THE RP THREAD!!! *sparkle sparkle*

[Fusion]

Ben looks a little surprized, then relising the missinterpritation responds "Oh! Hehe! I was talking to our friend carrying his moterbike over there! It wouldn't surprize me if Pop and the girls could patch up your ride too all things considered. Oh and you can bunk at my place for a while. I have a spare room, but I'm gona have to clean it up first. You never realise how much junk you have untill you move."

[Kerry Skydancer]

Kerry Skydancer was on his way back from a cropdusting assignment when the vehicle brewed up a few miles to the south of his flight path. Now what have those crazy Todd boys gone and done this time? He chuckled to himself. Heck, I don't have anything else scheduled today. No reason not to go and find out. Looks like it's just a half-mile from the airstrip, I can do that on my own wings.

Fifteen minutes later, the bat dropped out of the sky to join the crowd around the odd wolf and his odder wife. "What's goin' on? And where are the Todds?"

[Wayfarer]

"Road P... Road P.... After Road Q, which came after Road R." The young chipmunk glances down at the WebRoute directions she's holding with her right paw along with the steering wheel. "I'm going down the alphabet... and who knows where in relation to... to..." she looks down at the directions again, "Route 470. I was looking for Route 470. Bother, bother, bother." She sighs, and her head darts back and forth impatiently, from the road to the fields around it to the speedometer and back to the road again. "Lost in the middle of nowhere for over an hour, now. I need to find somewhere to stop and ask for direc-"

Boom!

"Yeepic! What was that?!" From somewhere far down the road on which she's been driving, a pillar of smoke billows skyward. "Oh... blivothithomel! Lost with the road exploding- I hope no one got hurt; I should check, I have a cell phone. Not that I really know what I can do about anything; I should turn around, I'll be in the way, but - what in the world could have happened up th-" At a glance down at the speedometer, the distraught chatter breaks off abruptly. 90 mph. With a deep breath, the chipmunk deliberately loosens her paws on the steering wheel and slows down a bit. "Okay, Lauril, calm down. Now you're going to keep going a ways and find out what's going on. You can hurry a bit, but no need to explode your own car. That won't be helpful."

======

A short time later, Lauril approaches the wreckage to see a sizeable and growing collection of vehicles and individuals. "Okay, then. Lots of people. Of course, of course. Something exploded, after all. So... they probably have everything covered. Stop or not, stop or not? Notnotnotnot," she mutters to herself before declaring resolutely, "Just stop. You can ask if anyone needs to make a phone call, and you can get directions if they don't." She pulls up behind another car and cautiously unbuckles and opens her door. She steps out and watches the group for a moment, then finally works up her nerve to speak.

"So... umm... I heard an explosion and saw a bunch of smoke." She looks rapidly, nervously, from one member of the group to the next. At the sight of some of the larger and more unusual members of the group, she begins speaking a little more quickly and shuffles a little closer to the side of her car. "I'm guessing from the looks of things that everything's okay. Well, except that car. But I have a cell phone if anyone needs it." She breaks off for a moment and looks down at the ground. "And, uhhh, if not... would any of you happen to know somewhere nearby that I can stop and get a map?"

[Kerry Skydancer]

The bat smiles, and sweeps a bow to the nervous chipmunk. "What sort of map did you have in mind? I've got some extra copies of the local topographic sheets and flight directories at the field, just continue south and take the second left. And if it's road maps you want, Pop has them at the garage, a couple miles further along."

[Earl McClaw]

Ben looks a little surprized, then relising the missinterpritation responds "Oh! Hehe! I was talking to our friend carrying his moterbike over there!"

After setting down his motorcycle and a moment of steady breathing, the white tiger said, "Thanks for the tip. I was looking for a repair shop."

Addressing the fox, he gestured to what's left of the car and said, "Last time I saw something that far gone was my Uncle Red's salvage yard. He was using it for parts for his tank."

"Oh, and the name's McClaw, by the way," he adds, extending his hand.

[The JAM]

The jaguar couldn't help but notice the attire, or near lack of it, of Pop's assistants.

"Um...." he told the dog, "Shouldn't they be using.....uh....more protective attire? They ARE dealing with greasy parts."

"Ah, don't mind them. Sometimes we get over 100 degrees here, and those ladies are not going to stuff themselves in a stuffy overall all day long."

Just then the squirrelmaid padded by and deliberately brushed her tail against the feline. "Hey stranger," she churred. "You wouldn't happen to be related to Antonio Banderas?"

"N--no----" he stuttered, "--more like Edward James Olmos. Antonio Banderas is a Spaniard, I'm Mexican."

"Oh? You sound a bit like him....with that cute Spanish accent of yours...."

"Uh...I...I......" Ah, yes! A distraction! "I....think you have a fire over there," he said, nodding to a column of black smoke in the distance.

