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[Otebon Albrecht]

Marcus glared at Zat's back as he disappeared through the doorway. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Marcus spun on Otebon with some anger. "You know as well as I do that he's a destabilizing element. He's only going to make trouble for us on this. He needs-"

"He needs to be shown that we are the ones in charge," Otebon said calmly. "I know that you are worried about Tammo and Sarah and getting back into the 'in the field' portion of our old espionage rackets isn't exactly a nice propect for you, but you need to use your mind here. Sorry to say, but you are human. If you fight that... half-breed... now, he will pick you out of his teeth with your own fibula. Let him have his way and play tour guide. You'll have your shot." Otebon released Marcus' arm and walked out the door, taking a different turn than Zat had. "Come on. Let's get to the clearing. We have a long day ahead of us."

[Daemon]

New chapter, I think?

The morning was crisp and cool, and Otebon's breath fogged easily, crystallized mouth-stench wafting through the air. "Wish we could have brushed our teeth." He said, as he stepped over a fallen log. "Is that complaining I hear back there?"Zat said, head going to the side a small degree. "Not really, more of a  wish than a complaint." Marcus chuckled, and Zat growled. "Something funny, Omega?" Marcus eyes shrunk to slits, and Otebon sighed. "You really shouldn't do that. Some brain jack is left over from our last hacker-ops mission. Still has a high threshold of pain." Aside to Marcus, Otebon whispered "Don't respond to him, you'll have your chance later."


By the way, brain-jack is the brain-hacking we've been referring to, except a brain-jack causes a person to not feel as much pain. I plan on taking this somewhere in the future, as a final battle between Zat and Marcus.

Also, why are Mark's and Marcus' names so similar. It's so confusing sometimes.

[Otebon Albrecht]

My fault on that one. Wasn't thinking and grabbed the first name that came to mind.

Marcus just grumbled under his breath, making Otebon's ears twitch in frustration. Let it be said that it hadn't been a good three day hike. Zat was self-proclaimed king of the pack and Marcus had a bone to pick with him. Actually being a Wolf, Otebon didn't care one whit about this pack structure (he knew exactly where he fit) but it grated on Marcus. Truth be told, the only reason Otebon cared was because Marcus was making it something of a show.

"Pick up the pace you two," Zat said more for Marcus' benefit than Otebon's. His long strides were already eating up the forest floor. "We need to get another five miles before dark."

There, that gives you plenty of space, but not too much, for fun on the road.

[Aoren Deringer]

They were walking for some time when Zat stopped suddenly. "Who's slow n-" Marcus began triumphantly but a sharp hiss from the mutt cut him off. Several minutes passed and nobody spoke, with Zat slowly leaning into a 3-point crouch. Otebon began to become slightly irritated with the delay, and opened his mouth to speak just as the Russian bolted off into the tree line. Otebon just stared after their guide, shocked and slightly confused. It was not long before they heard a barbaric yawp from the place Zat had dissapeared, dragging behind him the corpse of a small doe.
Marcus looked on in utter amazement as the half-breed silently slammed the creature on the ground and began to skin it. Otebon was looking at the knife- unstained with blood until Zat began to prepare the corpse. He killed it unarmed... And then he began to speak "Before you ask, I was hungry. We did not bring apropriate rations, only six MRE's to last us several days." With that the russian tore a piece of raw flesh from the haunch of the doe and gorged himself. Otebon could only look on in horror.
 
Hey, I figure if we're going to make them not get along too nicely, and forcus on pack-relations so much, we may as well make Zat more... Animalistic.

[Otebon Albrecht]

Over 3000 years of evolution and these... half-breeds... still have the instincts of their ancestors. How... barbaric. Otebon thought about the supplies that they were carrying (well, mainly Otebon was carrying so that Marcus didn't have to shoulder all the weight). But I can't disagree about necessity of such a gruesome kill. But did he have to kill it with his teeth and is it required that he eat the meat raw?

"Good God man," Marcus said, his disgust evident and only amplified by his frustration. "You could have at least waited till we camped for the night so it could be cooked. Do you know how many diseases you could get from doing that? UGH!.."

