The Sentinels A Shadow in the Moonlight.

He knew he was being followed.

The minor scuffing of pawpads against the rain-soaked earth came with its own distinct scattering of water, and though the rain and nighttime hid them well, Akai was no clumsy traveller. The echos of the distant storm had made the wind turbulent, teasing his nose with accents under the wet foliage of a wet pelt, and even as he had ran his nose after a hare down the dry depths of a burrow he could feel those eyes upon him. The creature wasn't quick enough. His jaws became bloodied as the little animals back snapped in two under the pressure, and with his water-slicked white fur making him look like a ghost under the moonlight he slipped himself once again into the shadows with a trail of blood scented about him.

Whatever slunk after him was not as confident as he. When the soft earth fell under the feet they took a step forward instead of sinking in, an instinctual move that caused their pawpads to slap against the surface. When he moved around bushes, they considered simply going through smaller gaps-- smaller gaps-- a younger body. Light. Quick. They kept pace all right, but in their haste forgot that every time lightning flashed and he turned his head ever so slightly... those eyes of theirs caught the shine of the lights explosion.

Akai paid them very little mind; if they wanted something from him they would confront him. His only goal was to make it 'home' with a meal, after all.

This wasn't the first time she followed the scar coated man. Kali had been aware of his presence for days now until the days turned to weeks. Another traveled with him sometimes; a girl, young like herself, and as pale as the moon above. For the longest time, the shadow cloaked girl kept her distance. She wasn't entirely sure why she had decided to follow them originally though perhaps it was because they reminded her of something. They were different, ones who ran alone with no command to bow to...like herself. They were the first loners to actually cross her path since leaving home. As things stood currently, Kali had no interest in the packs she passed. The rules might be different, but at the core, they would all be the same, and she sought something different.

Another flash lit up the sky as scratching claw marks etched their way into the sky. Whatever Gods lingered above seemed angered, though by what she would never know, nor did she really care right now. Hunger gnawed at her ribs, her once full figure had begun to cave in allowing her bones to peer through skin and wet fur that now clung to her thin frame. She had grown sloppy, her steps were no longer hidden as she fell into a tunneled vision. In simple words, she was desperate. The fresh scent lingered in the wet air as Kali's steps quickened. No obstacle would veer her off track now, all it would take is a moment.

Finally, she was given the break she had hoped for as the strange man passed through a portion of the forest where the trees thinned just enough to give her room for a clean sprint. A rumble roared in the sky as she moved, quick to leave the shadows she had subjected herself to as the girl bore her fangs, one target in mind as another clash electrified the air. She would snatch the rabbit and take off before he even knew what had struck him, easy peasy. Unfortunately, unlike past attempts, Kali had chosen the wrong target to mooch off of, but she would not realize her mistake until it was too late.

A target as black as the clouds above had suddenly burst forward with the thunder at their heels, and with the quick spring of his step the white wolf sprung forward himself with eyes momentarily wide-- Kali would land against the ground and not be met by fangs in the din of the weather. Spinning quickly about with a lash of water spiralling in the air, Akai stood with his legs spred apart and the hare dangling from his teeth, eyes narrowed as gold met gold--

-- His expression would not betray his sudden alarm.

This was a child. No doubt, the size of the she-wolfs paws and the stoutness of her muzzle were the telltale signs of a wolf that had not yet reached maturity. Immediately his heart bled, oh, what if this was Minah? What if this one was just like his girl, alone and starved and shivering in the dirt...? Emotions made his heart beat fast, unfaltering in the waves of water above as the trees began to creek louder above the two with the renewed strength of the wind... and ever so quietly came the half-slanting of his thick ears, tail raised at half-mast. A silent challenge. Akai did not run, he made no sounds, and the strange male would not even drop his catch as he felt the mud trickle thickly betwixt the clefts of his paws.

If Kali wanted it... she would have to come get it.

