Neverwinter Forest i’m the kinda girl

if leah wants to hop in, she can. otherwise, all welcome!

With the sun beginning its descent towards the horizon the air was starting its evening chill. Wind picking up to brush her fur ever so delicately and her bones to feel the breeze whip along her body. Strands of the females chocolate fur billowed in the wind, singing along with its chilled voice as well as warning the young female that there were wolves here. Not just a couple, but even more than she had expected.

On cue she began to feel overwhelmed and her anxiety seeped in. Meeting new wolves, or any one, made her feel very uncomfortable. There had always been her parents and her siblings to guide her but now, she was alone so what was going to happen? She didn’t know the future and she was afraid that she had been led the complete opposite way of where she swore her brother’s scent had gone. With her luck, he had probably already passed through and was well on his way out.

Letting out a soft sigh, an attempt to calm her nerves, Katrina took in a deep breath and put one paw in front of the other. Repeating the process over and over, not wanting to over think and then begin to freak out and have an anxiety attack. She doubted any stranger would see her and go out of their way to help and while she wished to believe differently, she wouldn’t risk it. After all, her trail had led her to a closed in space that would soon be known as Neverwinter Forest and it seemed so closed off that no one would even get the chance to see her freak out.

The darkness was a minor presence but she could tell that once the night crept in there would be very little light coming through the canopy. She would have to be wary about staying here tonight if she didn’t find somewhere else soon. Though, she hoped that she wouldn’t have to travel much farther than she already had.

Moving forward was the only thing that the hybrid knew how to do – since parting ways with his mother and siblings, Styx was desperate to put as much distance as possible between him and his family. His mother, despite her wolf blood, lived like a true coyote; she was a nomad and wanted her children to discover themselves on their own. Although she had been bitter toward the shadowy yearling (due to his resemblance to the wolf that broke her heart) she only wanted what was best for him and his siblings. Forcing them to see the world without her guidance was a good thing, and the mutt was thankful to her for sending them away. The sky had begun to darken as he made his way through the straggly forest, pointed ears pressed forward to listen for sounds of another lurking nearby. The cool wind worked its way beneath his fur, sending a chill running down the length of his spine. He preferred to be on his own, but it often grew tiresome – there was only so much he could talk about with himself. As long as the company was only temporary, Styx didn’t mind speaking with others. Friends were out of the question – they were too permanent for the gypsy. As the wind shifted, the scent of another danced playfully around his nostrils, causing the long-legged boy to cease his movements. A thin frown painted itself along his dark lips, seafoam eyes narrowing as he searched through the trees for the source. It belonged to a wolf – close to his age but opposite in gender, but there was something else that mingled with her enticing scent; anxiety. With a cautious step forward the hybrid changed his course while his mind screamed NO! - he wasn’t supposed to feel sorry for others. Loners were, to put it simply, not to give a shit about strangers they crossed paths with. However, something drove the gangly mutt forward despite his thoughts shouting obscenities at him. “Lost?” The word slipped off his tongue as a crooked grin worked its way onto his maw, head cocked to one side as he leaned against a tree, bright eyes focused on the chocolate girl.

Deep down she knew that this was going to be a hard transition. She was scared; afraid of what she might find if she traveled even an hour more. Would she still be safe by then and would she still be alive when she finally found her litter mate? Fear rose in her, nailing her to the ground as she felt the anxiety running its course along her body. With the sun dipping down near the horizon she felt plagued—she wanted to continue moving but she was tired, she needed a place to rest and sleep for the night.

It only took a few moments before realizing that there was another’s scent here. One that had not been here a few minutes ago and now seemed almost dominant. This other wolf was here, watching her more than likely so she began to lower herself to the ground instinctively. The breaking silence caused her to stir as she jumped out of panic and fright before her eyes caught sight of the stranger. He was in no way scary, but just another wolf that didn’t bear any resemblance to someone she might know. That was to be expected in a place that was new and unexplored.

“Uhh…” she whimpered pathetically as her eyes stayed clear to the ground to avoid looking at him in fear of being hurt, “y-yeah. I… I d-don’t know where I a-am.” Well, duh Kat. That’s what lost means, dipshit. Katrina scolded herself, finding that no matter what she said or did made her all the more angry with herself. She might as well just dig herself a hole and bury herself in it.

