Fairspell Meadow Weeds can be pretty too!

A different place. Not much different, but different enough.This could be home if he behaved. He would, he decided. No more stealing. Not this time. Not even if he was hungry. Really hungry. Not fish, not a mouse—not even a bone. He would lay low. Give the predators no reason to sniff him out. Stay away from them. 

It was a cold morning, and blue eyes worked overtime to survey. Not bugs again. Maybe berries. But he wanted meat. Blood. Something that would sit heavy. 

Open muzzle panted visible breath as he lurked. Quick, then he’d stop, ears targeting any new sound. Hoping to find something to eat, worried he’d find something that wanted to eat him. Always perceiving. Always surviving.

not far from the forest a meadow glistens. kaede searches slowly among a thousand blades of grass for the mushrooms which lie pillowed on the black earth beneath.

larks swoop; flycatchers dance. rabbits spring in playful leaping beyond the wolf.

steam from open jaws touches the cold air. kaede raises her head. something breathes, something smaller than herself.

slowly she straightens, head turning on slow swivel as royal eyes cast for movement.

Finally he did see life. He would have rather not it been a wolf. 

Always in groups. The fur along his back bristled as the moderate safety he felt prior evaporated. 

Not one of the chasers. The scent was different. 

He could run. He could quietly disappear beneath the shroud of dawn while his dark coat remained useful for staying unseen. 

Or..he could satiate his curiosity. If not his belly, then that at least. 

He reminded himself that he had once been close to them, and it was his own actions that turned that sour. 

He crouched into the icy dew of grass that effortlessly tickled his shoulders. And crept, observing. 

A faulty step, a snapped twig, then the sound of flapping wings broke the silence of dead air. Blue eyes briefly watched the tiny bird take wing, and a twinge of regret settled as he considered the lost meal. 

It wasn’t his to begin with. He hadn’t noticed the bird. 

The second emotion was one that settled slower. Heavier. He snapped his attention back on the wolf, stilling himself. Holding his breath, even, hoping he had not been seen.

a bird wings high. kaede's ears track the sound of the delicate wings, but it is the fox she pinpoints with her pupils.

several of those like the lady detest foxes.

others worship them.

she falls into neither camp. the look in knowing eyes is one of respect. "come out." it is a soft order that relinquishes no command despite its pearflesh nature.

all in masa-sama's entourage thus far have not questioned.

she wishes to affirm, and in the grey fox is a specific opportunity.

Eyes locked, but no chase followed. None of the several routes he’d determined within the awkward few seconds would be taken, as his destination was no longer away. 

But it wasn’t towards, either. Not directly. 

He crept, head level with his shoulders, occasionally dipping as he studied her. A few steps forward, and he’d reassess, studying her for movements that might suggest he was no longer safe. 

Upon reaching her, a curious nose lead, pulling in her scent. Although this was done more out of habit than expectation. To the fox, she reeked of wolf and nothing else. But his eyes could see that much. 

”Friend?” he finally asked, retreating once more to his personal space. He relaxed somewhat, but not fully.

she finds all foxes beautiful, and this one is exceptional to the wolf's appreciative gaze. silent she remains, unmoving save for her eyes.

the fox investigates and pulls away. his eyes shine with awareness of what it means to be this close to a wolf. kaede illustrates her peace with two brushes of her tail against the ground.

now there is the matter of speech. she hears that common language again from the fox and inclines her head. "i will not hurt you."

at her hand, a tiny pile of mushrooms sits in pause. kaede takes one, makes a show of eating its edible flesh, and then extends another to the fox, setting it down.

A forepaw retreated when she moved, then slowly fell back to the ground when no ill intent was shown. 

He still eyed her warily, but it was more curiosity than worry now. She was silent. The wolves he knew had not been. The words she did speak were none the fox could make sense of. 

He watched her eat. One of the squishy flowers, something he’d learned not to bother with. He knew of the edible kind, but lacked trust in himself to procure them. A nervous gaze flitted to the gift she presented, then right back to her. He dipped toward it, eyes staring up until he made contact. 

He snatched it up quickly in his slender muzzle, then retreated, left staring at her with the cap of the fungus hanging from the side. 

Not a bad taste. Weird. He was unsure.

He placed it down before pinning it, then nibbled away at the cap. 

Hard to swallow. Much spongier than meat. His sharp teeth weren’t meant for something like this. 

He did finally manage to swallow, and a pink tongue briefly cleaned his snout. 

“Not sick?”

A question probably best asked before eating.

she watches him.

caution makes him precise. he dissects the mushroom and watches her simultaneously.

the lady is unused to smiling unless the moment demands punctuation, but he draws one all the same. it is a truthful gleam and transforms her eyes into a shimmer.

for a second.

they watch one another. kaede does not answer, for there is no worth. they must find other ways to speak.

she takes another mushroom and eats. they are filling and yet tasteless to her. traveling-food.

another is offered. this time she sets the fungi down somewhat closer to herself. 

he is right to fear a wolf. another would see him easy to bait. that is why kaede has decided she wishes his company. she cannot bear to think of something so lovely ended in a burgundy patch by one of her own.

The fox could not eat as quickly as she did, requiring several bites to finish it fully. He did move faster now, though, that the flavor wasn’t so new and the unease of the larger canine’s presence was dulling. 

She hadn’t answered him. That wasn’t entirely reassuring, but she seemed to eat them without hesitation. If she really wanted him dead she could just..do that. He chose to assume that she simply did not understand him, and that would explain her words. 

She placed another mushroom for him, and while still cautious, he was more confident when retrieving it this time, regardless of its being closer to her. 

Tiny tail wagged as he retreated to the crumbs of the previous one, and this time, he hardly stopped to acknowledge her while eating.

"come."

the word is repeated with more insistence. kaede slowly rises but makes no approach.

the kitsune receives the full bleakness of eyes unmasked by samurai presence; a desperate, cleaving, cloying look unbefitting the lady who she claims to be.

"i will bring you among other wolves, yes. but you will be protected as my koui."

"none will harm you."

for a moment her face loses that dour stain, and for a moment she is only a frightened girl fleeing home with blood upon her claws.

high aspirations for a high-minded girl.

kaede turns. the next moment will say if the fox meant to follow.

The fox finished. Mostly. He left a few bites of the stem. It had been much more filling than anticipated. And, the woman was speaking. He was interested in that, now. 

Head cocked, though ears remained upright as he listened. It was fully unrecognizable as anything he’d ever heard a wolf say.

And then she turned, presumably to leave. 

The little fox rose as well, eyeing her as he tested a step forward. Wolves meant food. Safety. So long as he stayed in line. He would this time. 

Curious eyes waited on her reaction, whether she would chase him off or let him follow.

i can start a new one w everyone!

a step.

the fox trails.

"come," kaede encourages. 

the last bit of mushroom finds itself dropped into the green grass.

had she skirts, they would have billowed gloriously as the lady moved away, straight-backed and unerring as she made for the woods of black feather.

Works for me! Just ping me wherever :D

No chase came. No fangs were bared--simply a repetition of the word. Follow, maybe? 

He did. Much less confident as she as they continued forward. Where she looked ahead, the fox stayed vigilant in checking all directions. 

He only hoped his trust had not been a mistake.