#02A || ΕΓΛ 1959/1983 [CANON VERSE: LIFE OF NANAKI]

[nanakithewarrior]

[Four Seasons] Secrets

Closed Starter for the “Four Seasons” Divergent Megaverse!

Of how Nanaki and Fuhito first learned about ShinRa’s ties with Cosmo Canyon.

Involved Characters: Nanaki, 20yo  ( @nanakithewarrior​ )  Fuhito Fushimi, 11yo ( @fuhitoofavalanche ), Kunsel, 3yo ( @steeleidolon )

References: Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII

Settings: Cosmo Canyon, June εγλ 1979

Note: This thread was written on Discord, it is being copy-pasted for archiving.

Scary...

It was a word Nanaki hated; and one he'd rather not use at all if he could. At 20 years of age, boys shouldn't be scared. His grandfather could remind him everyday that he shouldn't make the mistake to count his own age in the same way the other young ones did in the Valley of the Fallen Star. A year for Nanaki took three years for the other kids to come. But regardless of his words, people celebrated his birthday every human year. Boys who had seen twenty birthdays did not know fear.

Animals, however, they did. Fear was one of the few primal emotions man and beast shared, and one that he felt heavily swung the pendulum to which he was chained back towards his wild roots rather than that of the role his kind was supposed to represent here.

It was also the grim reminder of the coward he descended from. His mother would be ashamed, if she knew he was afraid.

But on the inside, where his thoughts belonged to Nanaki alone, he couldn't deny.

Fuhito, that young boy, he was scary.

He'd been living in the village for two years now - human years, that is - and from the very start, something about him never sat right with Nanaki. He thought it was the foreign scent at first; or his accent. Everything about him simply screamed "different", and still even now, when the rest had accepted his presence amongst the other scholars who had come to stay in Cosmo Canyon, Nanaki had not. Not quite...

Not that Nanaki would dare do anything about it. But he did scoot to sit a bit further when the boy joined the others around the fire for Grandpa's teachings. And he'd avoided the study rooms carefully when he caught his scent lingering by. These days more often than others.

It was a shame, because the pillows there were particularly comfortable.

If only he could put his finger on just what exactly unsettled him so, maybe he could make peace with this feeling. The few times his eyes had met the other's, Nanaki had felt the fur at the spine of his back stand on end. It felt like staring into the glassy eyes of a bird of prey. A big one, like those who'd try to snatch him when he was a much smaller pup and made him rush inside, tail tucked between his hinds, its flame be damned for singeing his toes.

Fuhito was passionate to his studies, maybe more than most in the village. But the way he went through each and every book in the study room had something predatory-like. Obsessive. It was not right.

With a small sigh, he shuddered to let his bristled fur settle back down in place. He shouldn't be thinking about him anymore. It made his stomach churn. Huffing, he rolled on the other side where he was laying, on a flat rock by the edge of the cliff that marked the village's borders, staring off into the far away, dangerous wild plains.

steeleidolon:

The child doesn't say much - until he says too much, imitating his elders with an uncanny sort of accuracy for short snippets before devolving into nonsense and laughter, as little boys do. Bright eyed - almost lupine, like droplets of smoked honey in the sun, flecked with other colors like the Canyon feldspar. His mop of hair looks like a tangle of rasped, fluffy cinnamon bark cowlicked this way and that. It affords him a natural sort of camouflage, what with the way his skin takes the daylight and the red, red earth all around.

He also has a terrible proclivity for running everywhere he goes. Always, always. Typically with something in his hands... something messy, or sharp. His fingers are stained with it this time, an earthen ochre absconded from the ashes of a tertiary fire allowed to burn out and cool.

Enter Kunsel, dun tunic painted with splashes of yellow and blue, little moccasins tied to feet that shff-shff-shff-shff in the dust. Three years old and a terror, he has taken to drawing interconnected spirals on the rock, and then tip, topple, splattering handprints in the middle with a peal of giggles. He stands butt-first, levers himself up, and starts his dizzy spirals again, approaching the red-furred shape--

Perhaps Nanaki will feature in his bizarre design.

It wasn't uncommon for Nanaki to be left to care, or to the "care", of other children. Human children liked to be wild, and they liked the wild, those like Nanaki, on all-fours and soft to the touch. This was a bit to the dismay of common creatures and Nanaki as well, for human children tended to be everything a sensitive creature could loathe: smelly and loud, disrespectful of boundaries and so oblivious to body language cues. In this aspect, Nanaki's ability to speak offered an advantage that made him a more suitable playdate than the other animals in the village.

