"Oh. You're just here to destroy the human things?"

[hazlogs]

It is currently 19:00 Pacific Time on Sat Apr 15 2017.

Currently in Saint Claire, it is mostly sunny today. The temperature is 58 degrees Fahrenheit (14 degrees Celsius). The wind is currently coming in from the north at 8 mph. The barometric pressure reading is 30.16 and falling, and the relative humidity is 39 percent. The dewpoint is 33 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius.) For more detail, see: http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=98501

Currently the moon is in the waning Gibbous (Galliard) Moon phase (70% full).

County Line Road, In the Woods

At this point in its journey, the faded asphalt of County Line Road meets an ancient dirt road rutted with tire-marks. The paved surface buckles at the edges, as the trees gain their slow victory over the works of man. Ancient pines and maples dominate the surrounding forest, along with a few oaks and an occasional sequoia towers over its smaller companions, jutting upward into the sky.

The road leads southward into the forest, its cracking asphalt giving way to a hard-packed, rutted dirt surface. To the north, patches of light dapple the crumbling pavement, and the trees seem to thin out a little. The trees arch over the road on either side, creating patterns of greenish light and shadow.

The economy is what it is, and housing construction is always a sign of the financial health of an area. If this is true, then Kent Crossing, clearly, is not thriving. A small development, an intended addition of what amounts to a cul de sac of houses and an upgrade of the southern road, started and stalled out. The foundation for two of the houses was completed, but none of the framing done. Lumber sits, unused off to the side. Much of it has been stolen, and what remains is now showing signs of rot from the damp climate.

This evening, at least, is pleasant, warm and relatively dry. The gibbous moon is just at the horizon, the sun an hour or so from setting.

The construction is enough from the neighborhood to the north that the horrendous crashing sound probably wouldn't be heard within the shelter of the homes there, but other ears, more sensitive, or closer, would be certain to take note.

Night-time is fox time, so there's little to be surprised about regarding the small, silent, silver and black fox todd, poking around near the fringes of this false attempt at expanding civilization. He startles at the loud noise, ears flicking back and then pricking as high as they can. One paw stays lifted, perhaps either forgotten or in preparation to dart toward safety.

Ruin, brought to the area at some whim, is in the middle of listlessly prodding through the damp-rotted construction refuge of one failed house when the noise grabs her attention. No longer listless, she starts toward the source of the sound, moving at a light jog, her expression intent.

"I swear, this is the last time I cover for Kent PD and the /last/ time I bring you out with me," Benedict glares over the steering wheel of his bio-diesel convertable Mustang, driving slow enough to still be heard by his passenger in the back, Justin. "Usually, the driver of the car gets to choose the music, ya know?" He gives a moment to glare at the radio and shakes his head, clearly in a great mood this evening as he rolls through the somewhat rundown neighborhood.

Just over six feet and about 175 pounds of mostly sports-toned muscle. This blond haired and sky blue-eyed Child of Gaia kinfolk is well groomed and handsome, with a subtle roughness that betrays years of hard work and harder life experiences. In his late twenties, he is well built in the revealing way multi-sport jocks tend to be. Benedict's short, regulation-cut yet spiked hair, frames a face that despite the apparent weight of the world seems to be quick to find a charming grin. This however, doesn't banish the haunted aspect he can sometimes give off.

He currently wears a rather expensive looking pair of khaki slacks and a blue silk, button down, long-sleeve shirt. Over this is a classic London Fog black double-breasted trench coat. A pair of out-of-your-price-range designer leather shoes completes the look of someone with a purpose and more than a few bucks. Around his neck is a sterling silver metal skull wrapped over a red piece of glass, hanging from a leather cord. Finally, he is wearing similar braclets on each wrist: one gold and the other silver, both with small metallic spheres set throughout them which are able to freely roll within their setting.

The car bumps along the rutted and broken pavement, bottoming out over a tree-root-caused lift more than once before the asphault gives way entirely.

Those brought toward the sound are treated to a repetition. At first it seems like perhaps someone has felled a tree, but there's no actual sign of trees falling. Something large, however, was moving through the forest at the edges of the construction.

"Oh, I'm sorry Mister Officer. I didn't know the SCPD raised pussies who hate Bruce Springsteen." Justin says from the backseat as he fiddles with an old plastic phone. "You can change the channel if you want." He says with a wily grin towards him. "You want to put on some Britney or something? You're sounding a little Toxic."

Ruin picks up the pace at the repeat crash, moving at close to a run now, her head on a swivel.

