Stay Away [WM90 Attempt #1]

Alusia still hadn’t had any luck when it came to finding a denmate to keep her company. The first tokota she’d tried to connect with had attacked her when she reverted to her human form. Scritch hadn’t attacked her, but she felt that the fact that she was actually a humanoid had made him drift apart from her. She was still determined to try to find someone to keep her company though. There were several tokotas here. Sedna, Visigoth, Kokomo, Kangee, Moriel, Calvin, Breithla, Neala, and Mirabel all offered some company, but they could only do so much. They all had families and handlers to go back home to and she was always left alone in the night. They couldn’t always come out and see her either, so sometimes she went weeks without any company. Mira’sol the stryx, Karvas the kukuri, and Legacy the equus ballator also tried to offer some company, but they were even more busy than the tokotas. So, when Alusia heard that a tokota nicknamed Jackson had been tagged for taming she couldn’t resist the urge to try to get to know him… and perhaps, if they clicked, win some company.

Nervousness rippled through the black and orange tokota as she made her way through the forest, seeking out the tokota named as Jackson. She would keep her wolf form for now, as rumor had it the last time Jackson had encountered a human he'd ripped the man to shreds...and was still carrying remnants of his flannel shirt. Alusia wasn't so sure that she believed that, but she was taking no chances. Visigoth, Kokomo, Neala, and Calvin were all dires so she doubted protection would be a problem anyways. Sedna, Moriel, Kangee, and Mirabel weren't fighters but they would try at least. She wasn't sure how Mira'sol, Karvas, or Legacy would handle a fight. The thought of Karvas squaring off against Jackson was a funny one. Yeah, that wouldn't end well at all. Regardless of it all, she needed to be careful and win Jackson’s trust.

Movement drew Alusia’s attention then. Ah-ha! The form of a tokota moved against the treeline. Alusia peered closer, curious and hoping that it would be Jackson… and it was! It fit his description perfectly. The tokota was a razor mane, a very rare new mane that had just been discovered. His coat was a muddy shade of gray and brown, complete with shadowmarks that looked like rips on his hide. He was very muscular, obviously fit and adapted to his surroundings. Alusia could see a scrap of fabric hanging from his mouth. Ahhh… she could see where the rumors came from, but she didn't quite believe it. She was very curious though. Kangee sped up to trot alongside her now. He had been a wild tokota once and he was very good at gauging their responses. He'd made it his personal mission to help Alusia find a denmate and a companion. Sedna was also willing to help. Visigoth, Kokomo, Moriel, and Mirabel had never been around wild tokotas before so they were very cautious of Jackson. Calvin, Breithla, and Neala had experience with them. Karvas, Legacy, and Mira’sol were uncertain as to what was going on.

“Hello!” Alusia called out as she trotted towards the strange tokota, her little tail wagging merrily. Jackson came to an abrupt halt, ears pricking forwards with curiosity. His ears swivelled with uncertainty as he took in the large pack of tokotas and… well, he wasn't really sure what the hell Mira’sol, Karvas, and Legacy were. Furthermore he recognized that at least Kokomo and Mirabel were tamed. Kokomo had a brightly colored lizard between his ears and a domesticated dog bouncing by his side. Mirabel had a black cat nestled in her withers and a stork trailing behind her. It immediately made Jackson suspicious of Alusia too. He eyeballed her, setting down the scrap of flannel and placing one long-clawed paw over it as if he feared someone was going to steal it. Visigoth, Kokomo, Moriel, Calvin, Breithla, Neala, Mirabel, Mira’sol, Karvas, and Legacy kept their distance. Sedna and Kangee kept pace with Alusia as she approached the wild beast. The closer she got the more impressed by him that she was. Kangee glanced sideways at her. She was pushing it a bit and she knew it, so she stopped at some distance.

Jackson hadn't replied to her yet, so she persisted. “Where did ya get that shirt?” Alusia asked curiously, head tilted. Jackson's ears pinned to his skull. Sedna and Kangee shook their heads. Visigoth, Kokomo, Moriel, Calvin, Breithla, Neala, Mirabel grimaced collectively. Kokomo and Mirabel's companions sensed the sudden tension and hid behind their owners. Mira’sol, Karvas, and Legacy could feel it too. “Is that what it called? I wouldn't know. I have no interaction with humans. Except the one I ripped this off of.” Jackson’s yellow eyes glistened as he spoke. Alusia blinked, surprised by the answer, and then mentally cursed herself for her slipup. “I have, unfortunately.” She tried to cover her mistake. “I've had to be around them before, against my will. I learned a lot from them that way.” Well, it wasn't a lie… She didn't want to think of those horrible days. Jackson’s intense eyes were still narrowed with skepticism, but she could see his muscles relax slightly. His mane laid down a bit, as it had been bristling before.

His eyes skimmed across Sedna and Kangee. He knew them and he knew that the elder and the former wild were very involved with humans. He hated them for it. Those intense eyes flickered across Mira'sol, Karvas, and Legacy now. He didn't understand them and he wasn't going to even try. They did scan past Visigoth, Kokomo, Moriel, Calvin, Breithla, Neala, Mirabel. “And them? Those two have domesticated companions.” he jerked his head towards Kokomo and Mirabel, who grimaced. “They're obviously associated with the humans.” Well, Alusia couldn't deny that. “Yeah, they have humans.” She wasn't going to lie to him. That wasn't a good way to establish trust. She'd already been fibbing a little bit… “But the humans aren't here. They were just tagging along with me tonight.”

Kangee glanced at her briefly. She was pretty convincing, if he did say so himself. But, would Jackson accept that? Would he put a little trust and faith into this stranger that he'd just met?

The muscular razor mane's intense orange-yellow eyes flickered around between everyone. They were filled with uncertainty. Alusia could sense his sadness and longing for companionship. Kangee and Sedna longed to comfort him, but this was up to Alusia to do. She had to be the one to win his trust. Mira'sol, Karvas, and Legacy could tell that something was up, waiting with bated breath. Finally, it seemed that the fact that Sedna, Visigoth, Kokomo, Kangee, Moriel, Calvin, Breithla, Neala, Mirabel were tamed was just too much for Jackson to handle. He couldn't accept it. Not after he'd been through. He picked the piece of flannel shirt up and then made one snappy remark around it before he took off.

“Stay the hell away from me, or it'll be a piece of your fur that I'll be carrying around instead of this shirt.”