[king]

Drip drip drip…

You would think that the torrential downpour that had come overnight would have had more than a few lasting effects on the forest. Engorging the rivers, enlarging the streams, ponds swelled and lakes bubbled. It washed away the scents of the day prior and painted a new life into the greenery.

A new life that was cut short by the shrill shriek of some animal; a cry that tore through the peace of a new life. Perhaps shriek was the wrong word? It wailed, it begged, it struggled and cried out pitifully. Through the rending, tearing, crashing and crushing of another much bigger individual that didn’t care about the peace of the forest.

He just cared about the hunt. The rain had washed away his scent and left him an even more effective hunter because of it. Washed away his tracks, made it hard to even find him. Even now, hours after rainfall did the water still perform the same. Rolling down the scales, dragging along the hues of blue, purple and deeper near blacks of some of the older scales. Horns scraped along the lines of bark from the branches above him.

A single large clawed feature reached down, pressing a limp body into the ground. A bear that was hardly threatening to someone of his size, maybe something that would present a problem for a hunter of normal size. He’d lean down, deep piercing green eyes taking in the fur and the muscle of the creature beneath him.

Somewhere there was a realization that he would have once found this difficult but now? Barely even registered as a threat to him. His jaw slowly parted and rows of sharp teeth presented themselves. Sinking deep into the flesh of the animal below. He’d pull his head back slowly, the tearing of that muscles and the rivers of the deep rich liquid poured on the ground while also splattering his tongue, chest and some other parts of him with the stuff.

It made for a grisly messly scene so early in the day no less…

[Kupo]

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| ★Jason Riviera★ | @crystalprincekupo
Location: Somewhere in the forest, Japan. | Current Status: Out on a nature walk!
Now Playing: Original Cast of Starship - Beauty

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Kupo had always enjoyed being out in nature. Walking through the wilderness kept at bay at the edge of civilsation. It was usually quieter and calmer than anything ever was in the city, especially one as big as Tokyo (or London, where he'd lived prior). The sounds, smells, feelings and sights brought on by the forest were special for Kupo, providing a window into a part of his being - a part of his soul - which he would otherwise have to bury, for fear of being ostracised or (figuratively) looked down upon. On a day such as this, where the rain had wiped the forests' slate clean, waterlogged the ground and made each plant's hues more vibrant, he couldn't be happier nimbly exploring this particular forest and observing the delicate ecosystem at play all around him. If not for his diurnal student schedule, he'd do this same thing at night.

This state of contentedness and peace was quickly and abruptly shattered into a million pieces. The shrill cry of the bear pierced his ears, briefly dropping Kupo to his knees. It sounded almost human-like, so similar to the cries for help that Kupo had been trained to seek out and take action as a rescuer. So similar that his body moved on its own. It was close, he could tell that much. In a few brief bursts, he had reached the edge of a large clearing, and it was only at this moment that any semblance of self-preservation kicked in as Kupo wrenched back control of his perception. Crouched in a patch of dense undergrowth, a few things happened to Kupo in very quick succession.

First, his eyes were drawn to the bear which had just been slammed into the floor. 'Well, I found the source of the scream... no saving that one-' Then, he was very suddenly aware of King. The creature that absolutely dwarfed him in size, with a patchwork of scales adorning its thick hide. For the briefest moment, curiosity and fascination filled Kupo's mind, before they were very quickly replaced by a primal fear that overrode anything conscious. He heard the sickening tearing of flesh, smelt the flow of blood, and saw the teeth like daggers. Then, Kupo was gone. He was shortly a small, white, fluffy thing rustling out of the position he'd been crouched in, then shooting through the undergrowth and trees with all the speed his honed body could generate. He felt himself (abnormally) beginning to sweat, as his bloodstream was flooded with adrenaline. Thorns and twigs occasionally caught on his skin, leaving a few droplets of blood from tiny cuts as he went. Despite this, all that Kupo could think about was getting away, getting as far away from that much larger predator as he could. His conscious personality and reason was pushed back, held captive by instinct. Perhaps this would inspire shame later. Not now, though.

