EVERYTHING THAT LURKS (Piper)

[lorelai]

A white wolf ran across the dark, night-covered Hyrule Field. Truthfully, he had no where to go, and no one to see, but a night out was something that Lorelai desperately needed. He had left his home in Snowpeak not too terribly long ago, and was yearning for some fun. Perhaps there would be someone out and about this late at night? Lore found it unlikely, but he darted across the field at intense speed, holding onto the hope that someone would be out here he could mess with.

That was his favorite past time, after all. Messing with people was something that Lore could never let go of, and he planned on living his whole life as a prankster. No one really seemed to care... Lore wasn't worth much people's time, save for the select few that enjoyed his clever pranks and trickster-like attitude. Maybe he could find someone else that enjoyed joking around, too! But he hadn't so far...

However, Lore's hopes didn't diminish. He was growing tired, though, and knew that he'd need to stop and rest at some point. He was nimble and quick, but even people like him needed to rest. Finding a large tree with a wide canopy of leaves, Lore made for it, and upon reaching it, turned back into his human form. He was sweaty and out of breath, and immediately leaned against the tree's heavy trunk.

He really couldn't find anyone! Lorelai knew, however, that there was little hope to begin with. No one came out at night unless they had official business or cartels to deal with. Normal commoners weren't ever out at night... Though a select few couples had ventures outside Hyrule's gates in the eventide to get lovey-dovey with each other out by the beautiful fields and flowers and trees.

Heh, Lore thought, he'd had his fun scaring those types of people. His wolf form was both fearful and formidable, and most people ran when they saw it. Sometimes, though, it made him sad. Sometimes, all Lore wanted was to be accepted when he was trying to be friendly. He knew, though, that he shouldn't be surprised, because a wolf wasn't exactly an animal that people really wanted to be around.

He sighed heavily, looking up at the stars through his one red and one blue eyes. They were very pretty. Perhaps, he thought, he'd just spend the evening out here... Waiting under the trees for morning to come, so he could... Lore quickly fell asleep. He fatigue had finally taken its toll on him, and his head sunk back down, and he began to rest.

[/justify]

[Piper]

While most feared the night, there were those given few who embraced it. Sleep was overlooked during these hours, time was well spent on adventuring and exploring. The day might be disappointed to see their sleeping faces, but it would be worth the experience under the stars. Unfortunately, our dearest Piper was not a night creature. She slept soundly in the biggest tree she could find, enjoying what dreams a simple fox could.

Not too far into her rest, something woke her up. Piper's ear twitched, her face followed, then the expression of a sudden surprise. Something, someone had found itself very close to her tree. Well, it wasn't exactly hers, but she felt the right to say so after countless minutes searching for a proper resting place. She didn't even want to go over the details of how she got up there to begin with. The splinters were her battle scars, to say the least. Out of fear, she suppressed any subtle noises.

Piper took the brave decision of looking down. Yes, there was such thing as a free runner with a fear of heights. What ended up catching her squinting eye was a white head of hair. After a minimum amount of staring, she figured it was a boy. He was asleep as far as Piper was concerned. As said before, Piper preferred the day. The night always brought the strangest people and creatures out to play. She practically suspected him to be a thief! However, one could never be too sure. She decided, as long as he was unconscious, she would investigate. What was the harm in snooping? She dropped down to the lowest branch where the sound of his breath became coherent. It didn't occur to Piper that suspecting him to be a thief just for sleeping under a tree was very hypocritical. She was in the very same tree, after all.

Slowly, the tips of her toes found the ground. She was as cautious as possible not to wake him; fear of her life caused her to be this way. Piper stayed on her side of the tree, looking around at the stranger. She sniffed. What a curious scent! Stepping forth, she tried tip-toeing her way to end of his feet. The sole purpose of coming so close was to smell him again. He was a Minish like her, who was likely trying to find a place to rest. Poor thing! He looked so tired! She scooted off to sit kneel beside him. It was then that Piper did something genuinely stupid.

She sniffed his cheek.

