Gifted
Hey is that a 9 legged spider on your back?
Dremulf |
20 |
Bi Curious
I joined in January 1970. I've made 56 posts and threads.
|
Post by Zephyr Wolf on Apr 25, 2017 6:04:48 GMT
The silver haired youth sighed as the doctor began ranting again at him. It was the same speech as the last four times since his arrival in the settlement.
"I'm sorry, doc, but i can only make them ones who touch me leave. Its going to take more than one trip. What does it matter that i come more than once, when you are paying me per animal anyhow? Just means you wont have to pay me for 500 animals all at once, but in groups of ten or so at a time."
The doctor was almost purple in the face, causing the young man to become concerned for the medics health.
"Have you seen the SIZE of some of these rats?"
In truth the rats seen so far were fairly normal, and only mildly affected by Madman. Of course, at that moment, the rat the doctor was obviously talking about made her appearance. Well. He'd seen bigger...but those were possums...really big possums...The rat was easily as large as Ember, his pet fox, and probably heavier. He moved towards the obviously female, and obviously nursing rat.
"Easy now sweetheart."
Well, that didn't work...The thought barely had time to run through his head before the rat was ripping into his arm, however with contact made, she soon calmed, and was apologetically licking at his wound.
"Don't let it do that!"
Zephyr ignored the doctor, as he watched in fascination the bites on his arm heal at an accelerated rate.
"This rats saliva acts as a healing agent. I think shes the sort easily affected, so i could apply a stronger dose of Domestication, and she would likely stay here, and heal wounds for you. Up to you, I'm sure someone would love to buy her off me."
|
|
Regular
plotter
application
Finnegan |
17 |
Pansexual
I joined in January 1970. I've made 19 posts and threads.
|
Post by Charlie Grey on Apr 29, 2017 4:14:45 GMT
----- Charlie----- “Hey doc, sorry to burst in on you like this, but I need some help. Me and Alisha got a bit roughed up, think you could give us a once over? Ali seems to be hurt the most even though it’s only minor, but still, don’t wanna risk infection amirite?”
Charlie rambled on as she entered the infirmary with Alisha on her back. They had been screwing around with some of the older boys outside the settlement, not too far from the front gates. It was frowned upon to fight in the settlement, though not completely against the rules. Charlie was holding her own against one of the boys who was almost twice her size, they were wrestling. She had finally gotten him in a headlock when they’d heard a growl nearby. The source of the noise turned out to be a small pack of former house pets. The dogs promptly attacked the small group, provoking them to draw what weapons were readily available. Charlie pulled out a dagger she had found while scavenging and swung out with it. They fended off the dogs quite well until the commotion attracted more animals. Charlie’s knife was knocked from her hands and she grabbed a small tree branch and started to beat off the animals with it. It took them about ten minutes to kill all of the animals and then they immediately returned to the settlement. Safe within its walls, Charlie headed for the infirmary with Alisha in tow. The young redhead was probably her favourite person in the settlement. She was always cheerful and fun to be around. It was especially fun to make her blush, it was just too easy.
Looking up, she stopped. There was a man in the room that she did not recognize, he looked to be around her age, probably older than her though. He looked far too young to have such white hair. Charlie looked him up and down several times in confusion.
“Hey there stranger? You lost? I think the other old men are out on the front porch in their rocking chairs.”
Alisha snorted and smacked her lightly on the back of the head. Charlie giggled and set Alisha gently on the nearest chair, then stepped back to look her over. The younger girl looked relatively unharmed and Charlie let out a sigh of relief.
“You had me worried for a moment there Ali. You should have listened when I told you to run.”
Charlie turned from her friend and walked up to the stranger, studying his face. Maybe he was new to the settlement. People came and went, she wouldn’t be surprised if he was transient. A lot of people were these days. Life in the settlement wasn’t for everybody. Some people felt trapped within its walls and decided to leave, others didn’t like the rules, and some decided they didn’t want to contribute by bringing supplies or doing jobs.
template by eliza @ TB & ADOXOGRAPHY
|
|
Gifted
Hey is that a 9 legged spider on your back?
Dremulf |
20 |
Bi Curious
I joined in January 1970. I've made 56 posts and threads.
|
Post by Zephyr Wolf on Apr 29, 2017 4:30:36 GMT
Zephyr raised an eyebrow at the young woman. Well, young being relative, since she was barely younger than him it seemed. Old? Well two could play at that game.
"Yes well, i suppose to an infant like you, i would seem quite old indeed."
