[ P ] dangerous times

Hinata took a steadying breath of brisk morning air. He had to time this carefully. One wrong move, and he could be shipped off to prison in handcuffs. His belly skimmed the ground, his eyes half-lidded as he watched through a swathe of trees. His sister was nearly on her own. Once the young buffoon with her went on his merry way, Hinata would spring out of the undergrowth like a viper and snatch her. That was the way it had to be. He'd tackle her if he had to, shove her face in the dirt to keep her from shouting in surprise -- whatever it took.

It was taking ages for the older soldier to vanish, however. Was he flirting with Sakura? What the hell was going on? Hin had waited for hours, following them steadily and quietly. It had been difficult to get close to the barracks, what with his current status, so he'd opted to stay on the edge of Yorkshire's city limits, hoping that fate would be on his side. And it was. Citizens were whispering about the draft; it was all they would talk about. So Hinata heard a rumor that lead him to his sister.

Finally, finally, the soldier sauntered away. Hinata gave it a good fifteen minutes, waiting, letting Sakura trail ahead of him and away from the stranger. He crept along behind her. Whatever else, he was quite good at this, he was realizing. Very light on his feet. And then, when she stepped out of the clearing and into a narrower batch of trees, he made his move. He leapt from his hiding spot and hissed, "それは私です!" He was prepared to tackle her, but he decided at the last minute against it -- though his wary stance made it clear he was not afraid of doing so if she forced his hand.

Adapting to her new schedule had been difficult but not in the ways that one might expect. Waking up in the wee hours of the morning had been easy. But waiting for her regiment to queue up and prepare for a strict march through the trails of Yorkshire had been a struggle. Sakura was used to solitary mornings and privacy. Instead, such things seemed heavily frowned upon. Now she was always surrounded by others. It made her feel overwhelmed but she tried to swallow it down. Every time that sense of impending doom started to make her head cloud and her chest constrict, she'd hold her breath until she felt a little dizzy. Then a bit of numbness would set over and, by then, someone would have called her name. And she would have fallen into line. And she would have walked, trying to ignore the fact that there were other soldiers around her. ... Sakura blinked the weariness from her eyes when the older soldier leading her through the trees bade her farewell. He was a kind man, older and nearing his retirement. In truth, he had noticed her growing quieter and had offered that she take some time to herself today. Tomorrow, he couldn't control her schedule. But tonight, he could give her a couple of hours. She could have cried but instead managed a small smile, a thankful nod, and bowed. Tears stung the corner of her eyes still, happy and exhausted ones. She was about to find a spot to lay down when, suddenly, her brother crashed out of the undergrowth. Sakura almost yelped but she cut the sound off before it could escape. “ヒナタ!" Sakura gasped in a hushed whisper. In a moment, all of her loathing toward him disappeared and she was rocked by a wave of relief. However, almost immediately, that feeling soured. "あなたが行く必要があります。今。" She ground her paws into the dirt and stared at him with the same authoritative stance she always took when dealing with her petulent brother. Just like when she forced him to do chores, she wanted to force him to leave. It was for his own good. “You seemed to replace your brain with your heart ."

ART➤Amphi STOCK ➤ Dawnthieves

@Hinata

Mercifully, his sister did not yelp in surprise. Her first word was his name, hissed in the familiar tone she seemed to always use with him. He flashed her a wary grin, feeling a spike of adrenaline and danger. He was elated that he'd found her and had been clever enough to sneak so close. But she was not happy to see him. Her face had turned from relief to agitation in the span of a breath. "You need to go. Now."

He blinked, taken aback. "What? No hello?" he said somewhat petulantly. "It's been weeks." He glanced around them, ensuring they were still alone. He felt like a deer, ready to spring at the slightest sound. He would not be taken prisoner -- not now, not ever. Sakura's current predicament looked more like prison than anything else. She looked exhausted. He noted the rings around her eyes. Were they working her to the bone? For their own gain?

"I've been trying to find you," he continued, his native tongue quick and concealing their words from anyone else who happened to wander by -- though there would be no one to hear them. "There are more of you everywhere. Harder to get through by the day." If he hadn't made contact today, he might not have had the chance. The Army had redoubled their efforts to keep the peace everywhere since the coup. There was an electric charge in the air.

Sakura wanted to grip pieces of her own fur and scream into them but alas, she lacked the thumbs that would allow such a feat. So, instead, she squeezed her eyes shut and grit her teeth. Hinata, always, needed to be babied—why? Because mother and father loved to coo over him and tend to his woes? With him, what mattered most was how he felt. With her, they had held her to task, demanding her to achieve regardless of any sorrow or uncertainty. She had vowed to never be so lenient with him but it seemed impossible when he demanded pleasantries when sneaking in on her break with the drafted military service. But he had come to find her. That softened the blow of his immaturity, the concern needling her in the heart and threatening to cause pinpricks of tears within her eyes. But, no, she had spent far too much crying—nor could she abide crying in front of him. It would be something he'd hold over her forever. So she jutted out her chin and forced herself to think of every time he'd ever failed to help her... which were plentiful. "There's no escaping it, anyone who avoids it is a wanted criminal or so they say. The only safe place for you is up north with the..." Sakura searched for the word. "Wolves from the ... high land." Her orangey ears twitched and she moved forward and pressed her paws against his shoulders. "If they catch you, you will never make it." “You seemed to replace your brain with your heart ."

ART➤Amphi STOCK ➤ Dawnthieves