The End of the World

Like it did for all things, time had turned the loneliness into little more than a dull ache Kuwindwa hardly deemed worthy of notice anymore. Besides, it was safer for her to be alone. It was her choice. How true that really was remained to be seen however. The loss of constancy - of surroundings, faces, comrades - could be her punishment for her lapse in judgment. But if loneliness was her punishment, what was this peace? A soft sigh escaped the woman's lips as her chin lowered and her eyes fell upon the swaying waves. Kuwindwa never wanted to let this feeling go. She had the strangest and most pup-like urge to run into the surf, dance in the tides, beckon the moon to join her...

A low bark snapped Kuwindwa from her rumination, reminding her she should be ever alert. The months she'd spent in eastern Alacritia had helped ease some of her paranoia, but she was never without caution, whether or not it seemed due. Her head turned first, followed by her rising to her paws, then slowly she turned to face the behemoth standing illuminated in the pale moonlight. It didn't require excellent night vision to see just what a giant this man was, even at this distance. He called out in words thickly accented and his tail swayed complaisantly behind him. A giant, but not a monster. Even so, old habits die hard, and there was some amount of tension in her movements, however small the indications. At least she was not directly combative for once.

"And to you, sir." She returned politely. Her tail began to sway slowly behind her as she turned to face him more directly. She could just make out the curve of a smile - or she thought it might have been, but there was something else: an oddity about his jaw? At this distance, she could not be entirely certain what she was seeing. Moving forward several paces, she kept a watchful eye for any indication she was coming too close, or that he might suddenly spring. She meant to stop at a distance that was conversational, and even began to speak: "It is a pleas-" but her words came up short, as did her step, once she got a better look at the man's face. While he was by no means an ugly creature, he sported the most bizarre features she had ever seen on the face of any wolf: a pair of curved tusks.

As she realized she was staring, Kuwindwa's eyes snapped back up, searching for his eyes instead as she tried to gauge just what sort of wolf she was dealing with. If she'd had kind words a moment ago, they were gone now, forgotten. If she fumbled for some recovery from her rudeness, it was only in her mind, and nothing but a sharp stare adorned her sharp face.