Otter Creek I'll be the match to your candle

 

For @Aries

Now that Wraen was stil recovering, Nara hunted day and night to make sure that there was enough food to go around. She had journeyed to Otter Creek, hoping to find the famous creatures the place was named after. When she arrived, it was already dark - almost a full moon. With careful steps she approached the rocky shore of the stream. Trees hung low over the creek, their branches casting an eerie shadow on the water. It smelled like fish. Nara peered into the depths, but saw no movement. Her big ears moved to all sides as she tried to listen for any sounds. Nothing. Only the soft sounds of water could be heard. 

She could smell a pack nearby, they were fresh scents, but she didn't care. At least not right now. She was too tired to return to Sunspire. With an overdramatic sigh she plopped herself down beneath a tree and curled up in a ball, folding her tail over her muzzle and paws. It was going to be a cold and restless night.

This night was harsh, with a biting cold that well suited the steel youth stalking amongst the shadows. The charcoal sky was coated in an ashen haze, as though the clouds had poisoned the stars and hidden them away where nobody could discern them again - in this eerie darkness, twisted trees loomed over the river and leaves rustled in an unsteady breeze. As though the silence had tempted out a monsterous beast, Aries strode through the land with a gaze of ice to pierce the tenebrosity. The soft sound of steadily flowing water could be heard, and the Svartell instinctivly began to strut in that direction.

When he arrived, he did not step forth from the darkness he had shrouded himself in, watching as though he were a panther eyeing helpless prey from a distance.  A pale woman hiding beneath a tree was curled into a compact ball to shield out the cold, and the soldier allowed himself to observe her from where he hid. In the moonlight, she appeared almost etheral, as though she were a wandering ghost trapped in a foreign world. A small exhale of breathe left his muzzle, but he made no movement to announce his presence.

When she opened her eyes, it felt like someone had whispered in her ear but she had awoken too late and only a last breath could be heard. She peered into the dark night, ears pointed forward. A sudden cold breeze made her shudder. There was nothing. I must have imagined it, she thought, but Nara didn't go back to sleep. Instead, she rose and took a few steps forward, the last dry leaves crackling under her paws. Besides the sound of the stream, there was a dead silence. Still, a feeling that someone or something was there, waiting, watching, stuck to her pelt.

She woke.

The dark knight watched, oddly intruiged by her peaceful demeanor. His ears tipped forward at the sound of crunching leaves, the stream continuing the endless swish as it swerved around rocks. The girl knew something was wrong, he could see it in her eyes, that sliver of uncertainty. It gave him a rush of excitement - he adored the fear, the confusion. 

After a few heartbeats more of sinister silence, Aries let out a deep chuckle. She'd know he was there now, but that was exactly what he planned.

Sorry for making you wait!

A sound startled her. Nara was certain that it was another wolf, but she couldn't see them. Her eyes peered into the blackness of the forest. If this wolf was trying to scare her, then he was succeeding. She let out a few shaky breaths, waiting for him to appear. He didn't.

A barely audible who's there? left her lips, but Nara quickly composed herself - she wasn't going to be afraid of a ghost. Show yourself, she said, this time with more volume and more confidence, and only a sliver of doubt.

She heard him - the sylph's eyes stared fearfully into the darkness, and Aries grinned at the tingles of excitement he felt trickle down his spine, the wonderful taste of fear upon his tongue. He wanted more... The Svartell waited despite his desire, carefully observing the shaky rise and fall of the girl's pale chest. He was not sure exactly want he wanted from her, but she was a pretty one, there was no doubting that, and it only compelled him more to move closer. But not yet.

Not until she called out, attempting to display a brave voice, did he decide to move. It was after a few heartbeats, a few tense moments of anticipation, that led to the cold soldier creeping closer as though he was simply stalking prey. Again he chuckled, ice eyes meeting the apple green of the stranger's. His figure emerged from the shadows, tongue drawing out to sweep across his lips. "Seems you found me. Boo?"

Finally, he emerged from the shadows like a ghost. Nara was glad that he was in fact a living and breathing creature and not a ghost or a voice in her head. Although that didn't make her feel any less afraid. He looked like danger. His dark pelt seemed to blend with the shadows he had crept from and when he watched her with his frosty-blue eyes, she could feel the warmth being drawn from her body. Everything about him felt like a threat. 

Nara knew that he was amused by her fear from the tone of his voice. She didn't respond to his remark. She held her head a little higher and kept her eyes on him when he crept closer, but didn't move a muscle. Who are you? she asked, narrowing her eyes.

The Svartell observed the anxiety written upon her features, the subtle movements or twitches that signalled her fear. Even as she held her head higher, refusing to remove her eyes from his own, he could feel it - she knew he posed a threat. And yet, she did not flee. Instead, she remained still and questioned him. "My name is Aries," The soldier's expression was mostly blank now, though a slight twinkle in his gaze revealed something sinister, if she was to look close enough.

"And you?"

Aries. She quickly searched her mind for his name - hoping that she heard about him before, hoping that she knew at least something else about him then his name - but she didn't. Nara had never heard of him before and that frightened her even more. He could be anyone and there was no way to expect what he could be capable of. 

Nara she said. The familiarity of her own voice calmed her down a little. She watched the dark stranger for a moment before adding Why didn't you reveal yourself before?

