brave new world

Hattori liked the Grove well enough. Enjoyed the change of scenery, the burst of colour to push aside the green maze that was his home. The air was warm and muggy, far hotter than he'd like, but the maple trees all around provided plenty of shade as he padded along. Moving with ease, not even a ghost of a limp in his steps despite his missing toe. It wasn't something he thought about, not even in passing, after all the past was said and done. No use in lamenting over what he couldn't change, what had to be done.

A welcome waft of wind threaded itself between the trees, rustling Hattori's coat and bringing an unfamiliar scent to the dark of his nose. A stranger, a loner at that. It felt as though it had been quite some time since he'd met an unfamiliar face, someone unburned by whispered exaggerations and assumptions. A clean slate, but with baggage of their own all the same. He thought for a moment if he would prefer to swerve away, leave them be, but there was something about this place that felt off. Like they weren't quite alone. Was it the slayer of that wolf he'd found hanging the other day? The idea of leaving the loner to such a fate left a foul taste in his mouth, jabbed at his sense of mortality as he padded his way further into the Grove. Just to make sure.