Snake of Twilight {COMPLETED}

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Time of Day ♦ Sunset  | Weather ♦ Calm & Cold

Participants ♦

1. @samf as Malice
2. @archer as Euphrata

Note ♦ I'd prefer at least two posts each player per day. More would be better.
Slots ♦ If you're interested in the last open slot, you are more than welcome to start posting whenever you like!

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It wasn't like him to let his paws mindlessly bring him to lands unknown. The dark grey wolf knew he headed east from where he'd come, but that was the only sense his preoccupied mind could allow. There were no chilled winds to add any additional bite to the already frigid air, though the thickness of his winter coat continued to keep him warm, as did the bulk which lay just beneath the skin's surface. Time had lost its meaning this evening, and though he grew weary, his eyes managed to focus on the snow moving beneath his paws, though at some point the white had oddly begun to mix with what looked like the vibrant hue of fallen pink... leaves?

"But it is winter.." The leaves seemed like those of autumn, and the exhausted, rational mind tried to make sense of things. But this valley was different. Here, things he'd never thoughtful possible manifested right before his eyes. And before him now? Oak trunks crowned with thick, pink canopies smack in the dead of winter. The wolf lazily lift his head to the branches above, struck by their strangeness. How the colors nearly blending with the sky! Where did the trees end and the sky begin? Violet clouds nestled pale blue sky- trapped between the vibrant shades of eve and night.

Malice would just come to accept these things, eventually. Magic influenced this place, and it gave off a scent that made him shiver. His large black nose lowered to the speckled ground, and he slowly paced around, picking up the scents of recent passersby. A few trees in and a large yawn overcame him. He stretched his bulky body forward and draped his tail behind him as he considered a comfortable-looking nook flush against a large, barky root protruding from the ground. Malice stepped forward and gave the spot a good whiff- only lowering himself after deeming it safe from recent occupants. Snow displaced beneath his weight as he lowered his muzzle to rest upon heavy paws. Hazy, titian eyes strained to keepopen as he observed the area around him. But he was in no immediate danger here. All was quiet.

The wolf's eyes closed, and he entered a light doze. To any passing by, the thick, dark coat would have definitely stood out, and his scent would be lightly masked by the aroma of pine and idle snow.

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Euphrata was nervous. Not that she was totally innocent - she'd had her dallies of romance here and there over the years, after all - but certainly visiting the Forest of Love was a whole new experience. Perhaps it was just because she'd never been there. That as it was, the pink trees had an air of mystery and every shadow could be a potential suitor in her romantic of a mind, based solely on the stories and gossip she'd heard about the place. However, after wandering around for most of the day, the forest had lost quite a bit of it's exaggerated charm and she realized the solid truth that there were not always perfectly delectable males just ripe for the picking.

Ah, the loss of youthful hope.

However, it wasn't all bad. The area was in itself still quite beautiful, even half-buried in snow. As the sun began to wane, it truly showed its beauty - the trees, before so gentle and calming, seemed to burn even in the pale light of the dying winter sun. It stoked her fantasies, lightly taking her breath and giving her a pretty unfounded renewed sense of hope. With that new motivation, she decided to look around just a bit longer. At least until dark, when it would be too chilly to do much else but hunker down for the night.

Her determination was not unrewarded. Only minutes later she spotted another creature in the snow, one that stood out from the white quite as easily as she did, though differently as well. Where she was bright and obvious, he was dark and still and honestly unobtrusive - if she hadn't been looking, she might have passed him over. He didn't seem to be trying to stand out, just quietly laying as he was at the base of a tree, nestled into the snow. She approached, though she was wary. Legends of love blooming or not, she wasn't young or foolish enough to believe everyone had pure intentions. That and she wasn't sure he looked all that welcoming. Silver tail flicking idly against her flanks in a slightly nervous and fidgety gesture, she stopped a few feet away, tense. Suddenly faced with a situation she was entirely unfamiliar with, all she could blurt out was an entirely ineloquent word in an ineloquent manner: "Hello."

Well, if he was here looking for a simpleton, perhaps he'd feel he'd hit the jackpot.

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Everything seemed like a dream. From the way the light shone through his closed eyelids, causing the shadows of his mind to dance a slow and wondrous waltz. His eyes cracked open at the sound of the voice-like wind, and sluggishly turned his head to the see the drop of twilight that had trickled down from the canopy. A blurred, orange figure stood not too far, one that his nose was more keen in deciphering. Wolf. Female. Juvenile. Wolf.

The jaded male raised his heavy head, and his eyes widened. That he could allow himself to be so exposed.. Malice's ears drew sharply backwards and he lifted his weight onto four sturdy legs. His tail tightly curled between his hocks as he moved away from the tree and out into the open where it would be easier to flee. Unfocused as his eyes were, he was acting merely on instinct- not much thought there. Still, by the other wolf's scent alone, she did not seem to be making herself a blatant threat. That was a small comfort, at least.

He straightened up and relaxed his tail, curling it slightly as he swiveled his ears forward in acknowledgment. Malice blinked in quick succession and he chose to pace sideways, moving in a wide arc away from her- and there he was, never exposing his back. "Greetings." It was curt, as if he wasn't expecting the company. His mind continued to phase elsewhere. Even still, the rational part of him desperately clung to the current comment.

