they remain out of reach

She would once more enter into the mountains, a spring in her step and a tune on the wind. While no singer, she sounded pleasant enough for her own ears — for what that was worth. She eventually stopped by the Lake and found herself staring across a blanket of stars. Though they were not in the sky but on the ground. They cascaded over the soft ripples of autumn wind across the surface of the water. "Oooh..." she cooed, inching closer to the edge.

Mesmerized by the sight, Nikki almost slipped in. She caught herself, an uneasy giggle escaping her jaws. Her eyes nervously glanced around, feeling self-conscious. But perhaps because the man was too dark, she could not see him. Her eyes had been slowly adjusting to the sun; a shame, she much preferred night! Though when the man's voice broke the silence, she yelped lightly and backed away from where she assumed he was. "Oh, sorry! I didn't see you there!"

Which was fair, she supposed. He was the color of the night sky without the stars. Amethyst orbs locked onto her and she was reminded of a geode. "It's a nice night, yes?" she commented to try and soothe her frazzled nerves.

@Cavanaugh

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Day swiftly turned into night as the light began to fade over the mountains leaving behind it the blanket of black that followed close behind. Though he didn't dislike the bright light of day, there was a certain creature comfort that came with the darkness. Maybe it was because he could move unseen, blending with the shadows with ease and creeping away from prying eyes.

Water, he had travelled far in the rocky terrain and his throat ached with thirst - and so when he approached the scent of water that clung to the air, he didn't shy away from the woman who stood by its shores. Announcing himself with a gentle rumble in his throat to try and not surprise her... which he had failed to do as she jumped anyway.

Pressing forward, he didn't give her much attention as Cavanaugh's main focus was the water. Only keeping blackened ears turned in her direction to keep tabs on the woman. Greedily he lapped up the water, his inky tongue making swift work while she commented on the night.

A pause. 

Tail shifting its position from one side to the other in a calculative motion. “Yeah — it's nice.” Water dripped from his chin as he responded with sluggish words. 

Was she always this eager to talk to strangers, or did the girl have ulterior motives here?

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He didn't seem to want to talk — oh, she knows! He was just thirsty, maybe? That could be it. She smiles politely at the stranger, wagging her curly tail a bit to either side. "I didn't mean to bother you," she chirps as if she could read his mind. It was... perhaps an easy thing to read when another wasn't as vocal back!

"It would be rude to ignore you standing there" Nikki adds with a logical viewpoint. She had, in a sense, 'ignored him' and he had startled her. Oh, how failed first impressions go... "though I hadn't known you were there." She sticks her tongue out somewhat, like a cat after a bath. The woman appeared sheepish, closing one eye in a d'oh expression.

"You're like the inky night sky, but without the cloud cover to hide the stars. It's quite something!" She was babbling but she typically did that anyway. Erebus had also been completely black, however, she met that one during the day. An entirely different situation. With the stars radiating from the water's surface too... She could almost imagine he was tasting liquid starlight.

With a dreamy sigh, she looked back to the lake. It would be a shame if a pack claimed here. Nikki held the fleeting thought close, wondering if she'd be able to come back soon. "Do you live around here?" She asked, not looking at the male this time but across the water.

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“I'm not bothered.” Despite the sluggishness in his tone, he was quick to answer. He was honest about it - there was no reason for him to lie. They were like water and oil. Her chirpy and upbeat attitude having little effect on his mirthless outlook. The woman didn't want to come off as "rude", but how could he explain that it wouldn't have bothered him even a little had she ignored him? It wouldn't even have crossed his mind had they parted ways without saying a single word or even a glance of acknowledgement in either direction.

She commented next on his appearance. Bland. That's what he saw when he looked at himself in the water's reflection. Nothing but blackness stared back at him. Perhaps a glimmer of dim fangs but even they were dull in comparison to the pearly whites that others were armed with.

“I don't.” Where did he even come from? The only memories he retained was a mission and even that the shadow wasn't certain he had completed it or still working on it... It was all just static ball of yarn impossible to unravel. “I don't live anywhere.” He answered before she had time to ask what felt like... she might ask not now but any time should they meet again.

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She didn't say anything to his reply, perhaps lost in her own little world to really care. The important thing is that he was truly not bothered, though if he was bothered by her blabbering he kept it to himself. She took this as inspiration to continue talking. "I don't live anywhere too" Nikki responded brightly, not at all phased "I think I like it better. You aren't restricted to pack lands or feel like you have to be around to get a 'rank'... It can be nice to just wander off and be alone."

Oh, dear.

It suddenly hit her.

Nikki gasped lightly, her head whipping around to face the man. Her grey eyes were wide, mouth agape as if she had been struck by him. "Oh, no... Is that what you were doing?" She fretted quietly in her mind, like an alarm going off "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to intrude on your quiet time if that's true" Shut up, just shut up! But she couldn't, and she started again "I don't know when to shut up. Like right now. I can't... stop talking. I do not know why." She trailed off, at last, tittering a nervous giggle. Her eyes averted from his features.

But if she knew he didn't like his appearance, she would protest. He was quite nice to look at. Not 'busy' in any sense. Simple, but she had a feeling there was more to him than just looks. Even if she enjoyed the stars, she also liked the night. It was comforting.

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