Plotlogs
The Wolf Of White Oak Sr Jack 240726
In the ominous expanse of a forest between Haven and Boston, an unlikely trio—Jordan, Matthew, and Astrid—unite under the cloak of night, drawn together by a gritty quest to confront a malevolent force preying upon White Oak students. The dense woods and a dilapidated compound set a stage for a confrontation that blurs the lines between hunter and prey.
The eerie silence of the compound is shattered when Astrid, caught up in her personal turmoil and dark purpose, inadvertently draws the attention of Drake and his cohort with her vulnerable state. Jordan and Matthew, on edge, navigate the compound's dangers, armed and ready for the inevitable clash. The tension escalates rapidly as Jordan's decisive move to use firepower against the emerging threat triggers a chaotic melee, embodying their transition from bystanders to warriors.
As Drake, now a monstrous werewolf, lashes out, the battle rages with fervor. Matthew finds himself in the jaws of peril, struggling against Drake's ferocious assault. Meanwhile, Astrid, seizing a moment of audacity, ambushes Drake's ally with a boldness that defies her earlier despair. Her actions, fraught with desperation, turn the tides momentarily.
The conflict crescendos with Jordan, driven by a mix of fear and determination, taking calculated shots to subdue the beast. Astrid, amidst the chaos, leverages her survival instinct to land a critical shot, though finds herself trapped under the looming shadow of Drake. Matthew, despite his wounds, musters the strength to aid in Astrid's precarious situation, embodying a sense of unity and resilience amidst the harrowing ordeal.
In the aftermath, the forest's sinister ambiance is replaced by a haunting stillness, pierced only by distant howls—a stark reminder of the darkness that lingers beyond their moment of triumph. The trio emerges not only bloodied and battered but profoundly changed. Bonds forged in the heat of battle leave them with a grim understanding of the fragility of life and the depth of darkness that festers in the heart of the woods.
Their journey back to Haven is one of reflection, marked by silence and the weight of what transpired. They return as survivors, carrying the emotional and physical scars of their encounter, bearing witness to the strength found in unity and the undeniable courage that rises in the face of darkness.
(The Wolf of White Oak(SRJack):SRJack)
[Thu Jul 25 2024]
In a stretch of menacing forest between Haven and Boston
In the heart of these dense, shadowy woods, the towering trees form a canopy that blocks out most of the sunlight, casting eerie shadows on the forest floor. Twisted roots and overgrown foliage make the path nearly invisible, creating a sense of disorientation and unease. In the center of this foreboding wilderness lies a dilapidated cabin-like compound, a collection of low buildings with wooden walls covered in moss and ivy. The silence is almost palpable, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves and distant animal calls, giving the place an air of abandoned secrecy and unsettling mystery.
It is night, about 100F(37C) degrees, There is a waning gibbous moon.
Jordan says "Seems a bit spooky for a romantic walk... but I like spooky."
We will give people a minute more to say they want to come.
Jordan smirks to Matthew, but pulls pepper spray out of their backpack. "Bears aren't... really real, right? They're too big to be real."
Matthew smiles breezily, his eyes looking through the darkened woods without a shred or semblance of nervousness - at this moment, at least. "Maybe, like, a bit.", he murmurs, before snorting to Jordan. "Of course bears are real. Last week was Bear Week in Provincetown.", he teases them amusedly.
Jordan sighs woefully, then smiles at Matthew. "Well, that sucks. I'll take a coyote or rattlesnake any day. Even el chupacabra."
Astrid would happen to be right in the middle of a mental break, by the look of things, furiously tap-tap-tapping away at her phone for something or another. Fuming, she stomps around in a small circle, bitching vividly and openly about Freya, specifically and openly as far as the name, but everything else muttered and mumbled. After everything all put together, she's not okay, and she clenches her jaw several times, muttering vaguely about cooking and, "Fuck it!", very specifically comes up as well during that.
Jordan glances over at Astrid, as she comes into sight, but seems to be relaxed. Their phone seems to be very silent, not getting any messages. They add to Matthew as an aside, "I figured out how to turn it off, had to press the button twice."
"If it's brown, lie down. If it's black, fight back. If it's white, good night.", Matthew recalls with a squint to Jordan. "Just, um.. A mnemonic, for bears.", he mentions, eyes flitting over as Astrid seems to happen along in the woods, quieting himself down a bit. "Oh, my.", he murmurs mostly to himself, glancing over to Jordan with a flash of his brows. "I see.", he offers as an aside to them, quietly considerate.
Jordan blinks, saying, "wait... you can fight a - well, *you* can fight a bear. I'll keep in mind lying down... so, climbing up a tree isn't useful?" They don't seem to be trying to ignore Astrid as much as giving her space.
For the last several weeks, wolves -- werewolves -- have been preying on White Oak students. Led by an expelled student named Drake Whelan, they've ranged around the edges of campus, attacking students when they can. As of yet, no one has been killed or turned, but several students have ended up inside the infirmary... and the faculty seems unable or unwilling to stop it.
That brings our protagonists to tonight. All of them, for their own reasons, are on Team White Oak, not Team Murderous Werewolf, and some combination of technology, magic, and old-fashioned detective work has located Drake and his cohorts well outside of Haven at a dilapidated compound deep in the woods.
OOC: Welcome to The Wolves of White Oak. In your opening poses, please explain how you got here, and if you contributed to tracking Drake to this location, feel free to put that in your emotes. Combat is broken in Mists rooms, so if there is physical conflict we will handle it narratively, not with the combat code. If you have questions, STalk or Tell are both fine.
"Oh my, nothing, Mattie!" Astrid shouts in a huff, stomping over closer, "I saw what you did in there trying to befriend the stupid, trolling cunt!" She stuffs her phone in her bocked and grumbles to herself, shaking her head. "What the fuck ever, I can just ignore the fuck out of Freya and I bet I'll never even meet the stupid bitch fawn or whatever."
Astrid literally just followed Matthew and Jordan out here out of morbid curiosity, having stormed out of Arcology earlier and nearly even quit college. Unfortunately... she smells EXACTLY the way someone does when they've cooked smoked pork, and a little like someone who's recently also made gazpacho and potato salad... Ohhhh boy.
Jordan came here after facing the wolf themself, near being attacked. Fortunately, it's been heard that Freya stepped in to save them, and when they ran into Drake again, pure inertia - rather than bravery - allowed them to make it to their bike in time. This time, a blooming relationship with someone strong, who's already suggested he'd save them if it happened again, led them to decide to take a more proactive approach. Using the nightmare to scout, they found this cabin, and came back with backup. They probably presume that they can collect more backup if needed, but whether that will actually come is yet to be seen.
There's a cool sort of acceptance that Matthew offers in the way of Astrid, and he just exhales from his nose, shaking his head once or twice. "Okay." is his simple response, his eyes turning to Jordan with a little flit of his brows, eyes glancing down to his phone. "So.. It says here.. Drake Whelan was expelled for... well, corruption.", he murmurs as he reads off a blurb from some sketchy Network666-adjacent site covering current affairs in Haven. He strides alongside Jordan, eyes keen as he scans around the sketchy compound. He doesn't seem to be super 'in-the-know', and yet seems dedicated to working things out as he goes.
Jordan puts their spray away as they get closer, and pull out - shockingly enough, an M24 sniper rifle, a cavalry sword, and a kevlar vest, that they strap on. "Yeah... mostly, what I know, is that he's attacked at least two students, and nearly got me. That's the wolf I mentioned the other night. I'm hoping that if I can deal with him, I can prove myself worthy of... well. That's complicated." They trail off in their explanation, glancing at Astrid. "Do you have protection, Astrid?"
In all honesty Astrid could easily be voted Most Likely To Amount To A Pile Of Wolf Shit for following Matthew and Jordan out this way, but perhaps the only saving grace she has is when she takes off her sunglasses... revealing why exactly she's been wearing those things at night in the first place. "Expelled for corruption? What the f-" Her eyes widen and she stares at Jordan's weaponry, awkwardly toned in the squeaky finish of her question. "-uck?!" She takes a deep brath and lets it out slow, shaking her head. "W-no but... I-I'm from Ohio like... gimme a handgun and I should be alright?"
Up ahead, the compound looms. It's night -- it's always night when this sort of thing happens, isn't it? -- and the buildings seem run-down. There's four of them, perhaps; a main house, what seems like a kind of barn or garage, and an old mobile home up on blocks and then some kind of large shed or workshop. They're close together, with a chainlink fence around them topped with rusty razor wire. The gate is a little lower, but it is closed, chained shut.
Matthew blinks, his eyes studying Jordan for a moment with a lift of his brows. "MmmmmI don't have anything like that.", he blurts out in a low tone with a hint of sheepishness, though he exhales, stilling himself as he pulls a utility knife from his satchel and a lightweight kevlar vest, squinting a bit as he looks forward. "Dark.", he murmurs quietly, before appending, "At least the moon's.. Well, you know."
Jordan shakes their head. "I don't have a handgun... I just have these." The irony of this silly little bean having this sort of weaponry seems lost on them - and they seem focused. Their lisp slowly fades out of their speech, falling into their unaltered Texan accent. They listen carefully, though they don't seem to have any special skills on the matter. They whisper to the others, "I can spare my pepper spray, Astrid. I expect that to actually be effective against a wolf... and I can give you my sword, Matt, if you want something bigger."
