Encounterlogs
Maxines Odd Encounter Sr Sam 241120
In the dim, moonlit night along Suncrest Lane, Maxine, a fox shifter, encountered a peculiar and seemingly distraught young boy under a tree, entirely devoid of scent and soaking wet despite the lack of rain. The boy, mistaking Maxine for his lost cat, pleaded with her to help retrieve 'Mister Mittens' from the tree. Intrigued and sensing no immediate threat from the child whose presence defied her natural instincts, Maxine approached, cautiously ready to defend herself if the need arose. Demonstrating a mix of wariness and curiosity, she considered the boy's request, her animal instincts clashing with a hesitant empathy. Despite sensing something amiss, the boy's desperate, hopeful eyes and shaky promise of a reward in the form of Mister Mittens' blanket spurred Maxine to investigate further, her fox form affording her agility and keen senses to aid in the search.
The tale took a dark turn as Maxine, following the boy's anxious instructions, discovered not the clear scent of a cat, but the unsettling hint of blood near the tree’s roots, suggesting a sinister reality far removed from a simple pet rescue. The boy's behavior grew increasingly erratic, his emotions swinging wildly as Maxine uncovered the troubling truth. Upon showing aggression towards the boy after discovering the scent of blood, an attempt to intimidate him for answers, the situation escalated. The boy's reaction, a mix of fear and vulnerability, coupled with the shocking revelation that his hand could phase through the tree trunk, revealed that he was not of the living. Hovering slightly above the ground, the boy's true nature as a spectral entity, tethered to the tree and lacking any human scent, was laid bare. Maxine's encounter with the ethereal boy under the eerie glow of a fading moon thus concluded with more questions than answers, leaving a chilling mystery rooted in the very ground of Suncrest Lane.
(Maxine's odd encounter(SRSam):SRSam)
[Tue Nov 19 2024]
On Suncrest Lane
Shrouded by boughs overhead and sticking out like civilization itself marked a patch of road in defiance of the forest itself, this route appears utterly mundane in its construction. Little effort seems to have gone in making this area little more than something functional for the occasional car or passerby on foot. At the very least, it is utilitarian in that it does seem to be keeping the encroaching woods at bay, at least for now.
It is night, about 36F(2C) degrees, and the sky is covered by dark grey stormclouds. There is a waning gibbous moon.
(Your target has been flagged down by someone who wants their help getting their cat down from a tree.
)
A fading full moon offers the only light in the forest as Maxine(fox) makes her way along the edge of Suncrest Lane, her skinny vulpine form slinking between bushes and treeroots, through grass and puddles. The little creature stops periodically, sniffing at the various scents the woods have to offer; kobolds, manticores, some human. Fortunately the former two seem to stay away from the road for now. Something snaps in the treeline, or at least so Maxine(fox) thinks. Her triangular fox ears perk up and yellow-green eyes reflect the moonlight to the perceived presence.
Not so much a sound, as it is a presence, a boy, clad in a pair of jeans, and a simple tee-shirt stands under a tree. Despite the lack of current rain, he seems soaked in rainwater. He looks up at a tall tree, and appears to be quite distraught.
Maxine(fox), having senses that humans might not, might notice the distinct lack of scent: Neither human, nor monster. When the male turns around, he looks down at the vulpine, and tilts his head aside. "Kitty?" He speaks, in a small, slightly scared voice. He sounds hopeful almost, like he's clutching at straws.
Maxine(fox)'s head cants, shiny black nose twitching at the tip of Maxine(fox)'s snout, one paw raised ready for fight or flight as the presence is appraised. 'A young humanoid? What is it doing here?' The fox shifter thinks. A human cub at least is unlikely to be a threat she presumes, prideful in her quick reflexes and precise vulpine movements. Not a kitty. Very much not a kitty, and keen to demonstrate as much and pride some might argue is feline. Her back arches, tail rising and puffing itself out, then she performs a BIG stretch to let it be known just how unbothered by and above the young human she is before approaching with curiosity. She stays a little low, ready to jump back now her performative stoicness has been demonstrated.
The boy seems utterly un-bothered by actual biology, and looks at Maxine(fox) with big eyes. "Whooaaaaah!" He grins wide, and speaks, his accent clearly local, though there is... something off about it.
"Wait... Foxie!" He jumps up and down, seemingly really excited. He walks over, and squats down. "Hey uh, f-foxie?" He looks slightly sad now. "I'd like your help... mister mittens is gone, and and and I think the tree took him!"
He points at the large tree behind him. "Can ya help?" A beaming smile is given, one that only a child would, when chatting to an animal.
