Sammie had walked up on the big dog and the cat... who wasn't scared of her at all so that was a good thing. the only thing was that the cat just kinda pointed then started walking and Sammie kept up with it. They made their way to the back of a building after Sammi got through the opening after the cat did but looked back for their friend who might just be a bit bigger than the opening... As she waited Sammie looked for the cat but it was gone..'I will find it again..just gotta wait for our other friend...' Sammie thought

Artemis stared at the sudden appearance of a bluish orb of fur inside the hideout. That was not what he had expected at all! What was going on? Perhaps this unknown object was related to the circumstances they were facing right now? Nothing should have been able to get into the base unless they had specifically allowed it. Was there some kind of mistake in his security system? Had he made a critical error when updating it to allow for pets that received their call?

The white feline moved slightly closer to Luna, ready to protect her if he needed to.

Angus
Angus noticed the smaller dog, but was too scared to approach. He kept glancing at the area the blue cat had led them to-and then back at the smaller dog. It was obvious that the smaller pup would be able to fit, but what about him? His tail drooped yet again, and he began to whimper. This is normally when his family would move something out of the way so he'd be able to fit wherever he was trying to fit-but that couldn't be done here. His legs shaking even more, he just decided to run. If he didn't-he'd lose what little nerve he had. Catching a whiff of the blue cats scent near some odd hole-after his shoulders bumped the walls a bit-he ducked his head and walked in, panting heavily and plopping on the ground with a resounding "thud." It was the most running he'd done in a while.

Sammie looked around and waited for the bigger dog to either find some way to join them or just give up. Sammie then saw what looked to be their friend and sniffed around and found him following him apparently into the inside of some building. On the way in Sammie ended up running right into the bigger dog face first and fell dazed for a moment. She then stood back up and saw the cat they followed plus two other cats..."Ok..can someone please tell me that we are in the right place? If this is not an ar..c..ade...or whatever...then yeah..."

Angus
Angus head lifted for a moment, having felt something bump into him. He lifted his head up and with a grunt pulled himself to his feet to finally greet his new doggie pal. 

"Are you okay? I didn't hurt you, did I?" Angus could have sighed in relief seeing the smaller dog stand up as if nothing happened. He was always so afraid that his size would accidentally hurt someone, so anyone bumping into him always made him a bit on edge. And with everything that has happened so far-he was more on edge then he ever has been. It was a wonder he wasn't still crying or whimpering out of sheer fear-it was probably how tired he was from running all over the place trying to wake the humans. 

Angus took note of what the smaller dog had suggested, and perked up anxiously; Speaking quickly. "Is this the place? Is this the arrr-caa-dee?"

For a while, Luna wondered if this plan would prove to be a total bust. The two guardian cats waited for a while--waiting for far too long, if you asked her--and still no answer to their rallying call arrived.

She was about to turn to Artemis and admit defeat and the need to return to the drawing board, when in plopped a bluish form, rotund and squishy and large.

Luna felt Artemis's presence at her side a second later, and she was relieved as she was curious. Still, a part of her wondered if she recognized such a strange color of fur...

Before she could investigate further, two more pets arrived to the headquarters. They were dogs, but they seemed to hold their own, and Luna tried not to let her distaste--and hint of fear--show on her face.

"Yes," she replied. "This is the arcade, or rather, a part of it anyway. Are you here to answer our call? To save the humans, that is?"

She hesitated, wondering if this was all that call had been able to bring to them. Still, she shouldn't look down upon any help they could get. Three more beings were better than nothing, after all. "I must warn you before you accept the task, that this could be dangerous." She sat a little straighter, whiskers twitching. "We don't know exactly what we're up against, but chances are they are villainous and wish to cause harm. That said, it's up to us to save the humans of this city. But you should know what you're getting into before we move forward."

Angus
Angus could have yelped when the black cat with a strange bald-spot appeared out of the darkness and began to talk to them. Part of the floor shook when he flinched in surprise on her sudden appearance, though. He listened very carefully to her words-they sounded almost exactly the way the humans talked, and his ears drooped.

