The Witching Hour

[Kattz]

Jan 14th

Kattz had been assigned to guard duty for the night. It was an insultingly simple task, but it did at least allow him several hours to be left alone. Most of these hours he spent burning through a whole case of cigars. He was dead already, so what was he really hurting? The large ghoul leaned against a stone wall to one side of the gates leading into the palace, mostly just looking bored. He balanced his last cigar gently between two meaty fingers, absently beginning to bring it up toward his idly drooped mouth. As far as he knew, no one was around to watch him.

Then, his hand stopped. His eyebrows lifted slightly. Something had caught his attention. Kattz stared calmly, but alertly, toward some of the lush greenery decorating the palace walls. His gaze became more concentrated as he stared for a concerningly long time. There, in the shadows of the brush, was something: two somethings: two glowing yellow somethings. Kattz said nothing about the pair of eyes in the bushes, but he didn’t hide the fact that something out there was interesting him.

[Deleted]

There really wasn't much to hunt around the palace, if one of them wanted a meal they had to go way out to the oasis to catch it. A journey that was unnecessarily long for just a nibble or two of some big meal they'd have to leave behind. Sure, the army provided more than enough food to feed him and his family, but Nuka as per usual was aiming to prove he could do more than just rely on others.

That was mostly the reason why he was out there during this hour. Large paws caused him to stumble around the palace looking for some mice to hunt, or even a big rat or two. He wasn't exactly the most graceful cat that. Still though it was idle time to use up until the army was back from their supply run in Australia. One run that he had not been invited too, which made himself feel like he had to do more to prove himself.

What he had failed to realize though was that someone had their bright gaze on him and his efforts.

Crimson hues were focused so intently on a mouse only a few paces away from him that when he came barrelling out of the brush he almost rammed right into Kattz. A small 'eep' of surprise left him as he backtracked a pace or two away from the ghoul. His meal completely forgotten in an instant. He offered a lopsided grin towards the adult, his body kept close to the ground in an effort to keep himself looking as small as possible. "H-hey! Hi, sorry was that yours? Sorry, I didn't know you were out here-" A nervous chuckle left him before he paused, wait a minute was this guy related to Owl? "Hey-" He pointed a paw towards the other. "You look like, uh, Owl, owl yeah! Are you her dad?"

[Rungnir]

Apep slithered through the brush and undergrowth what little cover there was in the courtyard would surely hide mice and other vermin for the viper to eagerly hunt down, there was a kitchen but being the wild animal he was, Apep chose to hunt over being just given his food. Besides, it would keep his strength up for whenever he would have to hunt down that stupid chameleon again. A soft squeak to his right sounded and the milky white snake pouched, fangs closing around the plump mouse, easily downing it and gulping it down a few minutes later. His stomach full Apep was about to curl up to sleep off his mouse before voices reached his ears and he pokes his head out spotting Nuka only at first.

[Kattz]

Kattz’s eyes quickly shifted down as his pointed ears tilted back slightly. He took half a step back when a gangly lion came bursting out from the bush right in front of him. The hot ash from the end of his cigar fell down, prompting the fleeing rodent to make a sharp turn to avoid it. Suddenly turning his attention to the mouse, Kattz bent his knee and placed the heel of his shoe on the mouse’s little tail, making it squeak in surprise. Whatever he was looking at before was no longer the focus of his attention.

After watching the little mammal attempt to scrabble away for a while, the ghoul looked toward Nuka. He was quiet for a moment longer, before rumbling;

“Yes,” Kattz answered flatly, before his voice rose in pitch, as if correcting himself, “I adopted her.”

~*~

The werecat’s eyes now off her, the thylacine-like beast far down the hedgerow lowered her head even with her spine and began to stalk forward toward the others. The dark blue of her coat made her blend in with the bleak lighting of the night, but the distinctive six-legged footsteps could just barely be detected as black talons hit the dirt.

[Deleted]

The flat reply had Nuka back reeling even more than before. His obvious nervousness on his stature grew with the wide sheepish grin that threatened to break at any moment. The corners of his lips trembling. Perhaps if he could scuttle off now he could save himself from any more embarrassment but as Kattz voice pitched higher he felt himself visibly relax. Sheepish smile turning into that of an easy one. His surprisingly soft features mimicked his content. "Oh, that's awesome!" He rubbed a paw over his scraggly mane, crimson hues casted off to the side.

