Silverlight Terrace i don't know how you do what you do

AW, but was hoping for @Floki! they seem to be having similar problems right now and i'm curious to see them interact!

The days had become longer and hotter, and Aria felt even more useless as the days went on. She now resorted back to the borders, hoping that Casmir would appear along them again. Of course, he never did, and she began to lose hope. Soon, the girl resorted to venturing outside the territory, looking for him as she viewed territories she'd never seen before. The pale princess hunted, bringing back prey for her pack in hopes that Lasher would not deem her as useless as she felt- but she was more distant than she should have been.

Now, she wandered somewhere different. It was south the Donnelaith borders, but it was unlike anything she'd ever seen before. She sniffed for her once-lover with dwindling hope, her expression dull; he was nowhere to be found here. Aria sat, her tail falling limply beside her. The beautiful girl sat silently in the night, staring at her paws, drowning in thoughts and worries. 

Oooo...

Sleep hadn't come easily for Floki the last few nights, and after tossing and turning for a few hours, he finally took to his paws. He left Wildfire slumbering and crept away, moving on silent feet to avoid waking her. Under the twinkling stars, he stole down the northern face of the mountain, with no real destination in mind. Before he knew it, he was traipsing across the border and into neutral territory.

Silverlight Terrace stretched before him, living up to its namesake in the moon's milky glow. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling momentarily weightless; it was like he had left his troubles behind on the rocky slopes of Moonspear. When he opened his eyes, exhaling through his nostrils, he froze. His gaze landed on an ethereal figure, and he thought of Mason and Allure -- he had met both wolves under the pretense of night, when shadows hid even the deepest secrets.

This time, he was sure that it wasn't a ghost he was looking at. It was a she-wolf, and she looked rather dejected. Without moving to close the gap, he called out, "Are you okay?"

She had scented him before he had come, but Aria had become someone who was rather keen on strange males- regardless of her history. The young girl didn't actually think he would approach, but soon enough she found she could barely hear the gentle crunch of grass as he stepped, meaning he was coming closer. She waited, perfectly still, until he finally spoke, his voice lower than she'd perhaps expected. Aria looked up to him, her eyes staring directly into his for no good reason. Her own were white, almost reflecting the entire moons image in their iris'. She stared at him for a moment longer before shifting her rump and staring forward again. 

"No... Are you looking for him?" she replied simply, rearranging his question into her answer. It was not a real answer, but she thought it to be rather funny. She smiled briefly at her own, pathetic joke before her lips rested again, overcome once again by a brief wave of thoughts. Her gaze shifted to the other, and her shoulders shifted, almost as if hesitating. "I wouldn't mind some company," she called out hopefully, tail thumping weakly against the ground.

When she turned to look at him, he was shocked by the color of her eyes. Never before had he seen a wolf with such a pale gaze. He stared for a long moment before her response broke the silence. Floki canted his head with confusion, unsure of whom she referenced, but when she invited him closer he obliged. A few long strides brought him to her side, and he seated himself before giving her a quizzical glance.

"Who are you looking for?" he pressed. Floki hadn't actively been searching for anyone, though had he come across a wolf with Goober's description, he might have attacked without thinking. From what Charon had said, though, Wildfire's assailant had gone north, and he could only hope that their friend from Neverwinter Forest could help track him down.

The girl watched him, subconsciously pressing her shoulder to his when he sat. She longed for warmth, for contact... Casmir had always offered those, they were the most basic of interactions- and yet she knew they could always go further had she asked. She shrugged. "His name's Casmir," she told him quietly, hoping he wouldn't move farther away after she had touched him, even if it was just barely. She looked to the other for a moment, "I don't suppose you've heard of him?" she then asked, a flicker of hope entering her diamond white eyes.

He stiffened slightly when he felt her slight weight against his shoulder. Floki was a friendly enough wolf, but was gradually becoming more wary of strangers. She seemed harmless enough, however, and there was something safe about the nighttime. He briefly thought of his brother, who preferred the darkness because of his eyesight, then relaxed his posture.

"Casmir? No, can't say I know anyone by that name," he replied apologetically. He felt bad, although he had no responsibility for the nameless she-wolf and the odds were slim that he would have known this Casmir anyway. "Who is he?" he asked after a pause.

"A close friend," she responded quietly, the hope draining once again from her eyes. "Perhaps a lover, I guess I'll never know," the girl then muttered softly, releasing her weight from the other and sitting upright again. Her gaze lingered to the ground in front of her before she looked back up to the other. "I apologize, you don't need my problems- you do not know me," the pale princess shook her head. 

 "My name is Aria January," she told him, her tail thumping weakly against the ground. "I come from up north, the pack of Donnelaith." 

Perhaps he didn't care, and maybe he wouldn't return his own name or pack, but she found it was polite that she at least do it. She stared at the light-grey man before her, studying his features before staring another way. "What brings you out so late?" she then asked, forcing their brief interaction to continue.

A friend -- a lover. Her answer only skimmed the surface, indicating that there was much more to be said about Casmir. But Floki wasn't one to pry, and even he could tell that it was a sensitive subject as she apologized and changed the topic, introducing herself as Aria of Donnelaith. He wasn't overly familiar with the pack, but did remember that they had taken up near the coast, close to Stavanger Bay. Wildfire was acquainted with their Beta, and related to him by marriage, but that was all he knew.

"Well, I'm sorry about your -- friend. My name is Floki. I'm from Moonspear," he replied, gesturing over his shoulder with his snout. The mountain loomed watchfully behind them. As for what he was doing in a neutral territory in the middle of the night, he shrugged his shoulders. She didn't want to burden him with her troubles, and he would pay her the same respect. "I couldn't sleep, so I just decided to go for a walk," he replied.

