AUGUST EVENT - BAMBI SQUAD

[central_librarymods]

It is a warm, fall day in one of the most beautiful areas of the North American Wilderness. Yellowstone National Park is renowned for its natural wonders and the majestic creatures that live on its protected lands. Unfortunately some of the wildlife that has found its way into Yellowstone are not native to the Park.

While exploring the Forest, Bambi, Thumper, and their woodland friends scampered into a new area to play. Excited by the chance to explore the group has decided to see what friends and adventures they can find. Friend Owl flies beside them, hooting warnings at the group. “These woods are not safe,” he warns, but the youngsters are too excited to listen.

Catching sight of a strange looking deer, Bambi and Faline bound off to find out why his antlers look different than the Great Prince of the Forest’s. Thumper and his bunny friends hop off to find a tasty bit of clover to nibble on. At first Flower stays near Friend Owl but soon he’s just as curious as the rest, exploring fallen logs and looking for potential dens.

While the group rambles and plays, the other creatures in the park are slowly beginning to notice the newcomers. The days are growing shorter and the weather is turning colder. It is time to prepare for winter and these young creatures might make a tasty meal. Along with the potentially dangerous wildlife to avoid, there are also tourists and park rangers to evade.

The Head Librarian has cloaked the woodland creatures so that they seem like the animals that the park rangers and tourists would expect but there are limits to these disguises. If an unsuspecting visitor chanced upon the animals, they might hear something unexpected. The Librarians would prefer that none of the locals have a conversation with Thumper but he is a chatty rabbit.

Your team will enter through the blue white portal and step out into one of the meadows in Yellowstone Park. Find the woodland creatures before they encounter a danger they cannot escape … catch them. Bring them back to safety and make sure that nothing or no one harms them.

[OOC: This is for Team: Bambi Squad only. You will play out tracking our woodland friends, collecting Bambi and the other creatures from the Forest, and returning them home. This is ONLY for team work and getting things done. If you have questions, you can call for Bob the Skull or The Cat to help you. Bob will be running communications. Once you finish the event (or at the same time if you will), patrons may use this time to use portals to enter Modern day Yellowstone National Park and visit the tourist areas, shops, lodges, and restaurants in a private log. But not in the team log.]

Update!  To help the event conclude, options are being provided to help organize the groups.  These can be tagged meme style to help give more structure to the tasks.  Current threads can be completed and new ones started. 

Options

1.  Finding Bambi and Faline!  Is it really that easy to tell two talking deer from the rest of the herd?  Now you get to find out!

2.  Wrangling the Woodland Friends!  Thumper, Flower, Friend Owl need to be gathered up so that they can return home.  Be careful that you don't frighten them away!

3.  Avoiding the Locals!  Please keep the park rangers and tourists from noticing the talking animals.  That's not as easy to explain away as some might think.

4.  Fending off the Wildlife!  Yellowstone has its share of carnivores.  Make sure the wolves, cougars, and other predators don't find a tasty storybook snack.

Comments

[alec_lightwood]

Alec was a hunter. He'd been trained since he was old enough to walk. Archery, sword fighting, hand to hand combat. All the skills needed for a demon hunter to protect the world. One of the things he hadn't been taught? How to hunt in the woods.

He figured that the concepts had to be the same. Except he knew the signs of demons in an area, not the ones for deer or rabbits. Or how to tell two talking deer from the others that lived in the park.

So this really wasn't as easy as it looked. Looking around the meadow, he momentarily wished he was back at the Library or even New York. At least there he was in his element. "Does anyone know how exactly we track talking animals?"

[queenofbooks]

Hermione was a brilliant witch, and so very glad to have her magic back if she was being honest, so it stood to reason that she would be the first one to voice an opinion.

"There are locator spells," Hermione supplied helpfully, glancing at Alec.

[alec_lightwood]

Magic was something that Alec had gotten used to. Well, one particular warlock's magic. The rest was something he'd studied as theory and didn't quite trust thanks to Shadowhunter wariness of all things magical.

"What would you need for that kind spell?" Some of the ones he'd read about required something from the being that they wanted to find.

[magnus_bane]

Oh. This brought back memories. Memories of angry monkeys and running through the jungle. Not the best of memories. Especially when the first thing that happened when he stepped foot into the forest was to step directly into a pile of rabbit pellets. Shaking his foot, he scowled at it in distaste.

"And here I thought we'd just start yelling their names and hope for the best." Right. Not helping. Instead, he glanced at the rest of their little team and then back to Hermoine. "So call me old fashion, but don't locating spells need something belonging to the object or is it something else?"

He's just going to stand over here.....

