Metronome Member
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What would you say your writing level is?
If Eli lived on the shitty side of town and knew that there was, indeed, a bad cop on the force, then to him it would seem like the whole force was bad. And even if Greenfield is a low crime city, every city of any considerable size has a bad side of town. Even my little southern city of 200,000 has gangs and shootings and shit.
I'm sure there's at least one officer there who's an asshole =P It doesn't mean the whole police force is fucked up
It looked like these guys had this bank robbery thing pretty much under control, and while Eli loved to watch a good villain busting, he had other things he could be doing. He was sure that there was something in the Brockton district that needed taking care of. So, with that thought, Eli took off again. He flew towards the less desirable part of the city that he called home. Scraggily men with beards and seven layers of clothes pushed grocery carts full of junk. Women in scandalous outfits stood on the corner while men in ridiculous coats and jewelry managed them.
Eli watched the streets as he drifted overhead, looking for any suspicious activity. Or anyone trying to get his attention. And, sure enough, someone was. A woman was jogging down the street, waving her arms and hollering up at him. Eli couldn't hear her, of course, but he could certainly see her. He swooped down and landed in front of the woman, who he recognized as one of the older prostitutes on the block, Cheryl.
"Hey Cheryl," Eli greeted the woman with a concerned face. "What's the problem?" Cheryl panted, out of breath from years of smoking.
"Eli, sweetie, you gotta' help me. Marcos and his Mexican mafia came bustin' down the door of my flat. Came in wavin' their guns around and took Dwain with 'em. You gotta' find 'em, Eli, they took my baby."
Cheryl's son, Dwain, wasn't exactly a baby. He was nineteen years old and had been in trouble for gang activity before. But whatever it was he did to inflict the wrath of Marcus and his gang, Eli was sure he didn't deserve it. Marcus was a slippy son of a bitch, and Eli had never been able to pin a crime on him. The guy had friends inside the police station that kept him out of jail and on the streets, causing trouble. Whatever this was about, Eli would do what he could to fix it.
"I'll see what I can do," He said solemnly. "Why don't you go back home and clean up. Caleb and I will be over to try and track Marcus down."
Cheryl choked out a sob and threw her arms around the winged man. "Oh thank you sweetheart. You're an angel." It wasn't the first time he'd heard the term. For the people in the Brockton district, with the cops turning a cold shoulder to the law, it was true.
"It's no problem." After the woman had released him, Eli gave her a crooked half-smile and took off once again, heading towards the church to pick up Caleb. The wolfman was the best chance of tracking down Marcus. With a fresh scent trail, Caleb could track a mouse from California to New York. It only took a few minutes to reach the church. Caleb was still gnawing on his bones, and seemed reluctant to give up his comfy spot, but upon hearing the seriousness of the situation, he budged. Him and Eli raced down the rickety old stairs to the ground floor and towards Cheryl's apartment building.
Most of the people of the Brockton district had grown accustomed to seeing Eli and ragtag gang running around, fighting crime. To them, a winged man and his dog friend were just the neighbors. Some held grudges towards him for busting them, but most didn't come blatantly looking for trouble. Upon arrival at the apartment, Caleb began sniffing around on all fours, growling and gruffing every now and them.
"Six people," He muttered. "Dwain was here. Marcus was there. Gang guys here, there, there, and there." Eli watched, and then followed him out into the breezeway. "Carried Dwain this way. He was hurt; there's blood." Caleb crawled down the stairs to the parking lot and kept sniffing. "Got into car; needs an oil change."
"Can you track the car?" Eli asked, rubbing the back of his head. He had confidence in Caleb's abilities, but sniffing down a car seemed a lot harder than sniffing down a human.
"Uh-huh," Caleb answered as he kept sniffing. "One more guy down here. Was on foot; followed the car." Caleb picked up the pace as they reached the side walk. Eli jogged after him until Caleb was flat out running. Eli was a pretty fast runner, but he had nothing on the wolfman. He had to take to the air just to keep up. Caleb kept muttering under his breath the whole way until the trail led them to an old house in one of the worst neighborhood on this side of town. There were several cars parked out front, some in the yard with cinder blocks propping them up. Eli wondered how many of those were stolen.