Aria looked forward still, smiling slightly. "Floki," she murmured softly, his name rolling off her tongue as she said it. The name was as gentle as he was, it seemed, and she deemed it extremely fitting for the Moonspear wolf. "A handsome name for a handsome man," she commented aloud, but did not move towards or away from him. She simply stared. 

"I always walk when I can't sleep," she shared to the other, her head remaining forward but her eyes falling on him. "No woman to hold you down at night?" she teased him, smiling with a dry sort of amusement. There was nothing funny about it, really, but she smiled away way. She only meant to flirt, unknowing of his own problems. It was in her nature, to come on strong to men, she couldn't really help it.

The corners of his lips twitched into a shy smile at her compliment. It was nice to hear kind words spoken by a stranger, though when he glanced at her he found that she was simply staring into the darkness, unblinking. A moment later, she turned her head to look at him, and he found himself gazing into those eerie eyes once more. Her next question caught him off guard, and he shifted slightly, peering out into the moon-soaked meadow.

"Not exactly. It's complicated," he replied, a firmness to his words that indicated that he didn't want to address the subject further. It wasn't his story to tell; and besides, he had come to Silverlight Terrace to avoid thoughts of Wildfire and Goober for a few hours. When the sun rose, it would be time to return to reality.

He suddenly took to his feet with a suggestion. "Since we both came here to walk, let's go," he said, even as his paws moved him forward. A midnight stroll would do them both some good, perhaps.

The girl paused, finding herself staring into his own eyes as he repsonded. Was it possible he took was having the same problems as her? Had someone he loved walked out of him? She did not understand, but did not pry. He did not seem to want to share, and she would not force him. Aria smiled, dipping her head politely to him. "Of course," she murmured, "I'd love to."

The pale fae stood, bowing as she stretched briefly. When she stood straight, she watched Floki for a few moments before she moved along after him, her hips swaying as she went. This time, she said nothing, wondering if he would fuel their conversation or leave the silence to engulf them.

She obliged him twofold, by refraining from asking him about his love life and by accompanying him on a walk. The first few strides were taken in silence, and while he knew next to nothing about her save for her name, it was companionable. Still, he searched his mind for something to say, and defaulted to a topic that he often breached with acquaintances.

"You're from Donnelaith. How do you like the coast?" he asked, his tone warming at the mention of the sea. It would always hold a special place in his heart. "I used to live near there -- Stavanger Bay," he elaborated. Had Charon and Amekaze not initiated the move to Moonspear, they would have found themselves with next-door neighbors upon Donnelaith's arrival. He wondered what his brother would have thought about that.

"I love it," she responded, almost as if trained to do so. She did love it, she wasn't lying, but lately it'd become eerily foreign to her. It was Casmir's fault, the girl hadn't even realized yet that her only friend in the pack had gone. Perhaps Eilidh would stay, or maybe she'd leave. There was too much changing for a girl who loved to stick to what she knew.

"Stavanger?" Aria repeated, her ears perking. "I know that place- it's actually pretty nice, I usually hunt there. Did your pack move to Moonspear from there?" She asked, her white eyes peering at his face with interest. "Lasher, my Alpha, mentioned the pack moved their from a place called Blacktail Deer Plateu, but I've never been there before," she added, feeling the need to mention that her own pack had moved before. It wouldn't have mattered much, but she felt it was a good addition to their conversation.

She quickly responded, saying that she loved living near the ocean, but it almost sounded like an automatic rejoinder. Floki didn't know her well enough to be sure and she moved the conversation along anyway, so he focused instead on her next words. He felt a slight jealous twinge when she said that she used Stavanger Bay as hunting grounds; he could have guessed as much, since Donnelaith was so close by, but he still felt possessive of his former home.

"Yeah, my brother decided to move us when our numbers dwindled. We merged with some wolves from another pack called the Sunspire," he replied, the envy slipping away as he spoke of the circumstances that had drawn them away from the bay. It would always hold a special place in his heart, but Moonspear was home now. "I haven't been to the plateau either," he added; he knew that Donnelaith had moved, just like they had -- and he knew this because he and Wildfire had run into one of its members while visiting Stavanger Bay just a few months ago.

He felt another pang, though this one was different. He suddenly felt guilty for sneaking away from Moonspear in the dead of night and leaving Wildfire asleep in their den. He cast a quick glance over his shoulder, thinking that perhaps it was almost time to go back.

"A pack of the mountains?" she asked, mostly assumed. She had heard of the Sunspire Mountains, but was unaware of a pack that had once inhabited them. She was still relatively new to Teekon, so perhaps it made sense, but she scolded herself occasionally for not being more aware of her surroundings. 

She glanced to the male, seeing him turn his head briefly, and stopped in her tracks. Her icy white eyes stared at him for a moment, and she dreamed of sins to heal her broken heart. She felt he was physically weak enough to take her up on the offering of herself, but she could not decide how strong his willpower was. Her luminous iris' stared for moments more, radiating desire and concern, but she could not bring herself to throw herself at him, and broke her stare. "You should return to your pack," she told him quietly, but made no movements herself to leave. She would continue her wandering if he left, she would search longer for Casmir.

They should meet up again soon! :D

She asked of the Sunspire's origin, and Floki's only response was a distracted bob of his head. Then, after a brief silence, Aria's voice came again, softer this time. He blinked, drawing his gaze back to her as she urged him to return to Moonspear. There was something else in her expression that he couldn't quite read, almost like a smoldering in those pale eyes, and he looked away quickly.

"It was nice to meet you. Maybe I'll run into you near the coast sometime," he offered weakly, and then departed without saying anything further. He made his way back to Moonspear, but despite his guilt, he didn't feel any better as he settled outside the burrow where Wildfire slept.