Something in the Night (O/A)

[ValidEmotions]

"Oh you're on! We'll win, guaranteed!" Marcos nudged Dax lightly with his elbow, grinning. "What do you think? Up for some competition?" He frowned, pretending to be disappointed when Dax shook his head. "Ah, c'mon, Dax. Why not have some fun tonight?"

 

"Because fighting the Nightmares is serious. We can't afford someone getting hurt due to inattentiveness if we're too focused on competing with each other." Dax glanced at the others, running a hand through his hair. "Let's just get going okay? Marcos, how far are the closes Nightmares from us?"

 

"At least a block away. There's only a few and we can get around them on our way to Whicket's farm."

 

"So, as Dax said, let's go!" Jason shouted softly, pumping a fist in the air with excitement. Once his arm had fallen back to his side, he hopped a few steps backwards, motioning for the others to follow. "I'll race someone!"

 

Marcos grinned, flicking a gaze towards Cora and Aura. "Highest kills win?" Looking at Dax again, he pointed towards Jason. "Try loosening up a bit, eh? More like Jason, okay?" With that, he started jogging to catch up with Jason, shouting towards the pair of girls who decided on having a bet to hurry up or he'll win by default.

 

Dax sighed, walking after the rest of the group, remaining in his hunched position to ward off the cold.

[hazeh]

Cora snorted and then burst out with a deep laugh. "Dax knows there's no point because there's no competition- everyone knows I'd whip you any time, anywhere!" She belted after Marcos, keeping her voice just low enough so that it wouldn't echo off the nearby buildings. Though she wouldn't terribly mind if the nearest Nightmares were attracted to her hollering, she would give in this time and skirt around them to get to their main goal faster. Cora looked over at Carlie and beamed at her brightly. "Betcha ten bucks we can squash 'em flat. Gonna join us? We can all go head on, Dax can keep score if he wants." She would have invited Dax in the festivities as well, but he seemed to be the usual grumpy-pants and didn't want to join in on the fun. After all, turning their hunt into some solemn-stare-hardened-heart-pity-party was not Cora's thing; she needed excitement, thrill, to push her to her greatest potential. Even if the entire thing was a bit macabre.

But hey, they got superpowers didn't they?!

 

The redhead chuckled devilishly, rotating her shoulders around with vigor and bouncing back and forth on the balls of her bare feet (Cora hated shoes, hence the many calloused scars along the soles). Her messy copper ponytail slapped the back of her neck in rhythm to her movement, and she reached back to tighten it as the group began to disperse towards the farmlands. Cora grabbed Carlie's arm- not unkindly- and then Aura's as she passed the girl. Her grip was firm, urging, and her gait was fast and impatient. "Come on now, I'm not letting that punk get ahead of me," she roared as he yelled back at them. Cora let go of the girls' arms after a few more steps, confident that they would be following close behind. With a burst of adrenaline, she lunged into a sprint, the fabric of her worn sweatpants flapping softly in the force of her run.

 

Cora came up behind Marcos and Jason with a playful growl, leaping forward to finally match and then overtake their strides. "You two can eat my dust and my kill record!" She had to keep herself from whooping in excitement as she tore off, determined to claim victory and then work out her triumphant pride against the Nightmares.

[Skellybones]

Rose heard voices nearby, so she walked away silently. They sounded like the people she saw heading towards the park. Were they like her? They sounded as though they were hunting nightmares. If they knew about them, they had to have and ability... She glanced around, suddenly paranoid of the creatures around her, flinching at the hoot of an owl. She lifted the side of her coat, seeing the reasuring glint of a steel knife. It might once have been one used in a kitchen, but after months of use, the blade was sharper with jaggs in it, unlike the smooth, clean surface it once was. The black handle was tattered and littered with various scratches. Rose fingered it fondly before pulling her coat around herself.

