Here's The Clincher

[shadow]

Requesting Kyu, but others may join if they want to :3

Exhaustion. That was the feeling running through Francis's entire body as he leapt the fence towards what looked like an old human building. Maybe, no hopefully, one of those two legged overweight old granny types would be living there to give him a bit of chow. Honestly, at this point, Francis would settle for anything to ease the pain gripping his stomach.

Unfortunately, when the cat got closer to the abandoned barn, he realized exactly what this place was... abandoned. Duh. So much for being a super genius cat. Some other creature had pointed him to this direction, saying that there was an "Empty Farm", but little did Francis know that the place really was that...

Empty.

No human to give him a can of food.

Letting out a sigh, Francis made his way into the barn. The smell of scents long past swam through here, blood among them, and then the more recent smell of mice. Well, well, well, perhaps there was something to settle his stomach in here after all. Francis hated the irritating little creatures. He knew better then anyone else how horrible the little rodents were. A curse to the world. The statistics on how much food these guys wasted was astounding....

And so, with another pang at his stomach, Francis dropped into a hunter's crouch, focusing on the darkest shadows in the barn. There were three rats nibbling away at something, probably a piece of leftover trash. They were completely unaware of the cat's presence in the room....

Moments later, Francis had a small pile of four mice, one especially plump one, for his meal. Sure, it wasn't his top choice for food, but hey, he was stuck in a foreign country with nowhere to go. Silently, he wondered what was going on back in Germany; Bluebeard, his most loyal friend, though obscene as hell, and Gustov, his obese human owner who he had eating right out of his paws.

A flicker of nostalgia washed over Francis however, as he realized that this was not the first time he had been in the wild alone. His memories took him to the outskirts of his home, in the country, where he had involved himself in a mystery almost as diabolical as his first time sleuthing. Yes, he had a reputation, and a solid one at that. While he was in this place, wherever it was, he may as well try to solve something new... but what?

A noise outside broke the cat's thoughts, and he turned weary eyes towards the entrance of the barn...

[Kyouran]

((OOC: OK, so, having Inuyasha’s foul mouth stuck in your head for days can do a funny thing to your will and need to curse, so, yeah… LOL))