Even as a child the hybrid had been on his own for most of his life – his mother would often leave them to go hunt or scour the area for possible enemies (aka his father) and Styx would have to entertain himself. Being the youngest, and considerably smaller than his brother and sister, he was often left out of their games. Not that he minded, though, as the gangly boy had been born a nomad much like his mother. When she had pushed them away after their first birthday, his siblings had pleaded with her to stay with her while Styx had been ecstatic. Lethe and Cocytus had left together, while the shadow had taken off in the opposite direction – perhaps, in the future, he would cross paths with his siblings once again, but he wasn’t too concerned about it. He had never liked them much anyway. The smile did not fade from his maw as she spoke, words sputtering off her tongue as she avoided eye contact, silver pools focused on the ground between them. Although he did feel sorry for her – being lost was a dreadful feeling – Styx found her nervousness rather amusing. As a loner – and especially as a hybrid – it was required for him to be bold (of course, depending on the situation). The lanky yearling was generally good at reading those he came in contact with, and knew when to run his mouth or keep it shut. “That’s unfortunate,” he started, voice smooth as the words spilled into the air between them. “Because so am I.” Normally, the hybrid would enjoy playing a trick on a wolf in this particular predicament, but Styx shoved those thoughts to the corner of his mind. For whatever reason, he wanted to help her – which was completely out of character for the lanky mutt. “Where are you headed?”

The minute that she sputtered her words she felt ultimately idiotic. From how she saw it playing out in her mind, he was going to attack her and make her feel more vulnerable to pain. It was obvious. He had asked her if she was lost and would take that to his advantage and allow her to further be unable to move or relocate, sending her to her death. She was sure of it. As it turned out, he didn't make a move nor make any verbal comments towards her obvious fear. He simply stood in front of her, likely staring at her head which was turned downward.

Kat was about to pull her head slightly upwards to ask 'why is it unfortunate for you?' but he answered it for her. He, too, was lost among this place. Although the feeling was somewhat comforting since she wasn't alone now and he wasn't as stuck up as she might have believed him to be, she didn't feel like such a target. Instead, she felt like they shared at least something in common, whether it was a minor thing or not. "Nowhere in p-particular," she commented idly as she pulled herself up just a little bit in an attempt to bring herself to a relaxed state of mind, "l-looking for my brother but n-not sure if he's even h-here."

Her gaze remained focused away from him, although he could see the shine from her bright, silver irises as they reflected the remaining sunlight. The hybrid was confused as to why she was so persistent about not meeting gaze – was he really that ugly? With that thought, the crooked grin that had stretched his lips was replaced by a thin frown. While his expression changed, the hybrid remained beside the tree, shoulder pressed to the dry bark as he studied the slender stranger. Styx was always wary around as most did not take kindly to the fact that he was a hybrid; however, he knew there was nothing to worry about with this particular wolf. She was far too frightened and stutter-y to be capable of chasing him away. The thought of being chased by a girl almost caused a laugh to spill past his lips, but the mutt quickly composed himself as he returned his attention to the stranger as she spoke. “You can look at me, y’know – I don’t bite. Most of the time.” The words poured from his throat before he could stop them, seafoam eyes narrowed as he stared at the top of her head. Her nervousness was rubbing off on him and the lanky yearling was growing uncomfortable as the conversation continued. “Do you know where he might have gone?” He wasn’t particularly interested, but she was a damsel who was definitely in distress and the inky knight would attempt to aid her. Because that was the nice thing to do. “I’m new to the area so I won’t be of much help, but I can help you get out of the forest before the sun sets if you’d like?”

It was partially true. She was indeed weak minded and believed herself to be vulnerable to everything that was out there in the real world. She had gone relatively unnoticed by most loners that she had passed while following the fading scent of her brother with much luck, but it seemed that that was now running as a thin as ever. Now she had a wolf in front of her that by the way he talked she felt like he was much, much bigger than herself and being so shelled-up she couldn't imagine that she was anything more than a loser to him.

When he suggested that she could look up at him, that he didn't bite (usually), she could feel a small, miniscule smile tilt her lip. Within a couple seconds she pulled some of her courage out and fed on his words, but before she knew what was going on her eyes locked with his. It might have been just a split second but to her it felt like minutes, staring into his seafoam green eyes and feeling like she was swimming within the water during evening hours. His fur was such a rich black, it made his eyes pop and allow her to feel her breath hitched in her chest. Only then did she realize he was speaking again.

