A Rest Stop

The temporary abode of Lola Rowan McGuffin (and possibly friends.)

[charactersaremylife]

"You’re going to regret that." Maple's frown curled into a snarl as she wiped the blood from her split lip with the back of her hand.

Alexa jutted out her chin in a stubborn fashion, a challenging look in her eye- silly, really, seeing as she was 17, barely looked 16, and was generally scrawny. Packed a punch though, and was stronger than she looked, but something was slightly off. Despite her obvious lack of calming words, she seemed to be trying to get her own anger under control-

"Am I? Are you gonna make me, then?" She snapped back, green eyes blazing. For a moment , they seemed to be turning a more golden color, but that shouldn’t of been possible.

[misslolamcguffin]

-Maple’s lips curled into a frown. “Not particularly.”

[charactersaremylife]

"Fair enough." The girl had scooted almost imperceptibly closer, not moving her eyes away again from the womans face. What was she planning on doing though, that was the problem. Maybe get ahold of the gun, she’d feel better then- or not. Probably a bad idea, she decided to cancel that plan and turned her slight shift into pushing herself back into standing again. Not the best idea in the world, as the blood rushed from her head for a moment, leaving her vision momentarily impaired, as well as her balance. It cleared up though, just slightly irritating.

[misslolamcguffin]

Maple crossed her arms, frustrated both at the girl and at herself, for somehow not killing her, and let out a short, indignant huff.

"Give me one good reason why I should help you."

[charactersaremylife]

"Uh- because you have a heart and maybe one or two decent bones in your body?" Alexa shrugged. There wasn’t much of a fight. "Or maybe I could be of some future use, a fly on the wall-" she laughed at her own little joke, though a fly would probably be a disastrous form to take. Such a tiny little brain. 

[misslolamcguffin]

Maple scoffed. “Future use, huh? You gonna turn into a little garden snake and keep the bugs off my lawn?”

She bent down to pick up her knife, and turned to face the source of the smoke. “I’ll let you live, but only because ‘nonexistent’s have no quarrel with each other. You can follow me if you wish, but don’t expect to be welcomed warmly.”

[charactersaremylife]

"Don’t need a warm one." Why was she following? Honestly, Alexa kind of missed some form of company. Even if this company was one of a person that tried to kill her minutes before. She didn’t want a whole gaggle of people, but one person to be with for a bit might not be so bad. Talking even, she didn’t talk much as a wolf.

"Where am I following you to, then?" She asked absently, still staying a good distance away.

[misslolamcguffin]

She twirled the knife between her fingers and dropped it back into the sheath that hung at her waist. "Home base."

She walked up the small hill that lay in front of them, and stopped at the top, looking down into the valley. "And food."

[askartemiswright]

"What are you?" There was something in Maple's voice that had never before tainted it in the battlefield. Fear.

Artemis froze for a moment, dread settling into her chest. The fear contained in those three words made her ashamed, as if she were some horrid beast. Which she was, but that was besides the point. Monsters are defined by what they do, not what they are.

"What am I?" she echoed flatly. "I’m not even sure, myself."

[misslolamcguffin]

"Uh, yeah." She scooted it over a bit, nudging the amp with her foot. "Yeah."

She clasped her hands behind her back, eyes darting around the room that, somehow, now seemed unfamiliar to her.

[askartemiswright]

Artemis remained silent, crossing her arms. She could feel that Maple was uncomfortable, and she couldn’t exactly blame her.

After a few moments, she let out a sigh. “M’sorry ya had to see that yesterday,” she muttered, looking away from the other sniper.

[misslolamcguffin]

"No, it's okay, you really don't have to apologize... I shouldn't have reacted like that, I've... I've seen worse." She let out a single laugh with the intention of seeming confident, but it came out shaky and only served to make the atmosphere more awkward.

[askartemiswright]

"What are you?" There was something in Maple's voice that had never before tainted it in the battlefield. Fear.

Artemis froze for a moment, dread settling into her chest. The fear contained in those three words made her ashamed, as if she were some horrid beast. Which she was, but that was besides the point. Monsters are defined by what they do, not what they are.

"What am I?" she echoed flatly. "I’m not even sure, myself."

[misslolamcguffin]

"Um. Sure. Uh, yeah, sure." The click of an amp powering down, the dull thump of the neck resting on the wall.

[askartemiswright]

Artemis opened the door and walked in, looking around Maple’s room. She noticed the bass resting against the wall.

"You play?" she asked, pointing at it.

[misslolamcguffin]

"Uh, yeah." She scooted it over a bit, nudging the amp with her foot. "Yeah."

She clasped her hands behind her back, eyes darting around the room that, somehow, now seemed unfamiliar to her.

[askartemiswright]

"What are you?" There was something in Maple's voice that had never before tainted it in the battlefield. Fear.

