[IC] Maximum Ride: The Secret

[ViolentViolet]

The sun sat just barely below the horizon, the orange glow mounting bases of the mountains that the girl could see from the large cabin that the group occupied. The grassy plain between them and the northern ridge of the Rocky Mountains was devoid of everything but nature, the cabin itself having been built years prior to their escape and abandoned when the older members of their Pack found it here, easy and ready to sleep in. It had been clean and the kitchen stocked with food, each one of their names written on the doors and notes for each of them though the most notable of them had been those left on her own bed and inside her mind. She had led them here to stay though she had not seen what it was that waited for them here, only followed the urge to go to this place. It's been years years since today; the day that had decided they would celebrate on every year; the day that she thought of who it was that had left the cabin for them, they had never contacted them again.

Luna turned away from her room, walking down the halls until she came to stand outside on the front porch, watching the sky lighten gradually while she waited for the others to wake. She had always hated waking them early, which often left her alone with some quiet every morning where she could think to herself of the things she had seen and done when they were all unaware of it. Often she would vanish for days at a time with no notice or explanation save for a note on the fridge with instructions on how to open or make something simple to eat. She never had officially taken on the role of leader, though if they did look up to her she was rather irresponsible in her actions and decisions; she couldn't control the compulsion to go toward it though and she wasn't going to drag them all into it.

Stepping outside she leaned against the railing, her wings fluttering in the breeze though the black feathers were so dark they seemed to absorb all the light that touched them. Dressed in a pair of shorts and a soft white tank-top over her black and purple bra that she had gotten with the money she had earned once in the city a few days from here as to not draw attention to the place where the group of them lived presently. Her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, the black strands the same depth and bleak blackness as the feathers of her wings; neither of which reflected the light of the rising sun much at all. She tapped her foot absentmindedly on the wood, dark and stained - sometimes by blood, sometimes by wood stain - and looked at the yard in front of them. There was no fence or garden though they had a vegetable garden in the dark and raised their own chickens and pigs off to the side of them, far enough that they wouldn't be associated with the cabin here.

Luna closed her eyes, bending over enough that her head was leaning against her arms on the railing and breathed, fighting off the pain of the migraine she had woken up with several hours ago after a harsh vision though she was lacking the urge this time and knew that it would come to them soon enough. She would have to go greet the danger soon, before it arrived on their front door step and deal with it accordingly.

[XxLyraxX]

As soon as the sun peaked over the mountains and filtered into a lavender-coloured room, thick lashes fluttered back to reveal bright blue eyes. The orbs were immediately hidden as a soft gasp was heard and a small pale hand fumbled around on a nightstand next to the bed, finally retrieving black framed glasses and slipping them into place. The bright blue eyes appeared again, blinking carefully in the bright light shining in through the window. One of the things about having a room that faced the rising sun was that she had to be careful when she woke up so as to not blind herself with the bright light. Now that her glasses were in place and her razor sharp sight was nulled, the small girl pushed back the lavender quilt that covered her and slide out of bed, bare-feet landing on the cool floor boards. She stretched her arms over her head, large feline ears flickering atop her head. Her arms dropped to her side as she padded over to her closet and began contemplating what she wanted to wear. After a few moments of deliberation she finally decided on something and she exited her door and walked quietly to the bathroom. The good thing about waking up with the sun was that she had the shower all to herself.

She took a quick shower before getting dressed and exiting the bathroom. She dropped her night clothes and towel into the hamper and walked back to her room where she brushed her hair but left it down and wavy, falling past her waist. She then headed back out, wondering if any of the others were up yet. She looked around and spotted Luna through the glass, standing on the porch. Estelle quietly went over and slid the door open, stepping out and approaching the other girl. She leaned against the railing next to her with a quiet rustle of feathers, bright wings shining in the sun. She didn't speak, she rarely did, only offered Luna a silent companionship in the bright hours of the dawn.

