Vulpes et Lupus (Klera)

[simanus]

The night was still and blessedly dark. A mile or so inside the forbidden forest, a fox moved among the trees. Under the moon-blocking canopy, it appeared whitish-gray, but it was actually a silvery blonde. Had it been under observation, it would have stuck out even in the color-neutralizing darkness, its movements were vulpine more in the human sense of the word than the true sense. "Sultry," would have been an apt description, as would "flirtatious," this fox moved as if it didn't care who or what came out to play.

This could be easily explained, Simanus was having a fit of insomnia and so was not bothering with the pretense of acting. This didn't bother her, the spells came and went and their frequency was decreasing. In many ways, Simanus enjoyed these mini-rebellions of her biological clock to what she called "warp lag." The great distance between Britain and the US meant that the trip back to Hogwarts each semester was extremely disorienting, the instant transition across 6 hours of time was bound to produce issues. Ever the optimist, Simanus used the opportunity to reacquaint herself with sneaking out of the castle and to reconnect with a certain friend who shared her appreciation for the nighttime hours.

She should be here soon she thought, her first human thought since transforming. It was difficult to think like a human when absent from a human brain, her thoughts tended to be more simple and narrow, sleek like her furred body. Her legs adequately stretched, she lay down and put her head on her paws to wait. Minutes later, she thought she heard the steps of padded feet over the packed soil.

[Klera Wollf]

There it was again. That familiar urge to go out and run, that longing for a something that was no longer there. It seemed only her time in the forest could calm her heart and her mind. She'd even gotten permission from the headmaster to retreat to the forbidden forest when she needed an escape from the pressures of a past she could no longer remember.

Her paws beat over the ground as she ran. Meat. Fresh meat. The scent filled her nose as she inhaled and spread to the rest of her body, making her stomach rumble with hunger. Her body dropped to the ground as she slunk along, dark fur blending in with the forest around her. The kill was quick and clean, only a small rabbit. Just enough meat on its bones to calm her stomach's protest at skipping dinner.

Again, the wolf took off running, only slowing when she neared the meeting sight. She shook her head quickly before walking forward to clear her mind. Klera. That's my name. That's my name... It was difficult to keep her identity when she looked nothing like herself, or the view of her she normally had. Slowly, Klera walked forward to where a little fox was waiting.

[simanus]

It wasn't usual for a fox to demonstrate canine behavior, but the sight of her friend made Simanus' tale begin to wag. She padded excitedly around her a few times, sniffing the air with abandon, someone had had a snack en route. After a few moments she moved back in front of the wolf and made eye contact. Simanus then stood up on two legs and held her position for a moment before returning to all fours, lying down and placing her head on her front paws, finishing this display off by blowing a small puff of air out through her nose. This was the method she used to ask Klera on occasions such as this whether she would prefer to remain in animal form or resume their human shapes.

There was the sound of a snapping limb from deeper in the forest, followed shortly by the thud of its collision with the packed earth. After giving her ears time to discern if there were any other sounds, particularly approaching ones, she returned her gaze to the wolf, head cocked to the right in a quizzical gesture.

[Klera Wollf]

It was common for woodland creatures to interact, though a fox and a wolf was a combination rarely seen to even the greatest outdoors enthusiast. Her friend's tail wagging made her bark a rough, low sort of bark; it was the closest thing to a human chuckle in this form. The wolf tilted her head a few degrees to the right. Her friend held her full attention as she began her routine. When Simanus had finished, Klera tapped the ground with her foot three times, and also laid down on the ground, head on her front paws, tail slowly beating the ground. This was her response to remain in their animal shapes. They spent so much time as human beings, it was nice to stay a creature of the forest for more than a couple hours.

A crack and a thud resounded in the quiet from farther in the forest. Almost immediately, Klera was back on her feet and standing protectively over her friend. A line of fur down her spine stood higher than the rest, her ears forward intently listening for any approach. The only sounds were the rustle of leaves when a breeze came through and the breathing of the two females. She lifted her nose and sniffed the air. Nothing far out of the normal realm of scents there either. Her eyes found Simanus's, mirroring her friends confusion.

[simanus]

Simanus stood up and gave short, yippish bark, the simplicity of animal communication was an elegant thing, she thought. She had figured Klera would want to stay this way for a while, and Simanus was only to eager. There was a simplicity and directness to animal thoughts which she found appealing, but far more than that were the periods of no thought. Simanus was burdened with a great mind, one whose gears turned so persistently that she suffered the recurring cycles of early-waking that had her here this evening. I suppose if I'm honest with myself, it's another cycle and not the time difference, she thought, though not truly in words. She looked back in the direction of the sound for a long moment, weighing the potential risk against the aces up the sleeve that were their true forms, came it to a fight.

After this consideration, Simanus turned back to Klera and walked around her once, going off at a tangent in the direction of the tree sound once she came around to that angle. She trotted only a few steps before looking back. Klera was the tougher of the two of them, so Simanus preferred to deffer the "is it safe" question to her, leaving herself to deal with the "will it be fun" category.