For children old enough to understand words, anyway.

So it was with a small wave of panic that the creature startled out of sleep, twitching ears being the first to move in reaction to the approaching noise of scuffling little feet, and swiveling back quickly before the rest of his head turned. Just a moment for ochre eyes to rest on the small toddler, and he was bolting up to his feet.

"H-hey...! No, no! No coming this way!"

The edge of the cliff was so close, and these bipedal things had the most horrible balance! For as much as Nanaki could envy their ability to climb just about anywhere, he surely wouldn't wish to lose his tail like their kind had.

So busy twisting around the small child to carefully pinch the back of his tunic with his teeth, to lift him up and carry him away from his resting spot, he was completely unaware of the stained hands the little thing would surely reach his fur with the moment he put him down at a safer distance from the borders.

[nanakithewarrior]

onewinged-tragedy​:

He waited patiently yet intently for Nanaki’s answer, concerned for the creature as well as what he may bring upon this town and his charges if it was an enemy that could end up following him. But just as he thought Nanaki was about to speak, Lucrecia’s voice sounded in the distance, and his heart leapt. He didn’t have a chance to urge Nanaki to go and hide, as the other had enough sense to hurry off on his own.

He straightened himself before she finally made her way to his location, and he quickly formulated the best partial lie he could manage, not at all enjoying having to do so. He knew she might find interest in the creature, and he would hate to rob her of discoveries she would enjoy, but…that’s not what she was here for, so surely it would be a distraction? It was that thought that helped him excuse his own still present disconnect and sometimes unease with scientific practices. He could respect from afar, especially as it brought results, and he could endure being preview to work when his own job required it. But…it wasn’t his world, and he would never understand everything it involved, nor find comfort in it. And he would dare risk her mentioning the beast to Hojo. He was perhaps the perfect example of why ShinRa’s scientific practices had always left him at a distance, apart from his personal history.

Looking to Lucrecia and seeing that amused look on her face, finding him here alone, he cleared his throat and collected himself, fighting a warmth at his neck. “Sorry, Dr. Crescent–I was doing a perimeter check was all, and thought i noticed something wandering in this direction. Nothing more, which is why I didn’t inform you.” he explained, so she didn’t think he was coming here to be alone or something.

It had been a close call. By the time the two disappeared beyond the edge of the hill, descending back towards the small town below, Nanaki could still feel his heart hammering furiously under his chest.

He wasn’t even sure what was the source of that fright. It wasn’t like he wasn’t used to people, but outsiders were always a whole other kind of matter. More than anything though, it could be the fact that the woman in question was not exactly a perfect stranger. Her scent had left enough of a print in his mind to persist after all those years.

It wasn’t like she could recognize him, of course… and yet, something about that woman, about these people in general, in truth, unsettled him. Was it because they had entered that cave with the strange smell that made his fur bristle on the back of his neck?

                   “The Lifestream in that place… it’s diseased.”

His mother’s words whispered in his ears, as though she was right beside him. Would that she truly be there… maybe he wouldn’t feel so lost right now.

But observing her and Valentine, Nanaki also could tell that these people were not pure evil. There was a thick cloud of gray between what they represented and how they interacted. Remaining in the shadows in the following days, the beast watched and studied their movements. Never daring to get too close to that sinister big house, he could experience only the most mundane side of the researcher and her bodyguard.

Small strolls around town; most times looking for supplies, and in rare cases simple chit chatting outside in the courtyard. Regardless of the purpose, he could see a certain soft side to the way they looked at each other and spoke, even when the wind was too strong for words to reach his fine hearing. Smiles and faint touches of their hands that had him feel a painful tug somewhere in the middle of his chest.

Was that how his parents used to look at each other, as well? What hope was there even for him to ever know what that feeling truly was like, as the last of his kind? Or was there still hope, somewhere, where he had yet to look? How far away should he push to find anything?

The mere idea of even trying had him frozen on the spot. And along with that dread, was also the oppressing sense of responsibility that kept him chained to these mountains. That need to see things clearly, clashing against his cowardice to actually venture the peaks on his own.

Valentine didn’t understand… But he had something important here. And so, Nanaki’s resolve to ask him to be his escort to the reactor waned. Every new day was a good day to forward his request, but it could always be postponed to the morrow.

