After Dark. (Open)

[August Hoult]

    August loved walking through the forest, but just not at night. Which is what was happening at this very moment. "Darn" he muttered under his breath. He was lost and he knew it.  He had to admit though, the forest was beautiful at night. He loved the way the moonlight shone through the canopies and the sound of crickets in the distance. A brook babbled no more than 100 feet away which calmed his fear although it was only slight.  August really hated night. He hated the fact that anything can happen and that demons were strongest after dark. He didn't want to fly out because that meant ripping his favorite shirt with wings on the back.  The only option he had was to shift into his white tiger. He knew people would be suspicious of a large white tiger in the city forest, but it was the only way he could find his way home. August crouched down and let the transformation consume him. Large white paws were where his feet and hands once were, his spine painfully straightened as each and every bone of his broke and crack allowing them to change  into the anatomy of a tiger.  A long howling wail of pain erupted from deep inside him.  As soon as it had started  the transformation was complete. Everyone of his senses had heightened.  The babble of the brook was now a scream as if he stood right next to it. 
Glowing mint green eyes searched the immediate area looking for an escape while giant white and black striped paws bounced off the ground as his body took of into a sprint. August let a roar rip from his chest, warning everyone around him to stay away. 

[Sasha Annabelle Roth]

It has been a long while since Sasha Roth has gone out into nature and today, she decided to put an end to that cycle. She had yet to really visit this place and was eager to just take her time, walking about and being with nature overall. Being the werewolf that she is, the city can occasionally be a bit too stifling for her taste. So, she packed herself some food, water, and her camera inside her backpack before she was off into the woods for the day. She may gotten herself lost a time or two, but she soon righted herself and continued on her way. But then, at one point, after eating some of the food that she packed...she took a little nap.

She had dreamed of memories past, of when she lived out and away from town. Both with her parents and then with her brother's beloved, helping to raise their son while her brother was nowhere to be found. That's not to say he was the leaving sort of father, there were understandable things in the way of him being together with them. She could remember the day she and her siblings had to run for their lives, while their parents sacrificed themselves to the hunters. She remembered the feeling of the ground beneath her feet, as it took her far away from all that she knew and the parents who loved her. For a long time, she had thought that she lost all of her family for good...until she came across and was immediately reunited with her brother. She hadn't talked to him in a while, which saddened her a bit, but could understand. It was because he was busy, he has a life to attend to here and sometimes..things can fall by the wayside, like keeping in touch with his own sister. Perhaps someday soon, she will make the move and get in touch with him. Hopefully he'll respond...

Then, something moved in the forest that awoke her. Was it the sound of the babbling water from the brook she laid near? Or something else? Either way, she was wide awake now and realizing that she slept way longer than she expected to. Guess she needed the relaxation that nature seemed to bring her that badly. She took a deep breath, as she sat up and looked about her. She could see in the dark a bit better than a mere human can, but it wasn't perfect night vision. Sasha began to get up from her spot, stretching out her limbs and awakening them from their slumber. In the distance, she suddenly heard a loud wail. She grabbed at her ears, the sound seeming like it was closer than it was. What was that?, she thought to herself. She looked about and opened her senses up to the night. The air faintly carried the scent, though it was something that she did not recognize. All that she could tell was that it wasn't from a regular human or animal. Part of her wants to steer clear, though the other part is curious as to what it could be. Soon enough, her curiosity got the better of her and she moved carefully...she wasn't going to let her guard down, so she kept herself prepared to change forms and/or fight if necessary. Then, she heard the roar rip through the forest and she paused briefly. "Okay, that definitely is something that doesn't belong in a forest.." she said to herself, recognizing it enough to have it not be something like a bear or a mountain lion. A few moments passed, as she slowly made her way through the trees. It seemed like the more she moved, the closer she was getting toward the source of this. The sound of paws bouncing off the ground had soon reached her ears...

OOC: Hope this works ^^

Click here for her attire.

