The tall, lithe boy Chaos had been was a boy no longer, and maturity had packed muscle on his body to soften the unfinished lankiness of a yearling into the strong and masculine lines of an adult. Though he had never actually abandoned his family's lands - that was, after all, where his mother lived, and she still needed him even if he knew he no longer truly needed her - his energy and adventurous spirit had not diminished with the passing of his childhood and the lifestyle he followed had kept him from ever actually becoming soft.

He and Cascade together had learned to adapt their hunting style to his unusual fangs, though it hadn't taken much change once they'd determined that he was better suited to slicing than to gripping. That and his large size had made them a very successful hunting pair even before his dad and Angelus had returned from practically beyond the grave. Valentine being around was even greater incentive for the young wolf to continue to hang around the old pack lands, idolizing him as Chaos did. He had been devastated that the rest of the family hadn't returned with them, though - Rhyme lost maybe forever, and Ashmedai still gone too, though none of the losses stung quite as much as his partner in crime Rhys. She'd be an adult by now too, and sometimes he wondered if that had changed her at all. It hadn't much changed him, though.

Right now he'd swung out wide from the former pack lands looking for something interesting to do, or at least something more interesting than staring at a bunch of buffalo butts all day on the knolls. The orchard that had been the most interesting part of Imperium's old lands had been, to his disgust, recently claimed by a new pack, so he'd had to swing down around it and found himself in a swamp. As far as swamps went it wasn't even as creepy as the forest north of the knolls, though at least it was something different. The heat was almost unbearable here for the dark colored Chaos, though, and the fog blurred the light enough that the play of highlights on his black-and-then-purple-and-then-blue iridescent fur was muted to the point of looking more normal than anything. He wondered if there were crocodiles here, and the thought perked him up enough to pick up his pace as he went to go try to find some.

The scorn of the moon very much enjoys the days when she is wild and free. Hell. She's always been wild and free, free and wild. A gypsy born child, a child raised by a village, a child that wasn't told who in particular her parents were only that they were of the group. She resented that a bit. It was fine. Things would always be fine, and no one had really... messed her up as a kid. She was lucky. Selene would suppose that she had gotten out okay until she had such a reason to believe that she hadn't. It was almost too good to be true when she compared it to everyone else, and yet she realized now she lacked a certain closeness. To not know who her parents were? To not be close to her roots? Hell, they had just up and moved one day without her when she fell too far behind. The stargazer didn't really know where they'd gotten to, only that she was without them... only that she had been without them for what felt like... an age? She was older now than she had been when they went away. When she went away? It was hard to tell.

Childhood was weird, especially when you were on your own as a yearling. One year. A full set of the seasons, and she knew that winter wasn't her friend. If she didn't have a home by then, what would become of her? The scorn of the moon found herself pondering it without the usual emotion that came with dealing in life or death affairs. She very well may freeze to death. To die would be an awfully big adventure, supposedly. Selene doesn't... really care? So long as there's an adventure for the starlit night, things would be okay. It was the only thing she'd never go without. Hungry for something bigger, the girl moves on. Shit happens, right?

Moving across the marshland, the girl can smell someone else on the breeze. Her tail never stops wagging, it makes her look... non threatening. And maybe she isn't. Maybe she doesn't want to issue a threat, and maybe she never will, but it's the thought that counts. Her ears perk slightly at the creature, and there's a soft bark in her throat. It's rood to sneak up on people, especially the ones you don't know. Not that Selene has ever cared too much about being rude, it's the thought that counts. It's all the thoughts that count as she closes the gap between herself and the young man. Don't look too soft... but it's hard for her not to. She is delicate and agile, and appearing hardened by the world around her is difficult. All bright eyes and shimmering light, her step is high and her tail wags.


"Think anything out here is gonna eat us?" There's something devil may care about the way her head tosses, about the way her words lilt. Everyone here was so tall, and maybe she should have cringed backward at his teeth, but Selene won't show anything short of open curiosity. Days like this... she won't turn them down.

~Selene

The sound of a voice dragged his attention to the side, and Chaos blinked for a moment in curiosity to see the stranger prancing up to him with wagging tail. Dark like him, with flecks of lighter color to break up the darkness, but she barely came up to his chest in height. How weird to see such a tiny, delicate-looking and happy creature in such a dismally hot and mucky place. But he knew better than most that appearances could be deceiving. Just look at his mother - built like a racing hound and always smiling, yet in many ways she had the morals of a jackal. He tilted his head down and around to regard this stranger and grin at her words. "Maybe. I hope they at leatht try," he lisped in return before surveying the boggy land with anticipation. "Crocodileth or alligatorth maybe. I bet they tathte good. Wonder what elthe huntth here."

There's something fantastic about the boy's teeth. Like holy shit, look at those. Selene's eyes go wide when they fix on them, and her tail wags. She's playful as she bounces forward, dropping to bow low for a second before springing back up. A shot of darkness but only in the best way. The starlit is open and friendly, sheer energy-- it makes Selene hell on wheels. Sure, looks can be deceiving, but Selene is so immensely and incredibly happy. Days like this are her favorite. Her most favorite. That, and she's come into contact with a stranger. Jeeze, the scorn of the moon has been so darned excited about strangers lately. They're lovely, really. She's lovely too.


No one here yet has been overtly upset with her. The bouncing, barely grown out of pup stage, tiny creature feels like she's made a splash. But no one has offered her shelter. No one has tried to take her in. Maybe she's thankful for that too. With wild, bright eyes she looks right up to the young man. He's so tall. Her head is popped back as his is lowered, and her tail wags hard enough to wiggle the rest of her body. His grin is mirrored, except for those damn teeth. Inwardly, Selene wonders where she can get a pair.


"I'd bet it tastes like chicken!" She giggles, bouncing on her dark little feet. "Maybe something we could actually take down, big birds, like herons! Or vultures!" She's wild, and she's happy. Her moonlit eyes are glimmering with the very prospect, and she's.... well, she's absolutely lit up with the idea that she'd have company for the afternoon.

~Selene