Fair grounds ((Open thread))

[shini]

Lain was beaming. It wasn’t the crowd, it wasn’t the attention. It was just another day on the job. Lord knew he loved his job.

“Alright. How many of you have kitties at home?” He questioned, using a distinctly British accent, it was supposed to be a medieval fair after all. Several of the children and ever a few adults raised their hands, his show catered to all. “I have kitties too. Only I think mine are a bit bigger.” With that one of the stage hands brought out Ginger, a six month old tiger cub, handing her leash over to Lain.

“Everyone meet Ginger…” The show continued as such, showing off several of the safer yet exotic animals housed on the fair grounds, also alerting the public to the welfare of the creatures. The trails they faced, the smuggling and conservation efforts. Oh yes, Lain loved his job.

When the show was over he loitered around to answer questions from the crowd, by then his creature of choice was one of the fair’s resident hawks. Found injured Jack, a red tailed hawk, was rehabilitated though a weakened wing meant he wouldn’t survive in the wild. Unlike most birds of prey Jack wouldn’t be seen wearing a cover over his eyes, normally that kept birds calm in the presence of so many humans, Jack wanted to see everything and quoting a fellow employee ‘spazzed’ when the eye cap was put on.

His walkie talkie beeped letting him know he was being paged, as an employee he needed it to stay in contact with other’s scattered throughout the fair grounds. Excusing himself from the crowd he skillfully pulled out the radio while never jostling the bird perched on his arm.

“Beastmaster here.” He rolled his eyes at his bosses demand of using their assigned nick names.

“Vet’ll be in for Sheva, they’re gonna need ya kid.” Lain sighed softly.

“Understood.” He hated the resident vet as much as most of the animals did, it was never a pleasant experience. “I’ll drop of Jack and be over in a minute. Don’t let Sheva see him.” If the tiger saw the vet before the sedatives could be administered they wouldn’t stand a chance of getting the routine exam over with.

After a quick stop but the avian center he headed over to Sheva’s enclosure, each was spacious trying to allow the animals as much freedom and natural environment as possible. Without much talk he accepted the needled from the vet, making his way into the temperamental cat’s enclosure.

“Hey Sheva.” He stated, thought the cat didn’t seem all that interested in him, “It’s that time again.” Lain stated, nearing the large beast, at this point Sheva did seem to catch on, the only time Lain got this close was, well, during vet visits. The teen paused, noting the cat tense, a low growl emitted in warning. “Look you don’t like it. I don’t like it, but if you want some more alone time with Kaile then you’d better just..ya know, take one for the team.” Kaile was the resident female Siberian tiger, she and Sheva had already produced over a dozen healthy cubs through the captive breeding program.

Another low growl met him but Lain didn’t back down, he didn’t show fear. You showed fear when you decided whether or not you stepped into the enclosure, once you were inside no sense showing fear, you’d already made the choice of whether or not to be in danger. Perhaps this was why the large cats seemed to accept his presence. Either way within a few minutes he was able to administer the sedative and leave the drugged cat in the hands of the vet and his goons-er assistants.

Having a bit of down time he decided to get a little R and R in, entering a nearby enclosure he found himself alone. This particular area was being renovated for a few new cats they were expecting from another rescue group, for the moment though it was nothing but empty grass, trees and a small man made pool of sorts. To Lain it was a perfect place to spend his break, climbing up one of the trees he stretched out, sure he’d do the same thing in the enclosure’s with the large cats but here and now he wasn’t going to be pestered into playing a game with the predators.

[Deleted]

( zercarpg.proboards41.com/index.cgi?board=zercarpg&action=display&thread=1200265648 )

There was soft grass under him. Ren stared up at the sky with his back to the ground. He had never felt such soft grass before, but it could have been his drowsiness making him think that. There was a soft breeze that slightly ruffled his dark brown hair and he almost smiled. True he wasn’t the kind of boy that loved the outdoors, but he could appreciate it every once in a while. Besides, he didn’t have any other form of entertainment at the moment. His computers were long gone, still unpacked in his room. His room was too far away too. He’d never gone this long without shutting himself in a small dark place, but it seemed he didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. He didn’t know how to build a ship, nor did he have a communications device. He was stuck here until he was able to figure something not, not that he was trying very hard. Ren was never in a rush and even in a situation such as this one, he remained calm. The natives he’d seen around looked similar to Zercans, only without cat-like features. Contact with them didn’t even cross his mind. The language barrier wasn’t an issue due to technology, but he still didn’t think he’d be able to communicate with them without causing alarm.