[nanakithewarrior]

onewinged-tragedy​:

Even in such a canine/feline like face, full of muzzle and teeth and fur, Vincent could see the emotion in Nanaki’s eyes. He could tell there was weight to his question, and so…he tried his best to speak carefully, and honestly. “It really depends on your situation, and those in your life you’re meant to honor, or help, or encourage or…please.” he begins.

But he sighs, looking off in the distance, thinking of the day he left home to begin with the Turks, to little surprise of his mother and grandmother, but to great surprise and somewhat offense to his father.

“…If a situation is dependent on you and your actions, yes, it can be very bad. If your failure to do as is expected leaves things to chance or failure, it could harm others, and that would be on you. However, if a situation isn’t dependant on you so much, it may not be…bad, exactly. But, depending on how much expectation you have and from you, it can feel very bad. Almost unbearable, even if it might be right for you.” he finished explaining, looking back to Nanaki and shaking his head. “My situation here is dependent on my professional handling of my role in their work. If I fail, something could happen to the Professors and scientists here, or their work, and it would fall apart.”

His gaze wandered to the distance, the answer he’d received feeling like lead in his chest. The human had voiced what his heart had been telling him for years, and yet Nanaki wished he could shake it all off. The responsibility of his kind was so great, and he was but one lonely cub in front of the greatness of his ancestors. The shadow of his father’s failure cast over him like a dark cape.

And yet, was he not here exactly because he’d answered that call of duty? The two conflicting desires to run away and break free, against fulfilling his given role and restore a lost honor, were threatening to tear apart his young mind.

“Fall apart…” He muttered, frowning to himself, eyes still aimlessly bouncing off their surroundings, envisioning things he’d only ever heard of and never really seen for himself. Of giant towers smoking with foul wastes, surrounded by dry deadland. All life drained around them, and the wallowing of the Lifestream.

“Maybe some things are best left to fall apart.”

[nanakithewarrior]

onewinged-tragedy​:

He sighed, shaking his head. “How old are you, again? You’re reminding me of preteen humans in my old town. ‘She’ is just one of the valuable scientists I’m committed to protecting, but that’s just what my job requires.” he explained.

He looked off in the distance, and reflected over how…ridiculous this situation was. He’d never been super sociable with anyone, and certainly not sociable on the job unless an assignment required it. And yet here he was, with a creature named Nanaki, species unknown, intentions questionable but benevolent, and it almost felt….normal. Whilst still feeling abnormal.

He laughed, shaking his head and looking over the scenery. “…She is a gorgeous woman. Yes…”

“i knew it! You humans are so bad at lying.” Nanaki’s features actually displayed a proud grin, like he had figured out an intricate trick from a magician. And perhaps in his relatively young mind, he had.

And the soft laugh he received from the man entertained him further, enough to cause his tail to swivel left and right with amusement, to then perk up into a short moon-like shape in question, the flame not bothering his fur in the slightest.

“Have you told her that yet?” He pressed on, not at all willing to give away his age. How embarrassing it would be, to admit that to this man, he was indeed just a child.

[nanakithewarrior]

onewinged-tragedy​:

Schooling his expression as well as he could, to better control the heat in his cheeks, he just stared at the beast a few seconds longer before sighing. “…I will imply again, how unsettling that is. I don’t need to know what all you smell from me.”

And I certainly don’t need you going on about this nonsense, he thought.

“You’re not here to sniff out a man on the job. What are you here for? Is it the thing you were smelling before, the threat, or whatever it was?” he stated, trying to cut straight to the point. It was perhaps fifty percent about moving on from the current subject of him and his relationship with Dr. Crescent, but also fifty percent a desire to actually got to the reason he was here. Because surely, there was an important reason the beast had returned.

He couldn’t be here just for some Turk. Vincent Valentine was an amazing Turk, a true professional, but he wasn’t much as an average man.

One os Nanaki’s eyes cracked open, lips curling into a small grin. “So you don’t want to know whether she smells like she’s in love, too? Alright~ I won’t tell.”

As funny as this was, he knew he probably shouldn’t play like a cat with mouse with this human. He still had that dangerous-looking weapon on himself, the beast could hear its soft clicking under Valentine’s clothes. He had no desire to test it.

“… But to answer your question, yes. I’m still here because of that.” Caving in, he rose his head to look back up at the man. “…It’s getting worse, you know. Stronger.”

[nanakithewarrior]

onewinged-tragedy​:

Mate…?!

