Death by Wolf

[Poppy Lockwood]

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| Tagged: Lupe Silvestre |
| OOC Note: I can't believe this is happening. |

Besides deciding for a change of scenery, why Poppy Lockwood was at the lake was anyone's guess. She could have gone to the one near the academy to save the trouble of travelling and the trouble fate had in store for her later but instead she went to the lake that was off school grounds.

The girl loved the lake. Since at a very young age. She frequently went to the one near her house before she manifested. It was one of the things she felt sad to part with when the recruiters had came to take her away to Bellefonte. It was also one of reasons why she was reluctant to go at first. But Gabriel, her recruiter, had consoled her and informed her that there was a lake at the school just as well if she ever needed to go to one. Of course it was not the same but the Poppy was an optimist. She would take it. A lake was better than no lake. As she grew older, she realized it did not matter which lake it was but the fact that it was a lake was good enough.

On this fateful afternoon, the brunette brought her pet cat, Coca Cola to the lake with her. The cat was not in its cage but she trusted him not to run off. The two had been together for a decade now. Last Christmas marked their ten year anniversary. Poppy let the old cat pace on the pier on its own. He hardly ever wander off. There was a mutual understanding between them.

So imagine the shock Poppy felt when she awoken from her short nap to find her cat no where near her. Damn it. She was positive the cat had been curled up beside her. And how long had it been since she dozed off? Damn. Pushing herself up, she went in search for Coca Cola.

But instead of her pet, she encountered another animal that had its back turned to her. She gasped. It was a wolf.

[Lupe Silvestre]

At last Lupe had finally gotten the thing she had wanted for so long: Freedom.

Well, not complete freedom. But damn it felt good to finally be able to run away from that damned human dwelling and head off further into the forests and mountains and just lose herself in nature and the world that felt so right in comparison to the human's domain and the wrongness of it. Although now Lupe couldn't claim that everything was wrong with it. The food was very good, Lupe had to admit. And now with her mate, she had a reason to stay. She could so easily leave but now she had something keeping her there. Before Lupe might've thrashed angrily at the thought that anything could keep her any longer in this place, but now she found herself accepting of the circumstance. As long as she had her mate and her pack, Lupe would have a reason to stay.

But that didn't mean she wouldn't enjoy her moments of just being wild. As she was right now, freely running wherever she pleased. Eventually she slowed down to take a breather when some furry creature popped out of nowhere and hissed at Lupe. It was a cat, and an older one at that. Lupe growled at it, not really wanting anything to do with the creature. However instead of wisely walking away, the little thing tried attacking her. Is it mad? Lupe had to wonder before retaliating. She didn't want to kill it, contrary to what most would think. She wasn't in the mood to hunt surprisingly. However the thing had still thrashed before suddenly going still. Lupe pushed at it with her muzzle, staring at it. Great.

But then there was a sound behind her and the wolf turned her head. A human too? Just wonderful. It was probably the owner of this cat. Why else would the thing be outside? Lupe let out a low growl of annoyance.

[Poppy Lockwood]

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The nineteen year old stopped in her tracks when she saw the big animal. She did not know one as white as it could be found here in Kalispell. At least, she never thought of it. This was a first for Poppy. The wolf turned towards her and snarled in her direction.

Uh, rude.

That was probably not what others would have thought after seeing a wild animal in front of their very own eyes. But something about the wolf looked tamed did not look wild. Or she was just seeing things. Never read to much when it came to animals. Poppy tried to remember what it was that she was supposed to do in times like this. The girl did not frequently read up on these kind of situations -- because she never thought she would encounter one. But she was now.

A knife. That was what Richard Buckles had told her to bring when she went out to the wilderness. Poppy mentally slapped herself for not taking his advice. In her defense, what were the odds that she was going to meet a wolf today For a brief moment, she wondered if this would be a similar experience compared to Richard and the mountain lion. Damn. This was a fight or flight situation and as she knew then, she thought she would have done the latter option.

But instead she remained neutral. Did not fight nor flee. Perhaps it could also be the fear that the wolf would chase after her. After a few minutes, neither living thing moved, Poppy thought it was the right time to leave the area. She would find her pet where the wolf was not around. Slowly, she retraced her steps backwards.

As she was retreating, however, she stopped when she saw a light brown patch on the ground that did not look like it was part of the ground. Squinting her eyes, she made out the shape of her cat. Oh phew. "Hey Coca Cola, let's get out of here. Away from," the big bad wolf "...the wolf," she called out. But the cat did not move. "Coca Cola?"

[Lupe Silvestre]

For a while, the girl simply stood there. That managed to surprise Lupe, who calm just a bit as curiosity overtook her. Normally they flee at this point. But this human isn't even moving. She thought, eying the girl inquisitively. Eventually she did start backing up slowly, which was something Lupe was glad for. She didn't want to have to deal with this human. However the human unfortunately stopped and was peering at the ball of fur laying on the ground. From how she was trying to call it, obviously the feline was this human's pet. However she didn't seem to understand why the creature wasn't moving. Rolling her eyes, Lupe shifted out of her wolf form. She'd rather speak and get rid of the human faster.

Once she was back in her other form (regardless of her nudity), she faced the girl with a frown. "Your pet is old." She said bluntly, turning her head to face the bundle of fur. It was still alive, at least as far as Lupe could see. Just barely. "Come here and get it." She ordered Poppy. "Your little pet does not look like it has much time left." She never knew the bonds between these pets and humans. In her own opinion, she'd rather depose humans for creating pets out of animals. However her mate said that some of the humans treated pets well and even rescued them. So perhaps not all of them were bad. Perhaps.

