The scent of Home(Akeelah/Open)

[Deleted]

Of all the places that drew Raffe in, there was no place more welcoming than the forest near New Orlands. This was his territory, his home, his birthplace, more so than wherever he really came from. In this place, more positive memories existed against the negative. The search for his true birthplace was futile, its gone, just like that. He didn't want to hope anymore, he lost that ability sometime ago, maybe between a hunter's rifle and a bear's claw. He didn't want to think about it anymore, not now, not ever. He just wanted to lay down somewhere, maybe here, where it smelled so much like home. It was a mistake to go out and search. He only ended up with nothing, and maybe he was also going back to nothing.

Sighing, Raffe, in his wolf form, dropped the bag in his mouth to the ground and morphed back into a man. A shirtless man, with all his scars for the world to see. The most prominent being the angry red mark on the right side of his chest, where a birthmark used to be. A hunter thought it would be fun to burn a hole through a sleeping dog. Snarling at the memory, Raffe sat down underneath a tree, his trusty backpack, worn and faded, sat on his side. Closing his eyes, the shirtless man raised his head up and just tuned into the scent and sound of the forest, his forest. As he did this, a small smile crept to his face. "I'm home." He said, finally letting out a laugh. The first sign of happiness that he had ever given since the day he left him home.

But just as he was enjoying his peace, a sudden disturbance caused Raffe to open his eyes and look around. Someone was here, someone light on their feet. He almost didn't hear it, but the footsteps were there. There was no scent invading his senses yet as there was now wind to carry the scent at the moment. With speed honed from years alone, Raffe stood up, tossing his bag onto his shoulder, he climbed up the tree, using his adhering ability to easily scale it silently. He sat on the lowest branch and crouched down, hoping the leaves hid him enough from whoever was coming. Raising his upper lips, a warning growl was making its way up his throat as he waited for whoever had decided to disturb his moment of peace.


(Still trying to get used the codes again... I've forgotten how haha)

[Akeelah]

It had been a long time since Akeelah had been to this place, far too long. The shapeshifting leopard could hardly remember just how long it had been since she had last set foot deep within the forest of New Orlands. She had missed this place, she truly did. Out of all the years she had lived in New Orlands most of that time had been spent in this forest. As a wild feline the forest was where she was the most comfortable in. In here she could roam in her true form and hunt without fear of being spotted by humans. There had always been up and downs. The forest was just not just home to her but to many supernatural creatures that lived around the city. Plenty of those creatures were dangerous to people like her, there had been plenty of times where the little shifter's life was put at risk from a bad run in with local supernaturals, sometimes even humans. She had been attacked on more than one occassion and almost lost her life in these woods. Yet she missed this place.

For better or for worse this was her home. Lately Akeelah's thoughts had been turning back to her old territory. While the place she lived now was spacious and far safer than the old house she had in the woods she couldn't hunt, she couldn't sleep in the trees, and could never embrace he animal side when she lived in a house with so many humans that didn't know what she really was. Where she was now was all for her own good. That was what the PIDA agents that took her in told her, and deep down she knew that they were right, but staying indoors trapped in her own thoughts was driving her so crazy she had to get out. It was a little more tricky to try and sneak out of the house being as big as she was now, and with most of her 'roommates' still being up and about but somehow she managed to do it, and make her way into the forest.

The moment that Akeelah entered the forest she shifted into her feline form and wandered through the woods, taking the time to take in all the smells of the forest and kept an eye out for trouble. She wasn't too worried about being attacked right now, the forest was quite and peaceful and she didn't pick up any odd scents of dangerous creatures in the area. She was confident enough to not bother hiding her presence, but still she knew she had to be a little careful. If she ran into trouble again she wasn't in the best position to fight her way out of it. Now that she was in the late term of her pregnancy it made it tricky to fight or even run in her leopard form. Akeelah moved fairly quietly through the forest when a growl reached her ears. The feline stopped dead in her tracks, looking around warily for the source of the sound. Great, couldn't she just have one damn moment of peace to herself? What should she do? Should she run? Try to scare the damn creature off? It was probably too late to try and sneak away without being noticed. Whatever was growling out there sounded pretty close, it was probably growling at her. It knew that she was here and wasn't going to just ignore her if she tried to slink off.

