[Becca]

It was that time again....

The voice inside whispered and chuckled in the ear of the Red Ancient Kuhna, moving him forward. He didn't even try to fight it. It was a journey that he'd taken many many times. So many times that it was routine. There was nothing he could do to stop it. He had been watching his prey for weeks, learned the routines. He knew the person's life inside and out now and he was ready to make his move. The moon lent him a little light as he carefully stalked his prey. Every movement was fluid. Every breath silent. All he needed to do was wait for the right moment....

[Sage]

Her headache was slight as she wondered through. Wait, had she taken a wrong turn? Shoot, she couldn't think straight. This place was so dirty-- she had to get out of there! She paused when she felt a chill run down her spine. "Hello?" She called out. Had the be the wind... I hope. She grumbled in the mind. She frowned and kept walking. She kept being chilled. "Look, if you can get me out of here, I'll leave," she growled partly out of fear, the other part being her germ-o-phoia taking over in the dirty place.

[Becca]

The male kuhna paused. Why was this other kuhna so jumpy? How had she sensed his presence? He was always so silent and cautious. It must be one of those unexplainable things.... He inched a few steps closer. He was only a few feet away from the other kuhna, tails flicking gently as he waited. He watched at the female growled. It seemed like she was avoiding the dirty around her. Was this other kuhna afraid of dirt? The male himself wasn't afraid of dirty but he found it very messy and unnecessary. It took away from the perfection of a kill. This was not the right place to make his kill. Perhaps he would lead her elsewhere....

"You know it's dangerous to be out here all on your own," said the male, stepping out of the shadows. As he emerged, the flames on the end of his tail flickered into light and cast an eerie red glow on the surroundings. "You could get hurt."

[Sage]

Startled by the sound of his voice, she jumped halfway around to face him. She stood defensively and with a tough look on her face as he spoke. When he finished, she relaxed and smiled in a bit of a goofy manor. "Ah, haha, you're right," she breathed, relieved. ...Should I be suspicious of this kuhna? "But I'm only passing through, anyway." She backed up slightly, not letting him out of her sight. "I have somewhere I need to be," she smiled before turning away from him. Was that an excuse? Well, she did need to get back home somehow. She simply felt as if she was running away. The chills down her spine continued. Something didn't feel right. This was the first time she had actually been wary of someone. He had some kind of personality that seemed to draw her in, but it only made her want to run away faster. What was this feeling she had?

Her headache worsened...

[Piper: post 2]

[Becca]

The male took a few steps forward to compensate for the female's backing up. He would not let his prey get away. He could tell that he made her uneasy. He made people uneasy normally, but she seemed a bit more-so than usual. He would have to work quickly lest she sense his intentions and try to flee. That would make this so much less fluid and neat. He hated things that weren't neat. Organization and perfection were all that mattered. That and killing.

"Well why don't you let me accompany you there?" he said cooly. "I'd never forgive myself if I allowed a young girl like you to be harmed on my watch." This was true. Any innocent young girl that was harmed when he could have stopped it would nag him to no end. But he didn't believe this one to be innocent...

[Sage]

His closeness bothered her. Geeeeeeerms! Her head roared at her. She tried to slowly inch away from him and his germs. She shook her head and quickened her pace. "Ah, no thank you." She felt sick. What is this? "I'd love to help you search for the person you're looking for, but since I don't live around here..." She trailed off. What? Why had she just said that? Was her sickness infecting her mind, too? She stopped and had a confused look on her face. "I'm sorry, did you say you were looking for someone?" She felt drawn to him, but her fear of his germs kept her at bay. That and the fact that he seemed to make her feel ill.

Her headache worsened slightly...

[Piper: 3/5 posts]

[Becca]

The male stiffened at her words. How did she know he had been looking for someone..? Mainly her... He kept his face composed tho. He blinked slowly at her, taking in her odd behavior. This was rather strange... He had never before had a situation like this one. If he couldn't convince her to come with him he would have to take different approach...

"Tell me....." he said. "Have you ever done something...bad?" He said it in his most sinister voice. If he couldn't get her to come along willingly he would scare her and chase her towards a better location. "Ever done anything you regret...?"

[Sage]

For some reason, this new mannerism didn't scare her as much as the first. Was this who he truly was? Her illness lessened. His question, however, stunned her for a moment. She lowered her head. "I... I don't remember anything from before now. Not my parents, my personality, nothing. But," she said, suddenly gaining strength, "I know in my heart that I have never done anything." She held up to paws as if to show that they weren't "red." Her sickness was passing and her headache was weakening. "I hope you believe me," she sighed and turned. For some reason, she felt ashamed that she couldn't remember her past. What if she had done something bad, but didn't know it? No, she refused to believe it.

