Hitarena kicked his feet by the side of the road, his heels barely skimming the dust while he sat on the tall boulder next to the wheel-rutted dirt path. A large and rather bulky hiking pack fashioned out of leather and a hodge-podge of fabrics supported the small of his back as he leaned against it, the straps pulling on his shoulders. When he shifted, the pots, pans, and various cooking utensils nestled inside would squeak against each other, scaring off the animals in the forest. Hita smiled in the liquid heat that dove between the cracks in the green canopy, brushing a tick off his arm.
He was finally getting a chance to travel abroad, and to cook no less! Ugh, after that let down in the plains, he sure hoped that this little escapade would last longer. He'd hardly started dinner when the loose group had broken up to go their separate ways, leaving Hita a bit disappointed. Picking at his nails, cleaning the nonexistent dirt out from under them for the hundredth time, he wished the lady he was supposed to help would hurry up. Unconsciously, he brushed the wrinkles out of his a-couple-sizes-too-big, plain white tee shirt and jeans. His shoes were acceptable, malleable mesh and what was once suede sprinting shoes. Not entirely suited for rough terrain but they dried out easily and the soles were sturdy enough.
Brushing his white-blonde bangs out of his eyes, Hita sighed and crossed his arms over his thin chest, sinking father back into his pack. It wasn't a bad day outside, if a little warm for his liking. He flicked the tip of his tail back and forth, while his furry ears followed the buzzing of the hundreds of bugs at work around him. He could see some St. John's Wort a couple steps away, but didn't bother picking some up- he wasn't nervous or depressed. Plus, he already had a tiny plastic jar tucked away in a special pocket full of the plant's powdered remains.
[6]