FROM EDEN / open, intro

[recycling bin]

She arrived in one of the later waves that crash every now and then through Whiteridge Range, a tide of hungry mouths and wild eyes looking for shelter among hungrier mouths and wilder eyes. They flooded in, sand caked in the ridges of their paws, desert rats with ribs pushing against their skin, visible under thin layers of coarse fur—and she the smallest and thinnest among them. Scarce had grown scarcer under cloudless skies; en masse, the embittered residents of the bitter little town left their meager possessions and (doing the bare minimum required in cooperative endeavors such as these) abandoned the golden dunes, migrating to greener pastures, so to speak. It seems they only traded in one desert for another.

She nearly stayed behind. Not because she loved the desert—you would have more luck coaxing a camel through the eye of a needle than making Radiantpaw love the desert—but because there were things she was waiting for that made the desert worth it. Things that eased the sweltering days and the freezing nights, that made the parched throat and empty stomach bearable. But whatever she's waiting for...well, they won't find her if she's buried beneath the sand. And if news of this place spreads as fast as it did when her distrustful desert community heard of it, then she has hope they'll come looking for her here.

But the days are long, and this new world is choked in ice. Rey huddles under a thin piece of cloth, its tattered edges barely enough to shield her light frame from the elements. There is food in her belly, but it is not enough to quench its grumblings, and she has not known her new neighbors long enough to figure out for what they would barter prey. She crouches low, curling into herself, shivering. She doubts that they would trade away such valuable resources, not when survival is now more than ever a precious commodity. In the desert, at least, she knew how to get by. Here she is nothing more than a lost kit again, promises petal-fresh in her head.

[PRÆY.]

★★★ Although eating people seemed to be some habit of his, Rey was probably somewhat lucky that Prey was among the first to find her. He had seen the unkindness and scorn some survivalists displayed throughout the mountainous valley. The prisoner himself, though, had only his own coding and programming to try to survive from. His mechanical body, no matter how beaten and destroyed, was able to stand strong against the elements. As for food, well, he could always eat grass and dirt. It would keep him running.

Although he was supposed to be back at his 'prison' of sorts, where the guards would watch him and make sure he didn't get up to any undesirable activities, Prey found an opening when the guards were not paying attention and slipped away, having noticed the presence of a small child nearby.

She looked absolutely under the weather, and it was a surprise she wasn't already dead-- Prey knew the limits of flesh bodies, after all. Having a good heart, however, the machine brought it upon himself to fix this situation. That thin piece of cloth would never keep her warm enough, and night was descending quick. Sneaking into the food stores, the mechanical cat dragged out some tasty-looking pieces of meat, along with a piece of fur that had likely been skinned off a hunted animal. All these things he managed to sneak back to the youngster, dropping the pieces of meat next to her and draping the fur on top of that ragged piece of cloth.

Stealing food, furs, and sneaking away from his prison? He was so going to get it for this one. Not to mention, the sight of a beaten cat with wires sticking out of its fur probably wasn't a very calming sight for the youngster. "This is the best I could do. Don't tell anyone I was here, okay? Well, unless they accuse you of stealing. Then you can blame it on me" He whispered, constantly checking behind him to see if someone else was coming over.

[sup]_____________________[/sup] [abbr=robotic body, injured, 12 months, sparking wires, domestic feline]tags[/abbr]. template made by hootowls.

[nuclear repository;]

  /ic opinions ahead

  The arrival of the robot had made it rather difficult for Seija to maintain the same emotionless facade she'd donned beforehand.

  She couldn't say that the presence of the bot in their camp had impacted her sleep schedule; she had made a habit of sleeping as little as possible, in an effort to prevent herself from having nightmares, starting from the night she left the fjord. Nor could she argue that it gave her anything to fear, since as the bot was both injured and imprisoned, it was unlikely to pose a serious threat any time soon.

