rp: side story [Open] Alone Together

[Aura]

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Trent awoke leaning against the wall in an empty room. His mind was a bit frazzled, but it didn't take long at all to recognize that something was off. The very first thing he noticed was rather hard to ignore. He wasn't at home. As soon as he realized he didn't recognize the room he was in, his heart stopped for a moment and he immediately scrambled to his feet, heart racing as his eyes darted from left to right in the empty room, scanning the environment. It was like an empty office building. No furniture or anything, just... blank space. There were two doors on opposite sides of the room. He'd never been in a place like this before, all he could think about was that it was like some sort of horror movie... had he been kidnapped? Was this some sort of prank by somebody from school? He could only hope for the latter but he had a sinking pit in his stomach, as if he just knew there was something more sinister going on here.

Realizing that nobody was around, he slowly rose to his feet and as he shifted his body, he felt much more... slippery? It didn't feel like there was as much friction between his legs or under his arms. It didn't take more than a glance at his armpit to recognize why. To his horror, every hair on his body was clean shaven off. There was nothing, not even stubble. He ran his hand over his arm and blushed deeply. His skin was silky smooth like... like a woman's. Something about the lack of hair made him feel more... naked... embarrassed... h-he was a man, he was supposed to have hair! How could he possibly explain this to his parents? To his church? Looking down at himself, he was even more horrified to note that he wasn't wearing his own clothes, either, but girl's clothes. And definitely not innocent ones at that. It was a skin-tight black see-through blouse over just a white tank underneath and a black miniskirt that only covered about half of his thighs and barely covered his... genitalia which was also perfectly clean-shaven along with his legs which were coated in tight-fitting pantyhose and ended with feet encapsulated in shiny black heels.

Something about being dressed in these clothes he was embarrassed to find especially arousing. This had long been a secret fantasy of his, being forced to dress up as a woman and degrade himself. He even regularly roleplayed out similar topics online before as well. He'd always go by the name Trish... But now was definitely not the right time to be thinking like that. He was far more concerned with how he got here and why he was dressed this way. His horrified mind could only jump to one conclusion. Somebody must have found him from his posts online and abducted him. Hopefully, it was just for a prank, but if so, it wasn't funny at all... he could get in serious trouble for being dressed like this...! 

Trent couldn't find the voice in his throat to call out for help. He wasn't sure that was such a good idea. After all, it would naturally attract the attention of whoever put him in this humiliating outfit. No doubt, they didn't have pleasant intentions. He needed to find a way back to his dorm where as few people would see him as possible. But that was a huge task considering he had no idea where he even was. He slowly made his way toward the nearby doorway, his heart racing in terror of what he might find when he'd peek around the corner.

[Chiyako]

A low humming noise. That was the first thing she noticed as she awoke from her slumber. Not humming like what a person might make, or humming from some other creature. This was different. Foreign. Not that she knew why this was, but she knew it none the less. Then came the other sensations. The hard chilled ground. An uneasy stillness in the air. A solitary scent which appeared to fill everything around her. No plants. Nothing on the wind, not that there seemed to be any of that either. Not even a trace of water, or dirt, or anything else that she might know!

Where am I? Who am I?

Blue orbs opened up, taking in the strange lights set overhead within what she thought was stone. Very clean, very smooth stone. Slowly she sat herself up. She was wearing clothes. A simple white gown. It was familiar to her. Something on her head. She reached up to adjust it. Some sort of headband with a flower. It had a pleasant smell, reminded her of something warm, and so she returned it to its spot atop her head. Undergarments. She could feel them.

Rinako? Rinako. I am Rinako. Why do I know that? Why am I here?

She looked around herself now. More of the same. An unusually clean stone room. However this stone was very foreign to her. It felt weird, smelled weird, sounded weird when she tapped a claw against it. She didn't know why it was weird, but she knew that it was. The whole thing was just unsettling to her.

This isn't right. None of this is right!

Why was she growing worried? What was wrong? Was it because she was alone? Was she even alone? It looked that way. Felt that way. A terrible feeling tugged at her heart, a feeling of loss, a feeling that she didn't belong here. Her breath quickened, ears lifted up in the hopes that she might hear someone else. The young wolf sniffed at the air. It was her and this room. No other trails to follow. Nothing blowing in. This place was almost suffocating to her. She needed to find another!

Instincts took over. With head tilted back and eyes shut the wolf let loose the loudest howl she could manage, hoping that anyone might find her! Someone else had to hear it! Right?!

[Neptune]

Awareness came to her slowly, as if she was swimming to the surface of a thick, sluggish pond that seemed to try to tug her back down. She fought against the lethargy and forced herself towards consciousness. The first thing that intruded itself upon her was a low, persistent buzzing sound. She frowned slightly, unable to pinpoint the sound but her mind sluggishly told her that it sounded like the cold, artificial lights of an office. A memory of an office came to mind, of faceless people moving around and talking. Her frown deepened. When had she ever been to an office?… she didn’t remember.

Slowly, she pulled herself into a more functioning state, allowing her eyes to flutter open a fraction before she flinched and closed them again as the unyielding light invaded her sensitive eyes. After a moment she was able to find the strength to open her eyes once again to find herself staring at a wall of some sort, with a kind of cream wallpaper. She frowned a little, unsure as to where she was. After a moment, she turned her head and stared up at what appeared to be a stark white ceiling. Her frown deepened as she pushed herself up, turning around and resting her back against the wall that she had awoken to. Slowly, she allowed her head to turn, taking in the room. It wasn’t large, and the walls were the same cream wallpaper. The floor was a light coloured carpet, with the ceiling white and with one of those fluorescent lights in the centre that filled the room with its cold, artificial light. There was nothing in the room. No cupboards, cabinets, boxes. Nothing. Her eyes were drawn to a single door that stood in front of her.

Where the hell was she? How did she end up here. She grimaced a little, reaching up to rub the side of her head. She tried to listen to any noises beyond the room, but only the lights could be heard. She gulped a little, unsure of what to do and more than a little scared. She looked down, finding herself in some kind of sleeping clothes. She wore a light pink set of trousers that were made of a thin, cotton material. Her feet were completely bare, revealing rather small feet with delicate and well formed toes. On her torso she wore a tank top made from the same material as her trousers. 

