Fantasy Crisis in the Woods (Appy n' Derg :3)

[DergTheDergon]

It was a lovely spring morning, a light breeze blowing through the clearing as the sun rose and spread many colorful hues through the sky, hues or pink, green and gold as well as the hues one would expect on earth. These colors were caused by the magic in the air being illuminated by the sun. It was very peaceful in this literal neck of the woods, which the girl with cat ears and a tail sleeping under a nearby tree enjoyed very much.

Lani was curled up not unlike a full-blooded cat, her tail wrapping around herself gently and her long light blonde hair covering most of her face. If uninterrupted, she would sleep all morning.... unfortunately, she would not be uninterrupted. The Neko's ears perked up subconsciously as they picked up loud thumping in the distance, following by a loud roar accompanied by an equally loud crunching of branches. Her mind sent signals to her body to wake up at hearing this, and she immediately stood up, her heart beating. What was that? Was something attacking the giants and they were fighting back? What was-

Her train of thought stopped in its tracks as she saw a giant's massive foot stepping into the clearing. Timidly, her body shaking, Lani craned her neck upwards to see that the three-trees-tall giant was glaring down at her. Its eyes were a glowing red, like it was possessed by some sort of (likely very powerful) magic. It locked said terrifying eyes onto her and began lowering the tree branch it was using as a club toward her.

In a panic, Lani bolted, running on all fours as her feline instincts took over her half-feline, half-human body. She ran and ran, hoping to find someone to help her with this predicament.

ApfelSeine

 

[ApfelSeine]

Adrian reclined beside the riverbank, letting the sunlight dry off his recently transformed legs. He had just swum upstream from the ocean, which was an easy enough task for a born swimmer such as himself. Stretching out his toes, he curled them around blades of grass and amused himself by tugging the grass out. Singing softly to himself, Adrian pulled back his long hair that clung to his back and chest like seaweed on a rock at low tide. Without access to a hair elastic like he often used in the human world, Adrian settled for tying his hair in a braid.

He had just finished braiding his hair when he saw a frazzled cat girl burst through the trees. Adrian quickly scrambled to his feet, knowing that cats did not run unless they were chased. Or so he had heard anyways. There weren't many cat people who liked to spend their time in the sea. He'd met a few who hung around the port towns, but his experience was relatively limited. That said, he'd have to have been an idiot not to notice how frightened this cat girl was.

"Hey!" he called out, hoping that she'd stop and tell him what was happening. Perhaps he would be able to help her out. Most sirens were not known for helping other races, something his aunts would always gleefully remind him whenever they undermined his efforts to do so, but his aunts weren't here right now and neither were many of his coldhearted brethren. Plus he was human-ish looking at the moment, which ideally would be enough to avoid freaking the poor girl out any further.

 

[DergTheDergon]

Clawing her way, quite literally through some low-hanging leaves at the edge of the treeline, Lani came to a clearing, a lone figure inside of it. Her eyes widened as well as gained a deep look of relief as she saw the figure, decidedly male and likely merfolk from his appearance, and she began running towards him with a telltale look of panic on his face. Her only response to him calling out to her was to finish dashing towards him and then deftly hide behind his back, shivering. "G-gyorg is going crazy!"

As if on cue, the lumbering footsteps of the giant she spoke of were now close enough that Adrian could hear them, and they even made the ground shake just slightly from this distance. Also, if Adrian looked hard enough he could see the giant towering over the trees as well. "Oh kitty! Where kitty? Must... smash... kitty," he called out in a booming, chilling tone of voice. "Aaaah! He never sounded like that before either! He was a gigiantic teddy bear until just now! He guarded my camp from baddies, put me in the tops of trees and took me down when I wanted, he even carried me for miles wherever I wanted to go, just cuz I asked nice! But now... I think he's possessed. I read something about that somewhere. A-anyway, can you help me mr. strong, handsome Merman? I... I don't know what to do except keep running, and he'll probably catch up eventually. M-my name's Lani, by the way."

