_Mystic Heart Odyssey_ _Part 7: Downtime_ _Chapter 21_ _Hey, remember when I said this would just be a short arc? Wasn’t that hilarious? ...aaaalmost through it, though!_ _\-Llox_ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ “It’s all my damn fault. Again,” Gleam moaned as Kuna again checked her for any injuries he previously missed. Luckily, her fainting spell hadn’t lasted long- she’d just been overwhelmed by the stress of it all. “All because I’m such a jumpy little-” “Hey, stop that,” Lykou chided lightly, pawing at her leg softly. “You couldn’t help it. Besides, I was the dummy that was poking around in there and left the axe outside.” “Yeah, no kidding,” Kuna agreed, shooting him a little glare. Then he sighed and pulled them both into an embrace after he finished checking Gleam over. Miraculously, she didn’t seem to have any serious injuries- just some more bruises and slightly singed fur. “I’m just glad you’re both still here, at least.” Lykou nuzzled up to him a little, then looked down at his paw thoughtfully. “Man, not having hands is gonna suck.” “We’ve got to figure out how to turn you back,” Kuna said. “Might have to go back to the altar.” “But there’s no more of those glowy ball thingies,” Gleam pointed out. Kuna frowned. “That’s a good point.” “Well we may not need it,” Lykou said hopefully. “I’m not sure exactly what that thing was for, but at least I’ve still got my people-mind.” “Thank goodness for that,” the sereva agreed, holding him close. “I don’t want to take any big risks, though. No telling how that altar thing might work without it.” “So what do we do?” Lykou asked, frustrated. “We can’t just sit around hoping it fixes itself. And I can’t exactly carry much like this.” “Annoying as it is to be delayed again, I guess we’ll have to ask Aelana and Daisy,” Kuna replied. “Or Zyn, if he shows back up before tonight. We might as well set up camp here, in any case. Gleam, can you help me s-” He paused, noticing the squirrel was staring a the symbols on the wall again, seemingly fixated. “Uh, Gleam? ...Gleam!” Gleam shook her head and turned to him with a sheepish look. “Huh? Oh, s-sorry.” Lykou glanced between her and the symbols. “Everything alright?” “Yeah, I just… I dunno, those weird symbols feel strangely familiar, somehow,” Gleam said, furrowing her brow as she stared at them again. Kuna arched a brow. “Really? Maybe something related to those dreams?” he suggested. “Either way, best not to go touching them.” Gleam shook her head emphatically. “Oh trust me, I won’t. I just wish I knew why I’m getting a weird feeling about them.” “Well, they’re imbued with magic,” Kuna pointed out. “And we’ve already found out you’ve got some kind of weird magical sense after that last dream. So that probably has something to do with it.” “Hey, maybe tonight you’ll get another one that’ll help it all make more sense,” Lykou suggested, lightly poking the squirrel with his paw. Gleam’s ears dipped down. “After the trouble it’s put us through today, I don’t know that I’m looking forward to another one.” “It’s probably only because you don’t know how to control it,” Kuna pointed out. “With any luck, maybe they’ll help you figure that out now.” “Maybe… still wish I could sleep normally for once, though,” Gleam replied. “Speaking of dreams though, which of you is gonna talk to those friends of yours again tonight?” Lykou sighed. “Guess it might as well be me. Not being able to carry my stuff like this means we’re kind of stuck for now, and it’s not like I can do much without hands. So being a little tired tomorrow won’t make much difference.” Kuna let out a small yawn. “Mm, yeah, speaking of which... I guess we should go ahead and set up camp. Hopefully we’ll have some answers in the morning.” “Guess one of you will have to handle getting wood for the fire,” Lykou pointed out. “You can use the axe, but be careful, it’s heavy, and you’re not attuned to it.” “Crap. Almost forgot about that,” Kuna said. “At least with this building here, I won’t have to use my magic to make a shelter.” “I don’t like the idea of sleeping in here,” Gleam said, eyeing all the magical symbols on the walls. “Don’t worry, just stay away from any of the glowing things,” Lykou said, then gestured with his head towards one corner. “Looks like there’s a good spot over there. And obviously we’ll still set up the fire outside.” Kuna stood up and stretched a bit. “Well, mind helping me get some wood, Gleam?” he asked as he walked over to grab the axe. “Between the two of us, it shouldn’t take long.” “Sure,” Gleam replied, grunting as she got up to follow him. Lykou followed behind them. “I’m going to search around the ruins nearby a little, since there’s not much else I can do.” “Be careful,” Kuna said. “You sure you don’t want to follow along with us?” “I’d probably just get in the way like this. Plus, until we find a way to turn me back, I’ve got to get used to walking and running like this,” Lykou replied, looking at his paw again. “And a little exploring and scouting seems like a good way to get used to it. Don’t worry, I won’t touch anything strange.” The sereva eyed him anxiously. “Please do be careful, Kou. You’ve already given me one bad scare today.” Lykou