Benedict takes the road slow, but still grimaces further with each bump as if an assault on his poor car. "Springsteen is not interesting enough to hate. How about some silence for awhile," He glares around the area as he turns the volume down, "Be a town or don't, This place is neither and it gets on my..." He trails off as he hears something that pulls his attention and slows the car to a stop, which on this road isn't a smooth halting despite the low speed, a little kicked up dirt before them. "Hear that?"

The dark colored fox remains still apart from his ears and his twitching nose. Then, instead of darting away, he instead springs into the grass. In the moonlight, he's practically a shadow, but if one could follow him with their eye, they'd be able to see that he's moving quickly toward the sound of the noise.

The source of the sound becomes visible to Ruin, as something vaguely humanoid steps out of the forest and into the abandoned construction site. It's taller than most crinos, and even to homid noses smells strongly of must and earth and decaying plants. Red eyes aren't glowing, precisely, but they reflect the scant light that reaches them well enough that, much like a cat, they appear that way. Broad shoulders provide no smooth line, instead appearing like a twisted mass, and the arms that hang down nearly to its knees are as thick as the trees from which it emerged.

Ruin pulls up short, somewhat flummoxed at the sight of the creature. But training soon takes over -- when in doubt, at least study the target for weaknesses. Which is what she does, looking for a Fatal Flaw.

Sky pages: Ever read Swamp Thing?

"Did I hear something?" Justin says as he leans forward a bit, then gives a shake of his head. "I wasn't paying much attention from back here. You got good speakers." He climbs his way into the front seat, flopping down, then rolls the window so that he can look out it with a sniff.

Benedict has parked with some trees between them and the source of the sound, but none the less he reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a visor. This thing is practically right off the face of X-Men's Cyclops (movie, not comics) complete with a guard that he flicks a switch to open as he places it on his face. Looking out through the ruby glass, he takes a long slow exhalation and scans over the area.

By this point, the fox isn't actually terribly far from Ruin, and he's certainly aware of the girl now, though his attention is on the big hulking whatever. He hunkers down in the grass, tongue lolling, ears splayed, and peers at it.

Sky pages: This is like that. Kinda. Definitely more vulnerable to fire than most living things. It's probably less vulnerable to projectiles.

Ruin and the creature seem to take note of each other in the same instant and it turns in her direction. The roar it lets out as it opens a massive maw sounds... just as though another tree toppled in the forest, a crashing sound of gravity pulling a mass through branches and flora, landing with force on the ground. The sound itself has power, and the garou can feel the ground tremble beneath her feet, as can the fox nearby. The foundation a few feet behind the creature, much closer than Ruin now stands, cracks.

Ruin looks from the creature to the cracking foundation and then back again. "Oh," she says. "You're just here to destroy the human things?"

Benedict lets out another slow, somewhat shuddering breath, then shutters the visor. He looks over to Justin as he pulls the device off of his face and puts it away. The kin says with some confusion, "There's a woman out there and... a fox? I think. I don't know what's making that noise but they are close to it. Might want to check..." Here the roar sounds and Benedict opens his car door and steps out while pulling his gun from it's holster, not yet making any real moves himself.

The fox's nose wrinkles, albeit well out of ordinary sight. He suddenly springs up from his semi-hiding spot, picking a small mound that makes him even more visible to perch on. Ears perked, whiskers bristled, the small creature stares directly at the monster and Ruin and lets out a noise that, for those unfamiliar with fox sounds (or not particularly wilderness oriented in general) sounds unnervingly like an animal trying to do an impression of a screaming woman. It's incredibly loud for the fox's size as well (though not unnaturally so), and he does it repeatedly. "WAOGH! WAOGH!"

Pushing the door open, Justin climbs out and yanks his hood over the top of his head as he starts for the forest, bulking up into his glabro form. "You stay way the fuck behind me." He says to the kinfolk. The sound of the screaming causes him to pick up the pace and he bolts forward faster, feeling the moon tug at his veins.

Perhaps it didn't like what Ruin said. Perhaps it simply doesn't like anyone interrupting its romp through the area. Whatever the case, it angles in her direction, the lumbering gait surprisingly quick. Justin gets a gander of the pair just in time to see the mottled monstrosity open its irregular maw to roar again. And once again, the ground trembles. This time, Ruin can feel the strength of it. Any closer and it would threaten her balance.

Closer, now, the veining along its form seem more like vines, twisting over, around, and through a leaflike skin. There are no visible teeth, but the stench of breath is that of the dank rot that comes when cut grass begins to mold on the ground.

