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[wolf-that-howls.livejournal.com]

Denver, Colorado is, as the sun rises to noon, very empty.

Except for now. Now it has a black wolf, ears laid back, fangs bared - before she darts to the nearest crumbling building to hide out. Much sniffing ensues. An hour later the wolf ventures out of her makeshift den, giving a slow sniff of the area, pausing every so often to scent the air and look around.

She's consumed with two thoughts: there were humans here. Humans and something other, with a scent like the poisonous stench of a Wound. Thought two: she's checked, but she can't peer into the spirit world. She can't feel a Gauntlet. She's felt the Wall Between Worlds at its thickest, when she ran with a pack of werewolves. This isn't like that. It's as if there simply is no Gauntlet - because there's nothing on the other side.

Gradually, these thoughts and the massive implications of them are joined by a third: she's thirsty. For the first time in centuries, she needs to drink.

The wolf spirit known as Howling Wolf is not one to suffer in silence.

The wolf throws her head back and howls - long, loud, lonely.

Then she trots out of the heart of the city, seeking the outskirts, hoping to find water along the way.

Comments

[misterbunny.livejournal.com]

Along the way, she also happens across a rabbit. Now, this is no ordinary rabbit, for not only does it smell heavily of cordite and grease, but it appears to have a pirate hat upon it's head, tilted at a jaunty angle, and is also holding a spyglass to one eye, peering off into the distance.

The miniature cutlass lashed to his waist is just an added affectation.

[wolf-that-howls.livejournal.com]

She's more interested than surprised - the Shadow contains much strangeness.

Howling Wolf treats the rabbit to a respectful bark, her body-posture alert but relaxed. Good day, she speaks in spirit-tongue (somehow without moving her mouth or lips). Is this your territory?

[misterbunny.livejournal.com]

The rabbit lowers his eyeglass, to stare at the wolf. Huh. "So, do you talk too?" Most likely.

[wolf-that-howls.livejournal.com]

Howling Wolf tilts her head and focuses for a moment - and when she next speaks (still without moving her mouth), it's in English.

"I do. I apologize if I intrude on your territory." Her voice is low and calm, every word measured.

[misterbunny.livejournal.com]

"Not so sure if you'd call it mine." He smirks quite happily. "I sure did mark it."

[wolf-that-howls.livejournal.com]

Howling Wolf tilts her head in canine curiosity.

"I am Howling Wolf, Greater Jaggling of the wolf choir."

She only throws around 'daughter of Black Wolf' when she's feeling particularly pompous.

[misterbunny.livejournal.com]

"I'm Mister Rabbit, despoiler of virgins." Cause he has no fisking clue what a jaggling is.

[wolf-that-howls.livejournal.com]

Spirits of violation generally don't take the form of rabbits. Which means this is guy is a magath, or....

"You are not a spirit, are you, Mister Rabbit?"

[misterbunny.livejournal.com]

"I've been called a spirit of chaos." He adjusts his mini rapier. "But only by the elves."

[wolf-that-howls.livejournal.com]

A chaos spirit fits slightly better than a violation spirit, but for now Howling abandons her quest for comprehension of the bunny.

"Do you know where we are?"

[misterbunny.livejournal.com]

"Colorado. Denver, to be specific." The Rabbit lifts the eyeglass to his eye again, peering into the distance. "Not all that far from a still smoking crater."

[wolf-that-howls.livejournal.com]

"Which would be your doing?" she guesses.

[misterbunny.livejournal.com]

He cannot help but smile at that. "Oh yeah. Big time."

[threegreenhorn.livejournal.com]

Flash!

Bang!

SPLASH.

...that last special effect was less than conventional. It might have something to do with the flailing creature who has just appeared with an uncomfortable-looking thud. You could call it humanoid, but it would probably be more accurate to describe the yammering result of an unholy union between a monkey, a lizard and a rosebush.

So far as it's really possible to tell, the demon looks utterly, utterly freaked out.

[wolf-that-howls.livejournal.com]

Twenty yards away, the wolf stops, her body tensing up. The earth's Shadow is home to many strange spirits. She doesn't know if this particular thing is a spirit, but she'll give it the respect due to one. For now.

Greetings, great one, she says in spirit-tongue - not that Tricorn Writhen would be able to understand her.

[threegreenhorn.livejournal.com]

It's possible that she wouldn't get much sense out of him even if he did understand her: the various parts of Writhen's brain are mainly concerning themselves with (a) staring around wildly for anything he might recognise and (b) wondering just how in the name of Teretres he managed to get here. He has a suspicion, and it's not a good one.

The big furry black thing is merely a periphery detail.

[wolf-that-howls.livejournal.com]

Howling Wolf is content to wait, alert and wary and sniffing the air in case this creature has friends.

She feels a bit more nervousness than usual is called for.

[threegreenhorn.livejournal.com]

He does have friends, more or less, but it's dawning on him that none of them are here. And neither is the river. And neither is the rainforest around the river. And neither, in fact, is anything that he would until seconds ago have expected to be seeing. Also, the ground is hard and uncomfortable and the air is too dry.

So he does what all lowly few-horns do when they run into trouble.

He rolls into a spiky green ball and yells for help.

"Crown Profinish!"

[wolf-that-howls.livejournal.com]

Howling Wolf focuses for a moment, then replies (still without moving her mouth), "Howling Wolf."

She sits on her haunches in an attempt to look harmless. "I'll not hurt you."

Which is true - for the moment. She might think differently when she gets hungry instead of thirsty.

[threegreenhorn.livejournal.com]

Telepathy is actually fairly common for Writhen's world of origin, even if not for his actual species, and so he is free to get confused about what Howling is actually saying.

"What? Where am I?"

If you say a different world, he will be so unhappy, because there's precedent for that where he comes from and it never ends well.

[wolf-that-howls.livejournal.com]

Not yet!

Her voice is low-pitched, calming. "I wish I could answer that question. It would appear we were...taken from where we should be into this place."

[threegreenhorn.livejournal.com]

It may not quite be 'o hai you're in a different reality, please drive carefully', but for someone dreading that very sentence all right, maybe not word-for-word it's uncomfortably close.

WAUGH.

"What are you?"

Excuse him any impoliteness. It's just he's freaking out still.

[wolf-that-howls.livejournal.com]

"I am Howling Wolf, Greater Jaggling of the wolf choir. And yourself?"

[threegreenhorn.livejournal.com]

That title means approximately two things to Writhen: jack and squat.

Doesn't stop him from introducing himself with his, though. It may be small and unimpressive, but it's the only one he has!

"...I'm Tricorn Writhen," he says uncertainly.

[wolf-that-howls.livejournal.com]

"Greetings Tricorn Writhen." Howling Wolf does not bow, but she gives the appropriate canine signals of respect - a lightly wagging tail, the faintest of cringes for a moment.

Now, down to business. "I cannot say I know where we are, but I for one need water. You may come with me, if you wish. Perhaps we will find some locals who know of this land."