Astrid blinks at the gate that's been arrived at, looking at the chain on the thing. She specifically looks for the lock because chained gates have locks, and when she finds it, she starts digging around immediately in one of her pockets, taking to one knee. "A-And keep a look out, because if we're going this way, like, obvi we're breaking in, right?" She pulls out a hair pin and then a second, slicking the nubs off the ends with her teeth. After spitting them out to the side, she starts to poke at the keyhole with her hairpins, jiggling them around, working them in, wiggling a bit... both the picks and her bottom... She looks timidly back at Matthew and Jordan while she's trying to hear that sweet click. "Um... I-If neither of you has a spare glock or something, how about I stay behind you because like, I don't really actually like guns even, I'm just a kinda good shot with a pistol."
Matthew blinks, before nodding once or twice. "I think I can make a sword work.", he murmurs to Jordan, his eyes focused and keen for anything that might seem out of the ordinary as the group approaches.
It's not hard for Astrid to get through the lock on the gate. It's just a rusty old master-lock, simple to pick, and if anything the hardest part is how terribly it's kept in shape. A hair pin is plenty enough to pick it, though it takes a little spit and polish to get through the gate into the compound on the other side.
Jordan keeps a look out with their rifle after making their offers, pulling out the pepper spray again and clipping it to their vest, letting Astrid or Matthew grab it as they please. They hand out their sword to Matthew quickly, but they certainly cling to their rifle. They eye the area before asking, quietly, "Anyone sense anything? And thank you, Astrid. I think it's best if we can draw him out... assuming that he's still home."
"No prob. One thing about life in Ohio, I was always darn good with a hair pin." Astrid explains, getting aside after the lock is picked and chain removed to let one of the two strapping men handle the actual opening of the gate. She's sure to stay very still after that, hunkered low and watching the immediate surrounds. "And I'm sorry for all that stuff I said online. I'm seriously not like that but you know... people just think it's okay to keep pushing and pushing I..." She sighs and shakes her head, muttering, "Nevermind. Just... people in 99 weren't like that. Not over nothing."
Astrid is trying to be really still to reduce chances of being shot. o.o
Matthew squints, looking down slightly to Jordan. "Want me to give it a shove..? I don't want to make a bunch of noise unless we're like, okay with that.", he murmurs right as Astrid picks the lock. "No worries on all that. Focus.", he adds on gently.
Beyond the gate lies the pack's compound. For those whose senses are more than human, the smell of animal -- of wolf -- is omnipresent, but at least tonight it's silent. There are lights on inside the main house, the old Airstream trailer, but the barn and workshop are silent. Still: the perspicacious might notice some sign of trouble. There's a rather new looking e-bike discarded in the trunk of a pickup truck parked near the barn. Does that belong to a student? It has a White Oak sticker on it.
Jordan shrugs, not really concerned, whispering, "It's fine, I turned off the chat." They nod to Matthew, saying, "I think so. He has the advantage in the open, too, but... well, I have a rifle. Close quarters ain't fun." Humanly oblivious, they approach without an ounce of grace, wincing at their noise and pausing, crouching down like in a stealth game. They look to Matthew.
Matthew sniffs at the air a couple, then a few times, his nose wrinkling slightly, holding the sword Jordan handed him gingerly, idly weighing it in his hands as he advances quietly, focusing himself; while the guy isn't himself very stealthy at all, he nonetheless moves forward with some semblance of purpose, a sort of caution therein.
Astrid follows closely behind Jordan, settling into a crouch there behind him with one set of gloved fingertips touching the ground. "Well, I burned all my special talent on picking the lock, so, unless there's more of those." She looks down at herself and groans, shuddering a little. "Oh god I still smell like Bavarian style smoked pork! I'm gonna get you guys caught!" She gasps, then hesitates at a morbid realization. "Jesus am I the bait?!"
Entering the compound more deeply comes with a sense of peril. The smell of something leaves hairs standing up on the back of Matthew, Astrid, and Jordan's neck; it's that feeling one gets when one is -- prey. Bait. In the presence of something that hunts. As trio enters, though, they have a choice to make: of the four buildings in the compound, where do they go?
Jordan holds a finger to their lips, glancing at Astrid, whispering, "We all smell like pork. Just try to be ready." They don't answer her question, but hands over the pepper spray, rising to move shoulder to - well, shoulder to arm - with Matthew. They whisper to him, voice low, "That trailer is tight, but there's surely something in there. Wanna check inside? I'll be right behind you."
"I don't like this.", Matthew murmurs, his expression becoming somewhat stolid, his eyes flitting back to Astrid. "In a sense, we all are." he says - as if that was any consolation, Matthew. His eyes drift about as he moves alongside Jordan, before listening to him, nodding once or twice. "I... Okay.", he decides on; he takes a few ginger steps towards the trailer as he continues to meticulously monitor his surroundings before he moves forward a bit faster to take a look.
Astrid shudders more and shuts her eyes. Tight. She knows what she has to do as soon as the feeling hits, and tears begin to drip down her cheeks. "This is karma," she whispers, fighting back a sob after. "I called the cops on Freya for her... stuff... a-and now I'm in the middle of a compound I heard two guys talk about that's supposed to be absolutely packed with wolves, this is just perfect!" As she mutters all this, she also gets down on her belly and does a little commando crawl out further in front of Jordan, hissing a whisper back to him. "I... I smell like seven hundred pounds of dinner though, I'm the one who cooked it, it's steamed into my clothes, my hair, everything, I'll just get us snuck up on." She sucks a deep breath and shudders even more, and then crawls further out. "Just... d-don't miss! I... you have no idea how much trust I'm putting in you!" She tries to get about ten feet out in front and then curl up, sniffling and sobbing with tears running down her cheeks. The bait. The immensely depressed bait who just had a mental break earlier. Something really isn't right about her.
There are many, many good reasons not to like this. Matthew doesn't need to pick one; he doesn't even need to pick three. He can have a whole basket-full of bad ideas when the trio opens the trailer. Matthew's hand pushes open the trailer with a squeal, and then the scent of death batters against he and Jordan both -- only for whatever awful revelation lies inside to get sidetracked by Astrid, who appears to walking out into the open and curling up into a ball.
Jordan looks over at Astrid, and... decides to leave her like that. Something cold enters their expression for a bit before they follow Matthew, keeping a look out. As Matthew opens the trailer, they stand at the doorway, back to him, gun at the ready without pointing at anyone in particular. Their eyes are on the house, as they murmur, "That disgusting, sickly sweet smell. What do see? Just poke your head in... it may just be a... dining... hall." They make a face as they whisper the last bit, not liking their choice in words any more than the others would like hearing them.
Matthew quickly draws his jacket sleeve against his nose as if repulsed by that scent of death, appearing sickened; he doesn't seem to be familiar with these grim environs, not at all. He backs away a few steps, almost stumbling before he catches himself, his breathing hastening with nervousness. "F-fuck..", he murmurs, before he shudders a bit, then moving back forward. "It'll be okay.", he quietly reassures himself, giving a nod, before he scowls at Jordan's latter choice of words, closing his eyes before taking a peek inside cautiously.
That's how out of it and messed up Astrid is by everything, that she stays curled up once she's gotten to her chosen spot, shuddering and sobbing out loud. While she lets open the floodgates and cries right there in the compound, she keeps her eyes closed, not necessarily just to avoid looking at Jordan or Matthew, but actually feeling all of the pain that comes with it. She's not even trying to not be caught, letting it out as loud as it takes to feel alright. Drawing attention to herself from any beast that could hear.
Inside the trailer? Blood. Whoever lived in this trailer died in their home, long ago, and they rotted here, some eaten, eviscerated corpse. There are still lights on here, pawprints in the dried blood, but there's no one home. On the other hand? There's movement out in the main house, things starting to stir as some voice is raised. "The hell going on out there?" calls a voice.
Jordan moves to stand against Matthew, offering physical support to stop a fall as well as emotional support. They repeat to Matthew, "It'll be okay." They don't turn to look at him, or at Astrid, more sure now that they'll enter open combat soon. There was clearly no plan to make her bait - she hadn't been invited by Jordan. But, a part of them seems almost glad, a part they struggle not to make evident in their expression. After all, bait makes it easier. Even though it would be too horrible to suggest... bad enough as is to accept. But they don't have the time to quibble about morality, not when life and death hang in the balance. They lift their rifle, aiming through the scope to whereabouts the voice was heard, trying to track it to the window or door the person may come out through. Finger off the trigger, though - insofar as they know, there's only one man as the target, and they can't be sure that the voice is his, having only met a wolf.
Matthew makes a concerted effort at stilling his breathing, nodding once or twice at Jordan's consolations, his eyes kept forward just as he holds the blade forward. "There's... Blood... and guts.. And.. Pawprints, and I... I fucking heard something that way.", he murmurs, deathly quiet as if he's worried to be heard, even as the wailing goes on outside from Astrid, which only serves to put him more on edge.