It was almost a blink. Her jaws snapped closed on the emptiness of air as muddied paws slapped the ground where the man once stood. Instantly her gaze shot up to meet his and while she had planned for his state of shock, she had not planned for her own. Speed was one of the few elements she had on her side, though this time it had failed her. A feeling all too familiar to the girl as the man gave his unspoken challenge.

Another emotion stirred within her at that look, a wave of anger that rivaled the anger of her empty stomach. Wet ears fell flat against her skull as Kali lowered her head, a paw raised to take a careful step forward. So her plan fell apart, but it was not over yet. He didn't run and her meal was still grasped between his jaws. Perhaps this man just wanted to toy with her, but in her eyes, she still had a chance, she just had to outsmart him.

If it weren't for the falling rain, the scene might have appeared as if time had stopped. Seconds passed by as she planned her next move. He was probably expecting another snatch at the prey he held, so she would have to go for the unexpected. Charging forward once more, Kali bore her fangs again though this time as she neared she would continue to plow by, her jaws shooting out to nip at his hindquarters. If she was lucky the surprise would cause him to drop the rabbit, then all she had to do was turn and snatch it in her sprint.

Akai watched as the young girls expression contorted into something that was both twisted with surprise but also anger; had she thought her plan would work, perhaps? The flashing of those sunset eyes in the darkness were met with his golden blank stare, the absolute opposite to her obvious annoyance, absolutely stoic in the face of the 'threat'. He knew she'd try again. Wolves depserate enougth to try and snatch from the mouths of others were on their last legs... there was a horrible depravity the concept. His teeth neither closed firmly nor loosened upon the hide of the hair. Akai would not move until the situation needed him to. He would make it look like he was thinking about the situation, not yet ready to react.

Kali was coming at him head on, diving for the back of his body-- A brace that was barely anything more than a  slight twisting of his body when she was half way to her destination, and when those glistening fangs came for his leg... that leg was not merely sitting there. In a split second it had snapped up and out, collided squarely with her nose with enough force to draw her lips back as it came with a flurry of mud and drenched earth. A move perhaps more suited to a horse or a buck than a wolf, for the moment one back paw touched the ground Akai would once again bound forward and twist to face her. No emotion. No faltering. He stared the youngster down in the dark, now muddied at the face.

Would she try again...?

His expression was unreadable, a blank slate as his eyes bore into her. He was waiting. As the charcoal girl sprinted the man only seemed to hold his ground. No flinch, no turn to run, he just stood there. Whatever, it was no concern to her if he made himself an easy target. Though as amber eyes flicked back to where she had set her aim, she was greeted by the sight of a paw rearing back only to shoot out with the speed of a cobra.

The blow made direct contact with her snout drawing out a yelp of surprise as Kali stumbled once more. Instinct told her to bite back, though when she tried the sound of her teeth clacking rang in the air. He was fast. Really fast. Kali was mad before, but now? Now she was pissed, a growl rising in her throat as she scraped the mud off her tongue with the aid of her teeth.

Unfortunately, she was never one to back down from a challenge, even if she was outmatched. It would have been wise of her to turn and leave now. Save her energy for a real hunt or to escape with her life should she find someone else to pray upon, but her mind was already made up. This was her meal and she was getting the damn hare. Originally she had no intention of hurting the other, but she wasn't left with many options now and he had already kicked her in the face, so really, she was justified in fighting back. Just ignore the fact that she started this encounter.

If he was so intent on jumping around then all she had to do was knock him down. He was big, but with enough speed the force would at least cause him to stumble. Once again lowering her head, long legs carried her forward as she attempted to throw all of her weight to her shoulder and into the man. If he went down then she would look to snatch the hare once more before he had the chance to get up, though if he remained standing there would be a flurry of fangs aimed for whatever she could grab ahold of.

He could feel the frustration rolling off of her in waves, colliding with the downpour to be an almost tangeable force about her small, now muddy frame. That was typical. Perhaps if he was wearing a grin and spewing arrogance from his maw he and his moves would be seen as someone simply toying with a child and nothing more, a spiteful creature that wanted to make light of anothers hard efforts. Akai was no such wolf. He was the sort that heard the pup give a sharp yelp and allowed his ears to twich ever so simply, the sound grating against him and that soft heart of his.

