Angel and friends vs. Pleistocene creatures

[happytobleed]

Who: Castiel and OPEN
Where: The park/picnic area
When: Day 7 in the evening
What: Castiel and anyone else who is around notices the animals beginning to encroach on the town. (Observing and fighting are both options.)
Warnings: -

Castiel had perched himself at the edge of the small gazebo in the park. Since waking, this had been the place he frequented most, even more than the house that Sam and Dean lived in.

He'd felt a shift in the air as he sat there, though. He'd noticed a surprisingly large number of animals coming closer to the town just before he'd seen them. There was something off about them, though, and he hadn't realized what it was until the first one came into view. He was unsure of how to even react. Dire wolves hadn't roamed the Earth for a while, even by his standards.

He pushed himself up to stand stiffly and began to walk to the edge of the gazebo. After Purgatory, he had a hard time viewing normal animals as a threat, even extinct ones. He had a feeling that Dean would feel the same way. Still, his blade appeared in his hand reflexively. He wasn't the only person in the area and he wouldn't let anyone else come to harm, though he hoped that the animals wouldn't attempt to harm any of the people here.

Comments

[thezerothlaw]

Daneel had had some idea of exploring further, clarifying his mental map of this area, and that was what brought him into the park now. If nothing else, he might meet other people, in person rather than the limited video communication. There was much to learn from people's minds, after all.

The presence of animals, though, was a concern. He had no experience with dangerous fauna; Spacer worlds had no such thing, carefully cultivated and maintained garden worlds devoid of harm or poison or illness. These were obviously some species in the canid family, though they certainly weren't domestic dogs. He had never seen a wolf, although these seemed larger than he'd believed wolves to be.

To see a stranger with a weapon made things further concerning. A threat, very possibly. "Are you familiar with these animals?"

[happytobleed]

"Canus dirus. You may know them as dire wolves." He stood tense, but still.

He hadn't encountered this man before, though perhaps man was a stretch. He could sense no soul, only mechanical parts and pieces. Were he not distracted by the animals, he might have questioned it further. Instead, he watched the small pack of wolves pass over a picnic table, cautiously ignoring the two of them.

"I haven't seen then in some time. They died off quite a while ago."

[thezerothlaw]

Dire wolves. The term meant something to him, but more as a curiosity he'd heard of than anything with real substance. Wolves, he knew, were wild animals, the ancestors of domestic dogs, and predators. Dire was a concerning adjective to be attached to something like that.

Add in, too, that there was something... peculiar about this man's mind, and Daneel wasn't quite sure how to categorise it. Not robot, not human... surely the possibility of something else could not be considered? There was time for that later, though. Now, he was watching these wolves.

"Should I assume they're dangerous?"

[happytobleed]

Castiel nodded. "They hunt in packs. Their behavior is similar to that of modern wolves. I don't know if they will attack people, but if they do, they are certainly capable of taking down an average human."

He froze, looking out at the woods. "More are coming. Perhaps we should warn people to get inside."

[thezerothlaw]

That was pretty much exactly what Daneel was thinking. This was a threat. This was the first serious threat he'd seen here, and his brain was all but buzzing with the need to do something, soon. What, though? He was not armed, he really had no idea how to effectively wield a weapon of any sort. He had strength and speed, but also wasn't sure what he was going up against.

Would they attack him? He might look human, but he certainly wouldn't smell like prey. Would they attack him as a threat?

"Yes, of course. Please let me offer my assistance."

[happytobleed]

Castiel began to step down from the gazebo. He was used to only being around people who could fight, but he was acutely aware of the fact that many of the people here couldn't fight and the man he was with didn't appear to have any weapons.

"Are you more durable than humans are?" Even if there was time for tact, Castiel wasn't very good at it. He could certainly use the help, though. He could keep individuals safe, but he couldn't be everywhere at once.

[thezerothlaw]

Daneel considered this. Interesting that this individual was the first here to recognise him immediately as a robot, but there was time for that later. Now, there were more pressing concerns. "I believe that's a fair assessment. I am faster and stronger, and partly metallic. I can be damaged, but I can also be repaired. I'm not invulnerable, either."

He had no desire to be permanently damaged, but if it came down between him and a human being, it was no contest. He... wasn't sure where to categorise his new acquaintance, either.

[happytobleed]

Tilting his head to the side, he watched a wolf run past them. "They seem unconcerned with us so far." Of course, he could guess that the other man didn't smell like food to them, but Castiel imagined he would appear human to them just as much as he did to most humans. Then again, many animals could sense fear and aggression and Castiel simply stood there, unafraid and un-moving. He might have simply not interested them.

