[Arashi]

K I Y A

{ 1 | 1 }



For you, just you, time will always wait
While I throw away what I can't replace
I will run away and hide, 'til memories fade away
And I will leave behind a love so strong
-- Red, 'Hide' --

»--♦--«

It was always the same.

Despite the rapidity at which the current of time flows, undaunted and ageless, it becomes reasonable for one to believe that the eternal circuit it travels resembles a circle: never ending, yet always repeating. Whether that was absolute truth or not, the young Serraptor did not know. Perhaps time was relative to one's own circumstances. Perhaps the lives of others were borne along on more restful tides, while a raging torrent ravaged the lives of yet others. The Serraptor shook his head. No. His thoughts had travelled down this dark path too many times, and despite their tendency to linger in self-pity, the Serraptor knew he needed to keep moving. He was not a coward or a weakling. He was Kiya.

The canopy of green leaves above cast a shadow upon the undergrowth below, mottled by the shafts of sunlight that pierced through the boughs and branches. Beneath the shrubs and vines that blanketed the humid soil, the terrain was abuzz with life. The ambient hum of insects formed the background of a chorus, led by the high-pitched chirps of the birds, maneuvering swiftly through the petrichoric air with grace few other creatures could hope to match. The song of life played on, as it had through the ages. Yet one voice could not join in the universal choir. Or, rather, one voice was missing: a living ghost, very much real, yet very much ignored.

Kiya stopped walking, and glanced up at the treetops above. He relished in serene places such as this. Far away from what he perceived as the taint of society. There were no chimneys choking out smoke, no merchants scheming how to steal an innocent's money, no city noise, no city blight - here, protected by branch and leaf, there was only that which nature had intended to be present. It was always easy to forget who you are in the cyclone of deception and bigotry that characterized life there. Here, however, you were free, not only from the shackles of civilization, but free from the bondage to be someone you are not. Kiya smiled.

It really was always the same.
Here, he was always home.

[Remedy]

. W a l l a c e .

Foreign land stretched briefly out before him.  Trees after trees after trees, vibrant green leaves illuminated by the penetrating light above.  It cast a comforting glow upon the ground and warmed select spots where the sunshine peeked through more effectively.  Under the shade, it was cool and comfortable with only slight humidity; though not enough to be sticky and unpleasant.  There was no end in sight, no clearing ahead.  An undrawn path winding through the forest.  It was his to explore and discover.  

Wallace occasionally found himself needing a break from the shaky life of the slums.  He knew no safe place nearby, so when truly desperate he had to venture quite a ways to find peace and quiet and sanctity.  After much aimless wandering, the young Kuhna found himself on the outskirts of the Roraldi Forests and wandered within.  There he discovered it, a place full of wonder and mystery and endless exploration.  A place to nurture his barricaded creativity.  A place to express his anger and joy and anxiety and confusion and revive the feelings he should've had during his lost childhood.

He could do anything here and not be judged.  He could pick flowers and sleep in the sun and climb trees if he wanted.  "It's mine..." He whispered, doodling aimlessly in the dirt, "It's my forest."
Such innocence, such gentleness, such purity - any onlooker wouldn't believe what transgressions the young teenage Kuhna commits day by day.  None would guess, until approaching, how fierce and desperate the emotion of fear could be.  It was this emotion that ruled his life, that nagged in the back of his mind, itching to be scratched and somehow relieved.  But it couldn't.  And he was afraid and therefore trusted none.

[Arashi]

K I Y A

{ 1 | 2 }



»--♦--«


A bluebird lighted upon a nearby bough, perching itself snugly, and watching with keen eyes as the Serraptor below sauntered through the undergrowth, unperturbed by the thick mat of greenery that embraced his every step. He had traversed across many a terrain; desert, plain and forest, yet even the soft touch of the grasslands failed to give the same serenity that filled this forest. Here, Kiya truly was free.

He took a deep breath, and that's when he sensed it.
The presence of someone else, betrayed by a faint yet distinct scent.

The scent was difficult to pinpoint amidst the conglomeration of other smells and odours naturally occurring in the forest, but Kiya's sharp senses rarely failed him. He may not have a voice, but that in no way meant he was dull to the world. Society, perhaps, but not the world.

