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08/9/18 || Update || A new friend??? - Aki Obtained! || @parallelregion​

     “Ehhh, are you even listening Hotaru?” Came a muffled sigh while he leaned absentmindedly on the old, wooden handle of the broom clutched loosely against his palms. Strands of chestnut locks falling lifelessly against his forehead as he craned his neck in a pitiful attempt to see past the mass of fluffy, orange tails currently peeking out from beneath the barely in-tact porch of the Burned Tower; balls of mud and patches of dirt clinging to the radiant fur he had just spent the last hour and a half brushing (he was beginning to think she was doing this on purpose). “Ho-tar-uuu,” he tried again, shifting forward on the broom. But all he could make out in the empty darkness beneath the ruined porch was a certain vulpine’s butt and a set of rear paws currently tearing up the already dusty ground just outside of their makeshift home (it was going to be nightfall by the time he finished cleaning thanks to a pesky, little fox with too much time on her hands).

        Straightening out, he leaned the broom against the side of the tower and rolled up his sleeves (it seemed he was going to have to do this hard way). “Hotaruuu, if you don’t-” the sentence dies in his throat the very moment he kneels down to grab the frisky vulpine; her back paws digging into the earth, and her front end flying back at him before he has to chance to get out of the way. With a joyful yip and no time to allow her master to process what exactly was happening, Hotaru’s head gracelessly slams back into Kashuu’s chin along with the poor, wiggling form of...of - something grasped tightly within her tiny jaws. It’s little limbs failing about, and smacking am already dazed Kashuu in the forehead as little growls mix with terrified screeching right against a certain vulpine’s master’s ears. And Kashuu’s certain he’s never heard anything quite as loud or obnoxious in his entire life, but his head is still spinning from the impact and the constant banging from the struggling creature’s limbs isn’t doing him any favors. 

      “Hey, hey!” Nursing the bruise already forming on his chin, Kashuu lunges forward to grab hold of the squirming creatures, gathering the rowdy pair into his arms and forcing Hotaru’s jaw open to release the poor, horrified, oversized...worm she had dug out from God knows where, and frankly. Kashuu has no desire to know (and he’s not about to climb under the porch to find out). “Cut it out already.” He shoves his hands between the pair, letting go of the worm to hold a snarling, pouting, and enraged Hotaru to his chest. "Geez, what are you doing?” She’s never been terribly brave; then again, she does pick fights when she’s convinced she can win. He almost pities the poor insect (?) she chose to bully- well, until he realizes said insect is clinging to his knee with its head buried against his leg as its trembling manages to make his knee quake. Less than thrilled with the creature’s presence, Hotaru squirms against Kashuu’s hold, nearly smacking him in the chin again as she tries to wiggle out of his grasp to grab the pink worm again. 

         “Hotaruuu, I told you to cut it out. If you keep harassing it, I’m not going to let you sleep inside tonight.” Keen ears flattened against red fur as the vulpine relaxed slightly in his arms, a form stretching along her mouth as she glared at the shaking beast. She hated more things than Kashuu cared to count, but sleeping outside was at the very top of her list - for someone who had willingly dove under the porch to terrorize the poor worm, she certainly disliked getting dirty. “As for you, you should take this chance to leave before,” he says, turning to the insect still clinging to his knee. “Go on,” he shoos at it with his free hand, and pushes himself back onto his feet, assuming the pesky creature will fall off.

         He’s wrong. Very wrong. Its still clinging. “Heey.” Nothing, even as he grabs the broom and slips back inside of the tower, the poor thing is still hooked onto his knee. “I have enough trouble keeping track of her, so could you uhh-” Slowly, the little creature lifts its head to look up at him; big, round eyes sparkling in the dim light of the tower and, oh no, she’s actually kind of cute. “I-I...all right, fine - you can stay, but try not to fight with each other, okay?” With a little gurgle the worm snuggles against his leg; Hotaru, on the other hand only lifts her chin up and snorts. How did things turn out like this (well, he better think of a name for her; he can’t exactly call her worm when it sounds like an insult - Aki will have to do, somehow he thinks it suits her)? 

Aki || Wurmple || Female || Lvl. 5 || Jolly || Shield Dust

Tackle || String Shot || Poison Sting ||

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{ Hotaru } June 8 2018 - Updates

Through trial and error, among run-ins with other creatures, Hotaru has gained more experience:

Level 15 -> Level 20

It seems she wasn’t able to learn anything new this time around, but she really did want to give Will-O-wisp a whirl. However, it wouldn’t be a good idea to focus solely on the best ways to annoy the monks that share the tower with them.  

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{ Hotaru } June 6 2018 - Updates

Through trial and error, among run-ins with other creatures, Hotaru has gained more experience:

 Level 5 -> Level 10 -> Level 15

Level 12 -> Hotaru has forgotten how to use Tail Whip in favor of learning Confuse Ray because it is much more enjoyable to harass the locals with than the former. 

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{ OOC. I apologize for my lack of activity, most of you know I was out of town last week, and just got home on Monday. However, I am going out of town again this weekend, starting tomorrow, and trying to get ready in such a short amount of time while working ate away all of my free time. But I will be back and active again on Monday! Thank you for your patience! }

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fabledsilence:

@nattsukashii

“…then the three creatures were resurrected and the Phoenix departed looking for a pure heart..” Sigurd had no clue how long Dahlia had been going on about this tower but he made little noises at the appropriate times so she didn’t just ramble to the air. It wasn’t often she talked this much, in fact most of the time was spent with them arguing like she could understand what he was saying. When she bestowed Sigurd his name he got the whole story about the legendary dragon slayer and felt slightly inspired. He too wanted to defeat a fearsome creature much larger than him. It would be the ultimate victory.