[lorelai]

In his dreams, Lore saw a sunset. A sunset and a field of trees, much like Hyrule field, but more serene, with less monsters. He saw himself, dashing across the field in his wolf form, a dream that was surprisingly different from his normal mental function. Normally his favorite dreams would consist of nothing more than getting in a new joke on some poor soul, but this one was odd. He could see very plainly an auburn color, a color of fall... A sunset at twilight that had uncharacteristic shades of... a soft, firey orange. The landscape was a beautiful one, and one that-- while Lore could discern that it was only a dream-- he didn't want to leave. Strangely, he felt more serene than he had in a while... It was unnerving, but attractive to him nevertheless. Perhaps it was the fatigue taking a nicer toll on him than customary.

Rather quickly, Lorelai awoke. His blue eye opened, and he immediately saw the girl next to him. Both his eyes, the red and the blue, now shooting open in full view and becoming luminous, Lore turned over on his side the opposite direction and clumsily fell from his lean against the treetrunk. She had definitely scared him, that was certain. He had no idea anyone was even near... His senses must have been dulled from him being tired. But he should've at least woken up sooner... She was dangerously close to his cheek. Surely she wasn't trying to...

Lore simply stared at her. Her hair! That was the color he saw in his dream. Perhaps that's why he saw it in his dream. It made sense! His senses had been acute, but his fatigue caused them to be proficient in a different way. It was fascinating, but Lore had no time to dwell on it. Studying her features as he law sprawled across the grass, he noticed a few things. She was a cute girl about his age, but more importantly, she was a Minish. She had the ears and the tail, but in the same orange-red color, while his features were white. Lore determined she must be some sort of rabbit or fox, or something similar, as the ears and tail were reminiscent.

After blinking a few times, and after coughing away his nervousness, Lore sat up. Sure she hadn't been trying to come onto him in his sleep... Deplorable acts like that seemed to be beyond anyone these days; that much he was thankful for. But how in the world did she get so close, and so quickly? Lorelai looked up to the sky, and saw that the moon hadn't moved much. He truly had not been asleep for long... and he thought that surely no one was out here. The curious Minish had so many questions for her.

But, deciding to start with the basics, Lore sat up and addressed her, looking at her straight on. "Who in the world could you be?" Lore was truly curious. It wasn't often that someone evaded his keen sense of smell.

[Piper]

Piper could only imagine what he was dreaming about. The scent wasn't too bad. She figured him to be some sort of wolf or cat-like creature. Her concern drove toward his health. He didn't seem like he was dying but Piper had never seen someone die before. It was while she prepared to check his vital signs that his eyes opened and he fell back. Not expecting him to awaken, she herself had jumped about three feet back with a squeal. Instead of falling, she shot up to her feet. Her tail, with its fur on its ends, acted as a shield to her reddened face.

She hugged it close to her, readying what anger he might throw her way. He needed a moment to cough out all his surprise before he scolded her and politely allowed it. This wasn’t the first time someone had to tell her sniffing around random people was not allowed. When he didn’t say anything, Piper gathered up the courage to peek over her tail. It relaxed as well as she did when his eyes came into focus. They were opposite colors of one another. This captivated her. Subconsciously petting her tail, she gulped a little of her nerves to reply to his recently asked question.

“Piper Thimble,” she said simply. Her breath hitched before she continued into her spill of questions. It was important to start with introduction. Only it had been so long since she met someone she could speak to. She walked until her feet nearly his and leaned forward with her hand out. It was meant to help him to his feet or to shake her hand. “I could be whoever I wanted,” she paused. “No, that’s a lie. I could only be myself. Unless, of course, I chose to be somebody else. No, no. On this occasion, I am still Piper. How about you? Who are you?”

She smiled only for a moment. It faded the minute she came back to his condition. With a once very excited expression, she looked him over, judging his health. “Are you hurt?” This question was the first of many to come. “I found you under my tree, you looked so sleepy!” Right after, her explosion of words was when she realized he was very handsome. It was certain she would be found following him about for a while. "I meant this tree, not my tree. Could you imagine if this tree were mine?!" She giggled at the thought.

[lorelai]

A hand being offered to him, Lorelai took it and helped himself up with her aid too. He brushed himself off with his fluffy white tail, leaving one arm at his side, and the other with his hand still in hers. That tail of his was a useful body part, and Lore took every advantage of it possible. She seemed to be scared of him at first, but then she'd approached him, helped him, and given her name.

