They are the hunters - we are the rabbits Who: Faith, Leif and Miakoda (NPC) Where: Leif's backyard When: Duskish
Faith knew a few weres who thought that spending too much time in your animal form meant that you were maybe too connected to it. That you were that much closer to an invisible line that was supposed to be drawn between the animal and yourself. Personally, she felt like that was a load of crap. When she was a mongoose sure there were things she wanted to, and did, do more and there were thoughts in her head that never would have gone about while she was a human. But so what? She was still every bit as much there as when she was walking around on two legs. She just happened to be furry, have four legs, no arms, there was a tail and her eyes were always red. Besides it was fun to be a mongoose scampering around people’s backyards. So long as she avoided the yards with dogs. Oh, and cats. Cats could be vicious bastards when they decided that they wanted to eat you. And for whatever reason there had been a fair number that she stumbled across who wanted to do exactly that. None of them ever try to eat Frankie, Faith half-sulked to herself as she climbed up on top of a picket fence, ears pricked as she sniffed at the air. Hmmm, was that a snake she was smelling? Better question - was it a snake or a lamia?
Deciding that she would try to get a better sense of it from where she was, Faith sat down on the narrow wooden ledge just below the top of the fence and began to clean her tail. At some point it had gotten dragged through something that smelled a lot like Pepsi. What sort of person spilled pop in their backyard? At least it was better than that time she had gotten covered in blood and trudged home a complete mess because there had been no way she was cleaning herself without the aid of hot water and a scrub brush. Or a Brillo pad.
It was far, far too easy for Leif to fall straight back into his habit of pointedly ignoring his familiar while he worked. She was making it even easier by refusing to be on speaking terms with him unless she had particularly irritating input regarding whatever his trail of thought was at any given time. For the past few hours, however, she had said nothing. Partly because she was outside stretching her wings, and partly because he was going through facts and figures that, if she caused him to makes any mistakes with due to interruption, Leif would clip her wings over. Sensible creature that she was, she fully believed that threat. As well as the promise to keep her chained to a perch in the attic, only allowing her out for mealtimes. Which would be scarce. Depending on how his telepathy was functioning, the witch already had enough minds occupying his head at any given time. The complaints of a pissed off familiar would not make much difference to him.
While her ward moved on to writing irate emails to people who could not get their information right before they sent it to him, Miakoda was hunting. There was rarely anything interesting to be caught in the gardens of this neighbourhood - mice and rats, mostly, with an occasional rabbit - but it didn’t hurt to look and she didn’t feel like wandering further. Attention drawn to a furry thing seated on the fence, the hawk narrowed her focus and shot at it, talons first. She was hungry.
She had what may have counted as like, a second’s worth of warning, before the swooping noise was replaced by the sounds of talons digging into her flesh. Unable to scream as a mongoose, Faith nonetheless let out what she hoped counted and rolled to the side. She was not very big but she was no stick either. That and before her paws had even left the wood of the fence she was starting to shift. A hawk could kill a mongoose, and that was a hawk if the talons were any indicator since it was still too light out for owls, but it would have a hell of a lot harder of a time with a human. By the time she was shifted, Faith could feel the blood trickling down her back and those sharp stabs of pain had gone nowhere. “Goddamn bird,” she swore, kneeling on the grass as she tried to reach around to get hold of the hawk that had torn into her back. Sure it would heal but it hurt and she was used to snake bites, not hawk talons. There were several other things that she really wanted to say, but it was hard to get her tongue to cooperate with anything that was not swearing. And cursing whatever egg this thing that had tried making her dinner had hatched out of. She needed to have a neon sign flashing above her head that declared her as off limits for these airborne predators.
It would have come in handy once. That once being now.
