Heart within the beast

[Ricia]

Sage raised an eye brow when Kurogan didn't even look at her. She knew he guarded Rhea with his mangy life... there was no way he would not know. Pick up the paper and reading it, she instantly looked annoyed, "Kurogan.... what is this?" She asked, she shifted on her feet to look down on the sleeping mass of fur on the floor.

 

[Ixidor92]

Kurogan made a conscious effort to not let any muscle in his body move. His ears remained passive, his tail laid down flat against the ground, and his breathing remained slow and steady. Internally? He was about to die from trying so hard not to laugh. The different parts of the suit were all laid out in rooms around the mansion. If Sage wanted to find them, she'd have to check every single room individually without getting caught by any of the staff. It was high time she experienced what it was like to run around with a fear of getting caught

 

[Ricia]

He didn't move...


Sage actually stared at him for a long moment before looking around the room and then smirking. She put the hat on her head and began looking around the room, eventually opening up a few of Rhea's drawers. She would cast her gaze to Kurogan a few times to see if he'd move yet before pulling out a few of Rhea's unmentionables before moving to put them over Kurogan's head, his ear protruding from the leg holes. Once that was done she opened the door to Rhea's room and looked down the hall. "Hmmm...." When it looked clear, she left and ran down the hall to the servants quarter.

 

[Ixidor92]

Kurogan remained silent after Sage left . . . as long as his dignity would allow. After a couple of minutes, a brief amount of fumbling could be heard from Rhea's drawers as certain unmentionables were put back where they belonged. A *thump* sounded the return of Kurogan to his position. He glared at the door after doing so, as if it would scare the one responsible. If it wasn't one thing it was another . . . no matter, he'd let the trial speak for itself. The pants were in the servant's quarters, the overcoat was hanging up in the gardens, and the undershirt was inexplicably hanging in the room next to the office of Rhea's father.

 

[Ricia]

It took Sage a few close calls and a few doors being opened, but she eventually found where she was looking. As soon as Sage got to the servant quarter she picked up some of the butler's outfit and dressed in it quickly, not that she had to replace much of her clothing. Though her tie was now gone, she also happen to find some pants that belonged to her friends outfit. Man her friend was going to kill her if she didn't find all his cloths. If there was one thing he took seriously... it was his cloths. It gave her shivers to think of the things he would make her do under guilt trips of losing this.


Though after she got dressed someone walked in, questioning who she was. She quickly covered up as being a new guy. She didn't really want to look for all of it... so she was going to go find Rhea and make her help her find all of it! Stupid Kurogan. He will pay dearly for this. With that, Sage left the room and started to stroll down the hall slowly, humming lightly. Rule one of sneaking around, even if you don't belong, act like you do. With that, everyone she passed didn't seem to question her.


She eventually made it back to the room with the pants, laying them out by the bed. "I can see you are actually awake, since you took off Rhea's underpants from your head." Sage said closing the door behind her.

 

[Ixidor92]

A disgruntled snort came from the pile of fur on the floor before he stood up, shaking himself vigorously. His eyes traveled to the pants now laying on the bed. One down, three to go. He couldn't help but grin as his tail wagged just a bit. Did it always feel this good to make trouble for someone else? Or was it just because Sage had been such a pain in his side once she found out that he was . . . more than a dog.

 

[Ricia]

Sage grinned at him, "What are you all excited about? I get paid good money to sneak around rich places like this illegally to get important paper work. Sometimes I even get more then that. Stealing is easy and this is going to be a piece of cake!" She boosted to him, putting a hand on her hip.


Bluff. Bluff. Bluff. Lying always came so easily to her. She just wanted to see Kurogan's face at the thought that she really did peripatetic in illegal activity.


