Harsh Beginnings
The white-haired boy laughed as he raced along the road, the cursing fat courtier chasing after him on his fat pony while he ran off with the man's equally fat purse. One spring off to the side of the road and a quick scramble up a tree set him onto a well-known path through the branches, where he leapt easily along until he reached his dubious version of home. Still with a grin on his face he heaved himself into the hammock he'd made of vinelike branches (it somewhat resembled a spiderweb by the way he'd woven it) and enchanted not to fall apart. He tugged open the drawstrings of the pouch, aiming it away from his face, but when nothing happened, he pulled it close and looked in.
A gasp followed his supple lips, followed by a peal of laughter that certainly reached back to the fat old buzzard as he regarded his new treasure. He let the coins slide through his finger, then tied the pouch tightly shut and tossed it in his knapsack.
Putting slender-fingered hands behind his head and leaning back in the dappled afternoon sunlight to take a nap, he drifted off.
"Otousama damn it, this world is messed up," he growled as he sniffed the strange air. " I just want to go back home... this is insane, there's no reason for me to get stuck here. Kanashi gets to stay at home in a warm comfy bed but me? Noooooo I have to go marching through the damn ningenkai forest. For no reason. 'To hone my skills' my lily white ass."
He continued grumbling to himself, the blue-haired werewolf, as he walked along the road. Finally his instincts cut through his rant and he sniffed the air again. This time there was a lot more than just funky air. He smelled powerful magic.
So does the dumb boy steer clear? No. Mochiron iie. He heads right towards it, as silently as he can get (which is quite quiet) and sniffs.
Then he looks up.
And grins.
A subconscious twinge alerted the thief that something wasn't right, and when he woke up with a blue-haired stranger leaning over him, he was quite justified.
"Gah!" he yelped rather femininely.
The blue boy jumped back too, but more curious than frightened he seemed. "Hey, don't get your panties in a bunch, pretty. I was just sniffing around."
"Who are you and how dare you enter my home like this!"
"Uh my name is Cale. Nice... house."
"Shut up."
"'Kay."
The two exchanged a slight glance. Cale grinned at the thief and grinned. "So who are you?"
"I am... Dais."
"Pretty name."
Dais gave Cale a strange half-glare half-whatthefuckareyouthinking look and just shook his head.
"So what's up with the mop, whitey?" Cale reached a hand out and flipped the theif's long white hair. Dais jerked a hand up and pulled his precious, waist-length hair away from the boy's hands. "Nothing is up with my hair. I like it."
"I do too. Makes you look like a girl."
Dais' face twisted in rage and before Cale knew it he was lying on the hard ground some twenty feet below. When he finally caught his breath he looked up to see bright furious fires visible from all the way down here burning in those purple eyes. He blinked slightly himself. He'd never seen anyone with eyes like that.
Then he shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts and wondering how he'd gotten down here and why everything hurt so bad when Dais solved his confusion.
"Never insult me like that," whitey hissed menacingly as he dropped gracefully down on a shimmering strand of something or other. Cale chalked it up to head cobwebs and starry fall-enhanced vision "Fine, gods, you just don't have to knock me out of my tree, jeeze... a little fanatical there aren't we..."
"WE are not anything. Leave me alone."
"Whatever, whitey."
"Don't call me that!"
"Okay, whitey."
"ARGGHHHHHH!!!"
A soft snicker echoed through the trees as, for some reason, the two ended up walking together into the darkening night.
"Whatever you want... whitey."
A resounding crack echoed through the still forest.
three weeks later
"I'm telling you this is a bad idea," Cale hissed.
"Don't be a fool, I know what I'm doing. And if you mess me up..."
"Hai, hai... slow disembowelment and all..."
"Shhhhhh!"
The wagon rolled around the bend. It was simple enough, just one wagon, so Dais stepped into the road.
"Move out of the way!" the man in the front seat driving the oxen on shouted.
"Toll," the white-haired boy called with a smirk.
"Not a chance, kid! Go play soldier or something!"
"How about I play juggler... with your wagon?" With a wiggle of long, white fingers, the entire thing rose into the air, oxen included, and began spinning crazily. The driver and all the cargo fell free, and soon enough he let the wagon down, ignoring the man stuck in the tree that luckily broke his fall/flight.
Collection some booty, Dais grinned and saluted the man. "Thanks for the toll. Trouble is extra."
With that he took his loot and sauntered into the woods, leaving the man with a horrified expression.
Scaling a tree to where Cale was sitting, Dais triumphantly shoved the bolts of silk and the several very nice weapons he has chosen as his 'toll' at his friend. "Told you I could."
