War Among Tribes

ooc: bump???

ooc: It was good. Football and lots of food is always a welcome combo in my house lol

ic: "I suppose. Use my tent to change. Shen, I'll need you to go out and bring in some more food for the night." Long ordered. Shen let out a low hiss. Since he couldn't really vent out his anger, he decided to take it out on Rina and pushed her forward again with both his hands. At the moment, Long paused and looked behind him. If left alone...Shen would probably torture the poor girl till she begged for death. "Actually, why dont you go do that now? The princess will be hungry soon anyway." Long stated. Shen simply let out a grunt as he vanished into the darkness of the surrounding forest.

Sighing softly, Long continued walking till they were back at his tent. "For now...you'll remain by my side. Just do as you're told for now. Depending on if those wolves give my message...and depending on what their next action is...you could end up staying here for at least a week or so. Either way...I'm going to have to figure out what to do with you..." Long sighed deeply as he shook his head. He opened the flap to his tent and nodded for Rina to enter. "Oh, if you wish to bathe use the stream I showed you earlier. Also, do yourself a favor. Dont try running away. I promise you that you wont get far. Also, it wont be me coming after you. It will be Shen. I believe that enough should serve as an appropriate warning. You two seem...to like each other...so by all means, try to run. You'll be in a world of hurt later though."

(Sorry for taking so long. Had a bunch of family over so I got pretty busy this past week. Hope your turkey day was good! (: )

Rina wasn't so sure about Long's little speech. She herself didn't see herself as valuable, nor as someone worth fighting over for any reason...yet she wasn't so sure about the two wolves that had just left. If it wasn't for one simple little detail, Rina most likely would have agreed with what Long said, yet it hadn't been missed that the two wolves wore the exact same pendants as she did. They announced themselves as servants of the royals. It wasn't just the pendants either, it was the fact both Long and the wolves had stated she smelt of royalty, even if it was faint due to her smell of humans.

She sighed, not wanting to argue. Long didn't seem to be in the most pleasant mood, nor did she believe that he would listen to her anyway. The only thing that would persuade him is if the wolves formed an attack. But even then, she was still a prisoner. Apologizing? Rina looked toward Shen, then back at Long. That's his way of apologizing? Who would have guessed tigers could be so strange.

When Shen pushed her again, Rina didn't bother hiding a nasty glare aimed in his direction, but she remained quiet and simply followed Long, trying to keep a distance from Shen. "Would it be possible for me to change my clothing?" she asked, realizing that she was still wearing the robe she'd grabbed from a drying line. No doubt someone wanted it back. She wanted to wash up, but decided against asking about it now since earlier he had said they would have to hunt again. "What will you do with me now?"

"Your worth?" Long asked softly, though his eyes were still locked dead tight onto his brother. Shen had pulled a stunt that could have ended in a fight between the wolves and tigers. Sighing deeply, Long turned his back to both Shen and Rina and began to walk. He expected Rina to follow. Shen...well...he could have cared less. "Do not take me for a fool. As if I would start a war over some lowly wolf who doesn't even know who she is. I have no proof that you are royalty and neither do those other wolves. However, the fact that they want you so bad makes your worth increase." Long stated and paused to turn and face her. "You see what I was doing now? The wolves wanted you...but not badly enough to fight right here and now. If indeed their alpha does send a high ranking General, it will mean that your worth is far greater then what I antisipated. If thats the case, I can use that to do something about the long list of my current problems. You'll have to forgive me, but for the moment you are nothing more then a pawn in the game I'm playing with the wolves. I can promise you however that war will not result from this. For one, my country isn't in the condition to wage war. Two, a war with the wolves would spark a war with not just the Tigers, but the entire neko race. If that were to happen, other great demon nations would be dragged in resulting in another Great Demon War. Do you really think...that so much blood would be spilled over you?" Long asked, his brow raising slightly. He wasn't trying to sound cold...but he had to get his point across.

"Why are you apologizing to her? This bitch isn't worth the consideration. If anything, she be tied to a post. I'm thinking...perhaps a black studded collar?" Shen grinned as he walked up to Rina and traced his index finger slowly across her neck. "Enough." Long ordered. His dark eyes narrowed to the point that his pupils became slits, dangerous sign. "You've talked enough for one day brother. Another word from you...and I might just have to cut your tongue out." Long stated, his tone as sharp as daggers. Once again the tension in the air reached its high point. He then turned his attention to Rina. "As for you, I do not expect you approve of my actions. If you truly are unsatisfied...I could always hand you over to Shen and be done with it all." Long stated before turning to walk away from them both. Shen let out a low grunt and pushed Rina hard to get her moving. "You'd better hope he never does hand you over. Because if he ever does, I'm going to enjoy ripping your insides out with my own fangs."

Things were going relatively reasonable until Shen showed his ugly face to the wolves. Ari felt his anger rise, his thick claws tearing angrily at the soil. "Don't be arrogant!" he growled. "You horrid felines only see the bloodshed within war. You fight only for your own greed and selfishness." It was clear to see that Ari was less than happy with Shen's gloating, yet despite all of it, he somehow managed to keep himself from jumping across the boarder and rip his throat out. "One day, Shen, you will fall hard, realizing that you fight for nothing precious in your life. Your nothing but an empty warrior," Ari spat before turning to Long, ignoring Shen completely now. "I will alert my people of the situation, Long. But I pray this incident does not turn into a declaration of war. Our numbers have grown...we will not be as easy to take down as we once were." The two wolves took one final look at Rina before their large black bodies disappeared through the forest, their scent lingering behind.