The Serraptor instinctively crouched, his mottled green hide blending in well with the surrounding shrubbery. His golden yellow eyes scanned the immediate vicinity. Thus far, only smell provided him with any means of detecting the newcomer. The thick foliage impaired one's field of sight; it was no wonder ambush tactics were so effective in a region such as this. Yet, even the hunter could himself be hunted, and an ambush could as easily be sprung upon the person laying the ambush. Kiya knew he had to be careful. The forest may be tranquil, but it was nonetheless dangerous, too.

Furtively, he sneaked forward, his muscles semi-locked in a state of tension. Kiya's slit-eyed gaze continued scanning the area around him. Just where was this person? The scent was becoming more difficult to track, as if it were beginning to dissipate. Was the person - this unseen newcomer - moving away? Kiya was not sure, but he had no reason to let down his guard. Thus, he pressed on, a shadowy form among the forest vegetation.

The smell had disappeared. Kiya froze, not entirely sure whether to proceed or remain dead still. Had it been a fluke? No, that was most unlikely. Perhaps the newcomer had left? Kiya was not sure. Seconds ticked by, and the raptor remained as he was, crouched low. A minute passed. The raptor slowly rose. Had the potential threat gone away? Kiya was not sure.

The raptor, however, could not shake the feeling that he was not alone.

[Remedy]

Wallace had continued on his way, wandering deeper into the vast forest.  The foliage above shaded him from the sun, though the spots that escaped through reflected brightly on the white parts of his coat.  Looking up, he wondered at the beauty of the canopy above; bright, vibrant greens and brilliantly colored songbirds.  Out of curiosity, he pondered what the sky might be pictured as at this time of day and decided he may as well have a look.

Stopping to stretch well before he performed his acrobatics, Wallace inhaled deeply, drawing in the scent of the vast wildlife of the forestry about him.  Compared to other Kuhnas of his age and species, his sense of smell was weak; supposedly from experiencing a house fire in his youth.  The smoke damaged his nasal passage and lungs, prohibiting him from experiencing the sharp awareness that noses had to offer.  He didn't notice much and therefore it hardly bothered him; it isn't quite possible to miss something when the memory of it is lost.  

After finishing his routine, Wallace crouched, ears flat back against his head, hair raised on end, body motionless save the very tip of his tails, which flickered back and forth.  One, two, three, and he pounced!  Unsheathing his claws, he flailed desperately in midair to attach himself to the low-hanging branch that was his unfortunate target.  Embarrassingly, he missed by about an inch and landed quite ungracefully on his feet, slipping on the loose leaves covering the ground.  He huffed, turning back around and re-positioning himself to try again.

Ears back, hair up, tails moving, muscles tensed, count to three, spring.  This execution was far more effective than the last, and he managed to wrap his paws partially around the top of the branch, using his claws to anchor himself.  With some amount of struggle, he attached the claws of his hind feet to the branch as well and hoisted himself up, out of breath and slightly exhausted.  Physical exertion was difficult for the poor, lung-damaged Kuhna.  Nevertheless, he determinedly reset his sights for his next target, the branch above, and once again prepared for his ascent.

[Arashi]

K I Y A

{ 1 | 3 }



»--♦--«


Only the scent of the forest pervaded the air, leaving a much-confused Kiya standing in the midst of a clearing, unsure of what had just happened. He could have sworn he had deduced the presence of a newcomer -- or had he been the victim of a trick played by his own sense of smell? The Serraptor shook his head. It did not matter. Besides, the probability of encountering something that was not a denizen of the forest was assuredly low. What had he to fear? Yet that thought did not provide the comfort the Serraptor had hoped it would...

Letting loose a soft sigh, the raptor continued his trek through the forest undergrowth. A wisp of wind swept through the treetops, letting fly a brief shower of leaves that descended from the canopy, carried adrift by the thick, musty air. The raptor shut his eyes, savouring the onset of cool air. He heard the leaves rustle once more. He expected another wave of fresh air. None came. The raptor opened his eyes. That was no breeze disturbing the treetops.

