Midnight Forests

[MsDevin92]

Meanwhile...

A small house stood in the wooded fields to the west. A mighty sequoia tree fanned its branches over the wooden-shingled roof, and a bush heavy with creamy white roses grew by the door, its thick green vines creeping up the stone walls.
It was quiet, save for the chirping of the birds resting in the surrounding foliage, and the sound of a river running somewhere nearby...
Until a faint mrow sounded across the clearing.
A brown streak suddenly burst from the bushes. As it neared the house, it slowed, revealing it to be a beige cat with darker brown markings on its back, in the pattern of dappled canopy sunlight. The birds in the sequoia tree watched it go by, still chriping contentedly, unfazed by the cat's presence.
When it had reached the door, the cat lifted a paw and mewled again, but there was no need. The door had already swung open, revealing a tall young woman. She was clad in blue slacks embroidered with vines, a white blouse, and a brown leather vest and boots. Her pitch-black braid hung down to her knees.
"Aspen," Sequoia said, nodding to the cat.
Aspen gazed up at her with deep green eyes, his tail lashing.
Sequoia nodded again, understanding. "Where are they?"
Mrow.
"Ah, with Nyaid. Give me a moment."
She momentarily ducked back inside, pulling on brown leather gloves and grabbing a fringed duffel bag. The minute she'd touched the bag, a white cat with greenish-blue eyes leapt down from on top of a bookcase, winding around her feet, its meows mingling with Aspen's.
"Well, then, Lily, Aspen, let's get to it."
With that, the group departed.  

[MsDevin92]

A silver cat with cerulean eyes was waiting on the riverbank, sitting by an unmoving body.
Mrow.
"Hello, Nyaid," Sequoia said. "Good job. How are they? Condition?"
Nyaid lashed her tail once and made a rather toneless noise in her throat.
"Ah. I'd better get to work, then."
With the three cats circling her at a distance, the healer knelt beside the body, frowning slightly as she began to examine the wounds.
Another werecat. This has to be the seventh one this month...
Sequoia felt a slight twinge of worry. Either things were getting much worse for the werecats, or they were becoming more dependent on her- and she definetley couldn't have them thinking of her as their healer.
Having been raised by the centaurs, as well as seeing no point in this werecat/werewolf war (a war without reason was just mindless slaughter), she had resolved to stay neutral. She healed anyone who came her way, provided they weren't exceptionally malevolent or the like.
She shrugged it off. The werecats just probably felt more comfortable coming to her because of Aspen, Nyaid, and Lily. The werewolfs respected her powers, too, but they didn't get along too well with the cats. Of course, the cats never bothered anybody (although Lily was a bit playful at times), but the werewolves still had problems with animal instincts and all that...  

[MsDevin92]

"Hmm. He's running a bit of a fever, and he has a pretty deep cut near one shoulder, but overall, nothing life-threatening."
Aspen nosed open the flap on her bag. Then, one by one, the cats stuck their heads inside and came out wit mouthfuls of the appropriate supplies: a bundle of herbs, a roll of linen bandages, and a wad of cloth.
"Thank you, my kitty-kitties," she cooed in a burst of syrupy sweetness. Even a withdrawn, down-to-earth person like Sequoia was powerless against the sheer love for her dear little cats.
She proceeded to clean the blood off with cool water before placing the herbs on the cut, soliciting a wince and a hiss from the werecat (Good, at least he's semi-conscious). She then soaked the cloth in the river, and, after wringing some of the excess water out, placed it on his forehead.
Sequoia closed her eyes and shifted to a kneeling position, her hands on her knees.
"Come on, kitties."
The cats simultaneously lashed their tails and arranged themselves in a row behind her; Aspen to the left, Nyaid in the middle, Lily on the right. They curled their tails around themselves and closed their eyes.
There was a pause. Then, as the healing magic began to take effect, the werecat's ragging breathing slowed and relaxed, his chest rising and falling gracefully. His muzzle twitched once, and then the sounds of light snoring started up.
The four of them opened their eyes.
"Good job," Sequoia said, smiling broadly as they padded over to rub against her. "Lily, be a dear and fetch someone from town to bring this werecat back to his home, please."
With a musical mew, Lily bounded off in the direction of the centaur village.  