The first thing that always came to Lore's mind was how to prank someone. How exactly he could carry out his newest devious move or trickiest joke upon their innocent and often kind souls. It was something he got pleasure from, pranking was. Lore was a jokester and a trickster through and through, and normally, he never let go of that.

But somewhere, deep in his cold but still-there heart, he felt appreciation for her. She hadn't killed him or anything of the like, and he was glad for that. Plus, she was too kind to be mean to. Even Lore, maleficent as he was, knew he couldn't possibly play any too-terrible pranks on this... Piper. That was her given name, and Lore knew he would remember it well. Perhaps less severe, more amiable pranks were in order. But he would worry about that later.

"You're very different," Lore said matter-of-factly, and it was absolutely a compliment. Her mannerisms and mental processes seemed so different from his own, and Lore liked it. He offered the girl a slight smile, revealing his longer-than-normal and sharp incisors. His smile was a bright but intimidating one in most cases, but he knew how to make it seem more friendly. Looking at her with his oppositely colored eyes, he continued. He placed a thumb on his chest, and bowed slightly to her.

"I'm Lorelai, but you can call me Lore!" He said, then raised up and looked at her again. "It's nice to meet you..." The wolf Minish thought for just a moment. He placed a hand on his chin in a pondering stare. Was it philosophy she was talking, or simple-minded statements? Either one was fine with Lore. She was definitely a pretty girl, and she seemed to also be very curious and quaint, with exciting quirks that Lore hoped to soon discover.

He chuckled as she asked about his health. Of course he was fine, she could see that, right? He thought. Though it would be rude to respond in such a manner, and he wanted to attempt being polite. "I'm fine!" He said happily, offering her another smile, this one bigger. "Thanks for asking. And I'm sorry for sleeping under your tree," he began, looking down. He was slightly ashamed, but at the same time, really only wanted to appear sorry. It was just a tree to him, and if he'd known, he probably wouldn't have picked a different one anyway. "If I'd known it was yours, I probably would have... No, that's not true." He said with another laugh. He was laughable most of the time, characteristic of his happy personality. "I probably would have slept here anyway!"

He wasn't curt or rude about it, and he hoped she could discern his real attitude and behavior from something more malicious. "I am pretty sleepy. See, I've been running across this field for some time, looking for someone-- anyone, really-- because I wanted someone to play with. But, it didn't seem like anyone was here... and I was so tired, I guess I just fell asleep under the tree."

[Piper]

To start with, the young man called her “different”. Piper’s tail twitched profusely, with a bit of tingling in her heart. She was so very surprised by the comment that it actually caused her to pause. It was the very first time someone said something so honest in such a kind way. She scratched the back of her head sheepishly and in reply said, “I hope I don’t chase you off because of it.” His name was Lorelai but she was to call him “Lore”, so that seemed acceptable to her. She decided, after he said he would’ve slept under her tree whether he knew or not, that he was a rebel. This peaked her curiosity even more so!

“Are you some kind of rebel?” she asked in a low mumble with a happy expression. “No! You must be an antihero. You look like you might be one, if you ask me.” She heard his explanation of how he got to be by that tree, in the first place. It was very similar to her story. Of course, she dedicated that particular day to searching for her brother, who, in return, never was findable. Piper shook off the thought and turned to listen to him. This poor fellow was just as she had always been! “Me, too!” she exclaimed. She ran up and took one of his hands into both of hers. Jumping up and down with a delight and surprise, she explained, “I’m looking for someone, too!” She let go of his hands. “Of course, I’m looking for a particular somebody, but I’ll probably never find him anyway. It’s okay. I’m happy to’ve met you!”

It was time for the big question. “What do you say we play together?”

Gesturing to the tree, she said, “It must be fate, right? Of all the trees, you and I pick this one.” Then, without even waiting to hear his reply, she took the liberty of running into the grass, where just her tail could be seen. She poked her head out from between the blades. “We could hide and go seek!” Piper scurried off and poked her head from a different spot in the grass. With a rather excited smile, she came up with the absolute perfect idea. ”How about... Tag?! How about we switch up the rules. If I catch you, you tell me a secret. If you catch me, I’ll tell you a secret.”