"Strange." He turned to Daneel. "They don't seem particularly concerned with anything."

[thezerothlaw]

"This isn't typical behaviour for wolves, then."

Daneel had no idea, really. He looked at Castiel, his expression even and neutral, his hands folded behind his back. "I presume in my own case I don't present a tempting prey item. If I may, I'd like to suggest checking the perimeter of this vicinity for anyone who may be vulnerable and unaware of the danger."

[noblexcompanion]

This is why Donna should never take up jogging - bad things happen when she takes up jogging. Her mum always said pigs would fly the day Donna willingly took up jogging, but oh no, it wasn't flying pigs it was flippin' giant wolves! She had only ever seen wolves on the telly before and she never expected them to be quite so big. It was a little unnerving to say the least. Luckily, she was face to face (or leg to snout) with one who had strayed from the pack - at least, she assumed so - wolves had packs, right? So the bloke on the telly had said.

"Uh... nice doggie?" She was a dog person. She used to have one before Lance. Even if her locked away memories don't recall exactly why she got rid of her dog. But even the biggest of dog people would probably be intimidated by a giant wolf. "... Stay?" Every fibre fuelled by fear told Donna to run, logic told her not to run or else it would chase her and maul her to death.

[happytobleed]

Castiel saw her down the path, along with the lone, straggling wolf. So far, the creatures had ignored him, but that didn't mean they would ignore everyone.

He appeared a few feet away. "If you back away slowly and without making any sudden moves, I don't believe it will attack you."

Of course Castiel was ready if it did. His blade was already in his hand and he could move faster than any normal creature, even an extinct one. He was ready for it.

[noblexcompanion]

Back away slowly? Easier said than done. Her current speed settings were 'freeze' and 'flee'. She swallowed hard, trying not to look as petrified as she actually felt and failing at it terribly.

"Should've known you'd be around the big beasties, Squirrel Boy." She kept her eyes on the wolf but tried not to stare directly at it. Apparently dogs hated that or something and she didn't want to give it any more reasons to eat her.

"Nice wolfy. Sit, stay... That's right, you stay there while I back away nice and slowly..."

[happytobleed]

Castiel watched the animal lean back on its haunches, ready to spring at her. He was ready, though, moving faster than humanly possible, he was between Donna and the wolf in an instant, stopping it with his body. He was like a brick wall as it hit him, not faltering even a little under the force of its weight and momentum.

He was quick to act, staring it down as he brought his blade up to catch it in the neck as it bounced off of him. Its claws caught the already fraying edges of his coat and just a little bit of the flesh on his forearm, but Castiel knew how to kill things quickly and efficiently. With a second cut, the animal let out a howl and dropped away, twitching on the ground.

Castiel kept his eyes on the creature until it was well and truly dead. "Are you alright?" His own arm was already healing.

[noblexcompanion]

So much for backing away slowly! Donna squeezed her eyes shut waiting for the agonizing pain of being torn to shreds. It never came. Her eyes shot open to see Castiel in front of her. Well, he definitely kept his word about protecting her from the monsters!

Her heart was pounding so hard she could hear the beats in her ears. She nodded, eyes wide as she looked between the wolf and Castiel. "I... I'm fine. Thank you." She looked at his arm. Well that was weird. "Are you okay?"

[happytobleed]

He frowned, looking down at his arm. It was healing and it hadn't hurt all that much, but he wasn't looking forward to the likelihood that he would be fighting many of theses things.

He turned to fully face her. "I'm fine. I think we should get everyone inside before it gets dark, though. Where are you staying? I can make sure you get there safely."

[noblexcompanion]

"Um, house two." Which now that she thought about it was plenty close enough to the woods for her liking. Being eaten by a wolf in the night was hardly her idea of a good way to go. Not that she wanted to die full stop, but everyone had some sort of idea of how they wanted it to be in a perfect world and becoming lunch to giant wolves was not it.

"But what about you? You can't expect me to sit back with my feet up while you're out here helping people!" Not that she'd been a whole lot of use so far!

[happytobleed]

Castiel smiled at that. "I'm fairly durable. I will be fine. I'm more concerned with keeping the rest of you out of harm's way." He could take a little pain and he would heal any damage that they could do. He was unconcerned with his own life, at least in part because it did not seem to be in danger.

[preytosociety]

After being cooped up in a library for hours on end, Lydia desperately needed some air and a change of scenery. What had started out as a walk past the cemetery had turned into another information-gathering session with her reading the names and dates on as many tombstones as possible. The mission was becoming increasingly difficult as the light faded.

