Loch

At sea, Loch was a force to be reckoned with—a fearsome hunter, who pursued his prey so relentlessly that they rarely escaped his claws or teeth. On land, however, it was another story, as he was still learning how to use his newly acquired legs. Just staying upright for minutes at a time was a challenge, and he’d yet to master the art of walking; still, he was hungry, and that hunger had driven him into the wilderness, where he’d given chase after the first living thing he had seen—a small, furry creature with long ears and beady little eyes. He was determined to make a meal of it, but it was difficult, running through the trees. He kept tripping over roots and rocks and his own feet, and the creature was much faster than him, despite its tiny legs.

It was frustrating, struggling so much when hunting should have been easy for him. But he refused to give up; this land would not, could not, get the better of him, not when he’d resolved to start his new life here. No matter how hard it was, or how long it took, he would learn the ways of mortal men. That meant walking and talking like them, and hunting like they hunted, though he saw no real reason to rely on tools like they did. The killing he could do with his own hands.

He considered changing forms—shedding his mortal skin for the one more attuned to chasing and killing—but that would only make him less mobile, while still on land. So he stuck with his legs, and stumbled after his prey, letting his other senses lead him when sight alone failed him. It ran through the undergrowth, a greyish-brown blur that seemed no closer to tiring than Loch was, though he knew that it couldn’t flee forever; sooner or later, it would slow down, and when it did, he would snatch it up and wring the life from its little neck. He could almost hear it, now—the satisfying snap of its bones…

When he fell again, he caught himself before he could hit the ground. But he wasn’t fast enough to get back up and stop the creature before it dove into a hole in the ground. Lunging after it, he stuck his arm down in the hole, all the way up to his shoulder, but his fingers grasped at nothing. Then he thought to dig, and started clawing away at the grass and dirt. After a while, however, he stopped and, with a little irritated huff, reluctantly conceded defeat. The creature had escaped; where it was now, he couldn’t say, but he doubted that he’d be seeing it again. There was always a chance that it would come back out of the hole if he sat and waited, but patience was a thing he had very little of. Why wait, anyway, when he could just as easily go and find something else to eat?

Lifting his nose to the air, Loch took in all the strange, unfamiliar scents around him. There were dozens of creatures, it seemed—other things, too, that didn’t seem alive but smelled just as interesting. And it was the latter that drew him in a different direction. He wobbled into a copse of trees, where he found the mouth of a cave. From within it came a host of intriguing scents, though he had just enough sense to pause at its earthen maw. Were something living inside, he wouldn’t want to disturb it—or, rather, it wouldn’t be polite, without him first announcing his presence. That much he had learned in his short time on land.

“H’llo?” he called, all but yelling into the darkness. If the cave was empty, then he’d be free to explore, but if it wasn’t, he could only hope that whatever lived here wouldn’t mind his intrusion. Some creatures didn’t take kindly to strangers in their territories.

Arethusa Demeter Tatsuo There was a tension that loomed in the air. One that which the young jungle maiden could not quite pin point where or why the air felt so suffocating.  This led her to remain close to the comforts of her little abode, hidden away in the depths of the wilderness surrounded by the thick of trees, hanging moss, myrtle and ivy. While she remained close to the cave, it did not keep her from venturing out to gather plants and flowers alike. There may have been a stray hare or other wild rodent in the mixed bundle with the occasional reminder from her stomach of its irate grumbling she may have ignored or simply forgotten. A sigh escaped her as joint and muscle popped from the shifting transition from wolf to a more human appearance. Wings vanishing in a gust of feathers, furs shedding away while elongated whiskers plucked shamelessly from shifting muzzle. The horns remained crowned atop her muted jade curls with a slight curve. It was easier to carry things with two hands rather than jaws or claws. Thick ivy vines draped over an otherwise naked form just barely covering her intimate areas as she finally found her balance on two limbs as opposed to four. No sooner did the rustling sound of agitated brush catch her attention which caused fine hairs along the back of her neck to stand on edge. Glacial sights apprehensively shifted towards the sound to where all she managed to catch was something darting by. A rabbit and – what was that? She gathered what she’d collected throughout the day and slowly began to make headway, her curiosity getting the better of her nerves. She found the stranger initially closer to her little cave. Uncertainty kept her distance as she watched the unusual stranger claw at the rabbit hole. Her freckled nose twitched, and head tilting slightly noting that the creature there was not human –that much she knew. When they stood, Arethusa took it upon herself to ensure she blended well within the walls of nature until they parted. Her heart raged anxiously against her chest as she followed not long after retrieving the hare following a snap of its neck ensnared by vines back to her cave. H’llo? the maiden stumbled, unprepared for his beckon as he edged alone the outside of the smaller cave. She could feel the hairs along her back stand, uncomfortable that someone had just stumbled upon what she deemed hers. Quietly she placed her unusual collection to the side in another unorganized heap though kept the hare within her grasp, holding it by its back feet. The scent the stranger carried was just as odd. Extraordinay, nothing that she ever endured before. However: what kept her from engaging any closer was the that this was unusual. A stranger. A potential threat.  “Ah—” a mere sound, more mouse like uttered form her throat and she instantly regretted it as fear pitted her stomach. Promptly, the young maiden extended the hare towards the stranger, refusing to get any closer. "Earth Maiden"

Loch

Loch heard nothing, at first. And then came a response, though it was so quiet that he just barely even heard it. So there was someone else inside the cave. But where were they? Why hadn’t they come out to greet him, or try to chase him away?