Artemis froze for a moment, dread settling into her chest. The fear contained in those three words made her ashamed, as if she were some horrid beast. Which she was, but that was besides the point. Monsters are defined by what they do, not what they are.

"What am I?" she echoed flatly. "I’m not even sure, myself."

[misslolamcguffin]

The reply was a polite “Who is it?”, followed by the low hum of accidentally touched bass strings.

[askartemiswright]

Artemis coughed. “S’me, Artemis,” she said. “Can I come in?” She fidgeted about, waiting for her response.

[misslolamcguffin]

"Um. Sure. Uh, yeah, sure." The click of an amp powering down, the dull thump of the neck resting on the wall.

[askartemiswright]

"What are you?" There was something in Maple's voice that had never before tainted it in the battlefield. Fear.

Artemis froze for a moment, dread settling into her chest. The fear contained in those three words made her ashamed, as if she were some horrid beast. Which she was, but that was besides the point. Monsters are defined by what they do, not what they are.

"What am I?" she echoed flatly. "I’m not even sure, myself."

[misslolamcguffin]

Maple stuck her head out the window, watching Artemis get the HELL off the battlefield. The door leading to the stairs was kicked open, and Maple turned to face her attacker, cocking the rifle.

[askartemiswright]

—timeskip—

In the morning, Artemis had made her way back to the base, dressed herself, and gotten ready for the next battle. She was just about to head down to the kitchen for breakfast when she remembered what had happened the other night. Her brow furrowing, the sniper headed towards Maple’s room, hoping she would still be in there, and knocked on the door twice.

[misslolamcguffin]

The reply was a polite "Who is it?", followed by the low hum of accidentally touched bass strings.

[askartemiswright]

"What are you?" There was something in Maple's voice that had never before tainted it in the battlefield. Fear.

Artemis froze for a moment, dread settling into her chest. The fear contained in those three words made her ashamed, as if she were some horrid beast. Which she was, but that was besides the point. Monsters are defined by what they do, not what they are.

"What am I?" she echoed flatly. "I’m not even sure, myself."

[misslolamcguffin]

Maple made a move to drop the sniper rifle when an explosion rocked the crow’s nest. Instinctively, she held it to her chest to protect it, and shouts began to rise from the lower level.

She looked up at Artemis, understanding that the invading mercenaries must be kept away at all costs. She looked out the window and saw that most of the action had moved to the other side. She looked at Artemis.

"D’you think you could make the jump?"

[askartemiswright]

Artemis let out a loud grunt as the explosion hit, being knocked off her feet. She didn’t understand what was happening, but she stumbled over to the window on her hind legs. The wolf stuck her head out, judging the distance to the other roof before climbing out onto the windowsill and leaping, landing on all fours on the other side. She took off, not looking back at Maple, intent on getting off the battlefield.

[misslolamcguffin]

Maple stuck her head out the window, watching Artemis get the HELL off the battlefield. The door leading to the stairs was kicked open, and Maple turned to face her attacker, cocking the rifle.

[charactersaremylife]

"You’re going to regret that." Maple's frown curled into a snarl as she wiped the blood from her split lip with the back of her hand.

Alexa jutted out her chin in a stubborn fashion, a challenging look in her eye- silly, really, seeing as she was 17, barely looked 16, and was generally scrawny. Packed a punch though, and was stronger than she looked, but something was slightly off. Despite her obvious lack of calming words, she seemed to be trying to get her own anger under control-

"Am I? Are you gonna make me, then?" She snapped back, green eyes blazing. For a moment , they seemed to be turning a more golden color, but that shouldn’t of been possible.

[misslolamcguffin]

-Maple’s lips curled into a frown. “Not particularly.”

[charactersaremylife]

"Fair enough." The girl had scooted almost imperceptibly closer, not moving her eyes away again from the womans face. What was she planning on doing though, that was the problem. Maybe get ahold of the gun, she’d feel better then- or not. Probably a bad idea, she decided to cancel that plan and turned her slight shift into pushing herself back into standing again. Not the best idea in the world, as the blood rushed from her head for a moment, leaving her vision momentarily impaired, as well as her balance. It cleared up though, just slightly irritating.

[misslolamcguffin]

Maple crossed her arms, frustrated both at the girl and at herself, for somehow not killing her, and let out a short, indignant huff.

"Give me one good reason why I should help you."

[charactersaremylife]

"Uh- because you have a heart and maybe one or two decent bones in your body?" Alexa shrugged. There wasn’t much of a fight. "Or maybe I could be of some future use, a fly on the wall-" she laughed at her own little joke, though a fly would probably be a disastrous form to take. Such a tiny little brain. 

[misslolamcguffin]

Maple scoffed. "Future use, huh? You gonna turn into a little garden snake and keep the bugs off my lawn?"

