[Lilith Michaelis]

(("Dubhán"))
((I'd like to move this to Whisper Forest))

All was normal within Whisper Forest....or as normal as the vast, strange forest got. It was a place where the sounds of a forest sounded as expected one moment and were distorted in some strange way the next. Or worse yet, all suddenly fell, all compounded by the strange fog that filled it. It played games with minds and one would only survive if they learned its convoluted rules.

Black wings soared through the branches of the trees aimlessly before fluttering as the raven found a large low branch to perch on. It was a strange bird, as the eyes of the creature were red in colour rather than the normal black of most corvids.

[Lilith Michaelis]

Finding nothing of interest here, the raven took off yet again, gliding through the trees before happening upon the partially eaten corpse of a deer. It landed on the remains of the corpse's shoulder, looking about for a moment for signs of danger before digging in. The bird was uninterested in the intestines and most of the rest of the digestive tract, instead opting for the meat of the deer and the remains of the liver and heart. Muscle fibers tore from one another and blood dripped as the raven took its fill. This had been a good meal.

[Lilith Michaelis]

Of course, the raven had known the deer would be there. They always knew. The raven knew when each and every single creature within the forest died the moment it happened. That was their business after all. This was their forest and they would be present, in one form or another, for each death that occurred within it.

Pleased with its meal, the raven took off once more, leaving the rest of the corpse for other scavengers. It soon found another large branch to perch on about ten feet up the trunk of a large tree. And it was about then that the raven noticed something rather strange about the forest's fog today.

[Lilith Michaelis]

Further into the forest, the fog had been its normal, thick white. But it was being swiftly replaced by a black, glittering mist. Which is what the raven was seeing now.

The bird skittered about on the branch, looking almost as if it was leaning over to get a closer look, clearly curious. A moment later, the corvid's body almost seemed to melt into a mass of black that no light escaped, as if looking into a black hole or a living shadow. The strange thing moved and floated in the air much like a suspended liquid that had spontaneously gained intelligence before reforming into something more human.

"Now what could this be?"

[Lilith Michaelis]

They were a small figure, standing around five feet with a thin, willowy figure. Their skin was pale, nearly translucent. It would be reasonable to describe them as white as death. Black hair hung just past their shoulders, framing their androgynous face. Soft red eyes that matched that of the bird they had just been stared down at the fog below.

Dubhán sensed nothing about the black fog that deemed it dangerous, though that they could certainly be mistaken. And it did not feel of death and decay, so they doubted it was something related to something like themself. They hopped off the branch and into the mist below.

[Lilith Michaelis]

For a brief moment, the ground beneath Dubhán could be seen, the impact of their feet on the earth below causing the black mist to be pushed back before it curled back in around them.

Perhaps the strangest thing about the fog was that it seemed to be just that: fog. Only it was black and iridescent as if it contained millions of tiny stars inside. Dubhán swirled their thin pale hand through the mist, a curious look crept into their eyes and a pleased smirk onto their face.

"How deliciously intriguing..."

[Lilith Michaelis]

{{Tarana Tanaka}}

It had come in the early hours of the morning. The strange, black mist's crawl had been slow at first, but by midday had overtaken the entire forest. Several, small teams had been sent out to investigate. So far, the reports that had come back had indicated it was harmless....for now.

That did not satisfy Tarana. Which was why he was out now, leaping from branch to branch, intent on investigating the strange mist.

[Lilith Michaelis]

He had told no one that he'd left to do this. Possibly an unwise move on Tarana's part, but he did not need anyone telling him he could not go. He wanted to see what this mist was, if it was truly harmless, what it might be used for. He wanted to find out anything and everything about it, as much as information as he could get. He was curious. And while he knew that assignments were given out to specific teams for a reason, he just couldn't resist checking this out.

[Lilith Michaelis]

And to be quite honest, another reason he had left alone, without telling anyone, was so he did not worry anyone in his family. Obviously Abyss would not care, but their parents would. Shoto would be sick with worry if he had found out Tarana had gone out into the forest alone with no back up to investigate something potentially dangerous. Kakashi and Obito would too but they'd be quieter about it.

Though now it occurred to the young ninja that it completely possible for that to happen. He had told no one he left, but someone would notice sooner or later. Oops.

[Lilith Michaelis]

Nonetheless, Tarana was not worried. He knew this forest. He was better off than any of the strangers that accidentally wandered into it on occasion. He knew its dangers and what could save you. The young man had ventured through this forest and beyond by himself on several occasions by this point.

As Tarana continued to leap from branch to branch, briefly caught in his thoughts, something caught his eye. Something that was not the mist. Or rather, someone.

[Lilith Michaelis]

He had nearly missed the being, given that they were clad in dark cloth. The being wore simple attire, what looked to be a black sweater of some kind and dark pants. Black hair hung around their shoulders as they seemed to play or investigate the mist. Perhaps both?

Tarana came to a stop, using the branches and leaves of the trees as coverage until he was ready to reveal himself as he continued to observe....whoever this was. He certainly did not recognize them from the village. Nothing about their demeanor indicated they were from the village whatsoever. And yet, there was no fear or nervousness, as there normally was when someone wandered into the forest. This person was clearly comfortable with where they were, which begged the question....

Who are they?

[Lilith Michaelis]

Dubhán's fingers almost seemed to ripple through the air as they reached out with their senses into the mist, poking and prodding it. There was no death held within this fog but was there life? Was there any modicum of intelligence to it?

The raven spirit lazily walked about, their eyes staring ahead and into the black mist, even as they sensed something nearby. Their eyes did not flick towards the young man hidden in the trees as they came to a stop with in a small clearing.

"Hello, little one."

[Lilith Michaelis]

Tarana froze where he crouched, eyes widening slightly as he realized that he had indeed been found out. He swallowed softly, considering his next move as he slowly moved his hand towards the pouch he kept his kunai in. He thought he had been sufficiently hidden, but apparently not. And he had no idea if this person meant any harm or not...

The young man stood, fully revealing himself to the other, his right hand now grasping a kunai, just in case. "Who are you? Where did you come from?"

[Lilith Michaelis]

Dubhán's lips quirked upwards as the young man came into view. Ah, just as they had thought, he was one of those ninjas from the village deep in the forest. They saw the ninjas every once in awhile through out the forest and enjoyed watching them go about their business. They were certainly an interesting bunch.

"You may call me Dubhán," the raven spirit purred, taking a few steps closer to the young man. They chuckled at his second question before continuing. "As to where I am from, I am from here. This forest is my home as well."

[Lilith Michaelis]

"Dubhán...," Tarana repeated to himself quietly, glancing down as he thought before his eyes flicked back up to the being before him. Something was....strange about them. But he couldn't quite put his finger on what or why. "You live here in the forest? But...Wait, I never said I live here. How did you...?"

Tarana shook his head and exhaled sharply out of his nose. Where this person was from and why they knew he lived here wasn't important. Well, it was but he could interrogate them about that later. "Do you have anything to do with this mist? What do you know about it?"