Who: Those injured in the confrontation with Danté, Medical Pavilion Staff, and anyone else who'd like to join in
When: Late morning
Where: Medical Pavilion
What: Treating the injured, and other various little scenes

The medical pavilion was usually busy with minor things, the sort of everyday injuries that one would expect to see in small cities. There were no gunshots wounds to worry about, or car accidents to pry people from. There were no rapes, or gang related incidents. The 'normal' injuries that could be found in a secluded haven like Elysium were things like cuts, and scrapes. Occasionally a broken bone would come through the place, or a baby would be born, and the staff could always count on the full moon to bring them lycan related injuries.

So when the victims from the altercation with a non-full moon crazed werewolf came in the night before the medical pavilion staff was excited to say the least. It wasn't the idea of having injured citizens that was exciting, but it was the chance to use their skills to the fullest that was. Granted everyone would rather have injury free people in the haven, but there were something that felt right about getting the chance to use the skills you had to help the people around you.

Needless to say Zane didn't sleep all night, and he was still going strong the next morning when it came time to check in on the patients. "I need someone to check in on Ms. Wilson in room three, Mr. Connolly in room five, and Mr. Ishikawa in room seven. Get their vitals, see if they're awake yet, and if there are any complications then come and get me. So, any volunteers?"

Who: Giles and Midori
When: Evening
Where: Midori's place
What: Harassing Talking to Midori about the picture she sent.
Warnings: The pervert in Midori's home? Come on now. Even the start of this is perverted.

How do you get an ego boost? Well, by getting a seat on the Vice Council. Though it wasn’t like back home where his position got him the possibility of getting laid more, it was pretty gratifying. What was even more satisfying was discovering a picture of Midori in her not so usual attire. Nope, it wasn’t by accident. She deliberately sent him a picture and the empath took that as an invitation to be able to visit her.

Oh boo hoo, his daughter didn’t congratulate him. He wasn’t expecting her too. In fact she asked him if he was going to make a law that ordered all women to walk around topless during the summer. This was a possibility. They could be carrying concealed weapons in between their breasts. Plus, he bet his daughter wouldn’t mind. Psk, like he didn’t know she didn’t ride the dude train. He’d probably get slapped in the face if he asked her to talk about it. Not to mention it was just weird.

When Giles got to Midori’s place, he didn’t knock. He just invited himself inside.

"Are you naked!?"

Who: Giles and Brian
When: Late Afternoon
Where: The Library
What: IT'S THE GRINCH! He has to make someone's life hell for Christmas Eve



Though Christmas wasn't going to be as exciting as Halloween, hopefully not as scary either, there was still the irritating, overly cheery couples and children who passed Giles asking him for candy. They even asked him to join in on random singing of Christmas carols. Not so kindly he told them to kiss his ass. Giles told one kid that Santa wasn't real. He was an idiot if he hadn't figured that one out. They were in a wonderland sparing them from an Apocalypse. What were the odds that Saint Nick decided to follow along? Sure the kid cried, but he'd grow up to be a better man that favored realism. The family would thank Giles later.

The empath harassed someone at the market a few days ago, so he decided to go for the library. Sascha wouldn't be annoyed and he hadn't seen the nerdy German boy in a while. Teenagers were bitchy. He would have been fun, but he was sure there were other gems that worked there.

Near busting the door open, Giles searched around the library to see it was pretty damn empty. He grabbed a book when he finally notice someone on steeping stool sorting books. Instead of waiting for the man to be finished, Giles threw the book at his ass. "Pardon me, but where are the books on sexual diseases? I have a rash on my private area and I'm concerned. I prefer ones with pictures."

Who: Giles and Midori (because I am an idiot and messed up, lmao :/)
Where: Market area
When: Afternoon
What: Giles is up to no good again..and runs into just who he's looking for

So the Vice Council had nominated Giles to run for the gig and he needed ideas as to why he would be a good member for the crew. No, he couldn’t say he appreciated a good looking ass and some nice fun bags. He couldn’t say he would like a strip club here and there and he couldn’t use the fact that he was a doctor to help out his campaign. Who gave a shit? It wasn’t like he needed to perform CPR on everyone. Though..for the ladies..