There was little time for lamenting, however. That shadow was immediately back upon the attack, galloping headstong right at him with whatever force she could muster in that little body of hers-- and this time he was not still. With the shifting of the wind came the burst of white bounding towards her in response, but there was a fundimental difference in their movements. In the split second before they collided he hit the soft mud, made his limbs rigid and slid beneath her in a manner so smooth it almost felt like time was stopping all around them as her fangs narrowly miss the top of his head. An immediate stand the moment he felt the wind rushing above him saw her back-end tipped suddenly, meaning she was most likely to land face first in the mud behind him while the small male inwardly blessed his stature. A larger wolf wouldn't have been able to make the gap between the child and the ground.

The hare landed against the ground with a soft, wet thud.

"You have let hunger cloud your mind, and thus your actions." Simply spoken, a rumbling deep voice for such a lithe, elegant male. To match the lack of expression in his voice, that face of his was as serious as ever. "A faster wolf is a lighter wolf. You lack the weight to put behind any lunge you throw, and that is why no matter how fast you charge it takes little to throw you off course."

Akai would pluck the rabbit from his feet and toss it in her direction, its lifeless body landing at a soft heap beside her as he nonchalantly shook the rain from his now brown-streaked pelt. It wasn't given in pity. It took bravery through desperation to hunt a hunter, and if he would have been most other males... well, her fate would have been up in the air with the rolling thunder clouds against that blackened sky. The male's head would turn to simply walk away at that point, if it wasn't for the instinctual question that kept hounding his mind--

"Where are your parents; it isn't safe to let young-ones run free in times like this." Not in the storm so close to the coast, where the waters ran high and the ground was so slippery anything could happen-- let alone the fact that packs were so near-by, and they were effectively strays... the smallest furrowing of his eyebrows, keeping that gaze upon her.

Some part of Akai's heart already knew the answer.

Again it only took a blink. The male charged forward to meet her, something that failed to falter her steps, though he never intended to run into a collision as Kali had. The aggression painted on her features was wiped in an instant, replaced with those of shock as Akai dropped down, his body sliding easily with the mud only to upturn her. The world spun as Kali felt her hind legs removed from the earth and soon she'd find herself crashing to the muddied ground. Her tumble ended more as a roll, her weight easily toppling her over her head as she crashed onto her back, to gaze up at the falling rain as the storm roared on. It took more than half her mind to bite back the groan from the impact, especially when he finally spoke up.

Oh gods, a lecture. This felt all too familiar now. Her mentors back home never seemed to have anything good to say without at least five things she had done wrong. Kali groaned with a roll of her eyes as she shifted to her feet quickly shaking what mud she could from her pelt. What the hell was that anyway? No wolf fights by rolling around in the mud! And then...the hare was tossed to her. Amber eyes locked on the lifeless pile of fur before shifting back to the man. Was he taking pity on her? Her scowl quickly returned as her ears pinned back against her skull. I'm not helpless, I can get my own food without begging. As Akai turned to leave, she reached down to scoop up the hare, promptly throwing it back. She might have deemed it hers in her head, but she would never accept something out of pity. Kali was better than that.

Unfortunately, he didn't leave there and gods knew it would have been better if he had just gone. His head was turned as he asked his question, something she was thankful for as a brief moment of pain shone through the anger before she was consumed once more by the flame. She didn't have parents, not anymore, and she was old enough to last on her own. I'm not that young old man. Oh how she hoped he looked back. She wanted to see his face as she rushed in. She wanted to see the look he gave as she wiped that dull expression off his maw. This time her steps started off quiet, hopeful to close some of the distance before she quickly lunged to rake her teeth against his flesh. She would prove that she was more than just some kid.

"We were not fighting. You were fighting."

