Night time cliffside

Rules: anyone may join in at any time with any shinlai they want. This is a NKZ, more or less a sort of calmer rp. There can be romance if you choose. This is literate, and no less than 7 sentances in one post. c: Have fun! ))

Peaceful silence of the night time. Aborox lay in the soft grass on top of a gigantic cliffside, looking over on a huge forest scene. Black silhouettes of the trees outlined by the glow of the moon in the sky. The light barely illuminated the world around, enabling some vision, but not much. Aborox stood out with his lighter coat. Fireflies circled around everywhere, some moths and crickets here and there, nd the only sound to be heard are the choir of bugs and forest frogs, chirping, clicking, nd whistling thier songs into the night sky. The warm feel of the air was balanced out by the cool night sky, making it comfortable for Aborox to be in. He lay still and silent, listening to the world around him, occasionally smiling as lightning bugs land on his face. He thought to himself how lonely the quiet was of the night on his own, but how beautiful and peaceful it was at the same time. He never knew what lonely was untill he had lost the human woman he had once shared his life with, and now it did bother him, but opened his eyes to how beautiful the world was when it was at rest. For now, he would only lay and think to himself, enjoying the beauty of the world and the company of the starry sky.

Stepping daintily over a fallen tree, spooking a racoon that was nestng inside of it, Denali padded carefully along the edge of the cliff.

She watched as a few of the glowing insects buzzed away from her, towards the crescent moon which casually and welcomingly beamed at her. The milky light bathed the rolling waves, as they crashed against the cliff's side. So many memories that were dear to her flash-flooded into her mind as she tried to drink in the sheer beauty of the moonlit nature. It almost perfectly resembled her old home; she could picture her younger self and sister chasing seagulls in the sand almost like it was yesterday...

Captured by the breeze, the scent of a familiar Shinlai was swept towards her. Now she could make out the silhouette of the male, as she ambled over with a tired smile. She only recognized him by the smell carries by the salty wind, it was too dark to see his red mask and brilliant feathers that streamed down between his horns.

"Hey there," she chuckled, slowly making her way towards him, incase the accidentally spooked the powerful Aborox. Her toes wiggled into the sand as she stood waiting for his reply, dipping her head to look at the salt-and-pepper sand. She almost laughed aloud as a few more silly mental images were painted in her mind... her lime-colored eyes blinked quickly as she sneezed, a firefly has landed on her nose and its itty bitty legs tickled her.

Almost as if it was on command, the lightning bugs that flickered and swirled around Aborox vanished. They had flown away by the disturbance nearby, but Aborox had remained in his spot, calm and relaxed. He had recognised the smell, and the voice of the female that was talking to him. She seemed to laugh a little when she called out to him, "Hey there,". Aborox picked his head up with a smile.

"Hello, Denali."Aborox greeted her and rubbed his face. The thick piercings of his mask where bothering him... alot. He pondered taking it off, but he didn't want to right now, not while he had someone to talk to. "What are you doing all the way out here.. and at this hour?" Aborox asked her. He had just figured it was pretty late since the moon was almost at it's highest point in the sky. It was so beautiful, large and bright. It illuminated them more, making his white fur stand out, along with his eyes, oddly enough.

Aborox was, no doubt, very comfortable with Denali. Him kowing that she was a friendly shinlai made him have next to no guard as he did the first time they met. He now seemed alot more laid back than before, and more willing to talk aloud. With that, and without a second thought more, he continued. "It looks nice out here if you take the time to stop and look around." He paused and smiled, the piercings in his mask made a small snapping sound as they came un-latched, as well as the smaller secondary piercings behind them.

Aborox removed his mask and sat it bethween his front legs. "I'm sorry about that, it has been bugging me lately." He smiled at her, his face, pure white with a dark red arrow reaching from the top of his head to the tip of his muzzle, the earth symbol, in white on his head where the widest part of the arrow was.He also had a long, dark scar that went down the length of his face just about to where his eyes began. Aborox didn't like his face, he almost always wore his masks wherever he went because he found his face atrocious. "I apologise for my face, but it's still me."

