We who are lost. (Open to all)

Fenrir clapped his hands. The woods echoed the thundering sound. He frowned and stared up. There was no night, just a bunch of thick leaves. He had gone here earlier with a group of exorcists to examine the forest. However, the whole group had separated when one of them had suggested that all of them go their own way to find the akuma, if there was one. Fenrir had volunteered to go left as there was smoke there. He figured that smoke = hut = food.

Well, he was wrong. Not only was his path the longest, there was no hut in the middle. The smoke had also disappeared by the time he got to the spot. There was no indications of a fire burning, which was odd... He had looked around, but there was nothing. And he meant it. There was nothing. The usual things-animals, bugs, etc were all gone. It was like they had known something had happened and left.

His stomach growled. He was currently lost and without food. (He didn't have enough time to pack for food as he was late, as usual, for the mission.)

There was a crumple of leaves.

"Who is it?" Fenrir got up immediately and relaxed when he saw a fellow exorcist. "Oh, it's you..."

Cole had been wandering the forest for the past few hours with no result. When they had split up to cover the forest more efficienctly, he had thought the odds were pretty good that one of the other Excorcists would find the Akuma, and he wouldn't have to do anything, so he had settled down for a nap in some leaves. Upon waking, he had no sense of direction, so his course had become irregular. instead of traveling straight, he had wandered about, his course angling across the paths that other exorcists would be traversing. Well, at least I didn't get busted for sleeping on the job... He thought, sighing heavily as he picked his way across a small clearing full of dead leaves. A voice stopped him, and he glanced up, seeing his fellow exorcist. "Yeah it's me. What are you doing on my path?" He asked, still convinced that he had gone straight after his nap.

The moonlight shone through the leaves, showing the other exorcist's face. It was Cole. Fenrir was surprised. He figured that Cole would have been sleeping the whole time, especially during the night. He guessed even Cole would not sleep on the job when it came to hunting 'akuma.' Anyways, it was good to know that another exorcist was here as well. If akuma came here right now, it would be better than fighting by himself. Everyone knows that it's better to fight in a pair than fight alone. That's according to Fenrir's policy anyways...

Well, with Cole here, getting back shouldn't be a problem, as long as Cole knew the way back. Even though Fenrir did not have a good sense of direction, the other exorcists seemed to be pretty good. It was comparing them to a guy that gets lost walking down a straight path, but he figured that they should be pretty efficient at directions. Right?

"Me on your path?" Fenrir frowned, "I was walking to the left!" I never walked in any other direction. He looked at Cole suddenly with a terrible thought. "You...You aren't lost as well?" At that point, Fenrir had gotten up to face Cole, "Please tell me you know the way out of here?"

He looked at the woods. There weren't ghosts here, right? His eyes darted around the trees, trying to see if anything was shimmering. Akuma were fine, but ghosts were just...scary.

Cole frowned at the other exorcist. "I was going south. I don't think I'm lost, I can take you right back to where I took my nap!" He exclaimed, frowning again a second later as he realized that he had just let slip that he had been sleeping on the job. He watched Fenrir's eyes dart around with interest. It seemed that the exorcist was afraid of something. He better not be scared of Akuma... He chose the wrong proffesion if he wants to indulge that phobea... He thought, eyes narrowing slightly. Now that he had gotten his sleep, he was focussed on finishing the mission as quickly as possible so he could get back to Headquarters and indulge in a few of his favorite activities, aka eating, sleeping, and socializing.

When Cole explained that he wasn't lost, Fenrir sighed in relief. So it was him that had gotten onto Cole's path. However, when Cole revealed that he had took a nap, Fenrir was dumbfounded for a moment. So he did take a nap after all. That's our Cole... Fenrir decided not to comment as that would not have changed the situation at all. "Well...at least you know where you were...errr..napping. And from there, we can get back...I hope. His stomach growled, reminding him of his hunger, "Would you happen to have brought any food?" Fenrir grinned awkwardly, "I was late for the mission, so I didn't have a chance to patch anything except for a few pieces of clothing and other stuff. Even then, Komui was hurrying me to go already..."