His eyes scanned the area, ears twitching slightly looking for anything that would try to pick a fight with them. Sigurd always thought that it was better to have the first strike despite how much Dahlia yelled at him for picking a fight. His thoughts were disrupted as Dahlia suddenly stopped and he ran into the back of her leg. Peaking around he noticed that they really were going to a burnt, crispy looking, tower, one that could crumble at any moment. Staring between the tower and her he couldn’t believe that she yelled at him all the time for nearly killing them when she was willingly walking into that thing. “Eevee eev!” he cried out hoping his astonishment came across as he sat down. His tail thumped against the ground in annoyance as she turned to look at him, already knowing that they would be the ones to somehow destroy the rest of the tower.

Dahlia couldn’t imagine anything more exciting than a place full of history. Even if a phoenix never lived in this tower, or the three unfortunate creatures that perished, a fire did destroy it. Most myths came from very exaggerated truths and the fact that she was actually here, a place from one of her stories, was enough to make her excited. Her excitement was cut of by Sigurd sitting down looking like he was protesting.

“Come on Sigurd, you usually like danger.” “Eev!” “Well if you’re going to be like that just stay, I’ll go in by myself,” she replied taking out her sabre. It wouldn’t help her if the tower decided to collapse but it looked structurally sound from here. Moving forward she heard an irritated huff before Sigurd joined her side. Walking in her eyes widened and a small smile started to form. It was so exciting to explore for once, and she could hardly contain herself. Sigurd kept a wary out for any creatures that took refuge in the wreck or falling debris. He had a feeling they would fight something by the end of the night.   

     Careful fingers kneaded the bottom of the barrel he was balancing awkwardly in his arms as worn boots tapped softly against the old, wooden floor. The random creaks and moans of the old, ruined tower echoed through its remains - the little hiccups of aged timber and the pitter patter of wandering paws were all a fairly common part of his day-to-day life here. Given the number of strange creatures that often took shelter here, many of which he didn’t see (they sought protection from him and Hotaru, yet rarely did they ever show their faces to either), and the handful of stray monks who had taken to living in the meager safety of their makeshift shelter, he often heard clumsy footsteps as they tried to dodge around weak monsters and assist the humans who still reside in the mostly ruined city. As a result, he thought nothing of it when Hotaru’s keen ears served forward and her gaze shifted downwards - likely due to something scurrying about on one of the floors below them.  

        Adjusting his hold on the small barrel of water leaning against his chest, he shrugged off her interest, and continued down one of the halls - one that was still covered by the roof that had a bad habit of caving in at the slightest rumble (he’s repaired it at least half a dozen times since he had gotten here, and that had only been a month ago; ugh, mending it was one of the things he hated most about living here, it always got his fingers filthy). Illuminated mostly by candles, and the scarce few overhead lights that hadn’t been broken yet, the tower’s interior was rather dull and filled with countless creeping shadows that he’s learned to identify in his short time in this land (the long ones with tangled spines were the strange plant-like animals that hide amongst them, and the bulkier ones that shifted slowly were the monks as they tended to the wounded or tried to teach the children who were too afraid to attend school again). 

          Following the swaying lights until he reached the northernmost corner of the top floor of the tower, he set the barrel down, running his sleeve along his forehead before lifting his head to look up at the railings above. Quite a few of the beasts that took shelter here had taken to hiding in the rafters, and he had been leaving food and water behind for them to, hopefully, make them slightly less hostile and fearful of them. It’s only after the barrel is placed in its proper spot that Hotaru’s ears swirl forward again, and her head dips to settle her nose against the dusty floor; tiny claws pawing at the worn wood. A low whimper, mixed in with a soft growl formed from the pit of her stomach. 

           Kashuu’s attention quickly turned back to her (he had dismissed her before, but she knew this tower as well as he did; if something was bothering her than they likely had an unexpected guest). Turning away from the barrel, he made his way for the stairs - there was no point in going slowly when their ungodly creaking would give his presence away to anyone in the building, Hotaru trailing not far behind him. By the time his boots made contact with the first floor, he knew something was off. The braver beasts that typically roamed about were nowhere to be seen, and there were new footprints at the doors (had something slipped in; if so he needed to keep it away from the monks who would be helpless against a monster). But, before that train of thought can finish, Hotaru races around in front of him, her lips pulled back into a snarl that more or less translated to, ‘If your filthy paws even dare come anywhere near my master, I’ll burn off every hair on your body’ (which is honestly quite a bit more vicious than Kashuu would ever give her credit for). 

            He followed her line of vision, picking out the figure of a person and a beast amongst the typical shadows of the tower. He tensed, and his fingers shifted onto the hilt of his sword on instinct alone, but he maintained a mostly non-threatening posture. He didn’t want to fight if he didn’t have to - he should figure out if this pair is a threat before blindly leaping into a battle (even if the vulpine in front of him looks ready to pounce at a moment’s notice). “Heeey,” he calls out, trying to get the stranger’s attention (she very well could be here to seek shelter or speak with one of the monks, it wasn’t uncommon - the beast with her though, was what made him weary).  “Are you here to see someone or...?” He leaves the question open-ended, hoping she’ll be willing to fill in the blanks and clear herself of his suspicions or walk right into them.

Burned Tails | Kashuu & Dahlia

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{ OOC.  Just wanted to give a heads up that I will be out of town from the time of this post until the 28th! I likely won’t have time to work on replies this weekend as a result, though I might attempt anyway! I hope all of you have a lovely and safe weekend! And don’t hesitate to shoot me an IM if you want to plot or anything~ }

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[nattsukashii-blog]

nohnohs:

Even if Elanor didn’t notice the attempted assault by the vixen, Scout certainly had. His body tensed in preparation, hackles rising angrily as his sharp, canine eyes narrowed on it. What gall the creature had! Trying to challenging him in such a fiendish way; leaping at him while his back was turned! The mere thought of it was enough to cause him to bare his fangs and growl deeply.

