A Collection Of Short Roleplays (Yukio & Panda)

[pandamonium]

Esben shook his head. "Not used to talking so much. I brought along some tea to soothe my throat. I'll be fine after I get used to talking more."

He pulled out a bottle and took a swig.

"Want some? It'll warm you up if you're cold."

He held out the bottle for Steron.

He noticed that they have barely began their journey and Steron didn't seem like he wanted to continue it. Was he still sick from last night? Or was it for another reason? Whatever the reason, it was beginning to get on his nerves. Couldn't he just say what was on his mind? He didn't have a problem doing it yesterday. Why is today any different.

"What's your deal? Your getting on my nerves. Are you sick or what?"

[Yukio Takamiya]

Steron shook his head, refusing the tea since he didn't feel very cold. He blinked at Esben's harsh tone before turning away,"I'm fine, just feeling alittle tired." He trudged on forward past Esben, kicking at dead leaves and sighing once in a while. The denser forest loomed ahead and Steron could see that the sunlight wasn't so bright in that area. It almost looked scary to him since walking in the forest wasn't an everyday routine for him. He knew almost nothing about the kinds of plants and insects in the forest. What was poisonous and what was not, he had no clue.

 

Steron slowed his speed when they entered the forest. He moved behind Esben letting the bear take the lead this time since he was more familiar with these parts. "What happens when we get there?" He asked, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence.

[pandamonium]

Esben didn't believe Steron. It was hearing frustrating just getting him sigh and not say anything. Why couldn't he say what he needed to say?

"You're lying."

Not wanting to push until Steron was ready, he kept quiet for a while. Watching him walk ahead just proved that he was upset about something, but he wasn't sure of what.

 

Watching Steron move behind him, kind of made him snort. He was afraid by the looks of it.

"We'll just go to their village and go to the library. Oh. Before I forget...so they don't become too suspicious..."

He rummaged through a bag and pulled out a hooded cloak.

"Here. It'll cover you up. I'm going to need to tell some...lies, so please don't blow our cover."

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

Esben didn't believe Steron. It was hearing frustrating just getting him sigh and not say anything. Why couldn't he say what he needed to say?

"You're lying."

Not wanting to push until Steron was ready, he kept quiet for a while. Watching him walk ahead just proved that he was upset about something, but he wasn't sure of what.

 

Watching Steron move behind him, kind of made him snort. He was afraid by the looks of it.

"We'll just go to their village and go to the library. Oh. Before I forget...so they don't become too suspicious..."

He rummaged through a bag and pulled out a hooded cloak.

"Here. It'll cover you up. I'm going to need to tell some...lies, so please don't blow our cover."

[Yukio Takamiya]

Steron took the hood and wore it, pulling it over his head to conceal himself. "What kind of lies? Are you going to tell them that I'm a bear or something?" If Esben really was going to tell them that, didn't he looked too small? Or would he be mistaken for a cub? Steron continued his slow pace behind Esben looking cautiously at their dark surroundings. Once or twice, he heard rustles and half expected something to jump out at them. He actually flinched a good amount of times, only to see a few squirrels or other small animals. How ironic, he wasn't afraid of large humans, but small animals scared him?

 

"So how long does it take to get there? Do we actually have to cross other territories to get to the foxes?" Steron tried to start a conversation woth Esben to hide his fear. But he wouldn't be surprised if the bear ignored him seeing how he had been grumpy all morning.

[pandamonium]

With a snort, he looked upward. Towards the riding sun. "You could never pull off being a bear. Not even a cub. You're too thin and small."

He realized what he said and cleared his throat. "No offense."

He took another sip of tea and sighed. His throat was feeling much better. Now his voice didn't rasp as much.

"I'll just tell them that you're someone from a far off land. I've never left the forest, but I heard about other lands. Like lands that are really hot and lands that are really cold and lands that are full of beautiful, colorful creatures."

 

He gave a quick nod. Surprised to be relieved that the other has begun asking questions.

"Yes we do. First we pass the wolves. They're very territorial, that's why their territory is so vast. Luckily, they like sweets and I've made some candy for them. So as long as we don't hunt here, we'll be fine."

He noticed Steron's uneasiness and tried to give him a reassuring pat on the back. "I've gone through here several times, so I know the way and nothing bad will happen."

[Yukio Takamiya]

Steron nodded,"in a way, its actually true. Me being from a far off land that is," he commented. "And I know of deserts and snow and basic animals found in a jungle. We probably won't be found out." He readjusted his hood and walked on occasionally tripping slightly and avoiding port holes in the ground. How he hated the forest floors.