She took about three steps back and raised her hand high in the air. She thought this was the perfect way to find out about his eyes, or at least something to give her a hint. How Piper loved mysteries. The other pressed its forefinger onto the tip of her nose. “One, two, three,” barely a breath past between and, “NOT IT!” The little fox turned quickly on her heel and sprinted in the forward direction. “Catch me if you can, Lore!”

She was always this spontaneous.

[lorelai]

Awww, yeah!

Lore laughed as she took his hand and began to jump. He was full of joy too; likely, of course, because this girl's happy attitude was very contagious. It seemed that no one would be able to keep a dismal or pissy attitude in the face of this Piper. She was spontaneous and creative, clever and attractive in more ways than her physical appearance. That, perhaps, is what interested Lore the most. Not necessarily in a romantic sense, but not beyond it, Lore was interested in this girl because of her quirks and her demeanor.

He studied her through his strangely colored eyes as she happily scampered about into the tall grass, and he watched her. With a smug smirk on his young face, he narrowed his eyes and arched his eyebrows downward. He hadn't had time to answer a single one of her questions, but he did plan on doing so. They were good questions, but while they were playing tag... An antihero, huh? Lore certainly hadn't thought of himself in such a way before.

"Oh, don't worry," he said very quietly and to himself as he arched his body forward and leaned towards the ground. He was on all fours now, and his body began to change appearance. "You couldn't scare me away if you wanted to!" And it was much louder, a wild and proud statement made into the dark night, and Lore transformed into his Minish form, the agile and slender white wolf that was so often seen running across Hyrule Frields.

He dashed forward with expert speed and precision toward her direction. Piper had foolishly not changed into her Minish form, whatever it was, and that would be her downfall. Lore's speed in his Minish form was near unmatched, as he loved it, and was in it rather often. If it were possible, the wolf smiled. He loved being "it" in tag, or frankly, in any game. That's what was fun: chasing people, as they grew fearful of his approach, as they grew anxious with the idea that they may be caught.

Lore knew he wanted to be the first to get a secret, and then finish answering her questions. Perhaps, after all, a rebel is what he was. He'd never stuck labels on himself, but he liked the sound of antihero. He was the epitome of mischief, the entailment of everything that was dark and devious, but Lore also had a heart. He had a deeply buried heart that had compassion for everyone, regardless of whether or not he let it surface.

Essentially, Lore had buried his entire personality under a mask of mischief. For example, this Piper was someone that he already liked and respected, though it wasn't something he'd willingly admit to himself. His years of joking and pranking people had caused Lore to lose sight of himself in some senses; moreover, his amiable personality had disappeared, and hadn't returned, until tonight. It was something that this Piper was able to do somehow. Maybe it was the circumstances, or maybe it was something about her. Lore didn't know. He did know, though, along with many other things, that he had to leap now, or chance her turning into Minish form.

With a howl that was really Lore trying to say that he had caught her, Lore leaped into the air using the power of his hind legs, and sprang forward. He knew if his tackle landed, Piper wouldn't be hurt. They were in tallish grass anyway, and he could pounce on her in a way that wouldn't harm her, and he so planned on it. He didn't want to hurt her, but he didn't want her to elude him either.

This was more fun than Lore had experienced in quite some time, and he was very glad about it. Surging through the air, he stared at the back of Piper's head. Surely she couldn't get away from this!

[Piper]

Never did the little Piper think of changing into a fox. It would’ve been smarter, but considering that this was a game, thought had to be left behind. Letting the mind free was the purpose of this game, wasn’t it? She made turns that she hadn’t even expected—they were sporadic and spontaneous just as she. Piper really enjoyed the company of those who did not mock or judge, who only played and loved like herself. She knew there was something about him that was misleading but that might as well be the secret he was going to share. How exciting!

Her hands were up in the air and she sprinted like a fawn in the forest, never bothering to look back. As a child, this game was hardly played because Piper exhausted herself in all the hours spent on it. She giggled to herself, thinking she was clever for all those turns she made. It was much too late when she realized he was likely in his animal form. Her ears picked up the sound of something fast. She screamed a playful scream that coincided with the howl of a wolf. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the beautiful image of a white wolf, whom of which she fell prey to.

