[ti]open[/ti]alfred hitchcock's 'the birds' (1963)

The Steppes were as good a place for research as any, Genesis figured, with that strange sort of magnetism that seemed to permeate the entire area, generating all sorts of unusual effects in the process. Plus, Genesis still needed to get out there and get some more Pokemon under their belt--even with a Froakie by their side, they knew they were a bit of a lone wolf without any other members of their team, and even though they didn't much mind being a loner, there were practical difficulties to only having a single Pokemon partner as well. Like how the Froakie in question wasn't even literally by his side right now, because Genesis didn't want the frog Pokemon getting zapped by the electricity that filled the air, especially not when they didn't have any other Pokemon to use as back-ups.

Today, though, what caught their attention wasn't the electricity of the Steppes, but the way that a flock of bird Pokemon was acting. Sure, it was normal enough for birds to flock together, to the point where it was the basis of a commonplace idiom, but these birds barely had any personal space, flying just far apart enough that they didn't hit each other when flapping their wings. Plus, if it wasn't just Genesis' imagination, something about this particular flock of birds seemed off--their movements strangely angular, sharp, aggressive.

Just as they were planning out how best to chase after the birds without risking the whole flock attacking them in the process, Genesis heard a man nearby, a stranger, remark to himself on the strange actions of the birds, and Genesis' calculations quickly shifted. Maybe the other man would know more about the situation... or at least provide a good shield if the birds' aggression did turn their way.

"You're watching the birds too, then? They really are acting oddly today, aren't they?" Genesis did their best to make eye contact with the stranger, though meeting others' eyes had never exactly been there forte. "Should we go see where they're going together?"

Genesis... hadn't been out to the Steppes that much yet, truth be told. In fact, this was his first time visiting the area, though he hoped it would be the first of many such visits. But he felt a little awkward about actually admitting as much to somebody who was apparently a regular in the area, so he skirted around the issue instead.

"I don't know what it is, but something is definitely up with them. Worth investigating, at least."

At the mention by his conversation partner--"Finnegan Fjord", according to the name pop-up, a name that made Shiloh smile a little and remember some of her more fanciful attempts at unisex names upon discovering that she was nonbinary--of being a lone wolf, Genesis nodded appreciatively.

"I understand. I tend to be a lone wolf myself, but there is something to be said for strength in numbers when a situation can get dicey." Genesis returned Finn's smirk with one of his own and added, "I'll try not to slow you down too much."

Shiloh, at least, knew that Finn's initial question wasn't meant to be taken seriously, but even so, the temptation to over-analyze it proved too much to resist.

"I'd think a pack would need more than two members. Maybe if we could find a third lone wolf to join us, then we might qualify..."

As for the second question, Genesis just gave a distracted shake of the head in response, their eyes turned upwards as they focused more on the birds than on their conversation.

Honestly, the horror movie parallels hadn't even crossed their mind. Sure, they knew there was risk involved in following them, they knew the birds might turn on them, but they were stuck in the mindset of a naturalist, where the birds' unusual actions were a fascinating natural phenomenon that deserved to be observed rather than an ominous sign best avoided at all costs. Perhaps this would prove to be mere folly on their part, but only time would tell.

As such, Genesis didn't hesitate in the slightest, though they did vaguely note how the birds had slowed along with their own movement. Perhaps the birds were watching them as much as they were watching the birds... what a fascinating possibility...

Genesis has to think about his response for a moment, trying to think of a fancy description but having to admit defeat in the end.

"I guess we're just... two wolves, then. Plain and simple."

The birds keep heading in the same direction, with no reaction to the thunder audible from above, or from the... unusual glitch that suddenly took over the entire flock as if it were a single entity. It was hard to describe what was wrong with the birds now, how to convey the strangeness that took over their entire bodies, colors and shapes warping in ways that should not be... wrong was definitely a good way to put it.

Genesis rubbed their eyes in the hopes that the action might make the vision before them settle into a more sensible form, but to no avail. Then they pointed at the birds and said in an uncertain tone... "Do you... see that?"
It was an honest question. Genesis wasn't entirely certain that it wasn't him that had broken, here, rather than the world around him.

It took Genesis a moment to realize why the other man was laughing, but he did connect the dots eventually. He knew that meme, too, though it hadn't been his intention to reference it, and the thought of the unintentional reference was enough to make him smirk amusedly, though he didn't outright laugh at the thought.

At any rate, it was good to know that the strange impossible sight in front of Genesis was not, in fact, his imagination or him going mad, but a mistake on the part of reality instead. Perhaps not the most reassuring thought, to know that the world itself was wrong, but in Genesis' mind, at least, it still beat the alternative. After all, if he couldn't trust his own mind, what could he trust?

Genesis started to spitball half-formed theories out loud, as much for his own benefit as for that of the stranger beside him. "Is it possible that the birds could somehow sense that the area was like that, or that all of them would be subject to its effect? Could they have come here specifically for this purpose? Or is there some other rhyme or reason I still haven't gathered yet for their strange swarming?"