The Island

Varin's head started to spin at the sound of another voice, his relex to turn around proving to be another reason for him to hate himself for it. Some kind of shark creature grimacing at him for trying to get away from the bird creature. However, before he could say anything, He was pulled away and pulled up from the ground.

"Now, newbie, why don't you and I have a talk. This place isn't all roses and smiles as you can very well tell. There are creatures on this island that you've never even heard of and you can bet the people here have their hands elbow deep in all of it. I can make sure that you survive this, if you'd like my help, of course that would mean that you would have automatic obligation to help me in return." Varin blinked, trying to get his mind stright at answer this...bird, lizard creature that was striking him a deal. It wasn't like he had a chose in the matter, if he was to survive here, he would need all the help he could get.

"What do you want in return, exactly?" He said, plainly crossing his arms as so not to fidget in fear of this thing before him. However, his toe tip tapping wasn't helping his cause of not looking fearful as it was thumping the ground like a frightened rabbit. "As of right now I have nothing to give other than carving things, but being pushed off of a boat doesn't leave me with much."

Alex shrugged off his remarks without batting an eye. it was par for the course and he was becoming predictable with his insults. There's only so many cripple, fish man jokes one can tell to keep it fresh.

Ideally they should have been smart enough to partner up with another new islander. Least that way they could figure out what was going on together. A level playing ground where neither had anything more than sheer skill over the other. Make it less likely for a monopoly to be formed right away. Like with what Tex was attempting. Alex huffed a half laugh when the kid said his only skill that he viewed had value was carving. "A whittler. Great catch ya got there Te's."

It wasn't everyday that he had the possible option to give Tex an actual hard time. There weren't many people to take advantage of on the island in the past, staff were too smart to fall for his silver tongue, most of the time. Now it was more possible for it to be like a breeding ground for seedy promises and near-truth lies. Just the thought alone made him feel ill. "Word of a'vice kid. Better off helpin' yourself then gettin' it from a feather'd snake." He grumbled while wiping off his face the best he could. Using his hand like a huge bowl he scoops up water and pours it over himself to clear the sandy debris away.

Alex would be more informative to those willing to listen if it wasn't for the bird brain who had to stick his beak into everything. He didn't want that dirty, naked idiot to end up hearing something of value and getting to it first before the others could. It wasn't long before he could hear other people nearby and lazily ducked back again to be part of the scenery.

"Hmmmh, why don't you shut your mouth, Alex." Tex hissed, eyes narrowed with irritation. The man was always judging, always had something to say, pretending to be the wise one of the island. He may not agree with the things he did but it didn't mean he actually knew any better. "Tell the man he's useless why don't you? No one is useless save for the one who can't even leave the water without shriveling up like a salted leach. Crafty hands are better than no hands at all." Tex wrapped a wing around Varin as if to protect him from Alex's heartless words.

"My payment is simple after all. Simply head my words when I give you advise. I will make sure the others don't harm you and that the wildlife doesn't kill you. My first advice? Head to the beach. Now before the others realize the gold mine of resources there. If you want to survive you must get to it. You're a crafty man and if anyone's going to make real use of that stuff it's you." Tex released him and nodded in the direction of the beach.

Varin shivered at the feel of Tex's wing being around him as if he were a friend helping him. Though at this point his trust was weary, but this...thing's mental state was better than some of the other's he's met so far. Even if he was some kind of bat thing. He listened to his words with intent, for in his mind either getting off this island or at the very least making himself hard to find was a priority.

"If that's what it takes. But alright." He muttered to himself as he felt himself being pushed away. He nearly tripped over himself, but corrected himself just enough to get himself into a jog toward the beach. He looked at the ground as he jogged, and soon turned on his heel in an epiphany. He jogged back toward the the bird thing and tilted his head to the side. "I nearly forgot something. What do I call you?" He asked, tapping his fingers together to keep from figgiting again. The fact that his...advisory was something that made it very hard to look at for the moment. At the very least, he could pick out the sound of his voice.

Alex was already sick of their little exchange. By the time he was called a salted leach he thrashed his powerful tail to give Tex a good cool down with a nice soaking wave of liquid. Lord knows he stunk badly enough to require a bath. Lucky for the man the water was fresh and not salt water. Otherwise the salts in it would weigh down his wings making it more difficult to fly. He didn't stay to watch. Instead he ducked under the water and made his way towards the beach. The previously shallow waterway that spanned the last twenty or so feet to the mouth of the river that drained into the ocean had been worked on long enough to deepen it from a shallow two inches to a good foot and a half depth. Then again that was before the waves started picking up near the shore.

