Sheep in Wolves clothes? [Kilala]

[Madoka Ogawa]

Today was turning out to be a fantastic day! For the first time in months, it was actually sunny! Not especially warm, but still warmer than usual.
Another great part was that she’d finished work early today, and had the opportunity to try and make some extra money with fishing. The salesman in town usually sent his son out to go fishing for him, but since the young man had left for the east, he’d been forced to do it himself. Something he really didn’t enjoy.

So when Madoka had offered to go fishing for him and getting a very reasonable amount of money for each fish she delivered, he’d practically proposed to her on the spot.
Maybe if she caught a lot today, she’d be able to do this more often. The more money she made, the faster she’d be able to leave her current residence and finally, at long last get away from her snoopy boss/landlord.
Few fishermen still visited this dock. It was old and some of the wood was probably rotting.
It wasn’t the best place to fish during a rainy or stormy day, but it would suffice for today. She didn’t exactly have the energy to trek all the way to one of the other fishing spots anyway, partially because she was somewhat tired after a long day of work and needed some of her energy for later today, for her second job. And partially because there were always fishermen there. She really wasn’t in the mood for competition.

After a few minutes, she was starting to get bored. Dear sweet god, were there actually people who did this all day? How did they manage to do that without falling asleep? “Come on fishy…” she sang sweetly at the water below, “Come to mommy Madoka!” she’d already caught two, so she knew they were down there. The damn things just needed to work with her and grab the damn line.
“HA! GOTCHA!” she cheered as she yanked the rod back a little too hard, sending the fish flying halfway over the beach before landing in front of a young girl’s feet. What a surprise that must’ve been! One moment you’re taking a casual stroll along the beach, the next a fish drops out of the sky.
“Sorry about that, are you okay?”

[Kilala Kitsune]

Kilala was running down the side of the beach. Kiara, her pet cat demon, was trailing down at her heels. The half demon laughed as she ran. Her long blonde hair and cat tail blew in the wind. She was happy. The day was sunny and overall nice. Something Kilala liked.

Suddenly the smell of fish hit her nose. She slowed down and looked up. A fish was flying toward her. "Huh?" Kilala stopped as the fish landed in front of her. “Sorry about that, are you okay?” Came a voice. Kilala grew fearful. She wasn't wearing her disguise. If it was a human, they might attack her. She pulled her tail under her white dress and lowered her cat ears down against her head in an attempt to hide them.

She wasn't afraid of humans. She was afraid of how they reacted to her. Most demons and half demons were viewed as 'evil' and were hunted and killed. Would this human try to kill her? She didn't know. Her hands moved behind her. Kilala had her right hand on the bell of the bracelet she wore on her left wrist. All she had to do was chant two words and the bell would release itself as a sword. She didn't want to fight, but if the human tried to kill her. She was ready to defend herself.

[Madoka Ogawa]

After a quick jog, she stood before the girl and picked up the fish. “I really need to be more careful, that fish could’ve landed right no your head and… and…” she trailed off slightly when she noticed the girl’s ears. Were those… cat ears? How was that possible? She’d never seen anything like that before, though she had heard stories about people with animalistic features. But those were about demons, or half demons, and this girl didn’t seem like either. She was a bit tense, but other than that she didn’t seem especially frightening. She looked down when she caught herself staring at the girl’s ears and the girl’s companion caught her eye.

“Oh…” she mumbled as she glanced at the cat and then at the fish in her hand, “You… want this?” she supposed it did. Cats liked fish, didn’t they? She had half a thought to ask the girl whether she wanted some fish too, seeing as she was like half cat or something, but she figured that would be rude.
And so she slowly placed the fish back on the ground for the cat before looking at the girl again. Her ears were low, her posture suggested she was nervous, and her tail was slightly showing from under her dress. Almost as if she was… scared? How could she be scared? Madoka obviously wasn’t the most imposing of people, the only weapon she had was a fishing pole, and she wasn’t nearly strong enough to swing it around hard enough to hurt someone with it.