[dulcet_cellist]

First. The portal thing was very cool. Sebastian was tempted to go back just so he could step through it again. Because being capable of traveling into different worlds the way a person stepped through a door into another room was not something he'd get used to any time soon.

Jack would have loved this.

It wasn't the first time that thought had passed through his head since the very moment he'd found himself in the Library with a talking cat.

Second. Sebastian had never been camping. Visiting a park was very different from being in the wild. With dirt. And bugs. And no indoor plumbing. His mother had taken him to the park as often as she could when he was very young and he never had any interest in getting dirty with the other kids. He had always insisted on bringing books and reading on a blanket in the shade.

Third. He wanted to help. But wanting to help and knowing how to help were very different as well. So, while he was listening to everything, he wasn't sure he had anything to offer and had begun to wonder if maybe he was going to be more of a burden than an asset when everyone else clearly had something to offer.

It didn't help that he hadn't really taken any time to introduce himself to anyone. Jack had been the social one. He was okay once he started to get to know someone. It was the starting part he had trouble with. So he was just going to stand over here, out of the way, and see how things developed.

[alec_lightwood]

As Alec discussed plans with the others, his gaze drifted to one of the patrons he'd never met before. He hadn't been at the ball. Not that Alec really remembered much about it other than his brief time as Cinderella and spending the night dancing with Magnus. Still, he could usually remember faces so this person had to be new.

His occasional glances gave him details that reminded him a bit of himself in his pre-Magnus phase. Staying out of the way while others discussed plans until he had something to contribute or trying to fade into the background so no one noticed him.

He was better at that now, speaking up and encouraging the younger Shadowhunters when he could.

The newest patron might not be Nephilim but he needed someone to talk to him before he was accidentally left behind. When the plans were settled, Alec moved over to where Sebastian was listening in. Hopefully he wouldn't be too freaked out by Alec's Marks or the mention of demons. "Hi, I'm Alec."

[dulcet_cellist]

Sebastian forgot how to speak for a moment while his brain was in a bit of panic mode. What was he suppose to say? How was he suppose to react? He'd been listening but did he really know anything about anything here? He really should have just stayed behind. Was he suppose to offer his hand? It was different when he was dressed up at one of his parents dinner parties. He had a script and could easily be the good son then. Not so much now. He hadn't been the good son in a very long time-where were his thoughts going?

Stop thinking!

Jack was so much better at this.

There was always a sharp pang in his chest, a tightness that followed. But as much as he tried not to think about Jack he always found himself thinking about Jack no matter how small the thought was.

Sebastian started to hold out his hand, hesitated, and dropped his hand again. Clenching it with uncertainty. He was wishing he'd worn his gloves and hat. Better to hide behind.

"Sebastian." Even more awkward was noticing that Alec's eyes were a lovely shade of blue and he quickly dropped his gaze and looked around the meadow. "I'm...sort of new."

Yes. Because he'd sort of been hiding between the bookshelves admiring all the books. The Cat had said to be careful and he had been.

[alec_lightwood]

He knew he looked strange to most beings, probably intimidating. Swirling, black lines or pale scars curled over his skin, marking most of his body. Black leather gear that was out of place in a forest but was more comfortable to him than what hikers would wear. At least he'd opted to carry a staff that he'd picked up in the market instead of his usual assortment of blades and bow.

For a moment, the Shadowhunter considered telling him that he wouldn't hurt him. Especially when he started to offer Alec his hand then stopped. If he didn't look so nervous, Alec might have been worried that he'd somehow offended him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sebastian." Probably too formal but Nephilim were traditional and politeness never hurt. Not as much as rudeness did. Especially when dealing with some of the beings that Alec came in contact with. "New's relative. Most of us have never been in a place like the Library." Looking around at the trees and the wide, vividly blue sky, Alec grinned ruefully. "I've never really been in a wilderness like this before."

2

[alec_lightwood]

Chasing after deer wasn't something that Alec assumed he'd be especially good at. Demons were something he knew how to hunt but deer were completely foreign to him. Now trying to convince small, cranky animals to trust him... that was a skill that he had. Or he had one that could possibly translate to a new situation. After years of dealing with the Institute's cat, Church, without losing a finger or two had taught him how to be non-threatening and when to judge when an animal was going to bite. So why not try to see if he could coax Thumper and the others to trust him so that he could take them back to their nice, quiet forest?

Have fun with this XD

[magnus_bane]

Magnus for the most part, stepped lightly and looked mostly unaffected. Of course, he had some not so great memories of a monkey in the rainforest, but these were rabbits and skunks... how bad could be it? Ha. He should know better than to ask that.