She said all of that while still cowering behind the merman and peeking around his arm like a little girl in a horror movie. In all honesty, she was exaggerating. Gyrorg, and all giants, were pretty slow and not too bright. She could probably find a clever hiding place and wait it out until he passed right on y, but hte moment she saw Adrian that plan went right ou the window. If she could help it, Lani would always rather be rescued from a situation like this than try to survive on her own. Looking up at Adrian from her place cowering behind him, she beamed up at him and waited for his answer. Once Adrian agreed and they were away from Gyrog, this timid side of her would essentially dissipate. At least, until they were ever in danger again. Being a damsel in distress, even if you are more than capable of handling yourself which Lani certainly was, was a surefire way to endear men to you, Lani had found.

ApfelSeine

 

[ApfelSeine]

Adrian listened patiently as she rambled on about what was happening. It seemed that the girl, Lani, was familiar with the giant. That wasn't entirely unusual, but it was strange that the giant should suddenly be acting violently. There had to be a cause, and it was not likely that this cat girl could have done something heinous enough to drive the giant crazy... He looked up at the giant, somewhat warily. A giant would not be easy to take down, particularly one which he could not reason with. There was really only one solution, especially with the giant drawing closer and closer. It had clearly spotted them, so hiding was out of the question unless they jumped into the river - which he had a feeling the cat girl would not appreciate.

"Cover your ears for a bit," Adrian said, taking Lani's hands and putting them on top of her ears. He flashed a grin and gave a bit of a shrug as he turned towards the giant. He took a deep breath, his low baritone voice piercing the air with a bewitching melody.

"Heed not the tempting call to rage
which drives your soul into madness.
Release the pain which fills your heart
with this misery and sadness.

"Lay down your weary head to rest
amongst the bright green scenery.
Now with my siren's lullaby
you'll sleep amidst the greenery."

Adrian drew back as the siren stumbled at the sound of his voice, the magic of the melody making the giant, as well as many of the surrounding creatures, drowsy. He did try his best to target his melody, but he was still inexperienced. His voice was remarkably powerful, even among sirens, but it was difficult to get the words and melody to have the exact effect he intended. In general, he avoided relying on his magic, but a sleeping spell surely couldn't hurt... He glanced back over his shoulder as the giant slowly laid down, to see if Lani had properly covered her ears.

 

[DergTheDergon]

After Lani finished hastily explaining the source of her panic whilst hiding behind the musclebound male Siren, she blinked confusedly at his response. It seemed rather short and to the point for how much thinking he'd seemed to have done on the matter, though maybe that was simply the type of person the Siren was, a straightforward sort. Still... just "cover your ears for a bit?" No "Let's get you to safety" or anything similar? Looking up at him in mock-offence for a moment (although she highly doubted he could see her face), she then froze and forgot all about her misgivings as he suddenly took her hands and placed them atop her head, causing the catgirl to blush a little.

Glancing warily over at the giant for a moment before curiously looking back up towards Adrian's head, the Siren towering over her, she curiously watched Adrian as she cowered behind him. He'd make a good meat shield, she thought, but she hoped that such a hunk didn't have to resort to anything akin to that... she already kind of liked him.

As he suddenly began to sing, her eyes widened. Though her ears were covered, they were quite keen, and she could tell that the Siren had quite the voice despite it being muffled, as he should considering what Lani knew of his kind. Lani found herself staring in awe as Gyorg clearly became very drowsy. So it was just a sleeping song, nothing dangerous, the catgirl thought, an idea popping into her mind. Lani did want to know what a Siren's song sounded like, and although it was a dangerous curiosity considering the myth's she'd heard about Sirens and this particular male being an utter stranger to her, they do often say that curiosity killed the cat.

In spite of herself, Lani uncovered one ear. The song being meant for a giant's ears, the tiny Neko at first smiled due to the beauty of his voice, then near-instantly regretted her decicion to uncover her ear. Her eyelids dropped closed, before she softly slumped onto the ground quietly due to her small frame, likely unheard as the male Siren belted out his beautiful, poetic melody. 'I hope he takes me and pampers me', Lani found herself thinking before falling unconcious and beginning to dream of him.

