Taking refuge under the thicker branches of a tree, Amora watched the storm she could make out through the gaps above her. Every so often she heard the rumble of thunder in the distance, though thankfully, it hadn't yet drawn close. The pinkette's clothes were mildly soaked as she pressed her dry back against the tree's trunk, trying to shrink herself without finding the need to fully shift into her fox's form: Wet clothes were much better than wet fur. With the wind accompanying the downpour, her fur would've felt all the colder.
Her ears drooped, although she did her best to keep them straight. Raindrops would thwart her efforts, however, as she jumped every time they fell onto her. The young kit was used to waiting, but she missed the fun. If it was only a little lighter, then she could've been splashing in muddy puddles, inviting someone else to play with her-- then causing trouble in response. It was factually in the small one's nature, relayed back before she'd been abandoned.
She was aware of how close she'd gotten to clan territory, mischievously lured by the chance of others to play with, and yet her chances felt ruined-- tarnished by the downpour of rain she had no choice but to wait out.
"Rain, rain, go away..."
She sang, hopeful to herself that the storm would be over soon.
Hidden in a shadowy thicket nearby, young Hakon was watching the vulpine kit closely. His red eyes were studying her. She doesn't look dangerous... She is too soft and pink to be so. He thought to himself optimistically. His own clothes, trousers and a robe, were quite wet, and his long black tail was slim and soaked.
She must not like the rain.
With light, silent feet, the boy slipped back further into the mess of branches he was in. A few moments later, he returned and stood himself up. Being the mere age of thirteen, Hakon was still very tall. His head and shoulders poked up out of the tangles and he smiled down at the girl under the nearby tree.
"Here," He said softly, stretching out his arm to show her the large, thick leaf he'd picked. "You can wrap up in this, the rain doesn't get through these leaves." Crouching in the soggy leaves, he continued to offer it with a gentle smile so as not to frighten her.
Lavender eyes grew wide as her ears straightened upright. Upon his reveal, she noted how he was twice as soaked than she, yet the kitsune felt no fear from the tall stranger. Perhaps it was due to his gentle smile-- she wasn't sure. With her head tilted upwards to meet his face, she blinked twice before accepting the thick leaf he gifted to her. A small smile formed on her own features, grateful for his act of kindness. After wrapping the leaf firmly around her, she stood up, only to freeze as rain droplets fell into an ear.
"Thank you! Here, here."
In her hands, she'd been previously fiddling with a broken piece of bark. Its contents, however, were more intricate-- carved into it was a detailed group of rabbits, cut by the kitsune's claws alone. Presented with a gift, she returned it with another, as not to be in his debt.
"Ah-!" The boy exclaimed with a broad smile, taking the carving and inspecting it in wonder. "This is fantastic!" His voice was deep for such a youngster, making him sound much older than he was. After securing the lovely gift into the slouches of his robe, Hakon stepped out of the brambles and sat near the girl. His dripping tail wrapped around his waist with a wet slap.
"I don't much mind the rain, but the mud is a bit foul." Giving her another smile, he added, "I'm Hakon Kolbeck, an apprentice of Galeclan. Who are you?"
Given such a genuine compliment, the fox’s smile widened, though she kept her tail halfway around her. Her face somewhat flushed, though surprise overtook her face completely at the thought of him being a mere apprentice.
“Just an apprentice?!”
She restated with awe as she gazed down at him, her ear flicking slightly.
“Wowwow! Well, I’m Amora Takayama.”
She bit her tongue at the end of her sentence, wishing she’d simply left it at her first name. It was a name she should’ve been detached from, just as her apprentice duties had been.
“Not an apprentice of, like, anywhere anymore, I guess.”
Flipping her semi-wet braids over her shoulders, she shook her tail out before allowing it to disappear completely from view. Her ears, however, remained. With a newfound sparkle in her eyes, she posed to him a question.
“Do you wanna play a game? Like hide and seek or something, maybe with a fun spin since it’s raining.”
Hakon looked up at her excitedly, "Definitely! But-" His ears turned with uncertainty, "But I should probably bring you to our leader and ask if it's alright. Technically you aren't supposed to be here."
Standing up and looming over her, the boy rubbed his head down against hers affectionately- as was normal custom in his culture.
