Why was Alaric awake this early in the morning? Truly, there was no real reason. Nightmares had not plagued his dreams that night, nor did he develop some sort of sudden onset insomnia. He simply could not fall into the deep slumber he desired. When he did drift off, it was into a light doze, but he woke up mere hours later, tired and grumpy.
Frustrated with his circadian rhythm, Alaric decided to depart from his home. There was no need to look upwards to tell what time it was. It was barely light out, which, combined with what his senses were telling him, meant that it was morningtime. He probably could have guessed that anyway, though, since there was hardly anyone around, save himself. The sun’s soft bands of daybreak had not yet illuminated the sky fully, creating a sort of twilight dawn that the tabby could not say he had seen many times before. Seldom was it that he rose this early on mornings that his slumber hadn’t been riddled with terrors. Bored and frustrated, Alaric decided to set out on the quiet town, no real destination or goal in mind. That was, until, he heard an explosion.
The sound of an explosion invaded his senses, causing him to dash towards the nearest porch and take cover under it. After several moments of hiding, he determined that he was, in fact, not dead, and thusly emerged from his hiding place. Now that he knew he hadn’t been turned to dust by the explosion of another human bomb, he made the decision to locate the epicenter of the sound.
Maintaining a fast pace, he allowed his instincts and memory to guide him to where the sound had come from. He was astonished to find that it had come from none other than Caustic’s home. Smoke plumed from a shattered window at the base of the house, confirming that the explosion had come from here. Curiosity is going to kill me one day, thought the tabby, alluding to the popular idiom as he approached the front door with hesitation.
Locked. The doorknob did not succumb to Alaric’s efforts to push the entrance open, prompting Alaric to turn and make for the shattered window. He took a deep breath so as to not breathe in the smoke before approaching the shattered glass proper. The inky gas stung his eyes, but he didn’t care; he wanted—no, needed—to know what happened here.
Peering inside, the feline found himself stunned. The lab was in various states of disarray from the explosion; mechanical parts were scattered about along with various other junk, a table had been flipped on the far wall, and a fire was beginning to build in the wreckage. Behind the table was the unconscious form of the scientist himself. Before now, he had not quite realized the gravity of the situation. Now, though, he realized that remedying the issue was not a one-man job. ”I need help over here!” the feline would shout, hoping someone would respond to his calls. Someone large or with powers, hopefully. Anyone fitting that description, such as Leroy, Aurum, or even Snarl if she was in a particularly gracious mood, may be able to tackle the door down and remove Caustic. Alaric was powerless and much too small to be able to move Caustic on his own.
There was one thing he could do, though: make sure that Caustic wasn’t dead. Seeing as how neither Moth nor Selby were present, who did that leave but Alaric to check the wolf’s vitals? Fearlessly (and perhaps stupidly), Alaric would leap down into the basement from the window. He miraculously landed on a patch of the concrete floor that had not been littered with mechanical ruins. He approached the wolf quickly, he would place a paw near the place where the wolf’s left foreleg met his chest. It did not take long for a heartbeat to make itself known. The next thing to do would be to check for breathing; he watched the wolf’s chest rise and fall with regularity, and just to make sure there were no irregularities in his respiration, he would press an ear to the wolf’s sternum. Unlabored breathing sounds. Good. Now that he knew Caustic was still alive, he would only need to wait for someone to arrive that would be willing to offer their assistance. Surely his call from earlier would be enough to convey the urgency of the matter.
Frustrated with his circadian rhythm, Alaric decided to depart from his home. There was no need to look upwards to tell what time it was. It was barely light out, which, combined with what his senses were telling him, meant that it was morningtime. He probably could have guessed that anyway, though, since there was hardly anyone around, save himself. The sun’s soft bands of daybreak had not yet illuminated the sky fully, creating a sort of twilight dawn that the tabby could not say he had seen many times before. Seldom was it that he rose this early on mornings that his slumber hadn’t been riddled with terrors. Bored and frustrated, Alaric decided to set out on the quiet town, no real destination or goal in mind. That was, until, he heard an explosion.
The sound of an explosion invaded his senses, causing him to dash towards the nearest porch and take cover under it. After several moments of hiding, he determined that he was, in fact, not dead, and thusly emerged from his hiding place. Now that he knew he hadn’t been turned to dust by the explosion of another human bomb, he made the decision to locate the epicenter of the sound.
Maintaining a fast pace, he allowed his instincts and memory to guide him to where the sound had come from. He was astonished to find that it had come from none other than Caustic’s home. Smoke plumed from a shattered window at the base of the house, confirming that the explosion had come from here. Curiosity is going to kill me one day, thought the tabby, alluding to the popular idiom as he approached the front door with hesitation.
Locked. The doorknob did not succumb to Alaric’s efforts to push the entrance open, prompting Alaric to turn and make for the shattered window. He took a deep breath so as to not breathe in the smoke before approaching the shattered glass proper. The inky gas stung his eyes, but he didn’t care; he wanted—no, needed—to know what happened here.
Peering inside, the feline found himself stunned. The lab was in various states of disarray from the explosion; mechanical parts were scattered about along with various other junk, a table had been flipped on the far wall, and a fire was beginning to build in the wreckage. Behind the table was the unconscious form of the scientist himself. Before now, he had not quite realized the gravity of the situation. Now, though, he realized that remedying the issue was not a one-man job. ”I need help over here!” the feline would shout, hoping someone would respond to his calls. Someone large or with powers, hopefully. Anyone fitting that description, such as Leroy, Aurum, or even Snarl if she was in a particularly gracious mood, may be able to tackle the door down and remove Caustic. Alaric was powerless and much too small to be able to move Caustic on his own.
There was one thing he could do, though: make sure that Caustic wasn’t dead. Seeing as how neither Moth nor Selby were present, who did that leave but Alaric to check the wolf’s vitals? Fearlessly (and perhaps stupidly), Alaric would leap down into the basement from the window. He miraculously landed on a patch of the concrete floor that had not been littered with mechanical ruins. He approached the wolf quickly, he would place a paw near the place where the wolf’s left foreleg met his chest. It did not take long for a heartbeat to make itself known. The next thing to do would be to check for breathing; he watched the wolf’s chest rise and fall with regularity, and just to make sure there were no irregularities in his respiration, he would press an ear to the wolf’s sternum. Unlabored breathing sounds. Good. Now that he knew Caustic was still alive, he would only need to wait for someone to arrive that would be willing to offer their assistance. Surely his call from earlier would be enough to convey the urgency of the matter.
♔ don't do love, don't do friends