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 Posted: Sun Aug 26, 2007 8:57 pm
 A nightmare kitsu picked his way slowly through the trees, careful to avoid colliding with anything that was within his sense of hearing. Being as he could neither see nor smell, this was his best means of navigation. Oddly, his eyes were open, but white and eerily blank, giving the creature the effect of staring out into some black beyond that only he could see.
But, despite handicaps, it wasn't often that Athanos ran into anything, even for his large size.
It was often in his bulky nature to avoid others as well. It wasn't always an easy task - his coat was apparently a very noticeable color. Ears flicking slightly, the kitsu paused. There was an odd feeling of being in the vicinity of another thing, but he would have heard anything approaching. Perhaps, anyway. Athanos would never claim to be the most attentive of creatures in the world. He kept to himself and did as he pleased, and paying heed to the world around him was not normally in his daily schedule. He went only so far as to keep out of the way of others, so they would stay away from him.
Hum. A small growl of irritation building in his throat, the nightmare continued onward at a brisker pace.
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Posted: Sun Aug 26, 2007 9:17 pm
 It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood-- or rather, the Mountain which so many Kitsusagi called home. The sun was high and temperate, shining through the dense foliage with broken rays spilling onto the ground like a grand spotted mosaic. Birds sang, leaves rustled, winds twined softly through the branches, tails snapping beneath the weight of a huge menacing claw and--
... wait a second. Something didn't belong here!
Poor little Jasu had never suspected that a giant foot would just so happen to step in the very spot where she had chosen to nap, curled up in an unsuspecting ball of black and blue fuzz on the grassy ground... and yet there it was, suddenly crushing down on one of her tails with enough force to rouse a loud SNAP CRACKLE POP from her little spine. Needless to say, it wasn't the most pleasent wake up calls.
The source of Athanos's 'odd feeling' wasted no time in making its presence known, for not a moment later, there was a high pitched, outright deafening squeal as she shot to her feet in terror... or tried-- when the pinned tail jerked her back down and sent her colliding, forehead first, into some kind of fuzzy orange tree trunk... and back down again, spread eagled on her back and gaping up
at the thing which would inevitably devour her in the next three seconds.
... Oh, the joy.
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Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2007 11:02 am
 The surprise at feeling something twitch beneath his foot was immediately overshadowed by the stab of pain that shot through his skull. Being of already overtly-sensitive hearing, the Nightmare did not appreciate the courtesy of the extremely loud squeal from...well, apparently whatever he had stepped on.
Athanos instinctively jerked his leg away when something collided with it. It wasn't painful at all, but another startling source that told the kitsu he was, indeed, not alone. Swinging his back around so that he was facing the direction the assault had come from, he shook his head to clear the ringing, and listened. Over the sound of his own breathing was the noise of another, more ragged inhaling and exhaling. It sounded close to the ground.
Lowering his horned head, blank, milky eyes boring into nothingness, the creature opened his fanged maw, a low growl vibrating from his throat as his tongue snaked out to taste the air. It was not, however, in his nature to speak first - hopefully, whatever he had disturbed and whatever had caused him the annoyance in his hearing would make itself known, soon.
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Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2007 12:29 pm
 Oh god. Oh god oh god OH GOD SHE WAS GOING TO EATEN LIKE A FURRY LITTLE MEATBALL BY THOSE MONSTEROUS BEAKY JAWS AND--
... Hmm. Well, that was strange; three seconds had passed and she was still alive. Was it a fluke? Maybe. Some offish stroke of luck that couldn't possibly see her through? Perhaps. But whatever it happened to be, Jasu was thankful for it, and seized her golden opportunity for escape... or at least, that was the epic game plan!
Such a shame, really, that plans just never seemed to work like they were supposed to.
Instinct possessed her the moment she felt her tail released, scrambling desperatley to regain her footing and bolt for any direction that wasn't here... only to find that her legs have stiffenened and froze the moment she made contact with those horrifying white eyes! Did this big orange beast monster have no soul?!
Well, maybe if she just stayed perfectly still and didn't breathe, it wouldn't notice her! Yes, that sounded almost sort of plausible! She could hold her breath and... oh no-- no, NO NO NO--
"ACHOO!" Too late-- the little kit had no time to stop herself... and sneezed right in Athanos's face, instantly crying out in terror with eyes as wide as saucers. She looked quite ready to burst into tears. "O-Oh n-no, o-oh n-n-n-n-o! P... PLEASE, P-PLEASE D-D-DON'T E-EAT ME M-MISTER MONSTER!"