Though she is going to go find Rhea and black mail her into helping her. Of course she had to catch her before she got to the room or Kurogan would find some annoying way to stop her from doing that. "Lets see... where is Rhea right now...?" Sage said flipping out her phone. "Tutoring? Sounds like the library. See you later." Sage said with a grin before putting her phone up and heading to the door. This was not really on her agenda right now... and it was too late to act like she didn't care since she was already playing the game... However she wasn't going to psychically let on to how... annoyed she was right now.

 

[Ixidor92]

Kurogan raised an eyebrow at the woman's comment. He highly doubted Sage actually was a paid thief . . . though he didn't rule out the possibility entirely. She did have a number of skills that would be useful for such. He shook his head as the woman left the room. Rhea? Did she honestly plan on bringing her into this? One: she was in the middle of studying. Two: he hadn't even told Rhea where the pieces of the suit were, so she wouldn't be able to help that much. He was about to follow Sage to make sure she didn't try anything . . . when something rippled up his spine. He couldn't explain it, it was his sixth sense. Something was . . . wrong. The massive dog made his way down the building, heading towards the garden. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to go horribly wrong soon.

 

[Ricia]

Sage evidently found Rhea right where she thought she would. She looked very bored.... Time to go save a damsel in distress!


"Excuse me. The master has asked for Rhea's presence immediately." Sage said interrupting the private Tutor. "He apologizes for the inconvenience and tells you lessons will resume as normal by the end of the week."


"Oh uh... Ok. Thanks. I will see you later Miss Rhea. Make sure to read up." He told the girl before leaving. As soon as eh was gone Rhea let out a long shocked breath. "S-S-Sage! What are you doing?!" She asked the girl, standing up.


"Shhhh! Come on, tell me where you boyfriend hid all the pieces!" Sage questioned.


"BOYFRIEND?!" Rhea said a bit loudly from shock.


"I said Shhhh!" Sage said covering Rhea's mouth. "Just tell me where he put the pieces."


Rhea removed her friends hand and gave her a confused, but flushed look, "Sage... I don't know what you are talking about..."


"You really don't know... ok well you are spending the rest of the day helping me look for them! Now think, where would he hid them?" Sage said standing up and thinking.


"Some place that would be hard for someone like you to access... Like maybe outside where the area is open and a lot of people can see you... or in a place where a lot of people or my parents are most of the day, kitchens... offices..." Rhea said thinking out loud as to where they could be.


Sage only smiled, "I am so glad you deiced to help me, I really didn't want to black mail you." She said simply.


Rhea didn't look convinced, "It sounds like I wouldn't have had a choice..."


"Noope~" Sage sang before grabbing Rhea by the hand and tugging her with her to the outside. It was the biggest area and still daylight. She had a feeling this might take her all day...

 

[Ixidor92]

Kurogan was currently walking through the very back of the property, hidden from the view of just about anyone from the house. His ears were pulled back against his head, and he had snapped at a woodland creature or two. He sniffed the air a couple of times, wondering what was sending every sense of his into this nervous state . . . and that was when the tiger leapt at him. Kurogan barely had a second to react the the mass of orange fur flying at him before he leapt about five feet in the air, right over the massive cat. The beast let out a roar that echoed across the grounds, with Kurogan responding in kind. The creature charged again, this time with Kurogan marching right back as their claws danced in a deadly display . . .


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


Around the house, several guards would suddenly go silent, as confused messages spoke of some combination of animal and human attacks around the property.

 

[Ricia]

Sage and Rhea eventually made it outside, happy to get out into the open space. "Wow it looks like a great day!" Sage said before looking over the garden.


"There is one." Rhea said softly, pointing to the piece of the suit. It was just simply draped over the bush.


"Ehhh! You don't treat jackets like that!" Sage said before running over to pick up the clothing. With a quick whipping motion, she straightened the cloth and started to fold it slowly. Rhea walked a little bit slower up to Sage.


"Ok.. one last piece... Where would he put it?" Sage asked.


Rhea thought about it, "Kitchen maybe...?" She suggested lightly. Though Sage frozen suddenly, "Do you hear that?"


