Terra's gaze was drawn to the points of his ears, and her eyes widened a bit. Sure, she'd seen similar things before; it was Halloween, after all. But these didn't have the bulky, porous look of foam-latex pieces, and she just had a gut feeling that this wasn't just some prank. Something was very, very wrong, and she knew it.

Dominic raised an eyebrow.

"I would think it is a simple concept," he replied. "A village of humans. The nearest one is perhaps a days' walk north of here." Absently, he brushed some of his dark hair back, exposing the tips of his ears. Rather than being rounded, they tapered to points.

Lucius eyed her when her scent suddenly shifted. While he didn't depend on scent nearly as much as others, it did have its uses. He wasn't entirely sure what was the problem. Then he noticed how odd her clothes were. Something was odd here.

"Where are you from?" he asked, a hint of suspicion in his voice.

Mira gulped as she looked at his ear. Sure, she'd seen plenty of people walking around with the ear extensions, especially today, but none of them looked that good. Besides, this one looked too... something. Too real. For a few seconds she was very dizzy, leaning against a tree to steady herself.

Terra opened her mouth a couple of times, but she couldn't get her voice to work right away. This was just way too much to handle at once. It was starting to be a challenge just to form a coherent enough thought to speak.

Dominic watched the human girl, keeping tabs on the way her scent shifted and changed. She was obviously distressed, and there didn't seem to be much he could do about it at the moment. Not that he had much reason to.

"Papa, why does she smell so funny?" Aidan asked.

"Hush," Lucius said, looking down at the kitten, although he was somewhat amused. "That's not very polite."

"But she does," Aidan whined. "She doesn't smell like she's from here."

Mira looked at him for several moments before she managed to find her voice. "Why did you specify human village?" she asked, her voice quiet.

Terra blinked, but couldn't find anything to say. This was all just so unreal that there was nothing she really COULD say.

Dominic again raised an eyebrow.

"What else would you have me call it?" he asked in reply. "It is a village made predominantly of humans. Of which you are one, are you not?"

Lucius shrugged a little. "Come on, Aidan. Time to go home." He started walking away, only to have Aidan squirm out of his arms again and go run back over to Terra, peering at her intently.

"Yes," Mira said slowly. "But that implies that you're not." Which she was clearly having trouble wrapping her head around.

Terra watched as the little boy came back over to her. He was easily the most adorable child she'd ever seen, but she was still too freaked out to appreciate it properly.

"Indeed," Dominic replied. "I'm not." He watched her for a few moments before turning to leave. She wasn't a threat, and she didn't seem like she would be helpful in any way, shape, or form. So he didn't have to worry about her.

"Are you alone?" Aidan asked, looking at her. "You look like you're alone. You don't belong to anyone else?" He blinked at her. Lucius groaned, knowing where this was going, but he also knew better than to try and stop it. His son was surprisingly willful.

"Wait!" Mira scrambled after him, almost tripping twice. "Don't just leave me here!"

"My--my friend," Terra squeaked out. "I was with a friend, but I don't know where she is."

Dominic paused and turned around.

"I told you where the nearest human village is," he said. "Why are you following me?"

"So you're alone," Aidan said, looking at her. He blinked once and then looked at Lucius. "We should keep her."

Lucius sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Aidan," he said in a gently admonishing tone, "a human is not a pet you simply keep."

"But this one's alone! Besides, you know the others are saying we need to keep a closer eye on humans." Aidan grinned.

Lucius sighed again and closed his eyes briefly. Clearly his son had outmaneuvered him, for the moment, and so he looked at Terra. "It is her decision. It would not be practical to force her to come with us."

"I don't know what kind of elaborate hoax this is, and I don't care. There aren't villages around, and I certainly don't belong to one." Mira had hidden behind indignation, deciding that this was all some dream or something. "So I'm following you until I get a better explanation."

Terra blinked. She hadn't been expecting that. But she had to admit that going with them sounded much, much better than being left alone in the woods. So she nodded cautiously.

"I don't know what you mean by hoax," Dominic replied. "I've told you nothing but the truth. Whether or not you choose to believe it is your business."

Aidan grinned, looking delighted, and took one of her hands in his, starting to lead the way. Lucius just sighed and walked next to his son, making sure he stayed out of trouble.

