Things were getting.. better. The general drama surrounding Abaven seemed to have faded. For now. Certainly it wouldn't stay gone forever, but he was feeling a lot less frustrated as of late. Finch was doing much better, leaving him with a lot less to worry about. Still, that didn't mean sleep always came as easily as it used to. Tonight was particularly difficult. He dozed in and out of sleep, before deciding that a walk might be a good way to tired himself out to where he could sleep. Slowly pulling himself upright, he stretched his limbs briefly before slipping out into the night. Though summer was unquestionably here, the night was cool enough to be refreshing; a reprieve from the gradually increasing summer heat. He blinked sleepily as he made his way from his den, head lifting briefly to eye the stars above, noting the sky was clear and the stars bright, and the night's darkness didn't seem so heavy. A quiet yawn fell as his jaws parted, eyes closing briefly as he shook his head as though to rid himself of the slight weariness that clung to him. His pace increased slightly as his walk continued, as he navigated toward the rapids.

It had been several days since that odd meeting with Lark that left her all sorts of confused, conflicted and annoyed. Now, she was lounging by the rapids, paws dangling in the water as it rushed past. Thankfully, finally, the water had gone down. Which is why she was found stretched out on her belly, playing with the water. That is, until she heard pawsteps behind her. Her head flipped over her shoulder as she yawned, blinking rapidly. She would be presented with the familiar form of Lark. She blinked up at him, shifting slightly to get a better view of him. "Hullo," she greeted softly, but firmly. She wasn't sure what he was doing here, or what she should say, so she just left it at that, a simple greeting.

"Speech"
"Language"

Art by Penguiduck

Frustration seemed a pretty general state to him these last few months. With everything that had gone on as of late - he'd spent a lot of time with Lillie recently, with Finch's disappearance and subsequent recovery, with the drama with Starling and Sparrow and everyone. It seemed like it would never end. But things had been better the last few days. The peacefulness of everything was a very welcome change, but he was certain it wouldn't last forever. His gaze found Lillianna only right before she spoke. He flinched slightly, having not seen her quickly enough; though he'd had trouble sleeping, he was not yet fully awake. "Hey," he'd drawl tiredly as he took some steps closer, wondering why she was at the rapids at this hour, and surprised he'd run into her without trying to in the middle of the night.

There was a flinch, and she smiled slightly. Surprised him, didn't she? Ah, well, it happens. He seemed as restless as her, as tired as her... but also a lot less peaceful than her. It was curious, though she didn't feel particularly curious about it at the moment. Even as he greeted her, the exhaustion was clear in his voice. Ah, that really sucked. She angled her ears towards the spot next to her. "Take a seat," she invited. "What're you doing up at this time?" she questioned, but only lightly; he didn't have to answer if he didn't want to. It could be as simple as him not being able to sleep due to a restless mind.

"Speech"
"Language"

Art by Penguiduck

He'd offer a faint smile back as he loped closer to her. Lark realized suddenly, as he drew nearer, that she was.. significantly smaller than her. How awkward they must look together, he thought to himself. Still, he was used to being the biggest one in the group, most of the time, so it wasn't terrible weird. Lark would offer her a slow nod to accompany his verbal greeting "Having trouble sleeping," he answered plainly, his usually succinct way of speaking. He yawned as he moved to sit beside her, stretching his paws out in front of him as he leaned back on his haunches. "What about you?" No more nightmares, hopefully. He wasn't in the mood to talk about that kind of thing tonight.

He moved to settle near her, and she grinned up at him. She ha long grown accustomed to the height difference; her encounters with Imperium wolves, Bacchus and Lark left her used to being extremely short, so it was unnoticed to her how she had to tip her head back to look him in the face, or to even see the bottom of hsi chin. Nope, not big deal. He answered her questions readily enough, confirming her suspicions, and would return the question. "Much of the same," she answered truthfully, though without going into more detail. "It's peaceful by the rapids, now that the flooding has done down. I enjoy it her at night," she confessed, swishing her paw through the water again.