Rina remained silent through the entire ordeal, unable to form words even if she wanted to. Her head was spinning at the slew of insults and tension floating between the dominate wolf and Shen. What bothered her more were the things brought up about Long, once again giving her mixed signals about the general. Would they all really start a war just because of me? she wondered, her stomach churning. She hated war, always believed it was a primal and pointless act to show dominance. In a way, she agreed with Ari...that a war should be fought only if something you truly care about is in danger; to fight for something precious. In this case, she wasn't anything precious. In fact, she was only a petty trespasser to the tigers and a curiosity to the wolves.

She turned to Long, glancing only briefly at her satchel lying on the ground before her. "Your people won't really start war...will you?" Her gaze turned pleading. "I'm not worth anything, you realize this? Things wouldn't be so terrible if you had just let me go. No one would have thought I was some daughter of royalty, nor would they send accusations and threats!" Rina realized as soon as the words came out that Long may see her point and see that she was better off dead than alive. It would solve a lot of problems, yet if those wolves really believed she was royalty or some rubbish, they may declare war anyway. The entire situation was just confusing at this point and Rina gave up. Instead of pushing the issue she grabbed her satchel and kept her gaze to the ground, mulling over her thoughts and awaiting Long's next order.

OOC: I will post tomorrow<3 Had 2 essays and one 14 page story to write =___= Safe to say my mind was exhausted lol

ooc: You can if you want.

OOC: Before I reply, who would you want to play the wolf leader?

ooc: yea. Economics sucks. I shouldn't have waited till my senior year to take it. I mean, I can understand everything the prof says pretty good, but applying it is a completely different story. I'm also taking a geology Lab thats giving me a headache. Science, math, and econ just aint my thing >>


ic: Long listened in pure silence as the dominate wolf spoke. Judging from how he spoke, it was clear that they had no physical proof that Rina belonged to the royal family aside from the fact that she was white and carried the faint scent of royalty. That alone didn't mean she was apart of the family however. As the other wolf handed Rina that bag, Long's brown eyes shifted slightly. "So...they want her back hm? Giving her to them now would very well defeat the purpose of taking her in. I gain no advantage from dealing with mere pawns. Besides, they're only after her because she crossed through their territory. That means that had she not wondered, they probably wouldn't have searched for her." Long thought to himself. After a short moment of silence, the tiger raised a brow and let out a soft sigh. "Do you think me a fool?" he asked, his voicing holding a slight edge to it. "You have no proof that she belongs to such a family. Though, for the sake of argument, lets say that she does. If thats the case, then by her moving into Tiger territory, war has already been declared by the royal family." he stated, his eyes slightly narrowed as they shifted between the wolves. "As I recall...the last time our kind fought with yours...we completely wiped out several tribes living along your eastern boarder. It was a massacre yes?" Long asked before sighing again. He took a moment to look Rina over before shifting his gaze back over to the wolves.

"I'm not interested in fighting a war with your kind. To be honest, I've got better things to do. Regardless of who this girl belongs to, she's mine now. If you want her back so badly, tell your leader to send his highest ranking General. I will then discuss the terms of returning her, but only at that time." Long stated. In other words, he had no interest in continuing his little chat with the scouts. "We're leaving Rina." Long commanded. Just as he turned his back though, his head turned to the right. Out of the bushes came his brother with a wide grin on his lips.

"Haha you guys were just talking about the war right? Hey brother, did I hear you mention that Eastern fuck fest? Thats kinda cold isn't it? I mean, just how many wolves did you kill? How many skulls did you crush? Females and even children...it didn't matter right? You were so harsh back then. Matter fact, didn't they have a nickname for you?" Shen grinned. "Enough." Long ordered. He had already made his point to the wolves. Getting them riled up would only over complicate their situation. "Hmm...what was that nickname?" Shen smiled darly and lightly began to tap his finger against his chin. Suddenly, his dark stone cold gaze fell to the less dominate wolf and then to Ari. "Ah yes...thats right I remember it clearly. Back then, during those days they called you the Blood-Stained Fist of the West. Heh, that was a while ago though. I wonder, has your nickname lost its meaning??" Shen asked. Long stared in pure silence. Was Shen TRYING to pick a fight? He knew damn well that the Long standing beside Rina and the Long that had fought in the War were two very different demons.

Laughing, Shen turned back around. He stared right into the eyes of the less dominant wolf. "Whats wrong boy? You mad bro? You wanna go? I mean, your kind has to be tired of being the bitches of the demon world right? Why not prove your strength? Whats wrong? Dont tell me a little pansy like you is scared hmmmm?" Shen stated with a hearty laugh. This was what he did best and he loved it. Fighting strong demons was fun, but bullying the weaker ones was priceless! "You know...I had a nickname too during the war. I still carry it even now." Shen smirked as he stepped forward till he was within half an inch of the border. He leaned forward slightly letting the smaller wolf get a good glimpse of the scar that ran up along the right side of his cheek. "Do you wanna know what small fries like you called me back then? Perhaps...I should just show you. I suck at explaining shit anyway." Shen stated as his eyes filled with pure blood lust. Suddenly, Long literally yanked him back by his shoulder and shoved him into the trunk of a tall tree. The tiger stood on edge, his fangs slightly bared. "I said, we're leaving." Long hissed at his brother. Shen rubbed the back of his neck. Once again, he glared daggers at his brother. If looks could kill, Long would have died a thousand times. "Whatever" Shen mumbled. He turned around and purposely shoved right past Rina for no reason at all. Sighing deeply, Long shifted his gaze back to the wolves. "Tell your leader the things I've said. I expect a reply within two weeks."

