OOC: Hi! This is a Roleplay Blog based around my O'C Maws from the DC Universe. You can find more posts about him in my main blog: @definitivelynotanalien
Under the tag #Fauces & Caperuza
[Note: Mun has memory problems. We may forget things that have been done and said before, so I apologize in advance for any inconvenience or confusion this may cause.]
With that said, here's some info on this guy
Aliases:
★ Maws
☆ (Formerly) Fauces
☆ (Formerly)The Monster of Gotham
Pronouns: Anything but She/Her
Age: 128 years old
Current Affiliation: Justice League
Species: Human-X'hnti Hybrid
Main abilities:
★ Shapeshifting
★ Super-Human strength
★ Radiation inmunity
★ Healing factor(?
★ Night vision
Background:
Maws lived in extreme poverty for most of his life and later on homelesness. After finding himself stranded in Gotham with a child to take care of, he took to Gotham's underground world for money.
He became a goon for rogues like Penguin, Two Face, even the Joker at some point as well as other criminal organizations and gangs. He would use his shapeshifting to hide his true identity, but Batman still found him.
He was unlucky enough to encounter Batman many many times over the years, always running away at the very last moment, until he was finally caught vulnerable. He was unable to run as his child was hiding in the building, and, forced to face off against Batman, he lost.
One (1) restrained trip to the Batcave and several days of imprisonment later, Batman made his offer.
Leave crime behind and join forces with the dark knight, in exchange for a chance at a life. Maws took it, desperate for Something sustainable for once.
Batman trained him in proper combat, taught him how to hide, who to be.
After six years of working alongside Batman he was invited to become an official Member of the JL, with his main focus being nuclear disasters and clean up of them.
ummmm, i thought you could have one of my blankets and then if i get busy and you or esme miss me, you can have my blankie. i dunno. i was watching a documentary on wolves and it said they like familiar scents but maybe you don’t. im talking a lot. i love ya, pa.
@wheelbarrowofstagefourcancer
— Germà held the blanket close, staring at Wade with raised eyebrows. He was trying to be subtle, but pressing his nose against the fabric was probably the most obvious confirmation ever. — "...Thank you, buddy..." — He was almost embarrassed about this, but he put that feeling aside to pull Wheelie into a tight, bone crushing hug. — "I love ya too. Never doubt it..."
— Gotham is a cursed place. It's suffocating in every way a city can be. For the untrained nose, a mixture of sea salt, diesel and rust make it hard to discern much else. Vision too is of little use in a city like Gotham. Tall buildings cast shadows across alleys, sidewalks, nearly surface is obsctructed at night. Many things lurk in Gotham's gloom: Criminals, vagabonds, and peculiar others that aren't quite human.
This such is the case of Gotham's Monster. The Monster lingers, and has lingered for nearly a decade as far as Gotham can tell you. Nobody is sure of exactly what it is. A werewolf, most guess. Claws, fangs, fur, with no predictable path. From Bristol to China Town, the Monster waits in shadows. Specially during sultry nights such as this, when the city seems to come alive. —
— @muttb4st4rd
[OOO: I got a little too excited writting this. I think I missed it. Hope I didn't over do it]
In passing, a man of perilous origins had mentioned that Gotham was cursed by a monster that lived in shadows and who’s victims looked like they’d been mauled by a lion. Jack hadn’t thought much of it. Gotham was an unkind place so it seemed likely that monsters would lurk in it’s alleys and undergrounds but he didn’t like to worry himself with things that could exist.
Now the beast within him thought different. As soon as Jack succumbed to his curse, it was on the hunt. It would find this monster and it would do what the city had failed to do. It would end it.
It traveled throughout Gotham as the moon watched over the city. It smelt hints of a monster, like itself. It howled as it got closer, the urge to maim getting bigger. It brought some squirrels to an undignified end but that didn’t squelch the feeling deep inside. That would only be gone when the trail had concluded and it’s victory won.
— Perhaps he'd miscalculated. Maws wasn't entirely sure yet, but something in the back of his head told him standing beneath a tree's shade at four and a half in the morning was not as good as a hiding spot as he'd thought. No one could see him, per se. His fur was too dark to not be confused with shadows. But the animal in him was... Unsettled. It wasn't just the most recent encounter he'd been in. Eyes were on him. His chest heaved with every pant, heart beating too hard inside his ribcage. He could hear it. The howling. He'd thought the dogs of Gotham city were active tonight, but no, that wasn't it. Something was on the hunt, and it wasn't Maws this time. —
The wolf stalked closer and it could smell the fear or maybe just the anxiety on the night breeze. It didn’t make a distinction. It’s all the same to an animal.
It hopped down onto all fours and made its way towards the scent. Its red eye’s sparkled in the moonlight as it slowly moved out of the bushes behind the other animal. It had been long since it had last fought something not human and it had been longing for a fight like that, a different fight where there was a mutual understanding and not a human desperation.
— Maws snapped towards the bushes, hackles raising, ears perking up at the sound. He'd been found, he could see it clearly now. The snarl was inevitable, though it felt different even to himself. His ears didn't pin back, he didn't show all his fangs. He wasn't scared. He wasn't trying to apppease. His eyes were set on the stranger's red ones, and he refused to back down, standing tall in the shade. It was an animal sort of understanding. The kind that doesn't end conflict, the kind that digs it's heels in and prods at the other. A stand off, until one of the beasts decided to lunge. —
The wolf stayed, unmoving. It’s red eyes latched onto the other wolf’s ones and it growled lowly.
It could sense something else, maybe a pup’s scent, but that meant nothing to it. If Jack had any control over it, it’d have backed down already because no pup should lose a parent, but it wasn’t Jack. It was a beast.
It took a few steps back and then ran forward and lunged, hitting the other with it’s full size. Growls filled the night air as it pushed him back against the tree and scratched and bit.
— Dodging hadn't even crossed Maws' mind. His back slammed into the tree. He snarled and thrashed, not pushing the other away, but trying to grab onto any part of the beast to keep it in range. The wolfman seemingly ignored every bite that landed, focused on one thing only: Closing his jaws around it's windpipe. He wasn't quiet or subtle either, he wasn't trying to be. The sharp lashes of pain he felt only fueled his resolve to maim the beast. —
It bit down on the other’s shoulder and tried to take a bite out of it but the angle was all off so it just stayed latched to his shoulder as it scratched and kicked. It could taste blood or maybe smell it. The copper taste overwhelmed it’s senses and it ignored any pain from it’s end. All it wanted was blood.
— He yelped. That hurt, actually hurt. Maws didn't panic exactly, but he did do something rash. He closed his jaws around the beast's neck, teeth grabbing onto the fur and loose skin on the back of it, and he yanked with a growl, dislodging the other from his shoulder. The wolfman didn't let go inmediately, he was bleeding and breathing heavily, and his mind was reeling because of it. —
As soon as the other’s jaws closed around the back of the beast’s neck, it stilled for a moment. Feelings of being a pup like the one this other wolf must have overtook it. But it shook them away like it always did to protect itself.
Once it got it’s bearings back, it tried to desperately push him off without letting go of his shoulder but it was useless. It hardly fought back when the other wolf ripped it off it’s shoulder, and instead howled at how the pain was hitting it all at once, the pain of it’s injuries and the pain of not winning and then being subdued.
