Eclipse [Phantom]

[Deleted]

A warm afternoon had acquiesced into utter darkness as night descended upon the desert territory, mercifully unclaimed by any wolf or pack. During the day, it was an empty wasteland, dead and ugly to her, but everything was different when the sun descended below the western horizon each day. The ink black sky above, cloudless and enchanting, was speckled with tiny points of light, stars ever watching from above. Tonight was unusual, though. The moon was an unnatural scarlet shade, like the petals of a wilting rose, reflecting in the swift-moving current of the river. She watched as the full moon vanished into dark as she padded along the river in a slow, dallying pace. The dainty femme had nowhere else to be, anyway. She had no doubt that the river was powerful, and she kept her distance from its shore, despite a nearly overpowering desire to lap up the cold water. She had been walking since sunrise. The rapids of the water drowned out all other sound. If she fell in, no one would know or care.

She had never seen this before, but she had heard stories of the phenomenon, explained in a variety of ways that all seemed absurd to the fae. Some said it was a night monster devouring the moon. Others claimed that it was a sign of ill omen from a god, or gods, or whatever silly thing they happened to believe in. All of these suggestions seemed equally preposterous, amounting to little more desperate explanations for something they could not understand, and thus, feared. Sunny believed in nothing beyond her own self. She trusted no one, especially not something that she could not see. The blood-red moon up above did not frighten her, either. In passing, she wondered why the moon couldn’t look this way more often. The scarlet shade seemed suitable, somehow. It was a lovely color. 

Traveling alone, she had no one to share the experience. Sand between the pads beneath her paws, Sunny was uncomfortable, but the solitude didn’t seem to disturb her. She was going nowhere in particular, in no hurry. Her tail waved behind her like a flag as she moved gracefully, carrying herself in brazen hubris. She was queen of nothing, companion of no one.

Just as the female was settling in for the night atop a huge rust-hued rock, the scent of a stranger stirred her attention. Her lilac-tinted eyes turned reluctantly from the eclipse to see who else had come to watch the show. Making no attempt to move or hide herself from view, her delicate features unperturbed by the possibility of another wolf happening upon her. Overhead, the darkness was receding slowly from the moon’s surface, revealing only a razor-thin, curved sliver of shining silver as the shadow crawled away in retreat.

Her stomach grumbled in protest as she rose to her paws, tail twitching behind her form… How long had it been since her last meal? Too long, she decided. Though she was accustomed to skipping occasional meals, the she-wolf made a point to never allow herself to starve. Where or how she acquired food was of little consequence. Only survival mattered, and Sunny happened to be quite adept at it.

Perhaps she had questionable judgment. Perhaps any other wolf would have fled, or bristled at the presence of another. But Sunny was not like other wolves. She was confident that whoever it could be, she would not be in great danger. She had ways of protecting herself, after all. She always found a way out – or in, as the case may be, easily befriending others when it suited her purpose. Her pretty features, the markings that painted her feminine form, tinted in shades of steely gray and bronze, were unmarred, lacking any evidence of the fights the mixed breed fae had endured. 

If it came to it, she was capable of defending herself. But why resort to violence first when it could be as simple as a playful smile and sweet tone?

All that is now

All that is gone

All that's to come

And everything

under the sun

is in tune

But the sun

is eclipsed

by the moon.

words: 710
tag: Phantom
ooc: ^ I had to use these lyrics
(even though it's the wrong kind of eclipse)

[Phantom]

Although the last few days had been tiring and arduous, Phantom felt reinvigorated with a new energy. Following his chance meeting with Jericho and Auron, he’d decided rather abruptly that there was no point isolating himself in Caurus when it made him so miserable. In his solitude he had become a husk. A skilled and toughened husk, given how hard he had pushed himself to improve, but a husk nonetheless. It had only taken one hunt with the Eden wolf to understand what he was missing. Although he rarely felt inclined to engage in idle chatter, he missed company, and even more than that he missed having a purpose. Without anyone to protect other than himself, Phantom had become empty, lazy even. Each day felt like he was merely going through the motions. His life was a well-travelled route that he could navigate in his sleep, familiar and perfected but ultimately pointless. Once this realisation had clicked, there was only one thing he felt compelled to do: return home.

