The typical black of night was illuminated by a vibrant, high set moon that cast its cool glow over the brown, rather lifeless landscape. A singular form was seated beside the flowing stream. One obsidian paw danced over the water's surface as dual toned eyes looked beneath. As black pads created little ripples, Pitch was inviting fish up to play. The scaled creatures were curious, but hesitant. It took some time to get them comfortable enough to stay on the surface, but she was more patient than most. The midnight wolf slid more of her foreleg into the water and the fish swam around it, complacent and seemingly mesmerized. Pitch splayed her toes in the cool water, doing so slowly and languidly. Rolling her wrist, she pointed blackened pads towards herself then, at the last moment, she quickly swept her paw through the water, using the momentum to scoop one of the fish up and out of its liquid home. The silver and green fish fluttered and gasped as it flopped about on the bank. A quick bite to the back of its head ended its life.

With her prize grasped in her jaws, the woman made her way to a raised step of hardened earth. Sprawling on her stomach, Pitch proceeded to consume her moonlit meal. The woman's long, snaking tail swished back and forth slowly, but rhythmically across her outstretched hind legs. Holding the fish between front paws, she was soon filling her belly with the pearlescent meat. The woman ate her meal at a leisurely pace. In between bites she would softly hum a few bars of song, content to be the only one alive at such an hour.

"Pitch"

Gloom spent most of her time outside of Abaven now, she ranged further with each trip, returning only because of her mother and brother and because she had yet to work up the courage to talk to Theory about leaving, had yet to ask her brother and mother if they would join her. The woman's nerves were always at their highest when she was back in Abaven and all the courage she would build while out exploring on her own would fail her. Gloom was feeling significantly more confident out of the pack lands than even when she and her brothers had gone out looking for their mother, her skill in fishing had gotten better as she'd had to learn to care for herself without her brothers' help.

The sound of rushing water is what had drawn her down here, but as she walked a soft voice reached her, Gloom's ears perked and the usual anxiety started to pick at the back of her mind but there was something ethereal about the way the soft hum echoed off the stone walls that kept her from panic. Her paws seemed to move her forwards without her desire to do so, her mind dancing in a fog as her whole being zeroed in on the noise. She rounded a corner and the scent of another wolf washed over her, her eyes straining to spot the form in the dark, only the sound of a light song telling her there was a stranger somewhere in the dark but the fear was still held at bay, for now.

"Speech"

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In between little bits of soft song, Pitch happened to hear the faint scratch of claws on stone coming from behind her. The woman turned her head slightly to the left, the edge of one golden eye scanning the area aft of her position. The lighter coloring of the wolf made them easy to see. Much easier than seeing Pitch, anyway. That was why she had turned the obsidian side of her face to look. The gold would have given her up just like that. No doubt Pitch looked like just another shadow from behind.

After observing the wolf for a moment, the dark lady shifted, turning her body just enough that the shimmering moonlight reflected off of the gold markings that spattered her ribs and face. She willingly gave up her location, not seeing this smaller wolf as a threat. Rising from her place, Pitch took the tail of the eaten fish delicately between her teeth before moving forward and tossing the remainder of her meal back into the little river. She then looked down at herself, making sure that there were no fish scales clinging to her obsidian coat. After a little drink to cleanse her palette, Pitch turned fully and took a step towards the black and white fae. "Hello," she spoke in soft, slightly accented tones.

"Pitch"

Gloom strained her gaze against the dark, the lightest sound of breathing and the rustling of fur was the only sign outside of scent that told her she had stumbled upon a stranger, but there was no visible indication, just darkness. As the moments stretched on, for what felt to her like hours but surely could only have been seconds, her anxiety slowly began creeping back in properly. Finally, movement, slowly golden accents lit by the pale light of the moon, and as the other woman moved Gloom was finally able to take her in at least in part. In the dark and with her imagination running wild the other wolf seemed so much bigger than herself. Which wasn't exactly hard for most wolves but it didn't help the fear that was starting to grip her.

Something splashed in the nearby stream and for a brief moment blue and violet gaze swung towards the sound before returning, wide, to the other woman. A voice reached her, not particularly loud and lilting in an accent Gloom was unfamiliar with. In response she squeaked, a little sound of surprise before she seemed to get her tongue back under her control to stammer out a nervous response. "H-hello." Well it wasn't much, but for Gloom it was progress, she hadn't fallen to her stomach in a pile of tears... Yet.

"Speech"

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The stammer in the other wolf's greeting made Pitch believe that she might be a little unnerved by her presence. The larger fae couldn't really blame her, considering her appearance. She was shadow made flesh and her eyes were a bit off putting, one being dual toned. So, what could she do to put the woman at ease? Tall, obsidian ears flicked forward. "My name is Pitch. Could you help me collect driftwood, please?" The edges of the bank were littered with various objects. She'd seen quite a few sticks while she was fishing.

