[Flashback] Even Pups Bite(Miharu)

[Jaeden Kincade]

58th day of Summer, 509 AV

Jaeden's frame hung loosely as his eyes gazed upward, noting the immensely large trees that surrounded him in the forests of the northern reaches. His eyes then fell down to the ground, noting a great indentation in the ground. The track was unlike any he had seen before as the rear of the track was curved, moving all the way up towards the front until three rounded bumps formed it's front. His gaze shot up as he heard a rumbling sound echo through the forest before a small heard of giant beasts that somewhat resembled a cross between an elk and boar come running through. The smallest of the heard, on all fours, still stood from foot to shoulders at about five and a half feet tall. Jaeden's gaze then fell down to his hand as he stared at the twine that laid across his palm. The length and thickness of the twine was designed to catch something no larger than a squirrel or rabbit. Slowly, his free hand reached up, scratching at the small white streak of hair at the back of his head. "Ugh," Jaeden exhaled, "I'm gonna need a bigger snare." He moved over towards one of the large trees, sitting himself beside it as his hand dipped into the sack at his waist, fishing around inside of it for a moment before pulling out a folded over piece of leather. Opening it up, several pieces of dried beef laid along it's center, as well as an assortment of nuts and berries. Jaeden began snacking as he started thinking on how he would trap one of the great beasts within this forest, or whether it would be worth the trouble in the long run considering he couldn't take with him a vast majority of the meet that their carcass' provided. He hated letting such go to waste, not to mention certain dieties, felt the same, and often showed their frustration over such to those responsible.

[Miharu Mindi]

A pair of golden eyes had watched this strange human for the last two days, quietly stalking him through the green depths of the woods. Snares, and fumbling, too much noise made for anything but snares, but that was a two-legger for you.

She wasn't quite sure why she was watching him, maybe because she hadn't seen a human this deep in the woods before, but she'd kept watching him, while he moved and stalked and slept, and all that time she'd kept herself hidden. But now he was letting meat get away, and she was hungry, and she could smell hunger on him too.

As the herd moved along and the smallest of the beasts lagged behind, she crouched down lower, lower, belly dragging the blanket of pine needles on the ground as she slithered through the bushes.

Nothing to alert Jaeden until she struck, just a huge wolf launching itself from the bushes and sinking sharp teeth in the throat of its prey. The animal bellowed desperately as blood poured over Miharu's muzzle, and tried to kick her off with powerful front legs, but she scrabbled sharp claws against its hide and kept most of her body out of the way of those hooves. A few hits landed against her back legs but nothing too damaging, and as she sank her teeth deeper the beast's legs collapsed beneath it, and a moment later it fell on it's side, shuddering it's last breath as its herdmates scattered through the woods.

The wolf climbed to it's feet, licking blood from her muzzle, and golden eyes rose to find Jaeden - and then her tongue lolled out in a wolfy grin.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden sat there, his back against the tree as the sudden leap towards the infant beast the large wolf had taken struck. It was blurred movement for the most part as Jaeden's form sat there, like it had frozen in time. His mouth was agape as he saw the beast's kicks break away a small chunk off the trunk of a nearby tree, but only luckily graze the back legs of the wolf that had taken it down. Soon, he released a slow sigh as the beast eventually ceased it's thrashing, and remained laying along the ground, motionless. The wolf soon rose to it's feet, turning attentions towards Jaeden as it began licking the blood of it's pray clean from it's muzzle. Jaeden's hand instinctively reached for the hit of his sword as he kept watch along the wolf, looking for any hints of aggression or signs of her muscles tensing up before a strike. His own tension slowly relaxed as he saw what resembled that wolfish grin cross the wolf's features, taking a seated position yards away in front of Jaeden. He just released another sigh as his hand slipped back up to his rations, grabbing a small pinch. "Oh, sure. Brag about it," Jaeden simply said to the wolf as he shoveled the food into his mouth. "Sure it's easier when you have the natural weapons of a preditory animal."