She trotted leisurely towards him, then rested back on her side a few paces away from him. He was obviously much more relaxed than the last time the two had crossed past, much to Denali's relief.
"What are you doing all the way out here.. and at this hour?"

Her eyes fluttered shut slowly as she replied, "Aha, I have no difnite reason I suppose. Just sorta reconnecting with my old home... That bright moon definitely caught my eye as well. Its like a crescent shaped jewel, hung up there by Daila herself. As for the lateness of the hour, well, I happen to be quite a night owl!" A lighthearted laugh escaped from her. One firefly landed on the tip of her claw, which was now stretched before her. "Interesting little creatures," she mumbled out, pausing for a moment before it spiralled in a glittering path into the jet-black sky.
"Its almost as if they were magic."

"It looks nice out here if you take the time to stop and look around."

"Oho, most definitely!"
Came her pleasant reply as the sound of metal unclasping echoed about. She could see the outline of Aborox's crimson mask slipping away as he carefuly removed it from his arrow-marked face. She studied his facial features curiously, noticing the white earth symbol on his forehead, wondering if it was a natural marking. A deep scar draped across his brow, but she thought nothing of it. She wasnt partial to people being so shy about their scars, she just wanted people to be themselves; she was glad the earth Shinlai would take off his mask.

"I'm sorry about that, it has been bugging me lately. I apologise for my face, but it's still me."

"Pshh, its totally fine! With the coming of summer's heat, masks get sooo annoying. And your face? There is nothing to apologize for, you should not be sorry for being yourself," she assured him.

Aborox nodded with a smile. "Well, the night time is very wonderful.. and very beautiful." He said, watching her talk. "There's nothng wrong with coming around one's place of origin.. even someplace familiar, or special. I do it quite often with my old home, even as many sad memories as it brings." He paused and continued on. "There are many, many happy memories that I have when I visit that spot, but most are not." He shook his head and continud to listen to her. "As well, there's no problem with the hour. heh." He laughed, something he didn't do very often. "As long as you are enjoying yourself while you are awake, and even still, the night time is just as beautiful, if not, even more beautiful than th daytime.. especialy here." He said.

Aborox watched the firefly land on Denali's claw, which was held in front of her. ' "Interesting little creatures," she mumbled out, pausing for a moment before it spiralled in a glittering path into the jet-black sky."Its almost as if they were magic." ' Denali said then looked at him. "They are very magnificent, them being as small as they are." He smiled and let his mask slip off and sit between his front legs. "I enjoy thier company when I come here for a peaceful night... since I am mainly here alone." He said as one landed at th end of his un-masked muzzle. "Plus, thier glow is my favorite color." At this he smiled and turned to her, noticing her observing his face.

This made Aborox a bit uneasy, since he was very skiddish of taking his masks off around others. "Is there something wrong?" He frowned a bit, but re-assured himself after she had said she was fine with him removing his mask. Then he knew exactly what she was obsrving. "It's that symbol on my head, no?" He smiled again, causing the scar to stretch in a funny way. "It's completely natural, as odd as that is." He made a face to stretch the muscles, then looked back at Denali. "It is the only thing I know about my true origin, is that I was born with that marking on my head., everything else is a blur to me. I can't remember any of the beginning of my life.. which is a long, sad story to tell." He paused.

"It's sort of why I began coming up here during the night to spend time alone."

"It's that symbol on my head, no? It's completely natural, as odd as that is."

"Odd indeed," Denali replied in wonder. "I dont think i've ever met a Shinlai with their element symbol as a natural marking. You must be very lucky!"

"It is the only thing I know about my true origin, is that I was born with that marking on my head. Everything else is a blur to me. I can't remember any of the beginning of my life.. which is a long, sad story to tell."
Desperately did Denali want to ask him what it was like, his story. The curiousity feverishly ate away at her thoughts, and she said nothing as he paused for quite some time. Denny was a sucker for good stories, and she was interested in Aborox's, of course.

