Dangerous Dark Forest (Open to the Extreme =D)

[Kuri]

Kuri was cautiously watching the forest around him for any signs of a threat that may be lurking in the dark undergrowth. He had his one hand firmly gripping the hilt of his blade, Kuromai, and he could sense her worry. This caused him to only worry that much more, usually, Kuromai never worried about the situations that he had gotten her into. She was normally the calm type, who loved fighting.

Kuri’s eyes darted to his young little girl, Mikari. He hated the fact that she was here with him in the dangerous forest. He knew that she was in a lot of danger by just being here, there were wolves, bears, snakes, and numerous other creatures that would easily kill her. He shuddered at the thought of her being attacked by a crazed animal. He then found his concerns heading towards his wife, Kuroi, too. Although he was sure that she’d be able to protect herself if anything were to happen.

He suddenly turned to the right as he heard the hiss of snake that was hidden somewhere in the thick bush before him. He thought that it was going to attack his beloved daughter, but he was probably just paranoid. Calm yourself, Kuri. The soft female voice of Kuromai filled his head, and helped calm his thoughts. You wont be of any help to her if you are constantly worrying about her welfare. I can assure you, no harm will come to her in this forest. Kuri let out a sigh as he relaxed ever so slightly. He knew that he was getting to worked up over nothing, but he couldn’t help it. He was a father after all. I know, I know. He told her in his mind. He was glad that they shared a mind, because it meant that with her heightened senses, he was able to know what was around him a lot easier and what not.

He looked over at Kuroi and gave her a worried glance, he wished that he also shared a mind with her, so that he knew her thoughts about this.

[kuroi]

Kuroi met Kuri's worried glance and rolled her eyes. She was relaxed in this dark forest though she did thrive in darkness. Where others were blind, she could see perfect. However, she was upset that she had to remove her kimono dress and replace it with her training clothes - a gray tank top that exposed the scars along her shoulders from many fights, her faded black pants, and her black combat boots. If she would have worn her dress into this tightly packed forest, it surely would have gotten torn up from it's claws.

She didn't know why Kuri was so worried. Did he doubt her abilities to protect her family in a place that was full of shadows? Surely he didn't think that low of her skills. Or his own for that matter. Besides, what could possibly lurk in this forest that they couldn't defeat? A snake? Mikari could probably take a snake. A wolf? Easy peasy lemon squeezy. A bear? Oh~ I'm so scared. She scoffed a little to herself and she looked down at Mikari.

Hopefully Mikari wasn't scared. Kuroi hated for her little girl to be afraid. Though, being so young, sometimes it couldn't be helped. But for Kuri to be afraid. That was a rare sight. This made her a little uneasy. Kuri was strong and could handle a lot. If he was afraid, how was Kuromai. Should Kuroi be worried about what might lurk in the forest? Even though she could be able to sense something before it reached them?

She stole a glance to Kuri and then looked at Mikari once more before her gazed scanned the area. Tree. Tree. Tree. Bush. Tree. Tree. Branch! She ducked quickly, nearly hitting a branch that stuck a little too far out and was too low for her to pass under. Smooth, Kuroi, smooth. She sighed softly, chiding herself because of her lack of attention for where she was walking.

[/Dream !]

Mikari clutched her mothers hand tightly, her eyes looking about in some sort of terrified wonder. This place was full of life it seemed, and yet, it was also quite freaky. How could anyone live here? Being so small, even a small tree seemed gigantic, and these were huge. Their thick trunks were as thick as she was wide, with lush tops that blocked out light. On top of that, it was dark and slightly damp. Mikari hadn't inherited her mothers shadow-qualities, and she could barely see more than a yard or so infront of her as they pushed through the underbrush. It was surprisingly quiet, though that could have been their own approach. Animals had a tendency to silent themselves when people came about. Not exactly scared, she was somewhere between paranoid and skitish. Mikari's silver hair fell down and around her face as she looked to the ground, stepping over a particularly large dip in the forest floor. She could sense her fathers worried self, and it didn't do much for her self-confidence. She already felt so small in comparison to the rest of the world, she didn't need him freaking out now. Her mother, on the otherhand, seemed almost perfectly at home -- Mikari could feel it through her hands. Either way, Mikari didn't really want to be there longer than she had to. It may have been different if a bird had fluttered from a tree, or a harmless squirell bounded up a tree trunk. Mikari loved nature, and though this was certainly natural, it was not pleasent. "When are we going to get out of here, Daddy?" she asked in a soft, sweet voice as she shied away from the hissing reptile. How he was supposed to know, she didn't have a clue, but she was tired of the tense silence.