“Oh my god..” When he saw Midori’s posters he simply smiled. He hadn’t seen the woman since their date and it was time to see if he could get that fiery woman to come see him if she knew he added some..new additions to the flyers.

Pulling out a red marker from his pocket, he began to doodle on the flyers.

Will take top off for your support.

He’d pay to see that. People shouldn’t underestimate the goods on that woman. Though she would snip out both your jugular and your balls before you got to touch anything on her body, Giles had the benefit of knowing what was underneath those formal clothes.

He began to whistle while continuing to doodle on all of her flyers.

Who: General Narrative
When: Early Morning
Where: Town Hall
What: Letters to all Vice-Council Nominees

The Vice-Council nominations was the first political venture of Elysium, and therefore it was taken very seriously by the Head Council. The council hoped that those nominated would take the endeavor seriously since at the end of it all they would be in charge of many things in the haven. Their appointment would not only assist the Head Council in various tasks, but those in the Vice-Council would serve as examples for the rest of the citizens.

The community was not small enough that everyone knew everyone by name or by face alone. Those nominated for the position of Vice-Council would have to get their name out to the public, they would have to campaign for votes amongst the citizens. The Head Council sent out letters to each of the nominees to congratulate and to inform them of the upcoming campaigning period.

( THE LETTER DISPATCHED: Giles Audley, Devin Blair, Sascha Connolly, Midori Kamiyama, Dominic Powell, Leon Saunders, Corisanthias Xyllaniasodas, Peter Ross, Scarlet Faherty, Beatrice Darcy-Bertrand, Travis Nielsen. )

Who: Everyone
When: Afternoon
Where: Town Hall
What: The nominees for the Vice Council are announced!

The Head Council had been busy as of late with the homicides of Faye Capricia and Kaiya Sato. It had filled the priestess's heart with much sorrow knowing that someone had deliberately taken the lives of the innocent fae. Not only that, but it was done by a fellow citizen, someone who lived in the haven with them all. The question on the priestess's mind was how were they to ensure everyone's safety when the danger came from within?

Theora didn't have much time to ponder that question, however, since it was time to announce the nominees for the Vice Council. She put on a smile for the gathered crowd, and stepped up to the podium to speak. "Citizens of Elysium," she began, her aura exuding a calm glow to ease the worries of the people. "Thank for you for coming out her today to meet those who have been nominated for the Vice Council positions. I will call out the names of those who have been nominated, and, if they so wish he, or she, may accept the nomination and give a short speech to the audience. However, if the nominee wishes to decline, they may do so as well."

The priestess waited for the small whispers in the crowd to die down before she continued. She looked at her paper with the names of all of those who had been nominated. Hopefully, some of them would be here today to accept their nomination. She began to read from the list slowly, as to give each nominee time to respond.

"Amada Ontiveros-Smith... Beatrice Darcy-Bertrnd... Corisanthias Xyllaniasodas... Devin Blair... Dominic Powell... Giles Audley... Leon Saunders... Malcolm Gray... Midori Kamiyama... Peter Ross... Pietro Conté... Sascha Connolly... Scarlet Faherty... Travis Nielsen... Zane Smith."

Theora allowed each person who accepted their nomination a few moments to speak to the crowd, stating why they would be good for one of the Vice Council positions. Once they were finished with their miniature speeches, Theora took to the podium once more.

"Our candidates will now begin their campaigning to garner your votes. This will continue until January of next year, when you will be placing our final votes for the positions. Thank you again for your time, and may Elune be with you."

