Once upon a time, in a land not so far away...
You wake to the feeling of being watched. Of a set of unfamiliar eyes, of warm breath on the back of your neck. A jolt back to the land of the living, and it's gone. No matter how quick you are, how sneaky, the source of the disruption has long since disappeared, so you have no choice but to try and ignore it. To continue on with your day and try to set that moment of strangeness aside.
You eat, drink, speak with others. Perhaps you explore a little. Whatever it is you choose to do for the day, that feeling from the morning won't return. And by the time the sun sets and the moon glows brightly above, you've likely set those moments of strangeness aside. It's not like it's anything new, after all.
It's the same again for the next few days. No better, no worse. Something best ignored, right?
A speck of blood on the doorframe. That wasn't there before, was it?
A snap of twigs in the distance. A crunch of leaves.
Claw marks gouged deeply into the door.
Into the wall above your bed.
Scraps of red fabric, turned darker with blood. Pieces of fur. Of flesh.
Do you run and hide? Do you fight? Whatever you choose, it's definitely time to make sure your body parts aren't scattered next...
...what a horribly big mouth you have.
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Since first waking up on the island, characters have been stuck with that feeling of being watched. It isn't a constant. Isn't more than a few seconds at a time, dotted throughout the day. Investigation has never turned up much, and there's never been any sightings of the cause of it all.
Until now.
Throughout the first half of the week, characters will find themselves suffering from that feeling of being watched on a far more constant basis. Rather than it being a one-off, few seconds occurrence each day, that feeling will last for minutes at a time, and on multiple occasions.
However, it isn't until the fifth day that they'll start stumbling across physical signs of their monitoring. There are claw marks on doors. Spots of blood on the paths outside. A crack of twigs in the forests, or the imprint of bloodied paws in the snow.
Ten days in and those signs start finding their way indoors. Wet footprints, tinged with red. Claw marks in the walls, the floor. Torn sheets and the smell of wet...something. Whatever it is that's been watching you, its finally decided to come and say hello.
Two weeks in and characters will begin to have sightings of the creature, its fur dark and its eyes a glowing yellow. At times it looks like a wolf, prowling in the distance. At other times, it's walking on its hind legs, almost human were it not for the muzzle full of gleaming sharp teeth. Get too close, and it slips away like a shadow, gone between one blink and the next. It decides when to reach out to characters, not the other way round.
It's after characters finally get a good look at the creature that it starts leaving...gifts. Characters will start to find familiar items from their home worlds amidst the mess. The remains of a childhood pet, perhaps. Photographs of loved ones, faces torn almost beyond recognition. It's only once it delivers its final gift that the creature retreats to the trees again: a blood-splattered item of clothing that clearly belongs to the person the character misses the most at the time, alive or dead.
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fablelands2018-08-27 11:34 pm
no subject
[He considers the man in front of him.]
Perhaps it's best we stay together. If you assume your son is somewhere on the island I can help you find him.
no subject
This was my mom's. My dad - the evil one not the cool one - broke it because he was a big, stupid dingus face, but now I got it back. I wish I had my Zune though... Kraglin says they're all the rage on Earth and it had three hundred songs on it. Man, it was cool.
[ oh, this guy wants to hang? that's cool, that's cool. he's been nice so far so peter nods even if he probably shouldn't still be so trusting of strangers considering... you know, his entire life. ]
Yeah, we really should look for him. He's a teenager right now and it totally sucks, but soon he'll be cool again. I just know it. I was with Drax and Mantis too - can you sense bug-people too or just plant-people? Oh, uh. Is there anyone you're looking for? We could keep an eye out for them, too.
no subject
Fathers.
[That could mean anything or nothing. He's not entirely sure he wants to share that he used to be a man yet.
The notion of a teenager however - he's befriended a number of children in all of his incarnations as well as sired one of his own.]
My daughter is considerably difficult. I understand. Tefe is...complicated. She's older now however.
[She was never really my daughter either. Except in a way she was. His eyes close and he gestures.]
Insect people?
no subject
[ he nods. yondu had died in the process, which hardly seemed worth it. but ego had to be put down. peter sighs.]
Complicated, okay. That really isn't a problem for me.
[ peter lifts an eyebrow, the shadow of a smile on his face. he nods at the question. ]
Name's Mantis, she's got big antenna... things. Which are not for feeling doorways so she doesn't get decapitated, just FYI. She's an empath. And she can make people sleep just by touchin' 'em.
no subject
All the more reason to be watchful, and pay attention.]
She's of the animal kingdom one way or another. The only insects I'm familiar with are the ones that tend to be attracted to swamps.
[he nods.] I will watch for her however, and the trees will keep an eye out too.
This green is...strange. I feel disconnected yet connected at the same time to it. It's...uncomfotable.
no subject
You can talk to animals?! Woah. I also know a raccoon if you wanna keep an eye out for him. And I don't really know what Drax is, but he'll probably show up, too. Sorry about your whole thing, though. Is there anything I can do?
no subject
[He pauses] Well I can. But like this, not like how I speak to the trees. It's a different language. The language of my people compared to...animals.
[even if he was an animal. He stops, trying to think.]
No. Not until we stop for the night I think. I need to commune with this green-These plants. Perhaps they might have clues about who has captured us.
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[ he starts getting ready to go when he realizes he doesn't want to just ditch alec. also... ]
You never told me your name, man. Wanna meet up later and talk about which thing worked better?
no subject
[So much for code names. He moves toward a thick grove of trees.]
As soon as I've investigated the green I'll come and find you. The green should know if your people have arrived. I'll be sure to ask.
no subject
[ at least alec seems cool. he holds out his fist for a bump. ]
You ask that green stuff and I'm gonna look with my eyeballs. Then we can get dinner or something. Do you eat... you know what, nevermind. That can be a fun surprise. Bye, Alec!
[ he waves over his shoulder and pulls up his earphones, hitting play then adjusting the strap on his bag across his chest. here goes nothin'. ]