Commented plainly, not stooping low enough to comment on how bedraggled the youth looked with her pelt plastered with bits of mud. Disregarding her aggression and spiked comments with a single blink, his gaze followed the hare tossed back to him with a frown upon his face; no, it was not his place to teach random strays how merciless life. If it wasn't already showing in the thinness of her fur or the tired lines etched about her muzzle, he knew that this was a lesson best saved for those with eager ears. As Kali seethed a ways away Akai gave a single roll of his shoulders with the clear intent to pick the dead animal back up with a sideways comment,

"I wonder if your pride will still be as strong while you're laying dying upon the ground of starvation?" Curt, blunt, his attention distracted-- and it gave her the perfect moment to strike while his eyes were off of him! The wind and the din of the rain hid her well, those long legs closing the gap between them within a heartbeat-- and it left him with no choice. Forced into a corner with no time to simply waltz out of her way, Akai's eyes widened with the split seconds before her teeth met his pelt-- he brought his upper body up upon one paw-- then down!! He crashed his skull against hers with such brute force that his paws snapped downwards into the ground, breath spiralling hotly from his mouth as he drove her against the mud with an explosion of pain behind his eyes and the quivering of his lips threatening some hidden violence-- 

"Yes, I am an old man, but I am no idiot--!" Came the low growling, eyes still a stoic yellow, composure not broken despite the pain-- "I am not staying out in a storm fighting a child who wishes to die."

The white wolf's body twisted as he caught the hare by the very edges of his teeth so that he could speak around it now, eyes now persistantly narrowed and pupils speck-like as he regarded the little one, muddied and shorn by the wind.

"The sea is screaming, and the night only grows colder. Stay here and face nature, or follow me to shelter." 

Thinner still became that stare.

"Assault me again... I will show you the fate you so eagerly rush towards."

And with a single shaking of his drenched body Akai began to trot off with feather-light footsteps, the white of that ghostly tail disappearing about the bushes in an instant. It was all he could do for her, for it was the olive branch or fangs... and the idea of having to further hurt the youth would play bitterly upon his mind should he be left with no option. Akai instead wished with all his heart that Kali's hunger hadn't taken away her common sense at the very least....

Kali couldn't help but let her scowl deepen as the man insisted that it was only she who had been fighting. He had to be hella cocky to suggest he wasn't even trying just now. Luckily, he seemed too distracted chastising her to listen for the steady footfall as she approached. Like hell she was dying. Not here, not now, she still had some things to do before she would allow that. Of course, that was the untouchable teen mindset talking, but she was too stubborn to admit he may be right.

The girl's scowl slowly morphed into a smirk as her teeth found purchase amongst that white hide, though in the male's surprise came a much more real response. Kali felt the pain of bone colliding before she had the chance to register the movement. Throbbing bloomed in waves from her skull, the blow enough to knock her to the ground and darken her vision. As the dim light from the storm filtered back into view, Kali found herself amongst the mud, squinting at the old man as he continued speaking without missing a beat. I don't want to die. The words were not meant for him, a mere whisper on the wind as she twisted to try and find her footing again.

She groaned as she slowly made her way to her paws again, the pounding in her head not slowing as blood rushed from her head. Why? It made no sense to the girl. Hadn't she just attacked him or did she run into a tree and imagine the last few minutes? Kali did not fear his narrow gaze, she had received more than enough looks to last a lifetime, though perhaps she should. One attack was enough to thwart her attempts at...whatever the hell she thought she was accomplishing. She sighed, but truthfully she'd probably just continue to follow him from a distance if he hadn't invited her, so reluctantly, she would follow his path.

He caught the 'why' on the whispers of the wind, but chose not to answer until the white wolf felt sure that the wind wouldn't snatch his words from him as the two marched at a brisk pace through paths lit by lightning. 

They needn't go far. With the coast but a mile away from them the terrain got rocky quickly, and trees began to uproot themselves and lurch at strange angles as the earth beneath their toes dissolved into stone. Where the Sentinals met the bredth of the Ocean's Breath plateau those toppled trees and shallow lips beneath the grand over-hang of the plateau itself made for small caves that faced away from the raging tempest of the sea itself... perfect cover. Amongst the mess of rocks Akai slipped into the lip of a shallow cave, its depth only twice as deep as he, and relished in both its dryness and escape from the turblant winds. The hare was dropped beside the male, but not in front of him. If Kali wished for it she would take it; if not? Minah would happily accept it, no matter how muddy its pelt.

