The Kin

[Wyndbain]

Daaku gave a soft snort, "He is the son of the former alpha of this..." Daaku glanced at BlazingTear, "...clan. He is also the one who extended the invitation for BlazingTear to come, in order to carry out this pact of clans."

"Shinnou will be in the main chambers..." She pointed to a smaller tunnel that branched from the area in which they stood. BlazingTear looked at Tobias, a sad frown on her face and auds flat, giving her a worried look. "If you prefer, you could wait elsewhere."

Daaku began moving off in the direction BlazingTear had pointed. Moving closer to the cave tunnel, it became noticable that he would make for a tight fit in the smaller path. "Taimei asked if I would stay with you..." He turned his head around so that one large eye was on her, "...just in case."

[Kikuyoshi]

Tobias was slightly offended by Dakku's words, as he saw no reason why he wasn't suitable to protect Blaze from anything anyone should throw their way.

...Then again, they were simply but "friends".

Scuffing the bottom of his foot against the cave flooring, amber eyes flit up toward Blazingtear's face, his own a bit sad and a bit distant. "I think..." He paused, his attention lowering once more to his foot. "I'll just wait here. I don't see why I'd have any say really in the matter that is to be discussed."

A fake smile spread onto his lips as he lifted his head. "You'll take care of it...." another pause in his words as his eyes returned to a more serious state while his heart gave a flutter of nervousness. "...Won't you?" He whispered softly before turning, not allowing her the chance to retort. It wouldn't do to keep this guy waiting for her...and Tobias wasn't entirely sure he wanted to hear her answer at the moment.


This fight. This argument they were having. It seemed different somehow...as though they were both drifting apart without any way to stop it. It was driving him insane. He had taken care of Aten...and yet the bastard had still managed to screw them over, putting them in an awkward position that he felt Aten had known would be the outcome of this little meeting.

[Wyndbain]

Her response was cut off as he turned around, nothing more than an odd noise as she stopped herself before speaking further. Her gaze lowered as the ears atop her head drooped as well, "I suppose I shall." She then turned, moving towards the side cave and moving past Daaku in order to enter it. As she moved past, he began to stir, making his move to follow her as Taimei had asked him.

BlazingTear stopped, giving Daaku only a brief, side glance, "Don't." Was all she said to freeze him in his tracks before she disappeared behind a bend in the tunnel.

Daaku fell back to a sitting position on the floor, turning his head towards Tobias. His expression was unreadable as always, but the feeling of an annoyed glare could be, in a way, senced coming from the beast.

[Kikuyoshi]

Body fell against the stone wall for support, ears flat to his cranium and his head slightly tilted downward, silver bangs hiding his eyes from view. Lightly his hand clawed at the smooth and glistening walls, nails leaving small trails of white behind them. Loosly his hand dropped from the stone and Tobias slumped downward, his shoulder rubbing against the wall until he was then squatting on the floor. A sigh escaped him right before he sneezed, his right ear twitching lightly due to the echo the sound then created.

This entire fight was his fault...he knew that very well, however, he was too stubborn to do anything. That and the fact that what Blaze had said earlier had somewhat hurt him...though he wasn't exactly sure why as they hadn't really ever officially stated that they were together....everyone had simply assumed, though it wasn't like they were too far from the truth.

[Wyndbain]

A soft noise echoed about the cavern, announcing the presense of another being. Tiny footsteps could be heard approaching and though the area was lit with the odd, hanging lanterns, the lights could only reach so far into the darkness. A soft thud sounded out as something hit the cavern floor and then again as a round object rolled near Tobias' figure. Following the small toy was a young child who stood no larger than two feet high. His hair was short and tan, with two overly large wolf ears of the same color, sticking up and plainly announcing himself as a Konzen wolf. His outfit was a simple brown tunic with cream colored pants that had the tiniest fluff of tail sticking out. When the child spotted Tobias, he stopped and tilted his head, putting a small finger into his mouth. After some time, the child took his finger from his mouth and gave Tobias a large, one toothed smile and loudly proclaimed, "Puppy!"

Daaku, upon the child's appearance, made it his goal to turn around and curl into a very large, uneven lump near one of the many stalagmites. Anyone under a child's way of thinking would think him to be nothing more than an oddly colored, large rock.[/size]

[Kikuyoshi]

Tobias sighed, amber orbs fluttering toward the child even before he approached. Silently he watched, his ear flicking back in response to the child's proud declaration. Without retorting verbally, he rose to his feet, his hand lightly placing itself on the child's head to ruffle his hair...however, the expression on Tobias' face suggested depression more than anything, so any child would have probably been a bit confused.