"Speech"
"Language"

Art by Penguiduck

It had taken him a long time to really feel comfortable around wolves that weren't his family. He was close to Tinaro, and he supposed Lillianna now too; Calypsei was a friend as well, but he hadn't talked to her much lately. It'd only taken him, what, two years? And still he was far closer to his family. He was still getting used to the fact that he and Lillianna were friends. They'd traveled pretty far together - much further than he'd gone with anyone before - they weren't at each other's throats constantly anymore, which was nice. "Mm, he'd murmur in agreement as he rocked backwards where he sat, his gaze lifting briefly to the sky. Though it was the dead of night, the stars and the moon cast enough light that it seemed much earlier - or later, however you looked at it.  "It is," he'd add with a soft echo of accordance.  "I used to come here and cross the rapids when I was younger," he noted a bit dreamily as his gaze fell to watch them. They'd seemed impossible to cross when he was a child, and he'd done so once.. and then twice.. until they didn't seem scary at all anymore. "I felt invincible doing it."

Hey - they agreed on something! It was a miracle! Amused by her own thoughts, Lillianna resisted a snort of amusement. She felt surprisingly comfortable with the giant of a wolf sitting next to her, even if she felt tiny next to him. Ah, well, she was pretty used to it at this point. She simply sat there and watched him as he looked up at the night sky, her own eyes following to the bright stars and moon shining above. A soft smile crossed her face as he spoke again, surprise flickering only momentarily before being replaced by a warmth - and maybe a hint of a mischievous smile. Invicible, eh? She didn't blame him. She remembered when she first crossed the rapids; it was such an accomplishment! But she had crossed an ocean, as well, and that was definitely a pivotal moment for her, perhaps moreso than the rapids. She had nearly forgotten about that; it seemed so long ago, but in reality, it was only little over a year. It wasn't that difficult, though, with so many islands. You could see the next island always and waves weren't too strong in the deep ocean. Just don't go out when you're bloody, is all. The rapids were actually quite scarier because if she misstepped - especially with flooding - could result in death. Glancing back at Lark, then at the rapids, and back at Lark again, she smiled, cheerfully. "Wanna cross with me, then?" she questioned, eyes sparkling as she stood. Hopefully, he would.

"Speech"
"Language"

Art by Penguiduck

The serenity of the night was refreshing. He didn't feel her gaze on him as he looked to the sky, falling into a comfortable silence before speaking about the rapids. He liked feeling small under the clear night sky; from way up there, he was likely little more than a speck of dust, insignificant and unimportant. It was refreshing to know, in the larger picture, he really was just one wolf - even if to his siblings he mattered more than he knew how to. He caught sight of Lillianna's half-smile, mirroring it with one of his own. He didn't usually talk about his feelings.. that sort of thing he preferred to keep to himself. So it surprised him that he'd mentioned the rapids, since he'd felt something unique when he'd first crossed them. A sort of wild independence that he'd only tasted briefly, but that he thought of fondly. His jaw clenched slightly as he took her question in, finally nodding in slow approval. "Sure," he accepted with a nonchalant shrug, but his eyes sparkled with something like playfulness. "You first."

There was something about Lark that made silences just so... comfortable. It wasn't awkward, it wasn't heavy. It was light, pleasant, almost comforting in nature. To have the presence of another next to her without having to really... worry about anything. No stress, no mess, just a companionship. Perhaps the night sky played a part in it; the cool light of the stars and moon was utterly peaceful as she looked up at them.

Her gaze dropped quickly, though, staring out over the water. The sound of rushing water... ohhh, could this night get any better than it was? She had always found the sound of water flowing soothing, and this was definitely the perfect atmosphere for relaxation. Relaxation had to wait, though, with Lark spotting her smile... and returning it! He seemed to contemplate her question, but soon enough he gave her a look of approval, and nodded as well; an exhilaration entered her eyes. Yes! Yay! And even though his tone was lukewarm, accompanied by a light shrug as if he had no care in the world, there was something in his demeanor, in his attitude. A positive one, at that.

"Oh? What, are you scared?" she teased lightly, amusement in every inch of her body. She made sure to keep her tone light and joking; she didn't want any misinterpretation or misunderstanding. Lillianna stood slowly, shaking out her fur - it had been collecting the mist from the rapids for quite some time, and she was already thoroughly drenched. Shaking herself just so happened to spray water all over Lark. Trying to suppress laughter (which failed, by the way, it just made her giggle instead) she danced towards where there were small rocks. This was definitely a challenge; she could not pause for any reason once on the rocks. Just one smooth leap to another until she reached the other side.

She could do this. Silently plotting a course, she took a deep breath, shot a glance at Lark, and made that first leap. Barely had her first paws touching those first few stones that she pushed off again, darting a zigzagged path from rock to rock. Several times, she nearly missed, but she caught herself each time, a task easier said than done. Eventually, though, her dancing movements would cease as she tripped... onto dry land. Landing less than elegantly onto the ground, she rolled a couple of feet before coming to a stop. She shook herself all over, a 'what the fuck' expression crossing her face, before her gaze sought out Lark's, grinning with her tongue lolling out the side of her mouth.