But when the male-human quickly scooped the fox into his arms, stopping all further attempts of assault, the stirring emotions in his chest cooled and his posture relaxed. He shot the vixen a smug look, pleased with the male-human’s intervention. It was obvious who the alpha was between the pair, and it certainly wasn’t the creature.

And with that the male-human had won Scout’s trust - to a degree, anyway - and turning up his nose at the fox-creature, the canine turned and trotted back to his human’s side with a wagging tail - pleased with his defaulted victory.

Elanor, meanwhile, was anything but pleased with the situation. Panicked eyes kept darting between Scout and the stranger, her thoughts running so quickly through her mind that they had become a jumbled mess.

‘H-he saw Scout without his bandanna.’ Was her loudest worry as she stiffly left the safety of the porch in order to meet the canine’s lively approach. ‘What if he tells the authorities? What if the military comes to take Scout away? What should I do if we’re kicked off the island? Or thrown in jail for hiding a wanted monster!?’

Once Scout was within reach she scooped him up into her arms, nearly faint with worry. She held the pup close, trembling under the strangers’ gaze. If she took a moment to think about it logically, she would have realized all her fears were unlikely to ever happen. After all, why would someone with a monster go to the authorities to report someone else caring for a monster? Not only would it be contradictory, but then they would have to worry about their own companion being discovered.

‘What should I do? Should I bribe him?’ She swallowed thickly, feebly peeking up at him. ‘I don’t have much money-’

And then she froze. There - hanging at his side in plain view - was a sword. How she hadn’t noticed it before was a mystery; but now she was completed aware of the blade. It shouldn’t have come as such a surprise to her. It wasn’t unusual to see people carrying all sorts of weapons for protection, now that monsters had appeared in the world. In fact, it was probably unusual to see people without some sort of makeshift weapon on hand. Even if she herself didn’t carry anything physical on her person, her protection came in a different form - Scout. 

Said pup sat patiently in Elanor’s arms, waiting for the now frozen girl to collect herself. Although his human wasn’t the most vocal of creatures, he had quickly learned that that was because she was very loud on the inside. He had learned to hear her ‘inside voice’ through observation. Even if his ears couldn’t hear the actual words, her body spoke loud for her voice. If he was patient and watched her closely, it was easy to see what she was trying to say. His human was very open in that regard.

“U-u-u-uhm-!” Vaguely she heard him mention something about flowers; but even as she quickly dropped her gaze to stare at the mentioned plant, her mind was too jumbled to make sense of his words. ‘Hibiscus.’ A quiet part of her mind offered as if in response to the male, even as her lips continued stumbling over random sounds.

Eventually she managed to string a coherent sentence together, although what came out of her mouth quickly caused her cheeks to flare in embarrassment.

“Y-you shouldn’t cut flowers with swords!”

‘What did I just say!?’

     Under normal circumstances, Hotaru would have settled down in the safety of her master’s arms and nuzzled her nose against the warmth of his chest. Right now; however, she was angry. Her lips pulling back into a snarl that revealed tiny, sharp canines as her fur puffed out all around her. She could have taken him! He wasn’t that much bigger than her, and she was doing this for him so why had he stopped her? Oh, it was just too frustrating. With small, worn paws she scratched weakly at Kashuu’s sleeve, hoping that he would let her go once he saw the error of his ways (unfortunately, her attempts to wiggle out of his grasp or beg him to let her go only earned her a brief glance - oh, she knew that look, he wasn’t going to let her do as she pleased until she gave into his impossible demands). How was she supposed to get along with that mutt? 

       The smug look he shot her when he realized he had effectively won their ‘battle’ thanks to her master’s intervention was enough to rile her up all the more. A small whine slipping from her throat against the tremors of her growls (who did he think he was? Her master could certainly beat his, so it was obviously a no-brainer that they should put him in his place). But all of her wiggling only made Kashuu tighten his hold on the stubborn vulpine. She had half a mind to sink her small teeth into his skin so she could rush after the canine, but she swallowed the urge the moment it crept onto her tongue (no, that would be bad, she never wanted to her master; he had saved her life).  

         With a pout and another, low whimper, she settled down in Kashuu’s arms. Resting her chin on his forearms as she watched the canine happily trot back to his master. For now, she would concede defeat, but she was hardly through. Oh no, the moment she had the chance, she was going to defend her master’s honor (not that she needed to), and restore her wounded pride (assuming Kashuu allowed her to chase down the pup, which was extremely unlikely at this point in time, but she could hope). She would have to settle for glaring at him every chance she got. That ought to get the point across. 

         It’s really only when Hotaru calms down that Kashuu directions his attention to the young woman and her companion. From what little he knew of the region, he knew the authorities were rather strict when it came to keeping any of the strange creatures as pets or whatnot here - it was something the ships Captain had warned him of when he had been hired to guard it. Johto was more relaxed, it was arguably a larger region than this collection of islands, but it was still in shambles from the first wave of creatures that had landed in it. The military and police force were largely non-existent, or rather stuck to the bigger cities to defend them from the monsters that lingered about. They didn’t have the time to deal with people like him, nor did they care. It was a much different case here, he had to assume, based on how people had reacted to Hotaru’s presence when he had left the ship. Which was why he was somewhat surprised to see that the canine belonged to her - he had to guess the dog’s job was to protect the fields from whatever might try to devour the flowers, and he assumed the girl it had trotted over to likely owned them.    

             Er - well, if he had to guess, but that might have been reaching as she seemed a bit - unsteady to say the least. With her mouth opening and closing only to produce mostly incoherent sounds that made Hotaru’s ears twitch in every direction, a little cry bouncing from her tongue as she tried to make sense of the sounds the other human was producing (she’s never heard anything like them before; what a strange creature). A sigh tickled his lips as he waited for her to collect her thoughts; she’s clearly nervous about something, but he can only imagine the source of her dread (Hotaru was slightly smaller than her dog, so he doubted she had frightened her, and he’d tried to come off as non-threatening). 

