You couldn't kill me if you tried
It was late. The sky was blanketed in darkness with nothing but the light from the moon and the stars. She had decided to take up a night patrol in the Moor, especially considering she felt restless most of the day. But the nights were peaceful to her. She quite enjoyed them, especially on the Moor. The mists that hovered over the ground did well to hide most. And for those that glowed? It was a bit of a task. Luckily, she had learned to control hers and she could dim it down like a bed of dying coals, or she could make it bright enough to light her paths, though not blindingly so (at least not yet). She couldn't completely turn off the glow though, which was completely fine for her. She rather liked shimmering and glowing, and it was a part of who she was. The swirls on her body always seemed to swirl with a gentle light, though her tail was often more blindingly bright compared to the rest of her.
Storm gray eyes glanced up to the sky for a moment before she heard the softest of sounds. Her attention whipped to her surroundings as she paused, slight tension in her muscles and her hackles rising. The sound was too soft to be a predator, though perhaps it was a packmate? Drawing scents from the air, she detected no recent scent of a packmate...odd. She didn't smell anything out of the ordinary, and as she squinted to try and peer through the mist that had suddenly seemed to get thicker, she swore she saw something move.
"Who's there!" She called out, voice stern as she waited for an answer. One heartbeat. Two. Three...nothing. Maybe it was just the mist playing tricks on her. Letting go of the breath she didn't know she was holding, she turned away to continue her patrol when she suddenly came face to face with a white stag. She gasped in surprise as the beast was mere inches from her own nose. Stormy silver eyes met icy blues, and neither of them moved. He was a magnificent beast. Pelt as white as snow, a rack of antlers that were the biggest she'd ever seen and she couldn't even begin to count how many points they had.
She couldn't move. It was as if she were stuck.
After a few more heartbeats, he snorted. A gust of mist blew gently, ruffling the long fur of her cheeks and she suddenly felt the touch of his nose against hers as if he were greeting an old friend. She didn't feel afraid in his presence, but rather, a strange sense of calm. Any fear or apprehension she might've had moments before had melted away, replaced by wonder and warmth.
He had only touched her for no more than a heartbeat or two before he pulled away. Without a word, the white stag turned and walked away. After a few steps, however, it turned to look at her once more before resuming its silent march. The creature was swallowed by the mist. Not a trace of its presence was left behind.
She remained rooted where she was, though her breath returned as she stared at the spot it had disappeared to. That was...strange...she had never experienced anything like that. Pulling herself from her stupor, she looked to the ground and found there weren't even any hoofmarks to indicate it had even been here. No scent. No sound. Nothing...
Even the mist seemed to thin out now that the stag had gone. Glancing around her to see if anyone else had been around to witness that, she realized she was alone tonight. She had to admit...it was a beautiful creature. He was the most beautiful creature she'd ever seen, at least...for an animal that was usually prey, anyway. Even if she hadn't been mesmerized, she doubted she would be able to kill such a creature. He seemed too...pure. To magnificent. To kill such a beast would surely send anyone to the depths of Hell or whatever was the equivalent.
The soft rustle of the breeze gently tugged at her fur, and she remembered why she had initially come out here. She still had a patrol to do, after all. She continued forward at a slower, softer pace. Mind still reeling from the encounter. Did deer usually approach like that? No...why would a prey animal willingly approach their natural predator? The one that had appeared showed no sign of fear whatsoever...and besides its appearance, she thought that was also strange. Deer normally ran away at the sight of them, but this one? It almost seemed like it was looking for her. Like it wanted to meet her. And what was with touching her nose? It was almost as if it were greeting an old friend...
So many questions surrounding this mystery. That was for certain. She wondered if she ought to tell Ardyn in the morning about her encounter...Would he believe her? She wasn't a liar. That wasn't something that was naturally a part of her. But what if the retelling of her encounter sounded so farfetched, that nobody believed it? No. Strange things had happened before. Like the season of the long nights...that had been the strangest thing in her life up until now.
Turning her course towards the edge of the Moor, she walked along its border as her mind kept on the stag. Ardyn would surely get a kick when he heard about it. A small grin tugged at her lips when she thought about his reaction to it. Would he be surprised? Had he seen or encountered anything like that before? Would he be skeptical? Whatever the case, she was excited to tell him about it in the morning. That would be the first thing she did when she woke up...assuming she would even be able to sleep after that, of course.
Maybe they'd be able to chat about it. Possibly come up with a number of reasons or speculate on it. Maybe they'd never find the true answer...whatever the case, she was sure this would be something she'd never forget.
WC: 1,027
"Speak"
