Certainly in high spirits despite the depressing scenery, this winter was proving to be very different for Niles. In a time when most of the army's faces were bleak, sorrowful, and gray, Niles was bright, joyful, and full of life. Maybe it was just the fact that he enjoyed the dreadful scenery. The bare trees with branches that looked like arms, cold and sharp enough to stab and scratch at any who venture too close to the bark, snow covered the earth as far as the eye could see, even to the ocean on the southern border of the country. The even coating made the entire world feel pure, feel clean, feel renewed. Such expression was the same that many would say when the flowers bloomed in the springtime, but such praise suited their time of year for the archer more, he thought. Lifeless it may be, but there was a unique beauty within such.
He hummed as he trotted through the white paths and tightened the collar of his cloak. A shiver buzzed through his body as he kicked up fresh snow and caught clumps of it in his palm. The snow made an ever satisfying crunch under his boots with each step. Niles sang softly to himself. "Who's afraid of the big bad wolf? Big bad wolf. Big bad wolf! Who's afraid of the big bad wolf? Hm-HM-hm. Hm. HMPH!" A twig snapped close by, and he stopped in his tracks to glance around, smirking. He could see anyone, not ahead, nor around, nor above in the trees. An as keen as his own would surely see any real danger, would it not? Niles was confident in his survival ability, but...nothing. He shrugged, and continued on.
"Who's afraid of the big bad wolf? Big bad wolf. Big bad wolf! Who's afraid of the big bad wolf? Hm-HM-hm. Hm. HMPH! Punch him in the nose. Tie him in a knot. Kick him in the chin. Put him on the spot! Who's afraid of the big bad wolf? Big bad wolf. Big bad wolf! Who's afraid of the big bad wolf? Hm-HM-hm. Hm. HMPH!" It was an old children's rhyme they had all learned in their childhood days, one they were told to sing if they were ever were afraid of anything, no matter what it was. Tho the origin of the story was to ward off a farmer's fear to protect his flock from any wandering wolfskin in the land, the wolf in question could be anything that lingered in the shadows, any monster or nightmare they were afraid.
Another twig snapped, and this time Niles spotted movement. His eyes darted aside, seeing the snow shift but a few paces away. Sneaky, little devil, they were, using the snow as a disguise. No doubt they must be freezing underneath all that ice. "Who's therrrrre?" he called out, lower lip pulling back as he formed a crooked smile, trying not to laugh.
"I am but a cold, starving little sheep with no place to sleep. Won't you please take me back to your camp?"
Typical. Niles could have sworn he heard this all somewhere before, in a dream perhaps. He could only shake his head and give an amused sigh as he reached for his dagger at his thigh. They got a gold star for effort, and playing along, at least. "These ears of mine won't fall for lies. You'll just have to freeze and die!" Not exactly the same as the story, but it still rhymed and worked in this occasion. Niles watched as the small snow mount began to rumble and shift. He took stance and readied himself.
"Care to make due on that threat?" Keaton exploded from his frigid hiding spot, pouncing high in the air and diving for Niles, claws out and eyes burning with fire that said he was going for the kill.
"I thought I smelled shit," Niles commented as he drew his knife and raised his arms to defend himself. What he hadn't expected was Keaton to immediately shift into his beast form at the last second before impact, giving him no room to dodge the onslaught. However, he was quick witted, and used the other's weight to his advantage. Niles allowed them both to fall to the ground for the sake of momentum, and then used both his legs to shoved Keaton off, flinging him over backwards. "You'll have to do better than that if you plan to kill me, mut!"
Keaton only laughed. "I was just going easy on you. Why don't you just sit still already and let me eat you!" He charged, shifting from side to side to keep Niles guessing as he hurled himself forward.
"Why don't you find something better to eat? I'm probably full of diseases, anyway." He knocked an arrow on his bow and took aim. There was no hesitation for the release, sending arrow after arrow screeching through the air. None of them hit their target, Keaton getting better at dodging. "Shit!" he cursed as he dived to his side, feeling his cape getting tangled in the points of the wolf's claws. The next thing he knew, Niels was being lifted off his feet, choking on the cord of cape around his neck.