— Maws unclenched his jaws and replaced his hold on the other's scruff with his hand, pulling away to stare in what he hoped was disbelief at the beast. The howling had snapped him back into focus like a rubber band. —
"What the hell do ya think yer doin', mate?" — Maws growled out, voice low and raspy. He hadn't spoken in a good while, not since he transformed, but he needed to get those words out. —
It growled lowly as the other pushed it to the ground. It wanted to pounce again but the hand on the back of it’s neck stalled it. The look it was being given would have made Jack apologize but it made the beast dig it’s heels in and growl some more.
But as soon as the other wolf growled, it whined and bowed it’s head towards the ground. It didn’t understand what was said but it knew when to back down. The fear of what could happen now ripped through it’s body alongside the pain and it howled, louder than before.
"Shhhh, shut up! Yer gonna get us found!" — Maws flinched as the beast grew louder, attempting to silence it by placing his free hand over it's mouth, or snout. It was both, somehow. The wolfman looked at their surroundings as he assesed the pickle he'd been put in. —
"Where the hell did ya come from, huh?" — He growled, leaning down and using the hold he had on the beast's scruff to shake it side to side. Being attacked by a werewolf during peak crime season was not fun, just bewildering. —
It’s eyes went big when the wolf put his hand on it’s snout. It had been expecting more pain not being shut up. The howling stopped and it whimpered a little, but it was muffled by the other’s hand.
Being shook made it growl again but after a few moments of if, it got dizzy. It would have fallen to the side if it wasn’t being held by the scruff of its neck. It couldn’t speak back but it sensed a question was being asked so it reached forwards and put its paw on the wolf’s knee.
— There was a brief, silent moment as Maws connected the dots of what he was seeing. His hold didn't loosen a single bit, but his tone did give way to something softer. Not kind, not exactly gentle, but close. — "I get the feelin' ya don't understand a lick of english." — The wolfman huffed, looking up at the sky and the full moon, only partially obscured by the canopy. —
"Listen 'ere, ya lil' devil... I'm gonna hold onto ya 'til the sun rises. 'Cause I think ya ain't yerself right now, and I hope fer yer sake that in about half an hour, I will be holdin' a very very apologetic human." — His hand dropped from the beasts' snout to point at the moon, then at his head, and then at it. He hoped the message was clear enough for it. — "We're gonna sit here, an' yer gonna be nice and still..."
— Maws followed after the beast, kneeling down by it's side, hand still gripping onto it's scruff tightly. He wasn't sure if what he felt was pity or guilt, or both, but he couldn't help it. The wolfman let go of the beast's snout, letting it breathe and vocalize properly. —
"Shhhh, be quiet..." — He made a motion as if about to pet the other's head, but thought better of it and made a placating motion instead. At least he had the werewolf pinnes down, for now, so long as it didn't start howling again things would be fine. At least he hoped so. —
When the other let go of it’s snout, it instinctively hid its face behind it’s paws and rubbed at it’s nose so it’d stop aching. It whined softly which sounded louder than before due to it being muffled previously.
It made a head movement that could almost be seen as a nod but it was more like a twitch. The sun’s approach made it anxious and antsy to get out of there, but it stayed, hauntingly calmed by the hand on the back of it’s neck.
"This is exactly the kinda bullshit that's just Gotta happen ta me." — Maws groused, plopping down on the grass as he got tired of kneeling. He refused to look at the beast for longer than a few moments at a time, afraid the pity would win. The minutes ticked by, slow and agonizing, the sky growing shifting in hue, becoming lighter. Sunrise approached and settled over Gotham like a warmly colored blanket. —
As the sun rose, the beast whined and pawed at the ground. It’s fur slowly disappeared and it started to look more human. The beast whined and howled softly, as it painfully transformed back into a human who was a fair bit smaller.
Jack laid there for a moment before looking up. “Hello. I think you met the beast? Uh, I’m Jack.”
He looked around and then down at his chest, checking there wasn’t anything too bad. “Hmm, I should probably call Elsa.”
— Maws growled. He didn't let go of the human man, his hand splaying out over the back of his neck to keep him pinned down to the ground. —
"Ya got any idea of what yer friend did, or is ya gonna act clueless, Jack?" — The wolfman spoke quietly, but the irritation was clear in his tone. There was a puddle of blue blood next to Jack's head, it had dripped down from Maws' shoulder before the wound had healed, it remained the only proof of the injuries he'd sustained. —
Jack stayed against the ground, dirt now sticking to his bare skin.
“I can’t remember. Can never remember any of it. I’m sorry for whatever it did though it seems like you got the best of it,” he says, glancing over at the other briefly and noticing the blood. “That’s a lot- you should be….”
He takes a moment before clearing his throat. “Um, are you by any chance a monster of some kind? It’s either that or I’m seeing things.”
"No shit, I am a monster." — The wolfman grunted, pulling Jack up to look at him, having to tilt his head slightly so he wouldn't knock his snout on the man's head. —
"Never heard of ya in Gotham. Got any clue what brings ya here, or is that the beasts' doing too?"
Jack groans softly as he’s pulled up. He doesn’t usually get into close quarters with people that the beast doesn’t like. To be frank, he doesn’t really get close to anyone but Elsa and Ted these days so both the being pulled around like a sack of potatoes and just the physical contact are making him feel… off.
“Was looking for someone. Ted needed something from an Ivy? A doctor or botanist? I wasn’t expecting to be here long enough that the full moon would come out,” he says, his voice raspy.
"Poison Ivy? She's trouble, I'll tell ya that much, kid." — Maws put Jack back on the floor and let go of him, staring at his form for a while as if in contemplation. The pity won out this time, and the wolfman sighed as he unfurled his coat from one of his pockets, draping it over Jack's back so he wouldn't be topless in the morning breeze. —
"Yer lucky the werewolf decided ta come after me. If it went on a rampage, and anyone else got to it... Bad stuff. I think ya already knew that. I hope so, at least."
Jack huffed when he landed back on the floor. He looked up at Maws for a moment before looking down at the ground again, shivering as he did. “Mhmm, I’m coming to feel like Gotham is just trouble in general,” he said, ignoring how the wolf man called him kid. It’d been a long time since anyone had called him anything like that.
When the coat was placed over his shoulders, he sighed in relief and pulled it close around him. “Gracias,” he mumbled, still looking at the floor, “And I do know that. I usually am able to keep the beast within… well within me or at least within my home.”
He sighed and ran a hand through his curls. “Everything’s changed. I don’t think it likes change. Makes it more… anxious.”
"Y el cielo es azul, tell me somethin' new." — The wolfman let out a deep, weary sigh, looking at their surroundings for yet another once-over. He was on edge, that much was clear. —
"I don't like change either, so I guess that makes two of us. Sorry about the uh... Everythin'. Ya bleedin'?" — Maws leaned in closer, sniffing the air out of habit. His gaze flicked over what he could see of Jack, worry creasing his brow. —
“I’ll be okay. The whole having a beast as a part of me does come with bonuses and one is healing rather quickly,” he says with a small smile as he sits up. “Everything’ll ache but I should be looking brand new by the time the moon is up again.”
