It was daring of her.  Only a night back, in unfamiliar territory, and Phim decided to take a walk.  Their return was weighing heavily on her, making her sleep restless and uncomfortable.  Eventually her eyes had remained open wide and she'd found herself with no other option but to move around and entertain herself.  Of course, she made sure to tell Daitaro she was going for a walk.  If he woke and she was mysteriously gone, she wouldn't want him to panic. At least she was wise enough to step slowly as she went, carefully making her way through the early night away from the fog-covered ruins.   These lands struck her as amazingly sad.  She could tell from the scents and the feelings that many wolves had once resided in the surrounding area, that it had once been filled with life and love, but now... It was empty.  Devoid of so much of what it once had, its beauty unappreciated though it should be revered.  Phim smiled sadly to herself.  Perhaps that could change.  All things deserved affection, even the trees and the rocks and the breeze.  Maybe now that she and Dai had returned, she could give them that which they had lost when their lands had been vacated. A stunning sight drew her from her thoughts back into the present.  Phim came to a halt before a wide tear in the land.  In the dark of night, she could see nothing but blackness as she peered over into the ravine.  Another wolf may have backed away a step, the reasonable and safe thing to do.  But curiosity had always gotten the better of Phim.  Rather than moving away, she leaned closer, verdant gaze glowing in the darkness as she wondered what stories this place would have to tell. ""

Laoch padded through the darkness, his heart still heavy with the loss that he discovered in his last trip back to where his parents had raised him and his siblings for a good portion of their lives. He had been happy to go home after finding Arda and ensuring that she was fine, but that quickly changed once he found out his father had passed away in his absence. He sighed heavily and glanced up toward the sky. Cael's passing wasn't entirely surprising given his age and the various health issues he had accumulated, but not being there with him in his final days was really what was heartbreaking. Despite that though he had come back to Alacritis just a few days later, certain that he was needed here with Arda to help keep her safe. Now, however, he couldn't sleep and his insomnia had driven him out of his den and into the night. Suddenly he was jolted out of his wandering thoughts when he went to put down his forepaw and he felt nothing but thin air. His eyes went wide and his gaze shot down to see pitch blackness in front of him. He scrambled backward several feet, his heart pounding in his chest. If he had taken one more step he could have died. Taking a deep breath to steady himself he looked around and suddenly he noticed that there was a woman a short distance away from him with coloring that mimicked his own. He was all the sudden embarrassed by his own distracted mind and he gave her a sheepish smile. "Quite a drop, huh?" "Talk" "You" Think

It didn't take long for the darkness she stared into to change colors, molding itself to match her thoughts.  She saw the very lands she considered, those that had once belonged to the pack Narfi called "Arcanum."  She pictured the rolling plains, which she was sure would be lush once the last of the winter snow melted away into spring.  She pictured the foggy alien structures they had happened upon when they first arrived.  But as she imagined herself and her twin living there, the vision shattered and darkness returned. A sudden, frantic rustling drew her head up immediately from the crevice.  Her head and green eyes immediately snapped toward the sound, and she caught sight of a male about the same size as her scrambling to regain his footing.  She watched him with her head tilted to the side as he saved himself from certain death, then turned to notice her.  It was then that Phim took him in and noticed his similar coloring, the diamond mark on his forehead, and his startling mismatched eyes.  He smiled and acknowledged her, commenting on the depth of the ravine, and she couldn't help but giggle. "Yes," she responded through her laughter.  "It does appear to be quite deep.  I'm glad I didn't just witness your death.  Good save."  She took a few steps toward him, closing the distance so that they stood only a few feet apart.  "I'm Phim, it's nice to meet you," she introduced herself with a smile. ""

Laoch smiled a little more at the sound of the woman's laughter. Even in the dark in was easy to notice her pretty features and he thought it was quite interesting to meet someone else with such starkly black and white coloration like himself since he hadn't met anyone else with it before now. Her eyes reminded him of Arda's but with a slightly more acidic hue. "Well thank you," he replied with a chuckle to her comment on his 'save'. "I'm quite glad you didn't witness my death either." He turned to face her when she drew closer and found it hard to look away from her vibrant gaze. When she introduced herself he would respond in kind with a dip of his head in a slight bow. "I'm Laoch. It is indeed very nice to meet you, Phim." His tail wagged slowly behind him as he bright his head up level with hers again. "What brings you out in the middle of the night all by yourself, Miss Phim?" he asked with a kind smile. For a moment he completely forgot about his worries and sadness, this chance meeting becoming a nice distraction from it all. "Talk" "You" Think

