9541/Turtle Trip 3: Northampton Blues

Turtle Trip 3: Northampton Blues
Date of Scene:	11 October 2019
Location:	Turtle Lair, Williamsburg
Synopsis:	Part of the TMNT vacation, Nemean decides to go off on his own, and gives into his animalistic instincts.
Cast of Characters:	Nemean, Pippi, Alopex

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Nemean has posed:
Northampton. An old farmhouse. Not exactly the type of place that Cody Garrett thought he'd be spending time. He had been trying to relax in the house proper, but it was clear something was bugging him. He wasn't even sure why the Turtles let him come on this trip. He had tried to kill several of them not too long back.

He still wasn't sure he could trust himself. What if he only THOUGHT he was cured, and he still had some dormant programming deep in his brain that would be unleashed when everyone least suspected it?

It was early evening when he left, the sun still up above the horizon, but only just. He'd walked out the front door and vanished into the woods. He had something he needed to do, he just wasn't sure if he could.

Pippi has posed:
    Pippi was just coming back in from the barn, where she had been practicing falls in the old hay and straw still stored in one section, and her ears drew up, spotting the dark feline as he headed towards the woods. Her ears drew up, her tail giving a momentary wag before he vanished. She had waited for a while, worried, and sat herself on the front porch swing as she kept her nose to the wind. Cody -- Nemean -- still smelled like bullets, a little bit, and Lion. Which was an oddball smell. Her ears are still up, listening intently and trying not to get distracted because someone might have gone in the other direction and lit up for some hot dogs...

Alopex has posed:
    Meanwhile, back in the farmhouse, Alopex had been settled on the second floor with some light reading. A stray glance goes out the window at one point, catching sight of Nemean wandering out of the house. He had been quiet, lately. She wasn't entirely sure how he was adjusting to his new life and, well, seeing him head out into the woods was odd.

    After turning a page, the fox hrms, closes the book after marking the page, and rises. There's a stretch, a check of her things, and then she starts to wander downstairs, without The Shard. Once on the porch, she catches sight of Pippi, "Did you see Cody leave..? I'm wondering what he may be doing. Did he say anything?"

Nemean has posed:
There weren't any words. And if he saw Pippi, he didn't acknowledge her. Instead he just disappeared into the forest.

Once he's deep enough inside, he stops moving and takes a few deep whiffs of the air, trying to pick up a scent. He'd spotted the deer from the house a couple of days prior, and had been thinking about it since.

Alopex would have passed by his gear in the living room of the farmhouse on her way outside, so it's clear he didn't take any of his weapons or his pack with him.

Pippi has posed:
    "I'd seen him on his way out while I was coming back from the barn." Pippi replies to Alopex, rubbing the back of her head as she purses her lips. She motions with her head towards the woods. "He went out that way, but didn't... really say anything." she explains quietly. "Think he's all right?"

    The smaller canine mutant hops to her feet, looking out into the gloom of the evening.

    "I hope he's all right."

Alopex has posed:
    There's a moment of contemplation, then the fox simply motions for Pippi to follow. "I'm going to check on him," she admits before heading out in the same direction Nemean took. "His stuff is still in the farmhouse. I wonder if he slept well.." Alopex muses out loud.

Nemean has posed:
Having caught the scent, Nemean opts to let his instincts take over and do their thing, as he begins to stalk through the trees. He can smell the buck as he gets closer to it, the scent growing stronger. He moves downwind from it so as to not give away his position.

He's not aware of the other two mutants entering the forest to check on him. Deep down inside he'll probably appreciate the company, but he's scared of hurting them, especially Pippi.

Pippi has posed:
    The canine mutant's ear flicks out at the sleeping well thing, and she presses her lips together thinly. "I told people, it's way too /quiet/." she mumbles, but she hops off the porch, tailing Alopex accross the front yard and into the woods.

    "I'll go with you." Pippi replies, as if there wasn't an invitationn, and moves to take point, nose to the wind. She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and begins to head in a brisk jog, mindful of where she's stepping, letting her eyes get used to the darkness.

Alopex has posed:
    While she's happy to follow, Alopex doesn't mind following after Pippi as she moves ahead. The differences in their mutations? Pippi's nose did seem to end up a bit better than the fox's own. "Lead on, I imagine his scent and his trail will stand out a bit."

Nemean has posed:
Pippi could find Nemean's scent easily enough. It stood out amonst the trees. She'd also smell all the animals around too, so she'd have to pick his out.