 

It was august but might have been november for all the weather cared. Wind whistled between the streets, eerie noises being carried on it. A long, cold note was brought to Rose and she instantly made herself dissapear. Her footsteps became muffled and her scent was dulled. She crept towards the end of the ally she was at and edged around watching carefully. Somewhere around here was one of those bird-turtles. She could hear it.

[Silver_Voices]

Carlie shook her head, shrugging slightly at Cora's invitation. She ignored the catch of flem in her throat as she responded easily. "Nah, that's all right. I think I'm just going to do a bit of mass murdering. Being locked up for even a day kills." She kicked at the ground, causing a pebble to skitter over the cement. Cora grabbed onto her arm while she glanced back at Dax. Trudging behind the group, he didn't seem like he wanted to hurry and get to the Nightmares, like he had said earlier. "Hurry up, slow poke!" She called hoarsely as she was dragged on.

 

She coughed, stumbling after the very energetic red-head, then found her feet and followed with difficulty. When she was released, she stopped almost immediately. Trying to suck in a breath of cold air was her priority at the moment... Her throat constricted as she dropped down into a crouch for a moment, trying to control the dry heaving.

 

Finally, she was able to take a breath and relax, closing her eyes for a moment and enjoying the sounds of night, along with the distant yet playful voice of Cora. Quickly, she stood and continued on as if nothing had happened. Aura, Cora, Marcos, and Jason could have their fun tonight. She wouldn't be able to join in even if she wanted to. For one, her sickness seemed to worsen as the night grew colder. She made a note to grab a thicker jacket next time... Also, she just wanted to be alone for a short while. She wouldn't mind a quiet companion, but she couldn't deal with a whole night of mindless chatter.

[ArtemisDarkwolf]

Sebastian

 

A boy of around the age of 17 walked around, his golden blonde hair glinting in the light. He looked around with his sky blue eyes, and yawned. His 6' tall frame towered over the two smaller forms to his left, and was just a bit taller then the figure to his right. He smiled, and ran a rather large hand through his golden hair, a flash of his mark showing.

 

Sabine

 

A female around the height of 5'8 shakes her head at the male, and glares at him with reddish brown eyes. She again shook her own blonde hair with dark brown streaks. Her skin looked like it belonged to a fairy, and she smiled at the female who was clinging to her arm. She then sighed when the same female ran to the right side of Sebastian, holding the male there.

 

Lucas

 

The male looked down at the female, his dark gray eyes watching the smaller female. He stood 5'10 and had dark gray hair. On his left forearm a bandage covered it, and he itched it. The smaller female slapped his hand and glared at him. He laughed and hugged the smaller female.

 

Denise

 

The small female, only standing around 5'4, was hugged by her taller brother. She smiled, her dark blue eyes shining. She jumped, and her short silver hair bounced around her face. She smiled again and then ran around her siblings, who smiled and laughed at her. She was poked by Lucas and yipped, then pushed her brother. "What was that for!"

[Skellybones]

Rose scanned the street, searching carefully. She held the knife in her hand, the silver blade glinting in the light of the moon. The flutter of wings caught her eye. The bird-turtle was at the other end of the street. Calming herself, Rose crept over, her footsteps barely audiable. Just a little bit further... The bird mutation turned to face her. Rose muttered a curse and leapt at the creature, trying to bring it out of the sky. She was sent stumbling as she missed, the bird simply flying to the side. Then it dived at her, trying to reach exposed skin with it's sharp beak. Rose seized it from the air, somehow managing to pin it down. It tried to nip at her fingers, but twisting it's neck backwards wasn't it's talent. Without a second thought, Rose plunged the warped kitchen knife into the bird's neck.

---------------------------

A small flash of light emited from a patch of forest, not far from Maplewood drive. Leona stumbled into the trees, a little dazed from the sudden change. Word war 2 wasn't fun. Not at all. She shivered as she remembered the sight of bombs falling. She shook her head and began to wander towards the orphanage.

