On the Prowl (Open)

[naomi]

A young girl sat on the front step of a wooden porch in the back of a decent looking, two story brick house, her dark brown hair dirty and matted, her brown eyes dull and miserable. She wore tattered blue jeens caked in dirt and blood that oozed from the infected scrapes that stretched across her knees. Her shirt was a dull red, torn and atleast three sizes to large for her skinny, small body. Her nails were ragid and dirt caked and mud streaked her face. She smelled like the trash. But despite all the grime that covered most of her less prominant features, she could still be recognized as just a child around twelve years old.

Around her, the roads were busy despite the black skies, though no people roamed the streets. Atleast from what she could see. The air was warm on her skin. But Naomi had not come to relax beneath the moon. She had come to hunt. Two nights she had watched the house she was now sitting at, and no one had went in or out. Whatever vehicles the owners had were gone, and hadn't returned. But further investigation proved that the house was not empty or abandoned. Perhaps the owners were on vacation?

It was the most likely thing she could think of. But it really didn't matter. As long as she could get in and out of the house without being spotted. Or heard. The neighboring houses were paced far away from the two story she was at now, and that was good. But was it good enough? What if they heard her and called the cops? Oh well. The consequences didn't matter now. Her plans had already been made. She couldn't turn back.

For another two hours she waited until the moon was directly overhead and the activity on the streets had died down to only the occasional stray car every now and then. Naomi moved off the steps and peered around for someone that might spot her, but saw none. She didn't want to move around to the front if the house for worry that a stray car would see her and become suspicious. So she walked as quietly as she could around to a window. She could try to get in through the back door, of course, but she wasn't exactly sure how.

So instead, she did it the way she usually did. She found a big rock and broke the window to peices. Then, cautiously, slipped in, wincing as sharp bits of glass found flesh, and blood dripped onto the window sill as well as the hard wood floor she slid onto with a muffled thump. She had no shoes, so the glass took the advantage of her exposed, tender flesh and she had to bite her lip to keep from crying out, swiftly leaping away in reply to her pain and panic.

She slipped on the hard floor as she landed, falling back with a pained yelp. The glass had stabbed deeper into the bottoms of her feet and she lifted her leg to touch her bloodied foot gingerly with a soft finger, gasping at all the blood that smeared her tan flesh. It was the blood that had caused her to slip. She hadn't realized it was that bad. It would be quite painful, later, when she had to remove the shards with her fingers or dig them out with her rusty knife tucked in the pocket, the hilt sticking up and visible. What she needed was some boots. Perhaps she could find some here.

Carefully, she pushed herself back onto her feet and round herself balancing on her heels as she looked around the house. She was in the sitting room on some kind. There was a large Tv to the right of her, surrounded by soft looking, gray couches and chairs. Naomi glared at the furniture enviously before moving on. She made her way into a small room with a bed, probably a child's room, as it was on the first floor and had painted, purple walls with posters of horses to go along with the galloping statuettes lined up on shelves. Probably an older girl's room. A teenager, perhaps.

Naomi rummaged through her stuff, searching through her drawers. All the clothes were to big, there was no way she could wear the pants she found and the shirts were worse then the one she already had on. She did, however, find some light brown, fuzzy boots in the closet that fit well. They were just slightly to big. And they were thick to. They would also provide a safer place for her old knife and prevent her from tracking anymore blood throughout the house. So she slipped them on and delicately pulled the knife from her pocket, tucking it into her boot.

There was nothing else of interest in the room other then the vivid colored wallet, but Naomi ignored it. She had came to satisfy needs, not wants. After a little exploring, she discovered the kitchen. Delight shot through her and she raced toward the fridge despite the agony in her feet. She swung it open and marveled at the assortment of food tucked onto shelves. The first thing she pulled out was the milk. She struggled with it's weight but managed to get the cap off of the large jug, holding it to her lips with two hands and gulping down several mouthfuls.

