Fire In Our Eyes

The nearby nook had become a frequent haunt of his. It was a good place to hunt so he at least felt useful, but it was still close enough that if he wandered off for a little while he was still pretty easy to find. The cluster of usually pink-bloomed trees was peaceful and gave him some space without making him feel like he was running away. Being in the territory where he had spent so much time near and with Vanille still pulled and tugged at him despite the fact that Vanille had decided to leave. As much as he avoided their old den sometimes it was impossible not to pass by it for one reason or another and seeing it empty and noticing how her scent had begun to fade was both a relief and a heartache all at once.

It was nearing evening even though he knew he'd still have a bit of daylight ahead of him, but he didn't feel like he would be able to settle for a while so he ventured out, hoping a walk would help clear his mind. Instead, as he walked into the partial shade of the mostly naked trees, he caught the scent of a wolf from Elysium. It was very fresh so he knew they were either still here or recently passed through. Curious, he followed the trail a bit until he spotted the red, flame marked woman that was sitting among the spotted layer of snow, peering up through the trees above her. He had never seen anyone with such interesting markings like hers and it caught his attention for a moment. Still, he figured there had to be a reason she was out here on her own so he probably shouldn't disturb her.

Just as he was turning around to go back to his den, he stopped and thought about how he had been doing much the same thing when Juniper had approached him. He had originally wanted the solitude and the silence, but after she joined him he realized what he had really needed was that company–among other things–she had provided. Maybe this woman would be the same way. Gathering up a bit of courage, he turned back toward where she was sitting, but made sure to crunch his paws through some patches of snow along the way so she would know he was approaching her. The last thing he wanted to do was startle her. He knew how imposing his stature could be despite the fact that he hardly wanted to hurt a fly. "Hey there," he said with a grin as he walked up from behind her, coming around to her side where she could see him easily. "Sorry to intrude, it just looked like you might be a little lonely out here. Do you mind if I join you?"

"Arcturus Indarra"