              When she does finally form actual words and force them out it takes his brain a moment to actually process them. “Y-you shouldn’t cut flowers with swords!” ...What? The sword he carries feels like a part of himself - more so than a simple extension of his own arms or a weapon that’s already managed to save his life more than it’s fair since he had arrived here, it’s presence was something he often dismissed because, well, it felt no different to him than the clothes on his back, or the vulpine’s place at his side. When it finally dawns on him that the weight resting casually against his hip is what has her in daze it finally clicks.

              “Huh?” he spits out, confusion curving his pretty features as Hotaru tilts her head to the side; attempting to mimic his expression. Did she really think he was going to try to cut one of her flowers with his sword? Had he done something to give her the impression he was such a brutish person? “O-Of course not,” comes his delayed, clumsy response. “She was only looking at them.” He shifts his arms slightly to push the fox currently resting stubbornly there upwards, as if doing so would somehow give him an alibi (why was he even defending himself in the first place? Clearly he wasn’t going to start slicing up flowers, right?). Clearing his throat in an attempt to regain control of the situation, he dropped his arms back down to where they had been before without disturbing Hotaru. “I’m not going to cut your flowers, sooo there’s nothing to worry about, all right?” He couldn’t help but feel as if he was trying to reason with a brick wall, but what else was he supposed to do?     

Fields of Flowers || Elanor & Kashuu

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Fire Away || Obito & Kashuu

@ninjaxdreamer || Starter Call

    “Ahah, this doesn’t look too good.” The stench of blood filters into the thick and smog-strangled air around him - his nose wrinkling slightly and he can’t help but feel as if this situation somehow feels familiar to him. But he’s quick to dismiss the jumbled, foggy thoughts from his head in order to focus on the creaking earth, and the warmth of Hotaru’s short fur against his leg. Her breathing was steady; gray irises fixed on the dirt path laid out beside them as her tails flared out behind her - she appeared no worse for wear; she had managed to get in a lucky shot for her part. He hadn’t been nearly as fortunate as she had, earning him a rather impressive gash in his side where the strange beast’s tail had lashed out at them - easily tearing through his flesh (but he supposes he is lucky, he imagines, with how heavy it had been, that could have easily shattered half a dozen rips had he not managed to dodge the brunt of the attack). That; however, didn’t do him much good. 

          He was sure of only three things: this beast (if one could call it that) had to be made of steel or something close to it given that he couldn’t slice through it’s hard exterior, that Hotaru’s fire had managed to wound it (or, at the very least, it seemed susceptible to her tiny flames), and, if he didn’t figure out a way to keep it at bay, it was very likely going to tear this small town (and everyone in it) apart. It had been a month since he had woken up in this land with little memory as to who he was, and he had so little to show for the time had spent trying to understand the strange monster that had appeared here at roughly the same time he had; it was frustrating. He’d managed to earn the trust of the people who resided in Azalea town when Hotaru had chased off a few pesky, mutated birds that had been stealing from the select few that still remained. But what was he supposed to do when there was a serpent made of what was likely steel and well over ten times the size of his companion barreling towards the town. He’s only managed to buy the people sheltered in their homes a few minutes to escape, and he doubted he could do much more than that (at least the children that had spooked the creature out of hiding had managed to flee in the confusion and cover of Hotaru’s attack).     

            Think. He just needed to reroute it; force it to turn away from the town. He didn’t need to beat it, but frightening it away would be a blessing if he could manage it (he wasn’t obligated to help these people; he could have fled - he had only been passing through on his way back home, but he couldn’t bring himself to turn his back on them either). A part of him knew, despite how much of a coward she could be, that Hotaru shared his resolve to chase the beast off; his gaze turning to her for a moment, and watching how her small claws dug into the dry earth. 

           With a sigh, he shifts onto his feet again, ignoring the sting and pull from the wound in his side. He can feel the ground rumbling and quaking beneath his heels; making the trees around him tremble and yank against the tremors. If he had to guess, he only had a minute or two before the creature would reach him. “Hotaru.” The vulpine’s ears perk up at the sound of her name, and she leaps up onto his shoulders, digging her claws into the thick fabric of tunic to keep herself upright against the earth’s shaking. “Get ready.” His fingers wrapped tightly about his wound; a hot liquid pouring out from the tight spaces between them (for some reason, his mind convinces him this isn’t the worst injury he’s ever had; it’s not even close).  

           The monster’s metallic skin ignites beneath the sun’s slow, nearly blinding him as it’s massive body rolls into view, tearing down trees and ruining the path. His grip tightens about his side, and he ignores the sharp, numbing pain that shoots through his body at the motion. He can feel Hotaru tense as she sucks in a breath through her tiny jaws, and release it in the form of small, fiery sparks that collide with the serpent’s body; leaving behind nasty burns and a wail that almost manages to topple over the tree he had been taking shelter behind. But it takes only a moment for the beast to recover; it’s furious gaze turning towards him (well, he got it’s attention at least) before it lets out a loud screech that scatters the leaves and rocks collected around the beast and charges at him (on the bright side, it’s no longer heading towards the town), but he should probably - 

          Run. He turns on his heels, racing away from the town with an incredibly enraged beast not too far behind him. Hotaru just barely manages to keep herself glues to his shoulders as she tries spitting out little bits of fire to keep the thing from catching up to them, but her attempts only serve to anger the creature more. “Da-” his hoarse voice retreats back down his throat as he tears his attention away from the beast to look in front of him as he nears a clearing in the thick forest about the town, and can clearly see a long man standing directly in his path. “Hey!” is really about all he has time to shout before they’re nearly on top of him - incredibly angry serpent included.      

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nohnohs:

Scout loved the flower fields. It made the area smell nice, look pretty, enticed little winged creatures near he could chase, but most of all made his human happy. That was the most important thing, he had decided some time ago; because when she was happy, he was happy. And when they were both happy together, he was more likely to get lots of scratches and yummy treats from the humans’ kitchen. Yes, Scout loved the flower fields because they made many good things happen. 

