Companionship upon a summer breeze (Solo)

It was pretty early in the morning when Nakunzuh awoke, the air was crisp, the warm summer air wasn't quite here yet and the nights could still be brisk. But that didn't matter one bit to her, the fur that covered her entire body could easily last her through the winter, for it wasn't the cold air of the night that bothered her, but the hot breeze of a harsh summer day. Still lounging around and rolling in the grass, feeling the fresh morning dew pelt upon her back as she laid there gazing at the early morning sunrise, the fox wondered what she could do today to break the monotony of her existence. It was pretty clear that she didn't feel the need to hunt and eat for she already had a big meal the eve before. No, today was going to be a day of exploration and wonderment.

As she set her sights upon the horizon the young hollow remembered of a pond not too far from here where you could hear the frogs croak at noon while the ducks splashed around, trying to fight for the pieces of bread the humans would throw in. It was quite entertaining to watch she remembered, for fucks can be really vicious when they want. A hungry duck should not be messed with after all! She giggled under her mask excited about the potential that today had in terms of amazement. She quickly turned back on her paws and stretched her long body, taking away the fatigue of waking and limbering up those legs. She dashed into the park, the warmth of the rising sun caressing her back and a soft summer breeze ruffling up her fur. For all the boredom her life had, she could not complain about the beauty of the human world, for it truly was an experience of colors, smells and sights.

Along the way to her destination, Nakunzuh stopped to smell the blooming flowers and admire the growing burgeoning trees of early spring. She truly felt at ease in the wilds of this urban park, ways away from the noises of downtown. Suddenly distracted by a familiar noise, the fox dropped her stance as if prowling. She concentrated on her surroundings, closing her eyes to take in the sounds of footsteps. She recognized a familiar strut, accompanied by the jiggling sound of bells, which was unmistakable and could potentially ruin her whole day. She spun around and sat on her hind paws, looking in the direction she heard him coming from. With an air of absolute disgust and an indifferent tone to her voice Nakunzuh addressed her interlocutor: "To what do I owe the displeasure of your visit, Zalun." The small fox spirit turned her snout away and upwards to express her disgust.

Walking slowly in her direction was the object of her contempt, another hollow which she was too familiar with, Zalun. This tall humanoid hollow was towering 17 feet tall on his scrawny little legs. Zalun was a jester-like demon who enjoyed playing pranks on other spirits, preferring scaring humans until they passed out before devouring their souls. The tall jester wore a red and black ensemble, composed of entertainer clothes, puffy and baggy clothes meant for greater freedom of movement, with brightly colored sleeves ending up in star shaped cuffs. His pants looked a little like two big fruits wrapping around his thighs and his legs were covered with yellow thoughts. On his head rest a tall crimson red top hat. He had signature jester shoes with bells on top, which annoyed Nakunzuh to a great extent. She could not fathom the use of such clothes who are easy to spot from a mile away and give away your presence with their infernal ringing, but Zalun did not care for stealth was not part of his repertoire. He much preferred a gruesome and direct approach to the sneaking around the young fox was accustomed to. His mask was a pure white face shaped mask with crescent shaped eye slits and a large smiling mouth.

"Now now now little pup, is that any way to greet a friend?" He exclaimed in a loud voice. Scoffing at his statement the small vulpine hollow exclaimed in protest "I do not remember us ever being friends Zalun, you're more of an annoyance, a constant reminder of a pest I cannot be rid of." He laughed heartily while doing a pirouette, landing on his head a few feet away from his companion. "I am so very hurt I just wanted to visit you and have a laugh! For laughter is the essence of life my dear, if it were not for laughter I would have no purpose in life!" He dramatically stated, extending his arm towards Nakunzuh whilst his other hand rested upon his chest.

"Do you really have to be so infuriatingly dramatic all the time, this isn't a theatre, it's life, we are not meant to play around like imbeciles, if we get slow we're weak and we both know what happens to weak hollows…" The jester's always smiling face suddenly turned sour. He flipped back on his feet and glared through his mask at the fox. You could feel the blood lust emanating from his tall figure as his eyes shone a bright red "I do believe my dear that we agreed never to discuss this again. We both know that hollows end up eating each other, either to improve their territory or simply because human souls just do not sate our appetite anymore. You know it's really a shame because the look of terror I used to get before I devoured them whole was probably as satisfying as the meal itself. But I digress, I wanted to ask what mischief you had planned for the day"

Blatantly ignoring his attempt at intimidation Nakunzuh turned her tails towards the small jester and brushed them on his legs. "Do forgive me dear, I know this is a touchy subject for you, having lost someone important is never easy, not that I would even remember such a feeling. To answer your question I was headed for the pond, to laugh at the ducks fighting over a loaf of bread." The tall man's attitude switched to cheery once again as he squatted down to pet the small animal in front of him. "Water under the bridge as they say dear, let's head up to the pond and enjoy a wonderful afternoon picnic!"

The pair walked together in the warm summer wind as they made their way on the dirt road leading up to a rather large canopy where in the middle lay a pond filled with small fish and swimming ducks. Today was going to be a pretty lazy day. As the two sat around to watch the humans laughing and throwing crumbs at the ducks, Nakunzuh laid down, resting there on the side of this pool, listening to the cheerful little kids asking their parents for more pieces of bread.

Nakunzuh turned her gaze towards the giant crouched jester and her mood felt sombre. As he poked around the edge of the water creating ripples in the pond, amusing himself like a child would, she interrupted him by speaking aloud : “I’ll be leaving this place soon you know? I’ve grown bored of all the complacency that I’ve developed in this town over the past few months. The thrill of the hunt is all but gone and I need new grounds to further my own powers.”

Zalun turned to her with a puzzled look on his face. To him she was still but a child that needed protection yet she spoke of flying on her own into a dangerous world. It was thanks to no small amount of his effort that the small fox eluded soul society for so long, but he felt like he could no longer hold her back, it was finally the time to set her free. “If you truly wish to test your mettle you should make your way to our home world. There you will find no humans, but instead a vast deserted world as far as the eye can see. There the hollows battle each other and grow more powerful, battling each other for supremacy. I feel like you could make a name for yourself there. Unfortunately I will not take you there myself, go and find another puppet.”

It was the first time Nakunzuh had ever heard of the hollow home world, but she was suddenly finding herself fascinated by its implications, there she could finally find others to challenge herself and grow, there she could finally become the queen she was always meant to be. She nodded her head solemnly at her “friend” and walked off, now was not the time to sit and lounge, she had to find someone who could take her to this mysterious land.