Outfit

[MonsieurShade]

"*Bzzzt* It's goin down for reaaaal! It's goin-" WHAM! These were some of the first sounds to emanate from behind one of the bedroom doors of the cabin. The cause of the slamming -a large heavy hand- slowly drug itself away from a radio atop a nightstand that it had struck and retreated beneath the heavy comforter that draped a lumpy mass atop a twin bed. There was a grumbling sound beneath the comforter for a few moments before a shaggy patch of platinum blond hair emerged, followed by the rather irritable looking face of Jacque. "Hate that damn song..." Jacque growled, his voice coarse, deep, and rumbling . It wasn't very often that Jacque got up before midday, even less so for him to be up before the sun had full risen, however it was his turn to tend to the livestock. There was a rustling sound beneath the comforter as a scaly black and orange tail emerged opposite the side where Jacque's head had come out. Jacque moved the tail slowly as if to see if it still functioned, then used the appendage to drag the comforter down from his head and shoulders before he could succumb to delicious sleep again. Because he had slept on his stomach, the action exposed a pair of rust colored wings with small flecks of black lining the tips, he extended these wings, hissing softly as he felt the joints pop.

Jacque shuddered a bit at the unwelcome intrusion of cold air on his skin before completely kicking off the comforter and stumbling out of bed, revealing that he was already partially dressed for the task at hand, wearing a black long sleeve shirt, a pair of worn overalls with a hole in the back for his tail, and some cotton socks. He stood at his full height and stretched a bit, his muscles rippling beneath his clothing, looking more like taught cables than flesh, a result of constant experimentation and several months of hard work. Out of all of the flock Jacque was the oldest, and quite possibly a contender for the physically strongest if his imposing size and physique wasn't a give away. Were a stranger to view him and his group, they might even mistake him as the leader, however they'd soon find that they were wrong to assume so. In truth, Jacque was more than content to follow Luna's orders unquestioningly so long as it kept him alive and food on the table. The man rolled his neck a few times to relieve some stiffness before snatching a bottle of listerine from the night stand and downing some of the contents. After replacing the bottle, Jacque exited his room and made his way towards the front door, swishing the listerine about in his mouth as he moved through the cabin.

Upon his exit Jacque noticed Luna leaning over the railing, looking to be in a good deal of pain yet again with Estelle on standby. "Mmph." He grunted before he spat the listerine over the railing and onto the ground below, "You look like you're having a shitty time. Headaches back again?" he asked rather bluntly.

[The ghost in black]

"There she is!"
"Well what are you waiting for SHOOT!"
"I thought we were supposed to bring her back not dead"
"And I thought I was supposed to be the leader now FIRE!"
Bang*

At that point belle woke up with a small scream and held her chest right above her heart. "It was all just a dream, thank god" belle said to herself after she calmed down and swung her legs over the edge of her bed shivering at the cold floor. Her room was almost entirely dark except for the small slivers of light that sneak in from the window and she was happy about this as it meant she doesn't have to wear her glasses to as well as not being blinded as soon as she opened her eyes. Belle got out of bed and slipped into a black tank top and a pair of long blue jeans after taking a quick shower and making sure her wings were nice and dry.

After she had gotten dressed she Almost Skipped out to the balcony with the others and waved to them, but instead of standing around she hopped up on the railing facing in and flipped back hanging by her knees. "Headaches aren't a good thing anyone right?" She asked with a quizzical tone in her voice and a slight frown. Belle closed her eyes and just started tracking the other things running around in the area like a rabbit running across the yard and the others standing on the balcony.

