Alder Heights what's the name of that one reality show

Morning of March 10th, perhaps pre-dawn

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Dakota had never, ever had such an intense feeling of not knowing where the fuck he had woken up. Which felt pretty extreme, given the number of times he'd gotten absolutely blasted out of his own mind and woken up not in the last place he remembered being. This was a new level of where the fuck am I. He was naked, face down in soft, short blades of newborn green grass. A park? Someone's front yard? A highway median? Which one was the worst option? Was it worth pulling his face out of the dirt to find out?

With a groan, he pulled his arms up from where they were flopped at his sides, a little cold, a little tingly, to brace underneath him. He lifted his head, taking in his surroundings blearily. It was a park, at least. Sure beat the other two options he'd feared. But the bottom line was still that... he was butt-ass naked in public, with no idea what had happened to the night behind him, or where he was. He was embarrassed, and a little freaked out.

Particularly because he was not alone in this park. So far from alone, in fact, that someone was approaching him, and he wanted to absolutely combust, feeling a sharp thorn of irritation at the back of his throat. Noooo.

Outfit and just kinda disheveled from the night

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Post full moons were always a lazy feeling, the next day something she’d look forward to just treating herself with naps and junk food. Yes, please, and y’know what really seemed to hit the spot with that? The good ‘ol greasy diner right on the way from driving from outside town.

Driving into town she all, but slammed the brakes passing the usual calm park, hair flying forward as the dog barked from its usual chillness after the moon. Look, look, looook, screeeeahhh. Rattled, she did just that and wouldn’t you know, right out her window there seemed to be god damn dead body some feet back. What in the fuck? Talk about a first thing for everything.

Pulling forward, she parked hastily near the curb before slamming open the door. Not the best parking, but Kara didn’t intend to be here long. Marching over, the very air tasted loudly like were. Tiger tiger tiger. And he was awake, those arms coming up showing life, then why wasn’t he leaving? What a weird place to shift. ”Hey, wakey wakey buddy, get on your feet before some soccer mom sees you,” Kara said while coming up. If he didn’t by the time she arrived, Kara fully intended on kicking him on the side.

It was one thing to be naked in front of a woman. It was another thing entirely to be at risk of being naked in front of several of them, or several men, or... god, their rotten little offspring. He could get real shit on his rap sheet for that. What if he just... stayed with his junk planted firmly in the grass? Was that less bad?

He stared wearily at the woman marching up to him, absolutely not understanding the blinks of black and brown that moved in the back of his eyes, nor the yawning pressure in his gut that made him want to slap this chick. Had he fucking poisoned himself last night?

Dakota did not stand up. He only stared, dazed and confused. "Where the fuck... where are we?"

He just stared at her as Kara approached, literally nothing remotely following what she’d just said. The question coming out had her huffing, feeling some kind of self righteousness about this whole deal. This was her home and some naked were wasn’t about to bring the cops or news down on it.

The dude had no idea where he was, typical. Was he maybe new? ”Alder Heights.” A quick snippet of info before aiming a kick at the side of his thigh, urging him on. ”Get the fuck up twinkletoes and we’ll go down memory lane in private.”

---

Hit!

Alder Heights. Right. He had some... vague idea of the region, but had never really ventured into it more than a few times. He didn't exactly have a lot of time to ruminate over it, because this bitch was kicking him! It intensified that great anxious feeling in his gut, and the muscles in his back twinged fiercely. There was no energy for him to shift, but he glared up at her with offended pink eyes as she spoke down to him. Literally, down to him, because... yeah.

"Chill the fuck out, you little spaz," he groused up at her, but... in the end, he moved to collect himself from the springtime lawn so that he could follow her, hands cupping his junk protectively. God, this was absolutely humiliating as fuck. Why were women so fucking mean?

Ohhh, pinky here didn’t like being told his life of grass ass was over, well too bad tiger. Spaz as an insult had her glaring at him, but not much else, glad to see the direction being followed. ”Whatever, we’re going to my car.” Yeah, it was gonna be a walk of shame, but they’d all been there.

Turning as he awkwardly stood, she’d head with a purpose back to the old camaro guessing the man didn’t want to be seen more so than bolting for it. ”Not from here, I’m guessin’?” Here as in Alder Heights, a gesture she did with a swing of an arm.

Opening the driver’s door, she sat heavily down with the door still open before leaning over the console, a foot pushing partly on the door frame to help her reach to pull up the lock so he could get inside too. There, she’d back up and twist partly back to get access to things on the backseat. Grasping a blanket that smelled of sun after being stuck in the car for who knew how long, Kara righted herself as she held it out for him. ”Here.”

