treasure hunter, you are dead

Tonight, she felt fortune and luck stirring within the sky's belly - she was no prophetess and no clairvoyant by any means, but the way the stars sparkled tonight... it was just divine, wasn't it?
Indeed it was. Very akin to the cinder-pelted dame's liking, the looks of the stars tonight were enough to make her guts swirl with some sense of eagerness - or perhaps something other? Either way, she was unable to identify the feeling, but she knew it was there. Presenting itself in short bursts of scintillas that continued to flutter about her insides, as if little culvers had nestled in her ribcage and were now awakened by the enticing glow of the moon. Senersedee was not going to sleep tonight; nightmares from her past continued to find ways to itch at her subconscious at every attempt they had, and right now, she was all too fed up with it. If trying to sleep meant having to relive her past every time her eyes were closed, she was not going to even try. Besides, the welkin was quite clear at this time. Like beads of dew would lace the margins of a delicate leaf after early morning mizzles, it was a dark nothingness of a body neatly dotted with stars and distant planets.

Tonight, something felt different. Thus, Senersedee had made her way to the edge of one of the few places she was familiar with. The vast, crescent-shaped rift in the earth that was filled with the tears of immense gods and was blessed by both the brightness and the anguish of the moon herself. She personally paid little attention to the name-calling of the territories and more frequently referred to different sections of land with a quick description of their beauty. Some people called the location The Crescent Cove North. This cove was the place that she had woken up in in the first place - the first thing she discovered within this unfamiliar, orphic realm. She had no memory of how she got here, just that she'd suddenly woken up floating in the midst of the waters before being able to gently tug her presence closer to the shore. She'd noticed a pattern between voyaging about to wherever her wanderlust brought her and then suddenly finding herself having spent hours bathing in the waters. She didn't mind all too much - this strange, subconscious habit and the fact that she could never remember even entering the water in the first place didn't bother her.
   She had always been a lover of the moonwake, and this fact would remain unaltered throughout the rest of her life if she got her way. She saw bathing in the waters where the moon's light shone directly onto as a direct way to be in touch with the one figure she worshipped so much - the moon herself. It was tranquil, a generous lend of ataraxia - how could she resist the beckoning calls of her deity? She would bathe in the gumusservi for the rest of eternity if it meant she would be praised in death by the queen of the night herself. In the name of the moon, she would spite those of the sun for as long as she should live. She was never to forgive them for the cruel crimes acted out upon her and any other who followed the same moon as her. Any child born of shadows, detested by those of the light... all of those wolves were her friends. Her family.

Senersedee traveled to the edge of the grass, walking farther and farther down until there was nothing between her and the waters of the cove. She drew in a breath before silently muttering a prayer beneath it, her eyes focused only on the light of the moon. Then, she took one more step... then another and another until she found her paws could not reach the earth below the water anymore. The black figure closed her eyes for a brief moment.
   She breathed in, her chest rising beneath the blank waters.
   She disappeared below the surface and held herself down there for a few seconds, all while she internally mused a set of praises and thankful words to the moon. After all, she believed it was her reason alone why she'd survived.
    She breathed out, her chest sinking, bubbles forming a trail from her nostrils and up to the surface.
    She emerged from the water, her skin trembling beneath the weight of soaked fur. 
Senersedee elegantly trailed through the water, almost like an expert swimmer. When she emerged from its bed and stood back onto the shores, the first thing she did was carve a rudimentary 'drawing' out into the mud with her paw. A rugged circle shape with what was supposed to resemble the moon's position - currently a waning crescent - cut into it. It was nowhere near a perfect circle, but it was good for what good a wolf's paws could do. She then shook herself off, although wet fur still clung to her thin frame, revealing the desirably sylphlike shapes in her physique.

