Mojito couldn't help the unease that settled over him as the winter wore on. The light of the moon had once been the light that had guided him through the night, he had grown up as a night creature and while his schedule had changed it had always felt somewhat comforting when he'd been left to wander the dark... and yet despite being the brightest he could ever remember... It had been for the last week or so, without waning even an inch.

He and Hoa wandered the packlands, too restless to sleep tonight and he wadded into the shallows, watching the moon on the surface of the ocean, the streaks of the stars rippling off the water as he watched.



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Sea foam eyes lingered on the rolling tides that lapped at the shore, hypnotized by the moonlight playing over each cresting wave. He'd never grow tired of watching the water at night, and he certainly hadn't tired of witnessing the strange blue moon playing over the dark waters of the ocean. What caught his eye tonight, however, was the delicate form of a pale wolf wading into the shallows. Picking himself up from the hillside that framed the shore, delicate paws carried the waifish assassin down towards the frigid waters. Under cover of darkness, confidence came more naturally to the slave. Shadow enveloped him like a lovers embrace, and he struggled to maintain the illusion of submission.

He skirted the dancing forms of the blue fireflies that hung silently in the cool air, wary of their constant presence. Like a million little eyes.. they made the hair over his spine tingle like he was being watched. As he closed more of the distance between them, he noted the fluffy sheep hanging near its companion. Part of him longed for that kind of bond with another creature, and the another part detested the notion of any ties that could be exploited by the cruel. Dismissing the dour line of thought with a light shake of his head, he came to a stop with the cold water of the sea lapping quietly at his ankles just a scant foot and a half away. "You look forlorn, standing in the sea like that." gentle harmonies crooned softly to the stranger, and his pale eyes traced the smooth outlines of the shining horns that were illuminated by the moons glow overhead. He found himself quietly admiring the unique shape of those alabaster ears, tapered skull tipped to one side in a mute trance. "Do you not enjoy the moonlight?" he questioned with the barest hint of a rueful smile.

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Mojito titled his head slightly, the light splash of water telling him he wasn't along but by the fact that Hoa had seen fit to drift off slightly to graze he had more than enough reason to assume it wasn't anything that posed him a threat. When the voice reached his ears he turned his head to take in the shadowy figure, just barely illuminated even by the too bright moon. Mojito blinked, there was something about the way the man held himself that put Mojito off, not in a bad way but he wasn't expecting the weird cocktail of feelings just seeing him gave the man.

And that only got stronger when the man's words hit him properly, was he being... Flirted with? Mojito's face flushed and he turned his attention back towards the water. "I uh... Honestly would prefer it wasn't unnaturally full I guess?" He turned his eyes upwards to look up at the moon as if to gesture towards how it hadn't waned yet at all.



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When the pale figure tipped his head to catch the sounds of the wraith moving through the water, the gentle bounce of those folded ears playing against the soft fur of his cheeks was incredibly endearing. Silvery blue eyes, tinted brilliant azure in the moonlight, flicked to meet his own and then away. Oh, a game was afoot. The sheep had wandered further afield, quietly grazing on the grasses along the shore. It was just the two of them, tinged with salt water and bathed in the eerie light of the winter's moon. Dozens of droplets pattered back into the sea as he lifted one delicate paw to take a single step closer to the smaller male. Dark auds perked to catch the quiet, hesitant tones of the man's voice as he spoke up. A few of the blue fireflies danced over the water's tumultuous surface, fearless despite the danger it might pose. Ordinary insects wouldn't dare risk being drowned by the mercurial whims of the currents at night. "I uh... Honestly would prefer it wasn't unnaturally full I guess?" the horned canine admitted, and tipped his delicate crown upwards to admire the celestial body in question.

A soft chuckle escaped him, and the waifish wolf couldn't help sweeping his obsidian tail over his heels in amusement. He let the silence stretch a few beats longer, daring to take another careful step closer to the alabaster figure cast in the haunting rays of the moon. Pale green eyes took a moment to trail along the lines of his throat, to admire the way his short horns resembled a shining crown of bone as the pale light was cast upon them. He sighed quietly, and let his attention rise to the moon overhead, staring right back. "I do wonder why it has decided to grace us with its full face lately, do you think perhaps we are not meant to experience so much of its light for this long? Perhaps that's why the flowers and the little creatures are beginning to change, they're succumbing faster." he mused aloud, and as soon as the words escaped, he could not retract them. Dark and unsettling as they may be, and so utterly in contest with the downright romantic setting they'd found themselves in.

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Mojito could feel the way the stranger looked at him, he shivered under his gaze feeling very much like a piece of meat about to be devoured. He wasn't sure he liked it... There was a lot about this encounter he wasn't sure he liked and yet he wasn't quite so turned away by the stranger that he would rebuff him outright. It was in a sense kind of nice? To feel like someone could look at him like that? The last wolf that had made him feel wanted... Well he'd called that one off hadn't he, told himself he deserved to feel like someone chose him, but it left Mojito rather unequipped to deal with any amount of advances from anyone. He'd been but a child when he'd fallen for Asla and for that reason he had no real tool kit to deal with even just this much. Mojito swallowed the lump in his throat, forcing himself to keep his gaze on the sky, eyes following the trails of the stars as if he stared at them hard enough he'd find the answer to how to even react in their unnatural streaks.

The tone would shift slightly and Mojito would look at the other man then. Blinking, and feeling a creeping apprehension go up his spine, the last thing he wanted was for his family to be in danger. His daughter... So tiny... Satira and Arc had been through too much, what if something was coming for them? Could he protect them? "Admittedly, not a particularly fun thought." He said, a dark chuckle pulling from his lungs.



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Finally, their eyes met, and the man seemed all too keen to succumb to the sour turn of the mood between them. It couldn't be helped, he supposed. Regardless, he certainly appreciated being able to meet those eyes once again. He offered a small smile, perhaps a bit sheepish at having killed the mood so quickly. "Admittedly, not a particularly fun thought." the man replied with a small chuckle, to which the wraith nodded in agreement. His lips twisted in a frown, which he tried to stifle after a moment, realizing what he was doing. He sighed lightly, shook his head softly. "No, it truly isn't. Let's hope I'm wrong, for all of our sakes.." he said with a light laugh of his own, though it seemed hollow. Fell flat, hardly a balm upon the dour mood that had come over them. He stared down at his paws, the salty water that lapped at his ankles. Well, this was certainly not where he'd expected this all to go. Not in the least. He lifted his gaze back to the stranger, and shot an apologetic look his way with pinched brows and lopsided curve to his maw.

"I admit, I didn't intend to come over here and offer up such morbid conversation. Could we start over?" he asked hesitantly, head tipping slightly to one side as a glimmer of hope in his eyes caught in the light of the impossibly bright moon overhead.

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Mojito

Something feels off. You also find 2 crystals. Maybe these are worth keeping…

Mojito couldn't help but feel the current mood matched the strange world around them. He hadn't even considered how these changes could endanger his daughter, but if she started glowing he thought he'd probably just fucking die. Which was definitely not the thing she needed right now.

So he was more than receptive towards the unknown man's attempt to swing the conversation away, the last thing he wanted was to think about something out of his control threatening his child. He chuckled a real laugh this time and not the sinister thing he'd done only moments ago. "I'd like that. I'm Mojito." He offered the man a polite nod of his head.



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