Much like Long had, Rina caught the scent of the wolves almost immediately. She was certain she had never once in her life known the scent of another like her, yet it was somehow unmistakable. More wolves? Here? Her heart began pounding wildly. She had wandered onto this land by accident, but these guys must have a reason for testing the patience of a foe purposely. The campsite was in an uproar thanks to these unwanted visitors and it came to Rina's attention suddenly that she was still in her wolf form. Swallowing hard, she looked around at each of the tents as they walked. Luckily, just outside one of the southern tents, were a few items of clothing hanging to dry. She grabbed a long robe, beginning to transform back into a human as she wrapped the gold silk around her body. This should do for now... I seriously hope whoever this belongs to doesn't come after me.

Now in human form and clothed for the most part, Rina trotted after Long, remaining behind him just has he had ordered moments ago. "There are wolves here, aren't there?" she asked softly. She grabbed at her pendant nervously. When they reached the boarder, Rina remained well hidden behind Long and two other wolves that had come out to investigate, yet she couldn't help but gaping at the large massive wolves before her. In her true form she was maybe half their size.

The dominate wolf, Ari, took one step forward, cracking his neck calmly. "Don't be alarmed, Long," he murmured. "I have no intention of starting a war in such a weak fashion, though I am weary." His gaze fell onto Rina, those bright yellow eyes narrowing. "That exact female crossed over on the wolf territory three hours ago. We tracked her here, surprised to see she fell so lightly into an enemies territory," Ari explained, returning his gaze to Long. "What makes me rather curious is the fact she is a white wolf, which somehow makes her royalty." Finally, the less dominate wolf stepped forward, extending out Rina's satchel. "This belongs to her..." He was meek, could easily be taken in a battle. He backed down when Ari growled angrily at him, but nonetheless, the satchel was placed onto the Tiger's territory for Rina.

Ari continued, stepping in front of the lesser wolf so that all eyes were on him. "If that girl is in fact a member of the royal pack we protect, having her in your custody could very well start a war without us having never been here, Long. Do you wish to start another wave of brutality? My suggestion is for you to relinquish her into our care so that we may figure out where she came from. It hasn't gone unnoticed that she smells strongly of humans." Truthfully, Ari wasn't certain if Rina would even survive. If she wasn't apart of the royal family, she would die, accused of being an outsider, an imposture. But if she was of royal blood, which he faintly smelled on her, then perhaps a reward would granted to him if he were to return her to her rightful home? The thought intrigued him, but Long stood in the way of things.

OOC: College tests? I finished mine this week, so I know how exhausting and time consuming they can be lol

ooc: thats ok. I've been busy with tests all week long :'(

ic: "Why would he take your satchel???" Long blinked. Sure, it was no mystery that Rina wasn't Shen's favorite person...but he couldn't see Shen being so board that he'd search through her clothes. It wasn't like Rina was a threat. Actually...it was probably because she wasn't that Shen treated her with such hostility. As they began to head back, Long suddenly paused. His gaze shifted over towards the tree line. He would of noticed the wolves sooner or later even if they hadn't made it easy. Just like when he had met Rina, Long remained perfectly calm. The presence of the wolves couldn't have been a mistake. It had to be linked to the fact that Rina was more or less being held prisoner. "Lets go for a little walk. Make sure you stay behind me at all times though." Long commanded. He had no idea how the wolves would treat Rina. She was one of their own, however she still smelled a little too much like a human.

The howls from the wolves had echoed through the forest. The camp suddenly became alive. Tigers raced in all directions to prepare their defenses. The commander in charge scanned the entire camp for any trace of Long. Instead, he found Shen who looked to be heading off towards the howls. "S-Sir, our defenses are ready, but what should we do now??" The commander asked. Shen suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Slowly, the tiger turned in his head back towards the direction of the commander, causing the soldier to take a few steps back. "Uh...S-Sir...our men are waiting for orders..." he replied softly only to feel the dagger like gaze of Shen pierce right through his chest. "Shut the hell up. You're a soldier right? You figure it out! Get your head out your fucking ass and do your job." The tiger spat before vanishing into the woods. He hadn't gotten to cut Rina up like he wanted. Now, it was time for him to have a little fun.

Long slowly approached the border. His brown eyes locked onto the wolves before coming to a stop. There wasn't exactly a clear cut line that showed where the border was. However after so many battles, the borders location had been burned into his memory. "I believe you called?" Long stated, his brow raised slightly as his eyes shifted from one wolf and to the other. "Just two huh...interesting." he thought to himself. Judging by the scents within the area, the two wolves were indeed alone as far as Long could tell. "You two...you aren't rouges. No, you came from the main tribe. Do you realize that this little...social event...you've started could be misunderstood as a declaration of war? Explain your intentions."

