十二

[anatural]

[action]
[This is the first time in weeks that Naga has left Korra's side. While Korra goes to meet Arthur, Naga finally takes the opportunity to get out of the City. She's a wild animal, and the tall buildings and busy streets upset her.

You might run into if you're at:

• the forest
• the drowning pool
• the city limits

It's been an interesting few weeks. Best be careful around her.]

Comments

[mortemscintilla]

[ A history of wilderness survival and ever-cropping restlessness draws Hei to the forest often. It's a good space -- secluded, plenty of obstacles -- to hone abilities that can quickly rust in the arena of suburban insouciance. Settled on a mossy boulder, he's sharpening his blades with a whetstone and greasy cloth, when he hears a twig snapping. He glances up. Locates the source. And scowls. ]

[ Naga. ]

[ There's a cursory sweep for Korra -- She'd better not be here -- before he refocuses on the bear. God, this is already promising to be a fun day. Like an acid trip version of that old Beatles number, Run For Your Life. ]

[anatural]

[Naga knows the sound of a blade being sharpened. A prey animal would have run, but Naga is a top predator. The sound of a knife doesn't frighten her.

She sniffs the air, catching Li's scent. Him. Her hackles raise, but her steps don't slow. To avoid him would be a sign of weakness, and that she will not abide.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Just as well. Naga isn't the blade's target. He lets the bear approach, alert but calm, still whetting his weapon. With no spectators, 'Li's spaz-and-sputter act is unnecessary. He uses the chance to observe and catalog. Truthfully he doesn't know what to make of Naga. He's never given animals much thought. They were either game to cook, or threats to deter in Heaven's War. This one can't be classified as either. ]

[ He watches her -- blank-faced, receptive. No move of caution, or welcome. ]

[anatural]

[Naga's eyes sweep past him, seeming to pay no attention to him. If you're attuned to the nuances of predator behavior, you'll notice the way her ears are attuned to him. She's ready for any sign of threat.

And then she sniffs the air. A rabbit is moving nearby. Her mouth salivates -- it's been too long since she's had hot, warm flesh.

Li is no longer her concern. For the moment, her focus is on the hunt.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Hei's perception is fine-tuned to a discerning edge. He focuses on the subtle cues, the shift of ears, the twitch of muscle. When Naga sniffs, he takes it as a sign. Interesting. Someone scented fresh dinner. ]

[ He won't interrupt. He'll watch. He's never seen a Polar Bear Dog before -- much less one in action. It should be an instructive performance. ]

[lupusalpha]

[Okay people need to stay out of the forest because god damn it - but animals, that's chill. But Derek has definitely never seen something like Naga, and Naga probably has never smelled anyone like Derek. She's a wild animal, but in a way, he is too.

He's careful because he never knows how an animal may respond to his wolfyness.]

[anatural]

[Naga freezes when she catches this scent on the wind. It looks like a human, but the smell is wrong.

Predator or prey? She opens her mouth, breathing deeply to get a better sense of what this creature is. Definitely a predator. Her hackles raise, but otherwise she doesn't move.]

[lupusalpha]

[He's an Alpha, and that makes almost every animal he meets wary at first. She's in the way, though, and so he dips his head. Naga wouldn't be able to actually hurt him, but he's not in the mood for a tussle. His human side isn't bothered with submitting a bit to something that looks so much like a bear.]

[anatural]

[The small gesture of submission does its job, and Naga relaxes slightly. Her species is, by nature, inclined to attack anything suspicious, regardless of the threat it presents, but Naga has always been unusually gentle, and Korra has nurtured that gentleness into curiosity.

She moves closer, ever so slightly, and continues her investigation of him. Alert in case he presents a sudden threat, but offering no threat of her own.]

[lupusalpha]

[He opens his mouth a little to scent her - female, whatever she is, that much carries over, and moves cautiously towards her. He's not in any rush.

She's huge, that's for sure, and used to humans, otherwise she might have run already, or attacked him, one of the two]

The City Limits

[beyourarmy]

[His wings are still out. They usually get forgotten when he lands while severely troubled. Setsuna flew out this way to mope for a while and see if he couldn't think of a way to deal with his situation. But if there's anything that can get his attention now, it's an animal, particularly one he's met before.]

[He vaguely remembers the encounter from sometime again when he sees Naga from afar and calls out.]

Hey, you. What'cha doing out here?

[anatural]

[Naga looks up. It's the strange winged human. He had been nice. She wags her tail slowly and pants a friendly greeting.]

[beyourarmy]

[He manages a small smile. He doesn't approach, though. Puts his hand out for her to accept.] You remember me, then?

[anatural]

[Naga reaches out her head and sniffs his hand. Offers a small lick of friendship.]

[beyourarmy]

[There's a gentle smile after, before Setsuna reaches out further to pet.]

You're really sweet.

[hexuality]

[Ginny's flying, as usual, weaving through the trees and sometimes skipping up above the treetops to drag the toes of her boots over the highest branches. How hard can it be to miss a giant polar bear dog? Or for a polar bear dog to miss a girl on a flying broom?]

[anatural]

[Naga hears a strange sound in the trees and stops. Her ears perk up and she looks around, trying to locate the source of the sound.

Something flying. A human?]

[hexuality]

[Ginny dips down beneath the trees again and pulls up short of Naga, a little bewildered. Her first instinct is to draw her wand; her second is to fly out of there—because she's been attacked by the City's monsters before, and...

... this doesn't seem like one of them. Carefully,]

Hullo?

[anatural]

[Naga eyes the flying human warily and sniffs the air. She doesn't make any threatening moves, but she is clearly cautious. She's never seen a human like this, and Ginny's tension makes her tense.]

[hexuality]

[Ginny frowns for a moment, trying to place where she's seen this creature, because she knows she has. And then, quite abruptly,]

You're Korra's, aren't you?

[haring_to_go]

[ Liam preferred some peace and quiet himself and he's on the City limits looking for a bookstore to rest his laurels for an our or two when he sees her, the beautiful creature known as Naga.




... and then the freaked and crashed into the mail bin, tripped on the curb and landed on a decorative pot. Opps? ]

[anatural]

[The sudden noise makes Naga jump. Always a little on edge in the City, her hackles raise and she growls just slightly, warning Liam that she is not a creature to be trifled with.]

[haring_to_go]

[ he held stock still, a broken petunia hanging off his head ]

N-nice doggie. [ see? He can smile, um...

don't eat him? ]

[anatural]

[He reeked of fear, like a prey creature. Naga approached him slowly. She was actually just being cautious, but it would be easy for the ignorant to think she's on the hunt.]

[haring_to_go]

[ he scooted back an inch, not daring to take his eyes off the crouching creature. Honestly, he's so very thin. Not a bit of a meat on him --

fjdskl; and down he goes, feet in the air and flailing. That pot was not wide enough for scooting! ]