folded his ears down, then trotted over to the sereva and hesitated for a moment. He tried to hug him, but when that proved to be tricky and awkward, he settled for simply nuzzling up against his leg a bit. “Hey, don’t worry. At least I’m still alive, right?” “Yeah, let’s keep it that way,” Kuna replied, bending down to embrace the feral-bodied konuul. Gleam knelt down to embrace the canid as well. “What he said. You may have caught up your story of your journey, but I’m sure you’ve got more to tell me, so I’ll be waiting to hear them!” Lykou chuckled. “Well, I guess I could tell some old spirit stories,” he said, then sighed. “Or just talk about folks back home…” Kuna gave him a gentle squeeze. “We’re gonna get there, Kou. We’ve gotten past worse setbacks than this. I don’t know how, but we’re gonna fix this.” “Judging from what you guys told me, this is probably one of the least-scary things you’ve dealt with,” Gleam chimed in, then grinned. “And hey, you might miss your hands, but wait until you see how much faster you can be on all fours.” “Maybe once I get more used to it,” Lykou said, then nuzzled Kuna again. “Speaking of which, I’m going to go work on that. Meet you guys back here in a bit, after I try running around some.” “Alright, Kou,” Kuna replied, giving him another gentle squeeze before standing back up again. “Be safe.” “You too!” the konuul replied. “I know there’s not supposed to be any dangerous predators here, but watch each other’s backs! Oh, Gleam- take my knife, just in case.” Gleam glanced over towards where the canid’s clothing was still piled up and frowned. “Doubt I’ll be any help with it, but okay…” “Like I said, just in case,” Lykou reiterated. “Not just for self-defense, but also because you never know when you might need to cut something.” Kuna walked over and grabbed the axe, grunting a bit as he hefted it up and stumbled around a little. “Good thing I’m just using this for the wood. I think I’d be better off using my magic for defense,” he said, then smirked over at the konuul. “You make it look so easy.” “Really, you’re crazy strong, Kou,” Gleam agreed as she fiddled with the knife and its sheath. “Must be a pred thing.” Lykou smiled and rolled his eyes. “Oh please, don’t forget the whole ‘attuning’ thing probably helps. Anyway, wait until you meet my sister. Now _she’s_ strong.” “If you say so,” Kuna said as he led the way to the door and held it open for the other two. “Maybe muscles just run in your family, then.” \*\*\*\*\* Lykou wandered around the outside of the building, looking for… anything notable, really. It may have been the only full sized building around, but there were a few statues and pillars near it. None particularly stood out, however, and he soon grew bored. He sniffed the air and pricked his ears up. His senses weren’t notably better than before, but somehow he was more keenly aware of little things they were picking up on, and it was mildly fascinating. All the birdsong, wind in the tree branches, and little movements of various woodland creatures created a vibrant chorus that captured his attention. The smell of different flowers in the air, the musk of various creatures, and the scents of various trees similarly stole his attention as he wandered into the woods. He eventually came across another statue depicting a now much more familiar feral canid creature and stopped to examine it thoughtfully. He couldn’t help but wonder why the creators of the statues chose to transform certain animals into people. In fact, his mind was filled with questions and curiosity about it all. If it wasn’t for how much he missed his family and friends, he’d have happily stayed longer in the valley to try and unearth its secrets. _Man, if Nai and Ore were here, we’d never stop exploring this place. Imagine if we’d grown up around ruins like this_, he thought. _Probably end up in all kinds of trouble, but it’d be so much fun_. Lykou blinked and let his gaze drift down from the statue as his mood dipped. _Then again, look where my thirst for adventure got me. Now I haven’t seen them in… fuck, how long has it even been now?_ _I don’t even know anymore__._ _Three months?_ _Four__?_ He sighed heavily and moved on past the statue, and continued to wander without any real goal in mind. He considered turning back and waiting at the camp, but then decided that if he was going to deal with these thoughts, he might as well at least keep moving to help distract himself. _If I’d known being a spirit chaser would take me away from them for so long, I’d have become a gatherer with Nai,_ he thought. _Damn you, Ink._ But after walking a bit more, he paused again and folded his ears down. _Then again… if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have met Kuna. Or Gleam. Or any of the friends I’ve made on this trip. And a lot of people would still have big problems, even ended up dead_. He grumbled and rolled his eyes up briefly. _I hate you so much, even if I can’t argue with the results._ He sighed again. _It’d suck not making those friends, but I’m sure you could have broken things up and had different people go to each of those places. But… Kuna…_ He smiled faintly after a moment as he wandered aimlessly, his eyes vacant