At this point Maxine(fox)'s eyes narrow, suspicion beginning to overcome curiosity as it likely should have far earlier. An illusion? A trap of some sort? A game perhaps? Maxine(fox)'s tail wags in a slow swish briefly as the possibility of a game is considered but for lack of a clear ruleset the possibility is set aside for the time being. The slit pupils of Maxine(fox)'s eyes regard the tree a moment before looking back to the boy so disconnected from senses bar sight and sound.
The boy's lip trembles, and he sniffles as he looks at the foxie before him. "Please?" He pauses, and tilts his head aside. "Uh. I... Uh..." He walks over to a lil' basket, and smiles. "I could give you mister mittens' blanket if you help me find him?" He beams again, full of hope, though his eyes are definately watery. He seems on the verge of tears, really.
Maxine(fox)'s tail sways again, this time with uncertainty. The creature is not entirely without a heart, and it supposes at the very least that if the boy is lying she could eat him later. She pads a little closer, regarding the tree closely.
Hopefully, the lad pads after Maxine, happy as can be. "Oh please foxie, mister mittens... I think he's in the tree!" A wild gesture to the tree's trunk, the lad clearly not equipped or physically strong enough to climb it.
His eyes are still watery, though, like he's been crying before. However, the cooperation of the creature before him seems to fill him with a child-like hope.
Sniffing at the tree roots Maxine(fox) follows up by craning her head to look skyawards, looking and listening for this cat lost on its misadventures even if perhaps dubious of it's existence. In her fox form climbing the tree might prove tricky, albeit not impossible. The tip of her tail flicking in irritation she considers the likelihood of trouble if she shifts back to her -mostly- human form. Delight registers in her minds as she considers the likely surprised response of this boy.
No sound is heard, but when Maxine(fox) sniffs around the roots of the tree, there is something else. Smell. The boy hops around with a big ol' grin, and eventually, Maxine(fox) might be able to track down that smell: Cat.
The smell is faint, old... and something else is present. A coppery, old smell. Blood.
"Are ya finding him, foxie?" The boy beams again, seemingly very varied in his reactions. Like he's emotionally... not quite that stable.
With the latest scent Maxine(fox)'s hackles raise, teeth baring as the little creature rounds on the boy, doing her very best to look intimidating in her frankly rather grubby, scrawny form. A calamitous yowl is issued to express her distaste, tail flicking as she considers running.
Immediately, the boy's eyes water up, and his lip trembles! He looks down at Maxine(fox), and lifts his head. "Hey! Hey! Good foxie... d-d-d-don't hurt me..." He whimpers, backing up against the tree, and putting his hand on the trunk. No, his hand phases through the trunk as the boy seems to be hovering just a little above the ground.
The smell, definately present, seems to be coming from the earth around the tree's roots, the boy having no scent at all, quite unlike a human.
The tale took a dark turn as Maxine, following the boy's anxious instructions, discovered not the clear scent of a cat, but the unsettling hint of blood near the tree’s roots, suggesting a sinister reality far removed from a simple pet rescue. The boy's behavior grew increasingly erratic, his emotions swinging wildly as Maxine uncovered the troubling truth. Upon showing aggression towards the boy after discovering the scent of blood, an attempt to intimidate him for answers, the situation escalated. The boy's reaction, a mix of fear and vulnerability, coupled with the shocking revelation that his hand could phase through the tree trunk, revealed that he was not of the living. Hovering slightly above the ground, the boy's true nature as a spectral entity, tethered to the tree and lacking any human scent, was laid bare. Maxine's encounter with the ethereal boy under the eerie glow of a fading moon thus concluded with more questions than answers, leaving a chilling mystery rooted in the very ground of Suncrest Lane.
(Maxine's odd encounter(SRSam):SRSam)
[Tue Nov 19 2024]
On Suncrest Lane
Shrouded by boughs overhead and sticking out like civilization itself marked a patch of road in defiance of the forest itself, this route appears utterly mundane in its construction. Little effort seems to have gone in making this area little more than something functional for the occasional car or passerby on foot. At the very least, it is utilitarian in that it does seem to be keeping the encroaching woods at bay, at least for now.
It is night, about 36F(2C) degrees, and the sky is covered by dark grey stormclouds. There is a waning gibbous moon.
(Your target has been flagged down by someone who wants their help getting their cat down from a tree.
)
A fading full moon offers the only light in the forest as Maxine(fox) makes her way along the edge of Suncrest Lane, her skinny vulpine form slinking between bushes and treeroots, through grass and puddles. The little creature stops periodically, sniffing at the various scents the woods have to offer; kobolds, manticores, some human. Fortunately the former two seem to stay away from the road for now. Something snaps in the treeline, or at least so Maxine(fox) thinks. Her triangular fox ears perk up and yellow-green eyes reflect the moonlight to the perceived presence.