( Notes on the nominees. )

Who: Everyone!
When: From sunset onward!
Where: Around the Ancient Elven Tree
What: All Hallow's Eve Festival!

ooc: to join in on the festivities, simply comment to the main post. Your entry can be a narrative or open to others. If you are replying to someone else reply to their comment and not to the main post. All activities are open for participation, it is up to your discretion what your character will do.

The sounds of happy parade goers filled the evening air as the citizens of Elysium marched from the town toward the festival near the Ancient Elven Tree. Many of the citizens were dressed in costume, and it was obvious that they had been looking forward to the All Hallow's Eve event. The lively music, provided by the fauns, set the overall tone of the parade. Many of the citizens were singing along to the music, while others whooped and cheered. Their path toward the Ancient Elven Tree was lighted by magical sparklers that never lost their energy, and some citizens even had hand-held sparklers that they waved around happily. Sorcerers enchanted objects to light up the sky like fireworks, while small fairies fluttered around the citizens like fireflies.

( Onto the festivities! )

Who: Midori Kamiyama and Giles Audley
When: Evening
Where: The Restaurant, Helicharis
What: The Date of the Randy Doctor and the Ice Queen of Hokkaido.

Midori self-consciously tugged on the hem of her skirt. She was feeling more than a little exposed. She was dressed in a short red silk dress. It had a vaguely kimono-like style, which Mitsuko said would make her feel more comfortable. But with the plunging neckline and short hemline, Midori didn't know if she had ever been more uncomfortable. With the knee-high boot Mitsuko had lent her, Midori felt like an utter tramp. No doubt Giles would be terribly pleased with the attire.

She wanted that damn man to get there. While she wasn't particularly looking forwards to his lewd comments, she felt like an idiot just standing around waiting for him to arrive. The sooner he got there, the sooner they could get this ridiculous sham of a date over with.

Despite her ill feelings, Midori felt her heart speed up a tad. There was something exciting about having a man who wanted to do nothing but lavish attention on her. She had never taken the time to enjoy such things before. Perhaps it was time.

Who: Giles, Marley and Riley
When: Late Afternoon
Where: Audley Cottage
What: Midori owes Giles' a date. Tonight is the night and he's got two pain in the asses trying to offer advice before he tries to get laid the lucky event.

“If you keep following me, I’m going to lead you into my underwear pile.” Giles was trying to get away from his daughter who was stalking him throughout their cottage. Five bonus points on the Giles scoreboard for the brat actually showing interest in a conversation. On The down side, she was only interested because the midget Empath knew something was up. “When you think about it though, that’s a good thing. You could actually do something in this house. But start with my socks”

It took Giles awhile to realize there was a third party in the house and he only stopped for a moment to make an obvious face of irritation then continued on. “Who’s the blonde with decent sized funbags?” She was a short little thing, but he’d still do her. She looked of age so he wasn’t quite in the dirty old man territory.

( Riley gave an arch of the brow. Marley wasn’t kidding when she said her father was something else )

Who: Giles and Constance (You can’t escape meeeee!!! But yell at me if this isn’t okay :3)
When: Mid Morning
Where: The Restaurant
What: Giles interrupts someone’s breakfast

The best part of Elysium was that there wasn’t a Starbucks on every corner. Apparently towns looked ultra cool if there were two story coffee shops that charged you five dollars for coffee because people couldn’t get off their own asses and make it on their own. Damn Italy for creating a monster. But bless Elysium for no more Crapuccinos.

Today Giles felt like a lazy ass himself because he didn’t feel like cooking something himself. But he was trekking all the way to Town to check out what the restaurant had to offer. From what he had heard the food wasn’t as bad as what his expectations were leading towards. He was thinking aged oatmeal and fresh squeezed orange juice at best. But as he neared the place, the smell proved otherwise.

When Giles was inside his head moved around slowly to inspect what people were eating. He stole an apple off a couples’ table and wiggled his brows. “Don’t worry. In about a day or so you’ll have it back.” He took a bite and began to search for a place to sit. He didn’t want to sit with anyone honestly but the damn place was packed. Didn’t people..oh he didn’t know. Have lives? Didn’t they want to stay inside and snuggle?

