Waiting...

[Mistay]

The night was still young. The moon had long since waned and vanished beneath thick layers of ominous black clouds. The shadows danced along the sidewalk in intricate patterns from the dull light filtering down through the clouds. The Theatre was bright in all it's man-made glory. But to one creature, the beauty was partially lost. To someone who's eyesight means nothing, to whom sound is sight...the old Theatre was nothing more than a building. Oh, sure, if need be, sound sent out into the night could trace every detail in perfect imitation, and send back a more intricate picture to the sender than one whose vision came from the eyes. But why waste time on something as trivial and shallow as beauty? Caujesi's waves of sound skimmed lightly over the outlines and contours of the Theatre as he waited silently in the shadows in front of the steps, just beyond the sidewalk. He cared little for the hand-carved markings or the flecks of gold. He was more concerned with what could be inside the building.

"It's not safe. They'll kill me if I go any farther, won't they? Of course they will....But why?...because you are still young, that's why, young and tender...So are you saying there are cannibals inside?...Yes, yes. And they will eat you alive, won't they?...I don't know, I suppose they will!...Or will they? What if there aren't any inside?..."

He muttered to himself -or more accurately, with himself-, all the while taking inching steps forward before scurrying back again. His wings made it awkward to "scurry", so it ended up looking for like a lopsided shuffle than anything. Winged creatures were not meant for the ground, but as far as he could tell, the ground held the only entrance, which is where he wanted to go. Where he would go, unless he convinced himself that everyone inside was plotting his death at this very moment...

[silvertip]

somone say cannibal? said a cannibal. its ok I won't eat you..... unless OH NO I WON'T he chuckled, being his quirky self. your small, are you even an euclide? he stalked closer to the young guy and sniffed him.
(see you in a bit, dinners ready I'll be bakc soon.)

[iprince]

The unmistakable sound of pattering foot paws tinkled lightly down the cobblestone street. Fae made no attempt to hide herself as she wound quickly through the deserted walkways and arches, creeping through the darkness with something akin to bitter rage bubbling beneath her flawlessly swirled fur. Her pace was awkward and limping, her gait gimped by the tight constraints of tangled wire that was wrapped around her left foreleg. Her mouse puppet's little handles were mangled beyond redemption.

Gruffly, the young canine slunk passed the towering Theatre, casting only the slightest of glances over the door. The cherubs shone like silver in her night vision. Such beautifully intricate designs, so peaceful, so innocent, so young. A smile curved her black lips, and she paused in her slinking to admire the architecture. Fae did not often come by the theatre from she had once been bred and born. It was considered immoral to enter it without the siblings' permission. It was, after all, the home of a cast. What cast, no one knew, but it was one indeed.

Fae wished something terrible to enter its beautiful doors. These were no rumors, that all the young Euclide not born of casts came from behind those doors. The Poison wished nothing more than to see them in their glory. To entertain their selfless hearts.

She turned to leave, her tail twitching slightly with contentment, but something flashed in the corner of her eye. Something unusually bright for the drab array of color that was so usually seen here.

Bright rings of yellow-green against the shadows.

Fae's blank eyes narrowed as she squinted through the darkness. It did not take her long to search out her vision's prey. A tiny, little chiroptae. Beautifully colored, and so very, very young.

Fae's vicious smile grew, and grew again, until it painted her face prettily with desire and a too deep maternal love.

Without a moments thought, or even noticing the approaching Cannibal that stalked upon the stairs as well, she made her way towards the tiny Paranoia. Thoughts of fixing her mouse were temporarily banished to the back of her mind.

[Mistay]

Caujesi's keen sense of smell aided him, if his eyes did not. Fratically, having now scented two unfamilliar smells of potentially dangerous being, he send out wave after wave of invisble sound. His echo-location bushed up against everything with an almost tangible quality and bounced back with amazing speed. Within seconds, the young Euclide had a perfect imagemap of the immediate area. Though these "pictures" resembled radar images in that they were redtinged, they nonetheless were flawlessly accurate. And what he "saw" did not comfort him. There was a cannibal lurking on the very stairway he had just been about the creep up, and a canine stalking towards him. His worst fears were confirmed.

His ears twitched frantically as he tried to judge her speed. Would she leap to attack him, or attempt a more subtle approach? How much time did he have left to escape? For there was no doubt in his mind that she saw him only as prey, or if not that, then a threat.

Tiny heart beating rapidly with every movement, the little Chiroptae limp-shuffled back into the shadows, attempting to lose himself amongst the darkness. He, of course, was unawares of his bright colouring, thus not knowing that this "hiding" did nothing.

