Swift trots beside Kiri, her eyes drawn to each twitching leaf. Every rustle, creel and cry call to her ears. Grouse, round yet nimble, stir from the dense undergrowth.

Kiri glances over his shoulder, his paw hesitating at the look of wonder on the kits' face. She catches his eye, her ears flattening against her head. Her gaze flicked to the path, refusing to meet his eyes. Kiri glances aside, his fur burning with embarrassment. "Ah, the caves are just up ahead." He offers.

Swift fluffs up her chest fur. "Bladen, what does it feel like to be embarrassed?"

His soft laugh trickled in, his amusement contagious. "Like that kit. Just like that."

She tilts her head back, letting the wind catch her chin.

She whined, her protest sweeping the mind like a sweet summer breeze. "Why am I embarrassed?"

"Probably because he saw you examining the world in a way that wasn't the fierce kitten you've been trying to exude." Bladen explains, stepping closer to the front of the mind.

"But- I- Ugh. There were cool things going on. I've never seen them up close before. Not like this." Swift sighed, her mind automatically dragging the memories up. "Why shouldn't I want to enjoy it! He shouldn't be noticing meee."

"I wasn't judging you kit, I enjoy seeing the world through your eyes." Bladen reassures.

"But I don't want him to see me like that!

"Why not? He's not a bad pup," Bladen rubs against her, rolling against her in a teasing manner. "Are you growing to like him?"

Swift grumbles under her breath, attempting to ignore him. "Kiri? My name is Swift. I'm sorry, my mama would be rather annoyed with how my manners have been."

Kiri flicks his tail up over her muzzle, muffling her words. "Glad to meet you. Now hush for a moment please." He hops down a small incline, slipping between a set of boulders. The rocks scraped, tight against his shoulders as he squeezes into the cave. He lunged, crushing a rabbit under his feet as it bolts for the entrance before setting it aside and backing out enough to call. "Little cat, we're safe. Come on.

Swift bounds down, easily fitting through the crack. "Can I speak here now?"

Kiri nods, grabbing the rabbit off the ground. He guts it in a quick motion, dropping the internals off to the side. "No guarantees I will answer all of them though."

Swift glances at the rabbit curiously before bouncing on her feet. "First, who were those things that attacked the... Alpha is it? They walk on 2 legs and look really rather odd."

Kiri shrugs. "I have no idea what they are. We just called them bipeds or death, really. They come after us with arrows and snares. I don't know why, it's even a rule not to eat them!"

Swift frowns. "Eat them? Why would you do that? Aren't they like intelligent?"

Kiri shrugs. "Don't know, don't care."

Swift frowns for a moment. "Liar." She shakes her head. "Ok, next question I guess. Where is my home?"

"Oh that's easy," Kiri replies, "It's really far away. Against the current if you tried to swim. We're the first defence against any mainland demons who show up! Though... You are the first we've dealt with, that I know of."

Swift sighs. "I doubt I'll be your last. My mama will be looking for me. A lot. She won't stop until she finds me I bet."

Kiri tilts his head. "Why are you so sure? Couldn't she just replace you with another kit? That's what Alpha threatens me with if I'm being stupid."

She flattens her ears, "Uh. Well. I guess so, but that's not nice. Why would your alpha threaten you with that?"

Kiri shrugs. "Because as I said, he can just have another. Heck I have siblings, he can just have one of them lead."

Swift blinks, Bladen shakes his head in her mind. "Kiri is the only one like you here and he is a rarity to have been born."

"Does he know that? Is he bluffing with me right now to make his pack seem stronger?"

Bladen slipped forward, watching Kiri from their eyes. Kiri studied them with a golden brown gaze that seemed to bore into their soul. Faint tendrils of purple coiled around the pupil, flaring and contracting with each second they didn't speak.

The kit shifted his weight, muscles flexing beneath frosted fur tips as he settled his haunches under him. An ear flicked back to the entrance, always on alert, listening for danger. Extra fluff rimmed his cheeks, adding to his baby face.

Bladen shook his head, tsking with disappointment. "I think he fully believes he's replaceable. His father, the alpha, doesn't even like him but knows he'll be best for the pack. You can see it in Kiri's words, how his eyes snap back to that door every time there is a noise. He expects to get hurt. And by someone trusted, otherwise he would have hidden us inside and blocked that door."

Swift flicked her tail, trotting to the entrance. "Why not shut this? Are we going to have to run again? Surely we can drape something over it. Hide in case those 2 legged things come back this way."

Kiri shifted his weight back, tail tip twitching just slightly with aggravation. "No. If we do that then they'll see the disturbed leaves and come investigate."

Swift stepped back, ears focusing on a nearby noise. She retreated behind Kiri, ears flattening as she watched the entrance. "What all here will eat or kill us?"

Kiri snorted, barely muffling his chuff. "Eat us? All the predators we live around. Personally I'd call the bipeds the most dangerous. But you and I are the same size as some of our prey. Some snakes or other reptiles eat our kits if we aren't careful, but none of them are large enough to kill an adult of our kind."

She sat, her tail wrapping around her feet, emerald eyes catching the light with salt crusted into her fur. She tilted her head just slightly, studying him as he studied her. "So why then?"

Kiri twitched, tail flicking madly. "Why what?"