[SilverWolfAngel]

She ran, fleeing for her life, chasing after the faint belief the others were still alive, even though she’d seen them die. There were noises behind her, but she didn’t turn to look, there was no point, she could never see their faces, just bulky forms, endlessly chasing her. She couldn’t keep running, gasping for breath, and she couldn’t fly, her wings broken and torn, and she certainly couldn’t fight, she felt like led-jelly, heavy and spaghetti-like, running on pure fear alone. Suddenly in front of her appeared a door, nothing else, just a heavy metal door in its frame, she didn’t think, just dashed through, not that she could have avoided it, even if she wanted to. Turning and slamming the door, she bolted it, hoping it would keep the pursuers out, but when she turned round, surveying the room, she found it was a cage of sorts, concrete walls on every side, closing in, shrinking the space rapidly, causing her to freak, her claustrophobia making her fling herself at the door, only to find just another solid concrete wall. She could still see, and so panic kept rising as the space kept shrinking. Curling herself up in a ball, tears dripping own her face, she sobbed, far to terrified to scream.

Eyes snapping open, the girl stayed frozen, tears dripping down her face, as she silently watched the pale grey light filling the room. It was cold, she never closed her curtains, but that didn’t bother her, she preferred cold. A noise from somewhere else in the cabin jolted her, offering the necessary push to get her up. Stretching out her arms and legs she rolled out of bed, feet making a slight thump when they hit the floor. Wiping the tears of her face, Fade padded out of her room, already dressed, she slept in her clothes, and started poking round the kitchen, looking for something to eat. She was not a morning person, but being up was better than sleeping, sleeping meant nightmares, something she was loath to face. She could hear the others out on the balcony, but wasn’t ready to face them quite yet, she hadn’t woken up screaming this morning, a great achievement, compared to what she used to be like, but she still hated the others seeing her as weak. Chewing at the side of her hand thoughtfully, she was gentle enough to not break her skin, instead leaving slightly indented bite marks. Finally after rummaging round and admitting she had no clue what she was looking at, Fade silently joined the others on the balcony, soaking up the sunlight, bouncing it off her obsidian-midnight wings, which she had stretched out behind her, mimicking many of the others on the balcony. Right then she was not in a talking mood, content to just listen, but that would probably change soon enough.

[ViolentViolet]

Luna rarely ever told one of them when she had a vision, though she knew they weren't stupid and one of them would figure out sooner or later that she always got a migraine and left the day after she had one, though when she was gone she usually left before they woke up, more often than not immediately after she had the vision or wrote the poem without warning. While the others had been waking she had stayed exactly where she was, silent as the grave while the youngest of the group came out to stand next to her; it was normal and the girl enjoyed normal after waking up as she had this morning. There were smudges under her eyes, easily mistaken for one of her 'spots' for anyone who didn't know her as well as her pack did, though as long as she didn't let them look too long they wouldn't be able to see them clearly enough to ask about it. Reaching up one of her hands she set it on Estelle's head and ruffled her hair beneath her hat slightly, playfully thanking her for joining her without actually saying anything to disrupt the silence when Jacque came outside.

He was the largest of them, the heaviest and easily could have been the strongest of them if it wasn't for the strength of the muscle in Luna's own legs. With a little effort she could have hurt the both of them but regardless, over the time Luna had come to depend on the older male for his support when she made a decision or just the stability he represented for her. He was often calm and lended that hand she needed when even she had no idea what to do. She lifted her head slightly, taking her hand off of the smaller girls head and planting both on the poach railing as she pushed herself up off the wooden ledge. She was clearly tired and had yet to stretch out properly or fly for the morning aside from her usual morning check of the area to make sure everyone was safe and the grassland was free of any possible threats. She would have pushed out her wings then had they not been collapsed against her back and there was more space between herself and the cabin.

"Yeah."

Her response was short and crisp, though it encompassed quiet a lot for the young woman who rarely said a thing about her own needs and desires. Rubbing her temples for a moment she looked about to see the majority of her gang gathered around her and put her hands to her hips with that sassy, leader-like attitude she had been able to conjure up on a whim since they escaped. Her dark eyes followed around everyone, finding each pair of eyes slowly and making sure that they all knew she knew and cared that they were there as well as she was getting ready to talk. Luna hated being interrupted all the time.

"So it's Freedom Day guys. But we still have to get chores done and figure out what we're eating tonight."

