the moon hides my shattered bones

[blacksheepfms]

Natalia wasn't sure where she was heading, she never did most of the time. She mostly just drifted through the night to see where it took her. It was fun for her to watch everyone in town on nights like this, like she could tell what everyone was like just by the little eccentricities everyone had when no one thought was watching. Sometimes it was flicker of their genuine emotions before they school them into what is appropriate. But other times it was someone dipping down the alleyway when they thought no one was watching.

Now that was making for an interesting night.

Natalia slipped in behind him, never intending to interact -- just wanting to see what his plan was. But as soon as it looked like he was about to go dumpster diving Natalia frowned slightly. She knew she needed to do something. Coughing slightly as she approached so she didn't scare him, Natalia spoke up. "Hey I know this is going to sound weird but I'm really hungry and was going to go to this restaurant but honestly I have this thing about eating alone. So I was wondering if maybe you'd like to come with? I'll pay for anything you want to make it worth the trouble." He looked like he needed a hand and frankly Natalia thought it would be fun to waste the mayor's money on a fancy restaurant especially when she couldn't get in trouble for it.

[barkatthehellhound]

Cade wasn't startled by her, not truly. His life on the streets had honed his senses to a razor's edge, making him impervious to sudden movements or unexpected appearances. He was a shadow among shadows, and the world had long since ceased to hold surprises in that regard. Yet, there was something in her voice, a soft cadence he hadn't anticipated, that truly disarmed him: kindness.

It was a foreign melody, a note struck from a world he had never known. Kindness, to Cade, was a myth, a concept whispered in forgotten stories but never manifested in the harsh reality of his existence. He had known indifference, cruelty, and the cold, unyielding grip of necessity, but never this gentle warmth. His instincts, sharpened by years of fending for himself, screamed a warning. He didn't trust it, not one bit. It felt like a trap, a lure, a weakness he couldn't afford.

But then, the relentless, primal scream of hunger erupted from deep within his gut. His intestines coiled and twisted, a violent, desperate knot of emptiness that drowned out the cautious whispers of his mind. It was a raw, undeniable agony, a physical torment that overshadowed all else. GIVE IN, it roared, a deafening chorus, FOOD, FOOD, I WANT FOOD! Every cell in his body clamored for sustenance, overriding his ingrained suspicion.

He lifted his gaze, his eyes, usually wide and watchful, narrowing into slits, scrutinizing her face for any hint of deception, any flicker of a hidden agenda. He saw only a quiet sincerity that unnerved him further. Finally, with a barely perceptible tremor, he gave a sharp, decisive nod.

"I'll repay you somehow, someday, I promise," he rasped, the words feeling heavy on his tongue. Cade lived by a strict, self-imposed code. He didn't accept charity; it tasted too much like pity, and pity was a luxury he couldn't afford. He certainly didn't want to live beholden to anyone, the idea of being in debt a suffocating weight. But the bitter truth was undeniable: he had nothing. No coin jingled in his threadbare pockets, no formal education offered a path to employment, and the cold, hard ground was his only home. The promise felt monumental, almost impossible to keep, yet it was the only currency he possessed, the only way he could reconcile the desperate need with his unyielding pride.

[blankspaceforbadthings]

Starter for @barkatthehellhound

Sitting in the living room of his underground bunker, Harlow looked through his phone, checking on the camera's setup around the museum. His house smelled of baked goods at the moment, since he had been baking through the morning. Several visitors and tours had been going, and he watched his staff interact with the guests a moment before swiping onto a screen showing the pathway outside the museum. Sitting up suddenly, Harlow narrowed his eyes at what he was seeing. Putting his phone to sleep, he stood from the couch and moved toward his kitchen, grabbing a napkin and plucking a Sno-Ball dessert from the huddle of others, placing it on a dessert saucer.

Before placing the saucer on the napkin in his hand. Then he grabbed a fork nearby. Quickly turning, Harlow made his way to the exit of the bunker, struggling a little to open the reinforced door with one hand, but managing it. He walked up into the museum from another, much lighter door, and then the back exit, right next to it, practically. Moving around the side of the museum he put on a grin, raising the saucer just under Cade's view, raising it slightly once he was sure he had the other's attention, to let the sweet smell of the treat on top of the saucer to waft off from it, “Try this, tell me it's awful.” Then he presented the fork, “Eat up!”