Rhea listened carefully only to hear what sounded to be animals fighting, "I do but... there is no stray animals around here..." She said softly

 

[Ixidor92]

Kurogan tumbled to the right, claws missing his muzzle by mere centimeters. The wolf and tiger darted around a couple more times before the Kurogan leapt up . . . and shifted. He landed on what would have been the tiger's back . . . except that creature changed as well and rolled forward. He was a young male, with flaming red hair and black stripes along his forearms.


"Cross."


Kurgon spoke the name through gritted teeth before the two stepped into the other's range and started to throw punches at the other. The 'tiger-man' snarled before shifting back mid-punch. The two were a cacophony of shifting forms and flying claws as blood started to splatter the leaves around them.


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


Heavy footsteps sounded on the ground behind Rhea, and when she turned around there was a massive man standing behind her. He wan't quite as tall as Kurogan, but only by a couple of inches. And as for mass, he was a great deal broader in both his shoulders and chest, all muscle. As if on cue, the 'hawk-girl' that Rhea saw earlier landed behind and to the left of the man.


"Faora, this is the girl?"


"Yes sir."


The giant of a man didn't say anything more as he walked towards Rhea. Along both of his forearms were patches of brown fur, thick enough to brush aside thorns and other such things . . .


"Come with us."

 

[Ricia]

Rhea's eyes were wide with fear as soon as she saw him. She almost couldn't get the words to come out of her mouth. "W-why?" She asked him after she manage to speak. Of course she didn't get her answer when Sage suddenly threw the jacket she had in her hand right over the man's face. With that she yanked Rhea rather hard and started running with the girl. The next thing she did was pull a small knife from her pocket.


"Sage! W-why do you--" Rhea tried to ask while they ran.


"Self defense. I live in a crappy neighborhood..." Sage explained, she couldn't tell if it was a lie or truth. Shes never been to Sage's house. "Do you know who they are?!"


"N-no... well... one of them... yes..?" Rhea said while Sage dragged her into the bush maze, taking several turns in there.


"Who?" Sage asked before pulling out her phone to call the police.


"Kurogan's.... people I think." Rhea said, though she kept running even when Sage let her go.

 

[Ixidor92]

A brief shadow flickered overhead before a crash resounded right in front of Sage. One taloned foot was lying on top of her phone, connected to the leg of the same hawk-woman as before.


"You can make this easy, or you can make this hard."


The young woman stood up fully, bringing her leg up in front of her off the ground. Somehow she was flexible enough that the top of her knee was at her eye level.


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


Kurogan aimed low, and slashed through the back paw of his nemesis. The tiger, 'Cross', roared in pain and shifted back to human form, pushing back with his hands as he did so. As he did however, he found himself in the arm of Kurogan, now shifted back to human as well, right before the two collided with the ground, Kurogan on top. Kurogan's shoulder met with the man's ribs, resulting in several cracking sounds as he did so. He stood there, panting for only a moment before his head bolted back to the estate.


"Rhea."


He was instantly running, shifting to wolf mid-run as he did so. Rhea had to be safe . . . she NEEDED to be safe.

 

[Ricia]

Sage let out a low sigh as her phone was trampled from her hand, before spreading her legs lightly to take a defense stance. She didn't know a lot of self defense... only enough of what Rick taught her. On top of that, she was not all that strong, however she can handle a knife.


"Wait! I'll come with you, just please don't hurt my friend or Kurogan!" Rhea said trying to pull Sage away. Sage was not having any of that.


"Look here, she may say one thing, but I am going to tell you how this is really going to go down..." She said. Man she wished she looked scarier so her threat actually sounded viable. "...you and your furry companion are going to match out of here and leave Rhea alone."


"S-Sage!" Rhea said trying to move her still.

 

[Ixidor92]

The hawk-girl let out a snort at Sage's comment, her eyes traveling up and down the young woman.


