Hanging upside down, apparently dead, was a bat demon. She had medium-length hair that was black and
red streaked together prettily. Her eyes were closed, but she had a lightly freckled face. Huge wings, black and skeletal,
extended from her back. And her clothes were very interesting.
It was hard to tell when she was in her current position, but it looked like a black corset, with a fly away black and red skirt made of strips of some material. Long black and white striped stockings extended up under the skirt,
and matching armlets covered her forearms. Black leather boots laced up halfway up her shins.
She was interesting all right. But she looked like she was dead, so she had to be harmless. Kaze extended his arm out to touch her....
And heard his scream mingle with Kuroi's when she opened her eyes with a hiss.
Dropping down, and turning rightside up somewhere in the process, she landed without sound on the needle-carpeted ground.
She stared at Kuroi and Kaze, her eyes, even larger than Kuroi's, sparkled with anger. Beatiful eyes, golden with blue and black flecks. Fangs stood out in sharp relief under her full red lips.
"Who are you, and WHAT are you doing bothering my rest?!" She shrieked.
Kaze pushed Kuroi behind him, and neither of them saw the hand, tipped with razor-sharp claws, that swung from the bat's side to rip two long scratches in Kaze's face.
Blood streamed down his face. Giving a long bark, similar to a hunting fox's, Kuroi shoved him away and loosened her armlet to swing the wire at the bat.
Jumping, and moving so fast they could barely see her, the bat leaped over the twirling wire, without a single mark on her.
Kuroi, startled, paused. NOBODY got away from the wires. They moved fast, and could slice through anything.
The bat didn't even pause. She shook her arm, and a previously-unseen knife slipped from the armlet to stab Kuroi in the arm.
Scared, and in pain, the fox fell back, grabbing her arm. She glanced over to Kaze, who was crumpled on the ground. What was it? Demons healed extremely fast- he should have totaled that bat by now. But instead, he was on the ground...like he was knocked out.
Forgetting her own pain and fear, Kuroi scrambled to Kaze. Turning him over, she looked at the wind demon's face. The two scratches, shallow as they were, twisted down his face. And were dead black.
Kuroi heard a light scuffle, and looked back at the bat. The demon, previously so angry, was unruffled. The knife was back out of sight, and now she just looked disinterested. She walked forward slowly.
"Poison," The bat said. "But don't worry. It won't kill in a cut like that. Just make him sleep for a while. Now,
answer my question. Who are you, and why did you bother me?" No longer sounding hostile. Low voice, musical.
"We...didn't mean to disturb you. My name is Kuroi, and his is Kaze."
The bat nodded. "Black? And Wind. It befits a wind demon I guess."
Kuroi, not encouraged, decided to venture a question. "And...who are you?"
The bat looked at her, and Kuroi suddenly felt as though the demon could see right through her.
Long minutes passed, with nobody making a sound, when finally the bat sighed. "Kinou." And walked away.
Kuroi's thoughts were in turmoil. Kaze was still out of it, but she had moved him to another tree, one with a small indention in the ground where he could sleep. She had been sitting there for the past hour since the bat told Kuroi her name.
Kinou. Interesting name, that. It meant yesterday. Why had Kinou looked so sad when she said the name?
With a sigh, Kuroi stood up, brushing her shorts off. She looked down at Kaze.
He was still virtually naked. It was a few more hours' travel to their cave, and she couldn't do anything with him until he woke up. Kinou told her the poison should wear off in about two hours...and by then, daylight would be gone and they didn't want to move at night. Not when everything that had happened to them went on at night.
Giving a final glance to Kaze, Kuroi walked around the clearing.
She and Kaze had lived in their cave for a while, but there was never much need to move around much.
There was more than enough of everything by their home, and they had spent much of the day lazing around. So this area was unfamiliar to them.
She saw a bush, fifty yards off, that appeared to have some edible berries on it, and jogged to it to inspect it further. She had just tasted the first one, and figured they would work, when she became aware that she wasn't alone.
Turning around quickly, loosening the wires even as she spun. But it was only Kinou, looking interested in what Kuroi was doing.
Kinou smiled. She found it amusing (and rather fascinating) that Kuroi always braced for the worst. But then, she reflected, Kuroi didn't have the super-fast senses and reflexes that she herself had. Kinou could move fast enough to be unseen when she wanted- that, and she was silent.
"Calm down. Why do you always have to move so fast?" Kinou asked.
Kuroi frowned. It was an odd question, and she was really more perplexed about it. Why should Kinou care if she wanted to race to do everything?
She was about to open her mouth to tell her that, when the bat's wings extended and she took off, flying over the trees.
'And she says I race to everything....' Kuroi thought to herself.
She fianlly remembered what she was doing, and turned back to the bush. But, shockingly, every berry had been first pulled off the bush and then scattered on the ground.
Kuroi's fists clenched and her teeth were ground in her mouth as she tried to calm down. But, she failed, and the word shot out of her mouth in a long shout.....