Without waiting for the black and white fae to answer, Pitch set about collecting sticks and other items that might burn. Her movements were slow and deliberate on a good day, but she kept them even smoother today so as not to startle the small wolf. In time, they'd acquired a decent stack of wood. The black and gold dame then lay upon her belly beside the pile of wood. Taking items from a little satchel that she carried, Pitch struck flint and steel, creating little sparks beside a bundle of starter and kindling. As she worked, a soft little tune drifted free accompanied by the gentle swishing of her long tail as though it was keeping time.

The spark caught and soon the pair of ladies had a warm little fire going. Pitch imagined that having more light might set the smaller fae at ease. Placing the items back in her pack, the dark lady curled her paws against her chest much like a pleased cat."Are you part of a nearby pack?" A slight head tilt accompanied the fae's words as she attempted to make polite conversation.

"Pitch"

Gloom was probably lucky that it seemed the stranger was taking charge of the situation, introducing herself and asking for help. Gloom nodded then thought it was probably better to answer audibly. "Uh yes, I'm Gloom." She managed, her voice wavering but it only took a few seconds of trying to push her body into moving to help build the pile of sticks, the pair worked in silence and that suited Gloom just fine, it seemed the other woman was aware of her clear anxiety and was going out of her way to avoid spooking her, it wasn't exactly setting her at ease specifically but it did seem to be helping to keep Gloom from going over the edge.

Finally, they had a sizable pile and upon noticing Pitch had settled beside the pile Gloom awkwardly plunked herself down opposite the darker woman, unsure what it was they had even accomplished. Her answer would arrive soon enough as a little blaze would catch on their pile, her fear was forgotten for a moment and Gloom openly gaped at the fire, her dual-toned eyes lighting up with a brief moment of curiosity and wonder. Her gaze drifted up to her fair-weather companion and Gloom got a good look at her for the first time. She flicked her gaze away before she was caught staring for too long, her gaze flashing to her own paws which shuffled against the stone. Pitch lobbed her an easy question and Gloom nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Uh for now..." Gloom couldn't summon the courage to look at the other woman as she spoke. "Not that close to here to be honest, further east, I was born there."

"Speech"

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The wolf gave her name and Pitch smiled and nodded. The woman's long, midnight tail curled around her hip, stretching up to one shoulder. She noted just how tense and uncomfortable the other wolf acted. The dark woman kept her posture relaxed and somewhat sleepy. A yawn even pulled from her, showing just how comfortable she was. Pitch rarely became anxious about anything. She was a down to earth, easy going woman. Hopefully her aura would transfer to Gloom.

Gloom answered the question after a moment, stating that she was from a pack nearish where she'd been from birth. The dark woman nodded "I'm from a land faaaar away from here," the woman admitted in smooth, accented tones. "I've come here looking for new opportunities. Would you recommend the pack that you're a part of? What are they all about?" The dark fae then gave her head a little tilt. "Why are you leaving your pack?" She'd caught the 'for now' hint.
"Pitch"

One wolf was easier to deal with than many, and honestly, Gloom was doing amazingly, at least for who she was. She hadn't dropped to her stomach and started bawling yet at least. It probably helped that the other woman mostly seemed wholly relaxed, unconcerned with her presence beyond being polite enough not to ignore her. It helped to make Gloom feel like she wasn't having everything she did scrutinize. (Which as a point of fact was usually true but certainly didn't feel so to her.) Her posture relaxed some, though she was clearly still alert, even if her gaze hardly moved from the floor for the time being. She nodded as Pitch spoke, from the lilt of her voice and the way certain words sounded on her tongue Gloom could have probably guessed that Pitch was not from Boreas originally but she certainly wouldn't have said it aloud.

Then Pitch tossed her a few questions, the first two were easy enough, but her follow-up gave Gloom some pause. She looked at the fire between them as she spoke. "Honestly I would." While her tone was soft her words held a conviction that would have surprised most who knew the girl. "Abaven has always been a family pack, far as I know but recently our leader has shifted focus to be more of a school, she wants to provide a space for wolves who want to learn, a neutral space." Gloom considered for a moment, Theory's plan had come too late in her life, but she could see how this direction could have saved her when she was a child, lost, alone and slipping through the cracks. "As to why I want to leave..." Gloom wasn't leaving, not yet, maybe not ever if she couldn't buck up and just tell her cousin she wanted to leave. Lavander and sky gaze turned to her paws again and her voice grew more timid. "I don't think I'm cut out for pack life. I get so nervous around others, it's like I can feel their gazes drilling into me." A tiny smile pulled at her lips as she spoke the next words: "Out of packlands, away from everyone I just feel like I can actually... Breathe? I don't know, I've never known life away from my family, and Abaven is lovely but I see everyone I know getting on with their life and I feel stuck, I want to not feel so alone, I want what everyone else seems to get so naturally. Being away, it's the only time I feel capable."

Gloom stared at her paws for a while longer. That was probably more than anyone ever wanted to hear from her and here she was just dumping it all on a total stranger. "This is the first time I've ever held a conversation with anyone who wasn't family. Ever!" Her voice was softer still, hitching slightly as she felt shame settle over her. "Usually I just break down in a panic."

"Speech"

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