Giles found a woman perhaps older than him sitting by herself. Hm, pretty hot for her age. Ten points for planning on invading her privacy. Without asking he sat across from her and propped up his feet. “Busy day here. Makes me hope half of these people don’t live in the Forest cottages. They’re annoying.” He took another bite from his apple and then put the fruit occupied hand to the side. “Oh, I’m sorry. Is this seat taken?”

Who: Giles and Midori
When: Afternoon sometime
Where: Front of his cottage
What: Giles is setting up a sign in his front lawn and gets company

With all the dogs running around or whatever the hell with four legs, Giles was actually making an effort to do something with his life. He got up early in the morning to go to the art supply store to get some basic stencils and he made a good looking wood shaper ..Vance..Vince something like that make him a wooden sign. It was blank before, but now it clearly read.

NO ANIMAL SHIT IN MY YARD

The message was loud and clear and he didn’t care if a set of ‘darling’ puppies were set in front of him. Dog shit was dog shit and he didn’t want it around his house. Couldn’t they make a designated area for animals?

With that deed done, he looked around and figured it was time to hit the good old cottage for some food and a day without his daughter. Maybe she was out getting drunk and hanging out with the giants, hmm..maybe the gnomes. If they were like the Travelocity ones, then it would be one hell of a party.

Who: Everyone
When: 5 PM
Where: The Mausoleum by the Temple
What: Dr. James Pryce's wake

Zane stood in front of his mirror, adjusting the tie just one more time before he would slip on the black jacket. He could hear Pryce's voice in his mind, "Why so dressed up, Smithy? Planning on getting laid tonight?" The thought made him smile a little, only to find that the idea of never having to hear his friend's voice tore him up inside. He swallowed the lump in his throat, and smoothed out his hair before he left for the mausoleum.

The tone was somber as with any funeral service. The attendees were downtrodden, and a few of them were crying. Zane was trying his best not to be effected by it, but it was hard when there at the front of the room was Pryce's coffin. It was left open for anyone who wanted to come up and say a few words to the dearly departed, or for anyone who wanted to pay their respects. Though many people did not know Doctor Pryce personally, many knew of him since he was one of the few doctors in Elysium.

The service was presided over by Theora, and the Elven priestess spoke words that offered comfort for those who felt the loss the deepest. "Do not think of James as being gone," she said. "For he will live on forever in our hearts and memories. We honor him best by living our lives to the fullest." Zane had kept his emotions in check until the moment he walked up to Pryce's coffin. The top half was left open, and Pryce was lying inside, dressed up in his nicest suit. He looked like he was sleeping, and in some ways that brought Zane some comfort.

"This is it, buddy," he said in a low voice. The tears that had welled up in his eyes were falling down his face now, and the doctor made no attempt to hide them. "Look at you, all dressed up. I don't think I've seen you this dressed up since the wedding." He chuckled a little through the streaming tears, wiping them away with the heel of his hand. "I can't believe you keeled over on me before our next poker night," he added, trying to make light of the situation. "Dammit..." The jokes weren't working as well as he thought, but he kept talking. "Thanks for everything, but most of all, thanks for being my friend. It won't be the same without you." Zane wiped at his tears again and moved to pat Pryce's cold hands as they lay folded along his middle. "See you later, buddy."

And with that Zane moved away from the coffin, making room for the next person to say a few words to the late Doctor James Pryce.

