Mount Apikuni death walks among you

There was a distinct fear that no matter how long she searched, she would never find Cypress or Rannoch again. She had started to believe that it would have been better for her to leave the wilds and search beyond the limitations that she had been born into. All her thought and yet she had not taken an action to leave; the ghoul had merely nestled down in a new location every night and waited for the morning to start her search again. The nearby packs had caused a great deal of anxiety in regards to finding the boys, so she had steered clear of them and kept mainly to the unclaimed territory. Lucy knew that it would not have been like them to spend their time as loners, but that they would have suited a pack quite well.

Trekking across the rocky slopes on slender limbs, the inky girl kept an eye out for passersby that she would wish to avoid conversing with. The little shadow was more fond of her travels for the sights than the company. As the thought passed her mind, Lucy frowned and wondered if she would be fortunate enough to see Skwol again, or if he had thought her childish and departed. The latter would surely have broken her heart, but she understood it well enough to toy with the thought a while longer. For all the unfortunate things that had fallen her, the ghoul still had a shred of optimism in her bones. It kept her searching.

The scent of another crossed her nose, and the inky youth canted her head in the direction of the aroma. There was something familiar about it, but a familiarity that brought a fresh wave of fear. The morbid curiosity that dug against the lining of her stomach was all that it took for her to be urged forward. The shadow moved in a prowl, stretching the length of her legs out as far as she could reach and stepping on light paws.

At the river there was a dark creature, bent to drink. Something about him was strange, though, as though she could smell his broken state. Lucy watched him for a short while, trying to determine what could have drawn her attention so tightly to his cloaked frame. It was not until he had lifted his skull that she saw the radio collar on his neck. Her fur bristled immediately and she hunkered down behind the nearest stretch of brush or stone that would conceal her. With ears pinned flat to her skull, she peered over her cover at the larger male. The warm copper of his eyes reminded her of Skwol, if this had been his dark twin. Without the strength to inch closer, she merely followed behind him at a short distance and debated confronting the male.

The ghoul was familiar with the harshness of the human beings. She had only just shed her own collar of rope that had dug a scar into the back of her neck. This stranger did not seem as though he was at all perturbed by the thick leather that sat snugly against his coat. Lucy did not understand how it could be. She watched him just long enough to see him curl into a tightly stitched ball. Once he had gotten himself into a comfortable position, the shadow emerged from her hiding place and crept closer.