As he licked his lips, he tasted the coppery flavor of blood. Lying around him were the corpses of small forest animals like rabbits and squirrels. He’d been careless and messy about his meal, not caring he’d left some animals half eaten and decaying. At the time, his hunger had been too strong and he hadn’t been thinking of the spectacle he’d caused. His uniform too was stained with blood. He had quickly changed back into his human form after his meal. Though he wasn’t a particularly large dragon, there was no need to alert others of his presence as he was sure his other form would do. A nasty fall earlier ensured that he was also slightly covered in mud. As usual, his hair was messy and sticking out in random directions. He looked peaceful, but at the same time, the blood made him look deadly. He sat up suddenly, bored with simply lying around. He’d been in this planet for a day and he was already tiring of it. Perhaps exploring would do him some good. The boy picked up a discarded rabbit and began having a look around. He chewed on the rabbit the way a child would a snack, not caring how disturbing it was to see someone so human-like do such a thing.

It was then that he saw something strange up ahead. It was one of the natives he assumed. The creature was in a tree… How strange. Did everyone on this planet sleep in trees? He hoped not. Sleeping in a tree seemed uncomfortable. Ren took another bite of the rabbit as he stared up at the other. His amber eyes raked over the other’s body, taking note the other was probably taller than him. Strange how he couldn’t stop staring even though there was nothing particularly interesting to stare at. He took a step forward before coming to a decision. He calmly walked towards the tree and gave it a swift kick. If he’d been human the kick would have probably done nothing, but as a dragon, Ren had one powerful kick. He hadn’t kicked hard enough to knock over the tree, but enough to cause vibrations and make the other take note of his presence. There was no reason behind this and after he had done it, he was confused as to why he wanted the other’s attention. Very strange. He should consider this further.

There was an expression of confusion on Ren’s face as he turned and began to walk back in the direction he had come from. The feeling of wanting the other’s attention plagued him, though. He decided it would be best to avoid the other, at least for now. Maybe the creatures of this planet had some kind of strange charm similar to the incubus. That could be what he was feeling. Did that mean the other was out to eat him? Or perhaps his energy? Maybe it would be better to stay in dragon form. At least then the others would know he wasn’t one to be meddled with. Ren muttered ideas to himself as he walked away slowly. Blood still clung to his clothing and skin. Mud was caked on his cheeks and pants. The fall had been awkward and caused slight scrapes to form. All in all, Ren looked like he had come out of a war zone…while eating a bunny. He discarded the animal, no longer hungry for more. When it came to food, Ren was wasteful. He never finished a single animal and over hunted. The boy didn’t care, though. There was no one here to chastise him. So without hesitation, he moved forward back towards he had left the mess of furry creatures.

[shini]

Lain was dozing, not sleeping heavens no. He was in that state where he was constantly drifting off, only to tilt to one side and jerk awake again, lest he fall from his perch in the tree. It was one of those days, not too cool and not very hot; a light breeze seemed the temperature at a perfect degree.

In this enclosure nothing would bother him, after all tourists weren’t allowed in and considering the enclosure was supposed to be empty no animals would either. Clearly he was mistake. He was jerked awake rather suddenly when his resting place shook violently, grabbing onto a nearby branch was the only thing that kept him from falling straight out of the tree. “..the hell?”

Chocolate brown eyes were quick to survey the area, it couldn’t be an earthquake…well it could be it wasn’t likely. Thankfully though he wasn’t left in completely confusion for long, spotting another’s retreating form a frown marred his features, “Hey! You! The hell are you doing back here?” His frown only deepened when the other continued away, from the view he had Lain couldn’t place the other, he didn’t look like any worker Lain knew which meant he probably wasn’t supposed to be there.

“Hey I’m talking to you!” He shouted, even as he jumped from his perch, jogging towards the other, though paused in step as he watched the others retreating form discard the carcass of another dead animal. Only then did Lain seem to notice the dark red blood staining the other’s clothing and assumed that, should the other face him there would be more blood to see. “What the hell…” Even as he spoke he began to figure it was probably best if he retreated, got back up, or at least wasn’t alone.

