#ofmonstrs

[thenexusofsouls]

Although Eight could easily snap the moose antler with their powerful jaws, they were careful with how hard they gnawed on their consolation prize. They had managed to break it off from the moose they had been hunting, but not before it had gored them. Although the wounds on their side still bled, they knew they would live. For now, as they lay sheltered beneath the trees, they would go hungry a little longer. The antler, once they grew bored of it, would ease the sharp ache in their belly for a little while.

And despite the scent of blood, them being the bigger predator had offered some peace. The silence never bothered them, but any sound that broke it did. The crunching of snow caught their attention, but Eight kept their jaws around the antler as they slowly turned their head to scan their surroundings. It didn't sound like any animal they had encountered in this frozen isolation, and that made them nervous. As dangerous as they were, they were not interested in another fight. They were hungry and wounded, and that could easily spell their end if they weren't--

Was that a human?

Eight let out a low warble as their nostrils flared, and they stared at the peculiar creature with increasing curiosity than hostility. He didn't smell like a human, but he looked like a human. He carried no weapon, as far as they could tell, and... admittedly, there was a part of Eight that rather missed being near humans. He didn't seem like he was there to capture them, so, maybe...

They dropped the antler between their front claws and let out a low call. They jaws clicked together, but they didn't get up just yet in case they spooked him by doing so. As tall as he was, they knew they would still tower above him. "Who are you?" Eight called, and clicked their jaws again. Wait, what if he wanted their antler? They snorted - their breath billowing around them in the cold air. "This is mine."

(( @ofmonstrs for the Creature! Because Eight is basically a giant puppy and I thought it would be fun sdjgjshfh - plus, I can say Eight was either released in the Arctic or they fled there!))

@ofmonstrs

It had been some time since the Creature's last expedition back to the world of man. The more of these attempts he made over the years, the more he longed for his cabin, his hearth, and the innocence of the forest. Nature made sense to him, and men did not. It was lonely without human companionship, but that seemed not to be possible for him. And so he remained in the frozen north, nestled at the base of the mountains, in a cabin he shared only with the mice and the occasional bear or moose.

It was the last one of those animals he usually encountered that he'd heard cry out into the cold air. It had caused the Creature to look up from the book he'd been reading, his hearing tuned to the moose and the unfamiliar sounds of another animal he'd never heard before. What on earth had that been? he wondered. Closing the book and gently lifting a mouse from his shoulder, setting the tiny animal down on a nearby table, the Creature rose and set out to investigate.

He drew his hood over his head to shield it from the lightly falling snow. Nothing seemed immediately to be amiss, but the sounds had come from some distance away, and so he trudged through the snow, searching the area. He didn't stop until he saw movement and... blood in the snow, up ahead. The scent of blood was on the wind. He'd seen and bled enough of it himself to know that scent anywhere. Something was injured, and that made him immediately sympathetic. Could it be the moose? Oh. No...

The Creature had never before seen any animal like this one. His expression was entirely inquisitive as he came upon them, only getting so close before he stopped and slowly crouched down, instinctively making himself smaller to keep the other calm. He drew back his hood a little, so that the animal could see his eyes. What manner of being was this? He'd been captivated by their appearance and by the strange noises they made, before-

Did it just speak?!

He startled slightly, having not expected this being to be able to talk to him. Yet, he remained undaunted, resetting his crouched position and maintaining his interest. They had asked him a question, and he felt he ought to answer. One hand lifted to his chest, palm flat and laid upon it. "Myself," was his simple answer. He had no name. He was simply... himself. "I live here, in this forest," he said. When the animal became possessive of the antler they were gnawing on, the Creature nodded in understanding. "Of course. I will not... take it from you," he reassured them.

Maybe the animal wanted to be left alone? Oh, but they were wounded, and that made the Creature want so badly to try and help them, especially since they seemed to be very intelligent, just like him. "You are injured," he said, pointing to where he could see they were bleeding. "May I... help you?" he offered. If they didn't want him to, then he would respect that, but the empathy within him demanded that he at least offer.

[tarnishedxknight]

sender discovers receiver fast asleep in a weird spot. +reverse

(( @ofmonstrs for any of your muses! Eight could be just about anywhere if they felt it was a good napping spot sdjgjshfh - they could be in the hangar, halfway on a staircase outside, in the pool with their head on the top step, or even just blocking the garage for some ideas!))

@ofmonstrs

Ashelia had been indoors all day and that had made her restless. Although she appreciated this group of people accepting her, giving her somewhere to live, and providing her with meaningful employment, she could do without the seemingly endless meetings, briefings, and consultations. They were so boring, and half the time she didn't see the point of them.