"Speech"
"Language"

Art by Penguiduck

Perhaps now he could rightfully call Lilianna a friend. It wasn't a comfortable label for him though. If he was somehow forced to call her something at all, he supposed that would be the way to describe whatever they shared.  He was grateful that she was here - he hadn't expected company, but he was deeply comfortable in her presence and he found himself thinking about the fact that he preferred her here with him tonight, rather than solitude, which was a bit of a rarity with him. Nighttime was a peaceful time, and he usually liked spending it alone. I've never been scared,' he was inclined to say, but.. that would've been a lie. He'd been terrified when he'd heard and seen Finch, drugged and unconscious, barely clinging to life - that was one time he remembered true fear. It hadn't felt good. But crossing the rapids was something different entirely. It wasn't really scary persay, but definitely exhilarating and maybe a bit nerve-wracking, but in a good way. A real smile crossed his lips at Lillie's words. Not his usual, faint, ghost-of-a-smile; but a genuine smile. "You think I'm scared of some rocks and water?" he'd retort after a moment, a chuckle falling from his parted lips. His tail swayed behind him, batting at the slightly damp earth behind him. "You don't know anything about me, do you?" His own words were light and teasing - now their normal deep timbre, rather than the sleepier tone he'd had when he'd first approached her. He watched as she moved forward, beginning to cross the rapids with less grace than she probably anticipated. It wasn't perfect, but his attempt wouldn't be that graceful either. His brows furrowing in focus as he took a few steps back from the edge of the rapids. With that, he'd rush forward quickly, leaping to the first rock with ease - taking a different route than the one Lillie had taken, knowing the rocks could be slick from any water she'd dragged onto them from almost slipping once or twice. His own navigation was a bit more awkward - and probably more dangerous - as he nearly felt his front paws give out from under him halfway across the rapids. Without thinking, knowing hesitation could cause him.. some sort of bodily harm (to what extent, he didn't want to consider right now), he'd fling himself to the next rock and then finally to the shoreline, his lower half swinging down into the rushing water as he pulled himself to land using his front paws. It was not his best attempt, and he felt his heart thudding loudly in his chest as he found solid ground, his hindquarters dripping cold water as he straightened himself and let his head stop its spinning. "You win," he'd admit with sharp gasp of breath as he shook the water from his pelt, knowing what he'd done was pretty stupid.. but hey, he was unharmed and only Lillie had seen him almost drown. Hopefully she wouldn't pass on the story.

She hadn't needed to be worried about any sort of misinterpretation, it seemed. He smiled, and delight sparkled in her eyes; she got a real smile from him! Not the half-smile she normally got - or the scowl - but an expression that nearly matched her own. That sent her cheerfulness spiraling; going out tonight was the best decision she had made of ate. She laughed softly at his words, winking at him. No, she didn't really think that, and he knew that. In fact, the thought of him being scared of rocks and water was equally amusing. Her own tail wagged gently behind her, a sort of peacefulness and happiness in her. She simply smiled at his other words, though he certainly had a point. She knew more about him than perhaps most did - if she let her ego speak, that is - but she still did not know him well. There were parts that were hidden, and that she hoped she could eventually uncover as she desired with all her friends.

The thought made her start - friends? Were they friends? Could that truly be the label upon their shaky relationship? It troubled her for a mere second - after all, their relationship was one of interactions that could be good one second, but devolve. And yet, there was still a bond she could acknowledge existed. That she could live with. She could think about what they were at a later date; too much deep thinking for so late at night. Besides, she had a river to cross.

When she successfully crossed - a few mishaps aside, her grin remained, tongue flopping out the side of her mouth. Lark's turn, now. He started on a different route than her, and her head tilted as she concentrated. Interesting. It was definitely a more challenging, treacherous route. But the reasoning was sound, because the rocks she chose glistened with water now. He would likely slip if he went the same way... or the way he was going currently.

With horror, she watched as he slipped. No! A panic encased her mind, and she leaped to her paws, lunging towards the river's edge. But he was too far away, there were no other rocks nearby - she was stuck, she couldn't help, and the fear simply grew as her eyes darted across the river, trying to find some way to help him, save him.