He glanced at the other girl and knelt down beside her for a moment, the giant rat climbing up to perch on his shoulder. He could see obvious animal bites, and scratches, though none seemed to severe.
"Hmm, hey doc, you can go handle the more serious cases out back, i got just the thing for this, no magic rat spit needed."
The doctor huffed, but having seen Zephyr make several poultices from natural herbs, which the doctor didn't know how to do, he left the young man to it.
"Alright, both of you sit down. I'm gonna get you patched up right quick."
He pulled his pouch from his hip and started pulling herbs out of the various pockets within.
"Burdock root, good for infections, you probably call it pricker brush, its got those little balls that cling like Velcro. Goldenrod, also good for infections, and reduces swelling. And finally, Hawthorn leaves, makes it into a nice thick paste that doesn't wash off easily, and prevents the growth of bacteria."
He crushed the herbs up in the ceramic mug he used for a bowl, and a piece of willow for a pestle. He started applying the poultice, but deiced to make some tea, to fight off any infection that had already started to set.
"Ember? I need some hot water. Go get that fire started, there's a kettle over it."
The black fox made a grumbling growling sound as she left her so very comfortable place beneath one of the beds, on a stolen mound of bed spreads, and lay down beneath the kettle in the fire place, with a flash her fur ignited and the water began to heat.
"How many did you kill? The animals who attacked you? Were they domestic? or wild?"
These things were important for his job. He needed to know because things like that could affect how his Domestication ability worked.
|
|
Regular
plotter
application
Finnegan |
17 |
Pansexual
I joined in January 1970. I've made 19 posts and threads.
|
Post by Charlie Grey on May 3, 2017 0:48:30 GMT
----- Charlie ----- Charlie snorted at the man’s response. He seemed more than happy to play along, and she didn’t mind one bit. Some people didn’t have a sense of humor anymore and it was always good to meet someone who could actually take a joke.
“I’ll take that as a compliment. If I look like an infant now, imagine how young I’ll look when I’m as ancient as you are.”
She smirked and turned back to Ali. The young redhead seemed amused by the scene in front of her and Charlie decided now would definitely be a good time to mess with her. It would be all too easy to make her blush, she just had to find the right words to use. Before she could begin, the white haired man ordered the two of them to take a seat. Raising an eyebrow questioningly, she giggled and saluted him mockingly.
“Yes sir!”
She sat and looked Ali up and down, taking stock of the young girl’s injuries. They were minor, a few scratches on her face and arms, a cut on her upper leg, and scrapes on her knees. Charlie’s injuries were a bit worse, but not by much. A cut on her face, along with some scratches, scratches on her legs and scraped knees. Her palms were scraped as well from falling over Ali in an attempt to protect her. They had gotten extremely lucky and Charlie thanked whatever gods were out there that they had survived the encounter. The young brunette grabbed her friend’s hands.
“I’m so sorry Ali, looks like I scraped my knees falling for you.”
Ali instantly blushed and pushed Charlie away, calling her a dork. Charlie smiled again and turned back towards the stranger, only half listening to his descriptions of the various herbs he had. She was instantly intrigued when he gave an order and black fox crawled from under one of the beds and caught fire. That was definitely something to raise an eyebrow at.
“We killed maybe six or seven. I gave the order to retreat though, I didn’t want to take any chances. Someone could have gotten seriously injured if we hadn’t pulled back. Luckily the other animals were too injured to give chase. I made sure to break some legs before we left. Some of them were probably old pets, dogs and cats, but the commotion from the fight attracted a few raccoons and an opossum.”
Charlie stared at the fox, confused and slightly concerned. She wasn’t very comfortable around animals considering they had no qualms about ripping your throat out. She kept her guard up, patting her side to make sure her knife was still there.
“Are you sure it’s safe to have that thing here? Or the rat for that matter? I mean, I dunno about you, but I’m really not in the mood to get my throat ripped out. I just narrowly avoided that not too long ago thanks.”
template by eliza @ TB & ADOXOGRAPHY
|
|
Gifted
Hey is that a 9 legged spider on your back?
Dremulf |
20 |
Bi Curious
I joined in January 1970. I've made 56 posts and threads.
|
Post by Zephyr Wolf on May 3, 2017 0:57:31 GMT
Zephyr winced a bit at the broken legs, while he didn't exactly FEEL the pain of the animals, he could imagine it quite clearly.
