Suncrested

It was a beautiful day. The sky was the color of a robin’s egg. It was a deep, depthless blue that could captivate, and the birds that speckled its backdrop were singing in a panorama quartet. Kohaku could not help but wonder how many more days like this he would come to experience this season. The days were already growing shorter, cooler, an unspoken arrival for a winter he had been unprepared for. Even now the routines he had been used to in this strange new land were slowly fading away; The fireflies were gone from the night’s sky, and most of all the song birds had disappeared. All replaced by the blustery chill that now whistled through the trees.

The wind parted through the blades of grass, their dry bodies crunching together in the sway of the breeze. Carefully navigating his large body through the amber fields of foliage, Kohaku stepped delicately through the thin flaxen stems. His destination had been the strange gash that parted the land. It was a cove, shaped particularly like that of a crescent moon, as if the claw of some impossibly large creature had dug the trench.

Perching atop the cliff side, his dark body relaxed against the shore. A muffled crunch emitted from beneath his weight, the gasp of the plants that were pressed down below. His feet shot up toward the sky ungracefully as the male jostled himself upon the ground until he was fully upon his back, muzzle to the sky.

This was a perfect place to watch the clouds float in as the sun slumped below the horizon in a grand explosion of crimson and violet.

@Náli
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Náli carefully traversed the cliff, its steep descent offering a warning of common sense.  She'd timidly approached when she'd first encountered the edge of the earth, her eyes gazing out over the waters below to the land opposite.  The heavy winds that rushed the face of the cliff acted as a shield of sorts, moaning against her further actions as she leaned ever closer to peer down the sheer drop.  The earth beneath her paws were steady, but a single slip would meet an eternal darkness... or worse, a broken body.  She didn't linger long for fear of perishing in the depths of the water below, and simply angled her step to mirror the broken earth.

It was an odd sensation, to exist without reason.  Náli had no purpose in life, no direction that called.  She simply lived from one moment to the next, each day encouraging her to travel, to explore.  Despite all the questions that still lingered within her heart, she was hopeful that one day she would find meaning to life beyond keeping it.  She did not fear death, but the unknown was haunting.

A soft yawn drew her mouth open wide, her muzzle wrinkling with the effort as her teeth snapped shut.  Náli shook out her pelt, the light misting of water that had gathered with the breeze flinging into the air with the effort.  A shudder followed as the wind picked up, her fur tousling about her as she continued forward.  Lost in the moment, Náli soon found herself coming across the path of another wolf.  Had she not committed to walking the cliff's edge, she might have missed him entirely... 

She froze a moment, unsure what to do or say... but she remembered the kind words of the first wolf she'd encountered, and just how to recreate such a meeting.  The thought that this male might not be as kind as the first never crossed her mind.

Stepping closer, the breeze parting her fur from the side, Náli smiled softly as she gazed down upon the male that lay upon his back.  "Hello there." She offered demurely.  Her eyes lifted to the setting sun, its last rays of warmth fighting with the winter wind.  "Beautiful evening, is it not?"  She asked, her gaze returning to the male before her.

@Kohaku
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Chasing one formation of clouds to the next as they slowly traversed the sky, forming and reforming into a myriad of different shapes, Kohaku was much too immersed in the peaceful display to notice the soft sound of another coming nearer. His mind was so transfixed upon the atmosphere, the bright colors that had begun to streak their way across its depths in haphazard waves that he hadn’t even noticed the delicate notes of her scent as she approached. It wasn’t until two very odd, very familiar appearing eyes met his gaze from above that the boy sucked in a breath and erected his body upright.

Kissed upon the corners, his ears swiveled to capture the sound of her voice. It was polite, gentle. A sweet sound that held every bit of innocence and naivety as a child’s, and it brought forth a smile to his dark satin lips. Kohaku’s ears flittered backwards apologetically before he spoke, his smile faltering briefly before his lips reclaimed the tender expression. “I didn’t know anyone else was up here..” Something akin to embarrassment had flickered through his eyes, but the acknowledgment was a subtlety. “It is! The scenery from up here is quite… breathtaking.” Mismatched eyes flittered over the hills and valleys that mapped the horizon with swells of color and shadows, the two coming together to form something of a piece of artwork within the boy’s mind.

