...Isaiah...

The young grey feline could be seen silhouetted against the fading sunset. Thick, grey fur covered his slim, though well-built figure, providing a sweltering, sauna-like body suit. It was obvious the coat was meant for a arctic dwelling kougra. His ivory lips parted in a yawn, brought about not from exhaustion, but boredom. As far as he'd seen, no one had been up and about all morning. Normally, he'd have welcomed the relaxing silence, but today was different. He had woken up in a very social mood with no one to share it with. With a luxurious stretch, he sprawled out in the pillowy sand, though frowned at the sensation. The miniscule grains found their way through his thick coat and nestled themselves against his skin, much to his discomfort. With a soft groan, the cat sat up, outstretching his left hind leg and bringing it to his neck to scratch the sand loose. After a few failed attempts, he gave up and fell back against the sand once more, ignoring the irritating itch.

Where was she?

She had never been to beach before. She nad never been out of the forest. She had followed him here.

A plush femme cougar lounged a little farther down the beach, staring absentmindedly at the waves as they rolled in. Her caramel eyes were ringed in darkness, as she stared with a blank expression. She appeared to be in her early-20s, though had an essence of maturity about her that that surpassed her years. Sliding her plush tail through the sand, she yawned out of boredom. Where was he?

Tilting his nose skywards, Isaiah sampled the air through parted jaws, allowing the scents of the evening to wash over his scent glands. One in particular caught his attention and he closed his mouth, raking his dark gaze over the beach hut for the source of the feminine scent. He easily spotted the unfamiliar female, brows lowering in curiosity. It had been a while since he'd seen a new face around here... Easing himself to his paws, he began idly in her direction, his tail curling behind him, hovering just above the sand.

"Hey," he called out once he'd reached an audible distance, his thick bangs falling over his left eye and obscurring his features.

Jolted from her peace by the greeting, dark gaze narrowed upon the unknown male. Instinct immediately kept her from fleeing, something she normally would have done when approached back in her forest. Claws dug into the sand out of nervousness, though her features remained blank and somewhat arrogant. Caramel gaze scanned the male as he approached her and she identified him as being about her age... maybe a little younger, it was hard to tell. His eyes confused her... he looked like the males from her forest... but she was certain she had never seen him before and she was far from her home. Something else about him was disturbing and extremely familiar.

"Hey." She replied, her voice low and smooth. Plush tail curled around her lean yet muscled physique, hesitantly allowing a sly smirk to melt her harsh features.

Although one couldn't tell by the girl's expression, Isaiah could smell her uneasiness wafting from her figure. Had he done something already to upset her? Shrugging the matter off, he slid his dark, cloudy gaze over her form briefly, taking a second whiff of her aroma. This time, he noticed something he had overlooked earlier; she wasn't from around her, nor was she from the city. She smelled of timber and wilderness, somewhat similar to Jeremiah when he returned from wherever it was he so often visited. He remained silent for a moment, mulling this new information over in his head before concluding that it wasn't important. A smirk eased across his white lips and he met her gaze, his tail flicking at his side. "You're new here, I take it?" he asked, his tone welcoming, though it carried an eerie undertone.

He eyed her cautiously, keeping his gaze on her as she circled him. Was this some sort of power play? That idea evaporated immediately, though, as she brought her head beneath his neck before reclining to her back. Frowning in confusion, but as he noted her atmosphere of submission, his smirk flickered back to life. Perhaps his position as alpha wasn't completely useless, afterall. Stepping forward, he glanced down and locked eyes with the female, his curioisity mounting. "So..." he began, easing himself into a sitting position before her, brows remaining furrowed despite his smile. "where are you from, then?" This sort of reaction was new to him, though he figured that wherever she was from, this might be an everyday occurance.