When he turned around, the Siren would bare witness to a curled-up and asleep Lani, snoozing away on the riverbank with her tail draped over her front, a peaceful look on her face.

ApfelSeine

 

[ApfelSeine]

"Ah... Honestly..." Adrian mutters, shaking his head in exasperation as he regards the cat girl. "I guess what they say about curiosity and the cat isn't entirely baseless after all..."

With a sigh, he lifts the petite girl up, knowing that it would not be good for her to be around the giant when it wakes up. Yet another reason why he shouldn't abuse his ability. Things were just not going his way lately, though with a deep breath Adrian pushed his frustration aside and headed off.

Given that Lani was a land-dwelling creature, trying to swim with her while she was asleep was out of the question. Instead, he carried her on foot along the forest path, hoping to find someplace safe. It made him very uncomfortable to be straying so far from the water. His aunts were always telling him not to leave the water so often. It was where they were most safe after all. Still, with the cover of trees, it would be much more difficult for the giant to track down the cat girl, and it wasn't as though he was really going too far from it.

He lay her down gently once he'd tracked down a cave, which would be too small for the giant to fit and thus provide an escape route if needed. Plus, he could sense water from deep within the cave, which meant he could find his way back to the river or perhaps even the ocean if he was lucky. That would have to wait for a bit, as the cat girl was still sleeping. He lay her down in a mossy spot, not really having a shirt or anything like that to use as a pillow. All he had were his pants and he certainly wasn't about to take those off.

He leaned up against the rock wall near the side of the cave. Adrian relaxed, starting to hum softly before catching himself. Lani still appeared to be asleep, but it was better not to risk it. The only really safe time to sing was when he was alone. Stretching a bit, Adrian looked up at the sky, letting his thoughts wander as he waited.

 

[DergTheDergon]

Lani settled into an extremely deep, restful sleep in which she dreamed of the Siren she'd been put to sleep by. The dreams were vivid, as if she had known him for years, and included some scenarios and fantasy that would've embarrassed her, should she think them consciously. All effects of the spell the song put her under, with machinations of her own mind cause by Adrian's attractiveness to her sneaking in here and there. Gyorg the giant likely had fallen into a dreamless sleep himself, as any Siren's song affects the mind of everyone who hears it at least a little differently according to common knowledge. Lani found herself mumbling incomprehensibly and giggling in her sleep, entirely undisturbed even as Adrian picked her up and carried her through the woods and into a small cave.

A short while later, Lani's ears began twitching, a universal sign that a Neko was emerging from dreamland back into consciousness. Her tail then began to wave about as well, and lone behold mere moments later, her eyes gently opened, revealing sleepy green irises as the owner of those emerald eyes stretched whilst yawning in a high-pitched squeak, not unlike your average full-blooded cat. sitting up, she was then shocked into total wakefulness by the memory of how she fell asleep jumping mind, her unfamiliar surroundings coupled with the image of the backs of Adrian's legs in view as she lost consciousness causing her heart rate to essentially skyrocket.

Looking around and nearly hyperventilating, her eyes rested upon Adrian, and she took a deep breath to calm down. "I... I suppose you took me here.... th-thanks..." she blushed, looking down. "I just got really curious," she then said, still tired, blushing even further. "Your voice is beautiful.... I'd say the risk was worth it since I woke up safe." The Neko giggled again, a grin on her face and summoning all the cuteness she had in her possession, which she was quite proud of. "I don't think I caught your name, by the way. I'm Lani, but I think I already told you that."

Suddenly, just after Adrian told her his name, Lani's stomach grumbles and her cheeks then turn an unrecognizable red, the catgirl clasping her hands within her lap sheepishly. "u-umm, I don't suppose you've any food lying around? I uh... I'd really like a nice fish... I haven't eaten much in a while, a-and I bet you're really good at catching fish. Please?" Her eyes, her hands clasped together in front of her, asnd teh pleading look on her face all betrayed sjust how much she wanted this fish. Or, more accurately, how much she was acting like she wanted, no, needed this fish in order to get it. She'd always gotten most of the things she wanted this way, and was confident that her delivery was flawless.