Lightly Tobias moved toward the door, glancing back toward Daaku, his hand up in a farewell. "I need some air...I'm going for a walk." He turned and moved onward without looking back, his silver hair lightly swaying to his movement. "Tell Blaze...well...nevermind." He halfassed a grin, then disappeared into the outside woods.

[Wyndbain]

The child picked up his ball, giving Tobias a confused glance before running off in another direction, where one who listened carefullly, could hear other laughing voices and soft pipe music.

Daaku, whose large form was currently obscured by darkness and shadows, pondered over the option of his sleeping areas, when he slowly lifted his head and turned his gaze in a sweep over the area. His pale eyes narrowed as they lit up, glowing white in the shadowy cave. Something, he wasn't sure what, had caused a jump in his sences. It had only been for a brief moment, but he had felt it. Something deep within the caverns had felt...familiar to him, but now...he could feel nothing.
The air he suddenly let loose from his nostrils gave a loud snort as he lay his head back down and regain his comfortable position. Something that small wouldn't be a threat, or even worth checking out. Were Isis with him, she would have insisted on making sure.

[Wyndbain]

(And now, just to waste time, we get to see what's going on inside the cavern with Blaze and our mystery character Shinnou. x3 )


As BlazingTear exited the smaller tunnel, her pupils grew large as the light in the cavern that now opened up before her became much more dim. A path snaked it's way around the stalagmites that decorated the area, disappearing around one pillar to reappear around another. A steady dripping could be heard faintly from somewhere beyond, no doubt continuing to create more pillars of art as it had been doing for thousands of years. BlazingTear continued moving in deeper, making sure to stay in the lighted area, where as the darkness beyond gave her continuous chills. It was eerie enough to make her wish Tobias had instead decided to acompany her. Her hands clung to her arms, for indeed the temperature had dropped slightly in her decent into the cavern. Of course, that was to be expected when moving deeper ungerground.
The path she had been following for a while, suddenly came to an end, beyond which was nothing but total darkness. BlazingTear could feel the air before her and sence that the cavern had suddenly opened up greatly, to just how much she could not determine without some source of light. Where the current light source had stopped, she noticed the egde of the rock, stopping at what appeared to be glass...no, water. It wasn't glass, but an entire underground pool of water, most likely filling up the entire area before her. She lowered herself to her knees, gazing down into the shadowy depths. It was clear that even the edge of the lake suddenly dropped into deep darkness and simply continued going.

"Enjoying the view?" Despite how calm and polite the voice had sounded, BlazingTear could not help but letting out a surprised gasp and jumping back from the water's edge. Two cold hands grabbed her by the shoulders and held her where she stood. With the light to his back, BlazingTear could make out the shadowed features of Aten...a being whom had tried to claim her life many times before Tobias had been able to destroy him. No...She closed her eyes and shook her head lightly, opening them again and trying to see past the cloudy darkness. No, he had only looked like her uncle due to the shadows on his face. The features were similar, but more handsome and smooth to the eye and his short sandy hair had been enlongated by the shadows to appear very similar to that of Aten's look.
The expression he wore was smiling, yet his straight and alert wolfish ears gave away that in fact he was worried. "You need to be careful, otherwise you could fall in." His hands still gripped her shoulders, gradually warming up with their contact. With the greatest of care, he moved her away from the water's edge, closer to the light where they could see each other more clearly.

Blaze was still slightly stunned from the shock of thinking that Aten had returned, enough so that she said nothing and simply studied this stranger. His clothing was like that of any wolf of her kind, although his attire appeared more regal with a robe color of royal blue, trimmed with rich gold and red flames and deep blue pants to finish the outfit.

His posture no longer showed signs of worry now that she was away from the lake egde, instead he wore a bright and confident smile as his eyes took in Blaze's own attire. "And, my lady, what brings such beauty into my humble abode?" His hand swept out to catch hers, bringing it up to his lips but never touching, in the curtious manner of her kind.

BlazingTear pulled her hand away, though slowly for she did not want to insult him. She lowered her gaze and delivered him a short bow, a common exchange of greeting between strangers. "Ah...would you be, Shinnou?"

