Quote:

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"In unusual circumstances, total strangers often band together...and become the best of friends through trials...often by fire..."
~ From "Journeys of the Wayfarer"

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Katt rolled onto her back, surveying the blank white ceiling of her bedroom. She breathed a deep sigh of boredom, and rolled onto her side to gaze out the window, the mattress springs of her bed squeaking softly. The world outside remained as it had the last time she had looked out there, just a few minutes before - bleak and grey, cloud-filled skies, overlooking the snow-covered houses and lawns that was her neighborhood.

Finally working up the energy to move, she rolled out of bed and landed on her feet. Standing up, she quietly walked out of her room and into the hall, looking for something to do. The first door she passed was partially open, and unusual sounds came from within. Peeking through the door cautiously, so as not to be seen, she found her little brother playing a video game. Such amusing things didn't really interest her, so she pulled her head back, ears twitching, and walked slowly towards the next room over, the kitchen.

Katt's nose perked up as she caught the scent of something delightful! Making her paws silent, she crept along the wall, and leaned over so she could just barely see into the tiled room. Her mom was standing over the counter next to the sink, cutting vegetables, and had her back to Katt, The smell came from the oven, where something was being cooked. Cookies, Katt guessed. She strolled into the room, still trying to be silent, but she gave up and walked normally when she saw her mother's ears twitch. "It's too late to be morning, and too early to be afternoon. Good day, Katt."

Katt leaned over the table, eyeing the fruit in their bowl. "Mornin', Mum." She said this with little enthusiasm, mumbling her words.

Her mom glanced over at her. "Oh? Is something the matter, honey?"

Katt put her arms around her mother's shoulders, and leaned heavily on her. "I'm booOoored...! There's nothing to do."

Katt's mom, being a heavy-set lady, easily bore the light weight with her broad shoulders, and continued peeling potatoes. "What about that essay you need to turn in when classes start up again?"

"I did it last week."

"How about helping Timmy with his essay?"

"He did his two weeks ago. Where's Dad?"

"At the post office. You know, the holiday season is the busiest time of year for people in his position. Maybe you could give a call to one of your friends."

"MoOom, they're all on vacation! Not that I have that many friends to begin with."

Her Mom said with enthusiasm, "I know! Katt, would you be willing to run an errand for me?"

Without any excitement or grace, Katt plopped into a chair. "If it's cutting the onions, I'm out."

"Would you like to drive to the mall and pick up a few things for me? I have my hands full here, so-"

Katt's ears shot up and face lit up at the word drive'. Of course! She had totally forgotten that she had gotten her license just before the holidays! That was the week of the snowstorm, so she hadn't expected to go anywhere, but now that the roads were clear.... "Say no more, Mom, I'm in!"

"Oh, goody! The key is in the usual place, and the shopping list is next to it. If you could get everything on that list, that would be great."

Katt hurriedly opened the front hall closet, and pulled out her coat. "I'll have it done in a jiffy!"

Katt strolled along at an even pace, looking up at the holiday decorations that had been put up. The sights, the sounds, the smells all coalesced to envelope her and liven up her senses! She passed a sample cart, and took one of the chewy treats. As she munched, she entered the Grand Hall of the mall. The Grand Hall was special because it was long, wide, and tall, roofed with glass panels to allow a good view of the outside. Right now, of course, the view wasn't all that impressive, what with the mountain of rolling grey clouds, but still she looked up. She diverted her gaze back to the ground as she passed a little girl, dancing along next to the rail in the center of the Hall. Glancing around, she saw the girl's mother gazing fondly at her from a distance, near the side of the Hall.

A few steps later, Katt put her gaze back to the ceiling, but this time for a different reason. A loud sound from outside was growing louder, as though it were coming closer, and it seemed to be coming from above. The sound grew to a roar, and for a brief instant, Katt saw what made the noise. In that instant, time seemed to slow down to allow many things to happen. The large flying object, whatever it was, broke through the clouds and streaked over the mall at an incredible speed. The force of its' going caused a sonic boom, and the glass paneling of the ceiling shattered! As the shards of glass slowly twirled down, and people all around began to panic and yell, Katt looked back behind her, and saw that same little girl - right in the path of the falling glass! Without thinking, Katt moved as fast as she possibly could, knowing what would come if she didn't.

Then, just as suddenly as it slowed down, time sped back up. Katt heard the girl's mother scream. Katt took a protective position over the girl, holding her close to keep her safe, and the broken glass landed! Katt could feel some pieces of glass pierce through her coat and stab her, but she held her ground and didn't move. Even when the sound of falling glass stopped, and all was still, she held the girl and didn't move. Then, the Mall's Emergency Team arrived.

Ten minutes later, a worker had finished pulling shards of glass out of her back and arms, and had cleaned and bandaged the wounds. He had kept her talking, trying to keep her from shock, and he had succeeded. Katt's attention focused on the mother and girl, who, after having been reunited, were walking away. The mother had given her thanks, extremely grateful. The worker caught her attention again by snapping his fingers and asking, "hey, are you okay?"