"Vill-ann-us?" He repeated the unknown word; there certainly were a lot of those today. "You said they'd harm us; they're not good people?" Angus gasped at that last part. How could any human not be good? All humans were good! They gave him food and scratches, and were always happy to see him! Even the humans who weren't so happy to see him on walks were merely afraid-not mean! 

Angus couldn't even begin to imagine what a bad human would be like. A shiver shot through his fur just thinking about it.

Sammie listened to the bigger dog apologizing to her and she quickly told him, "I am fine..don't worry" Sammie then sat down next to her bigger friend and listened to the cats talk to them. "Harm?? If anything hurt my masters...I will bite down on them so hard they will beg me to stop!...my humans love me and I will do whatever I need to...plus...they pet me well..."

Angus
Angus was a bit off-put by the other dogs' harsh words.  It was hard to imagine the pooch chewing his way through a fence, let alone biting someone! Then again, Angus was well aware of the potential they all had for harming someone-he had learned this the hard way when another dog almost hurt him when he was a young pup. His family were able to intervene and scare him away that day-but that dog was super small-kind of like this one. 

Angus decided to lie down with his head upright and paws relaxed. This was his go-to position to show he meant no harm, and it always worked. He could only hope the cats in the room weren't going to get scared by what was said. It took him forever to be friends with the cat back home-he didn't want them to get the wrong idea!

Bitty

Bitty's confusion and amazement dissipated fast as the urge to take his routine after food time nap began to creep up on him. Unfortunately, it was loud thumping sounds that kept his eyes from closing all the way. His ears twitched as it caught similar thumbs from outside the room. More and more of them. When he turned to investigate the source of the noise, he saw his mama laying crumbled on the floor.

Now that's not the usual sleeping spot. Sleeping happens in the big bed. Silly mama. He walked over and sniffed her hair, only then noticing the small fuzzy thing that was in her hand. She didn't have that a moment ago when he was fed. He went over to sniff it but it twitched when he came close, immediately putting Bitty on high alert. His hair stuck up and tail poofed as large as possible.

This did not smell good at all! Not only was it an invader animal...it smelled of evil, something he didn't even think he could smell until now. A quick his and swat sent the thing flying and he was about to pounce for the kill when he heard a voice.

Quote :

Animals of Tokyo, we need your help...The humans are in danger and it's up to us to fix it. Come to the arcade if you're up for the task. But hurry, time is of the essence.

The voice sounded trustworthy enough. He stared ahead lost in thought. He sat down, forgetting about the furry evil thing, thinking more.

What's an arcade? He titled his head to the side before deciding to trot out the room, where the door had been thankfully left open. Oh, that was cause daddy was laying there, face down, keeping it from closing. Bitty got real happy for a moment. Daddy is comfy! Daddy is the best person to sleep on. He started purring immediately and went to settle down on his back, when he smelled the same scent of that evil fuzzy thing.

The message! He forgot about napping on daddy and started running down the hall. Finding more people that had collapsed and getting more and more scents of that evil thing. This all had to be related to that strange message. Bitty kept on until he found his way into the streets, which were quite scary to him, but he braved on, sensing now where the message came from.

Who knew he had all these senses? It was new to him. When he got closer to the arcade, though he still had no clue what that was, he could smell several animals gathered somewhere underneath. The scent trail led him down the alleyway. There were definitely other cats here and two other things. Dogs?

Bitty found an opening near a dumpster which he disappeared into, having to squeeze his fat through to get all the way in. Having struggled so hard, he stumbled in to where a group of 3 cats, 1 large and 1 small dog were, landing with a loud, high pitched "haaa!"

He blinked and looked around. At least this group didn't smell evil.

Cyan ears twitched at the high-pitched sound. Rhett turned his bulk to look at the newcomer, noting that this cat seemed to be attempting to rival him in size—although Rhett Butler could still claim the crown of "largest cat". His spherical shape had been coaxed and formed by years of luxury and indulgence. He rather prided himself on it, if only because An adored giving him hugs and carrying him about in her small arms.