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Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2007 1:49 pm
The big kitsu knew that something was there, contrary to that something's hopes. But, no, Athanos could see no more than he could smell. Perhaps he hadn't a soul - being one of the fabled cursed, and all - and the hollow look in his eyes did little to express the real irritation he was feeling. He could, however, hear what seemed to be the thundering heartbeat of a small creature. Whatever was near him was frightened, then - a satisfying thought, to a point.
The growl grating from his throat died for a moment, his forked tongue lashing in the air about Jasu's head, trying to get a feel of what was there-
When he was sneezed on.
He immediately twitched back with a startled snort, his surprise gaining body in the form of an indignant snarl. Jerking his head up, Athanos raised a claw to his face, rubbing his muzzle to get the odd feeling off him. If the thing that had done this hadn't fled by now, the Nightmare was going to have a bit of an early breakfast.
But it appeared as though the thing had found its voice. Hissing slightly as he lowered his claw to the ground, he called his attention to what was being said. In any other circumstance, it would have mattered little to him to stay and listen, but the high little voice sounded terrified. With good reason, he thought. The nightmare assumed that he was a rather lot bigger than the little one begging him not to eat her.
Athanos 'stared' at Jasu for a moment, then hissed out, "Quiet. I will not eat you." He should have walked away after that, continuing on his way to nowhere. Yet this was almost, in a very odd way, amusing.
"Why did you run into me?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2007 3:54 pm
Well now... this certainly wasn't the outcome she'd been expecting. Where Jasu had anticipated that she would be in little meaty chunks at that moment, bubbling and digesting in the guts of the giant orange monster beast-- and yet there she was, still standing, miraculously intact, and pinned beneath a very disgruntled white glare. Blind or not, a look like that could send shivvers up anybody's spine!
So... she wasn't going to be eaten; at least, that's what the thing was claiming-- and who was she to argue? Still rigid, her tiny claws clutched and unclutched the grass in a tentative knead, finally clearing her throat with a nervous little whimper.
"I-I-I..." Attempt number one to speak: an immediate and epic failure. Stammering feebly, she dropped her gaze to her feet, taking another few seconds to catch her breath and rework the nerve to look at him again (...sort of).
"I-I d-d-didn't m-mean t-t-to run i-into you, M-Mister Monster! I-It was an accident!" As if to affirm the statement, her broken middle tail twitched miserably near her rump, stirring a twinge. "I-I m-mean... I w-was just... y-you s-sort of... r-rather, it j-just... s-startled me a little! E-entirely m-my o-own fault, I apologize S-sir!"
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Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2007 8:47 pm
It must be a rather frightening situation, Athanos thought, for the kit. Judging by her amount of fright, he must truly be hideous, or perhaps much, much larger than her. Both, in all likelyhood. Regardless, his menacing looming and ghostly stare did not waver at Jasu's stuttering explanation. Her insistence on calling him 'Mister Monster' did not placate his mood, either.
Monster, hm? It was a fitting title, but that did not mean the nightmare had to agree with it. An irritated hiss escaping his muzzle, he gave what could have been an imperious gaze down at the small creature before him. Perhaps he should just leave now, and step on her again on his way.
...Though he had stepped on her, hadn't he?
Thrusting his face down to - what he assumed to be - her level again, he barely bothered to conceal his annoyance that filtered into his voice. "There are worse monsters you could meet," he commented first. Indeed, any of his kind might have considered completely trodding over the smaller kitsu simply out of spite for crossing their path. His previous thought was evidence enough of that.
"Either way, be sure to stay out of our way - we do not always see such small things as you."
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Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2007 9:04 pm
Okay, so... maybe 'Mister Monster' hadn't been the most appropriate (or tactful) title to use-- but it was the only thing that Jasu could think of! Athanos was just so large and orange and utterly terrifying! What else could he be through the eyes of a little kitsusagi that barely reached the guy's elbows?!
Staring right back into those pale slits of eyes, she was almost afraid to blink at first, forcing herself to breathe when a fuzzy lightheadedness clouded her little mind.
"I-I..." Damn that stutter! "I-I'm sorry, Mister M-... a-ah, Sir..." But at the very least, she caught herself there. "I'll t-try t-to remember t-t-that f-for the next i-intstance t-then and--"
As if Mother Nature herself had decided to swoop down and shatter the tense atmosphere, a loud bang of thunder echoed on the horizon... and before Jasu could so much as peel her gaze away to glance up, a literal downpour was coming down. Right on top of them.