Little peeps and squeeks of terror emitted from his rodent-like mouth as he attempted to flee this suspected murderer.

"Knew...someone...would...come...I told you that!...I know...but...didn't expect...so...soon..."

[iprince]

Fae stopped her approach, her ears flicked back, but not pinned, against her slender skull. She cocked her head, eyes narrowed in befuddlement. What was this? The poor child was muttering to itself. Her nostrils twitched absently, her tail flicking once again behind her. Fear, amongst the reeking scent of her rotting puppet, was thick upon the air. The child was frightened.

It did not occur to her that a Paranoia need not have a reason to be frightened. It was a more natural state to them then breathing was to normal carbon-based life forms. It irked her, to sense such distress in a little fellow.

The rough voice of the second canine sent her attention snapping from the child to the adult. Another cannibal. A low growl escaped her throat at it's disgusting half-threats. Tail arched into the air, Fae slunk low against the stairs and made her creeping way towards the babe. Not hidden in shadows, her white coat would not permit that, but disguised cleverly enough, she inched towards the pair. Mere feet away from the duo she rose slowly to all fours and barked in low, dangerous tones,"I should hope you don't eat him, old one." The hate was riddled throughout her voice, sending a poisonous thread fluctuating through the air between them. Her hackles rose involuntarily, and she sidestepped with clever ease towards the Chiroptae. Her fur stank of poison that she had yet to lick off, dried and almost useless now.

Fae arched her neck, lifting her paw so her mangled mouse dangled sadly in front of the batling's dilated eyes. "Hello young one,"she crooned, her tone as musical as it would have been if she were singing.

[Mistay]

Caujesi allowed a startled whimper to esapce his furiously twitching muzzle. He scented the curious reek of dried poisen and heard her menacing barks, which sent him into shock. He ceased to move, so frozen with fear he was. Being so small, and so...well, paranoid, when actually faced with potential death, he did what most prey animals learn to do quickly- play dead. He was so still it seemed as if the very blood flowing through his veins had slowed to a standstill.

Through his radar-like "vision" he saw a curious sight. A small, rotting rodent was dangling in front of him. His already widened eyes opened further. Was this what his fate would be? Dangling on strings from a canine's cruel paws? His wings twitched, breaking the statue-like stillness. Yet...she seemed to be...sticking up for him?

"Not possible. She wants to kill me...no she doesn't! Of course she does, why else would she show you that...dead mouse? Maybe she is sticking up for me...or she could be teasing me...but I'd rather face her than the cannibal..."

In all his panic-stricken mutterings, he managed to completely forget that she had adressed him.

[silvertip]

the cannibal lowly growled back to the outher poisen canine his tial went halfly between his back legs. his body language siad he didn't mean harm but still watched the two. his nose twitched with the smell of dried poisen. he steped sideways his clawed made a clicking noise on the cobblestone.

I do not wish to harm him he siad beneith his breath, his ears lowered, pale crystaled eyes watched and studied the female euclide.

[Mistay]

Caujesi was sent over the edge when the cannibal spoke. His whole body began to tremor, shaking so much he appeared to vibrate right off the ground. Which, if he wasn't careful, just might happen.

Now his little whimperings of fear progressed to full-blown screams of panic. It sounded somewhat like a dying bird, very high-pitched and vabrotto. He began flapping his wings blindly, more flailing than anything. All the while keeping up a running dialogue.

"I must be about to die. I don't want to die! That disgusting cannibal is going to tear me to shreds...or maybe that other one will save me?...No she won't you silly creature!...why not?...Because she'll eat you too! Or poisen you!!"

As anyone knows, a paranoia who believes his worst fears have been confirmed is a very frightful sight to behold. And indeed, Cauj's senses had all fled, along with, apparently, his intelligence. He truly believed his life was over. He couldn't see, in his befuddled state, that the poisen female was, in fact, sticking up for him. And the the cannibal was not, in fact, going to eat him...well, yet anyways.

[silvertip]

(he sounds like my paranoid dog)
are you ok? asked the confused cannibal. I don't eat euclides. well I rarely do. he said trying to ensure the little euclide but probably making it worse.

he tired to stop him from panicking but it probably didn't work. poisen one can you talk to him? he ask half to see how she would react.

[iprince]

Fae's fur bristled further, and her eyes, blank as lamplights, narrowed to sharp lines. She snapped her arm back against her side, the stuffed mouse slapped hard against her chest. "I don't trust cannibals,"her nose twitched and she let out a short growl of distaste. She looked away from him, her tail flicking almost cockily against the stoney steps of the Theatre, and appointed her attention back on the little Chiroptae.

