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

[bigbaddy]

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: )

Comments

[bigbaddy]

[ Well, that gives Bigby a neat excuse to have to avoid answering that question. Especially since he can easily confirm the other is right when Bigby himself looks down at the tracks - they're exactly as Erichthonios himself describes them.

Maybe that's why the man opts to go quiet, just in case they're near. He doesn't want to give away their presence and give the wildcats the advantage. And while he's pretty sure Erichthonios likely figures the same, he still puts a finger to his lips to ask for silence, just in case.

Then Bigby starts moving a little slower, a little more quietly, looking around the area, and--

It seems that he's spotted something, since he beckons with an arm for Erichthonios to get closer, and then carefully points something in the distance out to him.

Turns out-- it's indeed a wildcat. And indeed a big one, like Bigby said.

Except this isn't just a regular big cat. It has a strange kind of muscle to it, like the cat happens to be a prowrestler in its spare time. ]

[aetherialshackles]

[Worry not, Erich is not very likely to go back to that question himself. Mostly because he has his answer already and it's 'no, there isn't' and it's applied to pretty much everyone in there. And right now the beasts near them are a big priority over... pretty much anything else.

He squints, looking forward and trying to study those things, they're more similar to the beasts he used to deal with than the rest of the fauna he met in that place so far... and that's why he's more wary than them. That thing is just not natural enough. One hand closes around the sickle's handle, the other is already holding one of the smaller, quick to burn torches. He... never really did any of this before and he turns in Bigby's direction, awaiting any direction from the better trained man.

Please don't mind the snow around his feet already starting to melt down because he's... incredibly nervous and his body is already heating up. Hopefully he won't slip when it'll be time to run.]

[bigbaddy]

[ At first Bigby doesn't really notice what's happening with the other guy. He's too focused on the creatures in the distance, and it's only after a few moments of quiet observation that he bothers to look over at Erichthonios.. and sees his little situation. Thankfully Bigby is aware at this point that some people in town have that strange fire power, so he does realise that's likely what's happening here. Didn't someone say it might be tied to-- to emotions or whatever? Is Erichthonios that worried?

No matter how Bigby comes across, it's not like it doesn't tug at his heartstrings a little. So after thinking for a moment, he reaches out with his free hand to squeeze Erich's shoulder. ]

Hey. [ It's a whisper, obviously. He's not dumb enough to talk at full volume so that thing over there can actually hear them. ] It's fine. You stay here. I'll take care of it. Alright?

[ It's not like he's going to force the other further into this mess if he's worried already. Bigby figures he can handle it, even if that wildcat looks stronger than he imagined. The important part is that Erich is here to witness things in case it does go wrong, just so there's someone to tell the rest of town about it. ]