word count: 241

Kaizen felt somewhat...unsure what to make of the wide open space of The God's Garden. He was used to Tojo and its bamboo fortress, it was almost strange to see the sky, to be able to move in any direction he pleased and not be cut off by a wall or winding corridor. He wrinkled his nose, not quite agoraphobic, but it was different, and on that alone he couldn't quite place whether he liked it or not. Kaizen was leaning towards no. But he was no longer a child, he was free to roam within reason and so he did. The long grass tickled his limbs as he wandered through the open field, spotting a large grey shape in the distance- not the castle but a beast.

He paused, head tilting as he observed the creature. It was massive, truly, tall and lumbering, skin as grey as the old stones that cobbled the garden's pathways. It did not notice him at first, content to grab trunkfuls of sweet grass as it grazed. Perhaps he wandered too close, or the fact he was so blatantly, and perhaps quite rudely, staring caught the beast's attention. He blinked slowly, head tilting as it made a lumbering step towards him- he felt the ground rumble beneath his paws, the sheer weight and mass of the creature dawning on him as it approached. Each step falling quicker than the last, working up to a charge.

Lumine had not expected the warmer season of Auster to turn into a soggy one. While her home lay within Boreas, she was slowly starting to realize that it no longer felt like home. As much as she yearned to feel as if she belonged, nowhere fit. The further she traveled, the further she began to feel as if she would have nowhere to call home. It was a sad feeling that made her chest feel tight and heavy, but no worse than the news of her mother's death. Her first year of life certainly wasn't turning out as bright and cheerful as she had thought it to be. So instead of returning back to Boreas with the rest of Hemlock's members, Lumine decided to stay within Auster a bit longer. Lumine found herself enjoying hanging around in the overgrown stone garden just south of The Hallows' borders. Admiring the way the plants grew and intertwined with the crumbling stone, she had yet to notice the commotion going on nearby. Her nose was to the ground, following a recent scent trail that was slightly familiar when the ground beneath her paws began to tremble. Amidst the sea of grass that blossomed beneath a gloomy sky, she sees a hulking pachyderm grazing hungrily on the same grass she walked among. She might have noticed its scent sooner if it were not for the overwhelming surge of herbal notes clogging her nostrils. There's a wrinkle to her muzzle now as she stops her exploration, head tilting as she spies a familiar form facing the elephant. Familiar could be argued because this wolf was much larger now, more filled out and teen-like compared to when they had last seen each other. Now that she was thinking about it, she hadn't even gotten his name. Could she really say he was all that familiar if she didn't even know that? Unfortunately, she's not given time to think about it. The rumble of the ground heightens to a tremble as the elephant picks up speed. Rage fills its beady eyes as it turns on Kaizen. Lumine can't hold back the gasp of surprise and fear that leaves her lips. Was he just going to stand there?! Her mind screams as her body barrels forward to intercept the path of the elephant. Careening straight for Kaizen as the elephant rushes him, Lumine attempts to knock the boy out of the path of danger. Lumine Trygg

table coding by bunni ♥

wc: 407
total: 658 / 1500

word count: 293
total: 951

Kaizen froze, ears pinned against his skull- only to be shoved out of the way as the beast thudded past. The pair tumbled into the long grass, out of the elephant's sight, but it knew they were still there, somewhere. For a moment the yearling laid there dumbfounded, it wasn't as if he had been trying to get trampled he'd just- it had all happened so fast. Except the reality of the situation caught up real quick with him, as if everything was on forward rewind, and he found himself kicking at Lumine as she'd landed atop of him, smushing him down with her heft. Somewhere deep down he realised she wasn't actively attacking him, no snarls or growls slipped her lips, but they were a tangle of limbs with one wolf trying to move one way and the other twisting the other. And Kaizen wanted her off.

"Get off of me!" He hissed, with more venom than he thought he was possible. At the very least he had the mind to be quiet, the elephant was close, thrashing at the long grass as it searched for them both.