"This is it," Caleb said, standing up and looking over as Eli landed. Eli grabbed his arm and pulled him off into the bushes.
"We need a plan," He said, lowering his voice.
Eli watched the streets as he drifted overhead, looking for any suspicious activity. Or anyone trying to get his attention. And, sure enough, someone was. A woman was jogging down the street, waving her arms and hollering up at him. Eli couldn't hear her, of course, but he could certainly see her. He swooped down and landed in front of the woman, who he recognized as one of the older prostitutes on the block, Cheryl.
"Hey Cheryl," Eli greeted the woman with a concerned face. "What's the problem?" Cheryl panted, out of breath from years of smoking.
"Eli, sweetie, you gotta' help me. Marcos and his Mexican mafia came bustin' down the door of my flat. Came in wavin' their guns around and took Dwain with 'em. You gotta' find 'em, Eli, they took my baby."
Cheryl's son, Dwain, wasn't exactly a baby. He was nineteen years old and had been in trouble for gang activity before. But whatever it was he did to inflict the wrath of Marcus and his gang, Eli was sure he didn't deserve it. Marcus was a slippy son of a bitch, and Eli had never been able to pin a crime on him. The guy had friends inside the police station that kept him out of jail and on the streets, causing trouble. Whatever this was about, Eli would do what he could to fix it.
"I'll see what I can do," He said solemnly. "Why don't you go back home and clean up. Caleb and I will be over to try and track Marcus down."
Cheryl choked out a sob and threw her arms around the winged man. "Oh thank you sweetheart. You're an angel." It wasn't the first time he'd heard the term. For the people in the Brockton district, with the cops turning a cold shoulder to the law, it was true.
"It's no problem." After the woman had released him, Eli gave her a crooked half-smile and took off once again, heading towards the church to pick up Caleb. The wolfman was the best chance of tracking down Marcus. With a fresh scent trail, Caleb could track a mouse from California to New York. It only took a few minutes to reach the church. Caleb was still gnawing on his bones, and seemed reluctant to give up his comfy spot, but upon hearing the seriousness of the situation, he budged. Him and Eli raced down the rickety old stairs to the ground floor and towards Cheryl's apartment building.
Most of the people of the Brockton district had grown accustomed to seeing Eli and ragtag gang running around, fighting crime. To them, a winged man and his dog friend were just the neighbors. Some held grudges towards him for busting them, but most didn't come blatantly looking for trouble. Upon arrival at the apartment, Caleb began sniffing around on all fours, growling and gruffing every now and them.
"Six people," He muttered. "Dwain was here. Marcus was there. Gang guys here, there, there, and there." Eli watched, and then followed him out into the breezeway. "Carried Dwain this way. He was hurt; there's blood." Caleb crawled down the stairs to the parking lot and kept sniffing. "Got into car; needs an oil change."
"Can you track the car?" Eli asked, rubbing the back of his head. He had confidence in Caleb's abilities, but sniffing down a car seemed a lot harder than sniffing down a human.
"Uh-huh," Caleb answered as he kept sniffing. "One more guy down here. Was on foot; followed the car." Caleb picked up the pace as they reached the side walk. Eli jogged after him until Caleb was flat out running. Eli was a pretty fast runner, but he had nothing on the wolfman. He had to take to the air just to keep up. Caleb kept muttering under his breath the whole way until the trail led them to an old house in one of the worst neighborhood on this side of town. There were several cars parked out front, some in the yard with cinder blocks propping them up. Eli wondered how many of those were stolen.
"This is it," Caleb said, standing up and looking over as Eli landed. Eli grabbed his arm and pulled him off into the bushes.
"We need a plan," He said, lowering his voice.
I make post
Fen headed down the hallway to the kids' room, biting his lip. The pressure was on: if he couldn't figure this mess out, these kids may be on their own. He passed a man in the hallway who looked like one of Isam's friends. The Arab man smiled and nodded at him as Fen passed.