She started, pausing to make sure she had their attention and looked at Jacque, already ready to go about his chores for the day since he had the biggest of the lists of things to do today. Of course she had already decided what everyone was going to do today regardless. Glad that she had locked her own bedroom door so that none of the others could get inside, and forbidding entry to it even when she was here she pulled in a large breath and moves so she face everyone which ultimately left her standing with her back to the main road ten miles off of them.

"Jacque has the animals today but it's big so I want Estelle to go with him and collect the eggs to it gets done faster. Belle, check the garden and pull out any problem weeds. After that you can collect wild fruit, but take a buddy and let me know when you're going and how far away. Fade, see what you can do about a grocery list and then help Belle with the garden. The one still sleeping can do the house cleaning."

After she finished listing off thins she exhaled again, breathing out whatever air she hadn't managed to use while she spoke, a grin on her face too as her eyes focused in on a rabbit crossing to field behind the others before she looked at them again.

"Now what do you want to eat tonight? I'll get what I need and groceries this afternoon while I'm in town."

[MonsieurShade]

Jacque listened silently to what Luna had to say, and while he made no fuss when she requested Estelle assisted him the tip of his tail twitched ever so slightly in annoyance. It was not that he disliked Estelle, nor was it that he preferred to be alone, the source of his annoyance was a desire to do things his way at his own pace unless specifically told otherwise. Still, orders were orders, so rather than fuss Jacque gave a curt nod and gripped the railing, "So long as there's meat in it, i'm down for whatever.".

He made no attempt to speak about what had come to be known by the flock as "freedom day". It was a day worth celebrating for certain, however some parts of Jacque's mind simply couldn't let him enjoy the thought of being without restraint without reminding him exactly what he'd escaped from. In his subconscious Jacque could still clearly remember every scalpel incision, chemical injection, and training session as if it had just happened yesterday. Worse still, he couldn't truly enjoy freedom day without remembering that in the end he was created to be nothing more than an insurance policy, just a tool to be used to terminate another group of experiments. It dehumanized him in ways that genetic modification couldn't even begin to compare to.

Jacque snapped out of his thoughts as he realized his knuckles were beginning to turn white from his grip, and threw himself over the railing. After hitting the ground with a solid thump and a grunt, Jacque unfurled his wings and allowed them to stretch to their full glory. Jacque's wings may have been considered drab in comparison to some of the others, but as far as he was concerned, they were fourteen feet of reddish brown majesty. He flapped them a few times to get a feel for the flight to come, kicking up a bit of dust with each broad movement before turning back to the group above him, specifically his partner for the day, "Ready whenever you are, ya munchkin." he jeered. Despite the taunt, Jacque's tone held no malice, only a hint of mirth as he waited for the youngest of the group to join him.

[kagethekiller]

Link had just finished doing his morning run around the perimeter when Jacque dropped from the balcony spreading out his wings. Link had been woken up this morning by Luna's headache and decided it would be better to start his day rather than bother her about it. He liked to wake up before the rest did, sometimes in the morning it got hard to sleep with all the emotion in the house. Link stretched out his wings and flew onto the roof crouching there, wings still flapping slightly balancing him. He got a good purchase and sat down with his feet hanging off the edge off the roof. "What am I gonna do?" he said landing lightly next to Luna, making a small sound as his two bare feet hit the floor.

He hated cleaning the house, and he really didn't even want to be there right now. It was beautiful outside this morning, he could hear the rabbits in the field digging, and water dripping from the faucet below them. Link took a deep breath and thought on what it was that gave her the headache, his face sort of scrunched up momentarily in thought as he saw a rabbit pop its head out of a whole. He quickly realized he was doing it and stopped. She had never told them where she disappeared to most of the time but Link trusted her judgment, though he hated when she would leave unannounced. Sometimes it would literally make him sick but he tended not to let the others know, he always thought about sneaking off after her a few hours after she left and tracking her for a while but he could never bring himself to leave the flock. They could pack a punch, but it never hurt to have another pair of wings. It also never hurt to have someone watching your back.