Rina felt a sense of pride. Hunting was a synch in human form, but she never thought that hunting in her true form could be so invigorating. She was amazed how naturally it came to her, how her body instantly knew what to do. Her front claws were still coated in a light sheen of the deers blood, but it didn't seem to bother her as much as she thought it would. As a human seeing blood made her a bit squeamish. When Long began speaking, Rina broke herself away from her thoughts and listened.

"I had a satchel," she suddenly said. "It might still be in the forest outside the camp...unless Shen took it for inspection." It wasn't that Rina was ungrateful for Long's odd kindness, but she had a feeling wearing a tiger demons clothing would only create more tension. Her presence alone had probably stirred up more than enough trouble already. Upon looking at Long, she turned away. "I should have enough clothing." Though in the future I should probably undress before transforming, she added mentally.

Unfortunately for both Long and Rina, trouble would continue to be a guest that night. Just outside the campsite, two large black wolves hid in the highest point of a pine tree, their yellow eyes fixated on the tiger general with pure hatred. Around their necks were amethyst pendants just like Rina's, yet these wolves were only simple trackers of the royal families. It would only be a matter of seconds before either Long or Shen discovered their presence, but that's exactly what they wanted. No fighting would come just yet a the two wolves were on the boarder and they had no intention of stepping foot on enemy territory. When the wolves were certain Long knew of their presence, they both howled loudly, as if telling Long that they wished to meet with him. With that, they jumped down, waiting on the edge of the boarder for Long to appear and speak with them. The less dominate of the two held a brown satchel, likely to have been Rina's.

"Do you think he will show?" the wolf holding Rina's bag said. The dominate wolf glanced back, seemingly irritated at such a question. "Long will not allow an enemy to remain this close to his tribe without finding out the reason why," the other said with a low growl. "We aren't even supposed to be here, Ari... The king will be furious if he finds out--" With a low growl from the dominate, the other fell into silence. "You mean to tell me you aren't curious and worried about how an unknown wolf demon came to be in enemy hands? Not only that but that female was white with the same pendant we wear. She's of royal blood, yet neither of the royal families said anything about having another heir." Their conversation was cut short when a sudden rustling in the thick brush caught their attention. They both hoped it was Long and not Shen, as the hot headed tiger was entirely too unreasonable to handle at times."

OOC: Just a heads up for you, there's a big snow storm approaching, so if I disappear its likely do to power failure.

"Agreed." Long chuckled quietly. After seeing her transformation, his brow raised. His brown eyes scanned over her form. Now he had a better idea of which tribe she belonged to. His gut was right. Keeping her alive had been the correct choice. It mattered not exactly which branch of the main bloodline she belonged to. The problem now was figuring out why she had been abandoned as a pup. That would determine just how useful Rina could be.

Long's eyes shifted back down to the herd. It had been his intention to hunt along side Rina, however curiosity had over come him. He raised a brow as he watched Rina move down the hill and get into position. He was right again. Even if Rina was human, her ability to hunt down food should have been natural. From the looks of it, she had been practicing enough. The kill was quick. It would have been easy to misjudge the distance between her and doe, yet she had accomplished this flawlessly.

"Well done." Long smiled, clearly impressed. His eyes shifted down to the now dead animal. It would feed most of the camp. "This will do for now, but later we'll have to go out again." he stated and bent down to pick the dead doe up. He threw its bloody carcass over his shoulder and looked back at Rina with a nod. His gaze seemed to linger upon her form. "Hmm...I'll have to find you some clothes I suppose. You cant run through the camp in that form. However, I cant have you running around the camp nude either. Though, I'm sure some of my men wouldn't mind too much." he laughed and began to walk back towards camp. "There are a few families living with us so there are plenty of females. I'm sure we can find something that fits you."

"You want me to hunt?" Rina asked in disbelief. She hunkered down beside him, watching the deer peacefully gather. Upon the request of her human father, Rina had been taught to hunt...the human way, with tools. She honestly didn't know how she would fair hunting in her wolf form, but then again, she never tried. She knew tactics quite well. "Alright. I'll try, but don't hold it against me if I fail, agreed?"

Rina left Long's side, keeping low to the ground and she watched the deer quietly, her attention fixated on them entirely. But, before she made another movement, her body began to change in the same manner as Long's had until sitting before the general was a white wolf. Only two imperial families in the wolf tribes turned white in their demons forms: the Otari and the Hisani. They were royal families, branches from the main bloodline, the tribes leader. Of course, Rina knew nothing of this. Instead she glanced at Long with gold eyes before sauntering off and out of sight.

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The deer remained oblivious to their current standing as Rina hid herself near a formation of medium sized rocks, her hulking figure hidden by the grass. On the very edge of the stream were two does and a fawn. On the opposite side was a doe and a buck. Rina decided to go after the doe least likely to be the mother of the young fawn, the one close to the male. The buck's antlers would pose no problem, she could easily pass him. Inhaling deeply, Rina readied herself, letting the buck go down for a drink of water and--BAM! She rose on her powerful haunches, launching herself out toward the stream. Her massive paws had already hit the water by the time to deer had time to figure out what was happening and no sooner had the begun to run did Rina land her claws into the does neck, breaking it instantly. The other deer were out of sight now.

Rina dragged the doe gently back up toward Long. It was a clean, painless kill. When she reached him, she placed the deer before him, yet she didn't change back into her human form. Much like Long's shirt previously, her kimono lay in tatters halfway down the hill.

