Hunting with Kitsu

[Zuki Tamaro]

Jotie walked, with his bow strung around his shoulder. He had a good supply of arrows upon his back and he followed behind Kitsu. She's something. I never would expect her to never go to restraunts. I rarely have time to hunt, until now. I'm glad I met her. he thought to himself and smiled.

"So, what game are you looking for?" He asked her. He slowed his pace and looked around, awareness picked up and studied his surroundings, while looking for prey.

[Kitsu]

Kitsu extracted her claws like a cat and climbed up a tree. Perching herself on a low branch, she thought out loud, "Well, maybe some rabbit or... deer. Maybe moose, if there are any."
Turning to Critendo, she said, "Whaddaya smell, 'Do? Anything appetizing?" in fox-tongue.

Critendo bent his two front knees and got down onto the ground. Sniffing the dirt, his ears perked up at the scent of two adult deer and one fawn. Standing up, he stated, "Deer nothern-way, m'lady!" Making a sound that was close to a laugh, he rolled onto his back and watched Kitsu.

She squinted her eyes. "You're not kidding, are you?" for her brother was the jokester of the family. "I'd get down on my hands and knees myself, you know, but imagine how that'd look." She jumped down from the tree and said to Jotie, "Critendo smells deer up ahead."

[Zuki Tamaro]

Jotie smirked. "Alright... I'll keep a sharp eye open." He said and slowled his walk. His stealth was great, considering he didn't make a single noise as he walked. He wondered where they are at, but predicted right in front of them when he saw movement. He paused and peered, he saw the eye of one deer. He went low to a wisper, "Alright... I sence there are three deers total... You think you can catch one, while I get the other?" He said quietly to her.

[Kitsu]

Kitsu smirked with delight.
"I could catch all three if I had total concentration," she laughed softly. "But I guess one will have to do."
Her tail wagged silently, and she came closer to the deer. Her feet made no noise against the brown dirt, and she moved in for the kill. The deer saw her, and frantically called out for the others to run away, but Kitsu was too fast for it. She clamped its mouth shut, and dragged it into the bushes.
Grabbing its flaring legs, she tied them together with the vine in her hair. Her orange hair became messy and unkept, flowing down to right beneath her shoulders. Kitsu smirked, the deer had nowhere to run now. There was a leave over it's mouth, and it looked as if there had been an ambush.
Kitsu extracted her claws, and with one swift paw, she cut deep red marks into its neck. The deer was now half-dead, though it's eyes were still moving. Kitsu growled and raised the neck up to her mouth, biting melevolently into the soft flesh. She dropped the deer to the ground, and it lay dead.
"It took you that long?" Critendo yawned, for in his paws lay a bloody baby deer.
"Easy for you to say, you went after the fawn!" Kitsu howled.

[Zuki Tamaro]

Jotie quickly notched his bow and shot with such swiftness that it went through the third deer's neck that was fleeing. Soon, the deer lay, sufforcating, then finally died. Jotie walked torward his kill and smirked. He then walked over and noticed how bloody she got hers. "Heh, wow. Usually dragons make more of a mess when they kill." He said and smirked at her. "I got my kill. You want me to start a fire?" He asked, resting his hands on the bow and leaning on it.

[Kitsu]

Kitsu wasn't listening, for she had already dug deep into the deer's flesh. She raised her head, mouth a bloody mess.
"Oh, um," she grinned nervously. "Actually, we.. animals eat ours fresh."
She stood up and crossed her arms. "I'm sure you'd already know that!" she laughed teasingly.

[Zuki Tamaro]

Jotie laughed and shook his head. "Actually, I didn't know you eat meat fresh! I'll keep a note about that though." He smiled and walked over to his buck. He grabbed hold of the antlers and dragged the deer up to them. He pulled out the arrow and spoke while he worked, "I've doubt that I would ever try it fresh, but could you tell me what it taste like?" He said as he took out a dagger from his leggings and cut open the deer. He snapped his fingers. "Dang.. forgot the fire..." He walked back and gathered up some branches. He placed them back down at the ground next to his kill and muttered a spell, "Koron en’ naur." And a glow of fire appeared in his right hand. He tossed it into the brush and it immediately caught on fire. "There..."