"Ember is safer than most humans I've met in my life, both pre- and post Madman. I got myself a nice little power when the chemical hit, and i can tame the animals. While it doesn't last forever, it does last long enough for me to relocate them, with little to no risk to either animal or human. i maintain hope that a cure will be found for these creatures."
He shook his head and turned to Charlie.
"Now, hold still, or might make it sting more than it really has to."
He applied the herbs to her wounds as well. And it really didnt sting at all.
"I found Ember as a blind, helpless little kit, shes been with me since before the Bombs. Hmm, its a little toasty in here now."
He closed his eyes and the rooms temperature dropped a few degrees, not enough to get cold, but enough to be comfortable.
"Given a choice between the humans who try to kill me out of fear, and the animals who try to kill me because their minds are addled by a man made weapon, I'll take the animals."
|
|
Regular
plotter
application
Finnegan |
17 |
Pansexual
I joined in January 1970. I've made 19 posts and threads.
|
Post by Charlie Grey on May 5, 2017 7:56:38 GMT
----- Charlie ----- The stranger winced when she spoke of breaking legs. Raising an eyebrow, she sat back and crossed her arms over her chest. He seemed to sympathise with the animals, it confused her greatly. Normally she would be compassionate, she’d help the poor homeless things. That had changed. They’d become extremely violent and any attempt at sympathy would get her throat ripped out in a heartbeat. This man was lucky having such a nifty power. Charlie was sometimes jealous of the ones who’d developed powers. It made life easier for them, while others were stuck finding other ways to survive. They weren’t always lucky though. Some people had powers they couldn’t yet control and it made them a danger to themselves and others. It also prevented many people from entering the settlement. Charlie felt sorry for those people, always reminding herself that things could be worse for her. She was one of the lucky ones, she had food in her stomach, clothes on her back, and a roof over her head.
Charlie smirked at his remark and muttered under her breath. “Bet” It was something she remembered saying around her friends. One of them would jokingly threaten to do something, like hit her, or throw something. Saying bet was like daring them to do it, it was basically a shorter way of saying “I bet you won’t”. It was something she found herself saying often, mostly out of habit.
She watched intently as the white-haired stranger applied the herbs to her wounds, unsurprised when it didn’t sting. The man before her seemed too soft to intentionally hurt anyone who hadn’t threatened him. He had more sense than that, at least she hoped so. Attacking people got you nothing but trouble, always had, but especially now. People were extra vigilant these days and much more aggressive than before.
“I dunno, humans you can reason with, but animals basically have no minds of their own. At least before the Maras they knew when to fight and when to flee. Now, they have no sense of danger., they attack and kill without thought or mercy. I think I’d take fear driven humans any day. They’re much easier to fight off anyways. They, unlike the animals, care for their own safety and will most likely back out of a fight if they know they can’t win.”
template by eliza @ TB & ADOXOGRAPHY
|
|
Gifted
Hey is that a 9 legged spider on your back?
Dremulf |
20 |
Bi Curious
I joined in January 1970. I've made 56 posts and threads.
|
Post by Zephyr Wolf on May 5, 2017 19:05:49 GMT
He raised his head to look at her.
"Keep telling yourself that. I watched a group of five people kill a family they came across, then burn everything. Even Maras infected animals will generally eat what they kill. You might be able to reason with a human, but they have to be reasonable to begin with. Animals are also simple minded, humans can plan, they can deceive. When a Maras Wolf attacks you, its straight on, crazed, easy to deal with. When a human comes at you, he's thinking of ten ways you can react, and you have to find out the eleventh way, that he isn't thinking of. Even then, chances are hes got a friend or five waiting to shoot an arrow in your back."
He turned his shoulder, showing a raised bump on his shoulder blade visible through the cloth.
"Just like that. Thing is, crazed as the Maras animals are, some of them CAN think. I've come across a few that watched me without attacking. Not many, but they are there. Eventually the crazed ones will die off, and the ones with more intelligence will survive."
He finished up and looked at the girls.
"Show me where these animals are. I might be able to learn something from dissecting the dead ones, you oddly have the materials for a little research here, and i spent a few months reading up on biology and such while most people were hiding in a bunker."
|
|
Regular
plotter
application
Finnegan |
17 |
Pansexual
I joined in January 1970. I've made 19 posts and threads.
|
Post by Charlie Grey on May 12, 2017 4:28:05 GMT
----- Charlie ----- “Like I said, no matter how crazy or homicidal a person is, self preservation eventually kicks in and they’ll back out. They’re probably equally dangerous, but humans are more destructive in their pursuits. And unsurprisingly, weapons aren’t as easy to come by as you make it seem.”
