Artful & Pursuer ✨

The dark forest, home to wild animals and where Artful and Pursuer live, is located quite a distance from the city. No one ventures there, but there are plenty of curious, fearless, and foolish people. The police don't go there. But some hunters and mushroom pickers, and perhaps even tourists, do. Those hoping to catch Pursuer also enter, but they always end up missing. The forest itself is a vast expanse, with countless evergreen fir trees, massive, majestic oaks, and other trees, boasting countless riches in the form of various berries and mushrooms, which Pursuer has apparently already sampled. There is a hill from which the city is visible. Pursuer's cave is located beneath this hill, but even animals don't dare enter. His cave is damp and dark, and the floor, walls, and ceiling are all stone and moss. Artful's house is in a clearing not far from Pursuer's cave. It's a small wooden house with a bedroom in the attic, but a slightly leaky roof, a bathroom, and a kitchen combined with a living room, though no one except the owner of the house and Pursuer ever goes there. There's a river in the forest, stretching far beyond the forest's borders. There's a small lake where frogs and ducks used to live. There are many dark, frightening, but in their own way beautiful places. Pursuer knows the entire forest by heart. In the summer, there's no hellish heat here because of the shade of the trees. But in the winter, it's very cold.

Pursuer is a powerful creature, resembling a cross between human and animal. Its skin is completely white, but black fur covers everything except its head, which stands out. However, this doesn't stop it from being an excellent hunter. Its eyes and sharp teeth are a bright turquoise color and can glow. Its hands, or paws, have claws, and a black tail at the back. It is quite irritable. It makes sounds typical of animals: growling, purring, hissing. But it can speak. A true predator, it stalks its victims until it catches them. It has difficulty letting go of its prey once it's been stalked. It behaves mostly like an animal, walking both on all fours and on two legs, or at least on its paws. It hunts animals and people. Previously, it lived in some dark, godforsaken cave, but with the arrival of Artful, it slept in a warm, soft place for the first time—on a sofa in the house. And it liked it. He hates people with all his heart, except for Artful, of course. He sometimes boasts about his spoils to his new friend. He doesn't understand why this magician "puts some white stuff on his face," though. He's 197 cm tall. Incidentally, he doesn't need clothes, as his fur hides everything that could otherwise be seen.

Artful is French, but he left France to pursue a career as a magician. He wears a black top hat. His short white hair is visible beneath the top hat; they say he dyed it for his character. He always applies white powder to his skin, as if it were his natural color. He wears a white shirt, black tie, and white gloves. Over the shirt, he wears a black vest with a breast pocket, black pants, and a belt. His shoes are also black. He sometimes wears a black cape with a high collar. A black Phantom of the Opera mask covers half his face. He is 182 cm tall and has gray eyes. He carries a black magic wand with white lines on both sides. He has a calm, friendly personality and doesn't look like a killer at all. He is surprisingly calm about Pursuer and his consumption of human flesh. Still, his anger at the public for laughing at him and forcing him to hide hasn't disappeared. Even though he doesn't invite it.