Finding Memories

The crescent moon glowed brilliantly in the starry night above the great forest. The many trees dew on the bark shimmered, giving the area an almost fairytale look to it from an outside set of eyes. There was a lake in the center of a large clearing where a small group of chao were playing in the somewhat mystical glittering waters. It was midnight, a strange time for chao to even be awake, but there was a reason for their disturbed sleep on this particular night.
A little ways away from the lake, there was a figure laying on the ground underneath a particularly large tree. Upon first glance the figure appeared to be asleep, but not long afterwards they turned and sat up with a soft sigh and watched the chao playing as if nothing in the world was wrong.
The figure was Mobian, a wolf, and female. She looked to be in her late teens, and had on an unusual black tight form fitting bodysuit that was ripped in many places exposing her brilliant red fur underneath. Her hands bore no gloves, but had solid silver bangles loosely dangling round her wrists. The suit - in its better days - would normally cover the feet, but in its present state the female was barefoot, exposing her white underfeet. Her Sapphire blue eyes were filled with sadness.
'Who... am I? I have a name... but is that all I really have in this world?' She thought to herself.
She stood to stretch her limbs, hearing the bones crack and pop and earning a relieved sigh in return. She swivelled her red ears to listen to the silence of the night that brought a strange sense of calm to her. A snap of a branch was heard from behind her, not too far inside the deeper parts of the forest. Had someone found her? She worked so hard to get away this time. Is it friend or foe?
The wolf girl ran to the lake and stood in front of the chao to defend them from any possible attacks that may happen.

((OOC: This RP will have a maximum of a three day limit for posting. If the next one due to post has not in that time frame, then they will be skipped for that round, and the one who posted after the skipped RPer in the previous round will be allowed to post. 
If you miss five consecutive turns, then you will be removed from the RP. If you wish to return to the story, then you will need to find a suitable opening to fit back in.))

A figure was walking through the forest underneath the moonlight. He was a hedgehog, that was mostly red, save for a tan muzzle and a white tuft of fur on his chest. His spine structure resembled that of long, flowing hair, unlike the usual structure for a common hedgehog. The tips of his spines were a slightly darker red than the rest of his body. He wore a long navy blue coat, which was open, showing a deep claret inside. The boots he wore almost perfectly matching the inside of his coat.

He had been walking through the forest on this dark night, as he needed some alone time to think to himself. His life had become increasingly busy lately, and the nearest place away from the bustle of town was the forest, where he wandered, seemingly without aim, until he was deep inside the forest. His mind wandered as much as he physically did, but his ponderousness was soon brought to a standstill when he stepped on a twig, which made a loud snapping sound in the near silence of the night. The hedgehog jumped and screamed "what was that?" He asked himself, holding up his gloved hand, summoning a flame within it "I can barely see out here..." He waved the flame around him, looking around his surroundings, until he noticed a twig under his foot. He sighed "where the hell have I wandered to, now?" He said to himself, walking out of the tree line, and seeing the lake ahead of him. The moonlight shone off of it, making the water almost seem as though it was made of silver. However, he noticed a figure standing near the water's edge. He waved his hand, calling out "heh, didn't think I'd see anyone out here at this time!"

It had been a long day of travel, but if he really considered everything, this wasn't a trip for him to really complain about. This was a large forested area and he'd been walking through it for the entire day. It was outdoors. It was fairly quiet and secluded. In general, it was the kind of environment he personally preferred

He was fairly sure he wasn't lost, but he had started to get a little concerned when the sun began to set and his destination still didn't appear to be anywhere ahead of him... In all directions there were just trees and assorted plant life. There was supposed to be a lake out here... somewhere. The only problem was that there wasn't any sort of vantage point where he could survey the area ahead of him.

Fortunately he had plenty to eat. A forest was wonderful for foraging after all. He was really looking forward to reaching a water source though. He was almost out and had begun to ration it. It wasn't very satisfying of course.