Charlie glanced at his shoulder and shrugged, before slightly lifting her shirt to reveal a scar on her lower stomach. She had received it during a fight with another survivor not long after the bombs dropped. She had been scavenging for food with her group when they’d become separated. He pulled a knife while she was unarmed and she’d ended up getting stabbed. Luckily one of her group had developed the ability to heal speed up the healing process in in other people.
“Trust me, I know how dangerous humans can be. I know that some of them are just as insane as the infected animals. Anyways, you wanted to see the ones we killed? We should hurry up before they get eaten”
She dropped her shirt and stood up before turning to offer a hand to Alisha. The young redhead accepted and they made their way to the door. Exiting the infirmary, she made her way to the gate and looked back to make sure the man was following her. Then she realized, she’d completely forgotten to ask the strange man’s name.
“Hey, I never did ask your name stranger. Mine’s Charlie.”
template by eliza @ TB & ADOXOGRAPHY
|
|
Gifted
Hey is that a 9 legged spider on your back?
Dremulf |
20 |
Bi Curious
I joined in January 1970. I've made 56 posts and threads.
|
Post by Zephyr Wolf on May 12, 2017 16:13:49 GMT
He chuckled, but didnt refute her statements. The fact there were cannibal humans out there was probably not something widely known...
When she asked his name he grinned and shook his head.
"Zephyr. I'm the local rat catcher."
He motioned to the car sized rat that was still on his shoulder and the fox walking by his feet.
"Animals like me, even the Maras infected ones. You'll have to forgive me for preferring them over the humans who, even before Madman, tended to cause me only pain. When you grow up in fear of people, its hard to break out of the habit, especially with an ongoing apocalypse."
When they reached the animals he found that indeed some were being scavenged, Ember scared off the scavengers, and the young man began looking over the bodies of the dead animals.
"Odd. Not one has a physical mutation that i can see. Usually a group this size there is at least one. Oh, this ones still alive."
He stroked the animal's side and its breathing calmed. He set the rat down and motioned to the dogs wounds, the rat began to lick the wounds, and in turn the wounds began to heal. The broken bones seemed to take a lengthy time, but eventually, with Zeph straighten the limbs when it became obvious the bones were just healing, not correcting, the dogs wounds were only a minimal issue.
"Hmm, the Maras effect on them is tiny. They must have come from an area with little to no exposure and come out foraging for food, which means, within a weeks walks from here is a place with extremely low levels of Maras.."
|
|
Regular
plotter
application
Finnegan |
17 |
Pansexual
I joined in January 1970. I've made 19 posts and threads.
|
Post by Charlie Grey on May 14, 2017 2:06:07 GMT
----- Charlie ----- “Nice to meet you I guess.”
Charlie stuck a hand out in greeting and blew a hair out of her face. She wasn’t sure exactly if she could trust the guy, but he seemed nice enough. Even though he’d been kind to her she was cautious. After all, people with these ”gifts” could go nuclear if you weren’t too careful around them. Hopefully Zephyr wouldn’t be a problem, if all went well she might even make a new friend today.
Zephyr continued talking, gesturing at his animal companions. Charlie scowled momentarily. She was jealous, wishing he had that kind of power so she could keep her friends safe while they were out and about.
“Well, lucky you. I wish I had that kind of ability, but I didn’t get any.”
She let out a sigh and shrugged. There was no use getting upset over something so trivial. She had gotten lucky. People with gifts, mutations, or a combination of both were often times turned away from the settlement out of fear. If she’d had abilities she might not have gotten to meet all of the people that she did, and make all of the friends she currently had. Zephyr’s power seemed relatively neutral, which was good for him. It gave him a better chance at getting into the settlement if he did decide to stay.
template by eliza @ TB & ADOXOGRAPHY
|
|
Gifted
Hey is that a 9 legged spider on your back?
Dremulf |
20 |
Bi Curious
I joined in January 1970. I've made 56 posts and threads.
|
Post by Zephyr Wolf on May 14, 2017 2:22:32 GMT
Zephyr shook her hand in a distracted way.
"Abilities aren't always a good thing. Slavers have been making a comeback in some of the further settlements, they enslave those with useful mutations, and kill the others. Its one reason the gifted still come to Aimon, despite your laws. Of course no settlement is really safe..."
He looked at the dog beside him, freshly healed and looking lonely.