Astrid continues to let it all out, loud and hurt, and probably way too thin skinned in all reality if everything online and off hurt this much. She even starts bitching a little bit in between the sobs and wails. "I do everything I can for everybody... I give out flowers just to make them smile... I cook for them... I praise their strength... I obey them... I smile at everyone... why is everyone an asshole?... How does anyone have any friends... when they all treat... every new person they meet... like shit..." She pounds on the ground a few times and screams out in frustration, soon back to her sobbing as she hugs herself and curls up even tighter in the warm, moist darkness.
A mid-twenties man steps out first. He's not Drake Whelan, at least not the Drake Whelan that a computer search revealed, but he sees Astrid. "Holy fuck," he says, and then he turns over his shoulder. "Drake!" he shouts. "Bro, you gotta see this! There's some piece of tail right fucking here!"
As he turns, his head is some perfect, ripe melon, right in Jordan's sights.
Jordan frowns, keeping an eye on the house. They whisper sharply, almost a hiss, "In the trailer? Come on out, shut the door. I'll lean on it... one thing at a time. See if there's a lock, too - wolves can't unlock doors." Despite their normal presentation, it seems that they've gained some experience recently in violence and tactics, though that's not the same as training. They at least seem able to grasp the situation without being perturbed. If the man comes out before they get the chance to finish speaking, they cut off, not trying to draw attention. They don't shoot, even though they have the man in their sights.
Matthew doesn't bat an eye at that suggestion, seeming more than content to distance himself from the bloodied corpse in the trailer, slipping out and seeing if the door has a lock before closing it quietly. "I can't help but imagine a door would be no real deterrent to a wolf who wanted simply to break through.", he murmurs with a shudder, looking over his shoulder and about to try and get a glimpse at what's happening.
Astrid stays down even though she might actually hear Drake's brother over there, but if she did she doesn't really get what he meant, because she stays down still crying. Her face is twisted into an expression of heartbroken agony, the dirt below where her eyes drip their tears growing wetter and wetter. She shudders and sniffles between her sobs, no longer able to blubber out her bitching, and she rocks slowly there on ground. She's both good bait and completely oblivious to the danger she's really put herself in.
The man steps out a little more, padding towards Astrid. "Yo!" he says to her. "The hell you doing here, girl?" he asks. "This is private property," he says, nudging her with some booted foot. Up close, she can smell beer, even as a younger man darkens the doorway, looking out. This is Drake Whelan, surely -- watching -- and he has something suspicious in his eyes.
"Who the hell is she?" Drake asks.
Jordan moves focus to Drake, lining him up. However, they need to see if they can get a clean shot yet, or if they need to wait for him to walk out more. Their eyes squint, focused, as they bring their markmanship to bear.
Astrid might be actually feeling all of that pain, but she remembers why she came here the moment she's nudged on the ass by Drake's brother. With tears still streaming, and sobs still shuddering her body, she springs into action. "Shoot Drake!" Astrid shouts, rolling to try to trap the brother's legs between her own, to try to take him down onto his face like a pro wrestler, and even to follow up with a Crippler Crossface!
Jordan decides that, with that yell, it's now or never. They take the shot, shooting at Drake, waiting a moment for the follow through, then ducks, pulling at Matthew, as they move, trying to get around the trailer quickly.
Matthew blinks, somewhat stunned at the spectacle that's unfolding before his eyes, holding the blade close to himself as he stands close by Jordan, as if to protect them from anyone that might assail from the sides, only for Jordan to take the shot, which gets a slight flinch from him only for him to quickly react as they tug at him to move around the trailer.
Jordan is a fine rifleman, but he is not some expert -- and Drake, full of the moon and anger, moves. There's some spray of blood from the man's shoulder, but then he is howling in pain and upset and anger. It's a very human howl, for a moment, and then? Then it isn't, as he begins to shift, turning into some emerald-eyed, dark-haired monster.
Meanwhile, Astrid is kicking up at the man on top of her. He's surprised by it, really, especially when his head whips up at the sound of Jordan's rifle shot. He sees Matthew and his friend moving, perhaps, but not enough to really focus, caught between too much input in a moment of indecision.
Jordan hurries with Matthew behind the trailer, hissing, "Get ready," before moving over to the other end of it, peeking around the edge to get a new view at the situation... and maybe line up another shot.
Astrid kicks and kicks and kicks, aiming to take Drake's brother down, aiming to slam him right in the nuts, really taking advantage of that indecision. She screams out in rage and fury, letting out all the crap she's been feeling like in that moment of release. Sweet, sweet release. Yet she doesn't stop there. After Jordan shoots, she sits up as quick as she can, throwing a follow up punch at the man's nuts, meanwhile also pulling out a gun she had hidden away in the grass when she first went down... so it wouldn't get taken if she was searched. She aims right at one of Drake's eyes after the shift, terrified even as she pulls the trigger and tries to finish what Jordan started.
It's hard for Astrid to get a bead on Drake, since she's got a pack member on her. She can, however, shoot at him.
Matthew readies himself, following along with Jordan, and perhaps cursing himself for not having anything with which to himself take a shot with. He nonetheless moves along, eyes peeled for any packmembers that might come from new angles.
There's a pack-member headed right towards Matthew and Jordan -- the pack-member. Drake. Jordan gets off another shot, but now the werewolf is some blur of fur; it goes wide, as the huge beast seems to jank like a ballerina, a ballerina with crazy green eyes and teeth. He's barrelling right for the pair, and his attitude promises blood.
Jordan falls behind Matthew, yelling, "Careful!" as they jump back, scurrying to gain some distance to land another hit.
Matthew steps out, gripping the cavalry sword tightly by its hilt; it doesn't appear he's particularly skilled with the weapon - and yet there's a natural poise he holds in his stance as he looks forward, stepping back but not breaking his vision of the now-lupine Drake, expression stolid - he knows he can't outrun the beast anyway, so he stands his ground, a resolute fire in his eyes, blade forward and stance set.
Jordan lets Matthew take up the wolf's focus, though their expression is mixed. Frustration, worry, terror - even while they let him step forward to protect them, there's regret. Still, they aim, shooting as soon as there's a clear chance.
Well it's a struggle all right, and not just because Drake's brother doesn't know shit about wrestling. Somewhere in all that the guy smacked Astrid across the face for pulling out the gun on him, and she starts trying to scoot away from him. Good shot or not, she's got the guy practically right in her face, coming at her as she backs away on her ass in the grass, probably wishing she was sucking down sassafras (root beer) instead. "Fuck you!" She says to Drake's brother, oblivious to the goings on between Matthew, Jordan, and Drake. She tries to get the pistol up before Wonder Wall Whelen decides to hit her again, firing hurriedly at his abdomen!
That packmate takes a bloody explosion in the stomach, backing up away from Astrid. Is he dead? No. He's a werewolf, and he's changing, but his human form is a lot squishier than the wolf he is becoming.
Drake, on the other hand? Already a wolf. Another shot seems to whizz by him, though it's closer as Jordan takes aim this time, but now he's on Matthew. Matthew has that knife, but he's not great with it; it seems to slide across thick, awful hide as white jaws snap in Matthew's direction.
While Drake's brother is shifting, Astrid is getting busy stripping her shirt off to throw at his face. "Not today, Satan!", she says, hoping to have it land on his snout and eyes while she rushes to get up. She takes a few running steps further from Drake and the rest, popping down into a slight slide to try to hide in taller grass. Clearly she hopes to have gotten this done before the brother gets the shirt away from his eyes, by whatever method, and really hopes to have it done and herself at least somewhat hidden before the shift is even complete. She needs to have the scent of that pork loin ALL the way up Drake's brother's nose if she's going to have a chance of remaining undetected for long, so that it's all he can smell and hopefully can't pick a direction from it.
Matthew winces as he swipes at Drake, fending off the wolf to the best of his ability. To his credit, at least, he's no pushover strength-wise, though likely still a fair bit weaker than the wolf snapping its jaws in his direction, scrambling and doing his best to keep a favorable position - one which keeps his vitals away from the wolf's jaws. "Fucking -shoot- it, Jordan..!", he practically growls with a twinge of nervousness and anxiety, a departure from his usual demeanor - one supposes having a hungry wolf pinning you down will do that.
Jordan curses, taking aim yet again, hoping that Matthew can make use of the sword well. They keep moving back, looking for optimal range, but their movements are slower, careful now, taking care not to trip or lose their aim as they keep trying to shoot Drakewolf.
As the fight begins in earnest, the forest's tranquility is shattered by the sudden, piercing crack of gunshots echoing through the trees. The sharp reports reverberate off the ancient trunks, mingling with the guttural howls of the wolves, their cries filled with a mixture of rage and agony.
Astrid Stat Report:Astrid
she has More Guts Than Brains stat at 3
Oh, that hurts. The crack of Drake's jaws on Matthew is nothing good at all. Close up, at least, Jordan can shoot at him, and his shots are finding home, but it seems as if this beast is almost untouched by it. He is strong, full of power and lunacy even with the moon waning in the sky. This is not going well -- especially not for Matthew.
On the other hand, things are a moving a little better for Astrid. Between being gutshot and having a shirt over his head, the second werewolf has lost her. He's moving now to try to shake off the shirt and join the fray with Matthew and Jordan, which in turns puts his back to Astrid and her pistol.