Fenrir's eyes shifted away from Cole and to another area of the forest. "Hey...isn't that smoke?" He pointed at the northwestern area. There it was again. That weird smoke. Like before it had appeared, which made Fenrir hesitate to follow it. He turned to Cole. "I think it could be another exorcist or human. Should we go check it out?" Yep. Better to let another person decide.

Cole suppressed a yawn, nodding in agreement. They could find their way back to where he had fallen asleep, and then find their way back from there. After all, I went pretty much straight, and I slept in a big pile of leaves, so we can just walk back the way I came until we find the pile of leaves... He thought, shrugging, a bit grateful that Fenrir hadn't made a big deal about his nap. He smiled at the mention of food. "Of course! I always fully prepare for my missions!" He said brightly, reaching over his shoulder for his rucksack. "Eh?" He glanced over his shoulder, not seeing the rucksack. He grinned sheepishly. "I guess I left it where I slept..." He said. And that means we've got no food... At the thought, his stomache let out a low rumble.

Cole glanced at the sky, trying to make out the smoke through the leaves above. "That's great! If there are more people, they might have food!" He exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air before taking off through the woods towards the smoke. "Food, here we come!" He yelled, not bothering to see if Fenrir was following him, or bothering to mark the way back.

Fenrir let out a huge breath he had been holding while asking Cole for food. It appeared that the other exorcist had food and was reaching over his back--

Huh? There was no backpack, just empty air. Fenrir sighed when Cole said he left it. It was just like Cole to sleep and then forget about the food! How could he have forgotten about the food?!

At the mention of the smoke, Cole had ran forward, not waiting for Fenrir's response. Fenrir stared at the tree before bringing out a knife. He carved a big X on it, hoping that they would be able to find this if the smoke didn't work out so well. He couldn't risk spending anymore time as Cole had run off.

"Wait for meeee! Don't just rush off! shouted Fenrir, running as well. This was bad. He hadn't been able to explain to Cole about the strange event that had happened today. Then again, what did they have to worry? They were exorcists and had been trained to the job. When he caught up to Cole, Fenrir was amazed.

There was a hut in the middle of the forest. It was a log cabin. There were logs placed horizontally on top of each other until they formed most of the walls. The windows were made of wood as well, only the wood was thinner to allow the owner to stare outside. Who needed that? The whole forest was green and only green. Fenrir stared closer at the logs. Was that mud they used to glue the logs together? Fenrir blinked. Was this safe?

" 'ello kiddies," cracked an old woman.

Cole, rushing through the trees, was oblivious to his friend's yell. Remembering that he had left his pack where he had been napping had sparked hunger, and he was determined to find and consume any food that was available once he found the fire. He came to a screeching halt at the sight of the odd cabin in the clearing. "What the-?! Where's the fire?! And more importantly, where's the food!?" He exclaimed, looking around for the source of the fire, and sniffing hopefully around for the scent of food. He stepped back in suprise as the old woman spoke. He hadn't noticed her. Old ladies usually know how to cook, right? A smile spread across his face. "Hello my good lady. As you can see, we are from the Black Order." He said, tapping the silver cross on his chest with one hand, and gesturing at Fenrir with the other. "If you have anything that could aid us, such as food, we would be very gratefull." He said silkily, with a small bow.

OOC: Sorry it's so short, I gotto go soon.

OOC: Haha, that's alright.

The old woman stood a good four feet. Her hair was a dead gray and some of it was already turning white. When she smiled, her teeth had an odd gleam to them. Fenrir shifted his eyes to Cole, who was obviously disappointed at the lack of fire. Well, maybe the old woman had food. Still, Fenrir found it odd that a woman this old would be able to live alone and in an isolated area. None of the village folk had been willing to come here. They also had not mentioned anything about an old woman, just two children and an adult that had wandered in here a few weeks ago.

"Black Order?" the old woman frowned before spitting on the ground. Her frown deepened when Cole mentioned food. She turned her back on them and for a moment, Fenrir thought she was going to leave them. "Come in, I've got some food goin' with the stew. An' what's this Black Order you kiddies were 'alking bout. Ain't never heard of it. It's not one of those plans to git me moving."

Fenrir shook his head quickly, "No, it's a group of exorcists. We exorcise akuma, see?"

