After having wandered alone for such a big portion of his life, Quill periodically felt the need to meander off on his own just to breathe. The maned giant found himself upon a glittering black beach, the waves, not quite gentle and not quite harsh, bursting into color every time they touched the sand. Each lick of whispering water against obsidian shore rippled with electric blue luminescence. It was a beautiful sight and Quill settled down in the sand to watch the light show. Pink and turquoise eyes looked out over the water, the blackness of the sea only broken up by the telltale sign of whitecaps as they made their way towards the beach.

Life was good. Better than it had ever been, really. The Klein brute had a woman, he had a purpose. He was spoiled, in a sense. It was easy going with Talyssa. And yet...

For days now, something had been keeping the marbled brute awake at night. Scattered dreams, a flash of chocolate fur, the coy look of a blush colored eye. All of it to a soundtrack of soft, unintelligible vocals and sweet, genuine laughter. Having the dream once would have been no big deal. Quill had lain with many women, after all. It could have been a lingering memory of one or another. The fact that he'd fall into the dream as soon as he closed his eyes, not once but several times? That was what kept the man awake at night.

"Quill Klein"

Ellara had also been restless for days, her usually peaceful slumber interrupted by the same vivid dream each night. It was always the same: flashes of a man with striking pink.. or green..? eyes, the shimmer of white fur, and the sound of his laughter, genuine and rumbling, echoing through her mind. She could never make out his face fully, but the warmth and the familiarity she felt towards this mysterious figure were undeniable. These dreams haunted her, leaving her with an inexplicable longing that she could not shake off. Every time she woke up, the lingering of those eyes would stay with her.. making her heart race in a way that had only gotten herself hurt before.

Seeking solace, Ellara decided to venture out into the night, hoping the fresh air by the shore would help clear her mind. The moon was high, casting a silver glow over the castle as she made her way toward the beach; no armor, no owls. The familiar scent of the saltwater and the soothing sound of the waves crashing against the shore provided some comfort, but the unease remained. 'Am I just lonely?' Her paws sank into the cool sand as she walked, her thoughts still consumed by the mysterious man from her dreams. It felt as though something was drawing her out of her dream, out to the beach, compelling her here despite her confusion.

As she rounded a bend, the sight of a lone figure sitting on the obsidian shore made her stop in her tracks. Her breath caught in her throat as she recognized the white fur and those unmistakable eyes, now gazing out at the sea. It was him - the one from her dreams. The air between them seemed to crackle with electricity as she watched him, and Ellara felt a rush of emotions she couldn't quite explain. She had never met him before, yet, there was an undeniable draw and a familiarity that went beyond mere coincidence. Heart pounding, her slender leg reached out to take a hesitant step forward, the pull too strong to resist.

"Excuse me.. do I.. know you?" Her voice called out, curious and filled with hope.

"Speech" - Thoughts

CODE BY SIN

Quill lay there, considering the machinations of his own mind, when a voice sounded from nearby. A soft, feminine voice, calling out a query.
Do I know you?
Dual-toned eyes shifted, catching the sight of a chocolate and blush fae staring at him with an equally quizzical expression. Quill's brow furrowed hard and the stressfulness of the situation settled across the brutes broad shoulders. It was her. It was the woman from his dreams. She stared at him with those vibrant pink eyes just as she did during his sleeping hours.

What was the stress from, you ask? Quill had made a promise to Talyssa and had decided that she would forever be the only wolf for him. Yet here he was, torn, thinking that he should go to this foreign woman and touch her just to see if she was real. He felt that magnetic pull, but he fought it. He wasn't some mindless, hormone-ruled fool, after all.

"No," deep, clear vocals sounded, crossing the distance between the pair. Quill was on his paws a moment later, giving his big body a shake to rid it of any clinging sand. A salty sea breeze ruffled the brute's thick mane as he stood tall, staring at the woman. He made no move to get any closer, but he didn't act dismissively either. He just... needed a moment to think first. To figure all of this out. He was awake, wasn't he?

