She called me chickee-babe, nickname me idiot, I don't really give a shit

Note: Nomad Skill!

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Aika couldn't help but roam lately, and while she knew it'd probably be best to stay with her siblings and the new Fujiwara Dynasty, the lady still wanted to see all there was to see, so now that the scents were growing dimmer around this strange structure, Aika thought now would be the best time to check it out! As she padded along the grass – aiming towards the back of the castle – Aika stopped and sniffed. Everything seemed so . . . still, and unmoving. It was weird, and she shivered for a moment, before climbing among the stones of the fortress with elongated ease.

She paused for another moment. No, really, why was everything so still and quiet? There were no birds chirping, no windy sway of grass, and while, sure, it was the middle of the night, Aika expected to at least hear something, even crickets and nighttime bugs would do, but nope, nothing. The lady gazed up at the sky, her eyes growing wide in terror as she stumbled back. Blood red. The moon was scarlet and full, drenched in a hue that made Aika feel sick to her stomach as it dragged her back to the memory of that night. She trembled.

“番号,” — "No," Her voice was merely a whisper as she shuddered uncomfortably, taking a step back from the castle. Aika new she shouldn't of come here. She knew that it would've been best if she had stuck with her family, and her sister's followers. Why, on a night like this, when she was all alone, did the blood-red moon have to bring forth chaos? Whether or not the destruction that would follow would be true, or whether it was just Aika feeling distressed, did not matter to her.

She just wanted to get out of there.

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The moon was different tonight. It wasn't its usual silver-white colour, instead a blood-like-crimson. He quite liked it. Though he didn't understand the change, it was something he would have to ask Mama about later.

Originally the boy never intended to leave. He was out and about tonight, it was late enough that the Viscountess was sleeping and wouldn't miss him, nor would his siblings. Lucky for him he had enough of them that he could easily escape. He was begining to enjoy night much more than daylight, it led for much more interesting adventures.

Which brought him back to tonight. The hellspawn made a bold decision to finally cross the borders of his homeland. Something that he had only down once at this point, when he visited Satan in the desert with his littermates. But this time he was alone, and the fearless pup was thrilled.

His travels brought him much farther than anticipated, his pawsteps filling the air until he reached an.. unnerving sight. There was a den of some sort, one that was much bigger than he thought was possible. Still this new discovery did nothing to impact his excitement. He pushed forward, walking toward's the giant's den. Once he reached it he was met with the struggle of finding footing among the ruins. Not an easy task for someone who had yet to grow into his feet.

His struggle became a different one when he heard the movement of another, not far away. His mind thought back to Hel and her encounter. Would he go through the same thing? He hoped not, he rather liked his tail. Even with that racing through his mind, he still had the curiosity of someone who had never been burned. Which led him to slink around the castle searching out his possible enemy, and when he finally found them, he'd drop into a crouch, stalking them like a piece of prey.

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Nomad Skill

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As she stumbled back in fear, Aika considered running to the mountains to find her sister and hid within her warm, friendly siamese fur, instead of shivering pathetically underneath the blood-red moon, but as a sound behind her caught that lady's attention, she was quick to whirl, freezing up as she saw someone stalking her. “ほむら . . ?” — "Homura . . ?" She whispered weakly, shaking her head, before squinting and realising; “ああ。 あなたはただの子供です。” — "Oh. You're just a child." Ah, how pathetic she felt.

It was but a mere puppy following her as if she were its prey, and Aika chuckled at the thought of being tackled by an adorable ball of fur, though the child seemed to be growing into itself; out of proportion, though also adult-like. The princess smiled. She'd once been that small, a little wad of a siamese pelt. How the years fly by . . . Aika felt quite old already. “What are you doing? I'm not your prey, silly pup,” She chuckled, dropping into her own crouch as if she were going to pounce, though in reality, merely playing with the child. This could be both entertaining, and distracting from the way her heart soared with such terror. “Where are your parents?”

Maybe it wasn't best to play, actually, because if this was an orphan pup, she'd certainly take him under her wing . . . yet if he had parents, Aika would gladly deliver him back. There was no need for a pup to be out on their own on a night like this. Even without a scarlet moon, a whelp shouldn't be allowed out of the den at night! “Do you live nearby?” Hopefully it wouldn't be too hard to bring him back to his pack.

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It was simply one foot in front of the other. He placed them slowly so he moved with a stealthy silence. His tail was sticking out to give him balance, practicing all the things he had been taught. His skills were treating him well, until he forgot to account for the wreckage around him. His paw hit a piece of something, and sent it skittering across the floor. That's when he knew the hunt was over.

Her fear delighted him at first, then her tone changed into something else. He didn't understand what she was saying, or what the shift meant, but it pissed him off. He stood up straight, the fur on his neck bristling. “What are you doing? I'm not your prey, silly pup,” Finally something he could understand, though the words wouldn't satisfy him. He wasn't some useless child.

Cold, yellow eyes watched as she dipped into a play bow. He would be willing to wrestle with her, if nothing other than to sharpen his skills. But then suddenly she wasn't interested anymore, this interaction was confusing him already. “Where are your parents?” The strange woman asked. He took a moment to silently answer that question.

