Blackfoot Forest in case you're thinking of escaping, before you wake, i'll take your horse

will close in three days if no response.

She had drifted away from the tethers of the tarn to the eastern regions. She knew not where her wandering had taken her this evening. A new place, although she was almost certain that they had passed (perhaps simply skirted around) this great forest in the search for Sobek. Another deep plunge with an emotional knife into a wound that she swore would never heal.

It was with a willful ignorance that she chose to ignore such thoughts for now. There were more things to be admired in the night. Like the gentle mist that threatened to lull her into slumber with its patter against the tree tops. There was comfort to be found in her loneliness this night. A wonderful thing, in truth.

Still she could not rest under the comforting canopy and be coddled by the soothing sounds. Although she did not know where she might be off to, she could not stop. This was not where she was meant to be.

it was growing tiresome, this solitude. each step was made carelessly as it carried him from one territory to the next. he, shadow, wasn't there. it was a shell of a wolf in search of meaning.

a russet sylph walked along a parallel path. shadow stopped for a moment, eyes scanning her frame to see if he'd been noticed. enticed, he began his approach.

It was by chance that she spotted his form against the earth. An ink blot that she could not read. Yet he seemed to read her to some degree. She halted her own movements as she awaited his approach. Her tail whisked behind her in a cautious manner, mindful of his intentions. This was not home, she did not have others to call for. No ena or even a Morta to rally.

This was her. And him.

the stranger took pause. her apprehension was clear, though she braced, as though preparing to charge. excitement bubbled inside of shadow, erupting as a low-pitched growl. there was distance between them, but they stood close enough to warrant the aggression. 

anything could warrant aggression, shadow thought. playing as sycamore was predictable; remaining un-predictable was a part of his character. a long, accentuated lick to his maw.

his midnight gaze held unbroken at the russet stranger. who did she want him to be?

She might have found him charming or intriguing if he had not loomed like an omen of ill will on the horizon. Her wariness was further fueled by the growl that emitted from his swarthy form. Smokey ears moved to lay against her skull. She was not an aggressive counterpart to this sudden duo they had created.

Hello. . . Her youthful voice called out hesitantly. Some stubborn part of her refused to budge, regardless of the fact that he could very easily damage her.

their encounter, it was different. there was no clear progression, no obvious next step. the pattern of behavior that the girl exhibited was similar to that of one looking for a challenge. if that's what she wanted, shadow had no qualms with offering. 

still, there was a hint of unsureity. normally, by this point in conversation, shadow would have already slid into his role. this girl, she was making the transition difficult.

shadow, being the creature that he was, didn't know if he felt more entertained or insulted. hello, he parroted. in the same way that her voice had been soft, childlike, his tone was subdued. it acted as a direct contrast to his dominant stance and demeanor, though he was too confused and unprepared to adjust it.

It was all very odd. He still loomed with dominance as though he might seek to lower her. Yet there was nothing he could do to possibly make her lower. She was a wayward child lost to the winters of Teekon, not close to any sort of safety, all on her own. Nothing he could do would match what she had done to herself.

Who are you? It seemed a gentler question to start off with might be a wiser for her situation. She feared what might happen if she demanded what he wanted.

dice?

who am i?

who am i?
the question stirred confusion. when possible, shadow forgot himself, choosing to disassociate from this body to avoid the agony of self-realization. being reminded of his existence, of his being, it induced a firey anger.

here was no one else around, just him and the girl — this was him. and her. — so there was no one else to share his ferocity. who was he? was this it? was there nothing more to shadow than the beings he housed?

without thinking, he charged forward, heavy paws pounding against the earth.