Slipping Away {Open}

Weeks had passed since the whole ordeal with Diallo. All he wanted to do was forget about it. He needed to clear his head and just get away from everything and everyone. The only place he knew this could be an option was in the neutral areas. Kenai moved around his chamber as he thought of ways he could just get away. He could go to the wilds, exploring such places, but he knew one place in particular would force him to be reminded of Diallo. He did not want to re-live the memory in his mind. Instead, he needed to go to a different place. As he thought of the neutral lands, he had once heard the Regina speak of Astridax. The idea of an island was one he never really thought of. Who could or even would come and bother him there? Quickly he went to his chamber and started to pack his things. He did not know how long he would plan to stay there, but he knew it would at least be a few days. Kenai threw all his clothes and things into a sack and slung it over his back. He carried it out and shifted to his bear form, which forced his mouth to grab at the bag. He carried it tight in his jaws and moved from the home land. He moved carefully, since his eyes could not see the ground over the bag. He did not wish to trip or slip, or even fall. Kenai finally made it to the neutral lands and walked to the edge of the forest. He shifted to his human form and made the last of his journey to the docks. He handed his cash over to the dock guard and boarded the ferry to Astridax.

For the next ten to fifteen minutes, he waited for other patrons to get on board so they could get on their way. He pulled out his music device, as well as his headphones and started listening to his favorite band, "Rambunctious Berries". They had a killer hit called "Eye Of The Raspberry". Kenai had actually met the band a long time ago on his travels, as the bear shifter group performed over the distance of Lunari. He looked out the side of the ferry, looking over the mountains and the water. The ocean was beautiful as the sun started to set over the rushing waves. He could not help but to smile as they shifted through the frigid waters. A light breeze kicked up and brisked through his hair, sending a slight chill to slip down his spine. He shook gently, trying to rid it from his body. His silver hues stared onto the ocean, watching as the waves crashed over the rocks bordering the land. When the ferry came to a stop, he pulled out his phone and checked the time. It was now close to eight at night. The sun was no longer visible as he grabbed his things and headed for the mansion.

He walked inside the massive entrance and headed to the counter. Though it was a mansion, it also served as a hotel. He could rent a room and enjoy his stay here in peace. When he got all his things together, he was handed a key and allowed to go to his chambers for his undesignated amount of time. As he walked down the long hallway, he finally made it to the door which was his. He unlocked it and opened the door, seeing how beautiful and perfect the room had been waiting for him. He walked over to the bed and dropped his bag down on it, watching it bounce slightly and settle comfortably. He moved for the rear part of the room, which led to a balcony with a view of the pool. It was then that Kenai decided he could really relax there. He ran back to the bed and quickly undressed himself, throwing his clothes every which way and changed into his swim trunks. He walked into the bathroom and grabbed a towel, slinging it over his shoulder. As he did this, he walked out of his room and headed for the pool. The night was illuminated with the stars in the sky and the bright face of the moon. It was gorgeous. He laid his towel across the back rest of the lawn chair and moved for the water. To the far end from his position, rested the hot tub. Though it was rather chilly out this night, he knew his body ran hot. It may be just too hot for him, at least right now. Raising his arms above his head, his hands came together, one overlapping the other, as he bent his knees and pushed his body off the edge of the pool, diving inside of it. The splash was minimal, even for his large frame. But he had done it so well, it was almost too silent for anyone to hear. Coming back to the surface, his face breached to the fresh air with a smile. He ran his hands over his hair, and laid out on his back, floating in the pool without a worry in the world.

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French translated~
1 "Ah, what a peaceful place this is!"
2 "Ah! Cold!"

Being too off in his own dream land, Kenai did not know he had a guest. He laid out on his back, allowing the little amount of fat to keep him afloat. He took a deep breath as his silver hues stared up to the beautiful sky. As he looked to the spacious starry night, he saw a single star shooting across the black canvas. Immediately he thought of a single wish to come true. He just wanted things to be alright, not sure if they were or not. He had made a huge mistake and he regretted it in hindsight, if only he had known what was good and bad in that situation. But it could not be fixed now. There was no way to fix the past, other than to try and make a better future. He closed his eyes and just as he did a large amount of water splashed onto his face. Immediately, he stood up, planting his feet on the ground. He stared to the water as it spread out small rings from the center point of where the body had hit the water. Whatever or whoever it was had not yet come up for breath. When finally the being breached the water, he stared in awe. It was as if it were in slow motion. Her hair held back behind her head, exposing her face in the silver moonlight. Her features shone brightly, exposing her beauty to the bear. She spoke a language so foreign, but the sound of it was beauty in all itself. He was silent as he watched her, unsure of what she had even said. It definitely was not English, which was the only language he knew. He looked to her and finally his mind snapped back to reality. "That's quite the splash you've got there miss. I honestly didn't think anyone would be out here with it being as cold as it is. You've got guts. I like that. Or you are very tolerant to the cold." He chuckled lightly as he moved closer to her and held out his hand. "I am Kenai Makwa. What is your name?" He was not too sure if he should share what he was with her. She smelled like a dog, but he was unsure if it was a wolf or a domestic dog. They all smelled very close to him, especially with his limited contact with them.