"Quill Klein"

The rose colored fae stood there, her breath catching as his deep voice carried back to her. No. It cut through her like a cold gust of wind, and for a moment, she felt her heart sink. She had hoped for something different, some kind of recognition that would explain the strange connection she felt with him. But now, she was left with only more questions. Her pink eyes softened, a hint of sadness clouding them as she gazed at him, the reality of the situation pressing down on her. Why did she feel this way about someone who claimed to be a stranger?

"I see," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper, a heavy melancholy settling over her now. She was no stranger to sadness; it cling to her like a shadow, following her in moments like this, where hope collided with disappointment. She wanted to ask more, to pry, to understand why her dreams had brought her to this place and to him. But the weight of his answer left her feeling hollow, and the words she wanted to say remained locked inside of her. She turned to gaze to the waves, not wanting him to see the tears welling in her eyes. She watched as the waves lapped at the dark shore, their rhythm providing a fleeting sense of comfort amidst her confusion.

After a long silence, she spoke again, her voice tinged with the quiet sorrow she always carried. "I've been dreaming about you... for days now. I don't understand why." Her eyes flicked back to him, searching for some kind of reassurance or explanation, even though she knew he had none to offer. He was a stranger. "Maybe... it's nothing. Maybe it's just... me." She offered a sad smile, but it did not reach her eyes. The pull she felt toward him was undeniable, yet the distance between them... both physically and emotionally... seemed to grow wider with every moment.

"Speech" - Thoughts

CODE BY SIN

Gods above... the sudden sadness that washed over the woman when he verbally denied her question enraged Quill. She should never have to look like that. Never have to feel sadness or disappointment. But what could he do? They did not, in fact, know each other. They only knew of one another. Or, he knew of her, at least.

Silence from both wolves, the only sound being the gently lapping waves as they played upon the beach. Ears flicked backwards, almost disappearing into Quill's mane as he struggled to sift through the myriad of emotions that churned through him like a raging sea. He knew her. He could see in her eyes that she knew him. His heart was thudding wildly against his rib cage, but he refused to speak. Talyssa, Talyssa... he reminded himself.

Then the woman spoke, the sadness in her voice catching the breath in his throat. The marbled brute swallowed hard as she admitted to having dreamt of him. Just as he had dreamt of her. What kind of trick was the universe playing on him? What was this all about? Quill didn't like being toyed with and this interaction felt too much like he was a puppet on a string.

"I don't know what to tell you," he lied. It was easier than admitting that he had been dreaming of her as well. He didn't even dream of Talyssa. What was it supposed to mean?

Everything within the brute screamed in rage as he gave the woman a curt nod, then turned and began padding back towards Hallows territory. His eyes were wide and his breathing was quick. This felt wrong, but he didn't know what else to do. He didn't want to be like his father. He'd made a promise.

"Quill Klein"

Blush colored eyes watched him closely, feeling the weight of his silence press down on her, thick and suffocating. His curt nod, the way he turned away, left her feeling more adrift than ever. She had no answers, only a hollow ache in her chest that throbbed with every beat of her heart. Her stare lingered on his retreating form, a mixture of confusion and pain swirling inside of her. For a moment, she thought he might say something- acknowledge the strange connection between them- but instead, he chose to walk away, leaving her alone with the crashing waves in the cold, indifferent night.

Her head lowered slightly as she let out a soft, resigned sigh. She should be used to this by now, the feeling of being left behind. It had happened before, it would happen again. Yet something about this moment felt different, more painful than she expected. Perhaps it was because, in her dreams, there had been hope, a sense of belonging she had never felt. But now that hope had been dashed, leaving behind only a deeper sense of loneliness than before.

"I thought I knew you..." she whispered to herself, her voice barely audible over the sound of the waves. She turned her gaze back to the sea, her heart heavy with the weight of unspoken words and unanswered questions. The night felt colder now, the sea more unforgiving, but Ellara stood there, rooted to the spot, letting the sorrow wash over her like the tide. She had always been good at carrying sadness, at holding on to it when no one else could see, but this time it felt different. This time, it was like a piece of her had been taken away, leaving her more hollow than ever before.

As the tide swept in to gently kiss her paws, Ellara bowed her head, surrendering to the weight of her sorrow. In the quiet embrace of solitude, she allowed herself to finally unravel, letting the sadness flow freely with the rhythm of the sea.

"Speech" - Thoughts

CODE BY SIN