[Kuri]

Kuri looked over his shoulder at Mikari and he smiled softly to her. “Soon, baby“ he softly said to her. He saw that she felt uncomfortable in this forest, which wanted him to get out of here as fast as possible. If he had been here with just Kuroi, he would have probably have stayed her for as long as possible. He liked mysterious places where you never knew what was going to be around the next corner-- or tree in this case. Though, there was only one thing he really didn‘t like about being in a place like this, and that was the damp. It meant that his fire would be slightly weaker here, and that was his key advantage in cramped place like this. It meant that he could burn things fairly easily, and play with his opponents while they would plead for mercy. He liked to torture his enemies sometimes, it made things more entertaining. But he felt weak in forests like this. The overgrowth and large tree‘s meant that it was hard to manoeuvre, which also cut off his sword abilities. He had less space to move, which meant if they were to be attacked, he would be less efficient at fending the attacker off. Though he had fought in much worse conditions, and he did still have Kuromai at his side, and if that failed, Kuroi would back him up.
Kuroi, Kuri looked at his wife. I bet she loves it here, it‘s her kind of place. Shadows everywhere, darkness as far as the eye can see. Heh This thought brought a smile to his face, it had been a while since they‘d been to a place where Kuroi could truly come alive. He knew that if they were attacked, she‘d make very short work of their attacker.
Kuri looked back at Mikari, and could see that she was able to see his nervousness, and his worry. This concerned him, he didn‘t want to make his fragile daughter worry about being in a place that he was sure now, they were perfectly safe in. He found it funny how different Mikari was from Kuroi, loving bright places and small, cute animals. Although he knew Kuroi also didn‘t mind these things, he did know that where there is darkness, Kuroi likes best.

[kuroi]

Kuroi held onto Mikari's hand as she walked through the forest with her and Kuri. The ground below them seemed to be darker than the forest itself. This was Kuroi's shadows. If something did happen to attack them, Kuroi was ready to pull Mikari into the safety of the Shadow Realm.

Much like Kuri, Kuroi found a little fun in torturing her enemy before making the kill. Though she didn't have fire, she could always install fear into her enemies with ease. It was surprising how many people are truly afraid of the dark and how much silence can do to a person's mind. And since Kuroi can manipulate shadows and darkness, she could easily make people see shadows moving in the darkness.

Thinking of this made Kuroi get an itch to use her powers. She looked over at Kuri, one of her shadows creeping up a tree like a snake. A small smile grew on her face as another shadow would around a tree beside her. The shadows jumped from tree to tree as they pushed through the forest. "I don't know why you two don't want to be here. I find it rather peaceful." She said a little sing-songy. Her voice was dark yet happy at the same time. She squeezed Mikari's hand softly as she continued. "Mommy's not gonna let anything hurt you, angel." She smiled reassuringly, ruffling Mikari's hair with her free hand.

She returned her gaze to the dark forest. She could see rather well, her eyes used to such darkness. She felt at home. Though, she knew Mikari didn't want to be here so she wanted to leave despite her love of darkness. She didn't like it when Mikari was uneasy or afraid. She wanted Mikari to feel safe when she was there with her.

[{{Roxï-kun-+]

I took in a deep breath, inhaling the musty forest odor and welcomed the darkness. My form slipped from animal to animal, my body rearranging itself until I settled onto a silver fox. I took one last breathe before pushing off of the branch I had been resting on. An uneasiness spread throughout my mind for a moment. It made me almost fall as I hit the ground running. The feeling slowly left but a bit of it was still stuck in the pit of my stomach.