 

After a few minutes of walking, she had found two groups of teenagers, older then herself, heading towards Whicket's farm. She overheard the word nightmare and a spark of curiosity came alight inside her. She froze, directly in their path, raising an eyebrow at the red-head woman running towards her. She didn't look that much older than Leona...

[ValidEmotions]

((I'll make a post tomorrow afternoon. It's currently late for me and I've been busy with school work.))

[Silver_Voices]

((Mkay. Don't rush! Real life comes first. ))

[Skellybones]

((^^ What she said Looking forward to seeing a response to my character tipping up in the state she's in... O.o))

[ValidEmotions]

((-.- Urk. I completely bailed on this yesterday *long day x.x* and again today. I got busy doing other things for school and posting a bit elsewhere. Tomorrow, after my morning class, I'll have some spare time before my second class and so I'll post then.))

[Silver_Voices]

((-.- Urk. I completely bailed on this yesterday *long day x.x* and again today. I got busy doing other things for school and posting a bit elsewhere. Tomorrow, after my morning class, I'll have some spare time before my second class and so I'll post then.))

((No worries. ^^ I had the PSATs today, so I know a thing or two about long days. >.< Have fun at class tomorrow. ))

[ValidEmotions]

((Artemis, mind you, it's currently evening and Nightmares are appearing. I don't think your twins would want to be causing such a ruckus if they weren't aiming to attract Nightmares))

 

Marcos laughed as Cora caught up, speaking tough and confidently about winning their bet. "I highly doubt that." Putting on a burst of speed, he lunged past Cora, saluting to her in a 'catch-you-later' gesture. He glanced back towards Jason, looking away from Cora and from where he was running. "Hey Jason, don't fall behind too much now."

 

"Are you kidding? Did you forget who runs track here? I'm only warming up!" Jason grinned.

 

Nodding, Marcos came to an abrupt halt and turned his gaze to Cora's back as she ran by him, cupping his hand around his mouth. "Cora! Watch out!" He had picked up on a presence that had seemed to appear out of nowhere. His alarm didn't come from the appearance but from the fact that Cora was on a collision course with the new presence.

 

Dax looked over at Carlie, frowning slightly as she slowed and began to cough. "Maybe you should head home. You don't sound too good and the cold won't help at all." He matched his pace with hers, walking beside her and idly watching the others further ahead.

 

((-.- Sorry. It's short. Ended up posting in the half hour before class started.))

[Skellybones]

Leona's heart skipped a beat. This teenage-missile didn't seem to want to stop. She wasn't the far away. Leona took a step back, a streak of red hair flew past her. She turned her head, peering down the steet and the other teenagers. She tilted her head to one side, curious as to why there were so many of them on such a windy night as this.

---------------------------------------

Rose knelt, breathing heavily. At her feet were the remains of the bird-turtle, it's head almost completely severed. She shivered in disgust, then made to dispose of it.

[Silver_Voices]

Carlie glances over at Dax, shaking her head a bit. Her voice had a slight edge now, but as bad as it had been before. "Nah... I'll be fine. I just wasn't planning on running that much." She raised her eyebrows expressively. "Want to just chill for a bit? They'll probably be causing a hullabaloo over there." She stretched her arms out in front of her, then swung them to the sides. "I sort of wanted to go off and crush something. A few nightmares oughta show up if we look for them." She scanned the area, fingering the handle of a kitchen knife she had concealed beneath her jacket, one of many weapons she had equipped herself with tonight. "And I admit, it would be easier if I had someone with me instead of wandering around all on my onesie." She laughed a bit, then glanced over at him, waiting for his response.

[hazeh]

Cora had snickered proudly as she burst past Marcos. She adored friendly competition and the adrenaline coursed like fire through her veins, making her feel as though wings had sprouted from her ankles. She wasn't a sore loser, nor a particularly flamboyant victor, since the best part of the race was the process and not the outcome. But, even still, she was so occupied with making it to the farm first, that she hadn't thought much of why Marcos had suddenly stopped.