It was then he caught sight of the newcomer: nearly indiscernible by his size relative to the vast expanse of the surrounding forest, yet made distinct by his pied colour scheme. It was a Kuhna.

It was a stranger.

Kiya crouched low. So that was why he had not detected the Kuhna's scent: at an altitude above the forest floor, the current wind, travelling through the forest canopy with less resistance than the forest floor, would direct it elsewhere. The Serraptor's yellow eyes narrowed. Just who was this, and what was he doing here? On the bright side, the potential threat was not as severe as Kiya had initially anticipated - although they could be dangerous, there existed far deadlier kinds than Kuhnas. Nonetheless, the Serraptor would not let down his guard.

Slowly, the Serraptor walked closer towards the Kuhna. Considering his character, this was an odd, if not bold move, yet he was driven by curiosity. If he had seen this being in the city, he would have had no motive to investigate. Here, however, the context was very different.

'Just who are you?' Kiya thought.
A part of him hoped the Kuhna would disappear, making the inevitable encounter not quite so inevitable. Yet, another part of him - a lesser, deeper side - dared to find the answer to that very question.

[Remedy]

The wind shifted and Wallace's hair rose on end, feeling a brisk coolness with the sudden change.  He felt a sense of unease in the back of his mind, but promptly silenced it so he could keep his attention on the task at hand.  The tree he was attempting to climb seemed to grow its branches farther and father apart near the top instead of closer together, and he found himself struggling and slipping while trying to make it from one to another.  He prepared himself for one more ascent, though promptly regretted it in midair; he could feel his claws slipping from the branch and flailed wildly as he fell.

For the young Kuhna, such a fall was not traumatic.  He dusted himself off with hardly any repercussions; his agile body and cat-like reflexes allowed him to land (ungracefully though it was) on his feet.  The impact sent a wave of pain through his body as his paws hit the ground, leaving his ankles sore from the jolt.  Nevertheless, he was relatively unscathed and decidedly more cautious of his tree-climbing expeditions.

Looking around, Wallace noted a scarcity in natural wildlife; the treetops were quieted and the hum of insects had significantly lessened.  Odd, he thought to himself, walking around the base of the tree he'd not-so-elegantly fallen from.  I guess I scared them off...

The thought was somewhat depressing to him, as he'd previously been enjoying the humming sounds of nature about him.  He knew, surely, something or someone was still present, for he could feel that eeriness that implied a pair of eyes rested on him.  His fur stood on end and he crouched low, uncertain of what this unknown presence may be.

[Arashi]

K I Y A

{ 1 | 4 }



»--♦--«


This furred newcomer had most certainly piqued Kiya's curiosity. Just why had he come out here, into the depths of the Roraldi Forest? Could it be for the same reason as Kiya - solace in solitude? The raptor did not know. He was, however, put at ease. Although not entirely restless, the Serraptor confided in the fact that he now knew what exactly he had sensed. This raised a new issue however: dealing with the newcomer.

Kiya watched as the inquisitive Kuhna ascended the tree, with a willpower that seemed to match Kiya's own. In all honesty, the Serraptor was unsure of what to do. He could leave, as the Kuhna seemed to pose no immediate threat, yet something captured Kiya's attention; an almost superficial interest that caused him to linger there, behind the cover of the foliage. This reverie was broken, however, as the Kuhna's stupendous climbing attempted took a turn for the catastrophic: Kiya's eyes widened as he watched, helpless, as the Kuhna tumbled down the tree. In that instant, Kiya felt an emotion that he had infrequently encountered -- concern.

The Kuhna, however, appeared unharmed, and thus the Serraptor did not emerge from his cover.
Kiya, though, had seen enough; he decided that it was time to leave.

Slowly retreating back from the opening, Kiya turned around to make his way out of the forest.
The undergrowth beneath his clawed feet, however, was not quite so forgiving to the clumsy. A protruding vine caught on Kiya's leg, and the raptor tripped forward. The full weight of his body collapsed upon the forest floor, snapping twigs and rustling leaves in the wake of his lack of grace.

The raptor scrambled to his feet.
Had the Kuhna noticed?