She set the milk down on the counter and turned toward the cabinets, forgetting to close the fridge door. She gathered up as many things she could, things she was sure wouldn't go bad like a bag of chip, cereal, and soup she could eat cold after she popped the lid off with her knife. Burdened with as much food as she could carry, Naomi hurried to the back door and struggled to unlock it without dropping anything, then slipped out into the yard.

[Deleted]

Wulfen was out on patrol, This time he decided to go on patrol in the suburbs. And so as he was unable to travel on roof tops he was using this opportunity to practice his stealth. So far he had managed to stay unseen. As far as he could tell at least.

It was all rather quiet and he had thought about if he was seen. Then the big thing on the news the next day would be 'amateur footage of the Gotham Wolfman'


Then suddenly he heard the sound of glass breaking. He also started to smell a rather strange smell. He wasn't sure what it was. But he had the feeling that it was blood. Seeing has he smelt it alot when he went to the doctor.

He followed the smell and and came across a house with a broken window. He moved over to it slowly and quietly and crawled into the window. He was able to avoid the glass and then he felt really worried for who ever it was that left this blood behind. He followed the blood into what must have been a bedroom. Then after looking around he walked out back into the main room. He looked around and shook his head. 'Do these people really need furniture like this?' he thought to himself. Then he wandered around the room some more. Then he saw that the refrigerator was open. He relaxed slightly when he realized that a murder didn't take place in here. But he got somewhat nervous. Seeing as someone was out there loosing blood. He figured that if he could he would help.

He found the back door unlocked when he walked over too it and tried the door. He then stood there and stared at what or rather who he saw. "What are you doing here little fella?" He asked in as kind a tone as he could manage. He also was feeling cautious. He wasn't sure if there was anything to worry about. But he had seen too many movies where a lone kid standing in the middle of, the back yard in this case, Is a bad sign. Then he suddenly got another fear. If this was a kid. And he was dressed like a urban wolfman. He wasn't sure how this kid would react.

[naomi]

Naomi was just about to cross the yard and head deeper into the city to find a decent spot to sleep when she heard the voice, directly behind her. She froze, hugging the food she had brought out of the house to her chest as her breath quickened with panic. Slowly, she turned around only to face, what was that? A wolf? She screamed and stumbled back, falling to the ground with a pained thump, spilling the food that had been in her arms. But it wasnt a real wolf. Closer inspection proved the man to be a human, in a wolf constume. Still, the guy...or girl, frightened her enough to where she desperately crawled back away from the man, retreating.

What the hell? "D-do you live here? Look man, I'm really sorry I broke your window!" She gasped, pulling the knife from her boot and tucking it in her sleeve before the dull metal could glint int the moonlight. She would use it, if push came to shove, but her first response would he to run. This guy was huge, atleast to her. She stared up at him fearfully. What would he do? If she knew she had been stealing? Turn her over to the police? Oh no! She looked at him, searching for the deadly weapon he might have to kill her with if she tried to run, and slowly inched backwards. Sweat began to mingle with the blood on her hands and her stomach boiled and churned. What if he was one if those crazy murderer's?

[Deleted]

Wulfen almost ran forward to help the little kid up when he saw the kid fall. Then he heard the voice and finally managed to tell that this kid was a girl. He didn't advance but he didn't retreat either. Instead he simply crouched down onto his haunches. Trying to match the little girls height.

"No I don't live here. But it would be neat if I did." He said kindly. Then he offered a kind smile and realized that the face that he had fangs probably didn't help his cause. "You know vandalism is not the right thing to do." He stated kindly. "But more importantly That's not your blood in there is it?" He said pointing over his shoulder. "Cause if it is. You might want to get some medical attention." He said. "I'm not going to hurt you though."

[naomi]

Slowly, cautiously, Naomi rose to her feet, wincing in pain from the glass stuck in her foot. So he didn't live here? Then, who exactly was he? He smiled at her, and she gasped and took a step back. He had fangs! So was he like, a were vampire come to sucked out all her blood and turn her into a monster? She never thought vampires or werewolves existed, but that was the only thing that came to mind each time she looked at the man in front of her, who had leaned down to, what? Study her more closely perhaps? Try to find the most tender part of her body?

