752/Lions and tigers and bears - oh my!

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Lions and tigers and bears - oh my!
Date of Scene: 25 March 2020
Location: Central Park Zoo
Synopsis: Heidi and Jessica Drew find exotic zoo animals loose in Central Park. There is suspicion that the animals were left out to cover the theft of a valuable Snow Leopard. Could this put them on the trail of a rich collector or something much worse?
Cast of Characters: Jessica Drew, Heidi Ingerdottir




Jessica Drew has posed:
Enchanted, Jessica walks along the edge of the pond admiring the crane. It was the first time she had seen one like it in New York, in fact, had no idea that such beautiful wildlife lived in Central Park. Maybe New York was part of its migration path. They reminded her of the cranes on the gorgeous screen she had seen in Kyoto. Her footsteps slow as she stares at the birds with the broad wing span, high stepping then bending to stab a fish in the pond. When she sees a pale monkey ambling on the other side of the pond, she is sure something is wrong.

Heidi Ingerdottir has posed:
A location where you could easily observe many of Midgard's creatures all gathered in one location with descriptions and information on all of them? Way too convenient, Heidi thinks. Perfect for learning more about the realm while getting to see some baby animals. She hopes. Who doesn't like baby animals? She ambles along, only stopping when she notices a familiar face.

"Hail, friend Jessica! Have you found a favorite animal yet? I cannot pick a favorite, I like them all..."

Jessica Drew has posed:
Caught between gladness to see her new friend from Asgard and shock at what she is looking at, Jessica's smile stutters. "Would you believe that?"she exclaims forgetting any semblance of politeness. Later she will remember thinking that the Asgardian sounded distinctly Quaker calling her friend Jessica.

Jessica points at the cranes then reconsiders and points at the monkey, well, macaque, to be accurate, turning between the spectacle of the Snow Monkey and Heidi. Really both of them, in their own ways, are out of place. Of this world and not of this world. Another monkey wanders down to join it.

Heidi Ingerdottir has posed:
"Ah, I see them," Heidi says, making her way a little closer to peek at the monkeys. "It seems as if they may have been exploring a bit as well. I wonder if they are friendly..." She is polite enough not to go out-of-bounds in the zoo, but that does not stop her from peering over at the monkeys.

"Hail friends!" She's... waving at them.

Jessica Drew has posed:
"Heidi. Heidi, we are not in the zoo. The zoo is over there," the young woman points east where just through a break in the trees the top of a wall can be seen. "See? They shouldn't be here. Friends or not friends."

Heidi Ingerdottir has posed:
Heidi looks at the monkeys, then at the direction of the zoo, then back at the monkeys. "This is not part of the grounds of their habitat? I thought it odd that they seemed very close to where people are walking." There's a long pause as she looks to the creatures again.

"Friends, you are going in the wrong direction. Food and shelter are the other way. This city is no place for those caught unawares." She shoots a gaze back to Jessica. "Perhaps we should kindly redirect them." Herding monkeys? How hard could that be?

Jessica Drew has posed:
A crane lifts its head with a fish struggling between the long sharp snap of its beak. One of the pair of snow monkeys, they are renown for being smart and resourceful, appears intrigued and wades into the water. Ominivores like their two distant cousins who are staring at them (one blonde and one dark haired)from across the pond, it seems that fish might be a pleasant addition to the menu.

heidi's greeting to the animals provokes a little giggle from Jessica. "Exactly. How difficult is it to herd monkeys or cranes for that matter?" An animal somewhere in the trees coughs. One hundred thousand years of being prey and apex hunter, the young woman's eyes swerve in the direction of the sound.

Heidi Ingerdottir has posed:
Monkeys don't cough, do they? Heidi doesn't know, but the sound does catch her attention for a moment, but she notes Jessica's keep an eye on that direction so she looks back towards the animals. "Certainly troublemakers, I'm sure. Perhaps there are nets we could borrow to chase them down? I am not terribly certain how best to grab them..."

There's the matter of the crane too. This definitely could be tricky. Her attention ever so slowly drifts back to the coughing tree. Suspicious.