Mama Reign was at home with the rest of them, hopefully sleeping. He had no clue where his father was though, in the desert probably. Though he wasn't sure why, it was practically intolerable there. Satan did travel a lot, to come and visit his litter mates, and wherever else.

Then she was back asking another question. “Do you live nearby?”. Finally he caught on to what she was getting at. He thought of the wrath his mother would reign (lmao) upon him if he was returned after sneaking out in the middle of the night. He thought of countless hours, days, months even, spent within the hellscape of the Hireath, with no way of escape. Draven wouldn't let that happen.

He cautiously backed up a few steps, before turning tail and fleeing. The boy would run either until the woman caught up with him, or his legs gave out, which wouldn't take long.

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So . . . now the child was running. With a sigh, Aika quickly sprung into action behind him, not to catch him, though, but to make sure he didn't run off a cliff and accidentally hurt himself, or something. The siamese was quick to follow after the kid, a couple small pants exiting her maw as she ran-trot. He was but a stubby child, his paws clumsy and inexperienced, while she was lithe and knowledgeable in the ways of navigating terrain; she was an adult, afterall, whether for better or for worse.

“Hey!” She called after a few moments, furrowing her brows. Could they just talk about this, instead of going on a wild-pup chase for barely any reason at all? Aika huffed in frustration. “Can we just talk? That'd be easier, you know!” Unless he was running home and trying to avoid a mess, which cause the Princess to slow down, coming to a halt as she kept an eye on the boy. Maybe it was best for her to not follow him. She didn't want to run into an angry parent.

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The woman chased after him. Though he was nimble, he was nothing compared to her, who was seemingly built for running. He was running back towards his home, though he didn't plan to lead her towards there. Hopefully he would turn parallel to the territory and head towards the dessert. That was after all the only place he knew to go to.

But then she called to him. "Can we just talk? That'd be easier, you know!” She asked slowing to a stop. He would do the same, tentatively approaching her.

“Fine” He answered finally, voice hoarse from disuse.
“Don't take me home” He practically growled these words. He was terrified what Mama would do if she caught him sneaking out, let alone if he was escorted back.

“Earlier, you said something, but it was different. I couldn't understand, how?” He asked in a much more pleasant tone, but the words were slightly incoherent. His brain was working on overdrive, both from fear, and the running.

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Finally, the boy stopped, and Aika felt herself smiling as they drew closer to one another. Quirking a brow as he began to speak, the princess was quite surprised at what he had to say; “Don't take me home.” Why? she wondered, though perhaps it was for the better. Nonetheless, she wouldn't speak up until the boy had finished his statement, ears perking forwards as he continued; “Earlier, you said something, but it was different. I couldn't understand, how?” Ooh!

“It's Japanese, my mother-tongue,” She smiled, tilting her head. She wondered if this boy had a natal language, though she doubted it; his common was all too well for it to not be his first, and Aika knew from experience that common was not easy in the slightest. “Here, I'll translate what I said before:

“ほむら . . ?”

. . . means 'Homura',” Please don't ask who that is. “And–

“ああ。 あなたはただの子供です。”

–was me realising that you're just a kid. Not Homura.” Thank goodness.

It wasn't easy to learn Japanese – if it wasn't your mother tongue, that is – so she didn't expect the kid to immediately get all the pronunciations correct right away, but who knows, perhaps Aika would be able to teach him some more sayings. Maybe she could convince him to join the Dynasty . . . though Aika wasn't sure if she wanted to be killed and stuffed for kidnapping some random pack's kid.

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It seemed the woman had given up on her earlier task of returning him. So he'd slowly move closer, until he was sitting in front of her. His tricolor tail thumped excitedly behind him, something the young pup had yet to learn to control. “It's Japanese, my mother-tongue,”

“Oh” He said disappointingly, as if he should've known that. Truthfully he wouldn't have guessed there were other ways to speak, that seemed sort of pointless. Leaving barriers where one couldn't communicate. But he was starting to like Japanese a lot more, especially with the given translations. “It sounds nice.”

He did question who Homura was, especially with the fear in her voice (fear that he was rather sad to hear didn't come from him) in her voice when she originally spoke his name. But he moved on quickly enough, that wasn't a very important matter in the boy's mind.

“Can you teach me something?” He asked, tail wagging once again at the prospect. Now that he was aware of it, curiosity wouldn't leave him. And if he managed to learn something, he could brag about it to his siblings.

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It was nice to hear that she wasn't the only one who thought that Japanese was a pretty language – if anything, it was beautiful! Aika found herself smiling, her grin wide and lively, rendering a stark difference compared to the life-or-death fear that had registered deep in her gut when she'd thought it was . . . you know what, no, Aika wasn't going to think about it. Instead, she'd focus on the boy; “Can you teach me something?”

“Of course!” She smiled, tone jovial as always. “Let's start with the basics. To tell someone your name is;

私の名前は . . . — "My name is . . ."

And then your name! For example, for me it'd be; 私の名前はアイカです。 — "My name is Aika." A.K.A, My name is Aika! Now, to ask for someone's name is;

あなたの名前は何ですか？ — "What's your name?" A.KA, What's your name? Now you try!”

