Bullet with a Bite

[DA VINCI~]

Xaen was panting heavily, her heavy-duty boots slamming the pavement as she ran. The further it got, the less graceful she moved- usually so agile and nimble; was sloppy and stumbling. But she smirked to herself because she knew that if she was getting tired, her persuer would be exhausting themself. Her smirk disappeared, she couldn't allow the cop the chance to breathe.

Xaen was in a slightly foriegn corner of the Civilization. She frowned, knowing however that this was a corner closer to the PD. The cop no doubt knew where they were going. Xaen came to a temporary jog to assess her surroundings, her dark navy hair actively responding to the wind. Her mistoned eyes darted from building to building, looking for an alleyway, anything. Her ears could hear the cop getting closer; could hear their heavy breathing and slightly sloppy footing. Xaen couldn't shift, it was broad daylight and it was a public street. Again, the cop's sounds grew closer and Xaen's hearbeat rushed as she dashed for the fence. Maybe I can make it over the PD fence. I could just run passed the department. It was a longshot.

Running over and quickly grabbing the edge of the fence, she leapt over it and let go, running forward a couple steps before freezing. Infront of her wasn't a street meaning freedom, but the cold, brown bricks that made up the other side of the PD. Xaen stopped and ran a hand through her hair angrily, turning around to face her persuer. Dead end, she thought.

She stood frozen as the cop came into view. Then as fast as she could, pulled out her own gun, a ragged issue with only a few more bullets to spare. But it was .375 Magnum. Built to kill.

[Erinland]

Moon was running forward, panting heavily, her Beretta m9 in hand. The semi-automatic pistol was several years old, but still had plenty of kick. She had it loaded. The fleeing criminal was insanely fast, but Moon would not give up. This was her job, and she sure as hell knew how to do it. Her feet pounded and she forced herself onward, pushing and pushing herself to go. Down the street and around the corner, Moon saw her target again.

"Stop right now and put your hands on the ground!" She shouted forcefully, but the runner went on, heedless. They were headed toward the police department. Her adrenaline levels soared as she began to catch up and she nearly burst with hope when she saw the perp go over the fence. There was no exit out of there that way. Only they didn't know that. She shoved her boot into the chain link and through herself over, just like in training. She ran hard, her long black ponytail flailing back and forth and her arms pumping.

And then She had cornered the fugitive. In the blink of an eye Moon saw what she'd not really expected. A young teenage girl. She's assumed it was a small bodied boy. She assumed wrong. And then the girl had a gun on her, thought Moon hadn't seen her raise it. Moon had never put hers down. Now there they were, face to face, the cop and the criminal, both set on calling checkmate.

"Put the gun down," Moon said. "Put it down and no one will get hurt here today." She was forceful and reasoning, but she could not take chances.
"You're young, you don't want life in prison for killing a cop. Now put the gun down or I will be forced shoot."

The young woman was stock still, her brown eyes locked on the navy haired girl who stood so close, and yet so very far away.

[DA VINCI~]

Xaen panted, satisfied to hear the noise echoed by the cop. She didn't let her satisfication show, however; each one was held at gun-point. "Put the gun down," the woman said forcefully. Xaen managed to catch her breath, shifting her leg as she considered the warning. "Put it down and no one will get hurt here today." Again, the cop's reasoning sent a flood of instinct into Xaen's hands. She should let go. She should let go and run. "You're young, you don't want life in prison for killing a cop. Now put the gun down or I will be forced shoot."

A breeze washed passed and played with Xaen's sweat-slicked hair. She remained a statue, eyes hard-pressed on her target while she fought an inner turmoil. The same instinct that wanted her to run also fought to keep her hands on the gun. Xaen decided it was too late and just then, the cop's bullet was let loose.

She instantly dropped the gun, swearing profusely in Spanish at the blood trail left up the side of her arm from where the bullet grazed her. Xaen instinctively got in position to run but stopped herself, deciding her best chance of escape was to wait for the cop to come close enough to disarm. She was better at hand-to-hand combat, anyways. "All right, you got me. I give," Xaen resisted the urge to smirk and instead gave the cop a cold but submitting look.


((Once more, a three-paragraph reply. No worries, though, my next one should be longer.))