I like that Zat is so... brutal. It really makes his character shine and become very unique. While we are on the subject, may I make a request for Otebon? That the Lupine instincts for things like pack structure, hunting, etc. are present, just very easily repressed as they haven't been necessary for something to the tune of a few hundred generations. He falls into line with Zat because he can feel the instinct to fight for Alpha dominance, but does not feel the need. The argument that would cause would just be too troublesome.

Is that alright?

[Aoren Deringer]

Zat looked up, appearing positively beastlike as the fresh blood steemed lightly off of his face. Thr mutt tilted his head slightly and then replied "Would you have me ruin a fine kill by searing it so terribly? No. My ancestors, all of our ancestors, fed upon fresh kills with vigor. If you need to cook it then fine, but do not expect me to share the sentiment." It was becoming apparent that the mutt was more wolf than man. But, as if in consent he stood and slung the corpse of his broad shoulders, still chewing bits of tendon.
"If you need to camp then let us camp. Run!" And with that Zat ran off up the path, breathing heavily and splattering the ground with the doe's blood. Otebon and Marcus had no chance but to follow.
 
And yeah, it's fine with me. Gives us a rounded cast; Marcus is the most civilised, Otebon falls somewhere in the middle (although considereably shifted more towards the civilised side ) and Zat takes up a role on the oposing extreme of the spectrum. Personally, I like it. Also brutal is a great discription of him- Just thought I'd throw that in. Also I figured that they'd all prefer to make camp at the designated check-point.

[Otebon Albrecht]

Otebon groaned. It wasn't that he couldn't run with the 60+ pounds on his back, in fact that was something that the deeply repressed instincts that Zat had fallen prey to wished to do. He wanted to run for days and Hunt. He groaned because he could see where this was going.  Otebon turned to follow Zat as he sped off into the trees and took a pace that Marcus could follow. They had another 4 miles to go before they reached the final checkpoint on their hike. Soon they'd have to find a way to get some military transport and get to Cheyenne without raising the alarm. They'd hit that last checkpoint (at this pace) right as the sun hit the edge of the horizon.

"You know Marcus," Otebon said once the Human had caught up with his long, ground-eating strides. "You shouldn't push Zat too mu-" Marcus cut Otebon off. "No! I've had it with that smug little... AHHH!" Otebon had to smile as Marcus couldn't bring himself to cuss. He'd lived with children for far too long. "I swear, the next time he goes all Alpha-Male on me, I'm going to deck him!"

Cue internal struggle...

[Daemon]

"Deck, isn't that... a boat term? How strange. Last time I checked, what we are standing on is the floor." Otebon said, trying to drag Marcus back to his normal state. Marcus chuckled a bit, then sighed, reverting to a final frown. "I'm sorry for all this. I'm slowing you both down, and on top of it all, Zat's an annoying... you know. I feel like a fifth wheel."


Otebon laughed a bit. "Really, how so?" "Well, Zat's strong enough to act as three wheels by himself. And then there's you..." Marcus ticked off four of his fingers, leaving the thumb. "And finally me." Hes thumb jerked upwards, and he sat down. "You know, if you get angry, you're letting him win. Be the bigger man and take the insults." Otebon said. "Bigger figuratively of course. Hes more monster then man. Did you see him bite into that deer?" Otebon's mind raced at the thought. Thoughts of hunting. Spears, knives, running along  with the pack... no. Otebon pushed the thoughts away.


my turn to cheat on my 2 paragraph rule.

Zat's bulk broke bushes as he strode down the path towards the pair. "Are you Os done already? We've barely moved a mile." Marcus looked at Otebon, and smiled. With a shake of his legs, he stood, and ran forward more. Zat laughed, and looked at Otebon. "Can you believe him? He thinks he'll be anything more than human." Otebon looked at him, face more blank than a new sheet of paper. "No, he doesn't want to be more than human. He just wants to be who he is." And Otebon ran after Marcus, leaving Zat laughing silently in the clearing. After a moment, he followed.


Whew, this is really fun! I wonder how many pages this would be in microsoft word?

[Otebon Albrecht]

On the trio ran, onwards chasing the sun. Bit by bit, Otebon's prediction was proven wrong. Apparently, he hadn't factored in the fact that the ground go a lot rougher between here and the place Zat had called "Last Chance" earlier this morning and they arrived at a small... hamlet (might be the most appropriate word) just as the sun was sinking below the horizon. It was little more than a handful of buildings with a single dirt road running through it going from East to West. From a distance, the few figures they could see walking around the buildings were indistinguishable in the creeping gloom, but as they got closer and Otebon's night-eyes got stronger, he noticed that...