Thoughts running through Lain’s mind at the moment were centered around crazy psycho killers. After all what sane human ate raw meat like that?

[Deleted]

The other was yelling at him but Ren ignored it. He didn’t have time to consider what the creature wanted. It sure was loud, though. Ren didn’t yell, even when he was extremely angry. It wasn’t long before the other was very close. More chatter coming from the other. How obnoxious. The teen stopped walking, standing still for a second before turning around slowly. He was indeed a mess. Blood dripped from his mouth and fangs could be seen. His eyes looked almost red under the bright sun, giving him a vampiric look. His clothes used to be grey, a standard uniform for those on the ship he’d been on. Now, though, they were brown with mud and red with blood. He gently reached out to touch the other’s cheek, stroking it gently. Blood was left behind on the other, Ren’s claws being fresh with the blood of innocents. There was only a slight difference in height, barely noticeable, but Ren was definitely shorter and younger. At the moment, it was hard to tell his age, though, since the grime did a good job in hiding it.

“I…think you interest me,” Ren said simply.

That made sense. He found the other interesting. It was why he had a fascination with the other and why he wanted the other’s attention. Ren pulled his hand away and liked away the blood that was on it. It wasn’t as good as some of the meat from back home, but it would have to do since he couldn’t find another source of food. He leaned to the side, trying to get a view of what was behind the other creature. There was no tail or anything of the sort. What sort of creature was this anyway? Ren knew not to judge others by their initial appearance, especially since people change their shape all the time. He put his hands on the other’s chest, groping slightly. The other sure didn’t feel like he had something unusual under his clothes. Ren led his hands slide up and down the other’s sides. His claws gave off a threatening feeling, but Ren was careful not to hurt the other. He left behind grime on the other’s clothes, but didn’t care. He was back to an apathetic expression.

“What planet is this?” He asked, groping still and showing no intention of stopping. “What sort of creature are you? Have you no tail? Fangs? Claws? How can you fight this way? It’s dangerous. If you can’t fight, you’ll be eaten.”

He put his hands on the other’s behind, even though it was highly inappropriate and he wouldn’t have done it to someone else on his world. He was curious, however, to find out more about this place and its creatures. This one looked sort of like him, but he wanted to know if there was more than what he saw. He wondered if the other would let him see what he looked like under his clothes. He considered asking, but he didn’t know if the other would let him. So much for avoidance. It seemed the other didn’t want to be ignored. Ren retracted his claws and fangs, giving him a more human appearance, though even that didn’t give him the appearance of someone that was harmless. Finally Ren stopped touching the other, giving him one last look before crossing his arms and gazing towards the ground as he became lost in thought. He digested the information he had just gathered but came up with nothing. So this was…a harmless sort of creature that gave off weird charms? That somehow didn’t seem right to Ren, so he thought about it some more, effectively ignoring the other without realizing it.

[shini]

Never before had Lain felt this particular way. Though he was certain he was reacting the way most did when they were face to face with the large cats. A quick beating heart, a shortness of breath, a tightening in his chest; fear, though his fear was well founded. The…thing before him now wasn’t human, not well…human human anyway. After a few seconds he forced himself calm. This was a fair after all, people were dressed up as all sorts of beings.

Of course, his mind attempted to rationalize what he was seeing, just another wacky dressed up for the fair as some…human hybrid…killing…thing. He was shocked from his thoughts at the sudden contact, a deep frown settling on his features. Despite all attempts the only thing words that would come to mind had been said before and would be stated again, “What…the hell?”

The other seemed intent on exploring his body and during that time Lain’s mind decided to take a well deserved break, basically shutting down on him. Some part of him screamed to push the other away, while a silent part of him kept Lain firmly rooted in place.

The moment the other’s hands were off him Lain stumbled back, in his haste he didn’t notice the other’s changing physical appearance, nor did he stop to see that the other was seemingly lost in thought. Taking the chance at freedom, to get away from the-as his mind had labeled him, the psycho killer, knowing the enclosures like the back of his hand he knew it was only fifty feet or so to the barrio separating this enclosure from another, from Sheva’s.