"North Pine Forest." The kougress sat up slowly, reclining about a foot from the male. The name was probably useless, as general as it was. Dark gaze studied the male before her still, trying to place why he seemed so familiar. After a moment, she allowed her gaze to study the area around her... half-expecting other kougras to appear. Afterall, most places weren't so welcoming to newcomers. She didn't expect a place with an alpha like the one before her was any different. He looked very similar to the males back home... but they certaintly weren't as welcoming... or as polite. And they never smiled.

"I'm Rise."

He'd never heard of North Pine Forest, though he figured that it explained the woodsy aroma that clung to her scent. "Isaiah," he offered, exhanging his name for hers. His tail flicked in her direction, brushing against hers absentmindedly. Rise, he repeated in his head, making a mental note to remember her name. It was much too often that he met an old aquaintance and failed to put a name to face. "So, Rise," he began, glancing her over once more before meeting her face, his smirk fading, though the change was almost unnoticable. "what brings you to Anathema?"

So that was the name of the island. An odd one, at that.

She paused, a slightly confused expression on her face, as if trying to remember why she was here. "Oh... Just looking for an old friend of mine..." She was vague, and it appeared as though she didn't care at the moment. Why would she? An alpha was so much more exciting.

Plush tail wrapped around her figure, that unnerving sly smirk still evident on her dark features. She kneaded at the sand with her claws, out of anxiousness. As a bolt of lightning struck far away in the still mostly-blue sky, she sort of jumped, looking out at the water nervously.

She brought one paw to her mouth, licking at it out of nervousness, then smoothing the fur on her head back out of habit. Looking away from the lightning and back at the feline before her, there was an odd look of determination in her smooth caramel eyes. Sitting up, she made another circle around Isaiah, this time brushing and rubbing her slender body against him.

He unsheathed his claws and pushed them into the sand, raking the grains, just to give his paws something to do. Her slight jump at the lighting brought his smirk back to it's original quality, his amusment evident. "Well, I doubt you'll find your friend here, this place is practically deserted," he explained, his gaze locked into hers, burning with an eerie intensity.

'She's certainly friendly,' he thought to himself as he watched her circle him once again, pushing her form against his. He returned the pressure, lifting his tail and curling it over her hip as she passed. "So, do you want to get a drink or something?" The offer seemed sudden, seeng as they had just met, but Isaiah watched her expectantly, a dark shadow passing over his navy blue gaze.

A drink or something.

Rise rose an eyebrow, thinking back to the last time she had been around kougras who drank. She remembered the old parties her 'friends' used to have... and she remembered that guy who cheated on his girlfriend with her because he was drunk. But that had to have been at least five years ago. After returning to the forest, she wasn't around kougras who drank at home. It was a city thing.

"No thanks... I prefer water." She gave an apologetic shrug, resuming her position in front of him. Alcohol always made her sick and she never felt the need to drink it to loosen up. In her mind the girls who drank it were uptight city girls who wanted an excuse to get crazy then blame it on the alcohol later. At least that was how it used to be. She didn't need an excuse.

Sitting up again, she rubbed her face against neck, breathing in his scent. If he was a city kougra, she was sure he must have thought she was crazy... but she couldn't help it. The instinctive urge was too strong.

"But... we can go if you'd like."

He leaned back awkwardly as she pressed her face into the fur of his neck, arching a single brow. He had never seen a kougress act like this... It must have been a forest thing. Despite his confusion, he lifted a forepaw and brought it to her shoulders, giving her a quick pat in response to her actions while allowing her spicey, feminine scent curl up past his nostrils.

"Alright, but I'm parched," he said as rose to his paws, shaking the sand between his toes loose before he turned in the direction of the drink hut. He started along the familiar path, moving at an easy pace, his long legs bringing him to an idle lope. He didn't bother looking back to see if she was following; her compromise had promised she would come along.

ooc| I'm going to have to reply when I get back... it's starting to thunderstorm here and I'm going to my parent's house for Gustav. ttyl!

Alright, good luck! =)

ooc| Psh, that was nothing more than a rainshower. Power didn't even go out!

