Friends Are Not Food [Closed]

Kenai walked alongside Regina Eden. They moved with each other, taking each step as they did so. The seemed to walk in rhythm with one another. They spoke of simple things, details of the surrounding area. He was told of the different areas the region had to offer. They all sounded wonderful in their own ways. He was anxious to see them all and soon he would, when he got the chance. But the offer of food was too hard to pass up. When they walked in the territory, Kenai was already feeling like he was home. The smells of the other shifters were all around. There was a Rex here, smelled like a feline. He didn't really care about that, he was more into food than anything else. He wondered if there were any kids from their pairing. With each step, it seemed eh was collecting more and more data about the pack. Lots of females, which was good for him. He was used to being around women and men equally. Though nobody would be able to replace Bradley, even though he was a human. When they made it to the Regina's den, he looked around at the entrance. His eyes scanned around and found a large area perfect for the fire. Sticks had already been resting like a Native's teepee. All it would need was some fire to eat up the logs and could actually cook whatever food she had thought of. "Well, I can get the fire started if you want to get everything together. I will wait here, I know how to get a good fire really burning. It will be gorgeous!"

In the early hours of the morning, Eden had disappeared to perform her duties as Regina. Diallo was awoken by the cold wet tongue of a strange creature. He knew it was not Eden, as he had called out to her to stop and the licking continued. Opening a blurry eye, he saw the shining face of the pitbull, Diesel. Laughing he wrapped his arms around the pup and pulled him down, "okay, I am up. Are you happy now?" he asked as he pet the pup playfully. "Come on, let's get you some food, huh?" he asked as he sat up in their bed. Walking to the fridge, he looked over her supplies and smiled. "Looks like mommy left you some of that buck from the other night," he said as he pulled out the decently fresh kill from the storage container in the fridge. Opening it up, he took a big chunk out and held it above Diesel's head. "Sit boy," he said as he watched the dog lower his haunches to the ground, while his tail wagged crazily behind his body. His bright blue eyes stared to Diallo and the meat, moving back and forth between the two. "Paw," he said as he held out his hand. Quickly the dog placed his paw in Diallo's hand, all the while watching the meat. Releasing the dog's paw, he smiled to him and said "speak." The dog barked once. "Lay down," Diallo commanded, and soon the dog was somewhat close to the ground. "All the way, Diesel.." he said with a smile. The dog finally laid his whole frame to the floor, whining for the food. "Good boy!" he said as he tossed the meat to him. Diesel caught it in his mouth and moved to his bed to eat it in peace. Putting the meat back in the fridge, he started to get ready for the day.

When he was finally ready to go hunting, he told Diesel to stay and watch the den. The last thing he needed was the dog following him and getting hurt by either the buck or even Diallo on accident. shifting to his primal form, his green eyes stared to the outside world from the entrance of the den. Eden had been gone for a long while, but he suspected she had found something fun to occupy her, or needed rest for being pregnant and all. Walking off, he moved for the wilds in search of the perfect prey. Walking through the brush, he kept his body low to the ground, and watched for any signs of food. Not too far from him, he saw a herd. There were a couple does and a couple fawns around. The bucks were farther away, searching for any danger to keep the herd safe. Diallo eyes the largest of the fawns, and made his move. He charged for it, lunging with his powerful legs as he sprung towards it. His jaws opened wide as he clamped down on the prey, pinning it by the neck. The other deer moved from the area, while Diallo shifted and grabbed the carcass. He lifted it over his shoulder, carrying it back to their den. As he approached the den, he found a male sitting by the fire. He looked at him and then moved to the den where his mate was. Dropping the body at the entrance, he looked to the male once more and then walked into the den. Seeing his mate, he smiled to her and rushed to wrap his arms around her. He kissed along her neck, and wrapped his arms around her tight. "I love you darling..." he said as he stopped kissing her and rested his cheek to hers. "So, who's the male outside by the fire pit?"

She spoke to him in a strange fashion. It was like she was telling him to be careful, but also saying it in a joking tone. He was slightly confused, but did not allow it to bother him too much. "I have been using fires for a long time now... You'd be surprised how much humans enjoy those things, only they make them much larger and well, for partying or whatever. They only cook weird things on it, like meat squeezed into these weird sacks and white puffs of fluff." As he thought about the antics of the humans, he chuckled softly and shook his head. "Yeah, those humans sure are strange." As she moved to the den, he thought a moment about following her, but a male had been there recently, if not currently. He was not too sure on the territory of tigers, but bears would never allow another male to enter their land without taking some serious damage. He stayed to the fire, fixing up the sticks as he found the perfect ones to start the kindling and logs to keep it going for all night if they needed it to. He was busy with his fire building, minding his own business when a strong-scented male came through the clearing.