[Woods18]

Rasconsa had been walking a while and the rain had almost stopped a little to his annoyance he still had found anywhere to take shelter but it wasnt really important.. suddenly he became aware of a scent in the air... Cat! and strangely enough a smell that always drove him into a rage. The smell of blood. Not only because it meant that there was a fight waiting for him not too far away but also because it meant one of his comrades needed him.

Grabbing his hatchet from out of belt he began to hurtle through the trees in the direction he thought the smell was coming from. A blood-lusting grin on his face and a hope that he had not missed the action, or that at least there was some still there to fight.

Soon enough Rasconsa could hear the sound of running water and realized that he was approaching a river and more than likely the edge of Werecat territory. He wondered where this scent was was coming from. He hadn't been this way in days and it had been awhile since he met, or killed, any patrols. Perhaps some of his brothers in arms where finally starting to join the fight again? The thought of hunting in a pack again made him smile, if he could wipe out a patrol single handedly in a matter of minuets, imagine the damage a full hunting party could do!  

[The Voodoo Bunny]

jack stood up."Hes moving...."jack jumped into the trees and chased after Rasconsa.  

[Lady_Conspiracy]

blackmagic5

jack stood up."Hes moving...."jack jumped into the trees and chased after Rasconsa.

NO ONE LINERS!  

[The Voodoo Bunny]

You remember the agreement!Don't yell at me!  

[Woods18]

((ffs.. here we go again..))  

[MsDevin92]

Waiting for Lily to return, Sequoia sat down beside the werecat's body and reached over to her bag to get her book.
Her hand trailed through something wet and sticky.
She drew it back, and realized, startled, that the cat had left a trail of blood across the grass, conglomerating into large pools as its movement had slowed. The air was touched with the smell of werecat blood- not too overpowering, but strong enough to be noticed.
Maybe even followed.
She hastily began scooping handfuls of water out of the river and splashin them over the grass, scrubbing to get the red stains out. Soon, the grass was more or less green again, but the blood smell could not be washed out of the air.
She frowned at the body and readied her staff, just in case. If anything came following the smell of blood, she'd have to be ready for a fight.  

[Woods18]

MsDevin92

Waiting for Lily to return, Sequoia sat down beside the werecat's body and reached over to her bag to get her book.
Her hand trailed through something wet and sticky.
She drew it back, and realized, startled, that the cat had left a trail of blood across the grass, conglomerating into large pools as its movement had slowed. The air was touched with the smell of werecat blood- not too overpowering, but strong enough to be noticed.
Maybe even followed.
She hastily began scooping handfuls of water out of the river and splashin them over the grass, scrubbing to get the red stains out. Soon, the grass was more or less green again, but the blood smell could not be washed out of the air.
She frowned at the body and readied her staff, just in case. If anything came following the smell of blood, she'd have to be ready for a fight.

Rasconsa burst through the tree line and out on to the grass at the edge of the river. He looked about on his side of the bank before scanning the far side. He saw a figure standing next to a tree and holding a staff. As he looked closer he could see that this figure was not a cat but infact what looked to be a human. An even more pathetic race, the weakest of fighters and even more prone to using magic than the cats..

Rasconsa couldnt understand why this human seemed to smell so strongly of cat.. there was no sign of one in the area. Taking out a dagger he readied himself for an ambush. Had his blood lust walked him into a fight worthy of another battle scar? Or was he just simply losing his sense of smell?

"You there!" He growled out as he pointed his hatchet at the figure with the staff. "Have you seen a cat come through here?"  

[MsDevin92]

Sequoia subtly moved in front of the body, and, hoping to distract the newcomer's attention, spoke. "Who are you?"
Aspen and Nyaid watched, their tails curling.
She didn't know WHO the creature was, but she did know WHAT it was- a werewolf. A very angry werewolf brandishing a hatchet. Not good at all. If he saw the body, he'd undoubtedly attack it. She struggled to keep a calm face, torn between her disgust at the warriors' lack of mercy and the anxiety of the moment.
With both the werecat's blood and the presence of her pets, she realized she must've smelled very strongly of cat. Also not good, especially as she was supposed to be neutral. She'd have a hard time convicing this werewolf that she wasn't an enemy.  

