Anthropomophiana

[Ceri]

Anyone who can decode the title of this thread will know that it basically involves talking animals!

Anthropomorphia is basically giving animals characteristics of humans (see any Disney movie) and Anthropomorphiana is a land similar to ours but entirely covered in nature, so forests, seas and the suchlike, no buildings or anything, but entirely occupied by animals, not including humans.

Let's just see how it goes!

Name: Victor
Race: Fox
Bio: Grew up in a large litter, never the biggest, fastest or smartest but wanting to make a difference in his community.

The situation is that young animals are going missing and it's up to their older, braver siblings to rescue them!

[Phoenix]

Name: Buddy
Race: Hare
Bio: Is a cute baby rabbit who lives with his mother and siblings in the woods, loves adventure and meeting new friends, is jumpy and hyper, which annoys some animals and he doesn't know the dangers of trespassing the farms

[Ceri]

[glow=red,2,300]Yay! [/glow]

Victor poked his head out of the den, sending a shower of snow from the overhanging bows down onto his ears. He shook his head, his eyes lighting up. It had snowed heavily in the night and the field was coated in thick, sparkling white. Victor bounded out of the den, shaking the snow free of his coat. He loved the snow, and the turn in weather seemed like an omen of luck to him.

He hastened across the field and to the little brook at the other side where the icy water hadn't quite frozen, still cutting its way through the snowy banks. Victor leapt down into the shallow water then straight out again, excited. All he had to do was wait for his friend, and they could set out...Victor had decided that it was time for the disappearances of animals to be brought to a stop, and he and his friend were going out to follow the trail and rescue the kidnapped animals.

Victor sat down and waited, hardly able to contain his excitement. Some of the foxes in his family disagreed with making friendships with some of the other animals, and for a time before Victor had been born, dealings of any sort with the hares had been forbidden. But long gone were those rules, and Victor was waiting for his oldest little friend, his closest friend in Blackberry Valley, Buddy.

[Stanic]

Name: Barry
Race: Pigeon
Bio: extremely fat but quite young wood pigeon who enjoys flying around with his mates Fredrick and Sebastian

[Ceri]

As he sat swishing his tail and trying to deduce whether it had grown or not, Victor noticed birds flying overhead. He leapt to his feet, trying to recognise them, and as they circled lower he recognised one.
"Hey, Frederick! FREDERICK! Barry! Sebastian! Down here!"
One of birds, a wood pidgeon, pulled up and shot down to the ground. Victor yelped and dodged as the pidgeon swooped down and soared up again just before hitting the ground, then landing on the branch in front of him. The second sleek pidgeon copied, landing gracefully beside him, and the third didn't pull up in time and hit the ground, bouncing to Victor's feet.
"Nice one, Barry," Frederick called, laughing.
Barry leapt to his little feet. "Why if it isn't young Victor Foxleys," he said, ruffling his feathers. Victor grinned.
"You guys haven't seen Buddy around, have you?"

[Phoenix]

Just then a small fluffy hare attacked Barry, sending them both rolling down a small hill. When they came to a stop, the hare looked at Barry with eyes full of joy.
"Was that fun?!" Buddy hopped off Barry and starting jumping around in circles. "Let's do it again! Look! There's snow! I love snow! Let's have a snow fight! Yeah! Come one everyone!" He turned his back to Barry and started digging a hole, sending snow flying everywhere. Victor and the other pigeons joined them at the bottom of the hill.
"Hey there Buddy" Victor smiled.
"VIctor!" Buddy shouted cheerfully and jumped up and down. "Let's go play! I discovered a great hiding place the other day! YOu know that big oak tree by the river? There's a small space just underneath one of the big roots and only I can fit in there! Let's play hide and seek! I bet you'll never find me!!"

[Ceri]

Victor deftly caught Buddy's tail between his teeth as he tried to run off, dragging the little hare back between his front legs. "We've got enough people to find without you going missing, too," he said.
"Oh yeah!" Buddy cried excitedly. "It'll be like hide-and-seek on a hug scale!" He leapt from Victor's paws and raced a circle around him, snow flurrying everywhere. Victor smiled.
"Barry, you up for joining us? We're going to look for the missing animals."

[[Six]]

Name : Gwyndel.
Species: Pig.
Gender: Female.
Other info: Gwyndel is a grumpy little piglet who lives with her mother and siblings on Oakdale Farm. Where Evil Farmer Kenworth lives she goes out to play with the other animals in the wood when not stuffing her face. She is bossy by nature and always wants her own way.