All he wanted to do today was fly... he doubt that was gonna happen. He leaned against the railing waiting for a response.

[The ghost in black]

Belle listened to Luna give orders to everyone and waited until she heard what she was supposed to do. When she heard that she was to do the gardening that day she smiled and flipped off the railing landing on her feet. Spreading her wings to their impressive 12.5 foot span she gave a thumbs up and took off with a plume of dirt following her and made a wide arc towards the garden. Belle set down gently in the garden and picked up the basket that was placed a little ways away. After she got the basket she started walking through the garden humming a small tune.

As she walked she pulled any weeds out of the ground and pruned the plants. "I wonder if Luna was going to sneak out again" Belle said to herself as she bent down and pulled another weed from the soft soil. Her glasses were down over her eyes and she watched the wild animals around the garden, though it seemed like hey were watching her too. The black streaks in Belle's wings seemed to shimmer in the sunlight as she walked almost melding into one continuous waving line, that was almost hypnotic to stare at.

The garden was full of different plants from different parts of the country, such as some form of wide rose from up north to a thin berry from further south. She had collected a lot of the seeds herself and tended to stay in the garden even when it wasn't her turn to do the gardening. Her most prized plant in the garden was a full bloom of the one she was named after, the infamous Atropa belladonna or nightshade. She shooed a few rabbits away from the plant and pulled some weeds from around it, pruning the excess leaves and putting them in a small pouch she kept around her waist then continued on.

[NightmareInd]

Shadow slowly opened his eyes. He was never a morning person. He had no alarm or anything. Better yet, except for his wardrobe, a cupboard and a pretty big bed, his room was empty. He didn't bother about it, as you should fill your room with stuff you like, or just stuff you have. And apart from meat, Shadow didn't have any of those. Shadow slept like every night like a curled up cat. He now stretched out like one, then jumped off the bed and landed on both hands and feet. He walked towards the wardrobe, and got up on two feet. Even though he loved to walk on hands and feet all day, it wasn't practical in a house made for humans. He got on an easy t-shirt, put his hoodie over it and got his wings through the holes on his back. He put on some jeans, and walked towards the door.

He opened the door, and recognised the voice of Luna. He followed the voice to the balcony when he picked up something about eating tonight. Meat... was the first thing he thought. He held some distance from the others but still in sight of Luna. "Morning, boss. I heard something about food?" Even though he only recently re-joined the flock, Shadow recognised Luna as the leader, and as he was in need of one to keep himself under control, he respected her.

[XxLyraxX]

As the other's woke up and started gathering on the porch, Estelle debated going back inside where it was less crowded but she resisted the temptation. For good reason as Luna began announcing the chore assignments. She tilted her head silently when Luna stated that she was to gather eggs with Jacque. She liked Jacque, he didn't mind that she didn't talk much and he was quiet himself as times. She merely blinked when Freedom was mentioned. She knew it was cause for celebration but being the youngest of the group, she was rather young when they escaped. However, she still remembered perfectly what went on in that horrible place and everything regarding their escape. It still plagued her dreams most nights, sometimes changing its course where Estelle herself was the only one that made it out alive. She woke up some nights with her screams muffled by her pillow but she never mentioned any of this to the group and thankfully none of them ever brought it up, sympathizing with her about the nightmares. They were all scarred from their life at the School however that was all in the past and hopefully they could live the rest of their lives peacefully.

Although, as much as she wanted to believe that, she had a feeling that danger was going to find them sooner or later. She looked back at Luna, narrowing her eyes at the sight of the smudges on the other girl's face. She knew those weren't Luna's normal spots and decided she must not be getting enough sleep. Estelle didn't know what it was but she sensed that Luna was hiding something from them. She stood there regarding their leader for a few more moments before Jacque's voice broke her from her musings. She glanced down to find he had already ascended to the ground.