She bent down to pick up her knife, and turned to face the source of the smoke. "I'll let you live, but only because 'nonexistent's have no quarrel with each other. You can follow me if you wish, but don't expect to be welcomed warmly."

[charactersaremylife]

"You’re going to regret that." Maple's frown curled into a snarl as she wiped the blood from her split lip with the back of her hand.

Alexa jutted out her chin in a stubborn fashion, a challenging look in her eye- silly, really, seeing as she was 17, barely looked 16, and was generally scrawny. Packed a punch though, and was stronger than she looked, but something was slightly off. Despite her obvious lack of calming words, she seemed to be trying to get her own anger under control-

"Am I? Are you gonna make me, then?" She snapped back, green eyes blazing. For a moment , they seemed to be turning a more golden color, but that shouldn’t of been possible.

[misslolamcguffin]

-Maple’s lips curled into a frown. “Not particularly.”

[charactersaremylife]

"Fair enough." The girl had scooted almost imperceptibly closer, not moving her eyes away again from the womans face. What was she planning on doing though, that was the problem. Maybe get ahold of the gun, she’d feel better then- or not. Probably a bad idea, she decided to cancel that plan and turned her slight shift into pushing herself back into standing again. Not the best idea in the world, as the blood rushed from her head for a moment, leaving her vision momentarily impaired, as well as her balance. It cleared up though, just slightly irritating.

[misslolamcguffin]

Maple crossed her arms, frustrated both at the girl and at herself, for somehow not killing her, and let out a short, indignant huff.

"Give me one good reason why I should help you."

[askartemiswright]

"What are you?" There was something in Maple's voice that had never before tainted it in the battlefield. Fear.

Artemis froze for a moment, dread settling into her chest. The fear contained in those three words made her ashamed, as if she were some horrid beast. Which she was, but that was besides the point. Monsters are defined by what they do, not what they are.

"What am I?" she echoed flatly. "I’m not even sure, myself."

[misslolamcguffin]

"Artemis." Maple took a step forward, her usual confidence rising once more. If she was intent on hurting her, she would have done so already. She slipped the dagger back into its sheath at her belt, and reached her hand out towards the wolf.

[askartemiswright]

The werewolf let out a growl. It sounded more to be a warning than a threat. She retreated from Maple’s hand, her tail tucked between her legs. She was half convinced the other sniper would want to hurt her in one way or another. After all, she was a hunter as well. At least, she thought she was.

Artemis took her paws from her face, resigning to looking at the ground.

[misslolamcguffin]

Maple made a move to drop the sniper rifle when an explosion rocked the crow's nest. Instinctively, she held it to her chest to protect it, and shouts began to rise from the lower level.

She looked up at Artemis, understanding that the invading mercenaries must be kept away at all costs. She looked out the window and saw that most of the action had moved to the other side. She looked at Artemis.

"D'you think you could make the jump?"

[charactersaremylife]

"You’re going to regret that." Maple's frown curled into a snarl as she wiped the blood from her split lip with the back of her hand.

Alexa jutted out her chin in a stubborn fashion, a challenging look in her eye- silly, really, seeing as she was 17, barely looked 16, and was generally scrawny. Packed a punch though, and was stronger than she looked, but something was slightly off. Despite her obvious lack of calming words, she seemed to be trying to get her own anger under control-

"Am I? Are you gonna make me, then?" She snapped back, green eyes blazing. For a moment , they seemed to be turning a more golden color, but that shouldn’t of been possible.

[misslolamcguffin]

-

Maple raised an eyebrow and relieved a bit of the pressure on the girl’s arm. “Keep on running your mouth and I’ll decide if you’re worth my time or not.”

[charactersaremylife]

Was that a threat or something else? There were a couple concerns though, about turning into something with limbs. Maple could very well still keep a grasp on her, but… Snakes. Snakes didn’t have limbs. Also, it’d probably be a bit surprising, to have the person you’ve got pinned suddenly slither away.

Except- well, she didn’t know anything about snakes. “Keep running my mouth, I dunno, maybe that wont be a good idea. You wont believe me, for one, and humans tend to shoot what they don’t know, for…er, two.” Even as she kept “running her mouth”, she was focusing. A smallish picture in her head, none of the pythons- they always seemed to move so slowly. The little garter snake her brother caught once, that would do. It’d given her the willies- Functional though. The whole process was surprisingly quick, one moment, there was a scruffy, blonde haired girl pinned on the ground, and after a little bit of green tint to her skin, she began shrinking. In about the time it took to blink, there was a wriggling, green snake on the ground, clumsily moving. It was a bit problematic, being a snake for the first time, she wasn’t entirely sure how to move.

[misslolamcguffin]

"-the fuck?"