That's when I picked up a strange smell. People of some sort. I trailed after the smell slowly, cautiously, and after a while I began to hear the people as well. I slid my form into one of a inky black crow and took flight over them. This was strange. Almost no one came into the forest. But as I was looking down at them, I did not notice the fact that one of the trees were much taller then the others. Until, that is, that I hit the tree at full speed.

My body quickly reverted to it's normal shape of a human and I crashed through the branches about five yards in front of the people. Oh yes, I was so smooooooth....

[/Dream !]

Mikari just stared at her father before nodding slowly. Bringing her hand to her mouth, she laughed softly, "Not everyone is a Shadow Queen, Momma." She giggled with a smile. Some time's, the shadows could be comforting as they wrapped about you, not much different than her mother's embrace. But those were not natural shadows, and could inflict upon a person emotions that could be good or bad. Mikari was lucky, growing up with a mother whose powers were nothing more than darkness, the young girl was used to them in a way most other children were not. That didn't mean, however, that she wasn't afraid of natural shadows. Shadows that were cast by objects and things. Part of this may have been the fact that she did not completely understand her mother's ability, but it was what it was. Her mother's shadow snakes did not faze her, as Mikari was used to illusions. In fact, she enjoyed their company -- though they weren't the same as an actual person, they did do something to quench the loneliness she felt some times. Her and her parents were always on the move, and though she loved them with all her heart, she still had an urge for friends her own age. And so they continued the gentle pace, her stepping over twigs and rocks. Suddenly, the trees parted as someone fell out of the sky -- literally. Letting out an almost yelping sound, Mikari slipped behind her mother, peeking just around her a the tangled form.

[kuroi]

Kuroi continued to play with the shadows. She even messed with the natural shadows though her created shadows were always pitch black, blocking out all light. She would wave her hand and cause a tree's shadow to shake or snap her fingers and cause it to disappear for a second. But it would always return. She couldn't control a natural shadow as well as she could her created ones.

The shadow snakes slid from the trees and rose up beside Kuri and herself. They took the form of a people yet they had no features. Deciding that was a little creepy, the two shadows fell to the ground, exploding silently into nothingness.

A soft sigh escaped Kuroi but it turned into a smile as her daughter referred to her as the Shadow Queen. "And the Shadow Queen I am." She gazed down at little Mikari, her smile growing as she noticed Mikari's.

Kuroi had let her shadows spread throughout the forest so she could feel is something were to disturb them. Though, when something actually did, her body became a little rigid. She didn't really think there were other creatures in this black forest. Though, when it suddenly disappeared, she didn't feel any better. "Kuri." It was all she said. She looked at Kuri, her eyes saying everything to what she just experienced.

Then, as the body fell from the trees, she held Mikari behind her, her black shadows rising around her and Mikari's feet. The shadows danced around like black fire - dark and threatening.

[sevrim]

This forest was one of his favorite places in all of Sanchu. It was a nice place to hide away from Revlis and Raveik. He didn't need them stalking him all over the place anyway. Well sometimes he did seem to forget that he had liked being the older brother growing up. He also forgot that they had parted ways years ago because his siblings could take care of themselves. Now he normally just traveled with Kyethra but she had business to take care of or whatever so he'd left her to do whatever she had to do.

A flicker came from that white ear of his. He stopped that second from his traveling, landing effortlessly on a tree branch with no sound. 'A crash,' he questioned himself in his mind. That was very unexpected. He knew that there were other creatures in this forest but thought that they were smart enough to not crash into things. A thud was followed by that and he then heard voices and a yelp. Now this had caught his attention because these weren't common animal noises but those of people that could speak in language and not just odd noises.

With one swift turn, he was gone in a flash. Sevrim then landed back down on the ground near the group a couple of seconds later. There he saw the family and the odd girl. A smile crossed his face and he felt like laughing but held it back. It was obvious that he'd never seen them before and this family seemed tense; no problem with that. "Sevrim Revirra," he gladly introduced himself so he didn't seem like a threat. He grabbed his swords, Torisuna and Valrickin, and then sent them back down on the ground before him.