At first she wasn’t sure what to say. Perhaps she should just walk away and let the girl go about her business? But it was rude not to introduce yourself, right? Even if she was half-demon, she was also half-person, and she’d show any person this courtesy. Whether that person had cat ears or not didn’t matter much.
“Good day,” she started as she bowed politely before the girl, “My name is Madoka Ogawa, of the Village of Heiwa.” She stood up straight again and smiled warmly at the girl. A smile always made people feel more welcome. “It’s a pleasure to meet you."

She was silent for a moment again, "I uh... really like your cat! It's really cute." she felt a little bad for the girl, if she was scared of a girl like Madoka, she must've had some trouble with humans before.
"I'm... not that scary looking, am I?" she joked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

[Kilala Kitsune]

Kilala blinked. Her ears perked back up. The girl must have noticed she wasn't normal, but she didn't run away or try to attack her. If fact, this girl seemed friendly. She had even given the fish she worked so hard to catch to Kiara. Which Kiara happily munched on. Was this girl not like the others? In a way Kilala was reminded of Rin. Only she was much friendlier.

“Good day, my name is Madoka Ogawa, of the Village of Heiwa. It’s a pleasure to meet you." The girl introduced herself. "I uh... really like your cat! It's really cute...I'm... not that scary looking, am I?" Kilala smiled. "No, no. Not at all. It's just...." Her voice trailed off as she looked at the ground.

Kilala nodded and pulled her hands in front of her to bow. "I'm Kilala Kitsune. That is Kiara." She motioned to the cat. Kiara had eaten about half of the fish already. It had been a while since they had eaten last.

"You just surprised me is all. Not a lot of people come down here, now a days." She smiled again her eyes came back up to look at Madoka. She seemed like a normal human. No fangs. No tail. No animal-like ears. Just a plain normal human. Maybe there are more people like him after all. Kilala said to herself. "So...you like to fish?" She asked in a curious tone. Kilala liked to know about others. She didn't talk to humans without her disguise on, even though it was just a hat to hide her ears and she wrapped her tail around her waist under her dress. She had to do this a certain way though otherwise it didn't look natural and would give her away.

[Madoka Ogawa]

“Hey there Kiara,” she gave the cat a small wave, but he seemed far too busy munching on the fish to even notice her. He must’ve been really hungry, how long ago had their last meal been?
“Ignoring me, are you?” she giggled as she looked back at Kilala, “He must’ve smelt my dog, Shiroki. It’s okay kitty, I like cats too. I’m not biased.”
“You just surprised me is all. Not a lot of people come down here, now a days.” Madoka shrugged, she supposed that was right. Many fishermen sought out other places with more fish, and maybe if Madoka had been a professional, she would have too. Though there were only few fish here during this time of year, with a little patience you could still catch something, and it was a good way to meditate on something while waiting if you were the type of person for that. Madoka wasn’t, but that was beside the point.

“So… you like to fish?” Kilala’s tone sounded curious now and Madoka felt relieved. She enjoyed meeting new people, but always hated the awkwardness that always seemed to be present at first.
“Oh… uh… not really, actually,” to her, being here was work. She got paid to sit here and catch a nice big fat fish so the salesman in town could sell it for even more. She didn’t necessarily hate it, but she could think of other ways to pass the time. None of which were productive though.
“I’m really just fishing because I get paid for it, I think it’s a pretty boring activity, but a person’s gotta eat, right?” she glanced back over at the dock then. She really needed to get back to work if she wanted to make some money today, but she didn’t want to tell the girl goodbye yet either. It was pretty boring and silent out here, and she definitely wouldn’t mind the company.
Nodding over to the dock, she spoke up again, “Would you like to keep me some company? If you’re not busy, that is. If you are, it’s perfectly fine, I just… well, I’m just dying with boredom and I’d love to chat with you some more?”

[Kilala Kitsune]

“Hey there Kiara. Ignoring me, are you? He must’ve smelt my dog, Shiroki. It’s okay kitty, I like cats too. I’m not biased.” Madoka giggled. Kilala giggled too. "She's kinda protective of me, so she doesn't like anyone at first." Kilala answered. "Come on, Kiara. Say hi." Kiara finished the fish and shook her fur. She jumped up on Kilala's left shoulder and let out a simple, "Mew." Complying with Kilala's request.