Had she become Queen of Dalmasca, she supposed she would've had similar meeting quite regularly, but... she knew she would've cared far more about that than she did this time period. It was hard not to let her mind wander during the most recent meeting, and as soon as it had ended, she was hastily making her way outside to get some fresh air... and of course to see the sun.

What met her on the steps leading past the paved part of the grounds and onto the grass, however, had made her stop suddenly and nearly trip. It was Eight... and they appeared to be napping near the stairs, with their head and shoulder on them. The sun was shining on that spot, and it seemed they were happily sunning themself. Ashelia chuckled and sat down on the stairs nearby to them, but not too close, lest she make them feel crowded.

"Oh, now, Eight..." she said gently, not wanting to startle them. "Surely that cannot be a comfortable position." She rather liked the unusual dinosaur. They reminded her of the giant saurians that roamed the sands surrounded Rabanastre, except... much friendlier. And they could talk, with the help of technology, which she found fascinating. "If you aren't careful, someone might accidentally step on your snout. That would be such a shame." She leaned back on her hands and turned her face to the sun, closing her eyes. "I see why you chose this spot. The sun feels glorious, does it not?"

[freewillacquired]

Was getting in Nemesis' face a good way to wake him up? Probably not. No one would probably appreciate waking up to a dinosaur's face right in theirs, but Eight didn't think about that. Instead, they began to make a purring noise, and plopped down next to him as they stared down at him expectantly. In their jaws were two packs of cookies they managed to find while poking around a bodega, and while they had been gentle enough not to break the packaging, it was... a little wet. Nothing that could be wiped off, but dinosaur saliva was probably another thing no one wanted to deal with.

It was the thought that counted, at least.

(( @ofmonstrs because Eight wants to bug their friend lol))

@ofmonstrs

Nemesis had managed to get in a little nap when he and Eight had stopped to rest for a while. Traveling and searching for food was a full-time job, after all, and quite tiring. Especially when one was lugging around as much thick muscle and as many heavy tentacles as Nemesis was. The aforementioned tentacles were somewhat autonomous now, acting of their own accord whenever Nemesis slept. They still acted within the realm of his own personality, but while he slept, he wasn't directly controlling them. They gently reached out to affectionately curl around Eight's snout and shoulders, by way of saying hello.

After a moment, Nemesis began to stir, and the first thing he saw was dinosaur snout in his face. He probably should've been more alarmed by that, but after everything he'd been through, this was sadly not the scariest thing he was used to seeing. "Hel-lo..." he said, grunting as he sat up, but when he saw what Eight was holding in their mouth, Nemesis' one blue eye widened with excitement. "COOOOKIEEESSSS!!" he exclaimed. He graciously took one of the packages from Eight. "Ewwww..." he said playfully before laughing a little at the saliva that dripped off the package.

"Here... Let ne... oten this... thor you..." he said, taking the other package and opening it so it'd be easier for his friend to eat their own share. With that done, he ripped open his own package and dropped a couple cookies into his monstrous maw. "Mmm..." he said in approval.

[thenexusofsouls]

The sound of footsteps snapped Eight awake, and they lifted their head off their front claws as they gazed around them. Their eyes adjusting to the darkness of the hangar - their nostrils flaring as they scented the air. Something was there, but... it wasn't a scent they recognized, and a low growl rumbled in their throat as they heaved themselves up. And when they spoke, their voice came out low and booming.

"Who goes there?

(( @ofmonstrs for Xenos in their mcu verses!))

@ofmonstrs

Xenos had been a strange and somewhat tense acquisition of SHIELD's who was then passed on to the Avengers. No one could figure out exactly what he was, nor did they know the extent of his powers, and Xenos wasn't all that keen on explaining. Nevertheless, rather than try to confront and subdue him, an understanding had been reached. If he meant no harm to the general public, then he could remain with the Avengers and perhaps even join the team in some capacity if he passed some evaluations. Xenos, who had been eager to escape the noise, crowds, overpowering scents, and flashing lights of human cities, found this to be an advantageous arrangement.

He'd been given a room to live in at the Avengers compound, and Stark had outfitted it with soundproofing panels on the walls, lighting with dimmer capabilities, and bedsheets that were not too abrasive. Although, the first time he flushed the toilet, he nearly blasted a hole through the wall in a panic trying to escape from the sudden sound. Despite the unconventional accommodations, misunderstandings, and lingering tensions over whether Xenos could be trusted, he'd so far been settling in nicely.