Maple picked the snake up by its middle, holding it loosely between her hands, with a practiced grip.

"Well, that’s a new one."

[charactersaremylife]

The snake hissed, writhing around in an attempt to bite the hand holding it. That wasn’t entirely a conscious effort, the snake was doing some talking too, which wasn’t good. Luckily, it was just a snake, nothing too horrible on it’s mind.

Which made it all that much easier to change back- a process that was much quicker than it usually was. Maybe spurred on  by adrenalin. As soon as she could, she kicked out her legs, aiming for the others face- chest, stomach, it didn’t really matter. No shoes though, that could be a problem if she tried to running too far. Sometimes that happened, loosing shoes during a transformation. Luckily, not so much the rest of her clothes, shoes though…there was something about them.

[misslolamcguffin]

The collision with the floor knocked the breath out of her, but Maple tried to recover as fast as she could.

"Goddamn, shoulda seen that one comin’."

[charactersaremylife]

Alexa on the other hand was scrambling, far out of reach, having learned her lesson against going head-on with this person. But she didn’t seem interested in fighting anymore. Her eyes still looked a bit odd at first before they receded back to the usual, tawny-brown color.

"…How much you wanna bet no one’s going t’believe you?" She asked slowly, looking a bit more than ruffled. Battered could be a better word.

[misslolamcguffin]

Maple narrowed her eyes.

"No one will believe you, either. What are you gonna say? Attacked by a woman with a snake tattoo?"

She stuck her chin out, proudly. “According to the government, I don’t exist.”

[charactersaremylife]

She laughed “And I’m off their radar too, great, isn’t it?” Her train of thought was momentarily redirected as her nose caught a whiff of something that smelled like food, and her stomach sent a pang up to her brain. She was starving, how’d she manage to forget that? When was the last time she ate? And then the question was out before she even had a moment to think about it, though she was planning on saying something else-

"Hey, do you have anything to eat?"

[misslolamcguffin]

Maple. Unflappable Maple, was caught off-guard by the question.

"What?"

[charactersaremylife]

"Food. Y’know, things to eat. Do you have anything to eat? I-I’ve kind of been- er, not able to eat. For a while." Honestly, she’d been traveling as a wolf, and usually she managed to refrain from eating some smaller creature raw. Sure, it made her feel better, but there was just something about it, something that made her worry- feral, it made her feel less human, which was a scary thought. Alexa hated loosing control.

[misslolamcguffin]

"I…"

She rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Did you miss the part where I very nearly killed you? Can you not comprehend that that sentiment has not changed in any way, shape, or form?”

[charactersaremylife]

"I- uh, my stomach growled. Also, I’m out of reach and have a plan, so I’m feeling alright." She explained, fidgeting and glancing around. The lady did have a point, but the words just slipped out, she hadn’t really thought about it much. Her stomach had done the thinking.

[biracialalistair]

Maple raised an eyebrow. “Out of reach, huh? Luckily for me, an assassin always comes prepared.”

She lifted the hem of her camisole to reveal a pistol tucked into the waistband of her shorts. “Don’t get cocky, I like to play with my food.”

[charactersaremylife]

About the only word her brain tuned into right then was food, before the rest of it sank in. 

"Uh-huh. I can fly." That was a bluff, while in theory, she could turn into some sort of bird, actually flying would be difficult. Animals in general were difficult, and she still couldn’t always control a wolf, which was why she hadn’t already defaulted to that. She wanted to though, she was scared and it was there, always lurking in the back of her mind. Tantalizing power, she could let it take over and not have to deal with fighting hand-to-hand.

Of course then she woke up, covered in blood. Not good at all.

"I’m going to sit down then, seeing as you’re so prepared, and I’m tired. And hungry- seriously, you don’t have something on you to eat?" She questioned with a frown, as if it were totally normal for someone to carry food on them. This time, her stomach growled audibly, and she frowned, glancing around. A safe way out of this conversation would be good.

[misslolamcguffin]

"Uh." Maple turned to glance behind her, where a small puff of smoke was rising on the horizon. She quickly turned back to the girl, making sure that she wouldn’t try anything while her guard was down.

"You’re pretty much controlled by your stomach, aren’t you?"

[charactersaremylife]

"Well-" she thought about it for a moment, frowning. "Yeah. Pretty much. I’ve been neglecting it lately, forget to eat or there’s nothing to eat, y’know. stuff like that" She shrugged, but followed the womans gaze with her own eyes.

"Smoke. Wanna explain why?" She asked calmly from her seated position on the dusty earth.

[misslolamcguffin]

Maple's lips curled into a frown. "Not particularly."

[askartemiswright]

"What are you?" There was something in Maple's voice that had never before tainted it in the battlefield. Fear.

