Synopsis
March 15, 2005 - Orion goes to investigate the Lake where a woman was attacked by a Black Wolf. Dan shows up and they discuss pack politics and the wolf attacks.
Setting
White Rock Lake:
A reservoir, White Rock Lake covers 1,254 acres and was once used for a portion of Dallas' drinking water supply. Now that it's use as a water source has been supplanted, the area has become one of the favored recreational locations in the city. The forested shoreline is dotted with numerous small cabins, fishing piers, and sailboat docks.
The lake is surrounded by White Rock Lake Park, which is home to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. Running through the park is a 9 mile trail designed for hiking, running or cycling.
Though swimming was banned here back in the '50's, it is still a popular location for area teens who generally enjoy the more deserted areas, using the beautiful backdrop as a makeout spot.
Dan:
Standing at 6'0" and of a fairly slender build the man before you is in his mid-to late twenties at most, he has short cut blond hair kept just scruffy enough not to seem accidental, his eyes are a dark brown. Hes got just the first hint of stubble showing.
Slender, yet looking as though he exercises regularly the mans dressed casually, a black T-shirts worn, also he wears faded blue jeans and white trainers.
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Orion:
You see a man in his mid thirties who stands a little over six feet and weighs approximately 180 pounds. One can tell by looking at him that he works out regularly. His face is rugged but attractive, usually with a couple of days worth of stubble on his cheek. His hair is brownish red and cropped short, spiking up a bit on top. His eyes are deep gold and appear to be almost an unnatural shade. He bears a tattoo of a paw print on his left upper arm. When the man speaks, he has a very distinct Irish accent. It is strong, but not to the point that he is difficult to understand.
The man is wearing a tight fitting brown shirt with blue jeans. He has brown boots on and a silver watch on his right wrist. His ears are each pierced with a silver ring, and he has mirrored sunglasses pushed up on his head.
Scene
The lake is a bit quiet tonight, not that it’s usually terribly crowded this time of night. It appears that even the late night joggers and dog walkers are avoiding this place after the news of the wolf attack a short while back. While this event seems to have deterred the mundane from venturing to the lake after dark, it seems to have attracted the attention of a few others. Some of the shifters and werewolves who are trying to figure out the identity of the black wolf have popped up at the lake to sniff around, hoping to catch site of the beast.
The creature in question has been described as a large black wolf. Right now the only animals that can be seen in the area are a couple of rabbits, a raccoon, and…A large black wolf. The creature is slowly moving up and down the trail, sniffing the ground as though in search of something. Orion could not sleep this evening, he decided that this would be a better use of his time than sitting home alone. His clothing is currently stashed in a bit of foliage not too far from him.
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Dan's keeping his distance, his only reason for being in the Park's to grab the clothes he'd left stashed here last time he'd used it as a shift location and get gone, he's avoiding anything to do with the Pack so he moves through the park, his hands in his pockets no effort being made to pick up scents or anything else for that matter.
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Orion stops sniffing the ground for a moment and turns acutely to face a new scent. This one smells like a male human. But there's something off about this smell. Ah, a shifter. Orion recognizes Dan from a distance and trots back into the foliage to shift back into a human. He does not want to startle the other man, nor does he want to curse him with his image. He dresses quickly and takes an energy-shot, having discovered that they help him to recover from the after-effects of his feral mind much faster. The man steps out of the foliage fully dressed and approaches Dan with a friendly smile. "Hello there, here to investigate the crime scene, too?" He simply assumes that Dan is here to help find the black wolf.
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Shaking his head Dan smiles faintly as he spots Orion. "Not on your life, I keep as far away from the Pack as possible mate, never does to go looking for trouble. I just happen to keep some of my emergency shifting gear stashed nearby." He shrugs. "Need to change it ocassionally or it starts to hum a little."
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Orion's smile fades slightly. It seems as though he was looking forward to having someone else to assist him in his hunt. "Well it's not just a pack concern anymore. There've been attacks on shifters now as well. Least that's what I’ve heard." He looks around the lake again, "They say it's a big black wolf. Probably a werewolf." He shrugs and frowns again, "Emergency shifting gear? That's probably a great idea. Maybe I should hide stashes of clothing around the city."
