A New Type of Predator; A New Type of Prey {Will}

[William Fenris]

Judy moved to the drawers and he followed, his whole head tilted to watch her.

"I imagine, pretty big scissors."

But as he moved towards the drawers, hands clasping round the knob, they were still quite stiff, and it took a tug or two to open them.

This particular one was empty, the next, how old papers, which he put on the table. The last on his side had a book inside, which is also pushed onto the table with a disgruntled frown. Unaware of the 'unusual' noise the book had produced on landing on the wood.

With his mission unsuccessful, the once wolf put his hands back into his pockets, hunching again, disappointed in the lack of scissors.

"Looks like we might have to bring our own scissors next time...I mean, if there is a next time. I mean, if we --- I mean, you might not want to go scouting with a wolf next time."

[Judy Hopps]

"It's a library; they've probably got some big scissors,' offered Judy. She walked over to another desk, figuring she'd check that while Will went to work on the one in front of him. like Will she had troubles, but they had more to do with actually getting the drawers open. She fought and struggled and jiggled the knob, and only just managed to get a drawer filled with what appeared to be insects and magically preserved post-it notes.

"Well, at least we can leave notes," she said, reaching in and grabbing the packet, holding it up with a paw. She looked over at Will, seeing his own lack of success in his face, let alone in the lack of actual scissors.

"First off," she said, raising a paw and pointing to Will, "you're not a wolf anymore unless you want to be. You're a hoo-man, just like everyone else here. Second, even if you are still a wolf, that doesn't mean you're going to try and eat me. Sometimes it's great to work with someone different. And third, we're not done yet,' she nodded toward an office that was blocked off with vines. "There's a librarian's office there. I'm betting there are supplies, and if you boost me," she pointed toward the top, "I can probably get inside."

Which might leave her without a way of getting out, but Judy wasn't thinking about that right now. She was just heading toward the office, determination in her stride.

[William Fenris]

"Yeah, hopefully..."

He's already frustrated, The moment she starts pointing her hand at him, he's finding himself swallowing down as she makes statements about this new life, statements he's not used to yet, with a person he barely knows. Her words were kind, but firm, and he was worried he wouldn't be able to do the things she said he could be. What if he let her down? Let himself down. Just like everyone else?

So he swallows harder still, his eyes meeting his shoes and nodding at her. Failure was so easily a part of his past day to day life, that for someone to tell him that they're not ready to give up yet -- and give up on him -- made his cheeks red with colour.

It was probably one of the kindest things that had ever been said to him.

But what she was going to try and do, could be dangerous. He looked at the office, taking in the vines and frowning with his deep hairy eyebrows.

"Are you sure? What if you fall?"

Well, I'll just have to catch her, he thought. Though he was worried he might not...

[Judy Hopps]

Right about now, Judy wished she could go around slapping whoever had beaten Will down to this point. It just struck her how horribly unfair animals could be to one another. Weren't they supposed to be civilized? And how hard was it to treat other people decently and do the right thing for everyone involved?

She was already rolling up her sleeves, and the thoughts only hardened her determination that much further. "Then I roll into the room or you catch me," Judy said. She walked up to the entrance, looking it over. The vines almost formed something of a ladder partway up. If Will boosted her, she could just about scramble on her own. Then she'd just have to find something to hack out a few vines, or maybe another entrance.

"Right," Judy said, turning back to Will. 'This should be easy enough. Just get close and lift me onto your shoulders. I know I'm not as tiny as I used to be, but from what I've seen, I'm just about a rabbit sized hoo-man,' she flashed a grin, then tapped the vines, noting their slight sway. Hopefully they held just long enough for Judy to clamber onto the other side.

[William Fenris]

Will followed her towards the ladder/vine, moving to follow her. As she rolls up his arms, he rolled his own instinctively. Dark hairy arms under his jumper. He stood, underneath where she intended to climb, giving her a determined look, thin lipped.

The once wolf was finding himself wanting to do anything to make sure she didn't think him a coward, or the monster that she probably saw him as once. He couldn't really imagine Zootopia, a world so unlike his own. But gosh, he was trying.

