Welcome to my Crib [Viera/Yoroi]

Age : 32 Posts : 1912

Yoroi Kaguya

Walking across the road not too far from Konoha’s main gate was Yoroi, carrying several dead squirrel’s with rope around their necks in one hand, a dead wolf with several wooden spikes sticking out of it’s neck and throat hanging over his shoulder. Today had been a very good day, his traps having caught more then any other day before this one, putting him in a very good mood. The wolf would serve as food for at least a week if not longer, while the squirrel could be roasted. If he felt like it, maybe he would even cook their tiny brains with some sage and some of the sweet berries that grew near the river, turning the grey mass into a true delicacy. He could already taste it in his head, his mouth starting to water up as he did. Picking up the pace, he disappeared into the treeline, hurrying back towards his home in the mountains where he could prepare the food and clear out their guts, using them to fill up the now empty traps set for the larger carnivores of the forest realm. He rarely got a large catch like a wolf in his traps, sometimes capturing a lost deer or just encountering an empty trap, cleared from all the meat they once had inside of them.

About ten minutes after crossing the main road and heading back into the treeline, Yoroi reached his little camp at the nearby mountain graveyard. He was not like most other Shinobi, he was a loner that lived on whatever nature had to offer. In a twenty meter radius around his camp he had set up a great deal of bone totems and dreamcatchers made out of self-woven rope, leather scraps and more bone. They were all works of art, even though anyone other then Yoroi himself would probably find it more morbid then artistic. The bone totems had once belonged to the larger prey he had killed, engraving symbols and words into them with harder materials such as rocks or his own bones. Most animals that got close would be able to smell the remaining scent of their fallen species, moving around Yoroi’s home in a wide range, not wanting to end up like their fallen brethren. It also worked on humans, who saw the totems as a sign to keep their distance from the place, some even believing it to be haunted.

Stories went around in the village, stories of a young boy that had been abandoned and had died in the forests around them. They claimed that the ghost had become a ferocious and hungry spectre in the shape of the boy that still roamed the woods, killing people and animal alike, carving their bones into totems and putting them in the ground around a large fire that was used to cook the meat of those that had been killed, their souls burning eternally in the bonfire. All of it was crazy talk made up by people who lacked understanding of what was really going on, though it kept people away from him and allowed him to live his days in peace and solitude. Dropping the bunch of squirrels into a corner beside his tent, he picked one of his boney daggers from his leather belt and stabbed it into the stomach of the wolf, cutting it open in a straight line, allowing all of the guts to flow out, hollowing it out in a matter of seconds. It was a messy and smelly job, though he had to do it if he wanted to continue surviving the way he did.

He cut the stomach in a straight line because he wanted to make sure the fur and skin would not get ruined, having many different uses for them. Wearing a belt he had made out of leather, boots made out of leather and string stolen from the village, black pants and a black long sleeved shirt that had been patched up many times by his hand, a long fur cloak and the skull of a bear to conceal his face, he somewhat fit the profile of the hungry spectre that lived in the woods, though it was all a means to scaring people away when they saw him, most choosing to walk the other way when they saw such a shady figure. Yoroi liked the warmth it brought with it, even though the bear skull was worn to frighten people and animals while also acting as a trophy to his skill as a predator, showing that even the mighty brown bear was no match for the Shikotsumyaku. There was no animal in these woods that could stand against a physically fit Kaguya that knew his way around the woods as well as a glutton knew how to eat.

Like he wore the things he had been able to make out of the materials nature had to offer, so did he make his entire home out of the exact same stuff. The way his camp was set up was simple, a large fire roared in the center of his camp, surrounded by bone pikes hanging close to the fire, each of them having meat or fish stuck to it, allowing it all to roast. A few meters away, next to a large rock formation, a tent made out of leather, wood, rock and bone had been made, the inside filled with warm hides he had prepared by himself, providing lots of warmth during the cold months. In a ring around the camp was a circle of totems, these being his most prized ones that had been the hardest to make, or once belonged to the skeletal structure of his strongest adversaries. Finally, there was a small formation of rocks, covering a casket of bone in which he had stored his food rations, dry roasted meat, fish and nuts for when the hunt proved insufficient to sustain him, or for when the winter came.

Clearing out the guts and putting them in a rocky crevice to keep the smell from reaching out to much, he started to carefully remove the skin and fur from the beast, laying it bare and naked. He did not yet know what he would do with the fur, though it would most likely be used to make the tent thicker. He did not care much for comfort during the day or from the things he wore, though it was very important for him to be comfortable when sleeping, believing that sleep was one of the most important things for someone like him, keeping him energetic and strong during the day. When he looked around, it seemed that the sun was nearly gone, allowing for night to come soon. He would get to eat real soon, though he wanted to finish what he had started first.