Jordan growls, yelling with Texan twang, "Get OFF him, ya piss-puppy motherfucker! He's mine!" They try to get a shot at something vital not noticing the other wolf approaching as Drake's attack fills them with rage. They keep shooting, cursing with a deepening southern accent as they decide that this bad boy needs to *die*>
Oh that's perfect. Astrid doesn't need to say it, anyone who can see her could see that thought flashing right across her serpentine eyes. Slit pupiled all the time, not at all dependent on the light or species like actual serpents. She's a predator too. But not the kind who relies on brute force and open dominance. No, she's the kind that hides in the shadows, and strikes when it cripples, when it devastates. That's exactly what she does with Drake's brother. She takes aim in quick succession, all those days of shooting bottles off of fences, not it's her time to shine. PAP! PAP! PAP! Three shots, the latter two aimed at one of the rear knees and then the other, but this is right after the first shot was aimed right up Drake's brother's exposed wolven ass hole!
Matthew winces as the wolf snaps at him - his breathing hastening as he shakily holds that sword, trying at shivving the wolf, once, then twice, lunching rapidly. "Fucking.. Get off me!", he bitches, his eyes flitting about rapidly as if looking for a potential escape.
That is not, all things considered, great for Drake's packmate. This time the bullet digs deep even in werewolf hide, as Astrid squeezes off a shot from hiding. There's a howl of pain, now, as the wolf contorts, and then he is breaking and running -- loping for the woods in an effort to flee, his tail metaphorically between his legs.
This is the bright spot in a dark night. Matthew's arm is on fire, as Matthew works on shivving Drake. He's strong, and he's striking home, but it's as if he's not even hurting it -- and worth, he can't escape those fixed jaws on his arm. This is getting bad, even as Jordan's shots get home. One hits an eye, and but rather than slow Drake down it seems to fill him with more, awful wildness.
Jordan has had it told that their aim improves when they're cursing - and it's proved true enough. Though, it could be that they start cursing, then gain range... but the details is not important. "Fucking bastard-" They take one more shot, then lets go of the rifle, letting the strap keep it as they step to the side and burst forward, keeping to Matthew's back. This way, when they grab the pepper spray from their vest and spray it at the wolf, the young man isn't as affected as much as the wolf is. Hopefully, they can get him in the eye.
Astrid changes aim after the first wolf hauls ass into the woods. Now she's focusing on the distant battle occurring between Drake, Matthew, and Jordan. She wiggles just slightly to help sink herself down, unlikely she'd be seen from her current position with a fight right up in Drake's face. She takes aim, but she has to wait for Matthew to not be in the way. "Okay," she whispers to herself "Right in the left hair on the right side of the left half of the right..." She squeezes the trigger too, sending a bullet flying through the air. She'd aimed directly at Drake's "Nut!" sack. She does actually say Nut right then too.
Matthew exhales, still stabbing away at the beast, though he's losing energy, and he seems more and more affected by the wolf's jaws being fixed on his other arm, a pained expression as he pushes through to the best of his ability, pushing through the pain to the best of his ability. "Just.. Get.. Off!", he practically screams, lunging with each word, ineffectually, before Jordan's getting ready to spray pepperspray, which has him gasping - and then quickly trying to angle to avoid catching stray fumes.
Another shot. Astrid's not got quite the aim she's like, but it's a solid hit in Drake's hindquarters. He spins to look at her, which means he is shaking Matthew like a rag doll. At least -- small victories -- Matthew is tough. After all? He's not dead. Not yet. Then another howl, as Jordan's pepper spray hits the werewolf's remaining eye. It's not enough to really slow him down, and it doesn't even get inside the eye, but it's enough for, grace of graces, the werewolf to release Matthew. He backs up, spins, and starts to run in Astrid's direction.
Jordan drops the pepperspray, grabbing their rifle and dropping to their knee, aiming at the wolf. Getting the same shots as Astrid would be nice, but so long as they can hit a vulnerable spot... they also aim for the most delicate parts of his posterior. "Head home, Matt," they grumble, loud enough for him to hear them. The words are strained, as they spend most of their focus on the shot. "Get that... taken care of." That would leave them without someone to protect them, of course... but their priorities have changed rapidly throughout the battle.
Astrid's eyes widen as she sees this, sees Drake the wolf charging right at her. "Oh god dammit!" She says quietly, rustling a hand down low on her clothes a little bit, but what did she actually just do? She takes aim again. Tick tock, tick tock, no time to think, squeeze the trigger! POCK! She fires a shot aimed at the charging wolf's underbelly, and she springs to her feet, tits out for Jordan and Matthew and Drake to see, if the former two even look past Drake to see it. She takes aim again, this time right between the wolf's eyes, and then drops the aim two inches lower and fires! Did she even get the second shot off though? Before the wolf got to her? If not this is gonna be bad for her.
Matthew lets out a yelp as the wolf spins around at Astrid, getting flung along and fumbling the cavalry sword he'd been holding prior - and then... The pepper spray comes along, and while he's mostly able to evade getting it in his eyes, his breathing's shaky, and he inhales some of it, which leads to a coughing fit, and he slumps for a moment as the wolf releases him, a weakened look about him, still coughing. "You're.. you're sure..?", he mumbles in between coughs - apparently still concerned even in his battered and disoriented condition, though after a moment of self consideration he's making his way to somewhere fairly secluded where he would hopefully be able to exfiltrate.
Sometimes, there is a synchronicity to violence. The wolf, Drake, bounds, closer and closer, as one of Astrid's shots rings out. There is some burst of blood, and then the terrible thing is on Astrid. It's an orgy of blood, of slavering jaws, of claws raking her bare flesh -- and then there is another shot. A second from behind, ringing out as Jordan's rifle kicks back.
Astrid's own second fire is deep into the wolf's body. Was he dead already? Dying? Was that the end? It's hard to know, in the chaos, because she is bloody and under the now dead weight of 400 pounds of former White Oak student.
Suddenly, silence seems to reign in the woods. It's a strange thing, as the din of battle is swallowed by the night, as all Matthew, Astrid and Jordan can hear is the pounding of their own heartbeats in their ears.
Jordan yells back at Matthew, "I'm sorry for bringing you along... I don't want to see you hurt anymore." They pay no attention to the bouncing tits, for at least three different reasons, but then curses. "No, fuck... that other wolf ran off... he could be back any moment-" They stop, as silence rings out. A pause, waiting for something to happen... then they rush forward. They can't help but to glance back at Matthew, eyes wide, apologetic, before hurrying over to Astrid, worrying that she'd be the one the most injured, as she had no protection at all.
And the muffled cries of Astrid as she struggles and squirms underneath Drake, and she's just barely able to get her head turned enough to breathe. Her own toplessness under that wolf be damned, she flails as much as she can, still straining to breathe right under 400 pounds of currently unmoving fury. "H-Heg-Helf!"
Jordan tries to push the body off of her, hoping that, together, they can move it. They don't ask Matthew for help, despite his muscles, expecting his injuries to be an issue as well. They grungt and push.
Matthew blinks, looking on from nearby in a dazed state as he seems to be weighing how much he could do in such a situation, before he enters another coughing fit, eyes watching - or trying to, at least - to gauge the situation.
Right now? Right now things are quiet. Drake is dead, lying atop Astrid. Crushing her, really, as he bleeds out on top of her. The other wolf ran, and the night is all stillness. Surely that quiet is some beautiful thing, is it not? Except...
... In the distance, there is the howl of a wolf, and then two more answer. They aren't close, but those lupine cries split the night.
Jordan puts their weight in against the wolf, panicked. "We need to get out of here - or hole up in the house or something. Matt... Matt, I'm so sorry, but I need your help. He's crushing her. I can't move him!"
Astrid freaks out at the sounds of the other howls, pushing and shoving more and more on the wolf body. She tries to work with Jordan's pushes, to time it with them. Though honestly without Matthew's help things are starting to look pretty grim for the slit-pupiled White Oak pupil. "Ohg god! She says, and she's definitely no longer holding the gun while she pushes, because a mistake there could cost any one of the three their lives. "I hear mhoh!""
Matthew steps forward, somewhat shakily, as he steps forward and - with some effort and exertion - should be able to remove the now-dead Drake from Astrid, exhaling shakily, before he coughs. "I can get us out of here..", he murmurs, his voice hoarse. "I-it's not.." - he begins before coughing. "It's not your fault, Jordy.", he murmurs.
Astrid freaks out at the sounds of the other howls, pushing and shoving more and more on the wolf body. She tries to work with Jordan's pushes, to time it with them. Though honestly without Matthew's help things are starting to look pretty grim for the slit-pupiled White Oak pupil. "Ohg god!" She says, and she's definitely no longer holding the gun while she pushes, because a mistake there could cost any one of the three their lives. "I hear mhoh!"
Jordan looks confused for a moment - then remember. And then remembers some more. "Right!" As soon as Astrid is free, they try to help her up, bringing her close to Matthew so that he can path them all out. "I still..." They let their protest fade away, not able to structure their mind now. Adrenaline and focus fades, and there's just panic, and blood, and a desperate need to rely on a man who seems ready to drop, himself.
And then they can -- with some low effort, they are able to path back to haven, bloodied but alive.
Somehow in all of that, Astrid had lain just right to leave just one single white rose in the middle of her bouquet unfrushed. Whe did she even bring that thing?! She drops the rose on Drake's corpse as she's being hauled up to her feet by Jordan. She smiles at him and Matthew, looking timid as before the fight began, like something flipped in the heat of battle and she was someone else entirely. Now that the tension is done with, she's right back to being her usual shy self, and she gasps, blushing profusely and covering up her breasts with her arms.
