Most of Lambastia's city life can be found along the southeastern coast of Norrega, where settlers feel they are safe from Nori Volcano at the northern tip of the region. Warm gulf winds ensure this region is the most habitable on the continent, though travelers are warned of the disappearances of many venturing too close to the Whisper Forest. Species from all over are housed at the Evelon Preservation Zoo.

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Saving the Guy Who Eats You (P)

Postby Zoophilos » 02/28/2012 9:07 PM

Starting here because this is technically at the Evelon zoo, and there's no forum there!

It was hard work at the zoo, alright, but Anthony was gradually getting used to it.  More than that, he was getting to like it.  He had not had a lot of experience with animals before; he had worked a little with the experiment animals back at the lab, of course, but he hadn't spent a lot of time caring for many different animals like he found himself doing now.  He did mostly basic maintenance jobs at first - sweeping the paths and buildings, emptying trash cans, washing windows, the like.  Lately, though, his work was bringing him closer to the animals; cleaning the dishes from which they ate, helping other zookeepers prepare the food, sweeping enclosures that were unoccupied at the moment.  He was learning a lot about different animals having different needs, and even individuals of the same species having different preferences.  The canines of the zoo were some of the first animals with which he actually had contact.  He was fascinated by the Sahounds' ability to mimic others' voices perfectly, by the strange ribbons floating around the Shielupes, and by the Yonyuus' wings.  His favorite creatures, though, were the dinosaurs.  He had gone through the dinosaur-crazy phase like every other child, and thought he had outgrown it.  However, seeing the very much alive and active creatures of Evelon, the likes of which were reduced to nothing but old, crumbled bones in his world, made him start to think differently.   He loved the quick, agile Serraptors, was awed by the huge but flighty Terratops, and even more impressed by the fierce Staigovald.  If Anthony was delighted with the dinosaurs, though, he was even more excited by the dragons.

       When he got the chance, he often would try talking with the Hollowhearts.  They tolerated his attempts at friendship with condescending patience, and sometimes even real friendliness.  Anthony tended to stay away from the Battlehearts, though.  He found them creepy, arrogant, and unfriendly.  He also found their habit of turning into humans quite disconcerting, and the zookeepers' warnings about them eating humans made him feel even more uncomfortable around them.  But one day...
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Re: Saving the Guy Who Eats You (P)

Postby Zoophilos » 02/29/2012 5:51 PM

~
       It was a dark and stormy night.  It was so very dark and stormy indeed, that when it was over, the Evelon Preservation Zoo spent several days collecting injured creatures from the surrounding countryside.  A powerful windstorm, complete with a couple of tornadoes, came in from western Lambastia and tore along the North of the Whisper Forest, wreaking havoc with man, beast, and property alike.  The Zoo tended to focus on the beast, of course.  Zoo staff set up special hospital pens all over the zoo,  to care for the influx of wounded animals.  Some of the worst cases were transported to Medicai City.

       Anthony was kept busy being almost to the point of being run ragged, delivering messages, medical supplies, other supplies, helping to set up pens, etc.  The crisis had created a pressing need for workers, so Anthony had managed to even get Mike to volunteer.  Mike helped with cataloging all the Zoo's new residents into the computer system.

       By the fifth hectic day after the storm, the flood of hurting critters had slowed to a trickle.  Anthony was working in the "Bird Pen", a large, aviary-like shelter that housed flying creatures, when he noticed people shouting and gesturing toward the sky.  After a moment of looking and seeing nothing, two huge Hollowhearts flew into view.  There was something like a huge sling attaching the two dragons two each other, arranged so it hung behind one and in front of the other.  Something as large as one of the Hollowhearts was hanging in it.  Anthony caught a glimpse of a bare, bony-fingered wing - another Hollowheart, it appeared.

       The two Hollowhearts carrying the other one began a circling descent, one following the other, until they landed out of sight behind a facility building.  With that, Anthony decided it was time to go back to work.  He neither saw nor heard anything more of the matter for a while.
       Lunchtime was late for Anthony; the workers had lunch in shifts, since they couldn't all take a break at the same time, and Anthony got one of the later shifts.  He was starving by the time he got to eat, and his PBJ and potato chips disappeared rapidly into his mouth.  Even so, he hadn't quite finished it before one of the vet nurses accosted him.