Well, they’d acknowledged his presence, at the very least. Surely that meant that he could let himself in?

Stepping past the threshold, Loch walked inside, making a concerted effort to stay upright as he did so. It wasn’t long until the creature fell into his line of sight, and he was only slightly surprised to discover that it was a small woman, standing stock still before him. Confusingly, she was wrapped in vines, but entirely bare beneath them, and Loch stopped to tilt his head at her. Were they meant to be clothes? He’d never seen a human cover themselves head-to-toe in plants, before, and he couldn’t imagine that it was comfortable, but it wasn’t much stranger to him than the colorful fabrics other humans wore. And they covered so little of her body—why did she even bother with them?

Not that he could rightly judge her for it. He himself still wore the red robe he’d “borrowed” from Maka, if only to avoid upsetting the people he came across, in his travels. Being nude was something frowned upon—why, he couldn’t even begin to guess, but it was probably better to go along with such a rule than try to fight it, so he didn’t complain. And the robe was pretty loose, so it didn’t cling to his body like he thought most clothes did. That made it delightfully easy to move around in. He almost didn’t mind wearing it, save for the moments when it would slide down his shoulders, or the sleeves would cover his hands.

Upon realizing that the woman was holding something, Loch looked down and all but gasped. It was the furry, long-eared thing that he’d chased through the woods! How had she caught it when he’d lost it in that hole? And with the way that she held it, was she offering it to him? Did she not want it for herself?

He stared at her for a moment. When she made no other movements, he took the creature from her and started to messily, noisily devour it. Then, remembering his manners, he stopped to lick the blood from his open mouth and, crouching so that he was at eye level with the woman, held the mangled corpse out to her. “You want?” he asked. Best to check, before he went ahead and ate the whole thing.

Arethusa Demeter Tatsuo The lifeless hare hung by its hind legs within the firm possession of her grip as she extended it to the stranger. Her stance was rigid, stiff, tense even though the tug of curiosity gnawed relentlessly unable to keep her gaze from looking the stranger over from head to toe. The first thing she noticed was the bright red fabric that dressed loosely upon his shoulders. His skin a sickly pale tone, as if lacking the very essence of sunlight that shone overhead to nourish ones skin.  When he did not take the hare from her right away,  Arethusa stretched her arm as far as it could comfortably go, insinuating that he take her hunt. He’d seen it first, but to no avail was he able to capture it. She only assumed he wanted the prize yet was unable to obtain it. So, she took it upon herself to retrieve it. If anyone were to have asked – and if she even understood the question, she would have simply shrugged in response. Eyes met only in brief.  Her gaze quickly averting his own as her lower lip curled inward with the lingering discomfort. It was then the hare was snatched away from her grasps and Arethusa quickly recoiled some steps back. The sound of tearing tendon and snapping muscle caused an unsettling twist in her stomach as the stranger quickly took to the meal.  She couldn’t help but wonder if even she sounded like such an animal when feasting Her cheeks paled only to look away as if to respect this ones space while devouring the plump rabbit. Briefly she glanced around her cave, idly looking to see what chores needed tending to, what stocks needed refilling until she was met with the mangled remnants of the hare. Arethusa nearly lost her footing as she stumbled back, taken by surprise. You want? She didn’t understand what he was asking though the cogs did turn in her head trying to piece two and two together. Did he not like the feast? Was there something wrong with the rabbit she did not know prior? “Eh—” words were not able to form and instead, she brought the back of her head up facing her person so her palm exposed in some effort to dismiss the notion.   "Earth Maiden"

Loch

The woman gave him an odd look, as if she wasn’t sure what he was doing, and Loch frowned. He’d thought that, since she had went and caught the creature for him, it would only be proper for him to share it with her. But she didn’t seem to want any of it, making some motion with her hand that he assumed said as much, and he was more than happy to finish the rest of her offering. Not a scrap of fur or flesh was left, when he was done; he loathed wasting food and took a moment to savor the last of his meal, wiping the blood from his chin and licking his fingers clean before he stood up straight.

With his belly full, he was satisfied—enough that he wouldn’t have to worry about hunting again, anytime soon. That let him focus on other things, like the woman before him, who’d yet to utter so much as a single word. Not that he had done much better. Talking had never been something that he was particularly good at.

Easily breaching the space between them, Loch brought his face much closer to the woman’s, eyes flitting around her features. When he noticed the protrusions on the top of her head, he reached for them, wanting to touch one with a clawed finger; he had never seen a human with horns, before. Were there different breeds, or was she another creature entirely—one that only resembled a human? That would make her more like him, though he doubted that she, too, hailed from the watery depths; her strange scent was nothing like that of his kin.