The eerie silence of the compound is shattered when Astrid, caught up in her personal turmoil and dark purpose, inadvertently draws the attention of Drake and his cohort with her vulnerable state. Jordan and Matthew, on edge, navigate the compound's dangers, armed and ready for the inevitable clash. The tension escalates rapidly as Jordan's decisive move to use firepower against the emerging threat triggers a chaotic melee, embodying their transition from bystanders to warriors.
As Drake, now a monstrous werewolf, lashes out, the battle rages with fervor. Matthew finds himself in the jaws of peril, struggling against Drake's ferocious assault. Meanwhile, Astrid, seizing a moment of audacity, ambushes Drake's ally with a boldness that defies her earlier despair. Her actions, fraught with desperation, turn the tides momentarily.
The conflict crescendos with Jordan, driven by a mix of fear and determination, taking calculated shots to subdue the beast. Astrid, amidst the chaos, leverages her survival instinct to land a critical shot, though finds herself trapped under the looming shadow of Drake. Matthew, despite his wounds, musters the strength to aid in Astrid's precarious situation, embodying a sense of unity and resilience amidst the harrowing ordeal.
In the aftermath, the forest's sinister ambiance is replaced by a haunting stillness, pierced only by distant howls—a stark reminder of the darkness that lingers beyond their moment of triumph. The trio emerges not only bloodied and battered but profoundly changed. Bonds forged in the heat of battle leave them with a grim understanding of the fragility of life and the depth of darkness that festers in the heart of the woods.
Their journey back to Haven is one of reflection, marked by silence and the weight of what transpired. They return as survivors, carrying the emotional and physical scars of their encounter, bearing witness to the strength found in unity and the undeniable courage that rises in the face of darkness.
(The Wolf of White Oak(SRJack):SRJack)
[Thu Jul 25 2024]
In a stretch of menacing forest between Haven and Boston
In the heart of these dense, shadowy woods, the towering trees form a canopy that blocks out most of the sunlight, casting eerie shadows on the forest floor. Twisted roots and overgrown foliage make the path nearly invisible, creating a sense of disorientation and unease. In the center of this foreboding wilderness lies a dilapidated cabin-like compound, a collection of low buildings with wooden walls covered in moss and ivy. The silence is almost palpable, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves and distant animal calls, giving the place an air of abandoned secrecy and unsettling mystery.
It is night, about 100F(37C) degrees, There is a waning gibbous moon.
Jordan says "Seems a bit spooky for a romantic walk... but I like spooky."
We will give people a minute more to say they want to come.
Jordan smirks to Matthew, but pulls pepper spray out of their backpack. "Bears aren't... really real, right? They're too big to be real."
Matthew smiles breezily, his eyes looking through the darkened woods without a shred or semblance of nervousness - at this moment, at least. "Maybe, like, a bit.", he murmurs, before snorting to Jordan. "Of course bears are real. Last week was Bear Week in Provincetown.", he teases them amusedly.
Jordan sighs woefully, then smiles at Matthew. "Well, that sucks. I'll take a coyote or rattlesnake any day. Even el chupacabra."
Astrid would happen to be right in the middle of a mental break, by the look of things, furiously tap-tap-tapping away at her phone for something or another. Fuming, she stomps around in a small circle, bitching vividly and openly about Freya, specifically and openly as far as the name, but everything else muttered and mumbled. After everything all put together, she's not okay, and she clenches her jaw several times, muttering vaguely about cooking and, "Fuck it!", very specifically comes up as well during that.
Jordan glances over at Astrid, as she comes into sight, but seems to be relaxed. Their phone seems to be very silent, not getting any messages. They add to Matthew as an aside, "I figured out how to turn it off, had to press the button twice."
"If it's brown, lie down. If it's black, fight back. If it's white, good night.", Matthew recalls with a squint to Jordan. "Just, um.. A mnemonic, for bears.", he mentions, eyes flitting over as Astrid seems to happen along in the woods, quieting himself down a bit. "Oh, my.", he murmurs mostly to himself, glancing over to Jordan with a flash of his brows. "I see.", he offers as an aside to them, quietly considerate.
Jordan blinks, saying, "wait... you can fight a - well, *you* can fight a bear. I'll keep in mind lying down... so, climbing up a tree isn't useful?" They don't seem to be trying to ignore Astrid as much as giving her space.
For the last several weeks, wolves -- werewolves -- have been preying on White Oak students. Led by an expelled student named Drake Whelan, they've ranged around the edges of campus, attacking students when they can. As of yet, no one has been killed or turned, but several students have ended up inside the infirmary... and the faculty seems unable or unwilling to stop it.
That brings our protagonists to tonight. All of them, for their own reasons, are on Team White Oak, not Team Murderous Werewolf, and some combination of technology, magic, and old-fashioned detective work has located Drake and his cohorts well outside of Haven at a dilapidated compound deep in the woods.
OOC: Welcome to The Wolves of White Oak. In your opening poses, please explain how you got here, and if you contributed to tracking Drake to this location, feel free to put that in your emotes. Combat is broken in Mists rooms, so if there is physical conflict we will handle it narratively, not with the combat code. If you have questions, STalk or Tell are both fine.
"Oh my, nothing, Mattie!" Astrid shouts in a huff, stomping over closer, "I saw what you did in there trying to befriend the stupid, trolling cunt!" She stuffs her phone in her bocked and grumbles to herself, shaking her head. "What the fuck ever, I can just ignore the fuck out of Freya and I bet I'll never even meet the stupid bitch fawn or whatever."
Astrid literally just followed Matthew and Jordan out here out of morbid curiosity, having stormed out of Arcology earlier and nearly even quit college. Unfortunately... she smells EXACTLY the way someone does when they've cooked smoked pork, and a little like someone who's recently also made gazpacho and potato salad... Ohhhh boy.
Jordan came here after facing the wolf themself, near being attacked. Fortunately, it's been heard that Freya stepped in to save them, and when they ran into Drake again, pure inertia - rather than bravery - allowed them to make it to their bike in time. This time, a blooming relationship with someone strong, who's already suggested he'd save them if it happened again, led them to decide to take a more proactive approach. Using the nightmare to scout, they found this cabin, and came back with backup. They probably presume that they can collect more backup if needed, but whether that will actually come is yet to be seen.
There's a cool sort of acceptance that Matthew offers in the way of Astrid, and he just exhales from his nose, shaking his head once or twice. "Okay." is his simple response, his eyes turning to Jordan with a little flit of his brows, eyes glancing down to his phone. "So.. It says here.. Drake Whelan was expelled for... well, corruption.", he murmurs as he reads off a blurb from some sketchy Network666-adjacent site covering current affairs in Haven. He strides alongside Jordan, eyes keen as he scans around the sketchy compound. He doesn't seem to be super 'in-the-know', and yet seems dedicated to working things out as he goes.
Jordan puts their spray away as they get closer, and pull out - shockingly enough, an M24 sniper rifle, a cavalry sword, and a kevlar vest, that they strap on. "Yeah... mostly, what I know, is that he's attacked at least two students, and nearly got me. That's the wolf I mentioned the other night. I'm hoping that if I can deal with him, I can prove myself worthy of... well. That's complicated." They trail off in their explanation, glancing at Astrid. "Do you have protection, Astrid?"
In all honesty Astrid could easily be voted Most Likely To Amount To A Pile Of Wolf Shit for following Matthew and Jordan out this way, but perhaps the only saving grace she has is when she takes off her sunglasses... revealing why exactly she's been wearing those things at night in the first place. "Expelled for corruption? What the f-" Her eyes widen and she stares at Jordan's weaponry, awkwardly toned in the squeaky finish of her question. "-uck?!" She takes a deep brath and lets it out slow, shaking her head. "W-no but... I-I'm from Ohio like... gimme a handgun and I should be alright?"
Up ahead, the compound looms. It's night -- it's always night when this sort of thing happens, isn't it? -- and the buildings seem run-down. There's four of them, perhaps; a main house, what seems like a kind of barn or garage, and an old mobile home up on blocks and then some kind of large shed or workshop. They're close together, with a chainlink fence around them topped with rusty razor wire. The gate is a little lower, but it is closed, chained shut.
Matthew blinks, his eyes studying Jordan for a moment with a lift of his brows. "MmmmmI don't have anything like that.", he blurts out in a low tone with a hint of sheepishness, though he exhales, stilling himself as he pulls a utility knife from his satchel and a lightweight kevlar vest, squinting a bit as he looks forward. "Dark.", he murmurs quietly, before appending, "At least the moon's.. Well, you know."
Jordan shakes their head. "I don't have a handgun... I just have these." The irony of this silly little bean having this sort of weaponry seems lost on them - and they seem focused. Their lisp slowly fades out of their speech, falling into their unaltered Texan accent. They listen carefully, though they don't seem to have any special skills on the matter. They whisper to the others, "I can spare my pepper spray, Astrid. I expect that to actually be effective against a wolf... and I can give you my sword, Matt, if you want something bigger."