Lifting his silver gaze to the entering male, he looked over him quickly, analyzing him as he tried to figure out who it was. It wasn't like Kenai knew any other shifters, but his scent was everywhere. He must have been Eden's mate, the Rex. Over his strong looking shoulders, he held a dead deer. Perhaps the male did not know of their plan to have a cookout? Kenai said nothing, just making eye contact with the bright green eyes upon him. Neither male spoke even a murmur. Once the carcass had been dropped by the entrance to the den and he disappeared into the den, Kenai went back to his fire. Within minutes the fire was kindling, eating away the small branches and flourishing over the large logs and bundles of timber. Lifting his hands in the air, he celebrated, "I did it!"

Laughter. As she spoke to him about his stench, he began to joke with her. "Well, before I could catch the little guy, I was forced to roll in the poop, covering my scent and thought I would come home and smother you all over in it, then we could smell yucky together.." he said with a chuckle as he moved to kiss her lips gently. But soon she would request him to shower and clean himself for dinner. "My love, I do not care who you invite to dinner as long as they have no intentions of making moves on you.." he said with a smile. He kissed her cheek and slipped off towards the shower. As he peeled his shirt from his back, he lifted it to his nose and sniffed it a few times. Reacting with a disgusted face, he dropped the horrid smelling shirt into the clothes hamper. He closed the lid and tossed more clothes on top to try and cover the scent, but it was still very strong. He grabbed some dryer sheets and tucked them into the pile, trying to kill the scent. He removed the rest of his clothes and rested dryer sheets with them. Looking in disgust at the grime on his arms, he knew he was dirty, but couldn't figure out how he was so nasty. He turned on the water and jumped in quickly. The water shifted from cold to hot on his head, covering him in a warm glow. He grabbed the soap, lathering it up in his hands, and scrubbed his body with it. He cleaned everywhere, especially his favored parts, in case this night led to one of passion and love between the Regina and Rex. Diallo could play nice, and he would because it was his rank as Rex to do so. He must be warm and welcoming to all who wished to join them.

As he rinsed off the suds, he stepped out of the shower and grabbed his towel. He wrapped it around his waist as he dried himself off and walked to his bedroom naked. He grabbed a pair of khaki shorts and a black tank top. He did not bother with shoes, instead walked back into the bathroom and put a small amount of gel in his hair. He styled it in the way that Eden had always loved, wishing to please her above anyone else in the pack. Walking into the kitchen, he was reminded to put the food away. He walked to the entrance of the den, where he had placed the carcass. He looked as he saw the pair talking about marshmallows. He smiled as he watched his mate, completely mesmerized by his love for her. Picking up the carcass, he carried it across his arms and placed it on a large slab he used for cutting. The whole thing would not fit into the freezer as a whole animal. He looked to the counter, pulling a butcher's knife out of the wooden block. With a hard strike, he cut off the head and watched it roll off the slab. Grinning, he tossed it onto the table and prepared the rest into smaller portions. When all the remained was the head outside the freezer, he began to saw off what little antlers the head held. As he was busy sawing away, he heard the soft panting of a canine companion by his legs. He looked down to see Diesel ready for his treat. Smiling, he tossed a small antler for him to catch in the air and tossed the head into the freezer. Closing the lid, he and the dog walked out into the night with Eden and Kenai. "So Kenai, welcome home. I am Diallo, Rex of the Shifters. Why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself? I'm sure Eden already asked you a million questions.." he chuckled as he walked beside her and kissed her cheek.

"Yeah marshmallows. Still a weird name. They should just call it white fluff. Crazy humans with their made up words.." He chuckled as his sentence trailed off. As the Regina wandered back into the den, Kenai turned to watch the flames. He poked the fire, moving from logs so it would burn evenly throughout. As his silver hues stared at the fire, he allowed his mind to flash to the past, to a simple time when he and Bradley used to host bonfires on the beach. They would listen to music, songs from "the old days" as the humans told him. They spoke of being free as a bird, of spreading your wings and flying from your troubles. Sometimes Kenai wondered what life would have been like if he and Bradley had never enlisted. Would they both be alive today? Would he have been able to expose his true self to Bradly and be accepted? He wanted to believe that his best friend would understand. He wanted to know that he would adore Kenai the same and not look upon him as if he was a beast. The Bellator pulled himself from the darkest corners of his mind when he smelled the return of the Regina. She held beers in hand as well as the fluffy white marshmallows. Reaching to take the beer, he opened it with his teeth, just as the humans had showed him. When she sat beside him, handing him the marshmallow, Kenai took it from her hands gently and prodded it with a large stick. He held it over the fire, turning it every few seconds until it was golden brown, the way Bradley liked them. "They are good. I've had them before, but it's been so long. Once I left the humans, I never thought of going back. And I never thought I would ever see these puffs again." Kenai said as he pulled the marshmallow from the stick and popped it into his mouth. As he chewed, he could feel the warm insides melting in his mouth.

