PRIVATE watching me is like watching a fire, take your eyes from you

[VALE]

graphic gore ★ genderpunk ★ gyrfalcon

// ecosystem reference link: https://www.journeyera.com/stairway-to-h...hu-hawaii/

The fox trotted up the mountain trail using rocks as footholds to avoid dirtying xyr toebeans. The plant growth was excellent! There were pineapples growing alongside the rocky path! It was beautiful! But, also, xe was starting to wonder why xe bothered practicing using bodies other than birds. Didn’t seem like Kane cared what body xe used, and xe tired of walking.

After their (mostly Kane’s) success with rerooting the rainforest upon the valley and connecting that stretch to the Hawit River system, Vale and Kane had been moving steadily up the mountain’s face. Halelevu’s volcanic soil was great for plant life—as were the other peaks around the volcano—but the terrain and elevation was challenging.

Vale had a hunch that Meteor had assigned this stretch of territory to Kane instead of Thomas simply because it would be much harder to escape to the mainland. Even with wings. Thomas got to reforest along the coast with a splendid view of the ocean. But Vale and Kane? “Ugh, usually I enjoy hiking, but this is hiking with elemental effort!”

CAUTERIZED AND ATROPHIED ★ THIS IS MY UNBECOMING ★ NOW I WAIT FOR THE

[KANEMARU.]

AIKAWA KANEMARU.

If Kanemaru was being completely honest with himself, he didn't mind the hiking. It was nice to just be around nature. It was, after all, his element—quite literally. The muscles in his legs and abdomen strained from the massive amounts of ambling over honestly not-walkable-over terrain, but it was a refreshing feeling after how long of being trapped in a cell. Xanti wasn't so bad these days—more oft than not they could chat idly while the cheetahcore worked and Kanemaru read, but besides that, life was boring.

Such was the way, he supposed—the highlights of his days were when he got to go out on these little re-forestation expeditions. Doing something he loved, with someone he—well, liked. Tolerated. Vale was growing on him, though Kanemaru was loathe to admit that he found himself more and more eager for the shapeshifter's visits as time passed by.

"It's really not that bad," Kane rumbled quietly, eyes falling to watch as carpets of greenery and foliage bloomed under his paw, spreading out around them. Kanemaru made it look easy, but manipulating plant cells to increase their growth speed by one hundred took a lot out of even him. "It just needs a little... Shaping."

[VALE]

graphic gore ★ genderpunk ★ white fox

At Kane’s low rumbling, Vale flashed a grin. Considering the intensity of the work and how Kane had been ‘recruited’ by Kole, xe supposed that Kane tolerated xem and the Descendants more than they deserved. However. Vale itched to up the bothering game to a thousand percent intensity. But, no, that would be so rude while Kane was a prisoner!

Hmrmph. Romancing on expert mode? Hmmrrrrrrrrmph. Why couldn’t Vale shed xyr skin, toss the rot on the mossy fox, and suddenly xe acquired an unhinged boyfriend equal to Vale’s insanity?!

“Let me know if I can help by burning anything again! I like watching my fire devour.”

Vale still grinned, but the pair of white wings twitched. Xe looked at the carpet of greenery. Then glanced at the vines and lichens blooming on the nearby trees.

“At your rate—and with another earth elemental added to the squad, but he’s Xanti’s to babysit—the work is projected to be over in one to two months. Meteor’s calculations. Not mine! I hate math.” Vale licked xyr fangs.

Better to kill a potential threat than to let it walk.

Vale huffed. Xe had at least one month to make up xyr mind. No use worrying about the future. Not like Kane even seemed to like xem all that much. And xe liked these fucking insane cannibals! And the fucking insane cannibals liked xem! Vale lifted xyr head and looked up at the cloudless blue sky.

“You thought about what you’re gonna do when the job’s done?” Vale didn’t look at Kane. Looked at the tree branches swaying overhead in the wind. “Gonna go back to wherever Kole found ya?”

CAUTERIZED AND ATROPHIED ★ THIS IS MY UNBECOMING ★ NOW I WAIT FOR THE

[KANEMARU.]

AIKAWA KANEMARU.

Kanemaru hadn't given much thought to what he would do once he was done fixing the island with... Whoever Thomas was. Kane hadn't met him yet, which he figured meant that Thomas wasn't a prisoner like he was. Damned special privileges.

If he was being honest, he'd sort of forgotten he was a prisoner. Well, almost. Obviously he knew, because he was locked in a cell most of the time, but his mind had sort of accepted that as the new normal. Hell, it wasn't even that bad for an antisocial misanthrope like Kanemaru. The only two sentient beings Kane had seen in the last however long were Xanti and Vale, and that was just fine with him.

"I didn't realise I was going to be let go," Kane replied, forehead lifting in an expression of vague surprise, head turning to face Vale. His swirling, golden optics watched as the shapeshifting gore monster's white wings twitched, and he tilted his head slightly to the side, as if curious. Was something bothering xem?

[VALE]

graphic gore ★ genderpunk ★ white fox

Vale glanced at Kane. Then looked back to the swaying branches. Before emotion could show on xyr face, the muscle liquified into black sludge. The rot ran down xyr teeth, xyr grey tongue.

The shapeshifter huffed. Xe stopped walking, and used a paw with pink toe beans to wipe off xyr face.

When xe looked back to Kane, Vale wore an unreadable skull grin. “So you weren’t imagining a future off this island?” Vale walked with a chipper foxtrot. “Hahaha, how odd, why wouldn’t you imagine a different future unless you like your present situation? Still, really, you don’t even dream of having a room you can walk out of whenever you want?”

CAUTERIZED AND ATROPHIED ★ THIS IS MY UNBECOMING ★ NOW I WAIT FOR THE

[KANEMARU.]

AIKAWA KANEMARU.

Kane watched as black goop sloughed off the bone of Vale's face. His head tilted to watch the rotten flesh hit the ground, a twinge of satisfaction in his swirling, golden gaze. 'Good', he thought, 'compost will feed the plants nicely'. After all, it's not like anyone was going to eat grass or leaves when there were perfectly good animals and fruit and, you know, other sentient beings around, depending on ones tastes.

"I suppose this place has started to grow on me," Kanemaru admitted begrudgingly as his eyes flicked back up to analyse Vale's facial expression. Alas, he'd momentarily forgotten that he had just watched xyr face fall off, and so Kane ended up staring at an emotionless skull instead. The sight was not as disconcerting as it perhaps should have been. He did find himself oddly fascinated, however. "I doubt I'd leave my room often if I could anyway. Besides, Xanti's company is... Acceptable."