Wandering Wolf (OPEN!!!)

[Kimiko Shihoin]

One step forward, one after another, after another in a constant repetitive sequence put forth by the dark gray and black furred wolf. Haunzu or rather one of them was at the moment walking along the edge to the white stone wall that lines the street. The streets of the Seireitei were so identical that if it were blessed by instinct Haunzu was certain even they’d get lost. Dusk had eclipsed Soul Society about fifteen minutes ago and Haunzu had been sent out for overnight patrol. The same thing every night had grown boring although the Mistress already knew this and grew bored faster than any of Haunzu. It was the responsibility of them all though and helping the mistress was their whole purpose.

It was their job to patrol the streets and buildings at night utilizing the skill they all had for stealth to listen in on conversations and keep watch on all Shinigami. Mistress wanted to know virtually everything that happened in the Seireitei and Haunzu could give her that information as almost no Shinigami could notice them without being allowed. Patrol was still early, but already she could hear the sound of footsteps coming from the intersection ahead. Two streets crossing over one another with a Shinigami coming from the street to the left of Haunzu.

Continuing to walk forward, Haunzu made no attempt to hide. It could hear no second footsteps nor voice. She could hear breathing and smell the typical, but nothing beyond that. For this reason Haunzu judged that along with the time of night there was nothing to be gained from spying. Thus the two of them would reach the intersection at virtually the same time. How this Shinigami was going to react to a full grown wolf presumably wandering the street was up in the air.

[Celes Shindazu]

Nightfall had just hit recently. The long and sometimes busy pathways of the Seireitei largely vacant except for the occasional Shinigami that tended to patrol at night. Among them was Celes, Captain of the Tenth Division. Though this was less of a standard patrol and more akin to...an evening stroll. Celes very rarely actually patrolled nowadays, finding herself at the mercy of Captaincy and its many responsibilities most of the day. Paperwork, trainings, delegation of duties, it left little time some days for Celes to enjoy her more leisurely activities. Well, this would be that day. She had finished early and had downtime. The benefit of strolling around Seireitei is that she could also keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. 

So far, she saw nothing that would be of any concern. Every now and then she'd run into a fellow Shinigami who saluted her or offered her a good night which she admittedly did greatly appreciate. For the times that she wasn't focused on her environment, she'd enjoy the shining moonlight, walking between light and shadow. There was something so soothing to her about the vacancy of the Seireitei sometimes. It allowed her to simply collect her thoughts in a calming environment. She began to reminisce on recent events as her breathing slowed to a crawl for that moment. It had been a few days since her incident with Yukito. Since he had brutalized Yunorashi and attempted to train Celes. 

There was something so unsettling about his demeanor. He was encouraging...helpful even, but also cruel and callous. It was a completely different style of training than what she was used to. Though as a result of that training, there was a notable change in her Zanpakutou. Her Shikai and Bankai had changed entirely. It almost felt as though she was summoning an entirely new entity using her Zanpakutou. The first time calling upon it, even in her Inner World, she felt an intense pain. She could not explain it, but it felt like every cell in her body was in searing pain. Burning alive. Was this the nature of her Shikai? Or was it inexperience? She could not tell yet. She knew that she would need to better control it, but that would come with time.

There was one other aspect about it that frankly made her wonder. Bankai was a natural progression to Shikai. As such as she assumed that her Bankai had the capability to summon something even greater. The problem is that whenever she focused her reiatsu, saying the phrase for her Bankai, she would feel a surge of energy that would dissipate. It was almost as if her Bankai refused to activate. It was definitely something that she needed to explore, but not something that she was used to. Her old abilities allowed her to enter Bankai immediately. Yet this one almost prevented her. As if it didn't wish to unless something perhaps was met? Celes just sighed, continuing to walk as she cleared her mind. It all made her head hurt a bit.

As she continued on forward, she could not explain why, but there was the uncanny feeling that she was being watched. Almost as if there was a pair of eyes in the shadows, leering at her. She would keep this feeling in mind, sighing as she beginning to reach an intersection. The moonlight illuminated in quite well. As she stepped into the square, her eyes darted to a presence that was emerging from the shadows much like herself. The Captain was expecting a fellow Shinigami patrolling, but she was met with an even stranger surprise. It was a wolf? Not just a pup, but a fully grown wolf that was walking around the streets of the Seireitei. 

Celes could not help but raise an eyebrow. She knew vaguely of the Beastclan, but they had the benefit of human cognition. Someone like Rafael. This seemed different, however. The wolf did not feel like a Hollow either. Not that Celes had grand abilities to sense energy, but some time fighting Hollows gave the Captain a general idea of them. This wolf was certainly not one of them. Trying not to approach at a startling speed, she'd calmly approach the wolf, kneeling down beside it if it had stopped. She smiled as she admired the rather proud animal. Yet the Shinigami was curious as to why it was here or even how it came to be. Celes would speak softly. "Oh well hello there. What's something like you doing out here at night?" Her voice would be much like how someone would talk to a dog, but she was not expecting it to suddenly talk. She'd very slowly try to reach out to it, petting its head if the wolf allowed it and retracting her hand slowly if she heard any growls or other show of disapproval. She was hoping that it was more intelligent than your average wolf. After all, it certainly was not your ordinary wolf. She kept kneeling, gauging any kind of response from the animal, ready to move in case something got heated between her and this animal. 