[Piper: 4/5 posts]

[Becca]

The male paused a moment. What was this? All of a sudden his more aggressive tactic seemed to calm the female down. This didn't make sense. She should be more afraid of him now. What on earth was going on?

Ever since he could remember people had always been afraid of him. He didn't know much about himself to tell the truth. All he could remember was what his "foster mother", the human that took him in, could tell him. She had found him somewhere, she wouldn't say where, and then had taken him home and raised him. He had grown up different from all of the others. He was...strange. He had this...need. A need to kill. And now it was telling him that he was wrong...

He began to relax. "What is your name?" He said, settling back onto his haunches. He would see how this panned out before he made a final decision on wether to kill her or not.

[Sage]

She paused when she heard his voice. "Piper," she said softly. But who knows what it was before that. She slowly turned around, but didn't look up. She distracted herself with the dirt on the floor. She pawed at it, shook her paw, and sat down across from him, making eye contact for only a brief moment. Focus, she grumbled to herself, this isn't all about you. Look, he's changed, you can tell. He seems more honest now. Not just in his words, especially since all he did was ask your name, but also in his mannerisms. She took a deep breath.
"Look, I don't know you and you don't know me, but I have this feeling that we're not as different as I had first thought." She looked to one side, memories flashing before she pushed them out. "So, what's your name?"

[Piper: +1 level, 5/5 posts]

[Becca]

The male paused a moment before answering. Telling Piper his name could compromise his entire operation. If she knew his name and she somehow managed to escape then he would be in serious trouble. The police would begin to look for him. Not to mention he would be causing harm to those back home, who he did for lack of a better work, care about. But then again he could sense that strangeness about her. That not-rightness that people described when he asked what they thought of him. It was like something in both of them was askew.

"My name...." he paused again. Well he had already started. He might as well tell her. "My name is Dexter. And I believe that you are right about us."

[Sage]

She looked at him and smiled. She felt comforted. She knew he was telling the truth now. But why had he been acting so strangely before now? Whatever the reason, his lies, or whatever it has been, had made her sick. Had she always had this little "skill"? Maybe one day she'd know, but right now she was here with Dexter, in what was possibly the dirtiest place imaginable. Somehow the dirt slipped away from her mind-- well, for now, at least.
She had so many questions she wanted to ask him, but she held back. She assumed she had held back because of the fact that her questions were very personal. Was she really afraid of scaring away that which had instilled a strange illness in her? ... Nah.

[Piper: level 2, 1/5 posts]

[Becca]

Dexter felt taken aback at her new attitude. She seemed to be completely calm now, which was truly strange for anyone anywhere near Dexter. In fact most people tried to avoid him, except for those he lived with. They were the only ones who accepted him and didn't blanche at the sight of him. Dexter felt...happy at the fact that Piper seemed to trust him. He also felt his need to kill her lessening. Maybe he had been wrong about her. Maybe she didn't fit his code. He decided that he should find out more about this girl.

"You don't look very well, why don't we go get you some food? It may make you feel better." he said, flicking a flaming tail towards the street.

[Sage]

Her headache lingered, but only slightly. Her sickness was gone, and she felt safe. With Dexter telling the truth, she felt like trusting him. She stood up and grinned. "Yes, please! I'm starved." As much as she hated his germs, she tried her best to move closer to him. Well, she got as close as she could without feeling fearful or nauseous, which was still pretty far away.
As they walked, she couldn't help but think about what it would be like to have so much in common with Dexter. Did he not remember his past either? (Does that happen to normal kits?) What's he like? Where does he live? Wow, her mind exploded. If ever there was a time to be honest, it would definitely be when she's asking questions.

[Piper: level 2, 2/5 posts]

[Becca]

"Alright then," he said. This new way of doing things made him feel a little strange and uneasy but it was too late to back out now. He had to continue on. And in truth he had felt iffy about this kill for a while. Now he had a chance to solidify wether she fit the code or not. He had a nagging little feeling that she didn't. But his thoughts aside he now had his chance.

"Why don't we find a place to eat then?" he said and began to make his way towards the street. It was pretty late but there was bound to be someplace that was open. In this town there was always a place open. It didn't matter which place because the locals never messed with Dexter.