We're Just A Couple Animals{{Kiba}}

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The wolf slid silently through the bushy green undergrowth that littered the forest floor. Slender birch trees swayed and swished their leaves in the warm summer breeze. Ears, that were of such a grey color that they were almost black, pivoted as they took in the cacophony of nature's orchestra which consisted of not only the whistles of the wind through the trees, but to the birds singing in the canopy, and the insects bumbling away on their own little paths. Bright violet eyes sparkled in the afternoon sunlight as the wolf continued forward towards a small meadow she knew to be near by. It was one of her favorite places to go. The soft bed of clover made for a lovely napping place during the time she spent as a wolf. The young Japanese Magnolia that grew on the eastern side of the meadow beside a small stream was often used as a back post when she would visit her meadow in her human form; guitar and music book in tow.

She was almost there now. She could smell the sweet aroma of the magnolia's pink blossoms through her sensitive nose, and her ears could make out the faint babble of the stream. Rosalind changed gate into slow trot, eagerly anticipating the feel of the cool carpet of clover under her paws. It had been a while since she was able to get away from her new PIDA duties to her own personal Eden. This world was still so strange and new to her, or at least that what it seemed like. She couldn't recall very much about her past since she woke up, filthy and alone, in that dark place with absolutely no clue as to how she had gotten there. She knew who she was and that she was of a supernatural that was always described as a Shadowshifter, and she remembered her music, but as so for the rest.... it was nothing but a ceaseless and disorientating black fog...

Roz took sanctuary in the cords she played on her guitar and here, in her special place. She used her dark muzzle to pry apart the curtain sticky vines that partially covered the main entrance and, after taking a brief survey of the surrounding forest, stepped inside.

[Kiba]

Kiba loved the forest.

The wilderness had always been the place that Kiba felt the most at home in. It made sense, since he was a wolf. Well...in his heart he was a wolf. He couldn't confidently declare that he was a real wolf when he turned into a human once every month. That curse had always haunted him since he had woken up in this world, and maybe even before then. But that didn't change how he felt. He felt like a wild beast, so he had to be a wild beast, he felt like a hunter so he must be a hunter, he felt more comfortable in fur than skin so he must be a wolf. Here in the woods he could be his true self without worries. There was no need to take on that disgusting human form to hide himself.

Not like he ever once dared to take on his human form when he had to stay in the human territory. Kiba had always been a prideful being, he never did anything that he thought was too disgraceful, even if that meant making his life harder. While he had to make some sacrifices to his dignity from time to time when push came to shove but he would never go as low as become a human just to make his life in the city a little easier. But here, in deep in the forest he didn't have to wait till nightfall to come out to search for food. He didn't have to raid trashcans for small scraps of food, he didn't have to watch his back for humans that would try to kill him on sight or capture him. Here he could do what he want, he could go out any time he wanted, and he could hunt as he pleased.

the latter was the reason he had ventured out of his makeshift den in the middle of the afternoon. The white wolf was hungry so he had to hunt. There was plenty of game for him to hunt both small and big, but he was hoping to find something big. He was a large creature after all so he couldn't just grab a light snack to hold him over. He needed some deer, or elk, anything with a good deal of meat on their bones. The beast slipped silently into the brush, looking and sniffing around to find something to kill when he spotted her.

At first he thought that he had found another wolf. From a distance her figure was unmistakenly that of a wolf. But as she moved a little closer to where he was hidden something about her appearance threw him off. Her fur was too dark for her to be simple a black wolf, it almost seemed to be made out of shadows. And then he caught her scent. This female didn't smell anything like a wolf at all. In fact, she didn't smell like any kind of creature that he knew at all. The male stood where he was and watched the creature sulking about. What the hell was she?