"His trail led south s-some," she managed to say whilst restraining her nervousness the best she could without looking like a dope. Added on to the fact that she knew not to stare at his eyes, otherwise she might become completely unresponsive next time. "If you d-don't mind," she answered innocently before idly making a past comment she had thought to herself, "where is a g-good place to set up camp?"

The voice in the back of his head was growing restless and frequently reminding the hybrid that this conversation should have been over already, and that it was time to get moving. Styx typically only spoke to strangers when it was a. completely unavoidable, or b. to get directions. He didn’t like getting to know others – boring! – as friends led to promises that he couldn’t keep and the mutt did not like getting attached. He was taken aback when the girl actually listened to him (not many did) and lifted her head to meet his gaze. The frown was immediately replaced by a sly grin, head cocked slightly to one side as he studied her strange, silver irises for a moment. The lanky yearling was not used to seeing such a peculiar eye colour among wolves, along with her warm, chocolate coat. However, the colours complimented each other beautifully and left the awkward female with a striking appearance. His own inky pelt had been passed down by his father, whilst his bright, seafoam eyes were the only resemblance – aside from the coyote features – he shared with his mother. He was undoubtedly handsome and was accustom to using his looks to get what he wanted – from the opposite sex, of course. Being attractive definitely did not work for them. “I’m sure you’ll find him,” he commented absently as he pushed himself away from the tree and took several steps toward the espresso-coloured female. “It would be my pleasure.” Set up camp? Her question had left the coywolf stunned – all he knew was that this forest was definitely not a good place to rest. With a quick shrug and a wink complimenting his words, the hybrid responded in a cool tone: “Anywhere with me.”

It was completely strange and out of the ordinary that she would be somewhat attached to those seafoam eyes of his, but they were just too unique to forget. It was something similar to how she felt when looking into her mothers eyes. Those sweet baby blues that simply stared lovingly into her silvers. The silver that matched neither of her parents, nor any of her siblings. She was an oddball, that much was true. When looking into this stranger's she felt a pull, one that she necessarily hadn't felt with others before and it almost made her wonder why?

Kat nodded, yes. She knew that she would find Rainier, she would have to. He had been the only one keeping her so far from home and without the prospect of finding him, she'd likely feel hopeless and even more lost than she already was. Luckily, she had this boy to help her out and show her the way... and while appreciating the oddity of the silence as they began to walk, she felt her eyes widen at his sudden proposal. Instantly she swallowed what saliva was in her mouth and gulped, finding that her voice felt thin and hoarse within her throat.

Trying her very best not to squeal, swoon or otherwise faint she managed to try and stay calm and collected. Then, out of nowhere she found some sort of spunk that she had long since left behind since leaving home. "I don't t-think you could handle all this."

As his legs were much longer than the ones attached to the silver-eyed stranger, the hybrid struggled to match his pace to hers. His mind was screaming at him to abandon the damsel and turn around immediately as this was not where he was supposed to be. Styx should have already cleared the forest and moved on to the neighbouring territory, not keeping this girl company simply because she was lost. Being on his own meant no complications, no commitments, and absolutely nothing holding him back. The hybrid was confident that if he stopped moving entirely he would spontaneously combust – travelling and exploring was what he was meant to do, it was impossible for the yearling to settle down. Unbeknownst to the girl beside him, the mutt had no idea where he was going. He was leading her in the direction that he had been going in before getting distracted. Hopefully it was the right way, or else any trust that the girl might have toward him would be stripped. Not that he cared — friends weren’t important. Her comment had taken the inky male by surprise as he stole a side-glance at the silver-eyed girl, a smile blossoming over his dark lips. The words still struggled to fall off her tongue, but her tone was far more confident than it had been at the start of their meeting. This time he could not stop the chuckle that bubbled from his chest, the sound breaking the silence that had fallen over the two wolves. “Really?” He finally managed, his bright eyes still focused on the chocolate girl. “Don’t tempt me or else you’ll never get rid of me,” he cooed with another wink, his tail giving a quick wag behind him. Something was seriously wrong with him.

The second she spoke it felt like a rock had hit her stomach and knocked her breath away. What in the world was she doing? She didn't know this guy and for all she knew, he was just some creeping young guy that did whatever he could to charm others to get what he wanted. It seemed kind of likely by how he spoke but she had been wrong before about others so she wouldn't be surprised if it happened now. But why had she been so... spunky? She had no intention of making it hard for him to handle her but somehow, she couldn't help but feel somewhat amused by her statement.