"You know, i cant keep him...and since i come here at least once a week, well, the effect will last a month, but if i touch him often, just pet him, eventually he might become permanently tame again. I'm not sure but it seems to have a cumulative effect, the more exposure the longer it lasts without exposure. He would be a normal dog in almost every way, except, well if you look he's got gills forming on his neck. Recent mutation, hasn't formed completely."
People were often jealous of his animal companions, and he had so many of them now...most of them were able to care for themselves, but domestic dogs had a harder time.
|
|
Regular
plotter
application
Finnegan |
17 |
Pansexual
I joined in January 1970. I've made 19 posts and threads.
|
Post by Charlie Grey on May 21, 2017 6:14:24 GMT
----- Charlie ----- The young brunette nodded as Zephyr spoke, she knew things were pretty bad, especially for people with abilities, mutations, or both. It saddened her to think of all the people who had been turned away from the settlement based on the grounds that they could be dangerous just because of their powers. Not that everyone was completely trustworthy, but some people desperately needed the safety and security that the settlement provided. To be turned away and forced to fend for themselves sounded absolutely terrible.
She looked down at the dog, silently debating. On one hand, it would be nice to have a pet, but on the other hand, the effect could wear off and she could be attacked. Charlie took a few moments to mull things over in her mind, weighing the pros and cons of taking the dog into her care. Finally she let out a sigh and reached down hesitantly to pet the creature. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to have a dog. If she were able to train it, it could help with hunting, scavenging and other such activities. She could even train it to protect her if she wanted. Looking up at Zephyr, she smiled.
“I could take him, if you can promise that you’ll be able to keep him from going crazy and killing someone. It might be nice to have a pet, it gets lonely out here sometimes, no matter how many people are around.
template by eliza @ TB & ADOXOGRAPHY
|
|
Gifted
Hey is that a 9 legged spider on your back?
Dremulf |
20 |
Bi Curious
I joined in January 1970. I've made 56 posts and threads.
|
Post by Zephyr Wolf on May 21, 2017 17:19:00 GMT
Zeph smiled.
"On dogs, the effect lasts about 30 days, as i said, but continued contact, and he might end up like Ember here."
He nodded at the firefox who gave a yawn of disinterest.
"Plus, he does have a small mutation with the gills, and fish is a good solid food source for humans as well as animals. And i come here constantly, to trade."
He gave the dog a thump on the head, which earned him a reproachful look.
"And it seems his bones are nice and solid. He would be good to have around, I'd say hes got Labrador in him, and maybe a little bit of wolf. About 6 months old, so he was born with Maras in his blood, which means it isn't as potent for him. I've noticed that, the animals who were born infect, they tend to be less violent, but dogs are still pack animals, so he was likely just doing as the others did."
|
|
Regular
plotter
application
Finnegan |
17 |
Pansexual
I joined in January 1970. I've made 19 posts and threads.
|
Post by Charlie Grey on Jun 2, 2017 14:46:42 GMT
----- Charlie ----- Charlie nodded and scratched behind the dog’s ears, earning a small wag of the tail. She giggled and crouched down in front of the animal. It seemed nice enough, and she’d always wanted a pet. It would be a nice companion and she hoped Alex wouldn’t mind. She’d have to ask special permission from him, but she could always use her puppy dog eyes on him. She was good at that and used it to her advantage when necessary. “As long as you can promise this thing won’t go crazy and kill someone I’d be happy to take him. I’ll have to talk to Alex though, he might not think it’s a good idea. He might think it’s too dangerous. I’m sure I can work something out though.” She sat on the ground, pulling the dog partially onto her lap and scratching up and down the length of his back. The dog seemed to enjoy it, clearly not used to such attention. Now all she had to do was come up with a name for him. She had no idea what to name him yet, so she’d probably wait on that, maybe wait a bit and name him based on personality.
template by eliza @ TB & ADOXOGRAPHY
|
|
Gifted
Hey is that a 9 legged spider on your back?
Dremulf |
20 |
Bi Curious
I joined in January 1970. I've made 56 posts and threads.
|
Post by Zephyr Wolf on Aug 13, 2017 6:53:55 GMT
Zephyr nodded.
"I guarantee it. I'll be coming by fairly often, so i can just give him a fresh dose of Domestication every time i come. If it turns out you cant keep him, well, i can come get him, ive got a few animals living with me anyway."
He shook his head, trying to get his hair out of his eyes.
"But anyway, if you ever need help with animals again, i can run on over. I'd rather like to avoid any unnecessary death especially given how useful some mutated animals can be. I already have a cow that produces milk that seems to cure poisoning."
(get my reference -.-)
|
|