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Rosalind padded over to the spring and took a moment to lap up the cool water. She loved the freshness of it that couldn't be matched in human society. It was yet another perks of her favored wolf form. After she was refreshed, the shadowy figure wadded into the shallow spring until the water was just below her belly, and began making her way to the other bank. Once she was out she shook the clinging water off her fur, causing it to spray on the barrier of undergrowth that bordered her private meadow. Her unnaturally dark fur, made even darker by the water, lay flat against her defined wolf frame. She turned her head to look at herself, and she would have smiled if she was human, so instead her violet eyes softened. This was definitely one out of Rosalind's two favorite forms. She loved being a wolf in all its glory. She loved the way she was able to move in silence even in the heaviest of forest debris. She loved how strong she felt with the toned muscle her wolf form possessed as she lacked such strength when she was a human. She loved the gift heightened senses, and different points of view it gave her on the world.

It was these heightened senses that alerted her she was not alone.

The wind had shifted and on it, was the earthy smell of her invader. Roz spun around in the direction of the scent and scrunched her muzzle to expose long white canines as instinct kicked in. This was her place, her safe place. She could not allow a trespasser to enter her secret meadow as they wished. He subconscious reacted to the threat too. Her mind-speak extended out so that anyone within a quarter while would hear her threatening voice. Who are you? What do you want?!

[Kiba]

What was this creature? Kiba wondered as he watched the wolf-like being going about its business. It was rare for Kiba to run into a creature that he could place. While the world he was in was full of a variety of supernatural creatures, he wasn’t an expert in identifying them all. He could identify a good chunk of them by scent alone. He could recognize the scent of demons, angels, werewolves, vampires, different assortments of shapeshifters, and a handful of other races. But those were all races that he had exposure to. Most of the ones that Kiba could identify easily were those that were the most common. They were the ones that typically hid inside the cities, so he came across plenty of them during his travels. But this one was different. It looked too odd to be a wolf, but it didn’t smell like any kind of shapeshifter, or werewolf that he knew of. He didn’t know what he was looking at, so he didn’t know if it was dangerous or not.

The fact that he didn’t know what he was dealing with should’ve been a good enough reason for him to turn around and leave before he was spot, yet he didn’t. He couldn’t help himself, for a moment he just stood where he was and watched the female. Maybe it was curiosity that kept him rooted to this spot, or maybe loneliness? Though Kiba had accepted a long time ago that he would live the life of a solitary wolf he couldn’t ignore the instincts to seek out the company of his own kind. A part of him had always longed to be a part of a pack, or find a mate and start a pack of his own. He wasn’t interested in mating with this female, but the part that yearned for social contact made him tempted to go out to her. But he refused to do it. He knew better than to socialize with other wolves, he had to stay away if he didn’t want them to know about his curse. And he certainly couldn’t approach someone that might not want him around.

Kiba was reconsidering his decision to stay when he was discovered. He heard the other wolf growl first before her voice entered his mind. Hearing the female’s voice echoing in his thoughts caught him off guard. He pulled his lips back into a snarl but caught himself before he started to growl back. No, he shouldn’t get aggressive here. He didn’t know what he was dealing with but one thing here was clear. He was the intruder in this case. While he hadn’t snooped around this area long enough to know for sure if this wolf had a claim to it at all or not, he was newer to these woods. It was possible that this part of the woods belonged to her and he was trespassing on her turf. If that was the case then her aggression was completely understandable. Kiba slowly walked out of his hiding spot, taking care not to startle the other wolf and not to look too intimidating, but at the same time not submissive. “Relax. I am not here to start a fight.” He replied.

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Roz's bright violet eyes scrutinized the white wolf in front of her, a growl escaping her lungs. He seemed like an average wolf, and she was about to lower her guard, not afraid of natural animals. She was stunned when she heard the male speak. In fact, she was so shocked, for a moment her hackles dropped and she paused mid-growl to blink at the sound. However, the shock wore off in a matter of seconds and she barred her fangs again, but she did not growl. Instead she narrowed her eyes at the other wolf, still on edge. Then why are you here? And who are you?