"It's sort of why I began coming up here during the night to spend time alone."

"I see..." was all she could utter. Blankly staring at her feet, she kicked away a clod of dirt distractedly, then glanced up at him. She wanted to know what his life had been like, he had brought it up after all. But she was afraid he might get upset or the likes.

"...Well...
What do you remember?"

(( Just ignore the names of the lai in his story lol, I didn't make characters XD Just needed names for them so it'd make sence when he told Denali!))

Aborox was a bit suprised. No once was he ever asked about his past, not by anyone. He thought it was mainly because he had never brought himself enough courage to bring it up around anyone, or maybe others where too scared to ask him about himself before. He was even more impressed with the fact that he had just mentioned that he had a story, especially in front of Denali. None te less, he would tell her.

"Well." Aborox began and paused a second, looking at the female, then continuing as the flshback occurred to him, playing a heartwrenching horror film in his head as he spoke.

"When I was young, I used to live with an Elder Shinlai named Fosten.. He was a wonderful teacher, and a great parent. I wuld go everywhere with him. He had showed me the beauty of the natural world, and how much it really connected with me." A soft sigh and a faint smile appeared on his face as the good memories played out in his head.

"We would often times go on long walks and later on, journeys through the woods here. Sometimes we'd get lost and use the land to take us back home... Fosten was the smart, protective father, and the sweet, encouraging mother that I was never able to see.. or remember." Another Pause. " Fosten had made a mask for me when I was young, and upon one day in the wood, I had smashed the long point in the front down, creating a beak on the mask... Of course, I was scolded for ruining the mask he had crafted for me.. and I was made fun of by other young shinlai for having an odd mask with a smashed front." He almost chuckled.

"Fosten had fixed the mask for me, but I got used to having the pointed front.. so he had crafted me a new mask, and this time, stuck feathers on it.. nicknaming me 'Eagle'.. Though it wasn't long before the day I had gone out to catch fish.. that I came home to a completely destroyed home.... a blood and fur trail... and no Fosten." Aborox's small smile faded as he continued. "At thi point, not only had I never met my mother and father, but now the only other in my life was gone.. and most likely Dead."

"I had left, everything is still exactly where it was, the only thing I took was an extra mask... the one that I wear today, and the one that I had." He looked at her, then over the edge of the cliff.

"I travelled many, many miles, for a very long time.. untill I met a woman.. a human." He gulped, as if to choke down tears. "I had been living in an isolated spot and met a Hiker named Andes. She was quite tall for a woman if I remember correctly, she had red hair, and a nearly perfect face.. except her scar, which, like mine, ran from the top ofher eye, down to her nose." He tried hard to remember what exactly she looked like, but it was so long ago, that he didn't really know.

"She and I became very close, and talked.. alot. I was in love with her.. as odd as it is." He paused, now thinking that Denali probably thought him akward for falling in love with a human. "I was very happy with her, and we always met in the same spot, for many, many years.. untill she too, vanished."

"I had waited for many months.. almost a year.. and she never returned, so I moved on and eventually found my home in a forsted town just a few miles from this very spot. From then on I became the guard.. because of my size, and my unique connection to my element." He said and lowered his head.

((hope you don't mind if I hop in))

Ryshka loved the night time. At night she could walk without her heavy mask, the fish and animals were more at ease and she was as well. She found herself in a large clearing with a crystal clear pond that glittered in the pale moonlight. With a playful smile she placed her paws on its edges and watched as the surface froze shimmering like the most delicate of crystals. She chittered and chattered making strange clicks and noises at the fish swimming beneath the surface of the pond she had managed to freeze over. She made sure the ice was sturdy enough to walk on but not thick enough to harm any of the ponds inhabitants. Her giggling broke across the clear night air as she slipped and slid over the surface of the pond, loosing her traction and flopping sliding across the cold, silky surface playfully chasing after the unknowing residents of the water below her feet.