He groans and stretches his legs out. “So you’re part wolf or is there another word for it?”
— Maws relaxed, passing a hand over his hackles to smooth them out, trying to fidget away his anxiety. —
"Wolf? Well. Uh. I ain't a werewolf." — He grumbled, scratching at his ear as he tried to come up with a simple answer thar wouldn't give away too much information. — "...Unless it's contagious." — The wolfman stilled, sideeyeing Jack with sudden concern for himself, and the still-healing bite he'd sustained during the fight. —
“Shouldn’t be contagious otherwise Elsa would be one by now,” he said with a dry chuckle.
After a moment, he stretched his arms above his head. “Would it be odd to ask for your number? Just so Elsa could text you tonight to say you don’t have to worry about the beast. I’ll make sure I’m more prepared tonight.”
"I ain't got a phone." — He blurted out, not sure of how else to get away with this. Secret identities were hard, he was glad he rarely had to interact with the public as a wolfman. He considered Jack for a bit, sizing the man up. —
"Can ya make it home on yer own? Yer... Shirtless, an' shoeless, an' cashless as far as I can tell." — Maws gestured at the man beside him, the worry lingered in his gaze. —
“That’s alright. It probably wasn’t necessary anyways,” he said with a shrug.
He looked down at his chest and then at his feet before chuckling. “Uh yes, I should be. The beast is always taking me to strange places, algunas incluso malditas. I manage.”
"Hah! Cursed is just right fer Gotham City..." — The wolfman seemed conflicted about something as he stared at Jack, up and down, lingering on the healing wounds and bruises. —
"...Here's where I'd say 'call me later', but I ain't got a phone, and the only way ta contact me otherwise would be smoke signals or-" — Maws paused, straightening himself out, ears pointing upwards in alarm. He looked away, as if afraid he'd be caught uttering the word that followed in a stage whisper. —
“You speak Spanish?” His eye’s brighten a fair bit and he smiles.
He tilts his head like a puppy as the wolf man talks and he chuckles when he says smoke signals and when he goes all quiet and nervous.
“Ah yes, Tumblr. I got that app as Ted said it is where people hang out these days. Also that it is fairly anonymous. We do not need more special agents trying to kidnap us.”
"I don't need that either... And yes I do speak spanish..." — The wolfman admitted gruffly, digging around in his coat pockets. He eventually found a piece of loose paper and one of his pens, using both to scribble down his blog's name. It felt childish, ridiculous for the circumstance they were in, and he was quick to slide the paper towards Jack in a rush. — "Just... Contact me when ya do make it home. I'll let ya go now, ya can keep the coat, it's just an old spare... Do as ya see fit with it."
— Gotham is a cursed place. It's suffocating in every way a city can be. For the untrained nose, a mixture of sea salt, diesel and rust make it hard to discern much else. Vision too is of little use in a city like Gotham. Tall buildings cast shadows across alleys, sidewalks, nearly surface is obsctructed at night. Many things lurk in Gotham's gloom: Criminals, vagabonds, and peculiar others that aren't quite human.
This such is the case of Gotham's Monster. The Monster lingers, and has lingered for nearly a decade as far as Gotham can tell you. Nobody is sure of exactly what it is. A werewolf, most guess. Claws, fangs, fur, with no predictable path. From Bristol to China Town, the Monster waits in shadows. Specially during sultry nights such as this, when the city seems to come alive. —
— @muttb4st4rd
[OOO: I got a little too excited writting this. I think I missed it. Hope I didn't over do it]
In passing, a man of perilous origins had mentioned that Gotham was cursed by a monster that lived in shadows and who’s victims looked like they’d been mauled by a lion. Jack hadn’t thought much of it. Gotham was an unkind place so it seemed likely that monsters would lurk in it’s alleys and undergrounds but he didn’t like to worry himself with things that could exist.
Now the beast within him thought different. As soon as Jack succumbed to his curse, it was on the hunt. It would find this monster and it would do what the city had failed to do. It would end it.
It traveled throughout Gotham as the moon watched over the city. It smelt hints of a monster, like itself. It howled as it got closer, the urge to maim getting bigger. It brought some squirrels to an undignified end but that didn’t squelch the feeling deep inside. That would only be gone when the trail had concluded and it’s victory won.
— Perhaps he'd miscalculated. Maws wasn't entirely sure yet, but something in the back of his head told him standing beneath a tree's shade at four and a half in the morning was not as good as a hiding spot as he'd thought. No one could see him, per se. His fur was too dark to not be confused with shadows. But the animal in him was... Unsettled. It wasn't just the most recent encounter he'd been in. Eyes were on him. His chest heaved with every pant, heart beating too hard inside his ribcage. He could hear it. The howling. He'd thought the dogs of Gotham city were active tonight, but no, that wasn't it. Something was on the hunt, and it wasn't Maws this time. —
The wolf stalked closer and it could smell the fear or maybe just the anxiety on the night breeze. It didn’t make a distinction. It’s all the same to an animal.
It hopped down onto all fours and made its way towards the scent. Its red eye’s sparkled in the moonlight as it slowly moved out of the bushes behind the other animal. It had been long since it had last fought something not human and it had been longing for a fight like that, a different fight where there was a mutual understanding and not a human desperation.
— Maws snapped towards the bushes, hackles raising, ears perking up at the sound. He'd been found, he could see it clearly now. The snarl was inevitable, though it felt different even to himself. His ears didn't pin back, he didn't show all his fangs. He wasn't scared. He wasn't trying to apppease. His eyes were set on the stranger's red ones, and he refused to back down, standing tall in the shade. It was an animal sort of understanding. The kind that doesn't end conflict, the kind that digs it's heels in and prods at the other. A stand off, until one of the beasts decided to lunge. —
The wolf stayed, unmoving. It’s red eyes latched onto the other wolf’s ones and it growled lowly.
It could sense something else, maybe a pup’s scent, but that meant nothing to it. If Jack had any control over it, it’d have backed down already because no pup should lose a parent, but it wasn’t Jack. It was a beast.
It took a few steps back and then ran forward and lunged, hitting the other with it’s full size. Growls filled the night air as it pushed him back against the tree and scratched and bit.
— Dodging hadn't even crossed Maws' mind. His back slammed into the tree. He snarled and thrashed, not pushing the other away, but trying to grab onto any part of the beast to keep it in range. The wolfman seemingly ignored every bite that landed, focused on one thing only: Closing his jaws around it's windpipe. He wasn't quiet or subtle either, he wasn't trying to be. The sharp lashes of pain he felt only fueled his resolve to maim the beast. —
It bit down on the other’s shoulder and tried to take a bite out of it but the angle was all off so it just stayed latched to his shoulder as it scratched and kicked. It could taste blood or maybe smell it. The copper taste overwhelmed it’s senses and it ignored any pain from it’s end. All it wanted was blood.
— He yelped. That hurt, actually hurt. Maws didn't panic exactly, but he did do something rash. He closed his jaws around the beast's neck, teeth grabbing onto the fur and loose skin on the back of it, and he yanked with a growl, dislodging the other from his shoulder. The wolfman didn't let go inmediately, he was bleeding and breathing heavily, and his mind was reeling because of it. —
As soon as the other’s jaws closed around the back of the beast’s neck, it stilled for a moment. Feelings of being a pup like the one this other wolf must have overtook it. But it shook them away like it always did to protect itself.