After showing that he was then unarmed, he put his hands in the pockets of his blue jeans and advanced forward some. He watched them with his blue-green eyes and through tri-colored bangs. Shifting his gaze back to Roxiri for a moment, he decided to keep his focus on Mikari afterwards. He knelt down slightly, and smiled back at her, his tail staying low to show no threat even though it could have just been a thing that a canine would have understood since he was a dog demon even though he kept a humanoid form. His ears twitched again and he awaited everyone's reactions.

[Kuri]

Kuri kept calm as he suddenly stood still. He looked like a statue as his breathing slowed, and his eyes closed. He was already aware of the person in front of his family, Kuromai had already picked up her scent. He was also aware of the person next to him. Seconds after Sevrim introduced himself to Kuri and his family, Kuri‘s left arm lit up in a brilliant blaze. He was sure, that the only other living people in this forest, would have been bandits or raiders, and he wasn‘t going to take the chance that these two people, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, almost at the same time, were friendly.
He raised his left arm slowly and clenched a tight fist as he pointed it at Sevrim, without needing to look at him, and when he finally re-opened his eyes, the looked to be alive with bright flames, dancing inside of his Iris. The fire upon his arm roared as if it were an enraged dragon that had been disturbed from it‘s slumber and it flickered and dance upon his arm, as if it was completely natural. What‘s more, it did not faze Kuri. If he had been a normal human, his shrieks of pain would have filled the forest as he ran about in a craze to put out the fire that had engulfed his arm. However, it did not even burn his clothes.
Although at the moment, he seemed to be more concerned about Sevrim, his eyes were looking straight forwards into the mess of bushes before him. Looking for the being that had fallen from the tree‘s. By it‘s scent, he was sure that it was almost human. How human though, he was unclear of, as the scent was a mix of both a fox, and a woman. He smiled, knowing that he already had the upper-hand, with Kuromai at his side, he was almost unbeatable; and there were only two people.
Kuri did not seem to care if Sevrim was armed or not, he thought that it may be a play, to lull them into a false sense of security. He would not risk putting Mikaru in that sort of danger. “Speak your intentions.” He spoke clearly, his voice was demanding, and powerful. Kuromai, was now paying close attention to the creature before them, she was trying to work out what it was, it‘s weight, how big it was, and various other calculations that would determine it‘s presence here. Kuri slowly reached down to the hilt of his blade with his free hand.

[/Dream !]

Mikari got a case of "shifty eyes" as two, black forms rose from the ground. Wierd, she thought as they disappeared. The young girl, while most would have found the dark flames threatening, found them to be comforting and safe. Mikari stilled held onto her mothers hand, clutching it tightly. She shrank away as a thud came from her side, though she softened slightly at his seemingly safe voice. Smiling, she waved. Mikari was not shy. Some times cautious, but never shy. She was interested in both of the newcomers, though the multi-colored hair of Sevrim had caught her eye. She almost spoke her name, but fire burned on her fathers arm quickly. Had she not known better, she would have feared for her fathers well-fare. Luckily, she knew better. Mikari didn't say a word, because even though she was young, she knew when it was time to be serious and stay quiet -- this was adult business. Though, neither of the strangers seemed to be a threat. The girl was obviously quite clumsy, as she had just fallen through trees. And the man had put down his weapons. So what was the problem? She supposed she wouold have to wait to find out. Hopefully, though, the stand-off would stop and Mikari could really get to know these people.

Sorry for the shortness O-o

[{{Roxï-kun-+]

I laid there, hearing voices. There was more then three now, four or five stood. As quietly as I could, which wasn;t very because of the branches around me, I took the shape of a silver fox once again. Maybe they hadn't seen my body, just heard it. Or maybe I was in denial. I didn't really care either way but oh well.

"Speak your intentions."

That voice was offically voice number one, seeing as I that's the person I saw first when I come out from the thorny bushes. And that was I first realized that I was wounded. No broken bones, surpirsingly, but one of my arms, or front legs, was sprained and my body was covered in scratches from the thorns.

But once I entered the clearing of sorts, I felt the tension crackle in the air. And the main reason was because all four didn't seem to be together. One of them stood apart from the other three and the other three stood together protectively. I was about to turn around, only to put too much on my hurt front paw and couldn't help but squeal and fall over. Oh great, now I just look like a clumsy airhead.