As she placed her hand in his own, he shook it gently. He did not want to show the true strength he held over her. It was only when they were so close, did he realize just what kind of ears she had. Not wanting to stare, he looked to her body. But quickly fixed that and slipped his hand from her, rolling back to stay on his back. He had never heard of Werewolves keeping their ears when in human shell. So maybe she was not a Werewolf after all. But what was she? "Well, I figured that I have had a lot of time being home, and it's about high time I just get away and meet some new people. It can get so tiring seeing the same people over and over again." He hoped he had been perfectly vague enough to where she would think of him as being a human. If she was some kind of spy, he wasn't going to give away anything about his own life. Though, he did enjoy being friendly, who really knew who sided with the humans? She could be an operative for them, a pawn on the inside. Was it even smart for Kenai to be out on his own? Diallo had been older and he was killed by the hands of a human. Were the humans after all Shifters? Or only the leaders? Shaking the thoughts from his head, he looked to the other female and smiled. "So what brings miss Sapphire Emeraldson out here on this night? It's a little too cold for some to be swimming, let alone wearing something which exposes such a beautiful figure so well. You should be sitting by a fire, wrapped in a blanket and reading a book or something instead. I'm used to this type of weather. And this cold of water." He smiled to her and splashed the water at her playfully. He was unsure how she would take his playful gesture. She may even leave because of it, but he hoped she would stay and splash him back. Perhaps they would get into some kind of playful water wrestling or something like it.

[It's all good. I'm really tired lately, so my posts may be poopie.]

It was very clear exactly what she was and where she was from. Those ears could not be hidden without the use of a shower cap or even a hat. Kenai chuckled as he watched her. "Of course you are a Mora, some sort of dog... Right? I've never seen a cat with ears like that." But what Kenai did not know was why the Mora liked water. Perhaps it was because she was a dog, but did that mean that felines did not like the water? It was all very confusing the him, but he tried not to think about it too much. Instead, he focused on some other idea in his head. As she disappeared beneath the water, he could not help but to smile. He loved to play around in the pool, and lately there really hadn't been anyone so comfortable with him. Only one female he could think would want something like this, but he immediately shut that door in his mind. She did not love him. She did not want him. When the Inu came back to the surface, he had been waiting and splashed her face. While he was also getting splashed, he could not help but to laugh. He was having too much fun and when she teased him about wrestling, he could not turn her down. He took a serious stance, spreading his legs and smiled cutely her direction. Slowly he slipped into the water. He swam to the deeper and darker end of the pool, the portion of which the lights could not illuminate. While under the water, he shifted to his primal form. His grizzly claws scraped the tiles on the pool floor, not hard enough to damage them, but enough to push off with his great weight. As he came to the surface, he made sure he came up right under her, using his massive body to push her high out of the water. He gave a soft roar, not too scary, alerting her to his change. He could feel the cool water moving about his coat and he could not help but to feel happier than before. Being in his primal form was fun and invigorating. For so long he had lived this way, but being so close to the humans and other races, he needed to keep a low profile. And with the humans on the hunt for the Shifters, he had done his best to stay hidden. But she was not human and she seemed to be very nice. He could see himself finding a new friend in a completely new race. In this form, he knew he would not be able to communicate with his voice, but he knew animals could understand body language. As long as he showed no aggression, he figured everything would be fine.

