The Wild and the Tame [Starclaw]

[Mitch Graham]

January 26th, Rural Alabama
11:16 PM

Seventy-four miles of highway, and not a single vacancy. Mitch had traveled down Highway 11 through Alabama, pausing at nearly every exit she could find looking for a cheap motel with a free room, and, bafflingly, had found none. It had been a long time since she’d had luck that bad. She had driven her trusty old Jeep Waggoneer nearly to the Mississippi/Alabama border, and now, with no place to say and fatigue coming on, had steered it off down a side road. It wouldn’t be the first night she’d slept in her car.

The road was winding, two-laned, and forested. It was more than a little spooky, but Mitch was immune to spookiness; she only got worked up over real dangers, and she knew that she could expect those at the hands of a human. She glanced at the clock on her radio (which was relatively new, or newer than the Jeep itself) and sighed. “Yeah, we’re callin’ it a night, Ace.”

Her dog, who was laying in the back seat, did not respond.

She flicked off the radio. One of her French language tutorial CDs had been playing, but she hadn’t been listening. She made a mental note to try and pay more attention. She wasn’t going to get anywhere with it if she zoned out. It didn’t take long for Mitch to get settled. She pulled to the side of the road and shut her headlights off. It took her a moment to adjust to the endless blackness of the night around her, but gradually, slowly, she began to pick out details of the scenery in the starlight.

Mitch Graham slid out of her car, stretching and yawning. “Okay, buddy, let’s make the rounds.” She opened the back door for her dog, who hopped out obediently, stretching as well. Ace wasn’t exactly old, but he wasn’t a puppy anymore, either. Mitch fished around in the backseat for his leash, and Ace sat on the side of the road, blinking patiently up at his master.

As soon as she had him properly tethered, she wandered off into the woods surrounding her car. She didn’t go very far, and kept a watchful eye out, because one really never knew what kind of weirdos one could find out in the country. Ace sniffed about. “C’mon, pal, we don’t got all night. Pick a tree, any tree.”

Ace continued to trot forward, sniffing, apparently distracted by something an considering it more important than finding a place to lift his leg.

[Starclaw]

She had been having a delightful little nap when this human woman came with her pet. It was night time, and Starclaw would have awoken soon anyway, but the interruption was still mildly annoying. Bracing herself on the side of the tree with her stealth fibers activated, she focused her sensors on the human, as her optics were off line to avoid the glow. Her claws were dug into the tree, but were very barely visible as she hung there, her tail twitching as she looked at her new psychological prey.

This woman could take her to her master, and she would make sure she did. But first, a little bit of fun. Speaking out in a barely audible voice, the purring, predator tone to it adding to a mischievous undercurrent. "All by yourself in the woods... This is how the good horror stories start, is it not?" With a sound emulating a chuckle, she pushed herself off of the tree nearly soundlessly, catching onto a tree fairly close to Mitch, her tail swishing through the air the cling around the tree. Leaning close to the woman's head, she spoke softly again.

"Pick a tree, girl..." Her fangs flashed as she spoke. She climbed swiftly up the tree, her claws cutting through the soft bark like butter, catching hold to push her up even faster, only faint flashes of the claws every here and there. This could be fun.

[/blockquote]

[Mitch Graham]

Mitch Graham did what any reasonable person would when faced with a vaguely menacing, disembodied voice. She froze, eyes wide, and immediately tried to pinpoint it. Ace lifted his head silently, his ears pricking forward and his nostrils flaring. He did not snarl, or bark. “What,” Mitch hissed, “the actual fuck?” Was she hallucinating?

She heard the swish of air as Starclaw’s tail whipped through the night, as did Ace; he turned to stare in the direction of their unseen foe, and Mitch followed his gaze. Slowly, the human woman began to edge towards the road, where her car was waiting. Then Starclaw spoke once more, and Mitch saw the cat’s teeth flash in the moonlight.

She had to be hallucinating. There was no other explanation. She looked down, briefly, to Ace, who was staring fixedly, silently, at the spot. The fur along the back of his neck was bristled and stiff. Okay, so… maybe not an hallucination. “Okay, so,” she began carefully, raising her voice and trying to gather her wits about her, “assuming you’re not some kind of crazy hallucination, what do you want?”

If this thing, whatever the hell it was, could talk, maybe it could reason. If it could reason, maybe Mitch could work out a deal.

