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Nicas hits the ground hard, dazed. He struggles to get a good view of whatever whatever it is pinning him down and he sees a young-looking raccoon boy snarling above him.

"You get away from it! It's mine!" The raccoon snarls once more before bringing a sharpened toothpick off of his back and aiming it at the wolf's throat. The boy could be no older than 13 or 14, by Nicas' guess, but there was no time to put much thought into it. As soon as the toothpick presses to his throat, the wolf starts to scramble backward, managing to pull himself from beneath the child who quickly follows.

"Hey! W-wait! Calm down with that thing!"

The raccoon walks to keep up, holding the toothpick near. "It's mine..." He mutters, pushing the toothpick forward threateningly.

Nicas anticipates the thrust, somehow, managing to grasp around the end of the wooden weapon and hang on. Being older that the child works to Nicas' advantage as the wolf is quite a bit stronger. He easily wrenches the toothpick from the raccoon's hands and quickly stands while the boy stares in slight shock, ears folding.

The wolf immediately points the toothpick at the raccoon, all of the rage he'd felt earlier manifesting itself in his hands. He pushes forward whereas the raccoon boy, surprised, now backs away, nearly stumbling over himself. "W-wait!" The child whimpers, holding his hands in front of him.

It doesn't matter to the wolf that this child is... well, a child, at least not at first. He's just too fed up with everyone ganging up on him today. He keeps pressing forward until the child falls onto his rear and presses against the ground, staring up at the wolf fearfully.

"Y-you can have it! It's yours..." He cries out, whimpering and starting to sob now.

"What?" Nicas snaps out of his angry daze and peers down at the child. He lowers the toothpick and shakes his head, rubbing at one of his ears... he had a bad headache now. "What've you been talking about anyway? What's yours or... mine or...? I don't even know what you were trying to keep me away from..."

With a clear head, Nicas now picks up on the smell in the area. It smelled like food. Pizza, to be exact. Nearby, a large piece of a slice of pizza had apparently fallen from a student's bag during the fire drill. Now simply annoyed, the wolf holds the toothpick to his side, trying to calm himself down.

The boy confirms Nicas' suspicions by looking towards the pizza nearby. Nicas hears the raccoon's stomach growl and, come to think of it, his own belly hurt a little from lack of food. The wolf sighs deeply, finally regaining composure. He can't be pissed at the kid, let alone hurt him. It's just a child, after all.

"I'll leave... just let me go..." The boy stares up at the wolf whom shakes his head. "No... we can share it, alright? Comeon, let's eat." He walks towards the pizza, waving his paw behind him to try and get the raccoon to follow. The child takes a moment, then stands up and slowly follows the wolf.

The two quickly settle themselves down nearby the slice, pulling off pieces to stuff their muzzles with. It's only at this point that Nicas gets a good look at the boy. He was dressed in a weird loincloth-like getup, a ratty pair of makeshift sandals, a satchel, and a hat designed to keep his ears and head covered. It's like something from the movies Nicas and Cole used to watch about ancient civilizations. This kid was straight out of some history flick.

They stay silent for the most part.. besides the noises made as the raccoon boy greedily stuffs his muzzle. As soon as the boy's done, though, he seems more interested in Nicas. The wolf becomes midly discomforted when the child walks right up and begins sniffing at him, stuffing his nose against the wolf's body. "H-hey! Cut it out now..." He pushes the raccoon away a little bit, huffing. "Look, I don't even know who you a-"

"You smell... like a nakushita." He states gently, tilting his head somewhat. "But you don't act like one".

"A nakushita...?" Nicas asks, frowning. "..What's that..?"

"The giants... They make us into nakushita." The child frowns a little bit. "The nakushita listen to giants no matter what. They can't make their own choices."

"Oh..." Nicas frowns. The child must be referring to the procedure Serenity told him about... "The initiance? They told me that I'm immune to it. Or... well, that's what Serenity says."

"Serenity?"

"A friend." Nicas smiles a little, thinking about the giantess before frowning when he reminds himself that he won't be seeing her again for a while. The wolf slouches somewhat.

"A giant?" The boy asks, tilting his head.

"Yea... I'm uh. Well, I am a nakushita... but I've never acted like one. That's why I'm here... I can't go back to my friend... Well, my master, Cole. The one they assigned me to. They said I was defective...

"Serenity was his sister, and we were friends too."

The young eyes of the raccoon continue to stare upwards towards Nicas. "They were your friends?" He thinks for a moment.

"Well, yea. Serenity was always really nice to me even if I didn't get to know her well until very recently... And Cole is my best friend. He's been acting weird lately, I admit..." Nicas tries to stave off the bad feelings that try to surface at those words. "Let's talk about something else..."

"Where're you gonna go?" The boy easily changes topics, though perhaps not for the best.