Another thing he loved was the swing on the porch. Not only was it shaded by the awning, keeping it cool and protected from the heat of the island sun, but it also rocked him to sleep. It was the perfect place to take an afternoon nap.

It was on that swing that Scout dozed; the swing kept in motion by the gentle breeze blowing off the ocean, tickling his fur whenever it passed over him. The sensation was rather distracting, because whenever it happened it would rouse him from an almost dream; and just when he managed to doze off again, the breeze would come back and the cycle would start once more.

Again the breeze blew across him, rousing him from his slumber; but something was different this time. His nose twitched, picking up a scent that didn’t belong with the sweet fragrance of the fields. His eyes opened and he sat up, sniffing the air.

There was something there - mixed in the the smell of human and flowers - that caused an uneasy curiosity to stir within him. Was it dangerous? He didn’t think so, it didn’t smell violent. Was it close? Much too close, he needed to investigate. He had to make sure this foreign entity wasn’t a threat to his human.

Jumping off the swing, he paused by the door long enough to confirm his human was still inside, before trotting off in the direction the scent was strongest. It didn’t take him long to find his target hovering at the far edge of one of the fields, sniffing at the newly bloomed flowers. A human lingered behind it, seeming much more cautious than their four-legged companion.

As Scout approached them, he took his time sizing up the other creature. It wasn’t any bigger than himself, with made him feel more confident in his ability to defend the territory should a fight ensue. It also had many tails, which was strange, and its fur was nearly as red as some of the flowers his human grew. All in all, it didn’t look too threatening; the only thing about the creature that caused him to be on edge was the strange burnt smell radiating off of it - like a fire was smoldering nearby.

They were quick to notice him as he drew closer, the strange red creature jumping in front of the human behind it protectively. The action from the other creature caused him to halt his approach; he knew better than to approach another creature’s human without permission. But even so, it was still a fact they they were on his human’s territory; and even if he respected the creature’s claim, he still had to make sure it knew who was in charge of this area.

He sat on his hind legs, trying to appear both nonthreatening yet commanding, and let out a stern bark. It was a warning that coming closer was unacceptable, but also a inquiry about their presence there. The creature responded in kind with its own strange barks. They weren’t here to cause trouble, from what he could gather; but still, he wasn’t willing to allow them any closer. Even if the creature claimed their presence peaceful, it was still a fact that they were strangers; even if he could accept the intentions of the creature, the human had yet made a move to prove he wasn’t a threat.

His human was weak and timid; it would be easy for the male-human to overpower her. She was typically more cautious of the male-human’s anyway; if he allowed them any closer he would be failing in his duty of protecting her.

But even as he decided this, a familiar voice calling his name caused his ears to perk upright.

“Scout! Lunch is ready!” His head turned in her direction, almost forgetting about the strangers at the call for food. “That’s strange … where did he go?”

Food! He was so hungry; he hadn’t eaten since early that morning. He stood up and pace a bit in her direction, tail wagging happily at her appearance - but was quick to return to his original spot when he remember the strangers. His conflicting desires cause him to whine pitifully, the sound easily carrying over to her.

When the pup’s whine reached her ears, Elanor turned her head to the right where she easily spotted a fidgeting Scout - who sat restlessly halfway down one of the dirt-path’s running along the length of a field. 

“What’s wrong? What are you doing over-?” It was then that she noticed that her companion wasn’t alone. She spotted the man first, his dark hair a striking contrast to the vibrancy of the fields, before her gaze lowered to the small fox-like creature standing defensively in front of him. Instantly her eyes picked out the multiple tails flared out behind it, and knew that it wasn’t a normal animal in the slightest.

‘W-who is that? What is that?’ When her eyes drifted back to Scout, her entire body froze and a cold sweat broke out down her back when she found something missing that should have been there.

‘He’s not wearing his bandanna!’

     With a twitch of her damp nose, Hotaru straightened herself out to puff out her chest at the canine; her tails wagging slowly behind her as she watches him. He’s not much bigger than herself - in fact, they’re nearly the same size, and that breeds conviction within her. She isn’t typically the confrontational type unless Kashuu needed her to fight, but she couldn’t accept getting bossed around by this dog. From what she could gather from his rather stern bark, this was his territory, or it belonged to his master (hmp, he wasn’t worthy of such a beautiful land as far she was concerned; not when he looked like such a troublemaker to her) Well, if that was the case, she would just have to defeat him and claim this land for her master - he was far more worthy of such lovely flowers; something she concluded in mere seconds and without seeing the canine’s master. She disliked fighting, she was quite the coward, but with her master right behind her to back her up, she wanted to make him proud (he would be happy if she could beat this canine, right? Surely that would make him proud; oh she’s caused him so much trouble on the way here she had to do something for him to make up for it). 

       Digging her nails into the ground, she braced herself for a fight; the taste of smoke and ash lingering on her tongue as she felt the back of her throat heat up. She could do this, he wasn’t very big and he wasn’t nearly as terrifying as the beasts who had attacked her in the past. With a low growl, she gave him one last warning - stand down or she would be forced to fight him. She hoped he took the bait as she tried to shimmy up onto the tips of her tiny paws in order to make herself look larger than she truly was. That ought to frighten him, right? He wouldn’t dare try to fight her if she managed to make herself look bigger (then she could take this field, and give it to her savior as a gift). She hadn’t come here with the intention of picking a fight, but she was blaming the canine for picking one with her.   

         To be frank, Kashuu hadn’t a clue as to what Hotaru was plotting or how to view the other beast. He remained kneeling; however, not wanting to startle the other creature into attacking Hotaru as the situation seemed to take a turn for the worse. He could see the vulpine tense, as if she were bracing herself for a fight (hadn’t she just been trying to make nice with the canine; ah, she really wasn’t good at befriending anything - he should have been aware of that by now). His hand shifts to rest on the hilt of his sword in the event that things get ugly - Hotaru  isn’t much of a fighter, she’s been skittish since he had found her, only regaining some of her courage as she spent time with him.  