(No you most definately may not.... lol I'm just joking you X3 feel free to join us! )

((Also: I will post again to the rp once I ge a responce from Noobs lol))

(nobody ever seems to say no, so I'm gonna jump in too *teehee*)

He didn't try to deny it, but Rayner wasn't usually much of a night owl. When it was dark, he took the opportunity to sleep. Tonight was no exception, his red mask was hidden in some bushes and besides the light striped marks on his face, he blended in fairly well. It was the only reason he was even willing to lay out in the open without a mask, only someone observant would find him amongst bushes and grass. However, tonight seemed so pleasant that he slept in comfort under the stars, with a look of peaceful happiness gently etched on his face. He was dreaming, and occasionally one of his feet would twitch in time with the footsteps being mentally taken. On this night his dreams had taken him off to a golden field, there was nothing much to do there, except race the wind, just run and run forever.

Occasionally things from the outer night would enter the dream, a birdcall would transfer to a eagle high amongst the clouds, a breeze meant the wind was speeding up, that sort of thing. He rolled over in sleep, the dream disturbed by an odd clicking noise. Dream Rayner was startled, and stopped in his tracks, looking around over the tall wheat grass in search of the sound's source. He didn't see anything immediately, the noises were too unusual to transfer to recognizable dream items.

"Murr..." Another sound, giggling, finally woke him up. He opened his eyes, sleepily, to gaze out towards the pond, and a little ways behond that, a clearing. He blinked a couple of times, there were shapes moving about. For a moment it occured to him that it might still be a dream, but then if it was he probably wouldn't have ended up in the same place where he'd fallen asleep. When his eyes finished adjusting once again to the darkness he began to recognize the nearest shape. Another blue Shinlai.

He crawled out closer to the pond and sat down, blinking a few times to wake up more fully. She was sliding across the water, now he understood why the giggling had come up. "So we meet again, hello Ryshka."

((Boss, I am so deeply hurt by the fact you don't want me here I am going to go sob in my emo corner for hours! XD And then out of spite I shall post more XP heheheh))

"So we meet again, hello Ryshka."

Rysh's blood ran cold for a moment at the voice that suddenly rang out breaking the nights peaceful silence. In that moment she lost her footing and fell onto her side with a slip and a thump and slid softly banging into the bank. Her head turned towards the voice and she noticed a familiar silhouette against the inky shadows created by the pale moonlight. She smelled the air to be sure, catching his scent. She remembered him well, he was unique and strange to her. His voice was definitely something that had played through her head even after she had left his presence the first time. It confused her deeply but in a way she liked it.

"Rayner?!" She slipped but managed to get back to her feet and once she gained traction walked about halfway across the pond.
"I never expected to run into you again" she smiled and relaxed once she fully realized who it was. Her misty blue eyes glowed gently in the light while she kept the ice formed on the pond.

She put a paw to her face and panicked and looked around spotting her mask laying on the bank next to Rayner's paws. Her voice quavered slightly as she began to pad towards him her bracelet clinking softly in time with her footsteps. "Granted it's a pleasant surprise" she lowered her head as she came closer to him in a sadly failed attempt at hiding the hideous scar that ran along her face and left her partially blind in her left eye.

(( D'awww I was only kidding *tackle hugsz* lol ))

(( And, thats cool! The more the merrier! XD))

When Rayner had spoken, he hadn't really thought ahead of time as to what kind of responce he expected. Probably something spectacularly... not spectacular. He certainly hadn't expected her to fall over. He was so startled that his fur stood right up and he could only stand there and watch like a deer caught in headlights. She slid all the way over to bank and looked up towards him. She didn't appear to be hurt, but then, why would he have expected her to be? Although Rayner couldn't really see Rysh very well across the pond at night, he found himself aware for the first time that she actually was rather attractive. He would never admit it, but for a moment he felt like dissolving back into the night and running away.

