The midnight hour strikes

[Kazu Kiryan]

The birds chirped and flapped around a young man's head as a dainty melody filled the area surrounding him. It was a tune meant to ignite passion (cheesy much?) and at the same time flow with the beauty of nature. Kazui watched the birds dance around his head, chirping to the tune he played. Where flute met mouth, a happy smile could be seen. He was traveling alone through the large forest and had it not be for some of the quaint animals he passed by, would be quite lonely indeed. He had never had a travelling companion for as long as he could remember but he easily got by in that he had a strange ability to be-friend almost anyone he met. He finished the song and placed the flute by his side. Holding one finger out, a small robin perched on it, chirping loudly and quickly. Kazui laughed and made an imitation of the chirp as best as he could. If someone were to pass by, it would seem like the hybrid was talking to the birds.

Night would be coming soon. He looked up at the canopy above him and could pick up the dim light peeking through the leaves. He had better find a place to rest for a while. The flute was returned to his bag and what came out next were a few grains of seeds. He placed them on the ground as a gift to the birds for keeping him company. He slung his bag over his shoulder, checked his weapons to make sure everything was set. "Right! Off to find somewhere to nap." hopefully his luck would keep holding up. After days in the forest, he had met with no mishap what so ever and if things kept on going, he wouldn't mind spending a few months here. But running short of rations, he needed to get a job soon and get some cash. And soon.

Looking around, he began walking humming to himself. He comes up on a rather large tree and a smile creeps on his angular features. Perfect. Grabbing the lowest branch, he pulled himself up moving from branch to branch this way. Once he was a few feet up, high enough that he was free from predators but also close enough o the ground that he could make a quick escape should he have to. He pulls off his pack and begins sorting through it. His flute falls off without him noticing as he is too busy whining about what little rations he has and going on and on about how he was going to starve to death before reaching the nearest village.

[Ren Harcourt]

As impossible as it may look, a frown covered the wolf's face as she slowly padded headlessly through the forest. The ears where flopped down, her tail felt like dead weight as it dangled behind her with each movement, and she couldn't rid of the confused sadness in her lilac eyes. A black furred shadow moving slowly, but expertly silent across the jungle-like forest. She can't remember when it had been they had parted, but now she was utterly lost. Or was she? He can't even remember that guy's name...Only that he met him back at the lake with the wierdo. She stopped and sighed, her entire frustration in that single breath. What did I do to deserve this? She thought looking up at the weak lights that broke through the forest roof. The sun was descending quickly, it seemed. Maybe she should retrace her steps and head back to town? It would take some time, but she's sure she could manage. Plus, she's memorized the man's scent. She could go look for him then. She sighed yet again and started forward.

She eventually sqirmed herself through some rough bushes and stopped at a more humaniod scent in the air. Or...a less nature-sort of scent. She has never been to a forest you know. The wolf's natural instincts have kept her alive all this time. Lorely stepped into more opene space now. The scent intensified right infront of her. Both her ears perked up along with her head and everything else at the sight of a flute besides a tree. After blinked her lavender eyes, in wolf she trotted to it and sniffed the flute. It was the first time she'd seen this kind of flute before too. I wonder how much would this sell for?
It smelled a bit moist, which was odd since it there hasn't been any rain. She picked it up with her fangs as if she would have picked it up with her hands in her humanoid form and tilted her head curiously.

[Kazu Kiryan]

He eyeballed all the contents of his bag; food rations mostly dried meat and bread; extra clothes, papers, rocks, daggers, a set of lock picks. The rocks he had picked for various reasons some of which he remembered others he didn't, howveer, he was sure there was a good reason for them being in his bag. He sighed slightly. Yup, there wad far too much space in the bag for comfort. With a particularly loud curse, he elf began to replace everything back where they belonged couting each of them off as he went. Flute....he looked around and realized it wasn't with him. Panicking slightly, he looked around frantically. Glancin down, he spotted the wolf with the flute in it's mouth.

"Nooo!!! I have wolf drool on my flute!!" Waving his arms wildly, suddenly pointing at it. "You, wait there. Please don't run away" Flinging his bag on his back, he hurriedly scrambled down the tree to where the wolf stood. He crouched down and studied the it, no her, now that he was close enough he could see it was a female. Lavender eyes were highly unusual for wolves so she had to be...probably. "Can I have my flute back? I'll....share my dried meat with you?" Thinking about it, making wile and frenzied movements while screaming would not help his situation at all.

[Ren Harcourt]

Lorely was satisfied enough with the flute to go sell it somewhere in town as soon as she found her way back. Truthfully though she'd just sell it for fun. See how much a flute would cost in this world. Mentally nodding to herself, the wolf made to leave until she heard a desperate scream from above that made her jump and look around startled. Her muzzle went almost automatically up as the human on top of the tree kept on yelling, telling her to stand still. She arched a brow. Another weirdo? As soon as he landed Lorely jumped again, jumped back this time, crouching as he did. She studied him carefully, mimicking, until he asked her to give the flute back in exchange....for meat.

