(open)Elsewhere in the City...

[Izzy the Cat]

Twilight settled over the city. The glimmer of the last few rays of sunlight streaked across the cracks in the walls of the buildings and made their shadows stretch to consume the streets. A few car horns blared in the distances from the backstreets that crisscrossed with the alleyways. The alleys were silent except for a few scratching noises and squeaking of rats and other rodents. The silence was shattered by the sound of a trashcan falling over sending rodents screaming through the shadows. A new more eerie silence fell and was broken by a grumpy sigh. “Great…” an upset mew came from inside the fallen trashcan.

The can wiggled a bit as a fluffy white cat walked out of it. She gave herself a good shake before licking her paw running it over her right ear. She glanced over her shoulder into the can and snorted; no food… not even a scrap! She was tired of rats, and the mice were no better. She sat down curling her tail over her paws and gave her chest a quick lick. Come on Izzy think! She thought darkly, I have to get food, no way am I sleeping hungry tonight! She snorted and stood up padding softly against the cracked asphalt of the alleyway. She held her fluffy white tail high as she walked down a sidewalk, no humans or anything else around, a car blazed by and after the lights hit her white pelt and the car zoomed around a corner no longer did a cat stand there, but a child.

Izzy rested her hands on her nonexistent hips and shook her head causing her spiky, red pigtails to bounce around. “bleh bleh, I hate the smell of those monsters” she grumbled waving a hand in front of her face to fan away the stench of the exhaust. She turned and started to walk again hands in her skirt’s pockets. She seemed so out of place with her appearance that she would not be surprised if some human stopped to question her… or try to kill her! But she had lived long enough to know how to survive. She held her chin up and gave a sniff… no sign of a fish market, damn she shook her head and kept walking, maybe a hot dog vender was still out? Ha! Not in this part of town… I’d really like something good tonight.. I’d hate to have to eat rats!

[Sythe]

A girl around the size and appearance of a teenager walked down the street. Soft footsteps could be heard from this girl, because the side walks had been empty, of course there had been a few past out homeless men passed out, every now and then. The smell of raw old liquor could be sniffed from them, just by passing them by caused her nose to crunch up with disgust. She hates that scent, it just made her think she was loosing IQ points by each sniff. She paused as a few cars drove past her. She stared to them, with blank cerulean eyes. She paused, and across the street she gave a smirk.

A cat stood there, but not just any cat. She tilted her head. This was the first non wolf she saw that could shift into humans. The young girl seemed more like a prostitute. But then again this was the wolf who looked more like a more darker nun, only showing her hands and neck up. The blue eyes wolf, looked around. She should make a good entrance. She looked around before walking off, her trench coat following her. She looked to the side of the street about one hundred feet away, and she walking across the street, before skidding to the stop and staring to the cat.

She walked quickly, zooming through people, not even touching them, and she stopped directly behind the child, reaching out to touch her shoulder.

[Izzy the Cat]

Izzy was looking up as she walked, hearing the doors of the bars fly open across the street, and behind her... It was just after ‘happy hour’ time which meant drinks would start to get more expensive in these cheap bars. These were the guys who had downed ten or more drinks, but did not want to spend a few bucks more to keep drinking. They crowded the streets and Izzy simply slipped around them, almost dancing around them, a few looked back at her, but none of them tried to touch her, mostly cause the crowd kept pushing each other forward. She could smell the stench of cigar smoke and stale booze waft into the air concealing any scent of food for her to try and hunt! Humans are such a waste of space… nothing but destructive monsters.

The cat shook her head stretching her arms up and then letting them sway at her sides. She remembered that there was a food store a few blocks ahead, she would just break in through the small broken window in the back and get something to eat before finding a place to rest. She opened her mouth to breath, and a sudden new scent rushed into her system, her eyes stretched wide and turned around glaring at the woman… No… Not a woman. Her red eyes narrowed seeing through the glamour, a wolf! The fluffy white cat glared daggers at the wolf, which stood three cat heights above her… But all the humans that passed by saw was a School girl and a woman completely covered except for hands and head.

“What’cha looking at?” she spat, her cat form fluffed up to look bigger and her human form having her arms crossed over her chest. “What’s the idea sneakin’ up on me?” she added her red eyes narrowed and in cat form her ears were laying flat.