He didn't move though, and until she spoke stood rather like a stiff log. He sighed inwardly when she said his name, at least she recognized him, that was reason to stay put. Besides, now he felt like proving to himself that he was always calm and controlled. *At my age I ought to be able to handle anything. I'll never be a stupid little kid again.* He thought stubbornly.

It wasn't until she put a paw over her face that he realized something was strange. She didn't seem to have her mask on, but he couldn't figure out why that would be a problem. Rayner usually took his off at night, or when it was obvious that he couldn't possibly be in any danger. It made him feel whole, but the red paint stuck out, and Rayner preferred not to stick out. As she came nearer he could hear her bracelet clinking, it was a nice sound, and he began involuntarily to relax. "Certainly! I had actually h- oh." He paused, caught off guard. Now he knew why she had tried to hide her face, he couldn't believe he hadn't been able to see the scar before. But then, he hadn't really been looking. For some reason, seeing the scar didn't make him think of her as any less.
His expression softened, normally he wouldn't have said anything, but this didn't feel like any other time. "You don't have to try to hide, I can see as well as anyone. Please... I hope you don't think I would lie to make you feel better, but you ought to know that you really are very beautiful." He made an effort to sound impersonal, but he was tired and his voice softened on its own.

Rayners words hit Rysh like a fall from a ten story building and stunned her where she stood. The ice groaned and cracks spread out from where she stood like the lines on a spiderweb as her concentration momentarily faultered. "I...Uh....heh" words couldn't reach her lips fast enough to save her from her awkwardly stuttered confusion. "I.. just...well I wasn't worried about that...wait...That's not right see I was worried but.."
She had never been complimented before even if it was just in passing. She was usually called a fool or simply not noticed at all. She was trying not to gibber like a child but was failing at that too. She sighed and tried to regain her composure. "Let me try this one more time." she dug deep within herself to settle herself. With one deep relaxed breath she started again as she stepped off the ice which promptly cracked and began to dissipate returning the surface to a rippling, glimmering mirror to the moonlight.
Her fur stuck out awkwardly all over her body naturally and as she stepped past him is gently brushed his as she picked up her mask and began to put it back on as she spoke.
"I usually keep my mask on when others are around. I feel safer when its on...normally because of questions. I..I get bombarded by alot of questions regarding my face and eye...and honestly I...I don't like to relive it. I would rather have them look at this disheveled, partially blind, bumbling idiot, than disheveled partially blind, bumbling idiot with a face so scarred all you can do is stare awkwardly at it. I am sorry if you took my panic personal...it just kinda happens with me...a lot."
She hung her head a bit as she sat next to Rayner, careful to keep at least a few feet between. It was bad enough she couldn't even keep her terribly jumbled words from spewing out of her mouth, but nothing was worse then talking like a raving loony than sitting very close to someone and talking like a raving loony. Even when trying to push the past away from her bury it in the unknown depths of her mind, it always came rushing back. She whispered gently. "I am sorry, I am rambling a bit."

Rayner was still considerably groggy, and somewhat unaware of his surroundings, so he nearly didn't register the fact that Rysh was stunned. But the sound of the ice cracking jolted him awake, so that everything suddenly seemed much sharper. He became aware that he had perhaps said the wrong thing after all, and shifted his front feet. He hadn't meant to come on too strongly, but then, Rayner had never particularly had a way with words. He could speak smoothly under stressed situations, but the words spoken were often not as he meant them.

As she stepped by him his back went stiff for a moment, and he kept his eyes trained on the ground until she had put on her mask. "Oh!" With a brief exclamation he turned his head to face her, and when she sat down a few feet away, trying to appologize, he smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring way.
"That's alright. I guess I know what you mean in a way. I usually keep my mask on as well, partially for safety, and partially because a mask can be an emotional thing as well as phyical. It's a partial safety barrier between one's secrets and the world. I don't want to make you relive it if you don't want to, so I promise that I won't ask you any questions, not even one."
The corner of his mouth twitched very slightly, it hurt to make such a promise. In truth, Rayner was more curious than ever as to what it was she didn't want to relive. But if she wanted to share whatever hidden memories she had, than that was her own decision; he was always willing to listen.
"Aw, you're not really rambling. I probably shouldn't have said anything to begin with." He paused for a moment, but continued once he'd decided that his next question was safe since it didn't relate directly to any unpleasant memories, that he knew of, "So, back at the town you mentioned that you're a wanderer. I always thought that traveling was fun, even with limits and uninteresting goals. It must be great going wherever you want, when you want. Is there any type of place you're looking for?"

