Evening lengthened painfully slowly into night, and as the last of the sun's rays began to disappear behind the sea, the stars blurred into curved streaks across the darkening sky. On the western horizon, the water was lit with riotous orange and crimson, fading into the blue-purple of a fresh bruise. There was a brief period where he'd allowed himself some respite from his duties with the princess, and the waif was quietly tucking into a freshly caught carp that had been pulled from the brackish waters of a tributary merging with the sea to the northwest of the plains. Fireflies winked to life as the sun set, appearing in droves as the impossibly long evening pressed ever onward. The slave had carefully tucked himself against the cool stone of the obelisk that listed the pack's rules, so that no one could sneak up behind him.

The carp he was eating had been oddly hued, it was the first thing he'd noticed when he pulled it from the water. However, he couldn't bring himself to care. Too hungry, too tired. While he wondered what it meant, he struggled to find the energy to truly investigate everything that was happening around him lately. Adjusting the tuck of his dark banner against his hip, some of the chilly breeze coming in off the sea to the west was minimized as the plush fur encircled one of his exposed paw pads.

"Speech!"

TABLE & CODE © SKELLE 2021

There was a lot of strange things going on. Just earlier, he'd thought he'd seen Malachai running through the mangrove nearby. He still wasn't sure that it wasn't him, considering the boy appeared only minutes after he decided to investigate. His heart still hadn't slowed since being there with him. Ever since that spar some weeks ago, he'd felt very strange. He couldn't even describe it, but he didn't even know how to talk anymore. He could keep himself composed around girls no problem, even around Sirius and the other leaders he was fine. But something about some other wolves, well he couldn't quite place it.

He was young, and so there was little he could do in the way of understanding. Returning from the Mangrove had been a sea of thoughts and questions, mostly to himself wondering why he had to be so weird and wondering what exactly was happening. He'd never felt anything like this before, so it wasn't surprising to him that the new strange bugs and long nights weren't exactly on his mind at the moment. It didn't take long for the young man to get from the mangrove to the armada borders, but when he had he did finally stop. He was a bit hungry now, so maybe hunting something would ease his mind. He needed to get to sleep anyway, he had rounds in the morning.

It didn't take him long to find something worth hunting in the area surrounding the armada. Unfortunately, his only option was something funky colored and glowing though. Moments later the man bolted after a coyote and caught it, quickly ending it's life as if it were nothing more than a bug underneath his paw. Grimshaw was never one for consuming other canines, but there was a coyote problem around the armada and he would do his best to help.

Carrying the limp coyote by its throat through the armada, he noticed a small shape nestled into the Obelisk eating it's own small meal. Silver eyes glanced to the wolf, someone he didn't recognize. They seemed to be eating their own meal, a fish that also didn't seem to be lacking in the funky glow department. He approached then, dropping the coyote carcass so that he could speak. "Mind if I eat with you?"

The view was obstructed by shadow- he hadn't even noticed anyone approaching. Too engrossed in the fish. Sea foam eyes lifted, and kept on going. Up, up, up. The titan that stared down at him was certainly easy on the eyes. Carrying the carcass of a coyote that was nearly the waif's own size. Something to be said for a man who could manhandle him with ease. The limp body of the tawny canine dropped heavily near his paws- something, something, looking into the face of his own mortality. Fish was delicious, did anything else really matter at the moment? "Mind if I eat with you?" the colossus rumbled flatly. A small smile upturned the corner of his lips, and he dipped his head wordlessly in assent. As the giant settled down close enough to block even more of the sea's cool breeze, a small sigh of satisfaction escaped inky lips. Drawing his pink tongue over his whiskers, the petite male took a moment to savour the moment.

"Despite how eerie they are, I think the stars look even more beautiful now." he murmured, pausing his meal to lift his gaze up to the twinkling streaks above. They were probably an omen of something horrible to come, but he couldn't help admiring the crystalline beauty of these strange new shapes in the sky. Such a dramatic shift from the subtle glimmer of the cosmos a few months prior. "What do you think?" he enquired quietly, turning his attention to the stranger. Perhaps he was overstepping his bounds as a slave by being so open and casual with what was undoubtedly a higher ranked wolf, but something about being tucked away from the wind, watching the sun cast its final light across the night sky.. it felt far away from the world of strict hierarchies and macabre duties.

"Speech!"

TABLE & CODE © SKELLE 2021

As his eyes focused in the shadow of the obelisk, Grimshaw really saw how small the man was. He didn't look too familiar, and he was certain he'd recognize a smaller man with a blatant marking smacked across their face. They didn't seem to mind him dropping the canid that wasn't much smaller and soon he sat next to Satoru. Grabbing the knife from his bracers, he began removing the pelt as the man spoke, carefully cutting around the wrists and flipping the animal to slice open it's torso. He didn't even consider the thoughts or feelings of the other man, he just wanted the funky blue pelt.