To say it was a shock that Mia’s intended meal turned into a woman would have been a gross understatement. And she would have just let go were it not for the fact she resented being referred to as a ‘goddamn bird’ and there were hands trying to grab her. Hands that, right now, were being met with beating wings and a beak that rivalled her talons in terms of damage caused. ‘Stop flailing at me and I’ll let go,’ she all but hissed into the idiot’s mind. Was it really that hard to realise that no bird of prey would just continue to try and eat what was clearly a were? Honestly. To further underline how much the witch and familiar were not speaking to each other, Leif did not notice the upset Miakoda had caused or was experiencing until he heard a distinctly female voice coming from his garden. Wheeling his desk chair backwards across the room, he leaned to look out of the french doors. Right... He needed to do something about that. Preferably before the situation killed him. Standing, he opened the doors and leaned against the frame, apparently unaffected by the scenario. “Miakoda. Let her go.” Well, what else was he supposed to say? It was not every day you looked outside to see your familiar savaging a naked woman.
As a hunter, Faith was plenty used to dealing with things jumping out at her and all of that - but they were usually snakes. And snakes did not just let go of something once they had hold because it happened to be different than what they thought it was at first. How was she supposed to predict that a bird would be any different? ...wait, was this bird talking to her? Since when did birds make with the talking... ohhh, familiar. Faith stopped attempting to grab the thing the second that she heard a voice outside of her head. A male voice. And her eyes went up to find a man standing at the doors leading into the house of the yard they had tumbled into. He was even addressing the thing clung onto her back by name. Her hands tried to ball into fists but that was a little hard with the tears that had been inflicted on them. Wincing, Faith tried to look like she did not give a damn that there was a hawk on her back, that she was bleeding and most especially not that she was completely naked with a guy right there. This is just the bestest day of my life. She was so not telling Frankie. “This thing yours?” Damn, that meant she could not turn it into a headdress.
With that instruction and the absence of bloodied hands aimed at her, Miakoda released the woman and moved to take perch on the forearm Leif held out for her. An odd kind of obedience, since the two were at a stalemate, but nevertheless. “She is.” As though that really needed clarifying. ‘She didn’t look like that when I caught her,’ the hawk defended. ‘Weres need to carry signs.’ The glance he gave his familiar rather illustrated how little he cared for the tale behind this result, but he needed to pay some kind of attention because the woman was on his property. To his credit, he was doing an excellent job of keeping his line of sight above shoulder-level. He supposed some kind of help was in order, though he didn’t really understand why she couldn’t just shift back into whatever form she had started off in - ‘Mongoose.’ - and run along home. Wiping the blood from one of Mia’s talons with his thumb, he examined it for a moment before rubbing it off on his palm. “Would you like a towel?” he offered at length, still not certain how to react when a potential trespasser was without their clothing. “For the bleeding, if not for decency’s sake.”
What was going to happen next - was she going to go kill a snake that was slithering around her backyard, threatening Sonic’s safety as he played only to find that it had a voice and belonged to someone? Damn familiars were creating all sorts of problems and they had only been around a few months. Granted, Faith had only really had this one encounter but it was a painful encounter and she was left naked and bloody in a stranger’s garden. Sure she could shift back, but what bothered her was that she was bleeding. And that was just so many levels of not-supposed-to-happen. “And you know what, birdie? I was just thinking that exact same thing. And yes I would love a towel.” If only so she could get the worst of the blood off. Otherwise it would get into her fur and then her hair and it would take forever to get out... overall? Faith just did not want to have to deal with that. And if she got blood all over the place then Frankie would smell it when she got there and there would be questions and explanations she did not want to give... seriously, goddamn bird. “Thanks for not staring, by the way, decent of you.” Staring would have made her want to slap him.
