Neverwinter Forest once in a while

@Orochi <3 Hide needs help. 

Well, this was probably the worst thing that had ever happened. Hide had spent so long just getting used to the island in its entirety, and had been almost fully able to simply walk around and navigate it. He was accustomed to the sand under his paws, and the trees there. The constant smell of seawater. Being uprooted like this, and with all of the rain... it was an absolute nightmare. 

Still, he tried to remain positive. At least they wouldn't all drown on a tiny island. At least he didn't have to swim. At least he still had Orochi. 

Hide winced as he walked facefirst into a tree, his nose stinging from where it connected with the bark. Ugh. This sucked - he didn't even really know where he was, and he was pretty stupid for wandering out like this. He wasn't even aware that he was close to the borders - he'd just walked aimlessly to stretch his legs, and couldn't find his way back. His tongue lapped over his nose and he winced, tasting blood. Gross. 

Maybe he should call for help, eventually, but he was gonna at least try to find his way back on his own. The constant rainfall was making that much more difficult, though.

It didn't take long for Orochi to get somewhat accustomed to the forest's layout. Hours upon hours of aimless wandering will do that to you. Plus was still a part of him that was used to the wilderness.

Being the closeminded guy he was, Orochi thought it'd be easy for everyone to get used to this place. That was until he saw Hide slam into a tree.

Hide! The dragon bounded forward and stopped in front of his friend to prevent any more accidents.

It must've been one hell of a bump, because there was a trail of blood running down from his nose. You're bleeding, Orochi pointed out like the redhead hadn't noticed, Come here. Then, without a second thought, he swiped his tongue across his friend's snout.

It was certainly not easy to adapt to new environments when you were blind, and especially when you were blind and it was raining all the time. And now his nose was stinging and what if it scarred? Sure, Hide couldn't really see himself, but... he didn't wanna look bad because he ran into a tree. 

Luckily for him, Orochi was not far away, and Hide stood still as his friend ran over and paused in front of him. Even if his name hadn't been shouted, he would've recognized the uneven footfalls of his companion. 

"Yeah, I kind of ran into a tree," he admitted, as though Orochi hadn't just seen his spectacular failure himself. He opened his mouth to speak again when he felt a tongue pass over the injured spot, and his jaw clicked shut. It took a second to comprehend what had happened, but when he did, his face began to heat up. Had Orochi really just... kissed him? Like, right on the nose? 

And had Hide kind of liked it?

It felt like an eternity before he was able to speak again, but it was in reality just a few heartbeats. "Hey, don't worry about it! It's my fault. Doesn't even hurt really," he babbled, trying to stave off the embarrassment and current crisis he was experiencing. "I should be more careful. Spent enough time on the island to learn it well enough, but here? I get lost whenever I walk for more than a minute."

Hide was silent for a moment before blurting out. He claimed the impact didn't hurt, but Orochi didn't believe that for a second. If you hit your head hard enough to start bleeding, that's gotta sting at least. But whatever, it wasn't something worth arguing about (cause he already knew he was right).

Let's walk together then. He assumed it was easier for a blind wolf to navigate the island. There were much less trees to bump into and more spacious beaches to roam. There were more obstacles here, and the rain would only make things harder. Even his senses were thrown off by all the water.

Well, yeah, it stung, but that paled in comparison to the pounding in his chest and the heat in his face and ears. He'd never experienced anything like this before, and... well, he didn't really understand it. And he didn't want to express weakness in front of Orochi, which was less weird because he didn't want to seem incapable. Because he was, like, totally capable of taking care of himself. 

He hoped. 

But still, he wouldn't complain about walking with Orochi. "Sure, man, if you don't mind," he responded, brushing their shoulders together to gain some sense of stability and familiarity. "Maybe we can explore and stuff! I've been wanting to learn the layout of the territory, so I don't get as lost as quickly."

There wasn't much to discover here. He'd spent the past few days wandering around this place and it was nothing but tress, grass, and more trees. It's your typical forest, unlike the unique island. But he didn't mind walking around here a second time if it was with Hide. He needed to get out of his head for a bit, and he'd rather spend time with his friend then anyone else.

Yeah, that sounds good. Orochi bumped his shoulder before moving forward. He'd keep close to the yearlings side as they walked.

After a moment of silence he said, I think I've got most of this place mapped out. I'll help you avoid all the trees. The boy snickered before adding, It's pretty boring here. There's not much to see.