Omar had decided to hang around until everything had calmed down, hoping he could figure out what exactly was going on. He hated being left outside of the loop, but his language barrier was a major disability. It had gotten better, but people still tended to talk as if he weren't around. He turned as the medical center door opened, watching as Shay and Marcus came in. What were they doing here? He stepped out of their way to let them by, almost stepping right into a nurse who had approached him from behind. He jumped a little and turned.
"Sorry," Omar apologized quickly.
"Oh, it's okay," The nurse smiled. "I just came to thank you for the medicine." She held up the vial to illustrate. Omar got it.
"You are welcome," He said through his thick accent. The nurse nodded.
"The big guy in there would be in a lot of pain if not for this. I'm sure he'll thank you later, too."
"Need more?" Omar questioned.
"That actually might not be a bad idea. Yes, please."
Meanwhile, Fen slowly reached to open the closed door. He had convinced the guard that Ravenia had approved of this visit, and now came the moment of truth. These kids could be innocent children, caught up in the political games that adults played, or they would be conniving and dangerous fiends. The door creaked as it opened.
"Hey," Fen said as he poked his head inside, then came all the way in. The two kids were curled up in a chair with a blanket that someone must have given them. They looked up at him warily. He could tell they were scared.
"So your friend down the hall told us that someone send you here." When talking to children, the nervous halting of Fen's voice always seemed to disappear. "A bad man. Do you know who I'm talking about?" Both of the kids nodded slowly. "Okay. Well, our leader, Ravenia, isn't very happy about that. She's talking about maybe making you leave, and I really don't want that to happen." Fen came over and sat down on the floor to get on their level. "I don't think you do, either."
"If we go back, he might hurt us," The little boy said quietly. Fen's ears still picked it up. He felt a mixture of pity and anger.
"You don't have to go back," He said firmly. "Just promise us that you won't do any bad things, or anything that the bad man tells you to, and you can stay here with us."
The girl looked down, then slowly reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, plastic bottle. She handed it to Fen, who recognized it as some kind of medicine.
"What's this for?" He asked.
"Bad things," The girl said, her voice breaking as tears started to roll down her face. Fen caved.
"Oh no, don't cry," He pleaded. "Don't cry, it's okay." He instinctively began to rub her back, which always made him feel better. "If we give this back to them, I'm sure they'll understand. This isn't your fault." The girl sniffed and let out another sob, making Fen rub faster. He looked around the room for something to distract her and noticed a piece of paper that had doodles covering every inch of it.
"Hey, you wanna draw something for me?" He asked. Fen reached into his pocket to produce a pen, then looked around for a blank piece of paper. "Uh...you can just draw it on my hand, look." He offered his hand up, which seemed to get the girl's attention. Before long, both her and the boy had pens and markers.
Fen emerged from the room about 20 minutes later, arms, legs, and face covered in childish doodles. "I think they'll be okay," He announced to Ravenia.
Omar had decided to hang around until everything had calmed down, hoping he could figure out what exactly was going on. He hated being left outside of the loop, but his language barrier was a major disability. It had gotten better, but people still tended to talk as if he weren't around. He turned as the medical center door opened, watching as Shay and Marcus came in. What were they doing here? He stepped out of their way to let them by, almost stepping right into a nurse who had approached him from behind. He jumped a little and turned.
"Sorry," Omar apologized quickly.
"Oh, it's okay," The nurse smiled. "I just came to thank you for the medicine." She held up the vial to illustrate. Omar got it.
"You are welcome," He said through his thick accent. The nurse nodded.
"The big guy in there would be in a lot of pain if not for this. I'm sure he'll thank you later, too."
"Need more?" Omar questioned.
"That actually might not be a bad idea. Yes, please."
Meanwhile, Fen slowly reached to open the closed door. He had convinced the guard that Ravenia had approved of this visit, and now came the moment of truth. These kids could be innocent children, caught up in the political games that adults played, or they would be conniving and dangerous fiends. The door creaked as it opened.