On the same wavelength or not, Miakoda did not like being called ‘birdie’. It was patronising, and not even in the snide, generally unpleasant manner her ward managed on a daily basis. The request for a towel meant that the hawk was expelled from Leif’s arm, however. So she took up her perch on the opposite fence, watching the woman intently. Yes, the blood witch had his home warded to high heaven, but she still did not trust their visitor. Since Leif was not prone to trusting anyone, she thought that to be fair. Disappearing into the house, he returned shortly with two towels. One for her and one for the bleeding. It had far less to do with any kind of consideration for her than it did his reluctance to make a second trip if it was necessary. If she did not need a second towel, she did not have to use it. Of course, on the way he slipped several vials of blood into his pocket. He was not taking any chances. “I’ve seen a naked woman before,” he stated with what was almost a shrug, handing the towels over. It had nothing to do with decency. He simply did not want an irate were on his hands. “You should probably mind which gardens you frequent. Miakoda is hardly the most dangerous creature in town.” Nor was he, for that matter, but the fact remained he was more dangerous than his familiar.
When Faith noticed that the hawk was watching her she turned her head to see her as well. Because despite being in a human form now, she still did not quite trust the thing that had tried to turn her into their early evening meal. Seriously, she would have expected that from a snake or something but her senses were just not made to look at the sky as a place where predators could come from. They came from the same level as her so she could put up a fight. I don’t like you, she decided. Her back hurt - her hands hurt way worse - and she was just not happy about the whole thing. Sure it was in the hawk’s nature to hunt but it was also in hers to be pissed off ten ways to Sunday when something tried to make a meal out of her. “I’m not exactly declawed myself,” she replied as she accepted the towel to wrap around herself. The second she held between her hands to soak up the blood that was still flowing pretty good. That was another problem with shifting back; her hands would have healed a bit but probably not enough to be used for walking and climbing. “Just not used to watching the sky for predators; I’ll remember to do that from now on.” Though hopefully this particular hawk would leave her alone. It was not like mongooses frequented Michigan, she was pretty sure that she was the only one outside of a zoo. “Do you have peroxide or something? Not trying to be a pain here but with how my hands got torn I can’t just shift and run back home.” And it would look bad enough if she walked home in a towel, worse if she was bloody. She did not want to have a conversation with a police officer during her first week when she had not even done anything wrong.
The corners of Leif’s mouth twitched in the briefest of smiles in acknowledgement of that statement. Perhaps she was not declawed, but if she laid a hand on his familiar again that and more could easily be arranged. Glancing at the hawk’s blatant display of distrust, he called her back to his arm. “Staring is rude,” he stated, voice level as he smoothed down ruffled feathers. To anyone else the action may have appeared affectionate. He was only doing it to calm her down. The muttering in the back of his head was fast becoming an irritation. That was not to mention the fact that she could be about as subtle as a brick to the head and Leif preferred to keep his misgivings to himself until there came a time he was required to react accordingly. “A sound idea. Miakoda’s species is native to this part of America after all.” Yes, his familiar was a large bird, thus more of a liability than he had originally deemed her. But she was one of many hawks in this area of the country, thus not necessarily the easiest to single out. That a mammalian were would not think to check the skies for predators amused him. He had been lead to believe that little furry creatures made for easy targets. This were had done nothing to change that perspective. “Certainly.” Shooting his familiar a look that did not appreciate her behaviour having slowed down the removal of this woman from his premises, he nudged her onto his shoulder. The first-aid kit he retrieved from his study desk was, perhaps, a little too well stocked to be for ‘regular’ every day use, but he was a blood witch and did not rightly care if there were lesser versions around the house that might have been better given the situation. The woman could draw whatever conclusions she wished. “You’re welcome to come inside.” Well, no. Actually, she wasn’t. But it seemed appropriate enough to offer. “Unless you’re not concerned by my neighbours watching you from their upstairs windows.”