[king]

The running rivers of blood that the bear had down his jawline was something that normally he would enjoy time and time again. But the crack of something caught his attention and the baleful eyes that were more focused on the meal swerved about. Trying to locate the sound until it focused in on kupo. The youth had been there only for a moment. Before he could even register what the youth was doing they shot off like a bullet. Much faster and much more like prey than he could even properly register. He felt something in the back of his head tickle at his beastial urges and with a growl he’d toss his head back, the bear’s body tumbling down his gullet.

One meal was often more than not enough for him a day. Especially if it was big. But this small prey thing was a curiosity. That speed could be useful to him. It could find him other food things and help him expend his hunting grounds. There was no way that he could just let it get away without some questions. He was no where near as fast as it; but it was leaving it’s scent everywhere as it ran.

It was easy to track and even though it was much faster than he. He wasn’t going to give up. He was a hunter that out endured that which he chased. His intent for this was marginally less aggressive than the things he normally hunted. Passing by some of the spots that the scent was heavier his eyes locked onto the little droplets of red that either spattered on the branches or on the forest grounds. This being was likely human right? A mutant quirker like himself? He scratched his head with a forepaw, the claw digging deep and he’d huff.

Slowly moving after kupo; knowing that he could follow the scent to the edge of the forest if he needed to. But something that fast often not didn’t have the endurance like he did to hold them to that speed. Growling a bit; a low rumble that was more like a word. A single word that rumbled throughout the forest.

”Wait.”

There was an air of command to it; an air of posterity. But there was a deep underlying threat to it that painted that this was not something that you often got king to say. Something that not even many preythings got.

[Kupo]

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| ★Jason Riviera★ | @crystalprincekupo
Location: Somewhere in the forest, Japan. | Current Status: Out on a nature walk!
Now Playing: Scotty Sire - Mister Glassman

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No thought. Just perception. Running. Fear leads the charge. Over, under, across. Kupo starts to be more aware of the terrain he's moving through, all the snags and thorns. He stops being cut. More aware of just how expansive the forest ahead of him is, how small he is in comparison. He starts pacing himself. More aware of the sounds of the forest as he-

W h a t ?
.........W a s ?
........................T h a t ? !

A voice, booming as thunder and befitting the one named King with its command. The thing about language, or at least the many varied and nuanced languages of humanity, was that it was a signifier of greater intelligence. The ability to convey shared meaning to another. Bestial monsters do not speak. Big scary predator animals do not address their prey. Tiny scared prey animals do not know the word "wait." Kupo does know that word. This word cuts through the fog and chemicals and instinct driving his mind to strike at the core. The civil human core that is polite and curious and brave and happy and obedient. Kupo very suddenly becomes consciously aware. Aware of what he is doing and where he is, beyond simply doing it and being there. Heeding the command, at least as much as he can bear to, Kupo races up a tree in his path. He stops crouched on a branch. He begins panting, like a dog.

Once Kupo had caught his breath (and checked his medical device to find it running on empty, uh-oh), he took in the situation with rational sight and alert hearing. He was a little beat up, but not seriously injured. He had a refill of his medication, provided the vial hadn't shattered. He could run, worst comes to worst. And while his stamina wasn't the greatest, he could most likely make it to the forest's edge and back to a bus stop if he needed to. The hare only lost the race because it got cocky, after all. The hare wasn't scared of the tortoise. So, he wasn't in immediate danger.
The voice he'd heard, was it real? Could he have imagined it? No, a voice like that was not something the boy's mind could conjure, or at least not outside of his nightmares. Could it be trusted? Memories of fairytales where monsters and fae lured children into the forest to gobble them up played out in his mind. But then again, those centuries-old stories knew nothing of Quirks or what real monsters looked like. Kupo scolded himself for assuming such a thing about someone (?) he didn't even know. It would be impolite and rude to assume that of anyone, he thought.
So then, what would he do?