“Do you live near by?” His ear flicked as his gaze gradually traveled back to hers, a near perfect mirror of his own. It was in this moment he allowed his eyes to drift, to wonder across her body, noticing the similar palette the two had shared before his attention would return to her slender face. Had he not known any better, the two could have perhaps passed as siblings, save for the fact that she was much smaller than he. The boy’s brow quirked, his head shifting off to the side ever so slightly as he awaited her answer.

It had been a few weeks now since he had found himself waking up to a soft silent cascade of rose petals as he lay beneath a canopy of crimson colored leaves. He had accepted the unknown for the most part, and yet still a part of him was unsatisfied by that answer. Content to explore this new realm, it hadn’t been at the forefront of his goals and yet it remained this nagging little reminder that occasionally scratched upon the far corners of his brain. Where were they?

@Náli
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The moment his eyes met hers, Náli found herself instantly lost within them.  This was a first... meeting someone with similarities as she.  Like she, his eyes were different from one another.  One as blue as the sapphire touches of an ocean... the other seemingly made of ice.  Her head tilted softly as he spoke, hearing his words... but still very much captured by his face.  She took a step forward without meaning to do so, her head lowering to further look upon him.  Upon closer inspection, she could see his lighter eye didn't have the same cloudy effect that her own seemed to have.  Then again, she truly didn't know just how vivid of color her eyes were due to the surface in which had reflected wasn't exactly clear itself.  Still, she wondered if he had similar sight issues as she... and, if it was perhaps more normal than she knew.

Her gaze shifted from his, drinking in the white patch that streaked across his muzzle and shaped his eye made of ice.  He was handsome in his imperfections... more naturally touched than whatever had sculpted her own existence.  Náli suddenly smiled softly, realizing herself as she stepped back.  "Sorry."  She spoke in a whisper, her cheeks burning as the blood rushed to her face.  Only after a moment did she realize he'd asked her a question, and blinking, Náli shook her head softly.  "No, I... I don't live anywhere."  It sounded more pathetic than it felt.  While she wondered who she belonged to... if anyone at all, she wasn't consumed by the lack of true memory.  Obviously she had to come from somewhere... from someone, but not knowing didn't haunt her dreams or plague her waking moments.  She was just... curious.  More so, she was hopeful.  Hopeful that someday, somewhere, she would find where she was meant to be.  For now, she was just... living.

Her gaze had wandered from his, looking out over the view, then behind her, as if contemplating her own answer.  Finally, she looked back toward the male, her eyes soft as she looked deeply into his.  For one with so little knowledge, so eager to learn and explore... Náli sure didn't have as many questions as she probably should.  Lowering her gaze, she looked away briefly before turning back to the male with a soft gasp of realization.  "I'm sorry... my name is Náli."  At least she knew that much...

@Kohaku
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Transfixed, he was stilled betwixt the intensity of her mismatched gaze. There he hung, an insignificant insect that was cradled unmoving between the delicately woven strings of silken spindles gone unseen. She stepped closer, and the breath caught uncomfortably within his lungs as his body stiffened. “I— uh.” Heat blossomed upon his face before he could gather himself, nor banish the sensation from its flamboyant display across his mottled face. Tearing his eyes away from her, he cleared his throat awkwardly.

The girl opposite to him suddenly smiled softly, stepping back as a splash of rose painted her own face. "Sorry." With the rampant blush that masked his features so blatantly, he smiled, sheepish, somehow apologetic himself. “No, you’re— I’m— Uhm—“ He decided then that it was probably better to just shut his mouth and let her talk, especially since his tongue had decided to fail him today.

He was used to living alone. Solitude was his mistress and he would bed her ravenously each night. Not by choice, but simply by situational impact. Before he had rediscovered Rin, Kohaku’s life was a long stretch of days spent alone. Not many others had any such similar desires to bathe in the warmth of the sun or listen to the elaborate chorus of songbirds as they sang triumphantly upon their branches. Those that he had found himself crossing the same path were just that, passersby’s that barely spared a word. The interaction of another, even more so a peaceful one continued to feel foreign to him. He might as well have been naked and blushing before the scrutiny of this monochrome girl.