Aw how cute was that, the familiar and whatever-he-was had a little affectionate bonding thing going on. Faith would have appreciated that if the creature involved had not just attempted making her into their meal. And she knew that hawks were native to this part of the world, thanks much, she had just not been there for long enough to re-program her senses into paying attention to the sky instead of just the brush and trees. But she did not need to explain that to the man or the bird. Or to anyone. Faith usually explained herself to one person and since she was not there it was not happening. Though the sight of a first-aid kit was very appreciated. At the mention of neighbors watching, Faith turned her eyes towards the nearby houses and gave her brightest smile before flipping up her middle finger. “Thanks, appreciated,” she offered the blond as she stepped inside only to get out of the line of sight of people who had apparently been staring at her. She was not on display here. Popping the top of the kit she was a little surprised by how stocked it was. So either this guy had a hawk who liked dive-bombing animals that turns out to be people or he used it for himself. Whatever gives him his kick. “Thanks,” she muttered as she took out some gauze, rubbing alcohol and wished for a sedative because high pain threshold or not she did not like rubbing alcohol or peroxide. “Name’s Faith and I won’t be getting tangled with that hawk of yours again.” Though part of her sort of wanted to just to prove that she could find a way to take it down.
Miakoda stretched her wings in mild amusement at the resounding ‘Whatever’ that was her ward’s silent reaction to gratitude. Where she would have usually at least considered chiding him, she saw no point. Because she didn’t like the were. “Leif Niemi.” The only way he would ever introduce himself. His surname was a point of pride. But no, he did not care to know Faith’s full name. It was completely redundant. “Rest assured she has no interest in tangling with you again either.” Which was something he knew to be a lie, but he was not going to confess that his familiar was considering aiming for her eyes next time instead. No matter how much it amused him. “Would you like help with that?” He gestured at her back. If he helped, she would leave faster. And besides, the sting that came with rubbing alcohol tugged at the more juvenile end of his sense of humour. The hawk was waved back outside. “I admit I am confused regarding what ‘kick’ you think I may get from a first-aid kit.” As though it had been a part of the conversation to begin with. He was bored and she was on his property. Her mind was fair game, untrained telepath or not.
...Leif Niemi. What sort of name was that? Someone’s parents had not loved them very much when they were born. Faith, on the other hand, did not believe in giving out her last name unless she was actually trying to make some sort of impression. There was no chance of that here thanks to the way she had been introduced. “Yeah well, maybe, but I know how predators think.” Which meant she did not quite believe that. She had a predator’s mind and despite currently being a bit of a bloody mess she still wanted to see what would happen if she was given a second chance to have a go at the hawk. She had never really tangled with an air predator before, just snakes and various aquatic things that had been not at all her idea. “Yeah sure, just so long as that’s all you do.” Warnings could be necessary with certain types of people. Although - hey, wait a second. Faith blinked, pausing as she dabbed the rubbing alcohol on her left hand. “So you’re a telepath. How awesome. Stray thoughts are random and it wasn’t meant to be heard. Just a random thought about how maybe you’ve got yourself some little kinks that require this thing fully stocked and on hand. Which if that’s the case, whatever floats your boat, I’m just currently glad you have it.”
“I’m Finnish.” Answering questions that had not been asked might have been considered bad form by some, but Leif took greater issue with the invasion of personal space than the invasion of his mind. Her mind did not begin to feature into it. There was also a degree of entertainment value in the knowledge she could not keep him out. With his sisters, that was something he had to defend - Something I choose to defend. - but with strangers? No. It was no secret that he was a psychic water elemental and learned blood witch, or even that he was demonic. It simply was not information he was willing to offer up for free unless he felt like it. “And your grasp on the mind of a predator naturally covers all known species that are categorised as such.” There were some who would have considered Leif himself to be a predator. Most would definitely consider him a murderer. Either way, he doubted she knew how he thought. The same could not be said for vice versa and she would not be getting a second chance with his familiar. “I’m not that kind of man,” he stated, taking gauze himself and starting on her back. He had little to no interest in what was under the towel, but her discomfort was satisfying. More so if caused by him. “Stray or random does not make them any less significant.” Surface thoughts like that often told you far more about a person far faster than going digging for information. “Or maybe I’m accident prone and a stickler for hygiene and efficiency.” It was half true.
