(CLOSED) i, johannes faust, do call upon thee, mephistopheles!

[apocalypticist]

WHO: Ryo & Akira.
WHERE: The forest.
WHEN: December 20th.
WHAT: Forest exploration.
WARNINGS: None so far; will add as necessary.


[ They've been thinking about exploring the woods and searching for clues to the origins of the creatures there for a few weeks now, but Akira managed to convince him to delay the trip a little until the egg Keigo had obtained hatched—something about wanting to know what to look for so they can search for the creature's family. He has a tendency to get overinvested in baby animals and Ryo thinks there are more important things to look for in the woods, but he doesn't say no; they can keep an eye out for a dragon family missing an egg, he supposes.

He's meticulous in his preparation for the trip, making sure they have contingency plans in case something goes wrong. He cleans his rifle and sharpens the knives kept under his coat, he wraps some food in cloth to stave off hunger and give them the energy to keep walking. They could be out there for a while if they lose their way or if the forest is feeling malicious.

He settles into stride next to Akira as they head into the forest, the town quickly disappearng from view behind them. ]

Comments

[lacrimose]

[It's true that Akira tends to get easily invested in baby animals, but he also feels more than a little sympathy for a creature all on its own and feared by others for its monstrous nature. Eventually someone in the town might pose a danger to it, or the other way around -- it might grow large and feral enough to attack someone. So isn't it worth finding out where it came from, and whether it can rejoin its family?

Akira left most of the preparations to Ryo; he's the plan guy while Akira is the fight guy, after all. He makes sure to wear the sun pendant Ryo gave him just in case, though. As they head through the forest, Akira keeps his sharp senses attuned to anything unusual, though so far the only signs of life are birdsong and the wind rustling through the trees.]

Are the woods really as dangerous as people say? It's so peaceful.

[apocalypticist]

[ If it grows feral, putting a bullet in it is a convenient solution. :) ]

Yes. Many dangerous creatures live here, and the forest itself seems to be sentient—we once tried to explore it as a large group, and it proceeded to separate us.

[lacrimose]

Right... What's the plan if we get separated?

[Akira won't let that happen if he can help it, but he knows from experience that even in their best laid plans, things can go wrong.]

[apocalypticist]

If it's like last time, there will be brambles and thick undergrowth to keep us sectioned off and prevent us from backtracking. Trying to destroy it won't get you anywhere so continuing will be the only option—and if we're lucky, maybe your path will eventually converge with mine.

[ He hopes it won't come to that; since it's only the two of them, they should be safe, but he can't know for sure if it only does that to larger numbers of people. ]

[lacrimose]

What about if I fly around, and you show me a signal or yell to tell me where you are?

[He points up. Visibility might be poor flying over the trees, but Akira would be able to hear Ryo if he called for help, or he'd see anything like smoke signals easily.]

[apocalypticist]

[ He nods, though he's quick to point out why that might not work out. ]

The forest will likely prevent you from flying over the trees in that situation, but it's worth a try.

[lacrimose]

I won't let the forest beat me.

[So he says, but something he sees makes him stop up short, eyes wide. He raises a hand to indicate for Ryo not to go any further, too, and drops his voice.]

Look. [He points. Through the trees on a small hill, there's a patch of sunlight, and what seems to be a group of rabbits dozing in the sun. They look completely relaxed, and Ryo and Akira are far enough away that they haven't scared them off.]

[apocalypticist]

[ Ryo halts in his step when Akira raises his hand, his gaze landing on the rabbits congregating together on the hill. Without saying anything, he opens the worn leather satchel he brought along and pulls out a pair of old binoculars; he figured bringing them might come in handy since he came here specifically to observe and learn more about the wildlife and its origins.

He dusts off the lenses and lifts the binoculars to his eyes, ignoring the small cracks that run across the glass as he observes the animals. ]

They're mutated like the rest of the wildlife here. [ So that's hardly a surprise. ] One of them has two heads.

[lacrimose]

Really? [Akira squints. From here they just look like cute bunnies chilling in the grass, one or two keeping watch for the rest of the group.]

Mutated or not, they seem happy. Let's go around so we don't bother them. [It's a slight detour, but if they keep behind the trees, hopefully they can stay out of sight.]

[apocalypticist]

[ Ryo nods, lowering the binoculars and starts walking, this time minding the distance so the animals aren't startled by his presence. ]

If they're still around when we head back, I know what I'm having for dinner.

[lacrimose]

[Akira's brow furrows, and he follows along after him.]

Leave them alone, Ryo. There's enough food back in town.

[apocalypticist]

Rabbit meat is rich in protein, vitamins, minerals and trace elements. It's healthier than, say, ramen.

[ u can't tell him what to do. >:/ ]

[lacrimose]

Let's just focus on what we came here for.

[As much as the idea of fresh meat is appealing, he just can't think of cute wild animals that way... The struggle.

