SIMPLICITY. 'Open'

[{{Roxï-kun-+]

HAPPINESS

it hurts

The forest was peaceful today, winds turned into breezes as the storm deserted the place. Still living plant matter such as leaves littered the dirt floor, silencing footsteps of animals. The falls weren't far off, though the noise also seemed muted by the canopy, which also filtered the sunlight into beams. Animals roamed in plain sight, though ran from most other things they saw in the forest. A close knit group of deer chewed grass and seemed undisturbed by the girl who sat among them.

The girl herself was no stranger to the deer, having traveled with them for a short amount of undetermined time. It was late summer at this point though, so soon she would have to break away. But she decided not to think further about it, seeing as the summer afternoon was too lovely to spend time not doing anything besides thinking. So the girl stood and looked around at the deer before walking towards the falls, running her hand over the spotted fur of a fawn as she made her way past.

It wasn't much of a walk to any of the pools of water near the falls themselves, and for that the girl was grateful. She began to stretch first, wanting to make sure her muscles were doing fine in this form. So as she went through hand-to-hand combat moves for practice, her mind drifted off quite easily.

The first thought that wormed it's way into her mind was of the Kingdoms themselves. She may have traveled quite often, not really finding any use in settling down in any one of them, but she did long for some sort of stable home to a degree. She actually had had one before, for three seasons. It had been with a large group of girls based in Obscur, of the Daika Kingdom. The girl she had been closest to, one by the name of Axel, was a very young mage at the time. Axel had left one evening, disappearing from everywhere the training girl checked. Soon after that, the girl left them all behind as well, wishing them luck as they said they were would be heading from the Kingdoms, to travel across the ocean.

Finally the girl felt her muscles becoming worn and she stopped, looking around only to meet the gaze of a bird. The girl both repelled and attracted animals of all sorts, coming from the fact that her scent was one of both preys and predators. Her current form wasn't pure one species, though it mostly appeared human. She was in her usual, a female human, with the exception of antlers that grew out of her head and curled gracefully.

After deciding it was safe enough by a mere look around, the girl undressed, folded the clothes, and stepped into the pool of water close by. The water went up to a a bit below her collarbone and cool even in the afternoon sun. There weren't any trees nearby for a good five feet around the whole of the pool, which was how she had trained up until now. The antlers stayed as she dunked her head underwater for a moment before coming back up to rinse the hair clean. Her blue eyes, the color of the water around her, were closed as she slowly did the simple task, preening her hair to relax herself.

After all, what sort of reason did Roxiri have to be alert in such a deserted and calm place?

LIKE A bullet TO THE brain

[Leaf]

The silent pressure put upon the earth by white paws sent out vibrations that could only be perceived by the most sensitive of beast. Quickly and quietly, Leaf padded his way through the woods, hoping to get away from his pursuers. Despite his hurried action, his mind was composed and formulating strategies a step ahead everything else. Each step was calculated in his head at a lightning fast pace, allowing him to skirt the trees in a nimble and steady fashion. The problem was, Leaf didn't know where he should go. He had just outfoxed his enemies a few weeks ago by hiding in Tochigi and now that he and his sworn brother, Shadow have been chased out of the city, they had no distinct area to go to. What made matters worse was that he had just been separated with Shadow, leaving the white blur to hustle himself into the trees alone.

Although worried about his friend's welfare, Leaf knew he couldn't turn back. The only thing he could do was to trust in the black wolf's own survival skills and hope to regroup later on. Leaf was confident in Shadow's fighting skills, but he wasn't as agile as the thief and might prove to have a hard time outmaneuvering the hunters. The thoughts clouded Leaf's mind, making it harder for the wolf to assess his position. Clenching his teeth together, Leaf pulled to a stop to check out the situation.

Exerting his superhuman senses, Leaf found that he could not perceive any scent, sound, or sight of danger. Perhaps he had outran them again and out of their reach. For now, at least. Looking around, Leaf also recognized the area; it was the forest near the Sunset Falls. Deciding that it would be a wonderful place to recoup, the werewolf picked up his paws and headed toward the serene cascade.