[sevrim]

Those blue green eyes of his caught sight of the flames and he couldn't really help but do his best to keep a straight face. Flames... he knew that he had nothing to be worried about. His element was water control as a solid, liquid, or a gas. It made no difference to him and yet he'd fought many times against flames. This was his brother's best element next to lightning. He had been the one to teach Revlis how to fight but that was just a childhood memory now. He smiled to himself at the thought.

Yet of course he wouldn't be able to stay in wonderland forever. There was that demanding voice there of the other male. His ears pricked forward and he felt like rolling his eyes about the whole thing. Wasn't it obvious why he was there? "My intentions," he questioned, shifting his gaze away from Mikari to look at Kurimuzon. "Must I have any intentions? If that's the face, I'm afraid I have none." His words were almost simple but clearly truth. He was in a good mood today and had no need to be all hot-headed.

A movement had then caught his attention as he looked back at Roxiri just in time to see her turn to leave. Just as he heard the squeal, the dog demon appeared beside her in a flash, glancing back down at her paw. He didn't have x-ray vision but he'd seen when she tried to step which paw had been injured. "It may be wiser to stay in your human form? If I'm correct, you have one. I'm just basing this off a split second look though," he said to her actually rather calmly.

He'd be there to assist her if she wanted his help. Though he knew very well that sometimes people were stubborn and didn't want help from others. He himself was that way even though he would never really admit it. He lifted a clawed hand and pushed some hair away from his eyes so he could have a more clear view. It was evident that he was out of place among this group but he didn't look for acceptance from anyone. Honestly, Sevrim had no reason to believe what anyone else thought of him. It didn't matter.

Glancing back to the Tsuwamons for a moment, he blinked. "You can settle down," he said directly to Kuri. "I may have no intentions but you'd look like a coward to attack her in her state right now if that’s what you chose." He wasn't looking to throw out insults but merely state facts. He'd learned not to ever lie to anyone thanks to Kyethra. She'd almost killed him enough times for lying to her so he kept lies away from himself now. "What about your own intentions? Something must have brought all of you here."

[kuroi]

Kuroi narrowed her eyes as a second stranger appeared before them. And once she saw his gaze shift to her little girl, the shadows rose behind Mikari and seemed to dance. She was ready to pull Mikari safely into her realm just in case something would happen.

She was in no defensive stance. In fact, the only stance was holding Mikari behind her. Protective. Other than that, she was pretty relaxed. Her shoulders slanted downwards slightly and her head was tilted ever so slightly to the side. She was no longer rigid. But, if she had to, she was ready to move quickly or use her shadows. "Excuse my husband's... rash greeting. However, you shouldn't expect a greeting like this to be any different in a forest such as this one after sneaking up on a very protective family."

She watched girl who fell from the sky. Honestly, you don't see that everyday. It amused Kuroi enough to place a small smile upon her lips. How she loved to see people fall or those in pain - unless they were her family. But this girl was a perfect stranger. How amusing.

[Kuri]

His eye twitched at the mention of him being a coward. Kuri really disliked being called a coward. Mainly because he didn't see himself to be one. Everything he did was to protect his family, he did not care for his own welfare. The flames on his arm didn't extinguish, he kept his arm at the ready, just in case. Kuromai, watch the area around us he ordered the spirit in his sword with his mind, but he could tell she was already doing so. She worried as much about Mikari just as much as he and Kuroi did. A grin crawled onto his face as Kuroi talked for him, he found it quite entertaining when she mocked Sevrim. But when Kuri saw the injured animal in front of him, his smile faltered a little, he hated to see anyone hurt, and he was sure that she was no threat. However, he didn't move. He didn't trust Sevrim.
It seems awefully suspicious that a shape-shifter, and another person would be out here, in this forest, and arrive before me and my family at almost exactly the same time.” Kuri didn't show any hint of emotions as he stated his suspicions, ”The way I see it, you could both be bandits, wanting to attack my family and steal our money” he seemingly growled slightly. His now cold eyes watching Sevrim closely, watching every movement he made, while waiting for his response.What he said earlier could quite likely be a lie he mused as his hand never left the hilt of his blade.