Why was she wearing sleeping clothes? She didn’t remember falling asleep in this strange room. She tried to remember what had happened to her before waking up here. But the memories seem to slip from her fingers like sand. It was like trying to grip a very slippery fish. As if her fingers were grazing the fish, images flashed across her mind. A blonde haired woman who gave her a warm look. A dignified looking man. A pool. A computer screen. A desk with an open book. But who were those people? Where were these places? She didn’t remember.

She didn’t remember.

Feeling panic rising in her chest, her breaths became shallower, “Oh shit. Oh fuck… fuck… where am I?... who were they…?” She muttered to herself, her voice sounding almost unnaturally loud. After a moment, a thought struck her, “Who… am I?” She asked aloud. It was the only question that seemed to provide some kind of answer. Raelynn. The name seemed to come to her easily, and a sense of clarity filled her. That made her relax a little. It was not much, but it was something. She remembered her own name. If only she could remember more. Looking around herself again, she wondered if she was in some kind of office. Or hospital. If so, maybe there was someone that could help her. 

Slowly, Raelynn got to her feet and moved towards the door, her feet shuffling a little on the carpet. When she reached the door, she reached towards the handle and then paused for a moment, hesitating. For some reason, dread knotted her stomach, making her feel sick. She shivered, feeling the coolness of the room pressing down around her. Steeling herself, she opened the door and stepped out. She found herself in a hallway of some description, with doors spaced along it. The walls were the same, as was the carpet. The ceiling and lights matched the one in the room. A little hesitant, she turned right and began to walk down the corridor, glancing behind her as if paranoid that someone would sneak up on her. 

Licking her lips, she called out, “Hello? Is there anyone there?” Her voice seemed unnaturally loud to her, echoing against the empty walls. However as her voice died down the humming of the lights intruded themselves upon her once again.

She hated that noise.

[Aura]

While Trent was slowly preparing himself for whatever--or whoever--he might run into on the other side of the wall, his heart was racing in anticipation. But before he could peek around the corner, he heard the loud howl of... a wolf? The howl reverberated from wall to wall. He couldn't tell if the sound was near or far, but it was clearly inside. And being inside a room with a wild animal was never exactly a fun idea. Especially in heels! Trent could feel his heart catch in his chest. Any sense of safety was gone now. If there was a wolf nearby, the last thing he wanted was to end up in the same room as it.

Trent knew nothing about animals. He had a vague understanding that wolves would howl when separated from their pack, but he also knew they would howl to communicate on the hunt and he had no idea how to differentiate between the two. As far as he was concerned, this wolf had picked up on his scent and was about to try and corner him between him and his buddies. Panicked, Trent immediately started running, no longer acknowledging the possibility of his theoretical kidnapper standing nearby to grab him. He felt he had no choice but to run the risk, but the threat was still there. He was terrified of running straight into the arms of whoever brought him here. 

As he began to run, however, he was reminded of just how difficult it was to move in heels. It was only three steps before he stepped on the side of his heel, rolling his whole ankle and crashing to the ground, leaving his right ankle twisted. "Ah! C-crap!" He couldn't help but exclaim under his breath. The pain in his ankle stung when he moved it. He still had no idea how far away the wolf was from him but the fear that it could turn the corner at any moment sent him into a panic. Immediately, he started wrestling with his shoes until they finally came undone and he was able to rise to his feet, but running on that ankle was impossible. He stumbled his way over to the wall of the room and supported himself with the wall as he tried to move as quickly as he could with just the one leg, wincing in pain every time he had to readjust by putting his right foot down.

What was going on? What kind of crazy place was this? Why was he in a dress? Why was there a wolf in here? Why was he being hunted!? Was he going to be eaten alive before any of his questions would even have a chance to be answered? "Please, please, please, God, if this is some sort of punishment, I don't understand yet, but I'm sorry!" He pleaded in a panic before turning another corner. Suddenly, he heard another sound. A voice, a human voice! Someone who sounded like a woman, just as lost and confused as he was. Could this be some huge elaborate prank to humiliate him? Sure, but at this point, he'd just have to be mad about that later. The other fear on his mind was that this could be a trap set up by whoever brought him here. They would know he'd flee from the wolf and wind up in this compromising position. From there, they'd come and grab him and... God, what was the purpose of any of this!? 

No matter how many negative directions he could take this train of thought, the truth was he only had one choice. He had to interact with whoever this voice was and hope it was someone on his side, and that calling out to that voice wouldn't attract the attention of anything else that wanted to eat them both.

"Hello?? Help! Please help me! I-I heard a howl here and my ankle's hurt!" His voice was somewhat deeper than one would expect by looking at him as he called out to the voice he heard. He knew it was going to be humiliating to be seen in these clothes, especially by a woman. But he would much rather be embarrassed than in the jaws of some wild beast.

[Chiyako]

Nothing. No response. There was supposed to be a response. Why did she know that? No, that didn't matter right now. Right now she needed to find another. Others. A pack? Yes, that sounded right! A pack! Her pack! That felt familiar. Why did it feel familiar?

Her right ear twitched. Something else was calling out. Or perhaps someone? But why didn't they howl back? Was that not how people got one another's attention? It couldn't just be her. Did it really matter though? If she heard another person she should find them. Perhaps they knew what was going on.

Slowly she pushed herself up to her feet, wobbling a little bit. Why did this feel weird? She had felt more comfortable closer to the ground. A shiver ran along her spine as she took a careful step forward. She didn't like the feel of the ground. Cold. Hard. Unnaturally smooth. It all felt wrong. Something shifted behind her. She turned but noticed nothing. Again something moved and this time she turned her head. Something long and fluffy extended out behind her.

A tail? A tail. Yes her tail. Actually she felt much more balanced with it out. It wagged a little from side to side and for the moment she stood still, watching it curiously. But then she remembered the voice. Wait. Her ear twitched again. Voices? This one was different! Were there multiple people? Was that a good thing? She didn't quite know, but she knew that she did not like being alone. And so carefully she made her way forward to the next room.

Empty again. The little wolf moved to the center and closed her eyes, listening for more sounds. It was difficult to get a perfect direction in this place. Sounds seemed to bounce off the weird stone walls. But after some time she did notice that one of the directions was just a little louder. That was probably the right one, right? She made her way in that direction.

