Otatso Wetlands barghest

stigmata fled from bearclaw valley in an attempt to quell his needling ambition. he had stolen deep into the wetlands before even remembering he had other needs of the bodily variety, and he stopped to refill his tank. on the hunter's front he was stricken unlucky -- giving himself five tries before he gave up pursuing a nocturnal meal. fortunately, he could afford to miss a meal or three before feeling any real pressure to perform. he drank from an ugly pond and turned to make his way back home.

it wouldn't be much longer before dawnlight curled around the horizon, so when he reemerged on the bare edge of otatso, he paused to admire the clear open sky and what was left to see of the constellations.

@Acheron

the land here was quite different to what she'd first gotten of teekon to say at the least. summer had made itself a lot more at home down here than in the land's most northern point and she'd quite frequently stop to irritably shake her paw as blades of grass tickled at its pads, likely an overreaction due the crabiness being tired inevtibly tended to bring on. a good way to describe her current surroundings would be 'pleasant', not quite holding the beauty to the trechourous north but holding a safe calmness to it that she appreciated after so much time travelling these new unfamiliar lands. 

the night was aging quickly, the inky blackness starting to lighten to a dull navy- the twinkling stars overhead losing some of their intensity. she'd continue to move silently through the dewy grass, paws carrying her with a gentle grace that gave the pale fae an almost ghost-like appearance to anyone who may be watching. her ears were perked atop her head and alert for any signs of prey as although she wasn't necessarily hunting a meal wouldn't hurt. however the vegetation around her remained as silent and lifeless as ever and her nose would wrinkle slightly as the ground underpaw grew slightly wetter with a sponginess that didn't mean dew. she had been about to switch directions, having no interest in venturing into any sort of wetland when she froze- surprise gracing her features very briefly before it was pushed back down under features of cool indiffernce. 

whatever way the brute had been standing the shadows had cloacked him in a way that had managed to perfectly hide him from her and it seemed the breeze hadn't been on her side either, carrying his scent away rather than towards her so she'd failed to notice him until now. she'd mentally curse at herself, annoyed that she'd failed to notice him and even further pissed that due to the general flatness of the land around her there was no way he hadn't seen her a bit ago. nevertheless her expression remained as flat as ever- dark eyes cold and empty as she'd step closer towards him, tail tip twitching as she'd come to a stop a few lengths before him. she'd turn her head slightly- taking in the open sky he must've been watching. a wry smile would tug at the corners of her mouth as she'd simply murmur "stargazing?" her tone, although soft, was completely unreadable as her dark hazel gaze fixed itself on him quite intensely. he smelt quite strongly of other wolves so she guessed he must be from a pack. interesting.

hope you didn't mind me throwing her at you!

always careful not to become too engrossed in the allure of starshine, he watched the progression of a wolf-like phantom from the corner of his militant eye. he watched her drift along on the dark horizon -- her lofty glide giving the small carnivore a lax and compelling presence. he found that his muzzle had fallen from its upward angle, watching her now with the same stringent attention he afforded all of his prey. as she continued on, without yet noticing him, he poured over what he could of her at that distance and revered her frigid air of maturity.

stigmata could almost see the ground freeze as she floated over it.

he had returned his nose to the sky before she finally noticed him. he had decided he couldn't waste his time -- couldn't continue to be distracted. but the unwilling bachelor in him rebelled, and when she came forward to address him, he didn't ignore or otherwise act hostilely towards her. "while it lasts," he admitted freely, though none of his steely attention lingered on the sky now, as he zeroed in on the she-wolf in her closeness.

he found it unfortunate that she wasn't a yearling as her size had implied from afar; this made it harder for him to ignore her. the wolf tipped his head at her simply with a straightforward look: so - what is it you want?

not at all, i was actually stalking tundy :3 (tagged player still welcome <3)

she'd appear quite at ease, taking it as far as to lean back on her haunches and let her dark gaze fix itself rather keenly on the distant horizon. of course in reality her muscles were always slightly tensed beneath her thick pelt, ears and nose constantly twitching ever so slightly as her senses worked hard to pick up anything that may be a threat. it was a subconcious effort at this stage down to the relentless training of a soldier, alert even when at ease. she was of course also very aware of his gaze resting on her- her body instinctively prickling with the unease of being watched but chose not to acknowledge it as she continued to watch the sky lighten before her.

she'd blink as he spoke a small smile very briefly gracing her features as she'd simply let her eyes fall shut momentarily- inhaling the crisp predawn air slowly before letting it out sharply and shifting her attention back to her company as large rounded eyes became visible once again. he was much larger than her not that that was much of a surprise and as her gaze surveyed him openly she'd once again get the strange nagging sensation that perhaps something was not quite right with her. here stood a strong brute that she could easily recognize as attractive and yet nothing stirred within her, the aloof look in her gaze simply reflecting the lack of emotion she had to go on. 