Long had brushed aside the annoying words of his brother. Shen was the type who would do any and everything just to get under someone's skin. Over time, Long had discovered that ignoring Shen was often the best way to deal with him. As they walked, Long glanced back at Rina. Even if she doing her best to hide her uneasiness, he could smell it. All demons had the ability to smell fear. Hell, even a lowly dog could do. Sighing softly, the Tiger came to a stop and turned to face her. "You can relax. I wont touch you tonight or any other night for that matter. As long as you dont do anything stupid you'll be fine." he replied softly and continued walking. IT wasn't that Rina wasn't attractive, or even because she was a wolf. It was just...well...the reasons were complicated.

When he came to a stop, the two of them now stood atop a small hill overlooking a running stream. Long took a knee to the ground and crept behind a large stone. "We're running low on food and the princess is in the mood for breakfast." he smiled and pointed to a herd of deer that were drinking by the stream. "You're a wolf right? Hunting should come natural to you even if you were raised by humans."

I know too much because you told me! Rina thought irritably. She hadn't inquired that much. Long just sorta of told her about the history of the wars AND about the situation resulting the death and separation of his Queen's children. Rina wanted to snap at him, demand that he release her, but a thought suddenly occurred to her. Whether she wanted the knowledge or not, she truly did know too much, which meant if she attempted to return to her human village and someone discovered she was here, there was no doubt in her mind that her village--her human parents and brother--would be put into harms way. They won't have any way of protecting themselves.I can't go back now, not after this whole mess.

Rina clamped her mouth shut, her attention suddenly focused elsewhere. Shen. His powerful stride marched forward, eyes holding that glint of pure hatred as they momentarily locked with hers. She turned away, sneaking a glance at Long. He assured no harm would come to her, but whether he was in command or not, who was to say Shen wouldn't go past authority and try something eventually? She was forced to remain here, whether by Long or her fear of placing the only family she knew in danger...this place was all she had currently. If she was going to be forced into this ridiculous war, she may as well find out where she came from and why she was allowed to remain in human custody.

They certainly fight like brothers. Despite Shen's vulgar assumptions and wise cracks, Rina didn't give him the pleasure of allowing him to see her annoyance...or fear. Judging from Long's previous actions and words, Rina didn't believe he would try anything, but her mind flashed back to the old legends about demons pretending to be something they were not. At this point, her stomach churned uneasily, twisting into complicated knots. She reached for the pendant, wrapping her hand around it tightly as she followed Long, forcing her gaze to the ground. SHe didn't want to see the expressions of these demons, how much they must despise her simply because she was a different species. It was foolish and unfair, but Rina knew she had no choice but to go along or risk her life. "Where are we going?" she inquired softly, hoping only Long could hear. She couldn't keep how nervous she was out of her voice.

"I'm sorry but...I cant allow that." Long stated as he turned back towards the tent. It was clear that Rina wasn't a threat, however that didn't mean that Long could simply release her. "You've seen our camp and you know waaaay too much. For the moment, you'll be living her regardless of whether you want to or not." he stated firmly before stepping back into his tent. "As I said, no harm will come to you...however...just to ensure this, you'll be sleeping in my tent for the time being. Until I can figure out which wolf tribe you belong to you'll remain here with us." he replied softly and looked up just in time to see Shen walking up to them.

"So? What are we gonna do with her?" The tiger asked as he glared daggers at Rina. Along the right side of his cheek he carried a long jagged scar, one that only added to his frightening looks. "She will remain with us for the time being." Long replied softly. Shen's dark brown eyes nearly popped out of their sockets! "Are you fucking mad?! Why should we keep this bitch alive?! She's a wolf for cryin out loud!!!!!!" Shen yelled, his voice booming throughout the camp. Long let out a deep sigh. Suddenly, he rose to his feet and turned towards his brother. That fearsome presence of authority Rina had sensed earlier came right back. "Do not forget that I am in command. There is NO authority but my own. If you've got a problem with that, you can challenge me for leadership little brother." Long smiled. Shen's fangs began to grind against each other. Sure, he was strong, but he wasn't ready to fight Long seriously...at least...not yet. Long took his silence as a decline to fight and turned to face Rina. "She'll be sleeping in my tent until we can make other arrangements." he replied softly. Shen's eyes shifted between the two. Suddenly, a wide toothy grin formed on his lips. "Oooooh...so thats what this is all about." he chuckled darkly and shook his head. "Excuse me?" Long blinked. He raised a brow and turned back to face his brother. "Well I mean she's not much, but she's still a female right? Haha, I never thought you were the type to stick your dick into a wolf though. Have fun you two. Long, you'd better make sure you spray her fleas before you screw her." Shen laughed as he walked away. With that, everyone in the camp was staring at Rina. Long pressed his palm against his face. "Curse him..."

The part where Long mentioned humans forcing their way deeper onto foreign territory reminded Rina of her time with humans. Her village was apart of the few who refused to move, those believing in the sacred balance among all living creatures. To Rina, humans weren't weak. They couldn't turn into massive beasts and fight to protect what was theirs, nor could they attain control over their greed at times, but the monks living inside her village lived true to their morals up until they very end. They never took a hostile approach, believing in a natural order. The younger children were fearful of her, but when they grew older, many of them began to understand Rina more through the guidance of the monks.

