"Stupid Wari."  The crystalline yearling grumbled, kicking at the soft earth in his mild frustration before continuing on through the unfamiliar forest.  He and his sister had recently reunited after about a week apart, and since then Beru has made it his life's purpose to let her know just how angry he was with her.  He wasn't sure why he was doing it.  It's not like she didn't tell him she would be leaving for an allotted period of time, because she did.  He just  never listened.  But this anger was starting to take it's toll on him.  Earlier this morning she had come to him offering a meal, and his own stubbornness had him refuse to partake in any of the food despite his stomach's protest.  That action of course bared consequence, as bad decisions tend to do.  Beru left soon after his refusal to eat anything provided by her in search of a meal of his own, and he's been out looking ever since.  "Stupid."  His raven companion repeated back to him, and all he could do was shake his head in agreement.  The rumbling of his stomach was starting to drive him mad.

"I'm just gonna fuckin' say sorry."  He rolled his eyes. "Maybe if I do she'll share her dinner with me."

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

She left earlier than she perhaps should have. There was still daylight left, so her mask was firmly in place. A black, protective slip between herself and the world. Ranger was scouting in the trees in front, and Lioness was in her usual spot. At her heels, tail touching her paws as she guided the yearling into the towering red giants.

There was a different scent to the woods here. While the Mile-high woods smelled murky and earthy, there was something more ancient and breezy about the creaking giants above her. Without her sight, all she had were the scents and sounds of the world around her, so she took careful note of all of it. She was content to march along after her kitten, and would have done so for a while yet if the cat hadn’t pulled to a stop so suddenly that Kite had to be careful not to trip over her. The Princess paused, nose twitching in the air. “Is someone there?” She asked. Her question for Lioness or the potential stranger. Whoever answered first.


"Speech"

'

Beru fell silent, crouching low behind one of many great redwood trees until he could survey the situation. He wanted to get a glimpse of the one occupying these woods with him before foolishly making his presence known to what could very well be danger. He allowed his paws to move soft and slow against the plush moss beneath his feet as he made his way closer to where the voice had come from, but not too close. Just a glimpse. Thats all he needed for now.

There she was, a tall, kaleidoscopic blend of blues, whites, midnight, and beauty. The fae was sporting some sort of fabric around her eyes, and she was accompanied by some sort of cat. She hadn't appeared dangerous, though Beru supposed perhaps most beautiful things never did. He crouched lower, contemplating his options before...

"Stupid." His raven repeated, not a care in the world for keeping his voice down. "Fuck!" Beru snarled, snapping at the bird. Well, there went at least several of his options.

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

Lioness silently tapped her paw, warning her that something was in the woods with them. Flitting quietly between the trees. She let herself fall into a crouch. It wouldn’t be the first time she had fought blind, but it helped to know what she was up against. Size and shape mattered when you were looking for weak points.

She stood there in silence, ready and waiting as she listened to the world around her. She could hear the wind whistling through bark and limbs, howling in the wrong direction to bring her the scent she needed. She frowned as the silence stretched on - and then, quite suddenly, there was a voice. Sharp and avian, and leading her to the predator in the woods. She slipped quietly in the direction of the call. Lioness at her feet, her tapping tail warning her of any obstacles, and telling her that there was a wolf and a bird. “Ah, there you are. Lurking like common thieves?” The Princess asked. Distatainful and amused.


"Speech"

'

"Common -- What?"  Beru's muzzle scrunched, displeased at the accusation.  "I don't know about my friend here but I'm sure as hell not some petty thief, lady."  He growled, fixing his posture so that he now stood straight.  No point in crouching anymore, the gig was up thanks to the feathered idiot he'd been toting around these last few days.  

"Thief!" ..Speak of the devil.  Again, the yearling snapped at the raven.  Of course that would be the word it picked up after stupid.  You know what?  Beru was willing to bet that the bird was actually extraordinarily intelligent and only did these things to spite him. He'd just have to put that theory to the test later, after he found them a proper way out of this mess.  "Maybeee I just wanted to know who the weirdo walking around with a blindfold on was, you ever think about that?"  He focused his attention back on the stranger and her pet cat, a tad bit of venom in his words.  Good job, Beru.  You really know how to woo a woman.  

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

Kite’s lip twitched in the direction of a smile before she pulled it under control again. That seemed to have riled his feathers. She wished she could see the expression on his face. Judging by the growl in his voice, it was likely a good one. She imagined a wolf with a constipated sort of look, and it was even harder to keep from grinning.