Another empty room. She didn't stop this time, hurriedly stepping towards the next. They all looked so similiar. How could a person live in this place? The next one was also the same. And then the next one. Rinako hadn't even noticed that she'd picked up her pace, that she'd started to run. But that didn't matter. She just wanted to find someone else. Anyone else.

She stopped, heart beating quickly within her chest. This room was different. There was something on the ground. Lowering herself closer to the ground she crept forward on all fours. That felt familiar for some reason. It felt right. But she didn't have time to dwell upon why that was. What were these strange objects doing here? It was something new and that was exciting.

A hand slowly reached out, gently lifted one of the objects. It was strangely curved with a weird protrusion. Also it carried a smell. What was this smell? She sniffed a couple of times at it before lowering the object back onto the ground. It wasn't her smell, nor was it the same smell she detected everywhere else. But it also wasn't just here either. As she sniffed at the air Rinako noticed that it actually appeared to be in one other direction. Of course it was very faint in comparison, but she could still follow it. That meant it was fresh! Wait, why did she know that?

It didn't matter. Rinako quickly crept her way in that direction, sniffing at the air repeatedly to make certain she was on the right track. She heard more noises. Movement of some sorts perhaps? Wait. Voices! Well, a voice! But that was better than nothing, and certainly better than the low humming given off all around her. She would take new and different even if it might be dangerous.

As she started to round a corner she spotted a figure, prompting her to duck back out of sight. It was a person! Her heart started to pound within her chest. Fear? Why was she afraid? This was a person! Someone else! But for some reason that felt off and dangerous and scary. At the same time she also felt lonely. So very lonely. She didn't understand this rush of emotions, but she couldn't sit around figuring them out either. What if she lost sight of the person? Or lost its scent?

Watching it was a good idea. She could figure out of it was dangerous, if there was a reason she feared it. Slowly she peeked out from around the corner, locking her gaze upon the creature. She didn't recognize it. It looked like she did, but it was also different. There was no tail that she could spot. Also its clothes were similar to her own, but also a little different. Why was it limping? Did that mean it was injured? Why was it injured? She had time to learn these things as long as she kept quiet and hidden. And so she began to stalk the other creature. Stalking. Yes. That was what it was called. Or was it hunting?

[Neptune]

Raelynn felt as if she had been wondering for hours. The corridors and the rooms were never ending. At first, she thought that she was walking in circles because everything looked the same. Empty rooms with the same cream walls, the same plain carpet and those awful lights. There seemed to be no way out of this place. And she had not seen a single soul since arriving. The more she walked, the more she felt on edge. She froze then, when she heard a sound in the distance. Her breath caught in her throat as she strained her ears, trying to listen out for it. It sounded like some kind of howl? But surely that wasn’t so. Was there some kind of dog? She didn’t even want to ponder the possibility of a wolf. This place was scary enough without the thought of a wolf wandering the halls.

The sound had disappeared, and didn’t seem to reappear. It made her question herself. Was she just hearing things? Her lips thinned, and she was about to turn to walk off when another sound intruded itself on her senses. A voice. She turned her head towards the sound, hesitating a moment before she began to move towards it. Her steps were slow and cautious, as she had no idea who this person was. As she got closer, she heard the voice again. This time she was close enough to hear some words. It was a masculine voice, and they were asking for help. Something about their ankle being hurt.

She rounded a corner, pausing when she saw a figure in the hallway. She stared at them for several moments, as she had expected to run into some kind of man and yet they were dressed very effeminately, and indeed looked extremely feminine. Their appearance confused her for a moment, before a part of her mind figured that perhaps he was the kind of person that liked to dress like a woman. Still, they weren’t the kind of person she had been expecting to find. She had thought it might be an office worker but no… he seemed as much out of place as she felt. Slowly, she approached him, “Hello?” She tentatively offered in greeting. She glanced at his ankle which he seemed to be favouring, “Are you alright? You hurt your ankle? How?” 

[Aura]

Trent could feel a sense of relief but also dread when he was finally addressed by the voice he was pursuing. Before he knew it, the woman had turned the corner and he was met by the face of an espcially beautiful young woman, someone who seemed to be about his age. She looked to be just as confused as he was, but she also seemed to be fortunate enough to be wearing much more comfortable clothes rather than the humiliating ones he'd been dressed up in. He blushed furiously at the idea of whatever thoughts might be running through the woman's mind and it immediately caused him to grow timid and flustered. It wasn't so much the fact that he didn't know how to talk to girls, he was more than comfortable around women, far more so than other men, in fact. It was just the way he was dressed. He didn't want to give her the wrong idea about what kind of person he was, but even moreso, he was nervous about having to admit that some part of him kind of did enjoy being dressed this way regardless of how degrading it really was. 

Finally, the woman looked at him and addressed his limp. This was able to snap him out of his internal debate and he was finally able to find his tongue. "Ah, it was these heels..." He lifted the heels he'd taken off of his own feet. "I have no idea where they came from, but I was dressed in all these clothes when I woke up... Here..." While his voice was definitely deeper than a woman's, it wasn't exactly what one would describe as 'manly.' His voice was still rather soft and boyish, it was just another aspect of him that other men often teased him about. His masculinity was never something to entertain. He shook his head. There were more important things to worry about. As far as he was concerned, they were not safe out here in these hallways. "I tried to run when I heard that howl, but I fell and had to take these shoes off. They're impossible to move in! But that's not important right now, we can catch up later. I don't suppose you have any idea of anywhere that might be safe? I have a feeling we're being tracked..." He glanced over his shoulder as he spoke to see if anything had been following him in his blind spot.

[Chiyako]

There was a strange feeling swelling within the wolf. Sadness? Sort of. Pity! Yes, pity. Pity for this poor injured creature. It was not like her and yet it was similar. Also it was entirely possible that this creature was also locked away within this strange place just as she had been! Wait, were they locked in here? On second thought she didn't even know if that was correct.

Suddenly another creature emerged from one of the other doorways. Rinako froze up, not even allowing herself to breathe initially. Thankfully this new creature's focus was upon the other one. She had gone unnoticed. But it was only when she realized this that the wolf allowed herself to exhale, and very carefully at that! Somehow she was really good at remaining quiet. Perhaps this was something she was used to doing? Hunting? Yes. Hunting did seem very familiar to her.

