The morning, perhaps, takes Ettie by surprise. She yelps a bit as she's awaken by Andrew Fisher 's shout and scrambling - and it takes a second for her to regain her bearings.

But, as things click and she glances to Andrew, she cocks her head in clear confusion. "What wrong..? Floor is cold, cold makes hungry faster," Ettie spoke, in an attempt to explain herself. "Didn't want friend to be cold." There was no reason to force him to bear with that, and there was no saying whether the mochi would keep being provided forever...

But, at least this time, it is. Food is eaten - Ettie wrinking her nose at the sickly-sweetness - and then, comes the Laughter.

At first, Ettie is a bit taken aback in seeing Andrew's laughter at their wardmates' struggle. Was it really that funny? It didn't seem like it to her - and yet... Before she knew it, she'd find herself being made to laugh as well. Against her will, little chuckles hiccupped up from her chest - and this loss of control sent a chilling feeling through her. She didn't want to do this. Why was she doing this?

She digs her nails into her arms, as if in an attempt to stop herself - but to no avail. It hurts. But all she can do is laugh. It's all Munkidori!

...

... For the most part, the days would pass in an almost auto-pilot blur. Ettie was still the supportive pup, always backing up and seeking the company of friends such as Andrea Vaneau , Johanna Joy , and even Tempest Quinn . But, wardmates she didn't know quite as well - but still considered friend - like Eris Halla , Isaac Merlo , Thea Naito , Knight Naito , and more, had her support. Noone would be alone in this, and she'd make sure of it best she could.

Though, the smiles and encouraging words she passed them always hid her own growing pains - a growing depression, from being separated from her family. From having not had so much as a glimpse of the sun, or a chance to run and play as she pleased.

(The dreams ended up being a place where she could find some place to hide away, and let out the despairing feelings she had pent up.)

But, with the passing days, came some respite. Because soon, the Ward's turn to visit the Chamber of Desires. To have the mask off, to breathe freely, to be able to see her wardmates... There was comfort in this.

Ettie also couldn't help but find something dazzling, about the strange mask they had lined up for. It shined in beauteous colors, not unlike when her pokemon would terastalize (though the thought of them made her heart twist a little.) Was this related, she wondered?

All the same, as she was beckoned forth...-

---

SPOILER: Click to show

-... She would find herself in the wilds, moving through the woods at a breakneck pace, faster than she'd ever been able to move on her own. The wind rushed past her, the sun shone upon her through the gaps in the canopy above - breaths puffing fast and heavy through her fangs out of exertion and excitement alike. She did not need to look to know that a handful of her packmates were moving with her - working hard to keep pace.

This was a chase. This was a hunt, something at the back of her mind whispered. The signs of it were there - hoofprints, broken foliage, the smell of blood intoxicatingly filling the air past the familiar smells of moss and earth. Their prey was injured - it was likely to tire long before the pack would, and the pattern of the tracks implied a limp.

Even if it hadn't been injured, though... The thrill of the chase would've been enough to keep Ettie going for as long as she wanted. She knew these woods like the back of her claws - nothing could elude her, and she was every bit a persistence hunter as her kin were.

And there - not far ahead! She could hear it before she saw it, but a Stantler was in full run; or at least, as close to one as it could manage with the deep claw-gash in one of its legs. Catching glimpses of it through the trees, Ettie grinned - eyes wild with excitement - before barking wordlessly to her packmates. She saw out of the corners of her eyes as the fastest of the hunting party would split off to either side and run ahead - the black and gold of Duchess, and the pale blue of Maria.

Their prey was as good as caught, Ettie knew. Because before long, the Stantler cried out with alarm as Duchess and Maria suddenly burst out from the foliage ahead of it, bringing it to a sudden stop. Not about to go out without a fight, it would initially attempt to Bulldoze through them...

... This distraction and pause was enough for Ettie to act. With a rush of speed, she charged at her prey from behind - striking it with an Accelerock that sent it stumbling, and allowed her to leap upon it! Sharp claws dug into its hide, as the Stantler thrashed and bucked beneath her. Its antlers began to glow with psychic power, clearly another attempt to fight back--

-- But the rest of the hunting party was upon it, teeth sinking into limbs to pull it down to the ground. The Stantler cried out once more, keening and desperate - but its struggles were to no avail. Ettie's jaws closed around the Stantler's throat... And it soon fell still.