Playing in the water was a fun way to relax and just let everything go within his mind. Being around the Mora was not half bad. She was rather cute and her primal form was just adorable. He had never seen the type of dog which she was before, so that was a cool change. As he emerged from the water, she made an effort to jump off of him and splash into the water. Kenai gave a playful growl as he sunk back into the depths of the pool. He shifted back to his human shell, coming back to the surface with a hearty laugh. He could not help but to feel joy from the experience. He waited for her to surface once more and spoke out to her. "That's pretty crazy right? A lot of people think I am just a human, but I'm so much more than that. Now that we know what each other is, I think it's safe to say we could be great friends. I doubt the Mora and Shifters have anything against one another." He looked to her with a smile as he swam to the edge of the pool. Once there, he placed his hands on the tiles and lifted himself from the water. The chilling wind rushed over his exposed skin and the hot tub was sounding better and better in his mind. Kenai ran for the tiny spa and sat in the warm waters. He didn't really need it for his Shifter blood was warm enough to keep him content, but the jets had a nice touch to his spine. It seemed to relax him even more than before. "Come on in, the water's really nice here and the jets are to die for!" He smiled and waved his hand to her. "So if we are going to be friends, then I suppose you should tell me something about yourself. We could do an even exchange, one for one. You can ask me anything you like." He smiled to her and waited to see how she would respond to him. The night was far too young to end it here.

He closed his eyes as he waited for her to join him. Kenai allowed the warm waters to relax and chill out his muscles. The jets hit his skin with the high pressure, feeling like a massage. It was really nice. He opened his eyes when he heard her entering the water. He smiled to her and quickly changed it to a smirk, "Feels better huh?" he asked as he stared at her. He moved his hands to the surface, watching the bubbles cling and roll over them to evaporate into the air. He watched several do this, while listening to her talk. And then the question game began. "No, it's not random, it's actually a good starter question... I was born in 2654... I'll be 214 this year. I don't really know what time of year my birthday is... I know that must sound weird to you, but I was born into a concentration camp by the humans. They found my bear clan and many others, forced them to live all together in horrid conditions. I was actually kept a secret for a while, until I was large enough to be exposed to the public. But if I had to guess, I would think my birthday is April 20th, only for the fact of during my time with the humans - it was a day to celebrate and experiment with all kinds of things. Humans are pretty crazy. I don't know how close you have ever been to some, but one even became my best friend..." It was the first time in while he had thought about his Human brother. But he did not wish to make the mood sad, and immediately smiled and thought of a question for her. "First, you tell me your birthday, then you answer this question: what is your favorite food?"

She had been shocked by his age. Was he really so old? He didn't feel as if he had been, but he shrugged it off with a smile. She was very young compared to him, only a shy age of twenty two. What an interesting life she must be living, being surrounded by all these long time living members of their current world. He knew most of the shifters were of an older age, at least over one hundred years old. "It doesn't feel like I'm that old though. I remember then I was your age. That was a loooooong time ago, but I learned a lot during that time. It is a fundamental age for all, no matter the race. It's when you really start to know yourself. Some claim they know themselves at like the first ten years of your life, but that's bullshit in my opinion. Everyone changes and shapes into the thing hey want to be in the future." He listened to her speak and smiled at the thought of food. The way she made it sound made it be almost to die for. Kenai could hear the rumbling in his stomach, though he knew he wasn't really hungry. "Italian food huh? That stuff is pretty good. Lots of bread, pasta, and meat. I like it! I tend to stay away from the vegetables, even though I know they are good for me. They are just so... 'blah'... You know? But my favorite food in the whole wide world would be shrimp. Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can BBQ it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. There's shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That - that's about it.." He had realized he was rambling and stopped with a smile. He scratched the back of his hair nervously, hoping he had not completely destroyed the night with his love of shrimp. They were succulent little creatures and the more he thought of them, his stomach continued to growl. Quickly changing the subject, he told her his reply. "I can speak Cherokee and some other Native American languages. My family comes from the Makwa tribe and as a part of growing up, we learn their language first, and English second. Though, I honestly do not use it very often, as not many are versed in such a language. I cannot tell what language you speak, though it reminds me of the little bit of Spanish I took in High School. There were a couple languages from the olden times of 'Europe', of which I recall hearing that dialect. For my question I would like to know....." he paused for a moment, thinking of what to ask. His hand gently scratched his chin as he pondered. There were so many things to ask a girl, especially a Mora. She was a completely different race than him. But instead of boring their night with speak of their races, he decided to go a little more personal than the last question. "Have you ever been in love?" His silver eyes looked across the way to her stunning hues. He wondered what she would say, hoping this would not bring up some dramatic past of pain and anguish for her. Though his side wasn't feeling much better about the question either.