Artemis froze for a moment, dread settling into her chest. The fear contained in those three words made her ashamed, as if she were some horrid beast. Which she was, but that was besides the point. Monsters are defined by what they do, not what they are.

"What am I?" she echoed flatly. "I’m not even sure, myself."

[misslolamcguffin]

Maple noticed the shift in the wolf’s behavior and cautiously rose, her white-knuckled grip on the dagger loosening. “Artemis?”

She didn’t dare go closer, and she was still prepared to defend herself if need be, but something kept her from following her base instinct and attacking.

"Artemis? Can you hear me?"

[askartemiswright]

Artemis let out a low whine, her ears pinning back against her head. This wasn’t how she was supposed to appear to others. She was supposed to be another human being out of the billion people that lived upon the earth. She didn’t want to be feared, she didn’t want to appear to be a monster. Yet they always found out, one way or another.

The werewolf did not look up at Maple, her breathing quickening.

[misslolamcguffin]

"Artemis." Maple took a step forward, her usual confidence rising once more. If she was intent on hurting her, she would have done so already. She slipped the dagger back into its sheath at her belt, and reached her hand out towards the wolf.

[charactersaremylife]

"You’re going to regret that." Maple's frown curled into a snarl as she wiped the blood from her split lip with the back of her hand.

Alexa jutted out her chin in a stubborn fashion, a challenging look in her eye- silly, really, seeing as she was 17, barely looked 16, and was generally scrawny. Packed a punch though, and was stronger than she looked, but something was slightly off. Despite her obvious lack of calming words, she seemed to be trying to get her own anger under control-

"Am I? Are you gonna make me, then?" She snapped back, green eyes blazing. For a moment , they seemed to be turning a more golden color, but that shouldn’t of been possible.

[misslolamcguffin]

-

Maple raised an eyebrow and relieved a bit of the pressure on the girl’s arm. “Keep on running your mouth and I’ll decide if you’re worth my time or not.”

[charactersaremylife]

Was that a threat or something else? There were a couple concerns though, about turning into something with limbs. Maple could very well still keep a grasp on her, but… Snakes. Snakes didn’t have limbs. Also, it’d probably be a bit surprising, to have the person you’ve got pinned suddenly slither away.

Except- well, she didn’t know anything about snakes. “Keep running my mouth, I dunno, maybe that wont be a good idea. You wont believe me, for one, and humans tend to shoot what they don’t know, for…er, two.” Even as she kept “running her mouth”, she was focusing. A smallish picture in her head, none of the pythons- they always seemed to move so slowly. The little garter snake her brother caught once, that would do. It’d given her the willies- Functional though. The whole process was surprisingly quick, one moment, there was a scruffy, blonde haired girl pinned on the ground, and after a little bit of green tint to her skin, she began shrinking. In about the time it took to blink, there was a wriggling, green snake on the ground, clumsily moving. It was a bit problematic, being a snake for the first time, she wasn’t entirely sure how to move.

[misslolamcguffin]

"-the fuck?"

Maple picked the snake up by its middle, holding it loosely between her hands, with a practiced grip.

"Well, that’s a new one."

[charactersaremylife]

The snake hissed, writhing around in an attempt to bite the hand holding it. That wasn’t entirely a conscious effort, the snake was doing some talking too, which wasn’t good. Luckily, it was just a snake, nothing too horrible on it’s mind.

Which made it all that much easier to change back- a process that was much quicker than it usually was. Maybe spurred on  by adrenalin. As soon as she could, she kicked out her legs, aiming for the others face- chest, stomach, it didn’t really matter. No shoes though, that could be a problem if she tried to running too far. Sometimes that happened, loosing shoes during a transformation. Luckily, not so much the rest of her clothes, shoes though…there was something about them.

[misslolamcguffin]

The collision with the floor knocked the breath out of her, but Maple tried to recover as fast as she could.

"Goddamn, shoulda seen that one comin’."

[charactersaremylife]

Alexa on the other hand was scrambling, far out of reach, having learned her lesson against going head-on with this person. But she didn’t seem interested in fighting anymore. Her eyes still looked a bit odd at first before they receded back to the usual, tawny-brown color.

"…How much you wanna bet no one’s going t’believe you?" She asked slowly, looking a bit more than ruffled. Battered could be a better word.

[misslolamcguffin]

Maple narrowed her eyes.

"No one will believe you, either. What are you gonna say? Attacked by a woman with a snake tattoo?"

She stuck her chin out, proudly. “According to the government, I don’t exist.”

[charactersaremylife]

She laughed “And I’m off their radar too, great, isn’t it?” Her train of thought was momentarily redirected as her nose caught a whiff of something that smelled like food, and her stomach sent a pang up to her brain. She was starving, how’d she manage to forget that? When was the last time she ate? And then the question was out before she even had a moment to think about it, though she was planning on saying something else-

"Hey, do you have anything to eat?"