[barkatthehellhound]

Cade wasn't sure if he wanted to growl at the stranger, a low, guttural sound that vibrated in his chest, or launch himself forward in a desperate, feral attack. His instincts screamed at him to defend himself, to assert dominance, but then there was the tantalizing aroma wafting from the plate the other was offering, a scent that made his stomach clench in a painful, agonizing spasm. He paced from end to end of the small, shadowed space he occupied, a caged animal debating with himself. To trust or not to trust? The question gnawed at him, a dull ache in his mind, almost as persistent as the hunger that was a sharp, stabbing pain in his stomach, twisting his insides into knots. What was it with people wanting to feed him anyway? They acted like he was a stray, a forgotten creature wandering the desolate edges of their world, which in a sense he was. A stray, yes, but one with teeth and a history he couldn't quite remember, only feel in the phantom aches of old wounds.

The stranger remained still, a silent, unmoving figure, holding the plate out with an unnerving patience. His eyes, though, held a peculiar glint, something Cade couldn't quite decipher – was it pity? Curiosity? Or something more sinister lurking beneath the calm facade? The silence stretched, thick and heavy, punctuated only by Cade's ragged breathing and the distant, unsettling sounds of the city. The hunger, however, was winning the battle against his suspicion. It was a primal, overwhelming force, demanding to be appeased.

"Gimme that!" he finally snarled, the words tearing from his throat, raw and ragged. He lunged forward, not at the stranger, but at the plate, snatching it with a speed that blurred his movements. He retreated instantly, scuttling back into the deepest corner of the room, seeking the comforting embrace of the shadows. There, hunched over the plate, he ravaged the food with a ferocity that was inhumane, a blur of hands and mouth. He didn't taste it so much as he inhaled it, gobbling it up in huge, unchewed chunks. Each swallow was a desperate act, a race against the fear that it might be poisoned, that this brief reprieve from starvation was merely a cruel trick.

A pleasant surprise washed over him as the last morsel disappeared – no burning sensation, no sudden weakness, just the slow, blissful easing of the gnawing pain. He'd live another day, it seemed. He cowered deeper into the darkness, his body still tense, his eyes, however, remained glued on the stranger. The man hadn't moved, hadn't reacted, just watched him with that same unsettling patience. A strange, unfamiliar urge bubbled up within Cade, a need for something beyond just sustenance.

"Name... what's your name?" he rasped, the question barely a whisper, yet it cut through the lingering silence. It was a desperate plea for a connection, however fleeting, in a world that had offered him nothing but solitude and suspicion.

[barkatthehellhound]

Hunger

Cade knew he shouldn't do it. The thought, a persistent, nagging whisper, echoed through his mind with every step he took. He really shouldn't. It went against every principle he clung to, every shred of dignity he desperately tried to maintain in a world that seemed determined to strip him of it. His body, lean and hardened by necessity, had long ago adapted to scarcity, a testament to countless nights spent with an empty belly. It assured him, with a stoic, almost scientific certainty, that he could easily endure another night without food. A mere twelve hours, perhaps sixteen, and he'd still be standing, still capable of facing the harsh light of dawn.

But the grumbling of his stomach, a deep, resonant growl that seemed to vibrate through his very bones, offered a stark, undeniable counter-argument. It wasn't a whisper; it was a roaring beast, a primal force that drowned out the quiet logic of his brain. It demanded, it insisted, it ached. The gnawing emptiness was a constant, physical reminder of his vulnerability, a relentless drumbeat against the fortress of his resolve.

The aroma, too, was a cruel tormentor. It wafted on the cool evening air, rich and tantalizing, a symphony of sizzling meats and aromatic spices that promised warmth and satisfaction. It pulled at him, a siren song to his famished state, making his mouth water despite himself. He fought it, he truly did, clenching his jaw, trying to focus on the flickering streetlights, the distant hum of traffic, anything but the scent. But it clung to him, a delicious, inescapable cloud.