She turned back to Luna and stepped forward, giving her an unexpected hug before she turned and, after stuffing her hat into her pocket so it wouldn't get blown away, climbed up onto the railing. She balanced there for a moment, the wind blowing her long hair softly as the furry ears atop her head flickered at the sounds that echoed around them. Estelle then took a step forward off the balcony. She wind whipped her hair behind her in a long trail as her colorful wings spread out behind her and she floated to the ground and landed as if she weighed nothing more than a feather; which wasn't far from the truth seeing as she was pretty light.

She then turned to her partner for the day and gave him her usual small smile.

[MonsieurShade]

With the youngest of the bunch ready to assist him in his designated task, Jacque gave Estelle a small nod before turning and running barefooted. It might have seemed odd, however Jacque preferred to leave the boots he used when working with livestock at the sight rather than get fussed at for tracking all kinds of filth into the cabin. His movements started off slow but strong, and soon he picked up enough pace to allow him to glide for brief periods, then ultimately take full flight. Jacque lifted himself above the tree line with a few strokes before he caught a gust of wind and began to glide with it, tilting his wings and body so that he could bank left in the direction in the farm.

The man was never really a particular fan of flying, he still had a slight instinctual desire to do so, and he was capable of doing it strongly and efficiently, sure, however he wasn't going to get anywhere particularly fast like Estelle would, nor was he going to look graceful while doing it like any of the others. He'd long since assumed it was because either he had more gila monster DNA than he did avian, or because he was working with a ratio of two strictly terrestrial animals to one flying, but whatever the case, it simply didn't sit with his as easily. Jacque took a quick glance back and sped up as best he could, figuring that not only would Estelle catch up in a heartbeat, but that she'd get bored quickly if he went too slow.

[The ghost in black]

'freedom day....' Belle thought to herself as she walked down the rows of plants picking weeds from the dirt. She could remember the day like it was yesterday; the running, the dodging and hiding, and of course the final takeoff from that place into the sky. "I hope we never have to go back" She said as she plucked a berry from a nightshade plant and tossed it at a rabbit she sensed was behind her and watched it start eating the deadly berry without any problem.

Belle dumped the weeds into a compost pit and put the basket back before launching high into the air. She started climbing higher and higher before stopping and looking down at the area where the animals were though was only able to see the general outlines of the bodies there thanks to her eyes being too sensitive to light. The air at the height she was at was pretty thin but it didn't bother her much, though the cold began to get to her forcing her to move to an area with more sun.

The way Belle flew had changed since they had escaped. When she was in the program she flew as though she was hunting at all time but over time she learned from the others to relax and enjoy the flight. While she flew she circled the forest and tapped the the tops of the trees before heading back to the house and sitting on top of it sunning herself for a while but not saying anything to the others.

[SilverWolfAngel]

Fade listened as Luna talked, shrugging slightly at her assigned task, making a grocery list wouldn't, hopefully, be to bad, although she wasn't the best in the garden, but hey, she would help where she could. Nodding when Luna stopped talking to show she had understood, Fade pulled her wings in, till they seemed to disappear into two small ridges running down either side of her spine, seen through the massive holes she had torn in the back her grey singlet to accommodate. These gaping gaps between the fabric were now visible to anyone on the balcony, if they were to look her way, as Fade had silently slipped inside, heading back to the kitchen, looking through the cupboards once again, this time checking what they had, and so therefore working out what they needed.

She hummed a tune as she pottered, sorting out the food; tins here, dry stuff there, gone-off milk down the drain, moldy cheese to go to chickens, eggs go back in the fridge, along with butter and other 'cool' items.

Singing softly, Fade scrawled down a shopping list on a slip of paper she had hooked out of one of her pockets. She always had some paper and a pencil or two, she liked to sketch inanimate objects occasionally, and was, slowly but surely, getting better at it.
She'd need to get someone else to re-wright the list for Luna, her writing was mostly a bunch of messy scribbles, dancing in wavy lines across the page. Managing to look both graceful and utterly unintelligible, much like Fade herself.