Ettie was filled with satisfaction, over yet another successful hunt. Her pack would be eating well. The taste of the blood on her tongue had her salivating at the idea of a meal - but that would wait. First, they wanted to get this meal home. And so, Anne and Zeit both took a hold of the Stantler, carrying it with them as they began returning home...

... Though, it's partway into the trek back to the den, that something catches Ettie's attention. Passing along a pond, she sees something strange in the reflection - and pausing to gaze at the reflection, it's almost startling, what she sees staring back.

A Lycanroc, some form of bipedal variant - though not quite the same as a Midnight Lycanroc. Its fur was white as snow - save for the black fur around its prominent claws - with bright red eyes, and a pale pink nose. The white is soft, almost cloudlike - whereas the black is sleek and shiny, almost as if it were onyx metal. Its tail - not curled, but straight like a Midday or Dusk Lycanroc - gives a slight twitch, before it begins to wag as the beast's ears perk.

Ettie truly was kin now. She was closer to her pack than ever before. She cannot help an almost raspy laugh, smiling bright. "Am... Different." She murmurs to herself, happy, filled with an almost strange sense of euphoria in seeing what she had become. "Am... Me."

And... Was it to do with the chain? She sees the purple Toxic Chain now, hidden in the mane of fur around her neck, curled around like a collar. It has long, prominent spikes that jut out from her mane - darker colored and hardened, like that of a Lycanroc's spikes.

Hearing a bark from of of her packmates though, Ettie glances over - and she moves to catch up with them...--

---

-- But almost as quicky as she had been drawn into this experience, she is shunted out of it. Ettie stumbles a bit, dazed by the sudden shift back to reality. She already missed the sun and breeze, the smell of the woods, everything that had embodied freedom.

Alongside her wardmates though, Ettie takes solace at least in the warmth of the shower. A comfort that she didn't realize she needed, really.

But still, the dreamlike experience that that shining mask had given her lingers in her mind - even as she is soon brought back to the ward to laugh, eat, and sleep. Perhaps, if she endures, she'll be able to be like that..? Deep down, she wishes to be able to be with her pack - to run and play freely again...

• player/ooc name: Tsukistar
• character tags: Ettie El Sunderland Makoto Kurumi
• dropped characters' tags (if applicable): N/A
• ic posts for characters: El Ettie Makoto
• are characters in directories?: Y
• any notes/comments: arceus has allowed me to live and i will make it everyone else's problem. when my muse is feeling a bit better at least.

In chilled quiet, as things resolve, Ettie returns to her ward with the rest of the Dummies - and soon to her cell. A fresh outfit, some food - though when Andrew Fisher collapses, she blinks a bit. Ah... He must be tired as well. Carefully, Ettie rolls Andrew into the cot - and once there, she snuggles in with him.

The cold will make them both hungrier faster, Ettie knew this well. Even if she isn't wholly sure what she felt about him, she at least knew that they'd both benefit from sharing bodywarmth like this, to keep their hunger at bay a little longer.

(Though, perhaps it's a sense of loneliness that also prompts her to do this. She doesn't want to sleep on her own. She wants to know that there's something - anyone else - there with her, as she pushes down the pain in her shoulder and heart...)

. . .

... As sleep slowly takes her though, reality is replaced by a strange and surreal dream. The cityscape is nothing like Ettie's ever seen before - and she isn't sure how to even begin to consider the sights around her... All she can do for now is wander, unsure and honestly a little bit listless. It's overwhelming, after the reality she had been brought through.

Will she find the comfort of someone familiar, out here...?

Ettie hummed as she glanced to Entei. He didn't seem too moody at least right now - although, perhaps he was a bit of a proud sort like Apex? It was hard to say - but Apex tended to have a mind of his own for certain, more often than not. It took a little bit of arm twisting to get him to cooperate, from time to time.

But, at the question of riding and speed, Ettie perked up a bit and hummed to herself. "Ettie not try yet, but.... Think Apex not-like," She'd remark. She usually preferred sticking with Anne or Duchess when it came to riding - although Zeit also proved to be good. But with Apex's tendencies, she had a feeling he wouldn't appreciate the attempt. Though, that being said...

... "But can run-together!" She chirped, adding "Don't need-ride Apex, to race!" And something competitive like that might hold his attention!

At the mention of running together - of racing - Zeit pauses from his play to perk up and glance over to Josh and Ettie both. It had all the same energy, as a dog perking up at the mention of walkies.

Josh Devlin

Votes are tallied - and the ward is led onto the elevator, shepherded alongside another set of prisoners. Ettie's gaze drifts between those of Weak Ward - although, she then soon takes note of Okidogi.