[August Hoult]

August quickened his pace to a sprint, following a scent trail that always seemed out of his reach. He wove effortlessly between trees while his feet pounded harder and harder against the ground as his pace quickened. He could only think of chuckling as he watched deer hop out of his way to avoid being pummeled by his large form. Just for a moment august thought he smelled something different, it almost smelled human. What human would be in these woods at this time at night, and be awake? He thought he saw a woman's figure right before he rammed into her with a surprised yelp. His glowing mint green eyes met hers as he lay on top of her. August jumped off her in a panic and backed up quickly, the action looked almost cartoonish. "What?" He asked confusedly his voice was sort of husky from being in his tiger form. His head tilted to the left as he stood up and looked at her. Slowly he began to circle her sniffing her from every angle. She smelled wrong, she wasn't fully a human. His tail flicked back and fourth against his legs before standing strait up with a little kink at the tip. What was this woman doing in the forest? Could she help him get home? Better yet would she have clothes for him to wear, seeing as next time he changed he would be naked.

[Sasha Annabelle Roth]

This wasn't the greatest idea she had in her head, but was going with it. Curiosity, hopefully, won't kill the cat this time...or in this case, the wolf. Sasha took a deep breath, keeping her senses alert. Though in spite of all that, it didn't seem to fully prepare her for what was due to happen. She heard the pounding of paws grow louder and louder, until the next thing she knew, she felt something big ram into her and she fell to the ground. Sasha barely had time to keep her head from hitting the ground hard, before whatever rammed her was on top of her. She could make out the form to be a tiger....a tiger? She felt her eyes widen, not expecting to run into a tiger...here, of all places in the world. She had met a pair of minty green eyes that glowed in the night, before the weight was removed from her when the animal moved off her in a panic. They backed up from her, as she slowly moved to a sitting position. She took a deep breath, smelling the human in the midst of all the tiger scent. A few moments came and went. "What?" the tiger had said, the voice coming out as husky. She watched as the tiger looked at her - almost curious about her? Well, it would seem a little weird that a woman could be out here alone...at night...and appearing unafraid before a tiger. Then again, Miss Sasha wasn't even a regular woman to begin with. She stayed where she was, while it circled her and sniffed at her.

When it stood straight up, Sasha kept her movements slow and smooth-ish as she stood up herself. She took a deep breath. "Well, this is quite an interesting twist to the night, am I right?" she said with a small smile. She was sure that whoever was in the tiger didn't expect it, she definitely didn't when she came out here. But now that things worked out like this, Sasha was gonna roll with it as best as she can. "As you can probably smell from me, I'm not completely human. And I can tell, as well as smell, that you're not all tiger either." she soon added. Might as well get that out there in the open, right? Her gaze looked at the tiger before her and well, she found this to be pretty amazing. She hadn't really run into a lot of other shifters and what not, while being in this town. Then again, she doesn't get out too much aside from work and errands. She keeps to herself for the most part, but sometimes, being out among people is what she needs to do. "So, what shall we do now or do we want to keep staring at each other?" she asked. As fun this might be, both of them would need to get to their perspective homes eventually.

[August Hoult]

August watched her stand up, she did it slowly and smoothly, this woman was probably trying not to evoke fear in him. He sniffed the air once more and was hit by the smell. It was wolfish, the kind of musky smell of leaves dirt and wetness that he grew to love over the years of changing in forests; but there was another smell underneath, human. The two smells mixed together perfectly but also gave her away as a shifter. August knew that other shifters existed because his mother was one as well, but he never realized they could be other animals. He hoped she wouldn't be able to smell the other part of him as well. What did angel smell like?  He soon realized he too was standing like a human and leaned over before landing on his paws. Then she spoke, she knew he wasnt a full tiger and she wasnt full human, she also thought this was an interesting twist. "As I can smell from you, you defiantly are not fully a human, I am smelling something wolfish."  He spoke his words guarded. 
Next she asked him what they should do now, he actually really wanted to learn more about this other shifter, to him it was like discovering a whole new species and he wanted to know more.  He hadnt been this curious about someone else in a very long time. But he had to answer her, if he didn't that would be very rude. "Well, I can only assume you're out here for two reasons, to hunt, or to camp? If you are camping I would like to join you and follow you out of the forest when you leave, I got lost you see I've only been in this town for a few months."  He then realized he has no clothes to wear after he shifted back and softly groaned before looking at her yet again. "I also may not be able to switch back, I do not have any extra clothes on me, I did not expect to run into a person while I was out here."  He spoke softly before sitting back on his haunches. Well this was interesting. What were they going to do now?