As he started to walk towards the drink hut, Rise followed slowly. Padding slowly behind him, she couldn't help but be confused at how odd the islanders acted here. He seemed more interested in alcohol than her. Slowing down behind him, her interest was caught at the lightning that rumbled back near the beach. As the young male walked farther away from her, she turned, heading back towards the beach.

ooc. Really? Sheesh, all of the weather channels were saying it was going to be the biggest storm yet.

Although he appeared as though he could not care less, Isaiah had been paying attention to the light fall of pawsteps behind him. His ears swiveled to the sides of his skull as he listened to her slow, stop, and then walk in the opposite direction. His pace came to an idle hault, his tail flicking in slight irritation as he glanced back over his shoulder and watched her form retreat behind the undergrowth. With an audible sigh, he turned as well and started after her. Normally, he would have gone on to have a few drinks without her, but this girl... she intrigued him. She was so different from anyone he'd met before and he was curious to see just what she would do next. Not to mention the idea of drinking alone didn't appeal to him this evening.

He caught up with her in only a few strides, his brows furrowed in both annoyance and curiosity. "What was that all about?" he asked, his tone making his irritation evident.

ooc. Woww... That's kind of awful, how the media plays it up. I mean, all that was on the news for a year and a half after Katrina was what terrible shape New Orleans was in and how, like, half the city was dead. Even all of the teachers at my school were freaking out about it and sending a third of their salaries to help out the people who lived there.

ic. Walking now at her side, he peered at her through narrowed eyes, as though he were trying to read her mind. Her latter statement wiped the annoyance from his features and he rolled his shoulders in a casual shrug. "I've gotten used to it... It happens every summer." His dark gaze was redirected from her towards the flashing sky. A single streak of lighting tore across the sky, lasting a fleeting moment, though it's light was burned into Isaiah's eyes and took a few seconds to clear away. Looking back to Rise, he arched a brow, now addressing her excuse. "Well, what are you interested in doing?"

ooc| About 1,000 people died or so... definitely not half of New Orleans. And mostly it was the stupid people who refused to evacuate their tiny houses near the water! I hate the media because they focus on New Orleans when Biloxi/Guflport, MS got hit just as bad... the casinos there were destroyed completely. A lot of people say the hurricane hit Biloxi and New Orleans because they are "sin" cities. Mobile has so many people from New Orleans now since Katrina and I hate it... in fact, I think my neighbors might be from there. I guess I just don't like New Orleans so I'm biased... it probably has some nice areas but most of it isn't. You don't feel safe walking around down there at all. I've been to both places several times pre and post Katrina and yeah, it looked bad... but not as bad as I expected. If I was to send any money, I definitely wouldn't send it to New Orleans but to coastal MS where Katrina directly hit or the people who lost their houses where I live. I've heard horror stories about how everyone went to the Superdome in New Orleans to evacuate and some of the men would gang up and rape the women in the bathrooms.

bic| "I don't know." Rise paused, sitting down and staring at him complacently. "Do you know where Jeremiah is?" This was who she had come to the island to find. For what reason, that was unknown. She looked at him expectantly, an odd look in her caramel eyes. There was something odd about her.

ooc. Yeah, I've never even heard of Biloxi or Guflport, MS until now. I wonder why the news chose to focus on New Orleans if it's as gross a town as you say it is...? And yeah, I heard about the rapes in the Superdome. Everybody in my town was talking about it. I felt really awful for the women. Do you think it was just the situation that they were in that drove the men to do that, or is that how it always is there?

ic. The second his father's name was mentioned, Isaiah's ears pinned themselves to his skull. It seemed that everyone was interested in Jeremiah... Even newcomers! What was it about that guy that drove the girls crazy? With an exasperated sigh, he shrugged again. "No, I don't. He's probably around somewhere, though..." He paused, glancing towards the jungle before looking back to Rise. "Is he the friend you were looking for?"