Age : 30 Posts : 716

Sometimes I hear you calling

From some lost and distant shore

The day had been rather uneventful. The hospital was slow and she quickly found her assistance wasn't needed, which was both a relief and a bother. Most her age would appreciate a day off from any form of labor, but Viera was different. While she enjoyed having time to herself, without something to keep herself occupied, she often found a sense of loneliness creeping into the crevices of her mind. She had only lived in the village for a few years, and while she did try to familiarize herself with the people, she still didn't have anyone she could call a friend. Every once in awhile she might bump into someone her age and exchange a few words, but it never seemed to go beyond that. It was a silly notion, looking to find friends in a village full of ninja. Perhaps that's why she hadn't found any - ninja are practically encouraged to detach themselves from their emotions, so maybe nobody else was looking for friends.

With no set idea as to what to do with her unexpected free time, she ended up aimlessly wandering the streets of Konoha until she grew tired and almost irritated with all the commotion said busy streets had to offer. Hoping to escape all the noise, she found herself searching for a more quiet location to explore. Viera followed the roads until they turned to dirt paths, and then she followed further until she found an abundance of vegetation. The forest would certainly provide a more tranquil environment for her to continue her leisurely stroll. Happening upon the thought, she realized she hadn't really spent much time outside of the hospital, let alone the village. Maybe this was just what she needed - a day away from all of the madness of her lackluster yet busy life.

She had already given up on meeting people when her heart raced among the crowds of people, and she definitely didn't enter the woods with the intentions of finding someone to share her time with. But as day turned to dusk, and she wandered off the beaten path, she found herself lost among the trees. Even with her lack of survivalist skills, she knew to look to the stars to guide her back home - that is, if she could see any. The leaves on the trees were so full, they blocked out any glimpse of a sky - she could barely tell which way was up. It was in her nature to panic, but she tried her best not to and continued to walk in what seemed like circles in hopes of eventually finding a way out.

However, she could only wish to find such fortune in place as dark and remote as this. Instead, her luck brought her to an even darker place. As she continued trudging through the foilage, she finally stumbled across something other than a tree - a creep looking figurine that stood taller than her, and carved of what looked to be bone. Chills shot up her back as she noticed more of them, and what looked to be light from a fire in the distance. She had no idea what she was getting herself into, but if she continued to wander around like a lost puppy, she might never find her way home. With faith that whoever it was who started the fire might offer her assistance, she forced her shaky legs forward once more. But the closer she got, the more she questioned her decision.

As she entered closer range of vision, she caught a whiff of the distinct smell of blood - a smell she knew right away from working on the wounded. Just as she stopped at the line of brush drawing an end to the tree-line around what looked to be a camp, she noticed a large figure shaped like a man. Reacting out of instinct, she ducked to hide herself as the figure walked around. It was then that she saw the face of something more morbid and disfigured than a typical human. The skull face he wore made him look nothing short of a monster, and all the stakes with meat dangling from them only frightened her further. It was then that the figure turned in her direction, and she was sure that whatever it was had seen her. She panicked and jumped to her feet as quickly as she could. But before she could turn to run the other way, her foot got caught among the roots of the foilage, causing her to lose balance and fall backwards on her bottom.

If he hadn't caught sight of her before, she was sure he knew she was there now. Viera desperately tried to free herself from the bindings of the grasping roots, but she knew it was too late. She pulled to no avail, finally giving up and tucking her head between her knees. Her chest began to tighten as her heart beat a mile a minute - trying to breathe, trying to think, trying to speak. “Please... Don't eat me...” Her voice was strained and muffled, but she only hoped the monster would take pity on her and let her leave alive...

Age : 32 Posts : 1912

Yoroi Kaguya

Hearing the rustling of leaves and dirt in the treeline, he turned to look over his shoulder, the boney teeth and sockets that seemed empty as a result of a lack of light staring at the girl that was sitting at the foot of a tree. Picking a blade of solid bone from the ground, he did not say a word as he walked over to the kid, wondering why she had ignored the warning signs all around his camp that were meant to keep people like her out. Looking down upon the girl as he walked closer, she did not seem like much of a threat to him, even though it seemed weird for her to not have taken off in a sprint the moment she saw him. When he looked further down, he noticed that her foot had gotten captured by the tree’s thick roots. Raising his sword slightly, he made several flashy cuts aimed at the ground. Cutting the roots around her foot, he allowed the girl to free herself from the grip of nature. Extending a hand towards her, he was offering to help her up, seeing that this girl was very much afraid of him. He felt bad for the kid, he had not meant for her to be this afraid, Yoroi just wanted people to be scared enough to not get close to his camp or bother him.

He was not sure if she would accept his help or if she would try to resist him trying to help her, though night had come a whole lot sooner then he had anticipated, the only present light coming from the fire behind him. The sky itself had been swallowed by the cloud, keeping the light of the moon and the stars from getting to the earth, dropping dark shadows upon the world, making the forest seem like a place where the dead still walked. It came without question that the dead walking around was just a stupid thing people had made up to frighten kids. Throwing the bone sword he held back towards the large fire, he placed his hand inside of his skull-cap, removing the lower jaw so he could lift the skull itself off of his head. It had been a crafty move of his to use the lower jaw in order to secure the skull and keep it from falling when he walked around with it. Dropping it on the floor by his feet, he could not help but get shocked a bit by her when she ased him not to eat her. Showing his long turquiose hair and the red markings beneath his emerald green eyes, he looked her over before speaking.