His eyes widened, and this time, the redness to his skin wasn’t as fought back as it could be. He shook his head, more than he probably should have. He sighed, swallowing, straightening his suit. “She is not my mate. She is my charge, someone I report to and serve, tending to her safety and privacy when necessary, as well as the other scientists.” he told him. “She… She is not my mate.”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair, and then crossing his arms before him this time. “…What did you need to speak about, Nanaki? I assume it’s not my work relationship with the Doctor.”

“You say that, but your heartbeat is so much faster.” Once more Nanaki avoided the question, amused, maybe immaturely, by the reaction he was witnessing. How easily Valentine had begun to fret over his words.

“If she is not your mate, it is at least true that you love her. You smell like you do.” 

With that low chuckle in his throat again, the creature lowered its head to rest on his paws, eyes closing in relaxation.

“And that’s how good my nose is.” Yes, he still remembered the man doubting his senses the last time they met. This gave him a very good opportunity to make a point in his favor! “Humans who are in love have a very specific odor. Pretty hard to miss.”

[nanakithewarrior]

umbral-stigmata-unbound​:

He was glad Nanaki was at least not sticking to stubbornness for any ulterior reasons, given his admittance to the danger of staying here. There was a silent weight following that admittance that left him almost wanting to press, but he left it be. Looking down at the bowl, he seemed to reflect for a moment, even if very briefly, in only a matter of seconds, on whether the place he’d found himself now was one to be proud of.

He was one of the top agents in his field, as he had striven to become, through amazing feets and dark deeds…and yet, here he was. He was assigned by his Director and partner, to this…dead job of being a body guard for reasons yet faced, with the occasional thrill of trailing a subject or two, request info and so on, or getting a moment to see an inch or two of the scientific wonders…and horrors going on beyond his paygrade, leaving him wondering what part if any did his late father play in any of these things.

Now…? He’d…made…a civil connection with a talking creature, and was just invested enough to know he did not wish to see this being cut open or studied from a cage. Was it a part of his job, to turn Nanaki over? He didn’t think so. He would rather not, most certainly.

Those few seconds of thought, however, were interrupted by Nanaki’s words. He raised a brow, just the tiniest bit amused, and a tad proud, that he gave off an intimidating energy. The assessment, however, felt off.

“Caring…seems like an overstatement. Let’s just say I’m inclined to reason and consideration more than others, in this instance…” he answered. He clearly didn’t see himself as a caring man. He didn’t see himself as uncaring, either, but…The past few years had involved many levels of practice in disconnect, which he had mastered and made peace with. He didn’t see the point in deceiving Nanaki in this. “I’m just a man who prefers to act, or not act, in ways that serve the most logical and useful outcome…”

“You still try to lie to me, why is that?” Nanaki threw Valentine a dirty look then. “Is it a bad thing for a human to have feelings? I have been watching you, you know.”

His head tilted to accentuate the implications to his words. Yes, the woman, ‘Doctor Crescent’, as he’d heard her called. Over time, the Turk’s presence by her side seemed to have only gotten more frequent. Nanaki was young, but not entirely a fool.

“What is it that you’re afraid of, Vincent?” He asked, using the name he’d discovered, when the woman had called him so.

[nanakithewarrior]

umbral-stigmata-unbound​:

He grinned faintly, taking it as a compliment even with the comment about having to compensate for their lesser traits as predators. He just nodded carefully. “I’m glad you enjoyed, and hope it keeps you fed for a little while. However…I can’t help being a little worried, for you. What will you do if I can’t offer more of something later? I don’t mean to sound…as if I’m sending you away, but…wouldn’t it be smarter to move along, to find better good sources?” he questions carefully.

He gathered the ‘clean’ dish, ignore the wet from the slobber, and setting it aside to take back later. “I don’t mean to send you away, truly, I just…” he looks around, gaze drifting in the direction of the mansion, even if it wasn’t seen from here, “…I suppose I’m concerned its more dangerous for you here than it was originally.”

Truthfully, he wondered if certain instincts weren’t supposed to spark fight or flight, sending a creature such as him either home, or onward to somewhere more safe. But he wasn’t exaggerating. They’d both been careful when they’d met up now and again, but he could tell….some of the scientists interests, namely Hojo’s, were drifting towards hunting for specimens to test his great many theories on, far too many projects waiting for subjects to use.

And…Nanaki shouldn’t be one of them, and he knew, were anyone to find out about him, he would certainly become one. And what exactly could he do to stop it? It wasn’t within his expected responsibilities nor was it any part of his chain of comment, to be able to make any suggestions or demands if the others were to find Nanaki.