[XxLyraxX]

@MonsieurShade
Estelle took off after Jacque, wings expanding on either side of her. The good thing about her wing structure was that she didn't require air currents in order to take flight. She leaped into the air, wings humming as they lifted her above the trees. Her partner was several yards ahead of her but Estelle knew she could over take him in a heartbeat, she was the faster flyer on the team due her genetic make-up. But she lagged behind, enjoying the wind blowing through her hair as the trees sped away under her. After a few moments she sped up and soon drew up next to Jacque. They neared the farm and she dived, wings tucked against her back. Right before she impacted the ground her wings shot out and she landed gently on the compacted dirt.

As she waited for the older man to land she walked over to where their only horse, Weiss, was penned, a beautiful snow white stallion they used to help plow the fields. Estelle smiled at the animal as she stroked Weiss's nose, the horse's breath gently moving her hair away from her face. After a few moments she turned away and waited for Jacque to land, gathering up the basket of feed they spread out for the chickens to distract them while Estelle gathered the eggs.

[MonsieurShade]

@XxLyraxX
Jacque clucked his tongue as after nearing the farm Estelle made her descent. Such a quick landing was all but impossible for the man if he wanted to keep his wings from being torn from their sockets. Instead, he tilted his body and descended towards the ground in a circular manner until his feet finally touched dirt.

Jacque idly watched Estelle begin to collect eggs and feed the chickens for a few moments before looking around and extending a long forked tongue. He did this several times, picking up the unmistakable scents of horses, chickens, and pigs, however he did not detect anything resembling human, modified or otherwise. Content with this, Jacque allowed Estelle to get a further head start on the eggs whilst he cared for the pigs. He jogged over to the pen, sparing a moment to check inside to ensure they were all in good health before donning a large pair of muck covered boots and grabbing a nearby trashcan. The can was filled with a mixture of stolen pig feed, stale breads, over ripened or rotten fruits such as bananas, apples, and grapes, and even a few scraps of meat to ensure the swine had their full dietary needs met. Jacque lifted the garbage can over the pen, then followed shortly after to ensure that the prying noses of the pigs did not tip it over. As his boots sank a few inches into a patch of mud Jacque gave a short throaty hiss to scatter a few piglets that hadn't been frightened off by him jumping over.

The scattering of the piglets elicited a grunt of displeasure from the sow that was their mother, however she did not charge Jacque as she was familiar enough with him to know he wasn't a threat. Jacque, now content with a pathway being cleared, trekked through the muck and towards the feeding bin, being careful to keep his tail raised above the gunk at his feet. As the pigs -a group that consisted of four males, eight females, and thirteen piglets in total- followed behind him, Jacque would feel a snout proud his tail every few seconds or so, but ignored it so long as the swine remembered not to bite. After a solid three and a half minutes of shlepping through mud, Jacque deposited a healthy amount of feed into the bin and stepped out of the way for the pigs to eat. With them distracted, Jacque turned his attention to the nesting area, quickly making his way over and exchanging soiled bedding for fresh before hopping back out of the pen with the feeding garbage can. "So munchkin-" He began as he made his way over to the chicken coops, "Buck give you any trouble during feeding?" he inquired, referring to the old and somewhat ornery rooster that presided over the roost when the flock where not around. While Buck usually only reserved his aggression for the males of the flock, every now and then he'd have a go at the girls as if to prove a point, and while Jacque actually respected the rooster's bravado, he wouldn't think twice about having Buck for dinner if caught Buck attacking anyone but himself.

[ViolentViolet]

@kagethekiller@NightmareInd@SilverWolfAngel

After the girl had finished giving out instructions she sighed and waited for the other to disperse, those who already knew their job would had walked or flew off to get started on them early so that they could go about whatever it was that they wanted for the rest of the afternoon while she was away of course. Even though the group of them had been here for almost six years, and she didn't have a second in command to really rely on when she needed someone else to handle to others, or to talk to about her visions when she didn't want to worry the rest of them. She lifted her eyes to the others and, stunned, she felt the smallest of their ranks wrap her thin arms around her torso for the short moment before she took off again, following after Jacque to the barn a mile or so off of them. Her gaze followed them until they were out of sight and she returned her attention to the two had recently made their appearances. The two males had often since been the last to gather, though mostly it seemed, on chore days.