“Why would I eat you, you don’t really look like a person with a lot of meat on their bones” Yoroi said, obviously joking while making a logical explanation at the same time.

Once she accepted his help, he would stroll back towards his soft leathery tent, dropping his cloak of hides to show her that underneath it all, he was just as human as she was. He had plenty of food to go around, so if she would care enough to stay, he would surely offer her something to eat. Grabbing the wolf by the tail, he dropped it behind his tent with the squirrel, hiding them from sight a bit. He did not want her to get even more frightened by the things he had laying around his camp. Tidying things up in a hurry, he dropped another rock near the fire for the girl to sit on. Going back to the village would not be the smartest thing to do right now, especially with the amount of nocturnal hunters that became quite active around this time. Luckily, most wolves would not even think of getting close to his camp, while most bears were simply too lazy. There were still mountain lions, though they did not hunt much on the mountain, doing most of that in the forests at the foot of the mountain graveyard.

Age : 30 Posts : 716

Sometimes I hear you calling

From some lost and distant shore

Her fears came to reality, as the monstrous figure approached her with what looked to be a sword in hand. She cringed as he raised his weapon, expecting the worst. But before she knew it, the roots that had previously bound her were cut in such a way that allowed her to move freely once more. Being the startled and timid girl she was, she couldn't tell if it was an act of kindness or otherwise. He extended his hand to her, a common gesture to suggest he would aide her in rising back to her feet. Even if he had freed her from her bindings, she was afraid to trust him just yet. However, she was afraid to refuse as well, so she sheepishly took his hand and regained her upright position. After helping her up, the figure walked off to the area he previously paced before, tossing his strange blade near the pit of fire as if it had belonged there.

He then proceeded to remove the intimidating skull of whatever creature had the misfortune of meeting him. Dropping the prize to the ground, his turquoise hair and bright green eyes illuminated in the firelight. She couldn't help but notice what looked to be red paint lining his eyes too, wondering if maybe he was part of some tribal clan or something. But what she noticed the most was that although he was tall compared to her, he didn't look nearly as intimidating without the skull mask. He faced her again, her body reacting this time by straightening her posture and widening her eyes in full attention. He spoke, responding to her plea from just moments ago. His tone was obviously sarcastic, commenting on the lack of meat she would provide if he had truly wanted to eat her. She couldn't help but blush, embarrassed that she would jump to such conclusions. Coming to the realization that she was finally safe from the dark wilds of the forest, she let out a brief sigh of relief.

The strange young man walked off to his tent of sorts and dropped the various hides he had previously adorned, further revealing his more human figure. He came back with a large rock and sat it by the fire, as if invited her to join him. And well, given her current dilemma, she couldn't refuse. Viera sat on the stone chair, rubbing her hands and warming them by the fire. As the air around her reached a desirable temperature, she brought her knees to her chest and tucked them inside her arms, resting her chin as she stared at the dancing flames. She felt awful for assuming such an awful thing of a person just because they looked different at first glance - she wasn't one to be judgmental, but even if it wasn't her intention, she had indeed misjudged this kind stranger.

She wanted to apologize - even if she hadn't spoke her thoughts aloud, she had suggested them. “Thanks, for helping me... And sorry... For thinking you would want to eat me and all...” Her voice was quiet but sincere, as she finally made eye contact with him. “I kinda got lost, and my imagination got the best of me. That skull mask of yours made you look like a monster, so I got scared...” Once again, embarrassed by her own assumptions, her cheeks flushed pink. Looking to change the subject, she began to ask one of the many questions settling in the back of her naive mind. “So... Are you camping out here, or... Do you live here?” Viera didn't mean to sound rude, but her lack of communications skills and general ignorance may have made her question come off as a bit blunt...

Age : 32 Posts : 1912

Yoroi Kaguya

He was glad that the girl could manage to take his hand and even walk with him to the fire, taking place by the warm roaring flames on the rock he had placed out there for her. It was good to see that despite being afraid she had not attempted to rush back into the forest, especially now that night had come. It was dangerous for people when outside of his camp, even for Yoroi it would be hard to survive when so far from the light shed by his fire. Hunters were active at such times, creatures with a special kind of vision for this time of the day, something Yoroi lacked. He was a good hunter that had adapted well to the world around him, though he was still just a human in body, if not slightly different from most people. Quickly walking around the darker corners of the outer perimeter, he wanted to make sure no wolves, bears or mountain lions would attempt to get in, figuring the girl had been scared quite enough for one day. After a couple of minutes, he started to walk back towards the girl, though he was too anxious to sit down. Listening to the girl as she started talking, he wondered why she would be apologizing.

