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Riyo had continued along with the little group. Then again, where else would she have gone? She knew no one in this world, and still had no memories... Only horrible dreams that kept her up at night. It seemed the farther she got away from the forest, the more sickly she looked from the lack of sleep and terrible headaches.

The one good, however, was the fact that she had gained a small vocabulary. At least now she could say simple things, tell them what she wanted/needed, or how she felt. She was learning quick enough.

But, the most she learned was through her nightmares. She didn't tell anyone about them because she was afraid of what they might think, but they were like flashbacks. Deja vu, even. 10 different voices speaking to her at once, corpses singing, babies crying, and greusome images that she didn't understand, but knew they weren't for the weak of heart.

The ravens continued to follow her, though they usually kept their distance when she was with everyone else. She wasn't sure what they were doing... Only that they meant her no harm.

As far as "the man" went... He was still there. Oh, he was still there. Following her... Watching her much like the birds... Only... His intentions were far from acceptable.

Still, no one else noticed him. Which made her think that perhaps there WAS something wrong with her. Though, what could she do about it?

Riyo watched the sun as it rose, having already been awake from yet another nightmare. "Bright, nyuu..." She mumbled to herself and rubbed her eyes.

Mitsu rested peacefully curled up in the crock of a tree’s roots. Her time with the group had yet to really shed any knowledge of where she had come from or why she was being chased, but one thing was very clear, she had escaped. She never gave details of where she had escaped from or from who but it was obvious at this point that she did not want to go back by any means. As for the friend she was looking for, Ko, she had no idea where he was but was determined to find him. He was really the only family she had left so not looking for him was out of the question. It was the only thing she stood firm about, she needed to find Ko even if she had to do it on her own.

Neko on the other hand sat by the small fire they had made for the night, the embers barely glowing at this point. He had kept watch during the night but as the morning hours approached he found himself drifting closer and closer to sleep. Now he sat in his upright position, arms crossed, legs crossed in Indian style, and his torso slumped over. He was asleep sitting up. Some watchman he turned out to be.

"I said I'm fine." Yuki half groaned, apparently sick of being pestered. "I just need to rest for a few minutes. No harm done."

Another groan, but this time it had come from Hitsu. "Fine, I'll fix your shirt."

"Mine too, please?" Yuki spoke up, forcing the most innocent grin he could manage when his sister cast a glare at him. Wasn't like it was his fault, he never asked to have a run-in with a dragon.

"I swear, you two..." She sighed, rolling her eyes. She shook her head gently, offering an awkward smile to Mable. "I can only say I'll try my best."

-----

It was only to be expected that Yuki and Hitsuzen had continued along in the journey. After all, as luck would have it, their chance meeting with Mitsu had them on the run as well. What fun. There had been no sign of the man who had frightened them from their village, and on more than one occasion Hitsu had insisted that he must be long gone, and begged her brother to take them back home. Naturally, Yuki knew better, but tried to find kinder means in which to urge her onward. To think of it as their own little adventure, as it was their first time away from home. A vacation, if you will, despite how sudden and unplanned it might have been. They'd get to see new places, meet new people. Well, the meeting new people had already come to pass, and one had to be thankful that at least a few of them seemed trustworthy.

Neko had taken it upon himself to watch the camp for the night, but Yuki had intended to do so as well. It was likely unnerving, that both persons that should have been keeping the group safe had fallen asleep. He'd managed to do so in a tree, no less than thirty feet off the ground. Back rested against the trunk, one leg dangling freely off one side of the branch he'd perched on, with the other propped upon it. It was a wonder he hadn't fallen in his sleep, Lord knew he would have probably broken his neck (and several other things) on the way down. Arms were folded neatly behind his head, and he slept peacefully. He was oblivious to those stirring beneath him, his lack of sleep had him in it pretty deep whenever he managed to doze off.

[Hitsu will be in my next post, in which I insist that nobody see/follow her. She'll have awakened before everyone else, and is currently not at the campsite. Also, please refrain from waking Yuki, because that wouldn't be the most desirable thing to happen right now. We don't want Hitsu to get yelled at, right? Right.]

Another stirred in the lingering darkness, though this one was not nearly as exhausted. Hitsu had awakened a long while ago, and had only risen when she came to realize that she was indeed the only one awake amongst their growing group. It was a disappointment really, Hitsu had hoped as she'd went to tend to the dying fire that someone else would stir and she'd have someone to talk to. Neko had been sleeping like a rock, Hitsu could swear she'd made enough noise to wake him more than once. Alas, they had all continued their slumber, and it was in her boredom that Hitsu did something very foolish. She decided to go out and have a look around.