But because of the strong isolation her village faced, they were more naive to the wars among demons deep inside the forest. What little knowledge they did possess were given by traveling warriors, most manipulating the stories simply to impress and young maiden and bring her to bed that night. However, Rina remembered one particular warrior that had come to the village. He was wise and powerful, having recently been injured. When Rina spoke to him, he knew instantly what she was, yet never did he look away with disgust or treat her with hostility. He called her lucky. The demons he had come across were those who had fallen from the balance they once served along side humans, influenced by bitter wars, chunks of history long lost, even to the oldest demons. The warrior had told Rina that she had been given a rare opportunity to reconnect with humanity, to live along side humans without problem...despite much ridicule and torment she faced as a child. What Rina hadn't been able to understand was why the warrior was so kind to her since it was wolves that had tore his arm from its limb. Her own kind.

Breaking from her reveries, Rina began fiddling with an amethyst pendant she wore around her neck. When her human parents discovered her, that pendant was the only thing aside from a worn blanket that had been found with her. Little did Rina or the villagers know was that the pendant signified a very distinct royal family. Thee royal family. Had Rina wandered to any other territory, and the pendant be discovered by the inhabitants, she would die...be used either as a message or kept prisoner, treated like garbage and a sex object until her body gave out and she died. She didn't know how lucky she was wandering into Long...yet whether that good luck would remain, she really didn't know.

"If...war is all demons know, I have no desire to become apart of it," Rina said, her eyes closing. Her hand left the pendant and relaxed in her lap. "I come from a village that raised me to believe in balance among all living...including humans, nature, and otherworldly creatures and animals. You may think it silly, maybe naive and foolish...but I can't imagine being thrust into a war that sounds so...vicious...so meaningless and destructive." Her eyes began to well with tears. "I should have just stayed with my humans parents. She was right when she said that the truth could hurt." She turned back to Long, forcing a smile. "I'm sorry that I've caused so much trouble... But letting me go now, I can assure you you'll never see me again. It would probably be best if I just returned home...to humans, rather than wolves. Besides, I don't even know if they would accept me back to begin with."

"Indeed." Long stated with a soft sigh. Things had really made a turn for the worst. "Well...I suppose telling you wont do me much warm. For the most part, you dont even know who you truly are." Long sighed before taking a moment to clear his throat. "Well...it all started about fifty years ago. As you may or may not know...this continent has been divided into territories. Each race controls a piece. You wolves in general rule over the southern half. Neko's rule over the west. Within the west however are subdivisions. The Tigers have a large territory that consists of mainly woodland and a few low mountain areas. Unfortunately, our territory shares a border with the wolves. Fifty years ago there was a major incident. Wolves began to move into our territory. Our Queen pressed for some type of response from the wolf tribes. The invasion could trigger another war. However, the Alphas declared that the invasion had nothing to do with them. Apartently, the wolves that were moving into our territory were rogues and had broken away from their tribes. To make matters worse, we also had a human infestation. They were getting bold. They began to move deeper into our forest and killed more and more of our prey..." Long stated with a heavy sigh as he closed his eyes for a moment.

"As the years passed, dealing with both the wolves and the humans became more and more troublesome. A few years ago, the Queen's War Council presented her with a plan. The idea was to launch an extermination campaign against the humans. The wolves were a little more complicated because every time we attacked, they'd simply cross back over into their own territory. Naturally, the Queen wouldn't allow us to chase them. I'm sure even you can understand how tensions rose within our capital. The Queen wouldn't allow us to fully attack the humans either. She viewed slaughtering 'lower life forms' to be barbaric and a waste of power. No matter how much the Council argued, she refused to take action. So...about a month ago...the War Council launched a coup against the Queen..." Long stated and then paused for a moment. His brown eyes narrowed sharply as he claws tore into the pillows beneath him. "My first job...was to insure the safety of the Imperial Family. The Queen had five sons and four daughters. Two of her eldest sons were killed during the escape. Two of her daughters were captured. One of them was tortured, impaled, and hung out in front of the Capital's gates as an example. The other General's decided that it wasn't safe to keep the Queen's children together. So we all split our forces and went in separate directions. No one knows what happened to the Queen. As for her other children...I haven't been able to establish contact with the other Generals."

Suddenly, Long rose to his feet. He stepped outside of the tent and pointed towards the middle of the camp. There was a small purple tent that was completely surrounded by soldiers. "Inside that tent sleeps Princess Kaishi. She is the youngest child of the Queen and is still just a cub. If anything happens to her remaining older brothers and sister...and if anything happens to her mother...she will be Queen. So, this is why your sense of timing is poor. This is also why you've been treated with such hostility. Our future is hanging in the balance. We must protect the young princess at all cost...even if it means cutting a girl like you open."

Rina was awestruck, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. At the moment, she had the intelligence of a human and her senses weren't that powerful either. Over time, if she remained with demons, it was very possible that Rina would learn to delve into her more primal urges, learn how to control her affinity of earth, but more importantly: Rina might actually start to act like a demon. If any other tribe had caught her, she would probably be dead without knowing the reason why. Long had shown a sort of gentleness, yet never let his guard down. Rina was always told of legends where any demon was cruel and hated, would kill without hesitation. Demons like Shen.

"Don't insult me." Rina was about to apologize when Long's demeanor changed, yet that wasn't the only thing. His face became contorted, wide as razor sharp teeth extended out, his human form shredding into that of a powerful tiger. A tiger? Because of Long's massive body, Rina was forced against the far side of the tent, eyes wide. She definitely wasn't expecting a tiger. When he shrank back down into his human form, shirt now shredded, Rina's back went ridged and she quickly turned away and closed her eyes, cheeks bright red.