Akai felt her presence lingering in the shadows once again, and beginning to rub a paw against his face, the male began to talk... to the hare. 

"The world is full of fangs, hare." Growled out against his fangs gently gnawing mud from his arm, "It is full of lightning and thunder, full of fire to blacken the bone and water to drown the lungs. There are enemies of flesh as well, those who believe cruelty is a weapon to turn against others... but there is an opposite to everything, from the lightning seen and the thunder heard, from water to fire to earth, and hare, I chose the stronger path."

Golden eyes would settle upon the space where Kali was shrounded, not quite meeting her eyes, instead capturing the darkness again.

"For where there is cruelty there is kindness... and it is harder to be kind in such a dangerous world than it is to be cruel."

Silence settled between them as they traveled until the trees thinned to rocks. Amongst the scent of the storm, the salt of the sea could now be detected, something not too foreign to the shadowy wolf. Akai slipped amongst the jagged walls that carved inwards. Small tunnels and caves were plentiful, something she chose to keep in mind should she slip away later. However, for now, she gave in, sliding into the small shelter to rest her now aching body.

Originally, Kali had planned to ignore the other presence and get some rest, though she couldn't help but keep an ear attentive as he placed the hare down...and spoke to it? What a weirdo. With the hare left discarded though...Kali reached from the shadows to grab the equally muddied creature and pull it close. In defense of her previous words, this time she had taken it. Even if Akai left it on purpose it was less so given to her and more so her taking it of free will.

Her stomach welcomed the meal, even if the taste of mud tainted it. As Akai finished his rambling lesson, he seemed to look her way though she could tell he wasn't looking at her. The feeling was almost unsettling like something lingered behind her, but realistically she knew the cave lacked the space for that. If the world is so dangerous and cruel then what does a moment of kindness get you? Wouldn't it be more beneficial to be at the top?

There was no motion to attempt to stop her from grabbing it; if the girl wished to believe she had won some small victory on that dreary night, then so be it. Akai would continue to put his efforts into ridding his coat from dirt, tongue rasping against the mud, the taste not bothering him in the least as he ground his nose and face against the arc of his wrist-- there. Now only remnants of dirt-freckles remained about his eyes and nose, and the rest would come later with a jump into the freezing lake that ran north of them; the removal left behind scars. Harsh lines that had not weakened with renewed fur growth criss-crossed about his gentle face in haphazard directions, marks that showed that his experience did not just come from words.

They were an unmistakeable truth.

"Kindness gains you allies. When you climb to the top you do it alone, with a thousand other eyes upon you... they will kill you for your position. No one wolf can stand against an army." The small male delicately removed a wayward twig from that soggy mane of his and laid it gently against the ground. "Being alone is not a mark of strength nor something to take pride in... it means you lack the comfort of others, you lack their strength, and when the odds are against you you will lack any to call for for aid."

He needn't sugar-coat words. If it wasn't for his past pack and the finding of Minah, the white wolf would have believed no wolf cruel enough to cast aside a yearling so easily, and yet... Kali laid with the bones of the hare cracking against hungry teeth, without a single other wolves scent against her pelt. Skinny. Mislead. Troubled.

"... Someone or something has led to you walking your path alone."

... And has taken away your ability to understand even the most basic of kindness. 

The girl wanted to scoff, but for once bit back her hasty response. She wasn't necessarily against allies, but not having any didn't automatically make everyone your enemy. If you're careful, keep to the shadows, then you aren't the one being watched. You become the watcher. This thought, however, was extremely hypocritical given that she had just attempted and failed to even remain hidden. Perhaps if she was better, or with time she would be correct, but for now she would be considered an easy target. If kali were to speak truthfully, she doesn't prefer being alone. Life just worked out like that and after what she saw, it was better off this way.

"... Someone or something has led to you walking your path alone."

