Walking Amongst Bears (Kendall)

[Growl]

"Maybe they went towards the holds or other shops, looking for the other kids there," Heather replied absently, as she continued to consider where best to hide. "Which is probably a good thing, since I am not hiding there." At the mention of the table, Heather smiled weakly. "That may do for now. I could always move if I see any of them..." she thought as she walked over to the table, and bent down. She crawled underneath, and pulled a nearby chair in front of her. "What do you think?" she called out to Kendall, as she silently prayed to her goddess not to be asked to move by the shop workers. Not to be found. "Can you see me under here? Or does the wonderful scent of freshly-baked bread guide your gaze away from me?" she inquired. Heather tilted her head to the side, awaiting a response. Oriana, please let this be a good hiding spot, she prayed. Please look after me. Please protect me. And even though he has a funny girl's name, look after Kendall. It's the least you could do to repay him for helping me. Please? OOCOkay... so commences the part of the thread where you get to ask questions, and learn more about whatever it is you want to learn more about... before we conclude things.

[Kendall Saarinen]

Kendall was relieved that the girl was listening to him. At least now he could keep an eye on her while she hid. When the girl scooted underneath the table the blond nodded to her. "Yup, you are well hidden. They shouldn't be able to find you now." He smiled lightly as he took a seat in a chair near the girl. "I'll keep a look out and let you know if anyone comes in." Sitting in the chair, Kendall pulled out his notebook and started to write. If he was going to be watching this kid he might as well working his writing a bit in the process. Balancing his notebook on his knee he started to write. "I was on your porch The smoke sank into my skin, so I came inside to be with you And we talked all night About everything you could imagine, cause come the mornin' I'll be gone And as...our eyes start to close I turn to you and I let you know, ...That I love you…" He was not really sure where the words came from. They just seemed to pour from him and onto the paper. He felt a bit of sadness creep up. The words were for Kel. Kendall had always be closer to him than anyone else in the family. There were so many thing he wanted to say to his big brother. He wanted to tell him he loved him even though they parted on such horrible terms. He missed his family more than he could imagine but he let the feelings fade, at least for now. He was happy with Hadrian. In fact, he could not say he had ever been happier. It was only natural for one to miss their family though. Trying to look as natural as possible, Kendall spoke up to the girl. "I don't mean to pry, but I've been helping you dodge your friends all day and I have not seen a single kid out playing hide and seek." Sure, there were kids running around as kids always did but none of them seemed to be trying to seek the girl out. On top of that, the girl was not Vantha so she had to be an outsider, or at least one of the humans that lived in the Warrens. There did not seem to be any adults out in the market looking for her either. The whole thing was so strange. "I helped you out so why don't you help me out? What is really going on here? You are hiding but no one seems to be looking for you." He looked sideways to the table, trying to catch a hint of the girl's aura as he spoke. "I promise I am not going to hurt you or return you to anyone who is going to hurt you if you are scared. I can help you, I just need to know what is really going on."

[Growl]

Heather moved the chair a little closer, holding onto its legs and peering out from beneath it as though she were in prison. Her hands seemed to be going white, as she held onto the wood for dear life, as though it could save her from what which she knew was coming their way. She could sense it, at least. Practically smell it. Heather's heart skipped a few beats. "You might not have seen them, but they're coming," Heather called in a shaky voice. "They're always coming. Always looking... sometimes, they just don't like to make themselves known, until the last second. When it's too late... when they have you, for there is never any escape." OOCOh Kendall, you needs to ask the right questions!