"That's cute. You hold a small stick of metal at me, and suddenly you think you have the power to change the outcome of what's going to happen? You're soft, like all humans."


There was a rumbling from the side of the hedge, and the hawk-woman put her leg down.


"Just as you'll find out in a moment."


Through the side hedge, a 12-foot long grizzly bear ripped through. There was only a second to register what had happened before a massive paw slammed into Sage, sending the young girl flying through the other hedge. Maybe a few of her ribs were broken, but thankfully no claws were extended during the hit. The grizzly changed into a man, revealing to be the same massive man from before.


"Perhaps I did not speak clearly enough the first time human. That was not a request. I am informing the girl that she is coming with us."


The man spoke the word 'human' with clear disgust, as if it tainted his being just by saying it. The hawk-girl walked forward and gripped Rhea's wrist, not tightly, but not gentle either.


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


Kurogan leapt over a hedge, landing on another one of his kin that assaulted the guards of the place. He didn't stop to see if he had done anything of use, merely kept running. His sense of smell revealed nothing useful, there was blood and mingled fear everywhere.

 

[Ricia]

Sage didn't have any time to react, and react she did, but with a mere half block to cover her face. A small instinctive reaction. Though the blow was no where near her face... it was straight in her stomach. She let out a half choked cry from the sheer force of the blow, the air completely knocked out of her. Luckily though, she landed harshly across a very pointy bush. The worst external damage is a few scratches from the branches in the bush she was forced into.


Unable to really think past much of the sheering pain in her stomach and the lack of oxygen, she almost sat lightly motionless, slumped in the bushes.


"W-wait! Please... I said I will go!" Rhea said, she tried to take several steps foreword to protect Sage, but Faora had gripped her arm before she could move. "Just... don't hurt Sage anymore..." Rhea pleaded lightly, "And don't hurt Kurogan... Please." Rhea was trembling and scared. She had no idea what to even do in a situation like this.


Rhea's begging gave Sage enough time to get some sort of barring to what was happening. She reached to her side and picked up the dagger again before turning lightly to throw the dagger at the bear. She was unable to get off the ground, heck she was barely able to move enough to throw the dagger, it was defiantly an attention getter. "Hey!" She hissed, "If you guys want to take her, take me too!" She tried to bait.

 

[Ixidor92]

The giant of a man glared only once at Sage, the dagger landing at his feet with a dull *thump*.


"That can be arranged."


He turned around, giving one sharp whistle as he did so. The hawk-girl leaned over to Rhea, whispering harshly to her.


"Don't try anything and I can promise you won't be harmed."


She walked quickly, not letting go of Rhea's arm. A burly man, complete with scales along his back and a thick tail that resembled that of an alligator's, picked Sage up roughly and slung him over his shoulder before rushing after the giant of a man.


"You try anything and I will drop you in the middle of the forest."


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


Kurogan arrived at the hole in the hutches, sniffing around before letting out a snarl.


Beowulf.


Of course it was him. The man would not hesitate to take drastic action to get what he wanted. And what he wanted was--Kurogan let out a loud howl.

 

[Ricia]

Sage let out a light 'umfp' when she was picked up and slung over another man's shoulders. That hurt her ribs badly and she bit back a cry of pain. Ok... so she got herself captured too. What now? She hissed at the man when he made the comment, but didn't come back with a snide remark. She really hopped her mom was going to be ok... She glanced at Rhea, the girl walking quickly with the bird women.


"Why are you doing this?!" Rhea asked quietly, trying to get some sort of answers from the hawk-women. Quickly she tried to think of something she could leave s Kurogan could know she was taken. The only thing she had on her that she could give way short of clothing. With that thought in mind, Rhea sacrificed a shoe real quickly, making it look like she stumbled and it fell off.

 

[Ixidor92]

The woman offered no explanation, merely hurried her pace into the forest. A few more beast-kin joined them, numbering roughly seven or eight. Faora slowed down only slightly when two others laid behind freshly killed wildlife.