Who: Giles and Circe
When: Late Evening
Where: Circe's forest cottage
What: Giles leaves a naughty gift to see if he's still got his favorite cottage buddy and gets caught!
Warning: It's Giles and considering the gift..*cough*

When you are so caught up in your own crap, you don't take the time to care about other peoples crap. Especially if you are Giles. It was pathetically sad that he had forgotten about his most prized neighbor. The neighbor that not only didn't care that he was spying on her in the nude, but actually took no offense to his natural turn of the switch to acclaim a woman's funbags and ass if impressive to him. Where did she go? Was she okay? If a woman was willing to be that patient with him and even enjoyed bantering with him? Yeah, he was going to check up on her. Of course he was concerned as well for her own well being and not for his own benefit. Sometimes he saw her pacing around (sadly only through her curtain, he had to play the guessing game if she was nude of not) and it concerned him that he never saw her running anymore. Hell, it was hard work getting up early for a free show.

He truly did have to be serious. So, he better have a reason to be concerned. If not a reason then maybe come over with a gift. What? Hell no. He wasn't turning into some sap because he was a 'father'. He was still going to pull a stunt he would have a few weeks ago before a gigantic 'life sucks' tag was placed on his ass.

So, he went to that punk rock, bitchy little vampire named Kento, Kasunki, whatever and asked him for a favor. Though he fought him tooth and nail, Giles eventually got his way. Kazuki, yes that was his name, finally gave him his little gift.

( Strolling towards her house with a smile on his face, he couldn't help but wonder if he could run fast enough. )

Who: Giles and Emily
Where: near the Plancks' forest cottage
When: early afternoon
What: Meeting again and having a serious discussion.

Emily pulled one of the chairs from the dining room outside to the front porch and covered it with a couple of blankets in order to make it more comfortable, adding two pillows. She sat down and covered her legs with another blanket, uncapping her pen and alighting it on her notepad as she prepared to think of more lesson plans for her young class. Every one of her students was absolutely adorable and she took special interest in Maddy because the girl was her direct connection with Malcolm. Unfortunately, concentrating seemed to be impossible at the moment - she'd have to work on lesson plans later when she was in a more focused mood.

Her thoughts wandered as she gazed into the lovely forest. It had been days and still she was in disbelief that she'd actually danced in front of everyone. Needless to say, she wanted to dance again... maybe a slow dance with Malcolm. No one had to be good to slow dance and they needed to do romantic things together more frequently. A familar figure appeared in the distance and Emily saw it to be Giles. It'd been a while since they had their interesting conversation and it never hurt to say hello at least. She rose from her chair, placing the pen and pad on it before heading towards the man. There was something hanging over him that she took a moment to decipher as she didn't know him that well.

"Hello, Giles," Emily said with a smile. "Remember me, Emily? I hope you've been well." If not, she took it upon herself to help as much as possible. There was also the possibility that they would just have a pleasant conversation, which was fine by her. "Keeping busy with fun things, I should imagine?" It seemed to her that he was the type to include a healthy balance of fun and work in his daily routine. Goodness, where was her manners? "And if you'd like some tea or something else to drink, I would be more than happy to make you some." She offered a small but affectionate smile to him.

Who: Giles and Dione
When: Early Evening
Where: Medical Pavilion
What: Physical, Physical..I wanna get..


Tranquilizing an irritating teenager was legal here right? You know legal dose to ease her out of the ‘pain in the ass’ status. No responsibility if she just slept all day and didn’t bitch and moan. Ah, he could smell the whiff of his crappy parenting skills in the Pavilion hallway. It wasn’t his fault, he didn’t ask for karma to kick him straight perfect in the nads.

He wasn’t there for anyone else but himself of course. The day he came to the Pavilion without force for someone else’s well being was the day he was going to score with that elf chick he tried to hit on many days prior. He paused for a minute to wonder what that woman was up to. Add to attempts: Try to get her to aid him home. Shame on Giles. He hadn’t thought of that one. Didn’t they need partners at night since some boogie monster may be lurking around? Yes, Elune or whatever the hell keep him safe and then some.

He veered off towards the safe keeping of where the aspirin and pain medication was located and began to not so quietly toss out the medication that was in the way of what he was seeking. “This stuff looks like-“He smelt it and scrunched his nose. “Ugh and smells like it has expired in 1990.” He sighed in frustration looking down for a moment. “This. Sucks.” Where the hell was the good stuff?