[Ahelos]

Name:Mini
Animal:Dog
Bio: Mini is a year old Great Dane whose little brother has gone missing. Mini is a large black loveable dog and one of the only remaining youngsters around...
Mini always wants what is best for her friends.

"Woofwoofwoof"
A great big black thing was bounding towards Victor with its tounge sticking out and drool dribbling down its chin
Mini reached Victor and started to lick him all over.
"I've missed *lick* you *lick* Victor!" said a very excited Mini. Suddenly Mini stopped and vigoursly scratched herself and then started going around in circles chasing her tail...

[Ceri]

Victor laughed, shaking his coat and watching the hyper Mini circle himself. Following through the trees came a less enthusiastic animal: a little black-and-white piglet with a stern face that didn't quite match her size.
"Hi, Mini, Gwyndel," Victor said happily. "This is great! We're gonna have no problem finding the others with this many people. So..." He looked around at Mini, Gwyndel, Buddy and Barry. "...You guys all up for it?"

[Phoenix]

Before anyone had time to think, Buddy decided to answer for them
"We're up for it!" he cried. "Another adventure!"
"That's brilliant" Victor said "Basically, we need to work out where these disappearing animals are, and rescue them, and hopefully stop the thieves from taking more animals"
"Just a minute there" Gwyndel said "Who put you in charge? And what are we on about?"

[Ceri]

Victor sighed; he'd never disliked Gwyndel--in fact he enjoyed spending time with her--but she wasn't the easiest person to get along with.
But before he could defend himself, Buddy leapt in again.
"Victor's going to rescue the animals!" he cried. "It's his idea, that's why he's in charge."
Gwydel shuffled her feet but made no further interruption.
"So," Victor said, "does anyone have any ideas?"
"Yes," Barry put in. "I saw...oh, what's her name...that wolf that was slinking around here last month.
"Luna."
"Yeah, that's it. She was around."
Victor frowned. "You think she's behind it?"
"No," Barry said, "but I think she's something to do with it."

[Phoenix]

Name: Scabby
Race: Street cat
Bio: A black urban street cat, vicious, untamed and knows the survival skills, homeless until a random passerby picked her up and took her home. She is now reluctantly owned by a posh woman who renamed her Twinkle, grooms her and gives her a bath every night. Scabby only stays with the new family because she gets nice foods, and she has a collar with a bell attached to it which she hates but can't get rid of.

[Ceri]

"So we'll keep a lookout for Luna," Buddy said impatiently. "Let's go already!"
He bounded off, and Victor followed, laughing. Mini, Gwyndel and Barry quickly scurried after them.
Buddy hopped out of the trees onto the pathway and stopped for the others to catch up. "Where're we looking first?" he asked excitedly.
"I suggest going down to the lake," Victor said thoughtfully. "Past the abandoned farmhouse. Maybe we can--"
Cutting him short, a snarl and a tinkling sound accompanied something fast and black diving from the bushes and straight at Victor. He gave a cry of alarm as it pinned him back to the ground. He shook the dust from his eyes, claws unsheathed, before seeing who it was.
"Scabby--get off me!"
He pushed the black urban cat away from him. Scabby landed on her feet and backed up, watching the group suspiciously.
"What's the big idea?" Barry demanded.
Scabby flicked her tattered tail. "Just checking your guard." She darted around to the other side; Victor spun around to keep her in front of him. "What are you doing?" she asked. "Playing games?"
Victor wasn't sure whether to answer--he didn't fully trust Scabby--but Buddy's mouth beat him to it.
"We're looking for the lost animals," he said defiantly, "and you'd better not get in our way!"
"Oh, that old thing," she said, shaking herself; the bell on her collar tinkled again. Barry and Mini sniggered. "I've got more important things to do than get in your way," she added scornfully.
"You wouldn't happen to know anything about it," Victor said quickly, "would you?"
Scabby flicked her tail again. "Maybe, maybe not. None of your business, Ginger. Get back to your little game. I've got more important things than you."
"Like music?" Mini asked, and she, Barry and Buddy sniggered again. Scabby hissed and Barry scampered behind Mini. Scabby hissed at Victor before slinking away into the bushes.