[Miharu Mindi]

Furry ears perked forward as he spoke, eyes flickering down to his sword and then back up to his face. She gave a little growl that turned into a yelping bark, lips peeling back from her teeth as if to display that yes, these advantages were especially awesome.

And then she bolted to her feet and bounded off to the woods.

Two minutes, maybe three, and then she returned. On two legs instead of four. Just a girl - she looked like any other teenage girl, a little lanky, blond hair swept up in a messy tail. She wore what looked to be a toga, just a length of linen wrapped around her body, bare feet skimming the ground. She carried a backpack over one shoulder, which she dropped at the edge of the clearing.

"Easier," she said, voice hoarse from never speaking. "Not easy." She hiked up her skirt and bent down beside the carcass, and her legs were splotched with red marks that would soon turn to vicious bruises. She drew a knife from her belt and began methodically skinning the beast. "You want some?" she asked, her golden eyes too large in her face.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden's right eye brow quirked up as he saw the young girl walk back in place of the wolf. His gaze traveled along the toga like clothing she wore first, then moved on to the blond hair and those yellow eyes. The red welts along her lent truth that she and the wolf were one in the same. His hand smacked up along his brow and ran down the length of his face in a slow rub before he looked again to be sure he wasn't just seeing things due to hunger. Newp, there was a young girl there alright. He hadn't seen another kelvic girl since Helena, and he quickly spied around to make sure no Slavers were present. "Never said it was easy, just easier," Jaeden then said before popping a piece of dried fruit into his mouth. A quick sigh was taken as he folded up the leather wrap into his hand, slipping it back into the pouch. "Sure, if you're offering. I'll at least do my part and cook the meat," Jaeden said as he slowly stood up as he began stepping over towards the young girl as she skinned the beast. He watched with interest as she made scraping motions with the blade just below the thick layer of fur where the skin stopped and fat began. The skin would fold back and tear away with each slice as she pulled back from the initial cut. Jaeden's hand was held over the girls head, as he started at the height he remember Helena to be at before lowering his hand down towards the child for a moment. "You're a bit younger than the last Kelvic I met. One year maybe?" Jaeden said casually as he began moving around the area, collecting kindling to make a fire where they would eventually set up camp. "My names Jaeden, what's yours?" He soon had a small bundle in his hand as he began to spy the forest away from the beast, seeing if there were suitable areas within sight that would keep them out of the immediate senses of predators and scavengers that would come for what they left behind.

[Miharu Mindi]

She startled when he came up close enough and held a hand out, unsure what exactly he was doing, and her eyes narrowed suspiciously before she ducked away from him.

"What do you care," she growled, hands slick and bloody as she separated skin from sinew, back and back again, piling it in the grass on the other side of the carcass. "Old enough to eat you, and silent enough that you wouldn't know it'd happened until you were choking on your own blood." She said it as if it weren't that big a deal, the way she might have described what the weather was like.

She wiped the blade clean on her skirt, seemingly unconcerned in being covered in gore, and then began carving out chunks of meat. "Bring me a stick or a bowl or something if you want to cook it," she said with a shrug, one hand full of grisly chunks of shoulder.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden paused in his steps as he looked back to the girl, quirking a brow again as she growled at him. Then there was the threat and orders. His head tilted to the side as his eyes sparkled a second over how the tone of her voice, while threatening, was still rather girlish. It brought a wide smile to his face. He suddenly dropped the bundle of wood in his arms as it tumbled to the ground. Before she could react, he was picking her up in his large arms and rocking her back and forth as she held the chunks of muscle in her hand. "Oooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh, are you just the cute little bundle of ferocity," Jaeden said, speaking as he would to a dog zealously wagging it's tail in excitement. "I just want to bundle you up and put you in my pocket, you widdle, widdle OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWW!" Jaeden suddenly dropped the girl as she bit hard into his hand. "Watch it ya little twerp!" Jaeden said as he began shaking his hand through the air. "Ow, is that bleeding? No, but still: OW!" Jaeden then shot a gaze at the child before resuming his picking up the bundle of wood. "You need to relax a little," Jaeden then claimed. "You go through life acting like grouchy grouch, and you'll end up just alienating everyone you come across." "Oh, and you still haven't told me your name," Jaeden then commented.

