Frank Stan

txgxrclxw:

He couldn’t help the little scoff at the comment about his not being human, as though it was something that needed to be pointed out. Perhaps this… not quite human… wasn’t so bad after all. Still, he’d be on his guard all the same. Just because she wasn’t human didn’t mean she wasn’t a threat to his continued existence on the streets.

Tiger Claw shook his head. “I do not work for the scientists. In fact, I would see them killed for what they did to my son.” A pause, and he tilted his head to the side in confusion. His code? He was positive the Kraang had given him an identification code when he was one of their experiments as a child, but he’d long since forgotten it, if he’d ever even known it.

“I do not have a code. I do, however, have a name. It is Tiger Claw.”

Another pause. “Do you come from the labs? Did you see a small tiger there, about four years old?”

K-1218 huffed at his scoff, taking a small step closer. Her claws were still extended, brown eyes still locked on the tiger- but he didn’t seem to be attacking. Slowly, she dropped her form, until a slight layer of fuzz across her skin was all that remained. 

“Your son?” One eyebrow raised, she frowned. “Your code? Like.. I’m Experiment K-1218. Part of the shapeshifter series? The labs would have assigned somethin’ like that to you.” 

Biting her lip, K-1218 hummed thoughtfully. “There were a lot of animals there. Kids too. But wouldn’t a four year old tiger be an adult? Unless it was a hybrid…”

He shook his head. “I was never given a code. I was not mutated by the scientists that took my son.”

Tiger Claw paused, looking down at himself. “My current monstrous appearance is due to experimentation by an alien species known as the Kraang. They have been dealt with. As for my son...”

@txgxrclxw | cont

The tiger sighed, and closed his eyes. “Then I will state it more plainly. I do not need to be named. I have a name already.”

A pause, and his voice lowered a notch before he proceeded. “It is Takeshi.”

“Riiiiiight… Takeshi.”

Well that was no fun. What a boring name.

“Sooo… You want me to call you Takeshi-Tigerclaw?”

The tiger bit back a snarky comment, instead only letting out a short huff. “Just Takeshi. Or Tiger Claw. Not both.”

txgxrclxw:

His own claws were extended, his back against the wall. He must have been quite the sight for anyone unfamiliar with the mutants of New York, and even more so for those that knew of him.

Normally presenting himself as clean and neat, his tattered clothes served to remind him of how far he’d fallen since his days in Asia. His pants had torn on both legs, the right leg just below the knee, the left leg most of the way up. As for his shirt, the sleeves were gone - both having been used previously for tourniquets - and the buttons down the middle had all popped off. His fur, usually almost silky in appearance, was now ragged.

Not that it would matter to the one he now found himself confronted with. What would it mean to her that he’d fallen so far? Should it make her take pity? He didn’t think so. He raised both hands defensively in front of him, forcing himself to retract his claws. “I do not wish to fight, but I will preserve myself.”

For the first time in her life, K-1218 was at a loss for words.

“You’re- um, you’re not human,” she managed. Smooth.

Still morphed, she took a few steps closer, until she could actually look at the…man. Tiger? Shaking her head, the mutant narrowed her eyes. “You- you’re not one of them, right? One of the scientists’ little lapdogs?” Or, well, lapcat in this case. “What’s your code?”

He… didn’t want to fight? That was odd. Most of the mutant created by the labs fought first, and asked questions later.

But all mutants came from the labs…right?

He couldn’t help the little scoff at the comment about his not being human, as though it was something that needed to be pointed out. Perhaps this... not quite human... wasn’t so bad after all. Still, he’d be on his guard all the same. Just because she wasn’t human didn’t mean she wasn’t a threat to his continued existence on the streets.

Tiger Claw shook his head. “I do not work for the scientists. In fact, I would see them killed for what they did to my son.” A pause, and he tilted his head to the side in confusion. His code? He was positive the Kraang had given him an identification code when he was one of their experiments as a child, but he’d long since forgotten it, if he’d ever even known it.

“I do not have a code. I do, however, have a name. It is Tiger Claw.”

The large cat squinted, looking at the other. He was hoping the other was making a joke, but all the same...

The tiger sighed, and closed his eyes. “Then I will state it more plainly. I do not need to be named. I have a name already.”

Hank#2361

He was cornered, and he knew it. Since he’d begun living on the streets, it seemed he had lost his edge. The tiger realized it was likely the exhaustion, as most of his close encounters occurred as he came out of sleep. A noise would awaken him, and his good ear would perk up, as now, and he’d get to his feet as quickly and quietly as he could.

Thinking back on it, the series of events that had led him from the Shredder’s side into his current predicament seemed like something out of a dream, even to him. He’d wandered about New York State after his misguided attempt to raise the Shredder, looking for any clues that could help him find what he was seeking.

He knew he had likely already run out of time, but he wouldn’t quit trying until he knew for sure. But he’d run out of leads. There was only so much a tiger could do without the ability to blend in, and he knew it.