A canine pokemon - although one with a Toxic Chain. Who is this one? She'd assume that it was here looking for a pack much like she thought Zacian and Zamazenta might be - but... She then supposes that the others must be its pack, right? The monkey pokemon, the bird pokemon, and these other strange chained guards. She isn't sure how much of a 'pack' it truly is with the chains in play, but...

Ettie's examining of Okidogi, however, seems to have drawn the canid's attention. For she yelps as it scruffs her by the chain, and tosses her to the ground below! Thankfully, the landing is softened by mochi and viscera - though she can't help but wrinkle her nose at the sickly-sweet smell in the air as she pushes herself back up to her feet.

Though, cleaning does indeed seem manageable - even if unpleasant. The dark leaves her somewhat unsettled, leaves her longing for sunlight, itching for the opportunity to run around - but she nonetheless moves. She picks up some mochi, what might've once been a disembodied limb, and moves to deposit it in the bowl before she goes for the next armful of filth.

But before long comes the sound of a beast. The sound of something charging into the room with them - and the scream of its first victim. Immediately, Ettie goes on guard - and her initial thought is to try and shuffle away from the sounds, to distance herself from whatever is lurking in the dark--

-- But then, she feels the tug of her chain, as she's tethered to the ground. She's a cornered animal. The sounds - of the beast, of the attacks, of the victims - gets closer by the second, and the closer it gets the more Ettie tenses like a spring.

A spring that suddenly releases, when she catches a glimpse of the beast attacking someone next to her - Andrea Vaneau . She doesn't hesitate to leap upon Ogerpon with a howling snarl - her nails digging into wherever they can find purchase to claw at it! For the first few seconds, the element of surprise is on her side as the beast writhes and flails beneath her, and she growls like a wild animal all the whilst...

... But its strength is superior; as the initial surprise fades, she's thrown off with ease. And upon hitting the ground once more, she feels the bite of a vine lashing against her - drawing out a yelp and whine. She tries to move away, but is at the end of the chain - her only choice is to lay still and endure, perhaps play dead.

Thankfully, it seems that something else draws the Ogerpon's attention, causing the beast to move on. Slowly, cautiously, Ettie picks herself up - pressing a hand to the bleeding wound the vine's lash had left on her skin. She waits until the sounds are far enough away for her to feel safe doing so much as breathing - letting out a soft and drawn-out exhale and whine, before she resumes her work.

As she's gathering another armful of mochi and guts though, she glances to Andrea Vaneau - and softly asks "I-is okay, friend...?"

Ettie wasn't all that sure what Josh meant about Hoennian Entei and whatnot - was this like how Braver and Craggro were different but the same? She wasn't sure if Apex was a Legendary, like the true Entei he spoke of, though...

But, as Josh questioned there being a second, she'd smile bright. "Mhmm! Is Apex! Met Apex in big chasm." She chirped. "Apex is big and strong! Big as Zeit!" Sure, a lot of Apex's size was thanks to the crest - but he, overall, was still around the same body size as Zeit - who was a pretty big Arcanine was it was. "Kinda grumpy, like Ruffian, but plays nice with pack."

Perhaps partly cause the pack proved itself against him quite sufficiently.

Apex, though, seemed satisfied at the more cautious response Entei gave him - letting out a smug-sounding huff. He'd waltz off to laze and lounge about at the opposite side of the clearing - wanting to sun himself for whatever much time he had left before the storm arrived.

Seeing this interaction though, Ettie would give a reassuring smile to Entei and Josh both. "Is okay - won't fight." She soothed - if a fight were to start, the pack and flock alike would've been ready to break it up.

Josh Devlin

Even in the quiet that prevailed between them, Ettie finds a certain comfort in working alongside Eris Halla and Thea Naito . Does she know these two? No. But they are friends all the same, to her - people who are in the same circumstances - and so she's happy to try and find some form of peace in the cooperation. In the simple fact that there were fellow human beings that she could trust next to her.

Pack. Until things changed, these people - more than just Eris and Thea, but even the others in this ward - were her pack.

But then there's a moment of chaos, as she sees Isaac Merlo charge Munkidori. Momentarily, her instincts have her wanting to jump in - and maybe others would be able to see it in the way her muscles bunched up, tensed like a beast waiting for a moment to pounce, fingers with sharpened nails flexing like claws... But then, she sees the ease with which the monkey stops him in his tracks and retaliates - and she quickly reconsiders, realizing that this would be a mistake.