He preferred to get to know the compound at night, when very few were about. His ability to see in the dark made going out at night rather pleasant, since he didn't have to deal with bright lights... except for the few areas that had lights set with motion censors. Those... were rather bothersome, but he was learning the proper pathways around the compound to avoid them. Even so, he always wore his hood over his head just in case he was caught unaware by someone.

Tonight his wanderings took him to a storage hangar... and that's where he caught the scent of something... odd. It didn't smell like a human, but neither did it smell like any animal he'd encountered before. Lifting his head a little, Xenos sniffed the air as he approached, but when he heard the sounds of something moving, he froze, his head slowly tilting. The voice had been so unexpected that he jumped sharply, startled by the sound. His hands twitched at his sides, fingers spread, and he was ready to defend himself if necessary, though... he didn't want to jump to conclusions. After all, why would anything harmful be kept here?

He didn't answer at first, partially because speaking was something Xenos didn't do a lot of, and partly because he was not sure what had spoken to him. The voice sounded very strange. Was it rude to just not answer at all, though? It was, wasn't it... "I am... Xenos," he finally answer. "Who... are you?"

[tarnishedxknight]

A steady stream of bubbles was the only warning before Eight suddenly surfaced from the river - splashing water around them as they heaved themselves onto the shore. A large striped bass thrashed in their jaws, though they held firm to its head as they carried it with them rather proudly, eager to dig into their catch. They could eat it there under the trees so they were out of sight of anyone out and about, and--

They froze, the bass still clamped tight in their jaws as it thrashed again, and they stared at the person they didn't recognize. They'd been too caught up in their own pride and excitement to even pay attention to their surroundings, and they certainly hadn't expected to run into anyone along that part of the riverline. The person's scent wasn't familiar as it crept around the smells of the river and the fish, and Eight lowered their head with a low rumble deep in their throat. A sound more nervous than aggressive.

Didn't one of the Avengers mention something about a few newcomers joining? It made more sense than this person being an intruder.

"You... are new around here, right?" Eight's voice changed as they spoke, from masculine to feminine, but the tone remained rather friendly as they continued to stare. Their head still lowered, the fish still in their jaws even though it had finally gone limp. "Who are you?"

(( @ofmonstrs for any of your muses in their mcu verse!))

@ofmonstrs

Once again, Ashelia had wandered outside, past the carefully landscaped grounds of the Avengers compound and into the surrounding forest. This time she had Sunny with her, leashed and harnessed of course, so that she didn't simply disappear and leave Ashe searching for her for days. She felt far better outside, even though it wasn't exactly the hot desert climate she longed for, than she did inside the technology-laden compound.

She split her time between watching Sunny explore the forest floor and try to skitter up trees, and exploring herself. Far less familiar with forests than with the desert, everything here was a wonder for Ashelia. Since she had nothing but time to enrich herself now, she was curious about everything, from the vines on the trees to the songs of the birds. But then the birds all suddenly stopped in their singing and chirping. Basch had taught her once that such things happened when predators were about. Ashe picked up Sunny and held her close to her chest, listening for what might be around her.

For her part, Sunny began nipping at Ashe's dress, mistaking a little fold of the fabric for a worm of some kind. Realizing she'd been mistaken when what she was snapping at tasted nothing like a juicy worm, Sunny flattened herself against her human, enjoying Ashe's warmth. Her eyes blinked and remained half closed in contentment.

"There's a good girl..." Ashe whispered to her, standing still and listening as she heard the cracking and crunching of things on the forest floor. Soon a figure came into view, a large lizard, with a fish in its mouth. Clearly it was a predator, given its treatment of the fish as food. Would it decide that she looked tastier than that fish? Swallowing hard, Ashelia cursed her poor luck, until-... Until it spoke. The voice was very odd, sounding equal parts mechanical and like it came from multiple people at once, but it was a voice nonetheless.

Was this creature... a lizard person? It didn't look at all like a Bangaa, but perhaps this was a modern version? Or something similar? Strangely enough, despite her slight fear, the prospect of speaking to a lizard person made Ashelia seem a bit more at home. And if it was speaking, then it was intelligent and could be reasoned with. This gave her hope that she might not end up as its dinner.

"Yes, I am," she said with a nod. When the large lizard asked who she was, she thought it best to just be honest. "I... I am Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca. But you may call me Ashe. And this is Sunny," she said, petting Sunny's back. "May I ask who you are?" Her tone was mostly curious, even if she did sound a wee bit nervous.

