DreamLyrics™ Play-by-Post Forums Hall of Fame - Latest Top 10 completed games OAHE: Once upon an All Hallows Eve Kennel Club To The Rescue

[OOC: For the rescue mission to the rescue shelter.]

Shadow-of-the-Highest

Not so much under cover of darkness but as darkness, Shadow having invoked his namesake form before nearing the target, the usually-ginger tom flitted towards the building, seeking a way inside through even the narrowest of cracks. He was here a day early, seeking out something of sufficient value to make even Sable avert his gaze in respect.

Assuming the sun has departed the sky and only the moon graces the building with its light, Shadow is able to find the place with ease. It is a medium sized Burden's building. Larger than a home but smaller than some of the huge places where Burdens go to look in windows and carry out bags of stuff.

The building is white though with the dirt of time on its sides. It has doors on all sides. On the street side there are double glass doors which offer a view into a waiting area of some kind. It smells of too many dogs and cats to be safe, even if it is empty at this hour.

The north wall has a solid door which is painted white like the rest of the building. Only the scents of burdens can be found here.

The south wall has a similar solid white door, though this one smells of dead and burnt things as well as a painful pungent odor like used in kitchens of Burdens.

The east wall has a large fenced parking lot and two large roll up style doors. The area smells of many animals, blood, and cleaning agents. It is a horrid mix.

[OOC: Anyone else going to join in the scouting?]

Shadow

He ghosted towards the entrance that smelled of danger, of cats and dogs. In his present form a door was not an obstacle, and he fully intended to exploit that to see what was beyond. The ways of burdens were strange, and the scent of so many other cats and dogs raised the shadows of his hackles in the darkness even in this umbral incarnation, but there was little value in doing this if it was easy.

Tiger-Lily



As agreed she had let Shadow go first, staying back and keeping watch but ready to lend a hand or offer any insights into the place based on her own experiences. She is light of foot and moves silently. She waits though for Shadow to indicate she should join him.

Shadow

The presently two-dimensional feline turned from the building and passed through the intervening darkness towards his three-dimensional cohort and source of information. Taking up position within her own shadow, he spoke, voice as oddly flat as the rest of him,

"Four main ways in. One stinks of burdens. One stinks of death and old burning. One stinks of a multitude of both Our kind and dogs. The last stinks of many, and of spilled blood, and of the vile liquids burdens use to deaden scent and remove markings. Which did you go in and out before? Which do you know already?"

Tiger-Lily



"It was not this place but another like it. But I did go in via a way that smelt of our kind and others, though I came out a different way which I think was the way for Burdens. We need to find a way that is open to us. There will be many barriers inside too that will make this task very hard."

She pauses for a moment thinking about the importance of this task and the lives they might save. Any of them could end up this way. She nearly did.

"I should make you aware of some of the things I can do that might be useful here. I can move without being seen. And I can create ways of reaching places that seem out of reach. So if we can find an opening, even if it is high up, I might be able to reach it."

She has to trust Shadow. If they are to work together and make this exploratory mission a success there really is no choice, even if it is on such short acquaintance.

Shadow

An impression of emerald eyes in the darkness slowly blinked, the tom weighing up her words, her potential value to contribute.

"A Warden, useful to know. I know enough of wards to keep My Burdens protected, but I am a Shaper as My sharpest claw. As you presently see Me, I can move in darkness without limit, pass around, beneath or through almost any barrier the burdens raise, and even do battle with things without substance, spirits, ghosts, things that haunt and skulk and lurk where most things cannot touch them.

I cannot scratch the world of real things when I am like this, and changing from one to the other always takes effort, always has risks. I can also make My size be whatever I want it to be, smaller than a kitten or bigger than a burden, in this world or that. Nothing can match me in a fight, claw to claw, teeth to teeth, for I am the master of My own form.

Now, let's think how we do this. I can go in through the blocked ways, solid and see-through, without opening them, or without calling upon Burdens to open them. I can see what there is to see within, and try to find something I can open from the inside, some other way to get you and the rest past the barriers. What I learn is useless if it can't be pounced upon. What we must not do is find a way in and then do anything to it that might make the Burdens block it off in a new way."

Tiger-Lily



She listens respectfully as he speaks, impressed with what he reveals and gratified that he is trusting her with this information.

"I agree. We should do nothing to alert anyone, even our own kind lest excitement give us away. Surprise will be useful when we attempt the rescue. I can tell you that it is much quieter when the sun has gone. There are fewer people and they don't move very often. Most of our kind sleep because there is nothing to do but stretch, wash or sleep."