Once it got it’s bearings back, it tried to desperately push him off without letting go of his shoulder but it was useless. It hardly fought back when the other wolf ripped it off it’s shoulder, and instead howled at how the pain was hitting it all at once, the pain of it’s injuries and the pain of not winning and then being subdued.
— Maws unclenched his jaws and replaced his hold on the other's scruff with his hand, pulling away to stare in what he hoped was disbelief at the beast. The howling had snapped him back into focus like a rubber band. —
"What the hell do ya think yer doin', mate?" — Maws growled out, voice low and raspy. He hadn't spoken in a good while, not since he transformed, but he needed to get those words out. —
It growled lowly as the other pushed it to the ground. It wanted to pounce again but the hand on the back of it’s neck stalled it. The look it was being given would have made Jack apologize but it made the beast dig it’s heels in and growl some more.
But as soon as the other wolf growled, it whined and bowed it’s head towards the ground. It didn’t understand what was said but it knew when to back down. The fear of what could happen now ripped through it’s body alongside the pain and it howled, louder than before.
"Shhhh, shut up! Yer gonna get us found!" — Maws flinched as the beast grew louder, attempting to silence it by placing his free hand over it's mouth, or snout. It was both, somehow. The wolfman looked at their surroundings as he assesed the pickle he'd been put in. —
"Where the hell did ya come from, huh?" — He growled, leaning down and using the hold he had on the beast's scruff to shake it side to side. Being attacked by a werewolf during peak crime season was not fun, just bewildering. —
It’s eyes went big when the wolf put his hand on it’s snout. It had been expecting more pain not being shut up. The howling stopped and it whimpered a little, but it was muffled by the other’s hand.
Being shook made it growl again but after a few moments of if, it got dizzy. It would have fallen to the side if it wasn’t being held by the scruff of its neck. It couldn’t speak back but it sensed a question was being asked so it reached forwards and put its paw on the wolf’s knee.
— There was a brief, silent moment as Maws connected the dots of what he was seeing. His hold didn't loosen a single bit, but his tone did give way to something softer. Not kind, not exactly gentle, but close. — "I get the feelin' ya don't understand a lick of english." — The wolfman huffed, looking up at the sky and the full moon, only partially obscured by the canopy. —
"Listen 'ere, ya lil' devil... I'm gonna hold onto ya 'til the sun rises. 'Cause I think ya ain't yerself right now, and I hope fer yer sake that in about half an hour, I will be holdin' a very very apologetic human." — His hand dropped from the beasts' snout to point at the moon, then at his head, and then at it. He hoped the message was clear enough for it. — "We're gonna sit here, an' yer gonna be nice and still..."
— Maws followed after the beast, kneeling down by it's side, hand still gripping onto it's scruff tightly. He wasn't sure if what he felt was pity or guilt, or both, but he couldn't help it. The wolfman let go of the beast's snout, letting it breathe and vocalize properly. —
"Shhhh, be quiet..." — He made a motion as if about to pet the other's head, but thought better of it and made a placating motion instead. At least he had the werewolf pinnes down, for now, so long as it didn't start howling again things would be fine. At least he hoped so. —
When the other let go of it’s snout, it instinctively hid its face behind it’s paws and rubbed at it’s nose so it’d stop aching. It whined softly which sounded louder than before due to it being muffled previously.
It made a head movement that could almost be seen as a nod but it was more like a twitch. The sun’s approach made it anxious and antsy to get out of there, but it stayed, hauntingly calmed by the hand on the back of it’s neck.
"This is exactly the kinda bullshit that's just Gotta happen ta me." — Maws groused, plopping down on the grass as he got tired of kneeling. He refused to look at the beast for longer than a few moments at a time, afraid the pity would win. The minutes ticked by, slow and agonizing, the sky growing shifting in hue, becoming lighter. Sunrise approached and settled over Gotham like a warmly colored blanket. —
As the sun rose, the beast whined and pawed at the ground. It’s fur slowly disappeared and it started to look more human. The beast whined and howled softly, as it painfully transformed back into a human who was a fair bit smaller.
Jack laid there for a moment before looking up. “Hello. I think you met the beast? Uh, I’m Jack.”
He looked around and then down at his chest, checking there wasn’t anything too bad. “Hmm, I should probably call Elsa.”
— Maws growled. He didn't let go of the human man, his hand splaying out over the back of his neck to keep him pinned down to the ground. —
"Ya got any idea of what yer friend did, or is ya gonna act clueless, Jack?" — The wolfman spoke quietly, but the irritation was clear in his tone. There was a puddle of blue blood next to Jack's head, it had dripped down from Maws' shoulder before the wound had healed, it remained the only proof of the injuries he'd sustained. —
Jack stayed against the ground, dirt now sticking to his bare skin.
“I can’t remember. Can never remember any of it. I’m sorry for whatever it did though it seems like you got the best of it,” he says, glancing over at the other briefly and noticing the blood. “That’s a lot- you should be….”
He takes a moment before clearing his throat. “Um, are you by any chance a monster of some kind? It’s either that or I’m seeing things.”
"No shit, I am a monster." — The wolfman grunted, pulling Jack up to look at him, having to tilt his head slightly so he wouldn't knock his snout on the man's head. —
"Never heard of ya in Gotham. Got any clue what brings ya here, or is that the beasts' doing too?"
Jack groans softly as he’s pulled up. He doesn’t usually get into close quarters with people that the beast doesn’t like. To be frank, he doesn’t really get close to anyone but Elsa and Ted these days so both the being pulled around like a sack of potatoes and just the physical contact are making him feel… off.
“Was looking for someone. Ted needed something from an Ivy? A doctor or botanist? I wasn’t expecting to be here long enough that the full moon would come out,” he says, his voice raspy.
"Poison Ivy? She's trouble, I'll tell ya that much, kid." — Maws put Jack back on the floor and let go of him, staring at his form for a while as if in contemplation. The pity won out this time, and the wolfman sighed as he unfurled his coat from one of his pockets, draping it over Jack's back so he wouldn't be topless in the morning breeze. —
"Yer lucky the werewolf decided ta come after me. If it went on a rampage, and anyone else got to it... Bad stuff. I think ya already knew that. I hope so, at least."
Jack huffed when he landed back on the floor. He looked up at Maws for a moment before looking down at the ground again, shivering as he did. “Mhmm, I’m coming to feel like Gotham is just trouble in general,” he said, ignoring how the wolf man called him kid. It’d been a long time since anyone had called him anything like that.
When the coat was placed over his shoulders, he sighed in relief and pulled it close around him. “Gracias,” he mumbled, still looking at the floor, “And I do know that. I usually am able to keep the beast within… well within me or at least within my home.”
He sighed and ran a hand through his curls. “Everything’s changed. I don’t think it likes change. Makes it more… anxious.”