Jessica Drew has posed:
Now, the monkeys are looking. That common ancestry has them searching the trees for the source of that sound that morphs into something a little more ominous just as a smaller version of the two monkeys who are wading into the water appears. She is carrying a baby clinging to her neck. As she reaches the water it grabs its mother's fur to clamber to her back.

That sound again, just as a third crane comes down the hill to wade in the water.

"I think there might be something hunting them, Heidi. I don't know. We could alert the zoo if they don't know already. Get nets? Get what's making that sound? That is not a sound I'd like to meet in a dark alley someplace."

Heidi Ingerdottir has posed:
"We should alert those who keep them, certainly, but that does not sound particularly good. I believe if we do not try and get these ones we see... that those ones we don't may become an issue," Heidi is eyeing the trees, but the other animals remain in her peripheral vision.

"I think perhaps we need to either scare these ones in the correct direction of be prepared for whatever it is in there to come out. In either case, there is certainly danger." She looks at Jessica and grins. "Should I die, please remember me." It's probably a joke, as it's doubtful whatever's in their could take her down easily. Probably.

Jessica Drew has posed:
"Should you die?" Jessica looks at her like she just said, 'Should I strip naked and parade down Broadway, please remember me.' "No one is going to die. What makes you think that you'll be better at whatever is chuffing in the trees than herding 'your friends' down there in the pond. I climb like a spider, remember?"

Heidi Ingerdottir has posed:
"Do not underestimate any circumstance," Heidi chides, looking between the trees and Jessica. "Oh, I do not doubt your climbing skills. I just think that the second it comes out of those trees it will try to catch its prey, at which point it probably needs to be tackled, perhaps, to keep it from the others. Were it all about climbing, I would leave it in your capable hands."

There's a pause. "I am saying that I have more mass. I would be a more effective weight." Weighing down whatever it is so it can't pursue? Perhaps that could be one strategy. "I am open to suggestions. We do not know what is up there."

Jessica Drew has posed:
The sound comes again this time accompanied by a shape moving along the limb of an old oak. "Let's go. I go high and you go low. Okay?" Before Jessica has finished the sentence, a long, lean feline shape is marked against the blue spring sky.

Heidi Ingerdottir has posed:
The plan has been made. Jessica has laid it out and--oops. Heidi turns towards the other animals, rushing towards them and trying to scare them in the other direction, her back towards the feline to put herself between it and them. She can take a hit, after all. Those poor creatures probably wouldn't stand as much of a chance.

"Shoo friends! Go home. You will not be a meal this day!"

Jessica Drew has posed:
Jessica sprints for the tree, not trying to keep out of the leopard's vision. On the contrary, she wants the leopard to see her. She had not envisaged her walk in the park to turn into a lesson in herding cats, especially not this kind of cat. Half way to the tree she is hopping from foot to foot as she sheds her boots. With one second of regret for the new pair which she hopes will still be where she left them, she hits the bottom of the tree and starts climbing.

Heidi Ingerdottir has posed:
This was not her plan either, but she'd make do. Heidi's doing her best, half in the pond as she makes a ruckus on purpose to not only scare the creatures, but to attract the attention of perhaps nearby people who might be able to warn zoo staff of the escaped creatures. "I would prefer not to pick you up little friends, so kindly move along!"

Unfortunately, they aren't shoo-ing as quickly as the Asgardian would like. They seem fond of moving a little to avoid Heidi's sweeping gestures, then stopping only to be redirected again. The stop-start motion is not moving them as fast as she'd like, and she can't really stop to see what the leopard's doing.

Jessica Drew has posed:
Instead of leaping to the ground into the waiting arms of Heidi who is 'low', the leopard, a long handsome young male just come into his full spots, turns on the limb with the grace of its kind and snarls at Jessica. The young woman stands mesmerized by its elegant beauty. She yells down, "No Asgardian nets in your pocket?"

Then an idea occurs to her. "Heidi, how strong are you? I bet you could catch a 75 kilo cat, right?"

Heidi Ingerdottir has posed:
"I am faster and stronger than a Midgardian if that is what you are asking!" Heidi does not really know how to calculate out what a kilo is, much less any other unit of measurement. "I can lift a car, I am certain a cat would be fine." It's not the weight that's the problem. It's going to squirm.