“Oh… fuck this to hell!” She was angry, slamming one of her big, scarred paws harshly against the cold ground, ignoring the slight pang of pain that rose at the sudden contact. Glaring at the dashing pray, a shit-scared rabbit from the looks of it, she snarled, revealing fully her long steel fangs to the daylight. It just wasn’t in her nature to hunt, and she had to make peace with the fact she’d never be good at catching anything that could move. Faster than a snail at least. The grumbling sound that her stomach made, however, reminded her that it wasn’t exactly a choice she could so easily make, for the wrong one would bring her a slow starvation-induced death. Sure, she was as depressing and depressed as hell, but death didn’t seem as necessary as it did on some other occasions. And furthermore, her dreamy and maybe even crazy mind had a weird habit of making the numbness that was caused by hunger feel as if her stomach would disappear of fall of if she stopped being careful. Of course, not even this female was that lost to think it would actually happen, but the thought of it made her uneasy about it non the less.
Satisfying herself with another hateful glare at the traces on the ground, she stood up from her crouched position and took a deep breath, fighting off the dizziness and nausea that suddenly had their grip on her. It was nothing new, nothing at all, and Tsume merely shook her head in annoyance, sniffing at the air in the process. Just a faint scent of long gone humans, and probably the ones of canines, but they were so mixed up it was hard to tell from this distance. She shifted, armour making a low noise as it was moved alongside with her body, and her gold eyes traced the line of horizon in its direction. The smells seemed old enough, for no one to be there to bother her.
Lazily moving forward, the hellhound disregarded the light spinning of the world around her and concentrated instead on not falling over her own paws. It would be utterly humiliating, and even though Tsume couldn’t be called too proud, she sure as hell didn’t need to make the fool out of herself for no fucking reason. And image of her sprawled out in the dirt with her mouth full of dust and grass, her eye twitched in annoyance, and she snorted. “Humph… not gonna get that you sucker…” It was a barely audible whisper that left her maw, but it needed not be any louder since she was looking up, smiling in defiance at whatever higher power was there making fun of her. Yes, Tsume was, by all means, being paranoid, and, most of all, lost in her own world.
When the old and almost ruined barn came into her line of vision, she immediately sighed in relief. She had expected to come across some newer building, and the fact that her expectations proved outright wrong calmed her nerves a bit. So, she wouldn’t have to be reminded of the cursed lab after all… The weight of the reddish steel armour pressed her paws deeper into the ground, and she was fairly sure that, if she had missed it and someone was indeed in there, her arrival wouldn’t go unnoticed for long. She had never truly been a stealthy creature to begin with, and the confidence in her own strength didn’t quite make that any different. Nearing slowly the entrance to the place, her ears twitched in mild irritation at the sound of something inside. It reminded her of something small and… hell, a pest. Could it be, really? Mice? Suddenly, her hackles were raised and her eyes scanning the ground before her, alert for any traces of the small bastards. No, she did not pride herself in the fact she got edgy around such unworthy creatures, but the thought of them getting into her fur and, god help me, her ears, sent shivers down her spine and the funny look in her eyes intensified.
The sight before her, when her big head passed the line of the broken door, made her flatten her ears and snort. A cat, of all the creatures, was sitting somewhere in the middle, a small and bloody pile of filthy mice at its paws. It was… unsettling. Why, it was beyond her, but something about that scene made her want to go and bury her maw in the water. No, you cannot say her thought and actions made perfect sense all the time, but hell, there was nothing she could do about it. After getting accustomed to the dust filled air that scratched her lungs and caused a light cough to erupt in her chest, she cleared her throat and moved inside, revealing her full body to the small cat before her. Tsume was ready for his reaction, probably to jump in fear and get the hell out of there as fast as his legs would carry him, faster even, or, if her little friend was foolish enough, to hiss and try to defend his prey. It really didn’t matter to her, she had no intention of stealing and the fact was that little meat came from mice, which meant she wouldn’t put it in her mouth be it the last thing to eat in the whole wide world. Besides, it wouldn’t be enough for one bite.
She moved just one more step forward, before the world finally decided the play was over and she stumbled, falling flat on her face. Her maw hit the rough ground, drawing blood as the fangs pierced the sensitive skin with no trouble. Even though her mind was all slow and misty… so to speak, she still could imagine herself, looking as stupid as she at the moment felt. Her vision was blurry, and the barn was just a big mass of colors swirling around her just to make her head ache even more She snarled once, letting some of the frustration out, but didn’t move from where she had landed. It was too damn troublesome, and she didn’t have the energy nor the will to get back up. The cat could fall asleep on her if he wanted, she couldn’t have cared less.

[shadow]

As soon as Tsume set foot in the room, and Francis got a good look at her, a chill rolled down his spine, making his fur fluff out dramatically like only a cats' could. A hiss escaped his lips as he unsheathed his claws, a natural reaction. Now, Francis had seen some horrible things in his lifetime... things he wish he did not involve himself in to this day. The greatest of all mysteries; the thing that gave him a reputation of a lifetime....

The Hellhound moved forward, her blazing eyes piercing through Francis like a knife. He was petrified, unable to move his paws away. Whatever this creature was would surely not go after just his meager pile of mice, but after him as well.... The thought sent another wave of chills down the cat's spine.

Another step forward, and suddenly, the situation changed. Tsume fell over onto her face, her world crumbling before Francis. In his own mind, he was so surprised that he didn't dare move for several more moments, his fur still standing on end like it had been filled with static. Finally, Francis settled, realizing that the creature before him had no intentions of killing him... at least right now. The problem was, however, that Tsume had fallen in front of the door, and Francis was not foolish enough to make a run for it. Who knew how fast this creature's reflexes were? He could be turned into kitty-chow in less then five seconds. Still, Francis observed that Tsume seemed to be going nowhere, blood trickling out of her mouth where her own fangs had punctured her skin.