The way Lain figured it, crazy as this stranger was he wouldn’t risk entering the big cat’s enclosure, if he did, well Sheva wasn’t found of visitors. That thought in mind Lain turned tail and ran, trying to wipe away the smeared blood on his cheek.

[Deleted]

The other wasn’t fast. As the creature ran away, Ren couldn’t help but notice how painfully slow he was moving. So, these creatures were slow, didn’t have claws, had no tails, and had skin that was soft, definitely not good for defense. He found it hard to believe the species managed to stay alive. Perhaps they were kept as a source of food for a bigger species? Without really thinking about it, Ren went after the other. He didn’t have his wings at the moment, but his legs were fine for running. Of course, he didn’t notice the obstacle in his path until it was too late. His eyes widened slightly as he felt himself tripped over what he assumed to be a large rock, or perhaps it had been a dead squirrel. He really didn’t care enough to check. Even before Ren hit the wall, he knew he had been running way too fast for it to be a soft blow. Sure enough he nearly went flying and ended up crashing hard into the wall. Okay, so maybe that actually hurt. It wasn’t like he didn’t have cuts and bruises already but now; he had more to add to his collection. His back was on the ground again and he was facing the sky. He wasn’t even sure he could get up anymore.

He rolled over to his side, gasping from the pain. He wasn’t going to try that any time soon. He looked to his side and noticed a wall with a hole in it. Pieces of it could be found all over the place. Sure he was strong as a dragon, but even a dragon would get injured if he slammed himself into a very solid wall. He was sure something was broken at the very least. There was a sharp pain on his shoulder, but it was his arm that hurt the most. Was an arm supposed to bend that way? He didn’t think so. Ren was usually rather careful with his body. Even when bullies beat him up, he was always careful to never let them get too far. This was a new experience, the feeling of being broken. A scream almost left his throat and he felt the stinging feeling of tears in his eyes. Ren had no desire to feel pain, nor did he actively seek it. He didn’t want his body to feel this way. It was burdensome and somehow, he felt heavy, but that might have been due to the fact his muscles were

It was then that growling gained his attention. The sound wasn’t particularly ferocious compared to some of the growling he’d heard before back home, but he supposed it was intimidating to the weak species that lived in this planet. Of course, at the moment, Ren was weak too and probably wouldn’t do well in a fight. Broken arms only hindered those in battles. The animal reminded him of a Zercan, only more primitive. It certainly looked like a transformed Zercan, but he was able to tell the cat before him didn’t hold the intelligence of the average Zercan. He made eye contact but wasn’t sure if this would prove to be a fatal mistake. Lying on the ground was becoming uncomfortable and he wasn’t able to sit up just yet. He supposed if he transformed he could fight off the cat, maybe even eat it, but he didn’t want to alarm anyone. Besides, he didn’t like being in his dragon form. He had an even worse temper when he was a dragon. The fact he could breathe fire and hurt people around him didn’t make it better.

“Give up now,” he told the other with a slight growl of his own, not caring he was speaking to an animal. “Do not attack for I shall be forced to defend myself.”

A fight would not end well with his current state. He just hoped the animal realized he wasn’t worth attacking and would back off. It became a staring contest of sorts. A huge cat staring down a crippled boy. The victor was clear. There was no way Ren could hold his own in his human-like form and his dragon form was out of the question. His heart was thumping loudly and it suddenly felt hot. He was almost shaking, but feared that showing his weakness would only provoke the animal. He bit his lip and caused it to bleed. Don’t attack, don’t attack, don’t attack he chanted in his head. He found a bit of strength to sit up. His knee was bleeding too as were his elbows. He hoped the cat before him wasn’t lusting for blood because he was bleeding a lot now, though he’d already been covered in blood anyway. The staring continued with Ren ready to give in.

[shini]

This was a nightmare. It had to be. None of this was real. It couldn’t possibly be real. Lain managed to run the distance to the steel door separating the enclosures, just as he pulled the first of two heavy doors open his stalker had slammed into the nearby wall.

“Oh god..” Flinging open the second door he saw Sheva heading for the hole in the wall. This wasn’t good at all, the enclosure he’d just fled from wasn’t complete, there wasn’t a complete wall around it which meant should the tiger take a chance he’d be able to easily escape.