"They're all... half-breeds," Otebon said as he jogged next to Zat. Otebon stared down at the small clutch of buildings, wondering if this place appeared on any maps. They must have been exiles of society. Cast out for their biochemistry and the curse of their... birth. It certainly wasn't a family-friendly environment. "What is this place?"

Have fun with that guys!

[Aoren Deringer]

"Alma Nox. Don't speak here, they do not like outsiders." They walked towards the center of the colony, and soon it became apparent that Zat was large even among his kin. As the half-breeds began to congregate around them Otebon started to become silently nervous and noticed that Marcus was beginning to sweat. The crowd started to lick their lips expectantly, and this only aggrivated Otebon further until he noticed that they were ignoring him and staring at the carcus still slung over Zat's back. "Zat, ho-" But their mutt cut them off with a sharp hiss and raised hand. They continued their silent march until they reached a small wooden hut near the center of the settlment. Zat dropped his kill, his woolen shirt stained with blood, and knocked on the door.
 
For this next paragraph I REALLY need access to an interrobang.
 
Silence ensued momentarily and then the door slowly opened revealing a slight mutt woman, not quite as disfigured as the resy of the type. She looked at Zat for a moment, and then opened the door further to allow them entrance. It was silent and calm as she closed and locked the door, then turning to shutter the empty windows. She slowly turned to Zat and then all hell broke loose "What, so now you bring others here? You bring military here, too? What, the zombies are going to becoming out of the woodwork now aren't they? Explain yourself" Zat cringed slightly, and Marcus looked momentarily amused but then she went off again "All the time we spent making this place and you come along, of all the people. Well? Explain yourself! I wont ask again!" This time Zat opened his mouth to speak but again she began yelling "Or did you come here expeting something? A lovers return, is that it?"
 
AND I'M BREAKING IT TOO! BWUAHAHAHAHA!
 
Zat again tried to speak, and this time he succeeded "Yekaterina, be calm!"  The woman relaxed her shoulders and Zat walked over to her, putting one of his massive arms around her and he began to console her further "Katya, those days are over. I'm free as well, no more being a pawn for either of us." Both Otebon and Marcus were astounded by Zat's shift in demeanor, and stared in silence as he sat he took her to the next room. Through the open door they could see both of them sitting on the bed talking silently, and it was a long while before either made any large movements. Zat stood up and exited and walked to Otebon, speaking in a gruff whisper "Yekaterina, we knew eachother during training. She washed out." he paused there, and Otebon nodded understanding "She has agreed to offer us temporary asylum. Be polite" He paused again, looking at Marcus with open contempt before continuing "I'm going out to secure our route to the outpost, see if I can't find something faster than our legs. Then we'll hit the canyons... And you know the rest."
 
Sorry but I just had to xD Also I'm trying to bring it back to the original written route to avoid, y'know, a plot-hole. Since we were going to Mark's outpost, and then a long hike though a ravine system, and then getting better transport at the end of that to take us the full way. Also feel free to play around with her, I'm trying to leave the character open (just providing some background) so that we can all have a go with the character dynamic of her and Zat. Oh and if you don't know Yekaterina is just the Russian form of Katherine. Katya is "Katy", you understand. Anyway I wanted to leave her general personality, most of her past, hell even the way she looks (to an extent) open for y'all.
Also, has anybody else noticed that spell-check no longer works? Or is it just me?

[Otebon Albrecht]

Otebon could see that Marcus (and more appropriately his exhaustion) was about to make a scathing response, so he stepped in before the damage could be done. "Will you need any help negotiating or would it be better if Marcus and I stay here and out of sight of the locals?" Otebon glanced back to the crushed form of Yekatarina on the bed. The light was poor and the door was almost completely closed, but Otebon's eyes were best in half-light. He could see that her shoulders were shaking slightly and one hand lay open in front of her face, as though she were studying something small in the palm of her hand. "Would it be better to give our gracious host her space?"

