singillatim | ( open ) i'm guessing that i've grown horns

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( open ) i'm guessing that i've grown horns

Who: Bigby and you!
What: If there are animal tracks anywhere in the area, you know the big dog's got to chase them down.
When: During April.
Where: First prompt outside the populated areas towards the rockier areas in the wild, second prompt back in Milton.

Content Warnings: Nothing in the log itself, if anything comes up in a thread there will be a warning in the header!

( 1. outside town )

[ Maybe you decided to go along with Bigby out on a little trip - or maybe he invited you along, if he knows you. Maybe you even came out here by yourself, and Bigby ran into you.

Either way, you're standing here now together, out in the rockier area between the mining camp and the ravine - staring down at some tracks in the snow. Even if the fog constantly hanging around is making visibility more of a problem, at least it's still very much possible to just look down and stare at the rather feline tracks in the snow. ]

See? [ Bigby points out to you. ] This is what I was talking about. I haven't seen this here before, but.. judging by the looks of it, that's got to be one big cat.

[ More than just a cat, really. That's why the man's eyebrows are drawn together into a concerned frown as he stares at the tracks, but then looks back up and over at you. ]

It's usually not been a good thing when new tracks appear around here.

( 2. in milton )

[ Running around in the wilds seems to have done very little for actually managing to find whatever animal is out there.. and instead seems to have done a whole lot more to Bigby himself.

After all, with the weather being the way it is, it feels incredibly exhausting to be out there. Let alone going out day after day, since he's so determined to find that thing. And between that and everything that's been happening the past few months, and the stress of the situation and the worries about the Darkwalker..

.. well, Bigby isn't doing so great.

It might become obvious when you see him coming back into Milton after another day of futile tracking. It's like he has to drag his feet to keep on moving as he's walking across town to head back to his place, lines of exhaustion visible in his face. But apparently he's not exhausted enough to no notice someone staring at him, since he'll lift his head to look over at you after a few moments, noticing you there. ]

.. Is something up?

[ For once he doesn't even sound gruff as he's saying it.

Bigby just sounds tired. ]

( ooc: replying with either brackets or prose is fine! i will match! c: )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Why do you think I smoke so much, Ruby? [ Because of the farts!!! And, well, every single other unpleasant smell in New York City, which there are a lot of.

It sure doesn't excuse him still smoking in this place when he doesn't have that sense of smell anymore, but.. sssh, just ignore that part, okay. Let him use the excuse all addicts do.

Bigby is starting to move anyway, his gaze turned towards at the snow rather than at Ruby since he's busy following the tracks, wanting to make sure they don't lose them or accidentally trample all over them. ]

I'm pretty sure they can't be too far away from here though. They wouldn't travel that far away this quickly. And the tracks look pretty fresh.

I guess- You know. You would probably do better with like a citrus or eucalyptus scent instead of cigarette smoke. It'll probably be healthier in the long run.

[Look she is not totally being serious here, but she's trying to throw out suggestions.]

Then again finding those around here is probably going to be hard too.

[Ruby grips the box strapped to her belt. Ready to pull out her weapon at a moments notice.]

Yeah. Well they probably ran out of food near their home and are expanding their territory from there.

[ Bigby huffs. It's hard to tell whether it's because of Ruby's suggestion - please, the cigarettes are fine and he doesn't have a problem at all!! - or because of the thought of the last thing she describes there. ]

Well, tough luck for them.

[ Not that he doesn't get what it's like to move across the place for food. That's how he used to live too.

But when you live like that, you know the risks too. Crossing into someone else's territory is bad news - and these things just crossed into his. ]

We can't have them around as long as they're a treat to our community. It's about keeping the people here safe, and I don't think all people in town know how to deal with a threat like this if they'd come across one.

[She gives a little snort.]

Yeah. I've already called dibs on all the food here.

[Which- Considering how hungry she had been the last few months, wasn't that far off from the truth.

She feels a grin play up on her lips when Bigby talks about protecting people like that. She knew she liked him for a reason.]

You're probably right. But that's why they have us. We can deal with fighting and hunting so they don't have to.

Right, that's--

[ He cuts himself off.

