#cryptid ocs

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Mystic

Running back into the woods, he’s a lot more lucid this time around. The wonders that fresh(ish) water and food could do! He can even see faint scorch marks where his hands had dug into the earth whenever he tripped and dragged himself up again, singeing it from the stress. That was no good- obvious tracks. A few kicks at the soil was enough to erase the evidence.

While jogging, it occurred to him that his hidey-hole might not be safe and secure anymore. The former occupant had returned. Clearly they made the original den. Granted, they left him there and didn’t aggress, but was it worth the risk to piss off a big creature for a hole in the ground?

-and before he could reach the spot he’d marked (with a subtle singe mark on a tree bough), his travails through the woods are interrupted by the sight of a big silver tail, sticking out of the earth and draping over the ground. Every now and then, big puffs of dirt are thrown out into the air behind it, forming a pile of turned earth past the stocky silver-shingled legs.

Shit. This thing was still here. And it was- digging? This wasn’t the spot where he’d found the hole. Was it making a new one?

Spooky

Whatever it was hadn't seemed interested in eating him, but he was still hesitant to get too close. If it was making a new hole, maybe it truly had abandoned the other one after finding him in it... but who the hell knows, it wasn't like he could ask.

Nervously biting his lip, he did his best to move stealthily behind the trees, past where the huge creature was snuffling and burrowing. He probably didn't have to worry about making noise so much, since it seemed pretty busy and its head was literally underground at the moment, but he still crept as quietly as he could... and then took off running towards his hiding spot once he felt he was far enough past that point.

Man, he was gonna need to plan out another route to that house if he didn't wanna keep running into that thing...

But that was a problem for future him.

For now, it was back to his- ...giant... very conspicuous pile of discarded food trash that wasn't there earlier.

He slowed to a stop and just stared at it. Holy shit, had he really eaten that much food since hiding out there? Didn't feel like there was nearly that much trash in there, but it was also dark so it was not like he could tell. The tunnel had some freshly scraped up earth at the bottom of it, and the same went for the inside floor of the den. All empty now, save for big sweeping claw marks that were a dead giveaway as to which giant silver armor-plated creature had done this.

....But why, though?!

Mystic

No answers were forthcoming from the trash pile, which was his only company. Maybe it was just meticulous about keeping clean burrows. Hopefully that didn’t mean it was coming back.

…and now that it was in isolation, and he’d had a good face washing while guzzling down that pond water, boy did it stink. He’d been sleeping in that. He must smell awful.

scrnkkkkk

Oh wow, THAT was a loud noise. Some sort of- dirt grinding sound? It was coming from back the way he came, where the creature was digging.

shfff shf-shf

Leaves rustling. Or being removed.

What in the hell was it-

thnk thd thshf

Fuck, it was coming back!

Spooky

He was about to go back in the hole for a second, but stopped himself, realizing he'd just be trapped in there again, and instead he ducked behind the small mountain of trash. He quickly regretted that choice when the smell hit him even more strongly, and he backed up with a grimace not unlike the one the creature had made when sniffing him earlier.

As the creature came into view, he panicked, looked around, and scurried behind the nearest tree instead, still not really realizing that his eyes were still cartoonishly visible as he peeked out from behind it. He kept forgetting that little detail...

Mystic

Soon enough, the creature returns from the other clearing where it had been digging the second hole. It walks with a strange gait that felt almost- awkward? The front claws were held up off the ground, as it stepped with the slouched posture of an eighty-year-old. In those strange paws it clutched a small, lightly dirty set of plastic bags- one empty, and the other bulging with unknown contents. The head swiveled back and forth, making a half-hearted check of the area, before it takes hesitant steps once again. It didn’t appear to notice him yet.

Satisfied, it slunk back towards the hole in the ground. Making a low rumble in its throat, it peeks into the hole. Seeing nothing, it backs up, and drops the bag containing things unknowable right at the hole entrance. With the remaining empty bag, it turns toward the trash pile. Turns out he made a good judgement call, as the silver beast lays out the plastic- and begins shoveling it with its massive clawed paws onto the plastic sheet. They definitely weren’t enjoying this, as their muzzle scrunches up in disgust once again. Oh yeah, he definitely smelled like garbage if it made that face at him.

Upon scooping all trash remnants into a pile, it then sits on its haunches, and begins the delicate process of pulling the corners of the bag up to cinch it closed… odd. That was a very human gesture for a distinctly non-human beast to do. Regardless, it struggles, grunting in annoyance any time its claws pierce the bag.

All finished, it picks up the freshly wrapped garbage, turns to leave-

-and stops dead in its tracks, making eye contact with him.

Spooky

It didn't help he'd leaned out further, trying to get a good look at what it was doing. Seeing it work so meticulously with giant claws was quite a sight... Though he wasn't entirely sure what it was doing with all that trash. The closest comparison he could make was whenever he caught a glimpse of those humans with those big plastic buckets, pulling similar bags out of the smaller buckets around the lab and gathering them up to wheel them away to... somewhere.

