Sora and Xi

The heavy smell of clove and sage hung in the air around the cabin, masking any other scent. Honestly, it was a little overwhelming- but that was his intention, as usual. Xi sat alone at the wooden table, sharpening a knife absentmindedly while listening for the door. Sora was hunting- hopefully being safe, but safe in his book hardly meant much of anything to the young wolf.

He wasn’t fully away of the motions he went through- it was second nature, and hardly required careful attention like it did when he was young. Just grinding the whetstone against the knife edge, then testing it on an apple- he’d bite off the fruit, then resume his ritual, glancing up at the door as the wooden porch creaked.

“I’m home!” The other boy bellowed, before kicking the door open- Xi could smell it now, blood and meat, and he couldn’t help but crack a smile, placing his tools down. He grabbed the cane from beside the table, standing slowly and meeting the other boy by the long table against the wall.

“How’s a good roast sound tonight?” Xi hummed, ruffling his unkempt hair and watching the boys tail swing eagerly.

Xi was very uninviting, even when he smiled. The man stood at a solid six foot, with long, pearl grey hair that was usually swept up in a thick ponytail with bangs swept to the side. His eyes were uncomfortably aware, as if he was always on edge (which he usually was); if you stared for too long, he’d scowl and look away. He was always bundled up; despite radiating heat, it seemed like he couldn’t get enough of it, wearing layers and thick furs. He has both ears and a tail when maintaining his human appearance, where one ear is missing a chunk.

Xi walked with a horrible limp; a cane helped support his slow strides, but beneath his clothes, his left leg is marked with deep and painful looking scars from what seems like a set of claws, and closer on his neck, the unmistakable pattern of teeth. The scars cause him deep pain in the cold, which seemed to be another reason he always bundled himself up, but don’t mistake this injury for weakness- he has a habit of losing his temper quickly and ignoring the pain to lash out.

The scent of smoke and sage and clove clung to his clothes and hair- but Xi himself didn’t smell like that. Of course, it’s not like you’d ever hope to smell it yourself, but his usual scent was vanilla and herbal teas. It marked him as an Omega- a fact he regularly tried to hide, first by bulking up and then by carrying his smudge sticks and incense everywhere. If you caught the scent, he’d certainly want nothing more to do with you, so best you don’t mention if you do. He’d bathe in fragrant herbs to hide the sweetness, and covered his skin in hopes of letting none of it out.

When shifted, Xi is massive- at just a little below six foot on all fours, his fur is the same color as his hair, pearl grey and thick. Though thanks to his hair, his fur is longer than one would hope for, it hardly seems to bother him, and with his sharp incisors, he’s certainly the last thing you’d like to piss off in that form. However, beneath his wild fur, the scars linger, and he can’t run for very long. His stamina is limited as well, and he will eventually be forced to revert back to his humanoid appearance or pass out from the pain.

Xi is capable of shifting to a much, much larger form- approximately 10 feet or so. However he is unable to do so at will, occurring mostly in moments in extreme stress.