Eventually night settled in and the moon had become slightly visible through the tree tops. He'd resigned himself to walking until he found this lake or he got tired and felt like he needed to rest.

It was almost two hours before he noticed the that the trees ahead of him came to an end, and he was able to note that there was an open area beyond it. With a sense of relief, he quickens his pace. His approach ceased being as quiet once he does so, stepping on fallen branches and sticks while passing through bushes.

Finally, he emerges from the line of trees and out into the moonlight, illuminating his form. The silver furred wolf looks around at this new area. He's dressed in a dark green shirt that had several dirty patches on it and brown pants. He's barefoot and is carrying a duffle bag at his side and a pack on his back.

It only takes him a few moments to examine the area the immediate area is clear, but some distance around the edge of the lake, maybe only a sixth of the way, he could see some smaller light waving around. There also appeared to be the silhouette of a couple of figures there as well, but from this distance he couldn't really make out any details about them.

He ponders his options for a few moments, deciding first to test the water, resupply, and then maybe he'd make his way towards the figures he could see.

The young female stood on high alert, her tail twitching nervously for whatever or whomever was in the near vicinity. She saw a strange warm light get slowly closer to her, and with it, another Mobian. 
He was a hedgehog, red in colour and didn't give the impression of an immediate threat. She couldn't be too sure though, others have pretended to help her but in reality just wanted to recapture her.
She lowered herself into a defensive stance, ready for anything.
An eerie silence followed. The chao had stopped playing and chirruping. They had sensed another presence. The wolf girl turned to face the small blob like creatures, only to see that another Mobian had managed to sneak up on her from behind.
She was surrounded. She was going back. She was never going to be free.
"No. No no no no no! I won't do it! No more!"
Her ears flattened to her skull as she began shouting the words over and over before suddenly collapsing unconscious from her panic.

Caen noticed the figure seemed to lower herself, as though she was getting into a defensive stance. He put out the flame, holding his hands out "th-there's no cause for alarm. I'm jus-"
Caen was soon interrupted by her shouting the word no, over and over, before following it with 'I won't do it' and 'no more' before seeing her fall towards the ground. He ran at full pelt, getting onto his knees as he moved. He skidded along the grass, before just barely catching her, and breaking her fall. "She... Fainted? How odd... Unless... Could she be hiding from someone?"
He lay the fox down, and stood, observing his surroundings. It was a large clearing, with a lake in the very middle of it. The trees obscured the city from view. "Well, looks like I'll be here for a while. Cant leave a lady all by herself in a forest, unconscious. God knows what some people'd do." A shiver travelled down his spine. He sat down, drawing his legs in. He wrapped his arms around them, and rested his chin upon them. He faced away from the fox, looking towards the nearby trees, his eyes scanning each one.

The wolf had made his way to the water's edge, crouched down and sampled his first bit of water when he heard shouting in the distance. Looking around and listening intently, he's able to deduce that the shouting had been coming from the direction he'd spotted the figures in the distance.

*Trouble... Not good, especially at night in the middle of nowhere...* he thinks.

He rises back to a standing position and begins making his way in the direction the shouting had been coming from.

*Better to find out what's going on now rather than falling asleep and then having trouble come to me then.* he thinks, while also wondering just what he was going to find.

The young wolf girl awoke a few minutes later, shooting up to a sitting position. The second she noticed the red hedgehog was holding her in his arms, she immediately jumped out of his grasp and began wriggling away on her behind (Imagine butt shuffling xD) as fast as she could. She noticed the other figure that the chao around the lake seemed to be focused on come closer to show he was in fact a wolf just like her. The difference other than their fur colours was one thing she was sensitive about though.
Her horns.
She had no idea why, but since she woke up from her pod, she knew right away there was something unusual about a wolf who had horns curling around their ears. Now she knew for a fact it wasn't normal by seeing another of her species.
"L-leave...Please! You can't take me!"
Her senses took in everything that was going on, she felt it coming from the hedgehog because he was closer to her. 
"You!" She pointed to the fiery Mobian. "S-stay away from me! It's too much!"
She continued to wriggle away, eventually getting to a nearby tree and pulling herself up with shaky legs.
The girl had a strange feeling about the red hedgehog in particular, but seeing as the wolf hadn't been close to her, she didn't know for sure if he was radiating it either. She couldn't help but think they weren't there to capture her, but naturally her instincts take over when she's scared.
"W-who are you? What d-do you want with m-me?"