[superboyandtheinvisiblegirls]

Ever since they fled BioSyn, Eight had hardly rested. They couldn't afford to stay in one place for too long, even despite their wounds. Even despite how disorientating it was to no longer be able to see out of their right eye, and the pain that came with the gouges on the side of their face. Seven had done a number on them, but they were alive, and they wanted to keep it that way. They wouldn't go back. They wouldn't let them kill them.

But the longer they ran, the more exhausted their body became as their adrenaline faded. The fight against Seven had taken a lot out of them, and as they finally began to slow, their legs trembled with the strain of aching muscles. How many days had it been? They had seen the day turn into night and back into day several times now, but everything blurred together. Had they run far enough? Had they managed to escape BioSyn? They had no idea where they were, but they knew they were away from the valley, and that was enough. For now, at least.

They finally slowed as the trees began to thin out ahead - back down on all fours as their body ached and trembled - and with a rattled warble, Eight stumbled out of the treeline and to the lakeside. The scent of water was overwhelming, and all but collapsed onto the shore as they greedily began to drink. It was cold and shocked their system, but it was water. Their heart still raced as they fought to settle their breathing, and as much as they knew they needed to find a place to hide, they found they could no longer stand. Yet, they hardly cared as they drank their fill - both to quench their thirst and to ease the sharp hunger in their belly - and rested their head onto their front claws as their eyes began to close. A part of them was tempted to try to push themselves into the water to rinse the dried blood from their scales, but it was freezing, and they didn't have the strength to go through with it. It would need to wait. It would...

Shakily, Eight forced themselves to lift their head and shook it, before awkwardly forcing themselves back to their feet. Their legs shook as their muscles ached and tightened in protest, but with a hiss, they shook themselves in an attempt to ease the hurt. They couldn't sleep in the open. They couldn't.

Unaware they had been found, they turned and began to limp back into the forest.

(( @ofmonstrs for Sheva!))

Sheva and the B.S.A.A. had never been destined to get involved with this mission. Humanitarian crises usually fell on TerraSave’s desk, but after the whole mess in Penamstan, they had their hands full. Field work hadn’t been Sheva’s forte lately, but she had the most hands on experience. No, that was a lie. She had the most notable hands on experience.

In any case, the compass and map in her hands helped guide her to Eight. Jill had drawn out the latter for Sheva, and she clutched it close to her chest. Her combat boots followed the worn dirt path deeper into the forest, and she ended up at a lake. The other B.S.A.A. agents had set up camp a few miles away, but Jill had marked this as a potential rendezvous point. Sheva crouched down and splashed some water onto her face to clean off stray dirt.

“Wait!” Sheva called the moment she saw Eight in her reflection. They shouldn’t have gone for multiple reasons. One, the woods were dark and unforgiving. Two, Sheva needed to recruit and keep them safe. “Don’t leave. Please. I need to speak with you.”

[thenexusofsouls]

Eight had no idea where they were anymore, but they knew they were far away from InGen and BioSyn, and they planned to keep it that way. The forest they were in now - their home, as they decided it would be - was not the environment they were used to, but... they could adapt easily enough. It wasn't quite the same climate they had been raised in, but that was alright. It was better than being in a cage.

But, what they weren't good at, was hunting. Sure, InGen fed them live prey, but it was hardly a hunt when they were in an enclosure with nowhere for their prey to hide. And it was hardly a hunt when they didn't need to worry about how much they stood out. They had been lucky when they caught a deer their first night in the forest, though they weren't sure if they were more surprised or the deer was, but their coloration wasn't right for this environment. They couldn't hide, but that was fine, too.

Their steps were slow and careful as they moved through the woods, their head held high as they followed the scent of water. Their stomach growled as their jaws salivated, and they hoped there would be plenty of fish to find, at least, now that the forest had fallen completely silent. No luck in trying to hunt when everything knew where they were.

They snapped their jaws together as they dropped down to all fours, and picked up their pace when the river came into view. Eight didn't hesitate before they waded into the water and pushed themselves away from the shore - eager for a swim, even if they couldn't fish. But movement further down the bank caught their attention, and their joy was shortlived as they swung their head in that direction, before they dove underwater. The top of their head surfaced so they could see above the water, and the spines along their tail broke behind them as they slowly swam towards the figure. They were curious, but they wouldn't say no to a quick meal.

(( @thenexusofsouls for Nuada!))

@ofmonstrs

Living in Manhattan has become unbearable for Nuada. Even the Troll Market, with his constant noise, ancient languages spoken, and non-human races present, was no longer enough for him anymore. He longed for the earth beneath his feet, the sun on his back... He longed for freedom from the constant stench and degradation of human life.