"Hey," Fen said as he poked his head inside, then came all the way in. The two kids were curled up in a chair with a blanket that someone must have given them. They looked up at him warily. He could tell they were scared.
"So your friend down the hall told us that someone send you here." When talking to children, the nervous halting of Fen's voice always seemed to disappear. "A bad man. Do you know who I'm talking about?" Both of the kids nodded slowly. "Okay. Well, our leader, Ravenia, isn't very happy about that. She's talking about maybe making you leave, and I really don't want that to happen." Fen came over and sat down on the floor to get on their level. "I don't think you do, either."
"If we go back, he might hurt us," The little boy said quietly. Fen's ears still picked it up. He felt a mixture of pity and anger.
"You don't have to go back," He said firmly. "Just promise us that you won't do any bad things, or anything that the bad man tells you to, and you can stay here with us."
The girl looked down, then slowly reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, plastic bottle. She handed it to Fen, who recognized it as some kind of medicine.
"What's this for?" He asked.
"Bad things," The girl said, her voice breaking as tears started to roll down her face. Fen caved.
"Oh no, don't cry," He pleaded. "Don't cry, it's okay." He instinctively began to rub her back, which always made him feel better. "If we give this back to them, I'm sure they'll understand. This isn't your fault." The girl sniffed and let out another sob, making Fen rub faster. He looked around the room for something to distract her and noticed a piece of paper that had doodles covering every inch of it.
"Hey, you wanna draw something for me?" He asked. Fen reached into his pocket to produce a pen, then looked around for a blank piece of paper. "Uh...you can just draw it on my hand, look." He offered his hand up, which seemed to get the girl's attention. Before long, both her and the boy had pens and markers.
Fen emerged from the room about 20 minutes later, arms, legs, and face covered in childish doodles. "I think they'll be okay," He announced to Ravenia.
Interested :3
After the family's predictably messy meal, everyone seemed to settle down once more to digest. Sammy gnawed on his chew bone, still growing his demonic little teeth. Eli was pretty sure the kid had at least two rows of them by now. Caleb was off in the corner, jealously hoarding all the best chicken bones while Jabiko tried to sneak one away. Elsa was back to reading her book, now reclined in one of the mattresses that was thrown down on the floor. Meanwhile, Eli was by the broken out window. He sat on the edge, peering out over the city and wondering if there was anything going on. He glanced back at the family, then decided that they could live without him for a few hours.
He unfurled his wings and leaped from the window, falling a few stories before letting the wind catch beneath his feathers. He slowly banked down towards the street before landing on the sidewalk, gaining the attention of a shabbily dressed fellow who was smoking on the curb.
"Sup Eli," The man said with a nod. Eli tucked his wings against his back as he came over to plop down next to the man.
"What's new, Deon?" He asked, watching as a puff of smoke left the man's lips. Deon gave a shrug.
"Ain't much, man. The wife kicked me out again. Forgot that yesterday was her birthday." Eli winced. "Yeah man. I guess I ought to be writtin' that shit down, but by the time I get back home, I already forgot again."
"I think that's what hands are for," Eli said, holding up his left palm that sported a few grocery items and other notes scribbled in pen. Deon laughed.
"Eh man, ain't you 'spose to be across town?" He asked out of the blue. Eli furrowed his brow.
"I don't think so...why?"
"I heard from a brother that there's some shit goin' down over there. Some crazy ass guy and some thugs are robbin' a bank. 'swhat I heard anyway."
Eli stood up and let his wings unfold. "That sounds pretty serious...I guess I should probably go check it out. Hey, keep an eye on the building for me, will ya'?" He took a running leap into the air, quickly ascending into the sky.
"You got it, man!" Deon called after him.
Eli arrived at the scene of the robbery a little too late, it seemed. There were already a few other heroes on the case, and they looked pretty capable. Eli landed on a rooftop across the street and folded his wings in. If nothing else, he could always watch. Maybe someone he knew would be down there. Still fairly new to the game, Eli didn't have all the local superhero names down pat, but he was working on it.