Tex gave a piercing screech the moment the water touched him. He leapt up into the air, wings working furiously. He scrambled onto a low branch, clinging to it with his wings and scratching deep gauges into the bark with his talons. He continued hissing wildly sounding like a cross between an angry lizard and a large bird. He shook himself repeatedly as he finally got himself in a steady position on the branch. He swung upsidown to free his wings and used them to rub the water from his fur, again shaking his body every few seconds.
"That......that fuck!" He hissed angrily


"I'm going to show him the sky one of these days. Bring him way up in the cloud layer see how he enjoys that. The harsh winds should bring him down a good few notches." Tex growled under his breath. "Look kid, just call me Tex. Get your ass down to those beaches before you loose the rest of the daylight. Time is of the essence."

Tex then shook himself one last time. His fur was sticking on end in places. Fluffy and airdryed. He scrambled up the tree with ease to the top branches to make his departure taking one big leap into the air and spreading his wings.

The jog to the beach was something that was somewhat welcome at this point. Strangely peaceful in a place that Varin knew now was going to be full of unspeakable horrors. Although he wished that none or at least very few of them would befall him, time was of the essence as the Bird man pointed out.

Supplies were needed, though his mind wandered about the place, taking note of everything around him in case. The sound of the waves made him shiver, remembering the feeling of floating in the open water. At the very least, the open water gave him only two options: Sink or Swim. Here, there was more than enough options that made his head spin with all sorts of mental images.

However, he was torn from his mental meandering by a loud screech coming from the direction he was going. As he got closer, he saw Tex, visibly angry and two other people. One of them he had met before, though hadn't talked to while the other he had never seen before. 'Must be a whole shipment of people...'

He rolled his eyes, climbing up onto the boat looking like he had just woken up from a bad nap and blinked a couple times. "Dun pissed off the wildlife, huh?" He said in his normal matter of fact tone as he started to wander around the boat as if looking for something. "Find anything of some value?"

Crombie had exited through the door to the outside. He shivered immediately from the rush of wind down his neck, and the mist of the water. It as a beach! At last, something he could identify with. He smiled faintly, he loved the beach. He loved the wind, the smell, and the sand. He stood and admired the feeling of the breeze, but it wasn't long until he heard a rustle and nearly jumped out of his skin. After that, he got himself going. His cane jumped from left to right hitting brush and rocks off to the sides. From what he could tell he was on a narrow path leading to what he hoped was a clearing.

The path began to slope and he stumbled over rocks imbedded in the dirt beneath him. He caught himself on a tree, his cheeks flushed, praying there was no one was around to see. Crombie grumbled at his cane, though he had to be grateful, he could have been without it.

He heard the bobbing of what sounded like driftwood and other objects in the distance, he wasn't far from shore. He eventually continued by inching his way down the small hill, and pretty much the rest of his walk, running his cane along the ground thoroughly this time. Soon, his shoes sank into sand and he sighed. Maybe the beach would make his captivity a little more bearable. The shore was littered with weeds, wood and other things he couldn't identify. He kept walking until the sand was damp, and then Crombie just stood.

He was visible for nearly anyone to see, and he was sure many people were out here, but he just didn't care. He was frustrated and uncertain, so he just stood and stared at what he could only imagine. It could have been a chaotic sight, it probably was, but in his mind it was still picturesque.

Varin's look on the chaos was as everyone else, even with the net, Varin wasn't one to keep himself idle for long. He needed something to do with his hands. However with the fight going on and with the boat creaking like it was on it's last leg, he started to grab what ever what in arms reach (including some peices of wood) and jumped off the ship.

He jumped off the ship, landing feet first as he fumbled with some of the items in his arms. "This isn't out fight! Come on!" He yelled to violet as he looked around. Again, that feeling of being led on by something. He noticed some cans in the sand; one, maybe two of them sitting there. Granted, living in the northwest where farmers markets were the norm and one was able to ask were the food came from and how to do it; something like canned food wasn't what he had in mind. However, the situation called for this sort of thing.