He thought to ask her, but the matter couldn’t hold his attention for very long. Gaze drifting to the earthen walls around them, Loch then drew away from the woman to inspect the many, many plants that had been placed on shelves, in containers, and strung above their heads. The scents were almost overwhelming to the senses—some fresh and fragrant, others old and unpleasant. He didn’t know what any of them were, or why they might have been brought in from outside, but he went about poking and prodding and nibbling at whatever was within his reach.

Arethusa Demeter Tatsuo Devoured in full, the hare was no more, and Arethusa was hardly perplexed by how quickly the stranger ate the meal. Even she could become ravenous should she go without eating for long periods of time. Of course, she was unaware of what would be considered correct or not in the manners and etiquette of eating. No sooner was the space between them broken as the stranger made the first move to bridge the gap. Arethusa froze like a deer caught within the headlights of an oncoming semi. A sharp breath inhaled and was held for what felt like an eternity as his focus remained intently upon hers and so dangerously close. She could feel the anxious rapt of her beating heart and the desperate desire to bolt away just as the hare had done previously. However, her limbs felt as if they had cemented themselves into the very earth beneath her feet, keeping her from running away as she would have done. At the raise of his clawed hand, it was as though the gears finally began to churn and she jerked back, flinching as if prepared for a violent reaction. Her arms covering the top of her head and horns and ducked back away from him. Though it seemed such actions were short lived as was the attention span that seemed to be drawn elsewhere. The spotlight shining upon the greenery strung along her walls.  Arethusa hesitated at first. Watching from a distance as the stranger took it upon himself to explore her little niche.  Anything plucked she immediately went to restore. She watched him continue on until she finally mustered the will to retrieve what had been taken from the cavern shelves. “No--” the plea came in more of a whispering desperate rasp. Her freckled cheeks flushed a rosy hue just as the unusual, pointed tips of her ears had done so, quickly taking a few steps back  to widen the gap between them once more. "Earth Maiden"

Loch

So absorbed was Loch in his rifling through the woman’s things that he didn’t notice her picking up after the mess he was making. There were so many plants, and they all looked and smelled so different than the ones that he typically saw, beneath the waves of the sea; he ran his fingers over as many as he could reach, noting their texture and how they felt when he popped them into his mouth, and whether they were sweet or sour, bitter or bland.

What use did the woman have for all these plants? There must be other, better things for her to eat, out in these wilds.

It was her mousy voice that stilled his hands, when she suddenly piped up from behind him. Turning to look at her, he saw that she had put some distance between them. She was staring at him, red-faced and wide-eyed, her hands full of the plants he’d tossed from their stores or spat out. At that moment, she reminded him a bit of the creature he’d made a meal of—they were both so easily frightened, it brought a grin to his face.

She was amusing, this woman. But she didn’t seem to want him messing with her plants, anymore, so he would stop, as she’d asked. Most of them didn’t taste very good, anyway.

He took a few steps toward her. “Human?” he asked, getting close enough—or rather, as close as she would allow—to inhale her scent. “Smell different,” he said, feeling her strangeness settle on his tongue, mingled as it was with the earthy aromas that clung to her skin. “Look different.” He had heard that this land was home to strange creatures—ones that walked and talked like men, but preyed upon them like some of the fae-folk. He had yet to meet any of them, but he was eager, and hoped that they might share some of their secrets with him; surely, they would know how best to blend in with mortalkind.

“Humans live with humans,” Loch said, tilting his head ever so slightly. “Why here, alone?”

Arethusa Demeter Tatsuo A silence followed the quiet plea to cease his antics. She did not wish to see her hard work go into ruin and more so, she did not wish for him to eat something that may not agree with him later or worse. Arethusa’s lower lip curled inward as she took another anxious step back and clasped her hands together and her sights lowering. The last thing she wanted to do was to offend the stranger and yet all the same, fear that they could bring harm upon her or her home. She could run away just as easily as she could sprout her wings and take to the skies, but… this little cavern she worked hard to claim her own? Human? Cerulean sights shot abruptly, her head tilting slightly as her face read with obvious confusion. They inched closer, she took another hesitant step back. Smell different, She didn’t know what that meant or what exactly the words were forming from his mouth spoke, Look different. She felt his eyes paint her outline and she couldn’t help but feel the unsettle rile her nerves. Was he looking for something now? She lifted a foot from the earth to look under the base and there was nothing but the solid surface of the cavern floor. Humans live with humans, Alien noises continued to fill her ears. Why here, alone? He kept mentioning the word human and there was something that held a sense of familiarity to it. But what was it? Idly she would return the plants and herbs back to their respected space. “Hue…?” she tasted the word upon her tongue until a small frown tugged the corners of her lips. “Ah—” she shook her head, muted mint curls bouncing in unison. "Earth Maiden"