The woman eyed him suspiciously, "No, sir, I don't know what you're 'alking bout." She walked back into the cabin, "Comein if you wan' food."

Fenrir whispered to Cole, "Does she look like an akuma to you?"

The door to the hut opened and was left open, for the two exorcists to enter. The smell of stew filled the air.

Cole frowned at the old woman's reaction. He had seen reactions ranging from disbeleif, to anger, to fear, but never had somone said they hadn't heard of the Black order. Also, he had become accustomed to people obeying without question when they were informed that he was of the Black order over the past ten years. He brightened a bit when she mentioned food, though still wary of her unusually suspicious attitude. A plan to get her moving? He thought, a bit confused. Why would anyone try to move her anyway? This is miles away from most cities...

He glanced over at Fenrir as he spoke, watching the woman for a reaction. Despite Fenrir's reassurances, she still seemed rather suspicious of them. He smiled again at the mention of food. The smile slid from his face as she dissapeared into the small cabin, and Fenrir spoke. An Akuma? Cole blinked. He hadn't honestly thought of the possibility that the old lady was one of the Earl's Death Machines. A part of him was very tempted to simply say 'who cares, she has food,' b4t he 2new that he had to approach it logically. "She doesn't seem like an Akuma to me. Who ever heard of an Akuma who would go to these lengths to trap exorcists? Or even an Akuma smart enough to do so? And I've never heard of an Akuma who could cook." He added as an afterthought as his stomach rumbled once more.

With a quick glance back at the hut, he walked slowly towards it, waiting at the door for Fenrir to enter first.

When Fenrir asked for Cole's opinions, he seemed to think that the old woman was simply and old woman. Fenrir figured that Cole probably had wanted to food and would risk whatever to get it. Fenrir's stomach growled and he sighed. It wasn't as if he wasn't hungry. He weighed the options. It was better than nothing.

Fenrir followed Cole as they walked the hut. Suddenly Cole stopped in front of the door. "Oh sure. Let me be bait," said Fenrir. "That means...I get to ask her first for food!" With that, the exorcist practically ran in and nearly tripped over a wooden chair.

" 'e careful lad. I only got one 'f those," said the old woman, looking up from where she was at. She was stirring a pot of gray...liquid. "I got a few of them bowls." She continued stirring at it and placed a few specks of green leaves in it. The stew hissed and boiled loudly with the fire. She grabbed a wooden bowl from her left and filled it up. Then she grabbed another, filling two bowls in total.


"Here, eat up." Fenrir took it. No spoons. He didn't mind that for what really mattered was what was in the stew...

Cole paused on the doorstep for a second as he worked out Fenrir's logic. "What're you talking abou- Hey!" Cole yelled as he realized what Fenrir was talking about. "That Food Is Mine!" He exclaimed as he charged into the cabin, crashing into the same wooden chair Fenrir had, and falling hard on his face. "Dibbs on that stew... Ow..." He groaned, getting to his feet and attempting to stem the bloody nose he had gotten with his sleeve. Trying to act as though he hadn't just made a fool of himelf, he attempted to casually lean back against the wall. Unfortunately, he underestimated the size of the cabin, and ended up on his back again, the wall still about a foot from his head. "It looked smaller from the outside..." He muttered.

Standing, he accepted his stew gratefull. "Why thank you my good lady! You are truly a beacon of good hospitality and generosity in these unfriendly times." He said, smiling broadly, and twitching his upper lip to keep a small bead of blood from entering his mouth. He glanced down at his stew. It was gray, with small leaves of some sort in it, but it smelled decent enough. Just eat it. you said it yourself, Akuma can't cook. He raised the bowl to his lips hesitating. As far as I know, akuma can't cook. He glanced at the old woman, deciding to wait until she at some.

Fenrir rubbed his nose to contain his laughter at Cole's actions. That was what he got for making Fenrir go first! Fenrir would have shook a fist, but he decided against it. The...stew was in his hand and it would have been a pity if he dropped it...Yep. He stared at Cole, wondering if the exorcist was going to drink it. He had seemed so hungry from before. Nope. The guy had the bowl up to his lips, but he still wouldn't eat it.

Hm. That looked familiar.

Fenrir looked at his bowl. It was almost at the same position Cole was holding it all. Ah. It doesn't hurt to be careful.