[Miharu Mindi]

When he dropped her, she landed on knees and scrambled back. As he howled in pain and berated her manners, she gripped a fistful of the cloth at he shoulder and wrenched it...

..and then a flash of light dissolved her human form, a thousand swirling pinpoints of light as the dress fluttered to the ground. They reformed into the silver wolf, who crouched in front of him and growled viciously. She didn't like being touched, her ears flattening back as her hackles rose. Didn't want to be touched, certainly didn't want to be hugged, because it scared her - scared her right down to her bones, the feel of hands on her skin, the warm, comfortable, wonderful feel of it.

She stayed that way as he babbled on, tongue flicking against her teeth, but as he kept his distance her ears eventually swiveled forward again and the black fur along her spine settled down. Keeping golden eyes on him, she ducked her head and quickly gulped down the meat that had been dropped in the scuffle, uncaring of the dirt that speckled it.

When she'd finished, another flash of light shivered through her and dissolved her form, leaving only the naked girl crouched in the grass. "You ruin another batch of meat and I'll cut your fucking tendons," she growled, wiping dirt and blood from her lips with the back of her hand. "Wasteful."

She picked up the knife and went back to the carcass, and began working again, her pale young skin now painted with blood. "Miharu," she finally mumbled, confusion in her voice as if she wasn't sure why she was saying it.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden suddenly dropped the bundle of wood once again as the little girl suddenly reached up, grabbing the corner of her clothing at the shoulder and began wrenching it free. His hands suddenly shot up to cover his eyes as suddenly began repeating, "I'm not looking, I'm not looking!" When he heard the sudden echoing of growling, he slowly spread his fingers opened to see the girl standing there in wolf form again, growling at him in a threatening manner as the fur along the back of her neck and shoulders shot up on end. He then took a deep breath, releasing a sigh as his hands dropped to his side. "Whew," Jaeden suddenly exclaimed. "Dodged that arrow." He then slowly turned around as he began picking up the firewood once again. He heard the familiar contortion of bone and saw the flash of faint light, signaling that she had changed back. He gave a subtle nod and, "Mmmhmm," to her threats of maiming and violence before he heard her going back to work on the beast. Then, upon hearing her name, his looked strait for a moment before slowly turning and saying, "Miharu, well now, that's a......." Jaeden's mouth went agape as Miharu was crouched in front of the beast continuing her work, still naked. "Gah!" Jaeden said, dropping the bundle of wood for the third time in as many minutes as his hands shot up to cover his eyes once more. "Why must you Kelvic girls always shift to human form and appear naked in front of me at some point?" Jaeden turned to his side, shielding his eyes from her direction as he looked to the ground. Seeing her clothing laying nearby, he bent over, picking it up. He then slowly began side stepping towards the direction of the beast until he felt the side of his boot hit the tip of the beast's hoof. Looking down, he sow Miharu's shadow cast over the ground and then slowly held out her clothing. "Please put this back on, I find the nude female form very distracting, and uncomfortable when they too young."

[Miharu Mindi]

She looked up at this new idiocy, a scowl drawing down her pretty face. Too young. What did that even mean? She'd reached womanhood months ago. Of course it didn't occur to her that she only looked fourteen by human terms, but then she wasn't really civilized enough to understand such things. "Why must human men be so squeamish about naked bodies? You don't wrap your horse in a dress, why is my form any more disturbing?"

She didn't bother reaching for the cloth, just went back to sawing through the meat. "Stop being a moron and get something to put this meat in. How have you even survived for this long out here? What do you do, eat berries while you cover your eyes?"