[Starclaw]

With a light chuckle, Starclaw pounced gracefully out of the tree in front of Mitch, her darkened silhouette blurred out, but almost visible as a spot darker than the nearby area illuminated by the moon, her long tail swishing slowly, back and forth. "There is one thing a want, sweetheart, that you can grant to me." Chuckling again, Starclaw onlined her optics, the piercing blue now visible in the shadow, the two specks of light and the glint of the fangs creating a vaguely Cheshire Cat-like impression. Just creepier and more realistic, as the blurred silhouette stood in a vaguely predatory stance.

She hopped back up into the trees, lying down on a study branch, her chin rested on her paws, her optics still online. "Of course, I could just kill you right here, instead, little mouse." Flicking the blades in her tail out just enough so that they were visible as her tail moved back and forth, she continued that thought. "I highly doubt anybody'll blame it on me - after all, what kind of giant sentient beast would live all the way out here?"

One thing she'd learned is that most humans would do just about anything to preserve their lives, and the thought that they were about to die usually inspired cooperation. Of course, being friends did to, but what would be the fun it that? But again, one last time, she added. "Unless, of course, you think you have a better idea?" With a final twitch on her tail, she put the tail blades away, again make her eyes the only visible portion, as they stared directly at her, the blue lights giving off an effect she'd heard described as 'staring directly into the soul' - a description she'd found amusing.

[/blockquote]

[Mitch Graham]

Mitch was intimidated. She was intimidated as hell, and she didn’t bother trying to hide it. There was no reason to--besides, humans in a state of fear often did not think clearly. Mitch could, but if she could make this thing, this whatever-it-was, believe that she couldn’t, then that was a subtle advantage for her. “Hey, so we’ve established that you’re some kind of horrible creature of the night, okay?” she replied, her voice pitched slightly higher than it had been before, “I already asked you want you want. You don’t have to go threatening me just to get it.”

She shifted her weight and stopped her movement. It was obvious that she wasn’t going to get around this thing. While she stared, wide-eyed and pale, giving off every biological sign of fear--increased adrenaline levels, advanced heart rate--her mind was ticking away. What the hell could this thing be? What could it want? Was this some kind of elaborate hoax, or publicity stunt? Better to just assume it wasn’t, for now. Mitch would rather look like a fool than be dead.

Ace, bless him, had not started barking or freaking out. He just stood, stiff-legged, by his master’s side, watching the creature intently. Never once had he lost track of her. Mitch waited for a reply, not moving.

[Starclaw]

With a grin, Starclaw hopped back out of the tree, turning off the light-draining threads in her armor to appear in her full silver glory. She was much less threatening that way, really. "I only want a ride home. It's just a very, very long drive, and you seem like a determined woman. That's good." With a firm stretch to get her hydraulics refreshed, the feline form with the shiny silver armor sat down, her tail wrapped around her paws, before twitching her tail tip for a second, tilting her head a moment.

"Well... I suppose you can call me Starclaw. Or Star. Or Claw." She swiveled an ear back as the sound of some nearby wildlife, before refocusing on Mitch and her dog.

She didn't have anything against dogs, she just didn't find them worth her time - hence she had, so far, ignored this one. Hopefully this dog didn't try to do anything overly menacing, as she'd seen other dogs do. That would be unfortunate. She'd only been on earth a couple of days, and really wanted to get to Firefly without letting Firefly know she was there - which meant getting human help. She wanted to surprise her master, after all.

And yeah. It was a long drive.

[/blockquote]

[Mitch Graham]

Mitch did not reply that it was nice to meet Starclaw, because it had mos certainly not been nice to meet Starclaw just yet. She also did not give her name. “Okay, Claw. Just transportation, huh?” Mitch asked slowly, still focusing on Starclaw with a surprising amount of calm, aside from her initial nervousness. There was a giant metal cat sitting in front of her. Talking to her. Well. Well, then. Perhaps it was Mitch’s past that had prepared her for situations like these. She was a woman used to dealing with circumstances as they were, rather than circumstances as she wanted them to be. She took a deep breath, trying to will herself to be calm, and closed her eyes as she inhaled, and then slowly exhaled.

When she opened her eyes, the cat was still there.

Well, there was only one thing to do.

“Okay. Deal.” Mitch shrugged. “It’s better than getting ripped to pieces, I guess,” she added wryly. She did not yet move. “So if you know I’m here, I guess you saw my car. It’s, uh… gonna be a tight fit, but Ace can ride shotgun.” The absurdity of the situation had not sunk in yet, and Mitch was running on pure, practical instinct. “Let me just… uh. I gotta sleep right now, actually, so can you wait until morning…?”