ApfelSeine

 

[ApfelSeine]

Lani's remark was somewhat grating to Adrian, and he found her careless disregard for the danger she was involved in somewhat unnerving. It was clear that she felt safe around him, but whether or not that was warranted was difficult to say. Her naivete in regard to the sirens' magic irked him, though rationally he knew that most land dwellers did not know much about sirens or their respective abilities. Danger was surrounding the cat girl in all directions, and yet she was being casually chatty. It was both awe-inspiring and stressful to behold.

"Adrian-" the siren began, somewhat taken aback by her talkativeness. He paused as she asked for food, shaking off the somewhat perturbed feeling that lingered from her earlier remark. "I... Well, I could probably find something for you to eat. We walked a short ways away from the river, so we'd have to head back that way. It's up to you if you want to stay here or come with me. I can't guarantee your safety either way."

He paused as he glanced up at the treetops. Adrian could not hear any signs of a giant nearby, but then his hearing was generally better under the water than above it. Though perhaps the cat girl's confidence came from her being unable to hear the giant nearby, in which case she would likely be safe for now. He did not particularly like telling others what to do though, particularly women, so he looked back at her to see what decision she would make.

 

[DergTheDergon]

Lani met Adrian's gaze and saw that he looked a little perturbed, her head tilting in confusion. What could he possibly be upset about? She frowned a little to express her guilt at this, her eyes looking very sad indeed, exaggeratedly so out of habit. That look on her face instantly vanished with Adrian's agreement to find her food, however, her ears not registering Adrian's warning. "Oh, thank you thank you thank you Adrian!" She exclaimed, her eyes wide with excitement, some genuine gratitude clearly being expressed as well.

"Of course I want to head back that way. Gyorg's probably still asleep, right? If he's not, he's super slow, no big deal." It was likely becoming clear that, when not in immediate danger that she was entirely aware of, Lani had no fear, nor reservations, about anything at all. As Adrian looked out of the cave entrance and through the trees, only then did Lani remember to swivel her ears about a little, trying to hear any trace of a giant's footsteps, which her kind would be able to hear for quite a few miles indeed. She did notice a faint telltale rumbling, and became just a little more timid in the moment. "Hmm, I take that back... seems like he's around, or another giant at least... but it sounds like they aren't anywhere near the river. If we hurry we'll be fine.... then we should probably keep moving in the opposite direction for now. I'll keep an ear out."

Feeling that Adrian would be reluctant about stepping outside after her sugar-coated expression that it was indeed dangerous out there, she suddenly took his hand and started to walk right out of the cave eagerly, counting on him tofollow. "Come on Adrian, let's get some delicious fishies!" She was unaware just how childlike and naive she was being, but she'd always been like that. She'd survived thus far with her charm, feline agility, and keen hearing, and as far as she was concerned there wasn't anything that could stop her from living the carefree life she always had. When stuff hit the fan, so to speak, she turned into a scared little kitten, but until then, she had all the courage of a seasoned adventurer.

ApfelSeine

 

[ApfelSeine]

Adrian regarded Lani, looking somewhat amused by her antics. With her hearing ability, it would ensure that the giants would not accidentally stumble upon them, so it was indeed safer for the two of them to travel together. Plus, it saved Adrian the trouble of having to trek all the way back to the cave if something went wrong.

"Alright, I'm counting on you," he said with a grin, setting off towards the river. He could feel the coursing energy of the river, and he set course towards it, itching to get back into the water where he was more comfortable.

"Why are the giants after you anyways? Your last explanation was somewhat rushed," Adrian said, leading the way along the forest path. "You mentioned that it was out of the blue, and that you think he's possessed, but now that you have some time to think about it, can you recall anything that might have affected your friend's behavior? I mean, we might not be able to do anything about it, but you never know."

He glanced back curiously at Lani as he awaited her response.