Because he decided to stray from Alec when he finally got a spell to pick up on foreign energy that wasn't theirs nor the world they were in. So... he went toward it while keeping Alec in his peripheral. No point telling him if he didn't know if he was right or not.

But there the little rodent was. Black and white in all his glory. Of course, he knew that the little animated skunk was not going to run to him... but when he leaned down to pick him up? He got the tail end and a huge spray to the face. To his credit, he didn't let go as the little monster clawed and squirmed in his hands... the little demon even ripped his sleeves and started gnawing on his wrist. "Keep it up you little monstrosity and I will change you into a tortoise. A slow, baby tortoise that can't get away."

[alec_lightwood]

Neither one of them was really in their element. Alec was a city boy and despite the kind of places that Magnus had lived in over the past few centuries, he didn't seem the type that liked to getting too close to nature. And of course, there was that story about the monkey in the rain forest...

But this was different. They couldn't get into too much trouble in Yellowstone chasing Thumper and Flower.

Alec should have known he couldn't make that kind of assumption. Trouble followed Magnus almost as much as it followed Jace. Which meant he was ready for something to happen, the staff he carried within easy reach. Too bad that something didn't include skunk attacks.

Eyes watering at the smell, Alec coughed and tried to catch his breath. If it was bad for him... Turning around he saw Flower gnawing on Magnus and knew that wasn't going to work. Magnus would only scare the skunk more. "Hey." He kept his tone soft as he dropped the staff so he could look less threatening. "It's okay. He's not going to turn you into a tortoise."

He moved closer, telling himself that skunks weren't as dangerous a Church. Gently catching the skunk, he began prying Flower away from Magnus. "You don't need to bite him. He's just as afraid of you as you're afraid of him."

1

[facemyenemys]

Kara has broken off with a small group now. It would be easier to look in smaller groups, right? She's drifted further away from who ever she was with, letting them talk or search on their own. While walking on soft careful steps, she looked, trying to track deer and animals. She wasn't a tracker, but she had enough experience with hunting to know signs.

Not that she would tell the animals that.

at a crack of a twig she stopped, hands down and out to the side, showing no weapons. She froze like a startled deer, eyes searching.

"Hello?" She said out loud, trying to decide if it was human, or animal. And IF it's animal, will it be the right one?

She took a few more steps but stopped as she saw a small deer not far ahead, she crouched down, hands still out and eyes watchful. God it was getting cold, and she wanted to get this job done. Maybe make someone proud of her. She wanted to be part of a team here. To fix things. To make right. A new form of Closure.

Softly she spoke to the deer that stared at her. "Bambi? Hey... is that you? We've been looking for you and your friends. I don't mean you any harm, so if you understand me, please, don't run. I just want to talk."

She felt dumb, talking to an animal, but she's done it before. And this one should talk back. "Can... you talk?" god, watch her be talking to something else. Like an idiot. Sure looked like Bambi though.

We'll assume this is after his run in with the skunk...

[magnus_bane]

Why? Why in all of their supposed 'infinite wisdom', did the Librarians send him here of all places. It seemed even the moose in the area did not like him. In fact, he was in the process or running away from a charging moose that was calling at him in anger and fast on his heels.

"I SWEAR I WILL ZAP YOU AND YOU WILL BE DINNER FOR THE LIBRARY PATRONS!" Calling back at the large creature, he ran past Kara and Bambi like a very tall Slender Man parody with a moose close on his heels. "Final warning, maniac!"

As they disappeared into the brush, all Kara would see is a flash of blue white light before MUCH smaller baby moose ran back out with Magnus chasing after it. "That's right! Run away!" It would be fine... after all, the spell was temporary.

That didn't mean he didn't stink like a skunk, have branches and leaves stuck in his hair and to top it all off? Claw and teeth marks all over his sleeves and hands.

omg lol

[facemyenemys]

She was trying, trying to see if this was it. The deer she was looking for. It looked right, but he wasn't responding to her. He seemed a bit shocked still and staring. Perhaps more soft words were needed. Last thing she wanted to do was to have to resort to snares.

Only... the yelling happened. Bambi seemed to jump stumbling backwards away from Kara more, and Kara stood, startled as well, eyes narrowed. What. The hell.

And there goes one of her numbers. And there goes a moose. "Jesus..." She said, stepping away and back still. She wished she had a trank-gun or something. To the deer though she raised a hand, palm out, calm. "Hey, hey, hey... it's alright. he wont hurt you. We want to hel--" And the light. A baby moose.