Senersedee had been here many times before, mapping out the cove, testing the waters, fishing here, all sorts of things. This was the place she was the most familiar with of all, and it was unlikely she'd ever travel far away... unless a purpose presented itself, of course.
  She knew the flowers that grew here, and she knew what types of fish swam about in the lake. She knew the avifauna that soared the skies, the fauna that roamed the trees, the poisons that loomed disguised as delicate flora in between harmless shrubs, and the herbs that repelled wolves with their strong stench. Here, she'd slept directly under the stars on the opposite side of the Crescent Cove several times... but tonight, something was telling her to stay on this side of the water. perhaps, just perhaps, she would encounter someone interesting enough to speak to. She needed a distraction from the ferocious 'dreams'.

ooc: intended for nikita (buu).... sorry if it's a bit long IDK WAHWJjizmOLKAl
the staff team luvs u

Once more, she traveled south from the Tundra. It had taken her days to get here, but she found herself drawn to the waves and moon. The Cove was suitable to stargaze, and she sat on the sandy beach, unaware of the other's presence. Nikki often was whimsical but dense. She just arrived under the cover of stars, finding a place to sit and stare up. Her conversations with others about the stars are on her mind; fading in and out.

It had been nearly two months since she came to this world. Her first encounter was with a woman in the Plains, and they had chatted about stars and myth. Meeting others, fleeting sometimes they may be, had shaped her somewhat. She was near the Ripperwood, where she had promised Erebus a visit. His people, his followers, would like their fortune read. That is what he said anyway. The thought of being near a forming pack was strange. She was so used to those established.

Having left Duskguard behind, she was blissfully unaware of the summit and the problems in the mountains thus far. All her focus was on the night sky, her eyes lightening up when a shooting star crossed across the blanket. She wagged her tail, eyes following it as it cascaded.

the staff team luvs u

In the cold of night, Senersedee's water-ridden furs engaged her freezing skin like a cool, dark bastille. 
Dark grey clouds shrouded her pelt, standing even blacker against the night than before with the combined efforts of shadow and the water within her tufts.
In the dead of night, she felt far more comfortable than in the lambent glow of day, when the sun filtered through the thickets and spread its warm glow all over Canis.
The sun once cast her gaze on Senersedee when she was in need; a miserable youth, and turned away in disgust. Now, she would do the same. She hated the heat of the sun's rays and went out of her way to walk amongst the shadows. She felt oddly at peace here, even though her skin was freezing in the cold night and the lake's water, and even though her eyes could only pick out what they needed to. She saw the sky and the moonwake over the waters in the cove, and the trees and the shadows within them. All trivial details of the day were left out, and she had no issue with that. She could see what she needed to, and that was enough... She didn't care much for details, anyway.
  Senersedee shook herself off once, then twice, clearing out a bit more of the water from before. She didn't want to look messy and matted, though, so she allowed for thin layers of the cool cove's blood to continue trickling through her tufts, rippling down her spine as if purling through a brook. Her pelage slicked down like sleek black silks around her body, revealing thin curves and appropriate but small musculature.

In the distance, she barely picked out the whispers of The Nameless Mountain, its summit stretching for the skies. It lay to the opposite side of where she currently stood, and she could just faintly see the outline of its shadowy silhouette against the star-speckled, elysian background. Up there lived a pack of which she knew; Empyrean. During visits to both here and the surrounding territories, she'd heard a few things of the pack. She herself had never traveled to the mountain, for she was one to respect pack borders quite bluntly. That and, from what she'd heard, the wolves of Empyrean were fiercely protective of both their packmates and their lands. If she were to trespass, she was sure it would not be taken lightly. Senersedee was not one to look for trouble, and curious as she might be about the pack lives of the various wolves in these strange lands, she was not one to go where she wasn't allowed to go. It hadn't been so long since Senersedee had arrived here, so she knew not of many other packs... but she would like to. And when the time came, perhaps, she would join one - or stay a stargazing nomad and devoted follower of the moon for the rest of eternity.
   Within the sky, something caught her attention. A shooting star, trickling across the white-speckled screen with a lambent glow, fired from who knows where. She gazed toward it in awe, her eyes wide, but mouth closed. When she finally snapped her gaze away, something else seemed to have caught her attention. A silhouette draped along the edge of the sands, seemingly also focused on the sky. From over here, she couldn't really tell if they were, but they certainly seemed wolven, and they must be a loner as well if they are out there.