[Sasha Annabelle Roth]

A moment came and went. "As I can smell from you, you defiantly are not fully a human, I am smelling something wolfish." The tiger said and she cracked a little smile. "Guilty." Sasha then replied, confirming what he had already suspected. A part of her was certainly curious about this shifter, since she hasn't really met any other shifters before. Aside from her brother, of course, but he is more like her. She soon asked him what they should do now, though there wasn't a real rush on it. Given the fact that it's nighttime, there's a low chance of someone coming across them here. Especially someone who is just a human, since no one in their right mind would be out here wandering about. Then, he spoke - well she would assume it's a male before her. She definitely wasn't going to look down at certain areas to find out for sure. "Well, I can only assume you're out here for two reasons, to hunt, or to camp? If you are camping I would like to join you and follow you out of the forest when you leave, I got lost you see I've only been in this town for a few months." Sasha debated how to answer for a moment. She technically wasn't here for either of those reasons, should she tell him that? In the midst of her thoughts, she heard the tiger softly groan and look at her. She slightly raised one of her eyebrows, wondering what was going on. "I also may not be able to switch back, I do not have any extra clothes on me, I did not expect to run into a person while I was out here." She soon made the face that said 'Ahh, gotcha.' Then, she remembered one time in the woods where she came across a woman running and they were soon walking back to her car...while Sasha was pretty much naked. Aside from the jacket that the woman gave to her to cover up somewhat. Sasha could understand that sort of plight, definitely. "Indeed. I could understand that, had come across someone before as a wolf and shifted in front of them. Although they had given me their jacket for the walk back to my car, well until I could find where I stashed my clothes...but I was still pretty much naked in front of a stranger...so I know what you mean." she responded, hoping to assure him that she could relate to him in that way.

A few, brief moments passed on by them. "And as far as what I'm doing out here...technically speaking, it wasn't for either reason you mentioned. I came out here earlier in the day, to get away from things...and napped way longer than I planned to." she admitted, feeling almost sheepish for it. She told the truth, though it almost seemed like a ridiculous reason. Though the question is, what to do now? Should they try to find their way back to her car or should they stay here and make some sort of camp? She didn't really have any sort of clothing to give him, so he would be stuck naked. She heaved a little sigh, while thinking of what they could do. "Hmm, unless we want to make our way to my car, we could try to make some sort of camp for the night. I don't have any clothes with me that I could spare...hell, I don't even have a change of clothes for me at the moment.." she then added, looking about at their surroundings, half-musing to herself and half-talking to him. She wished that she could be more help, but alas...she didn't have a lot with her to help.

[August Hoult]

"Are you a wolf shifer?" He asked his words guarded. When he was a child his mother once told him to keep quiet about his powers, both of them; for someday someone would want to kill him and learn how he does what he does. Augusts mom would tell him he is truly special, a rare breed. He was pure of heart, making him one of the best tigers of his old tribe, and was true to the fact he is an angel. No one besides his mother knows he is an angel, hes never trusted anyone with his secret before.  This woman was the only woman who ever found out his secret. "Oh, I am sorry, I forgot to tell you my name." He spoke "I am August Hoult." He smiled widely before realizing it might scare her, I mean a giant tiger smiling? It probably wasn't charming, he probably looked sinister. He sighed when she told him she had no clothes on her and tried to hide a chuckle when she told him the same thing happened to her. Good! That meant she empathized with him, and wouldn't think it weird if he decided not to shift back. She might even enjoy his thick warm fur. He could definitely protect them from anything that got in their way. Besides who would want to attack a tiger the size of a horse? He sat down and let his tail thump loudly against the ground. "Well we could always stay here, Maybe I could fashion a pair of pants out of leaves and vines." He said trying to sound optimistic but failing.  He fell onto his back, his giant paws curled up as his arms pointed toward the sky. The ground was very comfortable at night. He started to try to create a mental picture of him in a pair of leaf pants and blushed. They would be so wrong. He doubted they would even stay on his being. He was too fit and thin. He closed his mint eyes for a little bit and tried to think of ways to leave the forest. 