The shadowshifter may be in a guarded and aggressive stance but if it came down to a fight she would flee the scene. Her kind didn't do well in fights in general. They've always been sort of weak, more social creature,though they were stronger when they shifted. At least, that's what she had gathered through research on a library computer and her own personal experience. Rosalind didn't know of any others of her own kind. That only added to the weight of her ever pressing isolation. She was glad to she had the use of her animal forms to escape the effects of solitude and just feel own with nature.

Roz was very curious about the white wolf in front of her. She pondered over his ability to talk and the slight difference in scent that he had compared to the native wolves she had come across once or twice while in these woods. Was he like her? Clearly he wasn't a shadowshifter as his coat was too light. But could he be a fellow nomad? Just looking for a bit of mental and physical peace? What supernatural race does he belong to? Is he a supernatural at all?She wasn't sure of anything as she continued to study currently not threatening trespasser as she waited for a response from the other wolfy-being.

[Kiba]

The moment that Kiba showed himself the female began to relax her guard. Her reaction gave him a momentary sense of peace. Good, she didn’t see him as a threat. So long as she continued to think so that would mean that she wouldn’t attack him, and they wouldn’t have to fight. The last thing that Kiba wanted right now was a fight. While the larger white wolf could probably overpower this abnormally dark female, he didn’t like to pick fights, especially with people that he may have done wrong. Kiba may have not tried to harm her, or do anything that warranted an attack but he was likely trespassing on her territory. He had unintentionally did something bad, and she had every right to snarl at her if that was the case. But this was an easy conflict to resolve, one that didn’t need spilt blood. Everything seemed good till the male talked to her though. At first the other wolf looked surprised, as if she for whatever reason didn’t expect him to speak but quickly went back on the defensive.

Kiba sighed softly. Way to blow his chances here. Maybe it was a mistake to show that he was a little more than just a wolf. He had dropped the façade assuming that she, as a supernatural being would figure out the truth the instant that he made his appearance. And maybe drop her guard too. He didn’t think that in doing so he would only put her back on guard. “I was on the hunt.” He chose to answer truthfully, feeling little reason to lie in a case like this. “I’m new to these woods and thought I would stretch my legs a little while finding myself a meal. I haven’t been around long enough to know if this area had already been claimed. Sorry.” Maybe it was a mistake to come to the forest. Wilderness was hard to come by in places so close to the human cities that what little was left was usually claimed by some other pack. Unless Kiba felt like being reckless and stealing claim of these woods from another he would have to abandon this place entirely.

Where would he go though? That was a question that Kiba always dreaded having to figure out. The wolf hated life in the city. He always had to spend so much of his time and energy hiding than finding food that he would always end up starving himself there. Even if he didn’t go back to the city he had came from he would end up going to some new settlement and repeat the process there. If he had to leave the forest than he would, but not until a few days had past and he could catch a decent meal or two to keep his strength up before the journey. That seemed like a good course of action. “I’ll leave you alone.” He turned to leave. This part of the forest at least he knew was hers, so he wouldn’t bother to hunt here. He would have to check carefully to make sure that the rest of these woods were not claimed by her either, or some other wolf and their pack. If he was lucky he could have a small portion of territory to roam free in for awhile. If not…well he would still hang around out of sight for the next few days before he left for good.

[Deleted]

No wait! Roz dropped her shoulders, no longer concerned he was a threat to her. She didn't really want him to leave. She was more curious now, and if she admitted it to herself, she wanted someone to talk to. Sure it was all fine and dandy too have some peace and quiet to herself, but she had never met someone she could communicate with in her animal form. Surprisingly enough, she was relieved that it wasn't just a natural wolf, that she would have to shoo away again.
You don't have to leave if you don't want to. I mean, I'm not making you stay or anything.. She was fumbling for words, trying not to look even more foolish. This area hasn't been claimed. Your free to hunt and go as you please. I'm uh.. I apologize.. For reacting like that, I mean. It wasn't necessary. You just caught me off guard, that's all.