 

[DergTheDergon]

Lani's eyes sparkled with hope and wonder as she noticed the amused look in Adrian's eyes. She had a feeling that he would say yes before he opened his mouth, and when he did, she smiled back cutely in response to his grin. There was a slight blush to her cheeks as she noticed just how perfect his smile was.

"Alright, I won't let ya down~" she replied in a singsong tone of voice, following behind him with a rather happy-go-lucky gait whilst humming a happy tune; it almost looked like skipping. The sight of this would cause many to wonder how Lani survived out here. If asked directly, she'd probably say something like '''Cause I've got nine lives of course!'

Lani halted her cheerful antics as she heard Adrian ask a rather astute question, and her facial features darkened with slight fear afterwards. "W-well... to tell ya the truth," she began in a hushed tone, "I had no idea at first. But then I remembered.... there was this wierd crystal I found, really deep in the forest one day. It was a dark red and had all sorts of runes carved on it. I felt this... sense of dread when I touched it with just the tip of one claw, a-and I ran away. When Gyorg suddenly went bonkers, I remember feeling the same dread.... I don't think it's a coincidence. I don't remeber exactly where the crystal was but, I have a general sense of direction towards it. Wanna check it out? After we get something to eat, of course."

 

[ApfelSeine]

"Hm..." Adrian hummed thoughtfully, weighing his options carefully. It wouldn't be the safest of decisions to hunt down a potentially corrupting artifact, but he also couldn't just leave things as they were either.

"Alright let's do that," Adrian said, nodding as he affirmed the decision. "We'll go look for it once we've eaten."

Only a short time passed before they reached the river, during which the merman mused about Lani's words. They were likely dealing with some sort of dark magic, but whatever it was, it was putting the whole forest in danger. He could practically hear the nagging voice of his aunts telling him that he shouldn't mess around with the problems of surface dwellers, but Adrian had made up his mind.

"Alright, I won't be long," Adrian said, smirking slightly as he approached the river.

He was particularly confident about his physical prowess, and he quickly grabbed a sharp stone and dove into the river, his legs transforming into a shimmering fishtail and his long hair flowing behind him as he swam against the current. His webbed hands snatched a passing fish which tried to veer out of his way, and he used the sharp stone to quickly kill it before moving on to hunt some more. He gathered several fish before swimming back, tossing the fish onto the shore and pulling himself out of the water.

 

[DergTheDergon]

Lani gazed up at Adrian with a tilted head as he visibly pondered her idea to go check out that odd, huge red crystal, wondering what he'd say. Fifty percent of her hoped he'd go with her tentative suggestion of course, but the other half of her was absolutely terrified and wondering why in the world she’d opened her big mouth. Her tail was swaying back and forth from her nerves.

Due to the duality of her thoughts regarding this situation, she simultaneously smiled slightly and shiver with fear at Adrian’s words. Then, she had a thought that calmed her a little; she wasn’t going alone this time, but with a man who was so far proven him quite strong, capable and willing to assist her should she be in danger. This calmed her swaying tail and she nodded, beaming as Adrian said they’d go after they ate.

“Alright, good luck Adrian,” she said in a kind, almost sing-songy tone of voice.

She watched him leave the cave and gracefully enter the water, mesmerized by the sight, then proceeded to almost immediately pace about the cave nervously. She did this both because she was anxious, and because she found herself worried about Adrian. She knew it was irrational: there couldn’t be anything in that river that could hurt him, surely, and he could even breathe underwater. Nonetheless, she ended up imagining a few rather outlandish doom-and-gloom scenarios for the simple act of getting fish. She then had a thought that maybe, she was paranoid of losing him since, more often than not, she found herself alone out here. Most of the time she was okay with it, but sometimes she would feel a deep sense of loneliness that drug her usual cheerfulness to the ground. It didn’t help that, nine times out of ten, anyone she met was heading somewhere specific and couldn’t stay with her for more than a few hours. Gyorg had kept her company for a while, but now he suddenly wasn’t mr. friendly giant anymore.