Phantom had no illusions that his previous pack would be awaiting him with open arms, but if he wanted to take back control of his life it would have to be where it began. Even now he was unsure what he was looking for, or if he would even find it, but he had to try. Ultimately, if nothing came of it, he would at least be alone somewhere warm.

Even during the evening, the desert was hotter than Caurus had been all summer. In the day, the heat seemed to roll over his body in dry waves—a welcome relief from endless rainfall and chilling wind he’d been subjected to over the past few months – and the sun-warmed sand scorched the tender soles of his paws. He’d almost – almost—forgotten, though not quite, just how satisfying the heat of the sun felt on his back. Phantom had always been fond of the desert, especially as a pup, but he enjoyed it even more so at night, when the sand was cool but the air still warm. This particular night was no exception. The landscape was almost ethereal; pitch black except for the strange red light coming from the moon, not bright like the sun, but enough to illuminate the sand dunes with a ghostly glow.

Phantom’s pale silvery eyes remained transfixed on the phenomenon as he padded through the desert, afraid that if he looked away for even a split second, it would disappear. In his whole life he had never seen anything like it, but it was enchanting. If Phantom were in any way superstitious, he would have believed it to be some kind of omen. A part of him wanted to believe that it meant something, that it was a sign he was doing the right thing, or even a warning that it wasn’t, but he couldn’t. It was just the moon, redder than usual for reasons that were beyond his understanding, and he knew that tomorrow it would be gone. It almost made him sad, but he pushed the feeling down.

The wolf was so intrigued by the sky that he almost didn’t notice the female until he was upon her. Phantom lost himself in idle thoughts as he stared upward, wondering if he should take a rest from his travelling or continue through the night while the temperature was so perfect. The scent hit him at the same time as two reflective, lilac-coloured eyes appeared in the periphery of his vision. When he looked away from the eclipse, he saw that he was being watched by the stranger and halted his step. How long had she been aware of his presence? How had he been so careless?

Some of her features were striking even through the obscurity of darkness, most notably her unnatural lilac eyes and interesting pelt markings. For a moment, he merely stared back, his own unnaturally coloured eyes assessing the situation. It was unclear whether or not she would pose a threat. Most likely she was simply irritated at his disturbing her sleep, as he would have been.

“I’m intruding,” he noted, gaze still intent and wary. “I apologise.”

Word count: 707
Muse: poop emoji
Notes: it was impossible to live up to your stunning first post so I'm sorry if this is a bit lack lustre ;~;
Tags: @sunny

[Deleted]

“I’m intruding. I apologise.” The brute’s deep voice produced only a quiet laugh and the dismissive shake of her head. Angry? No, not this pretty little one. Not tonight. She could see the wariness in his shadowed expression from where she stood above him, but that wouldn’t last long. There was nothing in her demeanor that suggested she was fearful of the beast, or nervous in the unexpected presence of the traveler.

On the contrary, the subtle hint of a smile toyed the corners of her lips as she leapt from the volcanic rock she had been perched upon, landing on all four paws in the sand, as silent as a whisper. She dipped her head just barely as she moved closer, each step measured, slow and purposeful as she approached him. ”A beautiful night, isn’t it?” The fae spoke in gentle tones. Her voice was a song, melodic. ”It’s an eclipse.  They say it’s a rarity.” She gave no indication as to who they were.

She had met so many of their kind in her nomadic existence. In years of wandering, an endless sea of forgotten wolves had come and gone, each as dull as the next, until eventually, all of the names and faces faded together. But this one certainly looked different. In closer proximity, she could see the odd marking on the brute’s features. It looked similar to the moon’s current state, half obscured by a dark shadow, and his eyes were gentle and gray. He carried the scents of distant places, so Sunny deduced that he was not a member of a pack. Or, at the least, he wasn’t part of a local pack. No one had claimed the desert in a long while, leaving a wide swath of land for vagabonds to roam freely. The male appeared to be alone there, which was just as well. It was easier dealing with just one target at a time. Just this one would be enough.

The she-wolf didn’t give a damn about where he came from, where he intended to go, or even who he was. None of it really mattered, as long as he had eyes in his skull to see the way she moved her lithe body, legs to run, and talent enough to hunt alone, for Sunny had no intentions of assisting when she could have someone else do it instead. Males were often too predictable – kind words and a coquettish smile, and something inside of them seemed to trigger. She had no ambition or will to participate in the carnal desire she stirred within them, but she could pretend it when she needed to, so long as they never tried to claim her.