“Well then your parents don’t hate you, they just don’t care that they gave you a name that should’ve gotten you beat up in school,” Faith retorted automatically. Let him go through her thoughts, they were just things that were there and a breath away from being blurted out. It was when she was studying or teaching that she disliked the idea of someone in her head; but when she was just out and about with adrenaline racing because something had tried to kill her she could not have given less of a damn if she tried. “And no, of course not, but I doubt that a predator with a conscious mind would really want to pass up a challenge when it found one. Or that could just be me. And several studies.” One of which she had done herself when she was in Africa. “Or,” Faith added a third option, very nearly smiling just because... there was no reason. She had absolutely no reason to smile or be any sort of amused right now but it was either that or she was going to be wincing from her wounds being cleaned and like hell that was happening. “You deal with cuts a lot. I know a whole demographic of people who do that. Very specific sort. Magical and all. Even tend to have familiars around them these days.” She had met a blood witch in Panama and that guy had just been straight up weird. And covered in scars. But she rather supposed that might have had something to do with the fact that he had not really treated the cuts he inflicted on himself.
“Should have done,” Leif conceded with what was almost a nod. “Didn’t.” And with good reason. “At least I wasn’t named after a virtue in the hope I’d develop it.” Which was the only reason he saw in giving a child a name like ‘Faith’. He doubted the reason he took issue with it was because he was demonic. It was just ridiculous. Like naming a child Chastity and then hoping for grandchildren. “Perhaps not. Your research seems interesting, however.” That was where the apparent laws of predatorial behaviour stopped applying to him. He only took up challenges when they were worth the risk. And given the usual risk, it would have to be worth a lot. If not, then the challenge was brushed aside without a second thought. “But Mia is a familiar. I think you’ll find her behavioural pattern had changed quite significantly.” He gave a flash of what could have been a smile. “If she attacks you again, it will simply be because she doesn’t like you.” Nothing to do with anything she may have to prove. On some levels, the hawk took after him. Neither of them had anything to prove to anybody. “Blood witches.” Unsurprisingly, he had indeed come across that demographic. “Elementals also have familiars,” he nodded at the small fountain in the corner. And then the one in the corner opposite it. Leif’s water features were nowhere near as ostentatious as Linnea’s, but they were still undeniably there.
Faith snorted at the indication that her name had been given in hopes of her being any sort of faithful. Though in a way she was to certain things. But still. “More like given the name because my mother’s the faithful sort, not because she expected to me.” Any expectations like that had been shattered by the time she hit kindergarten no doubt. Her name was one that could continue to be worn without mockery but a name like Leif was just... well she supposed it was normal in Finland but not America. “My research is very interesting, yes, though I’ve yet to make any speculations on familiar behavior based off of them. Though my initial contact leads me to think that, up to a certain point-” Which was conceded only because Mia as the hawk was named had not succeeded in eating her. “- they haven’t changed despite the assumed increase in intellect. Mia still attacked as any hawk would, her basic instincts are very much there.” Just as any humans was if you scratched away a little bit at the surface. Following the nod that she felt more than saw, Faith took in the water fountain that she had heard but not thought much of. Blood witch and water elemental, that was an interesting combination. Oh, and telepath. Had he been born to all three or had he learned the witchcraft and come across the telepathy via an unfortunate incident? And did it matter? No, Faith answered her own question as she switched her attentions to her right hand. “The really good question is which do you think of yourself as?” More thinking out-loud because Faith would not be shocked if she received no answer, but she preferred filling the silence.