Everyone turned and saw the column.

"Is Nip trying another mega-stunt?" asked the doe.

Just then the old dog ran out of his office. "Just got a call from the locals. Seems a car blew up near the highway. I'll continue here and you girls go fetch that wreck, okay?"

"Okay, Pops!!" they chorused, and ran into the garage.

The jaguar could only stare as they bounded by and then left in their tow truck.

"Now, I hear you're needing some breakfast?"

[Wayfarer]

The bat smiles, and sweeps a bow to the nervous chipmunk. "What sort of map did you have in mind? I've got some extra copies of the local topographic sheets and flight directories at the field, just continue south and take the second left. And if it's road maps you want, Pop has them at the garage, a couple miles further along."

Lauril smiles back to the bat, though still somewhat nervously, and returns his bow with sort of an odd bow/nod of her own.
"Oh, um, road map. I'm lost. Rather lost. I'll find this garage you're talking about if I just keep going straight, then?" She sighs to herself and mutters, "Yay for figuring out where I am." She raises her eyes back to the bat and adds, "Thank you, sir. I've been wandering around for about an hour already, and I’m rather far from home... I really should know better than to leave with only WebRoute directions to go on. But in any case, I've been just a little stressed." She looks over at the still-smoking wreck of a car. "Of course, I suppose I wasn't quite as stressed as the owner of that must be."

[Spacewolfomega]

Omega held up his hands, feeling a bit overwhelmed. There were a lot of people arriving and it only seemed to add to his confusion. He took a moment, trying to take in the situation. Sebastis moved behind him, a bit shy of all the newcomers.

"Well, Mac," he finally said. "I'm not sure about doing any repair on your vehicle, but if Ben here says he might be able to fix it up, maybe I could help you push it into town. Sebastis and I just left the repair facility this 'Pops' fellow runs. He didn't have anything I need, but he might have something to fix up your ride."

Omega looked doubtful, however. The vehicle looked like it had been fragged by a Borellian Mukiyak.

"By the way," Omega continued. "It looks like some of us are newcomers here, like my wife and I, and some of us are locals. Who's who? I think we may need someone to show us around and get us set up. I'm needing some repair parts for my ship, so if anyone knows anything about plasma generators, that'd be a big help, too."

Suddenly, there was a loud growling sound. It took a moment for everyone to realize it was coming from Sebastis' stomach. She blushed a bit when everyone looked her way.

"And a place to eat would be nice, too!" she grinned.

Omega laughed. "I guess we could use that... it's been..."

Suddenly his ears perked up and a chill ran down his spine.

Sebastis put her hand on his shoulder. "What is it, Wolfie?"

He shook his head. Was it his warrior's senses? Or was it something else?

"I don't know... maybe I'm just being paranoid. You ever get the funny feeling you're being watched?"

[Sharuuk]

The IR ranging lasers in the scope confirmed that the group was 3.265mi from the old house and with the sun mostly above and behind it, illuminated the scene below perfectly. The big wolf watched the growing group on the monitor for a few more minutes, observed the hand shakes and apparent introductions and concluded that once again Malarkey County hospitality was in high gear.

He smiled at the memory of how they had treated him when he showed up about 3 years ago and bought this place. "The Haunted Hunsacker House" they called it......couldn't understand why anyone would want to live here what with all the stories and legends.....and the disappearances! Still, the location and the house itself was perfect for his experiments.

"The Professor" they called him..or more accruately, "Pr'fesser"...and not in a derogotory way. Granted he didn't throw lavish parties, not really his style, but the townsfolk had always made him feel comfortable around them. Some of his quirks may be a bit off setting, like the fact he always wore dark wrap-around glasses, even at night and indoors. Or that he rarely smiled widely enough to show his teeth.....still wasn't sure how they'd react to that little physicality. He glanced at his hands.....OR the fact that his claws were made of the same living bio-metal....which is why he kept them painted black. He noted with satisfaction how the new epoxy-acrylic coating he'd formulated seemed to hold up much better, not chipping or peeling off so easily, than any other thing he'd tried.

Blinking and shaking his head out of his reverie, he took one last, long close-up look at the Sphinx and her companion and then shut down the 'scope and monitors.

He did note that just as the image faded and the shutters on the cupola closed, he saw the wolf shudder slightly ears twitching, and glance around, although not in this direction.

"Hmmmmm.....interesting.....perceptive.......good....VERY good."

[IronFox]

Ben looks a little surprized, then relising the missinterpritation responds "Oh! Hehe! I was talking to our friend carrying his moterbike over there! It wouldn't surprize me if Pop and the girls could patch up your ride too all things considered. Oh and you can bunk at my place for a while. I have a spare room, but I'm gona have to clean it up first. You never realise how much junk you have untill you move."