“Oh… uh… not really, actually, I’m really just fishing because I get paid for it, I think it’s a pretty boring activity, but a person’s gotta eat, right?” Madoka answered her question. She seemed to hesitate for a minute. As if something was on her mind, but she wasn't sure if she should say it or not. “Would you like to keep me some company? If you’re not busy, that is. If you are, it’s perfectly fine, I just… well, I’m just dying with boredom and I’d love to chat with you some more?” Kilala was a bit surprised. This girl wasn't afraid of her at all, even wanted to continue talking. This made Kilala very happy. Maybe she should let more humans see her demon half.

"I'm not doing anything. What do you thing, Kiara?" Kilala asked. Kiara looked at the fishing rod in Madoka's hand. Maybe there would be more fish for her to eat. "Mew!" She answered. Kilala laughed. "Maybe I can help you. I'm pretty good at catching fish near the water's edge." Kilala offered. The fear she had was completely gone now.

[Madoka Ogawa]

"I'm not doing anything. What do you thing, Kiara?" Kilala asked. Kiara looked at the fishing rod in Madoka's hand.
“Ohoh! You’re a smart one!” Madoka laughed when she noticed the cat staring at her rod, “Want more fish, do you?”
"Maybe I can help you. I'm pretty good at catching fish near the water's edge." Kilala offered with a smile, and Madoka couldn’t help but smile back and nod. “That’d be great, thanks!”

Soon after, the two girls had moved back to the docks, Madoka sat on top of it while Kilala and Kiara stood by the edge. “How’s it going down there?” she had to admit it was nice having some help, maybe she’d return home with at least half a bucket after all. She’d share the profits with Kilala though, that would only be fair, considering she’d sacrificed her own time to help out.
Seeing the girl and her cat at work made Madoka feel adventurous. Maybe she’d be able to catch something without a rod too, if she tried. Putting the rod down, she hopped off the dock and stood beside Kilala, “How do you do that? That’s amazing!” Kiara was curiously looking into the water, no doubt waiting for her lunch to arrive.

“The weather’s really great today, isn’t it?” she grabbed her rod again and sat down in the sand, “It’s usually really miserable around here… always raining, always cloudy.” Maybe Kilala was some sort of half-demon of sunny weather or something? Maybe she’d brought it here with her?
“Hey Kilala, can I ask you something?” Madoka wasn’t sure if the question was appropriate or not… but for some reason she couldn’t keep quiet. It seemed strange for such a young girl to be travelling alone, so she had to live somewhere nearby, right? But then, why hadn’t Madoka seen her before?
“Where do you live, exactly? I don’t think we’ve met before… have we?” she kept her eyes on the water, just in case it was a sensitive subject and Kilala didn’t want to answer.

[Kilala Kitsune]

“Ohoh! You’re a smart one! Want more fish, do you?” Madoka said. Kilala laughed. But it was true. The three went to the docks and got to work. Kilala batted at the water when a fish came close enough. “How’s it going down there?” Madoka asked before coming over to see. Kilala snatched a fish and tossed it into the bucket."How do you do that? That’s amazing!” The girl asked. Kilala thought about it for a second."Hm...I don't really know. It's just something I learned. I didn't have any other way to catch them and fish is my favorite food. It took me a while though." Kilala answered in a happy tone.

“The weather’s really great today, isn’t it? It’s usually really miserable around here… always raining, always cloudy.” Madoka mentioned before headed back to her own spot. Kilala really didn't pay to much attention to the weather. Maybe she should. She did stay outside most of the time. The thought was interrupted when Madoka suddenly said, “Hey Kilala, can I ask you something?" She seemed to hesitate for a second. “Where do you live, exactly? I don’t think we’ve met before… have we?” Kilala blinked at her. That wasn't the kind of question she was expecting. "Nowhere really." Kilala blankly stated. "I used to have a home. But...a group of men came. My mom told me to run away, that they were after me. She gave me this bracelet." Kilala held up her left hand to show the silver metal bracelet with a small bell on it. "They killed my mom after that. I've been wandering ever since. I don't have anywhere else to go." Her ears lowered at the memory. It had only been 2 years ago.