Once, she had belonged to another, but she had learned her lesson then, something she had known innately all along: don’t let them see you weak, and take before it’s taken away. Her heart and her body were beyond their reach, as distant as the heavens. When she was close enough to the brute – perhaps closer than most strangers would feel comfortable with – she sat, striped tail curling around her lithe form to rest before her ivory paws. 

As the seconds ticked away, more of the moon overhead returned to its proper fullness. She inhaled deeply, breathing in the brute’s masculine scent shamelessly. ”I’m Sunny,” she offered, though the male had not yet asked, lilac orbs falling briefly in feigned demureness. The female had no reason to hide her identity. She was adept at figuring others out while keeping her own secrets. Her name was not a mystery, and she had no qualms about offering it to whoever she met. She was a loner, after all, who mostly met other loners. After a night, or maybe after a day or two, she would have no further use for the brute, but tonight was special and her belly empty. Her smile widened as she waited for his introduction, eyes carefully trained on his to detect whether or not he was trying to deceive her. That would be unacceptable. That was Sunny’s job.

words: 707
tag: Phantom
ooc: shh I love it <3

[Phantom]

The female’s forwardness did nothing to ease Phantom’s caution, his expression remained carefully guarded as she leapt elegantly from the ledge and made her way toward him, but his body relaxed once he was fairly confident she was not about to attack him. Despite her smile, Phantom felt a strong urge to leave; to continue walking through the night with the moon’s reddish umbra as his only company. The fae was too enchanting, too inviting for Phantom’s perspicacious judgement, and yet he stood silent and still in front of her, making no effort to excuse himself.

Her voice was soft and pleasing, almost disarming in its allure. When she spoke, Phantom was reminded of a story he’d once heard an elder tell about strange creatures who lured wolves to their doom with their enchanting melodies. It was a ridiculous story, made up to dissuade pups from wandering off, but every fiction was based in some reality. Instead of contributing to his suspicion, Phantom found himself intrigued.

“It is,” he replied eventually, but a sparkle in his peculiar, unwavering gaze suggested he was not talking exclusively about the eclipse. They say it’s a rarity. A smile tugged at his the edge of his mouth, and he glanced up at the spectacle to check it's progress. “It must be. I’ve never seen one such as this in my life.” The eclipse was not unusual to Phantom, he had seen a few in his lifetime and had come to accept them as the norm, but the colouration of the moon was completely new to him. As his gaze returned to the she-wolf, he wondered if she had ever seen one such as this before, or if she knew what caused it, but he decided to wait and see if she would volunteer any further information on her own.

Although her charm was not completely wasted on Phantom, it was notoriously difficult to capture his attention and, even more difficult, his affections. In his time as a wanderer, he had come across many different wolves, and he had not stopped for a single one of them. Not until recently, that is. Quite the opposite of this wolf it seemed, Phantom’s interest in strangers was limited. Not only did he not trust them, he did not trust himself. The events of his past seemed to hang over him, as unsettling and inescapable as the eclipse above them, and his deep insecurities had prevented him from forming any meaningful relationships. Tonight, however, Phantom was weary. He did not want to travel any further in search of an elusive destination, and the company of another would provide a respite from his constant introspection.

When she breathed in his scent and introduced herself, it elicited a snort of laughter from the male, and then the deep rumble of his chuckle. “How do I smell?” he inquired with a subtle tilt of his head, all tension now dissipated from his body and replaced by an easy poise. “Good, I should hope.” Phantom had nothing to hide, but he did not offer his name in return. Instead, he watched perceptively for her reaction, still not convinced her intentions were completely pure. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sunny,” he added, as courteous as ever.

As the moments ticked by, he was able to inspect her more thoroughly now that she had moved closer. Her tawny-grey tinged coat was like nothing he had seen before, her features unique and elegant, and he could see now that she was moderately bigger than him. Sunny was, objectively, stunning. Although, he had very little to compare her to, given his lack of experience with females. In his past life he would have considered pursuing a mate, but things were different now, and Phantom could not imagine himself in that role any longer. It was a shame, given how much he cared for pups, but the fear in his heart would not allow him to chase that dream.