She would have to face it eventually. Akeelah slinked her way over to where the other creature was, a low warning growl of her own rose out of her as she made her approach. While Akeelah wasn't up for a fight she wasn't going to make her potential enemy think that she was a weakling. The stronger she appeared to be the less likely that the other creature would back off. That was what she was counting on. But as she moved through the brush to come face to face with the potential threat she saw who it was and stopped. Her golden eyes grew wide in shock and her growling stopped immediately. “...Raffe?” was she seeing things? Was this really real? It had been so long since she last saw Raffe. He had disappeared without a word, she didn't know where he had gone or why and didn't think that she would ever see him again. Yet here he was standing before her. Akeelah stepped out of the brush to get a closer look. “God...it is you.” The shifter walked over to Raffe before turning into her human form and pulling the man into a hug. “I missed you so much, where the hell have you been?”

[Deleted]

As soon as the other creature got nearer, Raffe decided to go lower. Jumping down quickly, he left his stuff up the tree and hid behind a brush, crouching lower, his canines now fully shown. Raffe's senses were now on overdrive, if this creature made a wrong move, he might just snap at it without thinking. He didn't know if he was afraid or just stupid, or maybe it was a mixture of both. Ever since living in the wild, whenever someone entered territory that he had in his mind as his, he always felt backed into a corner when they invaded it and he didn't like it. Maybe this was how territorial beasts thought constantly, maybe this was the fight or flight instinct or an animal. Whatever it was, Raffe was just a second away from shifting and attacking this intruder.

Emitting a low growl, he knew this intruder could hear him now. He didn't intend to hide anymore, they were going to face each other eventually, and from what he'd experienced before, waiting didn't always go to your favor. Hunters. That's what came to Raffe's mind right now. They were also light footed, even with all those heavy things they carried. They knew how to hide their scent, almost perfectly too. But Raffe had taught himself how to see the signs, and although there was a difference, as New Orlands doesn't have such a big hunter population, he was still cautious. He didn't want to repeat any mistake that he had done in the past, it was too painful and too humiliating for his part. Unconsciously, he starting to scratch at the burn mark on his chest. That one was a permanent reminder never to trust a hunter, never.

As soon as he heard footsteps getting nearer, a familiar scent invaded his senses. A vague memory stirred, one with him smiling and hugging someone? But there was also something different with this one, it wasn't completely the same scent. Who was this person? Raffe shook his head, trying to clear the fog that formed in his mind. He wanted to remember this person, this person who was now making him think of warm smiles, playfulness and... sorrow? A sudden memory attacked Raffe's mind that caused him to freeze. Sometime before he left, he could vaguely feel a slash on him, a fight, a woman, a man, another... dog? and... and... something. Shaking his head again, Raffe's attention was returned to the present when someone mentioned his name. A female voice. He looked up, recognition dawning on his face. Slowly, he stood up and was now looking down at the only family member he knew who understood what it was like to be him.

Grinning widely, Raffe welcomed the hug. "Akee... God, it's great to see you too." he said, lifting up the small shifter slightly as he laughed and twirled her around once before setting her back down. He couldn't help it, he was laughing and smiling again. No one could have any effect like this on him anymore, except this girl, his sister. Still smiling, Raffe ran his hand through his hair nervously. Her question, he didn't know how else to answer it but with the truth, but that truth also got him into too much trouble, too many mistakes were made, and one of them was leaving her side. "I'm sorry, Akee. I didn't mean to leave. But I thought I found something important, it turned out to be just nothing. I'm really sorry, please don't be mad at me." he replied, placing a hand on her head and stroking her hair gently. This has been his most gentle touch since then, the most gentle he had ever been with anyone really.