“Don’t worry about it, a lot of people think that of me, most even go as far as to tell stories about me being a hungry ghost that eats people. I am not sure if you have heard about these rumors, though they are only a means of scaring people enough to not come over here. I don’t really like to be among them, most of them are liars and self righteous bastards that want to force their laws onto others as if they know what’s best. I tend to stay out here, where the village does not bother me, and I don’t bother it”

There was no point in keeping the truth from the girl, especially since she already seemed so afraid of what he had going on here. Besides, conversation was hard to find out here in the forest, and next to Shakreido, he really did not talk to people all that much. Wondering where the scaly beast had gone off to, he was most likely out in the forest, he too being best when hunting at night as a result of his keen sense of smell. The girl had been lucky not to meet him without Yoroi being there, for he would have turned her into a quick snack in very little time. It was probably the reason why it was mostly barren of life around his camp, save for a couple of bats that still flew through the air above, just having woken up from their slumber, picking the moths that had been attracted to the light of the fire out of the sky and eating in the treetops. It was always funny to watch them hunt, though he was not sure if the girl had noticed them just yet. She seemed to be trying to make conversation with him more then she was taking in her environment, so she probably wasn’t a big shot Shinobi like some of the other people that came around about once a month.

“The mask was meant to keep wild animals away from this place, just in case the fire and my totems would fail to do the job. It used to belong to a large brown bear that stumbled in here in search of food. He broke a lot of my totems in the process of getting here, almost got into my stash of food too. A lot of my scar have been a result of my fight with him, though he was most likely the strongest adversary I have ever fought in my life, which is why I kept his skull and turned his bones into the totems you see around this fire. They seemed too valuable to put out with the others, so I kept them close. His fur is what made my cloak and boots, so you can say that I still hold him quite close to me”

He had been drifting off topic, though it did not matter much to him. He had scared the girl by doing what he did best, and he felt bad for doing so, hoping that she would get more comfortable around him if he told her things about himself and the things he did out in the woodlands. She would probably have to spend the night in his camp, for there was simply no way for her to go back to the village alone, nor would he be able to accompany her, seeing as they would get hurt or worse, get killed. If something was to happen to the kid, Yoroi would not be able to forgive himself for it, so she was not going to be leaving on his watch. Having his anxiety in check, he sat down by the fire too, wondering what the girl thought of him by now. She either still thought of him as a potentially dangerous weirdo, or she would see that he was quite normal, but was very different from most people she would be meeting in her lifetime. When the question came about him living or just camping out here, he had to think for a bit. He was living in a camp, so did that mean he was camping, or did it mean that his home was a camp. In any case, he would just continue where he had left off.

“But yes, this place right here is my home. I have been here for years, though I can’t really remember how long it has been since my real parents died. I made most things around here by myself. It’s not much, but it’s home..”

Age : 30 Posts : 716

Sometimes I hear you calling

From some lost and distant shore

As she sat by the fire, only glancing away every so often to watch as the young man walked back and forth from within the premises of his camp. She couldn't tell if he wasn't used to have company and was simply anxious of her presence, or if he just didn't like to stay still for too long. The young man eventually ceased his uneasy pacing and accompanied her by the fire, though he didn't sit down. As she finished her apologies, he assured her he was no offended by any means, and even went so far as to elaborate on how many villagers had started telling spooky stories amongst themselves, all centered around him as the lead character. This made her frown all the more at her actions, especially as he continued to make his distaste towards their kind rather clear.

People were certainly cruel, even her innocence knew that. Viera may not have heard said stories about a ghost who eats those who wander alone into the woods, but she herself knew what it was like to be treated like an outcast. She may not have been the most outgoing person in all of the village, but since her appearance in the village, no one had really gone out their way to befriend her either. Reflecting on this, the empathy towards their similarities and loneliness started to sink in. For awhile, she dwelled on these thoughts and wondered if the young and kind stranger ever longed for a friend the way she did.

For a moment, the air was silent, only the chirping of crickets and fluttering of bats' wings as they searched for mates and meals alike. And he must have taken her silence as a sign of disinterest or perhaps he was just much better at making conversation than herself, as he continued to elaborate on the skull that had frightened her just moments ago. Apparently it belonged to a bear who reigned over this area ages ago, and he made gracious use of its bones to scare away other curious creatures and any predators that might stumble across his camp. He clearly made use of anything and everything he found or caught, given his previous attire and the many bones and skins scattered around his camp. To no surprise, she was too dumb to react to the signs the first time she saw them, and seemed to have rudely interrupted him as he was likely preparing a meal for himself. Viera may have felt misplaced in the village, but she felt even more out of place here in these wooded hunting grounds.

She greatly respected his honest and openness towards her, especially given his disposition towards the aforementioned villagers who considered themselves more civilized. He admitted he did live within this camp of his, and even trusted her enough to say he was an orphan. This only caught her interest more, given her current situation and lack of details pertaining to whether or not her parents were alive and looking for her. Even he couldn't remember how long it had been since he lost his family, and this almost made her feel like she could easily bond with this stranger. Sure, his outward appearance may have been a bit wild and intimidating at first glance, but beneath that was a kind young man with a warm heart - he had already shown her that.

Viera couldn't help but smile sheepishly to herself as she looked back towards the fire. “It's a lovely home...” Those words might have sounded strange to the average person, but they were sincere. She herself didn't know what a true home felt like, but she was sure that how he had described this camp of his, it was his home. “I lost my parents too... Although, I'm not quite sure if they're alive or not... I can't really remember them...” Her tone was somber, she couldn't even be completely upset - it's not like she remembered what it was like to have a real family. But how she longed for one, how she longed for something that pure and lovely. Her smile slowly faded.