For the moment though the big cat seemed content to stare down the intruder. Sheva sat watching Ren, clearly eyeing the new comer. This creature seemed so much like the weak humans and yet, gave off an air of power that the big cat recognized. For the moment the tiger was at a loss of what to do with the being.

Slowly he moved forward, carefully he approached the gaping hole in the wall. “What the hell are you?” Ren might want to ask the very same thing, after all this weak apparently defenseless creature had just controlled a beast that could kill him with a mere swat of his paw.

Lain gave only a brief sigh when he had Sheva locked safely away, one evil had been dealt with, another lay just outside the enclosure he was standing in. A frown crossed his features and curiosity got the better of his fear.

“Sheva!” Lain shouted, his voice demanding the large cat obey and return to him. For several seconds the tiger shifted on his paws, muscles tightening as if preparing to leap, to attack to flee the enclosure. Another shout from Lain had the large tiger growling once more, however slowly he turned from Ren’s fallen form and returned to his own enclosure where Lain was quick to lock him up into a smaller section-where Sheva was usually kept when the crew was cleaning out his enclosure.

[Deleted]

Ren frowned at the inquiry and answered, “I’m Ren. Ren is Ren.”

At least the tiger was away now. He didn’t know what he’d do if he had had to fight it. The way the other commanded the cat… Perhaps these strange creatures controlled stronger beings and that was how they survived. What a cowardly way to live. Using others to hide behind seemed shameful. He sighed and released the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. The jacket he was wearing was now a mess and he awkwardly tried to discard it. His undershirt was semi clean, though definitely not the spotless white it used to be. He felt rather gross at the moment and wanted to shower badly. The smell he was emitting was probably rather foul. It wasn’t the first time he’d gone a while without a bath, but his mother always dragged him to the shower eventually. Ren wasn’t fond of water, not even in the bath. The boy stared at the creature that had saved him. Now he was debt to the other. Knowing he owed someone something left a frustrating feeling in Ren, so he wanted to cover his debt as quickly as possible.

“Because you saved me I shall do what you ask,” he stated simply. “Don’t get any ideas, though. I don’t like you or anything. I’m just paying you back is all. So don’t get arrogant about it…whatever you are. You…squishy, fleshy non-scaly creature that lacks a tail.”

He flinched when he tried to stand. Maybe he had cracked ribs or something? He was bleeding, that’s for sure, but he couldn’t tell from where. It could be a deep wound or just several small cuts bleeding at once; he couldn’t be sure. The boy almost pouted at his helplessness. Almost, but not quite. Ren didn’t pout. His eyes traveled to the cat and glared at it. He glared because it had caused him to fear and even panic. Now that it had become tame, he felt rather stupid for being scared in the first place. He turned his gaze back to the creature that had saved him. He waited for the other to make a move, his gaze much like that of a predator. It wasn’t intentional, but that was the kind of expression he made. When the other made no motion of helping him, Ren stood up suddenly and held his breath. It seemed to be the only way to keep himself from screaming. He wondered if there were any medi-boxes around here. What sort of healing technology did this planet have? He probably should have considered that before sneaking onto a random ship.

“Hey, I know you can understand me, so where is your medi-box? I’m very much broken at the moment. Or are you going to fix me?” He asked. “You’d better be grateful I’m talking to you because I don’t like talking. So be grateful already and help me out.”

Talking wasn’t something he was good at much like socializing. It was a strain on him to have to communicate so much with the other, but it seemed the creature wasn’t going to give him help or information any time soon. If that was the case, he’d just demand it of the other. His arm was really hurting now and he just wanted to be healed as quickly as possible. Already there was a pool of blood forming beneath him. It made him dizzy actually. Wow, everything had become double. He realized this was all a cause for concern, but his head felt heavy again. He stumbled backwards and swayed back and forth. He suddenly fell forward and hit the ground hard. His breathing became ragged and everything hurt, especially his arm. No sounds came from his voice as he lay on the ground. Damn, it seemed things were getting worse by the second.