As he neared the Falls, Leaf was alerted by a sudden burst of movement. There had been a large pack of deer grazing near the falls and apparently they had noticed his presence before he did they. Not that Leaf had any intention of hurting them, but being a wolf, the peaceful animals only saw him as a predator. Watching a stampede of brown pelts, black hooves, and white tails flash by, Leaf marveled at the awesome sensitivity of the deer, no matter how timid they were. They were certainly stunning creatures of every aspect.

After the deer cleared out of the area, Leaf stepped into the clearing only to notice another presence still in the area. It hadn't left with the deer, but Leaf could feel a musk similar to the pack. Looking around he spotted something… someone… in the water. The person didn't look quite human, but definitely didn't seem like a beast. Closer observation revealed to him that it was a girl who seemed slightly younger than himself… bathing in the water. His train of thought suddenly pulled on the brakes. Wait a minute, I think I'm seeing something I shouldn't be seeing.

If he was in human form, he might have a very sheepish look on his face, but wolves don't show intricate emotions very well. Still, that didn't stop the heat from rising to Leaf's face, causing him to step back a bit and try to avert his gaze. Maybe she didn't notice. He told himself repeatedly. Maybe he would be able to slink away quietly... Well, as quietly as a flustered teenage boy could.

[{{Roxï-kun-+]

HAPPINESS

it hurts

Roxiri hummed a bit to herself, her crystal hues closed as she massaged her head. At first the antlers had hit branches and jarred her slightly, as any new sort of form did from time to time, and it had made her scalp hurt a bit. But the deer had been less spooked whenever she became a human or something close to one as long as she had the antlers. Besides, they really were beautiful to her, whether atop her own head or a stag's.

She stopped for a moment, cocking her head to one side as a weak scent penetrated the rest of the forest. But she was bathing and didn't see a reason to try to figure out such a weak scent at the moment. No, she was going to relax for a while before re-joining the pack or maybe just up and leaving. After all, as enjoyable it was to have a temporary herd, it was temporary after all. Roxiri still had things to figure out, things to do. She wouldn't, and couldn't, simply stop to become a deer permanently.

Once in a while, as spaced out as shifters were, she did hear tales of people doing such things. Binding their powers and resorting to their true form, that is. True forms were a mystery to Roxiri, mostly because she didn't even know her own. Yes, she had forms. But her forms were like her packs, all temporary. Even while growing up she had changed it often, from a human girl to bear cub to something else. It was second nature now to shift through forms and she often did small changes when nervous.

The scent grew slowly stronger and finally Roxiri slid her eyes open, blinking in the sunlight for a moment. Her gaze had ended up towards the sky and she stared up at the blueness that was only speckled with white wisps of cloud. She only snapped from it when, even with the softness of the ground that was littered with leaves, the fifteen year old heard the deers' hooves. She didn't make a move to go after them though, instead still staring up at the sky as fear scent spread around the area slowly as the deers themselves disappeared.

What sort of animal had spooked them? Or, maybe, it hadn't been an animal. She opened her mouth slightly, tasting the air like a feline. The scent that had gotten slowly stronger was now easily told apart from the deers' musk and she blinked for a moment while feeling slightly surprised. It smelled of wolf, perhaps one or two. But also slightly of humans and the city, though it was very hard to pick out what was what.

Roxiri tasted the air once more before lowering her gaze to the ground and forest around herself, wondering where the wolves had gone. Had they chased down the deer pack? She became distracted for a moment, wondering if she herself should chase down the pack. But the teenager quickly silenced the thought, not wanting to get caught up in thinking like that again.

Instead she once more focused on her surroundings and looked around slowly, water blue orbs scanning until they fell upon something that looked very out of place.

It was a wolf, which would explain how strong the scent was. But the strange thing wasn't of the species really, but of the appearance. Most wolves around here were small and healthy, a brown or rusty color in their furs. This wolf was large though, and had gleaming white fur with some dirt around the paws and such. Certainly, she thought to herself, there was a reason for this wolf to be here and to smell of humans. As long as it wasn't the Hunters, she was happy.

But even though she had clearly noticed the wolf and it had seen her as well, Roxiri really couldn't find a way to begin to speak to the canine. If it understood humans' language, anyway. She tilted her head slightly and puckered her lips slightly, whistling a high note for a moment. How was she to know if the wolf was even a wolf anyway? It appeared to be almost embarrassed from the way it was trying to move away, which couldn't help but amuse the shifter. She laughed a bit, softly and more or less to herself. She whistled once more, in case the wolf hadn't heard her the first time.

