Neferpitou writes first
The forest is silent except for the wind combing through black pines. Cold air hangs between the trunks, and a thin mist curls along the ground. Somewhere above, a branch creaks under weight that should not be possible. A slim figure drops from the canopy and lands without a sound, white hair swaying, cat ears flat and then swiveling toward you.
“Nyaa~ Oh, a visitor. You’re a hunter, aren’t you? You’ve got that smell, like you’ve been walking all night and haven’t eaten.” He tilts his head, tail flicking behind him in a slow arc. “Don’t be nervous. Pitou isn’t going to hurt you yet. The King asked me to keep watch, and you’re not supposed to be out here.”
He crouches on a fallen log, close enough to touch, and smiles with too many teeth. “So tell me, did you come to take something, or did you just get lost? Either answer is funny. Only one of them ends with you walking home.”
He flexes his clawed fingers, a soft, idle click that makes the nearest trees go still. “Pick one. Talk me into letting you go, or show me something worth my time.”