He wondered if Luna would notice or acknowledge him. He very much enjoyed seeing her again, even if these were not exactly ideal circumstances. In a perfect world he would have come running to her rescue, a delicate skeleton of fishbones at the ready to serve as a distraction. That did not seem to be the case here.

Angus
Angus' ears perked up when hearing the cry of someone somewhere behind him. Being jumpy, he bolted upright onto all fours-and the noise he made in doing so must have been incredible. It destroyed any idea Angus had about trying to remain small and still to ensure the others weren't afraid of him, and the clanking and shaking of surrounding objects were evident of this. 

He was incredibly relieved to see it was just another cat. He flopped back down in relief, shaking the ground a second time as he did so. 

Angus wasn't sure how much more his heart could take of this.

♥ Matilda ♥

Tiny ears twitched as the message from the broadcast reached her.

Mysterious Radio Waves wrote:

Animals of Tokyo, we need your help. The humans are in danger and it's up to us to fix it. Come to the arcade if you're up for the task. But hurry, time is of the essence.

The small cat had been dozing in a small striped cinnamon-bun swirl on top of the bed. It was Stage 4 of moping—nap. The boy and the girl had left for the morning, and she was all alone. All alone. They had been gone for days. Weeks, perhaps! The meows had echoed in the little apartment until she could meow no longer, tiny lungs temporarily exhausted. The others in the building may have been spared from her tale of woe, but she still felt it. If anyone had been present to see her, they would have understood how very lonely she was.

Maybe they would have pet her. It wouldn't have been as good as if the boy or the girl did it, but it would have been acceptable.

The message roused the cat—Matilda—from her sleep and from her dramatic self-pity.

What if the boy and the girl weren't home because they were in danger? She felt a cold, sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She remembered what it felt like to live in an empty home, with no humans, because one of them was never coming back. Matilda hadn't been able to do anything back then, but maybe she could do something now.

She wasn't allowed outside, but she knew how she could get out. The slunk over towards the kitchenette, eyeing the narrow path that stretched between the small counter and the tiny refrigerator. Keen green eyes could see a patch of bright sunlight glimmering over there. She carefully forced her way through, emerging on a narrow part of the landing around the landlord's garden, her small striped form tucked between tomato plants.

She wasn't sure where the arcade was, exactly, but all she could do was try to follow the source of that message. As she got closer, her small pink nose caught the scent of additional cats and dogs... Matilda wrinkled her nose, preferring the company of humans much more than that of other animals... but she wasn't willing to simply turn around and go home. The small feline approached an area, and suddenly found herself teleported into the secret cavern, just in time to catch the end of Luna's announcement.

Matilda kept her gaze focused forward, on the cats doing the talking—human talking—and tried not to think about how much she didn't usually spend time around other animals. She wouldn't be able to help her humans otherwise!

He nodded energetically as Luna explained the situation to the newcomers. He was about as fond of the canines as she was, but he could tell that his darker-furred companion was being brave and polite, and he was certainly not about to let Luna show him up. Not in this kind of a situation, where it was more important than ever that they act as leaders and guides for these animals—who seemed to have no experience with this sort of thing. It reminded him, in a way, of when he first met Minako...

This wasn't a good time to reminisce.

The responses from the dogs indicated that, if nothing else, they were willing. That was good. They'd need that sort of attitude to get moving, to get started. Artemis wracked his brain, trying to think of what would be the best way to start training them. Maybe something simple would be the best way to start them out. Nothing too intimidating. A little bit of success might provide the right encouragement to keep them going.

His eyes widened at the arrival of another cat, this one... not quite as huge as Rhett Butler, but fairly sizable. It seemed like they were bringing in recruits. And then another, this one little and striped.

At least they weren't only going to have to work with dogs.

"Yes, thank you all for coming," he continued. "I am Artemis, and this is Luna," he began with introductions. "We hope that you will be willing to help us—it seems that whatever is influencing the people, it doesn't work on animals. Have you noticed humans around you acting strange?"

This would be more difficult than she'd originally thought.