It is a distinct reminder that, even for as much as she takes comfort in not being alone, none of them are safe. Nor are the pokemon, as she soon learns, as a number of the ward's members are punished for their actions. It is cruel, for certain - and it is certainly enough to further disturb Ettie; this is the loss of peoples' packmates...

... But the predator part of her brain - her inner hunter - also finds it wasteful. This is not hunting for prey. This is killing simply to kill.

Trainers call out in anguish - and among the voices, there are ones she recognizes - Andrea Vaneau is a given... But there's also a certain Johanna Joy . "Johanna..?" She breathes to herself, surprised. More friends she knew were here...?

As the two are dropped down, Ettie moves to check in on them both, scampering to their sides. She pauses for a second - not sure what to do at first... But, she reaches out to take Andrea's hand and Johanna's hand in either of her own hands, squeezing. "... Not alone. We are pack." She murmurs meaningfully - even if it's just as much an attempt to comfort herself, as it is to comfort them.

She attempts to maintain her hold on their hands even as the ward circles around for a 'trust exercise' - and she doesn't need to think before she has an answer. "Trust!" She calls, alongside those around her.

(... But those who call Forsake - including her own cellmate, Andrew Fisher , are met with stares from the pup. She doesn't understand why they'd consider it - any hurt deliberately inflicted here seemed pointless, didn't it?)

Memories are a tricky thing. Memories from a distant dream are even trickier.

Ettie has a hard time, remembering Galar. More often than not, during day-to-day life, it's not even at the back of her mind; she is able to approach the day as if the incident at the Ancient Tomb had never happened.

But, sometimes, something prompts those broken and figment memories forward. A familiar person. A familiar pokemon. Sounds, sights, smells - even experiences that just feel that slightest bit similar to her time as a protector of that little village in Ballonlea. She's drawn to these familiar things - perhaps out of a mix of curiosity, a desire to cling to what memories she can, and the like...

... Though, there is also a feeling of longing that always comes with these reminders of Galar. A feeling of something important being missing - and the fact that this thing is missing often fills her with a weird, distant, sense of unresolved grief. It's something that leaves her feeling melancholic, really.

She is drawn towards these reminders, in hopes that it can explain that thing that she's missing. That she can find some sort of resolution to the pain in her chest that flares up, with that distant longing.

But until then... She simply tries her best to live with the ache in her heart, whenever she wakes up from a dream of what she had briefly forgotten. Whenever she sees someone that gives her that strange sense of deja vu, as if they were someone she had met long, long, ago...

Ettie would be patient as Josh glanced about and made his decision - curiosity plain on her face. But, this curiosity would only light up further as he revealed his secret pokemon - a Gouging Fire, named Entei. Safe to say, Ettie was impressed - although perhaps her expression wasn't the same level of awe that one might expect, and the reason for that became quickly apparent. "Oooh... Is like Apex!" She chirped. "Hello, Entei-friend!"

Anne would eyeball Entei a bit - mostly getting a read on him. Given how hostile Apex had first been in Area Zero, she wanted to make sure that this one wouldn't go picking fights close to the den. Above, the Flock observes - seeming to be waiting to see what Entei might do.

But, it seemed that Apex had heard their name being mentioned. Because from the den, the Gouging Fire would stroll on out and into the clearing. He carried himself with confidence aplenty - as if he knew himself to be worthy of the namesake.

... Though upon catching a glimpse of Entei, he paused and narrowed his eyes. Considering. Who were these interlopers, upon his territory? Clearly, they were not unwelcome, if the others were not raising a fuss.

He would still rumble at Entei though, holding himself high. Even if Apex wasn't being outwardly hostile, their body language read that of prideful superiority.

Josh Devlin

Graci visibly enjoys the attention - her stubby tail giving another wag as she tilts her head into the petting. Really, the pack was a great place to be. A lot of the members were thankful to each other in one way or another - it was an environment that they and Daea both apprecaited a bunch!

And as if to express her own gratitude for the positive attention, she carefully perches herself on Josh's shoulders and nuzzles him, not unlike an affectionate cat.

Ettie meanwhile, smiled and nodded along. Sometimes, someone wasn't a good fit for the pack - and vice versa - and that was okay. She was just happy that she was able to provide for the packmates she had thus far. (And speaking of pack, it sounded as though Josh's was only getting larger by the second!)