[Sythe]

The girl seemed for lack of nicer words, angry at the sight of Sythe. She didn’t take offense to it though.She was not the cities dog that like to enjoy chasing a stray cat around or whatever. She had other things to do, and that alone just annoyed her. She shrugged her shoulders as in wolf form, the short black wolf had it’s ears perked up with curious eyes, but what she would notice most was strange markings that had been placed upon her head; the markings had been the color of her eyes. A bright blue that seemed to be even brighter against the dark fur.

”Calm down Kitty. I was going to give you some friendly advice.” she murmured. As she threw up her hands waving it in front of her chest. ”I’m not going to chase you down.” she said with a nod. She pursed her lips and crossed her arms, looking down to the young girl. ”If I can see you, a hunter could.” she said with a sigh, reaching to ruffle the young girls hair. The wolf paw patting on the cats head.

[Izzy the Cat]

Izzy made a bit of a face her eyes narrowed, cheeks puffed, and lips stuck out. She looked like a bratty child being told ‘no ice cream, young lady!’ She did not trust this wolf, they were like dogs, only prettier and smarter and that made them a bigger threat. The cat continued to keep her fur fluffed up looking like she would float away as a cloud if her claws weren’t scrapping the sidewalk. She does not seem mean, and those markings are strange, she might be some type of freak… More so then any normal wolf

She tilted her head, her face looking more confused at how the wolf said she would not be chasing the cat, and then paled and looked a bit scared at the mentioning of a hunter. She had never met a hunter before, but she had heard about them… they were scary men and women who went around killing wolves because they did not like the magic or something wolves had… and since her mother had taught her the magic to change like wolves do… a new fear had suddenly settled in Izzy’s chest. Would a hunter attack her? She was in a disguise like wolves had, but she was a cat! What threat was she? She ate rats, and snuck into places for food… Did nothing with wolves.

“I,” she paused when the wolf touched her head, a sudden warmth spread through the cat bringing memories of her mother back for a second, “I, I don’t fear no hunter” she blurted, “Never had a problem with them before” she stated in her human form standing a bit straighter and in cat form running a paw over her own ear, “I’m just a cat, I ain’t no wolf, what problem would I be?” she asked showing that she was naïve about the war or whatever real issues were happening around with hunters and wolves. She knew nothing of the magic she was using to disguise herself.

[Sythe]

Sythe paused, this was no laughing matter. Her eye brows furrowed. She glanced around, and bent over to the cat. ”It doesn’t matter if your not a wolf, its as long as your not a normal animal. she spoke, this cat .. was she serious. Where had she been for the passed so many years? This made her just seem more confused. She looked around, and her eyes narrowed to the humans that walked passed them. The cat would more then likely have no chance against a hunter like Adam, or Kaine. She knew this.. well she was pretty sure gauging of the eyes might hurt. She blinked, and took a few steps away from the cat.

Imagining how funny it would be for Adam to be chasing a cat around flailing his sword at the ground comically trying to hit the cat. She looked to her. ”You know the magic and thats all they care about.” she said looking back and then forth. ”The names Sythe by the way,kiddo you should be a lot more wary.” she said with a nod of her head, as she took a step back. Feeling her stomach growl, she had been hungry.

Sythe had been a wolf wanted by both sides, but mainly darcia was out to get her. She had gotten into a few fights with some of the best hunters in the world and she got away all the time. She considered herself luckier then some. She tilted her head, speaking of some. She questioned where her pack mate Terran had gone off too; probably to steal a few more things. She looked back to the girl. ”Whats your name anyways?”

[Izzy the Cat]

Izzy snorted looking at the wolf as she informed her that a hunter hunts without predigest. Cat, wolf, magic flying beavers it did not matter. That worried the she-cat and for a moment her fluffy tail drooped to the sidewalk. Her ears had remained flat against her head and eyes wide in both wonder and fear. But in human her eyes were cast upwards and she started to bite on her lower lip. Magic shouldn’t be hunted she thought fleetingly. She licked her paw and ran it over her head trying to calm herself, her fluffed up fur falling back against her body. She seemed half the size now, but her red eyes stayed wide.