(( Where did Noobs go? D:))

(Oh, I dunno! She's been on DA recently, maybe she just needs a reminder poke?)

Rysh relaxed and wiggled her toes in the small bits of sand that ran their way around pond the moonlight gently reflecting off the surface as the splashes of fish surfacing to catch bugs to eat broke across the air. The gentle hum of other insects and the loud chirruping of crickets filled the night with a peaceful tune.

Aw, you're not really rambling. I probably shouldn't have said anything to begin with."

She looked at him her eyes a pale blue that seemed almost to glow softly in the dark. "Why shouldn't you have said anything. I am actually quite happy to have run into you again. Our last encounter was quite brief and I wanted to speak with you, but well things got a bit crowded and well I decided to take my leave as you may have noticed. I mean well I wanted to talk but nothing important.. wait.." She chuckled as her words clumsily flopped out of her mouth not making too much sense but she was trying. "Sorry, my conversation etiquette, is a bit awful!"

It must be great going wherever you want, when you want. Is there any type of place you're looking for?

She laughed and grinned teasingly"Wait, didn't you say you weren't going to ask me any questions? Not a single one?" She smiled "Well I suppose going wherever you wish has its bonuses, but you meet many acquaintances. I really do mean just acquaintances, especially if you are like me. I don't stay in one place for long so I meet a few here and there...but its...lonely. Not that, that in itself is a bad thing, but sometimes, I wish I had a place to stay permanently. As for what I am looking for, well nothing in particular. If there is something specific, I am not sure what it is. Just some place safe...something I can call mine." Her mind wandered momentarily and she looked out over the pond, unlocking her eyes off of him for a moment. "Speaking of places, I've actually been preparing to leave this place, the forest is lovely, but it is time I took my annual trip back...home." She continued looking out almost blankly. "Well not really home..there's nothing for me there anymore. But I am heading back to visit my mother, the place where I got my scar. " She whispered the last sentence gently.

After a few moments she shook her head of her thoughts. "Well, thats enough about me and my long winded-ness. What about you? What kind of place are you looking for? Traveling wanderer? Or is this your home?" She smiled gently as she adjusted herself leaning against one shoulder her tail wrapping around her back paws as she made herself a bit more comfortable.

Rayner thought back briefly to that time in the forest on the outskirts of the mystery town. His priorities had been to somehow get rid of Aborox and hand it over to the Darkbloods, but no such thing had happened. In a way he rather liked all three of the Shinlai he had met that day, they seemed very pleasant, unwilling to hurt anyone unless they needed to...
It had been a brief encounter though, he had to agree.

"Heh." He was almost unsure how to react. It wasn't every day that someone actually wanted to talk to him. He didn't usually hurt anyone or do anything that would result in waves of hate, but he didn't exactly consider himself very interesting. Not for casual talk anyway. "Yeah, that didn't work so well." He smiled.
He was surprised to hear her admit that her travels were lonely. He hadn't met many Shinlai who never stayed in one place for long, he could understand how it would be. He was tempted to ask why she didn't have a permanent home, but that would have further defeated the purpose of promising not to ask questions. It seemed a nearly pointless promise, of course he wouldn't ask about her scar, but it was hard not to ask anything.