as he became lost in his thoughts. Kuna. _He’s worth all of it. If I could keep just one thing from this trip, it’d be him. I just wish I could tell him how I really feel..._ Over time, he was gradually pulled out of his thoughts by the eerie sensation that he was being watched. He paused and looked around, searching his surroundings for potential threats. He stood still and listened carefully, but all he heard were the usual forest sounds- including the flowing waters of a stream some distance away. The sensation remained, but after searching around thoroughly, he dismissed it as his imagination, perhaps heightened due to his transformation. When he passed around some bushes, he found himself on part of the trail that wandered through the valley. It was a particularly flat, straight segment, and in the distance, he spotted something that immediately intrigued him. It was one of the large, colorful flightless birds he’d previously hunted. A tingly sense of excitement suddenly rushed through him and he grinned, hunkering down. Without really thinking about it, he started stalking along the edge of the trail, using the underbrush to keep hidden along the way. The bird was plucking some berries off of a bush on the other side. But after a certain point, it stopped and glanced around once Lykou got close enough. He realized it must have noticed that it was being watched, even if it couldn’t tell from where. On instinct, he suddenly lunged from the brush towards his quarry. In a panicked burst of movement, the bird scrambled to flee its pursuer. Despite its awkward size and shape, it ran surprisingly fast on its two legs. Nonetheless, Lykou was gradually gaining on it. In fact, not only did he feel even faster than before, the running wasn’t nearly as exhausting as he’d expected. If anything, he found it positively exhilarating. When he got close enough, he pounced. There was a blur of movement and thrashing, and then he found himself pinning the squirming bird underneath him, with its neck in his jaws. But rather than biting down for the kill, he sat there and let his mind process things. He’d been acting without even thinking about it, instinctively. But he didn’t need to hunt. He already had plenty of meat stocked up. Not to mention the idea of killing like _this_, with his bare teeth, repulsed him a bit. He could feel the fearful, desperate thrashing of the creature in his clutches and suddenly felt a bit bad. Lykou let go and backed off. The bird, confused but relieved, quickly got up and darted off, expecting him to resume pursuit any moment. Once it was out of sight, Lykou wandered off in the direction he’d heard the flowing water. As he sated his thirst, he mulled over what had just happened. It all felt so natural, not to mention exciting- fun, even. He was mildly disturbed at how close he’d come to killing the bird feral-style, but the fact that the impulses apparently stopped short of actually finishing the job reassured him. _Man, I feel so full of energy_, he thought. _I guess this wild animal body has its perks._ After cooling off for a minute, he looked around. He glanced back at the trail and grinned, then trotted over to it. W_ell, might as well keep testing it out._ He took a deep breath and crouched down, then bolted up the trail, running as fast as he could. The air felt wonderful as it flowed through his fur. The world blurred past him rapidly, but he somehow managed to keep track of things. In a way, it felt like a limited version of when his unnamed ability was active. He couldn’t help but wonder if there was a connection there. But before he could contemplate it much more, something caught his attention and he stopped at the bottom of a tree, staring up into its branches. There was a chipmunk staring down at him and he grinned. Without thinking, he began barking at it, which served to scare it off. He darted over and clawed at the tree, wishing he could climb up to continue the chase. A squirrel caught his attention a moment later and he switched to barking at it instead. And so the shenanigans continued for a while, until eventually he spotted an armadillo crossing up the trail a ways and decided to investigate it instead. \*\*\*\*\* “What about that one?” Gleam asked, pointing to a fallen tree a short distance away. She and Kuna had gathered some fallen branches already, but so far they’d not had much luck getting good sized logs for the fire. The sereva was struggling to swing the axe and consistently hit the same mark on any given tree, fallen or living. So while it easily cut into the wood, it ended up leaving various not-quite-all-the-way-through marks on the wood. “Looks thin enough, you might be able to get it in one swing.” Kuna eyed the fallen trunk in question as he caught his breath. After a moment, he shrugged. “Worth a try.” He approached the tree and steadied himself, then carefully hauled back on the axe, doing his best to hold it steady. Just as he felt like he was about to fall backwards, he hurled the axe down and slammed it into the trunk with all his might. This time, the blade sank all the way through to the other side, much to his relief. “Alright, good swing Ku!” Gleam said. “Thanks, but the axe