"Well what have we here? A little Horian hunter, finally on the end of his rope!" Keaton just held Niles up close to his jaws and watched him struggle. He was slow to open his maw wide and exhale a hot, long breath at Niles's face. "I bet this isn't what you imagined when you said you'd like to be 'inside me' was it?" he laughed. "Get ready ta- W-what the?" He was gone! The only thing in Keaton's claws was Niles's cape, the strap undone. The archer had escaped!
Keaton looked down to see a set of track prints and disturbance in the snow goin under his- he dropped the cape and hunched forward, whimpering. A sharp sting, a violent shock, it all erupted from his backside. "Y-you dirty little-"
"Sorry. Your breath stinks. You should really stop eating so much cake, and then maybe I'll finally go on a second date with you!" Niles gave Keaton's tail another firm, sadistic squeeze and watched as the behemoth before him hunched over and winced. A claw came around to swipe at him, to which Niles released the other, back flipping away and drawing his bow once again. "This little game of Cat and Mouse has indeed been entertaining, but I'm afraid I've important business to tend to today. What's say we cut this short for today and call it a draw, shall we?
"And we barely started? Where's the fun in that?" Keaton's eyes leered at Niles, eyeing the fingers holding the arrow from its release. He was certain of the man's bluff, and snarled. "We're finished when you give me good enough reason to stop! I'm gonna kill you this time, just you wait and see!"
"A good reason to stop, you say? Very well then!" He released the arrow and watched and it wizzed at Keaton...and then right past him into the trees. "My my my, would you look at that? We have someone interrupting us!" Niles pursed his lips as he lowered his weapon. He nodded at Keaton who shifted back into his human and together they followed in the direction the arrow was shot. Not but a hundred paces away they came find someone stuck to a tree, the arrow having pierced right through their shoulder. "Now, I'm all for us being watched in the act, but don't you think it's a bit rude to not make yourself known when doing so, Keaton?"
"You're a disgusting man as any, Niles," Keaton teased with a smile on his face, standing behind the archer. He scanned the man Nile's had nailed to the truck and smirked, showing off his fangs. "What have we got here?" he said in a knowing tone.
Whoever they were, they were rude. He was a man who refused to talk and only spat on Niles's face, earning him the archer's knife to penetrate his thigh. Niles only mused and hummed softly as the man's screams soared on the cold winter winds through the woods, scaring off a flock of crows in the trees. "Well...given that his attire doesn't match any of the villagers we've passed through, and is in fact, dressed for combat, I'd say he's from someone with plenty of money, and well trained. No doubt prepared to kill anyone asked of him so long as enough money is involved. My guess is...either a spy or an assassin."
Their guest continued to whine and gripe over the blade on his leg, and the arrow in his arm, coughing all the while his nose watered. Niles thought to himself how he looked like a disgusting mess, clearing having seen better jobs than this. He took hold of the hand of his knife and swiftly tugged it out, watching as blood flooded the man's clothes. Even with his one eye focused on today's catch he knew the look that was no doubt in Keaton's eye as the man's trousers changed color, darker than the before. "Care to hold our new friend's hand while I search him?"
Keaton did just that, pinning it to the tree, nearly breaking the man's wrist in his grip.
The knife was dropped into the snow, causing it to turn pink as his hands began to work, patting the man's body down. Niles took extra care when feeling around his trousers. A hidden dagger on his thigh, throwing knives on his ankle, and- ohhhh? Something much more dangerous. Nile's face glowed with delight, watching him squirm. "A pity. I wouldn't have mind if you stabbed me with that weapon of yours." He continued feeling the man's body down until finally on his belt he found something very odd. A leather bound parchment, to which he unrolled to find it was...a negotiation.