Her head moved in the direction of the avian as it spoke again. This time mimicking her word - or agreeing that his companion was a thief. She shifted her muzzle back in the general direction of the wolf. Looking down on him, because she expected him to be shorter than he really was. “This isn’t a blindfold, it’s a focus. It helps me concentrate my power into one place.” She told him haughtily. She didn’t feel like explaining her disability to this petty thief. Let him think it was something magical.


"Speech"

'

"Pffff, your what?"  Beru let out a scoff, although her words were actually pretty hilarious.  Concentrating her power into one place.. She couldn't be serious, could she?  "And what are you talking at the ground for?  I'm up here."  He rolled his eyes before looking at the cat companion that was perhaps there to protect the woman.  "You'd know that if you weren't busy focusing all that power of yours, but since you are I'll just show you."  And then cautiously he approached her, eyes never leaving the cat just in case it decided he was a threat.  He nudged her head gently with his own in an attempt to show her where he stood in comparison as far as height went, and then took a step back after he decided that was about all he could do if she was going to keep the cloth wrapped around her eyes.  

"You know, you're really fuckin' pretty.  You don't need to pretend you have powers or whatever for people to find you interesting." He smirked.  "If people don't like you it's because you walk around insulting them for no reason, assuming I'm not the only one worthy enough to experience that pleasure."   His tone hadn't quite dropped all of it's previous rancor, but it was starting to grow a tad bit lazier.  The stranger seemed like a bit of a weirdo, but so far she hadn't proven herself to be a threat.  Maybe they could keep it that way.  He'd tone it down for now just to see what happens.



”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

She scowled at him as he mocked her. Just he wait and see! It was hard to tell if the sun had set yet, with heavy fabric in front of her eyes. She was about to tap Lioness for information when the cat suddenly stepped backwards, and then the stranger was in front of her. She could feel him nudging at her, but since Lioness wasn’t yowling, he must not look as if he intended to attack her. She didn’t stop scowling however, even as she adjusted her head to ‘look’ at his proper height.

Pretty! She blinked in surprise - not that he could see that, of course. “Yeah, well, you're not too bad looking yourself.” She said, and then she snorted with laughter - she hadn’t the faintest idea what he looked like. But people didn’t just go around complementing Kite. Normally, they treated her with pity or disdain. Lioness tapped her paw, telling her the sun had set enough that there was more darkness than light. She reached a paw up to push her bandana out of the way and slowly opened her eyes. Both for a dramatic unveiling of her strange crystal eyes, and to get an idea what this stranger looked like. Actually, he was rather easy on the eyes. “Hey! You have crystals, on your back!”

"Speech"

'

Beru chuckled at the stranger's weird joke.  He really was a good looking wolf, or at least he thought so, but she'd have no way of knowing that unless this power of hers included x-ray vision.  She removed her blindfold not even a moment later, and the yearling actually completely missed it at first.  He latched onto her words and threw a faux expression of surprise onto his face, flinging his head around wildly to examine his back. "Holy shit, crystals?! What the -- !!!" he let his jaw hang agape for a few seconds more before letting out another snicker and plopping his butt onto the forest floor.  "Yeah.  My mom's got 'em too, and two of my sisters."  It really wasn't that big of a deal, at least not to him, but he supposed he could see why others might find the formations interesting...

...And then he realized why she in particular might find them interesting.  Looking into her eyes for the first time, he finally saw them.  The woman actually had a couple crystals of her own, and he now thought he understood the blindfold a bit more. "Woahh..."  He stared in awe.  He couldn't help it, really.  It was almost magical to behold.  Maybe the fae really did have some sort of power.

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

She squinted at him as he feigned surprise and tossed a look over his shoulder. She had brothers, she knew he was pulling her tail. He settled down on his rump, and she did the same. Seated on the forest floor as the very last hints of sunlight faded into shadows. She was just glad the sun was finally setting. Daylight was never going to agree with her.

“Really, that’s so strange!” She said as he admitted to more of his family having the affliction. “Do they hurt? My brother has a cluster of crystals around his leg joint and he struggles to move it.” She said, it was easier to speak of the pain of a boy this stranger would never meet then admit outloud how much her eyes cost her. At least he looked at them with surprise and maybe a touch of admiration. He didn’t flinch away.

Her expression grew a little smug, and she lifted her chin a smidge. “You didn’t believe me, did you?” She said. Pretending, for just a little bit longer that there was something magical instead of awful about her eyes.

