The little glimmering lake looked so peaceful beneath the nighttime sky. She quickly found that she liked it here, would linger for a bit longer than she had to. The weather was colder now, especially in Northern lands - perhaps that was what brought her to Western lands. It seemed to be drier here, warmer, and she didn't have to worry about snow so much as she did ice at night. Traveling at night during the winter was a bit of a pain, but her sensitivity to light rendered her nearly useless during the day. She wouldn't be able to see for very long before she simply had to close her eyes and will away her headache.


And so she continued her life the way that she always had - save for a single rather important change. Now she had someone that was never too far off. Kira was an honest girl, a yearling with more strength in her soul than Io herself had seen in a long time. She enjoyed her company, and would meet up with her sooner than later. At this moment though, she found herself alone beside a glittering lake - one that was most likely rather cold, but would not freeze over because of where it was located.


The sounds around her calmed her, as well as the faint sound of water sloshing against the lake's shore. She found herself called by the water, and it only took a moment before she parted ways with the treeline and was standing just shy of where the water could lick at her toes. Without hesitation she stepped in, just far enough so that she could get a clean drink. Dipping her head, she lapped at the water, before sighing contentedly. Nights like these both pleased her and left her wanting more.

It was a quiet night in Alacritis. Nightime. Cherokee had always loved the night. It was a peaceful time. No one was in a hurry to get anywhere, to meet anyone, to do anything. Most were sleeping, recovering from the busy hub-bub of the day, readying themselves to start it all over again at the next sunrise. But not him. He didn?t want to sleep. Or more precisely, exhaustion hadn?t yet reached him. Since arriving here, he didn?t find the need to sleep much. His activity during the day didn?t take too much energy out of him, so sleep wasn?t something he needed too frequently. And so here he was, padding beside a lake, the moon shining down upon him, lighting his path. His surroundings were quiet, peaceful, save for the quiet chirping of the crickets in the distance. He?d checked the territory out before entering, making sure it wasn?t pack territory or that any other wolves were in the area. Perhaps he just wasn?t as thorough as he usually was, because one could imagine the surprise he had when his dual-colored gaze registered an iridescent figure at the shore of the lake. Pace was halted, lids blinking rapidly over his eyes, trying to make sure that he was seeing wasn?t a figment of his imagination or a trick of the light. No, the figure was real. Nostrils quivered slightly, testing the air, finding an unknown female scent upon the breeze. Surely it had to belong to the figure at the shore. Who else could it belong to? He watched spellbound, as the ghost like female moved closer to the water. Though warmer here than farther up in Alacritis, there was still a chill to the wind and he imagined that the water wasn?t exactly toasty warm. And yet the ghost like dame strode right into it, no hesitation whatsoever, until she was in deep enough to take a comfortable drink. She was a beautiful creature. Almost like an apparition. She didn?t move from the water, simply stood there, basking in the moonlight, the water swaying gently around her ivory frame. Cherokee didn?t move, his ivory jade and steel eyes locked on the female, entranced by her. He wanted to move closer, to see this angel-like creature up close, but his limbs would not stir beneath him. So he settled with staying rooted to his spot, the cover of the trees behind him as he realized he too was at the shore of the lake, though on a different side than the dove. Would she notice him? He would have to wait and see. Talk like this

She didn't move when she scented the presence of another, but her ears twitched, giving away her lack of ignorance. At first she assumed that it was a stranger here for a drink, perhaps he would take no interest in her at all? Yet it seemed that as she strained to listen to him, he would step a bit closer to she and the shore.


He hadn't made much noise upon making his presence partially known. Perhaps the man wasn't up for a talk? She could understand wanting to take a moment to relish the peace - understand it all too well. Yet when she inclined her head to see him, her ears perked atop her head and her magenta eyes daring to glance at the stranger's own, his attention seemed to be on her. He had come all this way, only to stop and stand where he was, and she tilted her head slightly, wondering just what it was that had enraptured his attention entirely so.


But Io was not one to break the silence. She would offer him a small smile, a tiny lifting of her off colored kissers, before she stepped out of the water and stood in front of him. She wouldn't speak, not yet - if he so desired he could be the first to speak, to break the peace and make his voice a part of the surroundings, and she would respond. For now, she was curious as to whether he would let her join him - an intruder, they were both intruders to each other's quiet, but they were also company. A moment's hesitance, and she moved to sit beside the odd colored male, her tail curling around her legs as she settled.


A passing glance would be cast to him, a hint of curiosity buried in that magenta gaze. Who was this male? What was he looking for on this night? Was he honestly just curious about her? It wouldn't be too much of a surprise, for she found herself feeling something similar.

Had she noticed him? At first he couldn't tell, she was so still in the water she appeared to be a figure made of pure porcelain; a statue. But then came the flicker of her ears. Had she heard his approach at the edge of the lake? So many questions fired rapidly through his mind, but he remained still, seeming to blend into the darkness were it not for the patch of ivory at his ear, paw and tail. And then came the turn of her head, his realization of her startling magenta eyes, unlike any he had seen before. Now that he could clearly see her, she was even more breathtaking. She appeared to be curious about him, just as he was of her, the tilt of her iridescent crown giving away as much. What was she doing all alone in the middle of a lake at such an hour? It wasn't really any of his business. Everyone was allowed to do whatever it was they pleased, no matter the hour of the day. And who was he to say when he was basically in the same place as she. While his thoughts were a whir, he noticed something else. A faint twitch of her lips, something of a smile curling her lightened kissers. She was smiling at him and then she was moving. Moving out of the water towards him. Cherokee froze, unsure of what to do, gaze rapt on the woman approaching him. She stepped from the water onto the shore, stopping just short of him and it was then he realized at the lack of pigmentation in her skin. She was an albino. His parents had told him about wolves with that kind of coloration, but he had never met one. Until now. He wasn't sure what she was going to do, words trapping themselves at the point of his tongue but not finding release. The woman took his moment of hesitation to find a seat beside him, her tail curling around her haunches, a glance of curiosity sent his way. Did I interrupt anything miss? He spoke quietly, allowing his gaze to fully settle on the woman beside him, drinking her in. Despite being an albino, she was absolutely gorgeous. It appeared his luck at finding others was beginning to change. Talk like this