Hide dragged his paws slightly as they walked, attempting to find obstructions on the ground before he hit them and tripped. His chest was slightly muddy from where he'd done that earlier - stumbled over a root and fell on his stomach on the ground. That... he was glad no one was around to see. Running into a tree was embarrassing, but far less than actually falling down. 

"Oh good, I'd hate to be missing out," he joked, in regards to Orochi's final statement. The rain wasn't too bad at the moment, and it felt nice to not be absolutely drenched in water. He missed the sun. 

After a few moment's pause, he cleared his throat and spoke up again. "Sorry you have to be doing this," he apologized, offering his companion a small smile. "There's probably, like, a million other things you could be doing, rather than helping a blind guy not run into trees."

You need to stop apologizing. Orochi turned to him with a raised brow, then looked forward and huffed.

I didn't have anything to do anyways. Well, that was a lie. He could be introducing himself to these neverwinter wolves, or he could be training his apprentices. But the neverwinter wolves probably sucked, and kids were annoying. Even if I did, I'd rather help you not trip over your toes.

"Sorr-" he began, and cut himself off with a sheepish chuckle. But he couldn't shake off the feeling that he was holding Orochi back, somehow. Like he wasn't good enough, or strong enough. Why had Orochi decided to be friends with a guy like him, anyway? 

It was because Hide had attached himself to the guy when they'd first met, right? So had Orochi really even had much of a say in it anyway? It wasn't like he had pushed him away or anything, but still...

He shook his head with a small smile, putting those thoughts away for now. The red-furred boy leaned against his friend, just to put a little emphasis on the fact that he was done apologizing for the moment. "In that case," he began, taking a deep breath of the air. It was still heavy and wet, but underlying was the scent of evergreens. "Could you tell me what it looks like, a little? Like is it dark? Are the trees tall?" he pressed, angling his ears toward Orochi as he waited for his response.

Well uh- Orochi stopped to stare up at the trees, -yeah they're pretty tall. Then he lowered his head to study their surroundings. Being this observant was new to him. He never stopped to take note of details in a specific place.

It's darker here than it is on the island. I guess it's because of all these trees and clouds. But there are some places where light shines through. It was very subtle lighting. He assumed these spots would've been more obvious if the sun was out.

Here. Orochi guidés Hide under one of those spots. Feel all the rain? That's cause there's less cover here.

Hide had guessed that it was darker, because the temperature was cooler, which would suggest shade. He let himself be led around, enjoying listening to the rainfall and Orochi describing things. Hide hadn't asked for a description of anything for a while - mostly because it was inconveniencing someone else, but also because he couldn't quite remember what everything looked like anyway. He rarely knew what to ask for. 

The rain increased in the spot where Orochi led him and Hide closed his eyes, letting it soak into his face. A thinner canopy, where there would be more light when all this rain stopped. 

"Sometimes I'm afraid that I'm going to forget what everything looks like. Colors are hard to remember. Like, I know my eyes were brown. Are brown. I'm not sure what they look like now." Apparently eyes got cloudy when they were blind. That was what his family told him, but he couldn't remember what that meant. "But I can't remember what that looks like. If that makes sense." It was hard to explain, but it was like it had become less important over time, so his brain was discarding the memory.

He sat next to Hide, who's eyes were now shut. His attentiveness was strange, but in a nice sort of way. A faint smile spread across his face. Watching him almost made Orochi want to close his eyes too.

There was a pause before his friend began to talk about forgetting colors. It wasn't something he ever had to worry about, and (hopefully) would never have to worry about in his lifetime. Hide, however, was not as privileged.

You won't forget, was the first response that came to mind.I won't let you. I can help you remember. Orochi didn't know how he'd pull that off, but the determination was there. He'd figure out a way, he thought.

Hide took a deep breath in through his nose and shifted his shoulders, a short stretch, before he relaxed again. Sometimes he just needed a minute to calm down and take in the surroundings rather than trying to do it all at once. Baby steps were hard for him, but to have someone else around to help him break it down was nice. 

You won't forget.

His eyes opened again and he swiveled his head around to face Orochi, a bit surprised at the level of determination. A smile crossed his maw, spurred on by his friend's resolve. "I'll hold you to that," he assured, tail sweeping slowly behind him. "Thank you."

Being thanked wasn't something Orochi was used to. He didn't know the correct way to respond. It's nothing, he replied before tilting his head towards another direction.

So you were able to see before? That's news to me. Orochi was under the impression that he'd always been blind. He looked back at Hide and imagined what his eyes could've looked like when they were brown.