He paused only to look up at the streaks of blue above them, the same ominous lights from before that reminded him so much of fireflies. He learned from before however that they were hardly that at all. They had passed through his body, even, disappeared from plain sight, and up close hardly look like a bug at all. At most a little glowing... orb, maybe. He didn't know, but the man was right. It did make the stars look even more beautiful that normal. With the bright purple and blue glow of the large moon, it made for a gorgeous night every night this season. It didn't get old and part of him hoped it wouldn't end. As long as everything remained harmless, however.

When asked his opinion, Grimshaw looked down from the sky and at the smaller man only briefly before looking off before them where a collection of the blue glowing lights had gathered, hovering around and illuminating the plains around them and the obelisk. Grimshaw wondered if hunting one of their own brought this upon them, or if it was related in any way at all. "I don't know. They're beautiful, and so far they seem harmless... but, why all of a sudden?" He asked, his voice deep for his age, although he looked much older from his sheer size.

The carp clasped loosely between his forepaws was all but forgotten as he watched the titanic male mechanically go through the motions of skinning the coyote that lay between them. As those pale green eyes skimmed over the limp carcass, terribly pliant under the deftly moving paws of the obsidian giant, he realized the pelt was shot through with different hues of sapphire, cerulean, turquoise. Ah, it made sense why he bothered to put in the effort of preparing his meal before he ate it. Lifting those keen eyes up to the chiseled features of his dinner guest, he unabashedly examined the curve of his cheekbones and the defined ridge of his brows. There was a subtle curve to the edge of his jaw, where it met with his cheek. Oh, he was still a young thing. How sweet. The temptation arose suddenly to sidle closer and lean against his flank, quietly fawning over his handiwork. What a fun game that might be. However, the danger that came with getting into the personal space of such a titanic male at the lowly rank of slave? It certainly put a damper on his urges.

Thankfully, they were still stuck on the strange weather. The bright, shining face of the moon illuminated the slope of the young goliath's sturdy shoulders. When the stars came up, the young man lifted his attention to the heavens, exposing his throat. Would it be such a crime to gently nibble at the soft flesh and silky fur in the hollow of his jaw? As quick as it was bared, it was gone. They were looking at the strange fireflies now, dancing in the breeze in their hundreds of thousands. From a higher vantage point, he had looked down and seen their numbers stretching out over the landscape as far as his eyes could possibly see. "I don't know. They're beautiful, and so far they seem harmless... but, why all of a sudden?" his guest mused aloud, rich baritones rumbling in his chest. Flicking the dark tip of his tail against his thigh, the waif found himself shrugging lightly in response.

"I'm afraid I can't say, love. Do you think the little lights are what's become of the stars? The way the skies look now, it isn't unlike a meteor shower. Perhaps the stars have come to pay us a visit, to watch us from up close instead of being so far away.." he mused quietly, expression dreamy as he gazed out at the dancing flickers of light that stretched out towards the horizon. That was an idealistic notion, wasn't it? How very optimistic of him, and so deeply foolish. Nothing was every that simple, or so pitifully fantastical. Well, it appeared that if being a high class whore or an assassin ever stopped getting him by, he could become a storyteller. A soft snort of bemusement at his own thoughts escaped his maw, coupled with a hint of a rueful smile.

"Speech!"

TABLE & CODE © SKELLE 2021

Grimshaw was blissfully unaware of the man's eyes tracing his body, and thankfully so. He was good without further awkward encounters. After losing to Malachai in a spar that made things between them terribly awkward, at least for him, the last thing he needed was additional strange feelings. Although, he couldn't say that he wouldn't be interested in learning what they were and meant, but that wasn't something you went and talked to strangers about, it seemed. Besides, he felt slightly embarrassed by it.  

As the lights danced around them, Grimshaw hesitated in getting back to his work. What if they were here because they had taken two of their own? A fish and a coyote, what if they meant something to these lights? He wasn't sure he wanted to find out, but being surrounded by the lights told him there was no place to really go. At least his back was against the obelisk, but knowing that the lights could pass through him did little to quell his fear of them passing through the large stone. The man spoke, calling him something he'd never heard... at least since he was young, anyway. His mother called him that when he was a pup, and he hadn't heard it since. He swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry, but tried to focus on what else he was saying.

"I uh, I don't know." Oh no, he was stuttering again. Grimshaw bit his lip briefly, trying to find the courage to speak around his apparent stutter. It appeared whenever he became nervous, but why was he nervous suddenly? The lights weren't that scary, were they? "I feel like I can still see the stars... the lights are.. the lights seem different." That was a little better.

Satoru

In a nearby tree two squirrels begin chittering angrily at each other. At closer inspection, it appears the acorn they are fighting over shimmers a vibrant purple where it catches the light. You also find 2 mushrooms. Maybe these are worth keeping…

Grimshaw

Out of the corner of your eye, you see a chipmunk scampering by. Wait - is it glowing? You also find 2 mushrooms. Maybe these are worth keeping…