Hesitantly, Senersedee took a step toward them - just because they were a loner didn't mean they were necessarily good-willed. From what she could see, they seemed at least caped dark, albeit that may just be the acts of the shadows. They liked to be mischievous and fool the common eye, after all, but even so, she felt as if this time, she was right in her beliefs. Cooly, she called out: " Who's there? ", and awaited a response. She was unsure of whether or not the stranger was also versed in the common tongue. After all, when she arrived here, perhaps a month or two ago, she wasn't. And she still wasn't completely taught about it. She'd experienced complications with communication a few times when words unknown to her were spoken. She knew the basics, though, and picked up new words quickly, so hopefully, it wouldn't be of trouble. Senersedee had created something of a temporary den for herself near the cove, so if this was a frequent visitor, she'd want to know if they were friendly. She took a few steps forward, moonlight bathing her spine as she stepped into view of the stranger. They seemed nice enough, but you could never be too sure, especially if you're a wolf like Senersedee herself. " Were you watching the stars, too? " She gingerly sat down, albeit a small length away from the light-bellied woman just in case. Her eyes drifted to the stars, subconsciously mapping out their positions and formations within her mind.
the staff team luvs u

Nikki rarely flinched or started. She calmly looked toward the stranger, blinking twice before her eyes stilled. "Oh, I'm sorry" She didn't have anything to be sorry for but "did I startle you?" The woman was a bit tense and uncertain... Hesitant. She tried to lower her shoulders, her lean fur flat and her eyes warm and friendly "yes" she added at the inquiry, her muzzle drifting back to the open sky "I like looking at the stars over a body of water."

She lifts a pale limb to point at the cove's surface. "Look! You can see them both above and below us" And sure enough, one could. The sky above was very clear, the moon shining brightly as well as the stars. They reflected on the surface of the waves, only rippling when a wind came through "that way, you can't get a creak in your neck if you want to look." She giggled softly, wagging her tail. Nikki fell silent, staring in rapid attention up. Plus... She didn't want to force the other to talk.

She already seemed uneasy with Nikki's presence here.

the staff team luvs u

As one soul quickly rose to two within the starlit cove's seaboard, a mixture of energies drew into the breeze, choosing whether or not to settle.
Although the sudden presence of another being had surprised the corvid-dark nymph, she felt not all too unnerved with her. This dame, although certainly a wolf, certainly... kissed somewhat by colours that may refer to a lighter scheme on her unders, and certainly a stranger to which she had no direct line of familiarity to neither in blood or bond, something about their manners was delicately ovine, as if a whimsical lamb, but not immature, not childish. Still, the aura of which their pelt carried molted together with the scent that the salt brine carried from their fur and toward Senersedee herself convinced her enough to let go of the strings of taut muscle formerly pulled within her shoulders, a delightfully dark silken carpet of hackles laying back down (if the wet ones weren't already) to smoothen against her anatomy. Not that the tufts along her back or sides, heavy with contents of water, could raise much anyway, but if they could, they would've most likely fallen down by now to settle calmly against her skin once more. She was not the type of individual who fits into the 'easily spooked' category if you were to sort characters into such, albeit not one that ignored the obvious peril of a foreigner standing close to her home, - or perceived home, anyway. It wasn't anything permanent, after all, but it easily could be. And besides, it was where her temporarily moss-stuffed nest lay, and where she kept a few small trinkets she'd collected from the sands or undergrowth of the woods. She liked to collect interesting little items, and while their value was undebatably poor in terms of pure usage, she'd still be a bit upset if they were to be poached by a traveling pillager.

 She debated attempting to also coo out to them in the dark in a tongue that differed from the common one that most wolves around here used - just to test, just to see.. if there was any chance that this stranger may know some Valyrian, or even just Dothraki, or one of the other languages she'd acquired before waking up in Canis, she'd want to know. After all, she'd always felt more comfortable in those languages than in the English tongue... but still, they refrained from trying, from fear that suddenly speaking in a different language may confuse the stranger. And they didn't want to confuse her, for she seemed like a benign wolf, someone they may make friends with. She shook off her skull, sweeping thoughts from the inners of her skull as if brushing leaves from the ground with a light mitt. " No, don't worry, I just didn't assume there'd be anyone else out here, tonight. " Her voice was tainted by the accent of unknown lands, something that made her sound different from most wolves but not in a necessarily bad way. It was clear that she was a bit uncertain with her English from the slight pauses made that broke the length of some phrases, but she spoke it much better than when she first arrived here... which wasn't saying a lot, but still, it was saying something. " Me too... " Somehow, the enthusiasm that quickly found its way into the other's voice upon mention of the celestial body and its reflection in the cove also enlightened Senersedee herself. Her neutral complexion softly altered itself, and she offered a subtle but noticeable, friendly smile, inching a bit closer to the stranger. Her fur was still slicked down from the water, so she looked a bit thinner than usual.
  " That's right... My neck is often sore after stargazing anywhere else than here. " She looked back up, pointing her paw in the direction of a particular constellation by an elevation of her elbow. " It looks a bit like an oak leaf, doesn't it? " Only if you had the natural talent to connect the lines between the dots that were the stars could you see what she meant, but something told her that this wolf had been stargazing for a bit. They seemed to share that interest, much to her delight.

