The Heist

[Sunny]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,400,true]

[atrb=background,http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn15/stephers1995/Crouse---MIDDLE.png] Things weren’t looking so up for me right now. I just found out I was fucking dead, and worst part? This shit-hole of a wasteland wasn’t even the final ‘resting’ place, if that’s what you wanted to call it. Purgatory, as they call it. Sooner or later, I’ll be judged. It’s a no-brainer as to where I’ll end up; even I knew this, as much as I didn’t want to admit it. I didn’t want to go to Hell. It couldn’t be pleasant. Then again, I couldn’t truly see myself fitting into Heaven. All I could imagine was flowers, frolicking, and a bunch of pansies. My type sure as hell wouldn’t be up there. To be honest, I’d never truly given thought to actually being dead. Yeah, I knew it had to happen. It happened to everybody. But I’d never thought it’d happen this soon; I’d just had kids for Christ’s sake. I still had my girl. Despite being on the run, I’d at least been somewhat happy. Not anymore. Not in this wasteland. It was so damn lonely, I hadn’t seen anybody else since that feline a few days back. I wish she’d come back, or I’d meet someone else. It’d be nice to pick a fight and vent off feelings because that’s what I did. I sighed, the noise more of a grunt, and sat back. I’d been climbing around in these canyons for the past day, finally managing to find a winding path to the top. It was the best territory of what I’d seen so far, though it was still gloomy as hell. And dark. Not that I was afraid of the dark, but it was different here. I didn’t think this place played by the same rules as Earth did. I felt.... I don’t know, hollow. Like I’d been robbed. I hadn’t been ready to die, not yet. But I guess life wasn’t fair, was it? ooc: Meh, not my best. This is for V. :D

[vanadium]

It had been so long since her legs had stretched. It felt like years had passed since the pads on her paws actually touched solid ground, countless months since her nostrils flared to take in scents and weeks upon weeks since her eyes had flicked about and looked at her surroundings. She rose herself up from the ground, groggily blinking up at the hellish sunshine that gave a little bit of dank brightness to the mouth of the cave she had apparently been sleeping in. Or maybe she had just appeared here. Claudia had no idea, but she figured she would never know anyways.

What was more important was what the hell she was doing back alive. It had been almost certain she had died after what had happened in that last cave. As she thought about that last little flicker of memory she had, she flinched, startled, picking herself up with the speed of someone who was for sure dead. She looked around, breathing heavy, wondering if he was still around. Would he come back for her? Maybe she was still alive. But the wound in her neck didn't hurt anymore, the one he had taken his large, brutish mouth to. She craned her neck up, feeling her new skin, and noting that it stretched and flexed just as it had before the attack.

Was it a dream, then?

Claudia shivered. What the hell was this place? Was she alive or dead? A small pain began blossoming in her head and she cringed. This was all giving her a headache. She stepped outside to get some fresh air, when she saw a lone figure straying through the canyons and caverns. He sat down, exasperatedly, it seemed, and Claudia's mind began to turn. Who is he? Is he dead too? Or are we both alive? He looked rather mobile and fully figured. Maybe they were alive. But what was this place? Claudiua looked up at the sky, and winced a bit. It was gray, the air smelled funny, and there was a slight buzz in the air that put her on edge. Maybe I should just go say hi.

Claudia's long, pristine white legs carried her over to the stranger, a dusty colored gray wolf male. "Hello," She said cautiously, from a few yards away.

[Sunny]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,400,true]

