Wanderlust (Marina Elemento x Kiyiya Sakura)

[Player Advisor]

Kaine(Rust) Parker



"I--" he thought back to when he had been cornered at the bottom of the stairs the night before. His attacker had begun to scream, and the sound of his bones breaking and cracking, reforming. A rock dropped in his gut as he pondered the meanings of the words Bongo had left him with. "I don't know. They were crazy, probably talking nonsense." Thinking about it now, Bongo resembled the man who had cornered him. But it was dark. It could have been anyone.

Rust shook the thoughts and words of a crazy man out of his head, focusing on driving. They left the city behind them began to head west. He could smell the ocean, salty and sweet at the same time. He could smell the grass, wet with the residue of the storm. He noticed everything seemed more clear, more vibrant. Maybe his brush with death had given him a new perspective.

As the day wore on, he stopped a few times, letting Estelle stretch her legs and walking a bit. He nibbled on an apple, but it was not appetizing. He was hungry for something more... meaty. What he wouldn't do for a steak or maybe a chicken dinner. He sighed. Back on the bike they got, passing a sign that said a small town was about ten miles ahead on this road. "We can stop there tonight, assuming there are no freaks like back there." As the sun approached the horizon, Rust's body began to heat up again, but did not show any signs of noticing it.

 

[Marina Elemento]

Estelle Dominique Lareau


Estelle relaxed at Rust's assuring words; surely they were free of worry now, or at least somewhat. As the journey continued, Estelle found herself much more relaxed than she had been before, or at least more calm. After all, he seemed to be doing fine now, and this was good news for her. There was still that difference about him that hung in the air, but she did her best to ignore it.

The day wore on, and this time there were more clearing in the clouds than there had been before. The sun was visible when it began to set, making Estelle smile as she nibbled on a slice of bread and some cheese.
She nodded at the thought of finding somewhere peaceful to rest for the night; she felt rather exhausted but still somewhat able. However, something still made her uneasy. Rust's body was peculiarly warm again, she could feel it against her arms. She reached up to touch his face gently, confirming that he was rather warm. "Are you alright?" she asked him gently.

 

[Player Advisor]

Kaine(Rust) Parker



Rust was enjoying the ride, feeling the wind whipping his hair around. When he felt Estelle's cool hand on his face, he raised an eyebrow and looked at her from the side, still watching the road. "Yes. Why?" he asked at her query. They still had about five miles to go before they reached the town, but he slowed down. "Is something wrong?"

 

[Marina Elemento]

Estelle Dominique Lareau


Estelle blinked, her hand dropping to her side. "No, everything's fine... as long as you're fine." She smiled, wrapping her arms around his torso again and relaxing. Her hair billowed behind her as they continued to drive; she imagined it looked rather messy right now, but she didn't mind. She was excited to find a place to stay and hopefully it would be safer than where they'd been before.

 

[Player Advisor]

Kaine(Rust) Parker



"Oh, um... Okay." He picked up the speed again and soon the town was visible in the distance. The sun dipped below the horizon and something pulsed within Rust. He gasped, a bit startled by the sudden violence of his heartbeat. It seemed fine now though. He stopped the bike anyhow and sat for a moment, listening, feeling. He could hear his own heartbeat. He put a hand on his chest, frowning, and looked Estelle. "Got any more of that medicine?" He asked, his face troubled. He looked above her and saw the moon. His eyes widened, mouth dropped agape. The moon reflected off of his eyes a pale blue.

Rust staggered off the bike, feeling like he was going to explode from the inside. He gripped his head, trying to keep it from splitting open. He grunted, then doubled over in pain, hyperventilating. Whats happening!? There was a snap, and Rust cried out in pain as he crumpled to the ground. His bones! They were breaking! More and more snaps were heard, and under his skin, it looked like he was morphing, his bones reconnecting in all the wrong places. He was screaming now, non-stop, tears streaming down his face. He remembered what happened when he saw this last night. "Estelle! R-run! RUUUN! NOW!" His shouts began to sound like growls and snarls, yowls and howls. He was changing.

 

[Marina Elemento]

Estelle Dominique Lareau


As the sun set, Estelle could sense something was wrong again. When he stopped the bike, she knew for sure something was wrong. She looked at Rust's worried face, an uneasy feeling rising in the pit of her stomach. At his question, she nodded wordlessly and rummaged through her bag. However, as she scrambled to look for the tiny bottle, it was too late; Rust was already in hysterics of some sort. Estelle got to her feet quickly, practically knocking the bike over.

"Rust!" she tried rushing to his side, touching him gently, looking for any signs of what it could be. The loud crunches of his bones breaking and shifting made her gasp and jump back. Whatever was happening to him... it wasn't natural... it wasn't... what was it?! Estelle's eyes widened at the sight before her, as she crawled away slowly away from him. The pain in his body was etched across his face. Estelle's vision blurred with tears of fear and fright. "N-no, Rust. P-please." She tried to make her way to him, but the fear inside of her was screaming along with him: RUN.