Suddenly remembering the scent, Raffe studied Akeelah closely. Her stomach was huge! She was pregnant!? With the sudden realization, his eyes bugged out and he suddenly took an involuntary step backward, looking at her stomach. "You're pregnant? Whose child?" he asked, his gaze fixed on her belly. This was why her scent was funny, there was another living being in her. Was it that... that other creature's baby? Who was it anyway? Shaking his head, Raffe developed a sudden headache as another memory tried to enter his mind. He unconsciously reached up and grasped his head. "G...Gui... Guillotine.. Is it his?" he asked, a low growl escaping his throat again as he thought of the man, the creature he had come to think as an annoyance and a threat in the past, and until now.

[Akeelah]

Akeelah could hardly believe what she was seeing. The shapeshifter had expected to be facing a dangerous beast. What kind of beast she wasn't sure, it could have been a wild animal, another shifter, or worse, a hellhound. She was prepared for the worst when she had came out of hiding, expecting to fight for her life if things came to that. But what she saw was anything but an enemy. In fact it was a friend. Well...more than just a friend. Raffe had never been much of a friend. Raffe was the closest thing that Akeelah ever had to a brother in this world. Raffe was the man that filled the void her real brother had left when she had came to this world. It had hurt to lose him when she did. Seeing him now brought back plenty of memories and joy. She couldn't help but rush over to him the moment she realized who he was.

Akeelah wasn't the only one overjoyed at this moment. Raffe was just as excited to see Akeelah as she was to see him. When Akeelah hugged him Raffe picked her up and twirled her around in turn, making the little shifter laugh. God how she missed him. She couldn't help but ask where he had left. Akeelah smiled at his response. “I don't think I could ever stay mad at you. Not for long anyway.” she replied. A purr rose out of her when Raffe tussled her hair. “I'm just glad that you are back. I was worried that I would never see you again. What did you think you found? It must've been really important if you had to leave without saying a word.” Just what was it that he left for? Akeelah wasn't too upset that he left for something more important. But she was curious, how could she not ask?

The answer to that question would have to wait though, it didn't take long for Raffe to notice her baby bump. The moment that Raffe noticed her condition he took a step back in surprise and immediately asked who was the father. Akeelah looked away from Raffe, feeling almost ashamed of her pregnancy. What was she going to say to him? What could she say to him that wouldn't get him mad with her? Akeelah didn't have to say who the father was for Raffe to guess who it was. The shifter cringed as the wolf said Gil's name. “Y-yeah....” was all the girl could really say to him. His growl in response to her answer did not make her feel any easier. Just talking about Gil normally made her stomach twist in a knot, having to talk about him to Raffe made her feel even worse. “It's....a long story. I'll tell you about it later if you tell me about where you have been and what you've been doing since you've been gone.” Akeelah's gaze returned to his when she noticed him clutching his head. “Hey...are you okay Raffe?” Akeelah asked as she took a step towards him.

[Deleted]

'She’s not mad at me’. That thought kept the smile on his face, even as they moved to the next conversation. Her questions were difficult to answer if Raffe was speaking to some other person, but this wasn’t just another person. This was Akeelah, his Akeelah. The family he never should have left behind. Still clutching at his aching head, Raffe managed a smile. “I found a history about shapeshifting people, tribes of them. I followed it all over the continent, but I came at a dead end.” He slumped back down on the ground, both from the sudden feeling of defeat and the increasing headache. He didn’t know it yet, but the onslaught of memories, old and from the past, were having an effect on him.

At her confirmation, Raffe suddenly let out a growl and punched the nearest tree, a loud cracking sound and a small gush of blood came out before he cradled it against his bare chest, taking out a little splinters just before the skin healed around it. “That bastard…!” he said, unable to control the animalistic growls that still emitted from his throat. Once he was done with that, another headache arrived and this time, images followed.

