We Are Bulletproof

He laughed, too. At least she wasn't too wound up. He hadn't realized that she was so deeply focused on whatever she was doing. From the looks of the book in her hand and the pencil poised in her fingers, he could deduce she was likely out here to draw. Nature parks and preserves like this really called to the artists, Heath had noticed. Whether it was a camera or a sketchbook, people wanted to take in and bring home a piece of the outdoors.

"Actually," he started, somewhat reluctantly. "There have been some incidents in these woods recently."

Honestly, they should have shut them down but that was bad for Hazleton and their small community. They needed people to visit the park and visit. They needed the income from the visitors and fall was a prime time for tourists in the area right now.

"Probably nothing you need to worry about," he tried to reassure her. "Just make sure you pay attention to your surroundings."

He had a feeling she wouldn't be doing that, though, since she'd been so deeply involved in her work earlier. After a moment, he opened the door to his truck and stepped out.

"I can stay nearby if you'd like. I know how to handle the creatures around here."

Heading out of the depths of the woods in his old chevy, Heath took in a deep breath. Things were going bizarrely in the woods and the park that he had always been so proud of. When he was a kid, he was the type of kid who took part in all that boy scout shit. He went hiking for fun, he loved rock climbing, kayaking, getting out and having an adventure. It wasn't too big a leap when he started working in the wild world of the outdoors shortly after getting out of school.

But the thing was, he had never been quite this prepared for the escalating violence of Hazleton's seedier communities. While he wanted people to enjoy the woods, he was also more wary than he'd ever been about those who were alone.

That was exactly what caught his eye as he was driving out--a lone soul, by themselves and settled cozily on a rock. She looked like she had been sculpted for that rock, the way she sat on it. The world around her had probably melted away for whatever she was doing with those papers.

Heath smiled despite himself. This was exactly what he wanted to see out here. Somebody just being a part of the environment, not a victim of the darkness that had settled in. At least here, it didn't seem to have touched her.

Slowly, Heath came to a stop, rolling down his window and giving his door a slap.

"You okay out here on your own?"

"I do," he said. He was serious about catching a feral and understanding what was happening. Heath didn't want to jump to conclusions and he surely didn't want to go around murdering innocent people. Heath wasn't even into the revenge fantasy thing; he just wanted to find out what happened, get some type of justice for those lives that were lost so cruelly. Heath glanced in the direction of the older ranger and then looked back at Jun Yong.

"We'll meet here tomorrow afternoon? Pete won't be here. Shouldn't be, anyway. And it'll be light so we'll be able to see better."

"Not anybody from town," Heath said carefully. He wondered if it meant anything to Jun Yong or if he knew what it meant for them not to be accounted for in town. Guys like Pete wouldn't even know these people were missing, at least, not the majority of them. They were a small community that lived on their own in the forests around Hazleton. They didn't really come into town. If Heath could liken them to anybody, it might have been a community like the Amish; they eschewed the modern world in favor of their own world. Look what it brought them. Heath wasn't bitter--he was sad. They hid themselves and now nobody would even know they were gone.

Heath looked over at Jun Yong as Pete shook his head and turned back to the station, presumably to radio one of the other rangers. As he did, Heath said in a low tone, "Are you fine from here or would you feel safer if I brought you home?"

"I didn't want to alarm you," Heath said, instantly regretting saying anything in front of a civilian. At the same time, knowing that he was part of the supernatural community--while Pete wasn't--made it somewhat easier. He had to know somehow. Maybe he should have said something sooner. Pete looked at Jun Yong and took in his surprise before clearing his throat and giving Heath a knowing Look. Yeah, well. Pete didn't know all the details either. And to be fair, neither did Heath.

"But yeah, there was a massacre. A bunch of... animals," he glanced at Jun Yong. "They were attacked by those feral wolves that were up north."

"Howdy!" said the other ranger cheerfully as he reached them. He was slightly older than Heath and his hair was already starting to grey at the temples. Heath quickly introduced them, saying, "Jun Yong, this is Pete. Pete, this is Jun Yong."

