Phantom Hollow Beings that live off our fears

He finally stopped, panting heavily. Ever since his brother's death, he kept seeing some white canine stalk him from the distance. It was strange, as he couldn't determine the canine's species by its scent: it had none. With an exhausted grin, he turned back to the river. He had no idea of the canine's swimming abilities, but he didn't see that...whatever it was anywhere close. He would be safe for a few hours at the very least.

With a turn of his head, he looked into the foggy forest awaiting him. He felt his breathing shallow and finally noticed how cold the area was, causing the fur on his back to stick up. It was as if he drowned in the river, and he was in front of some kind of afterlife. He nervously shifted his feet, thinking if he should continue further. While the dead silence would mean he could hear anything coming, it seemed too...unnatural to be here. He finally ignored his uneasiness and started to walk. He wanted to get through this forest as fast as he could.

She had greeted the sight of the foggy forest with nonchalance and strode for it easily. She kept up a good pace, even as trees rose around her and the haze thickened. Her fur was still wet and spiky from fishing in the river and generally, her mood was good even if it was underlined in that subtle anxiousness that kept her roaming, and a little perturbed by the numbness of her mouth (from a handful of days busily working on her plant stocks). She welcomed the distraction of the scenery, even if there did not seem to be much here so far.

Amekaze soon noticed the distinct chill. First, she accounted for it being due to the dampness that her coat held onto, but deeper in, she realized it was more. Even ruffling those furs did little to shake the feeling, and being so used to summer's sweltering days, this felt particularly foreign. She breathed deep, thoughtful, and skimmed the surroundings. Still, quiet, and almost alone..

She caught the sight of it just barely -- a streak of orange in an otherwise gray darkness. This pricked her ears, narrowed her eyes, and gave her path more purpose.

Tracking it almost casually, she wondered what the fox was up to here, and how it may react to her. She slowly gained ground on the smaller canine.

Hiraku shivered as he walked through the forest, feeling even more lost than he usually felt. The water in his coat didn't help at all, leaving him a bit miserable. But, at the very least, he was alone. While the silence was a bit unsettling, it somehow made him a bit easier that he didn't have to worry about being followed. He slowly could smell the scent of a wolf. He stopped for a split-second, thinking about the scent. It surely wasn't the killer he was looking for, but seemed oddly close. He turned his head to see a figure in the fog. He jumped away, a sense of terror growing within him. First, he was chased by some white canine, and now he ran into a dark spirit. He nervously laughed; was he really losing his mind? He quickly composed himself and started to back away. Unlike that thing before, he could clearly identify this one's species. With a gulp, he tried to talk. "Um...hello..."

The fog and the chill deepened simultaneously. Perhaps a good explanation for why the forest seemed so desolate -- this would shoo away most.  However she adjusted steadily and relied more on her ears and nose than sight by now. She'd decided to keep going until it lost her attention, and pressed forward on the fox's trail.

She lifted her muzzle and knew she was getting close. Soon after, she realized the change in his footsteps. Still, she approached and was met with a nervous greeting.

"Greetings," she returned much more fluidly. Conversing with a fox was rare, so she was curious.. although understood his apprehension in the presence of a larger predator. But, her posture was non-aggressive."More than just the fog have you anxious..?" she asked. She hadn't intended to sneak up on him, if she had, but he did seem awfully jumpy when she had done nothing except appear.

With the wolf's greeting, Hiraku managed to relax a bit. However, what happened a few days ago still made him very tense. At the very least, he knew this wasn't some kind of supernatural creature, and that he had a chance to escape. The fox nervously pawed at the ground, hoping that this wolf wasn't holding up a front to a more-vicious part of herself. "You could say that. I've been chased for a while..." He bit his lip in fear, then continued, "You're not going to kill me, right?" he tried a smile, but his nervous eyes left him tense. Even if the wolf said no, he had little hope that she would keep to that statement.

So there was a reason. Chased? Well, to some he could certainly qualify as prey. Maybe even a threat to others. Amekaze shook her head softly. "No.. Not unless you give me a good reason to," she smirked. He was more fearful than aggressive, so she doubted he would. She had no qualms with him here and now. He was just a fox and this was not her land, or even near it. "What has been chasing you? I have seen no other wolves here on my way," she asked. This entire area seemed awfully desolate. Perhaps that made it a wise place to come when chased. Amekaze wouldn't stall him much longer, this is, if he was ready to get going from.. whatever it was that pursued him.

The fox thought of his attacker from the wolf's question. At the very least, the wolf may have an idea about it. "It was a white canine, but I couldn't smell whatever it was. Do you have any idea of an animal like that?" There was a slight pause before he continued. "By the way, did anyone in your...pack kill any foxes lately?" Even though the wolf didn't seem like the kind to kill in that manner, she may know someone who did.

Knowing it was a white canine did narrow it down significantly. "A wolf, most likely." Ame answered truthfully. Coyotes, foxes, and wolves were the primary canines in the area. She'd never seen an all-white coyote, and it was too far south for white foxes. "I have heard of white bears that live in the thick coastal rainforests too, but they are rare. Could it have been a small bear?" Much rarer than a white wolf, though, and not canine as he had described.. although with a few similarities that could have been mistaken in the heat of the chase.