[Erinland]

Moon approached the girl slowly, still holding her gun. The girl had submitted, but Moon didn't trust her at all. It was a common occurance: fugitives would pretend to surrender, only to turn around and take your weapon, or take you down physically. Moon was wary, but she continued forward.

"Kick the gun to me," She demanded. The girl might have dropped the gun, but there was no garantee she wasnt plotting to pick it up again. The cop wanted assurance. The gun slid out of the darkness. Moon moved forward again.

And then something flew at her and she knew she had no choice. She pulled the trigger and realized with horror that her gun was jammed. It was useless for defense now, and she flung it. She grappled with her opponent, grabbing something bony, but was unsure whether it was a shoulder or a knee. The only choice she had now was to overpower the girl, and force her down to apply handcuffs. She wrenched an arm, but the girl was far stronger than she looked, and tore the arm out of Moon's grasp. Moon was tiring quickly, as the run had used up most of her energy. But she was determined that the girl would not get past her and away, and she was dogged in her resolve. The girl was strong and her blows were hard, but Moon would not let go.

(OOC: I know it's really short, but action scenes kind of have to be, ya know?))

[DA VINCI~]

((This post should conclude my involvement with the story. Have fun ;] ))

Xaen could feel her blood boiling with adrenaline, her heart thudding wildly against her chest as the cop came ever-closer. Her eyes looked around for the second time, scanning for any route of escape. When it seemed like she had none, her look began kindle an aggressive fire. She turned to view the cop, tuning out the instructions that were bellowed at her.

Taking a short breath, she charged with full strength into the cop's stomach, just below the gun. Her ears pulsed with the rush, effectively blocking out her target's resounding cry and the thud of her gun hitting the ground. The teenager felt her teeth grit as she yelped with the cop's sudden grip on her shoulders. Her assault lead to punching the woman when she wouldn't let go, receiving a blow to the stomach in return. The cop managed to throw her around several times with grips on her elbows and joints before Xaen realized the intent and turned the tables. Eventually both women were on the ground thrashing and throwing punches and kicks where they could- Xaen's clearly street-gained combat assisted with shifter's strength against the cop's muscled and trained combat skills.

Suddenly, the officer's exhausted frame doubled strength in one punch directly into Xaen's temple. She felt the hit knock her brain to the other side of her head and fell down before being straddled. When the logical side of her mind faltered in return, something inside her clicked.

The teenager suddenly rolled over to gain control, a vicious snarl ripping itself from her throat as she gained a death-grip on her opponent's shoulders. With a wild intake of breath, she dived into the cop's collar, jaws separating and revealing animalistic teeth that pierced the flesh below.

Xaen's eyes rolled to the back of her head as her teeth sunk deeper into the raw, fighting the primal instinct to tear open the skin even further. She felt the hot blood race down her throat immediately and shuddered at the disgusting strong taste it carried. Everything was moving in slow motion until finally she reclaimed control over her body and flexed her wrists, effectively dropping her grip on the cop and stepping back to view the result.

Xaen wiped her hand across her mouth, only smearing the crimson fluid on her contrasted skin. She sputtered, suddenly as the true horror of her actions dawned on her. The cop lay below her, clutching at her wound as her face paled against her skin tone.

She more so heard than felt her spine cracking as it tried to rearrange herself. It took all her energy to resist the shifting, flexing and stiffening repeatedly over the woman's body. Xaen felt her insides clench- this was the first time she'd bitten someone. Her teeth had already sunken back into their gums, retaining her previous, blunt human jaws. Xaen's hand went out for a moment as if to help the cop before her eyes fell onto the blood on her fingers. Horror written across her face, the teenager took her hand back and clutched at the inside of her jacket.

Xaen felt her blood run cold as she looked up passed the cop. The way to freedom was now unguarded. With adrenaline and fright pumping her steps, Xaen shot over the fence and into the streets, not once looking back.

Both of them had been hurt in the battle, but at least one of them knew they would make it through the night.

[Erinland]

Moon felt nothing but horror. What had just happened? She clutched at her throbbing neck and collar. The girl stepped back and Moon could only stare. She heard horrific sounds of cracking and then the girl dashed away and over the fence. The officer staggered, and tried to get up. She felt hot and feverish and dizzy. What had that girl done to her? The memory of her attacker's teeth moving unnaturally into a different position haunted her and made her gasp. She fell, twice, struggling with her mind and with her movement.

