and when the night comes_ [open!]

[( AIKO )]

It was times like this, quiet, calm times, that Aiko could actually think clearly. The absence of the regular sounds of the village that was her home had grown silent, the, to her sensitive ears, it was golden. There was the occasional chirp of crickets and snap of a twig underneath her footsteps, though other than that, it was silent. The hanyou had long since become accustomed to the white noise that came with superior hearing; the wind was impossible to ignore when she was younger, and her hearing was developing. Not to mention the scents inside the village were overwhelming. She had considered them a nuisance, though she couldn't imagine living without them now. The appendages atop her head swiveled as she thought this, catching sounds that would be impossible to hear in human standards. She paused, foot in mid-air, before yawning in her boredom, letting her eyelids fall in a slow blink before continuing.

She adjusted her course to head home, unconsciously beginning to step lightly as the familiar dark shapes of the huts became visible. She may have been the only hanyou in the village, but she most certainly wasn't the only canine. There were dogs in the village who hadn't taken a liking to her, automatically fearing the lupine heritage that she possessed as something foreign. They rarely threatened her; she was able to snarl louder than any of them, though she generally took measures so she wouldn't have to put up with their incessant racket.

She passed into the village silently, the faint light of the waxing moon providing her with light needed in order to recognize everything that stood in her way. She stood quietly over the sleeping figure of one of the village dogs, curling her lip and uttering a low, irritated growl that made the creature stir in his sleep. She grumbled imperceptibly to herself, silently weaving in and out of the houses in a routine that was rarely broken every night. The time of the month in which her blood became fully human was on it's way. It surprised her, actually, when her heart skipped a beat in tense excitement. When that happened, nobody recognized her as the part-wolf that lived on the outskirts; she could simply be a wandering traveler. Although it was difficult to keep up the facade, it was enjoyable, and provided a change.

The ookami hanyou blinked, stopping her slow procession as the wind shifted. She was used to this happening every night, though she made certain to scent the air thoroughly for any change. When she was sure there was none, she began walking again, gliding between the houses like a shadow. She could hear the deep breathing of everyone as they slept, the rustle of cloth as the rising and falling of their chests disturbed the material that covered them. Weak things, she always told herself for comfort. It amazed her how easily she could sneak in and slit their throats. She had often done that in order to get her mother something to eat; though that habit quickly disappeared when her mother found out where the large pots of white rice were coming from.

' Although, ' she told herself bitterly, stopping a moment, to stop at a stray door and press her ear to it, ' They wouldn't have any qualms in blaming me for someone dieing. Even of old age. ' She snorted to herself and stopped, for it sounded embarrassingly canine, and cleared her throat awkwardly. Though she had been in this body for over a decade, she had yet to learn its limits and strengths. She had learned from an early age that she possessed supernatural abilities; the had almost broken the arm of a father who had threatened her mother on one occasion. Idly the teen wondered if the elderly woman was doing alright. The process she was doing was so routine and familiar that she didn't notice the sudden shift in the wind or the small, instinctual voice in the back of her mind.

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OOC; 'scuse the rustiness on my part. XD It takes me a while to get used to any new character of mine. This is open to anyone, really, though you'd have to put up with abuse from a territorial hanyou.