It was then that she realized she had yet to give this kind stranger her name. “How rude of me... I haven't even properly introduced myself, and I'm already dumping my insecurities on you.” She tried once more for a smile as she looked in his direction. “My name is Viera - Yamanaka, Viera. If you wouldn't mind sharing, I'd like to know your name too, if that's okay. I know it's kinda rude for me to invade your home and ask your name, but I don't get to meet both interesting and kind people very often.” She asked in the friendliest voice she could conjure, and made sure to be as polite as possible. After all, she was the real stranger, inconsiderately stumbling into his camp and in the middle of the night nonetheless...

Age : 32 Posts : 1912

Yoroi Kaguya

It was somewhat strange to hear someone other then him call the place he had been living in all this time a lovely home. Normally, it was not that hard to pick up slight hints to tell that someone was lying to him, though it seemed different with this kid, almost as if she was actually being serious. He was not used to any of the villagers being kind to him, nor did it make any sense for people to be kind to him when going with the stories they told about him. Hearing the howling of wolves in the distance, he wondered if any of them would try coming near them on this night. It seemed unlike with Shakreido slithering around the foot of the mountain, though he was rather safe then sorry when it came to this kind of thing. Yoroi had not been surviving this long on his own by being careless. Right now, he had more to care for then just himself and Shakreido, even though he was able to take care of himself quite well, almost taking Yoroi’s entire arm off when they first met near the border of the River country. With the young girl being there to most likely stay the night, he was a lot more careful about his dealings with nature then he was when alone. Soon, he would probably call Shakreido back to watch the camp, but he was not entirely sure about how he would respond to the girl’s presence.

He had a way of being very blunt with humans other then Yoroi himself, though that was because they had a mutual understanding going on, something that originated when they had a fight that might as well have been to the death if Yoroi had not managed to place the large snake down for a kill. He could have turned the large snake’s brain into mush, but such a thing would surely have come at the cost of his own arm. Luckily for him, the large reptilian beast had seen the error in his ways, not being willing to die over a territorial war. By now, he served as Yoroi’s animal companion, it’s almost three meter long body crawling across the forest floor, bringing certain amounts of it’s kills back to Yoroi, otherwise just throwing up a mass of bones when he had finished digesting the rest of the body. They had not been together for more then a week, though the serpent had already taken a liking to Yoroi’s hobby, helping out in whatever way he could to make sure he would not die of starvation, Yoroi doing the same thing for him. They both knew that when winter came, Shakreido would need Yoroi a lot more then he would need him, the cold weather and lack of food being enough to kill a large snake if he was not careful.

As it turned out, this girl had lost her family though, though she was unsure if they were still alive or if they were still out there looking for her. It was strange just thinking about the amount of things he had in common with this girl, because even though she lived in the village and he was out here like an animal, they had been through similar hardships in life. He had lost his parents, though he had been raised by an animal that had grown accustomed to people in the circus, an old tiger that broke out. After several long years of learning how to hunt and how to stay alive, his animal friend had been taken away when Yoroi was out washing himself, returning to a life of solitude. Even to this day he still wondered if that tiger was still alive somewhere, and if it still thought about him as much as he did of it. Yoroi had been lucky enough to meet the large feline when he did, but thinking back of that day made him wonder how lucky or unlucky this girl had been. When she got lost, had people been capable to take care of her or had she been on her own, he would only figure out by asking. It was a touchy subject, something of which he was very well aware as a fellow orphan.

Picking his cloak of hides up from the ground behind him, he put it around himself and the young girl, not wishing for her to get sick. The fire was nice and hot, and while it kept them warm and the wild animals away, it would probably not be enough to keep them both warm for much longer. Night tended to be awfully cold, which was why he was usually already in bed by this time, sleeping while snuggling into the warm fur blankets. He could tell that she had gotten used to him a bit more, and that was something that worked the other way around too, for he had started enjoying her company quite a bit. Yoroi had no family or friends, though if this was what it would be like to have such a thing, it sure felt nice. Sharing the warmth they got from the cloak and from the large bonfire, he heard more about her, namely that her name was Viera Yamanaka. Unlike the last person he had met, the girl had a name he could memorize, seeing as it was nice and short, though he was sure to forget about her last name. It was not out of loathing, but because Yoroi did not have one of his own, he was just Yoroi. People had tried to explain that he was a Kaguya, though he had been denying this for quite some time, and would keep it up until he was presented with hard evidence.

“It’s nice to meet you, Viera Yamanaka. My name is Yoroi”

It was quite simple of him to disregard her apology just like that, though that was only because he did not feel like she had anything to apologize for. Because she told him all of those things all of a sudden must have meant that she trusted him enough to share. It was a good feeling, especially since the last people that had come to meet him out in the forest had been far from kind, one even being more assertive then he was. She really did not need to be this polite to him, Yoroi did not even really understand what it meant to apologize in and of itself, which was also why he had personally never done it. A long time ago, Hani had explained to him what it meant when she was busy teaching him more about being a Shinobi, though the only thing that really stuck with him was how one went about apologizing to another. From the things he kept with him about that day, he could tell that Viera was trying to make up for something, though that was really unnecesarry. Unsure about the way she felt about all of this, he was glad that he was making a friend that was human. No offense to Shakreido, but it was nice to also have a friend who had the same kind of warm blood pumping through her veins.