Shadow

The shadow twitched, as if its ears moved to better hear her.

"Then I leave the outside to you. Look for possible ways in, up where you can reach or that could let the rest in. Something big enough for our People inside to follow when we have them, if there is such a way. I will look around within, see what I can learn inside. Meet back right here in a couple of naps to see what we can work out together."

Terror of the Alley

"I'll back you up," the big cat offered as he appeared on the scene. "Scout the outside of this place while Shadow investigates inside."

Tiger-Lily



She nods to Shadow.

"Take care"

Then she turns her head to view Terror as he joins them.

"Glad to have you along. Going to work our way around the outside."

She heads off in a clockwise direction using available cover, viewing the outside, her eyes searching for a way in. If she finds on she knows that she should be able to reach it.

Shadow

The two-dimensional feline acknowledged them both, then went back towards the see through entrance that smelt of too many of the People and dogs, looking to head inside this time.

Shadow enters and is in a large room. There are three other burden doors off of the room. Also in this room are some of those things burdens sit upon. Also there are things with things that can be shredded and then knocked to the floor. On the left side of the room there is a long thing made to walk upon with a burden sit thing behind it.


Outside they see the four sides described above. As they make their patrol they see a burden pull up in a blue traveling machine. A burden dressed in blue like his car gets out as they watch.

Tiger-Lily

Immediately she crouches in the undergrowth or nearest shadow, going into stealth mode, low to the ground, silent, unmoving, her eyes fixed on the burden as she scents the air. Her muscles are bunched ready to spring into action.

"We may need to warn Shadow." She hisses quietly to Terror.

Shadow

The ways of Burdens are ever mysterious. The shadow-cat committed the layout to memory, claws itching to shred but constrained both by the nature of the mission and his present incorporeal nature as just a part of the surrounding darkness. He headed underneath the nearest door.

Outside the burden makes his way towards the door in the back of the building. The two cats are unnoticed. With a shiny key the burden unlocks the door and opens it.

Inside Shadow is able to slip past the next door. It leads to a small room with a door in the back. It has a high table, perfect for leaping on. It smells of dogs, cats, rats, and too many other creatures. There are foul smelling things in high cabinets and low cabinets as well.

Tiger-Lily

"I need to go in now whilst there is a way. Please stay here and keep watch. If we can't get out then you will need to let the others know."

Using her magic to go invisible, Tiger-Lily races for the open door taking care not to get too close the the Burden as he will not see her.

Shadow

The purpose of such a room eluded him, the oppressive scents made him want to go on the defensive, hunch up in a corner ready to fend off everything. Such strangeness, these Burdens caused! He headed for the far door, eager to complete the mission and get out of this unnerving place.

Tiger entered the door before the burden closed it and it made a clicking sound. Invisible the burden had no idea she was there. He walked across a large room with many cages. Some of the cages were filled with dogs, cats, and even a couple of ferrets. Even the animals didn't see Tiger as she looked about. On the far side of the large room there were three doors, one ahead, one on each side. The burden was walking that way.

=====
Shadow passed beneath the next door and came into a hall. His sense was that the hall ran the length of the building. Probably connected to another of the burden doors he saw in that first room.

The scents of animals grew stronger to the right and less, more burden like to the left.

Terror

He prowled outside, keeping an eye on the door that the burden and Tiger-Lilly had disappeared through but also scouring this side of the building for any entrance that might allow for his own entry. They would need to find some way for the rescue party to enter that did not depend on waiting for a burden to open the door for them.

Tiger-Lily

She had acted on impulse and in hindsight she is not sure it had been the wisest decision. However, she did not want to lave Shadow to fend for himself just in case, even allowing for the fact that movement will be easier for him from what he had told her.

She has no idea where Shadow is though, so she scents for him. Her intention is clear though, she will need the Burden to gain access to other areas and if the Burden discovers Shadow then that's where she needs to be. So if the Burden goes through another door, she intends to follow.

Tiger is unable to sense Shadow over the cleaners and many different animals in her area. But she can guess that the direction the burden is going, is the direction Shadow will be found in. It is in line with where he came in. It is also likely he would smell the other animals, this is obviously the room that they will have to free their brethren from.

Shadow

He headed for the first door on the right: Identifying their target room and a good route out were key. Plus, it was easier for the shadow of a cat to hide in a room with actual cats, not that concealing himself in darkness or in places impossible to reach was difficult.

As Shadow approaches the door he hears the sound of a burden approaching the other side. The footsteps echo in a large space.