Pete reached out to take Jun Yong's hand. "Pleasure to meet you." He cut his gaze to Heath. "What were you two doing out there in those parts this late?"

"Actually, there was another attack." He scratched the back of his neck. "More like a massacre, actually..."

(OOC: Feel free to control Pete too.)

"Nope, nothing." Unfortunately.

There wasn't much going on behind them. He was guessing that since the wolves had been thrown off their trail, they were no longer concerned with them. Up ahead, he saw his station and the truck hit rocky territory, jolting them around for a moment. At the station, he could see his replacement waiting, casually looking out into the woods and not looking altogether concerned.

"I guess whatever's happening didn't reach him yet," he said to Jun Yong as he turned into the small parking area and the other ranger began to stroll unhurriedly over to them.

"Hehe, yep. I mean, I shift into a nice sized raptor. Eagle, you know? But..." He tapped his fingers restlessly against the steering wheel, then checked his rearview mirror. Nothing behind them except his tail lights on rough dirt terrain and the trees and shrubbery that flanked it.

"I mean, I can fight a wolf if I have to but a whole pack of 'em? Not so much."

"Shit, you're right," Heath said, seeing that Jun Yong had a point. If they trapped one wolf, others would surely be close behind. Heath let out a sigh and he stepped back on the gas. No wolves had come up to them when he stopped, anyway. Still, he checked in his rearview mirror and he could have sworn he saw something back there, like a glint of light that disappeared before Heath could properly make it out.

"I was thinking of shifting and finding out for myself but..."

"Tire it out," Heath said, still thinking as he spoke. He slowed the truck down a little, checking up and down the trail, wondering if any wolves had managed to keep up with them. Maybe there were some lurking out there right now. He frowned slightly. As much as he wanted to do this now, he also didn't like that it was so dark out. In human form, it was hard to see in the forest. He looked over at Jun Yong as he braked.

"They change back when they're exhausted, right?"

"We could use it to trap one, I think. Is there any way you could make the barrier around the creature?"

Heath looked over at the kid in surprise. The way he was talking, it sounded like he wanted to be a part of it but when Heath said we, he meant himself and the other rangers. Maybe some cops. But this kid? What did Heath even know about him? (He didn't know anything.) For all he knew, he was more powerful than Heath. Witch, was it? Half? Still more powerful than Heath, since he couldn't use anything close to magic.

"Yeah," he said slowly. "Bait one."

He gripped the steering wheel a little harder, then cleared his throat.

"That magic you used, that barrier. Think you could do it again?"

"Not enough of us in the force," Heath said, hoping that Jun Yong caught his meaning. He ran a hand through his hair and turned his gaze out the window as he slowed at a stop sign. After this stop sign was the highway, which they could take out to downtown. Away from here. Somewhere safer. Heath would have to find out more later, since he wasn't sure how much Jun Yong was privy to and he didn't need to drag hapless travelers into the mix.

"I guess we're just going to have to find a feral and ask them for ourselves."

"My boss has been talking about setting up a task force. I guess to drive the ferals back up the mountain. The problem is that we have to wait on cops to investigate why they're down here in the first place. If we send them back up without knowing the full story, they'll just come back."

And then they'd go back to hunting and harming innocent shifters. Being one himself, Heath could hardly sit back and watch it happen right in front of him. He sighed, then glanced over at Jun Yong.

"Did you say what you do for a living yet?" he asked, a somewhat hopeful tone seeping into his voice. "Know any cops, maybe?"

Heath nodded knowingly. That was exactly the problem: they couldn't stick around and simply ask the feral wolves what was going on. Heath didn't know any and it sounded to him like Jun Yong didn't either. Being afflicted as they were, feral wolves weren't forthcoming with their condition and Heath could see why. He wouldn't want to spread that info around, either. But without that information, it meant that they didn't know what was going on or why. Was it biological? Something in the air? Was it something they ought to be worried about?

Scratch that--they were definitely worried about it, especially after a bunch of innocent shifters got the sharp end of their teeth.

"Not sure," Heath said, also trying to figure out what would send them down the mountain. "But there's been a lot of supernatural action around here lately. I bet that has something to do with it."

(Dude, I know those feels too well.)