Predator (Bloodmoon!)

(Prelude - just something to set the stage )

Violence is not an uncommon thing where people are pushed to the edge, when the ends don't meet and folks need to turn to something darker to see life through. That, or starve. That's just how things are - Crash Alley is one of those places where a thousand such stories play out, start to finish like a continual opera. In a coincidental sort of way, Sophie Michaels knew that - even if she didn't have the life experience to put words around it.

The races were on - and she liked watching them, and she had friends there. Despite the rumors of a monster in the area, despite the attacks and the two killings - violent deaths perpetrated by an appearant animal of some kind, the races still went on. After all - who believed rumors like that? Not Sophie! And she WAS the monster! So as she strolled up to the races that night, blinking the groggy out of her eyes and savoring the taste of Mama Lane's gumbo (she'd couch surfed at the Lane family home last night and Mama Lane insisted she not only got a good meal, but two good meals!) that still lingered in her mouth.

The gentle bum-bum-bum of music filled the area as she approached. Imagine a girl - pretty, with a little perky nose, almond eyes, a green coat some three or four sizes too big, and brilliantly white hair bound up in the folds of a hoodie. She couldn't be more than 16 or 17, a bit on the scrawny side (thus the extra meals), but lean - there was muscle under those baggy clothes, some anyway (she wasn't ms. universe).

"Hey So-Pheee!" a young man's voice came, carrying over the distance as she surfaced from the shadows into a pool of streetlight. She flailed her arms enthusiastically in greeting, the sleeves of her coat flap-flapping cheerfully overhead as she did! "You're here!"

"Haiyuuu!" she squealed joyfully, and twirled once in place. "Inna flesh!" she added, breath condensing in the air. A considerably darker youth sauntered up to her and scooped the tiny thing into a hug of greeting. Then, because she was so light he spun her once, eliciting a little squeak before letting her go.

"Hey Dylan" she said softly, and grinned like a pumpkin up at him. Then, his arm went around her shoulders and he led her to the races.

Bloodmoon made his way through crash alley just being a teen for once his black hair and dark red jacket fluttering in the slight breeze. His canine yellow eyes scanning the run down neighbor hood imagining what the place looked like before it became known as crash alley. He was wearing his normal attire a dark blue shirt faded blue jeans and white Nikes. Though Bloodmoon would never be a normal teen he could easily be identified by his iron forearms the moonlight gleaming off the crescent moons on them. He then heard the thump of music turned up loud Bloodmoon actually enjoyed them even if they where not legal and often thought of buying a car and having Hephaestus make it a street racer but for now he just made his way and joined the crowd to watch the race while trying to shake off a feeling that he should of stayed far away from the races tonight.

Something was not right. Sophie could feel it in her bones, sense it in the wind like a smell of slightly-off milk. She tried to ignore it but it was no use - she'd felt this before. It felt like this every time she changed form, as she tasted a bitter taste of bile in the back of her throat, as pain surged through every transforming nerve ending. It was a kind of... corruption suffusing everything, poisoning every sensation. The work of her father... was near. And she wasn't talking about the businessman.

She'd barely noticed she'd gone tense, that her eyes were narrowed, that her face had paled, that her fists were clenched into little balls, but Dylan hadn't. He had gone still staring at her, eyes huge in the dim light. People in a small radius were giving her a wide berth, like one might give a dangerous animal... only, it wasn't something they were deciding to do exactly - it was pure reflex, the lizard part of the brain speaking to their subconscious.

"Sophie... what's wrong girl?" Dylan asked, voice hollow, apprehensive. He didn't know - he couldn't know.

"N-no..." she managed, forcing herself to calm and take deep breaths. Maybe it was another being like her? A human turned? Yeah, and maybe someone could hand her fifty bucks. It wasn't likely to happen, ladies and gentlemen.

"No, I'm okay." she added, at last managing to collect herself and relax. The moment of tension had gone on too long though, and Dylan didn't look convinced. He had the sense not to ask stupid questions though, just looked around him a little, above peoples' heads and around them. Maybe she'd highlighted something he was feeling too? Sophie found that on some level, people did notice. Lunes weren't always obvious (like her), but unless they had a mind to appear natural, they gave off a predatory vibe, their eyes gleamed with unwarranted intelligence, their bodies moved with more purpose than an animal usually showed. On a human, that would mean bad stuff was going to happen. On a dog (Which was exceedingly common, as Lunes went) that was extremely unsettling.

Whether he bought it or not, though, was anyone's guess. Sophie had not a clue as she watched him a full few seconds, and people closed in on her again, filling the gap she no longer occupied with psychic predation. The sensation was still there... but it was muted by the surging press of humanity going to the races!

