(no subject)

[hominilupusinexilio]

[1]

Several of Clan Wolf's elementals are laid up in the infirmary, not looking happy as they're hooked up to machines that beep and whirr and keep them alive. They have gruesome wounds: huge pitch black bruises bespeaking internal injury from vicious snouts, chunks ripped from their skin. Whatever they fought back there, it was vicious enough to put several of the huge, genetically engineered power-armor troopers hors d'combat for weeks and months.

Then a documentary about marine life comes on the holoset left to keep them from getting too bored and suddenly every hand reaches for a weapon. React? Change the channel?

[2]

It's almost time to go and that means the dire wolves are due to be released soon: Ulric (gray brindle), Natasha (all black), Vlad (red brindle), Kaya (grey with brown paws) and Isaac (brown with blood red spots). Terrifying creatures, they each now stand the height of an adult human. These are not the cuddly pups you made much of six months ago. These are wild fucking animals and even the elementals wrangling them onto the dropship are wary of them.

Still, if you were kind to them, they may remember you...if you're not too scared to get close.

[3//locked to Adette]

It had been a hard day and Resnick was not one to usually burn the midnight oil. In the wee hours, he was sprawled face down on his spartan bunk. With both roommates absent, he could drift into deep sleep as he drooled on his pillow, dreaming that he was wearing his ceremonial leathers in a vat of sour cream while a floating nova cat (the animal, not the Clan) told him that it was developing an attraction to corpulent women. It had been a long day, full of rocket rides and terrible dolphins who were most definitely not thankful for all the fish.

He certainly didn't expect what happened next.

Comments

3

[heartyourmetalwolf]

>>KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK<<

"Resnick!"

>>KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK<<

"Resnick!"

>>KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK<<

"Resnick!"

Adette leaned heavily on the door, one hand pounding hard on the metal door, the other tightly gripped a bottle's neck.

[hominilupusinexilio]

The nova cat morphed into a Rasalhaqueian guerilla fighter, taking hopeless potshots at him. BANG BANG BANG. BANG BANG BANG. It called his name in a slurred, high voice. BANG BANG BANG.

He rolled out of bed, groping for his needler. After a few seconds he found it, came to the door wearing his undersuit and jacket, cradling the weapon.

"What is the situation?" He said, opening the door.

[heartyourmetalwolf]

When the door opened she hardly registered and went on knocking, right on Resnick's chest.

"Resnick- oh!" She stopped and stepped back. Wait, now what did she say, Adette hadn't formulated her plan past this moment. "I need you to drink with me." It was clear she had already been drinking from the way her knees wavered slightly, but she was a long way from wasted yet. Her eyes looked red, and tried, and no matter how she tried to hide her dejection showed clear as day on her face.

[hominilupusinexilio]

"What is th..." He fumbled the safety back on, tossed the needler away. Adette smelled like potato fumes and looked pretty dejected. "Nevermind, I know what this is about." He opened the door all the way for her. "Where?" He was going to be groggy as all hell for maneuvers tomorrow, he knew.

[heartyourmetalwolf]

"I am stealing the photo lab closet for the night, and that blonde kind if going to have to deal with it." She grabbed his arm with chilled fingers. "I need you to make sure I don't do anything to stupid, alright?" Because she could feel it coming on, the need to be hasty and rash in the heat of the moment. Those antics would get her no where at a time like this, but a good friend to see her through would be enough to keep those wild urges at bay.
"If you already knew why didn't you come check on me?" She punched him, not hard, but with a firm connect.

2

[aesopwarped]

[Scared? Mad knows no fear!... Sort of. Still, she's walking over to Natasha with surprising confidence.]

Hey...

[She's carefully reaching out to the now massive wolf.]

[hominilupusinexilio]

The animal turns to watch her, eyes cold and ancient...Then she trots over and places her massive head on her shoulder.

[aesopwarped]

[Mad gives the massive wolf an awkward hug, petting it behind the ear.]

You go show the rest of the wildlife who the boss is alright?

[She's giving the Dire Wolf a smile, NO SHE IS NOT CRYING - YOU NEED YOUR EYES CHECKED.]