[Starclaw]

With an understanding nod, Starclaw stood up, watching the human in front of her. "I can understand that. You are not nocturnal. I respect your need for rest." With that, she bounded toward the human vehicle, inspecting it, circling it, and then laying down beside it, as though to guard the vehicle.

It would be a long night, but she really didn't mind. She was patient. And she wouldn't let them drive off without her. A social contract was still binding, in her mind, and she wouldn't let them get away without fulfilling their end of it.

Twitching the end of her tail, she watched Mitch, considering the negotiation pretty much over. Settle down, sleep little creatures, and then we'll move... The conscious thought floated through her mind as she gazed at the organic creatures in front of her. A long night, followed by a very long trip. The moon shone brightly on her silvered form, but, after a moment, she reactivated the blackening threads in her armor, slowly fading out, leaving her optics shining. The only indication that she was there being the fact that there was now a blurry, black lump leaning against the vehicle. With shiny blue eyes. Because that was normal.

[/blockquote]

[Mitch Graham]

Mitch’s vehicle of choice was not terribly impressive. It was a downright ancient vehicle, a 1989 Jeep Waggonneer, but it was in relatively good shape for something so old; clearly Mitch took care of it. Mitch approached her car, watching Starclaw settle down beside it, and silently walked around to the other side, giving the cat a wide berth as she let Ace into the passenger’s side seat.

Apparently this was something of a routine for the two of them; Ace placed his front paws on the headrest of the seat, and Mitch let it down so that her canine companion could recline comfortably. She then clambered into the back seat, half curling up somewhat awkwardly, but with the air of someone used to sleeping in cramped, uncomfortable spaces. Part of her brain had not yet registered exactly what had happened. The human woman took a deep breath and closed her eyes, reducing her world to the familiar sounds of the forest around her, the smell of the battered leather seat. The best thing for her to do now was sleep, giant alien cybercat or no. Sleep, Mitch. Sleep.

Sleep she did.

When morning rolled around, Mitch woke with a yawn and a groan, pushing herself up from the backseat. “Gotta find us a hotel next time, Ace,” she said to her dog, who was still resting on the passenger seat in front of her. She sat up, running a hand through her unruly hair and idly thinking to herself that there was something she was supposed to be remembering. Today was important. As she shook away her last groggy thoughts, she suddenly remembered, and immediately shot out of her car, crossing around the front to stare at the other side.

Oh. That’s right. Giant talking metal cat from outer space.

“I’ll be damned,” she said, and for the first time her circumstances started to sink in,
“that really did happen, didn’t it?”

[Starclaw]

She had actually dozed off a bit as the night came to an end, but woke back up now, as the human that she had co opted a ride from spoke in such exclamatory phrasing. On-lining her optics, she picked up her head, looking at the human for a moment, before standing, on all fours about the height of the woman. She didn't try to look intimidating. It was too... Morning for that. However, chances were, she wasn't exactly a cute little kitten the the woman either. She was actually a pretty small cyber-cat, too.

Focusing on the woman, her ears pricked forward and her head lowered slightly, she spoke back, her voice much more plain and straightforward than it had been last night. "Did you think you had the idle creativity and imagination required to build such an elaborate illusion?" It was a sincere question. She didn't know humans, or how they could fool themselves, or even that they had dreams. Or what dreams were, for that matter. So the idea that she could have imagined such an out-of-the-box situation was pretty obscure to Starclaw. Unless humans had special abilities like some bots did, but she highly doubted that.

Instead, she merely flicked the end of her drooping tail, before turning to the vehicle, tilting her head slightly as she imagined cramming into the thing. Not even the whole thing, but, like, a quarter of it, at best. That would not be fun, but it was a ride. Her drowsy mind didn't think too long on it, though, as she looked back at the human woman, pawing the dirt idly for a second.

[/blockquote]

[Mitch Graham]

Mitch blinked, initially a bit confused by the way Starclaw had worded the question. “What, d’you mean like a dream?” She gave the question due consideration before answering. “Yeah. Believe it or not, I’ve had weirder dreams than getting hijacked by a giant mechanical cat in the woods.” She wasn’t lying, either. “Especially if I had chili before bed.”

She turned, digging in her pocket and pulling out a somewhat worn softpack of cigarettes, inside of which she still had a few smokes left, as well as her red plastic lighter. So much for trying to quit. She was doing just fine until she had a cross-country trip with an enormous murderous cybercat to deal with. She lit up, taking a deep drag on the cigarette before glancing to Starclaw again. "So, where we goin’? Last night you said it was very, very far away. I can pretty much get anywhere in the US as long as Chief holds up.” She patted the hood of the car behind her; apparently “Chief” was what she called the old vehicle. “But I can’t take you out of he country.”

