Despite the alchemical accelerated growth to about the age of 13, now pushing 14 years of age, Akira’s wonderlust remained strong. She was finally stable in her magic, which meant no more early fatiguing. As such, she found herself once more in the Laeto Rainforest. She was mindlessly walking, thinking about her recent past. Literally, not too long ago, she was about 9 years old, yet still very much the epitome of innocence. While most children mature with their age, she seemed to be on a much slower rate.

Akira had seen how many different kids aged, and only recently began to wonder why she seemed different. Was it her father’s influence or lack thereof in her? Her mother shining bright from Dalanesca’s or Angela’s bossom? What does bossom mean anyway? She looked down at herself. Even if she had not matured mentally, her body and outfit sure has. The kimono top was still the same, but now black with pink cherry blossom decorations. Her skirts were snort, just above the knees, same patterns as the top, but allowed her tail freedom from the heavier materials.

The obi was a dark pink, almost fuschia in color, her tabi black in color reaching up to her knees. Her shoes were not exactly the best for the travels that she does, but were black and pink, fashionable enough to match her clothing. Akira’s hair was pulled up in a single fox tail, tied by a pink ribbon. All that mattered was she liked it, but Lewis had expressed (in private) that he liked it, which was amazing in, and of itself. She picked her way around a particularly wet part of the forest and found herself in a clearing. It did not take her long to realize which clearing this was… The clearing in which Akira had lost her adoptive mother.

Tonight was as good as night as any, the huge grey bear thought, and he padded through the forest. He wasn’t being stealthy or trying to hide himself, it was sometimes hard to hide a ton of muscle and fur, and it wasn’t like there was much out here that he was worried about.

After the day was done and Basse was away with her own family business Lokir decided that tonight was a good night to indulge himself in a little a guilty pleasure. He hadn’t started this habit until well after he had become a werebear and so far only two others knew that he did this, and he wanted to keep it that way if he could.

Lokir had found what he wanted in the forest, a nice large bee hive heavy with sweet honey and the smell was making his mouth water. He was carefully carrying the hive in his maw as he walked along, not wanting to break it open just yet. Of course bees weren’t too happy about this invasion of their home, and were buzzing him furiously and stinging him, or trying to through his thick fur and tough hide. Lokir ignored them, knowing that eventually they’d go away once he was finished and moved on.

With a grunt of annoyance for putting his one back foot into a deeper water hole than he assumed Lokir came to a clearing, perfect. With the hive right at his nose Lokir was having trouble scenting anything else around him and with focus on the hive and the buzzing of the bees in his ears he was rather focused and didn’t notice that he wasn’t as alone as he thought. The big grey bear huffed and found a comfy and dry spot in the clearing and thumped down on his haunches. He took the hive then in his front paws and cracked it open before taking a large bite. No, the outer part of the hive wasn’t that tasty if he was honest, but it wasn’t terrible and it easier then trying to use his large paws to pick out the honey comb inside.

With a content look on his face the big bear continued his meal, crunching away on the hive and lapping up all the honey that he could from the half of the hive he had started on. Even the bees, he ate them to if they got in the honey, they could sting his mouth all they wanted the pain wasn’t something he could really feel in this form anyway. Human form was a different story, that shit hurt, but as a bear, no, he ignored it.

The sound of a lumbering bear was unmistakable. They had a distinct sound, and even more noticeable with the buzz of annoyed bees. Akira's fox ears swiveled as she tried to discern where the bear was coming from, half hiding behind a tree. A large grey bear came into the clearing and fell onto his behind. She giggled lightly to herself as she watched with wide eyes. It pried the hive in two and began to consume the liquid gold hidden within, husk and all.

Cautiously, the child crept from behind the tree and slowly began to make her way closer. Her hands were spread out, one slightly stretched toward the bear as she continued her approach. If she could befriend it, perhaps she could take him home and give him all the honey he wanted. The bear would find her home for pets quite accommodating and would like it. Food aplenty, never lonely, and pampered treatment whenever Akira came home. But first, the trick was getting close to the bear and getting it to like her.

Another step was taken, but the next caused a twig to snap, the sound echoing loudly in the clearing. Akira froze, fearful that it would make the creature hostile. She stared at the bear, her expressions clear on her face. "Shhh…" It was an attempt to soothe herself more so than the bear. If the bear only looked at her, she would make another attempt to slowly approach. However, should it rush to attack, she would start running. But, if the bear would simply bellow or make any threatening noises, she would halt her progress once more.

At the snap of the twig behind him Lokir stopping and stayed still for a moment. Again? Again?! He had been snuck up on a second time now while doing this, first by another God and now, well, he didn’t know yet. With a snort Lokir turned himself around to see the small female that had been sneaking up on him, well, she was a brave one! The big bear eyed her for a moment, noting her ears and tail and manner of dress, not that old either, just into her teen if he had to guess. And that was impressive if she made a habit of sneaking up behind large animals like himself.

But he could tell she meant no threat, not that she would have been or knew that anyway, which was good. When she continued to come closer Lokir shuffled himself around a little more so he wasn’t twisting around as much. As he did, and deciding to play a long for a bit, he cracked off a hunk of honey comb and held it out for her if she wanted it.