Astrid blinks at the gate that's been arrived at, looking at the chain on the thing. She specifically looks for the lock because chained gates have locks, and when she finds it, she starts digging around immediately in one of her pockets, taking to one knee. "A-And keep a look out, because if we're going this way, like, obvi we're breaking in, right?" She pulls out a hair pin and then a second, slicking the nubs off the ends with her teeth. After spitting them out to the side, she starts to poke at the keyhole with her hairpins, jiggling them around, working them in, wiggling a bit... both the picks and her bottom... She looks timidly back at Matthew and Jordan while she's trying to hear that sweet click. "Um... I-If neither of you has a spare glock or something, how about I stay behind you because like, I don't really actually like guns even, I'm just a kinda good shot with a pistol."
Matthew blinks, before nodding once or twice. "I think I can make a sword work.", he murmurs to Jordan, his eyes focused and keen for anything that might seem out of the ordinary as the group approaches.
It's not hard for Astrid to get through the lock on the gate. It's just a rusty old master-lock, simple to pick, and if anything the hardest part is how terribly it's kept in shape. A hair pin is plenty enough to pick it, though it takes a little spit and polish to get through the gate into the compound on the other side.
Jordan keeps a look out with their rifle after making their offers, pulling out the pepper spray again and clipping it to their vest, letting Astrid or Matthew grab it as they please. They hand out their sword to Matthew quickly, but they certainly cling to their rifle. They eye the area before asking, quietly, "Anyone sense anything? And thank you, Astrid. I think it's best if we can draw him out... assuming that he's still home."
"No prob. One thing about life in Ohio, I was always darn good with a hair pin." Astrid explains, getting aside after the lock is picked and chain removed to let one of the two strapping men handle the actual opening of the gate. She's sure to stay very still after that, hunkered low and watching the immediate surrounds. "And I'm sorry for all that stuff I said online. I'm seriously not like that but you know... people just think it's okay to keep pushing and pushing I..." She sighs and shakes her head, muttering, "Nevermind. Just... people in 99 weren't like that. Not over nothing."
Astrid is trying to be really still to reduce chances of being shot. o.o
Matthew squints, looking down slightly to Jordan. "Want me to give it a shove..? I don't want to make a bunch of noise unless we're like, okay with that.", he murmurs right as Astrid picks the lock. "No worries on all that. Focus.", he adds on gently.
Beyond the gate lies the pack's compound. For those whose senses are more than human, the smell of animal -- of wolf -- is omnipresent, but at least tonight it's silent. There are lights on inside the main house, the old Airstream trailer, but the barn and workshop are silent. Still: the perspicacious might notice some sign of trouble. There's a rather new looking e-bike discarded in the trunk of a pickup truck parked near the barn. Does that belong to a student? It has a White Oak sticker on it.
Jordan shrugs, not really concerned, whispering, "It's fine, I turned off the chat." They nod to Matthew, saying, "I think so. He has the advantage in the open, too, but... well, I have a rifle. Close quarters ain't fun." Humanly oblivious, they approach without an ounce of grace, wincing at their noise and pausing, crouching down like in a stealth game. They look to Matthew.
Matthew sniffs at the air a couple, then a few times, his nose wrinkling slightly, holding the sword Jordan handed him gingerly, idly weighing it in his hands as he advances quietly, focusing himself; while the guy isn't himself very stealthy at all, he nonetheless moves forward with some semblance of purpose, a sort of caution therein.
Astrid follows closely behind Jordan, settling into a crouch there behind him with one set of gloved fingertips touching the ground. "Well, I burned all my special talent on picking the lock, so, unless there's more of those." She looks down at herself and groans, shuddering a little. "Oh god I still smell like Bavarian style smoked pork! I'm gonna get you guys caught!" She gasps, then hesitates at a morbid realization. "Jesus am I the bait?!"
Entering the compound more deeply comes with a sense of peril. The smell of something leaves hairs standing up on the back of Matthew, Astrid, and Jordan's neck; it's that feeling one gets when one is -- prey. Bait. In the presence of something that hunts. As trio enters, though, they have a choice to make: of the four buildings in the compound, where do they go?
Jordan holds a finger to their lips, glancing at Astrid, whispering, "We all smell like pork. Just try to be ready." They don't answer her question, but hands over the pepper spray, rising to move shoulder to - well, shoulder to arm - with Matthew. They whisper to him, voice low, "That trailer is tight, but there's surely something in there. Wanna check inside? I'll be right behind you."
"I don't like this.", Matthew murmurs, his expression becoming somewhat stolid, his eyes flitting back to Astrid. "In a sense, we all are." he says - as if that was any consolation, Matthew. His eyes drift about as he moves alongside Jordan, before listening to him, nodding once or twice. "I... Okay.", he decides on; he takes a few ginger steps towards the trailer as he continues to meticulously monitor his surroundings before he moves forward a bit faster to take a look.
Astrid shudders more and shuts her eyes. Tight. She knows what she has to do as soon as the feeling hits, and tears begin to drip down her cheeks. "This is karma," she whispers, fighting back a sob after. "I called the cops on Freya for her... stuff... a-and now I'm in the middle of a compound I heard two guys talk about that's supposed to be absolutely packed with wolves, this is just perfect!" As she mutters all this, she also gets down on her belly and does a little commando crawl out further in front of Jordan, hissing a whisper back to him. "I... I smell like seven hundred pounds of dinner though, I'm the one who cooked it, it's steamed into my clothes, my hair, everything, I'll just get us snuck up on." She sucks a deep breath and shudders even more, and then crawls further out. "Just... d-don't miss! I... you have no idea how much trust I'm putting in you!" She tries to get about ten feet out in front and then curl up, sniffling and sobbing with tears running down her cheeks. The bait. The immensely depressed bait who just had a mental break earlier. Something really isn't right about her.
There are many, many good reasons not to like this. Matthew doesn't need to pick one; he doesn't even need to pick three. He can have a whole basket-full of bad ideas when the trio opens the trailer. Matthew's hand pushes open the trailer with a squeal, and then the scent of death batters against he and Jordan both -- only for whatever awful revelation lies inside to get sidetracked by Astrid, who appears to walking out into the open and curling up into a ball.
Jordan looks over at Astrid, and... decides to leave her like that. Something cold enters their expression for a bit before they follow Matthew, keeping a look out. As Matthew opens the trailer, they stand at the doorway, back to him, gun at the ready without pointing at anyone in particular. Their eyes are on the house, as they murmur, "That disgusting, sickly sweet smell. What do see? Just poke your head in... it may just be a... dining... hall." They make a face as they whisper the last bit, not liking their choice in words any more than the others would like hearing them.
Matthew quickly draws his jacket sleeve against his nose as if repulsed by that scent of death, appearing sickened; he doesn't seem to be familiar with these grim environs, not at all. He backs away a few steps, almost stumbling before he catches himself, his breathing hastening with nervousness. "F-fuck..", he murmurs, before he shudders a bit, then moving back forward. "It'll be okay.", he quietly reassures himself, giving a nod, before he scowls at Jordan's latter choice of words, closing his eyes before taking a peek inside cautiously.
That's how out of it and messed up Astrid is by everything, that she stays curled up once she's gotten to her chosen spot, shuddering and sobbing out loud. While she lets open the floodgates and cries right there in the compound, she keeps her eyes closed, not necessarily just to avoid looking at Jordan or Matthew, but actually feeling all of the pain that comes with it. She's not even trying to not be caught, letting it out as loud as it takes to feel alright. Drawing attention to herself from any beast that could hear.
Inside the trailer? Blood. Whoever lived in this trailer died in their home, long ago, and they rotted here, some eaten, eviscerated corpse. There are still lights on here, pawprints in the dried blood, but there's no one home. On the other hand? There's movement out in the main house, things starting to stir as some voice is raised. "The hell going on out there?" calls a voice.
Jordan moves to stand against Matthew, offering physical support to stop a fall as well as emotional support. They repeat to Matthew, "It'll be okay." They don't turn to look at him, or at Astrid, more sure now that they'll enter open combat soon. There was clearly no plan to make her bait - she hadn't been invited by Jordan. But, a part of them seems almost glad, a part they struggle not to make evident in their expression. After all, bait makes it easier. Even though it would be too horrible to suggest... bad enough as is to accept. But they don't have the time to quibble about morality, not when life and death hang in the balance. They lift their rifle, aiming through the scope to whereabouts the voice was heard, trying to track it to the window or door the person may come out through. Finger off the trigger, though - insofar as they know, there's only one man as the target, and they can't be sure that the voice is his, having only met a wolf.
Matthew makes a concerted effort at stilling his breathing, nodding once or twice at Jordan's consolations, his eyes kept forward just as he holds the blade forward. "There's... Blood... and guts.. And.. Pawprints, and I... I fucking heard something that way.", he murmurs, deathly quiet as if he's worried to be heard, even as the wailing goes on outside from Astrid, which only serves to put him more on edge.
Astrid continues to let it all out, loud and hurt, and probably way too thin skinned in all reality if everything online and off hurt this much. She even starts bitching a little bit in between the sobs and wails. "I do everything I can for everybody... I give out flowers just to make them smile... I cook for them... I praise their strength... I obey them... I smile at everyone... why is everyone an asshole?... How does anyone have any friends... when they all treat... every new person they meet... like shit..." She pounds on the ground a few times and screams out in frustration, soon back to her sobbing as she hugs herself and curls up even tighter in the warm, moist darkness.
