Words between -these- are sign language.
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The it was almost five in the evening when Venom shot out another length of web and swung around the corner of a building, using the momentum to launch himself over another dwelling before landing in a crouch on the side of an apartment complex.
After he had brought Angel and Zoe to the motel, Zoe had told him about a handful of the Pack's hiding spots that were spread out across San Francisco, certain that the transformed Jasmine would take shelter in one of them if she was in trouble. Zoe had also pushed Jasmine's backpack into his hands, muttering something about the Shift having destroyed the mutant's clothing.
But now, after almost two hours of web slinging through the city, he had already searched through all of the places that Zoe had told him about, and found them empty. His frustration and concern was now rising by the minute, something that he knew from long experience was dangerous to everyone around him.
Snarling under his breath, Venom, dug his talons into the side of the building, plaster and stone giving way as he carved his anger into the wall. Shouldn't have let her go alone. He seethed for a moment, longer, then pushed his frustration aside. It would do no good to lose his temper now.
Venom was mentally digging through Eddie's memories, trying to figure out a way to track the mutant down, when he had his melded thoughts derailed by the long, drawn-out howl that rose above the white noise of the city.
Hissing, he quickly wall crawled up the side of the building, pulling himself up onto the roof in time to see a dark shape lope across the rooftops over four blocks away. Well. That's the best lead we've had so far.
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Cat felt the massive wolf shudder under her and gently tugged on the canines fur, the motion causing the wolf to come to a stop on a low roof and twist her head to look back at her passenger, almond-shaped golden eyes meeting her own amethyst. -Maybe you should take a break,- she signed, rolling her eyes when the shape-changed Jasmine shook her head, ears lying flat against her skull as she growled softly. -Jaz, you're hurt.-
The wolf snorted, giving the young girl who was riding on her back a reassuring look before she gave herself a small shake and tensed, feeling Cat take handfuls of her fur again as she broke into a loping run. Muscles rippled under her thick pelt as she leapt from one roof to another, claws scrabbling on the shingles as she searched for, and found, purchase before leaping again.
It was slow going. Every leap had to be perfectly timed, strength perfectly applied in order to adapt to Cat's presence on her back. It was the same pattern. Jump, absorb the impact of landing, deep breath, then repeat. For one moment, Jasmine forced the pain of her shoulder aside and let herself revel in the joy of running. In another situation, I'd be enjoying myself. It's been too long since I Shifted and ran just for the sheer fun of it.
Cat, meanwhile, carefully tightened her legs around the wolf's sides as Jaz cleared a twenty foot alleyway and landed on silent paws on the opposite roof. This wasn't the first time Jaz had carried her in this fashion, and really, Cat would never get tired of riding on the wolf's back. It allowed the mutant to keep up her usual quick pace while ensuring that Cat remained close and safe. While Jaz could easily outrun any human while she was in her bipedal 'werewolf' form, it was easier for both of them if she remained in her true wolf form and allowed whomever she was carrying to ride on her back.
It was also easier to leap from rooftop to rooftop when she was on all fours. Her wolfen form wasn't really built for speed. Plus, if someone were to see her and Cat, it would probably go over better if they saw a slim girl riding a massive one-hundred-forty pound, Alaskan Malamute-looking dog than to come face to face with something that resembled a werewolf.
Jaz felt Cat shiver, and she slowed down a little as the girl stretched out across her back to bury her face in her fur. Worried, she whined and came to a stop, ears swiveling back towards her charge as she turned her head to look at the teen out of the corner of one eye. One drawback to both of her wolf forms - talking hurt.
Even without a wolf's enhanced senses, Cat could smell the blood from Jasmine's right shoulder, where a bullet hole was still oozing slightly, and she instantly straightened, afraid that by leaning forward that she had aggravated the wound. Personally, Cat didn't know how the wolf could run at all, since she knew that the Shift had only partially healed Jasmine's broken arm; and yet the wolf wasn't showing even a bit of the pain she must be feeling.