Ruin grimaces, nose wrinkling at the stench. "Oh," she says again, and then, "No," and in the next moment the metis is in her birth form and lunging at the plant-thing with claws slashing at whatever passes for its head -- one-two, slash-slash.

Benedict nods with a grunted affirmative to the younger Garou, not seeming to be interested in arguement at the moment. He flicks off the safety and waits for a Justin to get quite a bit of distance before moving in himself, in the classic high ready position with his large-ish pistol up and to the side of his face.

The fox visibly startles as a crinos joins the fray, but not by nearly as much as it should. It waits for her to close with the monster, then bounds forward and leaps toward the large thing's back with catlike agility. Or what might be its back, anyway.

"Oh, fuck." Justin says as the sight of the monster. He doesn't know who Ruin is, but seeing she is attacking the creature, he at least figures she is on their side for now. There is a blur of rage as he channels himself into his Crinos form, ~Hey stranger, I'm going high.~ He roars out to Ruin as he looks to rush forward to find an opening where the other Garou is not moving in on.

A blur of motion, green and brown and fur and claw, erupts almost at once as Justin launches himself into the fray along with the metis and fox. Ruin's claws tear at the creature's head, the gaping maw almost swallowing her entire hand at one point, but the strikes are true and what appears to be plant debris goes flying with each one. Her fur is sticky with a putrid sap, but the maw is torn wide. It doesn't come without a cost, though, as one of the creature's massive tree-like arms strikes her in the shoulder just as it roars. The blow is a bruising one, but no more than that, perhaps because just as it lands the fox makes his leap, bouncing off the creature's back. Justin's claws tear through a shoulder, but without the effectiveness of the other Garou's strike. He still ends up with sap on his claws, but doesn't manage to strike as deep.

The sound is deafening, and ears pop as though suddenly plunged 30 feet below the surface of a lake. Hearing is compromised, and the pressure itself is a distraction, but worse than that is the earthquake that knocks them all to the ground. Perhaps it was the same quake that brings the creature to its knees, as well, or perhaps it was pain from the raining blows.

The fox doesn't land gracefully from his bound to, and then immediately off, of the creature. He rolls, kicks up some dirt of his own, but he finds his feet a moment later and springs away from the fight with impressive speed, even for a fox. He ends up circling around, however, and drives a bee-line toward the sounds of Benedict's approach.

Ruin gets back to her feet as quickly as possible, shaking her head in irritation at the unpleasant sensation in her ears and head. She glances at the fox, confused at the sight of it, then cuts a look to Justin. She tells him, curtly, ~Fire hurts it a lot,~ and then immediately after goes after the thing, her claws a blur of rage-fueled motion.

~Don't got a lighter on me.~ Mouse-Trap rattles back to Ruin as he pushes himself up to his feet once he ate dirt for a moment. He gives a hard flick of his paws, sending sap along the ground. He digs his forepaws into the ground again, then lunges in after once more, swinging out to try and push it back down to the ground as he calls upon his falling touch gift, not letting it have a chance to gain it's bearings.

Benedict steps around a tree blocking his sight up until now and finally sees what everyone has been fighting. His expression is more impressed than afraid, but being impressed by something doesn't mean you don't respect the danger it represents. He first raises his left hand and his weapon to his ears at the sensation of the sound. A pronounced shake of the head and the Mage's gun lowers to shooting position, as the Kinfolk sights the monster down. Benedict then notices the fox barreling in his direction and takes a step back with his left foot, presenting a smaller target. "I'm a friend!"

Everyone down, everyone up, the scene might be comical if it weren't so deadly. The creature reaches its feet just as the others do, and it swings again at the metis whose claws rip through its face. This time the strike makes more direct contact and without the roar to cover, even clogged ears can hear the popping sounds of bones breaking. It staggers on the follow-through, clearly weakening despite the raw strength of the blow. Or perhaps it was the tag from the other crinos, though it doesn't fall.

The silver and black furred fox skitters to a stop. It stares at Benedict, tongue lolling, then turns its head back toward the fight. If there's hesitation, it's brief. The small creature makes a noise in its throat--not quite a whine, not quite a growl, something wholly fox in nature--and then stares in that direction.

Ruin is slower to get to her feet this time, giving the other Garou plenty of opportunity to get another strike in before she does. She does go after the plant-monster again, though, fangs bared, all business.