[hominilupusinexilio]

Enveloping Mad like a gentle stormcloud, Natasha nuzzles her, before slipping off to rejoin her brethren. Unlike the others, she shows no reluctance, nor will she permit hands to guide her or attach a leash. She watches Mad as the dropship lifts off.

"All creatures must claim their rightful place when they mature." Resnick says as he watches the animals go too.

[aesopwarped]

Still sad to see them go though..

[Mad's wiping at her eyes. There's something in them... she has a small grin though.]

Think anyone will be dumb enough to try what you did?

[Yes she's talking about the dire wolf incident.]

1

[getter_class]

Hayato, on seeing the elementals all simultaneously reach for their weapons, suddenly held very still. He wasn't sure what had set off the clanners, but he was pretty sure that against several of the elementals, even injured ones, he would be lucky to come out alive if it came to violence.

[hominilupusinexilio]

The tension was held for several seconds. Then a dolphin came into view, chittering as it echolocated. There was a single sharp cough and the needler shredded the front of the holoset, causing the picture to become wobbly and distorted. Instantly the elementals who could move were upon the one that fired, gently but firmly prying the weapon out of her hands. Join them?

[getter_class]

Assuming Elementals have similar enough biology to regular humans that nerve pinches still work, Hayato should have the gun in seconds. If they don't, his compatriots should get the gun from him soon enough anyway.

Hayato surveyed them all with a gaze that somehow mixed confusion, curiosity, and contempt. "What the hell was that about?"

[hominilupusinexilio]

The elemental who'd let the shot off looked embarrassed as he was chewed out by their commander, Celia, a woman somewhat large even by elemental standards with a long braid, for being wasteful and reckless. One might forgive him for being a little jump though. There's a sheet of clear medical plastic over his stomach where his intestines had to be stitched back together and a very large bandage on his groin. The needler is handed off and eventually ends up with Hayato.

Resnick entered at that moment, summoned by the terrified medical staff. "You will have to forgive him, Commander Jinn. A dolphin just bit off one of his testicles."

[getter_class]

Hayato did something he did very rarely. He blinked in confusion.

"He wh- How did THAT happen?"

2

[emorangerpink]

[Laura's cautious as she approaches Natasha. Her amplifier is on her wrist just in case, but she's making sure not to show any outward sign of fear.]

[hominilupusinexilio]

The dire wolf pricks its ears up but allows Laura to approach anyway, with no outward signs of aggression.

[emorangerpink]

[Laura reaches out to stroke behind her head.]

We'll miss you, girl.

[hominilupusinexilio]

She lays her large head on Laura's shoulder, not even having to stand on her hind legs. She nuzzles her once.

[emorangerpink]

Xue Yi and Nuan Chun say goodbye. Maybe once things are all sorted out I'll be able to bring them to visit.

[Not that Natasha's likely to be around while they're visiting Wolf City...]

Be good, okay? Look after your sisters and brothers.

1

[saikyocivrobo]

Oh crap. That's some hard PTSD!

[Werter quickly changes to Adventure of Clan Spaniel! Hopefully it's not a whale-centric episode.]

[hominilupusinexilio]

And on today's episode of Clan Spaniel, they're lost in a web of lies and traps as they track the Monkey Tribe of Wu, thinly veiled expies of the Cappelan Confederation whose vice is cowardice! There are four other tribes of evil monkeys, each representing a particular vice the Clans find the Inner Sphere guilty of: FedCom expies whose vice is disunity, Draconis Combine expies representing nepotism, Lyran expies who are greedy and wasteful and Free World's League expies, who are afflicted with secrecy and duplicity.

The elementals visibly relax even as they look a little embarrassed at having to watch a show from their childhoods. One of them gets chewed out for almost shooting the holoset.

A woman large even by elemental standards with a single long braid approaches him. "That was good thinking."

[saikyocivrobo]

I had to make sure there won't be any more casualties today. What these guys went through was bad enough.

Plus, there's no point in wasting a perfectly good TV.

[hominilupusinexilio]

Point Commander Celia nods in approval. Frugality is a core Clan value.

"I am Celia and these are my men. You will have to forgive Warrior Darius. A dolphin bit off one of his testicles."

[saikyocivrobo]

...Ouch. I can see why he'd have such a reaction.

With some luck, none of our enemies will be crazy enough to use dolphins again. Those things are vicious. And endangered, to make it worse.