Dried meat!!? She barked outraged, the only sound able to escape her lips. Her canine fangs scratched a mark on the flute as she bit down on it again. If this guy thinks Ill give it back for MEAT he's got to be insane. I'm definitely gonna sell it now. She snorted at him and ran away at an unbelievable speed for a wolf, dashing through what looked like a maze of a forest.

[Kazu Kiryan]

He twitched slightly at the bark that sounded more like otrage than anything else. Maybe he should have just asked for his flute without exhange. Might have worked better. HE wailed when the wolf took off through the trees at a very fast speed. There was no way he would catch up on his two feet. he cursd slightly under his breath. His flute meant more to him than anything he had on him at the moment and without second thoughts, he pulled of his shirt and dumped it to the side along with his bag. He ran forward then jumped, switching to the form of a large black and grey wolf, much larger than wold be considered normal.

Without missing a beat, he took off after the one with his flute. She had gained some ground on him but he could still smell her and he used her scent to chase after her. He barked loudly in an effort to get her attention. Man. This was supposed to be a relaxing and easy day Dodging the trees around was no problem ofr Kazui, it was a way to get his message across that he really needed his flute that was his problem. it was a good thing his body was built well for speed else he would have lost sight of the wolf and hence his flute. Puting on an extra burst of speed, which wouldn't last long, he put all his effort into catching her and getting his flute back. Give me my flute back!!

[Ren Harcourt]

Lorely looked over her shoulder as she ran. There was no being in sight, hence he wasn't chasing her. But of course he wouldn't be able to chase her anyways. They don't call her a thief for nothing. At least something happened to go right with her day. She snickered.

It was then when she heard the bark from behind. Both ears pricker and her fur felt like it suddenly jumped from the back of her neck. She took another glance behind her. Something was barking close, but she couldn't make out who it was. The thing is that the barks didn't diminish, but if anything they got louder. Something was following her. Great... A moment later she tripped over an uplifted tree root and went rolling forward and crashing into the nearest bush. She emerged from he bush a girl again, her curly hair tangled in the many broken branches and leaves and her face stained with dirt.
"How can things get any worse!" Serves me right for running so headlessly... She also realized the flute had disappeared in the midsts of her tangling. She sighed when she remembered whatever was behind her. If it was any animal that simply barked she was sure she'd have no problem dealing with it. Still, Lorely tried to hurry anyways and yank herself out of the bush, receiving a number of scratches from it's thorns. What I'd do for my mansion... She rested her back against a tree, out of the path she was running through as a wolf, and waited to see what came pass her.

[Kazu Kiryan]

Kazui was already starting to pant. The other wolf was really fast and if he didn’t catch up to her now, he had a feeling he would lose her. He rushed past where she had tripped without noticing but had only gone a few feet before he noticed her smell was lighter and not as strong. He skidded to a halt and threw his head to the side, sniffing the air again. He had just passed where she was. Turning back, he slowly backtracked where he came from. Now, he had switched to stealth mode. His paws made barely any sound as they came in contact with the forest floor, avoiding as many of the leaves as possible to avoid the noise they would make. The thorn bush caught his attention and he sniffed at it. A loud bark followed when he spotted his flute and he took it into his maws. Now, it was time to find the thief and teach her a lesson. He was only trying to be nice and she runs away with his flute.

Even if she had gotten away now, he was going to track her down. That was what he did best. If she was still in the forest, finding her would be a cinch and there was no way she had gotten out of the forest already unless she was a magic user. Changing to human right now was out of the question since his clothes weren’t with how. Snorting slightly, he uttered a spell in his head that would let him communicate through the mind. Being a hybrid had its perks. :::Okay, I know you are here. Come out:::

[Ren Harcourt]

Lorely felt the other lupine form rush right pass her and onward as her hair was pulled in with the breeze that followed after the passing. She blinked her pale, lilac eyes in his direction and tilted her head to the side. Whatever it was had some incredible power in those legs to travel at her same speed. She still didn't think about the possibilities that the guy he had stolen the flute from could be the one that was on her track.

Well, the girl was about to look for the flute after making sure the wolf was out of sight, but thanks to her wolf's blood, she heard the other's steps as they neared before they arrived at her spot. She had some brief time to hide again, farther away than where she had been before. It's not worth it for a simple flute...
She jumped a bit startled when a thought drilled itself through her head. A thought not her own. It creeped her out enough to make her nervous. Maybe it was that guy...Was he using a spell? The first thought to came to mind was to distance herself from him. She was sure the spell's range would not be wide and decided to shoot something back at him too. She had some practice with her own magic arts, although sadly not much. Her family never thought it necesary to teach her such things under their protection.
>>I have nothing that belongs to you. Go away.<<
That was as much as she was able to get through before she started again, in her human form. Her wolf hours had shortened out since she entered this place. She need to recover her strenght and avoid shifting again, leaving all her senses still as acute. Still, she missed the protective fur as every branch or sharp object along the way either scratched or broke agaisn't her pale, soft skin. She flinched when she got a deeper cut, but quickly healed it sealed with her palm. She needed some good clothes too. Stupid forest...