Lani felt a great relief as she saw the fish tossed up upon the shore, accompanied by the fisherman himself. Her eyes sparkled with delight, her ears pointing straight upward with excitement as she rushed towards him. “Thanks Adrian!” She said, beaming at him. All of a sudden, she rushed up to him and threw her arms around him for a moment with great enthusiasm, stepping back and beaming up at him afterwards.


“You’re the best.” She then licked her lips as she turned about and stared at the fish on the ground, selecting one them immediately, then sitting cross-legged, grabbing it and biting a large chunk off the side. “Mmmm, tilapia~” she cooed, making cute munching sounds as she chowed down, waiting for Adrian to join her. For now, she had utterly forgotten about their impending trek to that ominous, blood red crystal.

 

[ApfelSeine]

Adrian sat himself down across from Lani with a slight smirk, wringing some excess water out of his long, dark hair. He tossed the wet strands back over his shoulder, picking up a large trout and tearing into it himself. He sat with a relaxed posture, one of his legs folded beneath the other. He chewed on the stringy meat of the fish, eyes regarding Lani thoughtfully even as he remained quiet. It stuck him how carefree she seemed, which was both reassuring and unnerving at the same time, leaving the merman somewhat conflicted.

He swallowed the large bite he had taken, self-consciously wiping his mouth with the back of his wrist. It occurred to him that he really did not know much about the young lady whom he was helping, and though that sort of thing did not particularly matter to him, it was worth getting to know her more now that he was getting involved in something which was potentially highly dangerous.

"So..." Adrian began, tilting his head slightly to one side as he regarded the cat girl. "Are you a long way from home out here? I'll admit that I'm not that knowledgeable about cat people, but I figure it's important to know for when we will get you home safe."

 

[DergTheDergon]

Lani happily gnawed at her sumptuous meal, eyes closed and tail swaying about with delight. Movement from Adrian distracted her, however, and as she saw him smirk at her whilst wringing his hair and tossing it behind his shoulders elegantly, her cheeks reddened just a little. She couldn't tell if he was coming on to her, but she honestly hoped so. She'd been very lonely lately, after all.

Sheepishly lowering her gaze back towards her food, her eyes instantly lit up again and she dug in, forgetting about the world for a second and just reveling in the taste of this fish. She'd had this type of fish many times before, of course, but something made it taste even better this time. Either Sirens have magic flavor-enhancing abilities, or Lani simply was happy that such a handsome and charming man had caught it for her and she was imagining that it tasted better. Probably the latter, she admitted to herself.

Lani was halfway through chewing a decently-sized chunk of the fish, having gnawed down to the bone on one side already, when Adrian suddenly spoke up. She lifted her head, and tilted it curiously while still chewing, listening to his question with her ears swiveled towards him intently. Her long hair, always allowed to flow freely down her back, followed her head in tilting and falling down on one side, adding to the comical nature of the gesture which alluded the catgirl entirely.

The moment she comprehended his question, however, a frown formed on her face, marring her delicate features, and she righted her head before her gaze lowered towards the ground, the catgirl carefully putting the fish down and licking her paws clean, then wiping her face in a similarly feline manner, her mood suddenly somber. "W-well, how do I put this..." she said. She thought about it for a moment. At first, she wanted to simply say that she didn't have a home, that she was an orphan or somesuch, but that would be a lie. She;d told the same lie to many others, but something about Adrian made Lani want to be honest with him. "I, umm... I ran away from home a few years ago now. For... what I consider to be very good reasons. S-so, that won't be necessary. My home is this whole forest now, and it's pretty fun wandering from place to place and exploring."

She grinned again, but it faded, and with that, she finished her fish. "That was really good, Adrian. You wanna get going now? I'm confident I can lead the way~"

Abruptly, she stood up, then padded over, leaned up and planted a brief kiss upon his cheek. "Thank you for the food~" she said sweetly, a genuine smile back on her face. This action served two purposes: one, to show to genuine appreciation and affection she felt towards Adrian at the moment, and two, to hopefully distract him before he asked any more about her family.

She then turned about just as quickly, beginning to walk towards where she remembered that orb. After a few steps, she stopped and looked over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow "Ya comin'?"

ApfelSeine