 

She had momentarily mulled over putting some extra speed on by adopting some musculature from her repertoire of animals, but her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her own name on the wind. Her pace faltered slightly as she swung a quick glance over her shoulder and saw the boys several feet behind. What? Watch out for-?

 

"Oh shi-" Cora yelped, blue eyes widening as she turned her gaze toward the girl that had randomly popped up in front of her. Instinctively, Cora shifted her weight back and twisted her legs as if she were screeching to a halt on a pair of skates. Her momentum threw her forward, however, and she barreled directly into the girl, despite her efforts to evade Cora. As quickly as she could manage, the redhead shot her arms out and caught the girl and planted her feet squarely on the earth before they both hit the ground.

 

The mark on Cora's arm gave of a soft, faint golden light as her pupils suddenly reflected silver light against a sea of marble green. She hadn't meant to change eyes, but the feline's night vision allowed her to scan the girl's face in hopes of recognizing her. She frowned when the face brought no kindling of recognition and cleared her throat apologetically when she realized she was still grasping her as if they had just danced the tango. "Oh god, sorry about that. Guess I get too caught up with races," she laughed, pulling them both upright. "I'm Cora, I don't think I've seen you around before. Are you on your way to the farm too?" She cast a casual, inquisitive glance at the boys not too far off, as if wondering whether or not they knew the girl Cora had just knocked over.

[Skellybones]

Leona blinked in suprise, watching the human missile's eyes carefully. "Leona..." she murmered, as she was pulled to her feet. "I'm not sure whether I am heading to the farm, altough, it seems like a better idea then returning to the orphanage," she looked thoughtful, as if trying to decide something. "Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be in world war 2?" she asked Cora, feeling the need to tell someone, "I wouldn't go there if I were you, it's nasty. All of those bombs..." A shiver ran down Leonas spine as she remembered the war sirens, and the bodies being thrown like rag dolls if the owner hadn't managed to escape in time. The sheer noise of the bombs was deafening, let alone the damage they caused.

[coralkiki]

Smiling at herself, Katja shook her braid loose, before quickly putting her blonde locks up in a bun. She’d already changed; the skirt she had worn to school had been swapped for a pair of black biker shorts, and all her jewelry had been put away. Her heels had been exchanged for a pair of Nightmare hunt-proof flats, though her top, a mix of purple fabric and lace, was the same as she had worn earlier that day. Trying her hardest not to make any sound, Katja opened her window and slid out. In times like these, a room on the first floor was very practical.

 

Her feet hardly made a sound as she walked along the grass, and she threw a quick glance back at her house before she hurried into the trees and hid. Nope, no one had seen her. Good. Keeping herself hidden in the shades of the trees, Katja made her way towards Whicket’s farm. It was starting to get dark, and knowing the others, they probably hadn’t waited for her, and the farm was as good a place to find Nightmares as any.

 

Wanting to catch up with the group, Katja took the shortcut through the woods. She’d just begun to hear voices when a different noise caught her attention. Wings? She stopped, looking for the source of the sound. “AÏE!” she screamed, lifting her arms up to protect her face from the charging Nightmare. Her mark glowed as she let her powers do as they pleased, sending a burst of energy into the charging monster. As hoped, the monster was destroyed, and the girl took the chance to sprint out of the forest and to the road, cursing in Russian. She could feel a cut or something on her arm, and wanted a chance to look at it before another Nightmare attacked.

 

[ValidEmotions]

Dax shook his head, motioning towards the others. "We should stay with the group instead of going off alone. There's the risk of being surrounded by more Nightmares than we can handle by ourselves." Glancing over as there was a bit of shouting, he watched as Cora practically collided into another person. Sighing faintly, he looked back at Carlie before starting to walk again. "Come on. We should catch up. Sounds like they're already starting to cause trouble..."