           It’s only when he hears a girl’s voice call out, noting how the pup’s head turns in the direction it had come from, that he puts two and two together. This creature must belong to her, and she likely owns these fields, as well. As if to confirm his theory, a petite, young woman with blonde hair comes into view. And, even from where he’s crouching, he can tell she’s frightened; freezing in place the moment she spots them. “All right, that’s enough,” he sighs (the last thing he wants to do is upset her more than they already have) as he stands up. In front of him, Hotaru whines, her gaze shifting from Kashuu to the canine (she really wanted to beat the canine for him, but he doesn’t seem to like that idea too much - oh, she knows, maybe the new human is threatening him; well she’ll just have to take care of - )

         Kashuu manages to catch her by the scruff of her neck just as her legs bend to leap into the air, ending her would-be pounce before she can land on the canine. Her little legs failing helplessly the air beside her startled growls as he lifts her up. “Everything’s fine,” he chides the fox, gathering her up in his arms and holding her to his chest to keep her from wiggling out. He only hoped he was making the right choice; he didn’t know if she and the canine were truly a threat, but instinct and the fear written all over her would lead him to believe they could be reasoned with, and, thus, a fight could easily be avoided. Assuming the spirited bundle cradled in his arms didn’t try to start something again, but, for now, he was going to accept her disgruntled and unenthusiastic huff as a sign of her willingness to cooperate for the time being. 

         With Hotaru safely secured in his arms, he turns his attention to the young woman who had come out, but doesn’t take a step closer. He imagines Hotaru’s earlier leap had likely put the canine on edge (not to mention his caretaker, as well), and he wanted to defuse the situation - not make it worse. “I’m sorry, it wasn’t my intention to trespass or upset your...dog.” It wasn’t a dog, but that was about the only thing he could compare the other strange beast to. “She saw your flowers from the road, and wanted to look at them.” He gingerly rubs the top of Hotaru’s head, as if to indicate he’s referring to the vulpine in his arms. “I have no intention of harming you or your friend.” He’s not sure; however, if she’ll take his word for it. With how things are, he wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t believe him or if Hotaru’s actions had startled the canine into becoming hostile.      

Fields of Flowers || Elanor & Kashuu

[nattsukashii-blog]

ｷﾀ━(ﾟ∀ﾟ)━!!

[nattsukashii-blog]

Sick Days || Robin & Kashuu

@freedrobin​ || Stater Call

       “It doesn’t look like anything here is going to be of use,” he sighs, carefully thumbing through the crips pages of a dusty, worn book. A dozen books in, and he was starting to realize that trying to research foxes wouldn’t get him very far when it came to Hotaru - as vulpine as she was in appearance she was far removed from an ordinary fox (of course she was, she could spit fire and force other beasts to sleep, your average fox couldn’t exactly spew out magic like it was nothing, and he used the term magic loosely, he hadn’t the foggiest idea as to the source of her powers was). Anatomically speaking, she was a bit smaller than your average red fox, and he couldn’t be certain that her internal structure was similar (he had to believe it wasn’t; if she could freely spew fire she had to also be resistant to it or would burn her organs and tongue) either. He sincerely doubted that she would currently appreciate him poking at her, but his ventures into unnecessary research was yielding no results. 

        A groan spilled against his tongue as he closed the book, and set it down on the growing pile beside his thighs. He was nearly through the library’s rather limited selection on foxes, not that he had expected them to have much in the first place, and it wasn’t going well. Stretching out his stiff legs from sitting cross-legged on the carpet, he leans back on his palms to glance at the small creature nestled lazily against his knee. Little whimpers echoing in the tiny hall as her red and white belly trembled with each breath she took. She felt hot against his leg, but that wasn’t really unusual for her - she was always a bit warm to the touch, but she felt like she was boiling against the slight breeze from the creaky fan overhead that kicked up strands of her orange fur. He’d already checked half a dozen times to make sure any of her old, healer injuries hadn’t suddenly flared up, but they had recovered nicely and showed no sign of an infection. 

        But he wasn’t a doctor, or a vet - or whatever the heck someone who tended to these beasts would even be referred to. He would argue that she had a fever, but he hadn’t the slightest idea as to how she could have gotten it or what he should do for her to help tame it. He’d already tried the usual medicines intended for humans, but she clearly wasn’t human, and not one of them had seemed to do much good for the poor thing. She was usually so lively - if a bit demanding, but now she was exhausted and desperate to crawl as close to him as she could get for security. He was hoping it would pass, but it had been three days now and, while she hadn’t taken a turn for the worse, she hadn’t made any progress either. 

         “Hang in there, okay?” He ghosts his knuckles gently against the light fringe atop her head. If they were in Johto, he could have at least tested various mixtures, but they weren’t, and he didn’t know this region well. She had the bad luck of catching something on the ship on the way over, and he had to back out of a job he had taken guarding said ship because he hadn’t wanted to put her through another trip across the ocean in her current condition. But he might not have a choice if he couldn’t come up with a way to fight off of her fever here. Pulling his hand away, he leaned his forehead into his palms, pressing his fingers into his dark locks in growing frustration. She had been such a bother when he had first rescued her - clawing and nipping at him, but she was all he had (and he couldn’t even help her; she trusted him, and she had nothing to show for it other than a fever and pained breaths). 