Another voice screamed alongside in her head, louder than the other: No. I made a promise. Never leave his side.... never leave his side... Estelle's body was shaking as hard as it had the previous night, mixed with so many other emotions she wasn't used to having, including this deep yearn to help Rust despite her inability to. "Rust..." she said his name, but it was just barely a whisper, and as a single tear escaped her eyelashes, she stood up and ran in the opposite direction. She didn't know where she was running, or how long she would have to, she just knew she had to find a place to hide. Rust, please be okay.

 

[Player Advisor]

Kaine(Rust) Parker



Rust was now trapped in his mind, his body under something else's control. He could see everything, but when he tried to take control, he found he couldn't move.

His body had finished it's transformation. It was horrifying. The wolfish being was twice the size Rust was, and there was a hunger that would not be satisfied burning within. He let out a howl and began to sniff the air. NO! STOP! he screamed inside his head as he picked up Estelle's scent.The beat drooled and it followed the smell. There! Ahead! She was running, This excited hem, and he took off after her.

 

[Marina Elemento]

Estelle Dominique Lareau


Estelle tried to stop herself from crying, but as she ran, she couldn't help but to blubber. Rust was obviously gone, she didn't know how or why, but it killed her inside. She looked behind her and wiped her eyes, a sense of terror shooting through her when she saw the beast running after her. That couldn't be him... it just couldn't. She shook her head and picked up her speed; luckily she could run rather fast for there wasn't much weight of her own to carry.

Somewhere to hide, somewhere to hide... Estelle's mind scrambled as she ran, her eyes landing on an old abandoned shed. As quickly as she could, she ran inside, bolted the two wooden doors shut and pushed as much stuff against it as possible. There were no windows, except for a tiny skylight above her in the ceiling. She could hear the beast outside, and as she pushed a shelf against the door, she realized she was still shaking rather violently. Tears streaming down her face, she curled up in the corner of the shed and sobbed silently, praying that the creature would eventually go away. After all, she couldn't stay there forever.

 

[Player Advisor]

Kaine(Rust) Parker



Rust's monster slammed into the she doors, growling. He backed up and launched at it again, and again, After a few more hits, he stopped and decided to look around the building. His breathing was an audible gurgle, in and out, in and out, as he circled the shed.

He circled the shed about four times, not finding a way in. He howled in frustration and began ramming the doors again, scratching at them, trying to bite it way. Suddenly, there was a snarl, not his own and he let out a yelp as another body rammed into him. It was another wolf, and a smaller one took up the attack on the door. Rust turned and fought the newcomer, not wanting the competition. The sounds of a dog fight rose as it became intense. When Rust saw the small one trying to get to his meal, he abandoned the fight with the bigger one and rushed the pup. He hadn't expected it, and the runt soon found himself with his neck in Rust's jaws. Rust bit down, a wheezing gasp escaping the unfortunate wolf in his jaws as his throat was punctured. Rust tossed him aside and braced for the attack he saw coming from the big one.

They fought until they were both exhausted. They both stood there, bleeding from the inflicted wounds, glaring at each other.

 

[Marina Elemento]

Estelle Dominique Lareau


Estelle could hear the noises of the fight going on outside. She shuttered at the sounds, the yelps and the growls and the snarls. Despite her knowledge that Rust was now some horrifying creature, she genuinely hoped that he would be okay. Whether he would change back to normal again or not, she hoped with her whole heart that he would be alright. It was a strange thought, and she hoped that whatever had happened to him might somehow be resolved. Estelle tried wiping away her tears, but the kept coming back, reminding her that she was weak and couldn't do much of anything. Outside, the noises seemed to be stopping, but she didn't dare move an inch.

 

[Player Advisor]

Kaine(Rust) Parker



the glaring contest seemed to last forever. The lifeless body of the small one lay off to the side, close to the doors of the shed. Rust panted, legs shaking, but he was not going to back down. He kept eye contact, but he was tired, and he had a feeling the other wolf knew it.

In the beast's weakened state, Rust, inside the wolf's head, tried again to regain control. The beast fought, but it could not fight the outside battle as well as the one within it's own head. It had to rest. Rust regained control, but he was still trapped in the beast's body. He tried something, "Wait!" He called to the other wolf, It was a mental thing, but he felt as if he were talking. That was surely weird. "Lets talk..." He tried.

"Whats to talk about? You just killed my brother!" The beast lunged and Rust narrowly dodged.

"He was trying to eat my friend!"

"So were you!"