LIKE A bullet TO THE brain

[Leaf]

Had he been spotted? Leaf was slightly startled as the water blue orbs connected with his gaze. Maybe she glanced over him. Or maybe she didn't… The wolf stumbled backward anxiously, continuously denying the obvious truth to himself. By the time the girl whistled to him, Leaf knew that there was no way that he could have gone unnoticed. His starking white fur didn't help him blend in to the trees and shrubbery either. Standing still in a state of panic, Leaf didn't know what to do. Sure, he was a sneaky thief, but that didn't make him a peeping tom. How was he supposed to deal with this situation?

The werewolf was brought back to reality as the girl whistled again. The high shrill pitch floated into his ears, only to nerve him even more. What was he to do? It was an incredibly embarrassing situation for the thief. His mind shaking, the wolf felt his paws take a timid step forward. Something urged him to. Leaf glanced around nervously before looking shyly back at the girl. He then noticed something strange: the girl had… antlers? The antlers were much like those of the deer he had seen just moments ago. At first glance, they looked out of place, but then it seemed that they grew very naturally. What kind of creature was she, to possess those? There were weird and exotic beings all over XISIN, but Leaf had never seen anything quite like her.

The antlers seemed to be the only  strange part about her. Looking past her pale hair, Leaf could tell that her face was human and the rest… The wolf snapped his head away again, not daring to look at what the water was thankfully distorting. He continued to shift forward, though. Perhaps it was that musk of the wilderness that kept drawing him closer. There was no sense of hostility; she seemed kind, even playful.

Before he knew it, Leaf was at the water's edge, so flustered that he felt a bit dizzy. He was incredibly that he wasn't in human form, for the heat on his cheeks would be much more visible than below the layer of snow white pelt. It was a struggle to keep his honey colored eyes off where they shouldn't be. Or at least not letting his sideways glances linger too long. Instead he made himself study her antlers; their every detail, every ridge, nook, and cranny made an impression on his mind as he kept his gaze fixed. Be calm... Just keep calm and let her think you're a normal wolf. Leaf thought to himself. Just keep this up and get away when you can. Despite his efforts to calm himself, Leaf couldn't stop the nervous shuffling of his paws. In fact, he felt like his heart was going to leap out of his mouth if he wasn't careful. What should I do? What should I- Hm, she smells nice… Wait, no! Oh lord, what have I gotten into?

[{{Roxï-kun-+]

HAPPINESS

it hurts

Roxiri watched as the wolf stood there, seeming to debate something or another. Or maybe just not understanding the whistle, like most wolves wouldn't. The shifter was definitely surprised that the wolf didn't bolt though. Instead it stood there longer, strange behavior for a wolf. Not only was it a snow white, perhaps even a pure white shade, but now it seemed to be acting differently to most wolves that the girl had met. The wolf took a step forward, stopped, and then walked to the water's edge. It's eyes seemed to dart from side to side before resting on her antlers. She laughed lightly once more, wondering what the wolf thought when it saw such things on a seemingly human girl. Did it think she was prey? Or maybe her scent was confusing it, the way it confused most animals or humans with advanced senses. Roxiri only knew what she smelled of because she remembered the scent of her father and the two other shifters she had met. Prey and predators, even nature itself was embedded into her smell, though she didn't know what lay over it. She tilted her head the other way slowly, looking the wolf over from her place in the water. It was beautiful in the way most animals were to her, the coat gleaming and eyes having some hidden intelligence that humans never seemed to really see. But this wolf's eyes, they held more then their share of such intelligence. Her head righted itself as she decided that there wasn't a threat of this being a Hunter's wolf or of it attacking her. Then Roxiri smiled at the wolf before disappearing. Now, what she did wasn't actually disappearing. But to the wolf, who seemed embarrassed enough at this point, she had winked from view with no warning. What the shifter had done was change her form into one of cool air so she wouldn't accidentally float up into the large blue sky. The water kept it's shape around her as she walked up to the edge, letting a 'hand' of cool air pet the wolf the same way she had with the baby deer. A moment later she was at her clothes and they were easily sliding through her form to take their place. And once she was sure everything was as it should be, she took her human-like form once more and looked over at the wolf again, still smiling. She walked over to it, a short distance, and the leafs hushed her bare feet against the ground.