[Kitsu]

Kitsu pondered for a minute, putting her finger up to her lips like always when she was thinking. Though, this time, she did not actually touch them, as they were coated with fresh blood.
"Well," she said thoughtfully, "It tastes like... well, mostly blood. You know what that tastes like, right? You must... when you get a cut, don't you first lick it so it won't smear when you wrap the band around?"

[Zuki Tamaro]

Jotie chuckled and shook his head. "I don't really taste blood. I wipe blood on a cloth instead of licking it." He took a chunk of meat and put it on a stick and roasted the meat. "Well, I doubt I'll try that though. It seems a little too strange to find a regular elf eating fresh meat." He chuckled and shook his head, but still wondered what it really taste like.

[Kitsu]

Critendo bit his deer by the neck and dragged it away silently, leaving Kitsu and Jotie alone.

Kitsu noticed and yelled, "Come back here!" She crossed her arms and pouted, but he did not obey.
Turning back to Jotie, she said, "Yeah, I guess that'd be a bit strange." She looked at the meat chunk and wondered what it tasted like. "But then again, I've never eaten roasted meat. Tell me what that tastes like."

[Zuki Tamaro]

Jotie looked at his roasted meat (That didn't sound right... Ox) and smirked. "Well, it tastes pretty good. It tastes like well... it taste warm and pretty easy to chew. I... I can't describe it. Here, why won't you try it?" He said, holding the meat to her. "It's medium rare. Not throughly cooked, but still good."

[Kitsu]

Kitsu, not meaning to with her powerful teeth, broke half the stick off, sending both the meat and twig into her mouth.
"Heh," she grinned embarressedly, "Sorry. I didn't mean that."
She chewed, and discovered a whole new taste.
"This is pretty good," she said. "I guess I could say.. it tastes a heck of a lot different from fresh."

[Zuki Tamaro]

Jotie reeled back like his hand was about to get his hand bit off. He laughed nervously. "Wow, stick and all... " He chuckled even more when she liked it. "There now, it isn't so bad, is it?" He laughed as he took some more meat and stuck it on what's left of his stick and roasted that.

[Kitsu]

"No, it's actually kind of..." Kitsu thought for a moment. "Well, it tastes a bit.. charred and-"
Kitsu didn't get to finish because at that moment, a ghostly shape appeared in front of her. She yelped and ducked behind Jotie, hoping he would take care of it. Kitsu wasn't the bravest soldier in the army.

[Zuki Tamaro]

Jotie quickly strung his bow and aimed, "Who's there!?" He aimed right at the head of the creature and peered. Damnit... When I was trying to relax with her and getting to know her.

[Kitsu]

Kitsu watched as the arrow went straight through the ghost-thing's head. She waited, and the blob materialized better.
"It's... you," the girl spoke. "The mage from the shop. The one who turned me into this!" Kitsu angrily threw a stone at the mage, but it went right through again. "Have you died?" she questioned.
"Foolish girl," the mage's lips curled up in a smirk. "This, is called powers. Not that you'd know." She smirked again and then sighed, looking at the sky. "Well, my girl, it is time..."
Slowly, gently, Kitsu rose off the ground. "H-hey! Where- what are you doing with me?!" she screamed and tried to reached the ground, but alas, she was too far off. "What do you want?"
"Don't you remember, child?" the woman smirked again. "Don't you remember the prophecy? What I said that night I morphed you?"

[Zuki Tamaro]

Jotie gasped and grabbed hold of her hand. She was hovering, and he didn't want to let go of her. "What's going on!?" But his grip soon loosened and he fell backwards to the ground. "Agh... Kitsu!!" He screamed. He turned and glared at the marrage. "LET HER GO!!!" He yelled angirly. "Otherwise, I'll have you hunted down by all means!"