"I guess it's because most humans are afraid of me. It's why I took this path without my disguise. Though it's not much of a disguise." She laughed a little. "What about you? You must live around here if you have a job."

[Madoka Ogawa]

"Nowhere really." Kilala blankly stated. "I used to have a home. But...a group of men came. My mom told me to run away, that they were after me. She gave me this bracelet. They killed my mom after that. I've been wandering ever since. I don't have anywhere else to go "
Madoka’s frown deepened and she gave the girl a sympathetic look, she shouldn’t have asked. She should’ve just kept her nose out of other people’s business and instead talked about flowers and sunshine and just happy things. Now she’d probably ripped open old wounds and made Kilala’s day a whole lot worse.

“I… I’m so sorry for your loss…” she said softly as she walked back over and sat down next to the girl, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. Her thoughts wandered to her own mother for a second. She was alive, but just barely. What would she do if her mother passed away? How lonely would that be? Kilala must be really lonely too. Sure, she had Kiara to keep her company, but Madoka was sure that even if her own pet Shiroki was with her, she’d still be lonely without her mother there.
Kilala’s ears lowered as she apparently thought about the past and Madoka gave her a gentle pat over the head before placing her hand back on her shoulder again with a kind smile.

"I guess it's because most humans are afraid of me. It's why I took this path without my disguise. Though it's not much of a disguise." Kilala laughed slightly. At least she could still laugh. Even if she didn’t seem very imposing, maybe Kilala was actually really strong.
“I can’t believe people would be scared of you. I mean… not that you look weak or anything, but you have such a sweet look.” Madoka offered her a smile, “You probably figured by now, but I don’t find you scary at all.”

"What about you? You must live around here if you have a job."
Her smile faded slightly when she thought of her ‘home’. It had never really felt like a home to her. More like some prison with benefits, what with her boss constantly crying at her to do stuff even after a long day. Now, she worked for him so she understood his need to ask her stuff occasionally, but the man was so awfully lazy, it was a miracle he hadn’t asked her to clip his toenails for him yet.

“Yeah, I live in the village nearby. I work out in the fields during the day, but I got off early today and… didn’t really feel like going home, so I decided to come here.” She stood up and stretched, enjoying the warm sunrays on her body. For a moment she wondered what it would be like to live the life of a wanderer, no responsibilities towards anyone, being free to do as you pleased… it must be nice. There were probably a lot of downsides to it as well, but she didn’t really think about those. Wouldn’t want her rose-tinted glasses to crack, after all.

Now that she’d already asked such a personal question, she didn’t feel too bad about asking the next. “So… how old are you, exactly? You seem really young.” Too young to be all by herself, that was for sure.
She glanced over at the bucket for a second and smiled at the amount of fish. Kilala had done a much better job than she had, to be sure. “Looks like we, or… you really, did a pretty a good job.” If they kept going like this, they might even need a second bucket by the end of the day.
“You should start your own business or something, catch fish in the morning and sell them during the day. You’d be rich in no time!”

[Kilala Kitsune]

“I… I’m so sorry for your loss…” The girl seemed sorry she had brought it up. She even placed a hand on Kilala's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. Kilala lowered her ears and Madoka patted her head before placing her hand back on Kilala's shoulder. “I can’t believe people would be scared of you. I mean… not that you look weak or anything, but you have such a sweet look. You probably figured by now, but I don’t find you scary at all.” Madoka added. Kilala's ears perked back up. "That's what he said too." She said to herself. She smiled and looked at the girl. "I'm not much of a Demon, I know." She laughed again.

“Yeah, I live in the village nearby. I work out in the fields during the day, but I got off early today and… didn’t really feel like going home, so I decided to come here.” Madoka said. Her smile had faded. She got up and stretched. Kilala turned away from the water to watch her. Kiara, however, continued to watch her 'prey' in the water.