"Yes but, would my being so make you more nervious?" He waved his hand towards her, palm facing up. At his gesture, BlazingTear noticed that her wolf tail had made an appearance, which normally shouldn't happen when she was transformed; unless she was nervious or distracted. It quickly disappeared though as she was able to concentrate. It must have been when Shinnou had grabbed her so suddenly.

"You must be BlazingTear then." He looked even more delighted when she nodded her head to confirm his guess. He took her hand in his, enticing her to follow him. "Come! We have much to discuss before the preparations. Your friends are invited to attend as well, even that collosal one, Daaku can join in."

The mention of Daaku's name caused her to jerk back in his hand, a momentary gap forming between them as Shinnou took a moment to realise she was no longer following him. "You...know Daaku?"

Shinnou took her hand again, this time pulling her towards him and placing an arm around her waist. Her heart gave a sudden jump, not as in getting in the moment, but from a fear brought on by sudden suspision. In the position they were now in, there was no way for her to escape him. Shinnou's voice spoke in her ear, uncomfort brought on by his all too sudden close familiarity. "I am the one who sent for you. It was my scouts who brought back word of you and your friends' arrivals." He brought his face close to hers and though she turned her gaze away from his, he continued to speak anyway. "Although, I would have preferred you come alone...Dear Blaze." His tone near the end had suddenly become deep, almost a hiss as he pronounced the z and e together like an s. Turning her eyes to his face, she could clearly see in the light his face had changed, even his body had become older to look like an exact replica of Aten. His red pupils bore into hers, sending chills down her spine as she began to struggle for freedom. Her voice rang out in the quiet cavern as she yelled, carrying on through the many passage ways, pushing herself free at last only to topple onto the cold floor.

It was only a moment or two, even a few seconds before she felt a hand on her shoulder, arms beneath her as they lifted her off the floor. A voice in her ear, calling her name again and again. She tensed, ready to shove him away and flee once again, when the last call of her name brought her to her sences. It no longer sounded like Aten's voice, but it was younger and sounded worried.

"BlazingTear..." Shinnou spoke softer now, as she had stopped trying to break free from him. "Is there something wrong?" His expression was of sincere worry, his pale yellow eyes not leaving her own. When she did not answer him, Shinnou leaned his head down to touch his forehead to hers. "The depth of the caverns can sometimes pollute the minds of newcomers used to open air and forests." He began walking quickly towards the tunnel from where she had entered, almost at times breaking into a run. "You must have been hallucinating. What you need is some fresh air..."

BlazingTear clutched the front of Shinnou's robes, eyes shut tight, afraid that she might see that horrible vision again if she opened them. It wasn't until Shinnou had taken a deep breath and released it in one rush of air that she lifted her head and slowly opened her eyes. Her ears twitched with each sound of the forest, after being in the cavern where the only noise was the steady drip of water somewhere in the cave. She looked up, into Shinnou's face who was smiling down at her as he continued to hold her. Her heart pounded nerviously in her chest, turning her face away from his as a slight hue of pink rose to her face in slight embarasment. "Ah...I...You can put me down now."

Shinnou simply laughed, placing his cheek on top of her head, "You're really cute, you know?"[/size]

[Kikuyoshi]

The cool air of the forest rushed out to greet him as Tobias slipped from the cave entrance, his nose filling with the smells of the outdoors. Tossing a glance over his shoulder, he let out a sigh, his shoulders rising and falling to the heavy heave of air.

With a quick kick of his feet, he was thrust upward and into the nearest tree...he would wait for Blaze here....should she ever come out at all...

Balancing on the treebranch, his toes and fingernails dug slightly into the softer flesh of bark, drawing out a bit of treesap as he did so...the smell overwhelming his sensitive nose for the moment, causing him to teeter and lightly pass out, his chest now resting on the branch while his arms and one leg dangled...it was a miricle he didn't all but fall out.