After staring at him for much longer than he should have, Orochi blurted, What was your favorite thing to look at?

Hide huffed out a laugh and nodded his head. "Yeah, when I was a pup I had good eyesight. Apparently it was something my grandfather had, on my mom's side? Like, his vision just... faded away, really quickly." The entire process had been terrifying, with the world growing fuzzier and fuzzier each day until it just fizzled out into pitch darkness. He recalled sobbing into his mother's fur, scared out of his mind, day after day. "His happened later in life than mine did, but I'm kind of glad mine happened when it did. I get longer to get used to it." He still dreamed in picture, a lot of the time, but he rarely remembered details the next day. 

Ears swiveled around toward Orochi again, and he hummed in thought. "I really always liked the sky. Sunsets and sun rises and stars and stuff. And I remember these... lightning bugs, that flashed in the summertime! Those were cool." That was more vague, as he'd been younger, but he did recall his older brother teaching him to bite down on one and his tongue glowed. It was gross, but funny. 

"Sometimes I wish I could see you. Is that weird? Like, I think we're probably the same size? But I'm not sure," he admitted with a smile. "I mean, I can tell a lot about you by your footsteps. I think I might be heavier."

The process was strange by the way he described him. Fine one day and sightless the next. It was hard to imagine what that must've been like. Thinking about it caused dread to claw at him, so he didn't.

The subject changed to the sky. Sunrises and sunsets weren't things he'd ever taken the time to admire. Come to think of it, he never really admired anything. There was always something else to worry about.

Then there were the lightning bugs. The way he described them sounded very familiar. I remember those, he mumbled. A distant memory was coming back to him. That warm summer evening with his brother and Minori. She had called them starbugs. I used to eat them. They didn't taste good.

As silly as it may seem, he thought that Hide would know what he looked like. How? Who the fuck knows. That wasn't the case of course.

It's not weird. Orochi tilted his head to the side. Yeah, we're practically the same size. But I think you're heavier- he added with a snicker, -cause you always knock the wind out of me when we spar.

Uh, I never really described my appearance to anyone. Orochi twisted around to give himself a look-over. I'm brown all over, but my face is darker. So are my legs and stomach. I probably have a lot of scars under this fur. You can see the one on my cheek though. And uh, one of my legs is missing. But he assumed Hide already knew that. What else was there? Oh right. My eyes are two different colors. One is blue, the other is gray.

"Yeah, they were really gross to eat. My brother tricked me into eating one once, with him. It made our tongues glow," he said with a soft chuckle. "I think he just did it to make me laugh though. It was pretty funny." The memory was one of his more vivid ones. Makoto, one year his senior, grinning broadly and helping him catch a firefly to eat. Both of their tongues bioluminescent for a while afterward. Their mother scolding them. 

Another laugh pealed from his maw as Orochi confirmed his suspicions. Yep. He was heavier. "All muscle, of course," he boasted, tail swishing behind him. It wasn't all muscle, but... well, he had enough to brag about. Maybe more, if he continued training. "You're better than me, at sparring. I need to work on that," he mused aloud, thinking to who else in the pack he might be able to spar with.

And then Orochi was describing himself. Hide didn't know why, but he'd always pictured blond, not brown, when he thought of his companion. Brown fit better, though - especially the multiple tones. It sounded unique, and while his mental picture wasn't perfect, it was better than it was before. He didn't know why he'd been so nervous to ask what Orochi looked like.

"I knew about your leg. Only three paws hit the ground when you're walking, so your gait's uneven. It's a really good way to recognize you," he pointed out with a small smile, blinking slowly as he faced the other boy. His eyes widened at the mention of his eye color. "Your eyes are two different colors?" he asked, eagerly. "I didn't know that could happen! That's super cool. I bet you look amazing!" He sounded like he did, at least. And with their spars, he knew Orochi was all lean muscle. Hide would forever lament not being able to actually see him.

He offered his companion and small nudge with his nose to his shoulder. "I'd ask what I looked like, but I know I'm just like... red and spiky. My fur never even stayed down when I could see it when I groomed it, and I'm sure it's worse now," he admitted, huffing out a short laugh. "I don't look gross, do I?" Ungroomed, unkempt, not taken care of. He wondered if his physical appearance was just repulsive these days.

That trick sounded like something he'd try to pull. They'd probably bond over torturing their brothers. Or they'd absolutely hate eachother. There was no inbetween.