Whatever. He mocked her in the highest pitched voice he could manage, but only in his head, following along without looking anywhere except the next spot on the ground he would be walking. His response to her question was a noncommittal grunt, feeling far from conversational while his ass cheeks jiggled in the crisp morning air as they walked to her piece of shit car.

It should be worth noting that Dakota's car, nowhere around them, was also an old piece of shit.

She could absolutely not have taken any longer to unlock the door for him (she could have), and he was more eager to sit down in a stranger's car than he had ever been in his entire life. He all but snatched the blanket from her grasp with one hand, shaking it out to lay over his lap, and then he sank down in his seat with a sigh that was nearly a groan.

"Hawknell," he informed her flatly. With any luck, his apartment wouldn't be a fucking crime scene.

Snatched from her grasp, she let the hand drop, moving to close the door firmly, the car rocking in its wake. Hawknell, ordered as if she was his damn chauffeur and it made her jaw clench some. A sharp orange-eyed look was given to him as the dog reeled.

Sitting heavily back, Kara snapped the seatbelt over her with a click. Making her voice gruffer in a very poor uncaring imitation of him, she started. ”Wow, thanks for saving my ass from being on the 7am morning news back there that was so nice, would you mind taking me to Hawknell?” Back to her normal voice. ”You’re so welcome and sure thing, we weres have to stick together.” Was the point made? Either way, she started up the car, various dings sounding as hand went to the shifter and she made to pull away from the curb.

She glared at him, and he didn't look at her beyond what he could see from the corner of his eye, sulking through the front windshield pointedly. Next, it was mockery, and Dakota lacked the social grace to keep from rolling his eyes, jaw soft with shame and loathing. Weres had to stick together. That earned her a look, brow furrowed, mouth an incredulous frown. It might explain the weird... wet dog smell in the car, unless maybe she had a pet dog.

"You are the meanest fucking altruistic person I have ever met," he informed her. "Why the fuck did you pick me up if it's such a burden." Weres sticking together, what kind of bullshit guilt trip was that, even. This was practically a kidnapping!

Mean? Her brows stayed furrowed as she watched the road. She was being pretty dang nice considering. And weren't there in theory, maybe, said the hyenas she'd run into, vampires on this side of town?

”Because I don’t need you getting everyone all suspicious again in my part of town.” It wasn’t like she was some perfect angel having shifted here by accident too, but he didn’t need to know that.

”Why're you running around in the city when you could've stayed in Hawknell's woods? Can you remember your shifts?” Kara looked from the road to him at that.

Oh, good, his salty savior was the fucking furry neighborhood watch. He rescinded his descriptor of altruistic. >:(

For her question, he threw his hands up in the limited space of her car, not looking at her. "I have no fucking idea what's going on," he all but shouted, absolutely exacerbated. "I've been to Alder Heights, like - twice, tops! First time streaking in the neighborhood, though. Gotta say, not as great as it sounds!"

End rant.

The outburst came with it some clarifying points. Yeah, he was new to this whole thing for sure, one hundred percent. Second, he had no control, the tiger’d just done what it’d wanted. Great. Finally, streaking wasn’t a favored past time, understandable, it wasn’t hers either.

Turning her attention back to the road, she eased on the brake as a stoplight turned yellow ahead.

”You don’t have any tiger buddies with you showing you the ropes?”

Surely there was one up north with an affinity towards bikes that might've bitten this dude.

Dakota hated yellow lights. Why was she slowing down. Just blow through it! Get him home!

"Nah," he scoffed, arms folding over his chest, pinning the blanket against himself. "Whatever fuckhead bit me is back in Denver. I'm supposed to go visit some knowledgeable dude at a fuckin'... plant shop or some shit to get the hookup, I guess." Even though he was a jaguar and not a tiger. Did that really matter? Daniel had kind of made it sound like it did. Chill-ass crocodile dude. Fuck.

And stopped, the car idling as the dude explained he was out of luck, Mr. Tiger Sire was back in Denver of all places. As for the knowledgeable dude, she let out a sharp exhale laugh through her nose and mouth. The description was ridiculous, honestly.

”That’s the first I’ve heard of some all knowing plant hippy.” Pushing back her hair, Kara leaned an arm against the side of the door, skin hitting the cool window. God, what a weird morning. She was babysitting and going the direct opposite way of home.

”You gonna go there today?”

All-knowing plant hippy. Not what he'd said, but Dakota had spent too much of his energy almost-screaming to correct her. He closed his eyes in lieu of rolling them, letting his head rock to the side so that when his eyes did open, he didn't have to look at her.

