You Are In Charge of Your Own Destiny...[Starting &Accepting

[stormy tom]

Kenton -- panther --Arthes

Kenton calculated rapidly. He'd grown used to analysing humans after being hurt so many times by them. Liars hurt the most. His downfall came into socializing. He couldn't do it. He was hopeless with people. His attitude was rubbish. It was his fault, mostly, that people disliked him and stayed away, why he had zero friends. Kenton had a pride issue, too, which tended to kick in and make him feel the need to prove himself to everyone over just about anything. He had to be the best.
As child he's always been the weakest, the smallest, the easiest to catch and pick on.....
Fine, he thought, he's show her. His body rippled gracefully and a panther stood lightly on the branch, face relaxed but eyes threatening. Whatever she wanted, he didn't know, but he certainly knew he could hold his ground. The blonde felt suddenly protective of his tree. Were the forces of nature determined to push him out of every sleeping spot he claimed?
No, not this time.
Perhaps...
He might just give up and slink away again.

[huddson]

Arthes Grizzly Bear☀Rogue☀Female☀With Kenton

Arthes nodded at the sleek black panther that stood in front of her. "Impressive", she murmered. Her bear seemed so little and weak compared to this cat with rippling fur. She hopped off the branch and grabbed her bag under the bush, slinging it over her shoulder. Winter came out and barked eagerly, and Arthes patted her on on the head. "Well, see you around", she called to the panther. "You can have the tree, I have a house in a tree, much better" She turned around suddenly. "Why aren't you sleeping in your own home?"

[stormy tom]

Kenton -- panther -- Arthes

Kenton slid back into his human form quickly. He preferred not to change often. "Tree's quieter. Private. Safer. Nobody bothers me," he started. "As much."
Would he be alone again? He looked forward to it...but regretted it all the same. What could he do to keep people close? How close did he want them? It was a struggle between loneliness and insecurity. Humans made him scared, or rather relationships with them did. Being alone pulled a similar feeling.
He cursed his inability to socialize like a normal person (or anything close), and the person who had crushed and abused his trust. That person had made life a whole lot harder than it needed to be....but was he making excused?
Kenton found it a lot easier to stick to his old ways than to try and change.
Not yet had he met anyone who made him want to change.

[huddson]

Arthes |Grizzly Bear|Rogue|Female|With Kenton

Arthes' eyes softened. "I have a bed, it's gotta be softer than the tree. It's really just an old mattress, but still. And it you like heights, it's in a tree, it's kind of a tree house. Nobody passes that way so you won't get disturbed. I'd let you stay there for a bit" She turned her head over her shoulder. "Only thing is, you gotta tell no one about it." She turned her head back. "I chose to live on my own for a reason, so I'd like it for my home to not become flooded with people" She smiled. Why was she offering hospitality to a stranger? And one that had seemed to threaten her? Well, it seemed there was more to him than met the eye, and that's what Arthes chose to base her offer on.

[stormy tom]

Kenton -- panther -- Arthes

Kenton felt his heart jump so suddenly he almost fell out of the tree. Did she just offer me....? He was so shocked, he couldn't think of anything to say for a few seconds. So unused to such offers, he had to collect himself to make sure he said the right thing and not ruin this. This was positive progress. She must not have been completely turned off by his brisk nature.
What if it's a trap. What if she's actually going to get close to me just so she can kill me....? Trust. This was the first step. It was time to try again. It wasn't like he was trusting her with his life. He was just accepting the offer of somewhere quiet to sleep.
Kenton licked his lips. "Thank you. Our secret." He hadn't said anything like that in.....a long time. Thanking someone? This didn't happen every day.
What did he have to give her in return....? Nothing. He had nothing. Was this sort of like karma (not that he believed in that sort of thing) for catching Piper earlier?
"Kenton," he stretched out his hand, hesitating slightly. His face was struggling between relaxed and its normal sternness.

[huddson]

Arthes Grizzly Bear☀Rogue☀Female☀With Kenton

Arthes shook his hand. "Arthes Aila Rolo. Nice to meet you, Kenton" She was still holding his hand to lead him to her house. She retraced her steps from her walk, but she really didn't need to. She knew the forest like she knew how to catch a fish. She led him into a small clearing, with an abandoned tree house. There were a few holes in the roof, but they were nice. There was shelter from rain anyways. The ladder was just branches with rope, but it worked and it was sturdy. "Here it is", she breathed, smiling. "Home sweet home" She let go of Kenton and climbed up the ladder. "The mattress it a little dirty, but it's still quite comfy. And hey, it's only a little dirt, right?", she called down, flipping her auburn hair.

[stormy tom]

Kenton -- panther -- Arthes

Kenton followed, keeping pace easily, hands in his pockets. He was curious to see what this shelter would look like. It was quite homey, and just his sort of thing. He followed her nimbly up inside and looked around. Small, rugged; perfect.
He tested the mattress. He'd slept on much worse, and it actually beat his tree branch. "Dirt's no problem." To his surprise, he could think of many jokes involving dirt and his childhood, yet he said none of them out loud. That was another step to be reached. He'd be happy with just enjoying this peace.
Quiet. For once. And safe. He actually felt safe.
Kenton shifted, curled in a soft black circle and closed his eyes. He curled his tail over his paws and started to drift off. Sleep was fifty-fifty for him; sometimes it was peaceful and productive, others it was restless and tormenting. Rarely were his dreams pleasant. He had too many memories swirling in his head, and they came back when he slept as his brain de-fragmented. Nothing was ever expressed outwardly, so it all swirled around on the inside.
This led to previously mentioned rough nights.
How would this one turn out?

[huddson]

Arthes Grizzly Bear☀Rogue☀Female☀With Kenton

"I'm going to go fish. Cya!", Arthes called, climbing down the ladder. She transformed into a bear and walked to the river, taking her usual spot. But her mind wasn't on the fishing. He was cute... Kenton, was it? She paused for a minute to scoop out a fish. Wonder if I can get to know him? What does he think about me? I hope it's all good things. She tried to scoop out another, but it swam under her paw. Maybe I'll give him a fish or extra rabbit to take back, she thought to herself. She transformed again and picked up her fish. She leaped across the river to check her snares. Only one had a rabbit, and after releasing it and picking it up, she headed home.

[stormy tom]

Kenton -- panther -- alone/Arthes

Kent slept comfortably for a couple of hours. Peace settled around his still body. His furry chest rose and fell steadily and deeply.
Then the dreams came.
They came with fire, and destruction, and pain. A reproduction of what had happened all those years ago. Kenton rolled to one side, then to the other, then right off the bed, shimmering like his body couldn't decide which form it wanted. His skin went from black to tanned peach, back to black. He clawed at the floor with human hands, then gripped his head with big cat paws.
In sleep, he stumbled to his feet in an unstable body and ran straight into the nearest wall.
That sure woke him up, for about a second, before he collapsed backwards and lay still on the wood floor, dazed, head spinning. What luck.
Ghmm, what'shappeninghmmwhat? His head was a huge jumble of nonsense. What a sleep....same as usual, really, although today he'd been lucky and actually left the bed. It wasn't sleep-walking....it was sleep-thrashing. Images of his dream rolled calmed past his eyes, reminding him off why he was lying on hard wood instead of a nice mattress.

[huddson]

Arthes Grizzly Bear☀Rogue☀Female☀With Kenton

"Hey, I heard someth-", Arthes stopped in mid-air as she climbed the ladder. She walked over and looked down on him. "What the heck happened?" She walked to the counter and dropped her fish and rabbit, waiting for a response. Did he have a nightmare? "Uhm, does this usually happen?", she asked him, with a confused look in her eyes.