[Poppy Lockwood]

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It had been a shock for the girl when she woke up that evening on the pier to find her best friend for the past decade nowhere in sight. Not cuddled up next to her, or even wandering about nearby. No, Coca Cola was nowhere to be seen. So she went searching for the pet. And somehow found it under the oddest circumstances ever. Poppy was relieved when she spotted her cat, momentarily forgetting the wolf. But the cat laid still, unmoving and did not answer the owner's calls. Odd. So very odd.

In her confusion, the wolf had transformed into a girl in her birthday suit. The brunette averted her eyes from going anywhere further down south. Mutant. Wolf shifter. Naked. However, the voice brought her eyes back to the blonde.

Your pet is old. Yeah she knew that much. Poppy did not make much of it until the next words that flew out of the other's mouth. Worry etched on her face as her mind slowly put two and two together. No. Not wary of the wolf girl anymore, she made her way towards the cat. Every step closer felt heavier than the last. No, don't let it be true.

Once the cat was directly by her feet, her biggest fear came true. "Oh my god," she choked out as she bent down to it. Her fingers softly ran through its fur. There were scratch marks on his body and when her fingers lightly touched the sensitive spot, the cat meowed in pain. "Coca..."

Her head whipped up when she remembered about wolf girl. "What the hell happened?!"

[Lupe Silvestre]

When Lupe transformed back into her other form, she was surprised the human actually looked away. Finally, one that doesn't stare. She thought. A small bit of approval grew in her for the girl, so her tone wasn't as sharp as it normally was. Although that wasn't saying much. Still, she noticed that when she informed the girl about her pet's fate, genuine concern seemed to cross the girl's features. Yet again it made Lupe pause. Perhaps her mate was right in saying that some humans really did care for their animals, and were more pack mates than master and slave.

Lupe watched as the girl slowly approached the fallen feline and crouched near it. To Lupe's own surprise, a small amount of sympathy flashed through her at the sight. She knew what it was like to lose a pack mate or see one hurt. Judging by the tone of her voice, she definitely had a sting bond with the cat. Enough to whip her head around and confront the feral girl. Lupe was surprised, and just a tad bit impressed.

"Your pet attacked me blatantly. I did not do it any real harm, but I defended myself. Eventually it fell after I swatted it away, exactly as you see now." Lupe said with a nod to the cat. "I had no desire to kill it, seeing as it was owned. So don't blame me for it's weak state. As I said, it's old. Even you can see that."

[Poppy Lockwood]

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Poppy Lockwood and Coca Cola were definitely more than just a master and a slave. More than just some human and an animal who tolerated each other. They were so much more than a pet and its owner.

The cat was her best friend. The one she told everything and spent most of her times with. Yeah it sounded very strange and perhaps unhealthy for her not to mingle with her own peers, but ever since the day nine year old Poppy received the feline as a Christmas present, the two were inseperatable. Nothing could get the girl to leave her Coca Cola.

But now it was the other way around. With the cat on its death bed, she knew it would not be long before he takes his last breath. Then, she knew she would be completely alone. Her eyes began to water and it would only me a matter of seconds before the first drop fell.

As the wolf girl stated her side of the story, anger was bubbling inside the brunette. You killed him. You killed him. She did not want to listen to the other girl because what she said might be true. But Poppy wanted to blame someone. You killed him.

The words never left however, the tears did. Slowly her hands reached out towards the cat to cradle it. "Oh my Coca..." It let out a low meow which ached the girl's heart. "You're a wolf why do you need to defend yourself against a small freaking cat?!"

[Lupe Silvestre]

Yes, the further she observed the girl, the stronger the bond she could sense had existed between the two. it was practically screaming all throughout the girl's body language and the way she crouched over the fallen feline. It was almost an odd sight for Lupe to see, viewing a human that held an animal to close to their heart. In that way it made Lupe's own heart feel surprisingly heavy. She might not've known it's name, but whether or not she knew of it's existent she felt it: guilt. it made Lupe soften even more, and look at the girl with something bordering on sympathy.

When the girl snapped at her, Lupe strangely enough did not feel her anger rise up like it normally would. Instead she stayed silent for a few moments and contemplated both the bizarre feeling in her chest and the sight before her eyes. The sorrow coming off the girl was nearly palpable to Lupe, and it only made her chest hurt worse. What is this? She wondered, staring at Poppy. "I'm......sorry." She finally let out. Just saying the very word felt alien to her. "I didn't mean to hit your..... 'Coca Cola' as hard as I did. It was instinct." She said. However, even as she did, she had a feeling the girl would not listen. So instead she shook her head. "I know what it's like to lose a pack member. So for that I'm sorry." She said before turning and heading off.

What else was she supposed to do? She could not reverse time. As much as she.....wished she hadn't hastened the death of the girl's pack mate, she couldn't fix it now.

[Poppy Lockwood]

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With every word the wolf girl spoke, it felt like a piece inside her was cracking and falling. The apology did nothing to help the hallow feeling inside. Her condolences did nothing to lift her spirits. Poppy Lockwood shook her head as more tears began to fall. Saying sorry was not enough to justify an unintentional murder of a cat. Of a best friend.

The brunette was angry and upset. The words choked in her throat. She could not utter another word out. The emotions were a turmoil in her. Why, oh why, oh why. She carried on sobbing as her hands cradled the almost dead kitten. When the naked wolf girl turned around and left, Poppy did not have it in her to call her back out. Even though she was filled with rage, she did not want to waste the little time she still had with her pet. She knew she did not have long.

And when Coca Cola finally took his last breath, her chest tightened as she cradled the lifeless body. It's over... "Oh my god. No, Coca..." the girl cried out in sorrow. The death of a pet marks the end of a childhood. After ten years together, it was no longer the two against the world. All that was left was a grieving Poppy.

FIN