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Oíche Sionnach, the Night-Fox, was silently touring his domain as the sun was setting, turning the summer sky burning red and gold. He'd decided to be a bird for a while, a small blackbird winging through the branches and tress of his forest. He hadn't flown in a while, but he was enjoying the feeling of the wind beneath his wings.

He heard sounds coming from below, and noticed a human, a female... a child? No, too old to be a child, but not yet an adult either. What was she doing in his forest? Especially alone... as the sun went down? The Trickster's curiosity was piqued. He alighted on a branch and watched the small female curiously.

It had been a while since he'd seen a Human too. Hmm...

"Time for some fun, methinks." He twittered to himself.";

Evelyn was indeed human. If one went off scent, there was no doubt that was what she was. However, her physical appearance was off! There was a large hump at her back that at times twitched, covered entirely by a wool cloak. At times she could be seen bending over to pick up a few herbs she spotted on the way, paying no mind to Oiche. Well, that was primarily because she just didn't notice him.

The herbs would be brought to her nose and sniffed lightly as she continued to walk. Her vision was slightly skewed thanks to the color of the sky and the long shadows cast by trees, so scent was working out best for her in discerning the plant between one or another. Sometimes she'd quickly look behind her for fear of another being's presence, but when it turned out to be nothing or a small animal, she relaxed and went about business as usual.

Overall, Evelyn seemed incredibly boring.

The blackbird made a yawning motion with his beak, "Weird little human, but boring. That just won't do." He muttered to himself, "Hmm... now, how to spice things up a little?"

The blackbird flew from his branch, swooping over Evelyn's head and landed on a branch in front of her, he cocked his head and examined her, then he cawed at her and took off again, ascending higher until he was lost in the forest canopy.

Once hidden from her view, Oíche decided that pretending to be a blackbird wouldn't help him get any fun from her, so he turned into a small red squirrel, running and jumping from tree to tree until he came to a place just up the path from her, still out of view. Once he was in place he shifted again, taking the form of a handsome young man with long dark hair and orange eyes, his skin was tinged a light green, like the spring forest and he was wearing clothing made from several large leaves.

The shape-shifter was laying on a long, thick branch high over head, a bored expression on his face, once leg swinging to and fro below him. Behind this façade, the creature's mind was whirling with thoughts and ideas. He was bored, and now he had a Human to play with... but what game would he like to play today?

Evelyn ducked a little when the bird flew over her head, but she didn't seem horrified. Just mildly surprised! The witch was a lover of nature and was often played with like this by birds, so it wasn't too shocking. "Oh, how sweet," she mused, a smile spreading across her face. But it flew away and she was left alone once more, plucking some more herbs and a few mushrooms as she discovered them. When the girl brought herself up was when she discovered the plant-like man, since she looked up to the sky and prayed for wind.

At first she wasn't sure if that was just another kind of plant in the tree or part of the canopy, but his dark hair caught her off-guard. She squinted her eyes and attempted to look at what it was, but she couldn't quite make it out. Pocketing her herbs and mushrooms into their respective pouches at her hip, she arched her fingers and out popped catlike claws! Bam.

Finding a good starting grip, she began to pull herself up the tree, pausing from time to time to see if she could get a better look at what it was from there. By the time she recognized it as a man, she was pretty close. About two yards below him. Maybe less.

Oíche smiled slightly when she noticed him, but instead of jumping or crying out in surprise, she... grew claws and started climbing!? The creature's eyes widened slightly in surprise, and then narrowed, "Weird little Human with claws? When did Humans start getting claws!?" He frowned, "Typical, you stop watching the little things for a while and they start adding bits." When she got close enough to see him easily, he thrust his face out towards her, "Boo!"

The girl grunted. "I need to start climbing more often... my arms hnn...," she whimpered quietly. When she got to the elevation she stopped at to gawk, she soon found his face in hers and she instinctively released a loud "Eep!" and pulled her arm away from the tree to bat at his face, claws and all. Her wings flapped behind her to help keep her balanced. She then realized what she did and replaced her arm back onto the trunk of the tree.

"I'm so sorry!" she whispered, now beginning to snake her way down the tree. Yep. Not having any of that. ...Whoops.

The creature had pulled back just in time to avoid getting its face shredded by her claws, "Oh! How unfriendly." He smiled and chuckled, "Feisty though, I like- eh?" She started climbing down, was she leaving? "Where d'you think you're going?" Oíche asked, "You don't just leave! Honestly, you Humans... don't you know anything!?"

The creature swung down so that it was holding onto the long branch it had been lying on, swung on it two or three times and then jumped down to the ground, landing gracefully, "I've not had any fun in a long time, so I'm not letting you leave until I get some." He grinned, "Besides, your trespassing. The wilds are mine, always have been, always will be. You Humans can't come traipsing in and out as if you own the place... no no no, you're in my domain, so you have to play my games."

The shape-shifter circled the tree, pacing, a hand on his chin, "Hm... now what to do with you, my little trespassing Human with claws? Hm... Oh! I know! How about the naming game? You have three guesses to guess my name. Should be easy, Unless my favourite little playthings have forgotten their old pal?" He rubbed his hands together, "But of course they haven't, that would be rude, wouldn't it?"