The male responded in kind to everything she said, even sharing in her laughter. Phim believed it was best to see the light in every bad situation, whether it was by finding some unexpected positive consequence or being able to joke about it. Surely, nearly falling to your death in a ravine would count as a negative experience, but she was glad to see this boy taking it in stride. He wasn't letting it turn him soft, he wasn't incessantly complaining, he was just laughing right along with her. She liked that, probably more than she expected she would. "Laoch," she repeated slowly, making sure to pronounce it exactly as he had. It was an odd name, but Phim wasn't exactly normal either. She watched him bow and listened to his words, and couldn't help but giggle a little more. "You have great manners, you know that? Please don't call me miss, it makes me feel like..." She almost said 'like my mother.' But her mother was dead. "It makes me feel old," she corrected quickly, never letting her smile falter. "I am staying with family nearby and I couldn't sleep, so I just went for a walk. What about you?" She looked intently into his mismatched eyes, though it was a struggle. She knew the importance of eye contact, especially when meeting someone new, but the odd heat rising in her cheeks made her want nothing more than to turn her head away. His eyes were strange indeed, but very pretty. ""

Laoch chuckled softly when she carefully pronounced his name, knowing very well that it was an odd sounding name. "I'm named after the man that adopted my father when he was a pup," he explained quickly, feeling the need to account for the strange name. "The land they were from spoke Irish mostly so my name is derived from that." He smiled a little, secretly proud of the heritage his name had. He remembered when his father sat him down one day not long after they moved away from Alacritis to tell him all about his heritage with his name being that of his adopted grandfather and his looks almost mirroring his grandfather to a T. He laughed when she said he made her feel old with his manners. "Oh dear, I certainly didn't mean to make you feel old! My parents always told me to speak kindly and I certainly didn't mean to offend you in any way. But I'll stick to just Phim for you." He smiled, his tail waving happily behind him. For a moment he could almost completely forget about his heartache. He knew he would eventually seek out Arda to tell her about father's passing, but he just wanted to enjoy talking to Phim for a moment. She explained why she was out and and about so late and he was only mildly surprised in the similarities in their answers. "For a very similar reason actually. I'm passing through here on my way to find my sibling and I couldn't sleep when I tried to stop for the night. Too much on my mind I guess." He smiled a little, pushing the bothersome thoughts away again. He focused on her vibrant eyes and pretty face instead, trying to ignore the butterfly flutters in his stomach when he did. "Would you like to take a walk with me, Phim?" he offered motioning with his head toward the forest away from the ravine he had almost fallen in. "Talk" "You" Think

Phim listened carefully, her ears perked. The wolf who adopted his father... "So you were named after your grandfather then?!" she practically shouted in her excitement. She caught herself and ducked her head immediately, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Sorry," she said in a much softer voice, slowly raising her head back up. "It's just that I was named after my grandfather as well. Is that odd? For a girl to be named for her grandfather?" She managed a half smile, still struggling with her embarrassment. Hopefully he wouldn't judge her too much for her outburst. After all, how could one not be excited at that coincidence? From what Phim had heard, her grandfather had been a great and noble man. Despite his being male, Phim aspired to be viewed and appreciated the same way. She shrugged off Laoch's apology for calling her Miss with a giggle. Of course it wasn't a big deal, but she had to appreciate how seriously he took it. Her demeanor gradually eased as he continued to speak, explaining that he was out at the ravine for the same reasons she was. To think she would happen upon someone so similar to herself this soon, on her first complete night back in Alacritia. She grinned at his offer and nodded her head, stepping toward him. "I would love to go on a walk with you." She continued to step past him, making her way in the direction he nodded his head and further from her brother. "Will you tell me about your sibling while we walk? You've got me curious." ""