"You're leaving?" He couldn't help the look of dissapointment on his face thought it wasn't entirely surprising. He hadn't really needed to ask though, because she continued, answering the question. He fell silent, watching her with a thoughtful expression. His only movements the brief shaking of his head when a firefly came a bit too close to one of his main eyes.
He began to look a bit uncomfortable, and hesitated to respond. He had suspicions of what had happened, that she likely had been attacked by another Shinlai. His fear was that it had been a Darkblood.
"Oh, I uh... Well I don't live around here. I don't live anywhere important, just travel every now and then, go back when I feel like it."

(EEPA! So so sorry. I had a bunch of school projects and no time for long rp posts. And now I cant even make a decent one to make up for the lateness. x_x <3 forgive me? D:)

---

Though she never spoke a word throughout his whole story, her mind was absolutely frenetic with questions. Questions she would probably never ask, but still the curiosity gnawwed away feverishly in the back of her mind.

At times she nearly laughed out loud, at times she widened her eyes and gasped, at times she secretly blinked away tears.
Aborox's story, it was quite gripping and she couldnt say anything. The air Shinlai just layed there, curled in a ball. Her eyes were cold, dismal. The taste in her mouth was bitter and she felt like there was a chunk of ice lodged in her heart: painful, fridgid, unending...

He wrapped up his story with a few quick sentences, then his head lowered slowly. First his startling bright eyes, that seemingly emitted light in the darkness. He stared at his feet, before ehaling sharply and his whole head drooped. The mighty white-and-red male's bare, unmasked muzzle was defined with such sorrow and pain, Denali wanted to reach out and rst a paw on his side comfortingly, but was striken with too many emotions to think straight. The smaller Denali frowned, feeling helpless, or unable to help, more like. She closed her eyes, and turned her head away.

"I had waited for many months.. almost a year.. and she never returned, so I moved on and eventually found my home in a forested town just a few miles from this very spot. From then on I became the guard.. because of my size, and my unique connection to my element."

'Oh Daila... why him?' Denali shuddered inwardly. Despite their somewhat small amount of time together, she had taken a shine to him. She respected him and was unusually drawn to him.
He had waited so long, why hadnt the human come back?
Why did she just abandon him, without any sort of goodbye, or even a signal of her deparure?

Rage swept through the edge's of the female's heart, and she suddenly stood, walking closer to him and nudging his neck with her maw.
"Come on, get up...
Lets look for her!"

She waited to see his reaction, which she wouldnt be suprised if he rolled his eyes as if she was mad.

"You seem to like adventures, right? Heh. Well, hows that for an adventure?" She grinned at him boldly, not sure if he would lash out at her maliciously for the sudden inconsiderate proposal, or get up and walk away without a word. She then tried to keep her smile true, but bit her tongue nervously.

"Oh, I uh... Well I don't live around here. I don't live anywhere important, just travel every now and then, go back when I feel like it."

She smiled "Sounds very similar to me. But.. I.. well I won't be gone for very long actually" the look of almost sadness on his face made her stammer with her words. "If you do truly travel about maybe you could accompany me. I mean not like together but like... familiar.. wait...friends travel together." Exasperated she let out a sigh and looked away her mind running to fast for her mouth to keep up without sounding like a blubbering fool. She looked out across the pond watching a few fish leap from the water in an attempt to capture mosquitos and other various insects that flitted near the waters glassy surface. She heard the chittering of small bats finding their prey in a graceful dance above their heads and smiled squeaking back a noise just barely audible.

"Want to know a secret?" She smiled still watching the furry flying balls slide through the night with ease even without sight. "I've always loved bats. We have a lot in common...at least at night anyways." Rysh relaxed a bit and observed quietly with a small smile.

(How did I not notice that you had posted? *nuuu!*)

"If you do truly travel about maybe you could accompany me. I mean not like together but like... familiar.. wait...friends travel together."
Rayner looked up, surprised. He thought for a moment, there wasn't really much left in this area that he hadn't explored at least a little... "Yeah! I mean, if you're sure it's alright, I would love to accompany you." He smiled from under his mask, "Now is probably as good a time to head on from this place as any. You're really sure you don't mind..?" He trailed off, noticing that Ryshka now seemed to be looking at something across the pond. His head tilted slightly towards the side, bats.