Luna kept her posture straight and proper, but she could feel the odd twitch in her tail every once in a while. She had to remind herself that these were well-meaning animals who didn't quite have the same eloquence that she and Artemis possessed. As long as they were here to help, nothing else mattered.

She found herself distracted, however, by the cyan addition to the group. The more she looked, the more she recognized and as soon as the realization hit her, she wondered how she could have ever mistaken him for anyone else.

Unbidden, a blush heated her cheeks and she glanced towards Artemis of all felines, then back to her large once-savior. Suddenly, she felt the pressure of a too-small room. When had it gotten so warm in the headquarters?

She was saved from the embarrassment of being unprofessional by Artemis taking up the mantle, guiding the conversation in that easy charismatic way that he had about him.

Luna gave a small appreciative nod towards Rhett Butler before addressing the group as a whole. "That is our goal," she replied to the smaller dog. "We'll all work together to get the humans back to their original selves. It is up to us."

She paused, shifted her position. "Perhaps it would be best to start off with names. What might we call each of you? That will make it easier to move forward as a group."

Sammie watched as the one called Luna spoke up and answered Sammie's question. When Luna asked about names, Sammie stood again but then sat on her butt saying, "Cuteness..my humans call me that a lot but my real name is Sammie...nice to meet you." Sammie then waited to hear everyone else's names.

Angus
Angus ears fell back as he was wrought with more anxiety as another cat arrived. Of course there was something wrong with the humans! They were lying around and not moving! Why had the white cat asked such a question? The poor pooch hardly felt like moving himself at this point-the situation was getting scarier and scarier! He just wanted to be home and petted like always!

So, naturally, when asked to give names, Angus gave a very loud bellow as he sat upright at attention:

"MY NAME'S ANGUS!" 

A bellow that had become so accidentally loud that it rattled the surroundings as it bounded and echoed off the walls. The gentle giant was never entirely aware of how loud he could be-especially when he was nervous. He continued to sit like a good boy, tail wagging slightly at the thought of learning names. Learning names was only one thing away from making friends-and boy, he sure could use some in these scary times!

He felt his own cheeks warm when their eyes finally met. Yes, she was just as lovely as he remembered her! Ah, to be of help to such an elegant feline—although the circumstances were less than ideal, Rhett Butler couldn't help but feel fortunate. He wanted to save his darling girl, of course, but this opportunity afforded him a chance to do more than just that.

So wrapped up in his happy thoughts was the turquoise spherical cat that he barely flinched at the sudden loudness from one of the dogs. He didn't want to make Luna uncomfortable, so he did not stare at the lady, but his peripheral focus remained mostly on her.

When it was his turn to introduce himself, he gave a bow that seemed shockingly graceful for a cat of his size, emitting a low purr-like noise.

Bitty

Bitty blinked as he did his best to understand and remember what the two human talking cats were saying. As if that wasn't strange enough! He took note of the two other dogs and a cat that was somehow larger than he. Bitty knew he was big but he had no idea you could get that big. That fat blue cat seemed focused on the pretty purple one, the one who could speak like a human.

His distraction was interuppted when one of the dogs bellowed his name so loud that it made Bitty jump 3 ft high, all hair standing on end and his tail poofing up three times its size.

"What was that!?" he cried. If he had not felt a sense of safety within this group, he would've bolted for the door and ran straight home. He looked around, realizing no one else had been scared, not even the other cats and felt heat rise to his cheeks. How embarrassing... It had just been the large dog. Of course he was loud. Bitty tried not to roll his eyes. Why were dogs so obnoxious?

Pretending as if nothing happened, Bitty cleared his throat to introduce himself.

"The food givers call me Bitty. I don't quit know whats going on but I feel something...evil, he said. His voice didn't seem to quite match the size of his body. It was high pitched and squeaky. His poofiness had settled down and he looked a bit smaller once again. Even still, as he crouched back into a roosting position, his fat spread out, making him look three times as large as he normally was.