As she explored, the girl mulled over several ideas of just how she'd keep from getting scolded as soon as she'd returned. Sure, she was technically an adult, but that never seemed to keep her brother from treating her like a child. In truth, she knew he was only worried about her, but he didn't have to be so over protective. Pulled from her thoughts, Hitsu looked up as her ears picked up the sound of trickling water. Water? If it wasn't too deep, perhaps she could catch something to cook up for breakfast. Surely Yuki wouldn't be so keen to yell at her if she'd gotten them all something to eat, right?

So now, here she was. Following the sound of moving water, she'd discovered a small hollow in which there ran a small stream. The water was clean and clear, and there were fish floating peacefully beneath the surface. Hitsu could see them, and she was thankful for the shallow water. It wouldn't be dangerous for her to be too close to the edge. She gathered sticks and grasses from nearby, along with a few small stones. It was slightly ironic; She was patient enough to construct her own net, but not patient enough to take barely minutes to construct a simple pole and wait for a fish to bite.

Hitsu had seated herself alongside the bank, appearing quite content as she worked. As she weaved the strands of grass, she hummed softly to herself. This place was pleasant, she thought, and it was a shame that they hadn't set up camp here. It was quite beautiful.

Oblivious to being overheard, her quiet tune had not ceased for a moment as Hitsu continued her construction. It was coming along nicely, nearly finished. It wasn't something she would have given her brother to go out with, it was simply intended for this use alone. It was doubtful that she had the time to put together a net that was too intricate, someone would surely be missing her before too long.

The net was lifted carefully to be examined, and only now did her soft melody cease. The girl wrinkled her nose a bit at the quick job, "It should work for now, I think." She had been unaware of the presence of the hound, not until now. Over the trickling water, his voice was little more than a murmur. However, she had heard it. At first, she gave a light jolt. Startled, thinking perhaps that one of her friends had found her, specifically one that wouldn't think highly of her wandering off alone.

Though, when she looked up, that was not the case. A tall stranger stood a distance away, watching her from the trees. While relieved, she was a bit concerned. She did not know this man, and she did not know his purpose here. From his distance, she could not easily read his expression nor catch the scent of canine. "I-I'm sorry?" She called, both in being unsure of his words and offering apology should she not be welcome here. She stood quickly with the net held firmly in her hands, as though waiting to be told to go and fish elsewhere.

"I-I thought..." Hitsu started, fumbling nervously with the tool in her hands. She apparently caught herself, and lowered her hands, trying to calm her nerves. "I thought I might have been trespassing." She finished, quickly adding an explanation whether it was needed or not. "I didn't mean to, I was only trying to catch a few fish..." Her words trailed off slowly, and she stared at him somewhat fearfully as he stopped nearby. Not afraid of him exactly, just the worry of being somewhere she shouldn't. It would have been bad enough for Yuki to be scolding her for running off, but she'd never thought of upsetting someone else instead.

It was then that his final statement caught her ears, and she blinked. He was complimenting her? She blushed lightly, "Th-thank you." She said with a gentle nod. Afterward, an awkward pause. Unsure of what to say to this stranger, her gaze shifted back to the stream. Her mind tried to work out some way to not seem rude, and she suddenly spoke up again. "Would you like me to catch you some fish, too?" She asked, peering up toward him sheepishly.

Apparently, this was not his territory. For that, Hitsu was thankful. "It is very beautiful." She confirmed, gazing up toward the sky. The colors of dawn were arriving slowly, and for several moments she merely stared. With her home being as deep into the forest as it was, until they had fled she'd never really clearly seen the sky.

She returned her attention to him when he had replied to her offer, and smiled lightly. Hitsu shook her head to the question, "No, not at all." She settled down onto the bank again, looking down into the water and the shadows that floated within it. They didn't look like they were very large, but if she tried to catch several there would hopefully be enough to go around between her friends and this man. One could hope, anyway. If there wasn't, there were surely other things that they could gather up to eat.

Then, she seemed to think twice of her answer. "Unless you'd like to offer an introduction." Her tone was in no way demanding, not that she hardly sounded forceful even when she tried. She looked up to him expectantly for just a moment, before turning her attention again to her task. Now she really hoped the net would work, as she would have a witness to her failure if it wasn't good enough for the job.