Currently in Saint Claire, it is a cloudy day. The temperature is 48 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius). The wind is currently coming in from the east at 7 mph. The barometric pressure reading is 29.94 and rising, and the relative humidity is 86 percent. The dewpoint is 44 degrees Fahrenheit (6 degrees Celsius.)
Currently the moon is in the waning Gibbous Moon phase (75% full).
Dark Alley
A fairly typical alley way for this part of town, this narrow way knifes its way north-south between tall brick buildings. Not much wider than the dumpster that lies near the south end, it appears that a great deal of the refuse never makes it into the dumpster, or else, its scattered to and fro by homeless persons, cats, and rats, all looking for food and other treasures.
The Gibbous moon provides the alley-way with a sickly silver glow. Just enough light to pick your way past all the garbage without falling on your face, but it doesn't hide every unpleasent item. As Jacob discovers, when he slips into the alley and his foot lands squarely in a deposit of shit. No telling if its human, or canine. Away from the yellow glow of the street lamps and public view, the blond swears violently; Alerting the alley's two occupants to his presence. J.C. is tucked behind the dumpster, curled up under some cardboard and trying to stay warm. A older wino is closer to the alley's entrance and shifts, looking up at Jacob with bleary eyes. The man's fate is sealed, as the blond smiles without humor. "Hello there," he says softly, before he moves with blinding speed. The wino doesn't even have time to scream, as Jacob's hand closes around his throat. At first, the young killer merely seals off the wino's airway. Then muscles bulge and there is the sickening sound of cartilage snaping and colapsing.
J.C. freezes at the sound, her chapped nose wrinkling and twitching. But human form isn't adequate; the child of Mama Rat hunkers down, and the cardboard shifts as she grows, and then shrinks. There's nothing there now but a sickly rat with what appears to be an advanced case of mange. That rat scuttles silently, doing what rats do -- sniffing, listening, hiding.
Jacob does not notice J.C. shifting and in rat form, she is unlikely to ear more then a glace. The killer is pleased with himself, some would say overly so, as he allows the wino's lifeless body to slump to the ground. Humming a tune that is currently popular on the radio, the man takes a step back and turns. Picking up a plastic shopping bag that he droped, upon entering the alley-way. Continuing to hum, the blond strips. Oblivious to the cold. A towel is removed from the plastic bag, while Jacob's clothes take its place. That is when the shift happens, with the popping of sinue and the cracking of bone. Covered in grey fur and standing over nine feet tall, Jacob is revealed as a werewolf. Garou, the warriors of Gaia.
The sickly little rat watches from the safe darkness of newspapers and cardboard, a trembly, shivery, twitchy little animal that doesn't move from out of cover. And why should it, with one of the planet's nastiest predators nearby?
The massive creature crouches down, clearing away debree until he finds what he is looking for. A man-hole, which he removes the cover off with a dull clatter. During this process, Jacob begins to salavate. Globs of spittle are splattering onto the trash and cement, as the werewolf creates a bed of cardboard for the body. Pulling one sheet out from under J.C. paws, and sending the little animal flying. Preperation completed, Jacob can no longer contain himself and he begins to feast. Ripping open the wino's body with his jaws and gulping down the soft flesh. Blood cover his muzzle and drips onto the cardboard, never reaching the cement beneath.
Cornpop lets out a squeak of panic as the cardboard gets yanked out from under her. The Garou, if he's not too distracted by his meal of long pork, may catch a glimps of the rat moments before she vanishes back into hiding, this time vanishing under the dumpster.
Even if the rodent is noticed, it is ignored. After all, what can a rat do? The grisily feast continues, until the crinos' belly is full. Now, the cardboard is used to wrap the body up like an overside hotdog and the entire thing is forced down the open manhole. The body lands with a splash, while the cardboard falls around the body; hiding it from casual view. Now the towel is used to push the manhole cover back in place, so no blood is left in the alleyway. In time, the stench of decay will fill the alley. In all likelyhood, it will be blamed on something left in the dumpster. Returning to his birth form, Jacob uses the towel to wipe the blood from his face and hands.
It seems that there is nothing a rat can do but watch. At least, that's all this one does -- watch and listen and sniff, trembling with the cold and quite miserable in her little ratlike way. Nothing that the man-eater has to worry about, anyway.
Blood wiped away, Jacob gets dressed and leaves the alley. Stained towel and shopping bag are taken with him, to be burned in an hour or so.
Cornpop waits until the werewolf is gone, and then forces herself to wait longer, just on the odd chance that he returns. In chittering, tooth-grinding rat-speech, she mumbles curses about the weather. Only when it's obvious that Jacob's not coming back does she emerge and shift back to human form.