A mid-twenties man steps out first. He's not Drake Whelan, at least not the Drake Whelan that a computer search revealed, but he sees Astrid. "Holy fuck," he says, and then he turns over his shoulder. "Drake!" he shouts. "Bro, you gotta see this! There's some piece of tail right fucking here!"
As he turns, his head is some perfect, ripe melon, right in Jordan's sights.
Jordan frowns, keeping an eye on the house. They whisper sharply, almost a hiss, "In the trailer? Come on out, shut the door. I'll lean on it... one thing at a time. See if there's a lock, too - wolves can't unlock doors." Despite their normal presentation, it seems that they've gained some experience recently in violence and tactics, though that's not the same as training. They at least seem able to grasp the situation without being perturbed. If the man comes out before they get the chance to finish speaking, they cut off, not trying to draw attention. They don't shoot, even though they have the man in their sights.
Matthew doesn't bat an eye at that suggestion, seeming more than content to distance himself from the bloodied corpse in the trailer, slipping out and seeing if the door has a lock before closing it quietly. "I can't help but imagine a door would be no real deterrent to a wolf who wanted simply to break through.", he murmurs with a shudder, looking over his shoulder and about to try and get a glimpse at what's happening.
Astrid stays down even though she might actually hear Drake's brother over there, but if she did she doesn't really get what he meant, because she stays down still crying. Her face is twisted into an expression of heartbroken agony, the dirt below where her eyes drip their tears growing wetter and wetter. She shudders and sniffles between her sobs, no longer able to blubber out her bitching, and she rocks slowly there on ground. She's both good bait and completely oblivious to the danger she's really put herself in.
The man steps out a little more, padding towards Astrid. "Yo!" he says to her. "The hell you doing here, girl?" he asks. "This is private property," he says, nudging her with some booted foot. Up close, she can smell beer, even as a younger man darkens the doorway, looking out. This is Drake Whelan, surely -- watching -- and he has something suspicious in his eyes.
"Who the hell is she?" Drake asks.
Jordan moves focus to Drake, lining him up. However, they need to see if they can get a clean shot yet, or if they need to wait for him to walk out more. Their eyes squint, focused, as they bring their markmanship to bear.
Astrid might be actually feeling all of that pain, but she remembers why she came here the moment she's nudged on the ass by Drake's brother. With tears still streaming, and sobs still shuddering her body, she springs into action. "Shoot Drake!" Astrid shouts, rolling to try to trap the brother's legs between her own, to try to take him down onto his face like a pro wrestler, and even to follow up with a Crippler Crossface!
Jordan decides that, with that yell, it's now or never. They take the shot, shooting at Drake, waiting a moment for the follow through, then ducks, pulling at Matthew, as they move, trying to get around the trailer quickly.
Matthew blinks, somewhat stunned at the spectacle that's unfolding before his eyes, holding the blade close to himself as he stands close by Jordan, as if to protect them from anyone that might assail from the sides, only for Jordan to take the shot, which gets a slight flinch from him only for him to quickly react as they tug at him to move around the trailer.
Jordan is a fine rifleman, but he is not some expert -- and Drake, full of the moon and anger, moves. There's some spray of blood from the man's shoulder, but then he is howling in pain and upset and anger. It's a very human howl, for a moment, and then? Then it isn't, as he begins to shift, turning into some emerald-eyed, dark-haired monster.
Meanwhile, Astrid is kicking up at the man on top of her. He's surprised by it, really, especially when his head whips up at the sound of Jordan's rifle shot. He sees Matthew and his friend moving, perhaps, but not enough to really focus, caught between too much input in a moment of indecision.
Jordan hurries with Matthew behind the trailer, hissing, "Get ready," before moving over to the other end of it, peeking around the edge to get a new view at the situation... and maybe line up another shot.
Astrid kicks and kicks and kicks, aiming to take Drake's brother down, aiming to slam him right in the nuts, really taking advantage of that indecision. She screams out in rage and fury, letting out all the crap she's been feeling like in that moment of release. Sweet, sweet release. Yet she doesn't stop there. After Jordan shoots, she sits up as quick as she can, throwing a follow up punch at the man's nuts, meanwhile also pulling out a gun she had hidden away in the grass when she first went down... so it wouldn't get taken if she was searched. She aims right at one of Drake's eyes after the shift, terrified even as she pulls the trigger and tries to finish what Jordan started.
It's hard for Astrid to get a bead on Drake, since she's got a pack member on her. She can, however, shoot at him.
Matthew readies himself, following along with Jordan, and perhaps cursing himself for not having anything with which to himself take a shot with. He nonetheless moves along, eyes peeled for any packmembers that might come from new angles.
There's a pack-member headed right towards Matthew and Jordan -- the pack-member. Drake. Jordan gets off another shot, but now the werewolf is some blur of fur; it goes wide, as the huge beast seems to jank like a ballerina, a ballerina with crazy green eyes and teeth. He's barrelling right for the pair, and his attitude promises blood.
Jordan falls behind Matthew, yelling, "Careful!" as they jump back, scurrying to gain some distance to land another hit.
Matthew steps out, gripping the cavalry sword tightly by its hilt; it doesn't appear he's particularly skilled with the weapon - and yet there's a natural poise he holds in his stance as he looks forward, stepping back but not breaking his vision of the now-lupine Drake, expression stolid - he knows he can't outrun the beast anyway, so he stands his ground, a resolute fire in his eyes, blade forward and stance set.
Jordan lets Matthew take up the wolf's focus, though their expression is mixed. Frustration, worry, terror - even while they let him step forward to protect them, there's regret. Still, they aim, shooting as soon as there's a clear chance.
Well it's a struggle all right, and not just because Drake's brother doesn't know shit about wrestling. Somewhere in all that the guy smacked Astrid across the face for pulling out the gun on him, and she starts trying to scoot away from him. Good shot or not, she's got the guy practically right in her face, coming at her as she backs away on her ass in the grass, probably wishing she was sucking down sassafras (root beer) instead. "Fuck you!" She says to Drake's brother, oblivious to the goings on between Matthew, Jordan, and Drake. She tries to get the pistol up before Wonder Wall Whelen decides to hit her again, firing hurriedly at his abdomen!
That packmate takes a bloody explosion in the stomach, backing up away from Astrid. Is he dead? No. He's a werewolf, and he's changing, but his human form is a lot squishier than the wolf he is becoming.
Drake, on the other hand? Already a wolf. Another shot seems to whizz by him, though it's closer as Jordan takes aim this time, but now he's on Matthew. Matthew has that knife, but he's not great with it; it seems to slide across thick, awful hide as white jaws snap in Matthew's direction.
While Drake's brother is shifting, Astrid is getting busy stripping her shirt off to throw at his face. "Not today, Satan!", she says, hoping to have it land on his snout and eyes while she rushes to get up. She takes a few running steps further from Drake and the rest, popping down into a slight slide to try to hide in taller grass. Clearly she hopes to have gotten this done before the brother gets the shirt away from his eyes, by whatever method, and really hopes to have it done and herself at least somewhat hidden before the shift is even complete. She needs to have the scent of that pork loin ALL the way up Drake's brother's nose if she's going to have a chance of remaining undetected for long, so that it's all he can smell and hopefully can't pick a direction from it.
Matthew winces as he swipes at Drake, fending off the wolf to the best of his ability. To his credit, at least, he's no pushover strength-wise, though likely still a fair bit weaker than the wolf snapping its jaws in his direction, scrambling and doing his best to keep a favorable position - one which keeps his vitals away from the wolf's jaws. "Fucking -shoot- it, Jordan..!", he practically growls with a twinge of nervousness and anxiety, a departure from his usual demeanor - one supposes having a hungry wolf pinning you down will do that.
Jordan curses, taking aim yet again, hoping that Matthew can make use of the sword well. They keep moving back, looking for optimal range, but their movements are slower, careful now, taking care not to trip or lose their aim as they keep trying to shoot Drakewolf.
As the fight begins in earnest, the forest's tranquility is shattered by the sudden, piercing crack of gunshots echoing through the trees. The sharp reports reverberate off the ancient trunks, mingling with the guttural howls of the wolves, their cries filled with a mixture of rage and agony.
Astrid Stat Report:Astrid
she has More Guts Than Brains stat at 3
Oh, that hurts. The crack of Drake's jaws on Matthew is nothing good at all. Close up, at least, Jordan can shoot at him, and his shots are finding home, but it seems as if this beast is almost untouched by it. He is strong, full of power and lunacy even with the moon waning in the sky. This is not going well -- especially not for Matthew.
On the other hand, things are a moving a little better for Astrid. Between being gutshot and having a shirt over his head, the second werewolf has lost her. He's moving now to try to shake off the shirt and join the fray with Matthew and Jordan, which in turns puts his back to Astrid and her pistol.
