Blackfoot Forest dark on me

For @Supernova :-)

The afternoon was cloudy, chilly still very much in the grasp of winter's claws yet it was significantly warmer than it had been. Losely packed snow beneath his ebony paws was particularly wet, almost slushy like as the warmer weather — though warmer was not quite an adequate enough word for there was truly nothing warm about the day — began to melt it. The snow that had clung like a blanket to the limbs of the towering coniferous trees that dominated the shadowy heart of the forest, familiar to the darkling as it was, falling freely in large wet chunks to the messy forest floor previously littered with dead and dying pine needles. In the light of the day the forest was devoid of the eerie calls that the foxes made to one another, the shrill howls that pierced through the shadows, putting off as if they were banshees as opposed to tiny ancestors of the wolf species.

Fiery, golden gaze focused on the familiar, untrodden path before him. He was further now than he'd been from Quicksilver in quite some time, though he doubted the other male minded, cared, or maybe hadn't even noticed. It would not have surprised the darkling if his companion had failed to notice his absence. There were usually more pressing things on the other's mind, Sinaaq assumed most of them dealt with the fairer sex and chasing after them to fulfill his next desire of conquest.

Females interested Sinaaq as much as they did the next male, though the darkling would not have been surprised if his disinterest gave to a different consideration. It was hard to make himself see them, harder still to make himself feel that curiosity, that obsession that had driven him when he'd been in Solia Saturnin's presence. Still, the darkling thought of his fawn colored savior, and still his damaged, fissure ridden and cracked heart, like a mirror shattered and splintered, yearned and ached for her.

Try as he might Sinaaq had yet to know how to kill the thing that was making him ill. He knew no other way to describe in the way that he remained smitten with her despite that she was no longer in his life. To him, it was the same think as being ill. He saw no difference. With a soft huff, expelled forth from his lips with a snaking tendril of white steam, Sinaaq scowled into the distance as he pushed himself further into the reaching and grasping shadows at the heart of the forest, willing thoughts of Solia to leave him.

Though her leg still pained her, she could at least walk on the sprained leg without too much trouble. Nova was getting sick of this place much faster than she would have guessed and she had a feeling it was partly the pain's fault. The wolves she had met here were nice enough, and even though she had slid down the mountain and injured herself like an idiot, that white wolf had been kind enough to make sure she was okay.

Today she was hobbling along under the forest's protection, trying to stretch her leg so it wouldn't become some sort of useless limb. Supernova hated feeling fallow, but this was the least she could do as the pain show through her ankle all the way into her shoulder. Whatever happened to the inside of that leg was not going to heal quickly, and this at turns hard-packed and melting snow wasn't making things easier on her balance.

Ahead she saw a dark figure cutting across the landscape, and she gave a low bark of greeting. She didn't exactly feel up to conversation, but this wolf was here and so was she, and ignoring him seemed the worse of two evils. "Hello there," she called when she bumbled closer, honey-yellow gaze trailing over him. "You lost in your own mind, too?"

As Sinaaq traversed deeper into Blackfoot Forest, fierce eyes of liquid gold studying the familiarity of the path he currently took, having spent most of his time during his last excursion to the Teekon Wilds inhabiting this very forest, drawn in by the allure of the shadows and the lure of haunting like any dark creature would be. It did not fall to fail to the darkling's notice that it would, still, make a good place to claim for a pack. The legends surrounding it might be enough to keep trespassers and the too curious away from the borders; not to mention a decent amount of prey inhabited this woodland. It was more sparse in the cold and harsh clutches of winter but that was everywhere, of course. Even so, travel outside of the forest would not have been necessary lest a bigger herd was wanted.

The idea lingered like an open, festering wound in his mind but Sinaaq had no intentions of acting upon it. He had never led a day in his life, unless taking care of and telling his nephew, Adlartok what to do counted as leading — which Sinaaq did not. The darkling's thoughts were broken by the sound of another's footfalls in the snow, crunching under their own weight and with a cant of his head, Sinaaq's own steps ceased. Not too soon after, the voice called out to him. The voice gave her away readily as a female, though this assumption was proven correct as Sinaaq turned to face her, liquid gold gaze sweeping over her form. There was a small tug of familiarity there though the darkling could not readily place it, certain that he had never met her before.