And then he flung himself onto another rock just as he was starting to fully slip, and almost onto the shoreline. His front half landed, his lower body hitting the water. He was a few feet away; she jumped towards him just as he managed to pull himself up.

He shook himself, splashing water all over her, but at that point she didn't care. She was already pretty soaked from the spray. No, she was focused on him, and she darted forward, sniffing at his pelt, nose poking at where his body dipped into the water. She whined softly; that was utterly terrifying.

And yet, he admitted she won. Turning back towards him, only a couple feet away, she shook her head. "That doesn't matter," she muttered, taking a few steps forward and trying to sniff gingerly around his chest, as if checking for injuries. She'd smell something if he was injured, right? "Are you okay?" she questioned, worry tinging her voice. Even asking, she still poked around. He had to be okay.

"Speech"
"Language"

Art by Penguiduck

The first time he'd ever crossed the rapids he'd been really uncertain about it all. He'd been showing off, a bit - Calypsei had made it seem really easy, and while it wasn't a simple feat, it was one he'd felt foolish not knowing how to do. It hadn't been impossible, but he'd nearly slipped a bit. But.. not like this time. It'd been at the very last transition, thankfully, and he'd been able to grasp onto the shoreline and pull himself upright. If he'd slipped on a different rock it was easy to imagine he might not have held on at all. Hell, maybe the rapids would've swept him away. But he couldn't think about that right now. His head spun as he caught his breath; he felt winded from the sudden, unexpected rush of adrenaline that flooded him. Lark's head felt heavy and his chest was on fire as he gasped for air, trying to keep his breathing steady. The very last thing he needed was Lillianna telling anyone about this. Crossing the rapids was a stupid thing to do, especially when they were strong like they were now.. he shook his head, feeling a dull pounding forming at the base of his skull. He was still as she nosed at him, resisting the urge to flinch away. He was too amped up now to feel any pain, though he was pretty sure he had no real injuries. He was sure he'd be sore all over tomorrow from colliding with the riverbank and having to use his front legs to pull his weight up like he had. "I guess," he said with a shrug, his voice slightly defensive. Lark wasn't used to being.. taken care of? Not that he really needed it. He'd been stupid and had jumped too quickly when he ought to have waited. Tomorrow he would certainly pay for his misstep. "I don't know. Little sore, I guess." As he stood still, as he felt the panic drain from him like melting snow in the spring, he felt a dull aching in his chest. Nothing unbearable, but it was present. "Shouldn't cross again tonight though," he said, a heavy sigh leaving his lips as his gaze left her. Maybe he shouldn't have left his den at all tonight, but he sure as hell wouldn't be sleeping there tonight. He knew a safer way to cross but it was a decent journey from here, and a journey he wasn't willing to make now.

He guessed. He guess he was okay. Her aggravated huff after that answer was more than enough to share her opinion on that guess. She was not truly angry, though, and the spike of fear and concern was slowly ebbing away to something more calm, more manageable. He finally, grudgingly, gave an answer in detail, and she nodded slowly. "That makes sense," she murmured, finally taking a step away from the much larger wolf.

Her gaze drifted to the water - but no longer was it serene. Instead, it was near a monster in her mind, hungry, volatile, greedy, grasping at all those who dared cross. It was near terrifying, and she shuddered slightly, glancing away. Nope, definitely not going to cross. As if reading her mind, Lark piped up, commenting with the exact same thing she just thought. "I agree," she sighed quietly, eyes sweeping across the land. She knew this territory much less than the other two; she much preferred the serpent plains side of the river, and the rustling thicket, as opposed the short swath of land on the other side of the plains. Of course, last season it had been wet, sticky, and muddy - more so than any other territory, and that was saying something.

Her gaze drifted back to the brown male standing near her, studying him absentmindedly as his own gaze wandered away from her. What to do now? The adrenaline, it was still in her body, in her veins; there was no sleeping for her, not in the immediate moment anyways. she knew, in a bit, she would be utterly exhausted - and he would be as well, she bet, and sore at that. Hmm, maybe she should try to figure out the herb for soreness and whatnot? No, best to stick to battle herbs. She was no healer, just as she was no fighter. Her scars were proof of the latter, at least. "What now?" she asked, voice still soft - such a contrast to what it normally was. Her tone, her mannerisms; they were not usually gentle but they were this time.She didn't feel like making decisions, being dominant or challenging. Not for the rest of the night, anyways.