"Y el cielo es azul, tell me somethin' new." — The wolfman let out a deep, weary sigh, looking at their surroundings for yet another once-over. He was on edge, that much was clear. —
"I don't like change either, so I guess that makes two of us. Sorry about the uh... Everythin'. Ya bleedin'?" — Maws leaned in closer, sniffing the air out of habit. His gaze flicked over what he could see of Jack, worry creasing his brow. —
“I’ll be okay. The whole having a beast as a part of me does come with bonuses and one is healing rather quickly,” he says with a small smile as he sits up. “Everything’ll ache but I should be looking brand new by the time the moon is up again.”
He groans and stretches his legs out. “So you’re part wolf or is there another word for it?”
— Maws relaxed, passing a hand over his hackles to smooth them out, trying to fidget away his anxiety. —
"Wolf? Well. Uh. I ain't a werewolf." — He grumbled, scratching at his ear as he tried to come up with a simple answer thar wouldn't give away too much information. — "...Unless it's contagious." — The wolfman stilled, sideeyeing Jack with sudden concern for himself, and the still-healing bite he'd sustained during the fight. —
“Shouldn’t be contagious otherwise Elsa would be one by now,” he said with a dry chuckle.
After a moment, he stretched his arms above his head. “Would it be odd to ask for your number? Just so Elsa could text you tonight to say you don’t have to worry about the beast. I’ll make sure I’m more prepared tonight.”
"I ain't got a phone." — He blurted out, not sure of how else to get away with this. Secret identities were hard, he was glad he rarely had to interact with the public as a wolfman. He considered Jack for a bit, sizing the man up. —
"Can ya make it home on yer own? Yer... Shirtless, an' shoeless, an' cashless as far as I can tell." — Maws gestured at the man beside him, the worry lingered in his gaze. —
“That’s alright. It probably wasn’t necessary anyways,” he said with a shrug.
He looked down at his chest and then at his feet before chuckling. “Uh yes, I should be. The beast is always taking me to strange places, algunas incluso malditas. I manage.”
"Hah! Cursed is just right fer Gotham City..." — The wolfman seemed conflicted about something as he stared at Jack, up and down, lingering on the healing wounds and bruises. —
"...Here's where I'd say 'call me later', but I ain't got a phone, and the only way ta contact me otherwise would be smoke signals or-" — Maws paused, straightening himself out, ears pointing upwards in alarm. He looked away, as if afraid he'd be caught uttering the word that followed in a stage whisper. —
I'm doing better, I think. Adjusting to spring. I've got so load of house work to do, it's bad 😬😬 I just did 6 kilos of laundry that I had leftover. I would've done it in march but it takes me a bit to fully wake up from the coldest season, and I honestly couldn't be arsed. How are You doing, though? Has stuff chilled out over there?
Work 40 hours a week (plus overtime), come home covered in dust, then make dinner, feed cub, take a shower, put cub to bed, wash dishes oh my fucking god.
Work 40 hours a week (plus overtime), come home covered in dust, then make dinner, feed cub, take a shower, put cub to bed, wash dishes oh my fucking god.
— Gotham is a cursed place. It's suffocating in every way a city can be. For the untrained nose, a mixture of sea salt, diesel and rust make it hard to discern much else. Vision too is of little use in a city like Gotham. Tall buildings cast shadows across alleys, sidewalks, nearly surface is obsctructed at night. Many things lurk in Gotham's gloom: Criminals, vagabonds, and peculiar others that aren't quite human.
This such is the case of Gotham's Monster. The Monster lingers, and has lingered for nearly a decade as far as Gotham can tell you. Nobody is sure of exactly what it is. A werewolf, most guess. Claws, fangs, fur, with no predictable path. From Bristol to China Town, the Monster waits in shadows. Specially during sultry nights such as this, when the city seems to come alive. —
— @muttb4st4rd
[OOO: I got a little too excited writting this. I think I missed it. Hope I didn't over do it]
In passing, a man of perilous origins had mentioned that Gotham was cursed by a monster that lived in shadows and who’s victims looked like they’d been mauled by a lion. Jack hadn’t thought much of it. Gotham was an unkind place so it seemed likely that monsters would lurk in it’s alleys and undergrounds but he didn’t like to worry himself with things that could exist.
Now the beast within him thought different. As soon as Jack succumbed to his curse, it was on the hunt. It would find this monster and it would do what the city had failed to do. It would end it.
It traveled throughout Gotham as the moon watched over the city. It smelt hints of a monster, like itself. It howled as it got closer, the urge to maim getting bigger. It brought some squirrels to an undignified end but that didn’t squelch the feeling deep inside. That would only be gone when the trail had concluded and it’s victory won.
— Perhaps he'd miscalculated. Maws wasn't entirely sure yet, but something in the back of his head told him standing beneath a tree's shade at four and a half in the morning was not as good as a hiding spot as he'd thought. No one could see him, per se. His fur was too dark to not be confused with shadows. But the animal in him was... Unsettled. It wasn't just the most recent encounter he'd been in. Eyes were on him. His chest heaved with every pant, heart beating too hard inside his ribcage. He could hear it. The howling. He'd thought the dogs of Gotham city were active tonight, but no, that wasn't it. Something was on the hunt, and it wasn't Maws this time. —
The wolf stalked closer and it could smell the fear or maybe just the anxiety on the night breeze. It didn’t make a distinction. It’s all the same to an animal.
It hopped down onto all fours and made its way towards the scent. Its red eye’s sparkled in the moonlight as it slowly moved out of the bushes behind the other animal. It had been long since it had last fought something not human and it had been longing for a fight like that, a different fight where there was a mutual understanding and not a human desperation.
— Maws snapped towards the bushes, hackles raising, ears perking up at the sound. He'd been found, he could see it clearly now. The snarl was inevitable, though it felt different even to himself. His ears didn't pin back, he didn't show all his fangs. He wasn't scared. He wasn't trying to apppease. His eyes were set on the stranger's red ones, and he refused to back down, standing tall in the shade. It was an animal sort of understanding. The kind that doesn't end conflict, the kind that digs it's heels in and prods at the other. A stand off, until one of the beasts decided to lunge. —
The wolf stayed, unmoving. It’s red eyes latched onto the other wolf’s ones and it growled lowly.
It could sense something else, maybe a pup’s scent, but that meant nothing to it. If Jack had any control over it, it’d have backed down already because no pup should lose a parent, but it wasn’t Jack. It was a beast.
It took a few steps back and then ran forward and lunged, hitting the other with it’s full size. Growls filled the night air as it pushed him back against the tree and scratched and bit.
— Dodging hadn't even crossed Maws' mind. His back slammed into the tree. He snarled and thrashed, not pushing the other away, but trying to grab onto any part of the beast to keep it in range. The wolfman seemingly ignored every bite that landed, focused on one thing only: Closing his jaws around it's windpipe. He wasn't quiet or subtle either, he wasn't trying to be. The sharp lashes of pain he felt only fueled his resolve to maim the beast. —
It bit down on the other’s shoulder and tried to take a bite out of it but the angle was all off so it just stayed latched to his shoulder as it scratched and kicked. It could taste blood or maybe smell it. The copper taste overwhelmed it’s senses and it ignored any pain from it’s end. All it wanted was blood.