 

"Wolfs? Don't they eat people?" Steron asked with a shudder. "I've never heard of wolves eating candy. And won't we get lost in their territory if its so vast?" Steron couldn't help asking so many questions. It was in his nature to satisfy his curiousities and he talked more if he was un-nerved by anything.

[pandamonium]

Esben let out a sigh of relief. "I'm that case, I'll leave it all to you. I don't know much about those places you've just mentioned."

He adjusted the bags. Giving a few sniffs in the air to make sure they're on the right path. Every soft rustle making his ears twitch.

 

"Wolves only eat deer, rats and rabbits. I don't think they eat people. They could probably take me down with just two wolves. They're fast and quiet when they pounce. If any of them are or here right now, they probably haven't attacked us because they see my bags. They might assume we're just passing through to their pack."

He let out a soft chuckle. "You'd be surprised. They have a notorious sweet tooth. They especially like maple candy."

[Yukio Takamiya]

"They sound strong," Steron mused. "But two of them is required to take you down? Are you that strong Esben?" he asked giving the bear a smirk as if not believing. But Steron did believe that Esben was strong, all bears were. Even the bears on earth were large and aggressive with abnormal strength.

 

"Maple candy? I've never tried it before. Is it that good?" Steron asked with a finger to his chin. He wanted to give it a try all of a sudden, the sparkle in his eyes said it all. "How long more before we reach the wolves territory?" Steron wasn't used to walking long distances since earth had the luxury of vehicle transport. He couldn't imagine walking a few kilometres from his home to the amusement park which was what they seemed to be doing now. How long had they walked, Steron had no way of telling.

[pandamonium]

"They are. And they're fast too." He blushed a little at being told how strong he must be and turned to the side. "Well, it'd be an insult to my species name if I wasn't."

It made him a little happy to be complimented. It was nice.

 

Esben nodded. "It is. I have a large amount. Do you want to try some?" He dug around one of the bags and pulled out a small wooden box. "I thought you might like some, so here."

He handed it to Steron. Feeling his face heat up again.

He glanced at some scratches on the trees and sighed. "Yeah...we're actually already in their territory."

A loud howl was heard in the distance followed by a few ranging in distance. They were already aware of their presence.

[Yukio Takamiya]

Steron took the candy from Esben, he stared at the golden sugar before taking a lick at it. Sweet! He liked it. He froze when Esben announced their arrival, that was quick. A howl resounded throughout the forest and Steron ducked behind Esben. Whether they liked candy or not, wolves were still wolves. He looked around and spotted the scratches on the trees, guess they really had arrived. Steron heard the rustle of feet running on grass before the first of the wolves appeared. As expected, he had ears on his head and a dog's tail. Steron clutched at Esben's sleeve tightly waiting for what was to come.

[pandamonium]

The wolf wrinkled his nose at the sight of Esben and Steron. "What brings you to this neck of the woods?"

Esben gave Steron's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, before taking a couple steps forward.

"We're just passing through to make a quick visit to the foxes."

The wolf steeled it's gray eyes at Steron and took a step forward. Giving a few sniffs, he snarled.

"What is that thing? Doesn't smell from around here."

[Yukio Takamiya]

Steron frowned at being called a 'thing', nobody liked to be referred as an object. He popped the last of the maple candy into his mouth and stepped out from behind Esben, clearly unhappy. Placing a hand on his hip, he spoke "You're right. I'm not from around here but it doesn't give you the right to insult me." Clenching his fists, Steron tried to restrain himself from pulling back his hood and giving the wolf his meanest glare. So what if he wasn't from this world, he was still a person!

[pandamonium]

Esben eyes widened and turned around. This idiot! Did he have to talk?! He just said his last words! Esben screamed internally. The wolf gave Steron a look before bursting into loud howls of laughter.

"This one! He's got some fightin' spirit! Must be a handful! So...young one, what's your name and where do you come from? You obviously aren't from around here."

Esben let out a sigh as felt like collapsing from the fright he just had.

[Yukio Takamiya]

Steron frowned, was the wolf mad? He had failed to notice Esben's alarmed and relieved expressions. "Its Steron and I come from the far west," wherever that was. This wolf was a little weird, weren't they supposed to be fierce? Steron didn't understand, he had scolded the wolf but hadn't been torn to pieces. I nstead the wolf had laughed and asked his name and where he hailed from. Just as he thought, this world was a little too weird for him.

[pandamonium]

"I see...well, our pack leader would like to meet with you so might as well get going." The wolf turned and lead the way.

Esben turned to Steron and bent down so they were on the same eye level. "You were lucky that he didn't just kill you right now. This time, when we meet with the leader, keep your mouth shut. Be respectful and only speak when spoken to. I would like to get through here with all our limbs intact."

He turned around and followed the wolf.