They spoke to each other and somehow Rinako could understand their words. Or perhaps that was normal. It was difficult to tell. In any case it appeared that the creature had indeed hurt itself thanks to some sort of object it carried. Perhaps a weapon of some sort? Weapons. Weapons hurt people. Yes, that was probably it. Also this apparently was not the sort of outfit that the creature typically wore. This prompted Rinako to look briefly down at her own clothes, but she ultimately decided that they did feel correct.

Howl. They were speaking about her. That drew her attention back towards the two of them. For some reason that was not a normal sound for them. Clearly she could not have known these beings. Or perhaps they had simply forgotten that it was normal? No, the other thing made sense, after all they did look unusual. Was the sound a threat to them? Something to fear? Perhaps something they found soothing? Or maybe even amusing? No, no, one of them had fled from the noise. It had to be fear. Did they fear her people?

One of them looked in her direction. On instinct Rinako froze again, halting even her breathing once more as her ears folded back lower against her head. This felt like the correct reaction. Remain still so her prey does not notice her. Yes. That was it. But then it dawned on her that she should be in another place while doing this, a place with plenty of vegitation. When that realization hit her the poor wolf's eyes widened, heart beat more quickly within her chest, and the fur on her tail stood up on end. And yet she did not move for the creature in front of her did not move. There was still a chance she had gone unnoticed, right? And besides, there were two different feelings swelling within her right now: either run away from this creature if it approached or leap and attack this creature if it approached! She knew not which path to take in this moment.

[Neptune]

Raelynn noticed the guy's cheeks suddenly redden, and he looked almost… embarrassed? Well, she supposed that if he didn’t want her to see him in those clothes, she couldn’t blame him for being embarrassed. Still, she couldn’t sense anything dangerous about him, so she tentatively moved closer to him as he explained what had happened. What made her uneasy was the fact that he confirmed that there had been some kind of howl, meaning she wasn’t just hearing things. She glanced around a little nervously, but all she saw was the same, monotonous walls and floors that she had been walking around in. She turned her attention back to him when he said that he had a feeling that they were being tracked.

She had a wealth of questions for him, but if they were being tracked down then it should be a priority that they get somewhere safe. Her hands clenched for a moment, before she knelt down next to him. As she got closer to him, she noticed that he had a rather pleasant smell to him, as if he was wearing some kind of floral perfume. It certainly suited his outfit, and soft voice very well. A part of her found him pretty cute. She shook that thought from her mind as she reached out and took the heels from him. Curious, she turned them over in her hand, and a long distant memory prompted her to say, “Running in heels is never a good idea. They’re difficult to walk in, let alone run…” She then looked back up at him, “There are some rooms we might be able to hide in? I don’t know if they’re safe, though. It’s pretty much a lot of… this…” she indicated the corridor around them. She looked back at him and offered, “I can help you walk if you want? Help ease the pressure on your ankle. I’m Raelynn, by the way. Who are you?” She asked, ready to help bring him to his feet and sling an arm around her shoulders so that she could help walk.

[Aura]

"You don't have to tell me twice," Trent repeated, he supposed it was a good thing he didn't have any experience walking in heels. But he was left with an even more uneasy question. Why was he in heels? Was he brought here by some sort of pervert? The only other person here was this woman who he'd already noted was quite attractive. Maybe this was some sort of strange dungeon they were being kept in for some sort of psychological experiment, or maybe there were hidden cameras around recording their action and they expected to see some sort of lewd behavior... The idea sickened him, he wasn't just some play thing, but whatever this was, somebody must have cared a lot about this in order to prepare all of this. The idea of this being some Frat House prank felt more and more far fetched the longer they went on. Still, there was some strange sense of... excitement? He couldn't deny, this almost seemed like a roleplay he'd done online before... Maybe that's why his mind immediately went there... but, this was reality! There was no time for gross thoughts like that! Especially not when there was another woman who was in just as much danger as herself... h-himself... involved...

What the woman described gave furthered the uneasy feeling on Trent's mind. It hadn't really hit him yet himself, but indeed, every single room and hallway he'd walked through and seen looked exactly the same as this one. Almost like it was formed with some sort of RNG algorithm in a video game. Dead ends that led to nowhere, empty rooms one after another, everywhere you looked was the same yellow color. It was somewhat easy on the eyes, but the ominous silence broken only by the both of them and the hum of the lights along with whatever was following them definitely destroyed any of the warmth the colors provided. As he was lost in thought, the woman introduced herself, Raelynn, and asked for his own name. Before he could even process the answer to her question, he found his mouth already moved to answer it.

"Trish,"  he blinked. Trish? Why did he say Trish? That was his online alias, but it was the immediate natural response that came to his mind That was never the case as far as he could remember. He never had any issues separating 'Trish' from 'Trent,' what happened between then and now...? "Y-you can call me Trish." He retroactively corrected himself, not wanting to make a liar of himself. As Raelynn offered to help him walk, he took the offer and placed his arm around her, trying to put that blunder behind him. He started glancing around. "Okay, well, maybe there's somewhere we can hide... if it's an animal, maybe it can't get through doors. Have you seen any doors?" As he glanced over his shoulder, he froze in his tracks as his eyes met with what he might have concluded was the source of the sound they'd both been panicked about, but the appearance of the 'wolf' had baffled him beyond words. It could be described as a 'wolf,' perhaps, but it looked more like a normal girl with the ears of a wolf... like some sort of anime character. "What in the world... Um... Raelynn," He gestured toward the 'animal' behind them. She was hunched over, keeping low as if trying to hide or blend in, but she totally stood out in the sea of yellow. The way she was staring, she looked just as threatened as they did... but despite her cute appearance, she also looked dangerous, like she was ready to make a decision the moment something moved. Trent stayed as still as he could, maintaining eye contact so as not to make any sudden movements. "Should we... back away...?"

[Chiyako]

It was a good thing that she understood them. Rinako's blue orbs shifted slightly. The woman appeared to be kind, ready and eager to assist the poor injured creature who noticed her. Her name was Raelynn. She looked nice. Thinking about it, Rinako couldn't remember anything about her. This had to be her first time seeing this one, right? She should remember something else if it were different. No, that was all she knew.