Under she went, her cheek hitting the ground. It was only a slight pain that came and went, as well as her thriving heartbeat. She scrunched her nose and began to giggle. “You caught me! You caught me!” she exclaimed, kicking her feet lightly. She slid herself out from underneath him and sat up. Piper sat criss-cross, leaning forward. “I’ll tell you a secret, but you can’t repeat this to anyone!” she pointed with a serious expression. Piper meant business! She thought, as long as they were sitting in the tall grass where hardly anyone could hear or see them, the sacred art of telling secrets would not be interrupted.

Her tail hugged close to her and she leaned forward on her knees to whisper in his ear. She opened her mouth to speak but pulled back again, with her finger pointing once more. “Not a soul! Okay?” Finally, her mouth met his ear and with the lightest whisper on this side of Hyrule, she said clearly, “I’m a compulsive thief. I mean, I put everything back after I take it. I just feel so bad afterwards, I’ve never been able to keep any stolen goods. Still, it’s such a horrible habit... I hope you don’t think badly of me, now.”

Piper took a moment to keep her eyes on his, smiling and biting her bottom lip. She reached forward and poked his nose, making a little ding noise. The girl stood up to her feet. “Well wouldn’t you know it?! I’m it!” Rubbing her hands together, she bent her knees (making herself look absolutely ridiculous). This game required much of her agility and luckily, at least in her animal form, she carried said agility. It wouldn’t be until he started to run that she would transform.

[lorelai]

Success was the first thing that popped into Lore's head. As he pinned her down, Lore also realized that this position would look awkward to anyone near, thus he was thankful they were alone. He decided it would be unwise to change back into his human form, and didn't do so until she slid out from under him. When she sat down, he too did, and reverted back to his human form, blue and red eyes staring her down again. He'd won. It was secret time! Lore smiled brightly at her as she began to talk, and also sat cross-legged in the tall grass.

And a secret is what he received. His face turning from playful to more serious and understanding, Lore quickly became an ear to confide in. He was many things, but Lore was not a promise breaker. He nodded to her as she made him promise not to tell. "Of course! I won't tell anyone." He smiled slightly and placed his hand over his heart. Surprisingly, as the girl approached him, Lore blushed. Most girls hadn't come this close to him, especially ones this cute. But she wouldn't have been able to see his blush; her eyes weren't looking at his face, and it was much too dark to see, anyways. He chuckled, though, as she talked about being a thief.

What was so wrong with that? Lore frequently stole from the rich to give to the... Well, to give to himself. Sometimes he'd loot and give to the poor, but more often, he would give to himself. It didn't seem to bother others too much... Especially the rich, who simply went out and repurchased whatever it was that Lore would take. He was also a thief, though it would be unfair to use that as his secret... if he was caught.

Lore smirked at her as she pulled back, his eyebrows arching down into a mischievous grin. "Heh! Then sometime I'll teach you how to hold on to what you take!" He was half-joking, but of course, in every joke, there was a hint or two of truth. He chuckled at her, and stood after she poked his nose. She was such a cute Minish in more ways than her appearance, and Lore appreciated that. It was awesome, he thought, to have someone to play with. Who didn't want to run in fear after having met him.

"I don't think badly of you, silly!" He said, stretching his body out. If he was going to run, he was going to run fast. Lore wasn't about to give her an easy game. He chuckled devilishly again, then got down on all fours, the same position he'd taken before giving chase. "In fact, I think I like you! You're so much different than me, it's cool!" And with that, Lore transformed into his ragged and wild white wolf form, turned, and dashed out of the tall grass.

Running furiously and wildly into the dark night, Lore made no turns. There wasn't anywhere he was planning on hiding or going, but he knew that his speed and agility were going to help him get away. He was going faster than he'd ever traveled before, and he didn't even dare to look back. He kept going, ignoring his tired body, and howled into the night. A howl of glee and laughter, that echoed through the empty and quiet sky.