Rust dodged another attack, but he wasn't sure how long he could keep doing this. The beast wanted to attack and eat, attack and eat. But Rust had control now, and he was not about to loose it. He had an idea. He rushed the other wolf and snagged his tail painfully. The wolf yelped and turned to bite him, but Rust took off running down the street. He had to get away from Estelle. It was no longer safe to be with him. A sadness filled him as he ran from the wolf.

 

[Marina Elemento]

Estelle Dominique Lareau


Estelle whimpered and slowly rose to her feet. The noises had died down, but she wasn't sure they were completely gone. Her knees shaking uncontrollably, she got to her feet with as much strength as she could muster, and hoisted herself up on the shelf. From there she climbed up it, and peered out through the tiny skylight. Tree branches shaded just above it. She was small enough to slide up through it onto the roof if she had to, but at the moment, fear was still engulfing her and she didn't want to move away from the only safehouse she now had. Rust, she thought, clutching to her jacket fearfully, Please be okay.

 

[Player Advisor]

Kaine(Rust) Parker



Rust ran, and kept running. He did not know where he was going, but he didn't care, as long as it drew the danger away from Estelle. He kept running, not letting himself stop though his limbs were telling him they were spent. He glanced behind him to see if he was still being chased, and he was. This monster did not even show signs of being tired.

He ran all night, He was barely even aware of anything anymore, on autopilot. He couldn't run anymore, He tripped, and rolled to a stop, coming to rest in a huddle of fur. The beast chasing him caught up and rammed him, knocking him onto his back and pinning him with two gigantic paws, claws digging into fur and flesh alike. The strange thing though, was that he did not attack. He just stood there, glaring down at Rust, teeth barred and ears strait up in a show of dominance. "Why don't you kill me?" Rust panted.

"I'm tired, and I understand whats going on. When you killed my brother, I lost control, but I'm back. These beasts take any chance they get to take over."

Rust was not sure what to say."Then get off." Wrong thing to say. The wolf swiped at his face with a sharp clawed paw, leaving a deep set of scratches.

"My hesitance to kill you does not mean I am not furious you insolent cub!" Rust shut his maw. The wolf looked up, "The sun will come up soon. Then we will settle this."

Genevieve ValJean

Gen had followed the trail, but it had taken her longer than she would have liked to find it. What were they traveling on?! "Goliath, It's stopped raining, stop being a baby." the large, feathered lion grumbled softly in shame. He did not like this weather. He was afraid to fly in it. "It would be easier to spot them from the skies. Go! Now!" Goliath clucked in his throat and took off, sending a huge gust of wind out in a radius,

Gen watched her griffin until he was a spec in the sky. She had managed to track them to the next city to the south, but all she had found was a bloody mess outside of a garage and a smaller bloody mess inside.

Goliath flew around, looking for any signs of the two. Why can't the spirits do it? They're getting paid! There was something he spotted on the road. A bike, left all alone. He squawked and banked to go back to tell Gen,

 

[Marina Elemento]

Estelle Dominique Lareau


Estelle had fallen asleep for a couple hours, but snapped awake when she realized it was surprisingly quiet. She stayed in the shed until she could see a thin line of sunshine collecting among the tree branches. She pulled herself up with ease and climbed up onto the roof of the shed. Her legs were still shaking, but she was a bit more relieved now, seeing that the beasts were gone. There were blood smudges in a few places, including the shed door, but she tried not to let the sight phase her. Slowly, she inhaled and exhaled. Then, when she was sure it was definitely safe, she climbed up over the edge of the roof and slid down. Her feet hit the ground with a soft thud. Estelle peered left, then right. It had been dark when she was running all that time, so she had no idea where she was or how to get back to the bike. Hopelessness encased her mind, and she found herself on her knees again, trying desperately to come up with any sort of plan.

 

[Player Advisor]

Kaine(Rust) Parker



As the sun came up, both wolves began to howl in pain. After the transformation, both Rust and the man introduced earlier as Bongo lay in the street, their wounds from the fight no longer covered by fur. Bongo stirred first, shaking his head to wake himself up faster. He looked at Rust. "Hey, wake up pup." he said. Rust moaned and opened his eyes. He couldn't see anything. He sat up with a start, touching his face.

"You blinded me?!"

"No, calm down. It's just blood." Bongo said with a tone that made Rust feel stupid. He wiped his face, feeling the blood scabbing on the scratches Bongo had given him on his face. "now get up." Bongo waited. Rust looked up at him from the kneeling position he was in. "Get. Up." Bongo repeated. Rust stood up slowly. Bongo pointed in a direction, "Put your hands on your head and walk." Rust obeyed, not sure of what else to do.

"Where are we--"

"Just walk." Bongo led them back the way they came. Rust had not known where he had run, but Bingo aimed to have a word with both the pup and his little morsel.