"You don't seem like a normal wolf for these parts, do you?" she teased, stopping near the white wolf. [/blockquote][/blockquote][/color]
LIKE A bullet TO THE brain

[Leaf]

If being flustered weren't bad enough, watching the girl suddenly disappear only added to Leaf's panic and confusion. The filling of water into the space where her body had been made Leaf think she had turned invisible. Or was it that he had been seeing things? It wasn't like him to have such strange imaginations running amok in his head. The thoughts were suddenly shaken as the wolf felt a cool touch stream along his back and alarmed, Leaf snapped around warily with his tail raised and teeth bared.

It only confused him more that there was nobody there.

The heart-pounding anxiety from before that disappeared and was replaced by a fearful feeling. Had he walked into the trap of an enemy? Was that what caused him to hallucinate such real and extraordinary beings? Twitching his ears nervously, Leaf scanned his surroundings quickly only to find the same girl he had seen just a moment ago at the bank of the pool, fixing her clothes. Since when did she get there? Did she simply turn invisible and sneak there? Or was Leaf seeing things again?

The wolf watched the girl cautiously as she stepped toward him, smiling. Was this a trap? Or merely a special creature he had never seen before. Leaf wondered whether she had a motive taking interest in him. Whether she was one of those after him or was this meeting simply a coincidence. The girl then spoke to him, her voice sounding like the clear lively ring of silver bells. Leaf hesitated, unsure whether or not he should respond. Looking into the clear blue eyes before him, he said curtly, "I suppose I'm not." The sound of his words rolled off his tongue like intricately carved pieces of ice, cold and articulate.

After he replied, Leaf continued looking into the earnest watery orbs that were without trepidation, leading the werewolf to reconsider the harsh tone of his previous words. Thinking again, Leaf spoke again with a softer demeanor, "Well, I'm not from around here nor am I a normal wolf, but I trust that you aren't the least exotic creature around, hm?" Despite his cautionary state of mind, Leaf was still curious about this girl that he had never seen before. Her powers unbeknownst to him, Leaf wasn't even entirely sure that she was real. On the other hand, the scent of the woods that stuck to her seemed too strong to be false.

[{{Roxï-kun-+]

HAPPINESS

it hurts

Roxiri had noticed the panic and anxiety while she had been in the shape of air, though she decided that it had been better then embarrassing the poor wolf further. Truthfully, the shifter had grown to not care if someone saw her like that. But the wolf had already been flustered and would have probably run away if she had just walked past in such a way. But maybe she should have given some sort of warning, seeing as the poor canine let off a slight fear scent. But it was too late to think of these things and she dropped them into a corner of her mind, instead listening to what the wolf said. It's voice was distinctly male and cold, almost as snowy as the coat of the wolf himself. She raised her eyebrows slightly at the tone and the words of choice, fighting the urge to put her hands on her hips. The sunlight patterned both the shifter and the wolf in that moment of silence that followed the wolf's first words, a breeze filtering the already fading deer scent. She would not catch up to them, whether she wanted to or not. They would be far from this place by now, especially if there had been more then one of the wolves. But they would be fine for the most part, or so Roxiri hoped with a part of her. She would miss them, but not enough to track them. No, she had things to do now, like try to figure out this wolf that stood in front of her, looking into her eyes for a space of time. Roxiri never did know why she did things like this, talk to strangers and try to figure them out. Most of the time it was more trouble then it was worth and ended with her running. But it did not stop her any time including this one. So she stood her ground and the wolf began to speak once more, this time with less of a harsh tone. He said what she had already known about him and then brought herself. Mentally, the shifter cursed herself for a moment. What had she been thinking exactly, when she had shown him part of her power? Hunters were after her and she had changed forms without a second thought. No, without even a first thought. That's what had ended her up here, hadn't it? So why did she never learn? For a moment she started to have a flashback of a pub and a totally different wolf. One that was darker white, a grey, and had a muzzle slick with crimson. She felt sick for a moment but baited it away, remembered how her form had changed to a more human one a moment later and she had become sick. No, she told herself, this is not the time for this. So instead Roxiri slowly lowered herself onto the forest floor, sitting with her legs crossed over one another.