“Are you just passing through, or is this your permanent residence?” he inquired innocently, seating himself on the ground and letting his tail sweep slowly across the sand in a display of relaxed ease. The female’s coquettish air seemed so natural, but Phantom could not believe her intentions were as straight-forward as seducing him. Whatever she wanted, whether it was simply company or something more, Phantom intended to get to the bottom of it.

Word count: 751
Muse: pretty good
Notes: I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT THESE TWO 
Tags: @sunny

[Deleted]

His eyes seemed fixed on the female as she proceeded closer, which was precisely what she had hoped for. Her eye lilac eyes explored the brute’s physique overtly – he appeared strong and capable as her gaze wandered across his back, along his sides. The wanderer still seemed uncertain about the sudden appearance of his newly found acquaintance, as evidenced by the muscles still tensed beneath his dark pelt. There was no one else around that night, just a female, a brute, and the strange moon overhead, which drew Sunny’s attention once more. Now, the moon was peeking through, revealing itself slowly. Half darkness, half light. With an airy laugh, she noted with a gesturing nod toward the firmament, ”It looks like you.”

He was not a bad looking wolf, she noted when she had come nearer, his face memorable and his energy nonthreatening. He looked useful enough. But he was male, and in Sunny’s biased thoughts, all males were alike in their needs and foolishness. He was similar to her size, possibly even smaller. To compensate, Sunny’s posture made her seem smaller, meeker. She knew every inch of her body, knew every trick and movement to employ, and how to best use her looks to her advantage. She had been doing so for most of her life, with the exception of the time spent with her former partner, the happiest days of her life. Thoughts of her lost companion were quickly swept aside, the emotions routinely ignored. The memories were as useless as the dead to her now.

He noticed her taking in his musky smell, as she had intended. She tilted her head slightly as if she were guilty at being caught, bashful to be in the presence of someone new who, by all intent and purposes, she seemed to take an immediate liking to. ”I could ask you the same question, nameless stranger.” She gave a sideways grin, but she felt a lapse of irritation that she kept carefully hidden away. Didn’t he know it was good manners to introduce yourself properly when meeting beautiful strangers? She had met wolves like this before, but Sunny enjoyed a challenge. It would take more than batted eyelashes and bated breath to convince this brute to do precisely what Sunny wanted him to do. It was only a matter of time, though. If he lingered for more than a minute, she knew she could cajole the beast before the sun had risen once more.

Her smile seemed to grow when the brute eventually sat before her, but his question seemed to alarm the she-wolf. Her flirtatious façade vanished and her head ducked. ”I am always just passing through. I have no pack. They are all…” Her voice broke perfectly on cue. She shook her head, eyes squinting closed as if to hold back a flood of emotion that did not really exist. ”It’s too soon. I can’t…” The words tapered off into silence, leaving the male to fill in the clues and come to his own conclusions. The fae stared down at the desert sand she stood upon, body sagging visibly for extra effect. She exhaled a shaky sigh for good measure before her eyes returned to his as her face struggled to keep its composure. ”What about you? Are you alone out here, as well?”

Words: 564 kinda short this time

Tag: Phantom

OOC: ME TOO Sunny is going to be awful.

[Phantom]

Phantom had never given too much thought to his shadowy facial marking, but Sunny’s remark rang true. The idea made him smile a little, the comparison to such a magnificent spectacle tickled his ego, though he did not dwell on it. Instead, he greedily drank in the sight of the reddening penumbral shadow stretching across the moon. “I suppose it does,” he replied thoughtfully, avoiding looking back at her for as long as possible. Her allure made him uneasy.

In his mind, he calculated as many potential ways for this encounter to end as he could. He pondered what motives she could have for causing trouble, but with so little evidence of her behaviour it was impossible to predict anything. He glanced about him nonchalantly, to be sure they were completely alone and there was nowhere for someone to hide out of sight. In the dim light all he could make out was rolling sand dunes, outlines of jagged rocks and shrubs, and the movement of the rapids. It was a decent place, and time, for an ambush, but Phantom had a feeling there would be no ambush tonight. At least, not a physical one.

“I could ask you the same question, nameless stranger.” He let his gaze settle back on the female when she spoke again, feigning insouciance with a subtle curve of his lips.

“Whatever gave you the impression that I’m nameless?” he asked, tone almost expressionless beside faint mirth. It was a small comfort, this illusion of having the upper hand in the conversation. Phantom was not terribly concerned whether or not she knew his name, but it gave him the sense of control over the situation that he needed. “I have a name,” he continued. “Most things have names. Even that strange phenomenon in the sky. An eclipse, as you kindly informed me.”