Kupo decided to wait. Wait and see what they (?) wanted to say, what they chose to do. He was trying to be a hero, and what kind of hero just decided someone was a villain? If his instincts were right, though, Kupo would have to trust his legs to power though. He took the short time needed to refill his medicine pump.
Kupo waited, up in the tree.

tl;dr
- Booking it
- S n a p . b a c k . t o . r e a l i t y
- Word. Word? Word! Words mean sentience, uh-oh.
- Well it'd be rude to ignore them.
- Waiting, up in a tree.

[king]

Whatever it was, was fast. Was faster than him by miles. He wouldn’t catch up to them normally even if he was looking to; he’d have to follow their scent and play the long game. Hunting faster prey was annoying, even more so if they weren’t even worth the effort from what they’d give to him. But he refused to eat humans; there was something deep down that told him it was wrong and a line he shouldn’t cross. Something he listened to.

The deep rumble of his voice was apparent when he spoke and deeper yet that it carried as far as it did. He’d slowly lumber through the forest; following the scent. Compared to kupo it’d take him quite some time to get there. There were trees that were pushed this way and that that kupo would be able to see from a distance. Fifteen, twenty minutes passed and a tree maybe about thirty or so meters away was brushed to one side by the appearance of king.

His eyes looked around and then eventually locked onto where kupo was in the tree. Ears flicked and his head cocked slowly to one side. Curiosity played on those features and further still the baleful green eyes stared right at the youth. There was a long pause, hellishly long. The tension in the air could be cut with a knife but slowly the beast sat down. First hindquarters then sat it’s forelegs almost like you’d expect from a cat or dog. But it was being polite. Peaceful even. It’s chest rumbled and even though it’s mouth still had specks of blood and there was a good chance there was more somewhere it was best not to think about the bear. His words were halting but decidedly masculine with how deep it was.

”What is… A child… like… you… Doing… here?”

It almost sounded painful to talk for this creature; almost like the effort alone took miles of concentration and further still stringing more than two words together without a long considerable pause wasn’t possible for him at the moment. Like he had spent years without saying a single word yet here he was. Speaking.

[Kupo]

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| ★Jason Riviera★ | @crystalprincekupo
Location: Somewhere in the forest, Japan. | Current Status: Out on a nature walk!
Now Playing: half•alive - creature

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Terror is often worse than horror. The creeping apprehension in anticipation of pain, one might say, is painful in its own way. As time seems to stretch on forever, the shape that parted the treeline got closer and closer with each steady step. Jason took this time to prepare himself. To steel his resolve and decide what to say. As King broke through into his line of sight once more, the urge to run was almost overwhelming. Almost. He overpowered this impulse, breathing in... and out. It was certainly an interesting sight to watch King sit down, but not the most pressing matter on his mind.

As he spoke, Kupo's fear began to dissolve into concern. How long had it been since this person had last spoken? Since they'd last had human interaction? Kupo waited for King to finish speaking, processing what he'd said. He wasn't technically a child, but Kupo guessed that compared to this person, he was probably an infant. No, instead Kupo focused on the real question. "The forest is beautiful, and quiet. I come here to calm myself-" he stifled a giggle at the irony of that statement, quickly continuing, "-calm myself down, because big cities are noisy and crowded. I don't like noise, or crowds. Normally the only animals I see here are birds, squirrels or tanuki. A couple have had Quirks, but none were as big as you. Or the bear." He paused, an air gap to let King process what he'd said.

A warm smile graced Kupo's face, slowly returning to his normal expression. "Thank you for your concern, though. It made me feel better, or at least not as scared. Do you normally see other people here, ever?" Another dawning emotion had returned to him now. Curiosity. His tail swayed back and forth under his perch, betraying more than his words did about his lowered guard.