Forums » General Roleplay » The Loner With a Wild Side

As she sat on the steps, a guy walked past the front of the school, heading for the woods as well. Even in the cold weather, he was simply wearing a sleeveless tee and jeans. He looked too old to be a high school student, but what really stood out was the strange tattoo on his right arm, which he was currently rubbing slightly as he walked.

The man passing by immediately caught Blair's attention, as his tattoo had intrigued her. She wasn't sure if they were really her thing, but she could always appreciate the artwork on a person's body.
Cigarette still dangling from her lips, she called out to him, "I like your ink!" She wore an impish smile, something that's become a sort of trademark for her.

The guy looked Blair over a moment, then flashed a smile. "You'd look good with some yourself." He commented. "With skin like yours."

She grinned back at him. "You think? I've been thinking about getting one, but I haven't been too sure." She said, before dropping the now-finished cigarette to the ground and extinguishing it with a twist of her foot. She was about to leave it there, but hesitated a moment. Then, she picked up the cigarette butt and strolled over to a nearby trash can to toss it.

"Ya should." He gave a somewhat unnerving smile. "A blank canvas is a wasted one." With that, he resumed his walk toward the woods. "Nice meeting ya."

Blair smirked, using two fingers to give the same mock salute in farewell. She turned back to the steps, letting the man's words sink in for a moment or two before finding a seat on the concrete once again.

He returned her salute, and was soon out of sight, disappearing into the forest.
As cute as the girl was, he already had a plaything that needed his attention.

Blair had leaned back, with her elbows propped up on the step behind her. Her curious eyes never left the man's retreating figure. She had come to the conclusion that there was something off about that man. Something she couldn't quite place. Internally, she was bantering back and forth with herself, wondering if it was worth the effort to follow the man, or to simply go back to class.

Mat slinked through the forest, as silent and smooth as a panther. He hadn't yet found Nori in the dark, wooded expanse, but he could hear soft footsteps.
Turning around, he noticed a tall, intimidating man with a large tattoo crawling along his arm. Something about him set Mat's hair on end and caused him to shrink back. He removed his gloves and climbed a tree quickly, pressing his belly to a sturdy branch and digging his dull claws in. His ears pressed back against his head and he frowned, observing the strange new man with no small amount of unease.

The man didn't seem to have noticed Mat, continuing on his way. He seemed to know exactly where to go.
As he neared Mat, though, he could see the man's form beginning to shift and warp. Within a few moments, he didn't resemble anything close to human. The only feature giving away that this was still the same person was the tattoo pattern on his right arm, now a bright white discoloring of his fur.

As the man-- more of a beast, really-- continued on, Mat slowly moved from his position. He hooked his claws into the rough bark and gently let himself down onto the ground, making as little noise as possible. The sudden transformation had startled him, but he was more worried for Nori's safety-- something about this (besides everything) just wasn't right.
Mat crept silently after the intimidating creature.

Completely oblivious, Blair pushed herself off of the stairs, back onto her feet. She figured that she might as well check up on the man, just to see if her suspicions were correct. She found the class rather boring, anyways. So, with her hands stuffed back into her jacket pockets, she began her stroll towards the woods. A few steps later, and she was engulfed by the trees.

It didn't take long for the monster to find the clearing Nori was in, and the boy seemed to sense his presence even before the beast entered the clearing.
Nori tensed, clearly frightened of him, but didn't make a move to run.
"Shouldn't you be in school?" The beast questioned him, casually walking over to Nori.
"What do you care?" Nori's response didn't have nearly the bite he'd used with Mat and Blair earlier, and he seemed to shrink back slightly as the beast came closer.

Mat hid behind a thick tree-trunk, watching the scene play out in front of him. He wanted to help Nori, but he also figured he should know more about the situation at hand before intervening.

Blair was carelessly walking down the winding dirt pathways, every once in a while brushing a few stray pieces of hair from her eyes. She didn't really mind if she stepped on a twig, or when leaves crunched beneath her feet. Still, even when she heard voices, she continued to incautiously follow the sound.

"Because it would be so sad if my favorite toy got shipped off somewhere for being a delinquent." The beast placed a claw under Nori's chin, forcing his head up to meet his eyes. "But you look so ugly right now, don't you? You know the rules about being in my presence."
Nori tried to pull his head away, but the beast gripped his chin to keep it there. After a long moment, Nori's gaze fell, and he was soon changing like Mat had witnessed the man do.
Mat quickly realized that Nori's change was, somehow, even more drastic than the man's.

Changes such as this were common where Mat came from, but he was almost certain that natives of Earth didn't experience them. His jaw dropped and a small, choked sound escaped his throat. This was a bit much, even for him.

Blair seemed to be approaching an opening, which she guessed was where the voices were coming from. She strode towards the opening, and peered between the trees to see who she would be meeting. When she got a good look, all casualness had been immediately dropped. Her breath hitched in her throat, eyes gone wide in utter shock. She hadn't seen these...what to call them? Beasts? Creatures?-ever in her life. She was paralyzed, for the time being.

The male beast looked over at the choking sound and, upon noticing Mat, gave a frightening smile. "We seem to have an uninvited guest, don't we Pet?"
Nori(?) followed his gaze after a moment, eyes widening slightly upon seeing Mat there. Seeing that he was here also meant that the other girl might be close by too.
Nori immediately gave Mat a look that screamed "YOU NEED TO RUN".

Mat shut his jaw with a sharp clack and shot a heated gaze to Nori, hoping it read clearly as, "To hell with that."
"Well, sir, might I just point out that we're in the middle of the forest. A forest owned by none but nature, might I add. Wouldn't this mean I am just as invited as you?" Mat smiled tensely, but with a small glimmer in his eyes. "Besides that, may I ask why you call him 'Pet?' The phrase seems a bit-- how should I put it-- derogatory?"