Stepped on, scared to death, berated... and now soaked to the bone-- and all in a five minute period!
It was a good omen for the day. Really.
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Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2007 9:24 pm
Athanos once again flattened his ears against his skull, trying to soften the booming sounds. There were times the nightmare wished he were deaf instead of...well, any other incapacity he had. Ultra-sensitive hearing made up for some deficiencies, but there were days - like this particular one - when the trait was more irritating than it was useful.
Though, thunder wasn't nearly as bad as a kit screeching right into his skull. The rolling thrum of storms he could handle; shrill little voices, much less so.
He heard the rain before he felt the scattering drops of water. It would be a drenching rain...and he disliked water. A lot.
Snarling as the droplets began falling in heedless sheets, the kitsu shook his head - a bit redundantly, as the rain was already so thick that the water replaced itself faster than he could shake away - the monstrous creature began to edge away. He disliked even being damp in the slightest, and he was starting to get very wet. Though, that was when he recalled Jasu.
He didn't know why he cared, but it seemed wrong to leave a kit out in the rain, especially when he had just stepped on it. Bah.
Turning back, he once again thrust his fanged muzzle into the little blue kit's face, roughly feeling around for her neck. Upon locating it, his jaws opened, and closed as gently as he knew how - which might not have been very gentle at all, in all honesty - around Jasu's scruff. He thought perhaps that she might whimper in thinking that he actually was about to eat her, but the steady drum roll of the rain kept him distracted.
Lifting her up, he turned and picked up a trot, able to make his pace faster by using the sounds of the rain to avoid hitting fallen trees, etc. He would go to the hollowed place to wait out the storm, and perhaps the kit would take the sharing of shelter as an apology for getting stepped on.
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Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2007 9:49 pm
So it seemed like the strange twosome actually had somthing in common; they both hated the rain! Unfortunately, however, there was another consequence of the rain for little Jasu that even the kitsu herself didn't know... But that would all be made shockingly clear soon enough!
... like, for example, in the next three seconds. And literally.
As if the downpour hadn't scrambled her thoughts enough, that giant fanged beak was suddenly prodding around her face, obviously trying to seek out the slender little neck to snap and-- WAIT A MINUTE, WHY WEREN'T HER FEET TOUCHING THE GROUND?! SHE WAS DANGLING IN THE JAWS OF DEATH OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD--
And spark went her fur... what would have been a harmless static discharge if she hadn't been so wet and terrified. The jolt was enough to stiffen her from tip to (broken) tail, and she could only imagine the discomfort it caused her... what, was he a protector now?
Oh well; time to shrug it off and make herself useful! They were obviously looking for shelter and she could see, at least! Well... sort of; this rain was horrid. "I-I-I'm s-s-sorry! I-I mean... t-there's... a f-fallen tree u-up ahead that looks... like i-its underside is dry, i-if you c-could fit underneath, s-sir..."
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Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2007 10:10 pm
...Just what had he gotten himself into, running over this particular kit that day?
What would have been a very audible yelp of surprise released itself from his throat - but was muffled by his closed jaws - when the shock swept through his body. Athanos knew that it had to be the squeaky, stuttering thing he was carrying that was causing the disconcerting static. He didn't know why, or how, it had happened, and didn't really care. It hadn't been enough to immobilize him, or hinder him in the least, for that matter. It was merely uncomfortable, having come at a bit of a shock - no pun intended.
The nightmare also didn't like to yelp. He just never did it, and it was a rare occasion when he did. Then again, this entire day was turning out to be a rare occasion. Hrmph....His fangs clenched very slightly, not particularly caring at the moment if it was hurting Jasu or not.
The big kitsu ignored then chose to ignore her attempt to help find shelter - he could tell the tree was too small for him. Strangely enough, it didn't occur that he could dump the kit at said log and find a place for himself. Skirting the grounded tree, he began to pick up his pace when the sounds of the rain began to intensify. He really did dislike water, and the wetter he was, the more irritating that shock would be, should it occur again.
He knew when he had reached their destination by the changing sound of water falling onto rock. His shelter had been one that he had used before - a mishapen angle of stone jutting out from the mountainside had been the base, and a conveniently-fallen tree closed one side off enough to keep dry the earth underneath the rock.