She frowned and took another step back, slipping the knife from her sleeve into her hand so that the rusty thing was clearly visible. Naomi waved it in front if her at the the wolfman and continued backing away, leaving the precious food behind. So what if vandalism was a crime? She had ti survive, didn't she? And if stabbing this man was what it took to survive, she would definetly do so. Though she had to admit, the thoughts of getting any closer to this man terrified her. And she had never killed anyone before. "I can dig the glass out myself." Naomi stated in a tremulous voice.

[Deleted]

When Wulfen saw the blade in her hand he put his hands up in a 'whoa wait a minute' gesture.

"I don't want to hurt you." He said making a point to keep his fangs hidden. He looked at the little girl and thought. 'Well this is gonna be hard.'

"I'm just trying to see if you need any help. I don't see a reason to take you in for taking that food. After all. You must need it." He said trying to calm the little girl down.

He thought that maybe he could make a better impression if he sat down. So he brushed the ground beneath him to make sure it was safe and then sat down and crossed his legs. "I could try to get you some anti-biotics for you if you need any. Otherwise I won't try to stop you." He said. Not really sure hot to go about this. After all. He didn't have little kids in mind when he designed the costume he was wearing at the moment.

[naomi]

Naomi lowered her knife as he raised his hands, confused. Why hadn't he attacked? She racked her brain for answers. Perhaps he was trying to deceive her so that she would make an easy target. Slip poison into those anti-biotics that would paralize her and melt her innards to make his feeding less difficult. After all, she was quite skinny. He would want to get everything he could and then some. She wondered if this...guy...was as hungry as she was. The only question was, what was he hungry for?

"Thanks but no thanks." She growled, pinching forward to snatched up the bag of potato chips, watching him the entire time. "I can dig out the shards with my knife and clean the wounds at the river." She wished her life was a bit more vivid. She wished she had a real family to take care of her. That would be nice. Then she could go see a real live doctor! But for now, she would have to settle with a rusty old knife that would likely just infect her wounds and make her terribky sick, and then clean them with nasty river water that smelled quite foul. It was her life, and one she was forced to live.

[Deleted]

Wulfen winced and rubbed his feet when the little girl said that she would just use her knife to dig the glass out. He looked at her and started to feel sorry for her. "So your not going to take any offer of help from me are you?" He asked kindly feeling somewhat bummed out that he couldn't help anyone out.

"If you don't want any help then I guess I can't force it on you." He said then he finally managed to stop himself from gripping his feet and finally managed to force that image from his mind. He looked at the food in the yard and then back at her. 'She must really need it.' He thought to himself. He tried to think of a way he could help her that she would accept as well.

[naomi]

Naomi frowned and looked him over. "Who exactly ate you?" She asked, curious. Why was this dude giving up so easilly, didn't he want a meal? Sure, her imagination tended to work overtime but she couldn't deny everything she saw. He was guy that was dressed like a wolf and had a mouth full of fangs. What might others think? Children, like her? The same thing probably. But he was offering her medical treatment and that was something she desperatly needed right now or she could get some terrible desease and die.

"Are you a good guy? Do you work for that big scary guy that dresses like a bat? Sometimes I have had dreams that he is swooping down to get me and beat me up for stealing food. Is that why your here? To beat me up?" Her imagination was working overtime again. True, she was terrified if the Batman, though she had never seen him in person. Thistle wolf guy, however, was standing right in front of her and was as menacing as ever.

[Deleted]

Wulfen kept an eye on the little girl while trying not to seem scary. "I'm Wulfen." He said kindly. "And no I don't work for Batman. And I'm not here to hurt you. I'm not that type of guy." He added. "Honestly I've never met Batman. But he sounds rather scary."

"And I guess you can say I'm a good guy." He added with a kind smile. "I've never enjoyed fighting and I only fight back when needed." He looked at the knife. "For you though if you were to come at me all I would do is knock the knife out of your hand. That's it."