The words scraped against her skin causing her jaw to tighten, the snap of bone loud enough to bounce off the walls of the enclosed space. Have you ever thought that maybe I picked this life? To some degree, Kali had. She could have stayed, but what good was a deadbeat daughter to a pack that had turned their backs on her? This was the easy path, not the strong one Akai had mentioned. It was easier to turn her back on them than to accept what had been done.

"Who would willingly pick a life that becomes nothing but surival?"

Akai once had had it thrust upon him. Laying his head down upon his paws and lending the space in front of him a half lidded gaze, memories of a time alone upon the tundra came back to him like the rain that had been cutting him to the bone but a half-hour before. None to talk with, to laugh with, to thrive with, a life where the entire world was an enemy and every sincere face was hiding malice somewhere beneath their silvery hides, yes, the white wolf understood her suspicion. It was natural, an internal instinct to read the contents of ones expression and glean from it a darkness that every living thing had within, but...

"I was young and alone too, once." Whispered above the rain, but below the thunder. "Years ago in a place far from this. The world felt so much larger, like I was but a fleck against the snow... as if I didn't know my own size any more. My mother was dead, my father had turned mad at her passing and had fled. Me and my sister, we couldn't catch anything, the snow was so deep... and we were so inexperienced."

Though there was some minor sadness within Akai's tone this was characteristically spoken very plainly and matter-of-fact. Deep down, in contrast, the memories of his sister and he biting at leaves to try and find relief from the sickening hunger caused a pang once more in his stomach as the male gave a soft sort of sigh. If she did not wish to share where she had come from that was fine, but perhaps the young black wolf could perhaps learn something from his own mistakes. He did not speak on half-truths or things that he had not seen captured within his sun-like gaze, a world of emptiness and shadow where every thought was hunger and safety. No, Akai would not have wished that life on anybody, not even his enemies. Death was far more kinder.

"... I am a lone wolf, but I did not choose this path or this life. To all the lone figures I have met, none have ever truly desired solitude. It isn't in our hearts."

His golden gaze caught the spiralling of mist from his mouth disappear into the air. Ah... how he missed his sister terribly, more than a stake through the chest, more than the breaking of bones, more than the bitter, life-sapping cold. Sombre and quietly now,

"We are wolves, after all."

It took no effort for the scarred man to call her bluff. Something that despite her facade, seemed to resonate with her and drew back her resistance. She was stubborn, always had been. It was hard to accept facts even when she knew them to be true. There was always a sting with a metallic taste that coated her tongue like blood, but similar to sleeping, eating, it was necessary to accept at the end of the day. Insisting her strength, her will that this had been her path, that it was her decision would get her nowhere. She would still be alone if she had.

The man's voice came in a whisper, and for a moment she thought she had imagined his voice until he continued. A short scoff escaped her as she finished the remains of her meal. Of course, he had been young before. To get old you had to be young at some point, she was wise enough to listen to her elders though that didn't mean she always acted on their word. Still, she fell quiet as Akai filled the echoes of the storm once more.

For just a moment she allowed her mind to wander to her own family. She never had the comfort of a sibling, though she did have friends close enough to once be considered such. In a way, it seemed that the old man might have more in common with her than she originally thought, though she doubted he would ever understand her pain. He must have come far though to be raised where the snow piles high. She too had traveled for some distance, though never to where snow grew debilitating.

Kali kept her eyes downcast to her muddied form as she too picked at the clumps that had formed. Every now and then she would make a face if she caught a particularly large glob, the taste bitter and earthy along her tongue. As Akai came to a close, she pulled away scraping the mud off her tongue with her teeth as she had before, her amber gaze drifting to the dreary outside as the heavens stormed.

Without missing a beat, Kali gave the first bit of something personal since their meeting, My dad died when I was a pup. Her words were monotoned as if the event never impacted her, though in some ways it hadn't. She never really knew him well, she could only recall a few memories from when he was still around. A silence followed, something that felt it should be filled by the next part of her story though the page remained blank.