Athanos dumped Jasu unceremoniously the moment the pair was out of the rain, and gave shake-down of his fur that radiated annoyance. Without a word, the nightmare pressed himself up against the rock face and laid down, curling into a balled-up position and covering what part of him would fit under his now rather-fluffy tails.
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Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2007 10:28 pm
... Well, so much for proving her usefulness; they'd just streaked right past her recommended shelter! Then again... Athanos probably would've gotten stuck trying to wedge himself into a shelter that was meant for pipsqueaks instead of... giant things like him. It was probably for the best that they'd moved on.
Another harsh clap of thunder exploded across the sky, this time accompanied by a bright streak of lightning, and suddenly Jasu was free again. With a choked squeak of surprise she thudded awkwardly on her rear. The ground beneath her was rocky and unpleasently cold... but at least it wasn't wet, and the giant stone slab had formed a convenient awning to keep the niche dry... Still, there a tiny little problem.
They were now stuck. The two of them. Almost-complete strangers. Soaked and shivering and TRAPPED until the absolutely hideous storm eased up.
What was a little kit to do?
Head still cloudy but wits (mostly) regained, Jasu passed a nervous glance behind her. Athanos was already curling up into a giant ball of hot orange fluff, obviously content by himself... which left her to perch by the edge of the overhang, gazing out into the curtain of water beyond and contemplating something, ANYTHING, that could possibly make the situation less miserable...
"U...um..." But what was this? Was she actually speaking-- WITHOUT provocation?! "...T... t-thank you, S-sir... or... a-ah, i-i-is there s-s-something else you go by?..."
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Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2007 10:45 pm
His first priority was currently making himself warm and his small space at a tolerantly comfortable temperature as well. Luckily, his fur hadn't gotten quite as wet as he had thought it had, and being a rather hot-blooded creature by nature, it took him only a few minutes for him to forget that he was still slightly damp.
So, in the process of warming himself, he had declared that he wasn't going to bother answering right away. But a slight twitch of the ears and a shifting of his head acknowledged the question.
Lifting his head from beneath his tails, the unblinking eyes stared into the general direction of Jasu (or, out into the rain) for a moment longer...before deciding to put off the question again. Instead, he acknowledged her thanks with, "You do not need to sit so close to the rain."
It was not an invitation to approach him any closer, but at Jasu's size, he assumed there was room enough for her to get further away from the water that was plaguing them both.
"My name is Athanos," he finally answered. After another moment's hesitation, the nightmare added, "Do not call me 'Sir'."
He said nothing else, expecting the kit to give her name, but not really minding if she didn't.
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Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2007 11:09 pm
... Thankfully for Athanos, Jasu wasn't the kind of kit to assume an open invitation for 'snuggling' ... no matter how cold or dreary the circumstance happened to be.
She made no attempt to scoot closer towards him, but rather scooted away from the rain. It didn't really help much, but she figured it best to be respectful and obey the nightmare's commands anyway. Goodness only knew that she wanted to stay on his good side; she wanted to live through the day, thank you very much!
"A-a-alright, S- ... Athanos," she tried, testing the word on her tongue. It felt strange to say-- almost too casual for such a huge, imposing thing as him. Staring down at the ground, she curled her two functioning tails around little forepaws. The third remained heavy and unmoving behind her.
"M-My name is... a-ah, Jasu..." she added, almost hesitantly, "i-i-it's... n-n-nice to meet you... f-f-formally, I mean.... s-s-sort of..."
Sadly, her attempts of disspelling the awkward were only making things worse.
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Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2007 3:48 pm
Jasu, was it?
He grunted in reply, but said no more. Decently comfortable, the nightmare uncurled himself, stretching his front paws out before slumping against the stone wall. If Athanos could be comical, the lounging position he was in - one that would be labeled 'lazy' if his demeanor wasn't screaming so much irritation - would have been humorous....Maybe.
Regardless, it was not an amusing situation in the least.
Time would pass more quickly if he took a nap, he decided. His jaw relaxed into a yawn, forked tongue rolling out as he did so. Bah...stormy weather always made him feel tired. Maw snapping back together with very audible click of displeasure, the kitsu lowered his head to the ground, resting one cheek along his forearm. After a heaving movement from his ribs - the sound of an exhalation indicated a sigh - Athanos became particularly still.
Oddly enough, his blind eyes did not close, despite the fact that he was trying to sleep. The milky-white pupils continued to stare into nothingness as if he were still looking out into the rain.
Unnerving? Perhaps. The nightmare hardly cared, at this point.
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