"I am what I am." Roxiri said simply, shrugging with an indifferent attitude. She struggled once more internally for a few moments, lips parted for a second before sliding closed as the shifter thought of what to say. The wolf couldn't be a part of the Hunters, could he? Last she had checked they killed all sort of creatures, not only her kind. Surely a wolf that spoke wouldn't be recruited. But, maybe, this wasn't just a wolf. Yes, it was a slow way to realize that maybe this wasn't just a talking wolf but it felt as if she had already known in some way, ever since she had laid her eyes on the canine. The girl finally made up her mind and opened her mouth once more. "I guess you could say I'm someone who never forgot nature. And now, who might you be? If you're not running off right now, I might as well have something to call you." Roxiri stated once more, looking at the wolf straight in the amber hues. "My name is Roxiri."[/blockquote][/blockquote][/color][/size]
LIKE A bullet TO THE brain

[Leaf]

The wolf followed the girl with his eyes as she lowered herself to the ground, sitting on the forest floor. She spoke with an indifferent tone, with an air that was almost careless. Her demeanor then changed to a troubled one. It was a slight change, but Leaf could distinguish between the subtle perceptions he was receiving. After all, he had seen plenty of more complex people throughout his career and his skill of reading others was only sharpening with time. Perhaps she was suspicious of the thief and was recalling a clue about him, but Leaf felt no sign of menace or hostility in her aura. It was curious that someone would so openly speak to a stranger with no suspicion or fear, but somehow Leaf could feel her reconsider slightly.

Watching her assert herself, Leaf was slightly amused, although still wary of the girl. Never forgot nature, huh? The wolf thought to himself after the girl spoke. He was probably just the opposite. Ever since he was a pup, he was been relying on human society to get around. In time, all the cunning and corruption of humans became part of his mind. Nature to him was just his origin, the part of him that still yearned to run freely through the woods. Alas, he wasn't free. Leaf was bound by his deeds and his nature. Never able to shed his societal self to unleash the beast. In fact, the beast in him probably wasn't even complete anymore. He had experienced the difference between his pseudo-ferocity and his dark-coated counterpart's true feral power. It almost disappointed him that he couldn't ever achieve the blind, raw fury that he had witnessed before. Too much mind over too little might, Leaf concluded.

The girl's name was Roxiri. Somehow, the thief felt the name to be familiar. Almost as if he had heard it among whispers between his clients before. Perhaps that explained her uniqueness. Leaf knew that he had mingled with those who collected rare creatures. Collect as in take them and lock them up in cages or stuff them. The thought always creeped him out quite a bit. At least Leaf was smart enough to get out of their reach once he started feeling weird glances aimed toward him. But that didn't matter. Leaf was a thief, not a poacher. He didn't enjoy hunting people; they weren't as exciting as the beautiful baubles he got to lay his hands on.

"My name? Leaf tilted his head to one side, staring back into the girl's aqua eyes. "You can call me Leaf." He then sat down on the cushy grass and closed his eyes as a slight breeze washed by before opening them again. "What are you doing here way out in the wilderness? He inquired simply out of curiosity. So light, so free she seemed. It almost made Leaf envious.

[{{Roxï-kun-+]

