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Although he was barely recovered from his previous encounter with the panda bearwalker, Ashura was on a new hunt. A cat resided in this forest and made an effort to ensure everyone knew this was her territory. Her smell hung thick between the trees whose trunks she scored repeatedly with her claws. He found it curious, however, that, even though her presence was obvious, he was unable to find the creature herself.

The white walker was beginning to wonder whether or not the cat was hunting him when, suddenly, he finally found her. The trees opened into a meadow, and there she was, all but concealed in the tall grass. She was not stalking him, but a blue... another fox? Ashura squinted at the other Soquili. Sure enough, he was vulpine in appearance, but not a skinwalker -- and he was blissfully unaware of the danger around him.

Luckily for him, Ashura was not the least bit interested in pursuing him; the kitsune's prize was the lady.

When he was within reasonable distance, he rushed forward at the catwalker, a white blaze streaking across the grass. She was surprised, snarling when they clashed. Her feline agility saved her from Ashura's initial strikes, and her counter was just as swift. The ensuing duel was fast and ferocious; she fought intensely, and Ashura was still hindered by his injuries from his fight with the panda. Somehow, she shifted into her feral form -- a mountain lion -- and found purchase on his back. Ashura was forced to roll on the ground to free himself, and the two tumbled together in a mass of fur and blood. When he got back on his feet, he picked up his sword as she lunged at him. He slashed to meet her, and his blade found her neck, separating her head from her body. Both dropped to the ground, as did the victor.

He had overexerted himself, and he was hurting. He had almost forgotten about the other fox in the meadow, who had likely witnessed the battle. Ashura relaxed nonetheless, for what fool would linger in the presence of skinwalkers?

Ashura was wrong, and his eyes snapped open at the sound of the other fox's approach. Instinctively, he attempted to raise his head, only for his vision to blur as he did so. While he could not examine his wounds, he knew he had lost too much blood -- thankfully, from the summation of many injuries rather than a few, critical ones. Given his condition, he was vulnerable to attack; however, like his blue vulpine companion, he was also lucky. This fox was not aggressive -- quite the opposite, in fact. He sniffed the rabbit, before his red eyes fixed on the blue fox's distressed face.

"She was trying to kill you," he clarified, his normally pleasing voice strained from exhaustion. He huffed as the fox told him what he already knew: he was, indeed, quite hurt. "Oh, really? I had no idea." Ashura held the rabbit as he tore into it. The flesh was welcome, the best medication he had at the moment. "I'm not the scared one here," he retorted, casting a knowing glare at the blue fox. He spoke slowly, unable to speak for too long before his body demanded more air. It was a miserable feeling. "What's wrong with you anyway?" He peered at Faelan, discerning that the blue fox was fearful of the situation rather than of the malicious kitsune. "Why are you helping a skinwalker?"

Ashura's eyebrows rose just a touch. "Mate, hm? You sure she's not trying to eat you, too?"

At least Faelan's logic following that absurd statement about a skinwalker 'mate' was sensible. No, Ashura did not allow the other fox to be killed, and, yes, he did hunt down other purewalkers; however, that was not due to the goodness in his heart. Perhaps it was for the best that he saved the blue fox, though, for he certainly required medical attention. Without, he would have to recover on his own, and he was in not in a sound state to defend himself if the need arose. In order to continue receiving care, he held his tongue, and did not reveal his motivations for killing the cat. After years of maintaining the facade of a reformed purewalker in his herd, this behavior came naturally to the white walker.

As instructed, he gnawed on the roots. "You really don't know anything, huh? Else you would be scared of me." He continued chewing, allowing his words to hang in the air. "Ask away."

Faelan's uncanny comfort around a skinwalker reminded him of the members of his herd, how they engaged with the white kitsune as if he had no malice in him at all. They knew the nature of skinwalkers, but believed Ashura to be an exception, and he wondered if this Nash fellow was peddling a similar lie to this naïve, blue fox. The kitsune also understood Soquili infatuation, and how it was of little use to convince them of their lover's motives. He would not waste his breath, opting to focus on the nature of skinwalkers rather than specifically targeting Nash. Ultimately, it was of no consequence to him what became of the blue fox; however, if he truly wanted to learn about skinwalkers, Ashura would tell him the unfiltered truth.

He started with rather basic questions that warranted equally simpler answers. "The shift from small to large is more uncomfortable than the shift from large to small... but I wouldn't say it hurts. You don't get stuck either way... well, unless you die, I guess." He gestured to the corpse of the mountain lion, frozen in her feral form. "I think most walkers have a high tolerance for pain anyway."

Ashura paused before answering Faelan's last question. "No, they don't." His gaze rose from his rabbit, resting on the inquisitive fox. "We are the bad creatures."

"Maybe," Ashura shrugged slightly. "Definitely now, but you're giving me food and medicine." He watched the other fox for a moment, his face eerily calm for one whose words carried such dire threats. "It's not in my best interest to kill you right now."

These non-skinwalkers had this strange fascination for love. In Ashura's past, love was the ultimate test of his supposed reformation. Skinwalkers were incapable of such emotions, so, when he feigned affection for the mare who was cursed to love skinwalkers, no one in that herd ever questioned his nature again. That mare was incredibly useful, for, had he not convinced his master that he was unequivocally changed, the old swordsman would have never left the herd under the protection of a skinwalker. "No. We don't feel those things, and we don't make lasting, nice bonds with others... not even our own kind."

He continued to eat before responding. "None," he paused, once again holding the blue fox's gaze. "I was raised and trained by a master swordsman. He killed my actual parents, who were terrorizing a herd, and took me as his son and apprentice. I lived with them until I was skilled enough to kill my master and that herd who loved me like their own, including the mare who loved me more than you love your Nash." His lips parted into a faint smile, forming an expression that flirted with the boundary between charming and sinister.

"Do you still wanna be my friend?"

Again he shrugged. "Couldn't tell you. The reason why they hunt is more important than the fact that they hunt evil together." He shook his head in disbelief. "You are both. Befriending a skinwalker isn't a wise choice. You should ask that Nash guy about that."

Ashura laughed at his next remark. "No, I can't. I told you, I can't feel love. And yet, that mare... she knew everything about skinwalkers, how evil we could be and how dangerous we are, and, still, she loved me without question. She never wondered if I loved her, and she definitely didn't seek out other skinwalkers because she felt like she couldn't talk to me." He wondered if his gentle criticism of Faelan's inquiry would leave a shadow of a doubt in his mind, if only to sew discord in his relationship with the skinwalker he loved. Perhaps Nash would reveal his true nature to the blue fox if he felt that his lover was slipping out of his claws.

He was still rather weak, and killing the other fox would waste more energy than he was worth. So, the white walker allowed the affection, huffing lightly at his talk of friendship. "Whatever you say, 'friend,'" he replied sarcastically. Ashura watched as his only 'friend' disappeared into the trees, summoned by that blaring sound. The world worked in mysterious ways, and, indeed, they may very well meet again. In that case, Faelan's hopes would be misplaced, for he would witness Ashura at his full strength, and the skinwalker could demonstrate his kind's capacity for evil.