He opened the net, setting what he found in the boat inside like a makeshift bag and slung it over his shoulder. He had done what the bird-man said, even with him fighting with the other experiments at least his advice was sound. "Gah! Jesus, don't sneak up on me like that!" His head snapped toward Evan, seeing the cans in his arms, making his anger slightly well up as his thoughts started to slide into darker territory. "HEY! I HOPE YOU AREN'T THINKIN' ABOUT MAKING OFF WITH THOSE!" he yelled in his direction.

Violet tries to keep an eye on what the others are doing while keeping the large birdman in sight. When Varin declares this to not be 'our fight', Violet can find little logical reason to argue. But she has already committed her self to this course and will see it through. And she can't shake the guilt she feels. The accidental wound was her fault and may have given the birdman an unfair advantage. But bullies rarely need an excuse and this birdman was clearly a bully.

Violet continues to advance slowly trying to appear as threatening as possible with her improvised weapon. But the hot sun makes it impossible to forget she gave most her clothes to Evan before entering the water to get on the boat. And the birdman's appearance terrifies her, such a thing can't... shouldn't exist.
"Leave her alone you beast or I'll... I'll... Or else!"

(Again difficulty Tagging characters. Also, I will repost to the beach if asked.)

Violet stands stunned by the scene in front of her. Her mind sorting through several incompatible motivations and actions. The desire to help and protect her patient. And how to best do that, The facility has resources but doesn't seem to have the patient's best interests in mind. To dispassionately observe the interactions of three unknown species.

But what to do, which one to help and how? She looks at the fishing spear in her hand, not wanting to use the potentially lethal weapon no matter what she decides to do. Realizing those that run this place may not like her to have the spear or the Nautical charts that she still had tucked in her bra either.

Violet quickly finds a small hollow to hide her 'contraband' in and returns to the struggle now armed with a heavy branch.

There was a whip of wind and from what he could tell Evan had left. Even Violet had come and gone in a short amount of time.

Damn it, Crombie cursed at himself, why was he so slow? His hands trembled only faintly, but he assumed this was around the point where he may or may not have a mental break down. Some asshole had dumped him out here. Some asshole thought it would be funny if they dumped a blind guy on an island with a bunch of monsters! His hands trembled maybe even a little harder as he stood there, isolated. He put some of the wait from both of his arms on his cane.

Crombie bit his lip so tightly he swore he had tasted blood. His eyes were shut tightly, and he thought he might snap his cane right in two if he wasn't careful about all this emotional crap. Calm down. The island fell suddenly silent, or at least much quieter in comparison to how it felt before. The chaos in his ears had come to a halt and all he could really focus on was the sound of wind and the waves.

That was enough fresh air for one day...now, if he could just find his way back to the facility, everything might work out okay and he could just hide in his room and sulk for the rest of this horrifying vacation. Crombie prepared himself, and made his way back to where he thought the Facility was located. He stumbled several times, sand building up in his collar and hair every time the wind blew. Soon, he had felt dirt beneath his feet, and sense a small forest of trees ahead of him. Tangible enough for him. He could almost picture the sun through the figures he strained to see, he could almost see the trees, though Crombie still considered himself crazy.

How was he in a forest? He must have taken a wrong turn. The whispers of leaves echoed around him and he was now utterly lost.

Taurus jolted awake moments, perhaps hours later. For a moment all he could do was let out a pitiful mournful moan and huff agitatedly. He was missing a portion of his day some mysterious number of minutes or hours had flitted by him unawares and he found himself severely disoriented. He squirmed shifted and whimpered as sunlight seared his eyes and caused his vision to blur. His lungs where burning, aching. His ribs where sore and his fur was caked in mud, drenched, his thick skin chilled in the shadows of the deep foliage. Wet. Yes....he was in water...he'd dove in...for....some reason... A shark was up the river.

He gave up at that for the time being as a sound caught his senses. A rustling, stumbling. He grunted and got to his hooves. He was in the forest next to the river a ways upstream. Annoyance flickered in the back of his mind. He always ended up wounded, lost, or humiliated when he did what the faceless voices on the walkie told him to do. In a moment of frustration he fumbled with the device, unclipped it and tossed it into the river to let it sink into the mud. They would have to do without him. His hands went to the collar around his neck and he tugged at is uselessly. It was locked on with a metal latch placed high enough on the back of his neck that he couldn't reach it. It needed to be unscrewed or cut with a pair of shears along the thick leather with careful hands as to not set off the circuitry and electrocute him.