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Someone wasn't having a good night. He'd walked to the races from his house, and the whole while, since he'd taken the shortcut through the warehouse district, he'd felt... uneasy. Someone was following me. He was no stranger to the streets, not by a long way, and knew how being stalked felt. He'd waited for them, he'd looked back, and lord help him there were dogs. He hadn't been sure at first because when he looked they had crouched back into the darkness, nothing but gleaming eyes and sleek silver shapes...

But when he looked again... Imagine a golden retriever. Then make it white... give it a lanky form, calm, cold eyes and... make it bigger. Then imagine that thing following you, not impatiently because you, as a two-legged monkey, were easy to catch. Then... imagine a pack of these. Different dogs - rottweilers, huskies, whatever - he'd stopped looking at this point and had broken into a dead sprint. He didn't waste time with screaming - he went straight from zero to giggity-gone in under a second. His track coach would be proud of him!

The dogs let out a mournful ululation, a cry that rent the air and froze his blood. He actually staggered, and actually did manage a scream this time! His heart pounded, his temples throbbed, and he sought even greater wings as sleek silver forms set out after him. While he was used to being hunted, he was NOT used to being chased. You should never, ever look back at your pursuer! It wasted time, it slowed you. He looked anyhow. And then went faster. Dogs didn't have that many eyes. Dogs didn't have needle fangs and scales. Dogs didn't bound off walls to dodge obstacles!

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Sophie froze when the strange howl broke over the city. It sang to her bones much more strongly than it had earlier now, that sensation of strangeness... but it was drowned out by a sort of fierce certainty, a hunger she couldn't put words around. Other people hadn't noticed the howl, the thump-thump-thump of music drowned it out for the most part. A few looked around a bit, but paid no further heed. Sophie vanished, pressing her way towards the back of the crowd again, quick as you please - Dylan didn't even notice her leaving.

Bloodmoon froze when he heard that howl it was one that shouldn't be heard on the mortal plane his wolf cloak seemed to flare to life on its own and many quickly gave him space they knew that he was a wolf in human skin when that cloak appeared. Bloodmoon rushed out of the crowed and towards the baying of the demon hounds that had some how made their way their way into the mortal world. What he came to made him quickly shoot a arrow through the demon head that was just about to kill the man hoping to catching the monsters attention and keep it on him while trying to not succumb to the primal magic in the air that was slowly driving his wolf side into a frenzy.

(OOC: Just to help the misunderstanding Bloodmoon is going to be driven temporarily in a pure wolf like state so he can't be reasoned with due to the primal aura that the demons are creating if you don't mind that is.)

((prolly not neccesary tbh what happens in my post is the pack leader of these lesser Lunes, Lan, confronts Bloodmoon as her pack encircles him, then Sophie/Galvora pops in behind Bloody, a ways behind, and Lan and Sophie don't much like each other. Please read my post closely, no skimming or ima smack you ))

The arrow struck home with a sound very much like a shovel hitting wet concrete, the powerful bow driving an arrow through the Lune's muzzle with a wet crunching thud just as it leapt for the human it had been hunting. The projectile actually stopped the lunar hound dead midair, reversed its momentum, and spun it end over end into a wall so great was the force behind it!

That alone made the others come to a screeching halt, their irregular many eyes huge, and indicated a measure of intelligence. Unthinking beings didn't consider their own safety.

"Take him." a clipped, harsh voice barked. And it WAS a bark - it had come from decidedly inhuman lips. One dog among them stood taller, a husky once, probably. Now she (and it was a she - the voice somehow communicated as much) was most decidedly NOT a dog, not anymore. The hairless white hide, steaming with excess body heat, the brilliant violet eyes glowing in the darkness, the gleam of thick scales on her hide like armor, and the largely undisturbed figure of her lithe form were a clear freaking clue and set her apart from the mangey, twisted, horrifyingly mutated things that closed with Bloodmoon, circling him, growling in low, wet sounds. They would react to his movements instantly - none would be easy prey, not when the young man had confronted not one, not two, but nine or ten lunar hounds, and one matron of them and they surrounded him.

Even as they circled growling, there was a wet snap from the crumpled form of the hound that had been shot as it... broke through the arrow lodged in its jaws, binding its mouth closed. It rose, spat out two neat little halves of the arrow, and even as it started to growl it began to heal, and quickly, joining the others like nothing happened.