Caen backed away instinctively when the fox told him to stay away "i-it's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you." Caen said, standing the same distance away from her, unsure whether it was safe to move closer, as he was afraid she might lash out. She was very clearly frightened, as though someone was coming to take her. When she asked who he was, and what he wanted, Caen bowed, and spoke "I am Caen, Caen Flare. I don't want anything from you. I was just out for a late night stroll, and, well, you fainted and... Cant really let someone smash their head against the ground, can I?" Caen laughed nervously. There was something odd about this fox, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

The wolf had required several minutes to close the distance between where he started and where he was heading. He was still a ways off once he saw activity ahead of him, but he didn't slow his pace. It took him another minute to reach a distance where it would be easy to speak with the two people ahead of him.

He could make out some details about them from there. One looked to be a hedgehog and the other was a canine of some sort. Given their distance apart and the lack of attention they were paying to him, the wolf slows to a walk, making his approach more cautiously and not wanting to startle or surprise them.

He still didn't know what the situation was. He didn't want to set off any tempers if they happened to be in play. That would have explained the shouting earlier at least.

The female took a deep breath and tried her very best to calm her nerves. 
'So, he's not after me?' she pondered in thought. 'What do I say to him? I have nothing except my name to give...'
She pulled her tail around and began playing with it nervously, a sudden shyness had overcome her for now knowing she wasn't in any immediate danger.
"I-I'm...sorry. My actions must have been somewhat strange to you. In return for knowing your name, I shall pass mine as thanks... It's...Tala."
While the wolf girl had obviously known now that Caen was of no threat to her, she couldn't right away say the same for the other wolf in the vicinity as he wasn't as close to them to get a feel for his motives. She still felt it coming from the flamey hedgehog, but now with a little more information she knew she could possibly work something out with it.

Caen waved his hands "nonsense! I am the one who should be apologising. I agree I can be a... Frightful one, at times. I mean, I'm not exactly the most subtle character in the world." He said, motioning his hands towards himself. He turned, looking out across the lake "still, I didn't exactly expect to meet someone here. Then again, I'm not sure I know where here is!" He chuckled, sitting down at the water's edge "it's a nice night, though. Just the right time of year to go on a stroll. Not too warm, not too cold. Maybe that's what drawn me to the forest."

The wolf finally slows to a stop, keeping his distance from the hedgehog and the other canine. He raises his voice a bit to be heard clearly, but figures that staying back was a better option for the moment.

"Ummm... excuse me? I hope I'm not interrupting anything here, but is everything okay?" he asks, "I heard some shouting and was nearby... so I figured I'd check... see what was going on."

Tala's ears perked at the voice coming from the general direction of the Silver Mobian who had come closer and you could see his features. She scanned him with a curious eye and slowly nodded.
 
'How come others are out at this time? Its the middle of the night! While I've felt it coming from them. these two don't seem so bad, I feel kinda bad for acting the way I did without first understanding the situation.'

"I... I'm sorry if you were concerned. It's my fault that the shouting happened in the first place... I ...overreacted when I should have thought a little more logically."
She bowed lowly, her wild bangs hiding her face from the others, unintentionally sensing more of it from the silver wolf who joined them. It wasn't as subtle, but she could feel her body trying to feed off it just like with Caen. Trying to take her mind off of it, she decided to try and get some more info on why these two thought being out at this time was a good idea.

"So.... uh, what brings you two to this forest?" She spoke with a shy smile, still softly playing with her tail.