“Well Sythe, I’m always wary, and watchful, and uh hungry” she stated bouncing forward missing a roach that was slithering across the sidewalk, “and dammit that was my appetizer” she muttered watching the roach go into a crack in the wall. The human form sighed hands resting in the pockets of the skirt and she kicked the ground with her sneakers. “Sythe’s a funny name” she commented randomly using her back leg in her true form to scratch an ear and her human hand to scratch the same ear.

“By your belly growling I’d say that you’re hungry” she smirked a bit, “Come on I know a place to eat, and my name is Izzy, just Izzy” she introduced herself and started to walk a head of the wolf, continuing the way she was going hands behind her back and in cat form tail raised high, “I’ll go into the place and let ya in” she explained quietly so no human walking by would take notice. “Lot of stores close early around here” she continued to explain acting like she was the tour guide of the place. “And I can tell ya one thing I ain’t eating no more damn rats!” she made a gag face and in human form ran a hand over her pigtail as her cat form ran a hand over her ear.

[Sythe]

She blinked as the girl seemed to be acting as if a tour guide. She chuckled at this, and walked after the girl. She knew some places? She blinked, and then realized the girl meant stealing. She shook her head, before running in front of the girl. She ignored the insult to her name; it was different she already knew that. She was born with it though and she carried it proudly. She paused, at the that thought the she wolf seemed to be put into a trance, as a memory ran into her mind.

The closed eyes of a girl with long black hair, floating in a tube, her ears twitching. “How are the other subjects?” a stern voice asked. “Terminated.” The girls eyes shot open. Her brothers and sisters... dead.

She paused, blinking her eyes. ”Heres another tip of advice Izzy.” she said with a sigh. ”If it has cameras don’t go in there, machines can see through our disguises.” she said as she took a step to a side. ”If you want I can hunt or steal something for you.” she said with a sigh, her hands going on her hips. The cat clearly didn’t have a clue what was going on.

”If you want.. I could teach you some things. Like hunting.. I prefer red meat, uncooked.. such as rats.” she said with a smirk, as she looked around. Being paranoid was something this wolf was. Who could blame her? If you weren’t paranoid well then, you were dead or a damn lucky bastard. Like this damn young lucky bastard in front of her, this made her start to wonder, there had been a lot of animals coming up; this is a good and bad thing. She thought with a sigh.

[Izzy the Cat]

Izzy snorted and waved her hands around a bit, “Look I know machines.. ‘camera’s can’t see my human form, that’s why I go and steal from stores, what they gonna do? Arrest a cat?” she rolled her eyes. “I’ve lived in this part of town for many moons, and I can tell you I’m perfectly safe… only issue I’ve ever had was with other cats and dogs.” She informed the wolf slowly like the beast was stupid. “I know I’m ignorant to y’alls problems with Hunters and the wars and whatever the hell else is going on… but I’m safe.” She smiled cutely her cat tail swaying a bit. I feel sorry for this wolf, her fur is gonna fall out if she does not just relax a bit!

“bleh!” she made a gag face, “I’m sick of rats!” she shouted. “I’ve eaten them, yeah that means I know how to hunt!” she glared feeling a bit insulted by being offered a lesson in hunting!, “ I’ve eaten them and hunted them since I was a kit, and dammit I’ve lived off other things, rats are a last resort. Come on” she grabbed the human form’s hand with her own human form’s hand and pulled her along in a nice jog. “You can hide in the shadows outside the store, I’ll sneak in through a broken window and then bring you out some good GOOD food” she explained as she pulled the she-wolf into the alleyway next to the store.

“Just relax, no camera can spot you in this shadowy spot, just wait here and I’ll be right back” she smiled and bound away, shedding her human form as she leaped up a few stacked boxes and slithered into a broken window. The store was dark and quiet, no one was around. She was not going for the register so no alarm would sound anyway. She moved to the back of the store and pressed open a door, it swung open and she ran in. after a few minutes she found the store of pre-made hotdogs, all just cold but not frozen, better then rats! One by one she ran through the store to the broken window dropping a package of the hotdogs through the broken window, and ran back to get more, she repeated this a few times. After ten minutes she had about five packages of hotdogs stacked up outside the window and she walked out pushing them to the alleyway floor from atop the boxes. “there!” she mewed her fur fluffed up in pride. “they are cold, but hey they are pretty yummy!” she purred licking her paws as she leaped down ripping open a package and letting a few hotdogs scatter on the ground for the wolf to get to.