Senersedee breathed slowly and steadily, the sound of her whispering exhales and inhales almost soothing - rhythmic in pattern. She considered it for a few seconds, giving the stranger a side glance, wondering if they were one of the visionaries she'd heard of. Maybe an aspiring one? She'd been wanting to know what they were like for a bit, but she really couldn't make any assumptions, so she'd ask something easier, for now. " What's your name? I'm, Sen.. Senersedee. " Pronouncing her name in a way more fit to be understood by speakers of the common tongue sometimes proved a bit of an obstacle, as she'd only done it a few times by now.
the staff team luvs u

"A great many wolves enjoy the company of the night," she had met more than her fair share "I think it is because we are attributed to the night and the Lady Moon. A sort of night creature, a boogieman to some other species." A gentle laugh escaped her jaws. Oh, if only that was universally true! She had met some very nice people thus far. Night or day, it didn't matter much. Like a bat, a wolf was the 'theme' of the moon. Lions and eagles were the items of the Lord Sun.

"I'm Nikita. Nikki is fine though. It is nice to meet you," she added, following the dark woman's paw to view the leaf "do you know any constellations?" She asked "I'm not as versed in most of them as some, but I can pluck out Polaris and others. Travel guides" She smiled, though it is not smug at all "companions. Friends. Perhaps a more constant friend than I've had lately." She admitted this without a care, without dreariness or depression.

"Clouds do not have names or shapes" she went on "but we look at them still and give them those. Stars are dubbed from the start, by the gods. Perhaps the Sun does not care too much about His clouds, letting them take whatever shape they want?" Her head tilts to the side "oh forgive me... I tend to prattle a bit." A giggle.

the staff team luvs u

Crickets insistently hummed in the distance as the two wolves lightly conversed, buzzing ahead and ahead as if their lives all depended on their song.
As if they were humming to appease some form of eldritch gods who would otherwise step down upon the earth and devour them all, the little insects continued to buzz. Delicately paired with the low coo of nocturnally active birds, they came together into a continuous choir. It was both appealing to the dark moon-maiden herself, but annoying at the same time. She found several nights of sleep to be interrupted by the music of the little buzzers, but concurrently, something about it was soothing for her ears whenever she sought a moment of ataraxia. Now, in the moonlit night, she didn't exactly mind how the noise stirred within the starry sky, more so focusing on her company. When Senersedee fixed her posture into a more neat position, strokes of fur caressed the nearby mildew-blotched brush. The plants slithered up against one another every time a mild brush of wind touched them, paled by the white light that shone over them and agitated by the ginger zephyrs. She wasn't one to be bothered by the little things, nor one to look into them all too much. Only the gentle lapping of the cove's waters into the earth right before them truly caught her attention; serene and gentle, much to her liking. That was exactly why she had chosen to live so close to her - when she did sleep, she appreciated being able to fall into a gentle slumber, lulled by the purling of the water. That, and the view. Right on the coast, there weren't a lot of fluffy-crowned trees to obscure the vision of the sky. If no clouds dared make an appearance (which, they often did, but if she was lucky enough they wouldn't cover up everything) she would have a nice spot to stargaze from. Mapping out the different constellations and stars had always been a hobby of hers - or, it had been since she got here. Back at 'home', she was always sealed away in a dark room, so it wasn't as easy back then.