She pulled out of her trance and looked at him. "Huh? Um, yeah, thanks."

"That's good. What a relief." He began to quickly put his gear in his bag. "You were lucky, you received no major injuries, only minor lacerations. What you did was extremely brave, and I thank you for your help."

One of his fellow workers passed by at a trot. "She okay?"

"Yep."

"Good! Come on, we've still got a lot of work to do!"

The other worker ran off, and the one that had helped her patted her shoulder reassuringly, and joined him. Katt stared after him for a few moments, then shook her head to bring herself back to the present. It had all happened so fast, and she was still processing the events. She forced herself to remember parts of it again, trying to make sense of it. At that moment when time began to slow down, she had gotten one brief, clear look at the flying object. It was saucer-shaped, like what you would see in those old sci-fi movies. It was silvery-grey, metallic-looking, and had blinking lights in a steady, circular pattern around it. And it had been smoking near the top, as though it had taken some damage.

She had seen a UFO.

Looking back up at the shattered skylight, she could see no more trace of it, not even a wisp of smoke. Thinking hard, she tried to remember what direction it had been going. East. That would take it over Bradbury's Hill Cemetery. It was now that she remembered hearing a loud boom, as though something had crashed, about the same time she had reached the girl.

The Unidentified Flying Object had crashed just outside of the graveyard!

Katt stood up, a curious fire in her eyes. Her hand reached into her pocket, wrapping around the minivan key. She had to know what it was. There was a burning in her heart that she knew wouldn't let her rest until she had seen it with her eyes and learned all that she could! She set off at a fast pace, heading for the nearest exit to the parking lot.

The Curiosity of the Cat had been lit within her, and it burned fiercely.

OOC: And let it begin! Let the stoppers on your imaginations loose!

Here is a quick character profile for ya. No need to use it as an example or restriction. It's just for convenience.

Name: Katt Grimalkin
Species: Mobian Cat
Gender: Female
Age: Presumed to be between 16 and 18
Height: 155 centimeters, or 5 feet, 1 inch (approximations)
Weight: 44 kilograms, or 97 lbs. (approximations)
Appearance: A thin, sleek figure. Fur color is a fiery orange, with brown stripes all along her back, limbs, and her long bushy tail. Fur is of medium length, and soft. Her headfur' is a deep red, a large and thick mop that is kept neat (somehow naturally; she exerts practically no effort). Ears are long and bushy, with extra fur on the ends.
Clothing: Tan shorts and a loose white t-shirt are her staple. The t-shirt is just barely long enough to reach the top of the shorts, if she doesn't move. Out in this cold weather, she wears an additional layer of a beige turtleneck sweater and blue jeans, and a thick camouflage coat with the hood off. (Er, shoes? Sorry, I don't generally describe footwear)
Likes: Warmth; Anything shiny; Mysteries.
Dislikes: Being wet; Animals; Bad-mouthing.
(Age, Height, and Weight are based upon Human standards, not Mobian)

Disclaimer: The concept of a Newbie RP isn't mine. I think it's a wonderful idea, however, so there you go!

Edit: Added below a section that was at the beginning of "Forest of the Future". It is a good description of a "Newbie RP Thread", and so I copy/pasted it here.

"OOC: This is a newbie thread. The purpose of this thread is to allow those who are unsure how to participate in an rp thread some opportunity to practice. The beginning is fairly generic and merely sets the scene, it is up to anyone posting to the thread afterwards to carry on the story, the person making the post may end up never making another post to this particular thread, they may but don't expect them to do so.

Anyone can join in on the thread as long as their entrance is fitting for the thread and at the very least seems believeable. Do not e-mail or otherwise contact the person that started this thread for permission to post, you already have it. Also these threads are subject to comments from outside sources (please make all comments after OOC (Out Of Character) so we know it is a comment and then IC (In Character) if you have a story element to add). If OOC or IC are not used then the post is considered IC for these threads.

Veterans are asked to keep a watchful distance and offer guidance to those new to the rp world on any mistakes they do and possible ways to correct them or prevent them in the future. If a veteran rper really wishes to then there is no stopping them from joining in on the thread (and perhaps at least one per thread would be a good thing), keep in mind that these threads will in no way be perfect as these are where the mistakes are to be made.

While the setting is currently a generic Sonic based one, it is not set in stone. However, if you noticed that one Role Player has already started going with one form of story, try not to do anything that would directly contradict it. Try to communicate with your fellow Role Players to create a wonderful story that you may one day look back at with pride.

Start posting and enjoy."

While perhaps a little different from the traditional Newbie RP, know that this is just as open-ended as any other one!

Further Edit: The only part of the 'Newbie RP introduction' I would say is up for debate is the part that reads generic Sonic-based, in the last paragraph. I personally would say it's even more generic than that. While it may not necessarily be obvious, there are many different ways you can join, and in many different places. Make up a part of the city if you want to!

Oh, and I apologize for the length of this thing. But, if you start reading it, it should just fly by!