[Piper]

Lore mentioned he’d teach her how to hold onto things. That was really rather interesting! He was obviously the same brand of person she was. Two mischievous, little things with cute ears and tails to match. They fooled others, they would brag about their successes. Not Piper! No, sir! She felt no different for him as before because judging was not firsthand nature. She was raised better than that. He returned said favor, saying he didn’t think badly of her. This pleased Piper so much, her tail beat the ground absentmindedly and her face held some girlish blush.

All that was well and wonderful. It wasn’t until he said the oh-so endearing “I think I like you!” that her heart pounced onto the train tracks. The smile being worn turned into a blank surprise. Right after he admitted so, he turned himself into a wolf and started through the grass. Piper bounced on each foot and clapped her hands. “Really?!” she exclaimed. “Do you mean it?! Am I your friend, now?! I mean, you’re real friend! Not the kind who—”

He was already running from the chase. “Oops,” she murmured. Piper kicked off her shoes and left them in the field. She started with a simple, girl’s run. Slowly, she shifted to all fours and soon enough, her bones began to reshape themselves. As it looked strange, it was a change that happened in seconds’ time. Before she knew it, she was covered in fur and running much faster than ever before. He was naturally much faster than she, but Piper’s actions always led her to victory one way or another. She followed her nose and ears through the straight line he made.

Getting close seemed impossible. Again, the fox bit off more than she could chew. Exhaustion was soon to overwhelm her! Piper got close enough to the very end of his tail, but that was nothing to pounce on. It was a pleasant game but the chances of even getting close were slimming. She needed water more than anything. While he easily could catch a doe, Piper had to stick to rabbits and small creatures. She felt he was ten times her size and her strength. The fox sure loved to pretend she was big and bad, but she was about as a terrifying as a kitten.

Her last push of energy shined through, at last. Piper was fast enough to get a good pounce. She jumped in the air and shot for a landing. It would be a light catch because she wasn’t big to begin with and her intentions were playful.

[lorelai]

Sorry for ze late post, my internet decided it wanted to be an asshole yesterday. :3

And he kept running. Lore had little to no intention of turning back, or even losing a bit of speed by turning his head to see her distance. He figured that he was way ahead of her, because he didn't hear any footsteps for quite some time from behind him, but then, there was something. Some curiously unnerving noise that set Lore's hair on end and caused him to lose a bit of speed out of fear. Had she already caught up?

No, surely that wasn't the case, Lore tried to convince himself. However, he had a plan to both make sure she was close, and to get away. In a moment, he would stop, quickly turn around, and leap into the air; a perfect u-turn was what he had in mind, and it was a good getaway because she surely wasn't expecting it. If a wolf could smile, Lore did, and he kept running, giving himself a wondrously found boost of speed from somewhere deep inside of him.

Now was the chance, he knew it; in fact, if he didn't turn now, she would surely catch him. Somehow, this girl was catching up. Lore liked that a lot... a challenge was exactly what he needed, and this Piper sure knew how to give it to him. But of course, he still had his ace in the hole, and he planned to use it this very moment. Quickly and near viciously, Lore stopped, his feet still skidding across the ground, and he turned himself. He readied his leap, but then he realized: there she was. She had pounced!

Lore gave in, knowing full-well that he was caught. If he jumped and tried to avoid, he'd hurt her, and he certainly didn't want that. If he tried to leap out of the way, he'd have to pick up his speed and momentum again, and it wouldn't be as hard for her to do it because she had leaped; unfortunately, Lore was at an impasse, and he submitted to being caught. There was no hope.

And she pinned him perfectly. As she did so, and as he hit the ground, the curious and defeated wolf Minish changed back into his human form, his eyes staring her down as she pinned him. He began to laugh a bit and he revealed a toothy smile, and his eyes almost seemed to twinkle with a very interested and curious look. She had actually caught him. He didn't move for a moment, and instead chose to study her. She had really done it. It wasn't often, to be noted, that Lore was caught period, especially when he was running his fastest; moreover, he had been caught by someone when all the odds seemed to be in his favor.

"Wow," he said, smiling again. He slid out from under her quickly, and sat up as he thought of a secret. He figured he should mention, though, how impressed he was, and therefore, he made sure to. "I'm really impressed," he said with a smug grin, still looking right at her. "Most people don't catch me." He yawned thereafter, and realized that it was certainly getting pretty late into the morning. Sleep wasn't something that Lore desired, because he'd made a new friend, but it was definitely something he should consider relatively soon. Or, perhaps he could stay up the whole night with his new friend.

