[Private, for Void]

She had traveled through the light snow across the continent. Her mind did not wish to find a particular place so it were only her paws that guided her through unknown territories. Alacritia was growing more familiar to her mind as she gradually mapped each landscape in the back of her head. She had set out in the early dawn, now discovering herself to be somewhere in the southern regions. Twilight had beautifully claimed the coastline she walked upon. After trekking through snow and ice, she felt a difference in the air. She kicked the golden sand playfully as her electric emerald gaze scanned for overnight shelter. Not far from the shore, a small cavern opened up, perfect for a den. The girl dabbed her sore paws in the numbing water before seating herself in the shadowed cave. She intently watched as the tide came closer and closer to the stone floor. The setting sun cast itself along the waters, slowly sinking into obsidian ocean. Her senses were growing more accustomed to the night. A little darkness hurt no-one. "Speech"

Beauty is not so easily discovered in the shadows of darkness, where light cannot press upon the world with it's long and delicate fingers there are creatures best unseen by the naked eye.  Hideous monsters of pain filled nightmares, terrors which lurk and slink and bay in the shadows.  It is not peace which takes refuge where no-one might find it, it is the heinous, sinful and unGodly.  It is fear enraptured in anguish, hatred caressed by the clawed fingers of rejection and self-loathing.  That is what the darkness keeps.  Secrets. He sits with a ridged back, his head tilted to the side.  The right, earless side of his face is covered with slick mud, hardened into what can only be described as a mask.  The left is free to feel the air, he had been stopped in his tracks.  The sound of paws on the hard ground startled him into stillness, this phantom in the shadows.  The soft click of canine claws fill his one ear, hearing hyper-sensitive to avoid detection when it was not wanted - it was rarely ever wanted. Purple eyes mapped the surroundings, picked out the shapes and shadows with the skill of one who never steps from the darkness.  His jaws part and he inhales her, draws in her scent and claims her in that moment.  Holds the memory of her in the recesses of his mind and with breath barely audible, watches. As she draws nearer to him, he backs toward the hard wall of the cave, lifts himself to stand and ascends the harsh sloping rocks.  Now, safely above her, he waits.  Patience holds him still as she tentatively explores, who is this woman come to trespass upon his place?  His shadow, his eternal impenetrable darkness, his refuge.  "What are you doing here?"  His voice booms from his jaws, reverberating from every corner of the cavern until it appears he is everywhere at once. ""

The girl craned her to neck to take a glimpse of the creature who had demanded an explanation of her presence. Her wide gaze scanned the cave but through the darkness she could not see. Her eyes were useless and helpless. It was like as if this mysterious creature had come forth with shadows by his side. She took in the scent of the cave and the stranger. She was sure these were rogue lands, unless she had blindly wandered into one's residence. She rose to her paws, her vision still searching for him. Her gentle lyrics came out shakily as she tried to find the right words to answer his request. Was she afraid? Afraid of the dark? "I didn't know this was your home. I...I can leave if that's you want." Her voice echoed, sounding from every corner in the cavern. Although she did not know where he was, she was sure this creature knew her exact position. For all she knew he could be right on top of her, planning anything his mind desired. His own words did not match those of a more friendlier type. Would he allow her to leave? "Speech"