Glad You Came

Run, Forest!

The woods -- a place most were usually marked for death in. Beasts and creatures of unnatural descent made their home there, and many had to traverse stealthily when making trips to and from the house itself in order to survive. It didn't help that the majority of the Moot Points -- and veils between this world and the human realm -- were only accessible throughout the forest, making it a dangerous game if one wanted free of the Operator's world even for a few short hours. Well, all, of course, except for the Proxys.

It'd been long since figured out that the three men could walk the woods blindfolded and would still come out unscathed from even the most unsavory being in its depths. Hell, there were a few times Tim found himself playing chaperon to the other monsters, as nothing rarely attacked them with one of those three around. Brian blamed it on being marked by the Tall Man, giving them leeway to come and go as they pleased while they did his bidding. At least they weren't getting eaten by the monsters that lurked there like the others were often threatened with, right? Speaking of monsters --

"Hey, Steve," Tim said flatly, taking another drag off of his cigarette as he walked down the shaded, disheveled path that had become trodden with footprints from constant use.

Said Wendigo popped its ugly head out of the trees after he passed, giving an odd sound similar to a warbled groan. The beast pulled itself from the trees slowly, sniffing at the air and ground where Tim had walked. Then, ever so cautiously followed the man along the beaten path albeit at a slower pace. Steve was certainly far less threatening to the Proxys compared to the other things they ran into. Probably the one Tim put up with the most, if he was being honest. Sure, the beast liked to toy with any entity the Proxys we're helping travel through there, yet he seemed more curious about the three men who bore the mark of the Operator than he was wanting to harm or maim them like he so easily could.

Toby and Hoody -- though namely Toby -- had been the ones to decide that the odd creature now following the raven haired man on his return trip home needed a proper name ever since they slowly realized he was some type of 'regular' of this realm. While there were other beasts and demons and whatnot that they and others had reported seeing on more than one occasion lurking about, Steve seemed to show his face on an almost daily basis to one person or another in some shape or fashion. Brian suggested the Wendigo might be some sort of guard dog for the Tall Man, kept forever imprisoned to guard the forest; he'd been there even well before Hoody and Tim had been shown the house. So long as he didn't really hurt anybody -- or more specifically in Tim's case, Brian or Toby -- then he was alright by their books. The same couldn't be said, however, for some of the other creatures of the forest.

Just as Tim glided into the large empty half circle of dying grass around the front of the house with Steve slowly lagging further behind, a scream erupted from the treeline some twenty yards to Tim's right. He stepped further out into the clearing, cigarette somewhat forgotten as he searched the area the scream had come from to see if someone was in trouble. Not a moment too soon, Jeff suddenly bolted from the trees like a bat out of hell; making a beeline for the house just as --

-- a regular looking goat burst from where Jeff had come from, head down as it meant to ram him with it's horns if it ever got the chance to get closer than the killer's heels. Tim blinked, checked his pulse, even sniffed at his cigarette to make sure it didn't smell off. Even Steve seemed confused at the sight before them, slowly emerging from the trees to sit behind Tim as they watched Jeff make three laps around the house -- all the while cursing loudly as he went -- before finally managing to get ahead enough to practically throw himself inside the front door and slam it shut behind him before the goat went crashing into it. Said obviously annoyed mammal huffed and backed up, swinging it's head to the side a few times and stamping it's feet before meandering only a few yards from the front door to begin grazing at the dying grass.

"...... What the fuck," Tim stated more then asked, throwing his now burnt up cigarette to the ground and making sure it was properly stomped out. 

Steve huffed from behind him before shuffling up beside and sitting down once more. The creature lulled it's deer skull head to peer down at Tim as Tim blinked up at it. Tim was sure that of Steve could talk, it'd be asking him if he just saw what it did. Tim could only sigh and shake his head, pulling his pack of cigarettes out of his pocket for another as he approached the house. Naturally, the goat didn't bother him; merely watched him with a blank, almost dumb look in it's eyes as it munched mindlessly on the dead grass around it. Steve sat stalk still even as Tim entered the house, likely hoping the odd animal would make an easy meal.

Jeff was, naturally, still cursing up a storm as Tim walked into the living room; Liu laughing unabashedly alongside Jane on the couch as Jeff still tried to catch his breath on the living room floor in between his angry shouting that explained his brash entrance. Brian, bless his heart, stood in the kitchen doorway, obviously just as confused as Tim had been as he stared at the scene before him.

"Hey," Tim muttered, moving to peck Brian on the check and seemingly snapping him out of his trance.

"What's going on?" Brian asked, blinking before finally moving back into the kitchen with Tim close behind.

"We have a goat now," Tim deadpanned, taking a seat at the kitchen table. Brian paused at the stove, hand on a spatula as he moved to stir the food in the pan before him to turn back to Time.

"What?"

"We have a goat now," Tim repeated, taking another drag of his cigarette.

Brain blinked, staring for a long moment before finally remembering the food before it and moving to stir.

"And Jeff's pitching a fit about what exactly?" he asked slowly.

"Goat was chasing him outta the woods," Tim said. Brian faltered, snapping back around to Tim with a surprise yet amused smile on his face.

"What?!"

"Yup," Tim snickered. "Got back to the house just in time to see him running laps just to get away from the damned thing."

Brian began chuckling, taking a moment to again remember the food and began stirring again as he chuckled to himself. The yelling in the living room had died down, at least. Sometimes, Tim found himself overly annoyed by Jeff -- but he got some good memories out of it.

Not for Jeff, of course, but Tim would worry about that later.