Friend. It was a word that Lore didn't use too often, simply because he was short in supply of these "friends", but it seemed that this Piper really and truly wanted to be his friend. Most of his childhood friends had forgotten him, and while it did make him sad, it seemed, in this very moment, that none of it mattered. Was someone really interested in him? Lore couldn't break his gaze from her, but his expression was one of a mentally-lost solemnity. He really did appreciate her.

And so, after breaking his mental train of thought, he blushed. "Sorry," he said, realizing how long he'd been absentmindedly staring at her. "Uh, a secret... Well, er..." Lore stuck his hands behind his head and crossed his legs as he pondered what he could tell her. She had mentioned being a thief; he had to outstrip that! He put a finger to his lip, nibbling anxiously on his long and sharp fingernail. A good secret... One she'd want to tell everyone, but wouldn't, because she couldn't. Suddenly, his red and blue eyes lit up and met Piper's. “Oh! You're the first person to ever take any interest in me, you know that?” It sounded depressing to an outside ear, but in reality, Lore was excited. “Everyone else just laughs because they think I'm funny, but you know, no one has really wanted to get to know me. You seem like that kinda person, huh?” He smiled brightly at her, showing his teeth.

Then his happy smile faded into a more devilish glare. “You better run, though.” he said, stretching a bit as he stood up. He did a few toe touches, then outstretched his arms and yawned heavily. “This time, I won't go easy on you. You better run!”

[/justify]

[Piper]

Piper’s heart came undone, truly. She could not catch a breath and she hardly could see straight. Yet, in all her weakness, her paws found him and they both tumbled to the ground. After the thud of their weight was audible, Piper rolled off from Lore and fell onto her back. She panted profusely, fanning herself with her small hands. Her determination was always so unkind to her well-being. Once she gathered the energy, Piper sat up and smiled back. He said he was impressed and that might’ve been his biggest mistake. Piper’s head was going to get very big if it kept up. Her skin loudly blushed, but to play it off, she shrugged.

She mumbled, “I’m really not so great. It was all luck, I promise.” Piper didn’t feel this way inside, however. She thought very strongly that she had just preformed the impossible task of a fox catching a wolf. Later, she would brag to all the other Minish and creatures alike; she was just that proud of herself. Piper wasn’t one who won things very often. As said before, she would rather take it, then give it back. There was very little success in her life that she could name. She sat up a little taller; it was clear she was happy with herself.

His secret also made her blush. Piper’s face was getting quite the attention that evening! She was surprised to hear that no one had such interests in him. “Really?!” she exclaimed. “Why wouldn’t anyone want to know you? You’re a wonderful person!” Piper appeared to be outraged. People were very unkind these days and she wished she could just make them all understand. Treating everyone fairly was such a dream of hers, but she knew it was impossible. She scratched the side of her arm, feeling the guilt that she shouldn’t have. It was her fault, but it felt so. All those times she could’ve befriended someone that she didn’t.

She cleared her throat once he changed the subject. His glare was surprisingly intimidating. She liked it, of course, but she could feel the chase was getting a bit more serious. She stood the same time he did and dusted herself off. Her energy was running low, but she had to put up a good chase or else she’d have to come up with yet another secret. Piper attempted popping her knuckles by intertwining her fingers and stretching out her arms. She failed, but it wasn’t so bad. “Catch me if you can!” she exclaimed, and with that, she started her run to the west. Her transformation slid over after made a miraculous leap.

Being shorter and quicker, her pace picked up as fast as she possibly could. Piper knew it was all play, but her heart beat the way everyone’s does when they have become prey. She pushed herself to her limit, running so fast that her head began to feel light. After this, she was going to take a break because she was not quite as energetic as she wished to be. Of course, if he asked, she would definitely follow up the chase. It was all a matter of how fast he was planning to run now. His strength and speed over hers was overwhelming.

That was okay. She enjoyed his company.

[lorelai]

Theme for this chase!