He saw a young girl arrive, one that he'd seen before. What was her name....Blaster, or something like that. Then there was a robot, that was pretty cool. Sayta? He wasn't entirely sure how to pronounce it. The next girl that arrived looked like something that came out of Schwartz's lab. Eli wasn't too sure about that one, but she seemed to be on the right side.
He unfurled his wings and leaped from the window, falling a few stories before letting the wind catch beneath his feathers. He slowly banked down towards the street before landing on the sidewalk, gaining the attention of a shabbily dressed fellow who was smoking on the curb.
"Sup Eli," The man said with a nod. Eli tucked his wings against his back as he came over to plop down next to the man.
"What's new, Deon?" He asked, watching as a puff of smoke left the man's lips. Deon gave a shrug.
"Ain't much, man. The wife kicked me out again. Forgot that yesterday was her birthday." Eli winced. "Yeah man. I guess I ought to be writtin' that shit down, but by the time I get back home, I already forgot again."
"I think that's what hands are for," Eli said, holding up his left palm that sported a few grocery items and other notes scribbled in pen. Deon laughed.
"Eh man, ain't you 'spose to be across town?" He asked out of the blue. Eli furrowed his brow.
"I don't think so...why?"
"I heard from a brother that there's some shit goin' down over there. Some crazy ass guy and some thugs are robbin' a bank. 'swhat I heard anyway."
Eli stood up and let his wings unfold. "That sounds pretty serious...I guess I should probably go check it out. Hey, keep an eye on the building for me, will ya'?" He took a running leap into the air, quickly ascending into the sky.
"You got it, man!" Deon called after him.
Eli arrived at the scene of the robbery a little too late, it seemed. There were already a few other heroes on the case, and they looked pretty capable. Eli landed on a rooftop across the street and folded his wings in. If nothing else, he could always watch. Maybe someone he knew would be down there. Still fairly new to the game, Eli didn't have all the local superhero names down pat, but he was working on it.
He saw a young girl arrive, one that he'd seen before. What was her name....Blaster, or something like that. Then there was a robot, that was pretty cool. Sayta? He wasn't entirely sure how to pronounce it. The next girl that arrived looked like something that came out of Schwartz's lab. Eli wasn't too sure about that one, but she seemed to be on the right side.
Life was not a cake walk; it hadn't taken Eli long to figure that out. The beginning of his wasn't a very pleasant time for him. He was faced with painful experiments and tests, his freedom stripped from him. But he was no longer sitting in a dog cage, counting the tile of the ceiling for the one hundred and fifth time. Now, he was in the grocery store, facing yet another one of life's trials: decision making.
He had five dollars to feed the family tonight, and so he had to choose. Should he get the loaf of bread that could feed several people for a couple days, or should he get the pound of meat that would feed them for one night? The bread was an obvious choice for your average family. It was cheap, did not require refrigeration, and was filling. However, Eli did not have an average family. Half of them couldn't even eat grain. Jabiko, Sammy, and Elsa were all strictly carnivores. Caleb could eat anything, but he preferred raw meats. Eli honestly didn't care either way. He scratched his head as he looked at the loaf of bread, then finally decided to go with the meat. They would be fed for one more night, at least. Who knew, maybe he would get another thank you card with a hundred bucks in it.
Eli took his purchase to the check out. He looked at all the wonderful little candies that he couldn't have while he waited in line, then turned to greet the cashier lady with a smile.
"Will that be all for you?" She asked pleasantly as she scanned the meat. Eli couldn't hear what she said, but he could hear the nice tone of her voice. She probably practiced that every day she worked here. Luckily for him, he could read lips fairly well.
"Yes ma'am," He said politely, earning an honest smile from the girl that was probably just a couple years older than him. That was kind of a cute smile. He gave the girl his wadded up five dollar bill and took the handful of coins that was his change, then grabbed the bagged meat as he headed away.