They would sit for a moment with the night surrounding them, and she found that what was missing was indeed the company of another. It seemed that Kira had gotten her used to being with other lupine, and even though she was far from being a nosy being, she was noise and life all of her own, and she had become a constant to the white wolf. She had changed the albino's perspective, somewhat. She still preferred the sound of quiet, of nature to the sound of her own voice - but she could appreciate the sound and feeling of another living being beside her.


Which is why she didn't flinch at this male's quiet question, but instead soaked it in and answered. Her answer was simple, a shake of the head, no he had not interrupted anything. Io was tempted to simply fall back into silence after that, but he looked as if he was curious and she knew that feeling because she felt the same. "It shines brightest under moonlight." She said, speaking of the lake but not motioning toward it. Her mind worked strangely at times, because she had spent so much time alone.


"On silent nights, - you can nearly count the stars in it's reflection." The white woman's voice was a little more than a whisper, and her light airy voice could easily be made out with her sitting beside him.

He hadn?t expected her to come sit beside him, much less start some kind of conversation with him. So far his luck with others had been practically non-existent but now it appeared that things were changing. He couldn?t shake the feeling that he had somehow interrupted her alone time, like he had intruded on something private. And yet she didn?t seem bothered by his presence at all, much to his surprise, coming to sit beside him, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He wasn?t sure if he was supposed to feel relieved that she accepted his company so easily, so he said nothing, simply going along with the flow. There were no words to fall from the dame?s lips in response to his question but instead a shake of her head, dismissing his worry about having intruded on her. Well at least he didn?t have to worry about that anymore. Cherokee focused his eyes on the moon-illuminated lake before him, not wanting to let his gaze wander towards the albino maiden, not wanting her to feel like he was staring, even though he didn?t want to tear his gaze away from her. And then a voice entered his ears and he realized it belonged to her. She was speaking about how something shone brilliantly beneath the moonlight. At first he was confused, half-tempted to turn around and ask just what exactly she was talking about when it dawned on him. The lake. The moon was shining down on the lake. That had to be what she was talking about. Her next set of words confirmed his suspicion. What else could reflect? You speak as if you spend much time in its company. His voice was equally as quiet in pitch as her own, his own a throaty rumble compared to her airy whisper. Talk like this

She enjoyed his quiet company. A kindred spirit perhaps? The albino knew that she shouldn't get ahead of herself, it was rare that she come across a lupine more than once. So far Kira had been the only exception and quite the exceptions he was! She was happy to have the yearling around so often, but she almost felt like she was getting greedy, enjoying the company of a stranger like this. Quiet in her thoughts, the male seemed to wait a moment before speaking, and she appreciated the tone and decibal. Loud voices, sharp voices, they often shattered her concentration and left her reeling, even if it was only for a moment. He was considerate though, spoke in a whisper and she found herself smiling as she returned his words.


"This is my first time seeing this lake. It doesn't subtract from it's splendor, though." It was a gorgeous little thing out in the middle of nowhere. Yet she appreciated it like it was any other - and loved it like she would any other. It was a beautiful part of nature, offered so much to those that managed to find it. "Tell me about you." She finally said, turning to face the dark brute. His white ear was a curious marking, and she found her magenta gaze trailing on it a moment before falling back to his amber eyes. "Who are you?" He could give her anything that he wanted to - his name, his origin, why he had come here, where he wanted to be. Listening was something that Io excelled in, and her visage never fell into anything less than intruiged. Because she was - it was rare that she stop and truly connect with another lupine - it wasn't really the information she was after, but that was always an added plus.

She was smaller than him, that much was obvious, as most of her gender tended to be. It was a simple observation, one derived from a very calm thought process. His frustration at not being able to find someone to talk to dissipated as the albino woman?s soft voice reached his ears. She was an interesting creature, seemingly unperturbed by the fact that she was in the presence of a stranger she knew absolutely nothing about and who could possibly have bad intentions in mind. He was of course far from that, never finding the need to hurt another living creature, lest it threaten his life or the life of someone dear to him of course. And hunting didn?t count either. That was purely for survival purposes. This is my first time seeing this lake. It doesn't subtract from it's splendor, though. came her gentle lyrics. So this was her first time too. He would?ve of never thought it had she not mentioned it. The way she spoke about the large body of water it seemed to the obsidian brute that she knew it very well. His assumption had been off. I have to agree with you there miss, the lake sure is pretty. It really is. Especially during the night, when the surface of the water remained clear and calm. Her voice found his ears again as she asked for him to divulge about himself, to tell her who he was. Who was he in fact. I am man named Cherokee who is simply trying to figure out where he belongs in life. He wasn?t sure if that was the response she was looking for, but those were the words that came to mind at his questions. Would she want to know more? Or would she share some stuff about herself? Talk like this