"well, I, uh... Just needed to get away for a while, gather my thoughts. It's been a busy few days. I've been working really late, as well, so... This is the only real chance I get!" Caen replied, leaning back onto his arms. He petted a chao that had came up to him out of curiosity, and was met with a smile from the small creature "I just hope I can find my way out, later!" Caen remarked, laughing afterwards.

The wolf draws closer to the pair ahead of him so that he could carry on the conversation more easily.

"I'm just passing through this region." he replies, "Taking longer than I expected. I planned on being here around sundown though."

Tala found the smallest of smiles grow on to her face. They really were as innocent as she believed now that her breathing had gone back to normal. There was no reason for her to have acted out of turn. Stupid instincts. 

"This place hasn't been touched by humankind...not yet at least." Her ears lowered a little at the mere thought of the humans whom she knew. "It will only be a matter of time before they destroy this beautiful place as well..."

Tala looked over her shoulder at the two Mobians she had met not long ago.
"It might be best if you hide. I can sense that humans will come here soon - as soon as tomorrow - and they're on the path of destruction like always." She narrowed her eyes at the thought of such a secluded, untouched place being torn to pieces. She shook her head from the image now embedded in her mind and jumped up into a tree to sit on a high branch.

Caen stood up, brushing himself off. He wanted to react to Tala's words, but decided to stay calm, as to not bring this fear to her. "Humans? Specifically humans? How odd. Perhaps they are against the non-human population. You say they want to destroy this place..." He knelt down, lifting up a stone, and threw it towards the lake. It skipped a few times before dropping and sinking into the water. "That's a damn shame. So much so, I don't think I can allow it. From how you said it, it seems these humans are illegitimately destroying forests. If that is the truth, I am afraid I must stay here and protect it."

He turned to Tala "do you know what these humans' motives are?"

The wolf lets out a resigned sigh.

*Oh great... caught in the path of another group of people out to destroy.* he thinks, *Doesn't seem to matter whether it's humans or one of our various species though... Someone always seems to be out to wreck something...*

He was considering heading back around the lake, but decides to stay there for now and see if there is any more information to be gained, so that he might be able to stay out of the way of this oncoming danger.

He offers the hedgehog a sidelong glance when he states that he'll stay and protect the forest and lake. He thinks it's a bit farfetched that he'd be able to do so on his own, but if he wanted to give it a try, who was he to dissuade him?

He then glances towards the wolf who was now high up a tree after casually jumping up there, something else for him to take note of, and waits to hear her reply to the hedgehog.

"I believe they have been following me... as long as I've been awake, they always find me. They want to take me back... they destroy everything for their sake of 'science'. I would advise leaving. I need to find a place for these chao to hide out nearby to try and save their home."

Tala flicked her tail wildly before bouncing from tree to tree, scoping the area as if she was looking for something nearby. She stopped a few minutes later once she noticed the others weren't moving, rather they were just watching her. She sighed loudly and jumped back to the ground, walking towards the two and beckoning the Chao in the lakes waters to come to her.

"If you two aren't too busy...I don't like asking favours of others, but... I need to find a place where these creatures can be safe. They followed me here when I first found it and I kinda feel responsible. They're... all I really have to protect. Do you know of anywhere they could go to be safe?"

"Science? Science?! Science is about creation, not destruction! These bastards must be stopped, simple as. Look, you can come to my apartment. I highly doubt they'll find you, there. The chaos can come, too. I need to get something from there, anyway." Caen turned, looking in the direction that he thought he came. "Right. I came... That way." He pointed, noticing the lights of the city drowning out the stars in the sky. Light pollution was actually useful, in this case. He turned back to Tala, speaking in a friendly tone "it's the least I can do for someone in need. I got plenty of food and water, if you need it. But, you're probably most after safety, and you'd be surprised how safe the city is."

The wolf watches as the canine jumps from tree to tree presumably searching the area for something. The she returns to ask them to find a place to move the little creatures. He thought it was a bit odd she was traveling with so many of them in tow, especially when she didn't appear to be carrying any sort of supplies with her. The hedgehog seemed keen to help her, apparently having figured out which way he had to go to return home despite saying a little while ago that he wasn't so sure if he could. The wolf glances back and forth between the two of them.