[Phoenix]

Seconds later a woman's voice echoed across the woods.
"Twinkle honey!" it cried. Scabby quickly appeared from the bushes and looked around in haste.
"You have got to hide me!" Scabby said "I know that tone! It means another bath!" Buddy laughed. THen they heard footsteps and the animals dispersed away, leaving Scabby standing alone, in panic. A tall woman in a long black woolly coat appeared and picked up Scabby.
"There you are, my darling" the woman said "Come on then, let's go and meet your Uncle Ted" Ted was the farmer who owned the large fields beside the woods, and his sister often visited him, always taking Scabby with her. Victor looked up as the woman turned her back to them and walked away, carrying the not so pleased Scabby with her. Once they were out of sight, Victor, Buddy, Barry, Gwyndel and Mini appeared, sniggering.

[Ceri]

"Don't think we'll be running into Twinkle any time soon," Buddy sniggered.
"C'mon," Victor said, getting excited. "Let's go!"

Two hours later Scabby shot out of the catflap, leaving streaks of water and bubbles in her wake, through the farm fence and over the boundary between Anthropomorphiana and the Human world. She shook herself violently, trying to claw the new pink collar from her throat but failing. She growled, licking bubbles from her paws and cursing her owner.
"Well, well, well, what have we here?"
Scabby turned sharply, her bell tinking. Out of the bushes a sleek, silver shape pawed down onto the path. Scabby sighed.
"Luna."
Luna swished her elegant silvery tail, looking her over.
"Morning, Twinkle. Has it been raining?"
"Shut up," muttered Scabby, clawing at her collar.
The She-Wolf paced absently around her. "Saw you sweet-talking with Ginger and his little friends," she said.
"They reckon they're after the missing animals," muttered Scabby. "Fat chance. Victor couldn't find his own den if it was signposted."
"Yeah," Luna said, "and no one will find them where I've hidden them."
Scabby froze. "You...you kidnapped them?" she said faintly. Everyone knew it was a good idea to be cautious around Luna.
"Of course not," Luna said innocently. "My leader did. I simply assisted in hiding them.
"Your leader?" Scabby enquired. "Who?"
"I think you already know," Luna said.
"Not...Torrance?"
"Of course."
Scabby gulped, thinking of the unlawful, intimidating serpent Torrance.
"So," Luna said, enjoying the look on Scabby's face. "Are you going to tinkle along after your little friends?"
"No," Scabby said feircely. "I'm nothing to do with them.
"So you're on my side?" Luna said smoothly. "A wise decision."
"I didn't say--" Scabby began, but then she reconsidered. Was she on their side?
"Well?" Luna pressed, dangerously close to her, her brilliant white teeth shining.
Scabby nervously thought for a second, then said...

[Ahelos]

'I'll...erm *gulp* pretend to be on thier side...a spy...i erm...*gulp* yer, i'm going to go after them...' said Scabby suddenly turning around on her heel and sampered away as quickly as her legs could take her

Mean while, Mini was sniffing the ground trying to find scent of Luna. 'I've found something!' she suddenly barked excitedly. 'Its fresh from today, i found Luna's scent!'

[Ceri]

Victor bounded over, sniffing the air. "Yeah, I think you're right..." He and Mini waited for the others to catch up.
"Not all...of us...can run...as fast...as you," gasped Gwyndel grumpily.
"Look!" Buddy suddenly cried. "Look, look, look!!" He bounced over to the hedge at the side of the path, where a hole had been hastilly dug beneath the undergrowth. Mini sniffed at the edge.
"Luna definately went down here," she informed.
"I'm not going down there," Gwyndal said firmly.
"Seconded," Barry said, scratching the ground nervously.
"I don't think I'll fit," Mini said doubtfully.
"That leaves me and you, Buddy," Victor said. "Want to go first?"

[Phoenix]

Too excited to reply, Buddy disappeared into the hole and a few seconds later they heard him shout, "I'm ok!" Victor turned to face the others. "If you see Luna then be careful. We don't know what she's got in mind." They nodded and Victor squeezed through the hole.
"Come on Vic!" Buddy said "You're taking your time!" He jumped up and down and when Victor emerged from the other side he looked up to see where he was.

[Ceri]

They had come out in a small clearing in the middle of the thick undergrowth; more holes were dug on the other sides of the clearing, leading off in different directions. The smell of wolves was strong here, and confused tracks were imprinted all over the ground.
"Victor!" Mini called from the other side of the bush. "What's going on?"
Victor thought quickly. "We're taking the middle path," he called back. "Make sure no one follows us." He turned to Buddy. "Want me to go first?"
Typically, however, Buddy had already disappeared through the wider hole. Victor sighed and followed.

Barry, Mini, and Gwyndel meanwhile were waiting on the other side. Barry was circling up above keeping a lookout; Mini was sniffing the ground for more tracks and Gwyndel was sitting muttering to herself.