State of Mind

[Leiton]

***MAKE SURE TO READ YOUR PM I SENT BEFORE POSTING***
(Sorry for the less than dramatic beginning to the story, but here it is...)
 
The sun shined through the trees, signalling the end of another day. The population around the market section was thinning as they finished their shopping and the store owners began to close up shop. The business area was closing down for the night. Those living on the outskirts of the city closed and looked their doors. The Guard's were beginning their nightly patrols.
 
It was just another normal day in Fnorgan.
 
--- --- ---
 
Deirx was taking a stroll through the market section, checking on the men who were supposed to be patrolling and watching the streets of the market area. Too often had he found them drunk in one of the bars scattered throughout town...
He grumbled under his breath as he walked down the street. Neither of the two men who were supposed to be on patrol were anywhere to be seen. He knew where they were. Gregory and Brandon had a favorite bar a little ways down the road.
He arrived inside the bar and immediately found them, sitting at the bar, drinking with a few of their friends. Though he couldn't really blame them for shirking their duties. Other than Jasper complaining about that black wolf at the inn and some kid, nothing had happened in Fnorgan for years. Besides, it Was Brandon's 38th birthday.
He left them to their drinking, and went back outside. His taking their nightly watch duties wouldn't hurt, and frankly, he was of the highest rank in Fnorgan, answering only to the Governor.
He scanned the streets routinely, watching for anything out of the ordinary.

[Sigcutio]

As night descended on the city of Fnorgan, life began to wind down. Shops closed, the city lights began to emit a dim glow, and people returned home to settle in for the night. As parents would return home to their children, the house would take on a new life and light up with a relaxed life.


This is what most families looked forward to everyday, but for Grant Sheppard, his family would come home to a house in shame. Ever since his escape, Grant regretted the decision he made to reveal his element to his parents. Not only did he probably forever invoke their ire, but he also could never return home for he was now hunted. The fact that he was even still alive was only true because he had managed to find someone to help him live for now.


Frederick, a fox; his wife, Crystal; and daughter, Sarah had by some great act of charity, decided to allow Grant to live with them for the present. He couldn't explain everything to them yet, but he meant to eventually. He just hoped his presence would not put this family in danger. As he watched the three of them interact with each other and eat dinner together, he mused over the last three days he had spent there.


One day in particular stood out to Grant; the day he met Leiton. He was a black wolf, Grant had met soon after he arrived at Frederick's house and shared lunch with. Although he was polite, Leiton seemed to be hiding something and did not let on anything else about himself. It was a strange encounter indeed, but it would definitely be forgotten within the next day or so. Perhaps it never even happened to begin with.


As Sarah laughed at a joke her father told her, Grant was re-anchored to the  present. Perhaps he was just overthinking things; maybe everything wasn't all that bad.  Then again he had thought the same thing the day his parents discovered his element.

[Cifero Windtail]

Jayce watched the sun set from his friend Zack's sales booth.
"Nature," he said to himself. "Is there anything more majestic?"
He began to pack away the magic tricks, gags, and other assorted impliments that comprised Zack's wares. The day had ended; it was time to close up shop.
Jayce still thought about how he had discovered his element. He never expected to find the village... he just did, and they told him he had an element. But all he had done so far was enchant his knife to always come back. He didn't see much use for powers if they tired the heck out of oneself. Besides, powers or not, if you don't know how to fight, you'll most likely die. So he practiced fighting. And then he found Zack, and the rest was history.
Jayce pulled down the shade on the stand as Zack got out of the back room.
"Finished already, boy?" the wolf asked inquisitively, shaking his head and laughing. "I must be getting old."

[Cami The Platypus]

Cami wakes up and views the beautiful morning. "ah I love the sweet smell of morning" said Cami. He gets up, scratches himself, and falls back down on to his hammock and watches nature set it course. He starts tiring at the gentle breeze swaying him side to side. The wind whistles off of his metal shack that he slowly drifted away in.