He was about to continue his careless search for pain medication that wouldn’t feel like a placebo when he felt like he wasn’t alone. Duh, it was a medical facility. But maybe someone was nearby. He turned around to notice someone of company he certainty wouldn’t mind.

“Don’t mind me. I’m just sorting the meds from useless, to complete crap. So far I have complete crap and I haven’t made it to useless yet.” He looked her over. “I’m a doctor. Are you injured?” Above the waist? Or anywhere above the knees? He thought to himself. But of course, he looked as harmless as ever.

Who: Marley and Giles
When: Late Afternoon
Where: Garley forest cottage
What: Time to talk

Marley shifted in her seat, eyes looking downwards in attempt to convince herself she wasn’t trying real hard to get a certain someone to understand that she was tired of playing a waiting game. She tried a few things to get Giles to speak. Tapping her fingers obnoxiously, singing, sighing in ways that proved she was annoyed. But still she got nothing. It figured. She planned the perfect time to corner Giles while he was sitting down and now all she was granted was silence and frustration on her end.

Finally she put her feet up on the table and slid down so her shoes were near in her father’s face. “I’m going to keep trying to do something that irritates you until you start talking to me.” She waved a foot back and forth. “You can’t just grumble everyday when I try talking to you. You got to say something. Even if it’s just go away or something.” She folded her arms before she slid back in an upright position. Clearing her throat, Marley fumbled her fingers and held a much more serious expression.

“I’m serious. I know this is weird and all for you. But it’s not like it’s easy for me, either. Stop being so grumpy and just talk to me. It’s not like I expect us to hold hands and frolic around in the woods.” She shrugged, giving him a pout. “I’m a big girl. I've learned well. Lucky for you, you missed the hard work.” There was a teasing look in her eye. She figured if she poked at him a bit she could at least get some words in return.

Who: Everyone!
When: 6:30 PM
Where: The Beach, by The Tiki Hut
What: Zane and Amada's Wedding Reception!

OOC: Everyone is welcome to join the party! Start a new sub-thread to interact with others, or keep an eye out for open sub-threads for you to join! Or if you don't feel like interacting, type up a narrative for your character.

The sun's rays shining out from below the horizon signaled the start of the wedding reception to celebrate Zane and Amada's happy nuptials. The area around Loki's Tiki Hut was set up with festive tiki torches that illuminated the entire area all the way down to the rim of the lake. Each lamp was entwined in green vines and white flowers, and the sand here was also 'planted' with green grass to add to the tropical theme. The tables were decorated with floating candle and flower centerpieces and around each centerpiece were several glass blown wedding favors in the shape of sail boats. Each table also had small boxes of clamshell shaped chocolate for everyone to enjoy.

Soft music lingered in the air and though the night sky was filled with stars some of the fae-folk had enticed lightning bugs to come out and provide romantic lighting above the tables and dance floor. Dinner for the guests was set up buffet style with a variety of foods provided by the restaurant in town. Drinks — alcoholic and non-alcoholic alike — were provided by Loki and his Tiki Hut served as the bar. The ever enchanting Faye Capricia had agreed to the last minute request of providing live singing entertainment for the reception. The dance floor was nothing but the soft sand beneath their feet and, as much as it may have dismayed the bride, even the lake monsters joined in on the festivities as they sang their song and splashed around in the water.

All in all it was a beautiful reception with a little bit of everything for everyone to enjoy, and it was the perfect way to spend the evening in the company of friends or with a special someone.

Who: Circe and Giles
When: 7AM
Where: Circe's Cottage
What: Two people with two very different views on how to enjoy the rain.