deserves most of the credit,” Kuna said, panting slightly. “I’m glad it’s so sharp. I’d hate to have to do this with a normal, non-magic axe.” “Well you’re not doing any magic with it right now,” the squirrel pointed out. “Er, right?” Kuna shook his head. “No, but its innate magic makes it way sharper than other axes. A stone axe, or I guess one made from some other kind of metal, probably wouldn’t cut nearly as deep.” “Oh… so what _is_ that made out of?” Gleam asked curiously. “Er… good question,” Kuna replied, then grunted as he pulled the axe up again and looked it over. “I uh… hate to say it but I think some kind of bone is part of it.” Gleam gawked. “B… b-bone?? Like… the things inside you??” Kuna nodded. “Yyyup. Morbid as it sounds, preds sometimes use bones for tools, apparently. But in this case that’s just a guess.” “That’s… something,” Gleam replied, her eye twitching a bit. “Does Kou have anything else made of bone?” Kuna rolled up his eyes as he thought for a moment, then shook his head. “Maybe one of those old spirit charms, but otherwise not that I know of. Oh, and technically the needles we were using for sewing are made of fish bones.” “Wait, really? I never would’ve guessed,” Gleam said with an uncertain, mildly uncomfortable expression. “Feels… weird, knowing that.” “Heh, believe me I know,” Kuna replied, then hefted the axe back, preparing to take another swing. He grunted and strained, then brought it down heavily on the tree again, separating a chunk fully from the rest. “But the way I look at it, if they’re going to kill and eat animals, at least they’re using as much of them as they can.” “That’s true,” Gleam conceded, then smirked. “Unfortunately doesn’t really work for little things like beetles.” Kuna made a face. “Ugh, don’t remind me you eat those.” “Hey, not my fault you don’t appreciate a good crunchy snack!” Gleam retorted, then stuck her tongue out at him playfully. Kuna just snickered and shook his head, then took another swing, chopping off another section of tree. “I’ll stick to carrots and nuts and such, thank you. Bugs are all yours.” Gleam giggled. “Eh, those do taste better admittedly. And they’re easier to get.” “Unless it’s winter,” Kuna pointed out. After a few more chops, he leaned on the axe to catch his breath, panting a bit. “Okay, this… this should… be enough…” “I should hope so. You alright?” Gleam asked. “I can go grab your water-thingy real quick if you want.” “I’ll… be fine. Just… need a moment,” Kuna assured her, then took a deep breath to collect himself. “But thanks.” After the sereva recovered, they both gathered up the wood and hauled it back to the campsite. Gleam carried as much as she could, but that still left an armload for Kuna to carry alongside the axe. It was awkward and strenuous, but they made it work. When they arrived back at the campsite, they were greeted by a strange and amusing sight- Lykou was already back, and he was rolling around on the ground for some reason, and occasionally letting out happy little barks and other noises. “Uhhh… Kou…?” Kuna asked with a bemused expression. Lykou immediately hopped up and swished his tail. “Oh, there you guys are! Welcome back!” Gleam giggled as she and Kuna set the wood down. Kuna smirked and eyed the konuul. “What was that all about? Why were you, uh… rolling around?” The canid stared at him blankly for a moment, then grinned sheepishly. “I have no idea. It just… felt right, somehow,” he explained. “I didn’t notice it at first, but since we split up earlier, I’ve started feeling some funny impulses. I guess I did get a little bit of ‘wild’ mind after all, or at least some stronger instincts.” “Oh really?” the sereva asked with concern, pausing in the middle of setting up the firepit. “Anything we should worry about?” “I don’t think so. I mean, I chased one of those birds without thinking about it, but I let it go after I caught it,” Lykou said. “Just, for some reason I really, really like running and chasing things more than usual now. It… feels more exciting than before.” “Well… as long as you’re not feeling more aggressive or something,” Kuna said, then grinned. “So what, being a spirit chaser wasn’t enough, now you’re an everything-chaser?” Lykou snickered. “I guess so.” He beamed over at the squirrel. “And you were right, by the way. Running on all fours is awesome!” “Told you!” Gleam said, grinning back. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself,” Kuna said as he worked on setting up their campfire. “Leave it to you to find the positive in anything, Kou.” “Don’t get me wrong, I definitely don’t want to stay like this,” Lykou replied, then flopped over and stretched out. “But I’m surprised by how much I’m enjoying it. I have so much more energy, for some reason.” Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted his tail and suddenly became fixated with it. Without warning, he suddenly lunged at it. When it naturally evaded his grasp, he began twisting and rolling around trying to nip at it, eventually getting back to his paws so he could chase it. Kuna and Gleam watched in stunned amusement, the former with a log in his hands and the latter with a carrot halfway to her mouth. Eventually, the squirrel lowered the carrot and began cracking up. Kuna just shook his head and grinned. “Did the magic increase your _silliness_ instincts, too?” Lykou stopped and looked up at them for a moment, then flopped and rolled onto his back with a sheepish, but somewhat goofy grin. His tail continued swishing around. “What? I’m just having fun! Kiss my butt.” “Maybe when you’re back to normal,” Kuna muttered under his breath, looking away with a coy smirk. “What was that?” Gleam asked innocently. “You mumbled.” “Nevermind,” the sereva quickly replied as he refocused on starting the fire, avoiding her gaze. “Er, okay…?” Gleam responded, then looked back over at the konuul, who had started rolling around again. She grinned again. “Hey, speaking of butts though, you realize you’re naked, right?” Lykou sat up and blinked, then smirked. “Yeah, I guess so. Not like anything would fit this body. But honestly it doesn’t even feel like it, oddly enough.” Kuna looked up, blushing, and looked over the canid briefly, then averted his gaze again and cleared his throat. “W-well you do seem even fluffier than usual. Guess it helps, uh… hide things.” “You know, fair’s fair,” Gleam said playfully. “I think we should take our clothes off too. You know, so he doesn’t feel like the odd one out.” Kuna facepalmed. “No, Gleam, we’re not getting naked too.” “Aww, come on,” the squirrel replied, pouting. “It’s so much more comfortable!” Lykou snickered. “Hey, I don’t mind if you want to.” “I bet you don’t,” Kuna said, shooting him a look. “Perv.” “Hey, my mind didn’t go there!” the canid responded. “That was all you.” “I heard ‘naked time’!” Gleam announced, then eagerly took off the poncho. Kuna rolled his eyes up and groaned a little. “Well, I’m keeping my clothes _on_.” “Fine, we’ll be relaxing all comfy,” Gleam said, leaning back and basking in the freedom. “You can keep your awkward, uh…” “Robe,” Kuna replied. “And it’s plenty comfy, I’ll have you know.” He finished getting the fire started, then sat back for a moment. “...kind of warm for here now, though. Might change into that sareo…” “Do it. Gleam should see it,” Lykou said. “And you look extra cute and sexy in it.” “Shut!” Kuna blurted out, blushing more and playfully glaring at the konuul. Gleam giggled. “Oh now I definitely want to see it.” Kuna rolled his eyes and got up, then walked over to his bag. “Alright, but I’m changing in the, um… building.” “Aww,” Lykou playfully whined. “That’s no fun.” “Perv,” the sereva retorted as he pulled out the garment and walked inside. “So, I take it you’re attracted to Kuna?” Gleam asked out of nowhere a few moments later, taking the konuul by surprise. “Are you two doing that ‘casual mating’ thing you talked about?” Lykou’s eyes widened, then his ears folded back. “W-wow, Gleam… w-what brought that up?” “You just mentioned him being sexy,” Gleam said matter-of-factly. “That means attractive, right?” “It… does,” Lykou replied. “But just because you find someone attractive doesn’t automatically mean you’re actually interested in doing those kinds of things with them, for various reasons.” He hesitated for a moment, then glanced at the door. He smirked a bit and blushed. “That said… and I’m only saying this since you’ll be traveling with us anyway and it’s bound to come up, so don’t tell ANYONE about what I’m about to say, okay?” “Okay?” Gleam replied. “Tell anyone what?” “I mean it,” Lykou said. “Nobody.” “Alright, I got it!” the squirrel replied, then grinned. “You are though, aren’t you?” Lykou sat up and curled his tail around himself bashfully, still smirking. “...yeah. We uh, actually just started the whole friends-with-benefits casual sex thing recently. Right before we met you, in fact.” “Yeah?” Gleam responded eagerly. “And it’s fun?” “Well, yeah,” Lykou replied. “We’ve only done it once so far though.” “Now I’m jealous,” the squirrel said. “You sure I can’t convince you t-” “No, Gleam,” Lykou said. “_Especially_ not while I’m like _this_. That just seems… weird. Plus, like I said, you need to get to know yourself a bit better first before you go getting involved with other people sexually.” Gleam sighed and rolled her eyes. “Right, right.” “But hey, on that note, you could do some of that ‘experimenting’ tonight if you want,” Lykou said. “Just let us know and we’ll give you some privacy.” The squirrel drummed her fingers on her leg thoughtfully, then grinned and shrugged. “Okay, sure. After I finish eating.” “Save one of those carrots,” Lykou suggested, grinning. “Trust me.” “Er, okay?” The door to the building re-opened and Kuna walked out, freshly dressed in the sareo. “Well, here it is,” he said, then spun around after setting the robe down. “Nice and breezy. Glad you suggested it, Kou.” He narrowed his eyes at the canid and smirked. “Pervy motives aside.” “I don’t know what you mean,” Lykou retorted with faux-innocence, even as he eyed the sereva up rather openly. “I just wanted you to be more comfortable.” “I’m gonna experiment tonight,” Gleam announced before Kuna could reply. “Should I do it inside or out here?” “Experi-?” Kuna started to ask, then stopped and blushed when realization struck. “Oh. Oh, you mean-” “She’s gonna figure out masturbation!” Lykou said, grinning, then