ooc| Because New Orleans is more "known." I'm surprised you've never heard of Biloxi... it's pretty popular, a big casino town. The casinos were thrown across the highway... and the entire bridge over there was blown down. The damage there shocked me more than New Orleans. And I think that is how it always is over there... they just had the opportunity to get away with it in that situation. There are a lot of gangs down there... and, it's mostly ghetto. People often compare Mobile to New Orleans... same historical house-style, both have Mardi Gras, same street names, known for seafood/cajun food, etc. There are areas/towns in Mobile where I would never go... because they are so dangerous. These areas remind me of New Orleans, except a bigger area is like that. We got lost one time in New Orleans going to the zoo and ended up in this really bad area... graffitti everywhere, abandoned houses with windows knocked out... black guys standing on the side of the road glaring at us... and my fiance's sister was like "Let's ask for directions!" lol... I think she wanted to get shot.

bic| "Yeah... I heard he came back here." Rise shrugged, taking note of Isaiah's reaction with surprise. Did he not like Jeremiah? Rise didn't find this particularly surprising which was why she chose not to mention his name upon arrival... "Not that kind of friend, though." She added this unneccasarily, curling her plush tail around her figure. "I grew up with him."

ooc. Holy cow, across the highway!? That's insane. It makes me really thankful I live in Oregon... The worst we get where I live is a few inches of rain and maybe a couple thunderstorms. I don't think we've got very many gangs, either. Mobile and New Orleans sound like fun places to visit, though. I just wouldn't want to live there.

ic. When Isaiah realized that she'd noticed his reaction, he allowed his ears to rise some, giving him an overall less hostile appearance. "You heard right, then. He's been here for a few weeks... Months? I don't know." He'd lost track of how long Jeremiah been on the island. His visits all seemed to blend together. At her latter statement, he raised his brows in obvious interest. "You grew up with him?" he repeated, his tail curling around his hind legs as he shifted his weight. He'd never heard about his father's past, only that he had died and come back to life on several occasions. Perhaps Rise would be able to shed some light on his history. "What do you need him for?"

ooc| If you like crazy parties New Orleans is the place to go... I would never live there either. Mobile is great though and is popular for tourism. We live near beautiful beaches and have Florida-weather. Never snows though, which is one thing I don't like. The city is starting to boom to, lots of new economic growth which is exciting... plus the cost of living is very low. There are also surrounding areas in the country for those who don't like the suburbs. Like my parents live about 20 miles south of where I live in the country off a dirt road. Hurricanes don't scare me... because I don't live on the beach. And I don't go out at night by myself so safety isn't a problem. My neighbors do scare me sometimes though... but the apartments I live in aren't the nicest in Mobile. What are the demographics in Oregon, I'm curious? Here in the city it is about 55% white, 45% black...

bic| "I just wanted to talk to him." She remained vague, twirling her paw in the light sand. Rise had grown up in the same forest as Jeremiah, though he was considerably older than her and her twin brother. "Do you know him?"

ooc. Yeah, it hardly every snows here, either. One day a year, on average. But yeah, Mobile sounds really nice. I know it's really warm, too, which is great. I hate the cold weather, which is unfortunate, considering it's cold three-fourths of the year here. :/ Demographics? Well, I don't know the exact numbers, but I'd say about 65% white, 33% hispanic and 2% black, where I live at least. I know there's a lot more African Americans in Portland, though; that's the only place I've really seen more than just a couple.

ic. Isaiah knew that she wasn't giving him the whole story and it annoyed him. "Yeah, I know him..." He paused, considering what he would say next. He didn't know whether or not to tell her about their relationship... If she wasn't fond of Jeremiah, she could lash out at him if she found out he was his son. Then again, if he told her, she might be more apt to tell him her reasons for needing to talk to him. His curiosity got the better of him and he decided on the latter. "He's... sort of my dad," he confessed, bringing a paw to the back of his head to scratch absentmindedly as he studied her face for her reaction.