Nara. He comitted the name to memory, though he could not guarantee he'd remember for sure. Ah well. The Reaper flicked his steel-coloured tail, icy gaze focused still upon the pale girl. She questioned him, but he simply grinned, cocking a brow in her direction. "Ruins the fun, does it not?" Secrecy was amusing, if you were on the hiding end, and he'd not wanted to pass up the opportunity to endulge in something he enjoyed.

Fun for you, Nara thought bitterly and responded only with a short hum. The fear she had felt before had slipped to the back of her mind and now she was mostly angry with the stranger. How dare he. She wasn't some fool he could mess around with. Although the mischievous way in which he spoke, kept her nerves on high alert.

Nara noticed how his dark coat seemed to absorb any and all light. It was still the middle of the night and the moon hung silently overhead. Its light casted strange shadows. She focused her attention on the dark figure before her - extending her muzzle to pick up his scent - he smelled like other wolves. Are you a pack wolf?

Through the corner of his eye, he was still idly taking in her appearance - her coat was a stark contrast from his own, with pale hues illuminated by the moonlight. She reminded him almost... no, now was not the time to think of his distant mother - truthfully, she was one of the very few who were currently able to rouse any feeling from the depths of his mind, and he felt guilty. Guilty for turning down the place at her side, when she had been so adamant that that was his true place. Perhaps one day, but Nyx aided in filling the void where the Reaper's biological mother should be, and for now he was content with his position.

Nara. She spoke again, attempting to decipher a little of who he was, or at the very least, where he came from. Ah, she could smell the lingering scents of other wolves upon his pelt, the other shadowed wanderers of the Woods. "Indeed I am." He murmered, resisting the urge to allow his tongue to sweep across his teeth. He missed the taste of blood, and she was oh so pretty. Why he resisted, he was not quite sure, but he was certain another opportunity to satiate his bloodlust would come around. "Yourself?" He enquired with a tilt of his head in mock curiousity - he didn't really care, Aries could already smell wolves on her fur and assumed she was likely a pack wolf herself (another reason why he should resist making her a victim of his fangs).

When he answered she could feel a dangerous vibration in the air. Like a low growl that had traveled for miles and was only now reaching her. Maybe it was the thumping of her own heart that she was feeling. Aries didn't reveal the name of his pack and that irked her. She wanted to know who she was dealing with, but at the same time, she was afraid of what the answer might be.

Nara hesitated for a moment, should she tell him the name of her pack? She hoped it would instil at least some fear in the other wolf - Sunspire was a big pack and they had some good fighters. Yes. Sunspire she said eventually. Nara waited for a moment but didn't give him a chance to reply, You've heard of it? It's close-by It wasn't like they could hear her if she howled, but he didn't have to know that.

He watched the hesitation in her eyes as she answered him, eventually decided to share piece of information that was more valuable than she might realise. What Aries didn't know, however, was that Sunspire was the very pack that his sister and mother now resided within. "Sunspire. I have not heard of it." He murmered, silently noting the name down in his head for... later use.

She mentioned that the pack was close by, so that was another detail he memorised - she did not specify how close, so he kept it in mind, though he did not believe they were too close for comfort. "Have you lived there for long?" How about some seemingly innocent conversation to pass the time?

He didn't know of her home. In a way she was relieved. For a brief moment Nara glanced up, hoping to see the familiar mountain peak in the distance, tall and glowing, shrouded in clouds. But the canopy overhead blocked most of the view, so she quickly turned her attention back to Aries.

The Sunspire had been a fresh start for her. Like a rebirth. She had left the past in the moment she had walked away from her old home that had barely been a home. And now her life at Sunspire was all that she wanted to remember. You could say that Nara answered. It sounded more cryptic then she wanted it to be. It is my home now, the rest isn't important she added, trying to explain. He might not understand. It didn't really matter. 

She relaxed her shoulders a little. If he actually wanted to hurt me, he would have done it by now, Nara thought. She kept her distance nonetheless. I've told you about my home. Now where do you live? She asked it like they were playing a game of truth or dare. Nara didn't exactly care about the where, though. With whom was what concerned her more.

Nara might not have realised, when she made the subtle gesture of peering upward in search of her mone, but Aries had followed her gaze with a hidden smirk. Now he knew the general direction in which way Sunspire lay, and he comitted yet another detail to memory.

Contrary to what she might have believed, he did understand her words. Sure, it blocked off some information that he could have used to his advantage, but at the same time, he fully knew what she meant. He could relate, in an odd way. Blackfeather was his home now, and he did not care for much else. His past was his past. So in response, Aries only gave a short nod.

Mmm. She wanted to play his game, then? This would make it more fun, he supposed. With a slight quirk of his lips, a faint smirk, he opened his jaws to answer. "The Woods." He doubted she'd ever go near (the scent of rotten corpses and blood was enough to frighten most before they even came into view of the territory), but just in case, "You'll know it when you see it."

The woods. Nara doubted he was referring to these low hanging trees arching over creeks and dried mud. She glanced past him and in the distance she thought she saw the treetops of a vast forest. Although, it was still quite dark and she couldn't make out where the night sky ended and the woods began. 

She did not trust this man. Why didn't he give me the name of his pack. Why hide this piece of information? She could think of a couple of reasons why he would and none of them predicted much good. He wasn't just going to let her walk out of here—or if he did he might follow her back to the mountain. Her home. She couldn't let that happen. So she decided to play innocent and buy herself some time to come up with a plan. 

What—you're not going to show me? she questioned with a playful smile. Maybe he would eventually let his guard down and then she could escape and take the long way home. However, she would only get one shot—Aries didn't seem like the forgiving kind.