Orochi grinned. Well I mean yeah. He never missed an opportunity to brag about his success, even now. But you're still good at fighting. You just gotta practice all the time or whatever. And you know I'll help you. He could use the experience now that he was training Yuélòng's youth. Besides, he enjoyed sparing with Hide.

His brow raised when he was done explaining his footsteps. You can recognize me just from that? Heh, that's weird. Weird in its own cool way. Did anyone else know who he was by the sound of his walk? Probably not. Hide was the only guy he knew with that kind of attention to detail.

Like many things, eyes weren't a big deal to him (he's learning that a lot of things weren't a big deal to him throughout this conversation). Hide's fascination with them caught him off guard. Being called amazing for his looks, well, that was a first. His cheeks heated up a bit and the only thing he managed to say was, Oh, uh, t-thanks.

No, no. I like the way you look. At this point he was to flustered to think critically. Anything that came to mind was blurted out. I mean uh, you look good or whatever. Yeah. Then he clamped his mouth shut so he wouldn't embarrass himself even more. What the fuck was that?

To be honest, Orochi had the right to brag. He was really strong - held a high rank before his mission, too, and at a really young age. And he was going to eventually hold that rank again - he was determined, and Hide was positive Orochi could do just about anything he set his mind to. "The future General, complimenting me?" he asked sarcastically, offering his friend a playful smile. "What an honor." But in reality, he did appreciate it - the compliment and the offer to help. They'd both get stronger from it.

"Oh, yeah. It's a really unique pattern, and it doesn't really slow you down. It's nice to have a way to recognize you so quickly," he explained. Of course, it'd be nicer to be able to recognize Orochi through sight, but that was never going to happen, so he was grateful for this ability. 

Today was a weird day. A kiss, a compliment to his fighting skills, and a compliment to his appearance? Hide felt like he was going to spontaneously combust. He'd never heard Orochi compliment anybody before, especially like this, and he blinked a few times in quick succession. But, thank god, he managed to think of something that didn't completely betray his embarrassment and slight joy. With a quick shake of his head and a smile, he responded, "Thanks - I like the way you look, too, man!" It was a tease, and he nudged Orochi with his shoulder. Of course, he'd never seen the guy, so he didn't really know. But he had a feeling he would, anyway. So it wasn't a lie or anything. And yeah, it was a bit of a panic response - he wasn't sure how to react. 

"But we probably both look like drowned rats right now, huh? All this rain." He was so lame, deflecting like this. Talking about the weather? Ugh, he sucked. "I bet everyone's fur is all stuck to them and muddy and stuff." Speaking of, the rain was beginning to fall a little harder now - he could feel it tapping on his face.

Orochi appreciated the joke. Now he could focus on its stupidity instead of his overwhelming embarrassment. Ah, shut up! He gave his shoulder a rough bump. You can’t even see me.

He hadn’t noticed how drenched they were until Hide pointed it out. He looked up through the little opening in the trees. It was raining harder than it had before. How long had they been standing here?

He glanced down at himself, then his friend, and sure enough they looked like they’d just jumped in a lake. Shit. It’s gonna take a while to dry off. Finding a spot completely out of water’s reach would be a pain in the ass.

We should find some place to rest. We can walk around again tomorrow if you want. Maybe it’ll finally stop raining. It’d make things much easier for Hide.

Hide let out a snort of laughter and nudged Orochi with his muzzle. "That was kind of the point," he teased, tail swishing behind him and eyes crinkled with delight. "But seriously, man. Thanks. That made me feel better." He didn't think about his own appearance too often, because it was a stressful topic, but it was nice to know he wasn't ugly or anything. He was pretty sure Orochi would tell him if he was. 

It was going to take a while to dry off, and Hide wasn't looking forward to it. He could only imagine how much this would've sucked in the winter, if the rain wouldn't stop like this. 

"Yeah, I'd really like that," he told him, a smile forming on his maw. "I'll learn how to get around and stuff eventually. Actually, hopefully we won't have to worry about being here for too long. The rain'll stop eventually," he stated hopefully, bumping against Orochi's side. "Let's go somewhere dry to stay the night."

Who knew one poorly executed compliment could be so impactful. To be fair, impactful was an overstatement, but that’s how Orochi interpreted it. Hide’s gratitude bought his embarrassment back just as quickly as he suppressed it.

Yeah, you’re right, Orochi nodded. It can’t rain forever. It’ll come to and end soon, and then they’d return to the island. Life would go back to the way it should be.

Orochi led Hide away from the rain. The sooner they could find someplace dry the better.