Nec was in the forests again, exploring a bit. It was a new area, with new sights and landmarks and smells. He had been close before, the time he met Sealgair (who was with him at the moment) but not here.
The trees were old and huge, oaks, birch, alder, and some he didn't know. The ground had a sprinkle of snow, the kind that was just too little to offer good tracking but left the air new and fresh.
Sealgair, his Hellhound Bonded, had caught herself dinner in the shape of a hare a little while ago and decided that the largest oak, one with thick branches hanging only a few feet off the ground, was the place to take a nap, whether Nec wanted to or not. But they had been walking si ce morning, so a quick rest wasn't the worst idea she'd had, so Nec just shrugged, gave her a pat and climbed the tree.
For anyone coming by they were unlikely to spot Sealgair as she melted into the shadows of the afternoon under the tree. Nec might be easier to see, if one thought to look up into the trees. With foliage still in place, and Nec clad in the green-and-yellow kilt as always, with a brown jacket over a black t-shirt, he wasn't easy to find. Lounging on a branch, back to the thick trunk of the oak fifteen feet above the ground he wasn't so much dozing as he was meditating. Or something similar at least. He was very aware of his surroundings, sharp ears would alert him to anyone or anything coming close thanks to the crispy, dry leaves under the sprinkle of snow, so it wound be hard to catch him by surprise.
The zombie seemed to be getting a good grasp of the land's layout, though the map that Sugar Cookie had managed to grab for him proved more helpful since he likely wouldn't be able to navigate this place quite as well without it.
The chill in the air didn't bother him in the slightest; Dominic was dead after all, so hypothermia was the least of his concerns though his cuddlebug had insisted on him wearing a coat nonetheless.
Part of Kimasa had chosen to stay behind though the twins had opted to go with him while the eldest and the two parents remained to keep an eye on things in the old cabin Dominic currently called home. He would need to figure out how to he could get electricity running to it without stealing from anyone, but perhaps if he could get the water wheel on the side to work, he might be able to generate electricity using the power of the nearby river.
There was also the matter of groceries; while Dominic could live on what he hunted, he wasn't so sure the bonded creatures he had come to know as family would be able to live on meat alone. For that reason he would need to figure out some way of gathering funds, which could mean getting a job, and getting a job meant going to town... He shivered at the thought but a burst of reassurance from the twins eased his worries at least for the time being. He didn't know how well he would be faring in this place if he hadn't had them, not that he wasn't capable of doing so but it would be a quite sad and lonely existence.
It hadn't even been half an hour before Nec heard the sound of approaching steps. Bipedal, so not anything to hunt, but that made him no less curious. Not too many people out here after all!
By chance, the path Dominic had chosen would take him right under the tree Nec was resting in, and the changeling saw that. A quick thought to Sealgair and Nec stealthily climbed down a few feet, right above the faint trail the stranger was using.
Well hidden in the leaves, he waited until what looked like a zombie but with Bondeds (hence it shouldn't be a threat) had just passed before dropping down with a thud, no more than two feet behind the other.
Dominic flinched and turned around as quickly as he could at the sound, only to be confronted by another person. He really wasn't doing so well at avoiding people, was he? But the Kimasa twins only saw this as an opportunity for their Bonded to make more friends, and so they chittered a greeting at the newcomer.
Sugar Cookie nuzzled against the zombie's cheek before fluttering over to Nec, hovering perhaps a bit too close in his face, and he would be met with a barrage of questions: Who are you? Why are you here? Are you a zombie hunter? I won't let you hurt Dominic!
"Shugar Cookie, no..." Dominic murmured, sounding somewhat embarrassed though he kept his voice low so that the other might not hear his speech impediment. He gave a slight nod to Nec in response to his greeting though he didn't seem too eager to speak. He'd been judged once too many as stupid because of it.
Dominic would be faced with a 6"9' tall blue being, grinning widely with tusks on display and horns on his head.
As with all Kirava, Nec didn't understand the questions being flickered at him by the little creatures, but the insistence was sweet either way, and he could at least guess at what they were saying. "Mean no harm." He held up a hand to see if the young Kirava wanted to land. The small one in Raf's Kirava family liked to rest on his broken horn, and Nec knew for a fact they were cuddly creatures.
As distracting as the creatures could be, however, he turned his attention to Dominic. "New arrival? Don't think I've seen you around."
Looking at Nec was like looking at a giant, the other having a good foot and two inches on him. One of the twins alighted on his horn, the other on his arm though they were very gentle and didn't grip the skin too hard.