"i'm new around here" she'd murmur simply, soft voice drifting through the cool air. not exactly an answer to his unspoken question of why she'd felt the need to approach him but it'd have to do because frankly it was all she had. she'd shift her position slightly on the damp grass and let her head tilt slightly to the side "you're from a pack?" the questioning statement left it open for him to either elaborate or not as although she'd appreciate any information she wasn't pushed enough to go badgering him about something he wasn't comfortable talking about. she'd stretch her front paws out slightly, body slipping fluidly into a stretch as her aching muscles cracked satisfying before she'd straighten back up. the mere peacefulness of her surroundings seemed to invite the dangerously tempting drowsiness to the corners of her mind and she'd struggle to push it away, hating the way it cloaked her senses in a kind of fog. she really had to find a way to get proper sleep without waking every few minutes or she was going to have a real problem

stigmata regarded his company with a heavy silence, peering unabashedly into her big, expressionless eyes as he attempted to discern whether or not she was worth corralling into his shadow. he remained quite still as she elaborated on her approach -- lonely, apparently -- but the dragoon reanimated at her query. he nodded slowly and sighed a deep-noted "yes," that seemed disappointed with the tame conversation he'd been presented with. clearly a wolf who didn't intend to say anything without reason, he offered her nothing but the bare minimum at first.

"is that really what you want to know?" he asked, silver eyes tracing the curve of her slight figure as she stretched before him. a stab of longing crippled his stoicism, evidenced only by a slight twitch of his jaws as he restrained a hyena's smile.

ahh sorry i didn't get a notification that you'd replied to this!

[size=11.6667px%%]she would let her gaze shift away from his prying eyes to focus on the ever brightening horizon. the break of contact was not a result of any sort of awkwardness in fact the woman wouldn't even care to think it could appear like that. she simply enjoyed the view this spot offered and felt no want to miss the natural phenomenum unfolding before her. such a simple thing to happen rountinely every single morning and yet still managing to catch the attention of these infinitesimal beings that just relied on nature to work for them every single day. she would start slightly at his simple response, surprising herself in how easily her mind had almost forgotten she was not alone. not a good thing at all, the soldier was never one to not be on the look out for threats and to lose focus in the presence of another whom she knew nothing of was never wise.[/size]

dark, seemingly pitless eyes not unlike those of a shark would return to rest upon the brute- rounded ears twitching as they caught the disappointed tone lacing that one word. she would arch a brow at this, tail tip curling neatly over creamy paws as it twitches almost expectantly. her gaze would proceed to narrow at his next words, not missing the way his gaze travelled over her form as if this was simply a wolf surveying a piece of prey. her muscles would tense ever so slightly however she would otherwise continue to remain as still as ever- faithful gaze betraying nothing as she responded carefully. "i believe my question expressed that yes"  she'd suddenly stand in one fluid movement, taking a half step forward- confident enough in her own abilities to not find the movement a risky one as she simply continued "did something in my tone imply i wanted more? i must have missed it" perhaps a bit rude but frankly she did not care if she was making the wrong assumptions and ended up hurting his feelings, she survived this long on pure gut instinct and wasn't going to abandon it now.

"you implied nothing, which is why i asked," the basilisk returned coolly, meeting her doll-eyed stare with unabashed forwardness. stigmata licked his chops, appearing thoughtful even as he wiped his mind clear of any interest in this she-wolf. her odd despondency and tendency to drift off into lalaland around strangers didn't bother him in the least - it was the lack of basic intelligence, and he had no time for it. "i simply assumed you had more to ask than a question you already knew the answer to..." he paused, and looked as if something had occurred to him in that moment, and then his glare hardened; "and if you did not know i was a pack wolf, then that means your nose is useless and therefore you." he spoke very casually, as pompous as his status as a pack wolf could afford him.

"begone," he ushered her then, with a clipped gesture of his muzzle in some indiscriminate direction. and it was the only time he would be nice about it.