[Kitsu]

The mage laughed. "Oh, I'll let her go..." She looked at Kitsu's hovering body, now her necklace rising to be parallel with her eyes, glowing. But it was not emotions that made it glow. "...after some business is taken care of." She shot a look at Jotie. "So, this is your true love, eh?" she laughed at Kitsu. "Now exactly who I'd pick. Rushing things, now aren't we? A bit too desperate to be out of this form..."
Kitsu screamed angrily. "I'm not rishing things, and this isn't desperacy! Jotie is the king of Kestal, and if he says something, he means it! Let me go, or the army will come after you! I can't believe-"
She was stopped in midsentence by another spell of the mage. "Hush, girl. It is time to choose your new form. Would you like to become an elf, like 'king' Jotie? Or a fox... and rejoin your family?"

[Zuki Tamaro]

Jotie became quiet. His eyes widened and he didn't know what to do. He looked down and spoke to Kitsu. "Kitsu. This... This is your choice... It doesn't matter about me anymore. If you want to be what you used to be... I will be greatful that you will live amongst your family. I will always love you, no matter what you are." He gritted his teeth and started to walk slowly away. "You may choose..." He said. I didn't expect this... This... was way different from what I expected. However... I just hope she picks what she likes more. I'll let her and her family... stay at my palace freely.

[Kitsu]

Kitsu panicked, thinking it over frantically. My parents are traitors, there's no way I'll go back to them... but Critendo.. he needs me.. and Jotie is important, too...
She didn't know what to do.
"Can't I stay how I am?" she yelled. She'd never thought she'd say those words. "I'm happy now! I've learned to like this way of life!"
The mage scoffed at this. "Of course not, child. I'm giving a choice. Elf.. or fox."
Then, Critendo appeared out of nowhere. "What's going on?" he shouted up to Kitsu, worried. She gave him an overview of what had happened and he gasped. "Go and... be with Jotie. I'll... find mom and dad and go live with them."
He turned around and bowed his head, sadly walking away. Then he had an idea. Turning around, he shouted, "I sacrifice myself so Kitsu can stay as she is!"
Kitsu was about to shout, no, that would be pointless for she only wanted to be an Anthro to talk to both species, but the deal was done. Kitsu dropped to the ground, and Critendo was raised.
"Critendo!!" Kitsu shouted, jumping up, reaching for his paw and Jotie'd done hers.
But all she got in return was, "Goodbye, Kitsu, Jotie... don't forget me. I'll miss you."
"CRITENDO!" Kitsu screamed, hoping he'd change his mind. But they were gone.

[Zuki Tamaro]

Jotie turned around when he heard a new name called. He ran over and stopped. "Kitsu!? Wha-What's going on? You look the same... Where's Critendo!?" He looked around and back at Kitsu. Something isn't right... I know it... "Don't tell me he's done something... durastic, did he?"

[Kitsu]

Kitsu turned around, her face blotched with tears, eyes red.
"He's gone," she whispered. Then she cried, "Oh, Jotie, he's gone!"
She threw her arms around him and cried.
"He was... the only one who.. actually ever liked me," she whispered through sobs. "My family hated.. me, he didn't..."

[Zuki Tamaro]

Jotie widened his eyes. He didn't understand what she meant at first, until he thought back about Critendo. "Oh... Kitsu... I'm... sorry." He embraced her and a tear rolled down his cheek. "He's such... a good and friendly buddy I had... Maybe..." He then had an idea. "What if... We find this witch and demand him back? We could threaten to kill her to have him back... I promise... I would do anything to bring back who cares for you!" He became exited about his idea and smiled.

[Kitsu]

Kitsu thought about it, and half-smiled, then her smile turned back to a frown. She couldn't possibly be happy when her brother was... she didn't want to think about it.
"It's a good plan," she sniffled, "But.. how are we going to find her? We have no lead..."
Just then, a rustle came from the bushes.
"Who goes there?" Kitsu growled angrily. She didn't want to be disturbed at this moment, while she was mourning for the lost.
A ghostly figure came out of the bushes, moaning, seeming to have a terrible headache.
"C-Critendo?" Kitsu whispered.

[Zuki Tamaro]

Jotie widened his eyes. "Crit...endo? Your... Your a ghost..." He stared, wide eyed. He looked at Kitsu with a worried look, then back. "You are not going to haunt us... are you? You know I can't harm ghosts..."