Kara's face turned darker, frowning at the guy as he came out. He looked like hell. What was he doing? Offering rectal exams to animals? No wonder he was blasted. "I thought we weren't trying to bring attention to ourselves." She said, only now being hit by the smell, the back of her hand covering her nose. Oh god.

Wild Card! Calling Bob!

[magnus_bane]

Pulling out the bookmark, he recalled the Librarians saying they could drop a line to both the Cat and Bob if needed. That was why he felt there was no time like the present to draw on Bob's knowledge. Watching the bookmark react to his desires, he waited for it to connect.

His nose wrinkled at his ridiculous stench and all of the branches still sticking out of his hair and leaves and was it normal for the scratches and skunk bites to itch? Why, he wondered again, did they send him here? Why? What cosmic deity did he piss off in such a way they would throw him into the wilderness?

Either way, he sighed. "Bob... I have a problem. Know how to get skunk spray off?"

Re: Wild Card! Calling Bob!

[harrys_skull]

Bob takes a second to answer and when he does his voice is full to the brim with great amusement. "What got on the wrong side of a cat Pepe," he teases, "but being serious for a second, tomato juice. Or pulp that's supposed to be helpful."

[magnus_bane]

"You're hilarious. I will put you in tupperware if you call me Penelope Cat. As long as we understand that, I will gladly take your insults." He would take that insult, too... but he had to pretend it slightly annoyed. Which came naturally at the thought of bathing in tomato juice. "Trading one rancid smell for another. Are you sure that's not just some myth?"

CALLING THE LIBRARY

[queenofbooks]

Hermione was all about order, and this hodge podge mess was about as far from order as one could get. She watched and listened as the others did their thing, but to no avail. So she did what she did best and consulted her books, or in this case her library.

"Hello?"

Re: CALLING THE LIBRARY

[harrys_skull]

Bob answers after a long moment and his voice holds barely restrained laughter. "Hey there witchy girl...Bob here what can I help you with today."

Re: CALLING THE LIBRARY

[queenofbooks]

"Do you find something funny?" Hermione asked, an edge to her voice. She was watching all the groups. "Is there something we're missing here?"

2.

[ingrantitude]

The best laid plans of mice and men as his grandmother would have said, but even Gramsy wouldn't have approved of this. He's pretty sure neither would Kara or any of his other ...compatriots.

That makes him angry. Angry enough that he had to take a moment before returning to his snare and the crying rabbit. The problem is his crying sounds human and it puts him in mind of so many things he'd like to forget but once he'd explained the rabbit had quieted, (well gosh Mr. you coulda just asked me!)

The problem was his broken foot. (Oh gosh oh golly that stings! That stings so bad!) and he finds himself worried about the library, about what the librarian will say, about all of it so after setting the foot he's got the baby rabbit tucked against his arm, stroking it's head as gently as he can humming to himself.

Really he feels awful.

Re: 2.

[queenofbooks]

Hermione had heard the sound of the crying rabbit, but hadn't noticed the man, until she looked up. Her eyes softening, looking between the man, who looked heartbroken to rabbit who looked scared and hurt.

"Don't you two look a fright, what happened?" She asked, her voice gentle, soothing, non judgemental.

Re: 2.

[ingrantitude]

(It hurts so awful! It just does! Bambi! Bambi!) Ward holds the rabbit as gently as he can before looking back to her.

"I set a no kill snare just like I showed you all, but he...struggled in it. And I must have set something wrong because he...broke something in his foot I think.

The rabbit burrows into the crook of his arm, "I promised Kara I wouldn't hurt anything."

[enlightenedfeline]

Tracking everything that is going on in the different worlds and among the various patrons is a difficult task even for a Librarian. Especially when the Cat was taking on more of the Library's responsibilities so that the Head Librarian can rest. That was why he didn't foresee this particular accident, but he does watch Ward carefully to see how he reacts to Thumper's injury. It is something the Cat would do with any of the patrons, waiting to see if their judgements of each patron was correct.

And this particular patron exceeded the Cat's expectations although it wasn't Ward's fault that the feline was distrustful of humans. Years of seeing the horrors of worlds and what is done to 'dumb animals' made the Cat protective of certain individuals.

He set the bookmark to send to Ward's, looking sympathetic despite his feline features. His voice is uncharacteristically gentle when he spoke. "Grant, Thumper will be all right. I can heal him once you return him to the Library. He won't even remember the injury."

[ingrantitude]

"I promised Kara I wouldn't hurt anyone." His voice is tight, "I don't want to hurt anyone I...Especially him."

Especially an animal, "animals aren't people. They're not cruel or malicious, they're just made that way by the stupid shit that we do."

He stroked the rabbit's ear as gently as he could.

"I told him not to struggle."