"No, I... I don't live anywhere." Her voice had a quality that made it sound far away, hollowed, lost. Maybe it was his imagination, but whatever it was, he could not bring himself to simply cast out that statement and leave it like an idle sentiment to trifle within the breeze. It was another moment before her eyes were back, boring into his own with both a softness and an intensity. She apologized again before offering her name, and it drew a soft smile to rest reassuringly upon his lips.

An offer rest upon the tip of his tongue, waiting to be spoken, yet the words never arrived. He wanted her to join them, to find solace and safety in numbers. Was he supposed to ask Rin’s permission on such a thing? He wasn’t quite sure, and the uncertainty already began to churn his insides, yet he refused to abandon this girl to the dangers to this unknown world. “Haku,” He’d offer after a moment, contemplation ripe upon his brow. “Are you alone here?” Maybe she enjoyed belonging to nowhere, to no one, bearing no strings to tie her paws firmly upon the ground when she belonged among the stars.

@Náli
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The draw between the two was undeniable.  The cosmos above twinkle in all its glory, celebrating the two lost souls reunited.  Or at least, that's how lifted Náli felt within the depths of her heart.  For each new experience she was granted, many were strikingly similar.  The scent of one flower to the next.  The texture of trees, and sounds of creeks.  From the sky darkening to a pitch black, only to shine a bright blue the next day... these were what was understood.  There was no rhyme or rhythm to why one was deemed common, while she stood transfixed on this moment.  He was not the first she had met... this experience should be no different from the last save small details that could interchange.  Yet... here she stood... entranced.

Every shift of his head, every lifting of his eyes, Náli found herself staring.  She struggled to keep her composure, understanding just how intrusive her curiosity might be, but she couldn't help the natural pull he seemed to have.  Perhaps it was her wanting, so much, to belong to someone.  To see another who looked like she may have any sort of connection, no matter how small they may be, it opened her heart to a longing she didn't realize she held.  When she finally noticed he mirrored her awkwardness, it only made her smiled, more endeared by his humility.

He offered his name, and she drank it in like sweet honeysuckle.  Haku, she thought, rolling his name over her tongue until she swallowed, her held breath escaping.  He asked another question, and Náli stepped forward.  She nodded her head softly, a slow smooth up and down motion as she paused.  "I have been... until now." She said softly, her eyes pulling from him with reluctance to gaze behind her, back the way she came.  "I met another once... but I didn't know him."  Náli returned her mismatched gaze to @Kohaku .  "Do... do I know you?"  She asked... needing to know why she felt so... so connected to this male.
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She stepped forward again, tightening the space between them once more and closing in upon the boundary. Following the motion of her head as it moved in a delicate nod, he swallowed. So she was alone then. He followed her gaze as it moved beyond them, past her shoulder, and into an altogether different direction. Kohaku held to the spot for a moment, one beat passing after another, half expecting to see someone trotting out toward them before he finally turned back to her once more. "I met another once... but I didn't know him." Her eyes were imbued with a hopeful, yet uncertain light. “Do... do I know you?" His brows knitted together as confusion took hold, her question weighing heavily upon his mind as he took to contemplating the answer. His expression fell a subtle degree, his eyes focusing on the ground as he attempted to organize his chaotically flowing thoughts.

The knee-jerk reaction was a quick and resounding no. Surely he would have remembered seeing someone, knowing someone who appeared so similar to himself— wouldn’t he? Catching the corner of his lip, he bit lightly at the delicate flesh. It was something his mother did whilst she was in contemplation, a habit that he had unknowingly picked up. The more the thoughts tumbled in his mind, the memories of the before, the less he felt he had a hold upon them.

Ebbing and flowing, the remembrances swam in and out of his head, unable to be grasped like wisps of ghosts, twirling around his daydreams. Every now and again, he was able to secure a glimpse, a modest understanding. He could recall the courage in his father’s eyes, the kindness of his mother’s expression, days laden with sunshine and carefree games with his siblings through the pines. Yet, those were all long term memories, things he had always had. When he tried to think back to the recent past, the days before he found himself waking within a field of violet, the canvas had fallen blank.