[Jay-Hyena]

As nighttime descended onto Fnorgan, it was imperative that Cail and his squad hurried up with this job. There was little cover in the open area between the market and rural fields, but with the cover of darkness, the group successfully managed to scale a nearby rooftop and make their way to the roof of one of the Guard's barracks. Their targets, named the Blue Belts, were inside, likely planning out the next day's events. The silent assassins had evaded many of the Guard to get here, and they were ready to carry out this job.

Chris, the leader of the group, had a general idea of the layout of the two-story building. They were right above the room of some random Guard, but they were likely to be meeting at the lower levels right now. Cail cut through the thatched roofing, creating a hole big enough for each individual member to slip inside. First came in Jenny, who scanned the room over with her eyes.

"All clear!" she called to the rest in a hushed tone. Cail, Chris, Jasmine, and finally Henry slipped on in. The sound of the Blue Belts conversing was audible from up here.

"All right, let's do this, then. Each of you make sure to remember which guy you're assigned to." Chris gave a quick reminder. Their own numbers matched that of the number of Blue Belts, so it was convenient. Whether or not there were going to be more Guard stationed here wasn't of concern as of now.

Jasmine left the room first, coming out onto a small loft overlooking the room where the Blue Belts were meeting. Her light magic was an important part of this plan, and Chris hoped she could pull this move off without too much trouble. Jasmine channeled magical power into the palm of her hand, forming a ball of light. She hid it for now, as to avoid detection. As predicted, there were a few more Guard hanging around in the barracks than the Blue Belts alone. Either way, there was no backing out of this operation now. In one swift motion, Jazmine let the light in her hand burst and fill the room with blinding light. Jazmine herself was blinded a little as everyone began to stir in a commotion. From the room, the rest of the BLACK team entered the loft and jumped to the lower floor. The blindness wouldn't last forever, so they made quick work of their primary targets, slitting their throats as fast as they could. Jazmine, dazed from her own diversion, was hardly able to find her target, but Chris grabbed her and they all made way for the back door, Jenny setting the building on fire with her magic.

It wasn't the stealthiest job, but they made it out with 4/5 targets taken down and possibly the last with the barracks on fire. Chris was at least content with this. Their new member carried out his mission with much aplomb, too. It was all in all a smooth job. Minimal wounds were taken, with only Jenny getting slashed weakly and Cail was a bit bruised in the scuffle. The team vanished into the night, Cail's home would be where they rested tonight.

[Leiton]

((Well, Jay hasn't replied to me, so I guess I'll go ahead and type this up from the viewpoint of Chris...  ))
The mission was going well.
They had already made their way through most of the city unnoticed amidst the surrounding buildings. The few Guards they had seen on patrol were easy to sneak past, and they didn't come across anybody in the various alleyways.
They had entered thorugh the more populated side of the city for more than one reason. Not only were the rural areas to spread out and open, but many of the people had dogs that would bark at almost anything. They couldn't afford to be seen, or worse: caught.
The five man team had been specially selected for this mission. Chris, the leader, had been looking forward to taking out the Blue Belts for a long time.
 
They reached the Officer's barracks with no trouble as the sun finally settled below the horizon.  As they reached the back entrance, Chris placed his hand on the lock and concentrated. The lock clicked open, and he slowly openned the door. The back room was empty, but still lit. They all quietly entered the building. Chris turned back and locked the door as Henry entered.
 
Chris turned to Cail, Henry, and Jenny, whispering, "You three go up to the above floor and search their rooms. I want to know where they got of all of their information. I trust you to do this without any trouble. Go." As the three left up a small set of stairs in the corner of the room, Chris and Jasmine left for the operations room where the Blue Belts always held their nightly meetings.
As they neared the room, they were surprised to not hear any voices or writing. They entered the room quietly, almost expecting an ambush. But nobody was there. The tables were cleaned off, empty. There were no papers, no nothing.
 