[misslolamcguffin]

Maple. Unflappable Maple, was caught off-guard by the question.

"What?"

[charactersaremylife]

"Food. Y’know, things to eat. Do you have anything to eat? I-I’ve kind of been- er, not able to eat. For a while." Honestly, she’d been traveling as a wolf, and usually she managed to refrain from eating some smaller creature raw. Sure, it made her feel better, but there was just something about it, something that made her worry- feral, it made her feel less human, which was a scary thought. Alexa hated loosing control.

[misslolamcguffin]

"I…"

She rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Did you miss the part where I very nearly killed you? Can you not comprehend that that sentiment has not changed in any way, shape, or form?”

[charactersaremylife]

"I- uh, my stomach growled. Also, I’m out of reach and have a plan, so I’m feeling alright." She explained, fidgeting and glancing around. The lady did have a point, but the words just slipped out, she hadn’t really thought about it much. Her stomach had done the thinking.

[biracialalistair]

Maple raised an eyebrow. “Out of reach, huh? Luckily for me, an assassin always comes prepared.”

She lifted the hem of her camisole to reveal a pistol tucked into the waistband of her shorts. “Don’t get cocky, I like to play with my food.”

[charactersaremylife]

About the only word her brain tuned into right then was food, before the rest of it sank in. 

"Uh-huh. I can fly." That was a bluff, while in theory, she could turn into some sort of bird, actually flying would be difficult. Animals in general were difficult, and she still couldn’t always control a wolf, which was why she hadn’t already defaulted to that. She wanted to though, she was scared and it was there, always lurking in the back of her mind. Tantalizing power, she could let it take over and not have to deal with fighting hand-to-hand.

Of course then she woke up, covered in blood. Not good at all.

"I’m going to sit down then, seeing as you’re so prepared, and I’m tired. And hungry- seriously, you don’t have something on you to eat?" She questioned with a frown, as if it were totally normal for someone to carry food on them. This time, her stomach growled audibly, and she frowned, glancing around. A safe way out of this conversation would be good.

[misslolamcguffin]

"Uh." Maple turned to glance behind her, where a small puff of smoke was rising on the horizon. She quickly turned back to the girl, making sure that she wouldn't try anything while her guard was down.

"You're pretty much controlled by your stomach, aren't you?"

[askartemiswright]

"What are you?" There was something in Maple's voice that had never before tainted it in the battlefield. Fear.

Artemis froze for a moment, dread settling into her chest. The fear contained in those three words made her ashamed, as if she were some horrid beast. Which she was, but that was besides the point. Monsters are defined by what they do, not what they are.

"What am I?" she echoed flatly. "I’m not even sure, myself."

[misslolamcguffin]

Maple bit her lip, realizing that if the beast came for her she would have nowhere to go. To draw its attention would be foolish, but to try and wait this one out would be suicide.

"Ar… Artemis?"

[askartemiswright]

The werewolf let out a low moan, covering up her face with her massive paws, as if in shame. She began to stumble backwards, away from the other sniper. Her chest ached and pained her. She had never seen this kind of fear of her from someone in years.

She could hear the sounds of battle in the distance. If she were to attempt to run, it would be suicide. The other mercenaries would be on her tail within minutes. Did respawn work when she was a werewolf? She had no idea, and she wasn’t willing to test it.

But then again, Maple might attack her out of fear, and there would be nothing to do but wait for the mercenary to kill her. She was trapped.

[misslolamcguffin]

Maple noticed the shift in the wolf's behavior and cautiously rose, her white-knuckled grip on the dagger loosening. "Artemis?"

She didn't dare go closer, and she was still prepared to defend herself if need be, but something kept her from following her base instinct and attacking.

"Artemis? Can you hear me?"

[askartemiswright]

"What are you?" There was something in Maple's voice that had never before tainted it in the battlefield. Fear.

Artemis froze for a moment, dread settling into her chest. The fear contained in those three words made her ashamed, as if she were some horrid beast. Which she was, but that was besides the point. Monsters are defined by what they do, not what they are.

"What am I?" she echoed flatly. "I’m not even sure, myself."

[misslolamcguffin]

Maple’s eyes widened, and she immediately scooped up the sniper rifle that had been lying at her feet, scrambling to get back against the wall, dagger clutched clumsily in a shaking fist as a small whimper escaped from her throat.

Worst first night back ever.

[askartemiswright]

The transformation quickly finished, bones cracking and reforming into place. When it finished, a hulking, snorting werewolf crouched in front of Maple. It sat there for a minute, taking several deep breaths, as if recovering its strength. Finally, it got up, its orange eyes glowing with fear in the darkness.

[misslolamcguffin]

Maple bit her lip, realizing that if the beast came for her she would have nowhere to go. To draw its attention would be foolish, but to try and wait this one out would be suicide.