“So… how old are you, exactly? You seem really young." Madoka looked at the bucket of fish. "Looks like we, or… you really, did a pretty a good job. You should start your own business or something, catch fish in the morning and sell them during the day. You’d be rich in no time!” Kilala thought about it. She did have a knack for catching fish. "I'm sixteen." She smiled before continuing. "I'm not really interested in money. I find all my food and I sleep where ever I find a place too." Kiara stared at the water, tail twitching. A small fish jumped up, leave Kiara to catch it in her mouth. She had a look of accomplishment on her face as she moved to the center of the dock to eat her catch.

[Madoka Ogawa]

Thankfully Kilala wasn’t one to stay in a negative mood, and her ears soon perked up again. That was admirable, many people would’ve been in a sour mood for the rest of the day.
”That’s what he said too. I’m not much of a Demon, I know.” Madoka smiled as Kilala laughed again. He, huh? Apparently Kilala had met a few other nice people during her travels. That was good, she needed as many people as she could find to tell her she wasn’t creepy to counter all the people who did call her that.

“Sixteen?” she gasped, how could a sixteen year old manage all on her own?! If Madoka had been orphaned at sixteen, how would she have handled it? Not, most likely. She was convinced that she would’ve wallowed in self-pity for a while before clinging to the first person she met that showed her kindness and try and get them to take care of her. Maybe now she’d be able to live alone, but at sixteen? No way.
”I’m not really interested in money. I find all my food and I sleep where ever I find a place too."
“Hmm… I see…” Madoka mused as she watched the girl’s cat snatch a fish in mid-air. Impressive move, she had to admit. “Alright Kiara, you deserve that one.” She laughed absentmindedly.

“But money can be really useful too, you could buy a lot tastier food, and you’d probably be able to get a better disguise too.” And maybe if she really worked hard, she’d be able to buy herself a house. Having a house of your own seemed like a dream come true, sadly, that’s all it could be for Madoka at this time: A dream.
It was hard for her to imagine living without money at all, and even harder to imagine being fine with it. Without money, you just couldn’t live a decent life it seemed. Of course Kilala had the advantage of being quick enough to catch her own food, something Madoka wouldn’t be able to do, but even if she was quick, she couldn’t imagine enjoying sleeping in the rain.

“But I do respect that you’re not obsessed with money… trust me, you’re one of the few these days.” Sadly Madoka would probably fall under the obsessed category too, considering how much time she spent just thinking about it.

[Kilala Kitsune]

“Sixteen?” Madoka seemed very surprised by this. Kilala gave a confused look. "Is that bad?" She asked innocently. She never thought about how young she was. Her age rarely went through her mind. She wasn't one to think about someone's age.

“Hmm… I see...Alright Kiara, you deserve that one.” Madoka commented as she watched the cat demon catch the fish. Kiara shook as if to say 'Good, cuz I wasn't giving it to you.' Madoka's attention went back to Kilala. “But money can be really useful too, you could buy a lot tastier food, and you’d probably be able to get a better disguise too. But I do respect that you’re not obsessed with money… trust me, you’re one of the few these days.” Kilala laughed. "I guess so. But my 'disguise' is simply a hat to cover my ears and I hide my tail under my dress. You just caught me off guard, so it wasn't very convincing."

She looked to the sky. The sun was fairly bright. It made her feel happy. It would be a good night tonight. Though, she didn't care much about the weather really. Kilala was always happy. Even on a rainy, stormy night she would still have a smile on her face. She was naturally happy and it was a good thing too. She had been through so much in her life. If she wasn't naturally happy, who knows how she would handle everything that she's seen.

[Madoka Ogawa]

"Is that bad?" Kilala asked innocently as she gave Madoka a confused look.
“Well… not bad but…” it was most definitely strange. A girl that age shouldn’t be travelling alone. Then again, she hadn’t exactly been in a position to choose for a quiet family life, seeing as it had been cruelly ripped away from her. “It’s just… younger than I expected.”
The thought that there were kids out there with no place to go, nowhere to turn, made her sad. It was one thing to have a sick mother, not having a mother at all had to be horrible, and if your father was missing too, what hope did you have? “Don’t you have any other relatives? Uncles, aunts… anyone to take care of you?” there had to be someone willing to look out for her, she refused to believe there were no good people in the world at all.