"Excuse me...miss, but may I ask what is in this bowl of...wonderful soap?"

The woman turned to look at him, "It's a family secret. That's what it is." She eyed him, "Ye got a problem with me soap. You 'on't have to drink it if ya don't wan' it."

Fenrir shook his head frantically, "No, I want it." He sniffed it a bit. Weird. Unlike the other times, his nose had failed to give any hint on what the ingredients were. He placed it on the floor and sat down. "I'll let it cool first."

"Whatever as long as you ain't one of those tree burners," said the woman. Fenrir stared at Cole, trying to signal that he had saw smoke from before. However, Fenrir was a terrible communicator with hands and managed to do something of a circle gesture with his hands.

"Was a few years ago when the smoke starts comin'. My son 'as still sad after the wife died. I told you, you git on your feet and tell them people to scram." said the woman, "Good ol' son of mines. Gotta forgot about that girl. She was no good in the first place. Now I dunno how long its been an' that boy still not back."

Already, Fenrir was suspicious. He stared at Cole again, trying to make eye-contact. This tragedy was so similar to the others he had heard. It always started with someone dying...

Cole smiled into his bowl as Fenrir asked what was in the soup. She could avoid answering, but if she did, he definately wasn't going to risk it. He grimaced as she answered. Old family recipe... Still, Akuma shouldn't be able to cook. He thought, his stomache letting out something less like a growl and more like a moan. He followed Fenrir's example and sat down on the floor, setting his bowl in his lap. He frowned as she mentioned tree burners, remembering the smoke from before. They had assumed that the smoke had been coming from the cabin, but there wasn't enough smoke to be seen over the distance they had ran to come here. He glanced over at Fenrir to see if he was thinking the same, frowning in confusion as all fenrir did was make a circular gesture.

Turning his attention back to the old lady, he froze. "Oh... That doesn't bode well..." He murmured, suddenly feeling sorry for the lady. If her son was really that distraught, then there was definately a good chance that he would have made his wife into an akuma. "How long ago was it that your Daughter in law died?" He asked. If it had been a long time, there was the possibility that the Akuma could've evolved and become a level two already, which would mean added danger. Another thought struck him. If the akuma was her son, then there would be no danger in eating the soup. He picked up his bowl, downing the whole lot in a few large gulps. It was thin and watery, but it tasted decent, and quieted the rumbling in his stomach.

"Mmm, Good stuff." He muttered, smiling at the old lady, and setting his bowl aside, licking his lips.

Fenrir eyes darted back to Cole and the old lady.

"How long 'as the wife died you ask? 'Was a few years ago...still waitin' for that boy to come back. You didn' see no boy of mines while you were travelin' up these parts?" she asked, staring at Cole with the evil eye.

When Cole ate the stew, Fenrir's couldn't blink for a few seconds. He had to be sure that the bowl was completely empty. For all he knew, it could be Cole's plan to get him to try it first. He stared at it. It was...empty. He stared at his bowl and placed a finger in it and licked. It tasted...weird, but okay. With that, he downed the stew as well, only resulting in himself choking. "It's bitter! How come it's so bitter!" He wiped his mouth and tried to cough it up with no results.

"You got it too cold," said the woman.

'Wait. I just finished it right after Cole did and he said it was good," protested Fenrir. There was logic there. Unlike his bowl was...poisoned. He stared at his stomach.

"You drank it too cold. Remember lad, you got the stew firs'. You wen' in without friend lookin' for food so your bowl cooled down before his." She moved away from the pot and sat next to them, "To business now boys. Seein' how I feed ye two, pay me back two favors. First, find me son and second, find the menace burnin' down me forest."

"Of course!" said Fenrir, "We've ate your food so count on us!" He looked to Cole, waiting for his response.

Cole frowned as he listened to the old lady, wincing when he heard how long that her son had been gone. "I'm sorry, I don't think we saw anyone in the forest on our way coming up here, but we'll keep our eyes open for your son." He muttered absently, thinking about how long her son had been gone. If he was that distraught when he left, then he most likely turned his wife into an Akuma soon after that, which also means that she's been an Akuma for several years... He grimaced. There's definately a chance that we're dealing with a level two Akuma. He thought grimly, looking into his empty bowl pensively. He was confident that he could take a Level one Akuma, or even a group of them, but a level two Akuma, or anything above, was a bit beyond him. At least I've got some backup this time... He thought, glancing at Fenrir.

