Volume I: The Lost Boys

Still attuned to Skipper’s senses, Enola beckons the little mouse to return to her silently. The mouse obeys, scurrying back to the locker. It is then that Enola bends down as if pretending to tie her shoe, allowing Skipper to crawl up her sleeve. Enola then carries the little miscreant back up to her locker and hides him in her bag again.

"Good work, Agent Skipper." She then slips an even bigger piece of cheese from her lunch for the mouse to nibble on. Enola then packs her bag and closes the locker as if nothing happened.

It is certainly commendable to see Ogre be the bigger person…well, emotionally and physically. Stacy and all of those girls were a damned nuisance, always thinking they were on top of the pecking order and that everyone is beneath them. Sure, Wyoming also had its fair share of cliques, but her mom Blair - originally the sheriff of her town - made regular visits to the school to ensure everyone was at least cordial with one another. This place seemed far more barbaric in that sense. She shakes off the thought before heading to class, already exhausted before the day even officially started.

***** Later that afternoon *****

The run-in with the Harpies was enough to sour anyone’s mood. It would have been nice if you could put the entire ordeal behind you, but unfortunately, the trio shared classes with most of you, and school being school, there was no way to avoid running into them in the future.

The day drew to its end, the school drama nearly forgotten as you recuperated in the comfort of your homes. That short respite was interrupted when a text message, sent from Vermite on your discrete channel, buzzed on your phones.

Enola had spent a couple of hours after school searching for Mr. Sleepy, or rather recruiting the neighbourhood rats, mice, and squirrels for her own personal information network. It took a couple of hours, but eventually they led her down the right grapevine. A black squirrel by the name of Squidge pointed her towards an alleyway, claiming they recently saw a cat matching Mr. Sleepy’s description. Wanting to not frighten her quarry, Enola sneaked her way into the alley through the shadows. Sure enough, Mr. Sleepy was there, but with a rather unusual cohort. A disheveled man in ragged clothes clung to the small cat. At first, Enola suspected him to be a homeless passerby who found Mr. Sleepy. However, her enhanced sense of smell started to pick up an odd scent about him: blood and rot, lots of it. His movements and behaviour seemed unusual, and there is something very suspicious about his form. Looking around the alleyway, she also noticed the scattered remains of various animals, including feathers, fur and bones. Something wasn’t right.

Unsure of what the stranger has in store, Enola airs on the side of caution and contacts the team.

Hey all. I could use some help over at 4th and 5th. There’s someone here that’s really setting off my alarm bells. Reeks of animal blood. Not sure what to make of it. Can explain more once you get here. Thx.

Enola shoots the text off to the rest of the group before reaching into her backpack for her costume. She pulls out the folded oilskin coat and respirator, both of which came from her dad’s old auto shop back in Wyoming.

"Time to get to work," she tells herself and she begins to don the costume.

The pungent smell of rotting flesh was overwhelming. Hard to determine if it came from the milky-eyed man with the dusty gray skin and yellow fingernails himself, or from the pile of bones, blood, and animal fur littering the back alley.

And while there was no definite answer (yet) to Retribution's question about the danger the strange man posed, what WAS certain, is that one very-lazy orange tabby cat squirming in his hands was in immediate danger. Unfazed by the panicked hissing cat scratching and clawing, the man opened his mouth to reveal a set of rotten, but very functional, teeth.

Mr. Sleepy's fate was going to be decided in the span of a split second, because it looked like the man was quite willing, if not eager, to devour the cat alive.

"Good to see everyone came," Vermite answers everyone, just as she witnesses the stranger open their monstrous maw. "We’ve definitely got a situation on our hands, I’d say!"

Though she’s not as reactive as Retribution, Vermite is still quick to act. As Mr. Sleepy begins to scurry away, she moves rapidly to snatch him up into her arms. At first, the cat understandably resists.

"I’ve got you! You’re okay. Shh shh shh."

Eventually Mr. Sleepy relaxes, though still shaking and clearly on edge. Vermite sighs in relief, then turns her attention to the situation at hand. She nestled Mr. Sleepy into her backpack before pointing at the stranger.

"Anyone have any idea what we’re dealing with here?!"