He watched it heft up the huge bag and start to carry it off- did it want the trash for some reason?- but he realized too late as it stopped and stared right at him that he wasn't being as stealthy as he thought he was. He looked back up at it nervously, eyes blown wide and his mouth drawn into a tight line as he slowly tried to move back behind the tree. Like that would actually work.

Mystic

As he ducks back into hiding, the thing takes slow steps of its own in retreat. The plastic bag of garbage fumbles in its grip- amazing it even managed to hold it to begin with- and it drops with a clatter of junk.

It glances from the garbage bag, to him, then back to the other bag it left behind, then to him again. Then back to the unknown bag on the ground.

In a swift movement, it ducks its head down behind the second bag, and extends its neck to push the bag across the grassy earth in his direction. The very next moment, it quickly grabs the garbage bag- in its mouth, this time, revealing a jaw full of sharp teeth. Dropping down to all four limbs, it pivots, and takes off at a swift sprint back the way it came. Branches crunch and leaves rustle in its wake, before it vanishes completely from hearing and sight.

Spooky

He watched it trundle off into the woods, his mouth slightly agape, before he looked at the bag it left behind.

So... it was leaving something for him? This giant creature was trying to give him something. Was that... a normal thing for forest creatures to do? ...Man, he didn't know shit about wild animals, but that didn't seem like something that was supposed to happen??

He really wasn't used to being given something at all, let alone from a huge beast that looked like it could eat him. Especially with a mouth fulla sharp teeth like that... He poked at his own teeth with his tongue. He had some sharp ones too, and he'd put them to use easily enough in opening some of those metal liquefied food cylinders that he found in that big building with the locked food boxes behind it, but... They still weren't nearly big and sharp as those.

...

Oh right, bag.

Well, only one way to find out what was in it... He knelt down next to it and opened it up.

Mystic

Opening the plastic bag proved to be less of a challenge than anticipated. The moment he gave it any kind of slack, the opening was practically forced open from the inside, as something that had been compressed within is given release. A plush square of linen pops out, filled with some sort of soft stuffing. It squishes pleasingly under his touch.

Underneath the small explosion of pillow softness was a pile of more fabrics- thicker, and stitched together in patterns. Pulling it free revealed that it was a very wide rectangle of this cloth, and also soft to the touch.

It left him soft things, and took the pile of trash with it. Huh.

He had lost his previous nesting material, but...

Spooky

These seemed like a pretty good trade!

It was almost fascinating how soft this material was. And squishy. He gave the plush square a few more pokes, before pressing his whole hand into it. Removing his hand, though, he was surprised to see it kind of expand back into the shape it was in before. Guess that was how it fit in the bag...

This was... kind of exciting, really! He could only just barely remember something like this at the lab, from way back when he was still small… A semi-soft rectangle that he used to sleep on, at least before he outgrew it. It had been so long that he’d almost completely forgotten…

Aware that he was still in the open, though, he quickly scooped up the materials- along with the bag, figuring it might be useful for carrying things later even if he couldn't quite fit the soft stuff back in it- and squirreled them away into the den.

It still smelled a little bad down there, but probably not as much as before... But whatever, it was safe. He plopped down with the soft material, letting it fall in his lap. The big cloth wasn't as squishy as the square was, but it felt nice to run his hands over. It also made his legs feel warm beneath its cover, or at least kept away the subterranean chill. Mostly though, he loved this squishy thing. He was quick to pick it back up and smoosh his face into it. It made him feel a little silly, and a rare smile quirked up at the corners of his mouth as he let out a small, raspy chuff of a laugh.

Pulling it away from his face, he wrapped his arms around it and squeezed it against his chest, resting his chin on top of it with a relaxed sigh. This felt nice...

Mystic

There was no mistaking it- that big silver thing definitely left these for him, as some sort of present. Something to replace the trash pile as far more suitable bedding. Why, he could only guess. Perhaps it was taking pity on him, after seeing its old den filled with trash and a teenager that stank of rotten food.

...he's sunk quite low, for a forest creature- questionable intelligence notwithstanding- to take pity on him.

But then, was it truly wild? It behaved in much the same way that a human from the town would. There were mannerisms in its behavior that were far more sentient than a simple animal.

A full meal, thirst quenched, and soft squishy things acquired for his safety den. For once, he felt satisfied, and... safe.

Spooky

Wild forest creature or not... Whatever that huge beast was, it seemed better than people. Way nicer, anyway. He remembered all the false promises of 'helping him' he was fed back in the lab, when they only ever seemed to hurt him instead. Even if the big silver thing was only helping him because it felt bad for him, at least this felt like actual help.

It gave him a lot to think about, but after spending a good chunk of his waking moments today feeling like he was gonna die, only to end up snuggling up in soft materials with his stomach finally feeling sated for the time being... Yeah, a lot had happened, and needless to say, he was feeling pretty tired...

Still sitting with his back against the wall, he pulled the blankets up around himself and curled up around the pillow, finally feeling safe enough to get some much needed rest.

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