[Action]

[biteoffherhead]

[Though she wasn't immediately near the village after the return to the future, it isn't long before she's back and doing her rounds outside of it. Her scent, fur and tracks once again start circling the village, and those that wander through the woods will find that they have an escort.

Those that remember living in "this" Luceti will remember Moro as a brutal forest god, who has on several occasions actually bit people for what they had done to the forest, taking limbs and even a couple lives. It was a rough year or so before Moro was stopped by those living in the village, and she permitted others to enter the foliage. She was probably one of the most dangerous incidents that the villagers had to face, with the war's absence. But as time passed, she grew more begrudgingly accepting of their presence and the fact that they were not like the humans she knew.

Of course, she is still dangerous and she still menaces those that cut down more of the trees and plants than they need. But these days she is the sort to quietly give lessons and speak her wisdom to others, and she ponders her existence in this place. She's not pleasant company, but she is very interesting company, to say the least.]

Comments

[savedtheworld]

[There's one familiar monk checking out the woods. A little older, a little taller, even a little bit of scruff experimentally growing on his chin.

Aang normally has a daily walk through the forest. Today, he sees some familiar-looking footprints, and he starts to follow them. With all the people suddenly turning up, could it be...?]

[biteoffherhead]

[Moro's there, yes. Some of the trail appears to have a scuffle, and there's blood, and when Aang finds her she's eating from a large deer, looking over the village. Thankfully, it's not a human that she's eating.]

[savedtheworld]

[Thank heaven for small mercies? It's still a gruesome sight for Aang as it is. He turns and covers his mouth for a moment to keep himself from releasing his own lunch.

Then he tries to look at her without seeing the deer. Because that wolf is unmistakeable.]

M- Moro? [He hesitantly takes some steps closer.]

[biteoffherhead]

[She pauses from her meal (god, it stinks of gore and innards--) to turn her ear to Aang. She sniffs, but only when those senses fail to tell her who it is does she look at him.]

...Ah, yes. Hello, boy.

[savedtheworld]

[...Wow that smell is making his stomach turn too. He keeps from getting too close to keep it from getting stronger.]

H-hi. You remember me... you're back? [Or never left again? It's hard to tell for sure with Moro.]

[biteoffherhead]

I have never left. What do you want, boy?

[goldenglasses]

[Hopefully Moro has some memories of this man that wears a red coat and will forever smell of gunpowder. Vash has an eye open for the giant wolf just in case she doesn't. He just can't cut out his daily walks through the woods.]

[biteoffherhead]

[Oh, she remembers him. She's bitter and sore about him, and she still hates that he uses guns. She always follows him. And that includes today, even though she's freshly hunted and the stink of blood is fairly heavy on her.]

[goldenglasses]

[Vash knows he's being followed, but doesn't show any outward signs of knowing he's being followed as he whistles a happy tune as he walks.

That is until he starts to scramble up into a tree. No reason. Thought the view up there would be nice!]

[biteoffherhead]

[Oh, don't think you're getting away so easily. Moro examines the tree, deems it strong enough, and places her paws on it. With a mighty heave, she hauls herself onto her hind legs and reaches into the tree with her jaws, her height startlingly high like this. Seems she's also a bit more nimble than before.]

[goldenglasses]

[Now Vash is panicking slightly. The happy tune is dropped in order for him to scream and scramble up higher into the tree.] Nice doggie! Good doggie! [He peers over to the next tree over and decides to take the leap to get into a tree that didn't have a giant wolf in it.]

[that_is_asecret]

[Xellos walks through the forest without hardly a care in the world. He isn't one to abuse the forest, and he has the smell of a predator on him]

[biteoffherhead]

[The smell of a predator makes her curious, and it's reason enough for Moro to follow. She waits, keeping a steady difference until he does something or until he finally notices her.]

[that_is_asecret]

[He steps behind a tree a moment and then appears beside her]

Having fun stalking?

[biteoffherhead]

[Her ear turns to him, and calmly sidesteps. Teleporting, eh. Not a new trick, to her.]

It is my nature to stalk.

[that_is_asecret]

Well, I do come from Wolf Pack island, so I am aware. Still haven't answered my question though.

[If you can't have fun with it, why bother?]

[thestormishere]

[ After a couple of afternoons back in Luceti, Lightning goes looking for a god.

Her memories of Moro aren't that good, but the footprints are hard to ignore, and the recollection of having some interaction with the being even more so. Looking back and realizing that Moro is still here fills her with an odd feeling; early on in her stay with Luceti she'd unknowingly dodged a bullet, and after that she'd spent most of their coexistence keeping a respectful - but not entirely understanding - distance from her and her "territory." It's odd to think how little she'd known back then, about the sort of divinity present in her own world. Her adventures had had to do with their servants instead. Now, her... experience with divine matters has changed a bit.

