Walk | Talk | Think Tahlia skirted the edge of the beach daringly, her golden eyes cautious as she crept along its edge and hurried away from the open shoreline in favor of a more secluded place. There was something about the beach that simply drew her to it: the taste of the air, the feel of the bracing winds, the warmth of the sand on a sunny day. It all called to her and brought her back, despite the dangers that had found her last time she had braved the beach. She could still recall that day at the tide pools with unwanted clarity, as well as the figure that had haunted her there. He had been a dark, hulking wolf, a living shadow if ever there was one. Black as night and with an ego the size of a bear, he had attempted to lure her in, promises of making her his first claim made to coax her closer. It hadn't worked. No sooner had she been given a chance, she ran and stayed away for a while. But aside from that encounter, her first visit to the beach had been delightful and she had been biding her time until she could return, even searching for a different location aside from the tide pools where she could go there and still find it to be enjoyable. Luck had been on her side when she noticed the cave. Its wide mouth was situated a ways back along the shoreline, away from the beach and tide pools and still within the vicinity of them both. The black and russet she-wolf glanced over one shoulder as she neared the large opening of the cave and continued about her hurried gait until she was within, slipping into the sandy entrance before she slowed her pace and paused to look behind her, grateful that no one seemed to be following her. Good. She had made it safely. Inhaling deeply the fresh air of the ocean, Tahlia allowed herself to relax and get her first look inside the cavern and a sudden gasp slipped from her muzzle. The rocks! They glowed! Sunlight filtered in from above and seemed to catch on all the gleaming facets of the stones that were set inside of the cavern, adding light toward the back when it seemed to be otherwise heavily cloaked in shadows. "Oh, how lovely," she murmured to herself, her words gently echoing in the stony interior. The sound almost caused a smile to steal across her face, her lips curving with gentle humor at their edges while her darkened gold eyes lit up as she looked around. So interesting, so beautiful; she was so glad she had decided to come here! Curious and eager to see more of the cave, the curvy she-wolf padded further inside with a couple wags of her tail as she began to thoroughly inspect the cavern and see how it was that the light had managed to make the cave radiate light as it did. Sincerest Regards, Tahlia Carlier

He slept the vast majority of the day, a nocturnal creature by nature. His heart and his soul belonged to the darkness, when no light graced the jealous earth and the stars lit the night sky. It represented everything good and worthy in his life. Hope, laughter, family, love, everything that settled his soul and made him feel finally home. But today he couldn't sleep, trapped suddenly by a fierce case of insomnia, the daylight glared, harming his delicate irises and making him wince. High in the sky the sun climbed higher and the earth drew up in anticipation. It couldn't be jealous when the stars couldn't steal its glory. He deflated, if only slightly, but if he couldn't sleep, he would make something of the day. He was not one to be depressed along. For a male he was small and his musculature was sinewy and lanky, not at all muscular like the vast majority of his gender, he didn't mind and never had. Stereotypes had never suited him either. Pausing, he took a moment to squint between the trees, sunlight trickled through, attempting to blind him even now. Snout to the heavens, a mournful cry for the dark of night fell from his larynx, a bay, a desperate plea, but the earth refused to relinquish its control of day and the male continued his trek. The line of trees broke into dirt which became sand. The waves crashed, crushing the sand and dragging it out to sea. He had been too many beaches before and had seen a great many things, but some wonders never ceased to amaze him. Slowly he tread forward, torso bending this way and that as he moved at his leisurely pace. The scent of another drew his attention and he stopped, his head rising, amethysts searching for this stranger. He found her quickly. She was taller than him, but most were, her pelt was immaculate, utterly spotless and a variety of color was splashed about her while his own pelt favored the colors of night, grays and blacks, he heard her soft expulsion of air and the quiet comment. A gentle smile found its way upon his maw and slowly he stalked towards her, tail swinging absently behind him. "The day may possess beauty but I much prefer my path to be lit by starlight than sunlight." His voice was low and deep, a soothing rumble that bubbled up from his chest. Speech,