Brow rose into a wicked arch over his right eye as his ears cupped forth to hear her question though she was not so far away from him now. "I was," He corrected her softly, though his Germanic accent made it hard for anything he spoke to sound soft. Admittedly, he was glad for the distraction from thoughts that she offered him, even if temporarily. He no longer wished to be haunted by them: by Solia, Adlartok or anything else and yet persistent they remained.

Sorry for the delay!

Nova had met a few wolves since coming to this place, but none so interesting as this one. He seemed to exude darkness, but not the kind that scared her. Rather, this darkness was full of intrigue and mystery, something that had always drawn her in. Perhaps that was where the trouble in her life came from, a quest to do something dangerous and different. But so far she had seen no hide nor hair of her brother, and part of her wondered if she ever would again. No matter, there were others to occupy her time, and this one seemed interesting enough.

"Tell me," she suggested, a glimmer in her lemon-yellow eyes. She smiled, teasing the male with her grin, wondering if he would feel enticed by her. She probably looked like a twittering fool, but she had to practice her magic on someone. Her brother would definitely call her a foolish idiot, but he wasn't here now, was he? Almost as if an afterthought, Nova winked and said, "If you want."

It's okay. I made you wait a super long time for this and I apologize! <3

Right brow quirked into a wicked arch over the eye as the woman implored for him to tell her. Tell her what, precisely, he wondered? What occupied his mind when he was alone to it? Or of the grievances that he faced? The girl who had stolen his heart and returned it even more mangled than it had been before (though the fault more than likely belonged on Sin's own shoulders), or of the wretched child, beloved to him even as he felt stinging and burning contempt for the ungrateful cur? No. He would not divulge such things to her. Sharing was not something that Sinaaq practiced and when he was forced into it it was not something that he did well. He was selfish when applied to the sharing of something physical but he kept his demons close to his black heart in regards to sharing in the psychological sense. Telling her what occupied his mind was not anything he had any sort of intentions of doing. Thoughts were private, unknown and unheard for a reason and if he wished to share them he would have spoken them aloud; however: he hadn't; and sharing would give the false impression of a trust that he did not feel, nor would he willingly feel.

He did not know her from Eve; though looking back, not even Adlartok had been allowed to see so deeply into Sinaaq. He had kept himself a mystery from even the infection; painfully the creature that he missed and hated the most in the world.

The art of seduction was not one that Sinaaq often found himself intrigued by, simply because he was a recluse by nature, though he understood how Quicksilver was quick to give to the temptations. Her wink and followed suggestion, only if you want, did not fall upon blind eyes or deaf ears. Sinaaq understood — or rather thought he did — what she was doing. The svelte darkling made a soft noise in his throat, eyelids lowering as ears rested at half mast atop his skull, before a leer was given, playing smoothly at the corners of Sinaaq's lips as he teased her with it for a few seconds before breathing an torrid and abrasive "No."

Though he hesitated, though he leered at her for a brief moment, the harsh tones of his simple reply grated against her. They were unwarranted and frankly irritating to her. Nova studied the male for a long moment after he spoke, betraying no outward sign of her irritation, and finally gave him a brief nod. She understood him. Understood that trust and divulgence were not within his grasp at the moment. She knew that feeling all too well. Dapper and his ilk had taught her that trust was something precious, a commodity to hold dear, close to her chest, given out as gifts of great value.

Supernova had yet to meet anyone she trusted. Her brother, however, was one that she trusted. And he had left her behind, at her request, to seek glory and adventure. Had he found it? She wondered often about him and had yet to come across him in her travels. She hoped to see him again, but she didn't know when that would be possible. "I am called Nova. Would you tell me your name?" she requested, her voice soft. He did not need to, but she figured a taste of trust was better than none at all.

so most of this post is useless fluff. xD

The girl gave a brief nod to show that she understood that he held no intentions of delving into such deep things with her, though he would not have cared nor changed his mind whether she understood or did not. That wasn't his problem, he figured. For a moment Sinaaq studied her, wondering what Quicksilver would have thought of this girl. Sinaaq's initial thought was the one that seemed most obvious to him: he would likely try to add her to his list of conquests. After all, it was what he had done to every girl they had stumbled upon in their brief time traveling together; unbeknownst to Sinaaq that this girl was actually his once companion's sister. After a concise stretch of silence she offered him her name. Simple. Short. Nova. Nothing like the complication that was his or his nephew's names. Traditionally, his family had taken Inuit names, except for the women. They were prized in his family and got to choose their own names. How displeasing it must have been for his father when Sinaaq was born a boy but with the angular and deceiving beauty often associated with the female gender.

