My arms turn wings; Oh, those clumsy things; Send me up to that wonderful world }} riku&hope

[darkbreak]

Every story has a drop of truth. Right...?

And that also includes things like legends and myths. Riku's always been rather curious about tales like those, passed down from generation to generation and put into books and other forms of media. Stories about mystical creatures with strange forms and heroes performing impossible feats. He always thought one day he'd be able to find something that magical or wonderful like those stories, even if it was something as silly as finding a mermaid in a pond.

Getting older meant having reality check and Riku realized he wouldn't be able to explore all that much. But it doesn't stop him from going out to check the beach in his coastal town, or day-long hikes in the nearby woods. Today in particular, he's out on a long hike, having left home the day before. There's the nearby forest that he wants to check out, as well as some caves on the mountainside. It meant a longer hike and more time spent away from home by himself, but sometimes it's nice to disconnect from everything else.

He's deep in the woods and getting closer to the mountains with every step. It isn't until he spies a small gathering of trees, wide and thick and strong with age, that he stops to take a look and a picture with his camera. It isn't every day that you see trees that have grown so close together like that.

Little does he know that his shutter and camera flash might attract the attention of others...

Comments

[caladrius]

Having spent his entire life in the forest, Hope knows what belongs there and what does not. Grass, dead leaves and twigs crunching underneath feet? Probably one of his fellows, or someone else, walking about close to his territory. Not uncommon at all, so no cause for concern.

A flash of light followed by a strange clicking noise however, that is new.

That is unnatural.

That means there's someone within his forest, someone new.

Hope propels himself from tree to tree, searching for whoever is unfamiliar to him in this forest and discern if they're friendly or dangerous to his home. He is tengu after all-- this is his sanctuary to guard. And when he spies a figure he does not recognize, he announces himself with a mighty flap of feathers and drops heavily onto the ground, opting to intimidate.

[darkbreak]

Funny what's considered normal between species. Because having a feathered being, far bigger than any bird he knows of, drop from the sky is not normal at all.

Riku drops his camera out of sheer fright, taking a few steps back with wide eyes that aren't sure what they're looking at. Something bird and human at the same time? A harpy maybe?

Whatever it is, it is intimidating and not a lot really scares Riku. But the boy is swift, grabbing a small blade out of his back pouch, placed there for emergencies or random animal attacks, and going immediately into an offensive stance.

He's not going down without a fight.

[caladrius]

Hope flares his wings, making himself look much larger than his actual, tall and lean frame. He doesn't know what the human dropped, something made of steel and other things. It hasn't done anything yet, looking harmless among the grass and dead leaves, but the tengu would rather not take any chance in case it were actually dangerous.

Like the object in the human's hand.

Now that he knows. Shiny, metallic, and sharp, that is a blade. A knife, really.

Simple enough to keep out of reach when it's just a small thing and he can fly. But it is still a weapon, and one used to hurt-- he dislikes knives, when so many of the denizens of the forest have been hurt or slain by knives.

"You should put that down."

[darkbreak]

It... can talk?

Riku doesn't know if it is meant to be a distraction or a genuine comment or if the blade merely makes the creature uncomfortable. While the flaring of his wings leaves the human unphazed, the words actually make Riku blink in surprise.

But just cause he can potentially communicate with this... bird-man, does not mean that he's going to oblige his request. If anything, he grips the blade a little tighter, eyes narrowing. By no means does he want to hurt anything or anyone, but he'll defend himself if he must.

"You attack me and expect me to drop it?" He almost smirks in amusement. "Not a chance, birdbrain."

[caladrius]

The knife cannot hurt him. Can it? A small blade, too small to kill, and too straight to skin. Not a hunter's blade, though Hope doesn't know what else it could be for other than intimidation.

Well, it's failed-- Hope is neither intimidated by the thin sheet of steel attempting to be a weapon, nor amused at the human's flippancy.

So he walks towards the human, bare feet silent on the ground despite all the grass strewn across it. He's not afraid after all, and this is a show of it.

"You really should."

[darkbreak]

"Give me one good reason why I should."