Once he was outside, he shrugged his wings loose, letting them slip through the slits cut in the back of his shirt. A couple people stopped to stare at the bird boy took flight, right there in the middle of the parking lot, and flew away. Subtly wasn't really his thing. Eli's secret identity was non-existent. He wasn't particularly worried about any villains following him home and hurting his family, since his family consisted of a wolf man with anger issues, a lizard girl, a devil child that threw one hell of a tantrum, and a giant, sentient larva that could bite through anything. They were a pretty capable bunch.
Eli flew across the city to his little hideaway: the attic of an old, abandoned catholic church. It was on one of the shadier parts of town, but it was high up enough that no one would think to come up there to mess with them. He could usually slip in and out of the broken out windows without drawing much attention to himself. The large, castle-like building was often passed by without a second glance.
As he landed inside, he was met by the typical sight of his ragtag little family. Caleb was snoozing on the floor, curled up with his head rested on his hands. Sammy was on his back, playing with his hair and giggling as his ears twitched. Elsa was reading a dusty old book with Jabiko curled up in her lap, one hand absentmindedly stroking the smooth, chubby little grub.
"I'm home!" Eli announced as he held up his purchase victoriously. The other perked up and scrabbled to make their way over. Caleb, jumped up so fast that Sammy was sent tumbling.
"Dinner?" Caleb questioned, his tail thumping happily as he sat back on his haunches. Sammy, upset at being abandoned, began to quiver his lip. Elsa scooped him up to put the waterworks on pause.
"What're we having?" She asked curiously as she peeked into the bag.
"There was a sale on roast chickens," Eli reported, "So I got a whole bird."
"Just one?" Caleb sounded a bit disappointed. He probably could have eaten one chicken all by himself.
As Eli set up to carve the bird, Caleb hung over his shoulder with extreme interest. Eli was too nice to shove the dogman, who had no concept of personal space, away. Or to even show that it might have bothered him. Luckily, Elsa was on the lookout. She set Sammy down with his lonely rubber chew bone and sat down to pat her lap.
"Oh Caleb," She called, getting the dogman's attention. Caleb's ears perked up as he looked past Eli and over at her. "Come here." He obediently shuffled over on all fours, curiosity piqued.
"Who's a good boy?" Elsa asked in a ridiculous baby talk voice. Caleb tilted his head. "Huh? Who's a good boy."
"Is it...is it me?" Caleb asked, a bit confused. Elsa made a very exaggerated gasp and grin.
"Yes it is, that's right!" She reached up to scratch under his furry chin, hitting that one spot that made him melt onto the floor. Caleb tilted his head back, his long tongue lolling out of his mouth as his bald tail thumped the floor furiously. The entire sight was completely ridiculous. Sammy took notice and began to laugh.
Meanwhile, Jabiko crawled his way over to where Eli was cutting up the bird. He climbed up onto the table and peered hopefully up at the man, chirring innocently. Eli smiled and let out a chuckle. He knew Jabiko's game: look cute and maybe he'll get a handout. Eli cut off a small piece and carefully snuck it into the grub's tiny, stumpy little front legs.
"Don't tell anyone," He whispered.
Jabby made a happy little chirp and scuttled away with his prize. Eli finished cutting a few moments later and set the chicken out for everyone to have at. The mismatched mutant freaks descended upon their prey like savage wolves. The roast didn't stand a chance. Within the half hour, the bird had been completely stripped clean of meat, with several larger bones being drug off to be chewed on.
He had five dollars to feed the family tonight, and so he had to choose. Should he get the loaf of bread that could feed several people for a couple days, or should he get the pound of meat that would feed them for one night? The bread was an obvious choice for your average family. It was cheap, did not require refrigeration, and was filling. However, Eli did not have an average family. Half of them couldn't even eat grain. Jabiko, Sammy, and Elsa were all strictly carnivores. Caleb could eat anything, but he preferred raw meats. Eli honestly didn't care either way. He scratched his head as he looked at the loaf of bread, then finally decided to go with the meat. They would be fed for one more night, at least. Who knew, maybe he would get another thank you card with a hundred bucks in it.