He swallowed uncomfortably, uncertain of the realization that his memory had certainly degraded. What did this mean? Shifting from paw to paw, he looked back upon her petite form. “I’m— I’m not sure. I don’t think so?” His ears flicked with uncertainty. “Why? Do I look familiar to you?” Falling off to the side, his head cocked slightly, inquisitive.

@Náli
the staff team luvs u

Her question lingered on the air... a wish that floated about them like fireflies in the night.  She so wanted to make a connection... to find a reason for her existence beyond the menutiaes of the day.  Until this point, Náli hadn't the slightest detail that could explain who she was and where she came from.  Even now, in this breathless moment, all she could do was cling to some semblance of hope.  To be pulled into an embrace as all the unknown was given meaning beyond basic understanding.  So wanting to believe... she couldn't see the heartache that was soon to crack her brand new heart.

She searched his face as he thought, her breath tightly held within her chest.  What was moments before filled with wonder and familiarity now suddenly took on a shadowed feel, as if the warmth of the sun was being blot out by a lazy passing cloud, casting a chill down over the earth as it move through the sky above.  Her body shivered in response, a soft tremble that coursed through her core and into her limbs.  

His lips moved ever so slightly, the white of his teeth showing briefly as he bit down in contemplation.  Náli's head tilted slightly, her gaze lifting back to his.  He seemed so lost in his thoughts... it brought about the smallest twinge of jealousy.  How wonderful it must be to explore one's memory... to see something familiar and understand its meaning.  Thoughts of a mother and father... siblings... a past love.  Had she known these things?  A small smile touched her lips at the thought, losing herself in the kindness of Haku's face.  

When he spoke, Náli had already welcomed the truth in which he offered... and while it sat heavily upon her heart, it was the softness in his words that made the let down like laying upon pillow of clouds.  No matter what may be in her past, if she indeed had one at all, she could cling to the hope the future had to offer.  Though she might not really know what was or was not fate's intervention, she could not ignore the pull she felt toward Haku.  If he was not of her past... perhaps it was her future in which he held a place.

Softly, Náli shook her head from side to side, her voice touching a hint of sadness, if only a hint.  "No... I just hoped, maybe... since we looked so alike..."  Of course, she didn't know just how different they did look.  Haku was handsome, every strand of fur perfectly in place.  The touches of white that marked his body adding to his attractiveness.  Náli hadn't been so fortunate, as while she too dawned a pelt made of ash and charcoal, it was as if acid had been thrown across her face.  Oh, the fur had grown back in, or rather... had always been there to her knowledge, but it was shorter, reflective of the damage to the skin that lie beneath.  As for her eye... 

Finding herself biting her own lip as she looked out over the water, Náli drew in a deep breath, her eyes closing as she lifted her nose to the air.  "It's beautiful here."  She spoke softly, almost in a whisper.  As if on cue, the winds that carried across the water lifted, passing between them with the smell of the ocean that clung.  It brought a smile to her face, her eyes opening to meet Haku's once more.  "Wherever here may be."

@Kohaku
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Her body began to tremble, shivering slightly against those slender muscles. Was it truly that cold? Being of titanous size did have its occasional advantages; he was hardly ever exposed to the sensations of the biting chill. Then again, winter was approaching faster than he expected. Twitching backwards against his cap, his ears flicked as he stepped nearer to her. In an effort to block her small body from the high winds upon the bluff, he moved to angle his frame to block the vengeance of the harrowing breeze.

The hope within her eyes began to dwindle. What once was a burning flame, flickering and ebbing in a vibrant glow palled, doused out by a dampened cloth. It faded into the darkness, the glow that illuminated her gaze slowly fading away. The pang of guilt simmering within his gut was almost palpable. "No... I just hoped, maybe... since we looked so alike..." He nodded, a solemn expression unfolding across his contrasting features. They did look similar, strikingly so. Perhaps they were distant cousins of a sort? His muzzle tipped forward, inhaling the sweet smell that radiated off her frame in pleasant swirls of feminine perfume. Just as he assumed, her particular essence was one that was foreign to him.