"Hmph!" Lore muttered to her, cocking his head off at her, though he couldn't hide his wide smile that lit up his face like a candle's glow in the dark of midnight. His smiles weren't usually wide or toothy, though this one was, uncharacteristic of his personality. It was, naturally, a very happy and appreciative smile, but he tried his best to hide it from Piper, as he was slightly embarrassed of himself. He could jokingly scoff at her all day, but when it came down to it, she pierced him, and he couldn't mask himself when he talked to her... at least not very well.

Sighing, he looked at her, but then back down to the ground as his face turned bright red with a blush that he also didn't want Piper to see. He sheepishly scratched the back of his head, keeping his eyes trained on the ground. "Well, I..." he began, but then cleared his throat. He had no idea what to say to her. He couldn't tell if he was blushing because he'd received a compliment from someone he was fond of, or if it was because he'd received a compliment he hadn't been told before.

"...Thanks." Lore said finally, looking up only seconds long enough for his bright blue and red eyes to meet hers, and then he obediently fixed them back on the ground, nervously coughing. He was at a lack for nerves in this moment. His thanks, the one he'd just given her, seemed to shallow and blunt, but to Lore, it was what he said because he couldn't put his true emotions into words.


It was the most sincere thanks Lore had ever given.



And he knew he wouldn't forget it. He finally forced himself to look up, but only met her face again for a moment. Instead, he looked up the the sky. The beautiful and luminous night sky was his favorite, especially out in the fields. The moon and the stars did a wonderful job, confidently lighting the ground with a soft but perfect glow, a friendly one, that Lore was meeting now with an awed gaze. The night had turned into something wonderful, and he appreciated that more than most people could understand.

Lore also knew he was reaching his limit. His fatigue caught up with him, and it took some mustered energy to even stand. In spite of his extremely low energy levels, Lore's common mischievous grin returned to his face, and his eyes seemed to spark up with a wild intent. "Catch you if I can?" He chuckled to himself, watching her scamper off into the west, and then he called out. "I could catch you with my eyes closed! I could even catch you running half my speed!" It was a shout that he called out to her with great happiness in his voice, even though he knew it was a lie. She was fun, and had engaged him in something most people had never done before.

The very last of his energy would be used now. Lore would put everything he had into this last chase, and it would be the best he'd put up all night. Never had he been pushed so far during BEING chased, and never had another Minish caught him when he was making an escape. She was special, he knew that much. This run would be his last, lest the fatigue take him over and cause him to pass out until noon the following day.

And so he got low, crouching down again, and took the form of his white wolf. The wolf was ragged now, its pelt dirty, and Lore's legs were marked with a noticeable fatigue: they were shaking. It took energy to remain standing at this point, and his best hope was to shoot out from the tall grass with everything he had in him and give chase. And so he did, becoming a white bullet in the night, and dashed forward.

The white bullet, ever persistent in its search, found Piper again, and gave expert chase with speed that hadn't been seen on his part before tonight. It was the fastest he'd ever gone, and his legs seemed to lose their fatigue, simply because Lore was going so fast, the pain and tire became a blur that quickly disappeared: the calm before the storm. Lore knew he would crash soon if he did not catch her immediately. This speed was nearly unreal.

There was, as Lore knew well, a danger in reaching his limit. As a Minish, Lore had the ability to do a complete transformation, in which his animalistic instinct was bolstered tenfold, and his ability as a wolf also improved. Lore knew from unfortunate experience that it was a state of mind which he could not control; the will was not his own, and the power of Lore in his transformed state was unreal, and also out of his control. If he did accidentally slip into this state, things could get very bad, very quickly.

If he caught her soon, though, Lore knew he wouldn't have to worry about slipping into that form. And with great and expert speed that was unmatched thus far, Lore approached Piper, became inches within her tail, and then leaped forward, going even a bit faster. This impact wouldn't hurt her a bit if he rolled, and he planned on rolling, so as to spare them both the hurt.

Hoping luck would play in his favor, Lore shifted his body in the air to better prepare for the roll. If all worked well, he'd grab her, spin through the air, and land with a few rolls that leave both of them unharmed by the earth, that could of course do some damage at such high speeds.

All assuming he had enough energy to do so before losing his will...