  No, the real issue was that her mask of sanity had already been extremely fragile, and the one crack created by finding the robot eating a corpse gave way to a web of fractures. Still, she had to keep up appearances. No one else had been murdered so far, so it would be best to act as though she wasn't affected, to act as though the screaming fit she'd had at the murder scene was just a fluke and that in reality, she was a well-adjusted and reasonable creature. That was the only way she would be able to find someone who would actually listen to her, and take the information she had to give away to heart.

  Thus, the canine had set off towards the exit to the camp, mentally planning a route through the mountain's peak to search for food, when she detected a trace of metallic scent in the air. Swallowing, she turned around and craned her neck, her eyes sweeping the area for any sign of the robot. She might have just imagined it, or picked up the scent from when the robot had been escorted up the mountain, but she couldn't afford to risk it.

  Catching sight of the automaton standing over what she could only assume was a young feline, Seija bolted, her teeth bared. Oh, this had been a horrible idea- she should've known it would break free of its imprisonment eventually, and now a kit was going to pay the price for it. How could she have allowed this to happen?

  It was as the feline came into view, with food set in front of her and a skinned pelt covering her, and the robot glanced over its shoulder, that the canine came to her senses and skidded to a halt.

  Staring blankly at the supplies placed in front of the kitten, then glancing back at the robot, she opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Not only was the bot not attacking the newcomer, it apparently had... actually helped her? That didn't make sense; if it was programmed to kill and eat everything in its path, then this did not align with that goal in the slightest, at least not in any way that a machine could understand (unless it was sufficiently advanced, but that did not seem to be the case here).

  Furrowing her brows, she set her gaze back on the apprentice, but ensured that Prey remained in her peripheral vision. Was the feline its programmer? Even if she was actually an adult inhabiting the body of a child, that seemed rather implausible. "Er... I'm sorry, what's your name?" she asked finally, raising a brow. "And do you need medical attention? We can get a medic down here." Given that the robot didn't seem to be an active threat to either of them, so long as she kept an eye on it, she could probably deal with returning it to its cell later. Right now, the stranger's health was more important.

[FRESHWATER]

❥❥❥ (( ayyy welcome to wnr!! I hope you enjoy it here <3 ))

The cold is something fresh isn’t a huge fan of, but he’s bouncy and energetic enough to keep himself a little warm. He’s never been in a desert though, not once—he’s heard about it in stories, though, but those stories are enough to keep him far and far away from those sandy places. They sound beyond awful, like his worst nightmare, except maybe even worse. Maybe that’s a little too biased, though? After all, fresh is some form of a mutated axolotl, so he’s bound to have some form of love for water.

To be perfectly honest, he’s new here, and he doesn’t feel like bothering with an introduction or anything of the sort—it’s too much work in his mind. That, and a part of him isn’t aware that they’re usually appreciated here. He’s here just to have fun and meet some new people, and while introductions may help with that just a tiny bit, he doesn’t truly need them. Introductions aside, though, he has little idea that prisoners exist in such a place as this one; he’s due for one heck of a shock.

”hi!” the male squeaks, bounding into the scene excitedly. His tail fin is wagging aggressively like a dog’s, to the point where his entire rear end is shaking. ”whatcha doing?”

Fresh’s eyes fall to the robot, and he hesitates a bit, blinking at the wires. His mouth gaping open in a cheesy smile, fresh allows his tail to slow a bit, but it’s still wagging nonetheless as he pokes at the supplies the strange robot had brought. The robot-dude is weird, but fresh is weird, too—due to this, the mutated axolotl doesn’t say too much.

Well, except for one thing: ”I’m fresh!”

(( y’all are such amazing writers I’m,,, so shook ))

[spoiler= information || 1/05]❥❥❥ // FRESHWATER. "FRESH / FRESHY". 4 MONTHS OLD.
— wnr. no rank. oocly joined 1/03/17.
— ages liquid time. injuries are half-liquid/half-real time.
— main account. dump.

❥❥❥ // NPC X NPC. ADOPTED BY NONE.
— ½ of nothing. no crush. sexuality unknown. not looking.