Kilala just laughed as Madoka mentioned the benefits of money, she really didn’t care much for it, did she?
"I guess so. But my 'disguise' is simply a hat to cover my ears and I hide my tail under my dress. You just caught me off guard, so it wasn't very convincing."
“I guess so…” she still thought the girl could use a better disguise, but apparently this one had worked well enough for her in the past, and it was really her business if she felt it was adequate or not.
Kilala looked up at the sky with a smile. That she could even smile despite her situation was impressive. Not many would be able to do the same.
“It’s a good day… maybe it’ll even be bright enough to see the stars later tonight.” Not that she had time for that, but maybe Kilala would. “Do you have any idea where you’re going to stay tonight?”

[Kilala Kitsune]

“Well… not bad but…It’s just… younger than I expected. Don’t you have any other relatives? Uncles, aunts… anyone to take care of you?” The girl asked in a concerned voice. Kilala gave it a thought. "Mom never said anything about having relatives. As for my dad, I've never met him. I don't even know if he's alive." She still had a smile on her face. "But I've lasted two years on my own so it's OK." She added.

“I guess so…” Madoka answered to her statement about her disguise. She didn't seem convinced but that was OK. Kilala hadn't gotten into too much trouble on her own. The only people who knew she was a half demon were her and Rin. Both of which caught her without her disguise on. Maybe she should be more careful? She had been traveling for two years now and all of the sudden people were catching her off guard and uncovered.

“It’s a good day… maybe it’ll even be bright enough to see the stars later tonight." Kilala's attention came back to what Madoka was saying. Stars? Stars were something Kilala liked to look at. They seemed like they didn't have a care in the world. They were something Kilala and Kiara looked at every night they were visible.

"Do you have any idea where you’re going to stay tonight?” The girl asked. She seemed to change topics fairly quickly, but Kilala didn't mind. "Hm.....No, not really. I haven't started to look yet." Kilala stated innocently. She usually slept under the stars and if the weather was bad she slept in a cave or the like. Tonight looked like it would be out in the open. But it was still a few hours before she would even start to look.

[Madoka Ogawa]

"Mom never said anything about having relatives. As for my dad, I've never met him. I don't even know if he's alive." She still had a smile on her face. "But I've lasted two years on my own so it's OK."
“Oh… I’m sorry about that.” She said as Kilala mentioned not knowing about any of her relatives. That was sad, so she really was all alone in the world then. Save from the cat, but as precious as an animal could be, could they really replace your family?
“Two years? So you were… fourteen when it happened?” the story got sadder and sadder by the minute and Madoka was really starting to wonder if she even had the right to complain about anything anymore after hearing it. Losing your mother at fourteen, not knowing your father, not knowing your relatives, wandering for two years and being forced to wear a disguise because people hate you? Compared to that, her life seemed simple, though it was probably not a good idea to compare lives.

“I don’t see how you can keep smiling after all that.” She stated bluntly, giving the half-demon a sympathetic look before turning back to the ocean. Either she was a really strong person, or she’d been on the run for so long that she’d never had time to properly deal with her loss. Madoka was no psychiatrist however, and even if she wanted to, she likely wouldn’t be able to help the girl even if she tried. And maybe she didn’t even need it. She was doing quite well, after all.
"Hm.....No, not really. I haven't started to look yet."
“Hmm…” that was unfortunate, she’d hoped the girl had at least found a place to sleep. Where would she sleep tonight? Under the stars? That wouldn’t be a problem so long as it stayed dry, but considering what area they were in, those chances weren’t very high. She’d invite the girl over to her house, were it not that she had a great deal of trouble even smuggling a small dog in, let alone a half-demon girl. Even if they could hide her demon features, she’d still have her boss nagging at her for a good deal of the evening. Plus, he might even make Kilala work for her room, seeing as Madoka’s house was technically still his property.
“Maybe I can find you a tent or something. I used to camp out every now and then with some friends, so maybe I still have it.”