“Naming your children after your own virtues is just as bad - if not self serving, thus a touch contradictory.” Leif really did not know why he was still talking about her name. Most likely because she was. Cause and effect. He was simply reacting. “You are the first to put forth any kind of mockery since I was fourteen. Congratulations.” Because he had not cursed her for it and was not going to. Twenty-seven was a little old to be resurrecting adolescent retaliations. “And since both my parents are Finnish, I very much doubt they care whether or not you find my name ‘normal’.” To say nothing of how little Leif himself cared. It was a name. His name. It identified him as much as hers identified her. The difference being that hers was more commonplace. ‘Those basic instincts being remembering to feed myself. I would be concerned if that had changed along with my IQ,’ Miakoda commented, remaining outside. ‘And I would be interested to know how else you would expect me to attack. With rocks, perhaps.’ The corner of Leif’s mouth tugged into a smirk. He was unsure who he found more entertaining. But Faith’s mind was wandering, so he followed it. “Born telepath, learned witch.” Even if she did not think it mattered. The question had been asked and he had heard it. “And as good a question as that might be, one suspects you already know the answer.” He had cleared up her back at a remarkable speed, if he said so himself. Which he did.
Yeah, but at least it was not expected for her to carry it on and besides, Faith had never really attributed herself to her name. It was a thing, a title, what people called her. Most people probably viewed their names in exactly the same way. “Anytime.” Except for that whole not really because Faith did not care, it had just been her knee-jerk reaction that she never would have talked about if Leif had not brought it up by shifting through her mind. “No, I almost expect that a familiar would perhaps adapt to living as a pet and therefore not need to fall back on hunting because the witch or elemental that they attached to would take care of it for them since their lives are so intricately linked.” Faith arched an eyebrow at the window as she started to dab the gauze on her hands to slow the bleeding. Soon enough the blood would have stopped completely so she could shift and run home. “I’ll guess at witch just because of the kit.” And because there was simply something about him that gave her that feeling that witchcraft was more highly valued even though it was the learned trait. Her back was starting to feel better, which meant that Leif was probably done with that. Good. Whether it had helped or not she still did not enjoy having his hands there. “And while this was an educational little... whatever it was, now that I’m patched I think I’ll be getting home. Stay away from any mongooses you see, Mia, because it’ll probably be me and I’d love to see what happened if I was watching the skies and a hawk tried to take me again.” It was not a threat, it was more a joke than anything. Or as much of a joke as it could be when she was actually totally serious. She just thought it would be fun.
As much as Leif did not believe that ‘Anytime.’ was a sincere response in the slightest, he had to beg to differ. If she mocked his name again, she would be writhing in agony for days. There would be no repeats of his childhood curses. Those currently in his repertoire yielded far better results. As for Mia living as a pet, he almost laughed. ‘Which shows how much you know.’ It may well be true for other familiars, but it would never be true for his. His sisters’ familiars were more pets than anything else. Miakoda was simply a wild thing that had the benefit of having access to his mind and home. “How I treat her really doesn’t matter as long as she’s alive.” The idea of just locking her away had still not left his mind. He shrugged at the assessment that witchcraft was his main priority. It was true, of course, but he was going to neither confirm nor deny it. He didn’t feel that obliging. “Indeed.” Faith had already overstayed her welcome. That started the moment his familiar tried to eat her - which was not something he was going to fault the hawk for. ‘Let me know how that works out for you.’ Yes, the were clearly needed to depart. Mia had completely lost her already stunted sense of humour. Leif would have considered exchanging the usual pleasantries, but he didn’t see the point. It was hardly a normal happenstance sort of meeting, now, was it?
Blah blah, etc. etc., Faith had stopped listening by now and that included to the hawk. Talking animals were just plain weird, okay, and that one would be able to live as a pet and instead stay wild was admirable but a touch weird and... no, Faith’s thought process had stopped making sense the moment that she decided that she was done caring. Or listening or paying attention or thinking... how the hell had she got through so many years of university and passed when she was able to shut off her basic ability to absorb information that easily? “Adios sort of neighbor.” Dropping the towel, Faith gave a half-salute and shifted back into her mongoose form and darting off. This time, instead of climbing the fence, she found a hole near the bottom and wriggled through. She had decided that she did not like creatures with wings, talons, beaks and blond witches with weird names attached to them.