"I don't know," he groused, ear folding some between his head and the seat. "I got other shit to worry about first. Like how the fuck I got out of my apartment."

That wasn’t a great answer and she bit the inside of her cheek. It should be that he was gonna high tail it over there right now considering how his night and morning had gone.

The light turned green again and she hit the gas, eyes fully on the road once more.

Wait a second… ”You shifted in your apartment?” Like on purpose???

The questions were exhausting. Dakota sighed, open-mouthed, and shook his head with uncertainty. "I fuckin' guess. It's the last place I remember being." He raked a hand back through his hair, then dropped it to his chest again. "I didn't know last night was going to be the full moon." The admission came out in a grumbling tone, embarrassed with himself.

That really blowed, the entire place was probably a goner. Hopefully, he had some kind of apartment insurance. As for not knowing yesterday was gonna be the full moon Kara recognized he was new to this, calendars were hard, no one really much paid attention to the cycles unless they were obsessed for some reason. But also, he was new to this, there should’ve been some kinda hyperfocus on shit.

Turn blinker on, she made to get on a more heavy traffic street.

”Memorize that farmer’s almanac man, get an app or somethin’.”

She had advice for him, which was... essentially... to make sure he knew when the next full moons were. Which, you know, no shit! Dakota grumbled another melancholic sound. "Is that every fucking full moon, then?" Daniel had mentioned the next - er, last? - full moon would be the night his transformation was complete, or whatever. He guessed it made sense for it to be... every single fucking full moon for the rest of his life, then. Did Hollywood get that one right?

An exhale with a light shake of her head would proceed his response. Damn, what'd he think a were was? ”Man, this isn’t some kinda thing you can just clock out of. Every moon, like clockwork for the rest of your life you’re gonna shift.” Using a hand to emphasize as much with the side of it lightly hitting the steering wheel, she looked to him briefly before to the mirror and her blind spot. ”And then whenever you’re feeling huffy or hungry or whatever the fuck gets your heart pumpin’ you'll just, poof.”

Changing lanes, she sped up. They’d be here for a few till they got where ever it was he called home in Hawknell.

She described it as pretty much... inescapable! Yeah! He kinda figured that much, theoretically, but. It was sinking in a little. Every full moon. Any time he got excited in any way. Any of that shit put him at risk of turning into a god damn tiger, with no god damn brain.

Dakota was quiet for a moment, and then, he voiced a very quiet and eloquent sentiment of "Fuck." To follow: more grave silence.

Quiet and then the best response there honestly could be. ”Mmm.” So, he’d met some dude that’d pointed him to some plant Splinter guy, but hadn’t been imparted with any of this info? No wonder he’d been found in a park.

Letting the silence be for a minute or so, she figured it was best to at least figure out where things fell for him. No sire, just getting passed off to one or the other. Well, it was taking a village, but maybe she could impart some stone on the path for him to have a smoother ride through it. ”Know anything else bout being a were or are you a hundred percent in the blind here?”

Dakota was distantly aware that he could not just sulk in silence for the rest of the ride. He'd have to speak up eventually to tell her where to turn, how to get him to his potentially disastrous apartment. He almost wished he could just have her dump him off at some fucking Ross or something instead, but he didn't even have his god damn wallet. He felt a little bit fucking doomed here.

She spoke up after a while though, pulling him out of his sour thoughts. "I know my soul split in half, if I fuckin' got a soul," he scoffed, frowning out the window. "And I'm supposed to... eat more meat and make friends or some shit." Not doing Daniel any justice here, honestly, but it was absolutely one of the farthest things from his mind. His brain was marinating in self-pity and suffering.

The soul comment was weird. Was that something someone had told him or was it a guess? It wasn’t a split as far as she was concerned and yeah he had one, a salty one, but it was definitely there like everyone else’s. But, everyone had their own beliefs Kara guessed, but she’d stay quiet there, biting her tongue.

Eating more meat. ”Yep.” Make friends. ”Yep.” But he wasn’t doing that, wrong. ”You’re gonna have to take that last bit of advice if you want to remember what’s going on when you’re shifted even if it ain't your thing. There’ll be less chance of what happened this morning."

There was the road sign for the exit to Hawknell coming up, he'd have to start telling her where to go soon.

He needed to find friends in order to know what the hell happened whenever he turned into a tiger. Cool. He loved needing a babysitter. "Aight," he acknowledged her gruffly, not in the mood to concede or make promises to his random bitchy hero. Something for future Dakota to worry about.

The exit sign passed them, and his eyes tracked it briefly before flickering back to the road. He would tell her what turns to take and what landmarks to look out for, otherwise silencing himself unless she had some more enthralling conversation for him.

