Setting
The Veshrac Jungle is situated along the southern tip of Hafirjan, and is separated from the much larger and vaster rain forests of the north by a large expanse of grassland.
Countless species of animal wildlife and multitudes of tribal people are known to make their homes within the Veshrac Jungle. Among these are the noteworthy Mira, a tribal race of catfolk with a ferocity matched by few. The Mira are worthy of both respect and caution.
What in the world.
"Look Maneya, being a half-blood amongst my people means you are half human half cat. What you see before you is my Ka'Tri form, my cat form. But I can shift from this form to my human form that makes me look like a Neko." he said the last part with a grimace and a wrinkle of his nose.
"My father was a Lion Warrior while my mother was Human. All half bloods can shift between their forms. Even to their true animal form." he stated, watching her, noting her confusion but also searching for any other reactions to his reply.
"Wait, wait-" she started, holding up her hands. All her fingers curled into her palms save for both the index fingers. "So you're telling me that a human and a thing-like-a-mira-but-is-not-a-mira-" She touched the two fingers together repeatedly. "You are joking, yes? Yes. I do believe this cannot be true."
She was looking at him for any sign that would assure her of the answer. Interspecies relations...was...yeuugh...
"And...that is how you came about? And you can change between being a human with ears and a cat that stands on legs like a human?"
This...was too much...
"Being a Soul Walker, I can't lie Maneya." he said as his ears twitched atop his head while his tail flicked and curled behind him. He was lean yet muscular with a deep look of pain and wisdom his eyes belonging to one so young. As if he had seen and lived through horror's only imagined.
The forest girl was absolutely shocked at everything about him. Everything was so alien. Enough that it provoked fear. She continued to back away from him. That was not real. He was not real. Had she somehow brushed by the vine which caused the spirits to test her mind?
"...ah...uh..."
"I can't harm you without harming my self. Empathy's can't harm people." Pain flickered in his eyes before they went blank and he bowed his head, causing his braided hair to slip over his shoulder's, a sad melody echoing. "I will let you be, Maneya. Watch your self okay." he said softly before turning and once again drew deep inside of him and shifted back to his Ka'Tri form, knowing that it would be safer and crouched before leaping straight up into the nearest tree.
What was she going to do? Her eyes lifted to try and find him again. Did she want to deal with something that had that much power?
'Sometimes...my pain is nothing when it come's to someone else's emotions.' he thought as he stood silently, unmoving, ears, tail and braids motionless, as he continued to watch, though he waited as well listening to the distant sounds of the ship and the odd machines with the humans.
She swiftly made her way through the forest, in the direction of the village.
A while later he stepped out feeling clean and shook his head noting the soft music from his braids and pulled a furred clothe from the pouch tied to his clout and used it to wipe off the dripping water before retying the clout back and headed back into the woods and without a pause headed deeper into the woods. His thoughts drifting back to the girl, Maneya and sighed as he shook his head, causing soft music to fill the area.
Maneya was a swift and silent shadow that traversed through the thick and unforgiving bush of the forest, moving through a path that she had memorized after so many months of traveling through it. She felt as though she knew every vine and leaf, and was apt at avoiding any dangerous or troublesome wildlife. They were only lame obstacles at this point.
One thing caught her attention as she whipped past bramble and brier. It was a sound she was not familiar with... was that some kind of music? The tribewoman skidded across a spot of mud to a stop, straining her ears to listen.
"Is that the dance of your people?" she asked, half-jokingly.
"No it is not a dance of my people. It is a Kata. A form of work out that limbers ur body before you go into a full out work out." he stated smoothly, as he turned to face her his own arms crossing over his chest and watched her as his tail flicked and curled behind him while his ears twitched atop his head.
"Why are you here? Surely I'm not in a restricted area."
She did not seem nearly as fearful as the previous day.
Or my curiosity.
"And do not think so lowly of me! What an insult."
"Why did you come back? I'm not exactly in the mood to argue. I'm not a Mira nor have I seen one. I've down sized my self just to survive on this world and I'm not quit in the mood to fight with each set of clan life on this world."