10 (UTC)

To be slightly fair to the abbey, she would have lost her place upon turning eighteen regardless of if she had been caught out as a shifter. The new Abbess had been cruel that way.

She considered that for perhaps longer than was comfortable for them both before carefully spelling out, Your word to the welcome, and lack of harm? If he swore, then yes.

But she'd not budge an inch on anything else without that oath.

He frowned at that, eyeing the leopard. He wasn't sure whether it had some history of abuse and was concerned, or if he was supposed to offer his protection; he certainly wasn't alphic enough to promise protection to anyone.
But, he was Jean-Claude's pomme-de-sang: if he asked for protection for someone, he had little doubt that Jean-Claude would give it.

And something in those fearful eyes reminded him of far too many people he loved.

"Anyone who tries to hurt you will go through me first. OK?"

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