snickered. “Yup.” “Oookay,” Kuna said with an awkward smile. “Well, by all means do it inside if you want. I can just meditate out here for a bit.” He shot Lykou a look. “And maybe teach _you_ a thing or two about meditating, too.” “Heh, maybe. Not like I can fiddle with my instrument like this anyway,” the canid replied. “Exactly,” Kuna agreed. “That should give her plenty of time for… _that_.” “I suggested she save a carrot to sacrifice, I hope you don’t mind,” Lykou said. “Maybe you can explain why, since you have experience.” Kuna sputtered, then picked his balled-up robe again and hurled it at the konuul as he muttered barely-coherent obscenities. “Don’t make me vine you!” “I still don’t-” Gleam started to reply, then paused as the suggestion dawned on her. “...oh. Is it so I can pretend that it’s a male’s-” “Yes,” Kuna quickly blurted out, facepalming and blushing hard. “That’s what he’s suggesting.” “Ohhh,” Gleam said, picking up a carrot and looking it over. “That kinda makes sense. So I’d just stick it-” “Somethinglikethatyeah,” the sereva interrupted again. “ANYWAY. I’m sure you can figure it out.” “Wait, you’re a boy though,” Gleam said, confusion painting her face. “Where did you-?” “Thaaaat’s enough of this conversation,” Kuna declared pointedly, blushing profusely, then grabbed his water jug and took a big sip as Lykou snickered some more. “Oh come on, now I’m really curious!” Gleam insisted, then grumbled. “People are so frustrating about the dumbest things.” Lykou leaned over and stage-whispered to her, “His butt.” “Huh?!” Gleam replied, shocked. “In… there?? But-” “IsaidsubjectchangeNOW!” Kuna demanded, then chucked his water jug at the konuul and looked around for the konuul’s waterskin, grumbling. Lykou winced as the jug thudded against his side, then giggled. Gleam just shook her head and murmured to herself. “Why would anyone…?” “I’ll tell ya later, Gleam,” the canid assured her, then prodded the jug with a paw. “Out of water hmm?” Kuna picked up the canid’s water skin and shook it a bit. “Yeah and it looks like you’re almost out, too. Guess we need to make a refill run.” “I found a stream a ways down from here,” the konuul said. “We should hurry, sun’s already setting.” Gleam looked around warily. “I’m… not thrilled with walking around out there in the dark.” Lykou suddenly perked up. “Hey, Ku, see if you can figure out how to strap those to me. I can run a lot faster in this body, so I should be able to get there and back a lot quicker.” Kuna frowned. “What, by yourself? I dunno, Kou…” “Hey, it’ll be fine! Zyn said it was safe here, remember?” Lykou reminded him. “He also didn’t know about all this weird transformation magic stuff,” Kuna pointed out flatly. “Who knows what else he may have missed?” “I’m sure we would’ve seen anything dangerous by now,” the canid insisted. “Besides, if I’m not back in an hour, you can use your magic to come find me.” “I guess,” Kuna conceded, then sighed. “C’mere, I’ll see what I can do.” “Sure you wanna do this, Kou?” Gleam asked. “I feel bad not coming with you, but…” “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine,” the konuul insisted as he grabbed the jug’s strap and dragged it over to Kuna. “I’ll be fast. And I mean, I wandered around the damn _Kryck_ at night by myself. Compared to that, this’ll be relaxing, believe me.” Kuna shuddered. “Fair point. Still can’t believe you did that.” “Hey, it was important,” Lykou replied. “You were sick, and I wasn’t about to let you sit there suffering all night.” The sereva blushed and smirked as he worked out how to wrap the straps for the jug and the waterskin around the quadrupedal canid. “Funny how easily you swing between pervy goofball and massive sweetheart.” “It’s my specialty!” Lykou declared with a grin. “You guys still need to explain that ‘pervy’ word to me,” Gleam pointed out. “Even though I think I’m starting to get some idea.” “Kou can when he gets back,” Kuna said as he finished strapping the containers to the canid’s back. “There. I adjusted them. Can you get the stoppers with your teeth?” Lykou looked back and shifted around a bit. “Uhh… oh! I see,” he said, then managed to get the sereva’s water jug to slide around to where he could reach the cork. It took some effort, but he managed to tug it out after a moment. “Yep.” “Now try putting it back in,” Kuna said. Again, the canid fiddled around with the jug awkwardly. But once he got it lined up right and wrapped a leg around it to hold it, he managed to shove it in. “There!” “Okay, you should be good to go, then,” Kuna said, then pulled the konuul into a hug. “Be safe out there, Kou.” “I will, don’t worry,” Lykou said, nuzzling the sereva softly, then turned and bolted off. “You’ll see, I’ll be back before you know it!” \*\*\*\*\* Lykou sprinted down along the trail again, loving the rush of the world speeding by around him. The awkwardness of having the two containers strapped to him barely slowed him any. He’d always enjoyed running- it was part of why he’d become a chaser, after all- but doing it in feral form was a whole new level of fun. While he definitely wanted to return to normal, he found himself wishing there was a way for him to swap back and forth. _Maybe if Kuna