The sweet, earthy scent left behind by the recent rainfall still clung to the looming, thick trees that surrounded the damp, wooden structures that made up her small, declining village and made her keen nose wrinkle whenever the breeze lifted the soil upwards in her direction. A few of the more battered rooftops were in need of some tough love, and a few of the older villagers had been assigned to tend to them so the younger, like herself, were able to stand watch or search for food in the forest that they called home. But she wasn’t so far away that she couldn’t pick up the sound of their shouts and grunts as they worked on the rotting wood and stripped new pieces to replace them. Her fluffy, white ears were pinned back upon her head, twisting in the direction of her home rather than to the world that stretched out beyond it. The Kira were a dying breed; their culture and customs were slowly being eroded by time as the clan itself was beginning to fade out of existence entirely - as the only and last female in the clan, she was, perhaps, far more away of this than the elders who would remain stubborn and set in their ways. And, by extension, so would she. There was no crime in dying out with one’s family.
Her thick, white tail wagged lazily behind her as her sharp heels dug into the thick branch of a tree that overlooked the road that twisted about their cursed forest. Travelers were a rare sight, and those who dared to venture into the bush were even rarer. But the Kira despised outsiders, and it was her duty to keep her family and friends safe, even if the task of watching the road was one that grew dull rather quickly. But emerald irises remained alert and aware as they danced about the moist dirt. She expected to run into her kin, if she ran into anyone at all. What she wasn’t prepared for was the sight that actually greeted her. The figure of a small child with bushy hair wandering down the path alone - no mother, father, or caretaker anywhere in sight. She couldn’t even pick up the scent of anyone else other than the child, implying that there was no one else around for miles (at least, that weren’t members of her own clan). Poor thing, someone had to be searching for her, and it would cause a riot amongst the villagers if she strayed from the path and someone else caught her.
The others could say what they would, but she had always held a bit of a soft spot for children. Digging her claws into the hefty bark of the tree, she easily swung down, landing gracefully on her toes with little more than a soft ‘thud’ that was largely drowned out by the wind. However, not wanting to startle the little girl, she scrapped her heels against the grass as she walked out to greet her, one hand resting loosely upon her hip and the other hanging at her side to show that she clearly meant the child no harm.
“Are you lost, little one?” She asks before bending down a bit to be at eye level with the girl. Ah, she had such a cute face. She almost reminded her of when Asato had been that small. Admittedly, though, this girl was certainly far cuter than her clumsy, adopted son. The thought lest a bitter taste upon her tongue, but she brushed it aside - he had left them, and, though she didn’t approve of his actions, she was willing to accept them and continue to look out for him despite the clan’s wishes. “You should be careful around this area, there are rumors that the forest here is cursed. Do you know where your parents are? I can try to help you get back to them.”