"I will speak when we arrive."


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


Kurogan let out another growl before running out of the hedge. It was mere minutes before he hit the blood . . . fresh kill. Kurogan let out another growl before shifting up and looked around the area.


"Beowulf. I will end you."


The scent was gone, covered by the smell of fear and fresh blood. Kurogan let out a sigh and looked up to the sky. He would have to go back wouldn't he? After all this time . . . he would have to go back.


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


It was hours upon hours of walking before the company slowed down. Their was a clearing within the forest, several trees clearly built upon, but not cut down. Dozens upon dozens of beast-kin walked around, completing various chores. A few children wandered around the area, playing in different games. Faora walked inside one of the tents, finally letting go of Rhea. Sage was dropped off on one of the mattresses within, made of layered grass. The alligator-man left, leaving only the large man from before.


"You will remain here until such time as our business is finished."


The man walked out, leaving Faora with Rhea and the rather injured Sage

 

[Ricia]

Somewhere half way Rhea manage to have kicked off her other shoe, which left her bare foot as they walked. She tried her best to keep but, but somewhere in the middle started running out of breath. When they finally made it back to the camp, Rhea was in awe with the people who were around the area. She really didn't think about how many possibility there were for different kind of people like Kurogan.


When they were tossed into the tent and Rhea was relised, Rhea scrambled to Sage, who made another pained sound when she was dropped. She was in too much pain to really think past the worst ride to the encampment. Every step was like a shot to her ribs.


"Can you breath?" Was Rhea's first question, "Do you taste any blood?" She asked once more in quick succession.


"Yes and No... but it hurts to breath..." Sage said. with that Rhea started to undress Sage, buttoning down her shirt so she could see her ribs. They looked really bruised... Slowly and tenderly she started to run her fingers over the skin and press down gently. Sage sucked in a breath lightly but didn't cry out. "They don't feel or look broken... but we would need a real doctor and equipment to see if it was cracked... I can tell you that it is defiantly bruised.." Rhea said, giving her quick diagnosis.

 

[Ixidor92]

"Beowulf held back when he struck. Even if you're soft, it shouldn't be permanent damage."


The hawk-woman was standing near the entrance to the tent, with her arms crossed. Her yellow eyes seemed to pierce through the two of them, just like a bird of prey.


"He could have crushed your skull if he felt like it."


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


Kurogan walked slowly through the forest, running his hands along the bark of the trees. He left almost two years ago now. Yet the last few months had been when he was happiest . . . He shook his head and kept going, right before he looked down and spotted it. A shoe. Something unnatural. He picked it up and sniffed it a few times, his ears twitching beneath the mane of black hair. It was her scent, no doubt about it. He was on the right path . . . of course he was. He knew where they were, he just had chosen not to go back.

 

[Ricia]

(Life strikes again! Sorry for this awful post..)


Sage rolled her eyes, "Did I ask you? No?"


"Sage... don't be so rude..." Rhea said softly before looking up at the hawk girl, "Can I please... know why we are here?" She asked again. She was still knelled down next to Sage.

 

[Ixidor92]

(No problem! I figured something came up)


The hawk-girl glared at Sage for about a full minute, her yellow eyes boring straight into her soul. She slowly turned her head back to Rhea, the feathers on her arms ruffling in an unsettlingly close fashion to an actual bird's.


"You don't know? . . . Really?"


The woman's eyes bored into Rhea's for a minute longer


"He didn't tell you anything, did he?"

 

[Ricia]

"Well... no.. He didn't like to talk about it... I respected that." Rhea shook her head before standing up to look at the girl, "I respected him enough that I wouldn't pry on the things that made him sad..." She ran her hands together in a nervous manor.


"Leme guess... is he an outlaw?" Sage asked leaning her face in one of her hands to look at the hawk. She didn't know that half of it, but there was a possibility he was afraid to tell Rhea because he did something bad, like kill someone. Now the whole tribe was out for revenge.