"This isn't good... We need to get out of here, and fast," Jasmine said as she was checking the drawer of one of the desks, which was empty as well.
Chris merely nodded and walked back out and started to head upstairs to get the others.
--- --- ---
 
Cail, Jenny, and Henry entered the Blue Belts' hall and began checking the doors. They were all unlocked. And as they openned each of the doors, they saw that each one was empty, save for a sheetless bed and an empty desk.
Afraid that this might be a trap, they began to head back down the stairs, meeting Chris and Jasmine.
"We need to get out of here now. They knew we were coming," Chris warned as he walked to the back door and unlocked it.


Post Merge: January 13, 2012, 05:09:11 AM
((And now my post ))
 
Deirx watched as the sun set below the horizon, and almost allowed himself to smile.
The moment was broken as he heard the roar of an engine coming from the west.
What is he up to now...
Though it meant leaving his post, he was rather curious as to what Jasper had done this time. Jasper was the only other Guard in the city who had the authority to use the vehicle they had gotten from Besmir a few months ago. It was a new design, built specially for the Guard. Jasper had been using it as his movable prison cell, moving caught magic-users between cities.
 
He left, heading toward the prison, grumbling to himself. If there was one thing he hated about that vehicle, it was the amount of noise it made....

[Cami The Platypus]

*Cami gets up* "what will I do with my life... I'm not spending it sitting here thats for sure. I will go travel see what fate awaits me." *Cami puts the fire from his campfire into a fire-proof satchel* "just in case..."

[Cifero Windtail]

(Um... I have no idea what to do here... I'll wing it...)
Jayce woke up when he heard the vehicle. It was amazing that Zack was still sleeping.
"What the heck is that noise?" he mused. "Well, I'd better go check it."
The cat got out of bed, slipped on his boots, grabbed his weapons, dashed off a few lines telling Zach where he was going, and went outside in search of the sound's source.

[Sigcutio]

"Grant?" Frederick asked looking him in the eyes with concern written across his face, "is everything alright?"


Grant looked at his eyes and then quickly averted them. "Yes," he replied, "I'm only tired."


"Alright," Frederick replied unsure of the response.


Grant thought for a moment of the meeting he had had with Leiton. Perhaps he could meet the wolf again tonight? It was worth a shot. Grant rose from his seat and told the family that he was going outside for some fresh air for a moment. They nodded, but looked at him perplexed.


As Grant left the house the new night air reinvigorated him and gave him a sense of calm. The light from within the house gave a pleasant glow that lit up the surrounding wooded area. It was a different world at night. Grant looked around in the darkness, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Perhaps Leiton had gone.

[Leiton]

((I'll be controlling Chris's group in this post, though Cail is welcome to break off from his group.))
 
Chris's group was hiding behind one of the buildings as they heard the vehicle coming towards the barracks. He motioned for them to stop moving.
"Look." He pointed at the vehicle from their hidden spot and watched as it passed. "Either the Blue Belts are in that vehicle, or it's Jasper or Deirx. Either way, they mostly likely arrested someone, as fast as they're moving. Come on." He turned the group around and headed for the small crowd of people watching the vehicle being unloaded.
 
--- --- ---
 
Deirx was almost to the jail when he saw it being unloaded. A small crowd was gathered, seeing who the Guard had arrested this time.
Two... Three... Four people? They don't even look related.
A teenage fox girl with several purple streaks in her maroon fur and the most curious pair of violet eyes Deirx had ever seen. Her clothes were torn all over and covered in dirt.
Next, a large bear that looked strong enough to crush the vehicle with his bare hands. The young fox kept looking back at him, and he would give her a weak smile. The girl seemed almost in tears.
Following the bear was a cubi fox. Deirx stared at her in wonder. She had dark brown fur, with green tribal designs up her bare arms, on her face, and along her tail and wings. They weren't tattoos or painted... They seemed almost natural.
Last came out a young, dark grey mouse. He couldn't be older than 14, but he was chained up, just like the rest. He wasn't crying. He didn't even seem afraid. He kept looking at the crowd, as if he was searching for something.
 