Rayner respected bats, they ate bugs that were otherwise quite bothersome. Because he had thick fur mosquitoes had never been much of a problem, but apparently they sometimes gave humans bad diseases. Rayner never understood why some humans were afraid of bats and spiders and other things, did they not understand that they were being saved from disease?
"Want to know a secret?"
"Hm?" Rayner watched Rysh out of the corner of his eyes.
"I've always loved bats. We have a lot in common...at least at night anyways."
"Oh?" He blinked, thinking for a moment, "I've always thought bugs tasted funny myself, but if you like them that much..." He smiled teasingly.

"Yeah! I mean, if you're sure it's alright, I would love to accompany you."

"Yes I am sure, you travel, I travel I think it would be nice to have a bit of company along the way. I hope this isn't a rushed thing, but perhaps we are traveling in the same direction?" She smiled a bit still staring out and watching the bats.

"I've always thought bugs tasted funny myself, but if you like them that much..." He smiled teasingly.

She laughed ans almost choked "BUGS?! No no no they have too many legs and are too crunchy for my tastes!" She giggled and put her paw on his shoulder and pushed him playfully. "You sir forget that I am a lady, and ladies generally don't like insects." Her voice was stern but the smile on her face showed clearly she was doing so in jest. Once she could contain herself, she sighed with another small chuckle. "Actually I have to use alot of echolocation at night. I can't really see well on my left side, my eye was damaged when I was younger, so the vision is well not so good. During the day its ok because my other eyes make up for the lacking in the one. That is how I am similar with bats, you" She chuckled and shook her head with a grin.

"Yes I am sure, you travel, I travel I think it would be nice to have a bit of company along the way. I hope this isn't a rushed thing, but perhaps we are traveling in the same direction?"
"Sure, I don't see why not! Really, I don't have much else I need to do, no place I need to be besides somewhere I haven't been before."
Yes, always somewhere he hadn't been before. Of course, he'd never admit it, but Rayner sometimes felt a bit neglected at home. The occasional praise he got for working hard always meant the world to him, but most of the time it felt like the 'missions' he was assigned to were an excuse to make him go away. The excuse to travel with someone else was something he couldn't refuse, and besides that, he liked Rysh.

"BUGS?! No no no they have too many legs and are too crunchy for my tastes!" She pushed him with a paw and he let himself rock to the side, until he was nearly to a point of losing his balance altogether. Then he sprang back, and laughed cheerfully, "Oh right! I beg to appologize Miss."
He listened quietly while she told the real reason why she had things in common with bats, and smiled. But at the same time he was thoughtful. "I find that fascinating. When you think about it, senses I mean, they really do all seem to work together, and when one stops working the others try to make up for it." He closed two eyes on one side of his head, just to test the theory. "But maybe it only works if you're not trying to trick yourself... How do you manage to travel anyway if you're up all night?"

"But maybe it only works if you're not trying to trick yourself... How do you manage to travel anyway if you're up all night?"

"Well maybe one of these days I will cover the holes on your mask and we can see how well you do" A playful grin slipped across her face as she laughed. "I promise I wouldn't let you walk into too many things." She looked out over the pond yawned. "Truth be told, I am not usually up this late, but I saw the pond and decided to amuse myself a bit before slumber." Gently she flopped onto her side her tail coming up around her feet and a bit along her side. Carefully she unclipped the mask from inside her mouth and held a paw to her face for a few moments before shivering slightly. When she took the mask fully off a replica of it was made of ice on her face. She hadn't slept amongst company for a long time, but when she did this was her method of hiding her face without the heavy mask. The cold didn't bother her at all and the thick ice even though it was clear and crystal like was enough to hide the scar. Her head laid against her paws as the moonlight glinted off the crystalline mask. Her eyes a bit weary. "Perhaps tomorrow we can decide a destination" She smiled gently and sleepily.