Cale could only shake his head in disbelief and grin.
that night
Exhausted from sparring with their newly-gained weapons the two collapsed together into the hammock that Dais lived in, Cale under the excuse that he was too tired to go make camp below. Dais was too tired to object so he merely nodded numbly and snuggled into the tree branches.
The moon was midsky when Cale spoke up.
"Hey Dais."
"Hai Cale?" the thief asked, turning to face his friend half- asleepily.
"You ever wanted to kiss someone?"
"Iie. Women are useless."
"Ahh. What about a not-woman?"
"What, you mean kiss a man?"
"Yeah."
"I don't suppose I ever have wanted to... why?"
"Well..." the blue-haired boy glanced at Dais, into his eyes, then away again. "I was just wondering."
"Have you?"
"Not until I met you."
Silence reigned for a long moment before either of them spoke, Dais searching Cale's face with his piercing eyes. "Are you telling me you want to kiss me?"
"Um. Hai."
"Well then why don't you?"
Cale glanced up at him, slightly in shock but his heart pounding. "I don't know how."
"Neither do I. Neither does anyone, when they start. Might as well learn now." The white-blonde smiled slightly, his widely-dilated eyes the only sign that he wasn't totally unsurprised or intruiged.
Cale nodded speechlessly and leaned forward, hesitating. Dais solved that problem, moving to meet him and pressing their lips together gently in a chaste and gentle kiss. When the two broke apart they were both smiling nervously.
"That was nice."
"Again?"
"Hai..."
Silence reigned for many long moments until Cale pulled away, lips a little swollen from his first kisses. "Wow."
Dais just pulled him closer for another long moment, his petal-soft lips falling open (nearly as open as his eyes) when he felt the slight pressure of Cale's tongue upon them. They shared a deeper kiss for a time and finally broke apart to breathe. "I think..."
"Yeah... I think so too."
With that unspoken agreement the two curled together and fell asleep.
next morning
A howl echoed through the forest at the crack of dawn, jarring the two boys from their sleep. Cale sat up and cocked his ears, listening to the tone while Dais laid there, peering down through his woven bed.
Below them finally ran a rust-colored wolf who started yipping at the tree. Cale blinked in astonishment, then swung down lightly. "Yuuka?" Dais just stayed where he was, watching carefully. He found himself ready to use his magic to defend Cale, and for the power-hungry and rather loner-type young man he found that a great revelation. He needn't, however, have worried, although he thought otherwise even after Cale called back up to him that this was a friend of his and all was well.
The white-haired boy laughed as he raced along the road, the cursing fat courtier chasing after him on his fat pony while he ran off with the man's equally fat purse. One spring off to the side of the road and a quick scramble up a tree set him onto a well-known path through the branches, where he leapt easily along until he reached his dubious version of home. Still with a grin on his face he heaved himself into the hammock he'd made of vinelike branches (it somewhat resembled a spiderweb by the way he'd woven it) and enchanted not to fall apart. He tugged open the drawstrings of the pouch, aiming it away from his face, but when nothing happened, he pulled it close and looked in.
A gasp followed his supple lips, followed by a peal of laughter that certainly reached back to the fat old buzzard as he regarded his new treasure. He let the coins slide through his finger, then tied the pouch tightly shut and tossed it in his knapsack.
Putting slender-fingered hands behind his head and leaning back in the dappled afternoon sunlight to take a nap, he drifted off.
"Otousama damn it, this world is messed up," he growled as he sniffed the strange air. " I just want to go back home... this is insane, there's no reason for me to get stuck here. Kanashi gets to stay at home in a warm comfy bed but me? Noooooo I have to go marching through the damn ningenkai forest. For no reason. 'To hone my skills' my lily white ass."
He continued grumbling to himself, the blue-haired werewolf, as he walked along the road. Finally his instincts cut through his rant and he sniffed the air again. This time there was a lot more than just funky air. He smelled powerful magic.
So does the dumb boy steer clear? No. Mochiron iie. He heads right towards it, as silently as he can get (which is quite quiet) and sniffs.
Then he looks up.
And grins.
A subconscious twinge alerted the thief that something wasn't right, and when he woke up with a blue-haired stranger leaning over him, he was quite justified.
"Gah!" he yelped rather femininely.
The blue boy jumped back too, but more curious than frightened he seemed. "Hey, don't get your panties in a bunch, pretty. I was just sniffing around."
"Who are you and how dare you enter my home like this!"
"Uh my name is Cale. Nice... house."
"Shut up."
"'Kay."
The two exchanged a slight glance. Cale grinned at the thief and grinned. "So who are you?"
"I am... Dais."
"Pretty name."
Dais gave Cale a strange half-glare half-whatthefuckareyouthinking look and just shook his head.