Akiak Arrluk had despised his son. His own flesh and blood, and so Sinaaq had learned to despise him and his mother, both of whom were so ready to allow him to die by refusing him, an infant at the time, the supplement he needed to survive: food. Warmth. If not for Nan and Frigga, his eldest and favorite sisters, starvation or hypothermia would have claimed his life.

His name was not something that he coveted like a stolen and priceless treasure. "Sinaaq. I am called Sinaaq," Though Adlartok had called him “Uncle Sin” at times. Nicknames were not something he'd ever gotten into the habit of if because his surrogate mothers had only ever called him by the full variation, though he had affectionately called Adlartok numerous nicknames. The darkling turned his eyes to her then, assessing her again, curious as to her reaction to him actually deigning to give her his name, when thus far he had not given her much of anything.

It's okay! <3

"Pleased to meet you, Sinaaq." Nova watched the male with her honey-yellow eyes and wondered what thoughts bubbled behind his eyes. He was dark, a beauty among men, with a peculiar angularity of the feminine form. Supernova wondered at that, but didn't say a thing; it wasn't her place to ask questions about his history or lifestyle, as evidenced by his earlier rebuke. However, she felt she was entitled to a look, since he was studying her quite efficiently himself.

It didn't bother her. Nova was used to being watched, studied, used to being seen as a prize to be won or a battle to fight. She was not someone's conquest, however; Nova understood the game far better than most gave her credit for, but that didn't mean she gave in to just anyone. "Do you hail from a nearby pack? Or one that's far away?" In her quest for a pack, she had met many a strange wolf; she wondered what information this Sinaaq would willingly give.

Nova offered him a pleasantry, though he could not bring himself to return it verbally. Instead, he settled for a dip of his head in acknowledgment, deciding that there did not need a verbal return of it. Besides, Sinaaq didn't do pleasantries anyway. The atmosphere of their meeting seemed to be making a gradual and natural turn to something a bit more welcoming that it had been previously, no doubt having rose to something of tension because of his unwillingness to share. Sinaaq was an expert at blocking others out — though it continued to cost him. Still, he feared allowing others to get close, confident that they would do what everyone before them had: leave wounds upon his mishappen and tortured heart until Sinaaq felt sure that he would cease to be able to pick up the pieces. Perhaps he simply trusted the wrong wolves. Or perhaps it was his own fault. As to the ultimate reason, Sinaaq didn't care to investigate and thus let it go with a slight rise and fall of his shoulders.

“Not nearby, no,” The darkling gave his response wiry, though it was genuine. He was aware of the presence of packs in this valley but he did not call them home. Not that he could say that he called the Spine home, in all actuality. His constant disagreements with Cara had nearly cost him his place within the pack once, something he was only just able to remedy before she chased him out. “It's called Ouroboros Spine.” He informed her, figuring that she was patient enough and he was feeling generous enough to throw her a bone and reward her for her patience.

Yet again another pack was made known to her, and she briefly wondered at the ability of this valley to sustain more than one pack. She hadn't been to each section of this territory, however, and knew that there was certainly more diverse terrain to the south. Ouroboros Spine seemed to speak of a mountainous area, but the only mountains she had encountered were northward, toward the glacier and the peak to its west. Where was this spine located, then?

Supernova wondered all this in a brief silence, her mind whirling with a storm of thoughts and questions. "Is it a nice pack?" she asked finally. She needed to find a place to call home, to rest her head. So far she was unimpressed with the wolves she had met, and therefore did not want to become part of their pack. But Sinaaq was an interesting fellow.