What had been her intent then, for trying to sneak up on him? Was she that daring? A little foolish? Curious? He’d ask in a bit, but wanted to make sure that she knew he wasn’t a threat to her either, that wasn’t about to suddenly drop his hive and attack her.

The bear looked at her, and her heart was beating so hard, so loud against her ribs, she was sure that he could hear it. To her relief, there was no bellowing, no threatening noises from him either. Instead, he turned himself a bit so she was more in front of him. Akira tilted her head curiously, never knowing a bear to have done that before. Just as bizarre as that, a chunk of the treasured honeycomb was offered to her.

Did bears do that in the wild? Her demeanor became more curious than cautious. Was he some kind of tamed bear that may or may not have escaped? She closed the distance between them and sat on a nearby log as she accepted the golden treat. Her amulet of distorted reality was pulled off of her neck and became a dagger in her hand. With it, she carefully carved some of the comb off of the husk in small pieces for easier consumption. Akira put the freed section into her mouth and began sucking on it thoughtfully.

"I wonder what kind of bear you are. Nice and sharing are not found in wilds. Oh, thank you, by the way." Akira giggled softly. "All bears not like you. Do you have a name? A home? Does someone miss you?" Different scenarios were popping through her head. Perhaps he was a circus bear! No, those are often mistreated and develop hatred towards humans. At least, that is what she thought.

Lokir couldn’t help a small huffed laughed at the confusion written on her face from his actions. No doubt she didn’t think that he would act like he was for a bear, then again, he wasn’t a feral bear like she thought. She accepted the honey comb from him and took a seat, he watched as the amulet she wore turned into a dagger, ah, he had seen those before in different forms, certainly useful.

He took a bite of his own comb, at least now the bees were starting to give up and leave him alone, hopefully they wouldn’t go after her now. She asked questions of him and Lokir thought for a moment on how to reply. He wasn’t able to talk normally in this form, the vocal cords didn’t allow for that, he had tried and it just sounded like he was growling and had a stuffy nose.

Lokir decided then to test out some of the new abilities that his new aspect of War had granted him, not the least of which was telepathy, something he hadn’t been able to do before as a mortal. ”You are welcome, little one.” Lokir finally replied, his mental voice the same as it would be if he was… wait!

Wait wait wait! He KNEW this little girl! It had to be her! Yes, now that he recalled it was her, just that she had gotten a bit older since last he seen her. Before he had been immortal when Dalanesca and Xunatar had troubled the lands together, he had met a little girl in one of the cities that was also a foxling, one that bore striking resemblance to the one he was looking at now. He could not recall her name, but he was sure that this was the same girl he had met that day when the rich had been throwing their valuables into the sea of lava against their wills.

With that knowledge now remembered Lokir gave a bear, or at least it’s what he hoped it looked like on his muzzle, as he continued. ”I am Lokir, what is yours? My home isn’t too far from here, I won’t be missed, no one knows I’m done.” He chuckled, a rumbling noise in his throat and chest as he wiped some honey from his chin and took another bite. ”What brings you out here, little one? I hope you aren’t too far from home.”

Her eyes widened when the voice entered her mind with surprise. Bears definitely have telepathic abilities. Granted, she had the ability to understand animals, but none of them ever spoke to her like this before. And to top it off, wasn't that voice familiar? Akira was sure she had heard that voice before. She cocked her head to the side as she tried to place the voice. Certainly it was not a bear that the voice should be connected to, that much she was positive.

Obviously, the bear's demeanor changed too. It was odd to see different animals try to show human expressions, but it was sweet to see that he was trying. He gave his name, and everything clicked. Wasn't that the man who tried to help her get rid of Steve? She was carried through a hot city to a sea of lava where people were throwing their favorite things away. Her surprise turned into genuine excitement. "Lokir can turn bear? Amazing! I Akira, remember me?"

Without even waiting for an answer, Akira dropped her honeycomb on the rock and ran closer to throw her arms around the large ursus. She buried her face in his fur. "I never thought Akira'd see you again." There was, of course, the question that always hung in the back of her mind when meeting someone she already met made her a bit nervous. Why was she older than she was supposed to be?

When she pulled back, she grinned up at him. "You remember my mommies? I have brother and sister now! But I still travel a lot. Keep up studies though. And I get better with my magic every day. Oh, can Akira see your home? I would love see it, where you live." He knew where she lived, or did she tell him that? She tended to forget little details such as that from time to time.

At her surprise Lokir smiled, as much as a bear could, and gave a huffing chortle at her excitement when she realized who he was. She dropped the honey and Lokir chuckled as he found himself on the receiving end of a big hug from the fox girl, though, she wasn’t the child that he remembered that was for sure. Lokir carefully wrapped his arms around her to return the hug and after she stepped back from him Lokir shifted back to his human form again. He was just wearing plain clothing, nothing special. ”I remember you, Akira, you’ve, grown since I seen you last.” Lokir smiled, taking a rag out of his pocket and wiping the honey on his face the best he could. Normally he’d get the honey off of him while in bear form, since it was honestly easier, but so be it, interruptions happened and this was a welcomed one.