Evelyn was beaten to the ground! She was still stuck on the tree when he was circling it, and though she tried to keep herself there, she began to slide downward until her claws snagged and she stopped. Unfortunately, her arms were starting to hurt quite a bit and she fell the rest of the way, landing awkwardly on her legs and was forced to collapse. The girl quickly got up and muttered another apology. She didn't mean to claw his face! It was just a reaction.

"This is my domain, too, my friend. A domain I've lived in for a short while but know the ins and outs of. Again, I apologize for hurting your face, I didn't mean to... but I don't have time for games right now. I need to continue looking for--" she paused to look around. Were there any herbs nearby? Nah probably not. And she was really just nervous and searching for an excuse to leave. She had plenty herbs.

"How am I supposed to know your name, sir?" she asked, beginning to walk away from the tree. "I do not know you, and I've never met you before. If I met you before I was probably a child or something, so I might've forgotten. Again, my apologies." And so she walked! Wow, no fun.

Oíche frowned, "Your domain? Your domain!?" He cried in anger, "These forests are mine, Human, and have been mine since before your kind learned to walk!" He shifted suddenly into a small blackbird and flew on ahead of her, shifting again into a massive black fox the size of a wolf, with burning red eyes and fur the colour of the darkest, starless night once he was ahead of her, "I said you weren't leaving until you played my games, and you will not leave. Foolish little girl, you claim my forests as your own and insult me and expect just to walk away?"

A low growl ripped out o the massive fox, "No, no, little one. You can't leave until you guess my name... you must know it? See, I've even given you a hint already. Humans always tell tales of me. Trickster, Coyote, Loki. I've been called these things by some... but tell me the name I go by here, in these lands and I'll let you go."

Oiche's frown was shared by the girl, her own face contorting into something of pure worry. She didn't know she said anything bad! She just kept walking, though, speeding up some to avoid hearing any more of his angry talk. Unfortunately, she saw that little bird again and soon a very, very large fox. She recoiled and just stared at him, trying hard to contain any panic that tried to surface. Evelyn took a deep breath and decided she'd play his game, but was unsure where to even begin. Whether she failed or not, she was sure he'd stop harassing her!

She had seen more terrifying creatures, but never before had she witnessed something change shape before her. "Please - I didn't mean to upset or insult you. Um... is it one of those names you listed? Or... Joseph, Timothy, or Randolph? I really don't know, those are the best guesses I can make. I played your game, fair is fair. Now I go."

Another attempt to turn and walk was made, though she backed away from him first to watch his reaction. That was mostly because he was a big canine creature that looked awfully scary and she didn't trust him not to do anything dumb!

The giant fox stared at her mutely when she rattled off a list of names, "Really, that's your best guess? Randolph? Timothy? That is... pathetic. Do I look like a Timothy to you? I'm a shape-changing immortal... and you think I'd be called Timothy?" He shook his head, "Bah!"

When she started backing away, "Ah! And where are you going? Come now, you must play properly. That was no fun at all... and you really should realise by now that there's no way you can outrun me... and let's be honest I doubt you could fight me." The fox approached her, getting smaller and smaller as it neared until it was the same size as a regular fox, "Now then, perhaps you'd like another go? What do you know about me, hm? I'm a shape-changer, I claim to be immortal and the master of the wilderness, I also favour the form of young men or black foxes... surely you mustn't need any more clues than that!?"

He looked up at her in annoyance, "Or have your kind decided to forget about me? I'm sure it wasn't long since the last time I paid you Humans a visit... well, maybe I'll have to spread a little mischief and mayhem later to get you lot to perk up and pay attention."

Evelyn wasn't normally cocky or anything of that nature. So she wouldn't rightly boast of her encounters of strange chaotic creatures and her ability to defeat them, at least not yet. "I don't know of you! How do you expect me to guess anything correctly if I'm absolutely unsure of what you are? I lived a very sheltered life when I was with my parents, and now I'm very reclusive. How am I supposed to know anything?" She panted for a moment, not used to exerting her voice as much as she did.

"I wouldn't be so sure," she said quietly. "I'm a fast runner and a capable fighter. But who said anything about violence? Surely you wouldn't resort to such a petty thing simply because I walk away? That's very human." Again, the girl sighed.

"Maybe we did forget. I know absolutely nothing about you. I gave my three guesses and that's all I agreed to. Please excuse me," she curtsied after she said this, now moving once again to walk around the small fox, hugging the cloak tight against her. She was adamant! Very adamant. However, she would not remain on foot if he decided to press on. He'd need plenty of patience to deal with her, that was for sure.