That was promising. If she saw his literal stripey ass in Alder Heights again Spots was going to bite him, a suggestion that had her teeth hungry, wanting to clamp onto something. Filling around the console, she grabbed a pack of gum and unwrapped a piece to throw into her mouth to pacify. First drop off, then breakfast definitely.

As she was told where to turn off, Kara complied, taking in the area, the neighborhoods, mentally remembering it all just in case. Apartments would come into view and she slowed. ”I bet you went out a window." She had!

Watching his familiar complex rise into view inspired feelings of dread for the unknown. His driver had a remark that fanned that flame, and he cast her a heavy-lidded look of dissatisfaction. "Great." Spoken bitterly, before he gestured with a finger. "Left here. Building five."

From the parking lot, the window that his soul shard had leapt through was not visible. There was no crowd, no police officers - nothing to suggest that he'd done some god awful thing, which was... actually helpful!

He was in for a shitty surprise.

The look was honestly worth it and she sent a shit eating grin back at the words. It very much could be a possibility so it wasn’t really out of malice.

Turning where instructed, she’d slow to a stop near a curb, taking in the building. Nothing flashy to show some shit had went down, lucky duck. ”Look at that, the coast seems clear.” Setting the car in park, she sat back, looking at him fully. ”Any chance you left it unlocked?”

The coast did seem clear, indeed. Dakota sighed heavily, moving to undo his seatbelt as she put the car in park. Was the door unlocked? Probably. He'd never been much of a stickler for locking it when he was home, over-confident in his ability to ward off unwelcome guests. Besides, not like a fucking tiger could unlock doors.

(They didn't fucking need to.)

"Yep," he assured her flatly, feeling pretty confident in that, for all he was now beginning to wonder... how the fuck he'd managed to escape his apartment at all. Ugh. He blew air out through his lips, fingers resting on the door handle. "If you wanna wait a second I can get dressed and bring your blanket back to you."

”Nice.” The dude wouldn’t be forced to get through whatever hole the tiger had made.

There seemed to be a moment of thought from the guy and there was a want to give him some kind of hunger games salute, a kiss to three fingers and all as he marched his hiney up stairs in a moment. It’d be alright.

Waiting for her blanket was already on the ticket for the day so she grinned with a nod.

”That’d be great. I’ll be here.”

Yep, sure she would be. Holding the blanket firmly about himself, he pushed his way out of the car, clutching the fabric up around his waist. The concrete was cold on his bare feet, but not quite biting, continuously mitigated by his body's insane fever. Apparently that was part of the package here. Cool.

The door opened with ease, as expected, but the sight that greeted him was fucking nightmarish. Deep gouges in the sofa and in his walls, angry lines that revealed stuffing and plaster respectively. On the far side of his living room, on the wall that faced the apartment's iron fence, was his god damn escape window. The glass was shattered open, the blinds absolutely destroyed and slouched in a pile on the floor. Explained the lack of difference between inside and outside temperatures. Fucking aces.

He spent many long moments just staring in disbelief and dread and fury. The thing that got him moving was that persistent, immense hunger, and the need to give whats-her-face her blanket back and be done with her. Ugh.

He moved, finally, absolutely not wanting to deal with any of this, completely without the presence of mind to be grateful that none of his gear had been stolen through the night. Pulled on pants and a shirt, grabbed the blanket off his floor and wadded it up. Walked back outside, brain reminiscent of a bad cable reception. She was still there, waiting for her blanket, of course.

Dakota opened the door and dumped the blanket on her passenger seat, shut the door, and turned away to march sullenly back to his disaster of a life.

Off he went and Kara turned up the radio while she waited for him to figure out what hellscape he had created. There were definitely claw marks places and she still wondered if it had been some window or what if! A wall? Could a were straight up go through drywall and concrete that easily?

An approaching presence had her snapping attention back to the passenger door and through the window she saw him approach with the blanket while his body was clothed. Good. The door was open. ”Thanks you. Yo-” And then suddenly closed before she could say anything. Kara frowned as his back turned to her, jamming a finger to a button, the window rolled down with a soft shhh at a pace too slow for the moment, but enough so talking was made available quick enough. ”Dude, go to that plant shop, okay? It'll be worth it.” Whether he’d say anything, she’d watch him till he was out of sight or at least climbing stairs before shifting the car and rolling away.

He'd cut her off mid-sentence, which only distantly registered as rude. She persisted, anyway, calling out to him, encouraging him to go to the damn plant shop. It would be worth it! He didn't know what was worth shit these days, but he figured that it probably couldn't get much worse from here. Maybe. His response to her would be a thumb jutted up and out, without looking back at her.