 

Jason flailed his arms, hurrying over with Marcos towards Cora and the girl. "Are you guys alright?" Coming to stand a couple feet away, Jason briefly examined the girl, trying to answer the question on if he knew her. Currently, no bells rung and he shrugged. "Name's Jason and that's Marcos. Further back but coming this way are Carlie and Dax," he introduced.

[hazeh]

Cora's smile faltered slightly at the mention of the orphanage. This girl was an orphan? She hated knowing that anyone in their town was without a family, even though sometimes she wished she could trade in her mother. Quickly, though, Cora brightened her smile again. She knew from first hand experience that pity was not a desired reaction, and she'd hate to lose a potential friend over automatic feelings.

The next question caught the redhead off guard and she blinked for a moment before she understood. "I don't think I'd want to imagine being in any war like that," she answered with a thoughtful look. "Sounds like living hell to me. Though I guess I'm not one to talk, with all this freaky going on lately." War certainly sounded a lot worse, but she supposed they were in their own little version of it.

 

Noticing that Leona was shivering, Cora instinctively placed a concerned hand on the girl's shoulder, but turned to Jason and Marcos as they caught up. "Yeah, we're cool I think," she said, casting a side-ways wink at Leona. Then she looked over Marco's shoulder to spy Dax and Carlie and cupped a hand around her mouth to call, "Hurry up slow-pokes! You're gonna miss all the fun!"

 

"Hey Leona, you should come with us. We got your back, no worries," the redhead said warmly, giving the girl's shoulder a gentle squeeze before finally letting go. She turned to face the direction of the farm they were headed too, and cracked her knuckles excitedly.

[Skellybones]

Leona shrugged. "Sure, why not?" She asked playfully, gratified by Cora's warmth. "I suppose I could be a pretty good escape method..." She grinned knowingly, thinking back to time traveling. She turned to the two boys, noting their names. "I'm Leona. Pleased to meet you!" Leona stuck out her hand, in an attempt to make a handshake and be 'Sophisticated' as the care-workers always pushed her to be. She could already feel herself blushing. Wasn't she only meant to do this for adults? A frown spread across her face for a moment, as she tried to decide whether she should try or not. Changing her mind quickly, she turned the proposed handshake to a nervous scratch, bringing her hand back around to her ear. And now I probably look stupid. She thought bitterly, regretting the whole movement.

[ValidEmotions]

((Silver?))

[Silver_Voices]

((Sorry, sorry. ^^; I haven't been getting alerts...))

 

Carlie scowled a little as Dax pulled ahead, then shrugged her jacket further onto her shoulder. Staying with the group because it was 'safer' was such a girl thing. As if she couldn't take care of herself... True, she wasn't quite up to her full strength, but it's not like that mattered to her ability. She was quite capable on her own, and she was just asking for company. She didn't need anyone else to protect her. It wasn't like-

 

"Hurry up slow-pokes! You're gonna miss all the fun!"

 

She glanced up again as Cora called for them, then quickened her pace to pass by Dax as she settled into a jog. Catching up to the group, she gently bumped arms with Cora. As she looked about the circle, the noted an unfamiliar presence. Blinking a few times, she squinted at the girl and pursed her lips, trying to put some recognition to her. "... Haven't I seen you around school?"

[Skellybones]

Waving her hand vaguely, Leona answered the new appearance. "Probably..." She bit her lip, thinking. She should probably get back to the orphanage. She would find herself being scolded if not. But what did she care if she was scolded? She wasn't just a small kid anymore. She could look after herself. Couldn't she? Well, seen as she had almost become one of the latest victims in World War Three, the answer to that was probably no. Ah, well, what was life if you couldn't have fun? Screw the orphanage. Leona shook her head, blinking as she came out of her daydreaming. "Sorry, did some say something....?" She asked, trying to figure out whether someone had or not.

[coralkiki]

Katja could just see Carlie and Dax as she finally stopped complaining to herself over her minimalistic wound. She shot another look into the darkness of the forest, looking for any sign that nightmares had followed her out. She scrunched her eyebrows, she was somewhat expecting the monster not to give up without a fight, but then again, him not doing so gave her a chance to catch up with the others. Practice was nice and dandy, put after all, part of the reason she did this was the social aspect.