Perhaps this was better for the time being...at least while unconcious he didn't have to think or fret over anything that was happening. He was still unsure about the situation the both of them had found themselves in...and the thought of Blaze being with another filled him with a disgust that it all but left a horrible taste in his mouth. But he wouldn't tell her that to her face...how could he. Her duities to her clan were more important than his rollercoaster of feelings...so like any foolish man, he simply set them aside and tried to hide them.

~~~~

Lids fluttered open slowly to the sound of voices, the hair along the back of his neck pricking suddenly...to which confused Tobias slightly. Amber spheres darted about the area, trying to locate their position, noting that one was most definatly Blazingtear...was she looking for him?

Silently he stood up, the ears atop his head flicking lightly, picking up bits of conversation...however they flattened quite quickly when they heard Shinnou's remark. Irritated and feeling sick at overhearing such a comment, Tobias was all but ready to leap down from his perch and step in...his fists would put this looser in his place...

He paused however, his heart lurching violently. What if he wasn't wanted...perhaps this was someone important that Blaze needed to be with at the moment. His hands went to his head, lightly grabbing his skull...things were so confusing and he didn't want to be the one to mess things up. Annoyed with himself for not being able to come up with a conclusion as to what to do, he simply stood there, his ears brought forward so that he might hear anything more of their conversation as to get a better idea of where he should go from there.

[Wyndbain]

"Ah! Please, put me down." BlazingTear gave Shinnou's chest a light push and he obliged by letting her down easily. Once she was standing, she gave a sigh of relief. Shinnou looked puzzled for a moment before chuckling, "My, you're easy to please."

"Shinnou..." BlazingTear looked at him with a serious expression. "I don't want you to think that I...we..." She tilted her head, "It's not you that...well, because of this..." She stopped, seeing the further confused expression on his face and slapped her forehead softly in her hand. "Let me start over..." She placed her hands, cupped together, beneath her chin while speaking to Shinnou. "This pact, was a mistake. It's not even a true pact. You see, it was made by my uncle, who betrayed our clan those years ago."

Shinnou crossed his arms over his chest as he listened, a small frown on his lips, but his eyes were understanding.

BlazingTear took one of Shinnou's hands in hers, holding them low as she moved closer to give him a quick kiss on his cheek, to Shinnou's shock. It was not one of love between two people, but as one would greet a dear family member. "You are truely a kind man Shinnou, but I cannot go through with this pact, even if it were concrete." She released his hand and stepped back, "There is someone whom I already hold dear in my heart." BlazingTear's heart pounded in her chest, emotions flooding as she thought of her feelings for Tobias. She truely did love him. Not just as a friend...and yet in her moment of panic she had hurt him by calling him something so insignifigant to lovers. She held a hand over her heart, gaze low on the ground as she awaited Shinnou's response.

[Kikuyoshi]

((The suspence!! IT BURNS!! -eye twitches-))

Blaze's words had reached his ears as clear as day...and to hear her speak them out loud all but made his heart stop..yet at the same time, it seemed he couldn't get the damn thing to shut up. Loudly it thrummed within his ears, his gaze staring intently out to where he assumed the two of them were...this...shinnou person and his blaze. (damn treebranch in his way xP )

Yet he could not bring himself to interfere...not yet. He would feel like an utter bastard if he were to step in now...it would've been easily obvious that he had been listening in and honestly, he'd rather hear blaze speak of these feelings to him, rather than through someone elses influence. He would wait for now...should Shennou react unexpectedly.

[Wyndbain]

Shinnou had his eyes closed in thought, head nodding as Blaze spoke. He then turned around, hands up against his head and gave a rather loud, exagerated sigh. "Well, guess it can't be helped then." Keeping his back to BlazingTear, his eyes flicked up into the trees, narrowing as though he saw something dark and ominous hidding there. He quickly turned to Blaze, the dark expression gone and replaced with a smile on his face. "Come then, not as two lovers to be wed, but allies. Friends. We must inform the clan of this change, else they'll be expecting us to be a couple." Once again he caught her hand leading her back to the cave entrance, but instead of entering the cavern, he pulled off to the side behind a large boulder that was sitting just before the entrance. He dashed to the side and dragged Blaze along with him, covering her mouth with his hand before she could let out a protest.

"Shhh!!" He turned his gaze to the side, looking out into the surrounding forest and pressing both of them up against the rock face, keeping his hand across her mouth all the time. "Someone's watching..."

BlazingTear suddenly relaxed, realising that Shinnou was simply being cautious of any potential danger. With a pack as small as his, they must get many predators out here often. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat. Could the one watching them...have been Tobias? If so, then maybe he had heard what she said...not that that was a bad thing...