There it was again, that nagging thought that had never truly left from its unpleasant spot at the pit of his stomach. No matter how good the meal, Nanaki would never feel rid of it. It was a good thing he wasn’t in the position to attempt and drown his woes on binge-eating.

“… You’re not wrong.” He admitted, ears swively at the back with a guilty look, not really rising his head to make eye contact. His body deflated with a new deep sigh, one far less content now. To tell… or not tell? The scenario went in circles in his head.

But for the time being, he decided to dance around the matter some more. After a pause to get over that inner debacle - or at least shove it aside - the creature briefly lifted his nose in the Turk’s direction.

“When I first met you, I thought you looked pretty scary for a human. But you’re actually a very caring man, aren’t you?”

[nanakithewarrior]

umbral-stigmata-unbound​:

A rather kind and almost, almost boyish smile tugged at his face as Nanaki showed his gratitude, as if the one touched was not the serious and committed Turk, but someone far beyond and underneath the suit he adorned every day. He just nodded. “You’re welcome… I can…do what I’m capable of, however… I’m not sure how many times I could do this in the future. The Professors and Doctors may be rather focused on their work, but they’re no fools… I imagine they, and other staff, would eventually grow to notice.”

He sits there for a time, glancing at Nanaki eating but mostly minding his business to leave the creature to eat in peace, and his gaze still tracked around to ensure they weren’t being watched.

Then he considered for a minute or more, before asking, “…Is there….no wild life here for you to hunt…?”

It could be a population issue, perhaps too many creatures had been killed off by other predators or locals, who knows. But there was a suspicion that he was hesitant that Nanaki would confirm, echoing back to his warnings of the energy here as the cause… Perhaps the animals had been run out. Perhaps there was nothing for him to hunt here. Then Vincent had to wonder, if it were true, why was Nanaki even still here…? Surely it disturbed him, and now there was the issue of food and survival on top of other survival instincts.

But he kept his mouth shut, thinking to himself. These shouldn’t be his concerns. His concerns should be staying with those working in the mansion, and ensuring their safety and privacy, and cleaning up their messes. Anything else, was….truthfully, against his orders. He shouldn’t be here. And yet…he was.

The plate was soon emptied, and even then, Nanaki had nearly no hesitation in letting his body get touch on the ground, one paw holding down the container with its weight while guided by his nose, the creature carefully lapped his tongue all over the smooth surface, searching for every small bit of flavor left clinging on it, occasionally even gnawing tentatively at it, though soon releasing any pressure of his teeth as soon as recognizing, regretfully, that he was chewing on inedible materiel.

The careful ministrations to the plate slowly moved on to his paw and front legs, alternating grooming them with wiping them against the side of his nose, trying to move any crumbs and tasty scent where he could access it; cleaning his whiskers, and working on the bits that had gotten stuck between his teeth. Not a word in return throughout the process, Nanaki clearly engrossed in that personal ritual.

Finally, he let out a satisfied sigh and let his body roll on the side, head rubbing against the grass with eyes closed, taking deep breaths of relief.

“If there’s any, it’s hiding well. Or way too big for myself alone.” He grumbled, at last, bringing his attention back to the human. “But cooked food… it really does not compare. That meat was melting in my mouth before I could even chew. It’s incredible what human beings can do to compensate their week fangs.”

[nanakithewarrior]

umbral-stigmata-unbound​:

He was surprised, then just faintly amused by Nanaki’s eagerness expressed in that please.  He noted the look of him, the animalistic body language. He wasn’t happy with this situation of needing help for food, he could imagine, but he certainly wasn’t a fool enough to be stubborn about it.

He huffed a short laugh, and then carefully nodded. “Alright… It might take me a little bit of time, depending on who I might run into on the way to get it…but I’ll bring it back here, within the next hour hopefully. Alright?” he offered, standing then and dusting himself off. He hesitated a moment longer. “Just…don’t worry… I’ll get the food here, one way or another.”

With that, he didn’t waste time returning. The doctors were busy, so he wouldn’t bother them right now. Hojo would just ignore him any and every day, and Dr. Crescent was so invested in her current work, she wouldn’t be social for some time. All he really had to deal with were interns and other employees wandering about. He simply let them know he did a small perimeter check but had to return to address some things with one of the towns people, and so then he’d have to get back out.