Although she didn't know how, she found she'd made it to the fence which surrounded the immediate area behind the police department. She grasped the chain link to hold herself up, but fell. Something was coming towards her. She hoped it was a person, someone to take her to the hospital. It was obvious she was ill. She tried to call out, but only a rasp came out. Then she felt something wet poking at her through the fence. Then the fence began to rattle and shake.

"Please," was all Moon was able get out. She heard a thud. A large pink tongue came out of the dark and began washing her face, and a whining sound accompanied it.

"Rubix . . ." Moon breathed. He had poked his nose through the fence and then scaled it to get to her. He wasn't a person, but he was trained to preserve and obey his handler, whatever the cost. There was a command that might work. When an officer is in pursuit of a suspect and becomes lost, the command 'home' prompts the dog to lead the handler back to other officers. Moon was feeling worse and worse, and this was the only thing she could think of to try. If it doesn't, she thought, I'll die.

"Home," She gasped. "Rubix, home."

She grabbed the thick black and tan ruff that covered his thick neck. The dog whined and took a few steps, waiting on Moon. She was blinded by dizziness and held one hand on her partner and one ahead of her face. She stumbled along in the darkness, trusting the dog to do his best. She had no idea where they were or where they were going, but she was sure she would soon collapse. On and on they went, and the cop was always sure the next step would be her last. Her feet suddenly went from pavement to grass, and she felt leaves around her face. Where were they?

"Rubix . . . home." She tried again, hoping he understood. They went on longer, but Moon had no idea of time. Finally, she fell. She started to sweat and moaned and her muscles began to twitch. Her body writhed and cracked. Her legs contorted. Her jaws grew. She felt the need to shriek, but found she couldn't. The pain made her eyes wide. Fear consumed her whole being, and made noises that she'd never heard. After suffering through she knew not what, She lay still. The only thing she thought about was the inflation and deflation of her lungs.

"I know," Said a voice. "I know, very bad. I disobey. But, better to . . . here."

Moon did not know the voice, nor did she acknowledge it.

"I know what. Not good. Scared."

The pink tongue came and washed her face again.

"I stay Mistress. I keep."

Moon wondered if everyone talked this way and she had just never noticed it before. It was smooth and clear like voices she was used to hearing, but different somehow. It seemed rooted. Ancient.

For several hours, nothing happened, and Moon wondered if she had gone to sleep. She couldn't remember doing so. The pain that was fresh many hours ago had somewhat dulled, and although she was still very hot, she no longer felt dizzy. And so, she tried to sit up.

For some reason, she had to push herself up by moving her propped hands backward a little at a time. When she was in the sitting position, she tried her raise her hands to touch her face. When she did, she fell over. She managed again to sit up and looked down on her self.

All she saw was fur. As she raised what should've been her hand, a large paw came into view.

"Holy Sh-"

"Awake!"

Something interrupted her. The voice.

"You awake. You sure feel like you were about to die but not."

This was so strange. It sounded the same, but not. Each time she heard it, it spoke better. But she only thought of that for half a second.

"I'M?! WHAT AM I?! WHAT, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT-"

The woman worked herself into a panic then fell and began to wheeze and hyperventilate. The early morning was starting to come, and the light brought answers.

A large German Shepherd Dog sat across from her, it's ears pricked and anxious. It then . . . sighed, and looked sad. Moon could never remember recognizing any emotions in a dog. Then it did something she knew dogs didn't do. It spoke.

"You are . . . A wolf, Mistress."




(ooc: I hope i made the transformation right, this is my interpretaion at least. I thought it was really cool for her to start understanding Rubix as she became part canine herself. anyway, hope it's right-ish. lol)

[Erinland]

Moon sat motionless across from the dog. For hours she had cried and struggled to breathe. Now the shock was numbing her senses, and all she'd been able to do was sit there, blank and unresponsive. The dog spoke to her, but she didn't hear it. Rain began to fall but she didn't feel it. Numb. The dog came closer, then out of desperation pushed his face into hers.

"Stay here! I'll be back!" He said, twice. He was fervent, and worried, so Moon made a slow nod. He looked back anxiously, then dashed away.