         He pulls his hands away when he feels her bushy tails flick against his leg; her little head lifting from the comfort of the floor as her ears twitched forward. It took him a moment to yank himself from his drifting thoughts, but he heard the footsteps as soon as he could focus his attention away from his companion. Ah, that reminded him, what time was it? How long had he been flipping through these books? He hadn’t thought it terribly unusual that he hadn’t seen anyone in a few hours given how a decent chunk of the population was still hiding in the safety of their homes, but it must be late now. He couldn’t feel the sun’s warmth drifting in from the window, and it was nearly too dark inside to see the titles written out on the books in the pile beside him. The library was probably closed, and he hadn’t even noticed.

           Quickly, he gets to his feet, doing his best not to rattle Hotaru and begins collecting the books he had left on the ground. Leaning into his toes in order to slot them back onto the shelf where he had taken them. He can still recall the order they had been in when he had gotten there earlier that day, but it seemed Hotaru would have to endure whatever was wrong with her another night. Tomorrow was a new day; he would come up with something, he refused to give up on her. As he pushes the last book back into its place, he hears the footsteps approach. “I’m sorry, I lost track of the time. We’ll be out of your way in a moment,” he admits, glancing at the owner of those footsteps out of the corner of his eyes before leaning down to carefully pick up Hotaru.           

[nattsukashii-blog]

Fields of Flowers || Elanor & Kashuu

@nohnohs || Starter Call

      “You know, it’s not raining anymore, and I’m preeetty sure the ground here isn’t wet sooo - I think you can walk on your own.” His suggestion only serves to stir the vulpine held carefully against his chest; her tails flailing about as she protests loudly, earning him a mouthful of fluffy, orange fur he’s tasted more times than he would like to admit in the month since he had rescued the willful beast. And all he really had to show for their companionship was his knowledge of her hatred for water, a handful of the stranger powers she seemed to possess (who knows if she was capable of more than she displayed - he had nearly had a heart attack when she had first spewed fire from her throat), and her cooperation, as least when it mattered. Apparently, trying to explain to her that just because it had been raining before the ship had pulled into the dock a few miles offshore didn’t mean the ground of this island was still wet (he would know, he’s checked the dirt paths and pavement a dozen times just to try to prove it to her, but she was a stubborn thing). 

         “All right, all right, I’ll carry you.” He really doesn’t have a choice when she’s squirming around in arms and making a fuss. He’s like to return to Johto as soon as possible, even if he’d recently started taking jobs guarding ships to earn a bit of gold, he much preferred the roads he’s grown to know and the ruined building he called home to the unsteady waves of the ocean and the close calls with the monsters that lurked beneath the murky depths. However, Alola, if he recalled the name correctly from the ship’s Captain, wasn’t unpleasant but he couldn’t begin to claim he enjoyed entering a land he didn’t know when his head was still a foggy mess of God even knows what at this point. Oh well, supposedly it would only take three or so days for the ship to drop off the supplies it had been carrying and for the crew to barter what they could out of the locals to bring back and trade elsewhere for a profit. So, he wouldn’t have to kill too much time on the unfamiliar soil - that was easier said than done when he was already attracting attention from the locals still gathered in the city (Hau'oli, he believed). Carrying a sword didn’t exactly seem nearly as common here as it was in his makeshift home, and, well, Hotaru was in a league all here own (it didn’t help that him carting her around in his arms just made her look all the more tame; he felt like a street performer with all of the wandering gazes). 

          Adjusting his hold about her chest, he hiked her up higher to keep her from slipping out from his grasp. While she wouldn’t run away or go off on her own, he couldn’t say he trusted how people were eyeing her. And judging by the slight tilt of her head and the low growl that began to vibrate in her throat, she wasn’t exactly too thrilled with being turned into a spectacle either (was befriending one of these things such a strange occurrence; there were still so many of them and so little he understood about them and this world). With boots clicking against the pavement until it shifted into dirt, he ventured away from the city for the time being. It wasn’t the ideal choice given that he was making himself an easier target for the beasts that most certainly must be hiding somewhere nearby (they needed food, as well, after all, and what better way to get it than to steal it from the human cities that are still standing). But if he had to choose, it was easier to make enemies with these beasts than with human beings who might prove to be a bigger problem in the long run (but he’d still have to find a place to stay until the ship left - what a drag).    

        He’s not sure how long he had been walking when an excited “Pix!” erupts from Hotaru’s throat; her tiny claws pawing at his sleeves until she manages to wiggle out of his halfhearted grasp, and plop onto the ground with a tiny ‘thud’. “See, you can walk on your own,” he hums before following her to the source of her newfound bravery - a handful of fields composed of bright flowers, most of which he’s never seen before, but judging by this region’s climate he assumes that’s simply because they wouldn’t have been able to survive in Johto. And the curious fox trots right up to them, tails wagging as she eyeballs a pink one he can’t help but feel as if he’s seen before (but he can’t place where), her little paws straining as she leans in close to stick her nose in it. “Hey, wait a second, they could belong - “ 

        He cuts himself off abruptly as brown appears in the corner of his eyes, and he tears his gaze away from Hotaru to spot the dog coming towards them - no, wait, it’s not a dog. Hotaru is quick to yank her snout out of the flowers and race to Kashuu’s aid, placing herself between him and the canine. Her bushy tails flaring out behind her as a growl forms in the fit of her stomach; her eyes locked on the other beast’s. There’s still too much he doesn’t know about the creatures to assume it doesn’t mean harm, and Hotaru appears to be in the same mindset as him - her fur on edge as she plants her paws into the earth. A few yips bounding from her tongue as she calls out to the other beast. And Kashuu can only assume she’s trying to communicate with it (he’s seen her ‘speak’ to the handful of other creatures he’d saved, and they had understand her - perhaps this one could as well). While he can’t actually understand anything Hotaru’s trying to get across to the canine, he can more or less figure out she’s trying to convince it they don’t mean it any harm. For now, he’ll stand back and leave it to her. He would rather avoid fighting with it - no matter how these things looked, they were still alive and he’d rather not resort to senseless violence if it could be avoided.