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Sophie was not the dog. In fact, she wasn't even there yet. Running at night in an alley when you're a girl tends to prompt... questions. Questions she did not particularly feel like answering at the moment, but as the treble of growls grew more vibrant the closer she got, the more certain she was of her purpose for being in this alley. These alleys were Lan's territory, and Lan was not one to tolerate an interloper. And she'd found one. Or two. A bookish young man who didn't know the score bumped past her, face pale and eyes wide as he just... Ran, wheezing and pale.

Sophie's jaw set hard. She's cheerfully coexisted with Lan for a while now... They were both predators with different interests, and there was... A sort of respect. A predator's respect, and Lan had come close to violating that coexistence on several occasions.

Honestly, Sophie wasn't sure which way it would go if it came to blows. Lan was a lot older than she, dog or no, and she was certain a lot more intelligent. In raw power maybe Galvora outstripped her... But it would be overwhelming force versus not only devious skill but superior numbers. The prospect had pleased neither of them.

And so, when Galvora walked around the corner into the alley behind Bloodmoon, brilliant violet eyes glowing like two lanterns in her head, the first thing she did was lock eyes with Lan. The two froze - Lan stopped growling, her lash tail stilled, and Galvora stood like a statue, her back to the light and eyes smoldering, not unlike a cat's.

Their met gaze was damn near telepathic. The entire conversation might have taken less than a couple seconds.

This can go two ways, Lan.

Lan's eyes narrowed. Oh yes pup? I think not. He hurt my child.

Sophie's knuckles popped as she clenched her feminine little fists. Immaterial. He's fine. Let him walk, or we settle it.

Lan's lips peeled back to bare fangs at the girl, staring right past Bloodmoon at her. I will let my children tear at your hide as I feast on your eyes, little $%@#. Walk away.

Galvora swallowed... Then smiled, showing all her teeth. That easy, you think? As if the whelps are any threat, and you'd toss their lives to me, sacrifice them all to avenge one? and with that, her eyes glinted with murder. Mebbe Bloodmoon would misread things? But it left things... In a certain state of fragility.

Anything would break that crystalline moment of tension as Lune faced off against Lune, the blade of Hephaestus between them at bay surrounded by lesser monsters. And the old gods, like Hephaestus, would have an awful lot to say about every one of these children of the Changer, the Transformer, the wild Lunar god known as Seroficitacit. They were monsters beyond words, every bit as fearsome as the children of Echidna and her Ilk. They were invaders to this world made from natives... And they were beyond dangerous. Two greater Lunes and many lesser were a terrible threat for any hero of old.

Bloodmoon's eyes widened and cursed as he now knew what he was facing lunes and he now knew he was feeling the anger of the gods he served that was the primal energy he felt shaking his head to clear the haze that was making him enraged and watched as he was circled he was a lone wolf facing a pack. Suddenly the largest one froze as it looked past him he looked over his shoulder for a second and saw that there was another lune ablit a human lune that looked like she was more likely here to help kill him than help him. they seemed to have a conversation with just their eyes and he knew that at any moment that a celestial street fight could occur at any moment. He cursed as he saw the one he shot got up and joined the rest of its pack in surrounding him.

Bloodmoon got low to the ground he knew that he may not get out of this alive but he was not going with out a fight. Bloodmoon  lept into the air and slammed his claws into the wall of the alley and launched himself into the air again and quickly fired several arrows at the lunes before slamming into the ground shattering the ground around him while letting out a snarling growl.

It was the blade of the gods that broke the breath before the storm and moved first. Lan broke eye contact with Sophie, having noticed the tension in Bloodmoon's body before he even moved. She'd anticipated his actions - Sophie hadn't. As dislodged bricks from the double jump and arrows from the warrior's bow fell on the pack, Lan cursed in passable German, hopped backward gracefully to dodge the first arrow, and snarled clipped, harsh commands. Her pack, trained as they were, leapt to obey her with haste! Some were not lucky - some were pinned to the ground by arrows or struck by masonry, but most were alive and well.

Sophie wasn't experienced or trained - she was talented maybe, and outclassed Lan in physical capability, but any warrior will tell you that power isn't everything. She managed to shield her face from a brick that fell, but one arrow was much more accurate, knocking her clear from her feet as it collided with her left thigh, knocking the leg out from under her with a curse ("Sugar!").

Then Hephaestus's hammer did something Lan had not expected - he came crashing down, buckling the pavement beneath him in a pure display of kinetic force, right near where she'd dodged him earlier. She spat another german curse with vitriolic fury, and was flung away on a tide of asphalt, yelps sounding from her wounded, startled pack.