It didn't come as a shock that he, too, was surprised by her slight confidence change but by looking at him vaguely through the corner of her eye she felt the magnetism of his seafoam eyes. With his rather pearly voice that might have been exaggerated within her mind, she was rather elated with energy. "Well we can't have that can we," she threw back at him and was somewhat surprised again at her quick quip but she had already deemed her mind and body kidnapped by his charm and otherwise transformed into someone she wasn't.

She was a very strange creature, but Styx could not deny that it was rather alluring. The sudden switch in her confidence amused the scrawny hybrid, but he did not comment on it. He worried that if he was to say something, it would be the wrong thing and cause the female to shy away from him. And, for whatever reason, Styx did not want that happening. The stranger beside him was lucky that she had caught the mutt on one of his good days, or else the conversation would be completely different from the light banter being tossed back and forth. His shifting personality was a defensive mechanism – how he spoke and acted completely depended on who he encountered, which often helped keep the coywolf out of trouble. “We definitely cannot. I can get awfully clingy.” False. Styx detested being in the company of others – well, aside from this girl and he couldn’t figure out why. “And I snore,” he added with a quick shrug, eyes focused ahead of them at the remaining light that threatened to dip behind the horizon. Hopefully after their meeting, once the knight rescued his damsel from the awful forest, she would forget about him – he hardly ever saw the same wolf twice, and preferred it that way. Once they managed to find their way out of the forest he could leave and carry on with his exploring without any baggage (pretty, silver-eyed baggage).

There was no denying her strange, quirky nature that even she was disturbed by. She had never been this feisty nor fierce to anyone, not even in her alone time and thus was surprised to see it come out towards this stranger. A young male who likely wanted nothing to do with her and would lose her and forget her as soon as he had escorted her out. It seemed likely, after all. No stranger would want to stick around with a young female teenager who was as much of a mess as she was. Perhaps her brother might atest to that but even she seemed to doubt that now. It wasn't as if he had invited her to come after him or with him.

Awfully clingy, huh? Kat was somewhat amused in thinking that he was anything to the clingy sort, assuming that he was the complete opposite. His rather detached disposition told her otherwise. "You sound awful," she managed a second-long smile followed by a second-like laugh which she then turned her silver eyes downcast at her feet as they walked side by side. She felt strangely comfortable yet uncomfortable all the same. This guy was a stranger, one that she knew wouldn't care whether or not she found her brother. Kat knew from others tales that lone wolves that were complete strangers usually did not care for another, or another's past. It was as if the other simply didn't exist. It was understood to her that after they left this place, there would be nothing left at all besides a blur of a moment.

Something was definitely wrong with him. The hybrid did not like how he was actually enjoying the company of the chocolate female – this was precisely why he avoided interactions with strangers. Speaking more than what was necessary only led to problems, which was also why the seafoam-eyed yearling hadn’t shared his name with her yet. He craved anonymity and hardly ever gave out his name – he was not interested in learning the names of others as he never planned on seeing them a second time. The inky teen was more comfortable living as a rogue – there were no responsibilities; no attachments. He didn’t want anything holding him back when he decided to move on. It was this girl, this complete stranger, who was causing his thoughts to crash into each other in a contradictive manner. With his bright eyes focused on the fading sunlight ahead of them, the hybrid acknowledged her comment with a nonchalant shrug, a frown creasing his dark lips. “Worse than awful,” he replied in a soft tone as he struggled not to glance over at the chocolate girl. He wanted her to forget about him – it would be difficult, considering how irresistible the hybrid was, but he wasn’t looking for a friend. At least, half of his mind wasn’t. The other half was seriously considering getting to know the silver-eyed girl beside him. “I’ll be the worst thing that ever happened to you.” There. Maybe that would frighten the coffee-coloured girl away.

Katrina might have been somewhat anti-social and appreciate anonymity as much as her escort did but she was willing to step out of bounds occasionally. It had been an unexpected surprise to her that she was speaking with in such a fluid manner. Sure, she stammered a couple times in his presence but that was normal for the young girl. Her shyness usually clung to her form like sap, keeping her from really knowing anyone aside from her closest family. And he, this strange stranger, was definitely not family yet she was still talking to him.