— He yelped. That hurt, actually hurt. Maws didn't panic exactly, but he did do something rash. He closed his jaws around the beast's neck, teeth grabbing onto the fur and loose skin on the back of it, and he yanked with a growl, dislodging the other from his shoulder. The wolfman didn't let go inmediately, he was bleeding and breathing heavily, and his mind was reeling because of it. —
As soon as the other’s jaws closed around the back of the beast’s neck, it stilled for a moment. Feelings of being a pup like the one this other wolf must have overtook it. But it shook them away like it always did to protect itself.
Once it got it’s bearings back, it tried to desperately push him off without letting go of his shoulder but it was useless. It hardly fought back when the other wolf ripped it off it’s shoulder, and instead howled at how the pain was hitting it all at once, the pain of it’s injuries and the pain of not winning and then being subdued.
— Maws unclenched his jaws and replaced his hold on the other's scruff with his hand, pulling away to stare in what he hoped was disbelief at the beast. The howling had snapped him back into focus like a rubber band. —
"What the hell do ya think yer doin', mate?" — Maws growled out, voice low and raspy. He hadn't spoken in a good while, not since he transformed, but he needed to get those words out. —
It growled lowly as the other pushed it to the ground. It wanted to pounce again but the hand on the back of it’s neck stalled it. The look it was being given would have made Jack apologize but it made the beast dig it’s heels in and growl some more.
But as soon as the other wolf growled, it whined and bowed it’s head towards the ground. It didn’t understand what was said but it knew when to back down. The fear of what could happen now ripped through it’s body alongside the pain and it howled, louder than before.
"Shhhh, shut up! Yer gonna get us found!" — Maws flinched as the beast grew louder, attempting to silence it by placing his free hand over it's mouth, or snout. It was both, somehow. The wolfman looked at their surroundings as he assesed the pickle he'd been put in. —
"Where the hell did ya come from, huh?" — He growled, leaning down and using the hold he had on the beast's scruff to shake it side to side. Being attacked by a werewolf during peak crime season was not fun, just bewildering. —
It’s eyes went big when the wolf put his hand on it’s snout. It had been expecting more pain not being shut up. The howling stopped and it whimpered a little, but it was muffled by the other’s hand.
Being shook made it growl again but after a few moments of if, it got dizzy. It would have fallen to the side if it wasn’t being held by the scruff of its neck. It couldn’t speak back but it sensed a question was being asked so it reached forwards and put its paw on the wolf’s knee.
— There was a brief, silent moment as Maws connected the dots of what he was seeing. His hold didn't loosen a single bit, but his tone did give way to something softer. Not kind, not exactly gentle, but close. — "I get the feelin' ya don't understand a lick of english." — The wolfman huffed, looking up at the sky and the full moon, only partially obscured by the canopy. —
"Listen 'ere, ya lil' devil... I'm gonna hold onto ya 'til the sun rises. 'Cause I think ya ain't yerself right now, and I hope fer yer sake that in about half an hour, I will be holdin' a very very apologetic human." — His hand dropped from the beasts' snout to point at the moon, then at his head, and then at it. He hoped the message was clear enough for it. — "We're gonna sit here, an' yer gonna be nice and still..."
— Maws followed after the beast, kneeling down by it's side, hand still gripping onto it's scruff tightly. He wasn't sure if what he felt was pity or guilt, or both, but he couldn't help it. The wolfman let go of the beast's snout, letting it breathe and vocalize properly. —
"Shhhh, be quiet..." — He made a motion as if about to pet the other's head, but thought better of it and made a placating motion instead. At least he had the werewolf pinnes down, for now, so long as it didn't start howling again things would be fine. At least he hoped so. —
When the other let go of it’s snout, it instinctively hid its face behind it’s paws and rubbed at it’s nose so it’d stop aching. It whined softly which sounded louder than before due to it being muffled previously.
It made a head movement that could almost be seen as a nod but it was more like a twitch. The sun’s approach made it anxious and antsy to get out of there, but it stayed, hauntingly calmed by the hand on the back of it’s neck.
"This is exactly the kinda bullshit that's just Gotta happen ta me." — Maws groused, plopping down on the grass as he got tired of kneeling. He refused to look at the beast for longer than a few moments at a time, afraid the pity would win. The minutes ticked by, slow and agonizing, the sky growing shifting in hue, becoming lighter. Sunrise approached and settled over Gotham like a warmly colored blanket. —
As the sun rose, the beast whined and pawed at the ground. It’s fur slowly disappeared and it started to look more human. The beast whined and howled softly, as it painfully transformed back into a human who was a fair bit smaller.
Jack laid there for a moment before looking up. “Hello. I think you met the beast? Uh, I’m Jack.”
He looked around and then down at his chest, checking there wasn’t anything too bad. “Hmm, I should probably call Elsa.”
— Maws growled. He didn't let go of the human man, his hand splaying out over the back of his neck to keep him pinned down to the ground. —
"Ya got any idea of what yer friend did, or is ya gonna act clueless, Jack?" — The wolfman spoke quietly, but the irritation was clear in his tone. There was a puddle of blue blood next to Jack's head, it had dripped down from Maws' shoulder before the wound had healed, it remained the only proof of the injuries he'd sustained. —
Jack stayed against the ground, dirt now sticking to his bare skin.
“I can’t remember. Can never remember any of it. I’m sorry for whatever it did though it seems like you got the best of it,” he says, glancing over at the other briefly and noticing the blood. “That’s a lot- you should be….”
He takes a moment before clearing his throat. “Um, are you by any chance a monster of some kind? It’s either that or I’m seeing things.”
"No shit, I am a monster." — The wolfman grunted, pulling Jack up to look at him, having to tilt his head slightly so he wouldn't knock his snout on the man's head. —
"Never heard of ya in Gotham. Got any clue what brings ya here, or is that the beasts' doing too?"
Jack groans softly as he’s pulled up. He doesn’t usually get into close quarters with people that the beast doesn’t like. To be frank, he doesn’t really get close to anyone but Elsa and Ted these days so both the being pulled around like a sack of potatoes and just the physical contact are making him feel… off.
“Was looking for someone. Ted needed something from an Ivy? A doctor or botanist? I wasn’t expecting to be here long enough that the full moon would come out,” he says, his voice raspy.
"Poison Ivy? She's trouble, I'll tell ya that much, kid." — Maws put Jack back on the floor and let go of him, staring at his form for a while as if in contemplation. The pity won out this time, and the wolfman sighed as he unfurled his coat from one of his pockets, draping it over Jack's back so he wouldn't be topless in the morning breeze. —
"Yer lucky the werewolf decided ta come after me. If it went on a rampage, and anyone else got to it... Bad stuff. I think ya already knew that. I hope so, at least."
Jack huffed when he landed back on the floor. He looked up at Maws for a moment before looking down at the ground again, shivering as he did. “Mhmm, I’m coming to feel like Gotham is just trouble in general,” he said, ignoring how the wolf man called him kid. It’d been a long time since anyone had called him anything like that.
When the coat was placed over his shoulders, he sighed in relief and pulled it close around him. “Gracias,” he mumbled, still looking at the floor, “And I do know that. I usually am able to keep the beast within… well within me or at least within my home.”
He sighed and ran a hand through his curls. “Everything’s changed. I don’t think it likes change. Makes it more… anxious.”
