April 29, 2012 What, what is this?

David looked everywhere in the lodge. No one was to be found.

"Something is wrong here." As he turned to the window in the main room. Just then he saw figures outside. Not familiar figures. No, they weren't family. They seemed....different. This can't be good, he thought. Soon after, he broke out in a run. Just who are those people? And what are they doing here? Sweat started to run down his face, concentrated, his eyes were fixed on the direction the figures were in. His pupils were dilated, searching for something. Something that wasn't there

Hazel had been glad Gwen had been so responsive to her attempts to console the girl. Maybe they could still fix this and be a family. However, that relief was shattered by the two men. At their comments, Hazel whipped her head around so quickly she would have had a serious case of whiplash had she been a normal human. It wasn't the one who had be ostracizing her who bugged her. It was the one who had called Gwen a baby who had really gotten under her skin. Idiots, Hazel thought vehemently. She's stronger at her weakest than you would ever dream to be. Hazel would like to see what kind of comments they had to say if she'd been in her Gauru form.

"Come along, Gwen," Hazel said standing up, doing her best to get the other girl onto her feet. "Let's get back to the lodge." The more Hazel thought about it, the more the men bugged her. Not what they said, but their existence. Logically, there was no reason for them not to be there. It wasn't like the lodge was a secret hidden headquarters. There was just something about those men that seemed...off. And it rubbed all of Hazel's instincts the wrong way.

"Where you going, babes!?" the black haired man called out, his lips curling up into a wide smirk after his companion's smack to his arm. The shortest of moments passes as he casts a glance over his shoulder. Satisfied with whatever he may or may not've seen, he breaks off into a slow jog. It isn't long before the other hurries after and, after a series of long-stridden steps, the pair catch up more fully to Gwen and Hazel. "Slow down, hot-ass," he says to Hazel unabashedly, his attempt at a compliment coming off more crude than was possibly intended. All the while as he approaches, his eyes stay fixed on the woman's lower half, his lip pressing lightly in his teeth as he nods approvingly.

"You couldn't fuck her if you wanted to, Benny," the latter man says to the former as he catches, his open scowl betraying his obvious unappreciative disposition towards the topic at hand. His eyes stray more fully towards Gwen and - seen or not - he offers the woman a kind of apologetic smile.

There isn't much before the former man speaks again, his words peppered with a vulgar kind of humor. "I fuckin' know that!" he calls out as he lowers his hand to grip at he front of his pants lightly, "But if I could man. I'd fuckin'- Mmm. Oh yeah." It might be seen that this is some attempt at a compliment towards Hazel, as the entire time he keeps his eyebrow up slightly and a firm smirk on his face.

Gwen grabbed her bag and offered it to Hazel as she glanced downwards, hoping she'd catch the hint to use it to cover herself a bit from this pervert. She had a long button-up shirt that wasn't so buttoned and that was enough. Besides, she was probably nothing but jail-bait to him. Whatever his problem was, he needed to have it resolved without involving them.

"Hazel, let's just get you away from this creep. I don't like him. I really don't trust this guy," she whispered in the older woman's ear. "Don't worry, I can feel David coming, too, if need be..."

Pack Awareness...And yes, I did confirm with Adrian in case anyone wonders...

With heat in his eyes, David had finally made it. He came in between the two groups. Making eye contact with the strangers, he felt a slight disturbance while looking at them. His senses were heightened, awaiting for whatever came at him, alert to the situation. David knew that these men didn't come to converse, they were here for something else. Maybe they were the reason the Old Man had gone missing? David need answers, and he was going to get them. If force is needed, by all means. He'll use it.

"Such filthy words, didn't they teach you better? What the hell are you doing here." He had spoken with a deep, growling voice. His eyes were fixed on their hands. Making sure that if they made any movements, he would be able to have time to adapt. Without moving he said

"Are you 2 alright?"

Hazel refused the bag Gwen gave her. She didn't want to give those creeps the satisfaction. Besides, she wasn't worried. If they were just men, then she could take them. Despite how assured she was of her own capabilities, she was nonetheless relieved when David appeared as if from nowhere. Thank Mother Luna.

"I think we're good," Hazel said in response to David's question. She was fine, and Gwen seemed to be okay. She had some emotional overload happening, but other than that she was fine. "Gwen, stay back," Hazel said, stepping back towards David. She had no doubt about Gwen's abilities, but she was new and most likely had no experience in situations such as these. Plus, the poor girl'd had enough to deal with in the past hour.