"Sounds good to me, pally." He sets his backpack down on the ground and rummages through it. He pulls out a wine bottle and offers it to the bengal tiger.
"I'd like to give you this. You know, for allowing me to stay at your place. It's not much, but it's all I've got. Oh, jeez, where are my manners. The name's Mac. Pleased to meet you." He extends a hand to shake.

[Tbolt]

The silver fox stepped back a bit from the increasingly large crowd, it seemed like no one was injured. He walked back to his Humvee and pulled out a large pair of Russian binoculars. A few quick calculations had him standing just off the road beside the wreck. He scanned the hillside looking for something, his tail twitching slightly towards the burning vehicle.

[Fusion]

Ben shakes both McClaw's and Mac's hands. "Pleased to meet 'cha! Thanks, but could you keep a hold of it for a bit? I don't have anyplace to carry it right now." He glances around at the rest of the gathered group. "Boy! You sure draw a crowd!" He comments begging to feel a little overwelmed by the shear number of people.

[Spacewolfomega]

Omega's focus began to broaden back out again. For a moment, his senses had been on full alert. It had to have been more than just a feeling, but just as he started to become aware of some other presence... it was gone.

He watched as everyone was shaking hands, getting acquainted. It was a welcome change from Sebastis and him feeling like they were always on the run. Everyone here was friendly enough and the prospects of him ever returning home seemed to always grow ever more dim. Perhaps he should take a break and spend some time in this Malarkey County.

As he surveyed the crowd, something caught his attention. Someone was missing. He quickly looked around and noticed the old silver fox had returned to his armored transport and pulled out a pair of binoculars, scanning the nearby hillside. At least now Omega knew his suspicions were correct. Someone or something was out there and he hadn't been the only one to take note.

He turned to Sebastis. "You might want to get ready to go airborne, hon. I'll be right back."

In an instant he was over by Piotr's side.

"What is it, Peecher?"

[The JAM]

[don't forget that the girls are on their way with the tow truck]

[IronFox]

Ben shakes both McClaw's and Mac's hands. "Pleased to meet 'cha! Thanks, but could you keep a hold of it for a bit? I don't have anyplace to carry it right now." He glances around at the rest of the gathered group. "Boy! You sure draw a crowd!" He comments begging to feel a little overwelmed by the shear number of people.

Mac nods and tucks the wine bottle back in his backpack of wonders and glances at the crowd. "Well, MacDougals tend to be exhibitionists." He straightens up and looks up the road towards town. "Well...looks like someone's bringing a tow truck. That's handy."

[Fusion]

Ben looks where Mac is. Without having to see the emblem on the side he comments, "Ah good! The Pop girls are here! Now my only question is will they try to tow it or load it up in peices?"

[IronFox]

Mac turns to survey the car. "Well, the rear axel's snapped, and I'm not too sure about the condition of the tires on the front. If I had to guess, what we really need here is a flatbed, maybe a plasma cutter, and definetly a fire extinguisher."

[Earl McClaw]

Ben looks where Mac is. Without having to see the emblem on the side he comments, "Ah good! The Pop girls are here! Now my only question is will they try to tow it or load it up in peices?"

McClaw looked over his shoulder at the approaching truck. *Pop girls?* he thought to himself. *Oookay... should be interesting.*

Mac turns to survey the car. "Well, the rear axel's snapped, and I'm not too sure about the condition of the tires on the front. If I had to guess, what we really need here is a flatbed, maybe a plasma cutter, and definetly a fire extinguisher."

"Assuming it hasn't already consumed everything combustable," the tall tiger said under his breath. After clearing his throat, he observed, "They've got one of the old-style hook tow trucks. I think towing's the only thing they can do."

Hefting his cycle and carrying it off the road, he said (to nobody in particular), "Maybe we should give them some room to work."

[IronFox]

"Assuming it hasn't already consumed everything combustable," the tall tiger said under his breath. After clearing his throat, he observed, "They've got one of the old-style hook tow trucks. I think towing's the only thing they can do."

Hefting his cycle and carrying it off the road, he said (to nobody in particular), "Maybe we should give them some room to work."

Mac drags his backpack off to the side and shrugs.
"Well, we'll see what they can do. Personally, though, I'd say that heap's a loss"

[Sebastis]

Tbolt wrote

The silver fox stepped back a bit from the increasingly large crowd, it seemed like no one was injured. He walked back to his Humvee and pulled out a large pair of Russian binoculars. A few quick calculations had him standing just off the road beside the wreck. He scanned the hillside looking for something, his tail twitching slightly towards the burning vehicle.

Sebastis comes to where her husband and the silver fox are standing. She looks at them both. Pulling out what looks like a stick with the head of a cobra carved in a gold for a handle. She holds it infront of her and it elongates in to a full bo staff.

Wolfie, is something wrong? She askes. Looking from her husband to the fox.