I can do this! (Leiken)

[dogmatic]

As the sun rose in a glorious array of color, Kennedy ran for the sheer joy of feeling the wind flash by her and the cool breeze rushing past. Her large paws were swift and silent, just made for running over snow. Each muscle and sinew rippled smoothly beneath the soft white and blond fur and she flattened her ears to her head as she poured on the speed. The cold air was exhilarating, the solitude suited her mood and the all out sprint got out some of her nervous energy.

In Husky form, there was no concept of time or physical discomfort. The natural scents of pine and snow filtered through her keen nose as she finally slowed to look around the training field. This whole messy business was so much easier when she was alone! No one was around to make dog jokes or laugh at her awkward shift times.

She paused for a moment, her furry ears swiveling to listen intently. After a couple minutes, she heard nothing but nature around her, so she deemed it safe to relax. Dy dug a small burrow in the snow and settled in for a quick nap. It was mandatory if she was going to attempt changing back to human form. Fatigue soon took over and Kennedy tucked her tail up to nose as she drifted into sleep.

The red Siberian Husky jerked awake to full alert and didn't yet know why. A tantalizing scent teased the edge of her mind and she reacted spontaneously.

"Cat!" She barked avidly.

For the briefest of moments, she stood stock still. Her pupils enlarged until they nearly engulfed her blue eyes and her ears turned independently, trying to zero in on the source of CAT. Kennedy leapt into action with a huge bounding leap to the left and took off in a searing sprint. Her heart pounded hard with excitement and a surge of adrenaline rapidly coursed through her entire body.

A flash of fur zipped around in an amazing 360 turn of incredible agility and the cat raced ahead in huge leaps. Her prey sighted, she barked joyfully with each enormous stride, enthusiasm for the chase spurring her on to faster speeds.

"Cat! Cat! Cat!" She barked/thought.

The cat hissed suddenly, turned and shifted gracefully in a very angry human form.

"I don't know if you're human or shifter but you need to seriously get a grip you ruddy idiot!" He spat out furiously, " Baddog!"

The guy stalked off with ruffled dignity, still looking very catlike, even in human form. The door slammed with finality and Kennedy stopped immediately, slumping to the ground in dejection. The snow barely covered the cement over here and the she felt the cold hard ground as a well deserved punishment for her impetuous behavior. If she could've buried her head in snow at that very moment, she would have.

[Leiken Chu]

Leiken stared to the sky, watching it as if he were waiting for some beam of light to fall upon him, to take him away to the sky beyond the one that they knew well. Leiken was still in poor condition, but he'd been allowed to leave. Which meant he wanted to make sure that he continued to impress the ones that helped him. To do that he would have to get stronger.

Leiken felt if he pushed his own body hard enough, his ability would continue to be exhausted, and in control. If he could just focus then he could move onto the next portion of their training. He had not yet seen vincent since being released from the infirmary and he was beginning to believe that his trainer had abandoned him. If that was the case he couldn't really say that he blamed him, only that he was right, again.

Either way Leiken had become determined to get a grasp on his own ability; One way or another. Lei had hardly noticed the woman, though he had noticed the husky when she began to chase the cat, which made leiken roll his eyes. Who had let a dog on campus of that size? He shrugged it off as he sat down on the ground, placing the cup of blood he'd drained off some raw meat in front of him, on the ground. "Oi! Dog!" he called toward the husky. "Where's your owner?" he called toward the animal or what he assumed to be someone's pet rather finding it hard to begin with distracting sight of the husky chasing the shifter.

[dogmatic]

Kennedy nearly let lose a sigh of frustration. She'd been stuck in dog form for well, she wasn't sure exactly in hours or days, but it felt like a long time. Her furry head snapped up at the sound of a voice calling out from the side of the field. She lifted her nose to the sky but the person was sadly down wind.

Curiosity won out and she trotted briskly in Leiken's direction, with her head up and tail wagging. Luckily the wind shifted as she neared and she caught a myriad of scents that needed deciphering. Her brushy tail wagged harder as she recognized things like male, young, and was that meat and blood?!

Her trot flowed into a loping gait that had her pupils turn to pinpoints. He was sitting on the ground and calling out to her. As a human she would've been far more reluctant to approach, but in dog shape, she was exuberant and much more spontaneous. Not to mention, she couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten anything. Judging by her stomach's reaction to the scents, she'd say a very long time had passed.