“I am glad that I got to meet you too Viera, though I am not really sure how to respond. I like that you tell me things, even though you’ve only just met me. I don’t get a lot of compliments, the last person that passed through this place called me a threat, though you don’t seem to be like those people. I like you”

Age : 30 Posts : 716

Sometimes I hear you calling

From some lost and distant shore

Viera watched as he retrieved the hides he had previously put away, wrapping them around him and herself as he finally sat down beside her. The young man listened to her attentively as she spoke, taking note of her introduction and gracing her with one of his own - he called himself Yoroi. She couldn't help but notice the lack of a surname, and half wondered if he knew his or had one to begin with. But she wasn't about to pry an answer out of him, she knew just how touchy of a subject it could be given their circumstances. Perhaps she could talk to him about such things another time, but they had just met and she didn't want to ruin any chances of befriending him in the first place. So many questions - she would simply have to keep her overwhelming curiosity to herself and wait for him to open up to her on his own time.

Yoroi proceeded to say how glad he was to meet her, something she wasn't accustom to by any means. He spoke of how grateful he was with the compliments she gave him, and that he wasn't used to such kindness. He even went as far as to say that she wasn't like the others he had met, and that he liked her. Her cheeks flushed a light pink once more as she heard his words, and she couldn't help from smiling to herself. After all, she wasn't showered in compliments and kindness regularly either. “I like you too, Yoroi. You barely know me, have even had bad experiences with others like me, but you don't judge me from those experiences.” Even if they had just met, as she said that, and even if they barely knew each other, she could tell he was genuine. She began to realize how much she appreciated his honesty and straight forwardness - sad to say, it wasn't a common trait in people nowadays.

No one really went out of their way to speak to her on a daily basis, but the few that did greet her sporadically spoke to her like she was nothing more than a baby to be coddled. It may have been better than some of the animosity she received from the many others, but it too wasn't what she was looking for. All she really wanted was someone to really want to get to know her, and then accept her for who she was, despite what she might lack. There were still a few pieces of her personality and character that needed developing, but if people could respect her childishness innocence instead of taking advantage of her ignorance, maybe she could make some real friends in this world. She could only hope that the trust she would decide to put in people such as Yoroi wouldn't be abused, and that maybe she could learn what it's like to have true bonds - to know what a gift it is to know friendship and prosperity.

As she broke free of her daze, she looked up to the starry sky she didn't have the privilege of witnessing while she was lost within the woods. It was funny how clear the night sky looked now, without the leaves and shadows cast by the large trees. It was then that she fully realized just how late it was, and that there was no way she was going to make it home now. She would likely have to wait until morning, and she certainly didn't hope prepared to camp out in the forested mountains she so rashly decided to explore. Viera frowned as it became more clear that the only real choice she had was to ask Yoroi if he'd share the protection of his camp for the night, just long enough for her to rest up until daybreak, when she could wander in the general direction of the village and hope she wouldn't get lost again. It was at times like these she felt like nothing more than a burden, and the name that the village children had teasingly called her seemed all the more fitting - “The Lost Girl”.

Hearing the wolves howling in the distance, letting out a sigh as the thoughts crossed her mind and she knew she was forced to ask poor Yoroi for more of his assistance. “I suppose it would be safe to assume the woods aren't exactly safe at night... Given all your precautions to scare off any animal invaders...” Her eyes gazed into the fire, knowing he might have to put it out soon so he wouldn't attract the attention of any less than civil visitors. “I feel awful to ask... But would it be possible for me to stay her for the night? I don't know these areas nearly as well as you do...” Viera was too embarrassed and disappointed in herself to make eye contact, so she just chewed on her lip as she awaited his response.

She didn't doubt that he wouldn't make accommodations for her to stay, she simply felt bad for asking more of him after he had been so kind to her when she did nothing more than intrude on his camping grounds - his home. Right now, she felt more pathetic than she had ever felt in her entire, yet short life...

Age : 32 Posts : 1912

Yoroi Kaguya

“I try to judge people on the spot, if they act nice to me, I can try being nice to them too. If they are mean, I don’t bother to stay around them for long. Most male shinobi from your village do not really seem very nice to me, all they want to do is fight or argue when I ask them to leave my home. You’re the second girl I met from your village, but the women seem to be a lot nicer to me then the men”

There was a large possibility that they had all just been very much on guard around him because they feared him, either as a result of how he was living out in the mountains, the stories the people told about him or the way he looked. A lot of people would probably consider the things he did as a means of living to be better left to hunters and poachers, his hobby of making totems and dream-catchers probably being nothing more then the morbid creation of a mad man. One of them had just been very aggressive without any reason of being mad at all, though he had gotten what was coming to him. Still, his encounters with the Shinobi of Konohagakure had proven to him that he was not that much of a savage when compared with some of their male ninja. They felt like harassing him in his own home, acting like big shots that would take him down in a second if it turned out to become a fight, only to run away when things got close to turning into an actual battle. It showed the amount of balls these men had, because Yoroi would not challenge someone to a fight, just to run away like a scaredy cat when things got rough, it just wasn’t his style.