"Y el cielo es azul, tell me somethin' new." — The wolfman let out a deep, weary sigh, looking at their surroundings for yet another once-over. He was on edge, that much was clear. —
"I don't like change either, so I guess that makes two of us. Sorry about the uh... Everythin'. Ya bleedin'?" — Maws leaned in closer, sniffing the air out of habit. His gaze flicked over what he could see of Jack, worry creasing his brow. —
“I’ll be okay. The whole having a beast as a part of me does come with bonuses and one is healing rather quickly,” he says with a small smile as he sits up. “Everything’ll ache but I should be looking brand new by the time the moon is up again.”
He groans and stretches his legs out. “So you’re part wolf or is there another word for it?”
— Maws relaxed, passing a hand over his hackles to smooth them out, trying to fidget away his anxiety. —
"Wolf? Well. Uh. I ain't a werewolf." — He grumbled, scratching at his ear as he tried to come up with a simple answer thar wouldn't give away too much information. — "...Unless it's contagious." — The wolfman stilled, sideeyeing Jack with sudden concern for himself, and the still-healing bite he'd sustained during the fight. —
“Shouldn’t be contagious otherwise Elsa would be one by now,” he said with a dry chuckle.
After a moment, he stretched his arms above his head. “Would it be odd to ask for your number? Just so Elsa could text you tonight to say you don’t have to worry about the beast. I’ll make sure I’m more prepared tonight.”
"I ain't got a phone." — He blurted out, not sure of how else to get away with this. Secret identities were hard, he was glad he rarely had to interact with the public as a wolfman. He considered Jack for a bit, sizing the man up. —
"Can ya make it home on yer own? Yer... Shirtless, an' shoeless, an' cashless as far as I can tell." — Maws gestured at the man beside him, the worry lingered in his gaze. —
— Gotham is a cursed place. It's suffocating in every way a city can be. For the untrained nose, a mixture of sea salt, diesel and rust make it hard to discern much else. Vision too is of little use in a city like Gotham. Tall buildings cast shadows across alleys, sidewalks, nearly surface is obsctructed at night. Many things lurk in Gotham's gloom: Criminals, vagabonds, and peculiar others that aren't quite human.
This such is the case of Gotham's Monster. The Monster lingers, and has lingered for nearly a decade as far as Gotham can tell you. Nobody is sure of exactly what it is. A werewolf, most guess. Claws, fangs, fur, with no predictable path. From Bristol to China Town, the Monster waits in shadows. Specially during sultry nights such as this, when the city seems to come alive. —
— @muttb4st4rd
[OOO: I got a little too excited writting this. I think I missed it. Hope I didn't over do it]
In passing, a man of perilous origins had mentioned that Gotham was cursed by a monster that lived in shadows and who’s victims looked like they’d been mauled by a lion. Jack hadn’t thought much of it. Gotham was an unkind place so it seemed likely that monsters would lurk in it’s alleys and undergrounds but he didn’t like to worry himself with things that could exist.
Now the beast within him thought different. As soon as Jack succumbed to his curse, it was on the hunt. It would find this monster and it would do what the city had failed to do. It would end it.
It traveled throughout Gotham as the moon watched over the city. It smelt hints of a monster, like itself. It howled as it got closer, the urge to maim getting bigger. It brought some squirrels to an undignified end but that didn’t squelch the feeling deep inside. That would only be gone when the trail had concluded and it’s victory won.
— Perhaps he'd miscalculated. Maws wasn't entirely sure yet, but something in the back of his head told him standing beneath a tree's shade at four and a half in the morning was not as good as a hiding spot as he'd thought. No one could see him, per se. His fur was too dark to not be confused with shadows. But the animal in him was... Unsettled. It wasn't just the most recent encounter he'd been in. Eyes were on him. His chest heaved with every pant, heart beating too hard inside his ribcage. He could hear it. The howling. He'd thought the dogs of Gotham city were active tonight, but no, that wasn't it. Something was on the hunt, and it wasn't Maws this time. —
The wolf stalked closer and it could smell the fear or maybe just the anxiety on the night breeze. It didn’t make a distinction. It’s all the same to an animal.
It hopped down onto all fours and made its way towards the scent. Its red eye’s sparkled in the moonlight as it slowly moved out of the bushes behind the other animal. It had been long since it had last fought something not human and it had been longing for a fight like that, a different fight where there was a mutual understanding and not a human desperation.
— Maws snapped towards the bushes, hackles raising, ears perking up at the sound. He'd been found, he could see it clearly now. The snarl was inevitable, though it felt different even to himself. His ears didn't pin back, he didn't show all his fangs. He wasn't scared. He wasn't trying to apppease. His eyes were set on the stranger's red ones, and he refused to back down, standing tall in the shade. It was an animal sort of understanding. The kind that doesn't end conflict, the kind that digs it's heels in and prods at the other. A stand off, until one of the beasts decided to lunge. —
The wolf stayed, unmoving. It’s red eyes latched onto the other wolf’s ones and it growled lowly.
It could sense something else, maybe a pup’s scent, but that meant nothing to it. If Jack had any control over it, it’d have backed down already because no pup should lose a parent, but it wasn’t Jack. It was a beast.
It took a few steps back and then ran forward and lunged, hitting the other with it’s full size. Growls filled the night air as it pushed him back against the tree and scratched and bit.
— Dodging hadn't even crossed Maws' mind. His back slammed into the tree. He snarled and thrashed, not pushing the other away, but trying to grab onto any part of the beast to keep it in range. The wolfman seemingly ignored every bite that landed, focused on one thing only: Closing his jaws around it's windpipe. He wasn't quiet or subtle either, he wasn't trying to be. The sharp lashes of pain he felt only fueled his resolve to maim the beast. —
It bit down on the other’s shoulder and tried to take a bite out of it but the angle was all off so it just stayed latched to his shoulder as it scratched and kicked. It could taste blood or maybe smell it. The copper taste overwhelmed it’s senses and it ignored any pain from it’s end. All it wanted was blood.
— He yelped. That hurt, actually hurt. Maws didn't panic exactly, but he did do something rash. He closed his jaws around the beast's neck, teeth grabbing onto the fur and loose skin on the back of it, and he yanked with a growl, dislodging the other from his shoulder. The wolfman didn't let go inmediately, he was bleeding and breathing heavily, and his mind was reeling because of it. —
As soon as the other’s jaws closed around the back of the beast’s neck, it stilled for a moment. Feelings of being a pup like the one this other wolf must have overtook it. But it shook them away like it always did to protect itself.
Once it got it’s bearings back, it tried to desperately push him off without letting go of his shoulder but it was useless. It hardly fought back when the other wolf ripped it off it’s shoulder, and instead howled at how the pain was hitting it all at once, the pain of it’s injuries and the pain of not winning and then being subdued.
— Maws unclenched his jaws and replaced his hold on the other's scruff with his hand, pulling away to stare in what he hoped was disbelief at the beast. The howling had snapped him back into focus like a rubber band. —
"What the hell do ya think yer doin', mate?" — Maws growled out, voice low and raspy. He hadn't spoken in a good while, not since he transformed, but he needed to get those words out. —
It growled lowly as the other pushed it to the ground. It wanted to pounce again but the hand on the back of it’s neck stalled it. The look it was being given would have made Jack apologize but it made the beast dig it’s heels in and growl some more.
