The ghoul ventured away from the mountain in hopes of finding some strength in the unknown again. The further she wandered from the borders of her new home, the more restless she began to feel. Her pale optics searched the wood for signs of others – strangers – who would hide within the shadows of the brush only to leap out when she should pass. Lucy’s gaze drifted carefully across each delicate movement until she found the blue of her eyes settling on a stranger cloaked in silver. Immediately, she froze in place and she watched with deep breaths as he seemed to be searching for something.

The voice from the other shook her to her core and she shuddered against it. Quick to hold her breath, the dark ghoul moved around in a wide circle. He could smell her, but that did not mean that he could see her. If she had been smart, she would have fled back to the mountain to find a means to fill the time there. Instead, she moved forward and drew in the scent from the strange wolf. Her eyes followed his movements for signs that he would whirl on her – signs that he would consume her as the gunmetal brute had.

Are you sure?
 
She had wanted to ask him, but instead she held her tongue and waged an internal battle over her decision to reveal herself. Fortunately for Lucy, her situation was not all that like a horror movie. If she had a right mind, she would not have opened her mouth at all, but fled into the wood to seek safety in a hidden nook. Instead, she wondered if the loud male was being genuine, or luring her out with pleasantries. The ghoul breathed deep and then emerged from the brush with a wary expression and rigid fur. The blue of her gaze was sharp and trained on his limbs to catch any signs of an ambush. As the young shadow made her presence known, she studied his posture and physique to determine risk.
 
Drawing her tongue along her muzzle, the dark girl canted her head to the side. “What are you doing out here?” she asked him. Making all that noise…

The manner in which he spoke seemed to have caught her off guard. Lucy was not used to the abrupt responses, or the gruff nature of the male. While his tone had afforded him a seemingly gruff appearance, it was the good-natured way that he carried himself that seemed to allow the dark shadow to remain there and listen. He talked of travel and places to rest, then mentioned that he thought the tree had been an apt location. Her pale blue gaze drifted toward the bark of the tree before she nodded her head, almost solemnly.
 
“It does look nice,” she agreed in a soft voice. With her heart thrumming, the ghoul latched tightly to the few things he had explained, and she canted her head a little to the right. There was a thoughtful frown imprinted on her young features. Otherwise, she appeared the same as when she had stepped through the thick brush. “You’ve been traveling?”