       "Hey, you!  You're Anthony, right?  I need help delivering a mega-load of bandages to the Dragon Barns!  They brought in a dragon that's been struck by lightning and has a broken wing!"  She grabbed his arm and began dragging him off immediately.

       "I haven't even finished lunch!" Anthony protested around his mouthful.
       "Alright, but hurry up!" the nurse replied impatiently.  Stuffing down his last few bites, Anthony followed the eager nurse to a staff center serving as a warehouse for medical supplies, where he helped her load a huge box presumably filled with bandages onto a mini-cart.  She drove it to the reptile section of the zoo, stopping just inside one of the great, pentagonal barns used to house the giant reptiles, where he then helped her unload and open it.  The bandages inside were large enough to mummify a car!  Or wrap up the limb of a dragon, as the case required.

       He noticed standing near the barn, the two Hollowhearts he had seen carrying the sling.  He also noticed the patient which they had brought here, sprawled out on most of the barn floor.  To his surprise, it was not a Hollowheart, as he had first thought, but a huge, green Battleheart.

       "Unusual looking Battleheart," the nurse who had hauled him here remarked casually.  "Never seen one with those fins on the head before."

       "It's a Sauria Battleheart," replied a lucain anthro who looked like she was the doctor in charge.  "A rare type.  This one appears to be young; he hasn't quite reached full size yet.  Sauria Battlehearts grow even bigger than the more Common Battlehearts."  This monstrous thing was going to grow larger still?!  
       "That you, Anthony?" a voice boomed in Anthony's head, startling him.  One of the Hollowhearts was Magnos, one of the dragons that was friendlier toward Anthony.

       "Oh, yeah!" Anthony fumbled in reply.  "Hi, Magnos!"  He waved to the dragon before running outside to help with another load of bandages, missing the Hollowheart lifting his wing in reply.

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Re: Saving the Guy Who Eats You (P)

Postby Zoophilos » 03/01/2012 9:08 PM

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       More than one set of dragon eyes watched Anthony go.  The Battleheart snorted quietly to himself.  Just like a Hollowheart to have a human friend!  Yet at the moment, the Battleheart himself had not just human friends but... caretakers!  It was so humiliating.  A mighty Sauria Battleheart of his lineage being nursed like a hatchling still in the nest, by so many little snacks.  It was outrageous.  And there was nothing he could do about it.

       He had refused to let the puny humans and anthros attend to him at first, and had tried to walk out.  But he was still so weak from the electric shock of the lightning, combined with the pain from his wing, he could hardly stand.  The Hollowhearts that had brought him in insisted he stay, saying he desperately needed medical attention, and that Magnos had threatened to sit on him if he refused!  That had persuaded Lacertos.  He was in far too much pain for a fight now, and he didn't need the insult of being defeated by a Hollowheart in front of a dozen hors 'doeuvres in addition to the injury of having said hors 'doeuvres play nurse-maid to him.

       "They're going to set your wing, now," Magnos told him.  Lacertos grunted almost inaudibly in response, resigned to his humiliation.


       Over the next few days, the zoo population of injured animals shrank a little.  Some animals were moved to hospitals, or their families or owners were found and took them home.  Anthony felt some relief; with fewer animals, he wasn't quite so busy running to get food or medical supplies or whatnot, and the zoo was a little less crowded.  Except for the reptile section of the zoo; the Sauria Battleheart was making things difficult.  Sauria battlehearts are not common, and once word got out that the zoo was caring for one, there was some excitement.  Many volunteers tried to arrange things so they could go to the barn where it was housed, or just tried to sneak there for a glimpse.  Though there was a healthy Sauria Battleheart that lived at the zoo, the other one's injuries meant that people could get much closer to it than was usual(ly safe). A camera crew even came to film it for the news!   The zoo staff tried to keep people from crowding the barn, allowing only "authorized" wokers inside.  The creatures immense pride meant that it of course thought itself well above being showcased to little humans.  Other workers who heard that Anthony had been in the barn with it kept asking him what it was like to have been so near it.
       "Its just a big Battleheart," he told them.  "A really big, green Battleheart with... fins... on it's head."

       Unfortunately, it seemed news of the injured Battleheart attracted more than just news crews.  The next day, while Anthony was playing with a young Syrgriff with a sprained ankle, he began wondering what was going on with all the noise from dragons.  He had been hearing almost continual roaring for the past few minutes.  He wondered if the Battlehearts were having another big fight with each other, or if they were arguing with the Hollowhearts again.  Both were not uncommon occurences.  When another worker rushed in a hurry from the direction of the hullaballoo, Anthony called to him and asked if he knew what all the noise was.