Nemean's own tracking had led him to a small clearing in the woods, where the buck was grazing. He dropped down to all fours and crept through the tall grass, until he was close enough. The deer, seeming to sense something being off, lifted his head and then started to bolt, when Nemean roared out and pounced on it, grabbing it by the antlers and dragging it to the ground before delivering a killing blow with his teeth.

No way the other two mutants didn't hear that.

Pippi has posed:
    "Not very many Codys lion around Northhampton." Pippi chimes in response to the scent standing out, but she tries to focus, following the scent, up and over logs. Along trees, giving a little bit of a huff of breath and a sour expression "Spikey-pig." she mutters to herself, and continues on her way -- until she hears the sound of the roar.

    Pippi knew that sound. Her ears went back. Her hackles went up, and she /bolted/, every ounce of agility training and speed poured into making it to the clearing. She launches herself easily over logs, sliding under half-fallen trees, weaviing through the under growth, her amber eyes going wide in fear.

Alopex has posed:
    There's a flinch when the roar is heard, Alopex ears going up. Knowing full well that Pippi heard it as well, Alopex dashes forward toward the sound. She had... an idea of what may be going on now. Something that her once being a Foot Clan member and Ninja helped her deal with. Nemean was still new to all of this, to everything his mutation set upon him.

    The pup will get there first, but Alopex is only a few steps behind. A clearing, a predator, and then its prey. "That confirms it," she muses before kneeling down beside Pippi. "Its.. something he will need to deal with or conquer himself. I doubt he will do this to us but, well, you probably know how strong some urges are. Instincts. Those are very new to him."

Nemean has posed:
At least the lion had given the deer a clean kill. He pulled away from it, and his ear twitched, as he turned to look at the two canids at the edge of the clearing, "I.." He moves one hand up to try to wipe some of the blood off his face, "You two followed me."

Pippi has posed:
    Pippi just stares a moment, before she realizes what's going on. Alopex was at her side, but she felt her stomach drop out, her eyes closing as she steadies herself against the smell.

    Her ears turn backwards at the statement from the lion, and she tries to form some statement before giving up. The rede-and-white canine takes a few steps back, not afraid, her tail is up, not curled, but she doesn't seem to know quite what to do. She looks helplessly to Alopex, then back to Cody, and she turns, wordlessly, tracing back the way the fox and hound came.

Alopex has posed:
    This was probably the first time Pippi saw anything like this. She may have to explain it further, later. No domestic dog may understand .. this. She thinks. She didn't feel like assuming. "We did because I was concerned about you. You've been a bit stand-offish and quiet. Seeing you walk out into the woods at this time of the day made me wonder what you may be up to. Your gear was still in the house, so .. I had an idea or two. WHen I heard you, I knew. I'm... not upset or mad. This is just something you may have to learn to deal with. Instincts are a very .. powerful thing."

Nemean has posed:
As he sees Pippi turn and head back to the house, he wants to say something but decides not to for now, "I'm still.." He frowns a little bit, "I saw this thing a couple of days ago and I just...Wanted it." He sits down next to it, "I'm going to clean it up and...You know, cook it." He says, "I'm not gonna just eat it raw.." Is he justifying to her or to himself?

Alopex has posed:
    With Pippi wandering away, Alopex decides to move closer to take a look. "Quick and clean. This well done," she compliments. "And, Nemean? The others may not understand this but I do. I was a predator, I was a hunter, and this is what I did in another life. This is a part of you for better or worse. What you need to do now is channel that energy toward things like this, or toward enemies. Just.. of the family, we two are the only real predators so.. you can confide in me. Give the others time to understand. They'll get there eventually, if you feel a need to share."

Nemean has posed:
"Thanks." He replies, as he tries to wipe some more of the blood off, "How do you normally clean up?" He asks, as he moves to heft up the deer over his shoulder. He'll make a campfire and cook it, once he cleans it. It's not the first time he's hunted a deer, however it is the first time he's hunted one with his bare hands and teeth.

Alopex has posed:
    "Back then? I didn't. Left it for the other animals that wanted it. If I was to do it now? .. Well, even that I don't know. I haven't really hunted like this since I changed. The Foot kind of redirected my hunting instincts toward their enemies.."

Nemean has posed:
"Well." Nemean says, "I guess I'll go take a shower at the house. I'll just steer clear of Pippi in the mean time.." He doesn't seem to have any trouble hefting the deer as he heads back towards the house.

Alopex has posed:
    "Probably not a bad idea. I'll see you back there, I wanted to go for a bit of a walk anyway."