OOC here! Table by Sie; Image from Flickr

The black shadow roamed the lands with delicate speed, for he wasn’t really built for endurance. There was great power in his muscles, though he was built more for raw than anything else. But this young male had yet to put them to good use. But his place in the Family had already been decided, and he knew what he wanted as long as his dear litter sibling remained by his side. Together, he was certain they could accomplish anything. His adolescent body enjoyed the long trek from home, but as so often, his heart did worry.

His two feet did eventually express their weariness, brought forth by a dull ache beneath his soles. But the territory around him was alien to him and he didn’t feel comfortable resting in such a strange place. Luckily, if he shifted his focus elsewhere, he would forget about his mild discomfort. The girl was too far away to be adored in detail, and so the dark pelted boy stepped closer on silent feet, trying to make his approach soundless. But he was not yet the magnificent shadow he wished to be, so bending grass and dry leaves from a previous autumn spoke of his presence before he was close enough to admire the dead flowers woven into pale, blonde hair.

She stood with her back at him, and he couldn’t see what she was doing, nor did he catch the soft words spoken to her eight legged captive. Black, wolfish ears leaned back in light suspicion, but he wanted to see her face.

Her words seemed to caress his ears—did she know that she spoke to the embodiment of a terrible God? Suspicious silver adored yellow predator eyes, but it was wrong to expect strangers to recognize him. He didn’t like her display of sharp whites, and shifted slightly and leaned towards a growth, causing maturing leaves to rustle with disturbingly. Young Pandemic did not live up to his name just yet. There was much to learn, and for now he carried good intentions alone. The girl’s words seemed to wonder about his existence, yet those raptor eyes had looked at him—he knew it!

Was he a monster? Tak had given Larkspur’s son his hide and terrible size. Perhaps he was ”a monster in the making.” Colourless eyes narrowed slightly, but he wouldn’t laugh. A child would laugh with ignorance, but the D’Angelo couldn’t remain a child forever. His rank suggested otherwise, but he was merely abiding his time. He would be ready to prove himself when they decided it was his turn to bring pride and fame to their delicious, fucked up little family. One could be terrible and wonderful at once, yes? Weakness was what had taken Wretch away from them, and while he was initially carved a gentle soul, he didn’t wish to be.

Her behaviour was strange in the young male’s eyes, but he had little experience with other canines on his own age outside Salsola. His pelt stirred with the currents of intrigue as her light voice kept the silence of the night at bay. The liquid silver of his eyes narrowed, though with something much softer than suspicion and doubt. Her face seemed to gentle and innocent, but there surely had to be more layers beneath the pretty shell he could see. She called for him to come out to show himself, and the idea wasn’t uncomfortable. He had nothing to fear, for he would be a giant amongst men once he was fully grown.

The dark grass rustled as darker feet brought him further, though his onyx coat would want to make him invisible as long as the golden globe wasn’t patrolling the tall sky. But now, not many steps away from her smaller figure, his pace stopped. Face tilted as eyes turned to the precious jar held between two petite hands. His own remained empty, fingers curling slightly with sharp, cat-like claws extending from each fingertip. He didn’t try to offer her a smile though; it would certainly look as fake as anything.

The girl’s eyes belonged to the bird of prey, unsettling and intriguing all at once. Had he ever seen anything resembling a doll, he would have found the connection at once. Such an eerie, strange thing she was, with words few and mystical. His old self dearly wished to hide from those raptor eyes, but everyone had to grow up, including him. Her figure seemed bright against the dark of the night. Milk and cream in unorthodox harmony, so delicate and pretty. But he couldn’t indulge himself with her simple shell. His task was to be suspicious and distant.

The moon, she said. The young male smiled at this. He shared his dark God’s simple appearance, though the hues of his eyes would not change like Tak’s would. He was locked in the hide of the night and the moon, and belonged to both. He wanted to tell her this, but knew it would sound fake and childish once such words were carried on top of ebony lips. He titled his face to the side, afraid to break eye contact with this strange little thing. ”I’m cursed by Tak,” He decided to say, wishing he could in some way be as intriguing as her.

”Who are you?” he wondered, ebony ears rotating slightly, eagerly awaiting her name. It had to be something beautiful.

She didn’t belong to his religion—few did, though he didn’t know whether it made them ignorant or wise. But certain things seemed to strange to shove away as mere coincidence. His litter siblings had been blessed with the colours of each of the three gods, though the pale Goddess of day had betrayed her sister, and Tak’s grasp had expanded beyond night alone. That was where similarities ended though, and the dark God had yet to claim his still too innocent heart.

Instead of giving her a satisfactory answer, the large boy shrugged. He couldn’t tell stories as his father did, and he wouldn’t even try. But her expression was dark and investigating. Perhaps there was something wrong with this one. There existed many devils in Salsola, and since it was what seemed normal to him, it was difficult to judge others.

Elvira, so foreign that he would not trust to put it on his own tongue. ”I’m Pandemic,” he returned, wondering if he should have offered his hand or something similar. How little he knew of ordinary norms outside of home. He was suspicious and well beyond his comfort zone, but he didn’t want to be the little boy to hide in caves forever. He liked the brightness of her gilded locks, and silvery eyes were easily manipulated to follow the path she so desired.