When they got close twisted himself towards the wall and got down on one kneed to help her scale upwards. He gave her a thumbs up, ready to help her up. "Don't worry, if...if anything happens 'course I'd catch you."

[Judy Hopps]

As soon as Will knelt, Judy moved toward him. "I'm sure you will," she said, giving him a quick, encouraging smile. It seemed like he was almost blossoming in front of her, from a shy sort of wolf to someone willing to stand up and help. That sort of animal was inside everyone, so long as they took the time to find it.

Judy scrambled onto Will, careful to avoid stepping on anything too tender. She pressed against the vines, grabbing pawfuls of the stuff. Judy braced, readied, and nodded to Will. As soon as he rose up enough, Judy would pull herself up and over, working to scramble into the room proper.

[William Fenris]

Will was a boney scrawny hoo-man, as Judy called them, so his shoulders and back were fine for her to stand on. Carefully he rose from the ground, swallowing tightly in the hope he didn't move up too fast. His figure stretching upwards.

He looked back round the room. Surprised that, the book that he had thrown on the table seemed to be doing something odd, trying to open, as though being forced by a wind. "Judy?" he inquired, wondering if she was still listening, he hadn't even registered or not if she was still standing on top of him, as the book flew open a few feet away, and something....black started to tumble out of it.

"Errr --- Judy?" he asked again, a little more urgently.

[Judy Hopps]

Judy scrambled into the room proper, all but sliding down vines. They actually formed an almost latticework on the other side, definitely enough to work with. She had to cough as her sliding kicked up dust, waving a paw in front of her face while she looked around. It definitely looked like an office... but one complete with some impressive sets of scissors and what looked like a paper cutter. That had Judy grinning as she all but hopped over, moving briskly across the floor.

So wrapped up was Judy in her exploration that she actually didn't hear Will speak. She grabbed a pair of scissors and worked them free, glad to see that they were mostly fine. More helpful by far was the paper cutter though. It had an arm that could be detached, and Judy went to work on it, wiggling it and prying it free. Soon she'd have what amounted to a machete, which was just perfect for dealing with overgrowth. They could totally handle whatever this library had with that. Of course, first they'd need to get a path to the office cleared.

[William Fenris]

Will was still trying to get her attention, but alas, she couldn't hear him. He stayed close to the vine infested wall that he had helped her hop up over, as the black mess, spilled out on the floor. It reminded Will of blood, seeping from a wound, the blood surging into the snow.

Except this wasn't the same consistency, it reminded him of something else, but he couldn't put his finger on it. It was starting to build up onto itself, as though creating a shape... 

"Judy!" He called again, fear sparking in his voice. Whatever the black thing was, it was dangerous --- and Will didn't want to find out why. He turned looking at the vines, and with a heave he grabbed onto them and started to climb, pulling himself upwards as he best he could.

"Judy -- if you can hear me! Don't come outside!"

[Judy Hopps]

Success! Judy wrenched the arm of the cutter free, holding it up triumphantly. With this, they could at least get started clearing some of the larger vines. Now she just needed to work on the outside. She turned to look, and about then she started to actually hear Will calling her.

"What?" she called, springing forward. She wasted no time: hacking at the wall with her blade. It proved sharp, knocking down some vines, which would make it easier for Will to climb, and for them to get in and out in general. "Wait, don't--" said Judy, pausing a bit too late. She'd managed to get the vines down, buying another foot or two. Sure, Will could climb over; even Judy could with a little effort now, but it also gave them just a great view of what was out there.

"Cheese and crackers!" gasped Judy, pointing at the thing with her makeshift machete. "What in the world is that?"

[William Fenris]

Will's heart was in his throat as he too climbed over to join her, if a bit unnecessary now on her side of the wall. It still felt there was something between them and the blackness that was forming. He looked to Judy, then back. Despite everything, he was glad he wasn't facing a threat alone.