gets good enough at life magic…_ When he finally started to hear the sound of running water in the distance, he stopped and glanced up at the sky. The moon was already creeping up as the sun faded over the mountains. He knew it’d be darker off the trail, but it’d hardly be the first time he’d navigated in the dark. Still, he knew he’d need to hurry- he wouldn’t get much moonlight under the forest canopy. He followed the sound until he finally found the stream again. Without hands, he was forced to partly submerge himself in the water in order to do what he came for. That, of course, was more than fine by him. If anything, he struggled to resist the urge to splash and play around in the water a bit. He found himself wishing Kuna and Gleam had come along after all. Still, he knew they’d be worrying, so he set to filling the waterskin and jug as soon as he waded far enough into the water. After around fifteen minutes of awkwardly manipulating the containers primarily with his mouth, filling them, and re-sealing them, he left the stream and began making his way back. But before long, he realized he was having trouble finding his way back to the trail. While he’d been distracted by his thoughts, he’d forgotten which way he’d come from. And soon he started realizing another problem- he was used to being able to see over a lot of the underbrush in his normal form. But in his current body, he was below the tops of many of the denser patches of shrubs and bushes. And it was even darker down that low. “Shit,” he cursed out loud as he meandered through the forest. “I hope I find that trail soon. Would be embarrassing if Ku and Gleam had to come find me after all.” After getting thoroughly lost, he sighed and pondered staying in one spot so they could find him easier after an hour had passed. _Always gotta be the brave hero_, he thought to himself. _Use your damn brain more, Lykou._ But then, to make matters worse, he started to get that unsettling feeling of being watched again. He stood still and listened, but couldn’t make out any significant movement nearby. The wind rustled the tree branches overhead, and the sound of crickets performing their nightly chorus, but otherwise the forest was relatively quiet and peaceful. Still, he decided to keep moving as that feeling grew more apparent. Eventually, he started moving a bit faster, though he didn’t burst into a full run just yet. He was growing increasingly convinced that he was being stalked by something, and he didn’t want to tip off whatever it was that he knew it until he figured out exactly where it was and found a clear path to escape. But then he heard it- a much more distinct rustling sound from some bushes nearby. His instincts kicked into high gear and he bolted off in the opposite direction without thinking about it. Had he been in his normal body, he would have considered confronting whatever it was, but as it was, he had no weapon and wasn’t very confident in his ability to fight off danger with just his teeth and claws- especially not with the water containers strapped around him. After running for a solid ten minutes, he slowed down and carefully took in his surroundings. All was quiet again, but he still felt eyes upon him. Then, after he’d stopped for a minute, there was another rustling nearby. Yet again, he bolted off in the opposite direction. The cycle repeated a half dozen or so times. Every time he thought he might’ve evaded whatever was pursuing him, he stopped to catch his breath and try to get his bearings, only to be startled off again a couple minutes later. The constant starting and stopping, plus the bursts of adrenaline, were really starting to wear him down. Fortunately, he finally spotted a sight for sore eyes in the distance- a campfire. He started running towards it, but then slowed to a stop and looked around, realizing he might be leading a dangerous creature back with him. And he didn’t want to endanger Kuna and Gleam. Then again, he knew Kuna would be upset if he tried to handle it on his own. And his magic would probably help. But as he was contemplating it, he suddenly realized the watched feeling had faded. He looked back over his shoulder and peered into the dark forest behind him. Everything was still and quiet again. He no longer felt the strange presence. He stood there, pondering it for a moment. Part of him wondered if whatever it was had been guiding him back all along. Perhaps there were friendly spirits in the forest. Still, as mystified as he was, he was eager to get back to camp, so he sprang back into a full run until he got there. \*\*\*\*\* Kuna and Gleam were sitting by the campfire, chatting idly and lounging against some floral cushioning the sereva had conjured up. Both looked up when Lykou burst out of the treeline and dashed over to Kuna’s side. The canid immediately nuzzled up to the sereva and collapsed next to him, panting. “Oh hey, welcome back,” Kuna said, wrapping an arm around the konuul. “I was getting worried about you.” “Are you okay?” Gleam asked, noting how exhausted he looked. “Did something happen?” Lykou took a moment to catch his breath while Kuna unstrapped the jug and waterskin, then sat back up and glanced back out into the