#ofmonstrs

And despite the scent of blood, them being the bigger predator had offered some peace. The silence never bothered them, but any sound that broke it did. The crunching of snow caught their attention, but Eight kept their jaws around the antler as they slowly turned their head to scan their surroundings. It didn't sound like any animal they had encountered in this frozen isolation, and that made them nervous. As dangerous as they were, they were not interested in another fight. They were hungry and wounded, and that could easily spell their end if they weren't--

Was that a human?

Eight let out a low warble as their nostrils flared, and they stared at the peculiar creature with increasing curiosity than hostility. He didn't smell like a human, but he looked like a human. He carried no weapon, as far as they could tell, and... admittedly, there was a part of Eight that rather missed being near humans. He didn't seem like he was there to capture them, so, maybe...

They dropped the antler between their front claws and let out a low call. They jaws clicked together, but they didn't get up just yet in case they spooked him by doing so. As tall as he was, they knew they would still tower above him. "Who are you?" Eight called, and clicked their jaws again. Wait, what if he wanted their antler? They snorted - their breath billowing around them in the cold air. "This is mine."

(( @ofmonstrs for the Creature! Because Eight is basically a giant puppy and I thought it would be fun sdjgjshfh - plus, I can say Eight was either released in the Arctic or they fled there!))

@ofmonstrs

It had been some time since the Creature's last expedition back to the world of man. The more of these attempts he made over the years, the more he longed for his cabin, his hearth, and the innocence of the forest. Nature made sense to him, and men did not. It was lonely without human companionship, but that seemed not to be possible for him. And so he remained in the frozen north, nestled at the base of the mountains, in a cabin he shared only with the mice and the occasional bear or moose.

(( @ofmonstrs for any of your muses! Eight could be just about anywhere if they felt it was a good napping spot sdjgjshfh - they could be in the hangar, halfway on a staircase outside, in the pool with their head on the top step, or even just blocking the garage for some ideas!))

@ofmonstrs

Ashelia had been indoors all day and that had made her restless. Although she appreciated this group of people accepting her, giving her somewhere to live, and providing her with meaningful employment, she could do without the seemingly endless meetings, briefings, and consultations. They were so boring, and half the time she didn't see the point of them.

It was the thought that counted, at least.

(( @ofmonstrs because Eight wants to bug their friend lol))

@ofmonstrs

Nemesis had managed to get in a little nap when he and Eight had stopped to rest for a while. Traveling and searching for food was a full-time job, after all, and quite tiring. Especially when one was lugging around as much thick muscle and as many heavy tentacles as Nemesis was. The aforementioned tentacles were somewhat autonomous now, acting of their own accord whenever Nemesis slept. They still acted within the realm of his own personality, but while he slept, he wasn't directly controlling them. They gently reached out to affectionately curl around Eight's snout and shoulders, by way of saying hello.

After a moment, Nemesis began to stir, and the first thing he saw was dinosaur snout in his face. He probably should've been more alarmed by that, but after everything he'd been through, this was sadly not the scariest thing he was used to seeing. "Hel-lo..." he said, grunting as he sat up, but when he saw what Eight was holding in their mouth, Nemesis' one blue eye widened with excitement. "COOOOKIEEESSSS!!" he exclaimed. He graciously took one of the packages from Eight. "Ewwww..." he said playfully before laughing a little at the saliva that dripped off the package.

"Who goes there?

(( @ofmonstrs for Xenos in their mcu verses!))

@ofmonstrs

Xenos had been a strange and somewhat tense acquisition of SHIELD's who was then passed on to the Avengers. No one could figure out exactly what he was, nor did they know the extent of his powers, and Xenos wasn't all that keen on explaining. Nevertheless, rather than try to confront and subdue him, an understanding had been reached. If he meant no harm to the general public, then he could remain with the Avengers and perhaps even join the team in some capacity if he passed some evaluations. Xenos, who had been eager to escape the noise, crowds, overpowering scents, and flashing lights of human cities, found this to be an advantageous arrangement.

They froze, the bass still clamped tight in their jaws as it thrashed again, and they stared at the person they didn't recognize. They'd been too caught up in their own pride and excitement to even pay attention to their surroundings, and they certainly hadn't expected to run into anyone along that part of the riverline. The person's scent wasn't familiar as it crept around the smells of the river and the fish, and Eight lowered their head with a low rumble deep in their throat. A sound more nervous than aggressive.

Didn't one of the Avengers mention something about a few newcomers joining? It made more sense than this person being an intruder.

"You... are new around here, right?" Eight's voice changed as they spoke, from masculine to feminine, but the tone remained rather friendly as they continued to stare. Their head still lowered, the fish still in their jaws even though it had finally gone limp. "Who are you?"

(( @ofmonstrs for any of your muses in their mcu verse!))

@ofmonstrs

Once again, Ashelia had wandered outside, past the carefully landscaped grounds of the Avengers compound and into the surrounding forest. This time she had Sunny with her, leashed and harnessed of course, so that she didn't simply disappear and leave Ashe searching for her for days. She felt far better outside, even though it wasn't exactly the hot desert climate she longed for, than she did inside the technology-laden compound.

But the longer they ran, the more exhausted their body became as their adrenaline faded. The fight against Seven had taken a lot out of them, and as they finally began to slow, their legs trembled with the strain of aching muscles. How many days had it been? They had seen the day turn into night and back into day several times now, but everything blurred together. Had they run far enough? Had they managed to escape BioSyn? They had no idea where they were, but they knew they were away from the valley, and that was enough. For now, at least.