Taurus stopped his fussing when more rustling caught his attention. His ears flicked as he swatted at a large tropic fly. He followed the sound until in the distance he could see a familiar white cane and a tall thin figure stumbling about the wilderness.

Crombie was determined to find his way back to the facility, but with every tree his cane struck he lost a little more hope. Surely that wouldn't stop him... He kept moving. His cane met with even more trees, he had even resolved to using them to balance. He didn't remember this many trees before. Where was the elevation and where did the trees end?

He heard a crunch behind him and he hesitated, glancing over his shoulder to hear. There was someone following him. Crombie couldn't make up the words to speak. Maybe it was just an animal, but then he heard the familiar heavy breathing and huffing. It was an animal, but not what he had in mind. He continued forward, as if to foolishly pretend he didn't hear anything, but it was probably a better idea than trying to run or even staying behind to find out the bull's intentions.

There were more heavy steps behind him and Francis' heart began to race, but unfortunately he couldn't keep up. His pant leg caught on a root that protruded from the ground. "Agh!" The blind man had landed on his wrists. The wind had been knocked from him and he gasped, forcing himself up through the pain. Gritting his teeth, Crombie turned around to face Taurus, who wasn't far behind.

Taurus wasn't totally crazy, right? "Hello," he said without further thought. He wasn't going to scream or anything, but he had to say something at this point. It wasn't like it couldn't understand him.

Taurus grunted what could arguably have been taken as a dull reply or a general reaction to Crombie's presence. He lowered his head and nudged Framcis with the side of his strong horns. He huffed and glared at Francis pointedly then trudged past him through the low foliage.

Taurus hesitated then turned back, taking Crombie's hand and guiding it to grasp the long tough fur that coated his back and hunched shoulders. He didn't mind the fur being tugged on in much the way that horses don't tend to mind having their manes pulled. He grunted again and looked behind him to make sure Crombie was alright then began to trudge through toe Jungle, stomping down thistles and pushing aside branches to keep Crombie's way clear. All he really had to do was stay on his shadow.

Crombie had pulled back at the touch of Taurus' horns. It wasn't hurting him or anything, that was a good sign. The bull snorted almost in his face, but enough to make the blind man scoot back a little further. Eventually he was on his feet and Taurus was trying to get him to follow, placing his hand on the bull's thick shoulders. The thing was nearly two feet taller than himself, this fact becoming rather intimidating the more he thought about it, but he didn't refuse the gesture. It wanted him to follow it.

Though hesitant, Francis felt strangely grateful toward the beast and he silently obeyed. As far as he could tell, Taurus had no bad intensions.

As they continued forward in the brush, it seemed Taurus was clearing paths for not only himself, but Crombie as well. He couldn't help but clutch the fur between his fingers to keep a grip on the bull.

"Thank you," he said after many moments of following quietly behind the bull. The idea of already coming to terms with the whole human-morphing crap, actually began to seem more horrifying than what would physically happen.

Deep within an even less known part of the island only a faint glow gives light to the otherwise pitch black and half submerged cave. The entire cave system was a maze of stone tubes in various widths that veered off into unknown directions. Some were large enough that you couldn't see the ceiling while others progressively shrank down to the point where someone's shoulders could easily stick. Add in the reminder that half of it all was flooded. Pockets of air did little to help anyone who dared to navigate the otherwise unlit tunnels. Even a skilled underwater cave diver would be reluctant to map it.

In the uncharted tunnels there were sometimes caves that opened up the claustrophobic passages. Some actually had openings accessible to the outside; though many were almost impossible to enter or leave safely without serious climbing gear. In one such cave the floor was half submerged under fresh water. The surface bubbled before Alex emerged; battered but still far better weathered than his cargo. The unconscious passenger with the movements of a limp rag doll is drudged up through the wet silt. There were no signs of life from the pile of bloody rags and skin. Further inspection of her ice cold skin didn't help with her seemingly dismal prognosis. She was below the surface of the water for too long. Thanks to the bumbling stalling of Taurus trying to wrestle her from Alex.