As Josh asked about the 'outside part' of the den though, Ettie hummed. "Here good," She mused - it wasn't quiiite at the entrance, but the Flock did a good job of keeping watch, and outsiders tended to keep their distance to avoid agitating the pack. "But can move to den! And can keep quiet!" Ettie smiled bright and nodded eagerly with this. She wasn't sure why this special someone (Another packmate of Josh's, she guessed?) was to be a secret, but she would keep her word for her dear friend.

This shift in conversation seemed to get Anne's attention though, the wolf cocking her head to glance at the two. Who - or what - did Josh bring with him, she wondered?

(Zeit and Yip, on the other hand, were currently more content to continue playing with the two Arcanine. Playtime was a big deal!)

Josh Devlin

Ettie's worldview was a simple one; a person came in one of four categories; friend/family, foe, predator, or prey. Someone was a potential ally or packmate, an intruder or competitor, something to be avoided and feared, or ultimately something to be hunted down and eaten. Those four categories were all that a wolf needed to worry about, after all.

The strange monkey pokemon, that came down the elevator, was a predator. Something that became quickly apparent, when said simian made an example out of one of their fellow prisoners. Ettie, though somewhat shaken at the sight, was not necessarily sickened. She was no stranger to blood and gore; although to understand that this one could end a person's life so easily...

... Munkidori was a predator - and Ettie could only hope that she wasn't to be prey.

Thus, as the mochi is dispensed, she eats. She does not trust the food, knowing the troubles that had occured in the days that led up to this, knowing that vague sense of ill that the poisonous anomalies had caused... And yet, despite the pattern recognition telling her that this was something to be avoided, the alternative - to starve, or even die - forced her to push down those instincts.

And as the way forward became clear with a tethered chain, Ettie would follow Andrew Fisher to the pile of shards and stones.

In contrast to him, Ettie had a somewhat easier time in plucking out the shards. Her fingers were deft - being no stranger to plucking berries from bramble bushes and the like - and when she did get scraped or cut, she'd manage to keep her reactions to a wince.

But, this did not spare her from her own shards mysteriously disappearing, when she turned away from the pile she had accumulated for but a moment. She is left glancing around in confusion, until she hears Munkidori's snicker - and she understands then. She dares not even meet its gaze though, simply allowing herself to appear small and uninteresting as she ducks her head to try and start up a new pile of shards - this one more carefully kept.

As Andrew speaks, she glances to him - and it's hard for her to place what sort of expression she must have right now, besides the need to avoid drawing the warden's attention as much as possible. "Is okay," She eventually responds - her voice low, soft. "Will stay safe... Will avoid being prey..."

But, there soon comes the sounds of a tumble; and Ettie looks to the side to see as another young girl is picking herself up - scraped from the rocks and shards that she had fell upon. Sympathy fills Ettie, and she spares Andrew but a brief glance - "I help friends," - before making her way to Eris Halla .

Her approach is careful, ginger, as if Eris were as much a skittish prey-animal as Ettie felt in this place. But as the wolfchild nears, she settles in next to the other to help Eris sort out the shards. "Is okay?" Ettie asks, briefly looking her up and down. "Ettie help."

Perhaps Ettie could keep an eye out, so that the both of them would be better prepared the next time Munkidori tried to interfere.

Champion? It took a second for Ettie to consider and recall - but once it clicked, she soon nodded with a bright smile. "Good job! Did great!" She praised Josh with an eager giggle, reaching up to hug him as he got down from Braver's back. "Friend is strong!" And a good packleader, too!

(Though, it was likely a good rule of thumb to assume that everything Ettie learned was from hearsay and experience, rather than from media.)

As Josh commented on her two Shaymin, Ettie perked up and nodded. "Mhmm! Graci and Daea! Are Shay-min!" She chirped. Indeed, the names came from the Gracidea flower - it seemed that Ettie liked the name, and the fact that the Shaymin were linked to it. "Can change, with pretty flower!" And they enjoyed flying about with the flock like that, as she found.

It seemed that Daea lost interest once they'd gotten a good look at the trio - flitting off to find something to do. But Graci would hang around, the flying terrier perching on Braver's now-empty saddle with a wag of their stubby tail. Tucked behind this Shaymin's ear was, indeed, a Gracidea flower - lush and beautiful.

Whilst the canines played amongst themselves though, Ettie continued speaking with Josh. "Pack been good! Spring coming - lots plants and prey soon." Which meant that Ettie could restock the pack's stores. Winter was always a bit thinner pickings - but keeping a stash of preserved foods, and maintaining the berry trees in the woods below, did well to make sure noone went hungry. "Pack is big, strong! Lots new packmates."

Josh Devlin