Call Me Lynx (Wanderer x OC)

Arc 1: Chapter 1

~Sort yourself out and grow the hell up~

A teenage girl sat beside a river, running her fingers through the water, letting the cold liquid pass through the gaps in between them. She had told her mother she was going for a walk, climbing down from the shrine and to the nearby forest. Her white hair was cascading down just past her shoulders, with the two blue strands in the front falling over her face in neatly cut bangs, the tips touching her rosy cheeks. She had a small smile on her face as she finally raised her hand out of the water, extending it to a fox that had stopped close by to have a drink from the stream. The orange creature twitched it's ear, approaching the young girl and nuzzling it's head into her palm, recognizing her as a familiar creature. The two stayed like that for a while before the creature ran off, startled by the sound of footsteps approaching. The girl shifted into her kitsune form, hiding in the close by bush as a boy approached her. 

He was walking, his long white hair tied into a neat ponytail, a sword sitting on his belt. He was humming a soft tune, making her ears perk up slightly. She saw him sit down at the spot that she was previously sat at and, just like her, let the water run through his fingers. She sat there for about a minute, just observing his each move, before the young boy spoke up, his voice sounding like something from a dream: "I saw you, you know, you can come out, kitsune." Her tail swayed slightly as she stepped out of the bush, warily approaching the boy, who didn't turn to face her quite yet. She walked over to him, sniffing him curiously, finally making him turn to her, extending his arm out as a way to show her he meant no harm. The kitsune let herself smell it before giving it a small nuzzle, letting him know she recognized him as someone she could trust. He pet her head gently, a small smile gracing his already angelic face. "You're not going to shift back, are you?" he chuckled and the fox only shook her head slightly, making him let out a small laugh. "That's alright, you can stay like this, I trust the wind and it has drawn me to you, therefore, I trust you." he whispered, his hand scratching her behind her ears. She crooked her head lightly before moving even closer and laying down beside the boy. Her head was resting on the ground beside his leg as she looked at the running water once again, enjoying the peace, even with someone by her side.

They met up again the following day, her still in her fox form and him sitting beside her by the stream. He told her stories of his family and how he became a wandering samurai, at the young age of only 13. She listened intently, letting the boy's voice soothe all her worries and fears. He introduced himself as Kaedehara Kazuha, she could already feel a strong bond between them only on their second meeting. 

On the third day she had built up the courage to meet the boy in her human form. As she approached the stream she saw him already sitting there, waiting, his eyes closed. She was but a few meters away when his eyes opened, a gentle smile gracing her face as he spoke: "To what do I owe the pleasure of finally seeing you in person." the chuckle he let out as he turned to look over at her made her heart flutter. "Why, my dear Kitsune, you're beautiful."

A bright blush took over her features as she walked closer, sitting down next to him and putting her hand out. "Keahi, so nice to finally meet you, Kaedehara Kazuha." she spoke up, barely forcing herself to actually let her voice flow. She looked at the boy, she could see that he was older than her, not much, maybe by a year or two, but it was noticeable. His red eyes were observing her, taking in her beauty, finally settling on her eyes. Just like her fox form, her eyes were an electrifying shade of pink. When their gazes finally met, it was as if anything that ever worried either of them had disappeared. A sense of familiarity, a homey warmth wrapped around them, before the girl turned her gaze away, hiding her face with her hand. The boy then noticed the small flower birthmark that sat right in the middle of her wrist, the same one she had on her paw in her fox form. They sat together for a while before the boy sparked up a conversation, asking about her life. "I'm one of the two daughters of Guuji Yae. The younger one, I was raised at the Shrine." she spoke, knowing she could after the boy had opened up to her just the day before. "I have no wish of becoming a shrine maiden, however. Much like you do not wish to become a bladesmith. One day I'm gonna be would famous! I'm gonna become an inventor." she would chuckle every so often as she told the boy about her dreams and her trinkets. From then and on the two would spend a lot of their time together, meeting up every day to go explore. The pair became practically inseparable, with Kazuha constantly protecting the girl when she would throw herself at hillichurs to test out her gadgets.