"Speech"
"Language"

Art by Penguiduck

Lark really didn't like thinking of what could have happened. He'd avoided thinking about that stuff with Finch. He would've been out for blood if she'd been more hurt than she had been; it was the fact that he had resigned himself to thinking about the facts, rather than the possibilities of what could have happened, that he'd kept himself together. Perhaps he was going through the same thing right now. Sure, he could've been seriously hurt. Maybe even died if he'd been knocked out and swept down the rapids. But he was fine now, and that was what really mattered. A soft sigh left his lips as he took a step away from her. He wasn't using to be prodded over - he was the strong Destruction, not the one that needed to be checked up on and cared for. He was the one that was supposed to do the caring for, not the other way around. Lark swore he felt his limbs quivering underneath him, though he knew the instability of his gait was likely not visible. The slight, dull ache in his chest made him feel anxious more than anything; their perfect night had been shaken so quickly and he blamed himself for it. He just needed to jump a second later than he had. That was it. "I dunno," he murmured, pulling away and beginning to pad away from the river's edge. He peeked at her over his left shoulder, silently inviting her to join him. "We'll go back over tomorrow," Lark would tell her, offering an absent shrug to accompany his words. The rapids should be safer then, he concluded. They could see the safest path across and get over it easily, when the sun was high in the sky. "Guess we find somewhere to sleep now." If he could get to sleep, that was. It seemed like all their outings recently ended like this - with the two of them needing to find somewhere inconvenient to den together. He had no complaints, but he couldn't help feeling like an idiot. It was nothing like how he'd felt after the siege, but it was high up on his list.

He eventually pulled away from her, and she let him, watching him carefully for signs of... anything, really. She knew nothing about herbs, or wounds, but she was pretty certain she'd know if he was, say, limping. He didn't seem to, though. Nothing at all. Relief was clear, and the female just watched him silently as he seemed to contemplate what to do. It would be only moments, but then he'd step away more and turn towards the river. She stayed where she was for now - until there was a clear invitation to join, and a silent elation filled her, and she followed him, plopping down rather ungracefully to him.

Her heart was slowly settling, the adrenaline fading quicker with each breath - the fatigue was setting in, and Lillianna sighed, watching the river that had turned in one breath beautiful to deadly. That was a lesson for that day; never underestimate the deadliness of even the most beautiful things. Lark started speaking again, and her head tilted up with a soft, high-pitched hrm, a sudden start of attentiveness. Oh, she had started to doze off. Oops. Strangely, though, she wasn't embarrassed - perhaps she was past caring. She offered him a nod, a tired unintelligible murmur the only verbal response he received. He suggested sleep, or rather, finding somewhere to sleep, and she nodded again. "Yeah," she said softly. "Somewhere dry, too." Her entire being was just... so mild right now, and it felt odd even to her. All emotions were dulled, were soothed - lacking the fiery passion her eyes normally sparkled with. It'd be a good idea to find somewhere to sleep... warmth would be nice, too, and... she yawned, leaning to the side, against Lark. Her eyes fluttered closed to the lulling roar of the water, the thoughts in her brain muddled from the sleepiness, and drifting with thoughts of what she was leaning on was so warm, so soft, so comfortable. She should use him as a pillow again at some point...

"Speech"
"Language"

Art by Penguiduck

Lark could've sighed again, but he didn't. His posture was lax as he moved, but he felt a dull tension in his chest. Immediate panic had subsided, and now he mostly felt annoyed at himself for being so careless. His brow furrowed, ears flicking slightly atop his head as they moved in unison. Surely he would be sore tomorrow, and they'd have to find a safer route to cross the rapids, but that was fine. Just not today. As they settled down, at no particular location, he noted Lillie's eyes fluttered shut quickly. Apparently.. they would sleep here? Was this really a good place? Not that they'd sleep for long anyway. At least he wouldn't. Finally he sighed again, flopping down next to her carefully so as not to cause further harm to himself. "Oh.." he said quietly, his head tilting to the side as he eyed her. Apparently.. this was the spot she had chosen, and Lark was in no state to argue with her right now. Before he had time to think, or react at all, he felt her leaning against him. This was strangely reminiscent of the last time they'd slept near one another, and he was silent for a long moment. He felt suddenly relaxed at her touch, though stiffened slightly, unsure what to do. Getting up and letting her fall over seemed pretty rude. He sighed again, silently this time, letting himself relax as she leaned into him, seeming to fall more asleep with each breath she took. "Okay," Lark murmured silently, letting himself lean back into her touch ever-so-slightly as he lowered his head to his paws, slipping quickly into sleep's embrace.