Because he's hearing something. Something Ruby can most likely also hear, since unfortunately this place has taken away Bigby's sensitive wolf hearing from him.. which means that twig he's hearing snapping in the distance? That's definitely something human ears can pick up on.

But just to make sure, the man glances over at Ruby, putting a finger to his lips to indicate they have to keep it down now, and then very slowly starts making as silent as possible steps in the direction of the sound.

And indeed.. there is a large cat! Bigby was right about that.

.. except said large cat is not just regularly large. That's a muscled cat. That's a pro-wrestler cat.

At least it hasn't noticed the two of them yet. ]

[For how bubbly and airheaded Ruby could be at moments. She is quick to pick up on the sound, and how quick Bigby is to cut himself off.

Ruby slows her steps along with him, but feels a slight tinge of pain in her leg as she makes the more careful steps. She makes an effort to not wince or make a sound, and hopefully that does the trick.

But as they approach the bob-cat she feels her eyes go a little wide. It's not as big as some of the Grimm she's faced, but boy howdy does it look pretty tough.]

Woah- She looks like a tough cookie right there.

...And you know what you do with tough cookies, right?

[ He huffs. ]

'course.

[ Please, Ruby. He's fought larger things than that! Of course he knows what to do!

Not that he isn't a little cautious, since it's clear there's something up with that creature. Bigby was pretty sure he had seen all the wildlife around here by now, but he's never seen anything quite like this. It's as if something changed about the animal, making it unnatural. The question is whether that means it's got some other surprises up its sleeves for them or not then.

.. only one way to find out though.

He shifts the axe he was holding to have a better grip on it once they really get into this. ]

Are you ready?

...You were supposed to say "Dip in in milk."

[She rolls her eyes. This is what she gets for hanging out with old men. Her uncle Qrow would have got the joke, he was the exception to this rule.

Luckily she's able to fit into a game face pretty quickly after this as she readies her scythe. The rifle in it didn't work here so her best option was to get up close and personal with it.]

Always. Should we circle around it? It can't go at both of us at the same time?

[ Wow, Ruby! Excuse the ancient wolf for not knowing the jokes that are hip and happening with today's youth!

Thankfully Bigby already has his game face on way too much to care about that right now. Instead he surveys the situation real quick - the creature in the distance, Ruby's weapon - to make a decision here. ]

Yeah. You want to take the front or the back?

[ Usually Bigby would say he'd do the front for sure, especially when the person fighting alongside him is younger and likely in more danger of getting hit than he is.. But Ruby has more range with that weapon than he does, so he's actually showing her some respect by letting her choose, rather than already pre-emptively deciding how this situation is going to go down. ]

[Look, Bigby may have put a cork on this discussion, but Ruby's definitely going to be bringing it up with him in the future.

Instead she takes his question into consideration. She knew she wasn't the one in charge here, but she pretty content with getting a choice in how they approach this. She does have the range to keep the creature at bay and so that's the option she goes with.]

I've got the front.

Once it's preoccupied with me, get in there and show it who's boss.

[And just like that, she's starting to inch toward it. Raising the scythe and giving it a twirl to establish her range and reach at the moment.]

[ There Ruby goes. Bigby doesn't make a sound of confirmation, considering Ruby is already off to the races - which means he'll have to start moving too, or they'll end up on the same side of the creature regardless.

Instead the man moves to take the less obvious path towards it. He'll let Ruby take the straight line so she'll end up taking the front, while he moves more off to the side. Even in this human form Bigby still has enough of his wolf instincts to know how to cover himself between the trees, to know how to approach without the wind letting the creature catch his scent.

He moves off to the side, waiting for Ruby to engage the thing first, but he's already shifting the axe in his hand in preparation for what's to come as he keeps a close eye on it all. ]

[Ruby keeps her focus on the creature, and gives her scythe a few twirls to show that just up and approaching her might not be the best idea. She shifts a few steps in the opposite direction Bigby's going, to give him a little less distance to cover.

On the bright side the bobcat's focus does stick to Ruby, but it doesn't move to strike immediately. Instead it backs of a few steps before coiling up and preparing to pounce.