Following the curve of her frame, his eyes trailed her structure, noting the soft way she clasped the corner of her lip. Her eyes fluttered shut in a way that was every bit as gentle and delicate as those of a butterfly’s wings cresting together. Caressing small tendrils of fur about her face, the oceanic winds lifted the silken strands as she smiled softly against its breath. Kohaku inched closer to her still, his eyes searching her face as if it were a puzzle. Finally, he’d relent.

”Would you—“ His breath hitched in his throat slightly. The boy cleared it awkwardly, blinking to glance away briefly. “Would you like to travel with me and a friend of mine?” She looked lost, in so many more ways than only one. It was not just being displaced in the moment— it was being displaced in the world, displaced in her life, or so it would appear. His heart ached for her, and yet his own reality had not been a far stretch off.

@Náli
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”Would you—“...

Náli's ears perked, her gaze locked upon Haku's as he struggled with the words that slipped through his parted lips.  Her head tilted slightly, curiosity holding firmly upon her as she waited on baited breath for what he was about to offer her.  She could feel her heart quickening, despite not knowing what it was he was asking, for hope springs eternal.  No matter what was said or done, Náli would carry on, this she was sure of.  Still... she found herself finding a comfort with Haku that she had never known.

“Would you like to travel with me and a friend of mine?”...

Her chest swelled as she took in a deep breath, her limbs carrying her closer to Haku even still, if only by a step.  He was close enough now to touch... his scent so easily taken in with every inhale she took.  She breathed him in deeply, committing his scent to memory, her eyes closing softly as her face visibly revealed the hitch of emotion that consumed her.  He might not know her as she hoped he would, wanting to believe the fantasy that might explain the allure that held between them... but to know that this would not be the last that she saw of him...

A warm smile lit her features, and without another moments hesitation, Náli nodded.  "I would love to travel with you Haku."

She'd not misheard his offer, knowing that there was another that would be joining him.  This did not deter Náli in the slightest, but actually brought more hope.  Haku had the forgings of a family in the friendships that he carried... and if one looked to him and saw what she saw... she could only imagine she too would find familiarity and draw to whomever he chose to call 'friend'.

@Kohaku
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A certain light lingered within the dissimilar depths of her eyes. Swirling in slow hypnotic gyrations, it remained undulating under the bright violet and hazy cerulean of those strange and inviting crystals. Like hands that would come to greet him, they reached for him. Ushering him in toward her like the siren who beaconed the sailor to abandon his boat for her dark waters. However, Kohaku’s paws remained rooted to his uncertain shores. Whatever this woman was attempting to convey, or perhaps, to keep concealed, it was lost upon the inexperience of a naive boy.

Yet, he was curious. Curious enough that despite the strange sensations that trilled against his skin and the prickles that drew his stomach with an odd tightness, he did not move away as she drew nearer still. Unaware to the magnetizing force that manipulated her body closer to his, the lad assumed she was simply lonely, possibly cold… maybe just both? He was a tempting lure, large and imbued with a gentle sort of kindness that would appear rare for someone his stature, rare for someone his species.

Fluttering shut, her lids slipped over those mismatched pearls as the words left his mouth, the emotion flitting across her face one of unmistakably pleasure. Eclipsing her face with a bright, gleaming lucency, her smile resembled the sun as it emerged from behind a darkened cloud of gray. Once again, confusion struck the chords of his features, bending his brows as he contemplated her words. Had she misheard him? Instead the man would simply smile, mirroring her enthusiasm with a brand of his own.

Tossing his gaze skyward, he peered at the clouds as they rolled across the horizon. Reuniting with Corinne and settling Náli into their current dwelling was to take priority before nightfall. He was still unacquainted with these lands and the dangers that might befall them come nightfall had they not been together— Though, then again, they had made it this far without any critical issues? Again his teeth found the corner of his lip briefly before his paws were finding slow steps back in the direction he had ventured from. Gesturing toward her, Kohaku extended his paw back toward the sprawling expanse of forest. “How about we go get everyone situated for the night?” Bearing the polite cordiality of a host, he invited her forward to join. Despite the way he tried to ignore it, or at least, tried to avoid the thoughts that pivoted around his decision, he found himself growing a slight bit anxious as he moved toward the trees.

@Náli
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