She looked between them, crossing her arms beneath her chest and allowing her gaze to travel back to the two boys who now stood in front of her. "You-" She started, looking pointedly at Shadow, displeasure at being kept waiting clearly in her eyes that stared at him as if he wasn't even there. "Will clean the house tonight after the party." She finished, her cold silver gaze trailing back over to Link where he stood nonchalantly next to the other male though she couldn't help but roll her eyes at the two of them. "You have dish duty." She told him and didn't say anything else as she turned away from the two of them and walked inside, heading for the kitchen where Fade was working on a list.

[NightmareInd]

@The ghost in black
Shadow got his back straight when Luna gave him the order. "Yes, ma'am." He said. He noticed the displeasure when she gave it to him, but he couldn't do much about the fact he got up late. He wasn't used to a lot of 'human things' like an alarm clock, and when he tried it out, he ripped it apart. And he always locked his room from the inside at night, scared of the idea that someone might walk into his room by mistake at night and he would attack him. No, Shadow had a long way to go if he wanted to get fully accepted into the group.

Now that his chores weren't until tonight he had plenty of time to do whatever he wanted before the party. However, he didn't have much to do. He could maybe hunt some wild animals in the forests, but that would only encourage the animal inside him, which he didn't want. After some thinking, he decided he would just lay down somewhere and rest some more. He jumped off the balcony, making his wings flap hard to get into the air. He circled around the house, looking for a good spot to rest, when he saw Belle laying on top of the roof. Shadow's first idea was to search a new spot, still not fully satisfied with himself the way he acted towards the others. However, he then thought he shouldn't keep running away from his problems. He descended from the air onto the roof, a couple meters away from Belle. "Come to see the view as well?" Shadow said. He got down on his back and closed his eyes.

[The ghost in black]

As Belle laid on the roof she started running through the mental map she had developed while in the forest, remembering where the best spots to find the best berries and other fruits. The forest was like a second home to her snake side as there were plenty of places to sun herself as well as many small ponds and hidey holes for her to explore. "If I go towards the north east area then I should find the best fruit by the Ring Pond, or maybe I should go to the north west area just to check Belle said to herself as she stared up at the sky. She spread out her wings and laid them flat against the roof letting the sun warm them while she thought of where to go for her next chore. "I'll go tell Luna where im going after a few minutes" Belle said as she closed her eyes and readjusted her sunglasses to sleep.

@NightmareInd
"Hey shadow, No just taking a break" Belle said as she heard the boy speak and sensed him lay down a small distance away. To Belle Shadow was a strange boy as he had joined the group a while back and she had seen him walking on his hands and feet while walking around the house only using her heat sensors, but she still mostly accepts him into their group. "What are you doing up here?" She asked as she continued to keep her eyes closed.

[SilverWolfAngel]

"Hey Luna." Fade greeted, glancing up and smiling happily at the older girl. "I'm nearly done."
Picking up the last of the loose food stuffs, she tucked them away in their respective spots and turned back to the counter, adding in another few messy scribbles to the list.

Silently finishing up the list, Fade stretched her hands, glancing over her work and grinning. "You're gonna need to re-wright this." She laughed, admitting her writing was one massive loopy scrawl. "Do you need me to read it out? Or can you decipher it? Also it's not yet on the list, but we really need more meat. I can go out hunting if you like. I'm not very good in the garden, end up pulling up all the plants we want to keep." Okay, so she knew she was trying to get out of working in the garden, …although it was true, she had helped before and pulled out all the wrong plants in one spot, enough to get her yelled at by Belle. Now Fade wasn't really in any way wimpy, but she hated getting yelled at by her pack. Yep, she called the rag tag group she lived with her pack, or family, with Luna equal to the Alpha wolf, or pack leader.
@ViolentViolet