Zat glanced over at Otebon with only a hint of that almost natural arrogance. It was quickly washed away as he watched Otebon's eyes guide his thoughts back to Yekatarina. "It... It would be better if you stay here. The people of Alma Nox aren't very... comfortable of outsiders." A hand came up in a pausing gesture. "Just stay out of her way." The hand became an accusing finger directed at Marcus. "Especially you. She hates full humans."

[Aoren Deringer]

"Apparently all mutts do." Marcus complained quietly, but it was enough to anger Zat further "Watch your tongue! Talk like that is a good way to end up helping the hunters at practice, if you can understand that." Again his contempt for Marcus was showing, but Zat quickly left before any more comments could be made. Otebon wearily looked over at his friend "Marcus..."
 
"What? This place isn't meant for me and you know it. At least you aren't targetted for your race." Otebon thought about this for a moment, looking over at Yekaterina "You can't blame them. They've lived with worse stigmas from the day they were born." Marcus looked over at the silent woman "You'd think that they wouldn't be that way, then. They're all wrong, everything about them." Otebon looked at Marcus sadle, it was becoming apparent that there was no reasoning with him.

[Otebon Albrecht]

Otebon shook his head and turned to put down his pack. Picking a corner far away from anything that looked to be important, he laid his heavy pack on the ground. With a short glance over at Marcus (still standing by the door stiff with irritation), he began to dig through the pack. Zat had said that their host had offered them asylum, a word that meant sanctuary to Otebon, but he wasn't entirely sure about Zat's definition of the word.

The click of the M9 as the magazine slid into place and the first round slipped into the chamber was muffled by Otebon's hand. The pistol went right into his jacket and was hid. He wanted to be ready, but not overt, about defending his new "squad".

Sorry, bit of writer's block...

[Aoren Deringer]

"You can put that back." Yekaterina walked in briskly, apparently recovered from their arrival. "If it is seen you'll be killed. People don't like it when you hide things... Especially dangerous things." Otebon stared at her silently and then removed his pistol, putting it gingerly down on a small table. He was unsure as to whether or not he should spea, so he just stood there in silence, his head respectfuly bowed. There was an awkward pause before she inquisitively spoke again "So, where are you from? And how do you know him?" It was Marcus who answered "Well, we're-" But she cut him off with a venemous stare before turning back to Otebon "Well?"
 
By context Otebon assumed she meant Zat, and uncomfortably pawed the ground before saying "We met through a mutual friend." The mutt put him on edge, she asked too many questions. She looked at him expectantly for a moment before shrugging and walking over to a small propane stove "Are you hungry? I have some bread and yesterday I cleaned a clutch of leverets." Otebon smiled at the gesture and nodded his head politely. Then he noticed Marcus mockingly immitating the motion in the corner. Otebon sighed and Yekaterina lit the stove, busying herself. When will Zat be back... Otebon felt very uncomfortable in his absence.
 
I wish I could claim writers block, it's just a terrible little block of text xD

[Otebon Albrecht]

Yekatarina scoffed. "A typical response from someone like you, Wolf." She turned to grab a small covered pot and began to fill it with water from a large jug. "Tell me, do you like to lie? To hide the truth? Does it give you pleasure? Make you feel important? How about mysterious?" Otebon's eyes widened in surprise, freezing even Marcus in his actions. As though she could both read their minds and see their reactions with her back turned, Yekatarina laughed. "Yes, I washed out of the training, but I've always been good at seeing the truth. That was why they thought I'd be a good Master Unit. I could take something as small as someone's tone or body language and construct very accurate profiles from it." She finally turned around and faced Otebon directly. "So, do you like to lie, Doctor?"

Otebon's eyes glowed in the small light of the propane stove and showed their progression from wide surprise to near slits of suspicion. She was right. He rarely gave a straight answer and had been telling falsehoods ever since he had been a Pup. Something his father had trained him to do. "Veiling the truth comes naturally Madame," Otebon said slowly and carefully. "I apologize for not offering the truth, but please understand that it isn't my story to tell. Please allow let it be that someone that I used to work with hired Zat and has asked me and my friend here to perform a series of tasks for him. Whatever more you learn will have to come from Zat I fear." Otebon's laugh was thin and quiet. "I fear I'm simply too paranoid to give out specifics."