[Kendall Saarinen]

The girl was frightened. Kendall could feel the emotion coming off of her in waves, as well as see it in her aura. A simple game of hide and seek would not instill this kind of fear in a girl. "Are you okay?" His eyes were filled with compassion. He barely knew the girl but he knew how it felt to be scared, or better yet, scared to death. "Who is coming? Who are they?" He was not sure if he had seen whoever they were. He turned toward her, trying to take in more of her aura. The girl seemed to want help but she would not say what she needed help with. "What do they look like? Tell me. I can help you." He could feel himself on the verge of pleading. He wanted to help her. He did not want to see the girl scared. She was too young to know such fear. "I will help you." He gave her a small smile, his hand coming up to wrap around his mark. Ivak had protected him and he wanted to do the same, not only for his God but for others. "Where did they come from? You don't have to be scared. I'll protect you."

[Growl]

Heather tilted her head slightly to the side. "Only one person comes for you when you are playing hide-and-seek," the girl commented. "Not a group of people. Don't you remember ANYTHING from when you were a little kid?" she asked. Heather fell silent for a few moments. "And you have already helped me Kendall, by showing me a good place to hide. Don't you think that's enough?" she asked, as she pushed the chair a little closer, causing the back to come up against the side of the table. As she tried to inch it forward some more, it tilted backwards, causing the girl to push it back in the direction it had come, so that she wouldn't send it toppling over, and alert others to her presence. When the chair had righted itself again, Heather stopped pushing. "Maybe you should stop talking to me, the other children from the city may know I'm down here if you do."

[Kendall Saarinen]

Maybe if Kendall had met this girl earlier, much earlier, he would have understood what the girl was talking about sooner. He had been a child once before. Hide and seek was played all over the continent. He had been worrying about some scary unknown predator but in truth, at least from what Heather was saying, the predator was the seeker in hide and seek. He was not sure why the girl was so scared of the seeker but for now he needed to honor her wishes and let her hide. Kendall sat, keeping an eye on the girl while she hid. He could not shake the feeling that things were worse than the girl made them out to be but he also was an extremely nervous person. Ravok was a perfect show of this. He had worried at every turn that there was someone out there trying to get him. He would still watch out for her of course but for now he would just write. At least he'd be doing something constructive. "Well Kel was lost, and my mom she cared for him. Her love it nursed him back to life. And me, I ran. I couldn't even look at him for fear I'd have to say goodbye. And as I start to leave he grabs me by the shoulder and he tells me: 'Whats left to lose? You've done enough. And if you fail well then you fail but not to us. 'Cause these last three years, I know they've been hard. But now its time to get out of the desert and into the sun; even if its alone.'" The words did not sound exactly true. It was more so wishful thinking than anything. Kendall wanted to know Kel missed him and cared. He was not like the rest of the family. He truly was kind and compassionate, not that the others weren't of course. He was just different. He was the one Kendall related to the most now that he was away from his family. Out of all of them, he missed Kel the most. There was something about him. The entire family had noticed it. It was like there was a whole side of him no one knew. Kendall could relate to that and he just wanted to see his brother. Maybe now he would be able to see the Kel that his brother hid from the world.

[Growl]

The bells that rested against the door chimed, as someone new walked in. Heather could scarcely make out who it was from under the table, but knew that it was her nonetheless. At least, the new person carried the same scent as she did. A scent she had grown to despise, and know all too well for her liking. Heather began to shiver, as she scraped the chair closer, and then crawled closer to the back of her table. Until she had backed up, into a wall. Her teeth chattered, as her whole body shook. She felt so cold. Why is there never anywhere to go? Heather wondered, as the woman made her way into the bakery. Heather could just make out her large, black leather, suede boots. The bottom portion of her long, brown skirt. The folds of her snow-leopard fur cloak. There was no mistaking it now, she was here. She had found her. Heather watched as the woman made her way around the bakery, asking for her. And then she stopped in front of Kendall, no more than a few feet away from her table. "Have you seen a little girl named Heather?" the woman asked. "She's only nine years old... dirty blonde hair and blue eyes." Heather gulped. She was praying to Orianna that Kendall was not stupid enough to give away her hiding place. OOCThe woman is about 5'5. She has dark hair, similar to the Vantha, but without the colored strips. She has sapphire blue eyes, and olive-colored skin.