Not so much a sound, as it is a presence, a boy, clad in a pair of jeans, and a simple tee-shirt stands under a tree. Despite the lack of current rain, he seems soaked in rainwater. He looks up at a tall tree, and appears to be quite distraught.
Maxine(fox), having senses that humans might not, might notice the distinct lack of scent: Neither human, nor monster. When the male turns around, he looks down at the vulpine, and tilts his head aside. "Kitty?" He speaks, in a small, slightly scared voice. He sounds hopeful almost, like he's clutching at straws.
Maxine(fox)'s head cants, shiny black nose twitching at the tip of Maxine(fox)'s snout, one paw raised ready for fight or flight as the presence is appraised. 'A young humanoid? What is it doing here?' The fox shifter thinks. A human cub at least is unlikely to be a threat she presumes, prideful in her quick reflexes and precise vulpine movements. Not a kitty. Very much not a kitty, and keen to demonstrate as much and pride some might argue is feline. Her back arches, tail rising and puffing itself out, then she performs a BIG stretch to let it be known just how unbothered by and above the young human she is before approaching with curiosity. She stays a little low, ready to jump back now her performative stoicness has been demonstrated.
The boy seems utterly un-bothered by actual biology, and looks at Maxine(fox) with big eyes. "Whooaaaaah!" He grins wide, and speaks, his accent clearly local, though there is... something off about it.
"Wait... Foxie!" He jumps up and down, seemingly really excited. He walks over, and squats down. "Hey uh, f-foxie?" He looks slightly sad now. "I'd like your help... mister mittens is gone, and and and I think the tree took him!"
He points at the large tree behind him. "Can ya help?" A beaming smile is given, one that only a child would, when chatting to an animal.
At this point Maxine(fox)'s eyes narrow, suspicion beginning to overcome curiosity as it likely should have far earlier. An illusion? A trap of some sort? A game perhaps? Maxine(fox)'s tail wags in a slow swish briefly as the possibility of a game is considered but for lack of a clear ruleset the possibility is set aside for the time being. The slit pupils of Maxine(fox)'s eyes regard the tree a moment before looking back to the boy so disconnected from senses bar sight and sound.
The boy's lip trembles, and he sniffles as he looks at the foxie before him. "Please?" He pauses, and tilts his head aside. "Uh. I... Uh..." He walks over to a lil' basket, and smiles. "I could give you mister mittens' blanket if you help me find him?" He beams again, full of hope, though his eyes are definately watery. He seems on the verge of tears, really.
Maxine(fox)'s tail sways again, this time with uncertainty. The creature is not entirely without a heart, and it supposes at the very least that if the boy is lying she could eat him later. She pads a little closer, regarding the tree closely.
Hopefully, the lad pads after Maxine, happy as can be. "Oh please foxie, mister mittens... I think he's in the tree!" A wild gesture to the tree's trunk, the lad clearly not equipped or physically strong enough to climb it.
His eyes are still watery, though, like he's been crying before. However, the cooperation of the creature before him seems to fill him with a child-like hope.
Sniffing at the tree roots Maxine(fox) follows up by craning her head to look skyawards, looking and listening for this cat lost on its misadventures even if perhaps dubious of it's existence. In her fox form climbing the tree might prove tricky, albeit not impossible. The tip of her tail flicking in irritation she considers the likelihood of trouble if she shifts back to her -mostly- human form. Delight registers in her minds as she considers the likely surprised response of this boy.
No sound is heard, but when Maxine(fox) sniffs around the roots of the tree, there is something else. Smell. The boy hops around with a big ol' grin, and eventually, Maxine(fox) might be able to track down that smell: Cat.
The smell is faint, old... and something else is present. A coppery, old smell. Blood.
"Are ya finding him, foxie?" The boy beams again, seemingly very varied in his reactions. Like he's emotionally... not quite that stable.
With the latest scent Maxine(fox)'s hackles raise, teeth baring as the little creature rounds on the boy, doing her very best to look intimidating in her frankly rather grubby, scrawny form. A calamitous yowl is issued to express her distaste, tail flicking as she considers running.
Immediately, the boy's eyes water up, and his lip trembles! He looks down at Maxine(fox), and lifts his head. "Hey! Hey! Good foxie... d-d-d-don't hurt me..." He whimpers, backing up against the tree, and putting his hand on the trunk. No, his hand phases through the trunk as the boy seems to be hovering just a little above the ground.
The smell, definately present, seems to be coming from the earth around the tree's roots, the boy having no scent at all, quite unlike a human.