By the time she'd reached the last row of headstones, the strain on her eyes was too much and she hadn't made any significant discoveries. She turned to scan the edge of the park, tucking her hair behind her ear and gazing at what she could see of the gazebo in the distance. Focusing on anything other than her current predicament had become something of a pastime for Lydia. The possibility that she'd finally gone insane and was hallucinating all of this was becoming more and more plausible. Maybe that's why she didn't exactly jump at the sound of a low growl behind her.

Another hallucination? More mountain lions? She turned her head slowly only to be faced with a pair of big, yellow eyes about ten feet away. Definitely not a mountain lion. Common sense told her not to scream, but common sense was not standing in front of the biggest wolf she'd ever seen. And that was compared to a werewolf.

She screamed.

[happytobleed]

Castiel's hearing was sharp, but even that wasn't necessary to hear Lydia's scream across the open picnic area.

Suddenly, he was between her and the wolf. He could take the damage from these creatures easily, but the humans here were far more fragile than he was. He needed to make sure that they could all get inside. Perhaps Mina could help him keep the humans safe.

His blade was ready as he charged at the wolf, slicing its side. It was a fatal blow, but not an immediate one. He turned as he stumbled back, ready to charge again and deliver a finishing cut. The wolf was now focused on him. Unfortunately, two of its pack mates were closing in on Lydia from behind.

[preytosociety]

The screaming stopped as soon as she saw the figure with a sword just suddenly appear. Now she knew she was crazy, or dreaming, or seeing things that weren't real. People don't just rush in to save you from wolves. No one had saved her the first time, she had to be asleep.

"Wake up. Just wake up right now. Wake up, wake up, wake up!" She squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself to sit up back in her bed at home. When she opened her eyes again and turned around, there were two more of them and still no bed.

She slowly stepped forward, grabbing onto the back of the man's coat.

"Is there any chance that sword is made of silver?"

[happytobleed]

Peculiar that humans always wished for things to be dreams. He supposed that made sense when their dreams were like Dean's. This didn't seem quite as bad as visions of Hell, but of course it wasn't pleasant, either. One of these things could easily tear her apart.

He moved closer just as she stepped forward, moving quickly into her reach. "It's not, but it can kill just about anything that silver can."

His arm came around her and he pulled her closer and then suddenly they were in the center of town near the fountain. "There are more coming. I can feel them."

[preytosociety]

Before she had time to determine whether or not he knew what she meant about the silver, they were suddenly very much not where they were less than a second ago. Lydia was understandably shocked and more than slightly concerned.

"Wh-what the hell just happened?!" Did he do that? He must have. "What are you?"

Peter had the tendency to appear and disappear and teleport her to places along with him, but he had most definitely been some kind of hallucination. This felt real. More real than her nightmares. She was reluctantly to let go of her sword-wielding hero, but the fact that there were apparently more of these things out there caused her to very quickly prioritize and come up with a plan of action.

"I need to get back to my house. It's literally right there." She pointed to the house across from the fountain, "Can you cover me? It will only take a second."

She had to make sure Kobra and Daneel were okay. If anything happened to them...

"Please?"

[happytobleed]

He released his grip on her, stepping back. "What I am doesn't matter. I am not a threat to you." Given where he's been, he doesn't think it wise to advertise what he is. He'd told Mina, but he didn't intend to scream it to anyone who would listen. It was enough that they could easily tell he was not human.

He looked around. They had a few minutes before any of the wolves would reach this part of town, if this was even where they were heading. "I will escort you to your door. I don't believe that you are in danger right now, but I will walk you there in case they are faster than I believe them to be."

It would only take him a moment to walk her and then he would be sure that she was safe and she would feel better about it. He could tell that she was incredibly agitated. He wondered if she'd ever seen anything like himself or those wolves.

[preytosociety]

Not a threat. Okay. She could believe that. He did just save her life.

Lydia nodded, not really looking any calmer but feeling the tiniest bit safer. "It's not my safety that I'm worried about." Which was a big leap for her. Saying it out loud like that, it really hit her. Kobra would probably try to fight them off like an idiot and Daneel would step in to protect him and who knows what kind of damage those wolves could do.

... She knew. She knew exactly what kind of damage.

She tried to make casual, yet still panicked, conversation as she headed towards her door, "I've never seen wolves that big before. Do you know what they are?"

[happytobleed]

"Canus dirus. They are likely extinct where you come from." He started to walk in the direction that she'd indicated her house was in, looking around and staying alert.

"Who are you concerned about, then?" Castiel could certainly understand that. He often spent much more energy worrying about Sam and Dean than himself. His own safety and well-being was something he often pushed aside for them. How many times had he willingly died to keep them safe? How many more times would he do it again before his Father stopped bringing him back?