Matilda

The smallest cat, the striped one, had continued to slooooooowly back up while the others introduced herself. She winced when the dog made loud noises, wishing she could have hid underneath the bed or jumped into one of her humans' arms. The place they were in... it didn't feel particularly scary, but she didn't think it was super safe, either. That might have just been because it was unfamiliar—it didn't look or smell like her home, and right now there were quite a few other animals in it. At least they didn't seem to be crowded; the space they stood in appeared to comfortably hold the group regardless of the number of animals present.

She certainly wouldn't have enjoyed being pressed any closer to some of these strangers.

When the violet cat asked for names, Matilda waited until she was the last one to introduce herself... although the very-very-very big cat bowed instead of speaking.

"Matilda," squeaked a small meow, giving her name. She didn't make eye contact.

The introductions all came in a myriad of ways, some loud, some quiet, and one even delivered in silence. Luna looked to each of them in turn, uncertainty still pulling at her.

Looking them all once more, Luna was pleased to see that at least they had a wide variety of different animals with a range of skills and shapes. Variety in groups was important, so that all of their strengths and weaknesses could balance one another out.

"It is good to meet you all," she said. "But with that out of the way, we must press ever forward. Too many important lives are at stake."

A pause, as she thought of Usagi. "Before we can do anything, however, we need information. We don't know much of what's going on besides the fact that something strange is afoot. With all of us working together and searching through different parts of the city, we'll make quick work of investigating this situation."

She glanced to Artemis, curious if he had anything he would like to add to this before sending everyone on their way.

Angus

Angus looked around him, significantly calmer now that there was a group of other animals around him that seemed to get bigger by the minute. He never did deal with being alone very well, and the (oddly human) words coming from the black and white cats with the odd marks on their foreheads was somewhat soothing to hear. He always liked the noises humans made, as his family always talked to him. 

Angus was just about to see how the newcomers were doing-a surprising amount of cats, he'd have to be very careful as to not step on them-when the next part of the black cats' speech struck him as odd. 

And if true, potentially scary. Super-duper-mega scary. 

What did she mean by lives at stake? His tail continued to wag, but was at a significantly lower mast as he waited for more information.

Sammie looked around at all the dogs and even more cats now and listened to their names. After introductions, the black cat, Luna spoke again saying that there were many lives at stake and they were all important. "Information? my humans said that word before then they went somewhere one time...i'm pretty fast...send someone with me maybe?" Sammie was being kind offering to maybe do one of the possible hard jobs.

Artemis returned Luna's glance, giving a firm nod and a smile to his partner. He felt thankful, once again, that he wasn't alone for this. Luna was right—they needed to collect information if they were going to make actions that meant anything. This was a ragtag bunch, but hadn't the same been true of the sailor soldiers when he and Luna first met those rambunctious girls? They'd be fine. They had to be. For once, they were the ones who had to save those they usually relied on.

"Luna's right," he said. "Let's split up. Be careful. Observe whatever you can about the 'new pets', and return in two hours."

He hoped that none of them encountered anything too unusual, but they had to get data themselves. Usually this was the kind of thing they'd rely on Sailor Mercury for, the studious young woman usually typing away at her computer and relaying all kinds of information for two expectant felines. They'd have to make do this time.

Angus


Two hours? Angus relaxed, his tail going up in a circle position once more, wagging happily at the thought. Two hours is a mega-long time! They'd be able to find out what was wrong, no problem! Heck, they might not even run into the bad thing, it was such a long time! Of course, he was still anxious-but the time limit really did give the big dog some genuine relief. It is a bit of a shame that he doesn't have a good concept of time-but it's not that he was aware of it. 

"Who wants to be my buddy and come with me?" Again, his voice came out rather loud, but if the others paid attention to his body language it would become apparent that he had no idea he was even being that loud to begin with.

Sammie had less time to wait then she thought as the 'Big boy Angus SPOKE UP! Sammie went over to him and looked up at him, "First off Angus young pup...inside voices my boy...second, I will go with you, as you seem strong and tough and can protect us if we need to or I can even stand on your back to see farther away. What do you say Big fluffy one?"