The scene of the street, the fight between him and the hellhound, Akeelah’s injured body, people screaming, police sirens. It was all too much for the shifter and as he tried to stand up, he stumbled and fell onto the ground. “Akee… He hurt you… Its… argh! God damn it! Make it stop!” he suddenly shouted, crying out in pain as memories made their way to the front of mind. Memories he had forgotten were now all rushing out. “My head hurts… I’m remembering things… ugh…” he said, hitting his head, trying in vain to stop the memories from coming back all together. With all this bothering him, Raffe did the only thing he knew how, to feel safe, he shifted. His change this time wasn’t his alpha wolf form, it was the form of a small wolf cub. The cub curled himself in a small ball and whined, the pain didn’t stop, but with this, he felt a little more secure.

[Akeelah]

He found a clue about his origins? No wonder he left. Akeelah thought as she listened to Raffe try to explain why he had ran off. It was all starting to make sense now. The shifter had always known that Raffe didn't just leave for nothing. While the male never said why he left there had to be more to it than what had been going on at the time. It had to be more than just the trouble they had gotten into. It was no secret that she, Raffe, and Guillotine had been wanted fugitives for a time. After the fight between Gil and Raffe over her had cost some innocent human woman her life the three of them had to go into hiding. Raffe had lost everything back then, he had lost his home, and the human family that had taken him in as their own son. But even then he didn't turn to run away at the risk of leaving her behind. So why would that have been the reason for him to leave her back then? Akeelah had doubts about that, but at the time there was no other explanation that she could think of. Now that she knew that he was trying to track down his people it made more sense. She could hardly blame him for it. Akeelah had been spending most of the years she had been stuck in this world just trying to find a way back to her own world and back with her real family. If she had been in his position and found a clue to their whereabouts she would have left everything behind just to find them.

It was a pity that he didn't. It must have hurt to lose the one lead he possibly had. Akeelah could hear the pain in his voice when he spoke about it. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him. If only she could make him feel better, but there was nothing she could do to help make him feel better. Sadly she could only make things worse. A lot had happened in Akeelah's life since Raffe had vanished, and none of it good. Just the existence of her pregnancy was bad news to him. Raffe didn't take the news too well. Just the fact that she was pregnant made him upset. Finding out that Guillotine was the father of her unborn child sent him in a fit of rage. Akeelah jumped when Raffe lashed out against the tree when she admitted that Gil got her pregnant. “Raffe...” she called out worriedly. Things only seemed to get worse. Raffe seemed to be in a lot of pain as he spoke. He wasn't making much sense when he spoke. “Raffe...calm down. I...I know he hurt me but that isn't important right now-”

Akeelah's attempts to calm him down failed. Akeelah didn't know what was going on with Raffe. One moment he seemed fine, then the next he was in pain and screaming. Before she could try to comfort him Raffe transformed. Akeelah took a step back, expecting to deal with a large wolf only to find a tiny wolf pup in Raffe's place. “What the....” how was this even physically possible? “Raffe...what happened to you?” Akeelah bent down beside the small whimpering pup. It was heartbreaking to see him like this. What was she going to do about this? Akeelah didn't know what to do to help him, but she knew she couldn't just leave him hear like this. Akeelah gently scooped up the tiny pup in her arms. “It's going to be okay Raffe...” she cooed as she got back up to her feet with Raffe in her arms. “I am going to take you home with me, and get you some help.”

[Deleted]

Still whimpering, Raffe's body tensed when someone picked him up. He barely registered that someone was talking to him, but whoever had picked him up made him feel safe. His headache didn't recede, but he felt a little better in her arms. This time, he knew he was safe. With her, even with all the pain he was experiencing now, he could trust her. Raffe closed his eyes and snuggled up to the other shifter. She was family, the only family he had now. In his vulnerable state and her equally troubling situation, it looked like it was best that they stuck to each other as much as possible.

'I'm home. I don't have to run with her. She's my family. I'm alright.' he thought, closing his eyes and letting unconsciousness carry him wherever his mind chose to be. For now, it was busy watching through years of memories that he had neglected, forgotten and stored deep within himself. The pain was slowly going away, replaced the calming scent of home, his home, his family. He let himself be carried to wherever. For him, right now, at this moment, as long as he was with her, he felt safe.