She was just in time to watch the poor thing burst into a nervous jumble of shrieks and shakes. The screeching, high-pitched noises rammed against her ears like a thousand thundering hooves. Fae was forced to let out a pained bark and leap to her feet, backing almost brashly away from the poor Paranoia. Why was he making such a noise? Why was he frightened? It didn't quite occur to her what being a 'Paranoia' meant.

Cautiously Fae flattened her ears against her skull and slunk towards the bebe, her body low against the stairs,"Little one?" she cooed, doubting in her mind that he'd hear her. "You aren't going to die...Fakaebi doesn't eat little ones,"she shook her head, wincing as the pains of headache began to bubble up around her temples. She shot the cannibal a dark and dirty look,"She'd never let anyone else eat little one either."

This was all his fault. Blood cannibals did nothing right at all.

[silvertip]

MaKeaJa's ears went down like a wilted flower. nobody likes cannibals he sighed mutturing to himself as he backed away. now the noises and shreikes of the bat like euclide started to kick in. he was so indent on making him stop that he ignored them at first.

he watched as the female tried to calm the little paranoid. its ok. its ok. he thought to himself not wanting to interfere with the female tries.

[Mistay]

Slowly, ever so slowly, Caujesi's convulsions stopped. But it wasn't for lack of fear, it was more his muscles could not keep up the intense physical exertion. He brought the pitch and volume of his cries down to a pathetic whimper, and sent his sound-wave induced vision towards the poisen.

"Poisen. Poisen's don't eat Euclides?...but she may, look at her dead mouse! That could be you!...maybe she's just trying to lure you to false safetly, then kill you! And what about the cannibal?He hasn't done anything bad yet...Oh! But he will!...or will he?"

Even though his dialogue suggested outherwise, the Paranoia's little brain was going into overdrive. It did seem as though the canine wasn't going to eat him. She might even become a potential ally. Interesting thought. The cannibal, he wasn't so sure about. Fear-inlaced thoughts kept flickering through his head as he fought his internal battle, which he, as always, vocalised.

"If she doesn't eat me, then I'll have someone to be with, someone to protect me...if she does eat me...well.." He seemed momentarily confused. "...I'll be dead?...Eeep!...I should trust her...?"

With the finality of that last decision made, he stopped shaking and making absurd little noises. hough his type could never allow him to fully trust anyone; he could, at least, let the Poisen come within two feet of him without launching into a seizure. Regarding her with the wide eyes of a child, he spoke to her.

"Hello."

His voice was small and quiet, as if talking to someone other than himself was a daunting task.

[silvertip]

with the hello his ears perked up. he smiled at him and siad its ok he whispered. I'm MaKeaJa, I don't eat outher euclides much. he told him. then he looked at the female poisen then looked away. he put on a smile not being sure he saw it.

[iprince]

Fae's head swung around and she snapped her jaws as menacingly as she could at the Cannibal,"Of course no one likes cannibals. Cannibals eat ones!" She snorted at him, hurling another short growl in his direction before shifting her attention to the chiroptae youngling.

Fae's black lips curled into a smile that could only be considered eccentric with delight. So doggishly, so pathetically domesticated, her tail began to way on it own happy accord behind her. She plopped herself down on her haunches and lifted the puppet once again. But not to Caujesi, more to herself, so she could wrap her teeth around the strings and begin her sad attempt at untangling the mess made there.

"Are you okay now, little one?" she asked, peeling her jaw away from her forearm. Such a skittish little critter. The poor thing. She forced her tail to stay and wrapped it calmly around her hip. He didn't look okay. He looked strange. But he was a paranoia, so that was to be expected, wasn't it? Fae lowered her head to get a closer look at him. It felt so odd, seeing any Euclides with pupils. She herself had colorless irises, something only a few Euclide sported, but pupils were rare.

Fae, as it seemed, was not so educated in the differences of Euclides types.

[Mistay]

An ever so delicate tremor ran the length of Caujesi's small body when the Poisen spoke of "eating ones." So it was true!

"Of course it's true, what was I thinking? Cannibals eat ones...what did you expect?...That, of course!"

While keeping up a running dialogue under his breath, he kept a wary "eye" on the canine's small puppet. Why did she have that...thing? Now that she was closer, and not in such an "agressive" stance, she didn't seem so scary, and neither did her rotting plaything. Of course, being a Paranoid, he was always slightly fearful, but he was slowly allowing himself to accept the fact that she, at least, wasn't about to eat him.

"Ok? Yes...I'm...ok..." A little cough. "Are you?"

The question was silly, but he didn't know that. He assumed that if she feared for his safetly, she also feared for her own. And he wasn't entirely sure that she wouldn't pounce if he said the wrong thing, so he was trying very hard not to.