Is he being stubborn? Gods yes. The winged man clearly isn't afraid of him or of getting hurt. Which is fine by Riku really. He isn't looking to intimidate or to compete or anything really. But he doesn't want to feel defenseless, and with those wings and claws on that tengu, Riku's got the disadvantage between the two of them.

The step forward makes the human take a step back, shoulders relaxing a little but still tense. There is a moment when his eyes flicker to his camera, but he hardly looks worried about it.

But he would really like to get it if he could...

[caladrius]

Just one reason? Hope has so many reasons to give him, though.

"Your weapon is ineffective. It's too small to be a hunting knife, and too straight to be a skinning knife. The gleam of the blade tells me it's dull, at that." Meaning, it wont even draw blood at a single pass. "You should have brought something larger to these woods, but you didn't."

Then Hope tilts his head, all too bird-like. "You're not here to hunt, are you?"

[darkbreak]

Riku's eyes narrow ever so slightly at the winged creature. He doesn't just speak, but is fluent enough to be understood and he knows what he's talking about.

And has encountered enough humans and weapons apparently. His gaze flickers from Hope to his own knife and then back to the bird man. He knew he should have sharpened it before he left, but it's not often that Riku has to pull it out, even in these woods.

Glaring at the Tengu, he lowers his arms but doesn't put the knife away. Useless or not, it makes him feel better to have it in his hands than nothing at all.

A scoff. "What was your first clue? Do you think everyone that comes here wants to hunt whatever you are?"

[caladrius]

"It's what humans do when they come here. Either hunt or take down trees for whatever reason. Food and other things. And since you have no axe, you're not here for a tree."

As if the animals they raise for themselves aren't enough as food, as if the stone they use aren't enough for homes.

Hope has lost friends, animals and sprites, to the humans taking what they should have not.

[darkbreak]

Hunting and woodcutting? Riku hasn't heard of too many people coming to the woods for those reasons, but he's smart enough to know that it's not improbable or impossible. There are likely a few that still come here for those reasons.

But actually, that explanation helps the human relax a little if anything, stance turning into something more casual. Well even if that's the intention of a few, that's not why he's here.

He sticks his free hand into a pocket and actually strides over to pick up the forgotten camera in between them. If this bird-beast wanted to strike him down still, then so be it. But he's also had plenty of chances to do so already.

Flipping it over in his free hand, there's some dirt on the casing and maybe a few light scuffs on the plastic. From just a cursory glance, it doesn't look like the lenses themselves suffered any damage. Good. He can't exactly afford a new camera right now.

"Not everyone who comes here wants to destroy this place, or the animals living here."

[caladrius]

He makes sense, Hope muses to himself. He makes sense in that not everyone comes here with the sole intention of killing, but eventually... Eventually something happens. And if humans who do no such thing do arrive, Hope likely has been away or in hibernation.

"Can you guarantee that you wont?" No accusation in his tone despite the continuing disapproval in his gaze. He may still not appreciate humans in his forest... but he still is willing to give them a chance if they're not here to harm anyone else.

That is why he's asking.

"Can you tell me, right now, that you wont hurt a soul while you're here?"

[darkbreak]

There's something in the way Riku glances at the Tengu. A tired look that he usually adopts whenever he's faced with some authority figures or people who try to tell him what to do. But there's something in his tone and the seriousness in Hope's eyes that actually gets to Riku.

He's deathly serious, making the human wonder just what kind of encounters he's had before. Surely not every human who has come to this forest has destroyed it in some fashion.

Taking his free hand and placing it over his heart, his tone is light, on the edge of being sarcastic. "Won't even step on an ant..."

He drops both arms thereafter and shrugs, voice now more serious. "I only came in to take photos, not destroy things. I won't hurt anything or anyone while I'm here. Promise."

[caladrius]

Hope, some part of him, is still not completely placated by these words. The way the humans says them... Something about that rubs him the wrong way. But for the sake of his forest, he wont argue further. He will accept it.

"Then you're welcome to stay as long as you want." Hope sighs, as he digs his talons into the earth beneath him.

"And in return, we'll make sure you leave the forest safely."