Pow-wow at the Zoo

[Ankh]

Ankh climbs out of the car and doesn't wait for Animus and West to follow her. Instead, she heads straight for the entrance of the zoo, pulling out her wallet and leafing through the bills in it. She waits in line for a minute or two and then purchases three tickets. Once that is done she turns back to the parkinglot and watches to see if the men are coming or taking their sweet time as usual.

She is surprised to find herself excited by the trip. It had been a very long time since she'd visited a zoo and while she had enjoyed the experience last time, she was also about six years old and sick as death. She remembered thinking how sad the animals must be because they were all confined. Then the tour guide explained to her that most of the animals kept in the zoo were rescues from far away places. They were animals who were sick or wounded and would never survive in the wilderness by themselves. That had made her feel better.

Now, she would be able to understand most of their language as she watched them. She could now test that theory and find out if she had just been lied to as a little, pathetic, sick girl just to make her feel better or if the guide had been telling her the truth.

[Animus]

Animus gets out not far behind Ankh, slightly nervous. The only other language he had ever tried to learn was Atlantean, and it was, in many ways, simplified, restricted. Now he was going to learn a language that wasn't even human? He has to remind himself that many others had walked this path before,. It couldn't be impossible. And it was the obvious next step. If he wanted to truly experience life as a wolf did, to understand how they lived, he'd need to be able to communicate with them.

Guards-the-Pack uncurls from the seat and bounds out of the car, then, sensing Animus' unease, nudges against him, playfully, reminding him he isn't on his own in this. The wolf spirit seems to radiate excitement, a mood Animus finds infectious as he hurries to catch up with Ankh, the familiar trotting beside him.

[West (The Mage)]

West follows the other two. He's trying something new, at least kind of new: jeans. While it would still be a cold day in hell before he wore shorts, he realized his normal array of suits would look distinctly out of place in the zoo, and had thus made the concession. A polo complimented the outfit, still new enough that he frequently scratched and tugged at the collar's tag that was slowly slicing through the back of his neck.

He'd downloaded an online tour onto his iPod, and was looking forward to learning something new. A single earbud was all he wore, in case the other two wanted to talk, but he suspected he was in for an afternoon of them staring intently at animals. Checking his watch, he wondered if Tug were going to show.

At least then they could compare notes on the whole McNabb/Eagles situation.

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[Ankh]

Ankh hands Animus and West their tickets, giving West a slight frown as he fusses with his shirt.

"Next time just cut the tag off dear."

She turns and heads into the zoo, picking up a small map as soon as she gets past the ticket gate. She stops and unfolds the map studying it carefully for a few minutes. Moving close to Animus, she points to a couple of places on the map as she speaks. "The wolves are here and here. They also have Dingo's which are very close to wolves in mannerism and mentality. They're a bit less sophisticated though but they can be fun to watch. Then there is the African exhibit here and it looks like they have a couple of animal shows today too. A chimpanzee show and a bird show."

She looks up at him doubtfully. "I am not really big on tropical birds though. So, where do you want to start first?"

She glances back at West and considers making a comment about the ipod. God forbid he learn something he doesn't already know. But she decides against it. Let him enjoy the zoo West style for a change.

[West (The Mage)]

"Dingoes are dogs, Ankh," West points out.

"Canis familiaris dingo," he clarifies, pointing to the iPod.

[Animus]

Animus considers for a moment, then grins. "It's much more fun to jump in with both feet. Let's head straight for the wolves." Oh yes, his familiar's excitement is definitely growing on him.

[Ankh]

Ankh gives West a long suffering look. "No shit. Wolves are also of the k-9 family dear. Their mannerisms are not much different."

She rolls her eyes at Animus as if to show him what she has to put up with. "All right, wolves it is. Let's go."

She heads off down the path, making a beeline for the wolves habitat. She's a bit surprised to find herself excited as well. It had been a long time since she had really taken a day out to just watch animals, people, life. She was happy to have an excuse really. She just hoped she could be of some use to Animus in all this.

[West (The Mage)]

West decides to put in the other ear bud before following.

So much for being helpful.

[Animus]

Animus can't help but chuckle at Ankh and West's interaction. As he follows her, he glances around him, feeling the interplay of the life around him, suddenly realizing how much he'd missed this. Perhaps it had been too long since he'd gone on one of his runs. Then he glances at West, wondering how the other man could shut all this out, ignore the ebb and flow of the living beings around him. He shakes his head, a light smile touching his face. If West wanted to hide in his own world, that was his decision.

It isn't long at all before the Neidan reach the wolves' habitat, and Animus begins to feel his nervousness creeping up again. He glances to Guards-the-Pack for encouragement before turning back to the wolves, for now, content just to study, to watch their interactions, their body language, and slowly, to try to begin to piece some of it together, occasionally glancing toward his fellow Thyrsus or his familiar.

When he thinks he's beginning to get a handle on some of the pieces, he begins asking whispered questions to Guards-the-Pack, checking his fledgling understanding against the wolf's own. He quickly finds that he's been misinterpreting quite a bit. Finally, he glances at Ankh with a bemussed grin. "Perhaps if you started talking with them and explain as you go it would help." No one ever said this would be easy.

[Ankh]

Ankh watches the wolves interacting with one another, trying to ignore the small crowd staring at them A few children talk excitedly with their parents about the big doggies and what they're doing.

It seems to take a few minutes for Ankh to figure out that Animus had spoken to her. She was lost in the subtlty of the language. Finally snapping out of it, she turns to Animus.

"Well, I could try but getting their attention is the hard part." She searches the area for a wolf that is close and tries to snag it's attention. Making a few gutteral sounds in her throat seems to get the wolf to perk up. She makes a few subtle motions with her head and the wolf stands and trots over.

"All right," she says quietly, leaning in to speak. "talking to a wolf is kind of like a sign languag. It's much easier to do so wearing the form but it can be done while you're human. It's just a bit harder. If you want to tell it you're friendly, the best thing to do is allow it to small you first. Most animals can sense or smell your emotions. It's like you wear them as a perfume. Wolves are also scent collecters. Most k-9's are. Thats why they roll around in gross stuff sometimes. Anyway, you have to show that you want to talk."

Ankh squats down and gets her face level with the wolf's. She looks the animal in the eye and tilts her head slightly. The wolf seems to do the same. She looks at Animus then back at the wolf and raises her head a little. The wolf looks at Animus for a long moment, then settles back on it's haunches. Ankh nods and stands up again.

"All right, he says he'll talk to you."