 

Shrugging, Katja picked up her pace, cursing as she saw Carlie do the same. Really? Just as she was about to catch up? She put on a burst of speed and closed the distance remaining between her and Dax. “Thank you,” She said, ever so sarcastically as she reached him, “For waiting for me.”

 

[ValidEmotions]

Dax blinked, turning his gaze to Katja as she came up to them. "Sorry. I didn't think you would come tonight." There was suddenly a lot of kids in their group and he started to wonder if they should split up into two. "We're headed to the farm. Marcos said there was a cluster of Nightmares rising. Which, now that I think about it, might explain why not many are popping up along the way..."

 

He frowned slightly, thinking this idea over. It had mostly been quiet despite how much noise the others were making up ahead. Cora's shout caught his attention and he sighed, shaking his head. "Might as well..." He quickened his pace, making sure Katja was doing the same. When he reached the others, he could see the farm in the near distance and his frown deepened. "Hanging around to chat seems nice but, I think the mass of Nightmares a few hundred yards away is of more concern right now. Wouldn't you guys agree?"

 

As Dax pointed out the nearby Nightmares, Marcos reached out with his senses, the mark on his forearm beginning to glow steadily. "Yeah, uh... We have a bigger problem too... Mr. Wh-" A gunshot cut him off and the boy glanced back at the others, a fearful look in his gaze. "Mr. Whicket's outside..." Followed or not, Marcos started running for the farm.

 

"Marcos! Hey! Wait up!" Jason called, looking over his shoulder at the rest of the group and motioning for them to hurry and follow. Something was up and it didn't sound good, a series of gunshots ringing through the distance. I hope everything's alright... He jumped slightly when Dax suddenly appeared beside him.

 

"You'll never run fast enough. I'll go on ahead and distract the Nightmares away from Mr. Whicket until the rest of you are close enough to help." Not waiting for Jason's response, Dax motioned his arm upward. A stream of darkness followed his movement, slithering into the air before him, and he disappeared through it.

 

A second later, he reappeared beside Mr. Whicket. The older man was too busy trying to fight off a Nightmare to notice the sudden appearance of the boy. There were about eight creatures surrounding them, mostly different from one another. As the man began to realize there was someone beside him, the creature he was fending against managed to slip past his gun and knock him unconscious. "Back..." Clenching his hand, Dax brought his arm back before swinging it to catch the Feline-Lizard on the side of its head with a hook. "Off!" To emphasize his attack, a solidified silhouette of darkness had covered his forearm and expanded to make a sort of gauntlet.

 

The Nightmare's head shot to the side and it stumbled a few steps away but, otherwise, was not deterred. More of the surrounding creatures closed in on Dax and the old farmer, one snatching at the unconscious man.

 

"Leave him alone! You're not taking another person!" Flames collided against the ground at the offending Nightmare's back feet, making it release its intended prey. "Dax! Ease up on the darkness, will ya? You're starting to look a bit like hell." Jason smirked as he caught sight of the boy pausing, taking a moment to recognize the fire manipulator before ruffling his hair and smoothing it out.

 

Marcos dug a foldable knife out of his pocket, opening it quickly and glancing back to see who else was here at the moment and who was still catching up. "Jason, there's one behind you. Duck!" Knowing that Jason had done what he said, Marcos frowned slightly. A pocket knife wasn't going to do much good due to its small size but, he knew how to work with that. Moving towards a Scorpion-Rat at the edge of the gathered creatures, he quickly swept the blade at the Nightmare's back leg. "Looking for someone to prey on? Why not me?" The rat hissed at him, turning to face him fully and advancing.

 

((Bit chaotic for a post. If something confuses you, let me know and I'll see if I can clarify further. Decided to push the RP along since it's been hovering for a bit without real momentum.))