[nattsukashii-blog]

Shipwrecked || Talon & Kashuu

@noxiansectum || Starter Call

    Tiny lungs quake as the vulpine’s fluffy paws patted excitedly against worn wood. Her six tails wagging joyfully behind her while she tossed her head back and let out an incredibly loud and high-pitched, “Vul!” that echoed through the ship’s crowded hull and was followed by a muffled, mildly distressed groan. If he’d kept track correctly, this was the fifteenth time since they had boarded the small ship that Hotaru had shouted senselessly into the dimly lit cabin (illuminated just barely by the full moon hanging overhead), and he had realized a dozen cries ago that she really just enjoyed hearing the sound of her own voice (it had been a tad endearing until it had started to near midnight and the wonder in her bright, bubbly eyes had yet to cease; leaving him with little hope of getting any rest before their predicated landing on a nearby island). Thankfully, it was only a short trip.    

       “Hotaru,” he heaves, rolling over onto his side to face the small, orange fox and settling his index finger against his lips as she sucks in enough air to power a generator for another cry that is cut off abruptly by the sound of her name and the dull ‘thud’ of her jaw as her mouth snaps shut. Her small ears whirled around to face in his general direction, twitching slightly as the hushed, “Sshh,” pressed against his slender finger. He was hardly the only person on this ship, including the crew and the handful of people the Captain had hired to keep watch (himself included) there were around fifteen people in total - just barely enough to keep the small boat afloat as it transported a handful of crates of various fruits (apples, grapes and the like) to a nearby island that had mostly lost contact with the outside world in the month since this strange creatures had suddenly appeared here (and he could have been included with them; it had been a month since he had just as suddenly awaken here with only a foggy idea as to who he was or what he should be doing right now). He wasn’t the guard on duty at the moment, but if his problematic companion kept up her shouting she was bound to unsettle the guards less experienced (and he could barely claim he had more knowledge about her than they did - she still found ways to surprise him everyday) with the stranger creatures.  

          But he can only sigh as she tilts her head at him in response (she has to know what he’s asking of her; she’s understood far more complicated requests in the past - she must get a kick out of teasing him in much the same way she enjoys the sound of her own voice). Shifting onto his elbows, he’s about to roll out from beneath the thin sheets to grab her before she wakes up the entire ship when he notices her body stiffen and her attention shift towards the door. A low growl vibrated from the depths of her stomach while fire licks at the back of her throat, threatening to spill out; the fur upon her back rigid and tense. In a moment, Kashuu throws off the blankets, and stumbles onto his feet; his fingers just able to grasp the hilt of his nearby sword when the entire ship moans in agony. It’s wooden frame trembling and cracking as something slams into it, nearly throwing him against the bed as the impact nearly tosses the ship onto its side. 

         Clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth, he finds his footing against the awful tremor rumbling through the boat and yanks open the door to his meager room to the sound of frantic shouts and horrified screams (he can just barely pick them out from where he’s located, ‘it’s gonna sink us!’ ‘hurry someone stop that thing!’). “Hurry, let’s go.” Truthfully, if whatever’s out there is big enough to almost topple a ship over he doubts anyone here will be able to do much against it - himself included, but he couldn’t turn his back on the crew or the job he had signed up for. Quickly, Hotaru climbs onto his shoulders, digging her sharp nails into his clothes to keep herself from being tossed around by the constant rocking and wailing of the ship.

        By the time he’s able to reach the ship’s deck in the chaos, water has already started seeping in through the small cracks forming in the worn wood holding the boat together. And he can only assume it won’t be long before it’s plunged into the sea. Drowning; however, was the least of his concerns as he steps out into the frigid air of a spring night and spots the source of the crew’s distress - and he hasn’t the foggiest idea as to what that thing is but it’s blue, it’s hideous, and it’s possibly one of the biggest creatures he’s had the misfortune of spotting since he had ended up here four weeks ago. Rushing to the edge of the ship to get a better view of the damage, he steadies himself by grasping the shattered railing, catching sight of the island in the distance (they need to dock the boat, even if it strands them there - but they’d have to shake this thing first and hope the ship has enough life left in it to get them the mile or so they still have left to go).

      "It looks like we don’t have much of a choice, if we can’t shake I’m afraid your fur will get wet.” He wasn’t reckless enough to believe they could defeat it in a direct battle, but if Hotaru to could manage to get lucky and put the beast to asleep for even a few minutes it should be enough time for the Captain to steer the ship back towards the island, and get them to dry land before it filled with water. “Shall we?” With a low growl, Hotaru straightened herself upon his shoulders, digging her back clothes into his cloak as her eyes settled upon the serpent trying to ram into the ship against the select few brave enough to stand against it, but it’s difficult to get in close with all of its thrashing and the sloppy attempts of the crew as they toss empty barrels and anything else they get their hands on. “Hey,” he calls out, keeping his eyes glues to the beast as the guards who hadn’t remained sheltered in their cabins try to engage it. “We won’t be able to beat it head-on like this, but if I can get close enough, she might be able to put it asleep long enough for us to get away from it.”  He points briefly to the fox still perched on his shoulders, but even he was well aware what he was suggesting would be difficult to accomplish with how much the monster was thrashing about (it almost looked like it was caught in something, but he couldn’t have been bothered to focus on it when he was more concerned with the lives of the crew rather than the beast’s).   

[nattsukashii-blog]

{ OOC.  Hello, hello ~ You can call me Shiro, this isn’t my first venture into the Pokemon rpc, but it’s been quite some time. That being said, I’m looking forward to interacting with all of you! I’ve still got work for a few more hours today, but in the mean time you can consider this a starter call just give it a like and I’ll write something up! I might shoot you an IM if nothing comes to mind, but if you would like to plot anything out you’re most certainly free to message me!  }

[nattsukashii-blog]

vulpix ♥

[nattsukashii-blog]

                               you're  an  UGLY  truth  wrapped  in  BEAUTIFUL  lies …