Niles cleared his throat and began reading out loud, eye skimming the document until it seemed all that was needed. There were details of the job to be had, a small map marking the general area of where the camp was, but nothing indicating the exact location. No doubt it was a guesstimation by someone who knew the well and likely locations where any large body would make camp. There were terms of agreement, and finally talk of rewards. All in all, it only summed up to a common thievery job set up by someone with fine tastes, wanting Princess Sakura kidnapped alive. Niles rolled the paper back into the leather protector and slipped into his own coat, snickering as he did so.
"Why thank you so kindly for the warning, sir. We'll be sure to pass the information and the message along to our fearless leader, and warn the lovely Princess's retainers to be on guard!" Niles stared at Keaton, who was more focused on watching blood still leaking from the man's leg. "Keaton, didn't your mother ever teach you that it's rude to stare?" he teased as he placed his hands back on the man's tunic, beginning to undo the tie on it. Armor was being stripped from the man's body, piece by piece until the man was practically naked, in the snow, shivering, pleading and cursing for him to stop.
Niles only cackled. "Would you have stopped if Her Majesty, Lady Sakura asked you to not take her away from her loved ones?" There was no need for him to answer that. Niles picked his knife out of the snow and swiftly sliced the blade across his chest before plunging it into the very hand Keaton was pinned to the tree. "My my, who would have thought that such a vile man such as yourself held a marvelous singing voice?" he commented as the assassin cried out.
"Hey, Keaton, I think I have a good reason to call today's match a draw!"
"Oh really?" Keaton licked his lips, mouth watering. "What's that?" He waited for it.
"It's your lunchtime..."
Niles spun on the heel of his boots and started to march back in the direction from before, humming the same tune had been singing earlier. He could hear Keaton's snicker, and then growls as he changed forms. "Such sweet, sweet music, this is." He rocked back and forth on his feet where he stood, humming along to the sounds of the man's screams, him begging for his life, plead for mercy, empty promise to leave the job unfinished, and then- noise. It was nothing but violent screams, howls and crunching noises. Niles heard bones snap, organs squish, drips, and chunks plop to the ground all the while he just smiled and admired the winter beauty of the woods before him. "He must be extra tasty, if Keaton's having this much fun playing with his food," he joked to himself. And then, it died. All that was left was the sounds of Keaton chewing, devouring every last that remained while he just kept humming about.
"Fine. Today's a draw," Keaton's voice echoed as he approached the archer's side.
"I like that. It means my score is still more." He exhaled softly, watching as his breath fogged before being whisked away in the winds starting to pick up. Niles up at the wolf beside him...and then down his entire body with a single raised brow, followed by pinching his nose shut. "Messy as ever. I hope you plan on at least taking a snow bath before bed." Keaton's entire frontal was near drenched in the man's red fluid, some areas still dripping in the stuff.
He crossed his arms over his chest. "Ahh, come on, Niles! Blood smells great! It wards off intruders, too."
"It only smells great to you. The rest of us just smell iron, and then rot once it dries. It smells like death to us. Besides, you'll be sleeping in your own treasure hoard tonight if I have anything to say about it."
Keaton whimpered. "Fine, a snow bath to at least wash it out, but I ain't goin' in the castle spring with you this time!" With that, Keaton quickly dived into the largest mound of snow that was close by and proceeded to roll around, making sure to rub the powder into his fur, scratching and scrubbing at his skin. The once pure area of white was being dyed a very peculiar and oddly attractive shade of pink the more he tossed about. "There. Happy?" said when he had finished, standing over Niles to be inspected?
It...wasn't perfect, but it would do. The archer nodded as he shivered, the winds starting to whisper to them both.
"Good, now let's get back to camp, already. It'll be nightfall, soon." With a careful touch, Keaton used a large claw to nip Niles by his cloak and swung him up to sit on his shoulder and started marching through the snow towards the smoke trail. There was no way he'd get them both lost this time.
Niles only mused as he pulled the hood of his cloak over his head and hunched over on Keaton, scratching at his ears and quietly singing just as he had done before. "Who's afraid of the big bad wolf? Big bad wolf. Big bad wolf! Who's afraid of the big bad wolf? Cer-TAIN-ly. Not. ME!"