Few questioned him, as he held up to his reputation as a professional so managing to acquire the tupperware with food was simple, and he slipped back out once more. And it was only barely an hour later when he returned, so he was able to keep his original promise. He made sure to wander a bit, lest anyone be following him, like when Lucrecia caught up to him during one of his meetings with Nanaki. There was a brief moment of guilt, of feeling like he was doing something wrong, sneaking about.

But really, he saw no harm. It wasn’t usual, but clearly the situation with Nanaki was no threat. So he returned to where he’d left him, looking about, before taking the lid off the tupperware and sitting it in the grass. He would wait for the creature to come forth on his own, keeping an eye on his surroundings as he waited.

Sure enough, Nanaki didn’t take long to make himself known, leaping down from a nearby tree and pointing straight at the nice-smelling plate on the ground, stalking close at a quick trot. The deep sniff was more out of pleasure than caution, so hungry as he felt, possible risks of being fooled into a trap completely went over his head.

He paused just once to look up, back at the Turk, with one deep nod of his head.

“Thank you.”

Before hunching down on the plate and starting to practically inhale the leftovers the man had offered, in a cacophony of masticating and swallowing noises. His tongue occasionally poking out to wipe at the juices and crumbs catching in his whiskers, before giving space once more to large fangs to grapple on the meats and vegetables and tossing them at the back of his throat to be gulped down.

[nanakithewarrior]

umbral-stigmata-unbound​:

Vincent was, truthfully, too shocked at first to really do anything about the advancing figure of the red beast. Once he realized what he was doing, he almost pushed him off, but it seemed like it would be harsh, even if Nanaki was crossing boundaries. He just scrunched up his face like a pouting wince, half expecting him to lick his face when he realized he was sniffing Vincent’s recent meal still on his lips and his breath. He felt just faintly embarrassed, thinking he probably should have brushed his teeth.

The wet nudge of the others nose made him finally open his eyes, and wipe the wetness away. He sighs, sitting up as much as he could when Nanaki began to back off.

“It’s…it’s…an old recipe. I made for myself, and some of the assistance in the manor this evening–just, creamy chicken with cooked vegetables. Do you…want some of it? I still had a lot left over that I was going to save for tomorrow, if it’s appealing to you? The others apparently prefer quick, simple meals, so… I’d be the only one eating it.” he remarked, using his sleeve this time to wipe over the corner of his mouth, as if he could still feel the presence of his wet nose.

“I can’t promise I’d always have something cooked–I…really don’t cook often, working here.” he explains to him, before he answers.

“Please…!” His ears flicked back, defensive. He didn’t like to beg. Nanaki was profoundly aware of the embarrassing whine that whistled through his nose whenever his frustration and desire for something became overwhelming.

But good heavens, the name of that recipe was absolutely mouth-watering. And in his case, it wasn’t just an euphemism. Drooling would be even more embarrassing than whining, if he gave it time to happen.

He stepped back some more, to sit heavily on his rump, while looking very much expectantly at the Turk with very focused eyes. As though he expected the man to pull out a plate right from his pocket and serve him immediately.

[nanakithewarrior]

umbral-stigmata-unbound​:

His sympathy is already pricked at with the clear, reluctant confession of his state of hunger, but his arms cross as he listens to the rest. Creatures leaving, hmm… Dr. Crescent and some of the assistance had been making note of that recently as well, but, they clearly didn’t pay it much mind, so nor did Vincent. There was no clear source or threat, that he was willing to focus on much less point out to the scientists and doctors. He was there to protect and guard against clear threats, undeniable and disruptive. The suspicion of dark, undefined energy unnerving animals and beasts….really wasn’t something he could say anything against, and he was perhaps too ignorant to be more concerned about it.

He’s drawn out of his mind by the look on Nanaki’s face, the plea clear, and he knew he couldn’t ignore it. With a soft sigh, he simply nodded. “Alright… Well.. You need to tell me what you prefer to hunt or feed on… I could acquire food from locals, but if you prefer prey to hunt or at least eat more natural….it might acquire more effort. Perhaps even a trip hunting together… What are you able to do?” he asked.

He was rather restricted. Though, honestly, he felt his purpose here was useless for it’s original intent, he was generally content given…many factors of his situation. So, he was fairly confident nothing would happen if he took a few hours away. But, he would really have to consider the risk, and even if he decided, he must manage a reasonable enough excuse to work with.