The white-fleshed moonhound matron hit a lamp post, spun, and only just managed to hew her black talons into the asphalt, tearing up a line of pavement as she did her best to slow her inertia, her pack raining around her. She was furious, briefly glowing to silver incandescence as she started growing, mutating horrifyingly as she did becoming something like a cross between a siamese tiger, a praying mantis, an angler fish, and a gorilla about the size of a small truck. Her children changed as well - though not so drastically, growing extra limbs, nastier claws, fangs, more eyes, you name it. This was the true power of a Lune - they were monsterous metamorphs! They were rushing Bloodmoon as a single creature, Lan knuckling along in front, her needle fanged jaws flecked with foam - liquid madness and rage!

Sophie however was dealing with an arrow in her leg. It had to come out before she could change unless she wanted to take longer healing from it. She grit her teeth, rolling on the ground a moment before she managed to snap it inside her body and yank both ends loose of her flesh.

Could she let Galvora have the helm? Could she afford to? There were people... She knew the street - anyone with any sense would get their heads down in this racket, but... What about the man? He had just shot her, a treacherous part of her wanted to see him apologize for that, but it was a tiny part of her, comparatively speaking. Even so... Lan wasn't playing. She wanted blood. She really didn't have a choice... Lan would kill them both if she could!

Sophie forced herself to stand, and it grew easier even as she rose. That was her regeneration at work - already the wound was merely annoying. Her coat was the first to come off as she dashed down the alley, her shirt with it. One hopping moment later, she was briefly bare and brilliantly silver in the moonlight before she changed as well, her pristine flesh splitting to allow thick scales through, arms lengthening into great talons, her hair lengthening into a mane, then a coat that appeared between the craggy bursts of thick armor plating. Her legs similarly grew, and she became stockier, heavier-set, nearly tripling in size and weight in a stop-motion series of subseconds. Moonlight soaked into her as her entire body ached, but as these transformations go... this one wasn't too terrible!

Spoiler:

Sophie, as she charged the oncoming Lan (and incidentally in Bloodmoon's direction), grabbed a dumpster in passing, hefted it easily, and hurled it so it would sail, she hoped, neatly over Blood's head to collide with Lan, or at least distrupt her frenzied charge and buy the warrior a moment.

Bloodmoon watched as several of the of his arrows pinned down several of the lunes, others where hit with the bricks that came dislodged when he launched himself in the air. Lan he had through a lamp post and sent the few that where not pinned down where sent up in the air He had seen Sophie get up after he had shot her in the hip, she seemed to heal just like the dog lunes. But he didn't have time to focus on her for long as Lan seemed to grow to the size of a small truck her pack seemed to shift as well.

Bloodmoon began to back up into the shadows as a dumpster flew over his head and hit the now charging Lan and her pack. He looked behind him to see that Sophie had shifted in a monster like forum. Bloodmoon stuck to the shadows though he didn't think it would do him any good and waited for which ever of the lunes would come his way. He was way out numbered by Lan's pack and possibly out matched by Sophie though her main focus seemed to be on lan. He could work with that but he would have to be careful after the pack of lunes that held Sophie's attention where taken care of.

Lan couldn't possibly dodge the dumpster - not in the narrow alley or with her children in the way, so it worked exactly in Galvora's favor - it slowed them down as they screeched to a halt and were forced to contest the ton of metal, bringing it to a stop.

That gave Sophie a moment to analyze things, insofar as the term could be applied. Her eyes darted around the alleyway a moment before she spotted Bloodmoon in the shadows, the warrior of Artemis taking the wise option and not getting involved,

"Greh! Ged oudda here, humon!" she thundered at him, her leg giving a dull twinge, as if offended the jerk who shot her could be allowed to escape like this. She overruled it and snarled, lowering her head to charge the dumpster like a rhino, blurring past Bloodmoon's hiding spot to careen into the metal trash receptacle with a thunder of screaming metal and booming impact. Yelps of surprise and pain came from the other side as she drove it down the alley, her claws scoring deep into the pavement.

Would Bloodmoon listen to her? She wasn't certain...

Bloodmoon watched as sophie seemed to look around before spotting him and though he had a hard time making out what she said she was telling him to leave but he couldn't do that his oath to do Artemis will literally wouldn't let him leave.

All though he no longer felt the need to attack Sophie as much due to her mainly attacking the dog Lunes than him. Sighing he brought out his bow again and began to fire though due to the angle of some of his shots he had to take he would most likely hit Sophie with at least two. Out of arrows he grabbed several large chunks of concrete that he created when slamming his fist into the ground and started to take them and toss these at the smaller pack members hoping to smash a few to death.

He then used a near by fire escape to climb up to the roof he would be able to defend himself better form them as it would make him harder to get at and he could use his strength to send the dogs crashing to earth if they got up to him.