"W-We need to get out of here, Moons alive, it's getting bigger, look!" He wasn't wrong, the mess seemed to be growing, building a thicker oily shape.

And Judy had a weapon, he didn't. He looked around him, and in a moment of intense panic, decided to pick up the collapsable chair that that was next to the desk, as a shield perhaps.

"W-Where's the exit? We-- could run?"

[Judy Hopps]

Yes, it was definitely getting bigger, growing more oily and pulsating. "No!" said Judy, shaking her head. "We don't know if it's dangerous!" she gripped her makeshift weapon tighter, her knuckles whitening. Sure, she'd said that, but experience told her that when something looked as potentially harmful as the pulsating mass in front of them, it was better to be safe than sorry. Just the idea of running did not sit well with Judy.

"Plus, for all we know, it'll go down easy," she said, stepping forward. "Get into the office! Start seeing if there's anything in there we can attack it with," she jerked her head over her shoulder, indicating the fairly well equipped room behind her. "There might be some matches or something. That,' she pointed at it with the machete, "looks pretty flammable."

Judy stepped forward, weapon at the ready. "Hey!" she called to the shape. "If there's something intelligent in there, now's the time to let us know what you're about!"

[William Fenris]

Will did as he was told, but still, the gripping fear in his heart only made worse when Judy was going to go fight the damned thing. To think, he could have been in here on his own when they happened, quietly drawing away.

And now his new friend, this bunny who didn't even have to like him because of her past, was right there, defending him.

He had his orders, as he moves into the Office, he starts looking for matches, as Judy moves forward with confidence that he thought he might never be able to muster, but, luckily than he had been last time, in the top draw of the desk were a box of matches, full to the brim as though they'd just been brought.

He could run, he could freeze, but instead he rushes towards her, matches in hand.

"I've got them, I've got the matches!"

And the monster, whatever it may be, seems to tower inside them in the room now, made of darkness, as a mouth seems to take shape, and a sound, like laughter, dark and rumbling. But there's no other words or suggestions, just laughter.

As it rumbles towards Will and Judy again. Will, without even thinking about it takes goes to take Judy's free hand even though the terror on his face is rather evident.

[Judy Hopps]

As the creature got closer, Judy dared dart forward. Moving with her rabbit quickness, she lashed out with her makeshift machete. IT connected... but seemed to just swipe through the creature. That clearly wasn't going to do lasting harm, and they'd need at least a few different people swinging pretty quickly to dismiss it that way. Worse, it let the laughing beast almost get a swing at Judy .She barely managed to scramble back, just in time for Will to move forward and grab at her hand.

"The matches!" she said, twisting to nod toward them. "Try to just get it toward the creature." She looked back. "Or... hold on," she gave Will's hand a squeeze before scrambling back into the office. "Paper!" she cried. "If we make a torch of paper we can try using that! But light a match at least,' she waved over her shoulder. 'See how the creature reacts to that!"

Because it was that or they start trying to flail... or run. Judy didn't like retreating before something that she didn't understand, but she supposed it was better than getting hurt, or, worse, Will getting hurt.

[William Fenris]

Will was already on the case, his mind tumbling into thought. Paper! He had paper! He grabbed the sketchbook out of his bag, ripping a double page spread of drawings and looking about him. They needed to put the paper on something for it to burn. The meter ruler stick on the side of the room was their best bet. He rushed to it quickly, whilst grabbing the sellotape on the desk. He might not be the most talkative, but he knew that fire scared these sort of creatures even if it couldn't hurt them.

The once wolf looked to Judy, passing her the ensemble of goods, to hope she'll put them together. She seemed smart enough, and as there were two of them, he could distract the monster... "I-I've got you covered!"

Even if his heart was pounding harder in his chest than he'd ever heard it.

He took the match, finding his fingers starting to tremble. It took a moment too long for the match to strike, but there he was, standing as the creature started to get closer. He held up the match as defiantly as he could. Like a wizard with a staff. For the first time, William Fenris seemed to even stand at his full height.

"K-Keep back! Or I'll light you ---- you....h-horrid black thing !"