Past the silt was a patch of solid rock. A ripped bag of scavenged supplies already lay on it. One would expect it to be just as cold as its surrounding areas but it was undeniably warm. A hint of something that hide even deeper than the cave system itself. Thickly webbed hands that more resembled fins pushed down on bruised ribs to compress a still chest. Her body began to react to the change in temperature; shivering after the renewed need to breath forced her to cough up water and expand her aching lungs. Alex had to retreat back to the water or risk having his own weight crush his internal organs if he was beached for too long. There was no way he could give her first aid. For better or for worse, mud packed the wounds she had to at least help stop the bleeding. This was far from an ideal place to heal. If she survived long enough to do so. But it was the closest and the safest spot that no one could get to without gills and prior knowledge of its location.

Red stained the water next to the silt shore. Alex achieved a few wounds of his own from the bull headed beast that was Taurus. If the idiot was smart enough to duck before hitting the low hanging metal platform. The very same platform that marked part of the facility in which the river ran under, as well as one access to the underwater tunnels, he surely would have drowned if he kept holding on. That is, if he didn't slow down Alex first. It wasn't that the bull wasn't getting help. By then, and with so much security near the facility trying to throw in nets into the water canal, it was a wonder that he made it in in time. Still...

By the time the heat died down. The help that he had long wished to snag from one of the newcomers. Well they had already gone back inside the facility. He would have to come back out eventually. There was nothing that could fully sustain him while he hid in the water filled tunnels. The staff were going to be royally pissed with him...

-

-

After Violet gives Byron the 2 cent tour of the lobby area, she heads outside into the jungle.

Once Violet feels they are far enough from the Facility that security can not overhear them anymore, "There was a boat sinking it the bay here... Actually I'm entirely sure how long ago it was but some time ago. But me and some others took some supplies off the boat. I hid them out in the jungle. I plan to check on them and the place I last saw one of the other strange inhabitants of this island is not far from there. I want to check around to see if I can determine what happened to her. At least I think it was a her. After that I will answer other questions I can while we do a little foraging. I'm no expert, but I am a biologist and was a girl scout, so I am confident I identify some non-poisonous plants and fruit. If you want I could try to teach you do it yourself. The food here is nutritionally sound but otherwise rather unpleasant."

Violet begins navigating her way back to point along the stream where Sharkcreature and Minotaur fought over Treeclimber's fate. Oncw she is confident she has found the right place she checks the area for any unwanted eyes.

Evan didn't respond to Bryon when they all piled into the elevator. He'd rather let Bryon stew in it for a while and find things out for himself much like Violet and the others had to when they first woke up. But even they managed to get a few tips to fend for themselves before their first day was over. Violet spoke up; rather quick to let Bryon in on what she had learned in the short time that she was there. He shot her a look. It wasn't anything harsh. More along the lines of, 'Did you have to tell him so soon?'

To their credit Evan was having more fun now than he did with any of the others. Most of the time they would stay in their room and bawl their eyes out, keep picking fights with the guards until an 'unfortunate accident' claimed them or disappeared, never to be seen from again after going into the forest or attempted an escape. He tuned back to Violet when she started talking about the possible food sources on the island. "The only decent food you will find are from ships that occasionally wreck themselves on one of the reefs here, or you happen to be good at trapping any of the wild animals here. Speaking of which-"

He separated from the two to slink off to his not so secure cubbie hole. If anything he could find them again once he did what he needed to do. It was a good chance the girl would go back to where the fight broke out. He didn't know her for long. She just looked like the type not to let things well alone, whether it could cause her trouble or not. Walking toward the beach he rounded the bundle of trees that marked near where his stash would be. The sounds of snorting and sand being tossed around came exactly from where his stored goods were. At first he thought it was another subject who went back out to steal from him. Much to his surprise, he would also find that he made a very big mistake. A large boar was digging up cans and trying to open them to get to the food inside. Some were dented just enough to cause some of their contents to leak. The smells attracted the hungry animal thanks to the light storm winds that kicked up from the ocean.

Just when Bryon and Violet, and anyone else who happened to be with the group, thought that they wouldn't have to deal with the chubby ass, he came running back at full tilt with a horrified look on his face. A couple of cans were tightly clutched in his hands. Squealing from the angry boar could be heard a few paces behind him as it tried to get back at him for startling it. "Go go go go go!"