Rina still hadn't turned to look at the general, but rather remained facing the tent flap and listened carefully. If what he said was true and she really had gotten separated from her real family...wouldn't they have come looking? Earlier Shen and Long had been able to smell the wolf in her. Certainly her own tribe could locate her effortless and retrieve her. Something else had to be at work, something that was far bigger than she imagined before. Sighing, she finally turned back to Long, quirking up an eyebrow. "Bad timing?" she inquired, once more confused.

Rina's story was hard to believe. Long had been around for a long time...a very long time. Not once had he ever heard of a human taking in a demon. Most of the time, they tended to kill off the weaker ones or simply run away. There was a long period of silence as he continued to take in everything she had told him. If he didn't believe her, chances were she'd be seeing Shen really soon. What was really odd though was that she claimed to have no knowledge of her demon family, yet she could use earth magic. It was a story no one would believe. Then again, Long also didn't believe there was single person who would intentionally use such a story unless it was true. He couldn't sense that she was lying. Rina looked genuinely confused. She had even dared to ask if Long was a wolf. "Dont insult me." The demon snorted before clapping his hands together. Suddenly, the peaceful aura around him shifted. His calm brown eyes flashed shades of crimson! His fangs extended as his face began to extend and become wider. The demonic aura that swept around his body nearly blew the tent right off the ground! When his transformation completed, a green eyed beast now stood before her. Long let out a soft growl. His body size had more then tripled. There was just barely enough space for him to fit into the tent, so he transformed back into his human form.
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"Does that answer your question?" Long asked. Because he had transformed with his close on, his top was no in shreds. He removed what was left of his shirt. There were stripes along his tanned flesh that ran down along the sides of his chest, along the sides of his abs, and continued all the way down. How far down? That was a mystery. One thing was for sure though, Long had the body of a hero. Every single mussel was toned. "One moment." Long replied softly as he turned to search for a new shirt. Once he found one, he turned back around to face Rina. Long reached around to retie his dark hair into a braid. When untied, it ran down his chest and about to his mid back. "So, from the sounds of it you were abandoned or perhaps separated. Yes...separated is more believable. Wolves dont abandon their young. A mother would sooner kill her offspring then to allow some other demon to do it. If thats the case, then it would seem that you really did stumble into our land by accident. However..." Long sighed as he finished deeply and closed his eyes for a moment. "As I said...your sense of timing is poor..."

Rina arched her back, leaning away from the general when he came a mere inch away from her face. Long certainly wasn't like his brother. He was calm and level headed, had an air about him that reeked of authority. She couldn't tell what rank Shen would possibly be, but that seemed to be the last thing on Rina's mind as she stared at Long, listening carefully to each of his questions. She had to be careful about her wording, too. Granted, she had nothing to hide, at least nothing she had knowledge of. She was probably an open book to him if he really could smell the wolf inside.

"My name is Rina. As you said before, I'm not human. As an infant, my human parents found me near a riverbank, but I didn't appear to them as human but as a wolf cub. I was injured, so they took me home, but when morning came they were surprised to see that the wolf cub they brought home had turned into a child. They kept this a secret from the villagers and raised me as their own, but eventually when I turned three, I got angry and in a fit, I transformed into my wolf counterpart. From then on, I was seen as an outsider, often teased or humiliated. My parents continued to love me with all their heart, but things only became worse when I learned I could..." She paused, unsure how to continue. She had never talked to someone who actually understood her situation. She felt crazy. "Well, it's better if I just show you," she said. Rina scooted toward the door and reached outside, scooping up a small pile of dirt and placing it inside her hand. Then, she closed her eyes, concentrating hard until a teeny plant sprouted like magic from the soil.

"It's not strong. Hardly enough to do any damage, but it seems I can connect to the earth if I try hard enough," Rina explained. "As far as my real origins go, I can't say I know anything. My parents didn't even know. I decided last year that when I turned eighteen, that I would run away from the village I came from to look for answers. I believe it is better that way, that my human parents can finally live a peaceful life instead of being burdened with my presence. That's when I came here and stumbled upon your boarder. As I said earlier, it was an accident that I came here, not intentional by all means." Rina was scared that he may order her to be killed, that he wouldn't believe her story. To him it must sound quite unusual. How often did a animal demon come to be raised by humans without being murdered? The thought had crossed Rina's mind that if she were the daughter of someone important, wouldn't they have searched high and low for her? She raised her eyes to Long. "That's my story, or at least the main details, anyway." Rina hesitated for a moment. "If you don't mind my asking...your a demon, right? Are you a wolf too or something else?"

"Well for starters..." Long replied in a calm like manor, unlike his brother. "You're a wolf right? For starters you can explain why you're covered from head to toe in the scent of humans. You see, if you were a simple human perhaps you would have been released. However, I caught the scent of a wolf on you. It flows naturally even if its covered up by the scent of humans." Long stated as he took a seat in front of her. Suddenly, his body leaned forward just enough to place his nose inches away from her own. There were no concepts of personal space, not for girl that reeked of both human and demon scents. "Not only that..." he mumbled before taking in a few sniffs. It was faint, but it was still there. "I can vaguely pick up the scent of royalty. In other words, to some degree you carry the blood of the current Alpha who's leading the wolf tribes just across the boarder. Care to explain this?"