Finally, his old friend came out of the large conatinment vehicle. The short squirrel seemed rather pleased with himself and his catch.
Deirx approached him and asked, "So, you couldn't get Leiton, and you decided getting those four would make up for it?" He was not too happy about seeing the teenage girl with ripped up clothes and the young boy being led to jail in chains.
Jasper shot him a glare before answering coldly, "My men are searching for Leiton now."

"You'd better have proof this time, else he'll only get away again." He looked back at the crowd, and saw it beginning to dwindle as people left, discussing the four people they had just seen, no doubt.

[Cifero Windtail]

Jayce watched in shock as they escorted the four anthros into the jail. He could tell by the look in their eyes... they were no criminals.
It was then that the last anthro, a mouse, looked at him as he scanned the crowd. His eyes were filled with bravery.
And then that shock turned into anger.
And then, suddenly, the chains restraining the prisoners broke apart and wrapped themselves around a nearby pole.
"Damn," Jayce muttered, realizing that he had mistakenly triggered his powers. "Not again..."
He started to walk away, trying to look inconspicuous as though he had nothing to do with freeing the prisoners.   
(Like I mentioned, he didn't really focus on his power training, so they're basically controlled by his emotions.)

[Cami The Platypus]

*Cami hiding on the side sees the whole thing* "hmmm... Interesting. Why can I watch this with no pain? This is terrible. I think I need to think about... What my goal was... Back then. I would never forget what they have done the people can't suffer through this. Well at least the lower class."

[Leiton]

As the bonds broke, Jasper looked out among the crowd and snarled. A few of his men immediately began to walk towards the crowd, searching through it to find the source of the magic. Just as quickly as they had broken, the four found themselves chained up again as Jasper pointed his finger at them, never taking his eyes off of the crowd. "Get them inside now, before I have you all court-martialled!"
The Guards there hurried to get them inside the building, and slammed the door shut behind them.
--- --- ---
Deirx stared out into the crowd with Jasper, eyeing a group that had come by only a minute ago. They seemed different from the rest. While the others were a bit surprised and interested, these seemed mostly angry.
He paid it no mind and looked back at Jasper. "Don't worry, it's just another trouble-maker. Nothing you can't handle, right? Besides, it's late." He took one look back out in the dwindling crowd, put his arm around Jasper's shoulder, and they walked back over to the bar where Brandon was celebrating.
 
--- --- ---
((I will be taking control of Chris's party, but not Cail. Though Chris gives him orders, he's more than welcome to go against them. Also, after this post, I ask that we wait for Jay to post so we don't leave him behind.))
 
Chris eyed the white fox coldly before taking his team and walking as if to go back into the urban parts of the city, whispering along the way. "We are going to free those people. The Blue Belts aren't here, so we might as well make this some sort of success. Besides, BLACK can always use more recruits. I, Jasmine, and Cail will break into the prison and free them. Henry, you need to make sure that the way back to base is safe, and be sure to meet us there. Jenny, I need you to hide until we get those prisoners out, then I want you to burn the place down. Make it explode. I want the place leveled!" His voice was almost frantic with anger.

[Cifero Windtail]

Jayce swiveled his head, watching as the odd group of anthros walked away, whispering about the prisoners and about destroying the prison. He though back to the mouse... how he had been so brave while his companions were on the verge of breaking down.
And, in that moment, Jayce made what was probably one of the most important  decisions in his life.
"I can't believe I'm doing this," the cat said, turning down an alley that would lead him to the back of the prison.
(Time for a jail-break.)

[Leiton]

((I'll guess I'll just go ahead and pick this back up...  ))
 
Chris, Jasmine, and Cail headed for the back entrance of the prison, while Jenny sat down quietly, and Henry set off for the outside edge of the city where they had entered.
As they came from an opposite end of the alley, they noticed a cat. A cat with black wings... and he seemed intent on something...
They didn't slow their pace, but walked more casually towards the jail's back entrance.