Taurus had awoken quite a ways down the river that Alex had dragged him through, half drowned and exhausted. His massive mound of dark brown blended in neatly with the surrounding jungle making him pretty much invisible to the patrolling guards that had gone to collect the unrest prisoners. He woke up cold, his fur damp and his whole body aching. With difficulty he got to his feet gripping a nearby tree trunk with his malformed hoof-hands. He snorted, causing the moist dirt and grass to scatter around his muzzle.

Taurus tromped through the jungle until he found the main building of the facility, managing to find the group just as the boar charged for Evan. He gave another warning snort and went down to all fours, his two large deformed hoof fingers acting as the supporting toes on a grazing animal. There where several earth trembling thuds as he charged and a sweep of long curled horns sent the boar flying through the air, squealing like a stuck pig. He barely missed Evan's ankles with that sweep and he could feel the hot breath of the beast just before the dirt flung up by his hooves as he skidded to a halt would have showered Evan's lower legs. It was a close call on two counts for that man but Taurus snorted and stood at his full height, a lumbering golem in their presence, fur caked with mud and strung with vines and peered down at him with massive dewy brown eyes.

---

---

Many hours would pass for creature before she heard an odd scratching in the ceiling of the cave. Tex had landed on what felt like a hollow bit of earth. He dug his talons into the dirt and kicked as best he could, carving up the dirt like soft clay. It took a while and he was cautious not to let the ground collapse right underneath him. Dirt would first trickle down into the cave before clumps began to cascade around creature. Tex eventually had to leap out of the way, flapping his wings hard to get his weight off of it. He hopped down inside once a mouth was opened wide enough and grasped the wounded bundle of blood stained water dampened cloth. His weight would have been felt on her body slightly as he crouched and leapt again, flapping his wings for vertical lift. Being carried by Tex was by no means a gentle and graceful flight, not at such low altitudes with no wind to pick him up. It was abrupt and uneasy as his wings took the whole burden with each forceful thrust, an up and down jerking motion out of the cave only to be dropped onto the soft dirt. Tex landed next to her and crouched low so his face was close to her. He tugged off some of the bindings covering her face and peered at her with a sharp clinical gaze. "You have two choices here, let me tend to you and be indebted to me or die out here in the cold of night. Choose quickly."

Varin's mind went back to the last time he had taken a romp in the jungle. The last time he was here, he had met the bat-lizard man and the shark man. But Varin, for his own depression, was quick on his feet when the time needed it to be. The sound of an angry boar not to far behind them while gathering was enough to get him to find a spring in his step. The feeling of something being off was still pinging away in his mind, it kept him from going to deeply into his own depression.

Clear thought wasn't something that he was considering at the very moment, the only thing that was on his mind was one thing. Survival. As the sound of the boar grew ever closer, he soon found himself climbing a nearby tree to get out of the way of the angry porcine. Unwilling to find himself cut open like a certain fat king from a show he once watched near religiously.

Even with him being out of the way of the boar, the feeling of relief wasn't there as he could feel the shaking of earth below. The sound of the angered boar's death squeal. From where he was, he could see that the boar was not going to die painlessly, but it's not like he was willing to put it out of his misery. However, it was now safe to actually come down. The only problem as he wriggled himself from the branch he was perched on....he couldn't get down. "Shit."

Having spotted a small mushroom patch Violet had crouched down to examine them. And was about to go into some general rules on how identify edible and poisonous mushrooms, when Evan came running in shouting.

Not waiting to find out what is chasing Evan, Violet throws herself to the side away from the path of the incoming. With a splash Violet ends up in the edge of the stream.

"Crap!" Violet was hoping to be able to spend some time examining the sea chart she pulled off the boat and hid, but now. She needs to get cleaned up or risk causing more damage to it. Slowly extracting herself from the river silt, Violet finds she is missing a shoe. "Double crap." Violet takes a few moments to confirm it's gone before returning up the bank to the others.

"Is everyone all right?" Violet looks around and is relieved to find no major injuries. Spotting the dead boar and Taurus, "I guess we all owe you a big 'thank you', big guy." If Taurus let's her Violet gives him a friendly pat on the arm.

"I don't suppose anybody has a knife and knows how to gut an animal. We could have a pretty nice lunch or dinner here. If you can find some flint I can make a knife if anybody knows how to use it."