There were so many questions that needed to be asked. Every now and then a soldier would come into the tent to give Long an update on the situation outside. For the most part though, they were left alone to talk. Long's dark brown eyes locked onto Rina's. He'd been a soldier for a long time...so spotting a lie would be easy. After hearing her story, or what she had to offer, Long let out a deep sigh and crossed his arms over his chest. It was allot to take in at the moment. In all honestly, simply killing Rina would have been easy. However, as the gears began to turn within his mind, Long wondered if Rina could possibly serve a higher purpose. "You know, you really have a poor sense of timing." He sighed as he looked up at her, his eyes narrowed, yet still calm. "Tell me, what do you know of the demon world? Do you have any idea of whats going on in this area?" Long asked. He assumed that since she had come from a human village, there was a good chance that she knew nothing. Humans were like that. They'd move into an area without knowing anything of its history or occupants.

Rina made a soft, uncomfortable groan, her eyes squinting at Shen. His nose was cold, sending shivers down her spine. Hasn't anyone here heard of personal boundaries?! Sure I may have trespassed by accident, but does he really need to be so...close? A sigh o relief escaped her when he finally backed off, but from the looks of it he was more displeased than before. So what if I'm not human. Neither are you two, right? Rina wanted to say these words aloud, but she was in enough trouble already. It seemed to her that Shen was ready to get rid of her right then and there. She didn't feel like testing his patience.

"We're not gonna let this bitch live right? Come on, I'll cut her up real good and send whats left back to those fucking flee bags! I'll start with her innards and then work my way up slowly between her breasts. I'll cut off her hands, then her feet, and finally work my way around that pretty little neck of hers."

She felt her head begin to spin, her stomach churning uneasily. This man... She tried to slow her breath, keep herself from hyperventilating but it was difficult when those words kept echoing through her mind. He's insane! There had been plenty of cruelty in her village, but nothing to this extreme. Rina never saw anyone get ripped apart like wounded prey, nor did the warriors of her village even think to say such vulgar things. Then, when Shen removed a long, curved dagger, Rina instinctively stepped back, her hands clenching and unclenching nervously. He's serious!?

"No...at least not yet."

Rina didn't know how much more she could take of this. It was clear Shen wanted to kill her painfully and probably even slowly, but the man in green? It was hard to tell where he stood on intruders, whether he enjoyed killing as much as his brother, a complete opposite from her point of view. Rina stepped off to the side, watching as Shen pushed past his brother, cursing as he went. He doesn't seem very in control of himself, she thought grimly. If I sleep here, I wouldn't be surprise if he tried to slit my throat during the night.

Gingerly, Rina followed the man in green, who had then introduced himself as Long Shin. She took a seat on one of the pillows, watching Long's movements carefully as he spoke. She had no interest in lying. If the truth is what got her out of here, then the truth is what would come from her lips. "I'm ready," she said, her voice strong, yet her face still visibly showing her fear. Somehow, she didn't believe that anything could keep Shen from harming her if he wanted it bad enough, but she quickly pushed the thought aside. "What do you want to know?"

"An accident?" The General blinked as he turned slightly to face Rina. "I dont think you fully comprehend the severity of the situation." He replied softly, her firmly. "As for why you're not dead yet, wel..." He began but was soon cut off when his brother walked up with a wide grin. "Whats this? Is the human talking back?" he smirked and slowly began to circle Rina. He gazed down at her like a wild beast who was about to sink his fangs into wounded prey. "She's not human Shen..." the General sighed deeply and shook his head. Shen blinked twice. In a sudden flash he closed the distance between him and Rina. Shen pressed his nose into her neck and took in a large whiff of her natural scent. The tiger let out a violent snort and covered his nose. "Holy shit." he hissed and spat at Rina's feet. Shen circled her a few more times, his face now reflecting pure disgust. "We're not gonna let this bitch live right? Come on, I'll cut her up real good and send whats left back to those fucking flee bags! I'll start with her innards and then work my way up slowly between her breasts. I'll cut off her hands, then her feet, and finally work my way around that pretty little neck of hers." Shen smirked before suddenly pulling out a curved dagger from his wrist. He flashed the blade in front of Rina. He'd skin her alive without even a second of hesitation.

"No...at least not yet." The general ordered. Shen spun back around, his dark eyes narrowing as he released a deadly hiss. He gripped the handle of his dagger. From the looks of it, he seemed ready to attack his own kind, his leader. The blood lust which radiated from his body could easily be sensed by everyone within the camp, yet no one dared to come between the brothers. The General however stood his ground. As Shen glared daggers, he simply stared right back. "FUCK!" Shen spat as he shoved his way past his brother. The General sighed deeply. Shen was loose cannon, but he was far too valuable to lose.

"Follow me." he whispered softly. The tiger general led her into a small tent and once inside, he removed his spectacles and let out a steady breath. "I apologize for my brother's behavior. Our camp has been through allot." he replied softly before turning to Rina. It was just the two of them now. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Long Shin, General and Commander of this camp. The guy who wanted to cut you open is my brother, Shenlong, tho he prefers to go by Shen." Long stated and offered Rina a seat among several pillows. "I'm going to ask you a few questions. How you answer...will dictate how long you live. IF you're truthful and cooperate, I'll see to it that Shen doesn't harm you."