       "You haven't heard?" the man replied.  "Four Battlehearts flew into the zoo and are trying to attack the Sauria Battleheart.  Our Hollowhearts are fighting to protect him."

       Oh, thought Anthony.  That explains it.  Then he thought of Magnos.  Was he part of the fight?  Probably.  Magnos was the brave, noble type who would fight to the last breath to protect the helpless.  Hopefully, the fight wasn't severe enough to require that.  Anthony now wanted to run to the dragon barns, to find out what was happening to his friend, but he knew it was probably better that he stay where he was.  He could't do anything in such a fight besides get in the way and get himself hurt.  So he instead herded the Syrgriff inside, clucking soothingly in response to her anxious chirps.

       After what seemed a long time, though it was really only a few minutes, the roaring stopped.  One of his peeks out the window revealed the sight of four Battlehearts flying high in the sky.  He hurried closer to the window to get a better look, and noticed the Battlehearts were being followed by a flock of Hollowhearts.  So the fight was over, and victory was theirs.  He managed to wait until finally, someone came to take over caring for the Sygriff, and then dashed to the dragon barns as fast as he could.
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Re: Saving the Guy Who Eats You (P)

Postby Zoophilos » 03/02/2012 5:01 PM

"Do you know who those dragons were?"
       "Yep." Lacertos chuckled.  "Tenebraun and his friends.  Guess he's still mad about me thrashing his tail scales."
       "You could have told us they were threatening your life!"
       "I didn't know he would be so persistent about a rematch!  And you could have not let those camera paparazzi broadcast to all Evelon that I was here with a broken wing!"
       The lucain doctor groaned.  "Can you think of anyone else who might want a... rematch?"  The dragon smirked again.
       "A few.  I can give a good fight."
       "Not with a broken wing," the Temple Hollowheart next to him said in thought-speech.  Lacertos glowered at him, but said nothing.  The doctor groaned - or growled - again.  "Well, you better give us a full disclosure on your former combatants, so we can get a proper security detail set up."  Hearing this, the battleheart paused a moment before saying, "Actually, why don't I just leave?  I heard you telling your pet Hollowhearts that you wanted to send me away.  I'll make things easy for you and go of my own accord."  The Temple Hollowheart snorted at the "pet" adjective and the doctor said, "I meant that we might have to send you to a more secure location, one that hasn't been broadcasted by the media and where other injured patients aren't endangered if more trouble comes."  The Sauria Battleheart shrugged and heaved himself to a standing position.
       "Whatever.  I've stayed here long enough, anyway.  I appreciate your... ministrations, but I think I can now take care of myself."
       "You've been here less than a week!" the doctor exclaimed.  "And your wing will hurt a lot more when the painkillers wear off!"
For a moment the Battleheart looked a little surprised at the doctor's last statement, but said, "I can handle pain."
       "How are you going to handle your enemies?" the Hollowheart asked.
       "If they can't find me, there's no need," Lacertos grinned.
       "Pardon me, but I can't help wondering how you're going to hide your... very large self."
       "I'll make myself small."  The doctor gasped.  "With a broken wing!?  You shouldn't be changing your bone structure when your bone is broken!"  Her words fell on deaf ears.  The battleheart stood up, stretched, and began to shrink.  As he shrank, he suddenly began to twist and writhe.  A deep, thunderous rumble filled the barn.  Yet he continued to shrink until he was only about six feet tall, and his dragon shape had turned to that of a human.  With that, his roaring stopped and he collapsed on the floor.  The doctor rushed forward.
       "You crazy beast - you shouldn't have done that!  Who knows what damage you've done to that broken bone!"  Lacertos gave no response and lay motionless while she looked over his wing.  Most of his body had taken the form of a tall human man, a little over six feet tall, with light brown skin and dark hair that made him look Hispanic.  Black leather clothes had appeared on his body.  His right arm, though, which was the broken wing, still retained its dragon wing shape, albeit much smaller, though still far too big proportionally.
       "I think the bone is still set, though I'll need an x-ray to be sure," the lucain told the Hollowheart.  "I think we better restrain him before he kills hi-" the Sauria sat up.
       "What!" the lucain exclaimed.  "Get back down!  You've done enough to yourself as it is!"
       "Thank you, doctor," Lacertos replied, "but as I've said, I think I can take care of myself now."
       "Oh, really?  You can't even stand up!"  The young man that was now Lacertos glared at her and struggled to his feet, standing up unsteadily, but still standing.
       "As I said, I can handle pain, doctor," he replied.  "Now, if you would be so kind..."  He walked forward, still a bit unsteady but obviously very determined.
       "Dragon," the doctor stopped him again, "you're not fit to be traveling by yourself; you need medical attention!"
       "You wanted me to go, so let me go!" Lacertos snarled.
       "I meant with doctors and a security team to help and protect you!"
       "Look, doc, I travel best alone, and I've had almost five days' worth of medical attention."  He glanced up at the Temple Hollowheart looming over him.  "Are you gonna make me stay?"  The doctor glared at him for a moment, before bowing her head in resignation.
       "No, if you insist on refusing treatment, then you can do so."
       "Well, then, I insist on refusing your treatment!"  With that, he walked out of the barn.