This was lovely, and Aika felt like teaching this little boy her mother-tongue would most certainly make the Dynasty – and her parents, hopefully – proud. Plus, she just liked making sure that people could understand her . . . so . . . the more popular the language was, the better, right? Japanese was a stunning language, and the lady wished that everyone had the privilege to understand it.

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Let's start with the basics. To tell someone your name is; 私の名前は . . . He repeated that under his breath. He assumed namae directly meant name, but he wasn't sure about the rest. Still he listened attentively. And then your name! For example, for me it'd be; 私の名前はアイカです。 A.K.A, My name is Aika! Now, to ask for someone's name is; あなたの名前は何ですか？ A.KA, What's your name? Now you try!” It seemed easy enough.

“Shi no namae ha Draven” He repeated, adding his own name at the end. Though he copied it directly, it still sounded weird coming from him. Not flowing quite as well, but he was still quite proud of himself. “Ana tano namae ha kade suka?”

Yellow eyes were filled with warmth as he gazed upon the woman, who he now regarded as Aika, instead of the ice they once held. He was beginning to like her afterall, even if she was a little childish.

“Was that good?” He asked before a small young escaped his mouth. Though he regarded himself as a child of the night, the other members of his pack did not, which left for little sleep when he snuck out at night.

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“Shi no namae ha Draven. Ana tano namae ha kade suka?” His pronunciations were a little odd, but Aika – nonetheless – smiled at his attempts, almost good. But, y'know what? He was pretty darn good for a beginner, and Aika was quite proud; soon he'd be the master, and she'd be but a teacher! Heck yeah! She was quite excited to be teaching a young whelp her own language, and she nodded reassuringly. “Was that good?”

“Yeah! It was great, especially for a beginner; you've only just started, and I'd say you got it nailed down pretty well. Is there anything else you want to learn before we get you back home?” The moon had only begun to set further, and Aika didn't really feel like dealing with angry parents scouring the lands for their child, only to find him out learning an entirely new tongue. She knew she'd be furious if one of her own children ran off; goodness, why had she been thinking about children so much?!

The lady mentally sighed, though a smile remained on her face. Expectant.

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“Yeah! It was great, especially for a beginner; you've only just started, and I'd say you got it nailed down pretty well. Is there anything else you want to learn before we get you back home?”

He thought long and hard about that question. Pondering when he would use this new-found language. Aspirations of travelling the lands, talking to others, learning as much as he could, filling his mind. But would he do it alone? He hoped not, the boy was lonely enough in his childhood, it didn't need to continue.

“How do I introduce someone else? ” He asked finally. Now obviously logic wasn't his sharpest skill, or else he would've learned something other than names. As that would probably get him nowhere. But he was still young.

As he waited for a reply, he stood up. Best to begin finding his way home now, and he could multitask. Luckily the scent of the Demonia Empire was strong here, so they must not be too far away. He beckoned Aika forward with his tail as he began walking.

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“How do I introduce someone else?” She tilted her head to the side, confused for a moment, until she realised – or, well, hopefully realised – what he was trying to convey; she cleared her throat, hoping to get it right. Not that she'd mess up her own tongue, but that she might not be fully understanding what the boy wanted. “Well, if you're trying to say something like "this is _____," you'd say . . . ” “これは私の友人です,” — "This is my friend,"

She got to her feet, following after Draven – his name, as he said – as they walked back to what she presumed to be his homeland. It was interesting to speak with a native; one that was born on these lands, instead of ripped away from his family and thrown into an ocean of confusion and heartbreak. He was young, sure, but Aika still wasn't certain on whether or not he was actually native to here, but nonetheless, she wouldn't dwell on it. Not for now, anyways.

As they drew closer to the scents, Aika paused, turning her head to the boy as she cleared her throat, a non-verbal halt as she parted her maw to speak. “You know, Draven, I should probably go now,” She smiled sadly. Surprisingly, the lady would miss his company, and she found herself wanting little puppies – little, minier, probably less curious Draven's – for her to take care of and support as well. Aika dipped her head to him. “お会いできて光栄でしたドレイヴン,” — "It was a pleasure to meet you, Draven," She smiled. “It was a pleasure to meet you.”

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He repeated it silently under his breath until he figured he understood it to a satisfactory amount. A grin reaching his face when he had accomplished it. His ears flicked towards Aika as she stopped, soon followed by his body. “You know, Draven, I should probably go now,”. His ears fell backwards, pinned against his head. In the short time they'd interacted he had grown fond of her, as weird as she was, and didn't want to see her go.

Solemnly he nodded his head. The borders were just over there, and he didn't want to know the hell that would come from her crossing them. She spoke first in her mother tongue, than repeated in his. Without instruction from his mind, his tail wagged at the new sentence for him to memorize.

“You as well.” His mouth stayed open for a moment as if there was more to say. There was, he wanted to ask if he would see her again, to tell her he would miss her, to thank her for her lesson. He said none of that. “Goodbye Aika.”

With that he left, continuing his journey home. His mind was racing nearly as fast as his paws as he ran through the territory of his families empire.

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