Nobody knows where my Johnny has gone

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 The collar had begun to grow itchy around her throat. It didn't hurt, but it was just . . . annoying, as Lotus was without use for a better word.

 She was sprinting forwards, chasing after a mountain goat that kept getting it's legs stuck between cracks and crevices in the stone; teeth met flesh; the ungulate let out an unsavoury cry; Lotus retracted, aiming for the neck next; and, though the animal's kicks hadn't been painless, it was dead within a few minutes.

 What she wasn't expecting, though, was another to come running towards her, horns propped forwards. They looked sharp; lethal, and it was only once she felt the piercing of her fur and skin did she realise . . ; she was dead.

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 A gasp, a cry; as if she'd just been underwater, slowly sinking; an anchor attached to her foot? No, just this – not annoying, what's a better word? . . . Irksome collar! Lotus huffed, though her teeth weren't long enough to tear the rubber. Damn it.

 Lotus let out a curious, rumbling purr; she'd never been here before?; fog rolled in like storm clouds, and the woman felt her neck fur rise; worried, scared; where was she? It made no sense . . . unless . . . this was the after-life? Surely not? Did animals of all things really go to the after-life . . ?

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There was caution in the air, the smell of a feline in the distance, a cougar roaming the brim. Through the salt and sea she could smell them, and couldn't help but wonder if they happened to roam away from the mountains and ventured to the coast. Vendrussel gritted her teeth, she prayed to the Ancients this was not another incident, not one they could afford at the moment with battles and the loss of one from the boars attacking. To have the cycle continue on but with larger felines are even a greater risk, for only few could withstand against their might — such as Olympia, who was deemed as greater feline, on the premise as a tigress.

Vendrussel prowled through the fog, thick as it always was, a great cover to venture closer to this puma. Risky, she knew, but she was at a careful distance and knew the territory well enough to hide ; doubting as well that the other would swim across the coast just to find her — as well as meet a pack at the isle itself. But that was a bit cocky, and she knew that too.

She needed a safe distance, while watching this roaming figure..

A part of her mind thought, what if they were like Kuhn and Olympia? But she could not risk it.

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 Wolf-scent. Her claws sunk into the ground, or at least, raked the stone underneath her; gleaming; sharp; deadly; a weapon to be tested, if used correctly, and Lotus had practice.

 But, no, the ambush that she'd suspected had never came; a little lonely for her, but better than dying. She knew the wolf was there, though, but it took a while to find; they'd coated themselves in sand and brine, making it harder for the mountain lion to pin-point when she was so closed to the water. “Come out,” she croaked, voice coarse and thin.

 She could speak. What?; that wasn't something she could do before! “Come . . . Wolfy . . . I know you're there.”

 The woman wouldn't be surprised if her voice was intimidating, being so strange, and being lathered with fog; quite a nightmarish scene, a witch-like summoning; perhaps some green lightning would come down, and Lotus would start cackling, before eating the wolf whole. Wouldn't that be funny?

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Had she been awful before, she was worse now. Certainly it helped that Vendrussel had told her what she had, being proud of her and that the feline was important to her -- but this was Olympia's way of coping with the aftermath. Being clingy, angry and bratty was really what she was like to begin with, though with others she was most certainly not clingy. Olympia was quite happy if everyone else in the world died, actually. Unfortunately it was not to be that way, they still breathed her air and it was quite droll but she would deal with it.

Whether Vendrussel knew she was there or not didn't matter, the feline prowled after her with a determined glint in her haunting eyes. Olympia should know by now that they were never destined to not have company. The feline drew her tongue along her lips as she encroached on Vendrussel's personal space and slid her side along her, ears twitching to the feline in the distance that lingered in the fog.