Upon further investigation, Francis realized that this creature was radiating with pain; not just physically, but emotionally as well. Tentatively, Francis took a step forward, his eyes scanning Tsume wearily. He had no idea what sort of creature she was, and so, he first tried his own language. When nothing but blank eyes stared back at him, Francis continued to go through speech of every kind until he decided to turn to the canine tongue.

"Are you hurt sister?"

[Montgomery]

Mashinkage

The snow was cold on his tired pads as he trudged through the woods. His numb paws no longer hurt from the long walk, thanks to the snow. From time to time he would entertain himself on his travel by breathing hot air into the cold, studying his visible breath.

"Haha...God...I need to grow u-" He cut his sentence short when his nose was filled with the scent of pain and evil. There was something powerful in the area, and it excited him. His heart was pounding in his ears, causing his fur to stand on end. His maw hung open panting excitedly as he swiftly began to dash to-wards the scent through the trees. He was a Koga dog for sure, moving nimbly like any other ninja through the thick snow and trees.

Suddenly, he broke free from the wooden prison and saw the abandoned farm before him. The smell was heavy, and there was another scent now. Feline. With a silent laugh, the young ninja lowered his body and quickly made his way to the backside of the barn. The back was slightly in ruins, giving him enough platforms and footing to silently jump up to the barn's loft.

It was surprisingly warm in this room as he inched his way to the edge, as quietly as possible. Still excited he peeked over the edge to gaze upon the two smells. "Holy shit," he whispered upon seeing the unconscious Hellhound on the ground. His eyes focused on the cat inching near the beast. :: Sweet Heavenly Father...did that cat take that monster...?:: His tail began to wag uncontrollably as he leaned forward a bit.

"Psst! Hey, pussycat! Up here!" He harshly whispered to the feline, hoping to get it's attention.

((Mind if I join in? I can remove this post otherwise))

[Kyouran]