[Sasha Annabelle Roth]

"Are you a wolf shifer?" Sasha briefly bit her lower lip, sensing some hesitancy in his words. Could be nothing really, but there was something that faintly changed in his voice. Was he worried that his secret came out to the wrong person, that he's gonna get into trouble or something like that? Sasha took a deep breath before she answered him. "Well, not exactly. Werewolf, actually. Though...that's not all I've been. I was born as a gifted shifter, but things and life changed all that...now I'm this.." she admitted, feeling a faint pang in her chest. If she choose to be any of the things she's been, Sasha would've wanted to be what she was at the start. The "gifts" that her parents gave her. She met the tiger's gaze. "If you're worried that I might rat you out or something, don't worry. It's safe with me and besides, who am I going to tell? I can count the amount of people I've come across that weren't completely human on one hand.." she added, demonstrating the notion with her right hand...counting up to three. "Oh, I am sorry, I forgot to tell you my name." She could've mentally kicked herself so good for that, forgetting the fact that they never introduced themselves to each other. "I am August Hoult." She noticed as he smiled widely and probably wore the facial expression of 'whoa,' complete with mouthing the word. Now if she was in her other form, she would probably be way more afraid than she is right now. Given how their forms would compare, he would eat her up for a snack or appetizer most likely. "Well, nice to meet you, August. I'm Sasha Roth." she had responded politely with a smile. Normally, she would extend her hand for a handshake at this point, but it would be hard right now - given the circumstances and all.

She had heard him sigh, when she told him that she didn't have clothes to spare. At least she was honest, right? She couldn't help to let out a little chuckle, when he sat down on the ground and his tail thumped loudly. This was just turning out to be an interesting night and in her head, she had briefly pictured Toothless from "How to train your dragon" doing the same thing that August just did. How did she get that picture in her head? Well, during one of her home visits, the mother-to-be's first child was in the living room with them and he was watching that movie. Sasha had caught herself watching little snippets of the movie as it played. "Well we could always stay here, Maybe I could fashion a pair of pants out of leaves and vines." She nodded her head, though slightly pursed her lips at the idea that he mentioned. A moment came and went. "Would that be comfortable?" she asked, a little unsure that it would even work. Not to say that she was shooting down his idea, but she didn't know if it would even work for long. She tried to think of something that could help them, while pulling her backpack off her back and opening it up. She pulled out the plastic water bottle she had, it didn't stand up to the unexpected "running into a tiger" part of things. Sasha began pulling things out, since it would appear that the inside of the bag was partially soaked from the water that was left.

[August Hoult]

"Anythings better than being naked right?" He joked and smiled again. So now she wasn't a she.. She was a Sasha. August always enjoyed the name Sasha,he thought it was pretty. He also learned she is a werewolf, he never met a werewolf. Werewolves are the creatures that only change during a full moon right? Or was he thinking vampires? No..No it was werewolves. Could they change without the moon like him? He had so many questions to ask her but decided against it. He blushed a little when she pulled out the smooshed water bottle and muttered an apologetic "Sorry about that, I didn't smell you until the last minute." He looked away before tilting his head back and looking at the giant oak tree behind them. That would be wonderful to climb! "That seems big enough to hold my weight" he muttered before hopping up and galloping his way to the tree. His excitement radiated off him in waves. Trees were Augusts favorite thing to climb, especially in tiger form. His only problem was he needed a little help getting down. He stood up on his hind legs and started to climb the tree by hooking his claws into the bark. Once he was about ten feet up he stopped and perched on a branch. "Look! I am the rare catbird!" he exclaimed happily while pretending to flap his paws. Yes he acted like a child, did he care? NO. A gentle breeze from the west blew his long fur to the east. The wind was cool, and smelled of ozone, which meant a storm was coming. He hated being wet it was the worst feeling in the world. The water would get up his nose and get in his ears and it would hurt until it dried and it was just very unpleasant. He whined softly before calling out "Its gonna rain!"  then he realized he couldn't get back down.  He whined again and looked down at the ground. "Ill uh...stay up here!" he called to her defeated. "I like going up! But coming down sucks!" He climbed further out on the limb and winced when it bent a little under his weight.