"So what's up with the mop, whitey?" Cale reached a hand out and flipped the theif's long white hair. Dais jerked a hand up and pulled his precious, waist-length hair away from the boy's hands. "Nothing is up with my hair. I like it."
"I do too. Makes you look like a girl."
Dais' face twisted in rage and before Cale knew it he was lying on the hard ground some twenty feet below. When he finally caught his breath he looked up to see bright furious fires visible from all the way down here burning in those purple eyes. He blinked slightly himself. He'd never seen anyone with eyes like that.
Then he shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts and wondering how he'd gotten down here and why everything hurt so bad when Dais solved his confusion.
"Never insult me like that," whitey hissed menacingly as he dropped gracefully down on a shimmering strand of something or other. Cale chalked it up to head cobwebs and starry fall-enhanced vision "Fine, gods, you just don't have to knock me out of my tree, jeeze... a little fanatical there aren't we..."
"WE are not anything. Leave me alone."
"Whatever, whitey."
"Don't call me that!"
"Okay, whitey."
"ARGGHHHHHH!!!"
A soft snicker echoed through the trees as, for some reason, the two ended up walking together into the darkening night.
"Whatever you want... whitey."
A resounding crack echoed through the still forest.
three weeks later
"I'm telling you this is a bad idea," Cale hissed.
"Don't be a fool, I know what I'm doing. And if you mess me up..."
"Hai, hai... slow disembowelment and all..."
"Shhhhhh!"
The wagon rolled around the bend. It was simple enough, just one wagon, so Dais stepped into the road.
"Move out of the way!" the man in the front seat driving the oxen on shouted.
"Toll," the white-haired boy called with a smirk.
"Not a chance, kid! Go play soldier or something!"
"How about I play juggler... with your wagon?" With a wiggle of long, white fingers, the entire thing rose into the air, oxen included, and began spinning crazily. The driver and all the cargo fell free, and soon enough he let the wagon down, ignoring the man stuck in the tree that luckily broke his fall/flight.
Collection some booty, Dais grinned and saluted the man. "Thanks for the toll. Trouble is extra."
With that he took his loot and sauntered into the woods, leaving the man with a horrified expression.
Scaling a tree to where Cale was sitting, Dais triumphantly shoved the bolts of silk and the several very nice weapons he has chosen as his 'toll' at his friend. "Told you I could."
Cale could only shake his head in disbelief and grin.
that night
Exhausted from sparring with their newly-gained weapons the two collapsed together into the hammock that Dais lived in, Cale under the excuse that he was too tired to go make camp below. Dais was too tired to object so he merely nodded numbly and snuggled into the tree branches.
The moon was midsky when Cale spoke up.
"Hey Dais."
"Hai Cale?" the thief asked, turning to face his friend half- asleepily.
"You ever wanted to kiss someone?"
"Iie. Women are useless."
"Ahh. What about a not-woman?"
"What, you mean kiss a man?"
"Yeah."
"I don't suppose I ever have wanted to... why?"
"Well..." the blue-haired boy glanced at Dais, into his eyes, then away again. "I was just wondering."
"Have you?"
"Not until I met you."
Silence reigned for a long moment before either of them spoke, Dais searching Cale's face with his piercing eyes. "Are you telling me you want to kiss me?"
"Um. Hai."
"Well then why don't you?"
Cale glanced up at him, slightly in shock but his heart pounding. "I don't know how."
"Neither do I. Neither does anyone, when they start. Might as well learn now." The white-blonde smiled slightly, his widely-dilated eyes the only sign that he wasn't totally unsurprised or intruiged.
Cale nodded speechlessly and leaned forward, hesitating. Dais solved that problem, moving to meet him and pressing their lips together gently in a chaste and gentle kiss. When the two broke apart they were both smiling nervously.
"That was nice."
"Again?"
"Hai..."
Silence reigned for many long moments until Cale pulled away, lips a little swollen from his first kisses. "Wow."
Dais just pulled him closer for another long moment, his petal-soft lips falling open (nearly as open as his eyes) when he felt the slight pressure of Cale's tongue upon them. They shared a deeper kiss for a time and finally broke apart to breathe. "I think..."
"Yeah... I think so too."
With that unspoken agreement the two curled together and fell asleep.
next morning
A howl echoed through the forest at the crack of dawn, jarring the two boys from their sleep. Cale sat up and cocked his ears, listening to the tone while Dais laid there, peering down through his woven bed.
Below them finally ran a rust-colored wolf who started yipping at the tree. Cale blinked in astonishment, then swung down lightly. "Yuuka?" Dais just stayed where he was, watching carefully. He found himself ready to use his magic to defend Cale, and for the power-hungry and rather loner-type young man he found that a great revelation. He needn't, however, have worried, although he thought otherwise even after Cale called back up to him that this was a friend of his and all was well.