She told him of her new brother and sister and Lokir beamed. ”That’s great! What are their names?” He asked curiously. ”I do remember you mommies, or you telling me about, I hope they are doing ok with the new additions to the family?” She had told before that she had two mommies, adopted by a lesbian couple. So either they adopted two more children, or one of them was bi and had had children with a male and the other woman adopted them as her own once born. It didn’t matter to Lokir either way what had happened as long as they were all healthy and safe, that was enough.

”As for where I live, it’s a little far from here, though not too far to not walk. We can start to walk there now if you want, or I can tell you how to find it for yourself? I live in a place called Scarwood Fort. It’s in the Plains to the East of where we are now, closer to the coast and near the river then runs through the Plains. It’s not hard to find and any local can point you in the right direction as well.” He explained. ”Now, tell me, what kind of adventures have you been having, Akira? And how is, uh, Steve, I think was? Is he still a problem for you?” He asked that carefully, he was still curious about how much she had grown in such a short time, it was years in how much she had grown but it hadn’t been much more than a year since they last saw each other.

The foxling was super excited when Lokir gave her a genuine bear hug. She watched with dancing eyes as he shifted forms from ursine to human. A deep blush colored her cheeks at her aging, the reasoning being a reason close to her heart. ”Conner and Lilly. Mommies are loving them, but they always tired. Two babies lot of work. Lady Angela made my mommies happy. Akira need to thank her later.”

Lokir went on to talk about his home, and how to get there. She could hardly believe he lived in a fort! Those things were HUGE! ”We can go! Akira wanna see fort!” Eagerly placing her hand in his, it was quite hard to think of herself as an older person, a young teen. ”Akira have many adventures! I training a pak pak, ventured into ruins by Adeluna, but Akira like Hoja Mesto best.” Akira was quite animated, and the blush heated her cheeks at the thought of the traveling city.

Hoja Mesto always led her thoughts to the guild, which quickly migrates to Lewis. He was her favorite of all the boys. ”Steve be very quiet. Mommy Celeste threaten drown Steve in magic cage. He no escape it. Celeste had him test it. So he be nice, and I let him travel and see world with me.” Of course, if she accidentally left him anywhere, he would still return to her. ”What about Lokir? How you, now you live in fort? What do there? How long ago you first learn bear form? Can Akira learn? Do others live at fort too?” Akira took a gasping deep breath to refill her lungs. ”Did you sneak out of fort for honey? Do bees hurt you?” Her questions were endless.

Lokir smiled at Akira’s excitement about, well, everything, but he didn’t miss her discomfort when he brought up that she looked older than when he saw her last. More so than the time between should have allowed for. ”Those are lovely names. Lady Angela is a great woman.” He grinned. ”In fact I am dating one her daughters, Basselina, though I didn’t know that Angela was Basse’s daughter until after.” He chuckled, that first meeting, wow.

After explaining where he was living and where it was he smiled at Akira’s reaction by taking his hand. ”Ok, we can head that direction then.” He’d lead the way, but looking at her older form, yet hearing her speak nearly the same as she had when they first met, when she was much smaller, was odd. He hoped that she would explain but he wasn’t going to press the issue, not with the reaction she had from when he mentioned it before. He had to think of her as a child then, he decided, not the nearly teenager he was looking at. ”What is a pak pak?” Lokir asked, he hadn’t heard the name before, maybe he had seen one and not know what it was, but the name wasn’t familiar to him anyway. ”Do you go alone or do you mommies come with you? You are quite the adventurer, Akira.”

The little foxling explained what was Steve’s current fate and Lokir nodded once. ”Good, I’m happy Celeste did that and he’s not causing you problems.” Cause if he did now with Lokir’s Divine Strength he could do something about Steven, unlike when they first met. Akira rattled off another line of questions as they walked and the God smiled as he formed his words carefully. He chose the order of his answers carefully as well. ”I’m what is called a werebear, kind of like a werewolf, but I turn until a bear at will instead of a wolf form. You could learn how, if you have some magical talent, given her blood she likely did, you can problem learn some magic that let you change shapes. It won’t work like how I do it, it’s literally a part of me, no magic, but it would get the job done.” He explained.

”Yes, others do live at the Fort with me.” He chuckled. ”I did sneak out to eat honey. It’s something I like to do every once in a while, get away from the Fort and everyone there, take break, and indulge a little. The bees don’t hurt me when I’m a bear, they can’t get through my thick skin. But I have to make sure I don’t have any in my mouth when I change back to human, cause that does hurt. Bees tend to get angry when you try and eat them.” He laughed, and now for the harder part to explain.

”The Fort though, Akira, is actually my Fort.” Not exactly how he looked at it, but it was the easiest way to explain this. ”Since we last met, I have become a God, Akira. I am the God of Strength and War for the lands. Fort Scarwood is where I am based, it’s my temple, like other Deities have. I help train people there, magic or weapons, I have staff that help me in training as well. That’s what’s at the Fort.” He waited to see her reaction to that, though he had a good guess what it would be.