The zombie nodded slightly in response to the question. "Dominic," he answered quietly, still somewhat wary but not of the other's intentions since Kimasa's interactions with him obviously clarified that he was a good person, giant or no giant. Sugar Cookie landed on Dominic's shoulder, the young Kirava seeming content with their taller perch for the moment though they would always return to their Bonded in the end.
Dominic motioned in the direction of the Veiled Shrine. "I live over there," he added. "In an old cabin." He was relieved his words came out a bit clearer this time.
"Huh." He looked in the direction Dominic indicated. "Didn't know there were one but I haven't exactly been through all of the forest either." Looking back at the, yep, zombie, (cool!) he smiled. "I'm Nec. And that's Sealgair." He motioned in the direction of the shadow of the tree just as the large Hellhound melted out of the shadow. Six feet of black fur and red markings with glowing eyes.
I was beginning to think you'd forgotten me. She glanced at Nec before taking a circuit around Dominic, sniffing him and studying him with burning eyes. You do not smell like the other undead of this world. She was just as blunk at her Bonded could be at times.
"Nec. All right." Dominic glanced towards the hellhound with hardly the raise of an eyebrow; he wasn't even going to try to pronounce her name since he knew he would butcher it just like he had Kimasa's when they had first met not so long ago. The Kirava fluttered back over to their Bonded and settled on his shoulders like parrots. He nodded in greeting, adding a quiet "Hello." She was certainly intimidating, but not in a necessarily bad way.
At her comment about him smelling different from the other undead, however, he couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "To be fair, the other kind don't bathe," he answered, though there was some amusement in his gaze. That was probably the reason he smelled different; he had managed to keep himself in control rather than give in to the lust for human flesh.
That would explain It. They do taste like they don't. I believe you would taste better. She sat down and continued looking at Dominic with an air of indifference, just a tiny hint of humor in her eyes.
"Don't be mean, hound." Nec rolled his eyes at her but grinned at Dominic. "Her bark is worse than her bite." Hat comment got a growl from the Hellhound but no teeth, basically proving Nec's point. "So can I ask how you ended up here? How long since you arrived?"
Hey, you're not allowed to eat my Bonded! He's mine! the vocal little Sugar Cookie exclaimed, flying over to perch on Sealgair's nose. And don't you think I like hearing you say that you're gonna take a bite out of him!
"Calm down," Dominic murmured, though he couldn't help sounding amused. He wasn't really frightened by the hellhound, and he shrugged slightly. "I don't know yet. And only about two days." He was pretty sure it was something like that, since he'd only come across Kimasa two days ago and Sugar Cookie even more recently than that.
Should I eat you then? Her mind voice was sweet in the way a jackal could be sweet up until it got what it wanted. And I said taste, not eat. There's a difference, little snack.
"Stop threatening people for your own amusement, Sealgair." Nec nudged her but chuckled all the same. Not like he hadn't done it himself from time to time! "Really new then! Been in town yet?"
The little cuddlebug zipped away at the hellhound's words, retreating into Dominic's pants pocket though poked their head out. Domi, she's being mean! Make her stop! they insisted, and if bugs could pout there was no doubt they would have been.
Dominic shook his head slightly at his companion's antics and then turned his attention back to Nec. "No, I'd rather avoid the crowd," he answered, crossing his arms. "Where I come from, people aren't really welcoming to my kind."
"She won't actually eat you" Nec assured Sugar Cookie. "She just pretends to be a big, mean Hellhound, she's actually as dangerous as a puppy." This got him another growl and nothing more.
"Fair enough, I was used to the same, but I think you'd be surprised at the level of acceptance people here have." He shrugged in a 'but don't let me push you' manner before walking over to the trunk of the tree to sit down.
Sugar Cookie seemed to relax but only slightly, Kimasa chittering at the little bug to reassure them that Nec's words were completely truthful and that the hellhound might have been intimidating but she wouldn't hurt them.
"I hope you're right about that," Dominic replied. "Would you...like to come back with me? To my home? The cabin might be livable, but I need a bit of help." He was only fifteen after all, and not used to having to fend for himself since up until being brought to this place, he'd lived in a boarding school.
"I don't mind helping." A promise made to Raf on one of his first days here came to mind. Basically to pay it forward, the help he'd received from the Solarians in his first days (and later too, honestly) to anyone who might need or want it. "What d'you need?" Getting up again he started walking slowly in the direction of the cabin.
Sealgair trotten ahead, but by the time they would reach the cabin (however long it would take them), the Hellhound would be gone, having had a sniff about and left to go hunt.