"She's pretty cool, I bet she learned how to be all cool for you, right?" His voice cracked slightly as his excitement shone through his original nervous state. The sound of talons scuffing across the dirt caused him to stop though. One ear swiveling towards the direction before he turned to look. "What'sa that?"

[Thomas]

Thomas could hardly dare to hope that he would make any friends at this point. He knew no one wanted to be seen with him. People had always been judged by the company they kept, and as far as they were concerned, Thomas was a jinx. No one ever asked the teen to hang out, and he was always picked last for groups. 

John Smith came to mind, and Thomas sighed longingly. Maybe that was why he had followed John Smith around like a puppy. The lad had always looked up to the legendary explorer and had hoped some of his greatness would rub off on him or something. He had thought it had when he had found the courage to stand up to Ratcliffe and temporarily take control of Jamestown.

Whatever was going on with him, he could not hide like a mouse for the rest of his life. He was more than that one mistake.

Thomas meekly approached the ghoul, lion and snake as though he were a dog about to beg for table scraps. He looked the part too. Thomas's small eyes looked sunken, and his mahogany hair was as frizzy and disheveled as a hairball. "W-what are you doing?" the Englishman asked the group groggily, rubbing an eye with a clenched fist.

He was so tired.

[Kattz]

“For me?” Kattz repeated lowly, thinking that was a strange, perhaps slightly suspect, choice of words.

But he didn’t linger on that. Instead, he slowly lifted his head when Nuka turned around. His luminous eyes stayed on the approaching creature. As he watched, his brows furrowed and the corners of his mouth turned up. The short, close-mouthed laugh he gave in response was borderline creepy. He didn’t look like he was about to answer the question.

Even if he was going to, his attention was distracted before he could. Kattz’s gaze moved from the distance to the young man that was up close to him. The large ghoul gave him a silent look over. Kattz knew who Thomas was, but he had nothing personal against him.  Kattz would prefer to form his own opinions, rather than simply follow the Blackblood hivemind.

“Speaking for myself,” Kattz grumbled, lifting his nose, now peering down from the corner of his eye, “I was assigned to guard. I can’t speak for anyone else.”

~*~

The thylacine continued to approach at a steady pace, even when Kattz’s eyes went off her again. She didn’t seem to be in any hurry to get close, but she definitely wasn’t wary of the little gathering of Blackbloods. Yellow and cyan eyes flickered in the night, becoming more noticeable as she got closer. Eventually, the tapping of talons could easily be heard. The beast came to a stop about twenty feet from the others, turning to her side a bit, but saying nothing.

[Deleted]

"FROM! I meant from!" Nuka babbled before cackling nervously again. He sat back on his hind feet, messing with his forepaws nervously in a fiddling manner. It became blatantly obvious that social interaction was hard for him. Though at least he was trying despite failing horribly. He itched at his growing mane before casting his eyes over to the female beast that strolled in. His gaze hostile though it was gone in an instant. He was more confused by her appearance than alarmed. He couldn't recall seeing her at the opening ceremony but there were a lot of people there. She could have easily been missed among all the others.

He cleared his throat and cocked his head to the side. "Guard duty? Oh, I've done that before! Not recently though, I don't think uh-" He waved his paw. "Our boss lady likes me very much." A frown dramatically pulled at his maw. His paws coming to rest against the ground once more.

The arrival of a third party at Nuka jumping to his paws again. "Thomas!" He exclaimed, grinning in that lopsided smile that he always did. "Not much, talking with the big guy here. He's doing guard duty-"

"Uh... We're interrupting his guard duty. Oops."

[Thomas]

When Nuka surmised that Maleficent did not like him, Thomas scoffed. "I don't think 'our boss lady' likes anyone," he said acrimoniously, crossing his arms.

He seemed about to speak again and then shut his mouth tight. He did not want to say or do anything that will land him in more trouble. Assuming Maleficent was not omniscient, there had to have been an informant. For all Thomas knew, it could have been Kattz, Nuka or Nil who had ratted him out. He just didn't know.

"Guard duty, huh?" Thomas leaned against the wall and looked out at the horizon. "Seen anything?"

[Rungnir]

Apep slithered from his spot in the underbrush towards towards the little group. “You would need sssssharp eyes for guard duty” the snake comments, his hood flares for a moment as if shrugging his non existent shoulders. “What’ssss the news out there? Anything interessssting?” Head bobs as he looks up at Kattz. “I can disbatch any trespassers, that you see” he offers