HAPPINESS

it hurts

Roxiri never had been quite comfortable with large cities, always on edge either because of the amount of people or because all the smells messed with her head. She used to spend a lot of time in them though and wasn't sure if anyone knew of her or not. A few did, that she knew, but should she have given her real name to this wolf? Not like her old alibi was any better. The shifter used to go by Soul in some places and that name would probably be known by many, seeing as that was the name the Hunters thought was hers. But still, the wolf seemed to know something about her name. Or perhaps someone else by the same name? Either way, he didn't make a move to do anything after learning her name so Roxiri didn't either, only shifting slightly. The fifteen year old then brought up her hands and began to braid her hair in random places with a thoughtful expression on her face. Something still had been triggered, however small, when she had spoken her name. No, she was over thinking everything. Again. So Roxiri forced her mind back to the present, brushing the braids out of the pale blond hair easily with the slender fingers of this form. The wolf's name was pretty and Roxiri liked it. It seemed to suit the wolf in a way and Roxiri watched as he laid on the grass. But the shifter didn't really see the appeal in sitting still for long periods of time. Yes, she could do it and yes, she didn't really mind doing it. But the girl still did sit, though she shifted once more to untuck her legs from each other and to stretch them in front of her, to the side of Leaf. Her furs shone in the light, having been cleaned just that morning as well. They almost made her want to turn into something with beautiful as well, but for the moment she remained in the human-like figure with antlers. Even if Leaf wasn't an enemy, it didn't mean that she should reveal exactly what she was. Many besides the Hunters would pay for her, perhaps as a pet or bedwarmer, and that was the last thing Roxiri wanted to happen to her. Some animals wanted to become pets for shelter or food, the same way humans sometimes flooded into dangerous gangs. They thought they would be protected from everything. The fifteen year old knew better then this though and had decided long ago that she wouldn't allow herself to become a pet or slave or whatever would happen to her if she was captured by people like that. And yet she had been captured once before, and held for an execution. But she was free now and never giving it up, unless the time came that she absolutely must. Roxiri then realized that she had zoned out because of her thoughts and that Leaf expected an answer to his question. She flushed a slight pink, muttering a sorry for her zoning out.

"I don't really know why I'm out here." she started thoughtfully, now wondering this herself. "It's safer out here. And I was with the pack of deer, but I guess that's over. Oh well, it'll be too late in the season to stay with them for any longer soon." she answered fully, shrugging once more when she spoke of the pack. It was true that she had to had moved on soon enough, so it wasn't much loss over a week. The shifter picked up a leaf from the ground and chewed on the stem for a moment, before noticing she would just zone out again if she didn't say more. "So why are you out here, Leaf?" she asked back, feeling like she was playing that question game that village girls did sometimes. She tasted the air, leaf fluttering from her mouth as it opened, and wondered if there was something on the breeze or if it was just her.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/color][/size]
LIKE A bullet TO THE brain

[Leaf]

The white wolf watched as the girl seemingly space out for a moment before recovering with a muttered apology. She apparently had no aim in gadding around in the wild, but that wasn't unexpected. Who said that everyone had to be somewhere with a purpose? The fact that it was safer in the wilderness was true though, and Leaf was slightly surprised that she knew it. Many people found comfort within the confines of urban wall, but really, the people who stalked the alleys were the true danger and being round up in a place with these nefarious figures was only asking for trouble. 

Of course, Leaf couldn't deny that he was one of these nefarious figures.

Realizing that Roxiri had been traveling with the herd of deer made Leaf slightly anxious, even if she acted nonchalant about it. He had just chased away her companions, which was a horrible thing to do in his opinion. The thought led to Shadow and the white wolf wondered where he had gone to. He hoped that his friend had not traveled too far so that Leaf would be able to track him down later. Now that he had a friend and brother to rely on, the thief did not want to go back to his solitary life again.

The wolf the watched the girl as she began chewing on the stem of a leaf. The delicate and tranquil movement seemed to fill the emptiness between them before she asked Leaf about his motives. "Well, I've been…" He hesitated, unsure how to word his situation. It wouldn't exactly be the most intelligent thing to do by telling a stranger (whom he wasn't entirely convinced was real) about his current position. "…escaping a few people." He finished reluctantly. There wasn't any need to volunteer any information more than necessary. Even if she wasn't about to turn him in for a bounty, Leaf didn't want more people to be drawn into his problems again. Shadow was nice enough to stay and assist him, but not everyone would. But maybe he should mention Shadow to her. To have her watch out for him in case she ever stumbled upon the black wolf. "Well," Leaf started, staring down as his two snowy white paws. "I also have this friend that was, um, escaping with me." The wolf looked up at Roxiri, meeting her eyes before continuing. "He's like me. You know, a wolf. But his pelt is black. Complete opposite of me. If you happen to see him, you should tell him to come look for me." Leaf chewed on his bottom lip nervously, unsure whether he had made the right choice telling the girl this. She seemed nice enough, but you could never know about their most inner thoughts by just looking. Leaf studied her face for a reaction, hoping that he hadn't just dug a deeper grave for himself.