       Anthony found Magnos even before he reached the reptile section of the zoo.  The great Hollowheart was striding purposefully toward the front of the zoo.
       "Magnos!" he called to the dragon, "are you alright?  I heard about the fight!"
       "Yes, I am quite fine, Anthony," the dragon replied.
       "Were you in the fight, at all?  One of the other zoo workers told me about it, But I couldn't do anything at the time because I had a job I had to do.  I came as soon as I could."
       "I was in the fight, but I escaped uninjured.  I am fine, Anthony.  But my friend was hurt.  He was one of the first to confront the Battlehearts when they came.  Would you please go to the dragon barns and see how he is?"
       "Certainly, Magnos!"  Anthony hurried onward, and Magnos did the same... in the other direction.
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Re: Saving the Guy Who Eats You (P)

Postby Zoophilos » 03/03/2012 6:25 PM

The zoo seemed way larger than Lacertos remembered, even accounting for his diminished size in human form.  Even so, he still managed to stagger to the zoo gates by himself.  His over-sized, broken wing hulking at his side drew many stares from passerby, but his glaring, glowing green eyes chased their gazes away.  Despite his pride and his assurances to the doctor that he was fine on his own, he was forced to sit down once he made it past the gates.  He collapsed on a bench, breathing hard.  His wing was making it clear that it was still angry over the abuse it had had to endure during the transformation.  He sat for a few minutes, struggling to get his breathing back to normal and glaring at anyone who gave him a second glance.  He eyed the crowd, looking for zoo keepers that might try to get him back into the zoo, as well as for characters with more unfriendly motives.  He didn't think Tenebraun could transform like he did, but he wasn't sure, and Tenebraun did have three friends.  He needed to do something about his wing; as it was, he wasn't disguised, just small!

       Nearby, a man left his overcoat on a bench for a moment to help his little daughter reach to throw a coin in a fountain.  Lacertos stood up and walked by the bench, grabbing the overcoat as he did so.  By draping the coat over his shoulders and folding his wing close to his body, he was able to hide his injured limb.  Meanwhile, the man lowered his daughter back to the ground, then turned back to get his coat.
       "Hey!  Where'd my coat go!?"

       The zoo had an excellent bus line, probably funded by the owner of the zoo, and so the Battleheart easily found a ride to Aldrect City.  He didn't think much of public transportation - it was too public - but right now he didn't have any other way to get around.  He got off at a stop in the suburbs of Aldrect City.  He would have prefered to have gone deeper into the city, but at the moment his wing couldn't stand any more of the bumpy bus ride.  He sat down heavily on the bench inside the bus stop, growling in pain and frustration.


       Magnos' friend Gears turned out to be fine, albeit with a Battleheart bite mark on his neck.  Having been assured that the Clockwork Hollowheart was still functioning properly, Anthony set out to tell Magnos, but found he had left the zoo.  He decided that it was time he left, too.

       Anthony hadn't yet saved enough money for a car, so he used the zoo bus routes to get to and from work.  The routes were actually pretty conveniently located for that purpose; there was a bus stop only a short walk away from the apartment he had bought for him and Mike.  The buses also tended to be on time here in Evelon, unlike back in his world, which made using them actually convenient.  His stop was one of the first ones in Aldrect City; he got off in front of the bus stop, and paused to adjust his shoulder bag.

This story is continued in Aldrect, the Holy City.
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