The night had been strange, Circe had tossed and turned until she'd finally given up on sleep at 2AM. It was strange because she'd never had trouble sleeping through a thunderstorm before. In fact, she always had her best nights sleep when the skies were raging. But there were thoughts running through her head, feelings flooding her heart, and it was all so frustrating. So she'd managed to read two of her old books on Archaeological Sites of the World and at 6AM, despite the rain, she'd gone for a run. Running in the rain always felt good, and running away from what was left of civilisation was always a good idea. Besides, through the rain there was an odd smell coming from that direction. In fact it smelled bad from her front door so she'd escaped out the back.

Escaping was a good way to put it.

With her legs up against the open window, Circe relaxed in the warmth of her bath as she watched the rain continue to fall. It was all so beautiful, so perfect. It reminded her of her home. The number of times she'd pushed open her windows as a child and let the rain in, just so she could breathe in the freshness of it all. There was something beautiful about watching the rain fall in Wales. It had never been as nice after they'd left. It was still beautiful in Scotland, but it wasn't the same. Then, of course, rain was never a good thing at a dig. Finding her thoughts lingering on her family, she abruptly climbed out of the bath and grabbed her towel. The mirror, her greatest foe, drew her attention and she turned willingly.  "I hate you, and I'm never going to stop hating you." She growled at the scars in her reflection.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she bent down and unplugged the bath. As she waited for it to drain she look out the window one last time. It took a moment before she noticed him and she couldn't help but scream, almost losing her towel completely as she jumped away from the window. "Oh my God!" She tightened her towel and turned back to the window, "what the hell are you doing?"

Who: Giles and Kazuki
Where: Main Road
When: Near Midnight
What: You know you're too drunk when...[Snippet]

Giles somewhat stumbled down the main road, eyes half closed as he was trying to sleep at the same time. His head drooped down at least a dozen times, but when his chin hit towards his neck, that was his friendly wake up call not to 'drink and walk.'

Some animals were making loud noises and he made a rather loud "SHHH" noise drawn out for at least thirty seconds. He squinted an eye.

"You mind!? Some of us are trying ta sleep!" He yelled drunkly and grumbled in the direction of the animals.

( Fucken inconsiderate animals. Probably gettin' more ass than I am. )

WHO: Open to All (more than one character invited to join!)
WHEN: Just after sunrise
WHERE: On the road to Helicharis
WHAT: Finding dead things

Sunrise brought many things to the land, but one did not expect that death would be amongst them. And yet it was there in the middle of the gravel road that led straight into town. The scent of blood and dead flesh attracted flies and carrion crows alike. They hovered over the dead animal, buzzing around frantically as they searched for a place to land. Occasionally they would scatter when the dark birds would swoop in, picking through the ashen fur to get to the meat, while others simply went for remains of the organs that were spilled upon the ground. They cawed loudly at one another, fighting over the animal that lay there with passive, grey eyes that still looked out upon the world.

It was not a pretty sight. One could tell that this animal used to be a beautiful creature when it was filled with life. The reddish-grey fur held dark, black spots all over its body. The lifeless eyes peered out from what seemed to be a sweet face. The same reddish-grey color here was marked with black lines instead of spots streaking outward from the nose. Black tufts decorated the tips of its ears while the fur around its neck ruffed out like a collar. The animal's paws were huge and heavily padded and one could imagine that this animal was a stealthy hunter, one that could tread the forests without being seen or heard.

And yet somehow it was lying in the middle of the road. Dead, the victim of something that was either much bigger, or much stronger than it was. It had no chance of survival though it was obvious that it had put up quite a fight. The claws of the predatory cat were covered in blood and there were slight remnants of fur — or was it fabric? — still clinging to them. The cat itself had suffered from slashes from its opponent as well before it had fallen. A victim of a broken neck, obvious by the position of the head, or perhaps it had bled to death from the puncture wounds in its neck? Even more likely was the large slice across its belly that spilled its innards. Most of the larger organs were gone now, scattered along the way as it was dragged across the land, but for the most part the sinewy remains of the intestines, both large and small, were hanging limply from its body.

Nevertheless it was dead and out in the open for all to see. The question was whether or not anyone would take notice before the carrion carried away the body one piece at a time.