[{{Roxï-kun-+]

HAPPINESS

it hurts

Roxiri looked ahead and gave Leaf a side glance, wondering why the wolf seemed to become less calm when she spoke of the deer. Maybe he felt bad about chasing them from here? No, it had actually been what the shifter had needed to happen. She already knew she probably would have felt horrible if she had to have left them just randomly one day sometime soon. This was much easier, for all she had to do was not track them. And by the time she would busy herself with other things, the scent would either be too stale or washed away by something else. But she kept this to herself, not wanting to interrupt what Leaf seemed to be thinking of saying. The shifter had learned that if you did that, they would simply shrink back into themselves about it and probably not ever say it. So she waited patiently, gaze shifting until her head was pointed towards the sky. Her eyes shifted between blue shades for a few moments, out of view from the white wolf close to her. She looked back to the earth then, fingers combing through the grass as Leaf seemed to be stuck trying to get words out or having an internal conflict. She paid her full gaze to the earth, fingers having found a small patch of clover. One hand lazily went through it, her now sky blue orbs scanning the patch for a four leafed plant. She only stopped as Leaf finished an earlier sentence and the shifter looked up through her top lashes at the wolf. Was he pulling her leg? Yes, there were many on the run. But the way Leaf had hesitated made it seem like it was quite more then 'a few people'. Suddenly the girl felt slightly better, knowing that this wolf, Leaf, might also be running. Not really because of that per chance, but because she was too. Was she terrible for thinking that way? Roxiri really didn't know, but instead didn't comment for the time being. Another short time of silence fell upon them as she leaned back, having given up on the clover patch, and looked back to the canine. He started to speak once more, looking down at his front paws before meeting her orbs with his own. She nodded as he finished wordlessly. It must be nice, she thought, to have a traveling companion. She went through many and felt terrible that Leaf seemed to have lost his for the moment.

"I'll keep my eyes peeled. But what will you do until you've found him? Surely he can't be too far off at this point." Roxiri said, standing with her fur's tail swishing slightly behind her. She stretched for a moment, hands touching the ground by her feet for around ten short moments before she laid down on her pale stomach. She froze partway into the movement, looking around, before completing it. "I could help you find him." the shapeshifter offered, gazing at Leaf once more. "After all, what kind of fellow runaway would I be if I didn't help you? Roxiri said after another moment, green flecks the color of clovers appearing in her blue orbs.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/color][/size]
LIKE A bullet TO THE brain

[Leaf]

Roxiri's words seemed to assure Leaf somewhat. Indeed, Shadow couldn't be too far off, but Leaf always had to prepare for the worst. "I'm not sure about what I'll do." Leaf pondered. He never really gave the issue a serious thought. After all, it had been nary an hour since his separation with the black wolf. Surely he could find him by sundown… But what if he couldn't? What if the enemy had taken him? Or worse, killed him? Leaf's demeanor paled at the thought, but quickly recovered. It was a presage to deem such an occurrence, and yet it wasn't entirely impossible. "I suppose I'll hang around this area for awhile, but if it comes down to it…" The thief's voice trailed away as he shuddered at the horrible prospect. "I suppose I'd have to move along then." It was already hard for Leaf to even formulate these thoughts, much less articulate them into words. Yet, practicality was a characteristic that the thief could not shake off. It had been woven into his personality so many years ago that it wasn't even something he had to consider. Leaf knew that he would have to migrate to a different area to evade his pursuers. If the chances of finding his partner became bleak, he would have to leave. After all, there was no safe haven for the wolf to wait at and even if there was, Leaf wasn't the type of person to sit around in the same place for too long. The girl then spoke again, the lush green of the surrounding woods reflecting in her eyes. Leaf wondered whether it was just the light playing tricks on his eyes. Or was his mind still fuddling with this possible hallucination? Helping him find Shadow? "That would be greatly appreciated. The wolf said, trying to keep the brimming gratitude from permeating into his words. A fellow runaway? The thought had crossed Leaf's mind that Roxiri was being sought after, but he had never thought it to be so specific that she was away from civilization to avoid those hunting her. "It's always nice to meet someone else on the wanted list." The thief chortled. Truthfully, he didn't meet many others who were on the run like himself, especially not someone like Roxiri. I wonder what trouble she's gotten into. Leaf pondered. Looking at the clear blue sky above them, Leaf wondered whether Shadow was also looking at the same sky and hoped to find him soon.