She reached up and tried to move Shinnou's hand away from her mouth, to tell him that his alarm was all for nothing. Though he did not budge, and turned to look down at her as she began to struggle further. Her blood ran cold as Shinnou's voice whispered in her ear, "Now, now, we don't want your lover to come running to the rescue too soon do we?"
Her hallucination earlier in the cave had not been just a hallucination, it had been a reality where Aten was simply playing with her mind. Somehow...Aten had returned and taken on Shinnou's form...or his body. Shinnou...or Aten's form began to shift, taking on the features that BlazingTear recognised more and more as her terrifying uncle. Aten continued to speak softly into her ear, all the while she could do nothing but pray. "It was the perfect plan, wouldn't you say? Lure you here alone and kill you while you have your guard down. Though I did not plan on Tobias' being here, what with him being so stubborn, that no longer matters not if I can kill you quickly!!!" Aten at last pulled his hand away from Blaze's mouth, but only long enough to swing it back and swing the long claws on his fingertips.

A roar shook the cave from within and a large shadow flew from the opening, colliding with Aten and throwing Blaze to the ground. Daaku had Aten's arm in his jaws, all four claws on the ground with his tail lashing fiercely behind him. Aten growled right back at the demon and stuck him in the eye, which caused Daaku to let loose a thunderous cry of pain. Aten took this moment to push off on the ground, dashing for BlazingTear once again, who was laying on the ground still dazed with what was happening. Aten struck, his long claws hitting soil as BlazingTear moved and Daaku's tail grabbed him by the leg. Although a thin line of blood appeared from where one of the claws had struck Blaze on the neck.[/color]

[Kikuyoshi]

The flutter of black leather echoed lightly within the safty of the trees...however, such said sound would've probably gone unnoticed due to the commotion below. Nostrils twitched slightly at the scent of blood, and in a blurr of black and silver-white hair, he fell from the tree and within seconds, was at Blazingtear's side, his fingers lightly placing themselves on her shoulder. A familiar scent would've been easily detected at his presence, one that smelled strongly like that of Tobias.

"Let's get you out of here..." He whispered into her ear, not even bothering for her to turn around and give him an answer. Instead, he grabbed for her hand and he himself turned around, tugging lightly as if to coax her along.

From the back, he certainly seemed to look like tobias...the only difference really being his outfit. Black was the main color of this ansamble, leather boots, pants and a coat, the upper portion of which was lined with black feathers. With the face paced action going on, combined with the fact that he looked and smelled like Tobias, one probably wouldn't have questioned his identity at that particular moment.

[Wyndbain]

Aten was pulled away as Daaku's slim tail curled itself around his waste and hoisted him into the air. Black blood oozed onto the ground as a result of Aten's claws digging into Daaku's soft scales as he tried to free himself. Both creatures began combating each other, Aten loosing all focus on Blaze, concentrating solely on spilling the demon's pitch black blood while Daaku made it his goal to keep Aten away from his friends. The two began a duel of beasts, both clawing and snarling in an instinctive dance of blood and fangs; contrary to their usual calm and collective manner.

In the fuss and fury of Daaku and Aten's duel, BlazingTear's main concern was to get as far away from Aten as possible. So the familiar scent of Tobias and his hand suddenly grasping hers was like a breath of air after almost drowning. She was too lost in her thoughts and fear to notice his odd change of clothing, but his reassuring scent and voice was enough to allow him to lead her.

[Kikuyoshi]

Never did his fingeres loosen from her own hand, however not once did he turn around to look her way, his focus mainly on the path infront of him.

The feathers about his coller ruffled with each step, his long silver tresses swaying simultaniously. Like two forbidden lovers from a movie, they continued running deeper into the forest, away from the blood bath that Aten and Daaku were creating.

By now they were already a good distance away, and for the first time, the man that had been holding Blazingtear's hand shuffled his feet while still running, his head turning as though in slow motion, and as the silver strands of hair settled, it was obvious that he wasn't Tobias at all.....and yet their similarities in facial structure, voice and scent was rather peculiar and alarming. Amber eyes sparkled as his brows knit out of concern, a mannorism that was much like Tobias. Red markings decorated his face just under his eyes and a collar with a green gem on it dangled down, glittering as he continued to jog.

It was only a brief glance, and of course, the man holding her hand didn't think twice about it, but instead pulled off to the side behind a rather large tree, his chest rising and falling rather, his head tilting back as he closed his eyes and let out a sigh.