[Kimiko Shihoin]

The presence that Haunzu had felt the scent that he picked up was indeed from a Shinigami yet it wasn’t from one that he’d been expecting. Patrolling throughout the almost random streets of the Seireitei was something that he did quite often and not once had he ever come across one of the Captains like his Mistress. This was something new and something that could lead to either a very beneficial encounter of a grave turn of happenstance. Either way the approaching Captain would find no dangerous intent nor warning signs from Haunzu who stood in an almost noble manner with his head high as he sat backwards almost as if saluting her.

The immediate approach of her hand to his head wasn’t something that Haunzu could allow so easily. What she was trying to do whether she knew it or not was touch the zanpakuto of another Captain. Pulling his head away from her hand for so long as she tried to keep placing it on his head was all Haunzu could do, indicating to her that such an action wasn’t going to happen. His piercing eyes met her and she’d get the feeling that everything she said he understood. This was no average wolf yet how and why would be beyond Celes to easily understand as she couldn’t sense that Haunzu was a zanpakuto despite the fake his reiatsu was flaring at the moment.

In an attempt to answer her question Haunzu’s right front paw was held out and circled in the air. He was trying to indicate that he was going in a circle yet the chances of anyone understanding that was low. He knew his Mistress was watching yet was more than likely busy or simply enjoying what she was seeing. Haunzu could tell she was bored for all he could see from her vision were papers scattered about on her desk. While the other nine eyes all gave him different streets and random Shinigami that also happened to come across the wolf.

[Celes Shindazu]

As Celes knelt before the wolf that frankly perplexed her, her eyes scanned over its form. Its body was largely lightl grey though parts of the grey began to transition into a much darker shade which gave the back, tail, paws and some of the leg a shaded look. Even as the Shinigami knelt down to inspect it further, she noticed that the wolf stood rather proud. Holding his head high as she inspected it. It was as if she was being recognized for something. Perhaps a quality of hers? The Shinigami was not sure. She was particularly curious as the wolf did give on a faint reiatsu. Celes' poor skills in energy sensory made it difficult to pinpoint just what it felt like exactly. 

Regardless of such, the Captain leaned forward, reaching with her hand. It was a wolf after all. So, Celes reasoned that it may enjoy pets. She did so cautiously, however. After all, she did not know the intentions of the wolf nor its origin. If it was in the Seireitei though, she had her suspicions. As she tried to reach forward to touch the wolf, the animal gave her a reaction that found sensible. Without shuffling around or moving in any significant way, the wolf began to move its head away from Celes' hand. She would not try to provoke the situation and instead simply opted to rescind her hand as she watched the wolf's movements again for a second.

Celes would be rather curious over its purpose and once she asked, it would confirm a number of things. The wolf's pay rose and drew what Celes recognized as a circle. She pondered on it for a moment as she continued kneeling, attempting to rationalize its meaning. The Captain could tell that this wolf certainly had respect for her. Perhaps due to her rank? That along with its answer which Celes still pondered on indicated some level of intelligence. Just how much it possessed was something she'd have to gauge. She chuckled as she continued thinking before it clicked in her head. Renewed, she looked at the wolf and smiled. "So you're making rounds? Patrolling like I am?" 

The Captain focused intently upon the wolf, looking for any indication of a confirmation. If he did then Celes would chuckle once more. She'd speak in a soft tone again, a little curious. "I can't say that I've ever seen you around before. Do you belong to another Shinigami?" Celes was immediately intrigued by its nature. It wasn't mindless enough. Regardless of how the wolf responded, she rose to her feet and chuckled, stretching. She tapped her foot against the floor once and looked at the wolf. "Well since I'm walking around anyway, I could join you in the patrol. I've been bored walking around all by my lonesome." She smiled, finding it a little weird that she just asked a wolf to join in what would likely be a standard patrol, but her schedule was open. She'd finally have freetime and this critter proved to be interesting. 

[Kimiko Shihoin]

Well at the very least this Captain seemed to be nice similar to his Mistress. Although her laughter was a response that Haunzu hadn’t been expecting nor knew how he felt as it could be seen as a sign of disrespect yet he had the feeling that it wasn’t meant in that way. Thankfully though it didn’t take much for this Captain to understand what Haunzu was trying to tell her. Usually Shinigami weren’t the sort that had such critical thinking skills to immediately get a perfect score to guess that meaning.

Nodding his head up and down in order to answer the question that was asked of him, Haunzu confirmed that he was in fact another shinigami yet he couldn’t specify that he was in fact a zanpakuto. At that thought Haunzu realized that he actually could make that distinction. Flexing his reiatsu his eyes would glow dark blue as the spiritual pressure from him weighed down on the area around yet it wouldn’t be enough to force any sort of trouble into a Captain. Lasting only for a couple of seconds before dying down again, Haunzu stood remaining at attention.

Waiting a moment after being asked for company Haunzu nodded once more and then began to walk past the Captain. Although he was doing what was asked of him and the others, Haunzu was glad to have someone else to speak with at the moment. His Mistress, busy and stressed from paper work, didn't have all the time in the world to play with them like she used to. Sparring to the point of near death wasn’t something they did much anymore and for this Haunzu at least it was something that he enjoyed more than anything else. Answering questions though seemed to be fun in its own way too.