HERE'S A COMPLETE LIST, OF EVERYTHING I HAVE EVER BEEN AFRAID OF

Vigenere and Aurum both telling them not to apologize... that it wasn't their fault, they didn't know, their care did little to soothe, but it was appreciated. More than they could really express. They tried to muster up a brave face, to look at the both of them, even a little smile, but they were still shaken. Frightened by what all of this meant.

Radiation... there was that word again. It was... dangerous. Tanglewood was soaking in it, living so awfully close to the remnants of some evil event that happened years before any of it's members had been born. Was it alive? Was it proximity? Or was it an energy? Something that lingered and settled in the crater, in the little hills and valleys over the land, in the deeper parts of the swamp and woods, where the sun rarely reached. Something awful, a miasma emanating from a crater in the ground, the suffering of those at its epicentre, the mutated animals...

One who had stood at the edge of the crater spoke, green gas spilling from his mouth, telling them that radiation was a slow poison.

And with that...things... began to click and fit together. The noise wasn't leading them, there wasn't a mystery, they had no purpose here, this wasn't what they'd wanted, they didn't ask for this, this was no kindness, there was no great journey, that horrible noise... was a warning.

The collar was a warning.

Keter's ears fell back, as the realization hit, and they were glad, at this point, to already be laying down, to feel the earth beneath them, grounding and firm. Something solid. Stable.

The collar was a warning.

"A poison," They repeat, slowly. "And this... the noise. It was warning me, wasn't it?"

Keter looked from Vigenere, to Aurum, to the stranger. They didn't expect any of them to know, or have an answer, but. saying it felt more final than just... dwelling on the thought. A painful sort of epiphany. They didn't know what to do. They didn't know how they should proceed, or where to go from here. They were already part of Tanglewood. They had a home. Even with this realization... they still felt.... safe. All of these people had come to warn them, to help, even when they seemed to be very frightened of what the radiation here could do.

Perhaps... they could help warn others of this place. Where the radiation seemed to be the worst. They knew it lingered here, in the bottoms of hills and pits. In the darker parts of the swamp. All the places they'd heard their collar go off. They could assume, that perhaps... it was similar in areas that were lower than the ground normally was.

Where they had felt a unique sort of despair grip them, they were filled with.... somewhat of a purpose now. Determination.

"I know where the radiation seems to be concentrated. We have those signs on the trees for traps, right?" They pause to stand, much more steady on their feet this time. "Maybe we can make signs for those places too. For here."

code by spacexual

A warning...? Truthfully, Vigenere wasn't sure if that was a warning or if it meant that Keter had ties to the place. The screeching certainly meant something but obviously neither he nor any of his clanmates were going to know what was up. If Keter didn't know, then they sure as hell wouldn't. "Could mean anything," The demon admitted with a thoughtful frown, considering Keter's next words regarding signs. He glanced at Aurum, tilting his head slightly. "That wouldn't be a bad idea. Maybe we could talk to Leroy about that?" Or hell, if Aurum could give the go-ahead, that'd be great too.[glow=COLOR,1,400] ━ ✧*:･ﾟ[/glow]

Aurum's thoughts were moving slowly as he took in all of the information being laid out in front of him. A warning, Keter said. He supposed that the other was right, considering the collar had told him when he was getting close to the source of the radiation. Still, the lion couldn't help but feel like calling it some big warning would've been entirely accurate. It was probably more likely that some human just strapped the counter to Keter as a science experiment, keen on seeing if they would get close to any radiation anytime soon. However, Aurum's thought process was interrupted by the sound of Caustic's grating voice, causing the lion's head to snap up. Already on edge from being in proximity of the crater and having to help Keter out of it, the proxy found his ears pinning back, his voice coming out as a snarl, "Shut the fuck up, Caustic. If you can't deliver your information without being an asshole about it, then keep your damn mouth shut." The scientist had steadily been pressing at his limits as of late, and although he had kept his cool for quite a while, the wolf calling them insignificant cretins did nothing to help the situation.

With that little annoyance taken care of, the lion turned his attention back to Vigenere and Keter, seemingly processing the suggestions that the other had given. It wasn't a bad idea to put warnings up, and Aurum had already been thinking of bringing it up with Leroy, so why not? Sighing and shifting his shoulders a bit, the angel rumbled simply, "Warnings, huh? Well, I'm all for anything that means less people will be put in danger. I'll bring it up to Leroy next time I see him. We have to redo the tree markings sometime soon anyways, so it isn't as if we couldn't make new ones." Perhaps it would be a bit difficult to come up with a symbol that signified oh shit radiation here that was simple enough to fit in with the rest of the markers, but he was sure they could figure something out.

[div style="text-align: right; text-transform: uppercase; text-shadow: 0px 0px 2px #1B1B2F; font-size: 24px;"][color=#44437F]— AURUM

A BED BIG ENOUGH TO SLEEP IN AS I ROLL AROUND AT NIGHT

Their ears fall back then, as the stranger insults, well. Everyone around him, spitting blood onto the ground. He didn't look well. Was this area harming him or was this... preexisting? They can smell blood on his breath as gas spills from his mouth, as he moves closer to look at the machine. A Geiger counter... yeah. That was definitely something humans would name it. They tilt their head away, wary of the gas, but also giving the larger canid room to look at the little box.

Dr. Caustic. They had every intention of keeping that title in mind.

Hearing about how it killed slowly, tearing one apart by the atom, was terrible. Awful. They wanted very much to leave. But they stayed put, a mix of frozen in place and anxiety, as the other large predators around them seemed fit to attack one another. Staying in place, even as their instincts told them don't let that wolf's teeth near your throat.

"Would it be easier to see if I removed it?" They ask the Doctor, their voice quiet.

They were glad, that everyone seemed to be in agreement that talking to Leroy about it was a good idea, but like Vigenere, they had looked to Aurum, who's response was certainly nice to hear. They would love to help, where they could. Keep others safe, and far away from this place.

"Thank you, Aurum. And... you two as well. Vigenere. Dr. Caustic."

They appreciated it, the concern, the information. It was a lot to mull over. A lot to consider. For now, they just wanted to leave. Go home. Wash the smell of this place off.
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A BED BIG ENOUGH TO SLEEP IN AS I ROLL AROUND AT NIGHT

Keter simply nods, using their paws and legs to slowly tug the collar over their head. It was a bit troublesome at first, but in time, it slid right off, and into their paws. They nudge it over to the Doctor, before shaking out their fur. they felt.... naked. Free.

"You can keep it, if you would like. I don't think I need it anymore."

Keter had actually decided very quickly, that they didn't need it. They knew the places where the radiation tended to linger. If they'd found some false positives, even so... a couple more symbols on the trees and surrounding area wouldn't hurt. Perhaps now it was time to find their own purpose, beyond the strange human remnant.

Perhaps, they would miss the stuttering, but. It was worth it, if they never had to hear that horrible screech ever again.
[div style="width: 62%;font-family: georgia;font-size: 8pt;color: #hexcode;text-align: right;margin-top: -5px;"]code by spacexual