“... I see.” There was little attachment to be found in her words, he was probably the kind of male who hit up a female and ran amok when the situation rolled into pregnancy. His happy little family had always been so close, he couldn’t have imagined living a life with either of his parental units missing whilst he was but a babe… and that is what left to him being so soft upon the stragglers of the world, the lost and the lonely. A tentative gaze to the side, keeping his head leant against outstretched arms, a touch of sympathy playing upon his features.

“... I have a girl. I found her starving amongst the flames of a forest fire; her mother had abandoned her.” The slight narrowing of that golden gaze, but there was nothing malicious about the action. “... She is about your age.”

Akai was awkward. Dealing with subtlety in the ways of words was not his forte, unless he was reciting verse of course. The white wolf dealt in the ways of finesse when it came to movements and actions, but rarely found dancing around already obvious bushes was nothing more than a time waste… but he rather envied those that could speak with some humility or emotion about them. As usual, though it was a big ask to speak, the depths of his voice were as even as ever.

“I am sure, if you were looking for a hunting partner perhaps, you could do much to aid her.” Minah was as graceful as an ox, as quiet as a startled rat. “We are wanderers together, packless but not alone. That is, if you could endure my company for a while longer…”

That was supposed to be akin to a joke, but it was humorless and flat, unaccompanied by a smile. 

“... Or you could walk the path you have been walking. It is nothing more than an offer.”

Maybe wrap up here and get one with Minah? last from me :)

Luckily, he didn't seem to press for more. Instead, he just took the detail and stored it away, moving on as if there was truly nothing wrong with her statement. She wouldn't look to him, not out of fear, but to avoid any misplaced sympathy. The man spoke of a girl, someone her age that he traveled with. Unknowingly to him, Kali had already seen her in the days of travel she spent trailing after the duo. They seemed close, like a family.

Even with the girl's extreme paleness, she had no doubt originally that the two were related. There was enough resemblance in coloring for it to be possible, even if they did not fully look alike, but Akai's words said otherwise. She had been abandoned by her mother, something she couldn't help but scoff at. Not for the other girl's misfortune, but her own.

The man's offer was kind, she knew that. It was better than what she currently had, though the idea of being let down again left a bitter taste in her mouth. Perhaps if she did not get her hopes up, expect that they too would grow to resent her then it would be bearable, and for the time being, help feed her through winter. Kali huffed, settling to rest her head atop her own paws allowing her eyes to finally close, It's Kali. Her name. The one thing he hadn't asked for, nor had he offered his own. 

Usually, such a detail wouldn't matter, but if she was going to hang around a bit longer, at least a name would do. Otherwise, he'd be stuck with "Old man". Speaking of... Not hare or child. It's Kali. If he was too stupid to put two and two together then the extra context would help his aging mind.

hell yeah!

 

"... All right, Kali."

A smile played upon his face at the mention of 'hare' and 'child'; he was fond of nicknames and found it sweet to call Minah 'rabbit' due to the length of those soft white ears and the ever-present roundness of her eyes... harmless and sweet, his little rabbit. The male made no such promises that those words would never fall from his lips again, nor did he really mind if such names were to draw him ire in the future. It was the only offering of 'silliness' that he could afford. 

"I am Akai; when the storm leaves these shores, I will show you home." And tacked on was an attempt not to antagonize her, but, if she so desired... "... I am sure I can teach you something about fighting along the way, too."

Stuck at the mouth of some far-flung cave, away from the coziness of his earthern den, Akai's eyes watched the swirling of hazardous clouds above as they danced in ashen hues to the tune of nature. It was funny, the things you found awry in a world lit by lightning-flash and the clattering of rain... destruction was one thing, but perhaps that night it was the beginning of something extraordinary, too. Like the relentless sea-surge itself Kali had sprang into view, the opposite of Minah, who sat admist those flames motionless as spirals of red drew all about her. Fire and water. Lightning and smoke. Black and white. A sliver of fangs showed as scarred eyes closed, a grin tempted out by the coincidence to be found within the situation. 

Some things were simply meant to 'be'.