Her attention focused once more upon the one who noticed her. The injured creature. It smelled quite pleasant. No. He smelled quite pleasant. Yes, she understood this now. Things were starting to fall into place now within her mind. This one was named Trish. They wished to hide. Hide from some animal. Perhaps they meant her? Yes, if they were running away from the howl then it meant this one was attempting to flee from her. It feared her. She didn't know whether that might be a good or bad thing at the moment.

Should they back away? Such a question probably was not directed at her, right? No, it was directed at the one named Raelynn. Such a question probably would not be asked if they wished her harm. This visibly put her at ease, tail smoothing out somewhat while her ears perked up. They weren't after violence. Probably. Actually they appeared to be just as confused as she was in all this! Besides, if she scared them then that clearly meant she had more power here, right?

No longer did Rinako keep herself huddled close to the ground. Instead she sat up, knees pressed to her chest while her hands remained planted against the ground for support. Such a position could have been considered immodest if Rinako had any idea of such concepts. But that wouldn't really matter much at this moment regardless. No, now was not the time to worry about such things. Now she needed to focus on ease tensions with these two, after all it was always easier to operate as a pack! Well, it felt like that was true anyhow!

[Neptune]

Trish had not been the name that Raelynn had expected, especially as she was now close enough to tell that they were a male. Perhaps they were one of these people that liked dressing in female clothes and wanted to be given a female name when like this. She decided not to bother questioning him on it right now; now was not the time for it. Instead, she helped him stand up, surprised by how light he was. She wrapped one of her hands around his waist to help keep him steady on his twisted ankle. When his question was asked, Raelynn looked back where she had come, causing her to completely miss the third person that was close by, “Um. There was one. In the room that I woke up in. But otherwise, I didn’t say any…” She trailed off, trying to remember the path that she had taken. However she found that she could barely remember what had happened from the moment she had woken up, and now. 

At the creeping horror in Trish’s tone, Raelynn turned back and looked to where he was gesturing. She froze when she saw what he was pointing out. It appeared to be a young woman, completely naked but with many wolf-like traits such as a wolf fail, and wolf ears. And the staring eyes of a predator stalking their prey. It made her cold all over, and she had to clamp down on the instinct to bolt like a rabbit. At Trish’s next question, Raelynn said in a low tone, “Yes. Maybe not too fast, though. It might chase us if we run.” Slowly, she began to back away, pulling Trish with her as her eyes were glued on the individual before them. 

She watched as the creature seemed to relax, her ears perking up and her tail relaxed. The creature then shifted, sitting up with her knees against her chest while her feet planted on the floor. At that point, Raelynn could quite clearly see that the figure was a female as she appeared to be exposing herself, “Uh…” She said quietly, coming to a stop as she studied the figure closely. She no longer felt as if she was being stalked. She wasn’t sure what to feel about it. She still kept a rather firm grasp on Trish as she said, “I… don’t think she’s hunting us.” If anything, her mind was now conjuring the image of a playful puppy, eager for attention.

[Aura]

Trent was utterly confused at this point. Just what was this thing? Was it a person? An animal? It was like the type of thing you would see in a video game or something, totally surreal to see in real life like this. Whatever the case, he could tell by now that it didn't seem hostile, at least not just yet. Assuming that this was indeed the source of the howling, perhaps he'd been panicking for no particular reason. That on its own was a relief to know and, honestly, he would rather take the chance that he might be wrong in his deduction than continue fleeing. There were a lot of questions he needed to ask and only so many answers he could arrive to.

Slowly, he removed himself from Raelynn's support. "Maybe she's not dangerous after all...?" He suggested before kneeling down slightly with her good ankle. "Hey there~" As he called out to the creature, his voice became a bit more high pitched, to his own surprise. It was a gentle voice that just came naturally to him and unlike the voice he'd cried out in before, this one sounded much more feminine. "You scared us," he continued to speak in the same girly voice, it strangely seemed soothing to himself as well, though that would be embarrassing to admit. "Are you lost like us?" He wasn't certain the creature could understand him, but considering it looked like a human, he figured it was worth a shot to see if they could talk. He offered a warm, motherly smile as he spoke to the girl, maintaining eye contact and trying not to mind the exposed parts below her face. "Don't worry, we won't hurt you. You can come over here if you like!"

[Chiyako]

At first they spoke quietly about her. Of course she could hear them, in fact she could even understand them! They were right too. Only prey would flee. She probably would give chase if they did, if only to keep up with them. These were the first people she remembered seeing in this place. Being alone was a scarier thought than anything.

They were, at least for the moment, also correct in their assumption that she was not hunting them. Actually now that she thought about it she wasn't really hungry at all. With that need pushed aside she could fully satisfy her lingering curiosity with these creatures. Of course one thing she was curious about were their words. For some reason they were somewhat familiar to her, but she also knew that it was not something she could speak. She had heard it before. It brought on a sense of something to be fearful about, and yet the way these two reacted to her said otherwise.

Not dangerous? That wasn't true! But before she could think any further upon the possible slight she was instead directly addressed! This caused her tail to straighten up behind her. For some reason this creature sounded very feminine, and yet she could also tell that it was not. Or perhaps it was? No, she knew to trust her nose on this. It gave off a distinctly different smell from the other one. Well, perhaps not as distinctly as it should. It was actually very faint due to the other smells that it wore. All in all it was quite confusing.

He was right though: she was lost. Very lost. Even if she didn't know them she did already feel more comfortable within their presence. And so with a smile she crept over on all fours, occasionally pausing to make certain they weren't going to do something to her. She did stop a few feet away, sitting up once more in the same position she'd taken earlier. Now that she was closer she could definitely tell that he was in fact a male. The other one was definitely a female. Perhaps these two were mates? No, that was unlikely. They didn't seem to know each other.

[Neptune]

Raelynn stiffened for a moment when Trish pulled himself from her support. She couldn’t help but to glance at him, to watch him carefully just in case he unbalanced and fell over. She was genuinely surprised when he started to talk, his voice taking on a softer, higher pitched note. It made him sound much more feminine, and for a moment she forgot that Trish was in fact a male. It disorientated her for a moment, before she felt her curiosity wonder just how he was able to do that. There was no doubt in her mind that if he had been talking like that when she had approached, then she would not have tagged him as male.