The dog was not completely sure where to go, but he had an idea of where, and he was desperate. I must help Mistress, I must. Rubix was loyal to a fault and utterly dedicated. But he knew that what his mistress needed now was not him, but another like herself. He knew who he must find.

The German Shepherd did not stop running. He was young and agile, his muscles were taunt and he did not tire easily, but these were not what kept him running. The drive to serve his human mistress pushed him on. Into the woods, deeper and deeper. He smelled them. All around. The wolves. They were not human. Yet they were. They were not normal, he knew that much. But now . . . Mistress was one. And she needed ones help. As the scent became stronger, he knew he was at the edge of the shifter's territory. He began to trot, keenly aware of his surroundings, trying to be quiet. He moved upwind. finally, he came upon what he'd thought he'd find. An open meeting place, where several of them mingled. A building nearby. They looked human, But Rubix knew what they were. He was much more interested in finding a particular shifter. He had to hurry, they would scent him any second. Then, He spotted a muscular young man sitting on a log with dark tan skin and black hair. His scent wafted and was similar to mistress'. It was him! The wolf that had visited mistress. Mistress loved him. He had to help her! Rubix could think of nothing more stupid or more necessary than what he now had to do.

The dog rushed from the trees like a bullet, straight to Redclay.

[Erinland]

Red looked up just in time to be tackled by a large black and tan dog. He was drastically bigger than the dog, but the impact had caught him off guard. He fell backwards off the log he was sitting on and landed with a thud.

"What the-"
Several shifters had come nearer, some wolves, some humans, ready to tear the intruder apart. Red sat up, snarling. But he immediately recognized the sight and even more the scent of the dog. It was his sister's dog. The mutt was panting and looking at him with a worried expression, but it did not seem concerned with the large number of wolves gathered around him. Red was impressed. But not much. He was angry at being knocked over by a stupid dog in front of everyone. But he was not angry enough to kill something his sister cared about. Not yet.

"It's alright, back off. It's my sister's mutt. He must recognize me. Probably ran away from home."
Red stood up, and played it nonchalant, dusting the leaves off.

"Better take you home, Princess." He grabbed the dog's front legs, then it's back legs and lifted it over his head to carry it over his shoulders. Carrying the big mutt on his back would definitely repair his reputation. The dog whined and wriggled a bit, but didn't bite. Red nodded to the others.

"Be back in a bit,"
He strode out of the clearing and started to jog. The dog made a yelp and growled to be put down. After they were well away, Red threw the dog off his shoulders into the leaves. The shepherd yelped again and barked indignantly. Red stared down at it.

"What do you want mutt? Go on," Red said, as he kicked at the dog. But it barked again, and whined. Red could see the worried look in its eyes. Might as well give real communication a try, he finally decided. He took his clothes off and flung them. He bent over, letting the wolf form ripple down his body contorting it and changing it. As he finished he opened his jaws wide to pop a kink out of them. As he turned to the dog, he saw it was huddled and pulling its tail in. The thought of canine being traumatized by the scene made him laugh. He was three times the size of the German shepherd and his dark brown, almost black fur made the dog's coat look dull.

"What's the matter, Princess? Scary Wolfie?" He chuckled, not expecting an answer. But he got one.

"Mistress calls me 'Rubix'."
"What?"
"I'm not called Princess. I'm called Rubix."
Red was dumbfounded. He'd not expected this at all.

"So . . . we can communicate. Huh. I . . . Guess I should've considered it a possibility, seeing as we're both canid." After a moment, the interest and amazement faded.

"What were you thinking coming into shifter territory like that?! Stupid mutt! Go home!"
The dog came closer, no longer cringing, but standing confident and tall.

"No. I came for you, and I found you. Mistress needs your help!"
"Mistress?" Red repeated. "You mean Moon, right? My sister?"
"Mistress!" Rubix said. "She needs help! A wolf's help!"

"Why? What happened?"
"She's one of you now. She's scared and sick. Help!"
The dog was not going to be able to describe everything, and Red did not worry about getting more information. It was clear from the urgency and desperation in his voice.

"Where is she?"
"I'll lead you to her, follow me!" and the dog bolted, running off to the west. Red wasted no time. He could keep up easily, but even he had to admit that the dog could really book it. He wasn't sure what he would find when they found Moon, but he was not about to sit and ponder about what the dog's words might have meant.