Still, Heidi is herding the animals. "What do you want me to do? Should I just go for it?" She hasn't quite seen where it's at, so she stops for half a second to peek in that direction.

Jessica Drew has posed:
"Get ready! Get under the tree, friend Heidi!"

Spider balance keeps her on the round tree limb, as she crouches to hold the palms of her hands up at the leopard as though telling not to walk, a white light, tinged with blue streaks from her hands and envelops the animal. The leopard's mouth opens in a snarl of anger and surprise, then it drops to the left stunned, unable to control his limbs.

Heidi Ingerdottir has posed:
That's her opportunity. While she's not entirely sure where she's putting the creature after she gets ahold of it, Heidi races towards where the leopard is now incapacitated. The second she's close, she attempts to scoop the creature up. She's careful where its paws are, mostly so that she can avoid the most swipes as soon as it is able to move again.

"I hope what you did to it lasts a very substantial amount of time!" She can certainly keep a good grip, it's just a matter of grip versus potential claw damage.

Jessica Drew has posed:
Worry made Jessica clench her fists as she stood on the branch watching the big cat fall into Heidi's waiting arms. "Good catch, friend Heidi! Good catch!"

She leaps down, cushioning her fall by landing like a coiled spring next to the woman. Straightening she walks to the head of the leopard cradled in Heidi's arms. Running her fingers in the fur on the unconscious leopard's head, "He's a beauty. So how did this happen? How did you get out fella?"

"What do you think, Heidi? Take him back and let the zoo deal with the rest?"

Heidi Ingerdottir has posed:
"Well, we should certainly return him, much as I'd like a pet," Heidi grins. "Although we should perhaps inquire as to if there are more out there. If there's another one lurking about it may be difficult for these keepers to handle on their own." It did take the two of them to make sure it was alright.

She looks in the direction of the zoo. "He does have awfully soft fur... perhaps I need a cat." The last bit is mostly to herself.

Jessica Drew has posed:
"Now, Heidi!" Jessica looks wistfully at the subtle graduations of white, grey and black. "You're a handsome boy," she whispers to the cat. "It's against Midgardian law for you to do that, Heidi, my friend. I'm afraid. We really have to take it back."

Heidi Ingerdottir has posed:
"Oh, I didn't mean this one. I meant a small one. Lap-sized. Or even /tinier/," Heidi's already contemplating the idea. She does turn towards the zoo, beginning the trek towards where the enclosure should be. Don't want to wait too long, after all. "Perhaps you well help me find the legal ones sometime, Jessica?"

Jessica Drew has posed:
"Awww, Heidi. I certainly can help with that." Jessica looks wistfully from the aspiring Valkyrie to the cat splayed out in her arms. "Let's get him back now and see what was behind so many animals breaking out at once. I can't believe it was an accident. The zoo is pretty new and they do a lot to give these animals a secure place." She nods in the direction of zoo. "Want help carrying him?"

Heidi Ingerdottir has posed:
"It seems odd that various types would get out all at once, don't you think?" As Heidi leads the way, she shifts the large creature to make sure it is comfortably in her arms (and grabbable if it starts to wake). "Were it a break in an enclosure would it not only let out the one type?" She's not sure just how they keep the animals in, but all of the animals being out seems odd.

"Would someone do this as a joke?"

Jessica Drew has posed:
"It is not my idea of a joke. It's a bad joke, Heidi and not one easily done, either." Frowning as they walk, she keeps her spider senses on high alert as they walk around the pond towards the Zoo. "I wonder. They have security systems in zoos, both for the zoo goers but also the animals because sometimes people do really silly and stupid things around them. That's what has me worried. Why go to al this trouble?"

Heidi Ingerdottir has posed:
Heidi looks suspiciously around. "Do you think it was intentional to harm someone? Or to give the keepers a bad name? It does seem rather purposeful the more I think about it." She looks at the leopard, then back around. "Be careful, if something else is out there it may harm our new friend."