But he needed to know more, if he was going to help Nanaki. But, he knew, somehow, he would help him. Were he just passing a creature on the street, maybe, perhaps, he could walk on and ignore. But…he was too familiar, and he knew, he wouldn’t be able to stomach neglecting this complicated acquintance without hating himself.

Valentine’s given option were only superficially registered by the red-maned creature. Against the quiet words of the Turk, his nose twitched, inhaling deeply and huffing quickly to sniff some more.

His head rose, eyes closing to the sharp yet pleasant aroma that he’d caught. Following the point of his nose, he approached the brunet closer, and closer, intruding his personal space with curiosity and growing morbid interest.

“That…” He muttered, nose prodding over the man’s body – quite easy, considering he hadn’t stood on his long legs yet and was sitting on the ground for his free access – and all but nearly climbing over him. Almost hoping he could find the source of that pleasant odour that stirred his stomach. “What is that…?”

The scent peaked on Valentine’s face, of all places, and Nanaki had to apply a lot of self-control to not taste-test it with his tongue when a bump of his nose confirmed it, leaving the Turk with a wet patch just above the lips. The creature’s tickling muzzle jolted and huffed, and his stomach rumbled again.

It was probably embarrassing to his own kind, but he hadn’t had real cooked food in ages. How did he crave the tenderness of easily tearable meat, the warmth of cooked food and its sweet aroma. Far better than anything he could catch on his own, more so if the cooking came from the many skilled humans of Cosmo Canyon.

Cooking was one ability he strongly envied in humans, and definitely a reason why he still orbited around them despite the many dangers out of his home.

[nanakithewarrior]

umbral-stigmata-unbound​:

Vincent just sits there, still mildly amused, and not guilty enough for obviously touching a sensitive area, but it did the job–Nanaki was free once more, even if he still seemed upset about whatever situation he’d found him in. Even with his denial of whether it mattered or not, Vincent found himself quirking his head. “I don’t know… Sticking yourself in a tree trunk seems like a great length to go for something, so, you tell me…?”

He left it be though, the soft smirk on his face waning just a little bit. He dusted off his hands, looking back towards the path he’d come from, confidently they were alone, before looking back to the other and considering him.

“It’s been a while… Are you…alright…?” he asked carefully then, noting that he did look a little slimmer than when that last met. Though he knew it wasn’t his responsibility, he couldn’t help but feel concern and pity for how the other may struggle for food–it reminded him of seeing stray feline’s in calm, yearning to feed them, but his grandmother would speak against it, and he would just have to hope, or sometimes pretend, that they’d manage on their own.

Nanaki’s gaze shyed away, feeling the weight of that red stare. Like he was being sized up by a predator, almost. Someone as hungry as he. And on the tail of that thought came the reminder of his stomach, which contracted again over its emptiness. The beast’s head sank down, humiliated.

“… I’m hungry.” He admitted, at last. “There is almost nothing else of this mountain. All creatures are leaving the area.. and what little is left is cattle with a guardian, or has teeth and hunger of its own.”

The latter description mostly involving monsters; even if he somehow mustered up the skill to fight against any, Nanaki was skeptical about the taste of creatures corrupted by mako.

Dejected, he looked back up at the Turk, brows creased upward in a pitiful plea. A lot of pride was being swallowed in that silent request for help.

[nanakithewarrior]

umbral-stigmata-unbound​:

Vincent did his best not to chuckle, though he failed just a bit. He cleared his throat to cover some of it, before he stepped up behind the creature. “You certainly gave it your best try, it…looked to me.” he teased lightly, before observing the trunk and it’s opening and just how Nanaki seemed to be stuck in it. Finally, he reasoned he might need to try and widen some of the space of it, to allow Nanaki to be able to manuever free.

“I’m going to see if I can expanding the opening of this trunk first… then when I tell you, I’ll take hold of…your…hind end, and lift and pull, so do what you can to push with your front paws, and perhaps some wiggling will help to shift you free.” he offered, finding the instructions sounding a bit ridiculous, but it was the best idea he could think of right off the bat.

So he set to work, tearing at the trunk bark, shifting some of it’s more decayed wound, until he felt it break and shift just a bit. He didn’t feel as if he’d managed much in the way of opening the gap, but it was something.

“Alright… I’m about to grab you, so…try not to freak out…and I would appreciate not getting burned by your tail, either.” he told him, to prepare him, before he wrapped hands and arms around Nanaki’s hind end, and a bit of his stomach, feeling like this was very disrespectful to be touching the creature like this. “Alright…on three…one…two… Three!!” he grunted, lifting and pulling with all his might.