[Woods18]

Rasconsa couldn't keep a smile off his face, this human was no warrior that was obvious he could see, even at this distance, how uneasy she was.
"So much for a Werecat ambush" he thought to himself.

He wouldn't entertain this creature for long, if she didn't tell him of her own free will, he would make her tell him as she begged for he life.

"Rasconsa" he shot out "Now answer my question, and ill have your name too, stranger" he said in a menacing tone.  

[MsDevin92]

my_ hair_ is_ red!

Rasconsa couldn't keep a smile off his face, this human was no warrior that was obvious he could see, even at this distance, how uneasy she was.
"So much for a Werecat ambush" he thought to himself.

He wouldn't entertain this creature for long, if she didn't tell him of her own free will, he would make her tell him as she begged for he life.

"Rasconsa" he shot out "Now answer my question, and ill have your name too, stranger" he said in a menacing tone.

"Sequoia," she replied, growing more and more wary by the second. Her grip tightened on her staff. That was not a nice smile, and his tone didn't sound much more pleasant.
"And...no, I haven't seen a cat come through here," she continued. She was telling the truth, in a way- she hadn't seen the werecat come through. She'd only found its body.
She hoped one of the centaurs would come soon. They could get the werewolf to leave- but there was little to no chance he'd listen to her, a human.  

[Woods18]

Rasconsa narrowed his eyes a little and with that sly smile, still on his face, he said, in a mockingly condescending tone, "Now you wouldn't be lying to me, would you, Sequoia?"

Rasconsa eyes started to scan the river looking for a place shallow enough for him to cross, as he continued;
"Because if you are, i would severely recommend that you consider that the last person to lie to me never said another word again."
He paused to look at the human.
"Do you know why?" he asked rhetorically.
"Because i cut out the poor fools tongue." he said with a chuckle.
"I think i went a bit easy on him really, but then he was a friend after all."

He finally found a suitable spot, where the riverbed was high enough so that he could wade across, and started to move towards. He get his answers one way or another.

Rasconsa reached his crossing point.
"Where does you allegiance lie, little Sequoia? I hope, for your sake, that your not a friend of the cats in this area, because that would be very bad for you."
As he finished his sentence he stepped down into the water and started to wade across to the human's side of the river.  

[MsDevin92]

my_ hair_ is_ red!

Rasconsa narrowed his eyes a little and with that sly smile, still on his face, he said, in a mockingly condescending tone, "Now you wouldn't be lying to me, would you, Sequoia?"

Rasconsa eyes started to scan the river looking for a place shallow enough for him to cross, as he continued;
"Because if you are, i would severely recommend that you consider that the last person to lie to me never said another word again."
He paused to look at the human.
"Do you know why?" he asked rhetorically.
"Because i cut out the poor fools tongue." he said with a chuckle.
"I think i went a bit easy on him really, but then he was a friend after all."

He finally found a suitable spot, where the riverbed was high enough so that he could wade across, and started to move towards. He get his answers one way or another.

Rasconsa reached his crossing point.
"Where does you allegiance lie, little Sequoia? I hope, for your sake, that your not a friend of the cats in this area, because that would be very bad for you."
As he finished his sentence he stepped down into the water and started to wade across to the human's side of the river.

She took a deep breath as the werewolf came at her across the river. No use keeping up this charade any longer.
"I am not on the side of the werecats," she explained. "Nor am I on the side of the werewolves. I was raised by the centaurs, and I will not involve myself in this useless bloodbath."
She readied her staff.
"Yes, I was helping this werecat, but only because I am a healer, and it's not my nature to stand by and let anyone- werecat, werewolf, vampire, fey, or others- die before my eyes. It is also not my nature to attack...at least, not without provocation."
She looked right into his eyes.
"I'm telling you now- I might stand neutral in this war, but I will be forced to attack you if you provoke me. Rasconsa, please stand down."