while i pondered, weak and weary

The man came down to the water, gazing into it's mirror so as to witness the reflection of the moon upon it.

So delicate, wavering only slightly.

His eyes, ablaze as they always were, drifted down from the moon to stare at himself.
He could barely see himself. If it were not the silver atop his back or the orange-ness of his eyes, he would be ghost even to himself.

The rush, the adrenaline, the fire- it burnt out now. No longer chased, no longer angry, just at the bottom of his own well of emotions.
For surely he did maim his sibling, and surely he did die.
Was it his own actions and feelings that drove him to do it, or did the moon truly plague his brain with rage.
He couldn't tell.

The sound of the waterfall like white noise in the back of his brain, stirring over thoughts of the past. The future as well, though it held no true importance to him now.

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It was odd for the leopard to be on the ground this late. She had never been a fan of the dark, much preferring the daylight where she could enjoy nature in all its glory. But tonight an exception could be made. The crickets sung in the distance, and the moon was beautifully bright. Night also had one advantage over the day, it was much cooler. Which made the journey from the cold mountainside much more tolerable for her thick fur. Still Hibiscus found herself wandering towards the lake, as she usually did to cool off.

A figure standing on the shore caught her off guard. Who would be visiting her lake at this indecent time? The woman crouched low to the ground, hoping that the stranger hadn't seen her. She was known to give wolves the benefit of the doubt when it came to lending her trust. And if the last wolf who held her company was any indication of that, so far it had worked out for her. But somebody who traveled alone in the dead of night didn't exactly signal trustworthiness to the feline. Which could possibly be seen as hypocritical, as she herself was alone at this time, but that certainly didn't count.

She would try to maintain some level of stealth as she walked around the canine. His scent confirmed he wasn't apart of a pack, or at the very least any she was familiar with. The snow leopard remained some distance away before speaking, crouched in the undergrowth so she wasn't visible. She'd keep her voice low, but nonthreatening as she called out
“What brings you here traveler?”

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He jolted a little bit to the sudden voice and flipped his head around to spot them.
A cat, of whatever species, who crept around to meet him. He watched them for a moment, mulling over how he felt about them.

When it came to other creatures of paler coloring, the lore was vague. For the most part, the only creatures he remembered as a child who faced any persecution were ones who actively defended the children of the sun.
And this was a cat, a creature of the night. Cats he thought of fondly, and it eased his heart ever so.

So finally after all his silence, he answered her question.
"Rest and thought." He shrugged a little, knowing he could probably elaborate further but, decided it wasn't the time for it.

"Yourself?" His head cocked forward and to the side, in a way- playfully curious, though his face held no particular expression.

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Sorry for the wait

---

After he gave his answer she would move forward. He seemed polite enough by the way he took her presence. In a way he passed some sort of vibe check she hadn't even been aware of. Facing the man, she took a seat next to the shore.

“The stars I presume” She answered. “They wouldn't let me sleep tonight” Her lengthy tail draped across the edge, resting in the cool water. His face was hard to discern as he spoke, which bothered her slightly. She liked to be able to read the emotions of those she spoke too.

“This lake is my home” Hibiscus explained. “ Though I have no claim to the land” She had been here a while, nearly two years now. Though she had traveled across Canis many times since then. Still not many wolves came to this lake, which may be why she felt the need to leave frequently. It certainly wasn't the beauty of the lake that made her compelled to travel. So she tried her best to make anyone who stumbled across her path welcome.

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His mouth opened as if to say "ah", though no sound came out. He only closed it after a second and nodded his head.

"If I intrude terribly, do inform me."
The man said sincerely, far too within his own head to deal with the awkwardness of sticking around where you're not welcomed. He looked into the water, again a contemplative thought that stirred for a while.

"It was more likely the moon than the stars." The man referred to her previous statement, of stars disturbing a restful night. "The stars are the dark ones who have fallen, and now rest." His eyes drifted upwards, aglow reddish orange in his eyes letting her reflect upon their centers.
"She enjoys watching her children of the night play." He wound nod at the moon as he spoke, letting the cat know whom he meant by "she".

As he was told when he was younger, most likely. Wolves of his caliber were seldom found roaming the earth in the height of the day. Perhaps biological, of their kind and their faction, though they all believed their insomnia was presented to them by the moon herself. She wished to see them in her light alone, so loving in her ways.

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