The fox seemed to consider her little rant for a moment, "Hm... well, I suppose that is a little unfair." When she started to walk away again he sighed and shifted into a little sparrow and flew after her, "You know, that is incredibly rude... and annoying. Very annoying." He twittered a laugh, "Still, no matter how annoying or boring you ty to be, I simply won't let you go without you providing me some form of entertainment. This really isn't your day little one." He twittered again and said, "Since my last game was a tad unfair, I suggest we play a different one...hmmm, I'll even let you choose, how's that sound? Hm? Choose a game, we play, I have my fun and you get to go home without me chasing you down." He alighted on a branch overhead, shape-shifting into a large black cat, "Orrr, arre you going to beee borrring? Come noow... what could possibly beee morrre imporrtant than meee?"

Evelyn smiled a little when he called her rude and annoying. "I was hoping you'd grow tired of my persistent walking off. I suppose not," she replied. "I don't really play games. Closest thing to that I did was stealing from other nobility when I had to attend parties. That's the closest thing - and it was fun, I won't lie. They'd throw such fits. But I don't... really play games?"

Evelyn laughed, too, when he mentioned chasing her down. "You'd actually chase after me? Just to play a game? Well, then, how about a race? Land or air, it's up to you. If I win, you stop bugging me. If you win, well... you can pick your terms. Sound fair? And plenty of things are more important," she teased.

The shapechanger laughed in genuine delight, "Yooou think yooou can best meee in a race in my ooown forrrests? Meee? The Wind-Chaser and Dancer-in-Moonlight?" The sinuous black cat jumped down from the tree and landed with silent, graceful feet, shifting back into the form of a black fox, "That I would dearly love to see... hm, very well, beat me in a race and you go free."

A sly smile spread the fox's lips, "As for things being more important than I... well in my mind that is plainly untrue. All I've seen you do is wander my paths and pick my herbs. How is that more important than amusing a forest god?" The fox chuckled, "Or a Faerie Lord, or a Demon... or whatever else you mortals say I am nowadays." He paused and then said, "At the very least, I should introduce myself. In these parts they called me Oíche Sionnach, the Night Fox, and I am master and lord of this forest, just as I am lord and master of all the wilds."

Evelyn smiled. "We shall see. Now, what is it you get if you win?" The girl stretched a little, contemplating when she should start running just to throw the creature off. When he began to explain himself, the girl simply shrugged, smile still present.

"The thing is, though, you're not my god. I don't follow you, so you don't appear important to me. No more than another human being, that is, although they are fairly important. I suppose it's just that you are of no exceptional importance? I do find it amusing how similar you are to my Goddess as far as domain goes, but she's true to her form. Either way, when the terms are set, are you ready?"

Evelyn seemed gently confident and in a much better mood.

The black fox gave her a mystified look, "Humans? Important? Whoever heard of such a thing?" Oíche shook his head, "But then, you're Human, so naturally you'd think you were important." He chucled, "Not that I agree with you... anyway, what are my terms? Hm..." He studied her up and down, circling her slowly, "I don't know... what would I want from you? If the race amuses me, I suppose I let you go... if I win then I think we shall haveto play another game, and keep on doing t until you finally beat me."

The fox came to a halt next to her, "Hm, very well, let's start the race then." The fox grew larger, until it was the same size as a wolf again, "I think I shall go with this... On three... one... two... three!" The large black fox rushed off, like a bolt of black lightning, dodging trees and branches with preternatural grace, as if he knew were ever leaf and twig was.

Evelyn shrugged. "I simply mean all life is equally important. That's all," she said with a smile. When he offered her his terms, she shrugged yet again. "That's fine. All your little games seem harmless and tame anyway."

And suddenly he called it, then there he was running. She began to run as well, and although she wasn't as graceful, having quite a few close calls with trees, she ran as fast as a charging fox. She was able to leap, too, clearing distances faster that way, though she was still more than likely slower than he was. At that point, she pulled her cloak off and gathered it in her arms, allowing her wings to push her up into the sky, from where she'd dive down at an angle and lift herself again, hoping that method would allow her to gain speed.

The giant black fox bounded ahead, barely disturbing the leaves of the trees with his passage, but when he happened to look up he saw that she was... flying? "Hahah! Full of surprises, aren't you?" The fox chuckled, "Well two can play that game!"

The black fox leapt into the ai, melting and changing until it was no longer a fox but a falcon, its feathers were white and grey and its orange-red eyes blazed fiercely with a twinkle of amusement deep within the. Oíche let out a piercing cry and shot up through the canopy of the trees and into the open sky, he swooped and dived, seeming to revel in the simple joy of flight for a moment and then he levelled out and put on a burst of speed. The bird of prey shot after her, crying out challengingly, "Keep up, little Human-with-claws-and-wings!"

Evelyn was fast, but Oiche was faster. She frowned, but didn't give up. Instead, though, she was now simply following him to the best of her ability, failing in keeping up or passing him. At the very least, he seemed to be enjoying himself, and she had been flying toward the direction she originally aimed for anyway, so at least she managed to do a bit more travelling, even if that wasn't the intent.

Eventually, she had to lower herself, though she did so on a tree. From there, she'd hurriedly put her cloak back on and begin jumping from limb to limb, tree to tree, claws used as a fail-safe in case she'd fail to land on another branch. She finally called out, deprived of breath, "Alright...! Alright, I'm done, I give up!" She could only exert herself so much!