Movement out of the corner of her eye drew her attention to the wolf girl who was now moving towards them at a slow pace. Judging from her body language, she was just as wary of them, as they were of her. That made her relax even more, although she was wary of making any sudden moves. She decided to take a page out of Trish’s page, and go for a more gentle and soft approach. She seemed almost skittish as she stepped a few feet of them, once again sitting down on the floor. She tried to give a small smile to make herself look less threatening. She nodded her head when Trish told her that they weren’t going to hurt her to show her agreement to those words.

Raelynn moved a little closer, kneeling down so that she was on the same level as the wolf girl. She figured that being on a similar level would help reinforce Trish’s words that they meant her no harm. Caught by a curious impulse, she reached out a hand, “I’m just going to pet you, okay?” She moved cautiously just in case the girl shied back. But if the wolf girl allowed for the contact, she was going to pet her on the top of her head in a gentle manner.

[Aura]

Trent felt a rush of excitement when the critter slowly started to approach. She was quite adorable to be sure, it was strangely easy to forget that she looked more human than canine just from her mannerisms. It really felt like he was interacting with a stray pup than a lost human girl. Still, the surrealism of the situation wasn't lost on him, just pushed to the back of his mind as he focused on coaxing the wolf closer to hopefully build some level of camaraderie. 

As the wolf drew closer, however, Trent could feel himself growing a bit more flustered. Now that the wolf was closer, her more human traits were becoming more notable. The sublte contrast between her snowy white fur, no, hair, stood out a bit more now that she was closer. It was strange, Trent never recalled having issues talking with girls at all, and he was able to talk to Raelynn just fine only being reasonably embarrassed by his own appearance, but certainly nothing like this... perhaps it was her... nudity... which was much more apparent now. That must have been it, he never had issues talking with girls, but he easily grew flustered whenever things started to get even remotely sexual. Not because he was some sort of pervert, but moreso because he was worried about being seen as one. And now that he thought about it, he was trying to coax a nude, very young-looking girl closer to him and to some people, that could only look one way. 

Trent's face was likely visibly red at this point, so he was a bit relieved to find Raelynn taking his lead and kneeling beside him. Her approach helped him to realign his views with that of helping a stray animal, and made him feel less scrutinized for his behavior. Still, it didn't feel right just leaving this young girl exposed like this. He pondered the thought as he watched Raelynn try to reach out to pet the wolf. If she could manage to get her closer, then perhaps he could offer some of his clothing. These girly clothes would probably be more fitting on an actual girl anyway, and they might fit her smaller build better than him, too. They were incredibly tight. Obviously, he wasn't about to strip himself naked, but perhaps she could wear his tank and his see-through blouse could be tied around as a skirt to make it less see-through...

Yet, in spite of his distinctly male identity, the idea of being shirtless still felt strangely lewd to him... m-maybe he could just offer the tank? He'd have to figure that out when the time comes, he supposed. In the meantime, he focused on lowering himself further, just like Raelynn, and reaching his hand out gently as well, offering the young girl to sniff it if it would help her feel more comfortable. 

[Chiyako]

The distance between them was closed. A hand was extended towards her, one belonging to the female creature. Blue orbs honed in upon the limb, tracking every movement it made. What was it trying to do? Was this some sort of slow careful attack?

Pet her? Rinako tensed up. What did that even mean? She felt the hand settled atop her head. It started to move, to brush through her hair and rub against her scalp. The young wolf remained tensed for another few seconds, but the pleasant feeling ultimately broke that tension. With a content smile and a little wag of her tail she ended up leaning just a slight bit into it. It actually felt quite pleasant! For the moment this strange scary situation eased up within her mind.

There was something wrong with the male. His scent was a little different. Whatever it was made her feel just the slightest bit warmer. More troubling was his face: it was red! Why was it so red? Was he sick? Or perhaps angry? Something else caused it too. Embarrassment? Yeah, that was it. Was he embarrassed? Why would that be the case? He hadn't done anything embarrassing yet.

Of course there was nothing covering Rinako's body. Everything was exposed. There wasn't even extra hair to cover her sex! Occasionally the hair from her head, which was quite long, was able to partially conceal certain parts of her when moved in the right way, but that was all a matter of luck. Not that Rinako would have it any other way, in fact she found it more strange that they were wearing clothes in the first place. Would it not hamper their movements? It was pleasant enough in here as well. They didn't really need anything extra. Wouldn't it be too warm?

Now the boy's hand was outstretched towards her. It didn't settle atop her head, instead resting in front of her face. She leaned closer, sniffing a couple of times at it. Now she had a little clearer idea of what his scent was and what the foreign scent was. It did smell pleasant, if a bit overpowering for her. In any case she had to figure out why it was where it was. He wasn't doing the pet thing on her and she assumed that he was not offering himself up as a meal. What sort of creature would do such a thing? Perhaps this was a sign of submission? It was entirely possible that he saw her as the alpha here.

Rinako's lips parted, mouth carefully positioned in order to gently grip the man's hand with her teeth. No pressure was exerted as she didn't want to actually bite and break skin. Instead she held it there for a few moments, accepting the man's submission, only to then release him with a few parting licks to the spot she'd grabbed. He was free to assist the female in the petting. Perhaps she could turn these two into a new pack!

 

[Elena Ichinomiya]

A young woman with a short hair found herself lying on the carpeted floor. As her consciousness set in, her sense also coming back to her. One finger twitch before it followed by the rest. Her ruby eyes open up slowly as her hands absorb the material beneath her. A smell of old carpet fill her nose, fluorescent noise given by the lights above her fill her ears with their hum-buzzing sounds. Her mind still blurry about what happen and her sense hurriedly try to grasp where she is. As she sit up and rub her eyes, she finally see where she is right now.

The room doesn't seems so odd but her mind telling her this isn't what its supposed to be. Why? She don't know. Maybe a hunch? Perhaps. But one thing for sure is, she never ask herself why she's here. Whatever question that pop inside her mind, it was easily shrugged. As if there's something that told her to "forget it" which she did. And also, the room feels utterly quiet. Way too quiet. But those silence only give her more sense of danger. Why she felt such a thing? There's nobody here and yet she has urge to take cover and hide. But from who? She don't know. The only thing she know is she's waking up in the unknown place that she never bother to find out. Speaking of find out however, it  never slip in her mind that she should escape. Again, this room feels off and giving a wrong vibe in a sense. And yet she don't feel she had to. Why?