Well crap, if he moved any further out he would fall. He remembered when he was very young and his mom was still alive he got caught in a tree once. It was a warm Saturday afternoon his mom had ushered him into a forest to hide from who ever was chasing them. She told him to climb the oak tree that was in the middle of the forest and stay there until she came to get him. He did as he was told but a limb broke and he crashed down hitting branches along the way. Ever since then he loved climbing trees but could never climb back down.

[Sasha Annabelle Roth]

"Anythings better than being naked right?" She had cracked a half-smile, while nodding her head. If things between them were reversed and she was who's shifted without any clothes with her to put on. She would be a bit embarrassed to be completely naked in front of August, though if things had played out anything like it did with the woman, she changed without really meaning to do so. When she started pulling out stuff from her backpack, she did not really notice that August blushed a little and sounded apologetic when he then said "Sorry about that, I didn't smell you until the last minute." Sasha looked up and slightly shook her head. "It's fine. I didn't realize how close the sound was, until you were right on top of me. So, no worries." she responded, reassuring him that she wasn't upset about the water bottle or anything. It was just a bottle, one that she can easily replace. It could've been worse, anyhow. If she was a human and he landed on top of her like he did, it may have been her bones that were affected - not a plastic bottle. She soon turned back to assess her things, while August apparently was getting the idea of climbing a tree. "That seems big enough to hold my weight" she heard him say, but didn't really respond to it. From what she can see, her things didn't really get soaked like the inside of her bag did. She had looked up to see that August, in fact, climbed up the tree. She smiled, seeing the sight. "Look! I am the rare catbird!" Sasha let out a laugh, seeing as he pretended to flap his paws. "All hail the rare catbird!" she called out, in the midst of her laughs. She even made a little bit of a show by bowing before the tree with her arms out in front of her.

There was a gentle breeze that blew through, as he was up in the tree and she was on the ground. She soon ended the little "show" and began to put her stuff back into her bag once she was satisfied that she got a good portion of the wetness out of there. She didn't really hear his soft whine, but had heard him when he said "Its gonna rain!" Sasha looked up at him and the sky above them. Well, D*mn it, she thought to herself. Hearing his whine, her gaze moved towards where August was. "I'll uh...stay up here!" She couldn't help but to raise an eyebrow slightly at him. "I like going up! But coming down sucks!" She shrugged both her shoulders a little bit, knowing that feeling. She doesn't spend a lot of her time climbing trees these days, but had remembered doing so on occasion when she was younger. Sasha looked up at him again. "Well, I'm not gonna force you to come back down, but you know that you'll have to do so eventually." she called up to him, taking a deep breath. Well, if he was going to stay up there, then she needs to think of something to give herself some cover before the rain reaches them and she gets soaked. Sasha began to look around for something she could use as some form of shelter, or at least things she could make a shelter out of.

[August Hoult]

August looked down at her and realized for some reason he really wanted to keep her safe. He scooted a little closer to the edge of the branch and heard a sickening crack. The branch had broken under his weight and he came tumbling down to earth. He yelped in pain as he hit the ground before sitting back on his haunches. He brought his paws up to inspect them for any damage before looking at her and saying "I think I am okay nothing is damaged." If he were human she would have been able to see him blush. August tilted his nose up into the air and let the smells wash over him "Storms a little closer, smells very wet." He muttered to himself. "Ill smell like wet cat." He groaned and looked around the campsite for something to make shelter from. "We should move further upstream, there might be saplings we could knock over and use for a shelter, I estimate the storm will hit in an hour, we have to be quick." He spoke to her trying to sound logical before realizing what is the point he is stuck as a cat anyway.