When Diallo came back, he smelled much better. His appearance even looked cleaner to Kenai. He seemed to really love the Regina, and soon Kenai found his eyes wandering back to the fire. The bear was his first and only love, and she was long gone, even if she did not get killed, her life was not as long as his own. He poked the fire again, watching the flames rise and consume the logs around them. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Rex Diallo." He said as he looked to him with respect. "Yes, I am Kenai Standing Bear Makwa. As an infant I was born into a concentration camp for Shifters. Most of us had been bears, and the humans had started collecting our families. I never actually met my parents and I only remember them from a photograph." Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a folded up picture of his mother and father together. It had been taken before Kenai had been born, before they were even captured. Kenai handed the picture to Eden, allowing them to see how proud and strong his father seemed. He stood behind his mother in the picture, resting his hand gently upon her shoulder, while his mother was seated in chair. She wore a beautiful traditional Native American dress. It had been made with the best in skins from the animals native to their home and. "They were killed before I was born. My father was very brave and he risked his life to free our families from the concentration camp. He charged the gate and was killed on the spot." Kenai stared at the flames as if he could see the scene playing out in front of him. "I was hidden in the barracks for if the humans found out new children were in the camp, they would steal us in the night and kill us. When my father was killed, my mother ran to his body and she was killed too. They had a very close friend, Token. He was a large Grizzly Bear, much like myself, but he had been trained in the arts of Hand to Hand. In the silence of night, in the dark, he trained me. He took me under his paws and showed me things I never knew I would ever use. On our last day within the concentration camp, the humans allowed us to leave. They opened the gates and waited for us to try and leave. One polar bear was the first to try, and they shot him in the head with their rifles. After that, it was a mass of panic and everyone rushed for the gates. One by one they started to weed out our numbers, taking us out and continuing to the next. Token protected me, but ended up getting shot. I had to run, I couldn't stay with him to help him and I was alone." Kenai looked from the fire to the leaders of his race. "I'm sorry I kinda got pulled into it. Would you like to hear more of my tale?"

Something was burning. The feline Shifter paused, sniffing the air. It smelt like melted clouds, spongy and thick. There was also the smell of crackling flames. It was the strangest smell. If he had to guess, Niko would’ve thought it was fire. But there were no sounds of screaming or frantic movement. No sounds of Eden or anyone else in the clan yelling for anyone to evacuate. So he figured it was made by one of their own which made his expression light up. In his experience a fire without anyone panicking meant only one thing and that was that it was a friendly gathering. He had been exploring the lands, his interest having been caught by a scarred tree. He’d been in the process of inspecting it, rearing up on his hind legs to place his forepaws onto the trunk for support until the smell of the fire had drifted through the air into his nose. That, along with some other scents, one of which was familiar. The other two were not. He dropped down onto all fours, turning and padded in the direction of the fire. Caution was always best in these circumstances. He had learned that every little noise could signify something dangerous from his old days hiding out from mafia members. And he was curious to see who the other two were. As he neared the smell he heard voices. One sounded somewhat serious and solemn. Niko faltered, head and tail sinking a little in wariness. His vibrant amber eyes scanned the area, running over the trio gathered. Eden was there so he’d been right about that. And judging from the kiss the male gave her, was probably Eden’s mate, the Rex Diallo as she’d told him. A tiger maybe? It seemed to make sense. The other, a bear? He seemed like he would be as he was big and muscular. Niko waved his roped tail intently, watching them for a moment before straightening and approaching them in his primal form. It was a form he couldn’t be more proud of. A magnificent creature of strength and agility packaged in a robust, lithe frame with crushing jaws and the ability for stealth. He was strong in his upper torso, like every other leopard and long-bodied. His legs were built for speed and power but were short. If there was one thing he disliked about being a Persian leopard it was that his legs weren’t as long as he would’ve liked, thought they had dense, thick muscles.

Niko paused. They were in the middle of an intense conversation it seemed. The one that had sounded so intense and solemn was the Shifter who he presumed to be a bear, telling a tale of his past. So he quietly moved into an empty space near Eden at a respectful distance so that Diallo wouldn’t think he was trying to do anything with Eden. Sitting down as the male by the campfire asked his question, tail lying straggled out behind him he said, keeping a friendly expression, “I would.” His form rippled, human skin replacing fur and cat irises disappearing into human ones. As he stood up on all twos thick, earth brown hair grew out from his skull in luscious curls that fell over his eyes and past his ears. His eyes turned a brilliant hazel, shining with life. His spine lengthened as well as his legs. The muscle stayed and his shoulders grew broader, a white under-shirt and blue flannel shirt covering his toned, athletic form finely. Finally, his tail was sucked back into the base of his spine. Shoes weren’t necessary so he didn’t have any and he was wearing a pair of jeans that were torn at the knees from wear and tear. Turning to Eden and Diallo, he knelt down on bended knee in front of them and spoke,"But I must introduce myself to you first, Rex Diallo as it is your kingdom I am in. My name is Niko and I was let into the territory by Regina Eden and assigned the rank of Epror. I will do my best to protect us from anything that threatens our safety and livelihood with my life. This, I promise. I hope you will accept me.” He looked at Eden, smiling at her in acknowledgement before returning his attention back to Diallo. He had meant every word he said.

Occ: I wanted to join this thread earlier but I missed it and I was caught up in some stuff rl.