Kennedy stopped about four paces from Leiken and scented the air again, checking if the blood she smelled was an injury from him. It didn't smell like he had an injury, but something was... off a bit. She paused and stood there, tilted her head to the side and watched his face closely. His face and shoulders were tense, but it seemed like that was from exhaustion more than stress. He appeared laid back with no overt signs of hostility.

The meat and blood smelled good, but she didn't know if he was eating it or offering it. Best to wag her tail, wait for a cue and see what was what before possibly joining him in his meal.

[Leiken Chu]

Leiken had been a little surprised when the husky actually seemed to acknowledge him. Let alone when it seemed curious enough of him to approach. Lei seemed a little stunned at first. Though he loved animals to bits and pieces they often did not like him. Not only because he had a scent of blood about him, but as well because of the lack of control he had over his abilities and how often he'd accidently killed an animal because of that fact. Animals were much smaller and had less room to withstand his ability. It had always been a fact that made Leiken heartbroken.

He looked down to the bloodied meat as he picked up a piece of it, the blood seeming to drain from it as he did, holding tight to the surface of his hand, though it did not touch the meat. It took some of the coloring away from the meat, but not entirely. he allowed the blood on his palm to drop to the cup under the meat he held before offering the piece of meat to the husky. "I know they say you're not supposed to feed raw meat to animals becuase the taste of blood will be something they get used to, but... " he looked around a bit. Then back to the husky, "I'll take responsibility." he stated holding his hand out with the meat toward the husky.

"it's okay... " he stated though he didn't promise not to hurt the husky. After all, he couldn't really control his ability very well. It seemed to control him. Lei made a mildly pained sound as his ability suppressed again, it had been doing that alot, since his near-death experience. He was so exhausted physically, the bruising on his skin would probably hint as to why, but not completely so. The blood he'd been trying to keep on his palm slid off his hand as he lost control of it again he nearly doubled over as his stomach held a strong pulse of nausea.

[dogmatic]

The dog's head tilted to the left, listening closely to the tone of his voice as he spoke. Her first impressions were tired, but kind. There were no threatening gestures nor did he yell in fear as so many did at her approach.

She always made sure to wag her tail and only make brief eye contact to show she was friendly. One couldn't possibly be any clearer in dog body language so she'd done her best to be eloquent so to speak.

The raw meat smelled good and somewhere tucked far back in her brain, the human part nodded an assent. Raw meat was actually good for dogs as long as there were no bird bones in it. It was actually cooked bones that were dangerous for dogs to eat because they got brittle.

Sensible thoughts vanished in a flash as she got closer to the meat and blood. Dy's jaws made a snapping sound around the meat as she bolted it down in record speed. In less than a heartbeat, the meal was gone and she licked her jaws for any last remnants of blood.

Now that she was closer, she noted his weakness with a soft whine of concern. She nudged his leg in encouragement with a pink nose and wagged her tail politely. She'd learned that most people were more willing to speak to her in this form than they were when she was in human shape.

Before he only seemed tired but his sudden moan and painful movement forward, made her cry out in worry for Leiken. She placed a paw on his shoulder in sympathy, wishing whole heartedly that she could help him.

[Leiken Chu]

Leiken had smiled such a smile when the dog took the meat from him. It made him feel warm inside that the creature did not immediately retreat at the presence of him. He exhaled heavily. Was this a good sign? or was it just because he was so exhausted that he did not radiate the same way that he was used to. No matter, he wasn't going to jinx it by complaining ro thinking too much on it for too long.

Lei hadn't shown any signs in fear of being bitten by the snapping jaws, but instead he laughed quietly. It wasn't in him to be afraid of an animal, at least not a dog, and the sight had amused him deeply. "What..are you doing here all by yourself... are you lost?" he questioned the animal as though he believed she would be able to answer.

Though as that pain struck him he whimpered out a sound of his own. he exhaled heavily before looking to that cup of blood sitting infront of him, maybe training so soon was a bad idea after all, though it was in the midst of his trembling that he felt the nudge from the dog near him. The paw on his shoulder reminded him somewhawt of when Orion placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Though his natural response was to recoil from it. Which he did in fear that he would hurt the adorable animal. he had felt the urging of his ability to latch upon the animal's blood and he could not handle that happening right now. He had enough on his mind without worrying about having accidentally killed another animal. "Oh pup, please...don't do that.. I don't want you to get hurt." he stated sadly.

It felt impossible.