[Yukio Takamiya]

Steron scratched his head in confusion,"yeah, I expected him to kill me too." He followed the wolf behind Esben wondering how the pack leader would be like. The way Esben instucted him to act, was the leader that terrifying? After meeting this wolf, Steron didn't think that the other wolves would be unfriendly. So the pack leader was a person who demanded respect huh? Guess he'd better listen to Esben then. Soon they reached a clearing where many other wolves gathered and Steron started to feel unnerved again. So much for thinking that they were friendly.

[pandamonium]

An older wolf in his late thirties appeared and food before them. A large scar was visible on his neck. He started at them with icy blue eyes.

"What brings you here?" Esben gave a nod.

"We're just passing through to visit the foxes."

"You know what must be done to pass through here safely."

Esben nodded and pulled out a large sack, handing it to the wolf. The wolf took it and sniffed it. His eyes widened a fraction and he opened it. Taking a handful and stuffing the maple candy into his mouth, before passing it around.

"Quite tasty. This will do. You may pass, but refrain from hunting. If you're caught hunting on our grounds, we won't think twice of killing you on the spot."

In the corner of his eye, the old wolf saw Steron.

"What are you, young one? Where do you originate from?"

[Yukio Takamiya]

Steron stared longingly at the bag of candies as it was 'sacrificed' to the wolves. In Steron's eyes at least. His eyes remained on the bag as the leader stipulated his conditions for passing through their land. Only when he was addressed did Steron finally looked at the wolf. "I hail from a foreign land in the far west,"he repeated what he told the other wolf. In truth, Steron didn't even know where the 'far west' was or what kind of land it was. If they asked him what was there, he could make up all sorts of nonsense. But if they ever went there themselves, hopefully Steron was long gone by then.

[pandamonium]

The old wolf nodded. "I see...I've never been. What brought you to these parts?"

He asked as the bag was brought back to him and he took another handful. Esben looked at Steron. Slightly relieved that their lying wasn't seen. Also hoping that Steron had something up his sleeve.

[Yukio Takamiya]

Steron scratched his head, he hadn't expected the leader to ask for the reason of his coming here. At the most, he expected to be asked how it was like living there and he could make up some stuff. If he said something wrong, it would be the end. Steron gave Esben an uncertain look and started,"its a long story actually. I came here by mistake." That was the first thing that came to his head, he struggled to dig into his mind for more ideas. "Erm...I boarded the wrong ship and it brought me here,"he ended. Wait! Did this world even have ships? Steron hoped it had or the wolves would start getting suspicious. Or he could claim that it existed in the west, just that they hadn't seen it before.

[pandamonium]

Everyone turned to Steron with confused and curious expressions. The old wolf hummed. "A ship? What's a ship?"

Esben gave Steron a stern look. You idiot! Don't make stuff out of thin air! He thought, trying to keep his cool demeanor.

They've never heard of such things. Did they really exist?

[Yukio Takamiya]

Steron almost let out a sigh of relieve but held himself back. He spread his arms as wide as he could and said,"a ship are these very gigantic vehicles that can travel on water. We use them to travel across the oceans to get to different lands." Would they buy it? Steron didn't know, but if they have never heard of it, he could still pretend that it existed. "But I got on the wrong one and it brought me here instead of my intended destination." Steron eyed the wolves cautiously and waited for their reactions hoping that they didn't find it too hard to believe.

[pandamonium]

Many let out awes and ohs. Enthralled at what Steron have told them. Don't remained confused.

"What are vehicles?" One young fox piped up. A few others nodded in agreement.

Esben tried to control himself from rolling his eyes, but he had to give the kid credit. He can work under pressure and keep his cool. The old wolf nodded.

"I see...well, winter is coming soon and your companion here won't be able to hold out long. I suggest you continue on your way." He gave a raspy chuckle.

A few wolves whined. Wanting to hear more of Steron's journey and home. Esben gave a nod and turned to Steron.

"Let's continue. Thank you for allowing us through."

The old wolf waved it off. "You paid what was due, stop no trouble was caused. Just get out soon enough."

[Yukio Takamiya]

Steron was disappointed, he actually liked the wolves well enough to want to stay longer. He was actually willing to tell them more about his world in the guise of the west lands but he opted to follow Esben instead. He thanked the old wolf and waved to the other wolves before turning to go with Esben. "So, where to next?" He asked.

[pandamonium]

Esben pointed to the mountains in the north. "There. Where the mountain cats reside."

Once they were out of ear shot from the wolves, Esben turned to Steron with a crooked smile.

"I'm impressed with how well you handled that. Ships? Nobody's heard of such things. They could've turned on you if they thought you were lying, y'know."

He gave Steron a pat I'm the back. "Be careful with the cats, though. They're not as gullible as wolves. They're very observant."