Fortunately the rabbits remain oblivious to their murderous presence, and they head deeper into the forest. The deeper they go the richer the place seems to be with wildlife-- fitting for the season, Akira spots a small robin perched in a tree, and there's the sound of something relatively small rooting around in the undergrowth nearby.]

[apocalypticist]

[ The bird looks pretty normal, but Ryo knows it only means that the mutations are internal and it's probably capable of breathing fire or something like that.

The sound turns out to be two dogs; both are green and mutated, though one looks younger than the other. A parent and its child, maybe. Curious—so at least some of the fauna is capable of reproducing. ]

They look like some kind of terrier, if you ignore the color. [ He doesn't know enough about dogs to pinpoint the specific breed, but close enough. ]

[lacrimose]

Look, a puppy! [He's pointing out the obvious, but it takes all his self-control not to run over and fuss the dogs anyway. He has to remember they're wild animals and probably less trusting of humans, having lived in the woods all their lives.

Then he notices the mutations -- the adult has three eyes, and the puppy has a slight limp thanks to some kind of mutation in a front leg.]

I feel kind of bad for them... You think they'll be okay?

[apocalypticist]

[ Hmmm. Seeing a parent and its offspring with different mutations raises the question of whether they're hereditary at all, or if they occur randomly. Of course, that's not a question he can answer without seeing more than just one parent-child pair. He needs more data before he can draw any meaningful conclusions.

Where's the other parent, anyway? Maybe that's where the puppy got the limp from. ]

The limp might make it harder for the puppy to evade predators. [ It's said matter-of-factly as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. ]

[lacrimose]

But it has time to get bigger, and it has its parent looking out for it. Maybe it will get stronger, too.

[Or maybe he's just being overly optimistic, but it's better than the alternative, in his mind. Do your best, little dog!

The puppy in question is trotting after its parent and keeping pace, perhaps learning how to hunt or search for food. The parent pricks up its ears and looks over at them -- with those disconcerting three eyes -- before deciding to ignore them and walk away back into the undergrowth. Akira glances at Ryo.]

There's still no sign of where we could find a dragon or its nest. Maybe we should look for a cave?

[apocalypticist]

All right, but let's keep observing the wildlife while we look for a cave.

[ This is what they should be focusing on instead of looking for a dragon family. What are they even going to do if they find one? Trying to return the baby might result in someone getting eaten for "stealing" the egg from then, or the dragons may not even see the child as theirs.

He watches the dogs disappear in the undergrowth and adjusts his satchel strap to a more comfortable position before he resumes walking, stepping over a thick root potruding from the ground. ]

Maybe you could fly around and check the trees for nests containing eggs? I want to know if the birds are reproducing normally.

[lacrimose]

Isn't it winter, though? You think there will be any birds laying eggs?

[He looks up speculatively at the tree branches above and around them. Dragons are one thing, when the egg itself generated heat, but birds are a bit different.]

I'll take a look, anyway. Maybe mutant birds are different. [Hey Ryo did you want to hold Akira's coat and shirt yet again? Because he sure is stripping.]

[apocalypticist]

That was I was thinking—the mutations may cause birds to start nesting earlier. [ He takes Akira's coat and shirt, folding them over his arm. ]

Some squirrels mate in December or January, so a bird with characteristics of a squirrel could theoretically act on the instinct to reproduce during that time.

[lacrimose]

Squirrel birds? That's just messed up.

[But now he does kind of want to see one... He moves to a clearing where there's enough of a gap in the trees to fly upward, then grits his teeth as black leathery wings push out from the skin on his back, spreading wide in preparation for flight. He won't transform all the way -- his full Devilman form is likely to send any local wildlife fleeing even more than his human form.]

I'll search the area and come back to this spot. Wait for me.

[apocalypticist]

All right.

[ He nods, waiting for Akira to take off before turning his attention to a bearded dragon sitting on a rock, pulling up his binoculars to observe it. ]

[lacrimose]

[There's a gust of air along with a powerful beat of his wings and he's airborne, taking to the skies just above tree level. Akira circles around, and most of the nests are empty. Eventually he comes across a strange horned bird on a nest, and before he can get too close it lets out a warning hiss and fans its wings to make itself bigger.

Deciding that's proof enough that it's brooding either eggs or newly hatched chicks, Akira turns back to find Ryo. Hopefully he didn't wander off too far.]

[apocalypticist]

[ Ryo does wander off briefly to get a better look at a mongoose scurrying through the snow, but he returns a couple of minutes later—just in time to watch Akira descend and land. ]

Did you find anything?

[ He holds out the coat and shirt. ]

[lacrimose]

[As he lands, Akira's wings fold into his back and disappear once more, then he approaches and grabs his shirt and coat from Ryo.]

Well... Most of the nests were abandoned like you'd expect in winter. But I did see one weird horned bird over that way-- [He points north.] It was sitting on a nest and got mad when I got too close.