So, with a final, desperate internal shrug, he surrendered. He cast a quick, paranoid glance over his shoulder, his eyes darting across the dimly lit street. The few late-night strollers were engrossed in their own worlds, their conversations, their hurried paces. No one was looking. No one would notice. Convinced of his invisibility, a shadow among shadows, he peeled away from the main thoroughfare and slipped around to the back of the bustling restaurant. The alley was darker, narrower, filled with the clatter of bins and the faint, sweet-sour tang of discarded food. His heart hammered a frantic rhythm against his ribs, a mix of fear and a desperate, almost giddy anticipation. He moved with a practiced stealth, a lifetime of navigating the fringes teaching him how to blend, how to be unseen. His gaze swept over overflowing dumpsters, discarded crates, and the greasy sheen on the pavement, his senses heightened, every nerve ending alert. He was no longer just hungry; he was ravenous, a primal need overriding everything else. As he drew closer to the back door, where the scents were strongest, almost overwhelming, he inhaled deeply, a shudder running through him. "God, this smells..." he breathed, the words a low, involuntary groan of pure, unadulterated longing.

[barkatthehellhound]

Smiley Face Redemption

Cade's eyes, usually a murky storm of indifference, narrowed into slits of annoyance and pity as he stared down at the wailing child. A sticky, pastel-pink catastrophe of melting ice cream now adorned his jeans and the front of his worn band t-shirt, a testament to the kid's clumsy collision. He sighed, the sound a ragged expulsion of air. What was he supposed to do with a sniveling brat and a dairy-induced disaster?

Then, an idea, as unexpected as it was impulsive, flickered through his mind. Reaching into his pocket, he produced a faded permanent marker. With a surprising gentleness that belied his gruff exterior, he took the child's small, tear-streaked hand and, ignoring the lingering sniffles, quickly sketched a crude smiley face on their palm. "Hey," he murmured, his voice a gravelly rumble, "Smile. You'll look better that way."

The effect was almost instantaneous. The wails tapered off into hiccuping sniffles, and then, miraculously, a small, tentative giggle bubbled up from the child's chest, followed by a full, uninhibited laugh. A strange, unfamiliar warmth bloomed in Cade's own chest, a sensation he hadn't felt in what felt like a lifetime – a fleeting whisper of joy.

But the moment, like all good things in Cade's world, was painfully brief. His head snapped up, his senses, usually dulled by apathy, suddenly on high alert. He felt the prickle of an unseen gaze, a pair of eyes dissecting him from the shadows. The warmth vanished, replaced by an icy dread that snaked through his veins. His jaw tightened, and the ghost of a smile evaporated from his lips. "What you looking at!" he growled, the words a low, dangerous rumble torn from his chest. Every muscle in his body tensed, ready to spring, as the familiar, comforting cloak of hostility settled back around him.

@nightb0rn

[barkatthehellhound]

From the moment I drew my first breath, the concept of "home" remained an elusive whisper, a phantom limb I constantly reached for but never grasped. My existence was a perpetual state of displacement, a silent ache that resonated deep within my bones. Yet, even that familiar unease paled in comparison to the cataclysm that shattered my world. I was broken, torn to shreds, my very essence ripped apart, and since that harrowing ordeal, the sensation of being whole has been a distant, fading memory.

Now, a werewolf by some cruel twist of fate, I navigate this cursed existence, each day a struggle to reconcile with the monstrous transformation that has claimed me. The aching, broken bones that constantly remind me of my fractured state are a constant wellspring of anger, a simmering rage that threatens to consume what little remains of my former self.

My name is Cade Blanchard, a name that once carried weight and prestige in this town. I hail from a known family, a lineage steeped in local history, yet I am a shadow, an anomaly. Many whisper that I am death incarnate, a spectral presence striving to erase every trace of the family I once knew. Perhaps they are not entirely wrong. I am a lone wolf, with no pack to call my own, no grand ambitions, no tangible goals. My life is a stark, desolate landscape, yet I persist. I am alive, and for now, in this fractured, rage-fueled existence, that is the only truth that holds any meaning.

[westray-hq]

WELCOME, NAOMI! Beware of the night while you roam through the city of Westray, and please make sure you've checked off all the boxes on the checklist!

NAOMI with Cade Blanchard (Kit Connor, Hunter, Werewolf, Skeleton 001: The Hellhound)

NAOMI with Aurora Le Noir (Tati Gabrielle, Psychiatrist, Unaffiliated Witch)