Whenever the other wolf spoke, she could sense a brief wave of relief gently lapping at the edges of her wettened skin. Her voice wasn't threatening in any way, and its general (but not exaggerated) cheer had some form of influence on her as a listener as well. And, every time the stranger spoke, she nodded along as well - always gesturing to her that she was still listening. It was hard to see now, after all, and although she didn't assume it happened so often, she may as well just doze off at random, and perhaps this benign she-wolf wouldn't even notice. Senersedee glanced at the other through her glacial optics, briefly pondering if what she said was true. Well, why shouldn't it be? She didn't think either of them had any reason to lie, especially not about something so simple. She hadn't met all too many wolves since her awakening here, and even less in the night than in the day, so she would have no way of knowing. Despite that, this foreigner seemed to have been here for at least a small while, so she must know more about the local residents than herself. Upon the mention of the Lady Moon, the dark-tainted woman herself briefly glanced back towards the sky, up at the glowing orb of light. The thought was comforting - that was, the thought that the moon was always watching over those born from her realm of dark and light. At least, at night, she watched. That was why Senersedee was more cautious in the day when the sun took charge. She didn't like the sun's blinding lights or the feeling of warm rays over her back as much as she enjoyed the pleasant, silvery cold of the night. Nikita. She internally repeated the name almost as soon as it was given, trying it out in the language of her mind. Constellations? She looked towards the sky and considered it for a moment. She knew of a few, but she wasn't so sure of the English names for most of the ones she was familiar with. " I'm familiar with a few, but only in different languages. " The woman admitted, though continued to regard the star-speckled sky with some kind of fondness.

When back at what was once 'home', she rarely got chances to stargaze. However, when she did, she mapped them out there as well. In Canis, so much was different - but somehow, the map of constellations and stars remained almost untouched by whatever power had brought her and others here. In tongues foreign to mostly everyone she had met here, she'd overheard the names of some of the formations upon the sky, though only when she was clinging onto life inside of the darkness, distracting herself with the sounds of those who lived outside of her restraints. She faintly remembered them, but she was looking more to learn of the names in the common tongue around these parts. " Oh? " She prompted, presuming a quiet observation of the caped wolf next to her. " I can relate. " Once more, her attention drifted towards the shaded skies above - drawn in by their elysian trills and lulls. She had never really had a companion, nonetheless a friend, but she was... hopeful, that in this place, she would make some. At the thought, her eyes briefly swiveled back to Nikita. She wasn't even sure how you made friends - did you ask, make it official, or was in an unofficial connection that led either part to naturally know who had become their friend? Out of uncertainty, she didn't dare inquire the other she-wolf. When she spoke once more, Senersedee thought better of her pondering and instead continued to listen along - taking occasional peeks back up towards the sky whenever she felt like it. Tonight, it was clear, and there was no trace of greyed heavens-wool to be found clustering up neither left or right. She didn't pay as much attention to clouds as stars, but she would occasionally study them in hopes of predicting what weather she should be prepared for next. The thought that the sun did not really care about his clouds sounded just about right to Senersedee. Though he frequently sent them to disturb the moon and her stars, he didn't even acknowledge them by giving them a name. Maybe it was because they were so inconsistent; always dying off into rain, greying, paling, and flying away. The stars were more reliable, so perhaps that was why some of them deserved monikers.
  " Don't worry; it's fine. I ... like listening to talking. " She muttered, though soon spoke once more: " I hope that's not weird; I want to expand my vocabulary. " 
the staff team luvs u

She chuckled kindly, flashing the other wolf a grin. "The thing about languages is that you must speak to them to be heard" Not always understood "and sometimes, like culture and religion, overlap." Greek and Roman pantheons were the same things in the end, with only their words and names being different. Zeus was Jupiter. Hera was Juno. The only difference was that the Roman gods reflected the stars, while the Greek gods were less physically manifested.

"So why your language may be different to ears, in the heart and mind... It is the same" Nikki fully believed what she spoke; she did not speak to prattle in random ideals. Each word was felt. Each belief is fully embraced. She turned her gaze to the stars above them. "why don't you point out some in your language, and I can see if I know them in my own?" They could make a little game of it! How wonderful. She did not seem put off by the woman's need to expand herself. Learning was its own reward.

She fully supported the thought of betterment and understanding. Especially when it came to oneself and the world around them.

the staff team luvs u