"Ar... Artemis?"

[charactersaremylife]

"You’re going to regret that." Maple's frown curled into a snarl as she wiped the blood from her split lip with the back of her hand.

Alexa jutted out her chin in a stubborn fashion, a challenging look in her eye- silly, really, seeing as she was 17, barely looked 16, and was generally scrawny. Packed a punch though, and was stronger than she looked, but something was slightly off. Despite her obvious lack of calming words, she seemed to be trying to get her own anger under control-

"Am I? Are you gonna make me, then?" She snapped back, green eyes blazing. For a moment , they seemed to be turning a more golden color, but that shouldn’t of been possible.

[misslolamcguffin]

-

Maple raised an eyebrow and relieved a bit of the pressure on the girl’s arm. “Keep on running your mouth and I’ll decide if you’re worth my time or not.”

[charactersaremylife]

Was that a threat or something else? There were a couple concerns though, about turning into something with limbs. Maple could very well still keep a grasp on her, but… Snakes. Snakes didn’t have limbs. Also, it’d probably be a bit surprising, to have the person you’ve got pinned suddenly slither away.

Except- well, she didn’t know anything about snakes. “Keep running my mouth, I dunno, maybe that wont be a good idea. You wont believe me, for one, and humans tend to shoot what they don’t know, for…er, two.” Even as she kept “running her mouth”, she was focusing. A smallish picture in her head, none of the pythons- they always seemed to move so slowly. The little garter snake her brother caught once, that would do. It’d given her the willies- Functional though. The whole process was surprisingly quick, one moment, there was a scruffy, blonde haired girl pinned on the ground, and after a little bit of green tint to her skin, she began shrinking. In about the time it took to blink, there was a wriggling, green snake on the ground, clumsily moving. It was a bit problematic, being a snake for the first time, she wasn’t entirely sure how to move.

[misslolamcguffin]

"-the fuck?"

Maple picked the snake up by its middle, holding it loosely between her hands, with a practiced grip.

"Well, that’s a new one."

[charactersaremylife]

The snake hissed, writhing around in an attempt to bite the hand holding it. That wasn’t entirely a conscious effort, the snake was doing some talking too, which wasn’t good. Luckily, it was just a snake, nothing too horrible on it’s mind.

Which made it all that much easier to change back- a process that was much quicker than it usually was. Maybe spurred on  by adrenalin. As soon as she could, she kicked out her legs, aiming for the others face- chest, stomach, it didn’t really matter. No shoes though, that could be a problem if she tried to running too far. Sometimes that happened, loosing shoes during a transformation. Luckily, not so much the rest of her clothes, shoes though…there was something about them.

[misslolamcguffin]

The collision with the floor knocked the breath out of her, but Maple tried to recover as fast as she could.

"Goddamn, shoulda seen that one comin’."

[charactersaremylife]

Alexa on the other hand was scrambling, far out of reach, having learned her lesson against going head-on with this person. But she didn’t seem interested in fighting anymore. Her eyes still looked a bit odd at first before they receded back to the usual, tawny-brown color.

"…How much you wanna bet no one’s going t’believe you?" She asked slowly, looking a bit more than ruffled. Battered could be a better word.

[misslolamcguffin]

Maple narrowed her eyes.

"No one will believe you, either. What are you gonna say? Attacked by a woman with a snake tattoo?"

She stuck her chin out, proudly. “According to the government, I don’t exist.”

[charactersaremylife]

She laughed “And I’m off their radar too, great, isn’t it?” Her train of thought was momentarily redirected as her nose caught a whiff of something that smelled like food, and her stomach sent a pang up to her brain. She was starving, how’d she manage to forget that? When was the last time she ate? And then the question was out before she even had a moment to think about it, though she was planning on saying something else-

"Hey, do you have anything to eat?"

[misslolamcguffin]

Maple. Unflappable Maple, was caught off-guard by the question.

"What?"

[charactersaremylife]

"Food. Y’know, things to eat. Do you have anything to eat? I-I’ve kind of been- er, not able to eat. For a while." Honestly, she’d been traveling as a wolf, and usually she managed to refrain from eating some smaller creature raw. Sure, it made her feel better, but there was just something about it, something that made her worry- feral, it made her feel less human, which was a scary thought. Alexa hated loosing control.

[misslolamcguffin]

"I..."

She rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Did you miss the part where I very nearly killed you? Can you not comprehend that that sentiment has not changed in any way, shape, or form?"

[askartemiswright]

"What are you?" There was something in Maple's voice that had never before tainted it in the battlefield. Fear.

Artemis froze for a moment, dread settling into her chest. The fear contained in those three words made her ashamed, as if she were some horrid beast. Which she was, but that was besides the point. Monsters are defined by what they do, not what they are.