[atrb=background,http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn15/stephers1995/Crouse---MIDDLE.png] I wasn’t sure how my train of thought led me to this, but somehow I found myself eyeing the darkness that the bottom of the canyon held. What would happen if I just took the plunge? Would I die completely? Would it just hurt like a son-of-a-bitch before I got right back up? Did being dead mean that everyone was pretty much invincible now? That kind of took the fun out of things. It meant I couldn’t kill anyone. I wasn’t quite ready to test my theory; if I did die, again, I’d be pretty damn pissed. I was about to get up and back away from the edge of the cliff, as if to distance myself from the idea itself, when I heard a feminine voice. I turned, rising to my feet as my eyes scanned the source of the voice. She sure was an odd combination, not like anything I’d ever seen. After taking in her features, I realized that she was of Alakay’s kind--species wise, anyways. I’d never liked maned wolves. I don’t know why that is, I just couldn’t stand the sight of them. I didn’t know if I didn’t like her or not. I still kind of wanted to pick a fight; it’d be easy, effortless. I had to admit, she was fairly hot, her lineage aside. I’d always had a thing for those white coats (Twi-bitch was (is?) the perfect example). I registered the caution in her short greeting, the caution in her earthy green eyes, and I snorted without realizing it. The snarky words were off of my lips before I realized what I was saying. “What’re you so scared of? We’re already dead, darlin’, I’m not sure we have anything else to be afraid of.” I realized I’d been snipper than I meant to, but after the words were out, I realized I didn’t really care. I felt like I had nothing to lose these days.

[vanadium]

With the addition of new strangers, Claudia felt a sense of danger. She was already dead, she believed, or at least stuck in some weird state where she wasn't exactly alive. It was strange to think about, for the ice princess had never really thought of herself as mortal. Not necessarily that she was immortal, but just that she wouldn't be taken out so easily. She couldn't remember much about her last place either. She knew she hated her brother. And she knew she didn't put out. And there was an argument. But aside from that, almost everything was escaping her.

The male before her also brought in that sense of danger. But she realized, as she felt this little twinge of danger, she also felt a sense of freedom. Something inside her was free. It was a glorious feeling, but there were some dark corners to it. And as she approached the male, she knew why. “What’re you so scared of? We’re already dead, darlin’, I’m not sure we have anything else to be afraid of.”

So I was right. A part of her didn't want to be right though. "Damn. I was right this entire time, then." She exhaled slowly through her lips, and curled her haunches up and sat down. She looked about. Once at the sandy colored male, his cool golden eyes. Wait, no, just one golden eye. The other was blue. Interesting. Then she looked out to the crags and mountain cliffs. What was down there? Who was down there? "Is there anyone out there? Are we the only ones?" She thought out loud, the words beginning to spill from her lips at random. "But I mean, you're here. And I'm here. We can't be the only ones." Her gaze strengthened to the point of her getting off her ass and striding over to the edge. "What if I jumped? What would happen to me? I'm dead, would I stay dead? Or would I die again? How did I even die? I don't know where I am, or even who you are, or if I'm even me anymore." She breathed out, but strangely she felt as if she didn't need to. Her lungs didn't connect to her words.

"Claudia." She said after a few moments of silence.

[Sunny]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,400,true]

[atrb=background,http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn15/stephers1995/Crouse---MIDDLE.png] I smirked slightly at her first response, though there was no sarcastic humor or cunning behavior behind the slight curl of my mouth. I was just making a little fun of myself for not having caught on any sooner; I hadn’t even suspected that I was dead. Well, maybe I did, but I was denying it hardcore. I watched as she looked around, glance back at me to meet my gaze--the color of her eyes plucked at my heart, causing me to clench my jaw before shoving away the feeling--and then back to our surroundings. I glanced back to the drop-off, still wondering if I’d ever have the balls to take the plunge. ‘Is there anyone out there? Are we the only ones?’ I simply shrugged. Damned if I knew. I unclenched my jaw to answer her, but she kept rambling on. I glanced back at her, browline slightly raised, a cream-colored ear cocked to the side. She heaved herself up, those long-ass stilts taking her right up to the lip of the cliff. She finally shut up after throwing out question after question; honestly, I didn’t catch all of them. Just a few. “Well, Claudia.” I started, sighing heavily. “If you want, I can shove you off the edge. It’d give me something to do and put our theory to the test.” Then that classic Crouse half-smile twisted at my lips. “No, I’m just kidding. If it went badly, it’d be a damn waste.” I reached my hind leg up to scratch at the base of my ear for a quick moment. “No, I don’t know what would happen. I just got here, wherever ‘here’ is. They call it Purgatory I guess.” I left the part out about awaiting our judgment. I didn’t want to think about that outcome. “Crouse, by the way.”