After all, it seems Heidi will make friends out of everyone.

Jessica Drew has posed:
"Do you know what an apex predator is, Heidi?" Jessica glances curiously at the other woman. "I suspect you do. You've probably been hunting animals longer than the gleam in my great-grandfather's eye. I think we would be the only ones capable of hurting it. It pretty much is top of the chain where it comes from." Mouth pressed into a flat line, "I think it was malicious."

Up ahead they come to a closed gate with a large sign on it saying "Zoo Closed Till Further Notice." A man comes out in a uniform from behind the gate, "You! What are doing there?" He takes the radio off of his belt and begins reporting the two women.

Heidi Ingerdottir has posed:
"I have found that regardless of how strong you think you are... there is always something stronger. Never become so arrogant to think that you will always win," Heidi nods a little. "Perhaps no /natural/ predator for it, but it does not mean that others will not prey upon it. I do not mean that it is always a creature that hunts."

She looks over at the gate. "Hail friend! This creature was attempting to hunt some of your other animals nearby. We have subdued it and it is unharmed, but we are not sure how long until it wakes. Perhaps we should put it inside? There are a few other creatures out there but I believe them relatively harmless."

Jessica Drew has posed:
"We are bringing it back to you, you know. Didn't steal it." Jessica tries to keep her voice reasonable but put somewhat on the defensive by the man's attitude. "You know, the leopard is alright. He'll..." It dawns on her that he thinks they may have harmed the animal. "Tell your people to bring a cage or let us take it to one. He'll wake up soon enough."

Skeptically, the guard adds on the radio, "Bring a transport cage for him. Lady says he's not dead. You both are going to have to stay to talk to the police, you know. There's been a crime!"

Heidi Ingerdottir has posed:
"A crime?" Heidi looks curious, shifting the leopard gently just to check and see how concious it is. A precaution. "You are saying that the animals being out is not an accident of some sort?" She does frown, looking around. "Are you missing any others beyond this creature, some monkeys, and a... crane?" She looks to Jessica to confirm she got the animal's name correct.

Now she's starting to worry. Were the animals let loose to hurt someone? Intentional chaos? "Do your keepers perhaps have enemies of some sort?"

Jessica Drew has posed:
"Yeah, right lady. I wear this gun for decoration." He pats the gun in the belt around his ample paunch. In the distance, three white coated people accompanied by two guards and a woman in a suit are double timing it down the path towards them. Behind them a cage is being pushed by two men in overalls.

"Heidi, they look very official. We can just give them the cat and get out of here or get involved with the police. There are going to be a lot of questions that neither of us are going to want to answer." A siren sounds in the distance. "I vote leave."

Heidi Ingerdottir has posed:
"I am not certain they will take too kindly to us having been involved at all, by the sound of it." Heidi doesn't like any sort of suggestion that there was any wrong-doing on their part. She moves forward towards the cage. "I will agree with you. We can depart as soon as we return this creature." While part of her wants to just leave the leopard and walk away, she's well aware that she's much /stronger/ than most Midgardians.

So, she moves over towards the cage and cradles the leopard in a way that should make it easy for her to slide him inside. "Be careful that his paw does not get caught..." She warns lightly.

Jessica Drew has posed:
"I think it is really really time for us to leave. Maybe separately. Maybe quickly, Heidi. Can you fly or run fast?"

Heidi Ingerdottir has posed:
Heidi grins. "I can't fly unaided I'm afraid, but they certainly won't catch me running, and I can get far enough away to a safe area, I can call Eira in and leave." She glances around her. "Should we go then?"

Jessica Drew has posed:
As the official people begin to close on them, Jessica starts to back towards the gate. "Leave the leopard. They will take care of it." She starts to job backward, loudly, "There are more at the pond if you are looking for some cranes and AND SNOW MONKEYS!" Only a car could catch her. "I WILL CATCH YOU LATER, HEIDI!" Her last words for disappearing down the path.

Heidi Ingerdottir has posed:
Once she's certain she can set the leopard down comfortably, Heidi too is off down the path. "Goodbye, friend!" It is questionable if she was talking to Jessica or the leopard. Probably both.