"Speech"

He felt a tinge of relief when she joined him in sitting.  That must have meant she felt at least a little comfortable, which in turn could mean it was safe for him to let his guard down a little further for now.  "Mmm, nope.  They don't hurt."  He frowned, trying to imagine what it would be like if his crystals were placed somewhere as inconvenient as the joint of one of his legs.  He wasn't sure he'd be nearly as ambitious today if that were to have been his fate.  Probably never would have even left home, honestly.  He wondered if the crystals inconvenienced his siblings in any way, or even their mother.  It wasn't something he'd ever thought to ask before just now.  "Itched like hell when they were growing in though."  He shuddered.

"And of course I didn't believe you!"  He wasn't even sure if he completely believed her now, however he was a hell of a lot more convinced than he had been say five minutes ago. "What kind of powers are they?" his head cocked in curiosity as he awaited her response, be it the truth or just some weird delusion.

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

Kite shuddered at that too. She remembered her own eyes itching as she grew. The crystals growing with her eyes, a living part of her. Cursed, awful things. She cried to scratch them out before, but it had hurt as if she was trying to pull out her own eyes. Imagine if her crystals had grown on her back, instead! Something fun and useful. She could only imagine that trying to grab this boy by the scruff in a fight would leave a wolf in agony. It was hard not to feel at least a little bit of jealousy.

What kind of powers are they? Oh, right. She hadn’t thought that far ahead. She tried to give him a mysterious expression as her mind whirled furiously. The blues of her eyes glinting behind the embedded gems. “They let me see hints of the future.” She decided. “Images that reflect against the sides of the gems." Her voice dipped low, and she looked at him conspiratorially. “Do you want me to look into your future?”

"Speech"

'

Oh, holy shit.  Beru could feel a shiver crawl up his spine at the stranger's words.  See into the future, huh?  For some reason that sounded a lot more probable than anything he had been thinking up, though he was still pretty reluctant to just cave and believe her completely.  After all, this wasn't someone he knew anything about.  For all he knew the wolf before him was a compulsive liar, which should have made more sense than seeress when he really thought about it.   But it wasn't impossible, was it?  Wolves didn't normally have the ability to glimpse what the future holds, but wolves also didn't normally grow crystals.. so.  Probably not, but.. maybe.. A little piece of him wanted her to be telling the truth, so he decided to keep the ruse going.  Someone who could see into the future would make one hell of an ally in the future if what she said really was true, and in the meantime he'd be able to brag to his sister that she missed out on something so intriguing.  

"Could.. Would you...?"  His tone was much softer now than it had been since they'd first confronted each other, a turn of events that perhaps the woman had already predicted.

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

She had him. Hook, line, and sinker. There wasn’t a hint of smugness in her expression as she looked at the strange swirl-coated wolf across from her. He was the first wolf she had ever met outside of her family who was plagued by crystals. Who looked at her like she wasn’t something horrifying or pitious. A part of her wanted to believe in what she was telling him. She wanted to be that person, that her affliction was a gift with a great and terrible power.

“Very well then.” Voice low, and taking a fortifying breath as if what she was about to do was hard. She reached over and laid one of her dark paws over his. “Brace yourself” She warned him, and then extended her feline-like claws. Just enough to prick a little blood. She tilted her head to the side, where the fading sun sat behind her. A hint of that setting light reflected back into her eyes and they exploded with colour. She shuddered at the pain of the light that jabbed into her skull, and then closed her eyes. Lifting her head up as if she was looking into something far distant. “I see… colourful wolves… red, and purple.” She said, making up tones on the fly with a few guesses based on his own coat. “I see blood, and hints of fangs. A fight, perhaps? There's an important battle coming in your future. She prophesied ominously.

"Speech"

'

Beru could feel redness in his cheeks as the stranger placed a paw over one of his own.  Was this... part of it?  He blinked at her, eyes a little wide, before the next words fell from her lips and a whisper of pain made it's way to where the two touched.  He almost lashed out, but instead just barely suppressed the urge and continued his inspection of the process at hand.  If she needed his blood for this then so be it. It seemed a bit much, but what did he know?  

