The Ancient Forest did not judge but it did breath, listen, and keep secrets.
Nozomi stood beneath the high canopy where the light fractured into pale ribbons, dust motes drifting like suspended ash in the stillness. The air here smelled of damp bark and old earth. Where she stood was far enough from the city that no civilian would wander accidentally into what she was about to teach and be able to hear such atrocities.
At her feet rested a wooden carrier with simple latticework that she had purchased this morning. Inside, two cats shifted against one another. They were thin, mottled creatures with bright unknowing eyes. Their fur brushed the slats as they moved and one let out a soft, uncertain mewl.
Nozomi did not flinch. She knelt and unlaced the top with careful precision and lifted one gently between firm fingers. She made sure to support its weight as it squirmed against her hold. The creature smelled faintly of straw, and its heart beat rapidly against her palm. She could even feel the vibrations through her skin.
She had chosen cats intentionally. They were familiar, small, and innocent. She set the animal down within the clearing and let it wander only a few paces before it froze. It quickly became overwhelmed by unfamiliar terrain and constantly looked back toward the other cat who remained within the crate, watching in curiosity with wide yellow eyes.
Nozomi sat down slowly, pale hair catching stray strands of filtered sunlight. From her seat she would toss wood chips in order to keep the creatures attention while she waited for the students to come. The feline would track back and forth from the thrown object to Nozomi, not fetching it so much as finding mindless fun in the movement.
Finally, she stood to crouch again, and picked up the small ball of fluff. Her hand would stroke along the thin fur in patterns of repetition. The curse stirred within her faintly and with a curiosity towards what this animal was, and how to destroy it. Nozomi would have to cull such internal inclinations and whispered to the cat, "Pss pss, not much longer till the students arrive."
[WC: 364, Class: 1/5 Total WC: 363]
Nozomi stood beneath the high canopy where the light fractured into pale ribbons, dust motes drifting like suspended ash in the stillness. The air here smelled of damp bark and old earth. Where she stood was far enough from the city that no civilian would wander accidentally into what she was about to teach and be able to hear such atrocities.
At her feet rested a wooden carrier with simple latticework that she had purchased this morning. Inside, two cats shifted against one another. They were thin, mottled creatures with bright unknowing eyes. Their fur brushed the slats as they moved and one let out a soft, uncertain mewl.
Nozomi did not flinch. She knelt and unlaced the top with careful precision and lifted one gently between firm fingers. She made sure to support its weight as it squirmed against her hold. The creature smelled faintly of straw, and its heart beat rapidly against her palm. She could even feel the vibrations through her skin.
She had chosen cats intentionally. They were familiar, small, and innocent. She set the animal down within the clearing and let it wander only a few paces before it froze. It quickly became overwhelmed by unfamiliar terrain and constantly looked back toward the other cat who remained within the crate, watching in curiosity with wide yellow eyes.
Nozomi sat down slowly, pale hair catching stray strands of filtered sunlight. From her seat she would toss wood chips in order to keep the creatures attention while she waited for the students to come. The feline would track back and forth from the thrown object to Nozomi, not fetching it so much as finding mindless fun in the movement.
Finally, she stood to crouch again, and picked up the small ball of fluff. Her hand would stroke along the thin fur in patterns of repetition. The curse stirred within her faintly and with a curiosity towards what this animal was, and how to destroy it. Nozomi would have to cull such internal inclinations and whispered to the cat, "Pss pss, not much longer till the students arrive."
[WC: 364, Class: 1/5 Total WC: 363]
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