"KINOOUUUUU!!!!!!!!"
It was hard to tell when she was in her current position, but it looked like a black corset, with a fly away black and red skirt made of strips of some material. Long black and white striped stockings extended up under the skirt,
and matching armlets covered her forearms. Black leather boots laced up halfway up her shins.
She was interesting all right. But she looked like she was dead, so she had to be harmless. Kaze extended his arm out to touch her....
And heard his scream mingle with Kuroi's when she opened her eyes with a hiss.
Dropping down, and turning rightside up somewhere in the process, she landed without sound on the needle-carpeted ground.
She stared at Kuroi and Kaze, her eyes, even larger than Kuroi's, sparkled with anger. Beatiful eyes, golden with blue and black flecks. Fangs stood out in sharp relief under her full red lips.
"Who are you, and WHAT are you doing bothering my rest?!" She shrieked.
Kaze pushed Kuroi behind him, and neither of them saw the hand, tipped with razor-sharp claws, that swung from the bat's side to rip two long scratches in Kaze's face.
Blood streamed down his face. Giving a long bark, similar to a hunting fox's, Kuroi shoved him away and loosened her armlet to swing the wire at the bat.
Jumping, and moving so fast they could barely see her, the bat leaped over the twirling wire, without a single mark on her.
Kuroi, startled, paused. NOBODY got away from the wires. They moved fast, and could slice through anything.
The bat didn't even pause. She shook her arm, and a previously-unseen knife slipped from the armlet to stab Kuroi in the arm.
Scared, and in pain, the fox fell back, grabbing her arm. She glanced over to Kaze, who was crumpled on the ground. What was it? Demons healed extremely fast- he should have totaled that bat by now. But instead, he was on the ground...like he was knocked out.
Forgetting her own pain and fear, Kuroi scrambled to Kaze. Turning him over, she looked at the wind demon's face. The two scratches, shallow as they were, twisted down his face. And were dead black.
Kuroi heard a light scuffle, and looked back at the bat. The demon, previously so angry, was unruffled. The knife was back out of sight, and now she just looked disinterested. She walked forward slowly.
"Poison," The bat said. "But don't worry. It won't kill in a cut like that. Just make him sleep for a while. Now,
answer my question. Who are you, and why did you bother me?" No longer sounding hostile. Low voice, musical.
"We...didn't mean to disturb you. My name is Kuroi, and his is Kaze."
The bat nodded. "Black? And Wind. It befits a wind demon I guess."
Kuroi, not encouraged, decided to venture a question. "And...who are you?"
The bat looked at her, and Kuroi suddenly felt as though the demon could see right through her.
Long minutes passed, with nobody making a sound, when finally the bat sighed. "Kinou." And walked away.
Kuroi's thoughts were in turmoil. Kaze was still out of it, but she had moved him to another tree, one with a small indention in the ground where he could sleep. She had been sitting there for the past hour since the bat told Kuroi her name.
Kinou. Interesting name, that. It meant yesterday. Why had Kinou looked so sad when she said the name?
With a sigh, Kuroi stood up, brushing her shorts off. She looked down at Kaze.
He was still virtually naked. It was a few more hours' travel to their cave, and she couldn't do anything with him until he woke up. Kinou told her the poison should wear off in about two hours...and by then, daylight would be gone and they didn't want to move at night. Not when everything that had happened to them went on at night.
Giving a final glance to Kaze, Kuroi walked around the clearing.
She and Kaze had lived in their cave for a while, but there was never much need to move around much.
There was more than enough of everything by their home, and they had spent much of the day lazing around. So this area was unfamiliar to them.
She saw a bush, fifty yards off, that appeared to have some edible berries on it, and jogged to it to inspect it further. She had just tasted the first one, and figured they would work, when she became aware that she wasn't alone.
Turning around quickly, loosening the wires even as she spun. But it was only Kinou, looking interested in what Kuroi was doing.
Kinou smiled. She found it amusing (and rather fascinating) that Kuroi always braced for the worst. But then, she reflected, Kuroi didn't have the super-fast senses and reflexes that she herself had. Kinou could move fast enough to be unseen when she wanted- that, and she was silent.
"Calm down. Why do you always have to move so fast?" Kinou asked.
Kuroi frowned. It was an odd question, and she was really more perplexed about it. Why should Kinou care if she wanted to race to do everything?
She was about to open her mouth to tell her that, when the bat's wings extended and she took off, flying over the trees.
'And she says I race to everything....' Kuroi thought to herself.
She fianlly remembered what she was doing, and turned back to the bush. But, shockingly, every berry had been first pulled off the bush and then scattered on the ground.
Kuroi's fists clenched and her teeth were ground in her mouth as she tried to calm down. But, she failed, and the word shot out of her mouth in a long shout.....
"KINOOUUUUU!!!!!!!!"