It wasn't as if he disliked Lumine, or rather, he knew deep down he had no reason to. But he just didn't like her, and once he'd made up his mind he didn't want to change, felt like it was something he didn't need to concede, that if he held his ground long enough he'd find a real reason for them not to get along.

Little did the pair realise, the reason the elephant was so aggressive was that it was a male in musth. Beyond reason and all hyped up on testosterone, it was intent to kill and trample, just because it could.

Surprised that she had hit her target, she lets out an 'oof' as they go tumbling into the grass. Atop Kaizen, it takes her a moment to understand what she's done. It's not until he's kicking at her and hissing in her ear does she scramble backward and out of his personal space. Her ears fly backward, dagger-like glare pointed in his direction. "You were going to be trampled!" She hiss-shouts at him, her muzzle wrinkling in annoyance at his attitude. He'd had a stick up his butt from the moment they'd met! Little did Lumine know, the commotion she'd caused had directed the bull elephant's attention directly for them. The beast's testosterone fueled rage swings tusks and trunk in their direction. Massive feet build up speed as it barrels toward them, head down and aiming right for where they hide within the foliage. Intent to trample them, Lumine acts as quickly as she can. Unsure of what even the right thing is to do, she feels that running isn't an option. The elephant would kill them or well, kill them. Rushing to her paws as the elephant draws closer, Lumine prepares for whatever is to come next. Others would probably think it a stupid move, but she doesn't know what else to do. Just as the elephant is within distance, she leaps forward and grabs ahold of the elephant's trunk. Wrapping all four legs around it as the elephant pulls its head back, releasing a loud trumpet of ferocious surprise. Lumine Trygg

table coding by bunni ♥

wc: 251
total: 1202 / 1500

word count: 262
total: 1464 (yes im leaving you 40 words hA)

Kaizen was about to be trampled, but despite it all, he couldn't even wrangle his thoughts into something that even remotely resembled politeness. Not just because it was her but-well, mostly because it was her. Kaizen huffed, ears pinning as he scrambled to his feet and watched with alarm as Lumine fought back, or made an attempt to, Was this even a fight they should take? Reasonably speaking, it didn't feel like one they could win. He had heard the stories, of how his Father had once brought down a massive beast like this, but with a thick coat, from a land inconceivably far away- but Hattori had a whole back behind him and this was... Stupid, it felt stupid, like the bluster behind his attempt at taking down a pack of hunting dogs.

So he rushed forward and lunged to grab a hold of her tail, hauling back her off of the beast's trunk. It had recovered from its moment of shock only to become, somehow, all the more enraged. That it would've torn apart the very heavens and earth, if it could, all crushed beneath its massive foot. They couldn't fight it-well they could, but they'd lose and the risks that entailed were far too great, in Kaizen's opinion.

"Are you stupid?!" He hissed, backing up, before being forced to dart out of the way. They couldn't stay, couldn't fight, what was left? He didn't like her, but he couldn't say he wanted to watch the elephant stomp her till she was nothing but a gutty smear in the grass.

Lumine is very much surprised when she feels Kaizen grab ahold of her table and forcibly rip her away from the elephant's trunk. Which in all honesty, she should be thanking him for doing because as she sprawls out on the ground, it basically saved her life from being gored by the elephant's trunk or stomped by its massive feet. Scrambling farther away as Kaizen hisses at her, she quickly sneers with lips pulled up to reveal teeth in his direction. "You're the one who didn't run away to begin with," she retorts as she is able to get to her paws and dart away from the enraged elephant. "We have to get out of here," Lumine looks back at the enraged elephant that flaps its ears and waves its trunk around in their direction, clearly telling them to fuck off or die. "The... grapevines! Yes, we can hide in there!" Lumine looks around frantically until she sees the cathedral not far off outside of the garden's territory. "C'mon!" She hisses, bumping into Kaizen before taking off for cover. Yep, it was hide or die time. Lumine Trygg

table coding by bunni ♥

word count: 1500+/1500