Mitch knew it was not safe to deny this creature anything it wanted, but there were limitations as to how far she’d go. She was not a woman without enemies, and going through the legal steps necessary to leave the US would undoubtedly attract attention.

[Starclaw]

She watched Mitch with a dry expression - at least as dry a look as her feline form could give. She didn't understand the context with which she used the term dream, and was only familiar with it in the sense of goals and aspirations. She would have to ask later, seeing as they would have plenty of time on the trip.

"I've managed to narrow the location to a point around Southern Nevada. The closer we get, the more specific I can get." She watched the human for a moment longer, trying to figure out just what the sense in inhaling smoke was, before turning her attention back to the vehicle, considering, momentarily, how she would get the door open. She could probably manage it, but any way she did, the door would likely break.

So instead she looked at the woman once more, tilting her head a bit. She was tired, and it was pretty apparent. Daytime was her night, and it was time for bed. "As soon as you're ready, I would really appreciate some help with this door, as I assume you don't want me to do damage to 'Chief' here." She did hold some consideration for others - just usually only in situations where they were stuck together. Like this one.

[/blockquote]

[Mitch Graham]

“Nevada?” Mitch’s eyebrows rose, and then fell again as a resigned expression settled on her features. She sighed, taking an irritable puff of her cigarette. “Right. Nevada.” She had plenty of maps to choose the best route, and she knew some of the stretches of highway between here and there. She was thinking this over, her eyes narrowed slightly as her brain ticked away, when Starclaw spoke again.

“Oh, right,” she spoke around her cigarette, tucking the pack and lighter away and coming around the car. She was remarkably casual around her new passenger, not bothering to give Star claw a wide and fearful berth. She simply reached over and opened the door. “Please try not to tear up the back seta, ‘kay? I just got it redone last year.” It also often served as her bed, so Mitch would definitely not appreciate it if Starclaw slashed it up, accidentally or not.

Ace swiveled his head to watch the cybercat clamber into the vehicle, but did not move from where he was in the front seat.

Mitch waited to finish her cigarette before she clambered back into the driver’s seat and started her car up. “Let’s see, here to Nevada’s gonna be a couple of days. And you’re probably going to kill my mileage,” she looked over her shoulder. “Just letting you know ahead of time that it’s ain’t gonna be quick.”

[Starclaw]

Nodding her head in a thanks, seeming to not mind the humans lack of fear - merely finding it amusing - she crawled into the space, fitting herself like a true cats, keeping her claws tucked in, pulling her tail in in such a way that it closed the door in the process. Close the door, she could do. Opening the door without damaging it was hard, closing it not so much.

Crammed into the small seat, she bent herself in a fashion that could only be comfortable for a cat, her neck pressed against the opposite door, head tucked in, legs curled up, tail wrapped carefully around her body. She flicked her ear, responding from her awkward position in a tired purr.

"It wouldn't have been much faster to walk, would it?" With a light chuckle, she pushed against the seat a bit more, trying to make a bit more space for her hind quarters without dealing the thing any damage.

"Look, I'll try not to beat up the car, and I'm even willing to push it to a service station if need be. Unfortunately for you, I can't pay, seeing as I lack the means of acquiring your human currency. Legally, at least." Perking her head up a moment, it occurred to her that it might be a while before she actually gets any sleep. Odd planet, odd situation... Odd sleeping habits... Things stacked against her chance for rest at the moment, and she didn't really like it.

[/blockquote]

[Mitch Graham]

Mitch shrugged, starting up her old Jeep. The vehicle was nearly an antique by now, but it had clearly been well-taken care of, because the roar of the engine was strong. Mitch gave the steering wheel a fond pat. The old girl had life in her yet! “Yeah, I wasn’t figurin’ I’d be getting’ paid for this job.” Mitch had assumed that her payment was her life, but she knew better than to say this out loud. It would be best not to push it with the cat, because if push came to shove, Mitch knew she didn’t stand a chance against those claws.

The vehicle rolled forward and they were underway. Mitch mentally went over her memory of this area... she’d been heading towards Meridian. That’s where they’d head for now. She’d find an inconspicuous place to park her car, get some food, and then deal with navigating her way east on a full stomach. That sounded like a good plan. “So,” she began conversationally, after about ten minutes or so of silence, “where’d you come from?”