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Nodding Dan smiles. "Yeah, I've been doing it years, but then I travel alot in animal form, saves time… so having a change of clothes about is a must." He shakes his head. "And there are god only knows how many people who'd mug me in an alley I'm not hunting them down." He shakes his head. "I don't mind following the Packs rules, but I don't want them to know I exist any more than I have to."
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Orion shrugs, “Eh, their rules aren’t really anything I didn’t follow to begin with. They’re not outrageous and I tend to agree with them.” He stops and looks behind Dan at a shadow moving swiftly across the field. He recognizes it as a deer and relaxes. “Yes well the muggers are opportunists. They attack anyone who passes into their alley. This wolf seems to be targeting our kind, and the attack locations aren’t always consistent.” He shrugs, “Besides, if you found the black wolf, you’d be in good standing with the pack. You wouldn’t have to worry about them anymore.”
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Nodding Dan sighs. "I've not got anything against their rules, it's the fact that they make what rules they like, the potential for abuse is staggering. I just want a quiet life, I don't want to be called in to do things for a Pack just because I happen to live in their territory, the less they think of me the better."
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Orion ponders this for a moment. The pack seems to be very unpopular with most of the people he has met in this town. He is beginning to wonder if there is some other underlying tensions that he was previously unaware of. “I don’t know, I don’t really see too much of a problem with it. I mean, it’s nice to see that there’s an organized group in case anything1 goes wrong. I mean with us there are issues that could pop up that you couldn’t go to the police for. Like this wolf thing. It’s nice to have the pack around at times like that.”
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Shrugging Dan sighs running a hand through his hair he nods. "Yeah, the local Packmaster is reasonable, but I've been to places where the Packmaster will punish shifters for going to the wrong clubs, or where he'll punish you for not going to certain meetings, or even just because doesn't think you've given him enough respect. I've managed to avoid the Packs so far, and I find it's best to keep it that way when possible, I won't do anything to break their rules, but I won't seek out their attentions either." He shrugs. "Just seems common sense to me, after all you never know what the next guy in charge'll be like."
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Orion shrugs, “Well I suppose you have a point there, the next pack leader could be a jerk. At the same time though, if you’re in good standing with the entire pack when there’s a regime change you’re less likely to personally suffer from the actions of whoever takes over…Probably.” He shakes his head, “Well you’re less likely anyway. And like I said, I’d rather the wolf responsible be caught so that other shifters don’t get hurt and to stop drawing attention to the wolves in the area. After all, the suspected animal is a large black wolf, which is what I look like when I shift. I don’t want to have to outrun an angry mob every time I shift.”
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Shrugging Dan sighs. "Possibly although I don't think the average Pack'd standup to the Alpha over a Shifter though." He shrugs. "Way I see it, the best thing to do if the next guy's anti-Shifter's move on, or keep out of the Packs way, I'm prepared for the former, and getting in practice with the latter."
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Orion frowns slightly, “Well no I doubt they’d fight with the Alpha over something like that, but if you’re in general good standing with the pack and he orders something anti-shifterish they’d probably be more likely to overlook you. Or if the new Alpha is familiar with you already you may be in luck. Either way I don’t think a pack could scare me out of town.”
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Shrugging Dan laughs. "I've heard of people getting Exiled." He shrugs apparently it's all old news to him. "Still we all handle the Pack in our own way, I'd appriciate it if you didn't bring my name up if it can be avoided, like I say… I don't want them thinking about me."
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Orion chuckles slightly. “Oh I don’t see the pack that often…Or ever actually. Except that summons a few weeks back.” He glances around again. “I’d have no reason to give out the names of my acquaintances to the pack. Even if I did, I’ll keep you out of it.” He nods and sighs, looking up at the sky. “I suppose I should get back at some point. Too bad there seems to be nothing useful at the lake here.”
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Nodding Dan smiles. "Thanks, like I say, I'm not exactly anti-Pack, I just like that they consider me a nobody." He shrugs. "Yeah, I should probably be getting back to the garage anyway. I'll be seeing you." With that he heads towards the hiding place of his clothes.
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Orion waves a quick good-bye to the other shifter before turning on a heel and heading away from the lake. He’ll try looking at some of the other attack sites later on in the week. For now he’ll head home and go to bed. It’s been a long day.
~ Fin ~
