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A flickering light in the distance danced in the corner of his eye, causing the white walker to turn his head in its direction. It was a small light - not dim, but small. Perhaps he would have missed it, had the sun been slightly higher in the sky, but now, in the long shadows of the red trees and rolling hills, it was all too apparent. 'A fire?' he thought to himself as he sauntered towards the source, the fiery light of the sun glinting off the silver blade at his side.

He did not stop his approach even as the light bounced down from a large tree and seemed to shrink, now moving just above the forest floor. His eyebrows furrowed just slightly with mild suspicion, though he remained calm and steady. Very little disturbed him, and a small, jumping flame was more curious than it was concerning.

Slowly, the flame came into view, emitting from a small, feline creature with the most intriguing tail. It rivaled his own in terms of bushiness, but this was no fox. His own tails flicked with interest as he considered taking it for himself. He might have, were he still subject to the ravenous bloodlust inherent to his species. This cat creature was lucky, for he had long since learned to restrain the instinctual desire to immediately maim the living beings he came across, though not by choice. Though his earnest, kind, and powerful master tried his best to rehabilitate the demonic foal, he did not succeed. Nevertheless, there were certain things that Ashura managed to learn, such as logic and some degree of discipline.

How and why would he carry such a cumbersome, fluffy, and, most likely, dirty tail?

He stopped, several paces still separating him from the cat creature. He observed it as it moved, still curious about it. It was certainly unlike anything he had seen before, and he could not help but harbor some feelings of distrust towards it. He knew better than anyone that appearances were deceiving.

The little cat creature stood up and ambled off into the darkness. It did not flee, rather, it seemed as if it wanted him to accompany it. It appeared to be a playful creature, if not a touch too carefree. Once again proving itself to be an intriguing, little being, he obliged, ambling after it.

Not much time had passed before the two came upon an undisturbed lake among the dry hills and scanty trees. He raised an eyebrow. He had so many questions about this odd feline. Why would any fiery being willingly travel to water? Would it not extinguish that which burned within it? He felt a twinge of temptation to snatch the cat by the scruff of its neck and hurl it into the water just to find out for himself what would happen to the flames, but he resisted. He was more interested in what its plan was, bringing him here to this place that would seem to be an area of vulnerability for it.

A huffed a stifled chuckle. "You're an interesting, little thing," he finally voiced, his voice smooth and pleasant, as he continued to observe the feline.

He noticed its hackles rise after he spoke, a smirk tugging at the ends of his lips. So it could understand him. "Very interesting."

He patiently waited for it to finish its drink, quietly regarding the fact that it could, in fact, drink water. He did not know why he was surprised, for it seemed that all creatures that roamed these lands relied on water to some degree. Surely even the fiery ones are still subject to basic physiology. Although, it proceeded to put some distance between itself and the lake once it was finished, evidently not comfortable with being so close to it for very long. Perhaps water did deter it to some degree. He would be sure to remember that for future reference.

Ashura held its gaze as its fiery eyes bore into him. It felt as though they were both searching each others depths for answers. He flexed his claws with thought, scoring the ground in front of him. "Tell me, little thing," he began, taking a single step towards the feline, "if you understand me, can you speak, too?"

"Oh?" he remarked, canting his head at her - surely it was a she with that voice. "You'd be surprised at how little some people know, little thing. You can teach some to speak for years and they will never really grasp it." He took another step forward, testing her boundaries. There was a noticeable tension in the air, like a taught string threatening to snap. His gaze was steady and severe, and such a small creature should have yielded by now.

"What are you?" he finally questioned, eyes glinting with fascination on the surface while a more sinister feeling stirred in their depths. He had his suspicions about this feline, and, the more time he spent with her, the more he felt that his suspicions were true. It did not take much brain to realize that this was no simple cat.

He smirked, eyes alight with continued interest. "The same as you, I think." He watched her movements, fast and deliberate, as she darted up the tree and leapt over him, finally revealing her true form. Speed was her strength it seemed. Good, he always enjoyed dueling with the quick and intense foes. It was far more interesting than the slow and strong ones. "Perhaps," he pondered out loud. He was not one for chases, preferring honest, immediate duels than protracted games of hide and seek or tag. His ears pricked up at her odd request. "Parley?" His eyes narrowed. Did she really intend to flee instead of fight? Ashura despised pursuing his opponents - after all, pursuits were for prey. There was nothing to be learned when his opponents ran.

He huffed in agitation, having been looking forward to a duel. It seemed as though he would not have one today, leastways not now. "I was passing through, looking for a good sport," he answered plainly. "What about you? Is this your home?" He still hoped that he could coerce her into a fight, perhaps if he said the right things or asked the right questions. Walkers were known for their tempers, after all.

"Sorry for the intrusion," he retorted, a smirk reforming on his maw. "You didn't really make your presence known." It would not have mattered regardless, except perhaps he would have been more eager to locate her and duel. He held his ground as she approached, calm and still - perhaps unusually controlled for those of their kind. He was not easily fazed; she would come to find that out for herself soon enough. "I respect stealth; however, if you want to claim your land, you have to fight for it." The thought excited him. He could feel his muscles scream for release, though he did not physically tense. He knew better than to telegraph his intentions. "Don't you think?"

Just what he wanted.

Although he could see the opening, he was unable to take advantage of it. The furry-tailed walker was too quick for him to react the way that he would have liked. Instead, he moved instinctively, sidestepping her attack. "'So brutish?'" he repeated, amused. It was not unlike him to make conversation during a duel, and he did not mind the occasional dance, so he restrained his offense.

It was very similar to his training. When he was learning how to fight, a common exercise was having one partner attack while the other defends. Right now, he could be the defender, if she wanted to be the attacker.

"If you don't like to fight, what do you do instead?"