She kiiiind of went and got made into a deity herself in the meantime. Even here, away from her own world and its souls formed out of Chaos, she can just barely sense the life-force of others right at the edge of her awareness.

The curiosity about Moro is inevitable, and it's what fuels her careful journey through the forest now, smelling of steel and roses and something a little wilder than what's generally found in the natural world. She doesn't wear a weapon openly, though she has several hidden away with her power, just in case. Hopefully, that won't be necessary. More conflict in her life is seriously the last thing she needs. ]

[biteoffherhead]

[Moro's relatively healthy, these days, if a bit thin. There's evidence of a kill (an almost entirely eaten buck, even some of the bones were gone and presumably eaten) and further wandering.

She will, certainly, eventually find Moro. Moro notices her scent as soon as she draws closer and the wind turns, and it makes her fur rise. That wild scent is familiar, to her...]

[thestormishere]

[ Moro's big, and Lightning can't help but wonder how she manages to live in the forest without being more destructive than what the woman sees; the large carnivorous creatures native to her own universe tend to keep to the plains instead... though there isn't much that could be said to be as harmless as deer in the wooded wilds, either. It's certainly no wonder to Lightning to find evidence of one of them preyed on.

She's cautious after coming across the remains, and even moreso when she catches a glimpse of that offwhite fur. She keeps her hands in the pockets of her coat as she stops. Following? Yes. Stalking? No. Just visiting. If there's anything about her capable of setting Moro off right now, it's certainly not intentional. ]

[biteoffherhead]

[There is no growling, but the moment Lightning is within sight the wolf god turns towards her and stares. Her head bobs slightly as she noisily inhales, very carefully taking in Lightning's scent.

If Lightning was wondering about Moro's state with the forest before, she may receive some answer: she is quite thin, and looks rather unhealthy. Underfed. The densest trees are free of her pawprints, but the heavy brush is more than enough to cover her. She has centuries of experience living in forests, and she respects the forests far more than her own wellbeing.]

What is that scent on you?

[But, of course, her curiosity is most important right now.]

[thestormishere]

[ A frown at that - that scent on her? Hell if she knows personally; her sense of smell isn't any better or worse than the standard human issue, and a quick mental review of where she's been since popping back into Luceti doesn't leave her with many ideas over what Moro might be referring to... she hasn't really done anything that she thinks might be unusual.

Something still clinging to her from before Luceti? Chocobo musk? Ozone?? Or... ]

I don't know... is it different, now?

[ Yep. If it was on her subtly before, she probably freaking reeks of it now. Congrats on smelling like the afterlife, Lightning. ]

[action]

[ofwesternwinds]

[What about someone who's currently up in a tree? Or, well, on a tree branch, anyway. Because, yeah, someone here decided to climb up one for the hell of it. When's the last time he got to do something like this, right? Not since he was a kid.

For the most part, Rudy's just chilling up there. Taking in the surroundings. Someone hadn't quite got the memo on the wolf god's return, seems like. However brief their encounters were, he still remembered her well enough. And his scent, should Moro happen to remember, still smells of gunpowder and something far less pleasant.]

[biteoffherhead]

[Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your perspective, Moro does not remember becoming a demon. Because, in a war-less world with no drafts, no zombie enemies, and no resulting rabies-like madness that made her into a writhing demon... Moro hasn't cursed anyone.

She has, however, heard of it by now from those that do remember. But it's still removed... the shame and grief she held in that Luceti are gone. Now she simply snarls up at Rudy.]

Do not bring guns into this forest, boy.

[ofwesternwinds]

[The snarling voice nearly causes a startled jump in the older boy, before quickly recovering and glancing down. ... With his eyes stopping on a face he'd never thought he'd have to see again.]

Huh...? [It was on him - she'd guessed accurately there. Even with the world peaceful as it is, he still felt uncomfortable not having a means of defending himself in case of an encounter. ... Frankly, he smelled like that in general, given his nature. Still. Frankly? That isn't even his concern. Why is she here?] ... You...

[His eyes are locked directly on her, practically frozen in pinpricks. He's completely still. Completely at a loss.]

[biteoffherhead]

[When she had returned, initially, after her death as a demon... there were scars. Big, ugly ones. Ones that looked like mottled flesh, where her fur was thinner on her face. Ones from when she was killed, on her belly and her back and a ring around her neck where the head detached itself and attacked others. All of those were subtle but present evidence of the event.

This Moro has none of these. She glares up at him without an ounce of guilt or shame as she did once before.]

Leave. If you return with a gun, I will kill you.