But before she could think anything else, she heard a thud behind those walls. In fact, the loud thud is right behind her head. Its as if someone just shot her head. Standing up, she wasn't sure what was that. Until the loud sounds like gun firing can be heard behind those walls. It quickly kick her sense to its place as she stand up and run. She don't know where she run off to, but those gun fire feel like aiming toward her no matter where she run. The only thing she hoped for is she never bump into dead end. Until the sounds cease, she finally stop running and catch her breath. Once again, silence become her only companion. As she finally get a grip of herself, she realize that no matter where she run, the room feel...the same? There's no dead end. Only open halls...and more halls with same wallpaper and carpet. There's no significance difference. Was this room actually a circle? Only one way to find out...

"Huh...how curious..."

And she was right. The room keep looping on her. No matter what turn she take, even if she walk back, it all look the same. This isn't just a room isn't it? Why she even here? Why she feel like she don't need to find out and accept this space of reality? Regardless, she just shrug it off and move on to wherever her legs take her to...

[Neptune]

Raelynn felt the tenseness of the young looking wolf girl for a moment, before it suddenly seemed to melt and she leaned into the hand petting her. The young blonde woman couldn’t help but to allow a wide smile to curve at her lips, as she felt incredibly happy for some reason. As if she was having a special moment with a wild animal, that felt incredibly special. She looked at Trish, giving him a grin. She noted that he seemed to be flushing, and as she glanced back at the wolf girl, she could understand why as she was completely naked and had everything exposed. She doubted the wolf girl would understand that kind of effect that would have on others, but she decided not to comment on it. Perhaps Trish had never seen a naked girl before, so his reaction was understandable. Raelynn watched as the feminine male reached out as if to allow the wolf girl to sniff at the offered limb.

Raelynn tensed for a moment when the wolf girl seemed to bite at Trish but it didn’t seem like an actual bite. More like a grip of the mouth. She watched as the hand was then let go with a few licks, with no evidence of broken skin. Shaking herself from her surprise, she commented, “Perhaps a way of saying hello? You’re not hurt, are you, Trish?” She asked, looking a little worried. She continued to pet the wolf girl, not wanting to upset or anger her by stopping. Once she had assured herself that Trish was fine, she looked at the wolf girl and pointed her free hand at her own chest, “Raelynn. That is my name. Raelynn.” She said, speaking a little slow to enunciate her words. Deep down, she hoped that the wolf girl could understand them, or even better, talk back.

[Aura]

Trent had offered his hand for Rinako to sniff because, having recognized her wolf-like traits, he'd assumed the girl would want to familiarize herself with his scent. It was a common way to ease tension with a new animal as far as he could recall. For a brief moment, however, his outreach seemed to only confuse the wolf, leading to an awkward moment of silence where they were just staring at each other. He didn't want to move yet so as not to startle the girl, but he also had to resist the urge to just pull his hand back and try to pretend he'd never done it. Raelynn seemed confident in reaching out and petting the girl which was just... strange to him. In spite of her animal-like qualities, she looked far too human to totally treat like some normal dog, hence why he wanted her to wear something. But it seemed like petting her came naturally to this woman. And Rinako seemed to enjoy it, with a soft smile and cute little tail wag that could melt his heart. He wanted to embrace the young pup now, but again had to fight the urge. There was a level of respect he knew you had to treat animals with. A hug or unexpected reach could scare the wolf off. Of course, whatever he did, he had to figure out what he was going to do with his hand.

As he continued to hold his hand out, Rinako started to open her mouth. At the sight, his whole body tensed for a moment, but it didn't look like she was actually going to bite him, and she didn't give off any sort of warning like he was pretty sure a wolf typically would... Soon, her teeth clenched gently around his finger. The sight was rather cute, but it was a move that left him just as confused as the wolf probably was when he'd reached his hand out in the first place. Clearly, there was some sort of cultural boundary between their understanding of each other. Soon, the girl started to release her grip and lick his finger instead. 

"Perhaps..." He responded when Raelynn suggested it may be a sort of greeting. "No, it didn't hurt..." After this strange exchange, he found it a bit easier to see this girl as more of an animal again and it felt more natural to move his hand over to her cheek to gently stroke her... but then, looking into her eyes again, he once again began to feel incredibly flustered. Once again, she looked like a human to him and he just couldn't shake how awkward it was for him. He'd never touched a girl before, at least not like this. When he considered her as a human, this interaction felt far more intimate than when he saw her as a dog. It didn't take long for him to slowly pull his hand back and rise up a bit to clear his throat. "R-right, well, should we find somewhere a bit more private? I feel uneasy knowing--"

Just as he was speaking, he heard the sound of distant gunfire echoing through the vacant halls which immediately caught his attention. "Wh-what the hell was that? Did you two hear something?" 

[Chiyako]

At least one of the two appeared to be relaxed enough! She had introduced herself, and to that Rinako gave a simple nod of her head, which was perhaps enough of a hint that she did understand. Heck, she had been very willing to approach and even administer the petting thing! Brave, that one was. She would make a fine huntress in the pack. The other one was certainly nervous, perhaps too nervous to be a hunter. That was fine. There were other roles to play in the pack. Like child rearing! On that note he had been the only male she'd seen thus far, but then she had hardly been afforded enough time to search this place.

Not that I am ready for that sort of thing. Maybe. But then what if we can't escape this place? What if this becomes my new home? It might be good to find someone then.

Thankfully such worrisome thoughts did not linger for too long. Not only was the woman petting her but now the man also reached in to do the same! Well, he rubbed against her soft cheek. That was still nice and she of course leaned slightly against the palm of his hand. When their eyes met she could almost feel the warmth coming off the man, which brought a smile to her lips. It was definitely embarassment. Or perhaps this one was in heat? Either way it was somewhat amusing.

He wanted to go somewhere private? She wondered why that might be. The woman also had a good idea of what Rinako had been trying to do. A greeting of sorts, yes, but also an acceptance of the man's submission. It was the best way she knew to calm him down. Unfortunately that wouldn't last.

A sudden crack echoed through the halls! Her tail stuck up straight behind her, ears lowering back as she faced where she thought it was coming from. Another followed. And another. What was that noise? Some sort of beast? Or perhaps something had fallen? She started to edge herself closer towards the source, but then she stopped and looked to the other two. The man didn't appear to know what it was. Would Raelyyn?