They finally slowed as the trees began to thin out ahead - back down on all fours as their body ached and trembled - and with a rattled warble, Eight stumbled out of the treeline and to the lakeside. The scent of water was overwhelming, and all but collapsed onto the shore as they greedily began to drink. It was cold and shocked their system, but it was water. Their heart still raced as they fought to settle their breathing, and as much as they knew they needed to find a place to hide, they found they could no longer stand. Yet, they hardly cared as they drank their fill - both to quench their thirst and to ease the sharp hunger in their belly - and rested their head onto their front claws as their eyes began to close. A part of them was tempted to try to push themselves into the water to rinse the dried blood from their scales, but it was freezing, and they didn't have the strength to go through with it. It would need to wait. It would...

Shakily, Eight forced themselves to lift their head and shook it, before awkwardly forcing themselves back to their feet. Their legs shook as their muscles ached and tightened in protest, but with a hiss, they shook themselves in an attempt to ease the hurt. They couldn't sleep in the open. They couldn't.

Unaware they had been found, they turned and began to limp back into the forest.

(( @ofmonstrs for Sheva!))

Sheva and the B.S.A.A. had never been destined to get involved with this mission. Humanitarian crises usually fell on TerraSave’s desk, but after the whole mess in Penamstan, they had their hands full. Field work hadn’t been Sheva’s forte lately, but she had the most hands on experience. No, that was a lie. She had the most notable hands on experience.

But, what they weren't good at, was hunting. Sure, InGen fed them live prey, but it was hardly a hunt when they were in an enclosure with nowhere for their prey to hide. And it was hardly a hunt when they didn't need to worry about how much they stood out. They had been lucky when they caught a deer their first night in the forest, though they weren't sure if they were more surprised or the deer was, but their coloration wasn't right for this environment. They couldn't hide, but that was fine, too.

Their steps were slow and careful as they moved through the woods, their head held high as they followed the scent of water. Their stomach growled as their jaws salivated, and they hoped there would be plenty of fish to find, at least, now that the forest had fallen completely silent. No luck in trying to hunt when everything knew where they were.

They snapped their jaws together as they dropped down to all fours, and picked up their pace when the river came into view. Eight didn't hesitate before they waded into the water and pushed themselves away from the shore - eager for a swim, even if they couldn't fish. But movement further down the bank caught their attention, and their joy was shortlived as they swung their head in that direction, before they dove underwater. The top of their head surfaced so they could see above the water, and the spines along their tail broke behind them as they slowly swam towards the figure. They were curious, but they wouldn't say no to a quick meal.

(( @thenexusofsouls for Nuada!))

@ofmonstrs

Living in Manhattan has become unbearable for Nuada. Even the Troll Market, with his constant noise, ancient languages spoken, and non-human races present, was no longer enough for him anymore. He longed for the earth beneath his feet, the sun on his back... He longed for freedom from the constant stench and degradation of human life.

InGen wanted them to be moved, but they didn't know where. Were they still traveling? Was that why no one had come to check on them? Their muscles ached to be stretched, and their throat felt parched. When had they last drank?

They lifted their head again and pushed their snout against the slats once more. "Hello?" they called - using the voice of an InGen worker that had gotten them in there earlier. "Hello? Is anyone there? Hello?" Their voice changed again, from masculine to feminine, and a low warble followed in another attempt to gain attention. "Hello? Hello? Please let me out." Their handlers liked it when they were polite.

(( @ofmonstrs for, uhh... Tony, Nuada, or Zhaan? Eight could've been moved to the compound because of a deal between InGen and SHIELD, or the Avengers found them after a raid? Or Nuada or Zhaan could stumble on them after InGen tried to move them and ended up leaving them for whatever reason! Idk, Eight's being loud rn sfdghjfd - oh! and I did tweak it so they can mimic voices, and I have a link to an audio clip in their bio if you want an example!))

{ @ofmonstrs | Okay, this was a difficult decision, heh. I thought either Nuada or Zhaan, but Zhaan is so loud right now that she won out, heh. But I'll do it for her MCU verse? So Tony could still kindof... come in at some point if we want him too. }

Others in the compound may have been a bit apprehensive to approach a fearsome creature such as this one, but Zhaan was undaunted. She'd seen far more types of non-human creatures than most residents of Earth, and she tended not to judge others based on appearances. Besides, she knew what it was like to be on the other side of those confining walls herself. The agency known as SHIELD had imprisoned her in a similar transport cage when first she was brought to the Avengers compound. For that reason, she had volunteered to be the one to try to calm the creature before they could be released into a larger, more accommodating pen.

Zhaan hadn't expected them to speak based upon what she'd been told about them, but that would certainly make things a lot easier. If they were intelligent enough to speak - or at least to mimic speech, perhaps, based on the odd sound of it - then ensuring that they would be peaceful upon its release might be easier than expected. Her translator microbes helped her to understand subtleties of their noises as well, beyond what their vocal mimicry could convey.

"Hello," she said, using the creature's own form of greeting with a smile as she followed the sound of the voice to the closest slat it appeared to be coming from. She peered into it. "That is the ultimate goal, to let you out. However, we must make certain it is safe to do so, for us as well as for you. I hope it will not be very much longer, though. I know how frightening and disorienting it is inside one of these holding cells."