Benedict glances up to the fight, then back to the fox, then back to the fight. "Sorry," He offers with some sardonic tone, "My adrenaline is pumping and your Lassie impersonation sucks." He walks, still in position, just a few more steps towards the fight for a better shot. "I've got another gun in my center console, hidden under the zippo box. If you can even use one, anyway," Benedict offers in a tone that suggests he wasn't sure if that is helpful.

With his close quarters, Mouse-Trap lunges for the creature's throat with his jaws, hoping to snap into them, followed by a violent shake. He digs his hind feet into the ground for purchase, pushing forward with his claws to try and rend at it's gut as he calls upon the beast within to blur faster.

Justin's teeth dig into the part of the creature where it's head and shoulder meet, the sap tastes far worse than it smells, and though the teeth dig deep, they don't seem to be able to get much of a purchase, as the vines beneath the skin simply move with the pressure of his jaws. His claws, however, do far more, ripping through the plantlike structures beneath the surface. Just as he seems to reach a depth that truly hurts, the creature roars again. Louder, sharper, more like the grinding of a saw mill, the tearing of stone against metal. Both garou struggle to keep their footing, and as they have to stagger back from their target, they see the flames licking upward from the torso, growing quickly as they swallow tendril, vine, and leaflike skin.

To (Mouse-Trap, Ruin), Sky pages: 1-agg inner-ear damage.
To (Mouse-Trap, Ruin), Sky pages: Deaf for a day.

The fox's ears cup forward as it continues to stare toward the fight, almost unblinking. He doesn't move as Benedict does, which allows for the kin to get closer unimpeded (as if such a small creature would have been much impediment in the first place).

Ruin, hunched, her ears flattened, backs up from the thing slowly, keeping a close eye on it. Benedict and the fox don't even get a glance; questionable if she realized they're even there.

Benedict doesn't move to cover his ears again, instead driving a focus through the pain that causes him to scream back. With the two Garou no longer entangled with the beast for a moment, the angrily yelling kinfolk opens fire. The well-trained Detective rapidly unloads his magazine at the monster.

Letting out a pained yelp, Mouse-Trap stumbles back a bit, clutching at his skull as his ears are slicked back against his head. He has an odd stumble to his step, as if he is having an incredible amount of vertigo.

Flame strikes the monster again, as strike is the only appropriate descriptor. It doesn't seem to come from anywhere but the air itself.

Flames pour from the creature's shoulder, and it screams again. It lashes out at those closest, this time a glancing blow that takes the already off-balance Mouse-Trap in the shoulder. It falters, falling to hands and knees

Ruin backs up further, keeping well away from the burning monster.

(OOC) Benedict says "Am I wrong in thinking that the fire just happened out of nowhere (Fox magic?) or did I miss something?"
(OOC) Sky says "Fire appears to have happened out of nowhere."
(OOC) Benedict says "Right right."
(OOC) Sky says "Could have been Metis Magic, or Fox Magic, or Creature... magic... though that seems unlikely given the pain it seems to be causing."
(OOC) Benedict nodnods.

Mouse-Trap stabilizes his footing and growls out though he can barely hear himself, ~Why is it on fire?!~

(OOC) Benedict says "I missed the results of the gunshots?"
(OOC) Sky says "There didn't seem to be any. (;"

Ruin gives Justin a blank look, not hearing a thing he just said, and shrugs.

(OOC) Benedict says "Well there ya go. Why you don't bring a gun to an evil tree fight."

Benedict quickly holsters his gun and instead reaches into his pocket and takes out a chain. Dangling from that chain, is a sphere-cut piece of amber with flecks of gold inside of it. He holds this chain up to focus on the small speck of fire he can see coming through at a strange angle due to the imperfections. He slightly, ever so slightly, puts a gesture into his hand that causes a gentle sway of the stone.

The fox continues staring toward the now burning creature for a few moments, before it suddenly turns tail and scampers into the nearest cover. It's unclear if it continues after that--there's nothing to be heard from it.

Flames grow, swirling around the creature, growing from chest to head and eventually to engulf it all. It roars once more, a green log screaming, exploding in the middle of a campfire, compounded in volume and intensity. And then silence, at least from the perspective of the deaf garou close by. Those further out can hear the crackle and pop of the fire that claims the creature's fallen husk.

Ruin catches a glance at the fox just before it vanishes, then squints at Benedict as if noticing him for the first time. She looks from him to Justin, then him to the dying creature. She seems to make a decision about this, because shortly after she shifts down into lupus and limps off toward the forest.