Finally, he pulled him free with a fumble of turk and red fur, falling on his own behind with a grunt, before looking to Nanaki himself. He eyed him, and then the trunk, then Nanaki once more.

“….Want to tell me how you got in there…?”

“H-hey…! Not the belly, don’t touch my b-” It was too late, or maybe inevitable no matter his protests. The touch around his painstakingly groomed belly fur had Nanaki feel his own skin bristle in every pore. His sides twitched and retracted on themselves, while an unbearably ticklish itch made his eyes squeeze shut and water.

His body tensed and went absolutely stiff at the foreign and unwelcome contact, and maybe it was also because of this that Valentine’s efforts met no resistance – or support, for that matter – allowing the man to do most of the work in dislodging the beast out of its trap.

When Nanaki found himself tumbling and rolling over alongside the human, his body limply rolled on its side and over, the creature grunting and sneezing at the inhaled dirt and bark. But at last he was free, and the first thing he did upon sitting up was give head and shoulder a throughout shake. He wasn’t looking forward to cleaning his coat after this.

Heaving a deep sigh, he groaned and shot the Turk an annoyed sideglance, while his head titled to allow his hind paw to give a much needed scratch behind the ear. “It doesn’t matter how I got there, right?”

The last bit of that snappy rhetorical question was covered by a loud rumble coming straight from his stomach. Ears flicked back, in shame, and for just a moment shy ochre eyes looked back at the hollow trunk, considering to dive right back in there and look for his prey. But he knew the frog was long gone by now.

“…” Nanaki sighed heavily, again.

[nanakithewarrior]

onewinged-tragedy​:

He huffed a sigh, and smiled somewhat apologetically to Nanaki. “Of sorts. But I’m not really working for hire. Simply for the company.” he informed him. His glaze flitted for a moment, considering the question, though.

“Is there a particular reason you’re looking for a bodyguard? Something to do with what you’ve be sensing…? Or are there other threats you fear right now?” he questioned. It might be something to consider, if this creature was scared and in need of protecting from something, what sort of threat could it pose? Nanaki himself likely had the capability to be a lethal creature, and held intelligence as well, so Vincent could only assume it could be a worse threat.

“… Well…”

He hesitated, his nose pointing down to the ground. The creature’s burning tail thrashed intermittently by his side, causing little flickers of burning embers to spill into the air, disappearing as quickly as they came.

The way Nanaki nervously glanced to the side, it was clear that answering the question didn’t come easy to him. And for an awkward minute he was silent, always looking like he was about to speak, but never delivering. It was as though the animal had lost its special ability to communicate like a human.

When finally he looked up at Valentine, his ochre eyes were uncertain and shy. But that expression was soon replaced with sheer startle when another voice anticipated his own.

“Vincent? Vincent!”

The woman’s voice, warm and energetic, came through the sparse trees with the energy of a breeze. Nanaki was quick on his feet, rushing through the grass and behind a few bushes, barely a brush through the leaves as he disappeared from sight right as the female researcher caught up with the Turk. “There you are! Why didn’t you tell me you’d be here again? I’d have come with.”

[nanakithewarrior]

onewinged-tragedy​:

He glanced over Nanaki thoughtfully, silently, before looking ahead and thinking to himself. Then finally, he asked, “Is that what you really think…? Is that what has brought you here again?” he asked him, rather directly.

Perhaps, in this moment, he could figure out whether or not this was going to become a real habit. Was there a way he could persuaid this being to not return? He wasn’t…against his presence, of course, he found it…strangely interesting. But, he was a distraction, and his concerns were throwing him off from his duty. And if any of those scientists ever spotted him, Vincent was sure what, if anything, he could do to prevent them from getting him.

He didn’t want them to get him. This creature…didn’t need to be pulled apart to be understood. Just communicated with. But he doubted the ability of scientists to be focused on emotional intelligence rather than the technical and the scientific.

“Maybe you’re right…”

The Turk’s sudden agreement with his own cryptic musing had the creature so surprised he didn’t even think of addressing the earlier question. So there was doubt in this human’s thoughts after all. No matter how confident and strong he looked.

Even so, he still looked much stronger than Nanaki could ever hope to become. Which was perhaps what prompted a question of his own then.

“You… are a bodyguard of sorts, right?” He asked, giving the man once more a full look over.

“Can I hire your service too?”