The ground proves to be a touch uneven on Ruby's next step forward and she puts more pressure on her injured leg than she had expected to, causing a wince. The bobcat catches that and quickly leaps off the ground.

Ruby's quick to raise her scythe up to block the mix of claws and teeth coming at her, but leg sears with pain, and it looks like it wont take much for it to give way.]

[ .. wait, what?

Something unexpected happens. Sure, something unexpected can always happen in battle, but this is unexpected on a level that Bigby didn't even imagine. He's been in enough fights and has seen enough injuries to immediately know what's going on, but-- even then it doesn't make sense. Ruby couldn't possibly have injured her leg on the spot just by stepping forward. It didn't even look like she had a misstep or something.

God, was she injured? He doesn't think he noticed anything like that on the way here, but-- Ugh, Ruby.

Realising the girl is definitely on the losing side here, the man leaps out of the bushes while letting out a growl that sounds far too animalistic for his human throat. He slams his axe against the creature, but uses the blunt end, just so he can knock the giant bobcat off Ruby by sheer force of the weapon, the wildcat flying off to the side. ]

What the fuck, Ruby?! [ Bigby can't help but use that moment where the wildcat seems stunned by having been knocked aside out of nowhere to yell at the girl. His eyes aren't their usual colour anymore, but instead a glowing golden, the whites of his eyes having grown completely black. Even his face has shifted to look more vaguely animalistic. ] Are you injured?!

[Ruby makes an effort to push back against the bob cat, but only feels a searing pain shoot up her calf in response. Fortunately before she can be overtaken by the creature Bigby pushes in and knocks the creature aside.

And yeash- She has never really seen the guy like that before. Or heard him talk quite like that- There is a sinking realization that she may have screwed up here.

But luckily she has a shovel to dig a deeper whole for herself.]

It's not that bad- I've got this.

[Except it's pretty clear she doesn't have this by the fact she may look a shade or two more pale, and there might be blood starting to seem through her pant leg.

To her credit- She does mask the pain pretty well.]

No you fucking don't!

[ He can smell the blood even before he sees it. His senses may not be as sharp anymore as they used to be, but blood is still a scent Bigby can recognize absolutely anywhere.

It enrages him so much. Why is Ruby here in this state? Who ever taught this girl that it's an acceptable thing to push yourself so far past your own limits? Especially in a situation like this, where it's quite literally life or death. These are exactly the sorts of mistakes that cost lives.

And Bigby is mad at himself too, honestly. For not realising this was a thing sooner. He could have turned her around, sent her back. By now it's too late.

Fuck.

When the creature moves back over to them, Bigby puts himself into its path. He holds his axe with both hands to use it like a barricade between himself and the mutated wildcat, holding it off even as it snaps at him. ]

Ruby, you get the hell out of here right now! You hear me?!

[There is a part of Ruby that knows that she's messed up here. The way Bigby puts himself between her and the monster is something she feels she should be doing.

She grits her teeth despite the pain in her leg and readies her scythe again.]

No! I'm not leaving you to do this on your own!

Not when it's my fault you're here in the first place!

[If she had of went back sooner. Had of been honest about her situation, he could have reliable back up instead of fighting this on his own.

She didn't want to abandon him now.]

[ He outright growls. It doesn't sound very human. ]

You're a liability right now!

[ It's probably a little mean to say that. It's likely he'll apologize for saying that right after this, but-- he has to get her out of the way. It's too likely that she'll get hurt here, and it's hard to fight off this thing while trying to protect her.

Though he tries. The idea that Ruby's life is on the line here makes him fight even rougher, managing to push back against the mutated wildcat until the latter ends up falling over into the snow, with Bigby right on top of the cat.

The axe drops next to them on the ground, but Bigby doesn't even reach for it. He doesn't need it.

Instead he leans down, his teeth sharper now his face is half-transformed, and he outright rips the wildcat's throat out with his own teeth until it stops moving, the blood and gore covering the wildcat's fur and the snow on the ground around them. ]

[Between Bigby's words, the way the cat topples down and it's throat ends up getting ripped out, Ruby just stumbles back a step or two before letting herself fall back on her butt.