Mira looked at him stubbornly. "I have no reason to believe you," she said, though her voice quavered just a little. "This is just some elaborate joke. And until I find my way home, I'm sticking with you."

Terra let the boy take her hand, although she didn't hold on tightly. It didn't seem to matter, because the boy was holding her hand tight enough to bruise, and that (along with her ankle, that still ached a bit from tripping) made her wince a bit.

Dominic shrugged.

"Just know that I am not responsible for your welfare," he disclaimed.

Aidan started to tug her along, although he wasn't forceful about it. He did pause when he noticed her ankle. "You're hurt?"

Lucius thought briefly about burying his face in his hands. Great. An injured human. All he needed.

"I'd be more surprised if you helped," Mira snapped back, her eyes narrowing. "People don't just help other people."

"I can walk on it," Terra replied as she was tugged along. "I'm fine." Not that she would admit if she wasn't, not to people she didn't know.

Dominic just raised an eyebrow. He had nothing to gain from looking after her, so why should he go to the expense? He turned and kept walking.

Aidan shrugged and started walking again, clearly expecting her to follow. She'd said she was fine, so he had no reason to suspect otherwise.

Mira trudged after him, starting to shiver. But she followed him determinedly.

Terra almost stumbled as the boy continued to tug her along, but managed to keep her feet under her and followed. Every so often, she would glace at the boy's father, but she could barely see him in the dark.

Dominic occasionally glanced back at the girl. She kept following her, and he had to admit that he admired how determined she was. She could give any canine a run for their money. He slowed his pace just slightly, almost without realizing it.

Lucius kept a wary eye on the two of them, making sure the human didn't do anything to his son. But he allowed Aidan to lead. They were still a day or two away from the clan, so he'd have time to continue the hunting lesson later.

Mira had to hurry to keep up with him, but when his pace slowed, it was easier for her to keep up. She started shivering, from fear and cold, but she didn't lag behind.

They walked for a while, and Terra's gait got slower and slower as she tired out. It was cold, and she wasn't used to so much walking, and it was getting harder to keep up.

Dominic stopped for the night when he came upon a cave that would be appropriate shelter for the rest of the night. He went in to inspect it, not caring if the girl followed him or not.

Lucius noticed, and between her lagging and his son's slowly-drooping eyelids, he called a halt for the night, finding a space for them to settle down.

Aidan yawned as he dropped down next to his father, stretching a little bit. He looked over at 'his human' and blinked at her.

Mira followed him inside, tired and footsore and wanting to sleep for a long, long time. But she figured that wasn't going to happen, and she eyed the dirt floor unhappily.

Terra settled down on the ground cautiously, making sure to put a fair bit of space between herself and the other two. She was tired, she ached, and she knew sleeping on the ground would make her hurt more. But she had no choice.

Once Dominic was sure the human girl was going to stay in the cave, he went out to make sure the area was safe enough to settle for the night.

Lucius let Aidan crawl into his lap to fall asleep, although he set the kitten beside him again. He needed to be able to get up, just in case. He did, however, keep an eye on Terra.

Mira grimaced and pillowed her head on her arms, curling up on the floor. Until she figured out whatever was going on, she figured she'd better get used to it.

Terra was right; sleeping on the ground wasn't really sleeping at all, and she ached all over when morning finally came. She wasn't made for the outdoors.

Dominic slept sitting against the wall of the cave. Or rather, he dozed on and off until morning came. When the sun finally rose, he got up and went to look for food.

Lucius was still awake, and Aidan was still sleeping, curled up next to his father. Lucius looked at Terra quietly, having noticed that she was awake, before he shrugged. Not his concern at the moment.

When Mira woke up, she was alone in the cave. For a moment, she panicked that he'd left her behind, and she scrambled to her feet. Then she sighed and sank down again, deciding to wait for just a minute. After all, maybe he hadn't really left. And even if he had, she would take the time to think of a plan.

Terri couldn't help but groan a bit as she sat up and tried to rub some of the ache out of one of her hips. Sleeping on the ground was a terrible idea for someone with curves, but she'd had no other choice.

Dominic wasn't gone long; it took very little time for him to catch something suitable for breakfast. He came back to the cave with a pair of rabbits in hand, glancing briefly at Mira when he did.