The Dead Forest (Increased Orc activity due to skirmish)

[Purely Jayney]

By the time Juuni had been let out and even realised Amber's presence the dog was reversing out of her hole amongst the house foundations, the bag firmly clamped in her teeth. As she pulled completely out her nose snuffled and she sneezed at the dirt she inhaled as her ears twitched and she turned, just in time to see the kitten scamper back inside. Amber had had no idea that there were people here!

She walked backwards towards the house, dragging the bag across the damp earthy ground, leaving a strange looking trail of paw prints and drag marks. Upon closer inspection the bag was rucksack size and duffle. There was a wooden pole, possibly a staff jutting out of the top where it was just to big too fit in the bag.

The canine dropped the bag at the porch and clambered up before pulling it up with her with a small grunt before peering through the cabin door.

"Rrrr?"  

[Hogosha No Juunikyuu]

Pleased was definitely no way to describe how Juuni felt when she realised the dog had seen, and followed her inside the cabin. She drew further back under idol's hat and let out a long and low mew of annoyance.  

[Purely Jayney]

Amber timidly took a few more steps inside, her eyes slowly adjusting to the dimness of the room as her ears twitched at the sound of Juuni's apparent annoyance. Her eyes swept across the room and came to rest on Idol's feet. Sitting down on her rump Amber looked up at the elf, cocking her head to the side in slight confusion.

Why was this apparent human making cat noises from his hat?  

[Purely Jayney]

The bushes outside the in the clearing rustled slightly in the wind and this caused Amber to jump, clasping the bag firmly in her jaws. Something was obviously unsettling for the canine here, though quite what wasn't made clear.

Amber slowly backed out of the cabin, dragging the bag with her as her tail hung low between her legs while her ears remained pricked and alert. As soon as she was clear of the doorway and porch Amber fled back up the path and towards the stadium. Not even her curiousity for the cat-hat on the elves head could convince her to stay.  

[Hogosha No Juunikyuu]

Juuni blinked and peeked out from under Idol's hat just in time to see the dog flee. Though inside she was slightly relieved she couldn't help but wonder what had made the curious canine turn tail so quickly.

Nimbly she leapt down from her perch atop Idol's head and trotted over towards the door where she sat herself down with a soft bump and cocked her head to the side, surveying the clearing with slight interest.  

[Tomorrow]

Within the cloud-speckled blue spanning out into the infinate sky came a crackling, rumbling noise...before something came from the blue.

A large man, massive in size, literally radiating power, came form the sky. Great smoky-white wings flared out behind him, beating regularly to allow him a slowed decent, the wings even dwarfing the man himself.

Great plates of smokey-white material covered his body, like a suit of armour - shining plates of thick metal-like solids covered every part of him, a large helm surrounding his face - but letting out the shock of golden-blond hair, the spikes wafting in the wind as his booted feet touched the soft grass.

His wings curled around him for a second - before spanning out wide, electricity slashing in all directions as the helm turned to examine the clearing, smoke curling out of the slit-like visor, wisping into the soft breeze.  

[Hogosha No Juunikyuu]

eek

"Eep."

Would have been a pretty good summary of Juuni's initial reaction as she lay low against the wooden porch floor, almost willing herself to fall through it and out of sight. That was until she saw the golden hair.

"MEW!"

With a mew of excitement the small kitten scuttled forwards and pounced one of the man's feet, latching onto it with all fours as she nuzzled up to his ankle.

heart  

[Tomorrow]

Static spat and laced off his body as he looked down to see the little kitten on his boot. His bent head, covered in the visor, seemed almost cold as it wanted the kitten scratch his armour, leaving marks on the surface...

...Before a red droplet of blood dripped from the slit-like visor, sailing past his hip and splatting on the grass, lost in the dirt...

Before he reached up and pulled off the helmet, Tomorrow's handsome features revealed. Tears of blood stained his face, running down his cheeks past his chin and down his neck - smoking eyes seemed to look down to the kitten impassively as he placed the helmet in the crook of his arm...

...Then he kneeled down and reached out with his gauntlet, scritching the kitten behind the ear, a small smile on his blood-stained face.  

[Hogosha No Juunikyuu]

Juuni blinked as she felt the blood droplet sail by her before looking up at Tomorrow as his massive figure scritched her. The familiar soft purple flames swallowed up the small kittens body before melting away and revealing Juuni, the neko-jin sat on his foot in place of the kitten, reaching her hands out to stroke one of his fingertips that had been scritching her.

"Why chu cry Oniisama?"  

[Tomorrow]

Tomorrow couldn't feel the little girl's touch through the thick armour surrounding his fingertips, but he did hear her soft, innocent question.

His hand reached up to caress her cheek softly, before moving to stroke her soft purple hair tenderly. His voice, deep with the burring accent of a Tribal, was different now - as if it was being spoken to the little girl's mind as well as being interpreted by her ears.

"...Because it hurts..."

He smiled gently, as if that explained everything.  

[Hogosha No Juunikyuu]

Juuni cocked her head at this explaination and slide off his foot to take a few steps back before walking around the giant figure, looking him up and down.

"Oniisama ish hurted? Where ish chu hurted?"

The concerned tone in her face flickered now and again, giving way to worry.  

[Tomorrow]

His sad smile remained on his face as he allowed her to inspect him. She'd never seen him like this - even bigger then before, covered in armour. The Knight of Light, the Hero of Terran...

He lifted the gauntlet she'd touched and tapped his breastplate where his heart was, the metal clinging softly as he tapped it. "Inside, sweety."  

[Hogosha No Juunikyuu]

Juuni paused and blinked again as her ears flickered at the sound of metal on metal.

"Then Oniisama does need to come down so Juunish can try and makes it better, yup yup"

3nodding  

[Tomorrow]

He smiled softly down to her...before closing his bleeding, smoking eyes, the white-light dissapearing behind his eyelids...

Before his armour flashed slightly with static - then seemed to simply dissolve, turning to a smokey-white mist that floated away from his body and dissapaited into the clearing. Opening his eyes, his normal light-blue gaze returned to his vision, he smiled down to the little girl happily - then opened his arms. "Give Onnisama a hug?"  

[Hogosha No Juunikyuu]

Juuni's eyes widened in curiousity at what occured before her. Sitting back she watched the wisps of smoke and batted playfully when it came near her, swirling the smoke through the air.

She smiled at Tomorrow came back into view, normal form and normal size. The excited neko-jin bounded forwards and leapt at Tomorrow, latching her arms around his neck as her small legs wrapped round his chest. Purring softly in his ear she nuzzled against his neck.

"Oniisama..." heart