open } hiding wolves in wicked skins their darkest sides preserved

[krmvgivv]

Who: YOU
Where: Wonderland
When: 11/11 - 11/13
Rating: Will vary a lot depending on the thread
Summary: Catch-all log for anyone who wants to do stuff post-challenges but still during the event.
The Story:

[Congratulations, you solved all three challenges! Now you get to hang out and wait for your friends to also finish. Plus, you still get to turn into neat animals. Have fun!]

Comments

Muahahaha

[theothermrgray]

[There was a fuzzy black cat resting in the garden, blissfully ignoring the world around it and enjoying the peace.]

[Or, it was enjoying the peace, until a passing blackbird flew by. A mix of curiosity and instinct came over the cat, and soon it was stalking the bird, ready to pounce.]

:T

[postictal]

[Always being watched, it seems, even as a corvid rather than someone with two legs and a set of faulty lungs. The sensation of being observed is acute as always, and if he had hair on the back of his neck, it'd doubtless be standing on end.

Sufficiently unnerved, he takes flight with a beat of his wings.]

:3

[theothermrgray]

[The crow flies off; The cat starts running after it.]

[That's how a hunt works.]

[However, at the moment, the ability to fly means that the crow has the advantage. But that's ok. The bird's gotta tire out sometime.]

[postictal]

[Not if the crow finds a sufficiently tall tree, right? He lights down on one of the branches, stark and bereft of leaves in the crisp fall air, and shifts nervously from claw to claw, watching the animal below nervously.]

[theothermrgray]

[The cat sits at the base of the tree, staring at the bird in the tree. How high it was. The cat couldn't possibly jump high enough to catch it.]

[But cats have claws and cats can climb.]

[That's why the cat is going to try climbing up the tree after the crow.]

[postictal]

[Goddamnit. He can't even tell if this is your typical, everyday cat, or if this is someone else who's transformed. He watches the thing sharply as it scales the trunk. When it gets near the top, he flits away again with a bright snap of wings, perching onto another branch.

If the thing feels up to climbing tree after tree, maybe he'll be able to tire it out first.]

[theothermrgray]

[... Crud.]

[Now the cat's stuck in the tree, not sure how to get down. Now the cat has to stop following instinct for a second and figure out how to get down and continue the chase, but it doesn't want to think too hard and wind up falling from the branch.]

...Mrow...

[postictal]

[Tim ruffles his feathers in a manner that might be construed as smug - if crows could look smug, or if Tim were capable of being smug at all. The most he can spring for is contempt, really.

Still, he croaks out a mildly triumphant caw, as if to say take that.]

[theothermrgray]

Mrow.....

[That sounds like an angry, annoyed growl. How dare you try to be smug about it...]

[Wait. That's right. There are other people that turn into animals. Whoops.]

[The cat lays in the tree, eyes wide with shock, trying to figure out how to get down from the tree before he proves his sentience.]

[Or hope the bird decides to become human.]

[postictal]

[The bird does, indeed, decide to become human again - mostly because he doesn't want to risk the cat wising up and getting a lucky shot in. Do injuries translate neatly across transformations? Wow, he definitely doesn't want to find out.

So Tim flutters out of the tree and onto the grass, only to transition back into humanity a second later, on his hands and knees. He raises his stare to the cat still clinging to the tree.]

Your turn.

[theothermrgray]

[YOU!]

[Dorian tries to jump down and join him, but the tree is still too high and his cat brain doesn't know how to get down.]

[He meows helplessly.]

[Tim, you may want to get him down. PLEASE.]

[postictal]

[Maybe not, then. Tim rolls his eyes, folding his arms over his chest as he straightens up.]

Just jump down, [he calls up.] Cats land on their feet. Most of them jump down from trees like this all the time.

[theothermrgray]

[He tries, he almost jumps... But it is just TOO HIGH.]

[He paws at the air, motioning for Tim to come closer so he has something to land on.]

[postictal]

[Sorry, pal. Tim shakes his head wryly.]

You're on your own, buddy. I'm not gonna catch you.

[theothermrgray]

[Why you little...]

[Dorian is going to attempt to judge the distance between him and Tim as it is.]

cw oblique self harm mention

[postictal]

[Tim's definitely not gonna hold out his hands to catch the damn cat. If he gets scratched up in the process, then - well, hey. At least he can explain why he's got scarred up arms.

For now he stands back and watches, vaguely curious.]

[theothermrgray]

[... You know what? That seems like a reasonable distance.]

[Dorian backs up, then runs as far as the branch would allow and leapt at Tim's chest.]

[postictal]

[Oh, jesus.

Tim scrambles back as soon as he sees the thing coming for him like a furry torpedo. Long claws hiss down his arms and he sucks a quick intake of breath between his teeth as he barely manages to avoid letting the thing get its claws into his shirt and cling onto him in earnest.]

What the hell, cat.

[theothermrgray]

[Despite his best efforts, the cat lands on Tim's feet with a thud. At least the cat reflexes helped, but what the hell, human.]

[The cat shakes itself off and licks his paws, stopping every now and then to look up at Tim.]

[postictal]

[Tim rubs at the cuts with a low grunt of annoyance more than any sort of pain, scowling. He transfers his glare to the cat as it stares at him.]

What? I said I wasn't gonna catch you.

[theothermrgray]

[The cat pouts at Tim, like it wants to say "I never asked for you to catch me."]

[This slight is easily forgiven, for he has a feeling the moment he transforms into his true self, the other man will either fly off or run. Just like what happened in Neverland.]

[Not wanting to upset Tim any further, the cat rubs itself against his legs, tail up and purring. He makes one or two passes before walking in front of Tim and sitting, expecting to be petted.]

[postictal]

[This is now the second time in this event that a cat has seemed oddly eager to get attention from him. What the hell. Tim's mouth tightens as he eyes the thing wearily, shaking his head.]

Sorry, bud. I don't have anything for you.

[theothermrgray]

[You don't need to give him anything but attention.]

[The cat paws at Tim's feet and rolls over onto his back. Clearly, it wants your company and pets, right?]

[postictal]

[Sorry, pal. Tim doesn't want to risk the inevitable weirdness when the cat turns into a person again. Instead he heads to the nearest tree and leans up against it. He draws a cigarette from the packet in his pocket (fingertips brushing the edges of a tape he doesn't think about, god but he's not thinking about that right now) and light sit up, steadfastly ignoring the feline at his feet.]

[theothermrgray]

[Oh? Is that a cigarette?]

[They looked odd, but they were quite similar to the ones Harry introduced him to a long time ago. Admittedly, he preferred the effects of opiates, but this was one way to possibly forge some sort of bond.]

[Dorian's going to spare you some of the weirdness. The cat walks behind a tree just a few steps away from where Tim's smoking to change.]

[Moments later, a handsome gentleman who looks like he literally stepped out of an Oscar Wilde novel calmly approaches. He may seem familiar, but he's not going to ask you about anything personal... yet.]

Pardon me, but could you spare a cigarette?