[dogmatic]

Kennedy was nearly as distressed by his condition as he was by feeling poorly. Frustration built up inside her that she wasn't speaking what she was thinking. Lei was obviously hurting, but physical contact looked to upset him very much. She immediately dropped her paw and sat down in front of him.

Her face was very close to his and for a brief moment, she looked directly into his eyes, trying to fathom what was wrong. His beautiful, soulful eyes bespoke his pain and regret of physical contact. The woman within began to fret and the Husky started pacing before him and crying to herself.

'What is wrong with him? He's hurt but it's not injury blood. He looks and sounds like he's in pain and I don't know what to do!' She thought frantically. She didn't think trying a Lassie would help when she couldn't talk but she couldn't leave his side either.

She went back and sniffed his face and hands, careful not to touch Lei at all. The man was injured and she had no idea what exactly his injury was. She couldn't say it would be all right or offer the empty placating words that humans usually did. But then, he didn't deserve that kind of treatment. He looked like he needed real healing and it broke her heart that there was nothing she could do or even understand why.

Something deep and instinctual surged within Kennedy and she sat down abruptly, pointed her nose to the sky and vented her frustration.

www.searchingwolf.com/howl.wav

[Leiken Chu]

Leiken calmed after a few moments, the nausea and pain starting to subside, but he could not get rid of it. Though Nik had healed his major injuries his body was still mending the reset. He didn't want to go back to her and ask her to help him further. She was already straining herself to help him that much and now that he realized she was vincent's wife there was much to be said in apology to her, but his heart was not strong enough to weather that just yet.

His head hung for a moment longer before he slapped over the cup of blood in a frustrated and angry manner. Giving a scream of pain given into the air. Though he hoped it would not startle the dog into defense. He breathed out shakily as he pressed his hands to the ground infront of himself as he screamed, letting out all of his built up frustration, his anger and his pain. When he finally stopped he leaned like that. Panting softly with moisture at the edge of his eyes. He took in a deep breath before looking to the spilled blood on the ground. The blood had shifted away from him as his ability pushed it across the ground. He was thankful it had only gone after the spilled blood rather than the blood in the nearby dog.

"I'm sorry, dog. I hope I did not scare you. My heart aches much worse than my body." he stated with a pained expression. He didn't hide his emotions much when he was alone. What was the point? It wasn't like the dog could tell anyone how weak he was. Right? He made a sound as the husky howled and he carefully extended his hand. Cautiously moving it toward the animal. Part of him was afraid to, but attempted to pet that husky anyway.

[dogmatic]

(So sorry for the wait! I got pulled away on family stuff with no notice.)
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Kennedy watched him curiously, her head tilting from one side to the other. The smell of blood had keyed her up and the morsel of meat only teased her hunger instead of assuaging it. He didn't smell completely healthy and she couldn't piece together why. It was a nice day out and it was early so the possibilities for fun were endless.

The unnaturally moving blood went largely unnoticed by the dog. While she was aware of the scent and that it was in that general area, her attention was focused solely on the good looking young man before her. He moved to his hands and knees in a posture reminiscent of a universal canine invitation to play. She was about to join in when...

Lei suddenly screamed and the husky yelped and jumped straight in the air. When he smacked the cup, it looked like a canine play gesture and the dog assumed that Leiken needed to play. In essence she was right. He was obviously distressed to the point of yelling so Lei needed a balm to his aching heart.

With a soft white paw, she playfully batted the cup to him. Encouraging him to do something spontaneous, so that while he talked, Leiken could make himself happier and the Husky was all about being happy.

Her crystal blue eyes studied his features for a moment and noticed he looked worried as he moved to pet her. She stood still, and slowly closed her eyes so as not to scare him.

[Leiken Chu]

Lei's troubles seemed deep, though his physical wounds were healing better thanks to the watchful eye of Nik, he could not shake the sadness that held inside of his heart. He silently wondered if he would ever even see his trainer again. If vincent would ever want to see him again. He could remember the feel of the man's arms, the feel of his lips, and it made it all the more painful a rejection.

His frustration had boilied over when he slapped that cup, but more so when he screamed out to relieve the frustration. He couldn't really cream so loudly in the school without someone thinking he was being attacked or something awkward like that. So it was nice to be able to in the training fields where it was expected. Lei couldn't help but to smile faintly when the dog pawed at the cup in a playfully curious way. Or at least that's how it looked to him.