"You'd better answer him, boys," Hazel said, turning to stand next to David facing the men. Hazel ignored her nudity. She did feel slightly uncomfortable standing in front of the two men like this, especially when one had already made his sexual attraction to her clear, but that unease was washed away by two other things: one was anger. Just anger at the audacity of the men, the black-haired one in particular.

The other was curiosity. How had these men gotten so far into their territory without anyone noticing? They shouldn't have been able to. Someone should have heard or scented or saw them, but no one did. Something was up. Hazel instinctively flared her nostrils, taking in the scents around her. She was mostly trying to take in the scent of the men, to see if they smelled of anything different than the obnoxious humans she'd made them out to be.

The immediate scent of wolf flows through Hazel's nostrils at such a proximity. Though obviously from the others in front of her, she smells little else.

"We're just here to-" The more reasonable, brown haired man said as he splayed his hands before him and adopted a sudden grimace. His words were interrupted, however, a the black haired man steps forward.

"We're here doin' whatever the fuck we want," he says, clearly amused by the situation as he takes a half step towards David. His companion appears physically pained by the reaction, and shoots a glance over his shoulder in the direction of which they game. "Who're you to ask, huh?"

Gwen followed Hazel and stood near her mostly for her own safety. She didn't want to be left alone and open to these weird guys if they decided to attack, and she didn't want to leave the two alone. There was safety in numbers. Even if the other two were far more capable than herself, she would give whatever she had to help defend them if needed. Since she herself didn't yet have the confidence to back up her words, she looked to the other two to answer them. Gwen would learn from their actions. But for now, it was time to suck it up and deal with her problems later.

"You'd better keep that one on a leash." David said directly to the brown haired man with a smirk on his face. He already didn't like them. The black haired especially, the brown haired looked as if he was hiding something. David knew he shouldn't take him lightly, especially if they're foes.

"Now, I don't know who you are but I sure as hell don't like you. Just what in the fuck are you doing here." He said with a more sinister tone. He stood there motionless. It was an entirely different David speaking, and he was more than okay with his. If those intruders want trouble, he is sure as hell going to give it to them. He glared at the black haired individual, his hands were pulsing. This fucker wants a fight, I'll make sure he regrets picking one with me.

Hazel could feel David's hostility as if it were a tangible energy in the air. He was angry, angrier than she'd ever seen him, and that was bad. Hazel didn't like the men there either, and she certainly wanted answers, but they needed to keep a level head about this. If they went and blew their tops then there was a good chance of them never getting answers. Hazel reached out a hand and put it on David's shoulder, trying to calm him down as best she could without speaking.

"You'd better answer quick," Hazel said to the lighter-haired man. "I don't think this will end well if you don't." Hazel kept her eyes on the man with the lighter hair. The one with black hair was an idiot, so Hazel didn't think much of him. Besides, David had him in a mental headlock, so she wasn't worried about him sneaking off. But the man with the lighter hair was still calm, still collected. If they were a threat, he was the brains of the operation, and he was the one they needed to worry about.

The black haired man laughs aloud as the word 'leash' is thrown out. The laughter only increasing as the conversation continues against him. All the while the man to his right appears more and more dejected, obviously displeased with his companions actions. Taking a step forward, this Benny puffs his chest out and throws his arms up into the air. "What're you goin' to do about it, Puppy?" he calls out, his words laced with obvious humor as he looks David over. Flicking his gaze back towards Hazel's body, he looks her over and gives a few appreciative nods, "I wouldn't mind wrestlin' with that beauty over there. Too bad shit's not allowed."

"Benny, please man," the sandy haired man asks once again as he reaches out to touch the other man's arm. It doesn't hold far, though, as his hand falls back to his side and his gaze turns down towards his feet. "This was a bad idea," he murmurs under his breath as he slips his hands into his pockets.

Gwen glared at the black-haired man. Someone needed to do him the favor of ending his capability of speaking...and moving for that matter. Every twitch that man made somehow seemed lewd to her virgin eyes. It just might due public good for such an appearance to not appear like cleaning up a park.

Though now it seemed they were up against tougher opponents. They either were just stupid humans who didn't understand the reference and went with it or they really knew what was going on. Gwen would bet on the latter. As much as the sandy-haired man tried to hold his companion back, the less she believed in his will. He was like a victim to a suicide, who really did next to nothing by the time the deed was done. He couldn't hold this "Benny" back in the slightest.

She stared at both of their faces. Even if they managed to limp away after David's wrath, she still wanted to know who they were and what they were there for. She could just sketch them later if needed.