Slowly but surely, Yoroi was getting worn down by the passing of time, getting more and more tired and hungry. He was about to ask Viera if she wanted to have something to eat and drink, considering she must have been wandering the forest for quite some time now. When he was about to get up, she started talking again, speaking about how the forest was probably quite dangerous around this time of the day. For a moment, he thought she wanted to leave again, something that made him quite sad for a moment, though that did not last very long. When she continued with a question about whether or not she could stay with him for the night, the world stood still for a while. It was then that a wide smile appeared on his face, a happiness he had not felt since Hani left him to fend for himself. Being caught up in the moment, he wrapped his arms around her and placed his chin on her shoulders, locking her in a tight and sudden hug. It was probably very weird for the girl to receive a hug out of nothing, though it was also a highly peculiar thing for Yoroi himself to do.

“That would be great! I will make some room for you in the tent, I just hope you’re not allergic to animal fur, because there is a lot of it. Before that, you should get something to eat, you must be starving!?”

Shortly after responding to Viera’s question, he made sure the cloak would stay in place around her so she would not get cold. After that, he stepped towards one of the pikes hanging over the fire, taking off a piece of meet that had been cooking, the blood that had once been in the meat had long since dropped down to the ground. Putting the meat on a stick, he offered it to Viera, being quite proud of what he had managed the cook up. By the looks and the placement of the meat, it was a haunch of deer, a male stag he had killed a day ago. It had been quite a fighter, so there was a large likelyhood that the meat would be very tough to chew, but preserved a lot of it’s flavor. Yoroi had not been this energetic in a long time, nor had he been having this much fun with a human before. He could not remember the last time that he had been able to talk this much with a person without things getting incredibly hostile between them. Once he was done with the preparation of the tent, he would get back out to get some dinner of his own. There was plenty of it for two people, even for a group of five there was a lot, so he was not afraid of running low on food at all. Besides, something like this did not happen to him all that often, so he wanted to savor every moment of it.

“I have a lot more where that came from, so if you’d like, have a taste of this. It’s deer, I killed and cooked it all by myself. Have a taste, if you don’t like it, I also have roasted squirrel, trout, wolf and even some remaining cougar. I personally like the squirrel the most, it just has that nice juicy taste that I hope you’ll like. Now, I will be right back to finish up the tent, but you can still talk to me if you want, i’ll be able to hear you”

That said, he turned away from the girl and hopped into his tent, dragging one piece of fur from one side to the other, also breaking out a bunch of furs he had not used yet. When stacked upon one another, they completely nulled out the feeling of sleeping on the cold floor, the furs containing so much warmth and being so soft in nature that even a princess would not be able to feel the rocks and grass that was beneath them. He would be in there for several minutes before he finished and got to come back out.

Age : 30 Posts : 716

Sometimes I hear you calling

From some lost and distant shore

Before she was able to ask him if she could stay, he had elaborated on some of the experiences he had with other shinobi from her village, namely the males. Viera herself didn't understand most boys her age, but by the sounds of it they seemed to be very territorial and less than kind to her new friend. Apparently however, the few females he had met were generally nicer to him, including herself. Perhaps it was some kind of intuition females had, the only word she could think to summarize the feeling of easiness she had about Yoroi. She had to admit though, the mask of his was what really scared her, not him. As soon as she could see his real face, his eyes, she just knew there was nothing to fear from him. After all, they do say the eyes are the windows to one's soul.

As soon as she asked his permission to possibly stay the night, he reacted in the most peculiar way. Yoroi immediately smiled, standing up and pulling her into a bear hug - she couldn't escape if she had wanted to. He then proceeded to exclaim how 'great' it would be, and went on to mention that she was likely hungry and that he had food, or something to that effect. In all honesty, everything happened so fast, Viera was pretty dazed and wide-eyed as she watched the previously laid-back young man bounce around his camp in nothing less than glee. The sight of it all was so confusing to her, she barely had time to think or place the pieces of the puzzle together. Instead, she just smiled sheepishly and even found herself giggling at him.

Yoroi had been careful to make sure that the hide blanket he had shared with her stayed upon her shoulders as he got up to gather the food he had cooked before her unexpected arrival. He continued to say what kind of meat they all were, ranging from game as small as squirrel to as large as mountain cat. It was clear to her before that he hunted, but this only emphasized on how well of a hunter he must have been. And she had to admit, she was pretty impressed that such a young man could survive in these woods, let alone provide for himself. She shuddered at the thought of what might have happened to her if she had ran into some beast or monster of a man in these woods - she must have been blessed with good fortune this night, and for that she was eternally grateful.

He had handed her a stake with meat on the end, likely the deer he had mentioned. By the tone of his voice and the way he elaborated on the many other kills he had lying around, she could tell he was proud of his accomplishments, and he should be - he had accomplished more than most her age could dream to do in these unforgiving woods. As he returned to his tent to tidy up, he let her know that he would only be a few feet away and within hearing distance if she wanted to talk. It was then that she realized she had been so astonished with everything, she had forgotten to speak.