[{{Roxï-kun-+]

HAPPINESS

it hurts

Roxiri blinked her now clover green eyes down at the earth itself, flexing her bare toes into the grass. She wondered about quite a few things in the way that, if you were to ask her what she had been thinking about she wouldn't be able to tell you. It was almost as if she wasn't thinking of anything, but she knew deep down her brain was whirling with trains of thoughts that she never actually paid attention to. Slowly the shifter reeled herself back to reality, unlike the times she just snapped out of it. No, it the wolves were wanted that meant perhaps they had come here to hide out. Which meant that it wouldn't be good to stay here much longer, or with either of the wolves for any longer. But she couldn't just leave here, leaving Leaf here alone to look for his partner wolf later. Well, she could quite easily actually. But it would weight on her mind like stones in a river and she wouldn't do it. But it wouldn't be safe to be in their company for long. Yes, it was probably the Palace guards after them, which was heard of quite often in the place of what some called police, but still. It wasn't unheard of to take in whole families when one was guilty, even for just a few hours. And it was also heard of that some of the royal families and their members had ties to very...shady places and people. If even one of the people that were out to find the white and black wolves were tied with the Hunters or slave trades, Roxiri would be in deep trouble. She couldn't help but laugh lightly, with a slight tint of bitterness.

"I'm not really on the wanted list." the girl said, rolling over onto her back to gaze upwards. So she didn't have to look at anything except for the sky, which would probably be overcast once more last as it had been yesterday. Roxiri didn't really know how to explain to the blazingly white canine about who she was running from. Perhaps her sentence had already said enough. Or, perhaps not. "I've done nothing wrong," she started, cutting herself off. A few 'what if's ran through her mind but she shook them off as a wolf shakes water from it's fur. It was already a bit too late to say she didn't trust Leaf slightly and if he really was a wanted person then how could he turn her in? Even wanted runaways had morals. The shifter put the arm closer to Leaf laying by her side, the other raising off the ground until her hand was in view above her head, as far as her arm would go. She looked at it, air tense around her for a short moment of pure silence. Then the fifteen year old flipped her hand over, so she was looking at the palm. "I'm wanted by others, because of the way I was born I guess you could say."[/blockquote][/blockquote][/color][/size]
LIKE A bullet TO THE brain

[Leaf]

The blue sky was endless to Leaf as he raised his honey-colored eyes. The clouds rolled along above them carelessly, as if they had no concern for anything happening on the ground beneath. The confession of innocence from Roxiri gave Leaf quite a profound feeling. The feeling of needing to let out a really long sigh of both pity and envy. The girl, whether she was a figment of his imagination or not, was being hunted for no reason besides her very existence. It was a really horrible thing. "Perhaps, the wolf sighed, "They see you more as a beast than they do me." What civilization was managed to corrupt into now was nearly unbearable to think about. It almost made Leaf ashamed of his own deeds. To think that he had possibly worked for such a group before. It was quite sickening. The complication of sentience made the mind corrupt. Everyone struggled for the top, whether for power or money, and along the way, they didn't care about the amount of people they knocked down. They didn't matter as long as they reached their goal. It was a barbaric fight for the height of sophistication. Leaf couldn't deny that he was part of that race as well. This never ending competition to the top. While he still had a long way to go, the amount of people he had knocked over and stripped of their humanity was innumerable. The wolf stared at a ladybug crawling up a blade of grass before him. It was so small, so unaware, so happy. Leaf marveled at the tiny creature, scrutinizing its movements. The minuscule pill of a bug climbed slowly across the blade of green. Each of its six legs scrambled to grab hold of the plant as it made its way up. "How careless, how carefree." He muttered under his breath, the red of the shell reflecting in his eyes. "This creature, it knows no fear. I could kill it this very second and it wouldn't know what hit him." The thought was rather fantastic and the hurried movement of the clumsy insect made Leaf smile. "So pitiful of an existence…" the wolf whispered, "… yet that's how we all want to be." The bug somehow slipped and slid a considerable amount down the side of the piece of grass. Reaching out, Leaf attempted to nudge the critter back up with his claw. However, upon sensing the claw, the insect spread its wings and spiraled out of view within seconds, leaving the wolf to stare blankly at the edge of the sky where the bug disappeared.

It's too late for me, isn't it.