King Elk Forest drive my heart into the night

North was a very vague direction, the Ghost knew. There was North, North-East, and North-West and he had no idea what lay in wait for him in any of them. It was particularly true that he had not been raised — no trained — to think about the future or, more specifically, his own. There was only the here and now, only the next mission. Now the prospect, vast and abysmal lay bare before him he had no idea how to decipher it. He did not know what to do with the power of being in charge of his own life. He didn't much like it. He had been molded to need The Officer or to find someone to replace him (because surely he wasn't going to live forever even if Ghost hadn't cut it short by a few years). Where? How? Life was a complicated mess. It was chaotic and Ghost found he much rather preferred the simplicity of being a tool, a means to an end.

Sounds of soft footfalls fell upon his alert ears and with a swiftness Ghost's ears perked atop his skull, the hackles bristling along his spine as he turned to face her with a snap to his movements, his muscles tensing with caveat. Cold, predatory silver eyes sized her up as she let out the soft chuff, took her in. Smaller than him. Dainty. Brown fur that caught in the light of the setting sun appeared to be waved of gold. The wraith might have even been so bold as to call her pretty but any shallowness he'd once had as a boy had been punished out of him. What did attractiveness matter when his only purpose in life had been to assassinate? It was instinct, of course, and purely superficial to the extent of the science that gave towards their own whole basic existence: to breed.

He supposed she was optimal mate for spawning children but the idea seemed so ridiculous and trivial to Ghost that he dispelled it moments before she spoke to him. Her tone was calm and she did not immediately flee, which was...commendable. He was known to inspire wariness: that was normal to him. He was quiet for a long moment before his lips parted and he spoke simply, albeit gruffly: “I'm fine.”. It was a lie as he spoke it, of course, he was far from fine. Yet, that wasn't any of her business and not a topic he deigned to talk to a complete stranger about.