To prove she had not intent on being hostile, Roz sat down. Her violet eyes bore a whole on the grass ground, mentally cursing her self for being so idiotic. I usually keep to myself, so I guess I was a little stunned whenever you actually talked back..

[Kiba]

Kiba always knew when he had overstayed his welcome, and this was just one of those times. The snow white beast had screwed up here without meaning to. While he had no intentions of befriending this strange female when he saw her, his curiosity overshadowed his judgment. Common sense had told him to leave while he had the chance, but he ignored that. And for what? To figure out what this female was? It shouldn’t have mattered what she was or wasn’t to him. It was plainly obvious that this female was not the same creature he was (whatever he was). She wouldn’t have any special answers to the questions he had, she wouldn’t be able to point him in the right direction of what he wanted, she wouldn’t even lead him to a good den to sleep in. She had no purpose for him. If anything she could have been a threat to his existence. Luckily for him she didn’t attack him, but because he let himself get discovered he had officially lost this side of the forest. Hell, maybe the whole forest was just a part of her territory. Now she knew that there was an intruder here, and if she was anything like a true wolf she would not take too kindly to his presence here.

There was only one thing that he could do now, and that was leave. Out of respect he would leave the female in peace and go about his own path. He would find prey elsewhere and later when his belly was full he would carefully scope out the land so he knew where he claims were, and to be safe if anything else claimed this area as well. He got easily with this one, but that didn’t mean that the next run in with her would go as smoothly as this. Kiba didn’t want to fight someone else for land that he was bound to leave anyway. There was little reason to stay here besides food and comfort. The forest was not likely to give him any clue as to what he really was, and it wasn’t like he had a mate or any form of pack to take care of that would make him stay. As much as he liked this place he knew that one day he would have to leave it. If the whole forest was already claimed then he would leave sooner than he wanted to, he just needed to find that out.

But as Kiba turned to leave, the female tried to stop him. The wolf turned to look at the female, feeling both surprised and confused over this turn of events. It was kind of funny watching her struggle with what she was trying to say. It seemed like she regretted being so defensive before, and even invited him to stay if he chose. The last part wasn’t as amusing as it was worrisome for the large wolf. While Kiba didn’t want a fight he wasn’t too keen on making friends. He had too many problems and things he wanted to keep secret that made forming bonds with others difficult. He couldn’t get close to this one, but he couldn’t push her away as easily as he could if she had been the one to walk in on him. “It’s fine.” He finally replied. “I did startle you so I can’t blame you for getting defensive. I tend to do the same thing myself.” Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to talk for a little while if he had to. IT had been a long time since he had anyone to talk to, especially like this. “Besides, it’s not every day that you bump into someone different than you, right?”

[Deleted]

Roz half expected the other wolf to leave after she had finished rambling. She probably would have if the situation were reversed. She sighed mentally. If she were in her human form, she would have started strumming the smooth metallic strings of her guitar with her callused finger tips. The shadowshifter waited for the sound of his retreating footsteps as she kept her gaze level with the ground. The sound never came, however. Instead she heard only silence for a few moments. She peeked up to study his expression, the agent within and also her own curiosity taking over. She was relieved that he was not leaving yet and found that sort of odd. Where did she think him staying would go? Roz sort of floundered,trying to come up with some sort of answer. That is, if he was even going to stay for a little while longer.

When the white wolf started to speak again, Rosalind's dark ears perked back up. If she was human she would have smiled. As she was she gave a nod when he stated that he would've gotten defensive too. On his last sentence though, she became sort of dejected. Not depressingly so, but just enough to look awkward. She blinked and looked down at the ground out of the corner of her eye and pressed her right paw into the loose dirt. " Well sure. I mean, I guess you would be right... I mean, for me it happens pretty often but..." She looked back at him and gave a wolfy equivalent to a smirk. "I'm just a special case I guess."