But as soon as the other wolf growled, it whined and bowed it’s head towards the ground. It didn’t understand what was said but it knew when to back down. The fear of what could happen now ripped through it’s body alongside the pain and it howled, louder than before.
"Shhhh, shut up! Yer gonna get us found!" — Maws flinched as the beast grew louder, attempting to silence it by placing his free hand over it's mouth, or snout. It was both, somehow. The wolfman looked at their surroundings as he assesed the pickle he'd been put in. —
"Where the hell did ya come from, huh?" — He growled, leaning down and using the hold he had on the beast's scruff to shake it side to side. Being attacked by a werewolf during peak crime season was not fun, just bewildering. —
It’s eyes went big when the wolf put his hand on it’s snout. It had been expecting more pain not being shut up. The howling stopped and it whimpered a little, but it was muffled by the other’s hand.
Being shook made it growl again but after a few moments of if, it got dizzy. It would have fallen to the side if it wasn’t being held by the scruff of its neck. It couldn’t speak back but it sensed a question was being asked so it reached forwards and put its paw on the wolf’s knee.
— There was a brief, silent moment as Maws connected the dots of what he was seeing. His hold didn't loosen a single bit, but his tone did give way to something softer. Not kind, not exactly gentle, but close. — "I get the feelin' ya don't understand a lick of english." — The wolfman huffed, looking up at the sky and the full moon, only partially obscured by the canopy. —
"Listen 'ere, ya lil' devil... I'm gonna hold onto ya 'til the sun rises. 'Cause I think ya ain't yerself right now, and I hope fer yer sake that in about half an hour, I will be holdin' a very very apologetic human." — His hand dropped from the beasts' snout to point at the moon, then at his head, and then at it. He hoped the message was clear enough for it. — "We're gonna sit here, an' yer gonna be nice and still..."
— Maws followed after the beast, kneeling down by it's side, hand still gripping onto it's scruff tightly. He wasn't sure if what he felt was pity or guilt, or both, but he couldn't help it. The wolfman let go of the beast's snout, letting it breathe and vocalize properly. —
"Shhhh, be quiet..." — He made a motion as if about to pet the other's head, but thought better of it and made a placating motion instead. At least he had the werewolf pinnes down, for now, so long as it didn't start howling again things would be fine. At least he hoped so. —
When the other let go of it’s snout, it instinctively hid its face behind it’s paws and rubbed at it’s nose so it’d stop aching. It whined softly which sounded louder than before due to it being muffled previously.
It made a head movement that could almost be seen as a nod but it was more like a twitch. The sun’s approach made it anxious and antsy to get out of there, but it stayed, hauntingly calmed by the hand on the back of it’s neck.
"This is exactly the kinda bullshit that's just Gotta happen ta me." — Maws groused, plopping down on the grass as he got tired of kneeling. He refused to look at the beast for longer than a few moments at a time, afraid the pity would win. The minutes ticked by, slow and agonizing, the sky growing shifting in hue, becoming lighter. Sunrise approached and settled over Gotham like a warmly colored blanket. —
As the sun rose, the beast whined and pawed at the ground. It’s fur slowly disappeared and it started to look more human. The beast whined and howled softly, as it painfully transformed back into a human who was a fair bit smaller.
Jack laid there for a moment before looking up. “Hello. I think you met the beast? Uh, I’m Jack.”
He looked around and then down at his chest, checking there wasn’t anything too bad. “Hmm, I should probably call Elsa.”
— Maws growled. He didn't let go of the human man, his hand splaying out over the back of his neck to keep him pinned down to the ground. —
"Ya got any idea of what yer friend did, or is ya gonna act clueless, Jack?" — The wolfman spoke quietly, but the irritation was clear in his tone. There was a puddle of blue blood next to Jack's head, it had dripped down from Maws' shoulder before the wound had healed, it remained the only proof of the injuries he'd sustained. —
Jack stayed against the ground, dirt now sticking to his bare skin.
“I can’t remember. Can never remember any of it. I’m sorry for whatever it did though it seems like you got the best of it,” he says, glancing over at the other briefly and noticing the blood. “That’s a lot- you should be….”
He takes a moment before clearing his throat. “Um, are you by any chance a monster of some kind? It’s either that or I’m seeing things.”
"No shit, I am a monster." — The wolfman grunted, pulling Jack up to look at him, having to tilt his head slightly so he wouldn't knock his snout on the man's head. —
"Never heard of ya in Gotham. Got any clue what brings ya here, or is that the beasts' doing too?"
Jack groans softly as he’s pulled up. He doesn’t usually get into close quarters with people that the beast doesn’t like. To be frank, he doesn’t really get close to anyone but Elsa and Ted these days so both the being pulled around like a sack of potatoes and just the physical contact are making him feel… off.
“Was looking for someone. Ted needed something from an Ivy? A doctor or botanist? I wasn’t expecting to be here long enough that the full moon would come out,” he says, his voice raspy.
"Poison Ivy? She's trouble, I'll tell ya that much, kid." — Maws put Jack back on the floor and let go of him, staring at his form for a while as if in contemplation. The pity won out this time, and the wolfman sighed as he unfurled his coat from one of his pockets, draping it over Jack's back so he wouldn't be topless in the morning breeze. —
"Yer lucky the werewolf decided ta come after me. If it went on a rampage, and anyone else got to it... Bad stuff. I think ya already knew that. I hope so, at least."
Jack huffed when he landed back on the floor. He looked up at Maws for a moment before looking down at the ground again, shivering as he did. “Mhmm, I’m coming to feel like Gotham is just trouble in general,” he said, ignoring how the wolf man called him kid. It’d been a long time since anyone had called him anything like that.
When the coat was placed over his shoulders, he sighed in relief and pulled it close around him. “Gracias,” he mumbled, still looking at the floor, “And I do know that. I usually am able to keep the beast within… well within me or at least within my home.”
He sighed and ran a hand through his curls. “Everything’s changed. I don’t think it likes change. Makes it more… anxious.”
"Y el cielo es azul, tell me somethin' new." — The wolfman let out a deep, weary sigh, looking at their surroundings for yet another once-over. He was on edge, that much was clear. —
"I don't like change either, so I guess that makes two of us. Sorry about the uh... Everythin'. Ya bleedin'?" — Maws leaned in closer, sniffing the air out of habit. His gaze flicked over what he could see of Jack, worry creasing his brow. —
“I’ll be okay. The whole having a beast as a part of me does come with bonuses and one is healing rather quickly,” he says with a small smile as he sits up. “Everything’ll ache but I should be looking brand new by the time the moon is up again.”
He groans and stretches his legs out. “So you’re part wolf or is there another word for it?”
— Maws relaxed, passing a hand over his hackles to smooth them out, trying to fidget away his anxiety. —
"Wolf? Well. Uh. I ain't a werewolf." — He grumbled, scratching at his ear as he tried to come up with a simple answer thar wouldn't give away too much information. — "...Unless it's contagious." — The wolfman stilled, sideeyeing Jack with sudden concern for himself, and the still-healing bite he'd sustained during the fight. —