She blinked. Again. The female was completely and utterly lost as to what the cat was trying to say, switching from one weird language to another with relative ease. What the hell? She could not understand one single word, and she just stared with blurred eyes, feeling even more stupid than she already was for her ungraceful landing on her face. For a second there, a thought that she might be just hallucinating occurred to her, but she shrugged it off immediately, conscious enough to know when she was being childish. Even though her vision was dangerously blurry and dark, she could still make out the form of a small creature not so far away, and it was that that convinced her she had not yet lost her sanity. Well, not completely. The cat was just… Freakin’ smart. "Are you hurt sister?" The voice reached her ears like it was through the water, but she still understood the question. Finally, she thought. It seemed that her new little friend decided to stop playing games and speak to her properly. Still, the words surprised her somewhat, for she had expected him to run for his life or at least curse her to hell if he was brave enough. It was the usual treatment, swearing and fear, occasional attack from those foolish and strong enough to think they could take her on. But worry? For her well-being? By a cat? No, that definitely wasn’t what she thought she’d receive.
Tsume tried to move, lift her head from the floor so she could answer without eating dirt, literally, but found herself too weak and exhausted to do so. She had barely managed to get her paws under her maw, using them a a pillow, when she gave up trying anything more, with an irritated growl. As soon as the sound left her, she froze, just realizing what she had done. The fact was that she was scary to look at even when she was asleep, and growling made a whole new level of threatening. She just hoped the cat wouldn’t run off, regretting his kindness and abandoning her like everyone else. What a stupid mistake to make, she thought bitterly. Clearing out her throat, careful not to make anymore reckless noises, she opened her maw to speak. Her voice was low and barely audible, for she didn’t have the energy to put any more strength into it. “H- heh… You… are a-actually… concerned about me…?” There was disbelief in her tone, and she wondered if the small creature would notice it. Nevertheless, she found herself surprised as a muffled “Sort of…” left her maw, for she hadn’t really meant to say it.
Her ears perked up, as a sound reached them, apparently above her. But she was too weak to position herself to look up, so she just tried to figure out what it was that was sneaking up on them. Sniffing the air and trying not to get the dust in her lungs at the same time, her hackles rose once again as the smell of another canine registered in her mind. It would be no good, she thought, if someone attacked. Not now of all times. She was in no condition to defend herself, or the cat for that matter, if it turned out the stranger had no good intentions. “Psst! Hey, pussycat! Up here!" Her eyes snapped up, and the sight of a reddish dog looking down on the cat met her gold orbs. Why was this one whispering? But she didn’t dwell on the thought for long, instead she looked at the small male, waiting for some kind of a reaction to the dog’s presence. But just a second later, she found the situation disturbing, and that little worry the cat had shown to her stirred something up, something that, against all chances, brought her to her feet. It was a long, long time since anyone treated her with anything but hatred and disgust for what she was, and the thought of letting someone who had made an exception get hurt was unforgivable. Not that the dog had shown any signs of aggression or anything, but her mind wasn’t working clearly enough for that to matter.
On unsteady paws, she stumbled forward, almost falling again, but stopping herself before that happened. The world started spinning again, mercilessly, but she was afraid to shake her head for she knew that this time, it would not help. It would just end in her sprawled on the ground again, helpless, and of no use to Francis. One, two steps forward. She was towering above the cat, hoping against all odds the he wouldn’t run, that he would be stupid enough, just this one time, not to escape what seemed like the embodiment of death. For with her way too long claws and fangs, the blood red steel armor and hazed look in her eyes, that was exactly what she looked like. Slowly, trying not to worsen the situation, she lowered her head, resting it next to Francis, who she guessed, would be terrified by now. Tsume made her voice as sweet and friendly as she could manage with everything around her looking almost liquid and moving, and whispered as for the dog not to hear: “H-hey… no… need to worry… little one…” She found it hard to continue, for the strength he had gathered minutes ago was slipping away, and it was getting almost painful to stand. “F-for your… kindness… I… shall p-protect you…” When the words left her, she blinked, surprised with herself. It was not a normal thing for her to do, offer protection to someone. But, hell, it was not often some cat asks her for her health, so… She just ignored the weird feeling it brought, instead concentrating on not falling, for than her bold words would have been all for nothing.

[shadow]

Francis' attention was abruptly cut off from Tsume as another figure entered the situation: Mashinkage. The canine asked for the tom's attention, maliciously, causing Francis to wonder just what the Koga dog was up to. Most dogs, with the exception of Hecktor, his old friend back in Germany, wanted to see him, and most every other cat dead on sight. But no, this one was wagging his tail excitedly. What did he think? That Francis had taken down the beast lying behind him? No, on the contrary, Francis was scared stiff of Tsume, with good reason. One moment where he wasn't paying attention and it would be the end of him. Regardless, he pitied the creature behind him, even if she was a direct threat to his life. She was a broken spirit, something that reminded him of his long lost friend, and greatest enemy, Pascal. Only Tsume lacked the same kind of evil that the monstrous cat had, and so, somewhere within the depths of Francis' mind, he knew that he was in no danger.

His reasoning was confirmed when Tsume stumbled to her feet and offered him protection. Protection? From what though? The eager dog above them? What proof did they have that he was up to no good? While dogs were not Francis' favorite of animals, he couldn't subject the creatures to death unjustly.

"Hold on sister," he spoke up. "He may not have ill intentions. Take a rest. If worst comes to worst, I have claws and fangs just as you do." He nodded towards the hellhound, hoping that she would back down, at least for now. He shifted his attention back towards Mashinkage, tilting his head to get a better view of him. Yes, he'd seen his kind around here; strange dogs they were. Like cats in many ways, sticking to the shadows and using stealth and agility as their main asset. "Brother, you called?" Francis asked, wondering what his attention was needed for. Perhaps, and the thought excited the cat, this dog had heard of his sleuthing skills. Perhaps he had a job to keep The Feline Supersleuth, Francis, busy.