Her brief journey ended at the base of a large tree. It had a spacious hole deeper within it's thick roots through wich her lithe form was able to sqeeze in. It looked sort of like a tent made out of roots. Lorely folded her legs agaisn't her chest and wrapped her arms around them, burrying her face between her arms with an exhausted sigh.

[Kazu Kiryan]

[/i] Flaring his nostrils, he placed his snout to the floor and began walking around, tracing the scent. He stopped at the point where she had been hiding just a few moments ago and looked around. She can’t have gone far.

How he could have missed her when she was so close, he had no idea. Maybe he needed to train a little more before he lost his ability to track. He pressed his face into the many branches she had come across, her scent all but pouncing his nose. This was bad. She was moving around in her humanoid form and getting multiple scratches. He had to find her fast before she completely covered herself in scratches and god knew what else. He moved slowly hoping not to frighten her. He came to a stop at a large tree. She was here. Lowering his head, he crept around the tree, looking for where she was hiding. His movements came to a complete stop at the small crevice created by the large root trees. :: If you keep on like this, it’s not going to be good for you at all. Care to call a truce?:: The voice used to potray the mental message was strong and some what demanding and that coupled with the serious expression on the wolf's face was enough to give him a very intimidating air. Something opposite of what he actually was. But she didn't know that and he was using this approach in hopes of shocking her enough to keep her rooted where she was. Please let it work[/ul]

[Ren Harcourt]

She had a nice moment of peace to gather herself and rest her tired mind, despite the sad look in the face she was covering up. She had to think of what to do next. Not even bothering to check on her own condition perhaps, but she was confident in her own healing abilities. She almost felt like dozing off even when her short period of silence was broken by another of those thoughts making it's way into her mind. Lorely lifted her chin abruptly; lilac eyes quickly scanning the surroundings. Unwrapping her arms and leaning closer to the upslope that lead out of there, she could not only sense, but smell the wolf that was peering at her hideout through the roots.

She decided to stay quiet and not response yet, thinking. The creature didn't seem like it was going to barge in. It was...waiting? For the response. Yet his thought came very strongly. A...truce? She thought to herself. Lorely retreated farther against the wooden wall. Trapped like an insignificant rodent. It made her blood boil. Her body heat raised instinctively with her frustration and fear to the point of leaving scorch marks on the wood she was pressing her back against. Her fire magic never being her forte in control.
>>How do I know (...) bite my hand off if I take (...) outside?<< What did she matter to him anyways? Lorely can't help but doubt and suspect everything that came from any being that could rationalize. That is the only way to live within her world.

[Kazu Kiryan]

[/color] With that, he severed the mental link. I wonder how my items are doing….there better not be another thief in this forest. Two is enough. He whinned slightly and laid his head down; anything to get over the uneasy feeling of baring his back to a complete stranger. What exactly was he doing. [/ul]

[Ren Harcourt]

New sounds came from outside. She arched a brow curiously and peered through the small opening to witness what he was doing. He seemed to be giving her space, just enough for her to dash through swiftly with no worries of him catching. Also, another more surprising part, he was lying down with his back facing her entrance. She couldn't help both her brows lifting at this. She waited to see if he was up to something, but she realized he was just lying there. Lorely secluded herself back against the wall, deep in her pondering; her eyes shifted from one insignificant piece of rock to the next. She wrapped her arms around herself tightly, sighing as she did and closing her eyes.
I hope I won't regret this.

Slowly, the slim girl crawled out on her hands and feet, the only way to get out really, obsidian curls loosely falling over her bare shoulders, and just as slowly as she crawled out she stood up while holding on to the tree, her eyes never leaving the resting wolf. This one was so odd. Time seemed to slow down so much as she took a few sideway steps away from him until her back now faced the endless forest. There the girl stood up straight, arms still holding on to herself, and glared curiously at the wolf.
"You said you had some clothes." She said out loud, her voice fit for her pretty , spoiled face.

"You can get up y'know. But don't turn around. " It almost sounded like a command though, afraid of being seen like this by some random stranger who was in fact chasing after her.

[Kazu Kiryan]

[/color] :::

He finally got to his feet. ::: I understand why you want me not to turn around but…I need to turn around so we can get to camp. I won’t look. ::: He turned around but his head was bowed down and eyes closed. He had no way of seeing her and he remained that way till he had walked far enough and was sure there was no way he could accidentally spot her. He opened it once more and padded towards the area he had put his flute, digging it up and taking into his mouth. He waited for her, never once turning back. He assumed she would say something to indicate for him to move. [/ul]