A cool autumn breeze sent a whole new set of shivers through her, and she buried her chilled fingers into the wolf's fur, the motion pulling another worried whine from the mutant. Sighing, Cat lightly tapped the wolf on the shoulder, their sign that she was alright and that Jaz could keep going, and while the wolf was obviously concerned, she merely huffed before continuing on.
While Jaz bounded from rooftop to rooftop, Cat closed her eyes and let her thoughts wander. Her kidnappers had been planning on using her for bait in order to corner and capture Jasmine. It was sheer luck that they hadn't known that the mutant could Shift into her wolfen form; or that she could track them by scent alone. The looks on their faces when the werewolf had landed on the roof of the car and ripped the weak metal open like a can of sardines was almost worth the trauma of being abducted.
Jasmine had saved her, but at what cost? The wolf was still bleeding from the gunshot at the clinic, and, since Jaz's clothing had been destroyed when she had transformed, she was currently trapped in her wolf form unless she wanted to run around buck naked. They were still far from the motel - her kidnappers and the ensuing chase had taken them almost to the other side of the City.
One of the wolf's ears twitched, and Cat startled a little as Jasmine loosed a warning snarl and sped up until things were passing by in a blur of buildings, the sudden change of pace making the teen wrap her arms around the wolf's neck and hang on for dear life. The sound of something large passing by had another deadly snarl rumbling out of the wolf's throat as Jaz dug her claws into the rooftop and skidded to a halt, the fur on her hackles bristling as she backed up against the roof's stairway entrance.
Knowing the drill, Cat immediately scrambled off of the wolf's back, watching with wide eyes as, with a ripple of muscles and fur, the wolf grew in size and rose up onto digitigrade legs, tail lashing as she shook her thickened fur into place. This was Jasmine's wolfen form. Incredibly strong, she was lean and muscled, with razor sharp claws tipping her fingers and toes.
But something was wrong. Jaz wobbled unsteadily, a weak groan leaving her throat as she dropped to one knee, eyes clenched shut as she panted for breath. Worried, Cat sunk her fingers into the wolfen's fur, looking up into golden-amber eyes when the mutant gave her the approximation of a wolf-smile before a taloned hand pushed Cat back behind her.
Trembling with the effort, Jasmine forced herself up into a crouch, her body hiding Cat from view as she pushed the pain aside, soft furred ears twitching to and fro as she tried to track the one that was following them. The wind was coming from the wrong direction, washing any scents away from her, and she grumbled softly, falling silent when Cat huddled against her back, obviously nervous about the possibility of being snatched away again.
A low chuckle emanated from the shadows of the roof, pulling a feral snarl from the wolf as she tensed, tail lashing, fangs and claws ready to rend and tear. If someone wanted to try to take Cat away from her, she'd make sure that they'd regret it for the rest of their very brief lives.
Venom stepped into view, long tongue licking at the air as he smirked at the werewolf and folded his arms across his chest. "Aw, isn't the pretty puppy glad to see us?"
Jasmine snarled at him half-heartedly, but relaxed her guard nonetheless, offering up a tired rumble of greeting as he walked over to them, solid white eyes studying her for a moment before turning to look at a quiet Cat when the teen peered around the wolf's side.
Not wanting to frighten her, Venom pulled his tongue back into his jaws and did his best to look as non-threatening as he could. Which was a feat he wasn't sure he was even capable of.
Rumbling softly, he crouched in front of Cat, reaching up to lightly trace the curve of a talon over a small cut on her cheek. "We were worried. Did they hurt you?"
Knowing that he still didn't have a full grasp of sign language, Cat merely shook her head, then mimed being pregnant and tilted her head to the side, looking at him in askance.
Venom frowned at her for a moment before comprehension dawned. "Angel and Zoe? They're safe at the motel. Where you two will soon be." He rose, looking over at Jasmine and growling when he saw the red and black fur on her right shoulder and down her arm was matted with damp and drying blood. The bullet wound from the doctor's office, it's still bleeding! How much blood has she lost?!