Cole glanced up, sitting up straighter as the old lady gave her requests. He immediately nodded in agreement with Fenrir. "Definately. Finding the forest burners and your son is the least we could do after indulging in your gracious hospitality." He said, smiling. Mentally, he was trying to figure out what they should tell her when they got back. After all, if they did find what used to be her son, it was their mission to destroy it. There won't even be a body to bring back... He thought unhappily, glancing at the old woman once more before getting to his feet and going to the door. "I hope to see you again soon." He said, nodding to the old woman.

Fenrir frowned as he walked through the forest. This was too odd. He couldn't get rid of the feeling that something was not right, something that had been overlooked. The trees were swaying against the wind, faintly reminding him of...ghosts. Fenrir paled slightly and tried to keep his cool. He turned over to Cole. "That son of hers might have been an akuma, but who started the fires from before? From what the old woman said, it started a few years back though the villagers claimed that no one had ever entered the village till...us." He blinked. Well, the old lady living in the middle of the village had been a surprise. The villagers sure didn't know about that. Fenrir groaned. This was getting trickier by the moment. He could only hope that the others were alright.

They continued walking for who knows how long until a smoke appeared in the direction they were heading...like it was luring them there. Fenrir touched his keychain and held it tight, ready to activate his akuma weapon as soon as an akuma or any of that sort appeared. He wondered how Cole felt about this. The old lady had fed them..yet they might be killing her son as pay-back. No. Fenrir shook his head. If her son was an akuma...it would be necessary. Fenrir could feel the same feeling he felt years ago when he had followed his father with his sister.... Sweat appeared on the palms of his hands. Was it because of the story the old woman told him? He took a huge breath and walked on forward. "We have to go on to the smoke. You ready, Cole?"

Cole followed Fenrir out into the woods, brooding on the task they had set out on. This doesn't feel right... The fires were going on before her Daughter in Law was killed. As if in response to his thoughts, Fenrir spoke. He nodded in agreement. "It is a little wierd, but there's the possibility of a pre-existing Akuma. In fact, it could have killed Her daughter in law in the first place." He said thoughtfully. "And we've gotta remember, it's not actually that Lady's son. It's an Akuma, created from the soul of her daughter in law. And from what she said, she hated her daughter in law." He added, a humorless smile playing about his lips.

After hours of walking, Cole was exhausted, and ready for another good sleep. Of course, that was when the smoke decided to appear. I don't like this. I'm tired, and Fenrir can't be doing much better. he probably hasn't slept since the mission began... He glanced at his comrade, a bit anxious. As if in responce to his gaze, Fenrir spoke again. Cole heaved a great sigh. "Whoever it is really couldn't have picked a better time. I don't know about, you, but I'm pretty darn tired. Still, we certainly owe that lady. Stop the person burning the forest, and if our assumptions are correct, we'll be killing her son's killer." He said. Try as he might, he couldn't really bring himself to see it that way.

Gale walked through the forest calmly, strolling between the trees casually. He was dressed like a normal 17 year old boy, carrying himself with an air of annoyance. The Earl has sent him here saying the a couple of exorcists were likely to show up soon on reports of an akuma. It was planned as bait to draw out another two exorcists so that their identities could be discovered and they would be added to someone's hit list. Between a couple of trees ahead of them he sees both of them, standing a little doggedly off in the shadows. He sighs quietly and assumes the form of a normal human, white skinned and no crosses on his head. He looked more like a boy who lived in a village nearby the forest than one of the feared Noah.

Walking through the trees and stepping out behind them, he turns and looks over at the two, tossing his white hair out of his eyes. "You know they call this the forest of no return for a reason, don't you? People who come through this forest don't usually come back out. Well..at least not until they learn the secret of it. I don't think you two know it either.." he says, his voice trailing off as one of his eyebrows lifted. These two really looked awful. They carried themselves as if they had been walking through a desert for a few hours instead of a simple forest. Pathetic exorcists..