Tachi liked to have a good dig, a sniff and a snuff over new terrain. His paws scraped at the dirt, nudging the smallest of the old stone slabs to see what crawled beneath. His nub of a tail wriggled in amusement as he smushed a paw down hard, pressing a worm in half as he watched it squirm and writhe. Did worm feel pain? Maybe, they had no mouths to scream from, but that didn't mean it wasn't suffering. But even if it was, it didn't mean he cared. He didn't think he was an overly cruel guy, teenager or whatever. No one sobbed during a hunt when their prey squealed in terror or pain, no one cried or felt guilty if they killed a pregnant doe. The baby in her stomach was an extra snack, like a cherry on top really.

Meadow had seen so many pictures in so many books. There were so many plants that she had yet to see, yet to touch, yet to smell. All of them were captivating, fascinating to the young girl. She wanted to know more, to see more, to touch them face to face. Nearly a year old now, it wouldn't be the end of the world if she stepped out from the castle walls, and into the garden beyond. She could smell it... now to visit it. Really, it was like an entirely new world. Meadow's eyes shone with it. Her heart had wings as she moved through the crunchy fall leaves and into the God's Garden. Truly. There were no words to describe it. Once cultivated, now half wild-- more than half wild. The scent of wild mint filling her lungs along with the crisp autumn air. How wonderful. How absolutely lovely. Really, Meadow couldn't have described this feeling with all the words in all the books. What Meadow wasn't expecting, however, was that there be someone else out here. A boy. A tall boy. Her eyes go wide when they settle on him. What was he doing? He dug and smooshed at the dirt, but Meadow hadn't the faintest idea why. It wasn't like he was digging potatoes out of the ground... weird. What the girl didn't realize? In the process of trying to sort out what the stranger was doing, she was staring right at him. Oops. "Speech"

Tachi had enough sense about him to know he was being watched, that they weren't being all that subtle about it either. He raised his gaze, paws still muddy as he stared back at them, unblinking till a smile crept on his face. He didn't get to bother people all that much, since he considered Tojo to be family and thus they escaped the worst of his needling. But this girl here? She was fair game. It felt like it had been so long...

"I could kill you out here you know. How long do you think it'd take for your family to realise you were missing?"He didn't really have any intentions of hurting her, beating up girls wasn't really what he considered a fun time, but she didn't have to know that he was mostly talk.

He was smiling, that had to be good, right? Meadow lifted a paw to wave at him, at first. But still um... was he... not blinking? That smile was starting to look not all that friendly, too. Pulse picking up in her chest, she could feel it. She could feel it and she was nervous. Her ears drooped, wilted against her head. This did not look like such a friendly boy after all. Oh no. The words did not help any. Meadow took one big step back, and then another. Fear ringing clear in her gaze, her head hanging low. A submissive sort of posture, though she wouldn't tuck her tail and run. Was he for real? Was he just being mean? She licked her lip nervously, shifted her weight uncomfortably over her paws. Was he really going to try to hurt her? Meadow whimpered, eyes wide as she watched him, hoping like hell he wouldn't come any closer. He was right... it would take time for them to notice if she went missing. Genuine fear falling over her, Meadow didn't know what to do. "Speech"