[shini]

“Human. I’m human. You’re supposed to be human too not some freaky lab monster!” Lain stated edging close to the other cautiously even though the other was seriously injured. A frown crossed his features as the other, Ren, made it very clear that he should feel honored at the bleeding male was talking to him.

“What the hell is a Medi-box?” He shook his head lightly deciding to let that bit slide for now, “Fix you? Look, I’m not a doctor.” He stated putting his hands up briefly. A frown crossed tan features as Ren stumbled briefly before slipping to the ground once more.

Lain let out a string of curses, torn between what to do he finally settled for doing what he did in most situations he didn’t know how to handle. Called his uncle.

In this case he paged the man over the radio, meanwhile he kept a distance from Ren. When his uncle arrived the man immediately assumed Ren had somehow ended up in Sheva’s cage and the tiger had attempted to maul him. His uncle wanted to call 911 at once however Lain managed to get him to think otherwise once he’d explained the situation.

Eventually they had Ren stretched out in a bed inside one of the many trailers reserved for ren fest workers. His uncle had done what he could to patch up the other’s wounds but it would take some time to heal naturally.

Once that was done his uncle went to do damage control considering the mess Ren had created while Lain remained with the strange resting man. He knew Ren probably needed to go to the hospital but something told him that taking him there would most likely being a bad idea.

[Deleted]

"…always annoying me…should shut up…" muttered the boy. "As if. No, that wasn't it. Ha! You'd like that, wouldn't you? …bet you would…"

His words were nonsense, gibberish really, but Ren was dreaming at the moment and couldn’t help it. Well, more it was more like he was remembering something unpleasant. It was a fight he'd had with his father, who had decided he needed to do something more than stare at a screen all day. It hadn't been a pleasant fight, nor had it been a short one. Somehow he ruined everything without even trying and he was really started to hate how it all came apart so easily. Slowly, his eyes opened and he took in the new surroundings. He shook his head slightly to try and concentrate better. When he was sick his head always felt heavy and as though he couldn’t think. That’s what his head was like now, only he wasn’t sick this time. He was bleeding all over the sheets and probably looked horrible. His eyes narrowed as he took notice of the bed. This was strange… He should have still been in the medi-box. That much time couldn’t have passed.

It seemed he was still in pain, yet he had been somewhat cleaned up. If they had put him in the medi-box, he shouldn’t still be in pain. Ren took a moment to look himself over, noting he wasn’t even healed yet. He noticed he would probably scar, but didn’t think much beyond that. His real concern was something else. Why hadn't they used the medi-box? It occurred to him that perhaps this planet didn't have one, which would mean this was a very underdeveloped planet. What had the other yelled at him before? That he was human? Human… That name…was familiar. He thought back to his lessons at school. They had done a study on different planets and he remembered he'd gotten stuck with the stupidest planet. It had been quite a disappointment. He remembered there were these "humans" on there. What had the planet been called? It had been an odd sounding name for a planet, one that he hadn’t liked at all. It fit, though, such a name for such a backward country.

"Is…this Earth?" He asked slowly. "Is that why you could not heal me? So strange….people probably die from simple things… Lots of diseases… So primitive… The report talked about how often they would give each other diseases and they’re unsafe practices. Lots of people died that way, didn’t they? From getting weird diseases from another person. To die from something so easily cured on my planet is so pathetic and sad." After a pause he added, "Can I have a shower now? I think something’s clinging to me in a way it shouldn’t. It’s weird."

Ren stretched out his arm, the one that wasn't broken, and took hold of the other's shirt, refusing to let go. He kept his grip on the other like a child and tilted his head. So this was a human. How fascinating really. There were only bits of information he could remember from that report, but apparently, this planet was way behind the others. He tugged on the other’s shirt more urgently, practically tearing it. Ren didn’t like to be kept waiting, especially after he’d asked for something. So he impatiently tugged on the other’s shirt. It really wouldn’t kill him to wait, but now he felt disgusting covered in who knows what. This was why he’d never make it as a wild dragon. Not having indoor plumbing was just as bad as not having a decent computer. The boy figured the other was getting him nowhere and decided to undress where he was. Maybe the other was slow and hadn’t understood. Perhaps if he started taking off his clothes the other would understand what he meant. He tried to undress, but one working arm made it difficult.

“Undress me,” he told the other simply while flicking his forehead.