"What am I?" she echoed flatly. "I’m not even sure, myself."

[misslolamcguffin]

Maple shook her head, as if to rid it of bad thoughts.

"No, I’m sorry, that wasn’t my place. I’m- I’m sorry, I just…"

Her voice trailed off into uncomfortable silence. The moon’s soft glow illuminated both of their faces, as shouts escalated in volume from the battlefield below.

[askartemiswright]

Artemis let out a groan of pain, doubling over and clutching at her head. “You’ll—find out for yourself—” she managed to say through gritted teeth before her mouth began to transform into a hairy snout. Newly grown teeth gnashed at the air as the rest of the transformation began to take hold of her body.

[misslolamcguffin]

Maple's eyes widened, and she immediately scooped up the sniper rifle that had been lying at her feet, scrambling to get back against the wall, dagger clutched clumsily in a shaking fist as a small whimper escaped from her throat.

Worst first night back ever.

[charactersaremylife]

"You’re going to regret that." Maple's frown curled into a snarl as she wiped the blood from her split lip with the back of her hand.

Alexa jutted out her chin in a stubborn fashion, a challenging look in her eye- silly, really, seeing as she was 17, barely looked 16, and was generally scrawny. Packed a punch though, and was stronger than she looked, but something was slightly off. Despite her obvious lack of calming words, she seemed to be trying to get her own anger under control-

"Am I? Are you gonna make me, then?" She snapped back, green eyes blazing. For a moment , they seemed to be turning a more golden color, but that shouldn’t of been possible.

[misslolamcguffin]

-

Maple raised an eyebrow and relieved a bit of the pressure on the girl’s arm. “Keep on running your mouth and I’ll decide if you’re worth my time or not.”

[charactersaremylife]

Was that a threat or something else? There were a couple concerns though, about turning into something with limbs. Maple could very well still keep a grasp on her, but… Snakes. Snakes didn’t have limbs. Also, it’d probably be a bit surprising, to have the person you’ve got pinned suddenly slither away.

Except- well, she didn’t know anything about snakes. “Keep running my mouth, I dunno, maybe that wont be a good idea. You wont believe me, for one, and humans tend to shoot what they don’t know, for…er, two.” Even as she kept “running her mouth”, she was focusing. A smallish picture in her head, none of the pythons- they always seemed to move so slowly. The little garter snake her brother caught once, that would do. It’d given her the willies- Functional though. The whole process was surprisingly quick, one moment, there was a scruffy, blonde haired girl pinned on the ground, and after a little bit of green tint to her skin, she began shrinking. In about the time it took to blink, there was a wriggling, green snake on the ground, clumsily moving. It was a bit problematic, being a snake for the first time, she wasn’t entirely sure how to move.

[misslolamcguffin]

"-the fuck?"

Maple picked the snake up by its middle, holding it loosely between her hands, with a practiced grip.

"Well, that’s a new one."

[charactersaremylife]

The snake hissed, writhing around in an attempt to bite the hand holding it. That wasn’t entirely a conscious effort, the snake was doing some talking too, which wasn’t good. Luckily, it was just a snake, nothing too horrible on it’s mind.

Which made it all that much easier to change back- a process that was much quicker than it usually was. Maybe spurred on  by adrenalin. As soon as she could, she kicked out her legs, aiming for the others face- chest, stomach, it didn’t really matter. No shoes though, that could be a problem if she tried to running too far. Sometimes that happened, loosing shoes during a transformation. Luckily, not so much the rest of her clothes, shoes though…there was something about them.

[misslolamcguffin]

The collision with the floor knocked the breath out of her, but Maple tried to recover as fast as she could.

"Goddamn, shoulda seen that one comin’."

[charactersaremylife]

Alexa on the other hand was scrambling, far out of reach, having learned her lesson against going head-on with this person. But she didn’t seem interested in fighting anymore. Her eyes still looked a bit odd at first before they receded back to the usual, tawny-brown color.

"…How much you wanna bet no one’s going t’believe you?" She asked slowly, looking a bit more than ruffled. Battered could be a better word.

[misslolamcguffin]

Maple narrowed her eyes.

"No one will believe you, either. What are you gonna say? Attacked by a woman with a snake tattoo?"

She stuck her chin out, proudly. “According to the government, I don’t exist.”

[charactersaremylife]

She laughed “And I’m off their radar too, great, isn’t it?” Her train of thought was momentarily redirected as her nose caught a whiff of something that smelled like food, and her stomach sent a pang up to her brain. She was starving, how’d she manage to forget that? When was the last time she ate? And then the question was out before she even had a moment to think about it, though she was planning on saying something else-

"Hey, do you have anything to eat?"

[misslolamcguffin]

Maple. Unflappable Maple, was caught off-guard by the question.

"What?"