"Okay!" In a graceful rush, Hakon darted off in front. He laughed, his long legs carrying him far with little effort. He ran light on his toes, jumping like a deer from little islands in the rain and avoiding as much of the mud as possible.
She should've been prepared for his response time, but instead the kitsune hiccupped and was left in the rain. Almost slipping from their wet surroundings, Amora bolted from place in order to try and keep up with the much taller neko.
As she began to lag behind, the fox squinted at her opponent, considering a strategy. Shifting from girl to a much smaller, magically pink fox in a matter of seconds, four legs propelled her forward, faster. Leaving a muddy fox trail behind her, she lessened the distance between the two, and surely, eventually, caught up to him.
"One!"
She'd bopped his leg with her snout, only then shifting back into a more human-like appearance; donned still with her ears and, once again, a tail. Her running wouldn't falter this time, as she figured he'd only speed up the pace.
Having stolen a quick glance over his shoulder just in time to see her fox-form before she changed, Hakon tripped in surprise. The boy stumbled for a few seconds, attempting to catch himself -and failing- before falling knees-first into the mud. His deep laugh rattled the trees. "Miss Takayama!" He exclaimed, looking at her in excitement. "I've never seen that before!"
Placing his hands in the mud around him, he attempted to pick himself up. "Are you magic?" He asked, his garnet eyes full of wonder.
Amora's steps ran a bit past Hakon as he unexpectedly tripped, the pinkette having to catch herself before she fell along with him. Using her hand to shield her eyes from the rain, she wondered for a moment what boy was talking about.
"Huh?"
Although confused, she skipped her way back over to the neko and offered a hand, regardless of the mud he landed himself in. Her head leaned slightly to its side, one ear turned forward while the other shifted back.
"Well, yeah, I guess so. I only have one tail right now, but when I grow older, I'm gonna have many more! But like, wait, can't cats shift, too?"
"Wow, really!" Hakon exclaimed in admiration, "That sounds so beautiful! No my people can't shape-shift, at least, none that I've ever seen." Taking her hand, he used it in help standing up. "Where do you live, Miss Takayama?" Letting go, he casually sloshed forward through the mud.
"Shifting isn't that fun, so you're not missing out."
Wiping the mud from his hand onto the leave draped around her, she braced herself for them to continue their game, however, he didn't take off again. Trying not to show her disappointment, she kept at Hakon's side, trying to use him as a shield to block the heavy rain.
"It's been a long time, but I used to live south of the eastern mountains. It might rain a lot, but it's never as bad as this. And uh,"
She scratched at her face a bit, before realizing some of the leftover mud was being smeared the more she did so.
"You can just call me Amora. If Hakon is okay with you?"
"Hakon is just fine, Amora." He said with a smile. The boy stopped in place as he suddenly noticed a figure standing in the misty trees. His ears perked up curiously before the familiar scent reached him and he waved. "Cedwyn!" He called, to which the man in the distance glanced over towards them. The fellow male neko was tall with white ears and tail, similar to a snow leopard. Though in the storm, his brilliant colors were quite filthy.
"Kolbeck, who's that with you?" The warrior called, walking over to them through the puddles and dripping branches.
Hakon smiled at Amora, "This is Cedwyn, one of our warriors." Looking over at the man again, he spoke up. "This is Miss Takayama, I found her near the border, I'm going to bring her to meet Masaru!"
As the man drew closer, his ears fell flat as he eyed the little vixen. "Miss Takayama? What are you doing on Galeclan territory, hm?"
Amora could still make out some of the unique details to the snow leopard, despite the harsh conditions. A bit on the ears, a little of the tail. She might not have known the exact type of cat he was, but it was fairly obvious the differences.
She was excited at first, seeing a new face. Her tail swished side to side, though quickly came to a halt as his ears flattened and he marched over to her. He wasn't the immediate new playmate she hoped for.
"I wanted to play, but it started raining."
Her own ears flicked as she stared up at him. She tried to keep up a bit of a smile, trying to look friendly-- though she certainly preferred speaking to Hakon of the two. Feeling safer around the tall apprentice, she slowly closed the distance between them.
"And Hakon said he couldn't play until we talk to somebody. Would you wanna play tag with us? Or we can play something else."