Anger bubbled up inside him, and for one brief moment he wanted nothing more than to hunt the ones responsible down and rip their lungs out through their nose... But a wary rumble from the mutant drew his attention back to the present.
One again, he realized that there was a definite shadow of apprehension in Jasmine's eyes, and he silently berated himself, hating to see her scared of him. "Don't fear us, we would never hurt you, Jasmine." Suddenly remembering the backpack that he still had slung over his shoulder, he reached back to pull it off of him and held it out to her, unable to smother a lecherous smirk. "Zoe suggested that you might need clothes."
Jaz took the bag, knowing by the scent of it that Zoe had also added a few sandwiches and fruits, her friend well aware of how much energy it took for Jasmine to Shift forms, and how ravenous she was afterwards. What was worrying her at the moment, was that she wasn't sure if she was able to return to her human form. She was at her limit; the weeks of little to no sleep and sparse meals had caught up with her.
Cat frowned worriedly as Jasmine limped behind one of the large roof vents, and she tugged on Venom's wrist to get his attention, pointing to the bloody canine prints that Jaz had left behind. As he knelt to lightly brush a talon through the paw print, a strangled groan came from the other side of the roof, the sound followed by a very worrisome thud.
Oh, please no... Panicking, Cat darted around a wary Venom, ignoring his attempt to hold her back as she ran over to the large wolf that was lying on the rooftop. Her hands dug into the black and burgendy fur as she dropped to her knees next to the immobile form, fingers quickly searching for and locating a slow, yet strong pulse. Thank the Gods, she's still alive! She just pushed herself too hard. Again.
Venom knelt next to the teen, resting a taloned hand on her thin shoulder as he frowned down at the wolf. This close, it was easy to see that Jasmine wasn't anything like a real wolf. The forelegs were denser, with more definition, and the front paws had a digit that was very much like a thumb, instead of the useless dew claw that most normal canines had. The mutant wolfs 'fangs' were longer, the tips just barely peeking out from her muzzle.
His thoughts were pulled back to the present when Cat made a soft worried noise, and Venom frowned as he watched the wolf's sides rise and fall as she breathed. He could sense his human half's concern double when glazed golden eyes opened, a shudder wracking the furred form. "Jasmine?"
Her ears twitched towards his voice as she whined softly, her eyes sliding closed again when Cat wrapped her arms around her head and hugged her. One paw rose to settle on the teen's thigh, as Jasmine nuzzled her weakly. Oh, pup, I'm sorry I scared you...
"Jasmine?" Venom gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile and carefully reached out to lay a hand on the wolf's side, talons vanishing into the thick red and black fur. "Are you alright?"
She grumbled and shook her head, whimpering tiredly. Gah! I'm so freaking drained that I can't even Shift back into my human form. Crap. Unable to speak, she tried to push herself up onto her paws, growling when arms scooped her up off the ground and cradled her against a dark chest with a white spider emblem. I am so beyond mortified...
"Easy, puppy," Venom chuckled as she tried to wriggle free. "You're not in any sort of shape to even try walking. Cat, grab that bag and climb onto our back. We'll carry you the rest of the way." Keeping a firm but gentle hold on the wolf, he crouched down again so Catalina - now wearing the backpack he'd brought - could wrap her arms around his neck, and he curled some tendrils around her to anchor her to his back as he stood again. "Alright. Now, we'll try not to go too fast, but if either of you get scared, let us know. Ready?"
He waited until Cat tapped his shoulder, and Jasmine gave what sounded like a grumbling sigh, before he launched himself into the air. There was no safe way for him to websling through the city; he wasn't sure he could keep a firm hold on the wolf with only one arm, so he settled for leaping across the rooftops. Each bound had him covering a block of distance, his tendrils tucking Cat a little closer when she gasped nervously and hid her face against the back of his neck.
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