"Feline," she hissed through the fog as she coiled around her Dragon Queen. "Wolf and feline," Oly corrected, letting them know that Vendrussel wasn't alone and really, if she wanted to start, she would have her to deal with, too. "Cough," the girl demanded, "clear your throat. You sound clogged," disgust was written across her features, nose flaring as she watched and waited. ^^

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They were like Kuhn & Olympia, tongue that spoke of wolf, or was it the other way around? She'd never know, none of them did if it was one way or another, some seemed to know somehow they did not speak their regular tongue, but others like herself, could not tell. But there was still an endless guard, appearing as so, but Vendrussel was not alone, as the tigress slithered from her way and spoke out, toying around herself protectively. It did give a bit of a relief, for even though she was not fully-grown, toppled, that of any other.

The fog was giving way, closer that they were, she eyed an unusual object circling around the cougars neck. Something unnatural, not leaf-like or plants, nothing that reminded her of Mordecai's adjournment either.. Blue eyes were clearly focused on it for a moment, before addressing the other, "friend, or foe?" she had to ask, whether this cougar meant peace on this brim, or would cause trouble as many others have before.

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 "Feline, Wolf and feline," Lotus chuckled. “Someones protective . . .” She sneered, eyes squinted narrowly. "Cough," A harsh demand; though she'd comply. “Cough, cough, happy, kitty?” The woman would purr.

 In actuality, she was choking. The collar grew tighter each day, and the mountain lion was worried that eventually she'd be strangled and lose her head. “Choking . . .” She mustered with a sigh.

 "friend, or foe?" Ah, good question. “Haven't eaten you yet, have I? Not that I could with your bodyguard, wolfy.”

 Even if she did want to kill the canine, Lotus would rather not deal with the defensive kitty only a few paces away. She was already suffocating, she didn't need to add fresh, open wounds to the list. “Get this bastard off me–” She cursed, trying to hook a single claw around the collar uncomfortably.

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Friend or foe.

It didn't matter to Olympia. Everyone was foe.

Protective? She didn't like that word. It implied... care. Olympia was possessive, fooling herself into thinking that emotions didn't touch her. She smirked then, the expression sitting on her features easily and like it belonged there as the other feline admitted that even if she wanted to eat Vendrussel, she couldn't, not with Olympia present. That's right, she thought wickedly, remember your goddamn place.

Her gaze slid to the strange thing around the felines neck, hugging tightly to her flesh and the demand on her tongue made Olympia peel her lips back from her teeth in warning. "Manners," she cooed, "you'll need them if you'd like our help." Olympia sung, sliding from Vendrussel's side as she made a slow approach towards the feline, tail tip curling in and out restlessly. ^^

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Vendrussel listened and observed, coughing through fits as they presented a relaxed and mischief nature, but couldn't fully come toward as whatever was on their neck was causing a bother. Friendly though at the very least, but more neutral if she had to say. It was true they did not attack but whose to say the fickle nature of a cat could change anyday, especially as she momentarily looked at Olympia, whose desires flip-flopped on a regular basis.

"Do you know what you have?" As Olympia took the first steps, Vendrussel followed along. Coming closer in caution as she sniffed the air curiously. It had an unusual smell, and she didn't know what it was. Before a time, she lacked the knowledge of what was human tech and so.. But something about it was otherwrodly, and surely, not natural.

"You'll have to lay still if you want help."

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 "Manners, you'll need them if you'd like our help." “Wasn't talking to you, kitty,” Lotus grumbled, still trying to hook her claws around the collar. “Neither you, wolf.” It was evident that the dragoness was also trying to inch her way around.

 It seemed the canine was much more caring, though. "Do you know what you have?" “Collar. Tight,” She growled in a complaining manner. "You'll have to lay still if you want help." Lotus chuckled. Would she really help?

 “You seem much kinder than your kitty,” The woman purred, amused, though complying and taking a seat, flicking her tail for the pair to come closer, if they must. With a sigh, she'd crane her neck upwards, so the collar would be easier to spot and cut off. “Do not cut me, if you are to remove it.” She warned.

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