"How so?" So far she couldn't see him being awful, worse than awful or even miserable to her life. She saw it was more of a mystery, something she couldn't quite put a finger on. Who was he? Where did he come from? And why was he so against fulfilling his confidence in himself? Through his words she felt his downward portrayal of himself but through his posture she could see a certain sense of vanity. A pride that could not be contained.

It seemed that Styx was having the complete opposite effect on the silver-eyed female that he had wanted. For whatever reason, she was growing more confident by being around him and was stuttering less as the conversation continued. Once they left the shadowy forest the hybrid wanted to run away as far as possible from the chocolate stranger, but he also wanted to stay at her side and keep her company. Which was completely ludicrous, as it went against everything that the rogue stood for. The silver-eyed siren was all wrong for the inky knight – he knew that if he didn’t do something now, she would be his downfall. The frown that creased his dark lips deepened at her question, brows furrowing as he continued to avoid her cool gaze. Although he was enjoying the light banter being tossed back and forth, the hybrid needed to change the subject – and fast. The shameless flirting was a distraction that Styx didn’t need; he needed to ensure that when they parted ways she would be nothing but a nameless face. “How come you’re looking for your brother?” Pleased with the topic change, the mutt offered her a thin smile while still keeping his gaze focused on the direction they were headed in.

Kat was much too naive to realize that they were flirting, she simply thought that they were sharing conversation to get past the journey they were making. Pretty sure they would reach the end, she assumed, then he could go on his way. Even by her shy stature and habit of pushing others away, she wasn't truly sure why she was searching for her brother. Besides the obvious reason that they were family and even closer than that, they were littermates, she didn't have much of any other reason. She loved him and she wanted to be there to make sure that he was safe. Maybe once she saw him safe and well-taken care of either by himself or another she might go back home but she still seemed to be wandering aimlessly.

"We're f-family," she added though mentally felt him slap her for the obvious statement, "I wanted to make sure he is s-safe." Wouldn't all siblings want to make sure that their littermates were well taken care of? If she somehow found out that Aquilo was hurt, kidnapped, or in any way in the middle of danger she didn't know what she would or could do besides figure out a way to help. After all, he was the closest thing to 'love' that she had ever felt and it wouldn't have been fair for her to let him walk away.

By her response it was even more apparent that they were complete opposites. She was worried about her brother and had followed him, whereas Styx was confident that he would never see his siblings again after they parted ways. And the hybrid was not saddened by the possibility of never seeing them again – they had chosen their path, and he had chosen his. They would live separate lives and perhaps, if fate was on their side, they would find their way to each other in the future. Until then, the mutt was perfectly comfortable not knowing where they were or what they were doing. He had made it very clear to his littermates that he would not be joining them, and Styx wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t even want to see him again. Unlike most, the yearling was not fazed by the lack of family – he didn’t need them. He had chosen to live the life a rogue, and intended to remain a longer until he deemed it was necessary to join a pack. Words failed to form at the tip of his tongue, brows narrowed as he searched his thoughts for something to say. For once, the hybrid was trying to avoid one of his typical snarky responses – for some bizarre reason, he actually enjoyed her company (although he would deny it if asked). As he struggled to find something normal to say, Styx realized that a silence had fallen over the pair, and it begun to suffocate the inky knight. While he was generally accustom to silence, the boy felt as though he was drowning in it. “I’m sure he’s fine,” the boy mumbled finally, the words sounding awkward as they stained the air. Idiot. He had been so desperate for something to say that the words that he finally spat out sounded moronic and the hybrid swallowed hard to choke down his embarrassment. “Are you two close?” More stupid words fell past his lips as the boy mentally cursed at himself, pointed ears flattening against his skull. He didn’t even care and it pained the hybrid to even pretend – something about those bright, silver eyes had the inky yearling acting like an blundering imbecile.

i can haz steal your code?