[Elena Ichinomiya]

How long she's been here? She didn't seems to remember. Or even bother with that. At this point, the woman been following where her feet taking her. Left, right, sometime turning back to take another turn, sometime goes straight over and over. This room somehow get into her mind. She felt insecure but not because she's alone and the creepy room itself; but rather more anxious over the gunfire she just experience back then. Speaking of which, she wonder why such sounds giving her so much panic attack? The reason why she run away its because her reasoning told her to. Its like she's being instructed that whenever there's such sounds, she had to run. But from what exactly? Those gunfire come from...somewhere? Is it even here? No one knows. But then again, she can't ask anyone since she's by herself.

The emptiness and flickering lights is the only companion she got so far. Sometime the gentle electric buzz sounds from the lights is rather comforting. Not every room has that buzzing sounds though, sometime they just flicker. Seeing the walls, she wonder what's missing from this part of the hall. There's no windows. Was she underground? Maybe a bunker? For a size of bunker, this hall sure is way too neat to be called one. Come to think of it, why someone would make a bunker maze as entrance with such well furnished design? Now hold there just a second. Entrance? Is there even one of it here? She didn't come here out of thin air did she?

"The more step i take, the more question mark i got" she let out sigh as if the only thing that tire her is the question in her head rather than the trip she just take for a while. She didn't stop, she didn't find herself wanting to sit down. She just...move on and on. All while wondering what feels off from this hall. 

“Perhaps a way of saying hello? You’re not hurt, are you, Trish?”

Now hold just a second. Is someone just talking? From gunfire, now this?

"Perhaps..."

"Wh-what the hell was that? Did you two hear something?" 

Judged from how well it sounds, they might be close. Is it another person? Since its just two different voice, she assume there's just 2 people talking. Speaking of which, the last person who speak seems raising their awareness. She didn't hear any sounds saves the gunfire. Did they also hear that? The other one seems calm though. Telling herself its better safe than sorry, she choose to wait and see who's coming. If its a person and they harmless, she's on safe hands. If they were hostile, she might put up a fight and run.

And if it turn out its just another trickery noise of this hall, god forbid, she would ask herself if she's alright in the head right now...

[Neptune]

Raelynn looked back over to Trish as the feminine male reached out and stroked the wolf girls cheek. She noticed how the young looking girl nuzzled into the hand, clearly welcoming his affection as quickly as she had her own. She was glad that she was a lot friendlier than what she had first thought. The last thing she wanted was to run into some kind of strange… creature. At least, something that would be dangerous towards them. She took a deep breath, nodding her head in agreement when Trish mentioned that it might be a good idea to find somewhere more private. She agreed. They had no idea who, or what was hiding around the corridors. Plus Trish needed somewhere safe to let his ankle recover. She was about to push herself up when there was a distinct crack in the air, causing her to flinch and almost huddle on the floor. 

Her eyes darted around, trying to look for the source of potential danger. Her heart was hammering so hard that it felt as if it was trying to burst out of her chest. Her hearing seemed to become more acute and yet there seemed to be the sound of muffled static in her ears. Slowly she uncurled herself, breathing deeply in an effort to calm herself down, “I…. I don’t know. Firecrackers…. Maybe?” She asked Trish in a hopeful tone. Movement caught her eye as the wolf girl began to move cautiously towards the source of the sound. It was clear that she wanted to investigate. A part of Raelynn didn’t want to go near the source of the noise. She wanted to run away from it, to find the furthest corner that she could hide in, however she couldn’t leave Trish behind. 

“M-maybe we should get out of here.” Raelynn suggested, her tone shaking a little more than she liked. Slowly, she stood up, her body tensed in a manner that would allow her to run at the drop of a hat. Gingerly, she held out a hand towards Trish, silently offering to help him get up and onto his feet. She really didn’t want to follow the wolf girl towards it. Knowing her luck, it most likely spelled trouble and she was already in enough being in this strange place. Wherever it was.

[Aura]

"Firecrackers definitely weren't what I was thinking..." Trent responded. It was clearly the concern on both of their minds. It's entirely possible the sound wasn't gunfire, but he wasn't about to stand around waiting to find out. He saw the wolf girl slowly creeping toward the sound and immediately felt his whole body tense up. The last thing he wanted was to see the poor girl get shot after poking her head around the corner. "Hey! Trust me, whatever that sound is, you don't want anything to do with it. Come with us! We need to get away, quickly!"

There wasn't any time to theorize, but the thought did cross his mind that the presence of a person with animal-like traits and the sound of gunfire could mean this was some sort of hunting game orchestrated by some sick individual... if that were true, was he supposed to be a hunter or a trophy...? So far, he'd only met girls... even he, himself, well, could easily be mistaken for a girl. Maybe there's some crazed person who sees women as animals, too? Now wasn't the time to ponder all the possiblities, though. Everyone needed to get going. His ankle still wasn't in good shape, though, so he looked to Raelynn for reassurance before putting his arm around her to lean into her for support again. "We need to be anywhere but here and try to find somewhere safe! There's no telling if we'll be found soon!"

[Chiyako]

The sudden shout certainly caught the wolf's attention, ears perking up as she turned to look towards the other two. Firecrackers? Is that what they called the noises? She knew not what they were. Fire she understood. Crack, like the noise? Fire that made loud noises. Or perhaps it meant something else in their language. Either way she could already tell that being closer might hurt her ears. More than that, it worried the other two. Perhaps investigating it now wasn't the right course of action.

After a moment of consideration she turned, quickly moving on all fours over to the other two. The man-, Trish's injury would slow them down. Perhaps she could try to carry him? No. Raelynn had the better idea. Besides, walking on two legs, while not impossible, was awkward for her. Besides, they didn't exactly know what lay ahead of them.

With a single bark Rinako hurried forth, aiming to check out the room ahead. As it turned out it was very similar to the last one. They all were, really. One could easily get lost in this place, and so she didn't move too far ahead. While she waited for the other two she sniffed at the air, hoping to catch a whiff of something useful, but alas there was nothing.

Of course she wouldn't simply lead them forward in one direction. Next she went to the room on the right. After that the room in front. Then the room on the right again, and so on. Going straight away from the noise was bound to get them caught by it. If they really did want to evade it then they had to be at least somewhat unpredictable.