At the mention of her home, the she-wolf grew visibly upset. His question seemed to have struck a nerve, evidenced by the barely-suppressed tears in her eyes as she attempted to speak about her previous pack.

”It’s too soon. I can’t…”

Silence hung heavily in the air as Phantom struggled to conjure the correct response. An apology felt trite, and he had nothing to apologise for in any case. “I understand,” he responded eventually, his voice softer and quieter than it previously had been. “I don't expect you to spill your entire life story to me,” he added, though it had sounded more sympathetic in his head. 

Despite his discomfort, Phantom did understand. A part of him wanted to console her, knowing from first-hand experience how difficult it was to lose your family, but somehow Phantom doubted that she had been driven from her pack, shamed and confused, after murdering one of her kin in cold blood. Phantom doubted anyone else would understand what that was like.

Then, unsurprisingly, the question was turned on him.

The silver wolf shifted his weight from one foreleg to the other, stretching out his travel-tired muscles. “I am alone, generally speaking,” he confirmed, bright eyes unwavering and unfazed. He was acutely aware that his reaction juxtaposed starkly against her own. His lack of emotion almost felt uncomfortable, but he refused to summon feelings that he had worked so hard to bury.

“For tonight, at least, I’m not.” The words were more for her comfort than his own. Although Phantom was content with his solitude, perhaps the same could not be said for Sunny.

Word count: 586
Muse: Low
Notes: Sorry this is so lousy!! I didn't want to keep you waiting forever. It turned out a bit better than I expected, at least.
Tags: @sunny

[Deleted]

“Whatever gave you the impression that I’m nameless? I have a name. Most things have names. Even that strange phenomenon in the sky. An eclipse, as you kindly informed me.” 
Repressing the urge to snort, the she-wolf smiled demurely in response. Sunny could see that this was going nowhere – the nameless brute wasn’t the fool Sunny naturally assumed he would be. She had met too many of them during her travels, and her mind had been made up about males long ago. Every now and then, though it was a seldom occasion, she met one that was different. It was considerably simpler when the brute she dealt with was simple, or one given to romantic inclinations.

Undaunted, she kept right on smiling as if it didn’t offend her that he was being quite rude. ”How can we be friends if I don’t know your name? I believe I shall call you… Shimmer.” She offered the ridiculous nickname with a wicked glint in her mischievous eyes the color of blooming lilac, adding before he could interject on his own behalf: ”Because your eyes are so lovely, shimmering like stars in the heavens above.” The obvious choice for a pretend name for the unknown brute would have been Eclipse, certainly, but Sunny wanted to see how far she could push before the male responded in the way which she desired. She looked back to the celestial phenomenon, which was slowly fading away now to reveal the full moon hiding beneath the strange shadow.

When she reacted with feigned feelings about her lost family, the stranger gave up nothing in return – yet another setback in her task for the night, but Sunny enjoyed the occasional challenge well enough to not become upset as he replied, his tone flat, revealing nothing. “I understand. I don't expect you to spill your entire life story to me.” Normally, she would admire someone who excelled at controlling their emotions, for emotions were often a sign of weakness. If one is depressed, then it is their own responsibility to change that instead of moping around feeling pity for themselves. If one is angry, then the only logical response was to do something about it. In spite of Sunny’s name, in spite of the seductive tendencies and the ability to play along, she had a dark side, one capable of violence. But for now, for tonight, she felt no urge to do anything but try to get a free meal, and perhaps an interesting conversation. Maybe, if he was worthwhile, she would ask for more time together. She wasn’t exactly lonely, but being alone did become tedious.

“I am alone, generally speaking. For tonight, at least, I’m not.” The smile returned to her pale features as he spoke, and she nodded along eagerly. ”It really is too nice of a night to spend all alone, isn’t it? Were you planning to go anywhere in particular from here? I know of a good little spot where there is usually something to eat, especially this time of night.”


words: 517
tag: Phantom
ooc: short again but progress~

[Phantom]

Friends? Phantom wasn’t sure he’d expressed any desire to be friends with this wolf thus far. ‘Acquaintance’ was about as far as he was willing to take their relationship currently, but something in her eyes told him that this female had other plans. He was not completely adverse to company, but friendship was another thing entirely. It made him uncomfortable; the thought of opening up to another wolf like that and letting them inside his head. The last thing he needed was someone poking around in his mind, finding out his secrets and using them against him. Secrecy was his last defence.