Jordan growls, yelling with Texan twang, "Get OFF him, ya piss-puppy motherfucker! He's mine!" They try to get a shot at something vital not noticing the other wolf approaching as Drake's attack fills them with rage. They keep shooting, cursing with a deepening southern accent as they decide that this bad boy needs to *die*>
Oh that's perfect. Astrid doesn't need to say it, anyone who can see her could see that thought flashing right across her serpentine eyes. Slit pupiled all the time, not at all dependent on the light or species like actual serpents. She's a predator too. But not the kind who relies on brute force and open dominance. No, she's the kind that hides in the shadows, and strikes when it cripples, when it devastates. That's exactly what she does with Drake's brother. She takes aim in quick succession, all those days of shooting bottles off of fences, not it's her time to shine. PAP! PAP! PAP! Three shots, the latter two aimed at one of the rear knees and then the other, but this is right after the first shot was aimed right up Drake's brother's exposed wolven ass hole!
Matthew winces as the wolf snaps at him - his breathing hastening as he shakily holds that sword, trying at shivving the wolf, once, then twice, lunching rapidly. "Fucking.. Get off me!", he bitches, his eyes flitting about rapidly as if looking for a potential escape.
That is not, all things considered, great for Drake's packmate. This time the bullet digs deep even in werewolf hide, as Astrid squeezes off a shot from hiding. There's a howl of pain, now, as the wolf contorts, and then he is breaking and running -- loping for the woods in an effort to flee, his tail metaphorically between his legs.
This is the bright spot in a dark night. Matthew's arm is on fire, as Matthew works on shivving Drake. He's strong, and he's striking home, but it's as if he's not even hurting it -- and worth, he can't escape those fixed jaws on his arm. This is getting bad, even as Jordan's shots get home. One hits an eye, and but rather than slow Drake down it seems to fill him with more, awful wildness.
Jordan has had it told that their aim improves when they're cursing - and it's proved true enough. Though, it could be that they start cursing, then gain range... but the details is not important. "Fucking bastard-" They take one more shot, then lets go of the rifle, letting the strap keep it as they step to the side and burst forward, keeping to Matthew's back. This way, when they grab the pepper spray from their vest and spray it at the wolf, the young man isn't as affected as much as the wolf is. Hopefully, they can get him in the eye.
Astrid changes aim after the first wolf hauls ass into the woods. Now she's focusing on the distant battle occurring between Drake, Matthew, and Jordan. She wiggles just slightly to help sink herself down, unlikely she'd be seen from her current position with a fight right up in Drake's face. She takes aim, but she has to wait for Matthew to not be in the way. "Okay," she whispers to herself "Right in the left hair on the right side of the left half of the right..." She squeezes the trigger too, sending a bullet flying through the air. She'd aimed directly at Drake's "Nut!" sack. She does actually say Nut right then too.
Matthew exhales, still stabbing away at the beast, though he's losing energy, and he seems more and more affected by the wolf's jaws being fixed on his other arm, a pained expression as he pushes through to the best of his ability, pushing through the pain to the best of his ability. "Just.. Get.. Off!", he practically screams, lunging with each word, ineffectually, before Jordan's getting ready to spray pepperspray, which has him gasping - and then quickly trying to angle to avoid catching stray fumes.
Another shot. Astrid's not got quite the aim she's like, but it's a solid hit in Drake's hindquarters. He spins to look at her, which means he is shaking Matthew like a rag doll. At least -- small victories -- Matthew is tough. After all? He's not dead. Not yet. Then another howl, as Jordan's pepper spray hits the werewolf's remaining eye. It's not enough to really slow him down, and it doesn't even get inside the eye, but it's enough for, grace of graces, the werewolf to release Matthew. He backs up, spins, and starts to run in Astrid's direction.
Jordan drops the pepperspray, grabbing their rifle and dropping to their knee, aiming at the wolf. Getting the same shots as Astrid would be nice, but so long as they can hit a vulnerable spot... they also aim for the most delicate parts of his posterior. "Head home, Matt," they grumble, loud enough for him to hear them. The words are strained, as they spend most of their focus on the shot. "Get that... taken care of." That would leave them without someone to protect them, of course... but their priorities have changed rapidly throughout the battle.
Astrid's eyes widen as she sees this, sees Drake the wolf charging right at her. "Oh god dammit!" She says quietly, rustling a hand down low on her clothes a little bit, but what did she actually just do? She takes aim again. Tick tock, tick tock, no time to think, squeeze the trigger! POCK! She fires a shot aimed at the charging wolf's underbelly, and she springs to her feet, tits out for Jordan and Matthew and Drake to see, if the former two even look past Drake to see it. She takes aim again, this time right between the wolf's eyes, and then drops the aim two inches lower and fires! Did she even get the second shot off though? Before the wolf got to her? If not this is gonna be bad for her.
Matthew lets out a yelp as the wolf spins around at Astrid, getting flung along and fumbling the cavalry sword he'd been holding prior - and then... The pepper spray comes along, and while he's mostly able to evade getting it in his eyes, his breathing's shaky, and he inhales some of it, which leads to a coughing fit, and he slumps for a moment as the wolf releases him, a weakened look about him, still coughing. "You're.. you're sure..?", he mumbles in between coughs - apparently still concerned even in his battered and disoriented condition, though after a moment of self consideration he's making his way to somewhere fairly secluded where he would hopefully be able to exfiltrate.
Sometimes, there is a synchronicity to violence. The wolf, Drake, bounds, closer and closer, as one of Astrid's shots rings out. There is some burst of blood, and then the terrible thing is on Astrid. It's an orgy of blood, of slavering jaws, of claws raking her bare flesh -- and then there is another shot. A second from behind, ringing out as Jordan's rifle kicks back.
Astrid's own second fire is deep into the wolf's body. Was he dead already? Dying? Was that the end? It's hard to know, in the chaos, because she is bloody and under the now dead weight of 400 pounds of former White Oak student.
Suddenly, silence seems to reign in the woods. It's a strange thing, as the din of battle is swallowed by the night, as all Matthew, Astrid and Jordan can hear is the pounding of their own heartbeats in their ears.
Jordan yells back at Matthew, "I'm sorry for bringing you along... I don't want to see you hurt anymore." They pay no attention to the bouncing tits, for at least three different reasons, but then curses. "No, fuck... that other wolf ran off... he could be back any moment-" They stop, as silence rings out. A pause, waiting for something to happen... then they rush forward. They can't help but to glance back at Matthew, eyes wide, apologetic, before hurrying over to Astrid, worrying that she'd be the one the most injured, as she had no protection at all.
And the muffled cries of Astrid as she struggles and squirms underneath Drake, and she's just barely able to get her head turned enough to breathe. Her own toplessness under that wolf be damned, she flails as much as she can, still straining to breathe right under 400 pounds of currently unmoving fury. "H-Heg-Helf!"
Jordan tries to push the body off of her, hoping that, together, they can move it. They don't ask Matthew for help, despite his muscles, expecting his injuries to be an issue as well. They grungt and push.
Matthew blinks, looking on from nearby in a dazed state as he seems to be weighing how much he could do in such a situation, before he enters another coughing fit, eyes watching - or trying to, at least - to gauge the situation.
Right now? Right now things are quiet. Drake is dead, lying atop Astrid. Crushing her, really, as he bleeds out on top of her. The other wolf ran, and the night is all stillness. Surely that quiet is some beautiful thing, is it not? Except...
... In the distance, there is the howl of a wolf, and then two more answer. They aren't close, but those lupine cries split the night.
Jordan puts their weight in against the wolf, panicked. "We need to get out of here - or hole up in the house or something. Matt... Matt, I'm so sorry, but I need your help. He's crushing her. I can't move him!"
Astrid freaks out at the sounds of the other howls, pushing and shoving more and more on the wolf body. She tries to work with Jordan's pushes, to time it with them. Though honestly without Matthew's help things are starting to look pretty grim for the slit-pupiled White Oak pupil. "Ohg god! She says, and she's definitely no longer holding the gun while she pushes, because a mistake there could cost any one of the three their lives. "I hear mhoh!""
Matthew steps forward, somewhat shakily, as he steps forward and - with some effort and exertion - should be able to remove the now-dead Drake from Astrid, exhaling shakily, before he coughs. "I can get us out of here..", he murmurs, his voice hoarse. "I-it's not.." - he begins before coughing. "It's not your fault, Jordy.", he murmurs.
Astrid freaks out at the sounds of the other howls, pushing and shoving more and more on the wolf body. She tries to work with Jordan's pushes, to time it with them. Though honestly without Matthew's help things are starting to look pretty grim for the slit-pupiled White Oak pupil. "Ohg god!" She says, and she's definitely no longer holding the gun while she pushes, because a mistake there could cost any one of the three their lives. "I hear mhoh!"
Jordan looks confused for a moment - then remember. And then remembers some more. "Right!" As soon as Astrid is free, they try to help her up, bringing her close to Matthew so that he can path them all out. "I still..." They let their protest fade away, not able to structure their mind now. Adrenaline and focus fades, and there's just panic, and blood, and a desperate need to rely on a man who seems ready to drop, himself.
And then they can -- with some low effort, they are able to path back to haven, bloodied but alive.
Somehow in all of that, Astrid had lain just right to leave just one single white rose in the middle of her bouquet unfrushed. Whe did she even bring that thing?! She drops the rose on Drake's corpse as she's being hauled up to her feet by Jordan. She smiles at him and Matthew, looking timid as before the fight began, like something flipped in the heat of battle and she was someone else entirely. Now that the tension is done with, she's right back to being her usual shy self, and she gasps, blushing profusely and covering up her breasts with her arms.