Eli took his purchase to the check out. He looked at all the wonderful little candies that he couldn't have while he waited in line, then turned to greet the cashier lady with a smile.
"Will that be all for you?" She asked pleasantly as she scanned the meat. Eli couldn't hear what she said, but he could hear the nice tone of her voice. She probably practiced that every day she worked here. Luckily for him, he could read lips fairly well.
"Yes ma'am," He said politely, earning an honest smile from the girl that was probably just a couple years older than him. That was kind of a cute smile. He gave the girl his wadded up five dollar bill and took the handful of coins that was his change, then grabbed the bagged meat as he headed away.
Once he was outside, he shrugged his wings loose, letting them slip through the slits cut in the back of his shirt. A couple people stopped to stare at the bird boy took flight, right there in the middle of the parking lot, and flew away. Subtly wasn't really his thing. Eli's secret identity was non-existent. He wasn't particularly worried about any villains following him home and hurting his family, since his family consisted of a wolf man with anger issues, a lizard girl, a devil child that threw one hell of a tantrum, and a giant, sentient larva that could bite through anything. They were a pretty capable bunch.
Eli flew across the city to his little hideaway: the attic of an old, abandoned catholic church. It was on one of the shadier parts of town, but it was high up enough that no one would think to come up there to mess with them. He could usually slip in and out of the broken out windows without drawing much attention to himself. The large, castle-like building was often passed by without a second glance.
As he landed inside, he was met by the typical sight of his ragtag little family. Caleb was snoozing on the floor, curled up with his head rested on his hands. Sammy was on his back, playing with his hair and giggling as his ears twitched. Elsa was reading a dusty old book with Jabiko curled up in her lap, one hand absentmindedly stroking the smooth, chubby little grub.
"I'm home!" Eli announced as he held up his purchase victoriously. The other perked up and scrabbled to make their way over. Caleb, jumped up so fast that Sammy was sent tumbling.
"Dinner?" Caleb questioned, his tail thumping happily as he sat back on his haunches. Sammy, upset at being abandoned, began to quiver his lip. Elsa scooped him up to put the waterworks on pause.
"What're we having?" She asked curiously as she peeked into the bag.
"There was a sale on roast chickens," Eli reported, "So I got a whole bird."
"Just one?" Caleb sounded a bit disappointed. He probably could have eaten one chicken all by himself.
As Eli set up to carve the bird, Caleb hung over his shoulder with extreme interest. Eli was too nice to shove the dogman, who had no concept of personal space, away. Or to even show that it might have bothered him. Luckily, Elsa was on the lookout. She set Sammy down with his lonely rubber chew bone and sat down to pat her lap.
"Oh Caleb," She called, getting the dogman's attention. Caleb's ears perked up as he looked past Eli and over at her. "Come here." He obediently shuffled over on all fours, curiosity piqued.
"Who's a good boy?" Elsa asked in a ridiculous baby talk voice. Caleb tilted his head. "Huh? Who's a good boy."
"Is it...is it me?" Caleb asked, a bit confused. Elsa made a very exaggerated gasp and grin.
"Yes it is, that's right!" She reached up to scratch under his furry chin, hitting that one spot that made him melt onto the floor. Caleb tilted his head back, his long tongue lolling out of his mouth as his bald tail thumped the floor furiously. The entire sight was completely ridiculous. Sammy took notice and began to laugh.
Meanwhile, Jabiko crawled his way over to where Eli was cutting up the bird. He climbed up onto the table and peered hopefully up at the man, chirring innocently. Eli smiled and let out a chuckle. He knew Jabiko's game: look cute and maybe he'll get a handout. Eli cut off a small piece and carefully snuck it into the grub's tiny, stumpy little front legs.
"Don't tell anyone," He whispered.
Jabby made a happy little chirp and scuttled away with his prize. Eli finished cutting a few moments later and set the chicken out for everyone to have at. The mismatched mutant freaks descended upon their prey like savage wolves. The roast didn't stand a chance. Within the half hour, the bird had been completely stripped clean of meat, with several larger bones being drug off to be chewed on.
wrong thread
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