Pulling herself back to reality, she sleepily blinked a few times before conjuring up a few words. “Oh. Okay... Thank you so much, for everything... Your kindness is boundless...” Viera smiled sheepishly before she took a bite of the well-cooked venison, fully realizing how hungry she was. After all, she had been wandering for hours without so much as a snack or drink. “I hate to ask more of you... But would you happen to have anything to drink too? I hadn't realized how long I had gone without water... I was so unprepared, it's a wonder how I didn't get dehydrated...” She chewed her food and swallowed before letting out a content sigh. With the warmth of the fire and songs of the wilds' creatures, she felt at ease although she wasn't in her safe and civilized house - this enough almost felt like home even to her...

Age : 32 Posts : 1912

Yoroi Kaguya

Inside of the tent, he made sure the place was ready for the young girl to sleep softly tonight, even though she was in the wilderness. It would probably not happen for her, though he promised himself that he would not be falling asleep before he was certain that the girl had drifted off into slumber, and promises were sacred to Yoroi. Then, just like that, he heard her tell him that his kindness was boundless, making him freeze in position for a while, even though Viera would not be able to see him do so. When he thought about it, he was not a very kind person at all. He made it so people would not like to be near him with all of the totems and other things that would push them away, while he had a general dislike towards them as well. Those two things did not really make for a very kind person, something he realized quite well. Despite that, Viera and Kimiko had seen some kind of good inside of him that he himself could not, which felt quite good to say the least.

Preparing some extra furs while also pushing some of his own to Viera’s side, he was certain that she would get a good night of sleep now. When he got out of the tent, he heard how the kid asked him for some water. It was not much of a hassle for him to get her some, especially since he had a bowl filled with spring water ready whenever he needed it. Viera had been so nice to him while she stayed here, so getting her something to eat and drink was the least he could do for the kid whom he was gradually bonding with. Bonding with someone from the village was a very new thing for him, even though Kimiko had also been nice enough to him to tell him that she cared deeply for him. Thanks to her, he had been able to open up his heart a bit more to other people while expressing his emotions, something he had been quite incapable of before. It was thanks to her that he had learned to care and show emotion, this being why he could interact with Viera so easily.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to apologize for asking things from me, it’s really not much of a bother. Here’s your water and another piece of meat, eat and drink up. You’ve been on your feet for a while, so it’s only natural that you’ve worn down your body and it’s reserves. Like I said before, I have plenty to go around, so just dig in and don’t be afraid to ask for seconds or thirds”

He sounded happy, for the first time in a very long time his voice was echoing with a certain happiness that was believed to be long gone. Being abandoned by caretakers up to three times during the length of his life, Yoroi had lost hope in the aspects of having family and friends around, believing they would only bring great pain and suffering with them. Despite that, he would love to have the girl around more even, something that might also be quite beneficial for the girl. She told him that she did not have a family and that her parents might either be looking for her, or they might have given up on her. Either way, she sounded a lot like him in the fact that she was more or less an orphan. Yoroi would not be able to ask her if she had a place to stay and if she maybe wanted to stay with him, this not being something he could bring himself to just yet. He had only recently learned how to open up, and this was such a big step for him that he just could not bring himself to do it.

Sitting back down on the stone next to Viera, he just listened to the sounds made by all of the animals that surrounded them in the forest, throwing the occasional log into the fire while enjoying some meat himself. He had been quite hungry for some time, though the current situation had pushed things ahead of itself for a while. He did not think of Viera as a bother, in fact, he believed that the kid was one of the few good things that had happened to him in the last couple of years. For now, he would just keep quiet and keep to himself for a bit, enjoying the dry roasted meat while giving himself and Viera some time to enjoy their food.

Age : 32 Posts : 1912

Yoroi Kaguya

The day had been a long one, though he did not get bored of it once. Having had a nice dinner and a great time discussing things with his new friends Viera, it seemed like it was about time for them to go to bed. Having eaten his fill, he waited until she too had filled her stomach with water and meat, after which he would escort the girl to his tent. Showing her the matras of furs, he was rather proud of his creation, though he was not capable of figuring out whether she really liked sleeping in this place or not. Once the morning came, Yoroi would personally see to it that she would get back to the village in one piece, this being his fow to the young girl, for it was truly the least he could do for her. Allowing the fire to burn as a means of warding off other predators, his snake, Shakreid, would just keep slithering across the premises, killing and devouring the animals that made the foolish mistake of getting close. No matter what happened, Viera would remain safe.

Once they both laid down and curled up in the warm fur, he wrapped his arm around the girl so the two of them would be warm enough to make it through the cold nights in a somewhat sweet and cuddly fashion. Yoroi had never really experienced such a thing before, though he was happy to have met this girl, liking her just as much as he liked Kimiko, the Jounin from Konoha who claimed that she would take care of him. Kimiko was like an older sister to him, where as Viera was more like the younger one that needed his help in the dark forest. After a couple of minutes, Yoroi felt asleep, hugging the young girl tightly in a warm embrace.

End of topic
Ready for Eval.