“I’m flattered,” he deadpanned. “But might I ask why you would want to be friends with the nameless stranger you met not five minutes ago?” The question itself was innocent enough, and Phantom hid the accusatory connotation behind it with a teasing lilt to his voice. “I refuse to believe it’s due to my shimmering eyes.” Although she was no threat to him, Phantom had no reason to trust her yet. He could not decipher whether she was sincere, or whether she was playing him, but either way the sensible thing to do was to play along with her. Out of necessity, Phantom was a decent liar, but he tended to lie via omission rather than spinning grandiose tales of his past.

Regardless of whether or not this female was genuine, it felt wrong to withhold his name any longer when she had so easily offered up hers. “If you desperately want a name to match the face, my mother named me Phantom.” The monochrome visage remained neatly impassive until he spoke again. “But I can’t stop you from using that nickname.” Phantom grimaced, his distaste for his new epithet extremely clear. Names meant very little to him, they were labels to distinguish and not to describe or define, but even so Shimmer was a step too far.

Sunny seemed disinterested in taking the conversation about her previous pack any further, which was quite understandable. It was sensible of her to remain guarded when thus far she had presented herself as an open book. A part of Phantom felt concerned that she acted so vulnerable, knowing what kind of wolves lurked in unclaimed lands, waiting for weak and susceptible females. Something about her supposed honesty reminded him of Auron. Meeting the grey wolf seemed a lifetime ago, though it could not have been more than a couple of months.

“It really is too nice of a night to spend all alone, isn’t it?”

Her enthusiasm was evident, and somewhat foreign to Phantom. Was she really so lonely that she wanted to spend the evening with a wolf she barely knew? The pang of concern returned and buried itself in Phantom’s chest, and the irony that he should be worried for a wolf he barely knew did not escape him. It was illogical for him to worry for her safety, particularly when he was as great a thread to her as the hypothetical wolves who wished her harm. The shadow over his heart had been concealed and caged, but if he kept to himself it was impossible for him to snap and hurt someone. Now that he was re-immersing himself back into the company of others, he could not predict the outcome of any given interaction. It was irresponsible of him; it was weak and selfish, but he could no longer live his life as an outcast.

“Were you planning to go anywhere in particular from here? I know of a good little spot where there is usually something to eat, especially this time of night.”

“I had no plans,” he replied. It had been a long journey, and his pads of his feet were beginning to ache, but he needed to eat. Besides that, he preferred to hunt at night, and perhaps with Sunny’s help it would require slightly less effort. “Lead the way.”

Word count: 665
Muse: slowly returning from war
Notes: ~
Tags: @sunny

[Deleted]

“I’m flattered.” The stoic look upon the stranger’s two-toned face said otherwise, and Sunny couldn’t suppress a giggle from reaching her lips, quiet and shy, despite the female’s audaciousness. She simply couldn’t help herself with this one. “But might I ask why you would want to be friends with the nameless stranger you met not five minutes ago? I refuse to believe it’s due to my shimmering eyes.” So suspicious… He was clever enough to be amusing, but Sunny persisted.

”Well,” she began in explanation, eyes fixed on his otherworldly silver-tinted orbs. ”Everyone should have a friend in the world. And, from the look of it, you could use one.” Her tone lacked the judgment that her statement implied. She was, after all, as alone as the enigmatic brute. She tilted her head, just barely, before finished the thought: ”So we have at least one thing in common, then.”

She fell silent then, considering her own words – she hadn’t a friend on the whole of Anikira, and the gods could only guess how many enemies she had made along the way. Those she had put her faith in had ultimately disappointed her. She was resigned to a life spent in solitude, taking great pains to convince herself of the fact. When the brute spoke again, Sunny was pulled from her mind again.

“If you desperately want a name to match the face, my mother named me Phantom. But I can’t stop you from using that nickname.” His discomfort was for Sunny’s amusement, and she nodded along as he spoke. ”I suppose Phantom is nice, as well. But Shimmer is so… memorable. It’s very you.” She insisted with a toothy grin. The femme was determined: she would find a way to crack his proverbial shell, to make it through his distance before the morning light. She tilted her chin back once more to observe the changing moon. Whatever omen it represented, Sunny was glad that her night would prove to be considerably more intriguing in his mysterious presence.

