mandalus :: the city of fates.

Like the times before when the Cult have reared their ugly head, Ruby tried to keep her head down and keep herself busy at the diner. She tried to keep business as usual, while making extra meals for people who might be in need of a hot meal and a safe place to stay at the Bed and Breakfast. But, apparently, this time, even that was too much. Early Friday morning, Ruby was in the diner, pulling the chairs off the tables and wiping them down before breakfast. She had her back to the door and just assumed the marching of boots were heading down the street. It'd happened so often, she hadn't paid much attention at all. Until it was too late. The doors to the diner burst open and the smell of gun oil and sweat was overwhelming. One of the soldiers to the back had one of the phones and appeared to be filming.

Ruby turned, cloth clutched tight in her right hand. "What are you doing in here?" She asked, trying to remain calm but her wolfstime had started the night before and she didn't like enemies encroaching in her territory.

"By order of Madam Morris, you are to be evicted from your place of business and it shall now be used for the Serpents' followers," the cultist at the forefront said, eyes hard, focused on her through the sight on his assault rifle.

Anger burned through Ruby's veins. It was bad enough that people were being forced inside with the curfew, and that her boyfriend had been forcibly removed from his body. But evicting people from their homes and businesses? It was all too much. One horrible thing after another. Ruby shook her head. "I won't allow it."

That caused the other soldiers to laugh, and not in a lighthearted way. The soldier at the front smirked wickedly. "Then we have no choice but to arrest you."

"I'd like to see you try," the words came out in a growl as Ruby's eyes flashed yellow.

She threw the rag at the first soldier then followed directly after it, leaping at him. She couldn't turn into the wolf, but she could still fight. All of the anger at what the cult had done came to a boiling point. Ruby managed to knock the soldier over, balling up her fists and slamming them into his face. When he attempted to throw her off, Ruby opened her fists, fingers curled into claws and she dragged her nails down his face, red lines popping up in their wake. She screamed wordlessly at him, not really able to think of anything to say in particular, filled with a blind rage. She was tired. She was tired of all the horrible things that were happening to innocent people. Ruby missed the order to open fire and the sound of her screaming was cut short by the sound of gunfire. She was jerked back by the force of the bullets and she fell backwards, off of the leader. He climbed to his feet, face broken and bleeding from her attack.

On the floor, Ruby coughed and blood bubbled up from her lips. She looked up at him, eyes still golden. The leader scoffed, withdrawing his pistol, aiming it at her forehead. "For the glory of Mes'Klou."

And he fired.

Are you somewhere safe?

[Sam hasn't announced yet that he had returned to Mandalus to the general public. In fact, he had barely left the bunker since Dean had made him realize where he was again. nearly two years of his life was trying to merge itself with the returning memories of Mandalus, and it was hard to process it all.

Especially when he looked at Max, and all he saw was Riot and that kept bringing up thoughts about Amelia and Red and it was just too much for him to deal with. So he kept himself hidden in his room. But he knew that he was being an asshole if he didn't at least tell her what was going on, and he already screwed up one healthy relationship this year, he didn't need to ruin another. So he set his phone on his knees and punched in a message to Red]

I'm back in Mandalus. We need to talk. Can you come to the yard?

[The video opens on Ruby's smiling and decidedly more human. She gives the camera a small wave.] Hi, everyone. I'm back. Apparently, the System decided that after I died, it was a good time to send me home. I've been back a week, but I was...out of sorts.

I want to thank the people that were nice enough to help me with my issue. I can't put into words how important that was to me. I may not have been able to say it then, but I'm saying it now. Thank you, so much, for not being afraid of me. For not screaming and running away in fear. I greatly appreciate it.

[A beat.]

Does anyone know what's going on? I've seen some...really weird things on the network.

private to Jim Kirk

Jim, do you have a minute?

[The was the sound of gasps and surprised screams in the station as the video feed switched on. People hurried to and fro, mothers grabbing hold of their childrens hands as they hurried out into the street. The owner of the phone managed to get to a higher area, standing on a table, to see the big, black-furred wolf padding anxiously into the station. It didn't appear feral or rabid, it almost appeared aware of its surroundings, and didn't want to scare the pedestrians further. The wolf studied its surroundings and noticed the person aiming their cell phone at them.

The wolf padded over, looking intently at the phone. The owner made a sound of fear and dropped the phone, sending it clattering to the floor. As they ran off, the wolf made its way over to the phone, sniffing at the plastic. The wolf let off a low whine, then a soft bark. It wasn't an angry bark, it was simply the only way that Ruby could talk while in this form. For some reason, when she returned to Mandalus, she was in her wolf form. When she checked the date on a newspaper, it wasn't the date of her wolfs time. And it was day. Ruby sat on her rump beside that phone, thinking it over. The last thing she remembered of Mandalus was going for a jog then the explosion.... And then nothing. It was safe to say that she'd died somehow. Perhaps it was like when Sam and Dean died. Sam was mute, and Dean was everything but. Maybe this was her punishment for dying. Being the wolf, all the time.

Ruby let off another little whine, kneading her paws on the ground anxiously as she contemplated searching for someone, or waiting for someone to come get her from the deserted station.]

[Hearing that Selina was missing...and still hasn't shown up yet anywhere, Ruby would do her best to look for her. It hadn't worked out when she had promised Sam she'd look for Dean that way. But she found out it was because Dean was completely gone. Ruby had been out in the cold, tracking down dead leads all over the city.

But Selina's name is still in the contacts list. So there's still a chance. Ruby is out in the cold, bundled up. She may look weird to others, chin tilted upwards. Her nose searches through the various smells of the city, trying to hone in on Selina's scent.]