Eidetic Memory

"Puppy? Gee, you sure know how to pull all the right strings don't you? Just who in the hell do you think I am? But you're not important, obviously your buddy over there is the smarter one. So why don't you let the adults talk?" He laughed at the thought of the man calling him a puppy.

"You sure as hell know it's a bad idea. Are you going to answer me? Or do I have to continue listening to your buddy making a fool out of himself?" His disdain towards them grew larger as the seconds passed. They were really starting to piss him off, and if they got away, he would never forgive himself. Especially the Benny boy. He had special plans for him

"Hey, if you're not going to do anything about it, how about I teach your friend here a lesson or two?"

"David, calm down," Hazel said, strengthening her grip on his arm so that her nails were digging into his skin. She was losing her patience as well, but they needed to keep a level head when dealing with these men. It wouldn't do to lose their cool and end up blowing a potentially significant problem. Hazel wanted to deck Benny too, but they couldn't afford to mess this up. Her eyes flicked to the lighter-haired man. "Please, just answer the question. Why are you here?"

As the conversation continued, the brown haired man got progressively quieter and quieter, his eyes averting from all the others instead towards his feet. Looking clearly uncomfortable, he shifted his weight back and forth as he gripped the hems of his jacket lightly.

The expression on Benny's face shifted from wholly amused to something much less so. In fact, he started looking quite annoyed. "Fuckin' idiots," he eventually said before looking back towards his companion, his head shaking from side to side. "Let's fuckin' go. These's River Bitches are fucking lame," he loosed after reaching out to punch the other's arm.

"River Bitches". So they did know who they were...Gwen could hardly care for her pride when the conflict was resolved. However, she wasn't quite sure that she wanted to leave until she saw them clear out of their sight, away from Hazel. As long as they kept their filthy paws off of them, she didn't care what indignant slurs were thrown. She looked over at David, hoping he'd keep his temper.

"River Bitches? What the fuck ever." He turned to face the others, eyeing them, searching for any injuries. Without warning, he walked passed them, brushing them aside.

"If you come back, you won't be leaving a second time." He stood there both emotionless and motionless. He had enough, from there on out, David had to change. Not only for himself, but for the others around him. Their safety was his priority.

"If you come back, you won't be leaving a second time." And continued walking to the lodge.

"come guys, let's get the fuck out of here. Now."

Hazel watched David leave. She had never seen him that angry. It was strange. Her eyes followed him as he went. For now, she had no intent on following his orders. He was no higher up in the pack ranking than she was, so she didn't have to obey him. It was probably a good idea to do what he said in this particular instance, but Hazel couldn't do it. They had called them "River Bitches." There was no way that they coincidentally chose to insult them in a way that would imply the name of their pack. She had questions, and she needed them answered.

"You called us 'River Bitches,'" Hazel said, stepping up to the man with the lighter hair. She didn't turn her back to the darker-haired one, but her attention was almost entirely on the less vocal of the two. "Why?" She squinted her eyes, staring into the man's. She then added in a voice just above a whisper, "How much do you know about us?"

"Told you they were idiots," Benny said to his companion as he started off, absolutely uninterested in anything Hazel had said. Starting along the path back towards, and eventually past, the Lodge, he slipped his hands into his jacket pockets. The entire walk his face held a half smirk.

The second man did very little to answer Hazel, as well. Instead as the more recent questions were directed his way, he chose to break past in a short jog to follow up behind Benny, his eyes still intent on the ground.

It's about this time that Gwen would sense the Old Man a distance to the east, coming just in range of her extra sensory perception. If she were to look, she'd spot a much larger, full black-haired maned man walking a short distance in front of him.

Standing an easy 7 feet tall, the large man stepped with full, militaristic strides. His nose and eyes hold a significant feel of an animal and his upper and lower canines protrude very slightly from his mouth. His gaze passes over those gathered farther along past the lodge and down the path towards the docks. The only Uratha that wouldn't recognize this Dalu form would be one that's never seen it before.

As he passed the pair standing a distance from the shore of the lake, his eyes broke from it's stare to look them over momentarily. A gruff, dismissive snort escapes him as he moves on without slowing. Even the stronger Forsaken would be intimidated by the strong sense his person emanates- let alone a human.

Following along after the man at a much more leisurely pace is Old Man Moon, his hands held firmly behind his back.

"Hazel, just drop it," Gwen said in a low tone. "They're leaving, alright? That should just be it...Wait, there's something coming." She stopped and pointed to the direction that she sensed something only to see the tall, hairy man. Gasping, she asked her senior, "What...what is that?"