The motion causes another shot of pain to go up her injured leg and she winces briefly at it.

She didn't really have the words to say here. She messed up. She knew it. She just didn't want to admit it right now.]

[ It's only when Bigby is absolutely sure the creature is no longer moving - or ever going to move again - that he slowly lifts his face again. His body follows, getting off the mutated wildcat so he can instead turn to look in Ruby's direction.

It's likely the one time he's looked most like the actual Big Bad Wolf around her, even in human form. His eyes still glow in that unnatural way, his facial structure rearranged to be less human, and blood is completely covering the lower half of his face and his beard, dripping down from there. He's still breathing heavily, like what he did just now wasn't an easy feat for him either, but it likely doesn't make the way he looks right now any more comforting.

For a moment he stares, not saying anything.

Then-- ]

It's dead. [ He simply says. ]

[Ruby is perhaps a little startled by the changes to his face. It's not exactly the first time she's come across something like this- and if anything it reminded her a little of how some faunus looked in her own world. The blood and the fierce expression though, those were a little unsettling. If only because it wouldn't have been as necessary if she had of been at the top of her game.

Her silver eyes shift from him to the gore, and then toward the ground as she feels a little worse about the whole situation.]

Yeah... I guess- Mission accomplished?

[ ...

He sighs.

Bigby raises up an arm, starting to wipe at his face a little. Sure, it means the blood is instead getting all over his sleeve, but at least there's a little less of it on his face now as the shape of his face slowly morphs back to the most human version of it. It's not like he needs intimidation anymore when Ruby clearly seems to have shifted from overconfident even in the face of terrible odds to something more dejected.

Which means Bigby mellows out too. Not all the way, sure, but-- a little bit, at least. Enough to not look like he's about to devour someone or something on the spot. ]

Kid, why didn't you just tell me from the start that this was going on?

[Ruby half watches as Bigy cleans himself off and half shifts back. She's not paying full attention though and is a little more focused on mentally kicking herself for not being at the top of her game.

The question ends up hitting her like a sack of bricks when he asks it. And it takes her a little to fumble out an answer.]

I don't know.

I didn't want you going out here alone or something-

No. I guess- I didn't want to feel useless because of it. I don't- I don't usually stop just because I'm hurt.

Who the hell told you that?

[ Because Ruby must have learned it from somewhere, right? Sure, she's a teenager, and those are unpredictable as hell. Bigby understands them even less than most other people, given how little experience he has with them.

But he's pretty sure that kids pick this up from somewhere, and he has no idea where Ruby could have gotten it. What kind of jackass adult is going to tell a kid to keep going no matter what?

He takes a few steps over until he's standing right in front of her. ]

Why would you have to be on the front lines all the time?

[Ruby's jaw goes slack at the first question. The amount of people who drilled that philosphy into her mind were numerous and figuring out how to put that into a list was more of a challenge than she wanted to admit.

Thankfully he steps forward and makes it a little easier on her.]

Because that's what a Huntress does- We protect the people until the bitter end.

[That slides off her tongue as though it was rehearsed. A mantra that she really did live by. With a little hint of uncertainty in it.]

And I guess- Well my headmaster at school was the one who really drilled it home. But- That's kind of idea of the work I do back at home.

[ Bigby already wasn't looking very pleased, but he doesn't look happy with this answer either. Not because of Ruby - since she did actually answer the questions, and it seems like she's being honest about it too - but because of her world. Because-- ]

That's fucking bullshit.

[ Sorry, Ruby. Not to critique your entire society here or anything, but-- no, wait, that's actually exactly what he's doing here. ]

I'm not saying you're a little kid, Ruby. But you're still young. The idea that you need to be the one to put your life out there on the lines ahead of actual grown adults is insane. Especially if they're forcing you to fight when you're not at your best. That shit could be your death sentence! [ He sounds angry about this.

And he is. Because he doesn't want to see Ruby die. Fuck that noise. If he didn't care, he wouldn't be getting this upset in the first place. Bigby is good at staying out of stuff that's none of his business.

This, however, feels like his business now. ]

( open ) i'm guessing that i've grown horns

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cw: gore, violence against animals

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