Though when the dog jumped from his scream he had felt terrible for frightening the creature. His hand would come to rest lightly on the dog's head. Gently petting her, rubbing lightly behind her ears, though he seemed to tremble as he did so. He was terrified of his own ability, he could feel it sensing that pulse within the animal, trying to control it. Yet being far to weak to do it. "You're a sweet girl aren't you?" he stated as he pet at the dog's head and neck gently.

[dogmatic]

She nudged her nose under his hand to pet her more, leaned her entire 110 lb. self against him and wagged her brushy tail. He looked so sad and she knew that sometimes silent comfort was the best kind of all. Speaking wasn't an option in this form, but that was probably why she was so carefree and happy in it. Not to mention, a mute dog is a great listener when life had you down, and they never told your secrets.

Not that Kennedy could tell secrets. Her experiences in dog form were remembered as mostly emotions and sensations. The girl's mind wasn't yet trained to retain things from one form to another. Who she knew as a person, she didn't always recognize in canine shape, and vice versa.

Once Lei seemed a bit more comfortable, she moved back over to the cup and smacked it with her paw, in imitation of his earlier motions. She barked and gave a wide doggy grin, urging the solemn human to play.

[Leiken Chu]

Lei made a sound,nearly resembling a whimper, as he wrapped his arms around the animal. He had no idea, of course, that she was a shifter. He'd never met one before to be quite honest. However, it was both relieving and heartbreaking to him that the creature was comforting him so much. It was heartbreaking because he knew if he himself was not weakened by his own injuries that his ability might have actually hurt the poor creature. Though it was comforting in the moment at least.

Though he watched as she bat at the cup with her pawn again, he laughed a bit as he rubbed at his eyes somewhat, to wipe away slight moisture that had grown there. "you want to play fetch?" he questioned. Picking the cup up and looking it over, shaking the remaining bits of blood out, so it wouldn't stain the dog's nice fur.

[dogmatic]

Kennedy shook out her soft, fluffy ivory fur and gave Lei a big doggy smile as she wagged. She watched his face change to a bit of a smile, so she took that as a good sign.

Because dogs rely mostly on body postures and facial expressions for communication, she read deeply into what Lei was feeling. Although getting a deep read on the meaning was impossible, she still had the instinct that getting him to play and smile with a relaxed posture was definitely a positive thing.

The pretty Husky liked the gentle, almost musical tone of his voice and Lei's eyes were beautiful and steady. His invitation to play of course was welcomed whole heartedly and she barked back in answer.


The big dog backed up a bit, braced her front paws outward along the ground and raised her butt in the air in a traditional canine play bow. Her back legs tensed like a wire coil preparing to spring for the cup once it was thrown.

"Let's Play!" She barked/thought.

[Leiken Chu]

Leikin smiled still, a warm smile, to the animal. He was glad that she was not afraid of him, it was adorable, it was adorable how innocent animals could be. Yet it almost made him sad because inwardly he would wonder if he would become a danger to her once his body had healed.

Either way, he tried to push the negative thoughts from his mind, to relax. For now he would have to forget about everything, dwelling on it seemed only to make it worse, at least for now. he picked up that cup, standing up somewhat, giving her a playful smile.

"Alright alright." he cooed to her barking. Giving a grin before drawing back his hand, throwing the cup across the field, as far as he could. Happily smiling while he did so. "go get it!" he declared happily.

[dogmatic]

It moved-- it MOVED!!!
"Get it get it get iiiiiiit!!!" She barked/thought joyfully, and dashed off, chasing the cup as fast her furry legs could carry her. When the cup reached the zenith of its arc, her pink nose pointed eagerly skyward. Her haunches bunched beneath her, quivering and oh so ready to jump for it. Her front legs bounced off the snow again and again as she whined for the cup to get within reach.

With a mighty lurch, Kennedy jumped for the cup in a nine foot foot vertical, snatching the cup from the air with a quick snap of her teeth. She landed in a slippery (and fun!) pile of snow and skidded to stay on all four feet. She gripped her prize by the handle, with her head held high, and joyfully ran back to Lei with her blue eyes sparkling gleefully.

She dropped the cup to the ground and when it bounced, she just had to smack it with her front paw. In a game of impromptu soccer, she moved the cup closer with her front paws working frantically to keep the cup moving. Her big fluffy soft tail wagged happily and she nudged his arm to throw it again.

Her idea to play had worked! He was smiling, happier and more relaxed already!

"I like you!" Kennedy barked/thought vehemently.