"Why don't you shut the door? Or hunt the bipeds off your land? I'm quite sure even you and I could destroy them." For a second her words formed for him, draped with the skins of his people. Sightless eyes, bloated lips, flies droning aimlessly.

Kiri squeaked, shaking his head madly. He pawed at his face, "No. No, no, no. Not happening. We can't. It would destroy us." His gaze flicked up to her, veins of violet receding back behind a russet shield. "Ok? Don't ask that again. Please."

"Bladen?"

"Later." He stood by her side, head tilted slightly. He stood a good head higher then her, his form a clone of the one they used, with one exception. He held himself slightly lopsided, right front foot ending in a nub just before the paw.

Swift leaned against him. "Promise?"

"Always. I won't lie to you." He shifted his weight and pressed his paw over her heart. "Oath upon my soul."

"Sorry Kiri, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories." She said softly. "Or be pushy."

Kiri rubbed his face one last time. "It... I don't know what it was. Not a memory." He glanced at the doorway again as a pair of jaws snatched Swift out by her tail.

She snarled, flipping back on herself to sink claws into whatever held her. Her fur raised as she stared into the narrowed eyes of the bloody alpha.

He dropped her, claws pulling her off his face as he pinned her below his feet. "I see you are already getting chummy with that kit of mine."

"The correct answer is yes sir and sorry sir." Kiri whispered to her, his voice surprisingly natural in her head.

Swift stared up at him, eyes white with terror. "Sorry... Sir." She whimpered.

"For?" He prompts.

She inhaled deeply, her words being bitten off as Bladen speaks for her, "Causing you injury, and stress."

"Oh really." He leaned in close, breath hot against her face.

"This is the power move he pulls when he wants you to bare your throat. He's wanting you to submit." Kiri hisses.

Swift forces herself to flinch, baring her throat to him. "So. Since this is demon speak, why are you daring to do it?"

Kiri looks away, refusing to acknowledge her as he steps out of the den. He sits ridgedly, staring blankly ahead.

Alpha smirked, his blood dripping onto her fur. He reached down, catching her by the scruff. His fangs broke skin, digging in enough to make her mewl with pain.

"Alpha," Kiri started, cutting off with a flinch when his father growled. "Alpha, can she stay? I know, I know she's a demon but she is young. Maybe.... Maybe we can use her? Train her to fight for us?"

Alpha set her back down, claws pining her hip to the floor. "Train her? Train her?! No. We will leave her staked by the water she came from. If her people don't come for her in a week, we'll kill her."

"But sir, if that's the case, why not kill her now?" Kiri tilted his head, power uncoiling around him. His voice softened, soothed. "I will take full responsibility for her. You say I need to learn to be an alpha, well let me practice on her. She has no effect on our people."

"Ohhh Swift, please for the love of whatever, let's not get on his bad side." Bladen requests softly. "He's a Dukari with psychic abilities. Mental. Through and through. And alpha? Oh what a powerhouse. No wonder his father won't touch him! He can't." Bladen gives a whistle of satisfaction.

She turns to stare at Bladen. "I understood exactly none of that."

"Are you ready to handle that?" Alpha asks warily, watching Swift with a lift of the lip every few seconds.

Kiri puffed out his chest, "Of course I am. You said yourself I needed more responsibilities. What better way then watching this prisoner?" 

"I suppose..." He sighed. "She is not permitted in camp. Keep her here."

"I am not some pet to be kept!" She snarled, Bladen keeping a tight grip on their spoken words.

"Shut up!" He snapped, teeth clicking shut inches from her face.

Swift flinched back before vanishing away into the back of her mind. Bladen shook his head with a heavy sigh.

"Sir, what exactly would I be doing here, would I be allowed to explore?"

"What?! No! Don't explore, the bipeds will get you!" Kiri exclaims.

"Of course, you have nowhere else to go. You are simply not welcome anywhere near home base." Alpha said sweetly. "Unless you want to finish the job the water started and simply go drown yourself."

She wriggled under his claws, slipping out as he shifts his weight away. He looks at Kiri. "I expect you to be home before dark." He growls, limping away.

Kiri waited a few minutes, watching and listening. He spun on her, tail twitching. He head butted her before drawing back, his ears flat. "Thank the stones you listened to me. I wasn't sure it would work."

"Oh it wouldn't have if it were just Swift. She's too high strung and had far far too many comments." Bladen purred, speaking through the mind. Their body leaned back, eyeing Kiri suspiciously.

Kiri sighed. "Come on then. Let's get you settled. Did you learn anything about hunting before?"

"Uhh," Bladen shoved Swift back to control with hardly an apology. "Not really, but like you I can use pack memories to learn."

"You can?" He questioned, vanishing back into the cave with a wave. "Then why'd you ask me like you didn't know?"

"I didn't know I could then. I..." Swift stepped in and looked away from Kiri, trying to hide the tears glimmering in her eyes. "I was trying to reach my mama... It wasn't working. My mind won't let me. It's like I'm not even her pack."

"You aren't. She was going to complete the pack bond that night." Bladen leaned against her, tongue grasping against her head. "But, that shouldn't matter. You're alpha Dukari. You should be able to reach anyone and everyone, no problem."

"Then why can't I?" She buries her face in his fur, body wracked with sobs. "It's not fair... My brother and my sister... They get to be with our dad, but all I get is icky fur, hurt, and, and," She looks to Kiri, wiping her face with a paw.

"How about a friend?" He offers softly.