Colorful wolves.. More than one then?  Red and purple sounded a lot like his family.  An important fight with his family.. Could that mean they were in trouble and he and Wari needed to get back as soon as they could?  Or maybe.. No, he and Wari couldn't be on the opposing side of the fight, could they?  Beru didn't know what to make of any of this.  "Do you see anything else?" he questioned, not bothering to hide the panic in his voice. "What side am I on?  When will the battle be?  Is it an actual, physical fight or is this like a metaphor for a verbal or emotional fight?"  Fuck, slow down.  He had to give her time to answer some of these questions before he could ask her any more.  He placed his paw on top of hers, reversing the role from just before. "Please.."

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

Her showmanship done, she opened her eyes again and peeked at him. Surprised to see the frantic look in his eyes, and the panic in his voice. She had touched on a nerve without meaning to. It left him desperate for answers, looking to her for them. She felt a surge of something in her veins. It made her feel… important, valued. An addictive feeling.

But, to her utter surprise, she realised she liked this wolf. She liked the way his cheeks had stained pink at the touch of her paw, and the ripple of crystals down her pack. Like they were somehow the same. A crossroads. To continue the deception, or…

“Got you!” She squealed, knowing there was a chance she was breaking whatever this was between them by showing her hand. “Here’s your fight… incoming, you giant pincushion!” She said, and leapt at him. Perhaps if she could distract him enough he’d be too busy to be mad


"Speech"

'

'...Huh?' He'd never been more confused in his entire life, which was really saying something because plenty of things had perplexed Beru in the past.  Before he could press the fae for answers though his raven was flying away, disgruntled and vocalizing it with a series of harsh caw's.  Why was his raven flying away...?  He turned his head back toward the 'seeress' only to find that the woman was throwing herself at him, and perhaps not in the way he'd subconsciously hoped for either.

"Pincushion?!"  He crowed, nipping at her front leg before attempting to haul her off.  He only had a moment to decide whether he wanted to be relieved there was no fight or pissed that the stranger had lied. Ultimately Beru sided with the option that didn't involve feelings getting hurt for once, and something about that felt kind of nice.  Sure, he was upset.  But he didn't really know this girl, so was there even any point in letting her know?  And he was sure she hadn't actually meant any harm.. Unless he was wrong about that too.  "I can't believe I fell for that, asshole."  He huffed, though it was impossible to completely quash the grin that played at the corner of his lips.  Perhaps having someone so convincing as an ally could be just as useful in the grand scheme of things.  Or maybe he just didn't want to tell the pretty girl to fuck off.

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

She nipped at him and hauled her off. She stumbled on the earthen floor, and resettled her weight. She would have leaped at him again but he was speaking. Calling himself a fool, and her an asshole. She paused, and peeked up at him from beneath the crystals that filmed her eyes. Wondering if she was going to get away with the lie with minimal anger. He didn’t look too angry…

‘You feel for it because I did great.” She informed him, and then poked him with a paw. “And I would have kept up with it if you hadn’t gotten all weepy eyed then. What was up with that, anyway? You afraid of a fight?” She wanted to know. Kite was never afraid of a fight. She generally launched into them without ensuring she had a secure place to land. It had led her to plenty of trouble, and why she knew what a broken paw felt like. She lost more then she won, but she always got up again.
"Speech"

'

"Ha, yeah right!"  Beru countered, blushing again as she poked at him.  "I love fights. Just the way you described it.. It kind of sounded like..."  Nope.  There was no point in delving into all of that with the girl.  The yearling wanted her to think he was strong and cool, not some mopey baby that got all soft where his family was involved.  "Sounded like it wasn't gonna happen for a long time.  I just got excited.  Eager, if you will. Didn't want to wait."  See, he was a liar too, albeit not the best one yet.  It's like they were plucked from the same tree.

"Would be cool if you really could see the future though.." He added, trying to navigate the conversation away from his cowardice. "You did do great, it was extremely convincing... er... What did you say your name was?"  She hadn't, and neither had he.  Formalities seemingly got thrown out the window during all of this.  Whoopsie.

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

She considered him thoughtfully, not believing it for a second. He had been frantic. It was the only reason she had pulled the plug. Well, that and his cute little flush. But, he had his secrets, and she would let him keep them. “Right,” She agreed teasingly. “Eager.”

He wasn’t the only one who wished her power was real. “Yeah… then maybe something good would come of all this.” Her voice slipped into bitter tones, before she flushed. Eager to change the subject, she grasped onto the option he gave her. Giving him a formal bow with flourish she said. “Kyanite Fatalis, Princess of the Armada” she gave him a prim little grin, before dropping the act and kicking a paw through the dirt. “But call me Kite, if you call my Kyanite I won't promise I won't bite. You didn’t give me your name, either”

"Speech"