❥❥❥ // MUTATED AXOLOTL. 1'2". 10/10 HEALTH.
— more fat than muscle. stubby legs.
— blue skin and orange gills. dark brown eyes. white underbelly.
— reference. .
— current injuries;; none.
[i]— permanent injuries;; none.

❥❥❥ // HUFFLEPUFF. IC OPINIONS.
— extroverted. friendly to everyone. energetic.
— likes to take risks. oblivious. clumsy.

❥❥❥ // CAN POWER-PLAY PEACEFUL. 1/10 TRAINED.
— would rather run than fight. will back off if provoked.
— @[i]freshwater when attacking or be ignored.
— stats;; strength: 2/10. agility: 3/10. endurance: 2/10. accuracy: 3/10. luck: 5/10.
[I]— powers;; water elementals.

— template made by [url=http://www.bearbonesrp.com/index.php?action=profile;u=2246]hootowls.[/spoiler]

[QUIETUS]

[align=center][div style=" background-color: transparent; border: 0px solid black; width: 500px; min-height: 9px; font-family:georgia; line-height: 110%; text-align: justify; color: black; padding: 20px"]All of them had been wrenched from their homes - though Quietus could not call his constant roaming settling down, he had been in a nice den before this, buried deep within a warm, abandoned barn that had belonged to a long-dead farmer. Since his fall, his animals had bred like rabbits and wandered, and nature reclaimed his territory once again; inside, mice ran rampant and his belly had been flat but fed well. Now he was almost all fur and bones, though that seemed to sharpen his eyes and his mutated appearance, and make him all the more intimidating to see and hear - when he was fat with a full belly, he would think he looked more at peace. But the closest thing you could find in relation to peace nowadays was seeing someone smile until the chaos began again. There were a lot of smiles here. Waning ones, but smiles all the same, and the child he had once been relished this in his own quiet way.

Seeing the robot had escaped made something tighten in his belly, close to an angry anxiety that he had to swallow down. It was much easier for him to not show emotion in these times than display his heart out for all to see, so it all went in the back of his mind where he could not revisit it, and not be manipulated to do something foolish by it either. "Next time, if you see someone inform us instead of sneaking around. It doesn't help your case." his voice was removed, and to avoid making a scene, he fell into the same line of thought as Seija and watched him carefully instead of riding his ass outright on how much of a mistake he just made (his father would already be there, growling and foaming at the mouth, trying to rip the robot to shreds - don't disobey, he'd repeat to his children, though their mother would be right there to defend them, strong and silent and just like Quietus right now). "What's your business?" he asked the fossa.

[PRÆY.]

★★★ He knew he'd made a miscalculation. But what were emotions, if not huge miscalculations? Seeing Seija approaching caused him to stiffen, already planning his escape. Maybe he could run up the mountain, loose some footing on purpose and slide back down... his metallic exoskeleton would certainly allow his core processors to hold up, and it would give him more time as the flesh animals would have to climb all the way back down--

However, she seemed to hardly care, or perhaps not notice his presence. Now what would he do? He was stuck between a roc and a hard place, to put it one way. However, his deeds had been done-- the child before him appeared to have what it needed to survive now, and to Prey's surprise the others were treating the feline rather kindly. Swallowing, the android was about to set off in the cover of the evening when he spotted Quietus approaching. This likely meant trouble for him, as Prey had been developing something of a fear of this formidable creature.

As the male spoke, Prey knew he cover was blown. It was best to start running, right now. "Miss Seija, Sir Quietus... I apologize deeply. It won't happen again. I'll return to my cell at once." The robot spoke quickly, bowing his head before taking off, quietly yet swiftly, back toward his place of holding for the time being. Of course, he tripped over himself once or twice-- thus was the plight of a broken machine. He paid little to no mind to the other creature whom had arrived. After all, his captors probably wouldn't want him socializing with the locals. Though, perhaps he could sneak in a talk eventually with the seemingly interesting fellow.

