Forest Of Spirits [Haikyuu Au]

Chapter 1: Meetings

The spirit named Akaashi Keiji was sitting by the river when he heard the warning call, he assumed it was just Hinata playing a trick so he didn't pay any mind to it. He stuck his feet into the water and looked up at the sky. He wondered how big it looked when there weren't walls of trees blocking most of his view. He was so entranced by his thoughts that he didn't hear footsteps approaching him. "Uhhhhh...who are you?" The voice made him jump and he fell into the water. "Oh my gosh I'm so sorry!" He saw a hand offer to help him up so he took it, he was quickly back on his feet and he looked up at the stranger.

"You're...a human?" He immediately let go of the hand that helped him up and backed away from the dual haired man. Hinata's call was real?! That meant there were more humans somewhere else in the forest, he had to get back to the palace before he was captured. He turned into a snowy owl and flew off towards the center of the forest, hoping the human didn't follow him.

All he heard as he flew away was a very loud and distressed 'Wait!'

Kozume Kenma was shapeshifted into a cat when he heard his friend's distress call. He knew Hinata wouldn't send out a fake call so he began walking to the palace, still in cat form. He saw a group of humans as he jumped from tree branches, he wondered if they would be able to tell what he was if they were to notice him. His question was answered as one of the humans turned around and looked up. "Aw, a cat. Is it stuck?" Kenma panicked a bit as the human gained the attention of his friends.

Bokuto groaned. "Kuroo focus! We are focused on finding that owl spirit that I ran into, not on looking at cats."

"Both of you focus! If we don't hurry then that forest spirit will get away. This could be the only chance we get so I want you to follow that owl!" Iwazumi shouted out to his two guards as he started giving chase to the thing himself. He didn't care if the others were following him all he knew was that he wasn't leaving this forest empty handed, even if it took them longer than a week to do so.

Kenma began following the hunters from the treetops. They mentioned an owl who was a spirit, they had to be talking about Akaashi. He let out a loud meow to distract the hunters as well as warn any spirits nearby. The black haired man looked up. "Guys I really think the cat is stuck. You go on ahead-"

"No! You are my guard, you must stay with me at all times. If you're so worried about the cat then come back for it after we find that spirit." Kenma growled at the man, his friend seemed to have good intentions but he was more focused on catching a spirit? Why? Oh no, they were spirit hunters. He didn't believe that humans were bad so this revelation came as a shock to him. He had to stop them somehow.

Kenma hopped out of the tree and rubbed his head against the nicest of the trio's leg. "Awww, look, it likes me. He must have just been scared. Come on little one, don't let the prince scare you, he's just not an animal person." Kenma was not expecting the man to pick him up, he hated it but he had no choice. He had to distract the hunters.

"Kuroo come on!"

"Geez Bokuto, I didn't know you were so interested in hunting spirits."

"I'm not! But I want to see him again, I scared him and he fell into the water and then he flew off! I feel bad." That statement took him off guard, so these two just served the spirit hunter? And this spirit hunter was a prince? Oh boy, this was going to be a lot to explain.

The 'prince' looked behind him and glared at his guards. "We're here to catch him, not feel bad for him."

Kuroo and Bokuto looked at each other before following their boss. They couldn't exactly voice their judgment on the prince's intentions. Kenma looked between the two as Kuroo pet him, following behind his comrades. He had to find a way to escape the situation so he could warn his friends about everything he had learned but Kuroo didn't seem to be letting go of him anytime soon.