It was by a random happen stance that this boy had her thinking idly to herself, picturing herself finding her brother but then coming up shorthanded. What would she say when she did? Or what would she do? It wasn't like the she had the strength to drag him back home nor the skill of convincing him to leave, so what was her purpose? Did she even have a purpose? Katrina didn't know what was possible and it only took coming all this way and talking to a complete stranger to realize that she was at a loss of future ideas. Now, she just seemed like a little girl who wished to follow her brother around because he was 'cool' and she, well... she just wasn't. Kat hoped he was fine; safe and happy. Wherever it was that he had now ended up but she wondered if maybe she should just stop her chase on Aquilo and simply return home. She didn't know anyone here and this guy was the first one she had met and while he was certainly handsome to look at, he wasn't her glue to the land. "Um," she answered somewhat pathetically as she looked to her paws for words that might bounce off her tongue and come back to her, "I think I'm c-closer to him than he is to m-me." Did that make sense? Katrina had never seen him be attached to her but maybe she was just looking at it the wrong way. Assuming things about him that she didn't even know, as Kat was pretty skilled at picturing everything running against her including her own thoughts. Before she had time to ask if he had any siblings that he may or may not be close to, she realized that they were no longer in the Forest. This meant the end, right? "I guess we have run out of forest," she commented idly as she gazed timidly up at him as she expected that he would or would not say a simple goodbye then depart for another place. There were probably other, more important wolves that he had to get back to.

u can haz all da codez Prior to crossing paths with the silver-eyed female Styx had been perfectly comfortable being on his own – it was what he was good at, what he preferred. However, during their walk together the hybrid had grown comfortable in the presence of the chocolate stranger. He was still itching to get away and explore the neighbouring lands on his own, but part of him wanted to stay by her side and ensure that she found her brother. But, that wasn’t his problem. She was most certainly not his responsibility, nor should he care what happened to her after they parted ways. He didn’t even know her name; he didn’t want to. If he had a name attached to her face it would make it harder to forget her. While wrapped up in his thoughts the mutt only managed to catch the end of her response, so he nodded quietly to show that he understood what she had said. Which he sort of did. It was similar to the relationship he had with his littermates – they wanted to travel with him and adored their oddball brother, whereas Styx wanted to be on his own. Until he was old and incapable of travelling, the hybrid would remain as a rogue (unless, of course, he had a good enough reason to join a pack). “I guess we have run out of forest.” Her voice snapped the yearling away from his thoughts, thin legs instantly ceasing their movement as he allowed his seafoam gaze to settle on her. Already? Swallowing hard, he quickly redirected his gaze to his large forepaws, a frown cutting into his maw. If they didn’t part ways now Styx was worried he would never leave her side – which was a dangerous and foreign concept. “Oh,” he replied lamely, bright eyes still focused on his dark paws. “So we have.” Styx sure had a way with words.

gud. cuz imma steal all ur goodiez. Secretly she began to wonder why it was he had volunteered to help her out in the first place. It wasn't like she couldn't have gotten out on her own. She didn't have any particular direction she needed to go it, hadn't instructed him which way to go but she had followed him out regardless. It hadn't been torture to follow him but it had been something, whether it was a good or bad thing. It wasn't like she didn't like his company or that she did, but she was comfortable with having someone walk next to her. For a brief moment, she had forgotten all about how she was ultimately the underdog. How she perceived herself as the weakest link and likely could be killed in an instance, even though she wasn't like that at all. She was strong, but growing up she had never quite broken out of her shell. Whilst staring at her toes and then burning into his face (hoping that they'd somehow lock eyes even for a second), she made the comment of their journey coming to an end. The young boy didn't exactly tell her that they could walk a little further, nor tell her his name or even screeching at her to get lost but she knew what usually happened here. They were still strangers and strangers they would continue to be. Thank you, she muttered with a quick smile before turning around and venturing in a direction that she wasn't so sure of. This place was a mystery, nothing was familiar and everything felt like a shadow.

<333 Well shit. This was what Styx had wanted the entire time – to escape the depths of the forest and leave the coffee-coloured stranger to find her brother – but now he was having second thoughts. No. The coyote-wolf suppressed a growl that threatened to escape his chest, brows furrowed as he shooed away all thoughts of remaining with the girl. She seemed just as eager as he was to part ways, and the yearling wasn’t about to say anything that would change her mind. It was time for both of them to move on – she would go looking for her brother and hopefully find him, and he would just wander until his paws told him that he couldn’t move any further. The boy glanced over at the silver-eyed girl one last time, hoping to catch a glimpse of her mercury pools, but she had already turned away. With one last attempt to redeem himself and push aside all those stupid thoughts that had clouded his judgement, the hybrid offered one last retort before turning away: “You’re welcome, mudpie. Don’t miss me too much.” As the words fell off his cherry tongue, the boy turned around and headed in the opposite direction. After a few, long strides Styx broke out into a jog, pointed ears stretching to the sky as he began to search for somewhere to rest for the night- preferably somewhere as far away from the nameless stranger as possible.