//he's outta here unless someone stops him, lmao

[sup]_____________________[/sup] [abbr=robotic body, injured, 12 months, sparking wires, domestic feline]tags[/abbr]. template made by hootowls.

[recycling bin]

/ aldksjf thank you!!

She startles back, heart caught in her throat. The warm weight of fur hangs heavy over her shoulders, nostrils filling with the scent of fresh meat. But it's not the kindnesses given that arrests her attention more than the giver—metal and machinery, like nothing she's ever seen on a living creature before. Her gaze focuses on the exposed wires and the dented coat. Subconsciously she leans forward, mind racing to fix what was broken, remake what was lost. She snaps back to the present as her stomach gives a pitiful rumble. She opens her mouth to speak, but the stranger gets there first; his hurried, confidential whisper sets her muscles quivering with tension, eyes wide with alarm. His charity, if that's all it really is and not a ploy to indebt her to him, bears collateral damage she trembles to even imagine—yet her conscience stops just short of considering betrayal. She would not. She could not.

But it seems her honor is ultimately useless. A canine—or is she, horns and hooves marking her apart from the rest of her kind—gallops toward them, lips pulled back in a snarl. Rey flinches into a crouch, fur bristling. As she steps forward to defend Præy, the canine slows, confusion evident in her flickering eyes. What sort of trouble is her helper in, that this somewhat-canine would be taken aback by this scene? Rey tenses as Seija's gaze finally comes to rest upon her—has she decided to apprehend them both? But with the genuine concern in the canine's questions, it's Rey's turn to be taken aback. "I—no," she says, mystified and wary. Glancing back at Præy, she relaxes her posture and sits back down; compliance will be easier for Seija to swallow than defiance, and they don't seem to be in any immediate danger. For now. "I'm Rey. Radiantpaw."

She ducks her head in alarm as Freshwater bounds over, returning to a tense crouch. That much energy—she's come to associate it with anger. But it seems the world seeks to prove her wrong today; the strange animal's bounciness appears totally benign, given how obliviously he wandered into this. And he's...small, whatever he is. Curiosity overrides her caution this once, though, and she straightens up slowly, tilting her head. "What are you?" she asks, sounding childishly inquisitive through her rough-hewn bluntness.

Quietus doesn't register in her awareness until he is upon them, looming like a thundercloud. Ears pin back against her head as he reproaches Præy, tail lashing. "Leave him alone," she says, but Præy's already leaving. She pivots around, eyes wide, and calls out, "Wait!" Just barely, she restrains herself from scampering after him. Disappointment shows clear on her face, then quickly shifts into resolve; she'll find him later. Maybe she can help him. Rey turns back to face Quietus, defiant despite his one and a half foot of height on her. "I've been here for a few days. I'm just waiting for my family."

[QUIETUS]

[align=center][div style=" background-color: transparent; border: 0px solid black; width: 500px; min-height: 9px; font-family:georgia; line-height: 110%; text-align: justify; color: black; padding: 20px"]Quietus resisted a roll of his eyes - dramatics had never been his thing, and he did not understand why the robot had to announce his departure in such a way that it seemed that they were the bad guys. This was his punishment for murdering one of them. If an unfeeling, human-made machine had any qualms with it, he had yet to bring them forth, and went along willingly; when he did not eat one of them again and made sure to prove himself worthy of walking around unrestrained, then he would be released. So, he did not run after the male, but instead kept his eyes firmly on the newcomer, who appeared unhappy with him - doubtless he knew why, but he did not explain himself because he needn't to someone who he had yet to know the intentions of. She was a stranger in every way. Ignoring her earlier warning (is it even a warning if he feels nothing from it? It comes from a half-starved child, someone who he wouldn't lift a claw against), he made haste to reply to her carefully. "My mistake, then." he hadn't known that she had been here. In his hurry to hustle around camp and do whatever he could do, it was easy to overlook anyone. Since his work was done and he could care little for small talk and whatever occurred when one wanted to get to know another, Quietus turned tail and sauntered off.