Osprey had left them, for better or for worse. Their father didn't seem terribly pleased, and Tytonidae didn't quite know what to think of it all. Her sister had never been
gone before, at least not to her. Ty wondered if she was supposed to be gone, too. She often felt like she didn't know the right answers to the "big" questions like that. Even her mother had left. Now all she had was Peregrine, Atticus, Saena, and Pura. She wondered when they would be gone.
The young DiSarinno wandered south along the mountains for two days. She had told Peregrine that she was going on an adventure and would be back home in less than a week. Although she didn't know the name for it, Ty was
soul searching, hardcore. At a creek, Tytonidae stopped for a drink, her charcoal coat blending into the evening quite nicely.
The greeting from a stranger caused Tytonidae to stop mid-lap, pulling her tongue in quickly and whirling around to face the greeter. Testing the air with her nose, Ty noted a few things. One, he was male. Two, he smelled strongly like the ocean. Three, he smelled ever-so-faintly of her sister. The last bit was the most intriguing, but Tytonidae did not ask him about that just yet. With her eyes, she saw that he was, well, pretty.
“You’re pretty!” she blurted, just as quickly snapping her jaw shut with an audible "click" sound. She was fairly certain that boys didn't like being described as "pretty." But maybe she was wrong. “Is it okay that I called you pretty?” she asked.
Apparently social awkwardness does run in the Aok family, lol. xP
The girl was easier to see, Atreus deduced, the closer he drew to her, her silhouette becoming more than an outline, morphing into a shadow. From a shadow she became a solid, dark mass who looked up at him when he let out a soft chuff to announce his presence to her. Startlingly bright emerald eyes peered at him and for an instant Atreus drew back, surprised by the brilliance of the color, set off in a nice contrast to her dark colored fur. A soft chuckle, modest though it was, escaped the boy's lips when she blurted that he was pretty and just as quickly Atreus heard the sharp click of her teeth as she clamped her mouth shut. He'd never really thought much of his appearance before ...but then again his physical appeal wasn't important. It played no part in how the Nereides chose their Consorts when breeding season came about. He still didn't know the full details of how exactly all that happened, probably because he hadn't reached his maturity in that area yet and so therefore it didn't concern him at the moment. There was a first time for everything, Atreus supposed though, and he could strike being called pretty off of the new found list.
It's ok, He assured her, wondering what made her think such a thing of him. He had once had a girl tell him that he repulsed her because his naturally silken fur was coarse and frosted with the dried salt water because he only bathed in the Sea's waters. Just like Kerberos. He had responded with as much sass as he could pack into it by saying that the apple never fell far from the tree. In many cases Atreus had proven that old saying to be very true. Thank you, Atreus told her after a small pause for her compliment. He hesitated awkwardly for a second, not really sure how to interact with females that were not apart of the Nereides. Social awkwardness was still a thing for him, it would appear. You're pretty too...especially your eyes. They are uhm, very pretty. Atreus returned with a compliment of his own if only because it felt the right thing to do.
He wasn't sure where his sudden awkwardness was coming from but he wished it would go away so he could hold a normal conversation with her. He had thought that he had gotten over his initial shyness a long time ago but apparently he hadn't. I'm Atreus. He introduced himself to her, offering up his name not sure what else to do. It was like all the sudden he forgot how to speak to another wolf outside of the Nereides. |
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“You are welcome!” Tytonidae replied when he thanked her, remembering her manners. Somehow, those had become ingrained in her everyday conversations. It was probably Aunt Blue's doing. The stranger went on to return the compliment, specifically saying something about her eyes. Ty blinked, then squinted. But no matter how hard she tried, she could not see them.
“Really?” she asked, “I—I mean, thank you!” Yes, that was what she was supposed to say. Manners, of course. He introduced himself as a tree. Well, that was odd. He didn't look like a tree at all. Ty shrugged inwardly, but didn't ask him further. If he thought he was a tree, she wasn't going to argue. “My name is Ty.” Technically, that was her nickname, but her whole name was much too complicated to pronounce and get right. “Are you on a journey, too?” she asked.
But apparently, something had scared him off. Frowning, Tytonidae watched as he disappeared from her sight and into the distance.