"Not that I know of," she answered. Her pack was small and she'd not smelled any fox blood on anyone's trail. "I do not have any white wolves in my pack, either. Nor do I know many personally.." Her pack was entirely gray and black these days, and it had been a long time since anyone with white fur had lived alongside her. They had light gray wolves, but that was as close as it got to white.

"No, it wasn't shaped as a bear. It had a big tail, and I doubt bears have those." he also had the sick feeling that he saw the same body structure of the canine before. It was at the back of his head, but seemed to slip when he thought he knew.

As for her second response, he merely said, "Thanks" With a few seconds passing, he decided to ask her name. "Anyways, you didn't rip out my throat yet, so I guess there's no harm to ask this. My name's Hiraku. What about you?" It may be of help to make a few friends here. After all, he really did feel alone in this new world. And guilty: he left his first friend here alone and might as well have said he left her for dead. Tears started to give his eyes a glassy look, but he closed them before the other wolf saw.

She shook her head, finding she agreed. Wolf was very likely to be his enemy, then, so his wariness of her was rightly placed. "I have never seen one with a big tail, so I doubt it was a bear, then.." Not that she had ever seen a white one, though. They were not far from a creature of myth in this region -- or so that was how she had begun to understand it.

Ame blinked at him when he shared his name. Hiraku. She sensed the lilt of her honored mother's language there in his name, just as it was for her own. It was rare to hear it, although she reasoned it could be a word in another language too. "Amekaze," she provided. The red fox was privy to a bit more of her name than she shared with most -- because what harm could he, a lone scavenger, do to have a few extra syllables to know her by? "Do you know the language of your name?" she asked suddenly, and knew her phrasing was awkward at best. To find a fox that spoke it would be.. a curiously unique treat, but she wasn't getting ahead of herself with that one.

"Not exactly," he grinned sheepishly, "It was given to me by my older sister and a kid who lived in the village our den was near. Somehow, both suggestions were mixed around and I was named Hiraku." He left the explanation there, not wanting to dwell further. It felt a bit easing that the wolf was named in a similar manner how he was, and it piqued his interests. "How were you named?" It was then it dawned on him that he may be keeping the wolf from doing something. He would like to talk further, but he didn't want to stretch this out too far. After all, there was a chance they would meet again. "Am I keeping you from something? I didn't mean to..." he trailed off. It has been while he had talked to a wolf without the threat of his throat being torn out, a year to be exact.

She listened when he explained more than she had anticipated. But, she welcomed his brief story that provided a glimpse into his history. She eventually nodded. "Named for storms. It stormed when I was born," she rolled her shoulders and chuffed a soft almost-laugh. "But my mother spoke the language, and I learned some.. so I was curious when I heard your name." She wondered if he knew what it meant, or just that it was his. "I always recognize the tongue as belonging to her, but know it is a relic from a faraway place." 

When the fox asked if she were busy, basically, she looked around. "Not necessarily. I get the sense I may be doing that to you," she gestured in the direction he'd been heading. She'd thought he'd been on a mission before -- he'd looked the part, anyway. And if he feared a white canine was hunting him, he'd likely want to get out of the area while he could. "I am only scouting around." There was no rush in what she was up to. She was wandering, more or less, and looking for something she didn't know how to find yet.

The fox thought her name was a suiting reason for a name, better than his own. If his sister was still around, he may had asked her one day. However, it was interesting that her mother knew a similar language as his sister. He guessed they may have met, but brushed that aside. When he was born, his sister usually stuck around the den. He started to wonder about his own name, and decided he'll try to find out more of it if he ran into anyone else. Although the closest to know would be Amekaze, she already said she only knew some of the language, so he didn't want to plague her with questions she couldn't answer.

Hiraku remembered where he was at the wolf's statement, and decided that he would wrap up the talk. As much as he enjoyed it, he was still very defenseless in this forest. He made a weak chuckle. "If you don't mind, I would like to head out of this forest. It was nice talking to you." he started to walk off, before realizing he was lost. He turned back to the wolf. "Um...do you know which direction gets me out of the forest the fastest?" he felt a bit embarrassed, as he was used to knowing his surroundings. Hopefully, the wolf will point him in the right direction.

"Keep heading west, and it turns to a greener forest. I think it is closer than turning east.." she said while looking around. Eventually he'd find it, and it might suit his purposes better since it offered shelter without the eeriness this woodlot did. Amekaze remembered the Heartwood as a warm forest full of life, but she was not familiar with it in the wake of the storm weeks back. 

She then dipped her snout in brief farewell, then set off for her own path that headed more north than she thought his was bound to. Her interest lie elsewhere, so she'd take to it.

Thanks for the thread!

With the wolf gone, the fox felt alone again. Trying to realign where west was, he finally got an idea and started running towards that direction. With everything he had experienced beforehand, he was glad he met this wolf. Maybe the two of them will meet in the future and talk again. With a minor smile, he continued his pursuit out of the forest.