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I don't know why I expect to find him here of all places. I don't even know if the panther really has a place besides that god forsaken Ark that he clings to. I'm not going near there so instead I pick a trail to the north, working my way around the edges of the snazzy houses as I try to pick up his scent. Since I've been back in Sacrosanct, my only urges have been to find the wolf and the panther, the ones who spoke to me in my head. I haven't been able to do that with anyone else since I left though I've tried. I've almost gotten myself killed many a time over trying to concentrate on a bear or an eagle, anything to get a message to them, to see if they could understand. The bear wasn't buying it and the eagle tried to gouge my eyes out so I don't think the message got through. So when the pack made their way back here, I decided to go on a hunt by myself. The panther was speaking to me of strange things, of Weres and how things could shift. I never quite understood what he was talking about but that was before the wolf transformed into a human right before my eyes. That memory stuck with me for a long time and where once I feared the strangeness of it all, over time it gave way to curiosity and confusion. I must strive to understand these things, especially if they're going to keep popping up in my life. When finally I pick up on the panther's scent, I let out a soft yip in excitement, picking up the pace to a lope as I work my way around the neighborhood. But when I hear a dog barking, I get distracted for the moment. I slink closer to the fence, looking between the boards at the gaping jaws of a bulldog. Instead of snarling and moving away however, I close my eyes and try to focus, try to concentrate hard enough to say "hello." Instead all I hear back is gnashing of teeth and more barking. So after a few moments of this, I give up with a sigh and start to move on. That's when I hear the audible click of a gun. My ears draw back and my hackles rise in defiance as I snap my head to the sound. A human male stands by the corner of the fence, his gun already raised and ready to fire. |