Walk | Talk | Think The wolf's golden eyes danced from one particularly colorful glowing stone to the next, a dazzling smile lighting up her features as she padded quietly and further inside the large expansive cavern. It was simply beautiful in here, so much nicer even than the tide pools had been, and she was grateful that they were not made unpleasant by the same sort of company she had found the last time she had gone toward the shoreline. A mental note was made to return here occasionally, to enjoy the quiet comfort of the cave without the fear of being found by that ruffian again. He couldn't possibly stay away from her long enough. Her peaceful isolation was short lived, however, though not made so by the same company that she avoided. The voice was unfamiliar but even as she froze and turned her head over her shoulder to glance back at him as he entered the cave as well there was a noticeable caution that settled over her, wary of the circumstances still being similar. But this was no brawny, pig-headed man bent on domination. In fact, it hardly seemed like his low voice should have been coming from his lithe, slender frame, smaller even than her own. How curious, she wondered, that even males now sported more feminine looking figures than she did. Experiencing a sudden sense of jealousy, the golden eyed woman turned more fully, her manners never faltering. A pleasant, calculated smile settled over her face as her eyes searched him over, listening to his statements and making her own assumptions. A creature of the night. Hm. Oddly, that didn't sit well. She had assumed the last male to make her acquaintance of the same, having been bathed in those dark tones that made him a whole and complete shadow. But considering he lacked the structure to throw his weight around as that wolf had she was willing to allow a little benefit of the doubt to be had. It didn't seem too dangerous a thing to do. "The night does have a gentler beauty, doesn't it?" she stated in agreement, mostly just to make herself appear friendlier and sympathetic to his opinions. Truthfully, she hardly cared; beauty could be found anywhere and at any time for her, but that was not important. What was important was figuring out whether she truly had anything to worry about here, and the best way to do that was to play along. "Softer lights and so much silver. It's quite lovely." The last phrase fell from her lips sincerely, since she did find some aspects of the night to be very appealing. It was too bad it also left so much darkness for shadows and unsavory creatures to slink around in. "I'm so very sorry, I forget my manners. My name is Tahlia Carlier." She executed a quick and polite dip of her head, always cordial, and awaited to see how the night-loving stranger might respond. Sincerest Regards, Tahlia Carlier

Sirius possessed no hatred, such emotions, such semantics held no place in his world. He had never hated anything, anger and bitterness, if he had ever experienced these emotions it was directed at the core of the earth. The damnable force that kept him on solid ground, instead of soaring high above, dancing and twining with the stars who birthed him, who fed him life and offered him up a soul! His being belonged swimming in a sea of starlight. Not tied to the dirt and soil, but alas! Such things were not meant to be, at least not in this lifetime, not until he found the other half of his soul and his body released him, allowing him to rejoin his brethren. The soul that found herself trapped within the small silence of the cavern had caught his attention. A beautiful female by any standards, but than again, he always had seen beauty in the most simplistic of things, perhaps he was not the one to ask if one was ?the fairest in all the land? For his answer would surely be whatever object or person had fleetingly caught his attention. His tail drifted back and forth almost lazily as he approached her. He was forever seeking, she might be the center of his gravitational pull for now, but in another five minutes... who knew? Such was the unpredictability of the male. She seemed quiet, almost as though she was studying him, judging and analyzing him before he had even spoken a few scarce words. He didn't mind, his appearance was odd and his beliefs were usually found to be even stranger. It wasn't a religion per say, more like a vivid imagination and a belief that there were things moving with greater purpose than what met the eye. He stopped a respectable distance away, not wishing to invade her personal space and her response came softly, surprising him with the softness and friendliness of her tones. He had not anticipated such a reaction. ?I prefer to see the stars, so many lights, so much hope and brilliance is encompassed within the night sky, anything is possible if you deem it to be true.? he answered back just a lowly as he had the first time, almost as though he were afraid he would scare her off if he spoke too harshly. A soft chuckle rumbled up through his vocals and he shook his head softly. ?No, sweet lady, tis I who have forgotten my own upbringing first, forgive me my lady, my name is Sirius, and it tis an honor to make your acquaintance Miss Tahlia.? He lowered his head, a noble dip of his cranium as he greeted her politely. Speech,

Walk | Talk | Think He did not attempt to invade her space, but neither had the last male to make her acquaintance at first. He had been biding his time, coaxing her guard down until he had seen enough of an opening to rush into his plans, and it was really only by luck alone that she had managed to get away. Whatever had stopped him was still entirely a mystery to her, but one that she had welcomed completely. It had been made a warning to her not to trust so easily while outside of her pack's borders, knowing now wholeheartedly what lurked beyond. So though the male was not venturing closer, she didn't quite relax on the inside, attempting to keep her thoughts ahead of his and her life safely under her control. The male's tone as he answered her sounded quite sincere, convincing Tahlia that what he said he actually felt and was not merely meant as a means of forming some sort of comfort. He was mesmerized by the stars, did prefer their light to that of the moon, and obviously held some sort of odd affinity to the night sky. It was perplexing, really, though the russet and black she-wolf was not inclined to give it much more thought than that. Eccentricities of strangers were not so very important to her, at least so long as they remained strangers. Her true interest lay mostly with her pack and the acquaintances she was to have there. But even she could not feign appreciation and approval when he introduced himself with the utmost etiquette, revealing ties that involved a sense of propriety and decorum. "A pleasure," she answered with a surprised yet favorable smile, hoping that this little hint at a proper upbringing at least meant his company would be worthwhile and enjoyable and not harmful to her future. His words rolled once around her mind - still in his peculiar voice - before she chose to comment on them further. "You say stars bring hope?" the multicolored wolf asked with apparent curiosity, forgetting for the moment the colorfully lit cavern and the fact that the light would not stay this way for long. Instead she pondered of her own teachings of hope, of brightness, and could only reflect on the sun. Dawn brought renewal, spring and summer brought change and new life. A sudden thought struck her, and thinking she may have broken the secret, she ventured to ask, "Is it the wishes made on them, perhaps?" How silly that she should actually find herself engrossed in a conversation about nothing more than stars. Perhaps she was in more need of company than she realized. Sincerest Regards, Tahlia Carlier