The curious pup needs to stretch his legs, the call of adventure has been itching his ear lately and Enki decides to answer it. There is always someone watching over him and, whether it is mom, dad, or a companion does not matter; all the boy knows is, if he is in trouble all he has to do is shout and help will be there. With that knowledge firmly in his mind, the pink pup had set out for adventure.

There is a river that Enki has heard about and that is where he is headed. As he moves into the land, a fog hangs thinly around its edges, slightly puzzling the pup but not doing much more. This place is new to him and, for all he knows, it could always be this way. Still, as he gets further in, the fog seems to grow thicker and that has the pup faltering for a moment. A whisper touches his ear, tickling his brain as it seems to be coming from next to him.

Startling, Enki shrinks away and sets his blue gaze in search of the wolf that spoke. But there is nothing there, causing the boy to frown in confusion. The trees that line the path have leaves of various fiery colors and, since Enki has never seen an autumn season, he does not know how strange and out of season they are. There is an air of something… unnatural about this place but, whether it is good, bad, or magical, the pink pup cannot place.

A form flickers in the fog, catching the corner of Enki’s eye and pulling his attention to it. Breath hitches as he waits, half expecting something to lunge out of the fog and attack him. Did the whispers say that would happen? Or was it just the fear that pounds through him with each thundering beat of his heart? But, wait… there it is again. A fiery wolf weaves in and out, appearing and disappearing like a flame eating away at a log.

Silently, the pink pup trails after the form, trying to decide if they are real or just another figment of his stressed mind. They seem real enough… oh and it is a lady to boot! The suddenly emboldened Enki trots forward, moving to join the pretty wolf in her walk. Bright eyes look up at her as he blinks, calling out, “Hello! Can I walk with you? It’s kind of… scary here.” He lets a nervous smile tug at his lips as something catches his attention off to the side. Wait… is that blood?!


"Enki Klein"

Her mother had plans to claim these lands as her own. Now, with the coming of strange events and strange critters the land seemed to have changed before her eyes. She was determined to scout it out, and was exploring the misty river bank when a voice caught her attention. She turned at the sound of his voice and the scurry of his paws, and realised he was just a pup. She smiled at the young wolf, taking in his scent and realising he was a wolf of Habari.

“Well, hello” She said warmly, and nodded her head. “It is a bit strange, isn’t it? Do you think it's connected to the statues?” she asked, before realising the pup might not know what she was talking about.

"Speech"

Enki joins the pretty wolf, thankful that she allows him to tag along and her warm greeting is met with a relieved grin. Tail wags loosely at his hips as he looks around when the wolf’s question suddenly catches him off guard. Light blue eyes catch the fire-kissed woman’s gaze as he curiously echoes, “Statues?” He had heard of strange stone things cropping up in various places but he didn’t know exactly where any of them are.

Looking over to a skeleton that grins up at them from the ground, he ponders the query. He notices that the bones seem to be impossible white and, despite begin half-buried, its very lupine maw lays on top the ground as if the bones are merely sleeping. Oh right, a question had been poised. Looking back up to his walking partner, Enki cracks a charming grin and says, “I bet it does. I mean, I can’t say for sure, but yeah. Probably.” Is he rambling? Shoot, he is rambling.

Ducking his head slightly with the excuse of eyeing a patch of ground that seems be caked in dried blood, the pup tries to hide the heat that flares across his cheeks. Chancing a glance to the lady, he says, “My name’s Enki, by the way. And, I can tell you one thing for certain. This place makes me nervous.” Head ducks again as he chooses to focus on a rather small skeleton near them. Is that… a puppy?


"Enki Klein"

The past was unnerving, and Kit had to agree it wasn’t the best place to be right now. But with the potential of it becoming part of Ashen’s territory, it was important to know what was going on. The strange autumn that had cut off summer was definitely unnatural. She would have thought summer had ended before it had really started if it wasn’t for the fact that not all lands were affected. “Do you think it means something, that the lands near the statues jumped to the dying season?” She asked softly. “You haven’t seen them yet?” she asked, realising the pups' confusion.

“It’s nice to meet you, Enki. I’m Kitsune Abraxas” she introduced herself back. “And it makes me nervous, too” she readily agreed.


"Speech"

As they walk, Enki notices that the roar of the river sounds dulled and far away. A frown tugs at his lips as he skirts another, grinning skeleton while the pretty lady talks. Her question has his pale blue gaze turning up her as he nods thoughtfully before saying, “Maybe it means rebirth? I haven’t seen it but mommy says that, after it gets cold, everything will spring back to life. Could it be that is trying to showing us something… more?” Questions tug at his mind as he turns his attention back to the path, allowing them to roll through.

She questions if he has seen the statues yet and Enki’s ears fall to his head as he shyly hunches his shoulders. Chancing a glace to the lady he gives his head a shake in the negative before saying, “Uh, no. Not in person. But I’ve heard ‘bout them!” That has to count for something… right? Enki shares his name and he is given hers; Kitsune. A dreamy sigh rolls past his lips as the pink boy blinks at her with yearning in his young eyes. The pretty fire-kissed wolf is the pup’s first crush and he almost forgets about the nature around them.

That is, until the smell of a rotting corpse hits Enki square in the nose and pulls his gaze to the base of nearby bush. Letting out a startled yelp, the pup backpaddles away from the flayed carcass, squeezing his eyes shut in a vain attempt to keep the image away. A voice whispers in his ear, the words indistinct but the meaning coming through loud and clear; fear. Heart thunders in his chest as he opens his eyes to blink up at Kitsune, the scared boy practically whimpering, “I don’t like this place anymore. Can we leave?”

Small body moves to press against one of her legs as his head swivels to scan the area. The thick fog makes it impossible to see far but Enki swears he sees shapes moving further out. Maybe they are animals fliting around but the pup wouldn’t put it past the strange magic to be making him see things. The autumnal magic does little to fight off the boy’s worry and dread.


"Enki Klein"

“I’ve only seen them from a distance so far. I’m really not sure of them” Kitsune agrees, though she already has the intention of exploring them closer soon. She wanted to know everything about these strange events. She wanted to deliver to her mother a detailed report, and soon.

“You could be right, about springing back to life. That's a better thought than quicking the stages of death. I like that” Kitsune agreed, hoping the pup is right, but looking at the blood stained grass she couldn’t help but feel otherwise. But she didn’t want to dishearten the pup. “Yeah, can I escort you home?” Kitsune asked. She didn’t want to leave the pup wondering by himself.

"Speech"