[naomi]

Wulfen? What kind of name was that? Not a human name, as far as she was concerned. "Yes, Batman is scary." She agreed, still pondering his name. But he claimed to be a good guy and promised not to harm her. But again, she thought of how devious this vampire-wolf man might actually be. He could be lying this entire time. And she would never know. But she did need her wounds tended to, lest they get terribly infected. She reckoned that might hurt quite a lot, and didn't look forward to it. His way was the best way to go. She didn't really haven much of a choice now.

"Okay, you can help." She finally answered, tucking the knife back into her boot and walking slowly toward him, her eyes intent as they waited fir any sudden movement ir sign that he was trying to grab or attack her. She wouldn't let her guard down, she couldn't. Her entire life had been built within a great wall of distrust, and she was stuck in the middle with no way out, and no one to bust through that wall. "Do you think that Bruce guy will buy me my own house? I heard he was filthy rich."

[Deleted]

Wulfen tried to show no sign that he would hurt her. Seeing as he really wasn't going to hurt her. But the way she was walking towards him showed that she thought otherwise. He tried to put forth a kind hearted look but it was rather hard seeing as how he was dressed.

After she got within a few feet of him Wulfen asked. "So how exactly do you want me to help? Don't expect me to be able to McGuyver up a miracle at such short notice though." He said. Trying to make a joke and feeling somewhat unsure if she knew who he was talking about.

"I don't know. He might buy you a house. I've never met him though." He said when she asked about Bruce Wayne. "I bet he would at least try to help you out somehow. I hear he's a nice man."

[naomi]

She frowned, standing in front of him. "How do I expect you to help? Didn't you offer help?" She asked, confused. Naomi sat down in front if him, unconvinced that he wasn't trying to get the better of her, and slipped of her boots to show him her black, mudstained and now bloodslick feet. The blood was smeared just about everywhere and the red flesh throbbed painfully. She ran a finger across it as lightly as she could, and bit her lip as that only caused another wave if sudden, intense pain.

"I heard rich guys were snobs. But maybe he will buy me a house." She said, wincing again. She hadn't really heard of any rich person in Gotham being...nice. As far as she knew, Bruce would be the exact same if any other money drowned fool, ambitious and stuck up. She loathed the idea of ever seeing him. But then another thought hit her mind. Rich people had tons of money! If she could get into Bruce's house, she could have her own buffet while he was gone!

[Deleted]

When Wulfen saw the bottom of her feet his stomach churned. 'Ok not what I wanted to see today.' He thought. "Ok then I'll just go ahead and try to pull this glass out?" he said not feeling all that excited about it. "To bad we can't numb the nerves in your feet." He mumbled. Then he realized that even if he had access to something that could do that. He wouldn't know how to use it.

"Well again I've never met Mr. Wayne so I wouldn't know. But he seems to be a nice guy with his feet on the ground and his head in reality." He said gently and carefully gripping a blade of glass between his fingers. "Also he seems like he's willing to help out those that are truly in need." He said then he added. "Ok this might hurt. I won't lie." Then he tugged on the glass and managed to get the one he tugged on out then waited to see her reaction.

[naomi]

Naomi studied him with a frown and could tell he didn't like the looks of her feet. Was it the mud? The smell? Or just the ragged wounds the glass had caused? "I guess so." She answered, wondering if what he had said had been a statement, or a question. It sounded like a question, but she wasn't very familier with conversations or just talking in general. So she couldn't exacly be a hundred percent sure. Her frowned only deepened when he spoke of numbing her nerves. What were those? Whatever it was, she figured it might have something to do with pain. "Isn't there another good guy you can call to bring...numb medicine?" She asked.

She, of course, wasn't interested in his opinion of Wayne. She had her own opinions that weren't very likely to change any time soon. Wayne wouldn't care about some filthy, smelly kid on the side of the street. No rich man would. Naomi sighed and bit her lip as he mentioned that him pulling out the glass would hurt. Then he found abshard jutting out of flesh far enough to be able to grab it in his fingers, and gave it a pull. She gave a gasp as it pulled free, tears springing to her brown eyes. What would he do for the smaller peices sunk so deep into flesh, there was no way he could get it withe his fingers? "I was serious about calling somebody!" She wailed.