"Well, if you two are going to head off, I'm not going to hold you back. I've already been traveling for most of the day and I'm not going to try and navigate the forest at night. It might seem pretty easy to head through, but it's easy to lose your way when it's dark. I speak from experience..." he says, "So... I think I'm going to go and settle in for the night somewhere nearby."

The female glanced at the silver furred Mobian, her senses reaching out to him once again. "While I do agree with what you're saying, we do need to find a place that will give us some kind of cover, even for a little bit."

She went back over to the lake and reached her hands out to the Chao, three taking this invitation and crawling onto her. One sat on her head, one hanging on her left shoulder and the third hanging on to her tail like the reins on a horse. The wolf girl smiled softly at the unusual creatures and gently petted the one on her head.

"I know its a bit hard to believe, but these little tear shaped beings actually saved my life. They rescued me from starving out here by sharing some fruits they have when I first came here. I have been finding ways to return the favour, so I kinda became... a sort of... guardian I guess you could say? I feel obligated to protect them, Plus there is absolutely no negativity in them whatsoever, so that's a big bonus for me."

She realised she had said a little too much and threw her hands over her mouth with wide eyes and her ears fell back once again.

Caen raised his eyebrow, "no negativity in them?" He repeated. His face returned to normal "well, yeah, they're chaos, some of the nicest little critters you can find. Plus, who can't love 'em?"

Caen had just played off a pretty odd point for her to make. She spoke as if she could sense the negativity swirling within a person, or... Rather, being. Could that have been why these so-called 'scientists' were after her? He was not completely sure. What he was sure about, however, was that he will stop their destructive ways, and protect Tala, one way or another. "So, if you're coming, be sure to stay close. Like that guy... Sorry if I missed your name... Said, it's easy to get lost. Luckily, I just have to follow the light pollution. That's when you can tell there's a city nearby." He held up his hand, summoning a flame. He turned towards the trees.

"Well, we can try and set up a place to rest in the forest if you'd like. I'd prefer to stay somewhat close to the lake so it's easy to find again. You could probably sleep in a tree if you'd like." the wolf suggests, "I suppose these little... chao could stay with you as well. Finding space for them shouldn't be that difficult."

He had nothing to say about her comment related to negativity, mainly cause he had no idea what she really meant by it or how it was relevant. So he let it pass.

He looks at the hedgehog, who seemed determined to head on his way now.

"Well... if you're going to go now, be careful. I'm not sure if you're going to be able to see the light you've mentioned once you're under the tree canopy. Not much moonlight tends to get through and it's coming from above." the wolf cautions.

He then looks towards the canine, just to see what she was going to decide. Stay or go.

Knowing that she possibly said too much about herself in front of people she just met, the scarlet wolf turned her back to the two newcomers. Tala pondered deeply what to do in this difficult situation, but decided that wasn't important right now, and that getting their heads straight to figure out the next course of action was.

The thick of the forest meant you could easily get lost in there as you wouldn't be able to see the sky at all once in there. True enough, she could jump on the tree branches and make her way upwards as she did, but the noise from calling the others to say what way to go might alert someone out there who might not be on the same side as them. She knew those humans had people working under them, and would do anything to get her back into their machines for testing.

There was also that trust problem of hers. While they were honestly doing a fantastic job of proving their innocence, she still felt a lot of suspicion towards them. Paranoia did that though, and when you've been out in a place like this it could very well drive you mad.

Thinking of the safety of the 'Chao', as the others called them, she knew what she had to do. She looked up at the small orange and red blob on top of her head, to be met with a reassuring smile and nod. It would mean a massive step of faith in someone else, but for the sake of their safety, she knew it was in the best of intentions.

"I...I think...possibly getting out of here will be a better option. For the Chao anyway. I'm sorry if we stopped you for nothing, sir wolf." She bowed lowly again to show respect to the wolf she still didn't aquire a name from.