"I..." Nicas didn't have anywhere else to go. He can't help but be a little suspicious at finding a micro child so close to the school. Were other micros around? Are there actually micros that don't live with giants...? The wolf frowns, realizing how very little about the world around him he knew. The only place he could try is the park, despite knowing that Serenity has likely not been there to set food out for him yet. "I'm, uh, going to the park on Wheeler St. What about you? What's your name? Who are you and why are you here alone?" The wolf asks, peering at the kid again.

"I'm Kirik and, uh, I was just here hunting for food. I found this and then I saw you with that giant. I thought... you were going to take it away from me" The raccoon frowns, looking at the leftover pizza.

Nicas calms a bit more, thinking that made some sense. The 'coon must've been scared senseless seeing Serenity. "So are there other micros like you around here? What about your parents? Where are they?" The wolf asks, wondering if, perhaps, he might follow the child home, ask for help.

The child goes silent for a while. It doesn't take long for Nicas to see that something is wrong. Of course this couldn't be easy for him. Despite his anger, he can't help but feel badly for the kid. "I... I guess they aren't around anymore?"

The child blinks a few times, then shakes his head, ears still pressed back against his skull. "No... my parents are nearby. I ran away, though."

"Oh... that's all?" He chuckles a little. "Well I'm sure they're alright with it, how about we go to where your parents live? I'm sure they're worried about you, and you c-"

"I can't go back. They'd kill me... " Kirik clenches one of his little fists.

"How bad could it have been? I've, uh, never known my parents... So I don't know what it's like, but if they're anything like Cole's, then they'll probably forgive you."

The child's shuddering, leaving Nicas to wonder just what happened. He can't stand to see the child crying, though, so he decides not to press it. "Where're you going to go, then? How long've you... been alone?"

"I dunno..." The child looks up at Nicas once more, staring the wolf in the face. "Could... I go with you? I'll be good! I could even help... it'd... it'd be like an adventure." He smiles a little, seeming so happy with his own suggestion.

Nicas isn't certain of how to respond at first. What could this child do to help? More than likely Kirik would slow him down or get in the way. Despite these thoughts, though, Nicas couldn't see himself leaving the child out here alone... even if the wolf, himself, was probably just as vulnerable if even a bit moreso due to his lifestyle.

'I guess it might not be that bad... least I won't be alone. God knows I could use the company after today...' The wolf thinks to himself before moving to rub between the raccoon's ears. "Alright, you can come with me... But you have to do what I say, alright? And you'll eventually have to tell me why you ran away."

"Really!?" The 'coon perks up quickly and grins, moving quickly to squeeze at the taller wolf, burying his muzzle into Nicas' belly. "Thanks uh..."

"Nicas."

"Mr. Nicas!" He peers upwards. "So! Where're we going first?"

"Well first you have to agree to what I said! I'm not your parents, we'll eventually have to bring you back... and I--"

"O-okay, okay... I-I'll tell you later, alright? And I'll do what you say..."

Nicas furrows his brow, wondering what could have the kid so shaken. "Well, alright, first we head towards the park. Serenity is going to leave food out there for us so we should go get it. We also need a place to stay..."

"Alright! Let's go~" He sings while Nicas smiles. He's already feeling a bit better, even if the road ahead was sure to get worse. He walks next to the raccoon, moving in the direction he knows the park to be in. He still holds the toothpick he'd wrestled out of the childs hands... Surely it could somehow come in handy.

The trip towards the park is expedited by the cool weather and excellent cover provided by the tall grass they walk through. Having someone else for company keeps Nicas' mind off of Cole and Serenity enough that he doesn't feel as depressed or annoyed with things anymore. Sure, he had to take care of this child now... But it sure beats being alone.

"So you said your parents were nearby where we were, right? But not other micros?" Nicas questions while Kirik simply continues to march happily next to him. "We can't make a village. The giants would just destroy it. My parents had friends that we'd visit sometimes but they're the other direction... And we haven't talked to them in a while." States Kirik

"We could've gone over there, then, couldn't we?" Nicas asks. "It's probably best if we find others like us, I think. I'm not exactly survivor material without... Cole." He frowns to himself, barely noticing the child shaking his head, or the raccoon's expression.

Kirik quickly changes the topic, "What's it like being friends with a giant?"

Nicas tilts his head for a moment, thinking about that. "Well, I mean, I was aware of our differences but I guess I never thought about it. At least... not until recently." Nicas looks down at Kirik for a moment... then shrugs. "We were best friends. I'd been with Cole ever since I could remember and he'd always treated me well just like I said before. We were just like any other friends... He treated me like it didn't matter how tall I was for a long time. It was a lot of fun, I'd... do anything to go back to those days, really."