She was also quite determined to fill her belly, and as if on cue, her stomach grumbled in hungry protest. When he spoke again, she was pleased to hear his response: “I had no plans. Lead the way.” The angelic fae made no discernible attempt to hide her satisfaction from her well-groomed façade. And she was genuinely happy that he had decided to join her for the night. He was too distant to make any flirtatious gestures or attempts, as some males did, so she wouldn’t have to fight off a brute. It didn’t matter that she had only met him moments before. Without further comment, she turned away, pausing to allow him to walk by her side. She would wait until he came closer. She wasn’t exactly afraid of him, but she wasn’t out of her mind to allow a male to trail behind her.

The world was dark and light in even measure, capable of atrocities along with moments of rare beauty. The night could end in disaster, but it was just as likely that it would be worth remembering, if the eclipse was any indication. In any case, she had nothing better to do. With a nod and a smile, she began to pad toward the east, away from the desert and in the direction of the vast grasslands that were currently unclaimed by any pack or wolf. These free lands were becoming harder to come by, as ambitious wolves claimed this patch of dirt or another. It was all the same to Sunny. She was born to wander, made to be unbound and unstoppable. Casually, she asked, "How long have you been wandering?"


words: 645
tag: Phantom
ooc: LOVE Phantom's table!!  *-*

[Phantom]

Sunny’s words caught him off guard, echoing what a part of him had been telling him for a while. It was not impossible to live as an island, merely…undesirable. A last resort. Phantom functioned perfectly well without companionship but that was part of the problem. Without someone to push him to his limits, or someone to irritate him, or someone to fill his heart with affection, his life would remain “adequate”. The she-wolf’s sentiment was true, and yet he still didn’t believe it fully.

“Not everyone deserves a friend. Some of us are just destined to be alone, I think.” He hadn’t meant it to sound as morose and pathetic as it did, nor had he intended to speak his mind so plainly, but maybe it would be enough to discourage her from befriending him. After this hunt, they could go their separate ways and be done with these pointless charades.

”I suppose Phantom is nice, as well. But Shimmer is so… memorable. It’s very you.”

Phantom chuckled deeply and revealed a genuine smile, subtle though it was. Despite his distaste for the nickname, he felt a flutter of fondness. The familiarity of it was surprisingly pleasant, even if he did not consider this strange wolf to be his friend. Not yet at least, although he didn’t plan on giving her time to prove herself. It was nothing personal, but either she was playing him, in which case it was in his best interest to escape as soon as possible, or she was sincere. The latter worried him far more than the former. He had received far too much kindness from strangers recently, and his resolve was crumbling.

As Sunny moved away, expecting him to follow, he remained for a moment, suddenly distracted once again by the view overhead. Hunting without even the light of the moon to guide them would be challenging, and the thought excited him. Phantom relished a challenge, though he was weary and wary, and already the night held a great deal of foreboding in the air. Whatever happened, tonight would be memorable.

Pulling himself from his thoughts and to his feet, Phantom trailed Sunny and then around her until they were walking side by side. Perhaps it was foolish to allow her to lead him into unknown territory, but he felt so restless all of a sudden that he barely minded. If he was ambushed or attacked, so be it. It would be a chance to exercise the control he had taught himself, the channelling of anger into meticulous violence. It was a dark thought that he pushed away almost immediately, but it lingered still in the deep recesses of his mind.

The question Sunny asked pulled him from his anxieties. He wasn’t much for small-talk, as had been evidenced in his recent interactions, but he would indulge it for as long as it distracted him from darker things. “Too long,” he replied, as vague as ever. “To be honest, I don’t remember.” It was a white lie. He knew from the seasons how long it had been since he left his pack, but he did not feel like talking of that. “I spent most of it in the north, so these lands are somewhat unfamiliar to me.” He cast a sideways glance at her, ghostly eyes flicking back to his path before he spoke again. “I trust you won’t lead me astray.” Phantom’s voice, deep and chilling, revealed nothing of his meaning. Whether he was joking or not was entirely debatable – even he could not be sure.

Word count: 593
Muse: eh
Notes: Sorry for the wait <3
Tags: @sunny