[Sasha Annabelle Roth]

Sasha was still looking around at her surroundings, trying to see if there was anything that would work for building material, when she heard the crack. She looked up to see the branch break and send August tumbling down towards the ground. A look of fright had crossed Sasha's facial features, while she made sure that she wasn't in the way of getting crushed by him...and dodging the falling branch. Sasha cringed a little bit, when August fell and let out a yelp of pain from the fall. Sasha took about two steps, wanting to see if he was alright, when he sat back onto his haunches. She watched, as he lifted up each paw to see if there was any damage to them. A few moments passed on by, when he looked over at her. "I think I am okay nothing is damaged." She cracked a smile, glad to hear that he was okay and nothing except the tree branch was damaged in the process. He had tilted his nose toward the air, Sasha seemed to follow suit and smelled the air. There was the smell of an incoming storm, sure, but she couldn't tell if it was stronger or not. August could apparently tell, though, which was good. At least one of them could do so. "Storms a little closer, smells very wet." She nodded her head, smelling once more and finally got the scent of it being stronger than before. "Ill smell like wet cat." She couldn't help but to chuckle. If she was in her other form, she would be worrying about smelling like a wet dog if she got soaked by rain. In other words, she could understand the feeling and worry that August was facing at the moment. 

So far in her search, Sasha couldn't find anything here that would work for building a shelter. Perhaps somewhere down the river or something...her thought seemed to mirror August's, given what he suggested next. "We should move further upstream, there might be saplings we could knock over and use for a shelter, I estimate the storm will hit in an hour, we have to be quick." She nodded her head, knowing that she was thinking along the same line as he was moments before. "Heh, I was coming to the same sort of conclusion..nothing right here seems like it would work.." she responded with a slight shrug of her shoulders. She took a look up toward the sky...well as good of a look she could get with all the tree cover. A moment came and went. "If we were going to make our move, we probably should do it soon." she suggested, looking back at August. A half-smile danced upon her lips.

[August Hoult]

August looked at her and decided then he was going to protect her with all his being. He slowly rose to all four of his paws and made his way over to her (Which was only one step). While he stood before her he crouched slowly. "Climb on my back, I am sure you can grip my fur tight enough to not fall off when I begin to run?"  He smiled goofily at her. "Or you know I could hold you with my tail" He chuckled softly and waited for her to climb on. They would go away from the storm, which was coming from the north-west, which meant they should be going south-east.  Which meant they would end up crossing the lake. August would surely get wet either way. He could smell the wet cat smell, and almost feel the heaviness of his coat.  He absolutely hated being wet, the heaviness, the smell, the just gross feeling of his fur. No wonder cats hated water.  

[Sasha Annabelle Roth]

Sasha watched, as August slowly got up on all fours and took one step to move closer to her (which would've taken her a few steps). A moment or two came and went, as he seemed to crouch slowly. She slightly raised an eyebrow, though her confusion was short-lived. "Climb on my back, I am sure you can grip my fur tight enough to not fall off when I begin to run?" He cracked a goofy-looking smile at her, which made her chuckle a little bit. "Or you know I could hold you with my tail" Another chuckle slipped from her lips. Sasha could picture the sight in her head and would rather ride on his back, holding on tight. Although going with holding onto his tail would be fun, it would also mean the higher possibility of hitting rocks and things that litter the ground. "I'll go with your back. If I hold on too tight and pull any fur out, I apologize beforehand." she said, as she moved to climb onto August's back. "That's not to say that it will happen, but figured I should cover bases anyhow.." she quickly added with a bit of a sheepish look on her face (though he couldn't quite see it). She had one leg on each side of him and began to get a good grip on his fur. She didn't want to hurt him in any way, so she figured that a forewarning would be in order. If she ended up doing so, it would be completely on accident. Once her hands were in a good enough position, she began to lean close to him. Sitting upright as he ran would probably not be the greatest idea, given there are in a forest and low branches could easily knock her off him. Her nostrils became filled with his scent, which seemed quite interesting..she breathed it in a bit..

[August Hoult]

August felt her weight on his back, she was fairly light and would be easy for him to move. He stood up completely once she was fully situated. "Its okay if you pull a little, it will grow back"  He smiled and began to slowly trot down to the south-east near the dry part of the land. He smiled as the forest came to life, a bird chirping here, a cricket there. The scurrying of little paws on the forest floor was his favorite though. He loved to watch the little mice scurry away from his big paws. He slowly began to speed up as he hopped over logs and crawled on his belly under trees. "You still okay back there?" He asked as he  brought his tail up to feel for her. The tip of his tail connected with her butt accidentally. "Oops sorry!" He said quickly "I am so sorry, I just wanted to be sure you were safe."  He blushed and halted as they neared the water. "You might want to move a little more up my back, you could get a little wet here"