From Manhattan, there were a number of forests in New York or New Jersey he might retreat to for a while. One that stood out to him, though, was the NJ Pine Barrens. It had a lot of cryptid history, which Nuada had learned was what humans called creatures they didn't understand. It wasn't at all like the forests of Éire he was used to, with sandy soil, pin oaks, pine trees both tall and pygmy, and wild blueberries being some of the most common features, but... it was something. Besides... there was talk of a new cryptid in the area, and Nuada was eager to see what it might be.

It took him a long time to travel there, but that was alright. It felt good to make such a journey, rather than to continue to atrophy in his little hovel below the Market. Once he arrived, he felt instantly happier being out in nature. He would have to set about building shelter and hunting for food, but he wasn't too concerned. He could rough it for a while. That's sort of what he came to do, after all.

He didn't noticed anything out of the ordinary at first, save for the fact that sometimes all the normal sounds of the forest seemed to stop all at once. That usually meant that an apex predator was in the area, or perhaps something unfamiliar and therefore potentially threatening to prey animals. Could it be because of him? He couldn't be sure.

As he stopped on the bank of a river to sit awhile, he notice it again... that everything nearby seemed to go suddenly quiet. The birds had stopped chirping, and there was no more rustling of underbrush. Nuada looked around, not seeing anything immediately out of the ordinary, except for-

...except for a set of spikes breaking small ripples in the river as they approached him. He held his ground, staying right where he was. Whatever it was, he was curious to know, though he was also always ready to draw his weapons if need be...

[thenexusofsouls]

Had they been forgotten there? Eight shoved their snout against the slats of the otherwise solid transport cage and snorted - taking deep breaths of the air outside in an attempt to figure out where they were. They were cramped in there and hardly had room to circle, let alone stand fully even on all fours, and had since grown restless with the tranquilizer having long since worn off. They were hungry, too, and with a frustrated hiss, they dropped their head away from the slats and rested it on their front claws.

InGen wanted them to be moved, but they didn't know where. Were they still traveling? Was that why no one had come to check on them? Their muscles ached to be stretched, and their throat felt parched. When had they last drank?

They lifted their head again and pushed their snout against the slats once more. "Hello?" they called - using the voice of an InGen worker that had gotten them in there earlier. "Hello? Is anyone there? Hello?" Their voice changed again, from masculine to feminine, and a low warble followed in another attempt to gain attention. "Hello? Hello? Please let me out." Their handlers liked it when they were polite.

(( @ofmonstrs for, uhh... Tony, Nuada, or Zhaan? Eight could've been moved to the compound because of a deal between InGen and SHIELD, or the Avengers found them after a raid? Or Nuada or Zhaan could stumble on them after InGen tried to move them and ended up leaving them for whatever reason! Idk, Eight's being loud rn sfdghjfd - oh! and I did tweak it so they can mimic voices, and I have a link to an audio clip in their bio if you want an example!))

{ @ofmonstrs | Okay, this was a difficult decision, heh. I thought either Nuada or Zhaan, but Zhaan is so loud right now that she won out, heh. But I'll do it for her MCU verse? So Tony could still kindof... come in at some point if we want him too. }

Others in the compound may have been a bit apprehensive to approach a fearsome creature such as this one, but Zhaan was undaunted. She'd seen far more types of non-human creatures than most residents of Earth, and she tended not to judge others based on appearances. Besides, she knew what it was like to be on the other side of those confining walls herself. The agency known as SHIELD had imprisoned her in a similar transport cage when first she was brought to the Avengers compound. For that reason, she had volunteered to be the one to try to calm the creature before they could be released into a larger, more accommodating pen.

Zhaan hadn't expected them to speak based upon what she'd been told about them, but that would certainly make things a lot easier. If they were intelligent enough to speak - or at least to mimic speech, perhaps, based on the odd sound of it - then ensuring that they would be peaceful upon its release might be easier than expected. Her translator microbes helped her to understand subtleties of their noises as well, beyond what their vocal mimicry could convey.

"Hello," she said, using the creature's own form of greeting with a smile as she followed the sound of the voice to the closest slat it appeared to be coming from. She peered into it. "That is the ultimate goal, to let you out. However, we must make certain it is safe to do so, for us as well as for you. I hope it will not be very much longer, though. I know how frightening and disorienting it is inside one of these holding cells."

It was difficult to see much of the creature through the slat, but she stayed close regardless, as a show of good faith. "Are you well? Is there anything you will need once you are released?" she asked, wondering how well - or not - this creature had been treated. They hadn't come from SHIELD as she had, and so she knew nothing of their struggle so far.