"I've never met a giant. Mom and dad used to always say they were monsters... that they'd snatch me out of my bed if I didn't go to sleep or do as they told me. They told me about what they do to children like me..."

"I only found out about the initiance recently, myself. I was surprised but... it made sense. Especially earlier today..." He thinks back to Ithen and Ren... and how neither of them seemed to mind being eaten... and yet Nicas could never dream of going through it again. Once was way more than enough. He tries to brush the memory off, though.

"I don't care, though... as long as I find Cole again and set everything back to the way it was then... I don't care. Let them do whatever it is they do... I'm immune to it and I... I'm actually happy about that for some reason..." Nicas smiles to himself.

The two continue to walk for hours, eventually making it to a non-busy intersection. After crossing the street, an ordeal difficult enough for Nicas as Kirik found a nickel in the middle of the trip and couldn't help but try and bring it with him, the two find themselves right at the beginning of a large, public park. It is only now that it dawns on Nicas... he doesn't know where to begin looking. The wolf slouches a bit, but at least he'd have some help... and his stomach is already full from the pizza.

Kirik, still a little grumpy about the nickel, stares around the park with slight contempt. "We should find a place to sleep first. Serenity probably hasn't made it here yet. What do you think? What might make a good shelter?" Nicas asks while moving towards one of the well-worn paths. Paw-prints of giants that'd been along the path recently leave the two to walk closer to the edge of the path rather than in the middle where they'd surely fall into one of the gigantic indentations.

They walk for another hour at least, before, finally, Kirik's ears perk, attention turned towards a slight flashing in the distance. "Ohh! It's a shelter!" The raccoon takes off, leaving Nicas to scramble after him. "W-wait! Kirik! Where're you going?" He shouts, chasing the young 'coon away from the path until he comes up against a small mound of dirt with a shiny piece of metal lodged into it at the very apex of the parabola. Nicas furrows his brow. "Why run towards this? What is it?" He asks while Kirk walks around for a moment. Eventually, the raccoon stops and begins to tug at the dirt making up the mound, slowly revealing a wooden door with his little fingers. "It's a shelter! My parents and I used to use'em all of the time." he states, uncovering the door before he opens it up.

Nicas simply watches, surprised there'd just be an empty house waiting for them here. "What's a shelter? Why is this here?"

"We use them for walking around, silly! We don't live near each other so we gotta use shelters. We stay here overnight and leave in the morning." Kirik walks in with Nicas close behind. This one had, apparently, not been used in a while. There was no lighting inside, but from the natural light of the sun, Nicas could see that everything inside had remained relatively untouched in recent days. There were a few makeshift beds, each appeared to be balls of cotton woven together; as well as a table, a few tools, an two lanterns. One hung above the table and the other was meant to be held in-hand. There was also a place to light a fire.

"Wow... so we can just stay here?" Nicas asks Kirik who shrugs. "Mom and dad never had a problem."

Nicas didn't have any other ideas... better to risk this and explain to a micro why he's trespassing than to try and brave the elements at night.

It takes a while, and Nicas can only offer moral support, but Kirik gets the lanterns lit and a fire going. "See? Toldja I'd be good to have with you." The raccoon grins proudly, and Nicas certainly couldn't disagree. The wolf settles onto one of the cotton beds, leaning back against the dirt wall while the fire warms the area. Soon enough, Kirik joins him, curling up sleepily next to the wolf. "Thanks for letting me come, Mr. Nicas." He yawns a little, smiling to himself.

"Just call me Nicas... and I guess I should thank you. Who knows where I'd be if you'd not pointed this out." And he meant that. There were still more problems to solve, though, and as Kirik drifted in and out of sleep, Nicas could only stare into the fire, wondering what would happen in the coming days. Sure, today had picked up a bit. All wasn't bad, but either tonight or tomorrow he needed to find where Serenity would be leaving food and figure out what needed to be done in order to reunite with his family... his best friends. Despite the weight of the situation, having Kirik next to him helped. He'd find Serenity's package and, somehow, he just knew he'd be with Cole again before the end of the month. Surely the giants wouldn't care about a single, defective micro after a month's time.

***

Serenity walks through the park while Kiera holds onto the hair of her mistress, stroking through it and purring gently. The mouse female stops and takes a look around once or twice before she lowers herself and digs a shallow hole. Within the hole, she places a bag before giving a small amount of cover... hopefully enough to keep anyone from noticing. She pulls out a spray and spritzes a few times over the location before standing up and peering up at Kiera. "Think he'll find it, Ki? I should've been more specific. I can only hope this works... and that Nicas finds the scent."

Kiera's nose wrinkles a bit at the smell.

"I know I know." Serenity mumbles. "It's not... gracious, but it'll keep things away and Nicas... should recognize my smell...I hope." She stands and peers down at the spot again for a moment before turning to leave.