forest. “Uhh… yeah,” he said, then folded his ears down sheepishly as he turned back to the squirrel. “I… got lost, for one thing. Underestimated how hard it is to navigate in this body.” “Mhmm. Always rushing off to play mister brave,” Kuna chided lightly, then tussled the fur on the canid’s head. “I was starting to think we’d have to come find you after all.” “Well… that’s not all,” Lykou said, still shooting wary glances back in the woods. “Something out there was following me.” “What??” Gleam asked in alarm. “L-like what??” “I don’t know. I never saw anything,” Lykou replied. “But I could definitely feel it watching me. And occasionally I heard it move around nearby. And it wasn’t small.” Kuna sat up and glanced nervously into the woods as well. He narrowed his eyes and focused for a moment, then shook his head. “I… don’t sense anything big out there. Maybe we should hole up inside though, just to be safe. I can reinforce the door.” “That sounds like a good idea,” Gleam agreed, staring fearfully into the darkness. “Well… odd as it sounds, I’m not sure it’s dangerous,” Lykou explained. “Sure, it kept spooking me and stalking me, but after I got close enough to see the campfire, it went away. I’m not sure, but I get the weird feeling it was guiding me back here, somehow.” “Really?” Kuna replied incredulously, then scratched his head. “So… not a wild animal, then.” “Wasn’t acting like it,” Lykou agreed. “It had plenty of chances to attack, but it never did. And now that I have a chance to sit and think about it, the way it kept shaking those bushes almost seems deliberate. A predator wouldn’t be that consistently clumsy if it was actually hunting.” “Huh… someone else out here with us, then?” Kuna suggested. He furrowed his brow. “I swear, if it’s Zyn just being weird-” “Spirits,” Lykou interrupted. “What if it was a spirit, Kuna? We haven’t seen any in this valley yet, but I’m sure they must exist here. Especially with all the energies you sensed in that one other building.” “Oh, that’s… a good point,” Kuna said. “Friendly, helpful spirits do exist, after all. I remember some of gramma’s stories mentioned spirits that helped lost travelers find their way again.” “Spirits?” Gleam chimed in. “Uhh… as long as they’re friendly and safe, I’d love to see one. You think it’s still out there?” “I think it left after I got within sight of camp,” Lykou reiterated. “But I don’t know for sure. I just know it didn’t feel like I was being watched any more.” He sighed and nuzzled up to Kuna. “Friendly or not though, that was exhausting and a bit creepy.” Kuna smiled softly and pulled him into his lap. “Well, sounds like you need to relax a bit then. Now that you’re back, I’m going to start on that meditating, I think. In the meantime, _you_ can rest in _my_ lap for a change.” Lykou blinked in surprise, then grinned and folded his ears down. “Hey yeah, I guess this form is perfect for reversing our usual cuddle roles.” “Sure is,” Kuna said, stroking the canid’s back softly. “So get comfy, fluffyboy.” Gleam giggled a bit. “Well, I’m glad you’re back and okay, Kou,” she said, then glanced over at the building thoughtfully for a moment. Then she grinned. “Aaaand now that you are… you two won’t be going inside for a while, right?” “Probably not,” Kuna replied, arching a brow. “Why?” “Welllll,” the squirrel continued as she got to her feet. “I was just thinkin’ maybe…” Lykou blinked, then grinned. “Gonna try that ‘experimenting’ out now, huh?” “Yup,” Gleam replied cheerfully as she headed for the door. “See what all the fuss is about.” Kuna blushed and glanced away with a faint smirk. “Ah. Right. Well… have fun. Just let us know when you’re, uh, done.” “’kay. Or just come in whenever you decide to go to bed,” Gleam said. “I still don’t get why it has to be all secretive.” “Just remember what I told you,” Lykou said. “Yup,” Gleam said right before the door shut behind her. Kuna smirked down at the canid. “What you told her, huh? So, what, you’re some kind of jerkoff mentor now?” Lykou snickered. “She’s a girl, Ku. It’s not jerking.” “I-” Kuna started to reply, then paused and thought for a moment. “Oh. Er. Yeah, I guess that makes sense. So wait, what would you call it?” The konuul stared up at him for a moment, then brought a paw to his face, smirking. “Sorry Ku, sometimes I forget.” Kuna groaned and rolled his eyes. “Yeah yeah, I’m a socially stunted weirdo. Don’t rub it in.” “Better things to rub anyway,” Lykou teased. “Not in this form,” Kuna retorted, poking his nose lightly. “Perv.” “Aww, but I don’t have haaaands, Ku!” Lykou said with an exaggerated pitiful look. “Take pity on meeeee.” Kuna facepalmed and blushed harder, causing the canid to burst into a fresh fit of giggles. Meanwhile, farther out in the dark forest, a single large, circular eye peered out between some bushes, shimmering with a faint silvery-blue light as it watched Lykou and Kuna from out of their field of vision. After a few moments, it closed, and two others opened on either side of it, eyeing the distant campfire curiously. Then they, too closed, and a final set, even further apart, opened, haloed in golden light. Finally, they closed, leaving no trace that anything had been there at all.