Gripping her companion's hand tightly, she stammered, "Who, who are they? And Old Man Moon? Why is he there? What's going on?" At this point, the girl of seventeen was flustered and drained. She hadn't been this frustrated since her first shift. Why couldn't the answers to her questions just be easy ones? And why did everything have to bombard her all at once? She really should have just asked at once before her mental state was cracked by the shock.

Gwen took one deep breath in and squeezed the woman's hand, giving her a nervous smile. As much as she wanted to go find a nice quiet corner in a nice warm shower where she could cry and scream all she wanted, she knew she would stay there with the woman no matter how much that desire grew. Whatever one was in for, the other should have an equal sharing as well. She wouldn't be like David; she wouldn't leave Hazel alone.

David looked back to the girls and gave an impatient grin

"Well, are you coming or not." He said with a slightly shaken voice. Giving an odd presence. This wasn't him anymore. The man beneath the skin was emerging. The man that he struggled so hard to oppress, the man from his past, had finally caught up to him.

"Next time Benny, you'll regret talking." He had begun to growl without noticing that is, until he heard a spine chilling snort. What the fuck, another one. He had thought to himself. Why was it today, today of all days. Those fuckers just don't know when to quit. He glanced back the man, and was confused to see Old Man Moon behind him.

"Just what in the hell is going on here." He mumbled under his breath

Hazel looked back to where Gwen had indicated. Great. Another intruder. And this one definitely knew what he was doing. He was in his Dalu form. Hazel growled low in her throat. It was one thing to wander uninvited into their territory, but to have the audacity to conduct a shift here? That was an outright insult. Hazel began to take a step towards the man when she saw Old Man Moon behind him. So they were there together? Was this other Uratha an ally? Hazel had no idea, but she intended to find out.

It was then that she noticed Gwen's hand around her own, and the confused look on her face. Poor girl. She'd still never gotten any of the answers she so desperately needed. There were too many things to go over right at that moment, but she could at least answer one of her questions.

"Gwen, Gwen, look at me," Hazel looked the girl straight in the eye. "I can't answer all of your questions right now, and I'm sorry, but with them"--her eyes flicked to the two strange men--"here, I don't know if it's safe or not. However, I can attempt to ease your more immediate question." She leaned in so that her lips were right next to Gwen's ear, and she whispered, "The man with Old Man Moon, he's one of us. He's an Uratha, but I'm not sure if he's one of our pack or not. As for the way he looks...That's one of the things I'll explain later. I'm sorry."

When David called after them, Hazel stood up straight and looked over to him. She didn't think going off with him was the best idea at the moment. David was fuming, and upset, rightfully, but they couldn't leave the men to their own devices so near to the center of their territory. Plus there was the stranger with Old Man Moon that they might need to worry about. And Gwen, Hazel had to stay with Gwen and keep the girl from having another psychological breakdown.

"David, I can't," Hazel called out to him apologetically. "I'm sorry, but I can't. There's too much going on currently that I can't afford to miss out on. You should go for a run though. It'd be good for you to stretch out your legs--all of your legs."

The pair of men - and shortly after, the larger man - eventually pass by David on the path. Unless otherwise stopped, they continue along around the bend and disappear down the road into the trees. Old Man Moon, however, stops just beside Gwen and Hazel.

"How are you ladies doing today?" he asked, calm as ever, his eyes moving over the pair before flicking aside towards David a distance away. His demeanor was calm, his smile easy, and - despite the previous couple and the larger man - he appeared absolutely happy.

Gwen was flabbergasted. He asked her how was she doing in that calm tone. Ha, that was a great question. Looking up at him, her eyes welled with tears. She didn't know anything other than that she just wasn't happy...just like an animal that couldn't tell you what was wrong with it. Though she wasn't hung up on the actual incident of the morning (as she couldn't even remember in her confusion what that even was about), she was upset. Those three people confused her, her earlier frustration came streaming in a torrent from the temporary dam she had to build in the face of danger, and she realized she still was covered in dirt. Her skin didn't feel clean. It had to be removed. In that moment, she glared down at Hazel's hand and pulled away from it. She didn't need to get dirty, too. It would be best to not touch anyone.

Like a knotted hose, Gwen finally burst from the pressure into full on sobbing. How was she doing today? Fanfuckingtastic.

"Well well well. Now that's a surprise." Davis said with scornful tone. His mind was racing. Confusion. What the fuck is this. Why the hell was this happening. He held up his head high, looking above at the sky. Dammit, he was letting his anger take hold of him. Something he'd promised the Old Man not to do. Something he promised her...fuck. There was nothing to do now. They left, and nothing happened to Old Man Moon.

"I'll be in the lodge." and immediately after, he left.