[Montgomery]

He blinked a bit when the large hellhound offered protection for the feline. He smiled warmly as he leaped from his position, bouncing from wall to wall, landing before the cat gracefully.

"Pardon my intrusion..." He looked at the feline smiling warmly before looking at the hellhound, watching her cautiously. "I'm not here to harm you, Supersleuth." He grinned a bit and sat comfortably in front of the cat. "I thought you were in trouble, or that you had brought her down...but from what I can tell now...She is sick...or something to that matter..." He was assessing the monster with his mind's eye while talking to Francis. "My name is Mashinkage. I'm a Koga Ninja dog...but I'm sure you already knew where I was from. Right, Francis?" His tail wagged calmly as he looked at the cat. His people had told tales of tales about a intelligent cat who figured out many a mysteries. This had to be him. "It's an honor to meet the feline of legends..."

He looked at the Hell hound and offered a comforting smile. "Nice to meet you as well...If you missed the introduction...I am Mashinkage, I'm a Koga Ninja Dog..."

[Kyouran]

((OOC: Sorry it's crappy and short! It'll be better next time, I hope... I just needed to hurry with this and go to bed...))

Tsume blinked, confused for a second why the little cat was seemingly unafraid of the dog that could easily decide to attack at any moment. Yet again, she herself could not provide any proof that would clear her of suspicion as well, and truth be told, the canine above them hadn’t done a single thing to make them believe he had any ill intentions. So she put her effort in not tripping over her paws and monstrous claws and backed away slightly, still eyeing the cat before her and daring not lift her eyes any higher. She knew a mistake like that would cost her the ground below her, and she didn’t have the wish to end up face first on the ground. Again. Second time around, it wouldn’t be funny even to her mind.

The sudden movement caused her attention to move from Francis, and onto the red dog that had jumped down, though she had missed his display of skills. Now that he was at her eye level, she could see what he looked like exactly without having everything spin more than it already was. If she were a more experienced wild creature, she would have recognized the color pattern as that of a koga dog, but all Tsume saw was a red dog with black spots here and there. What caught her eye, though, were the three gold rings on his ear, and at the sight of those, her hackles rose slightly. Humans, and that was unmistakable. Only they could have made something like that. Her anger subsided quickly though, as she was aware that there was no point in starting anything now. She was too weak, and there was no reason to pick a fight with the dog who did nothing to harm her. It just wouldn’t be right.

When he spoke, she was surprised to hear that he appeared to know the feline, and even more so when it seemed the little cat was well known where he came from. So… another genius. Great. She felt weird around those too smart, ‘cause then, her skills were usually not needed, and while she appreciated every chance she could get to let her mind wander, Tsume had to admit she liked being of some use. And considering she had lost all her strength at the moment, what could she do to prove she wasn’t just a waste of space? The thoughts started disappearing slowly, as the hellhound was aware of how unnecessary they were. Getting all thoughtful would solve nothing; after all, she was in the presence of a genius now. She’ll leave the thinking to that guy than.

Finally, now introduced Mashinkage addressed her, and, lifting her head a bit, Tsume scowled. “I might indeed be sick, boy, b-but…” Pausing, she suppressed the growing dizziness before finishing her sentence. “But I’m not deaf, Mashinkage.” The air was dusty, filling her lings and intensifying the feeling of discomfort. She knew she would have to eat something, and soon. Her body wouldn’t be able to last much longer otherwise. But now wasn’t the time for that, she realized, as he hadn’t even introduced herself. “My name is Shitsumei… Tsume, if you will.” It was all she could manage before the world spun around, knocking her off her feet. She found herself on the cold ground, staring at nothing, with a slightly pained expression on her features. It wouldn’t work like this, no. She had to get her strength back, soon.