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Well, she almost immediately regretted her decision as the male started, looking at her for all the world as if she was an unwelcome and unexpected visitor. He stood quickly, making her take half a nervous step back. His ears pinned and her hackles rose slightly with a chill - out of uneasy fear, not aggression. Her body language, unlike his stiff wariness, became immediately pliant. Not groveling, not whimpering, but as nonthreatening as she'd learned to make herself after living on her own for so long without losing the bit of pride she possessed. His eyes on her, striking and sharp, were not entirely kind. She couldn't stem her confusion - perhaps she'd done something wrong? But she couldn't place what it could be. His movement made her nervous, but after a moment of studying her, his posture relaxed a little and his ears tilted to her. She didn't relax, just as poised for flight as he was.

"Greetings." A simple comment, even warranted in the situation, but the inflection was not to be expected. It wasn't heartfelt or warm or anything of the sort. Not friendly in the lest. He sidled away - she flicked her ears back uncomfortably. He was acting... erratic? Or... she didn't know, but something wasn't quite right with the whole situation. It was miles away from what she'd been expecting here, anyway. "I-I..." She swallowed hard, not thinking straight or quickly under that gaze. "I'm sorry if I surprised you," she finally forced out. Part of her wanted to leave, just say the heck with this whole plan and never look back, but she had some fear now that that could trigger a chase. She didn't know this male, and she couldn't read him the slightest bit in the dying sunlight. She probably couldn't even have read him even in full daylight. She swallowed again, mind racing now in contrast to only moments earlier, and she tried something else. "I'm, um... My name's Euphrata." The statement was actually more of a question, with a slightly upturned inflection at the end. She wished she was the sort to stand tall and talk confidently and face down anything in this sort of situation, but she just didn't have it in her. She was mostly just happy she was talking somewhat coherently at all.

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The grey wolf keenly watched her movements, noting the position of her extremities. The step backwards she had taken seemed to alleviate his stress a bit further, and he responded after her first stutterance by standing still and leveling his head with his shoulders. He watched her intently, ears drawn to her words. A puff of white expels from his muzzle, "I accept your apology," he speaks clearly into the frosty air with a low and calm voice. He turns his head away from her, as he didn't wish to seem too imposing by facing her squarely . He took a few more cautious steps to the side, only pointing his nose to her again once she'd mentioned her namesake.

The base of his tail raised with an ounce of self-assurance, "Euphrata." He spoke the name slowly, committing it to memory. "You seem like a polite wolf, and I thank you for being so considerate." His words still didn't resonate any warmth, but the gleam in his eye could suggest he meant something by them. "Allow me to reciprocate." The dark wolf took a small step in her direction as his ears pitched ever forward, eyes dancing along her colorful coat before settling upon her silvery hues. "You may call me Malice."

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As the grey answered her, continuing to speak in not-friendly-but-not-unfriendly tones, she slowly felt herself relax. It was more than just the words, of course - the fact that he seemed to be purposely trying to make her feel more comfortable was doing wonders for the situation. The tension broke for her completely when he told her his name. A breathy, relieved laugh escaped her throat before she noticed. "Malice. Of course." The utterance was all mild hysterical giddiness, but then her mind caught up and her face took on a mortified look. She felt heat rise in her cheeks. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by that. You're just... you're imposing. I didn't expect that here. Not that I've been here often. At all. But still." She was honest, if nothing else, and she was speaking in a rambling manner. Once again, though, she noticed and promptly shut her mouth. He seemed nicer now, and that was apparently making her too comfortable. Well, she couldn't really feel more mortified, and that was giving her a false sense of security, she supposed. No point in worrying about sounding stupid when she'd already thoroughly embarrassed herself.

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The giggles definitely weren't expected, and he swiveled his ears outwards as he took another half-step to the side. "I see," his ears push forward again, and he slowly moves in a wide arc towards her- though still maintaining a fairly large distance. "What were you expecting? If I may ask-" he paws pause when his mouth closes, and he head dips lower as he watches her.

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She tilted her head at him, no longer perturbed by his movement around her. "Well, you know," she said vaguely, inclining her head at the trees around them. He was watching her intently, and she was feeling something quite different than the previous chill. "I mean, it's... it's the Forest of Love," she stammered, too embarrassed to elaborate further.

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"The what-" His ignorance must have shone through then, and his ears flipped backwards for just a moment. Malice lifted his head and gazed once more into the burning, pink canopy. When he looked back to her, his eyes had just recovered from some obvious hint of surprise. The wolf shook his head and pointed his snout westward. "A suitable name for an extravagant grove." A large paw took a small step away from her, followed by another. "Thank you for the enlightenment." Steadily he moved further away from their area of encounter.

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She was completely bewildered for a moment, and she was sure it showed on her face. Why did he look so surp- "No way," she gasped delightedly. All reservations lost, she bounded after him, putting herself suddenly closer than they'd been for the entire conversation, caution to the wind. "Did you not know?" For some reason, that thought erased all of her embarrassment over the moment. Everything made so much sense now.

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Malice heard her pace pick up, and his head turned to watch as she came closer. His fuzzy, tri-colored tail curled behind him defensively, ears flipping backwards as he replied. "I am not from around here, Euphrata," he pointed his nose ahead once more, still walking at a comfortable- but tense- pace. "I have learned some, but not nearly enough of the Valley's secrets."

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Euphrata sidled just a few steps sideways as they walked, more of an instinctive move against that unhappy posture than actual worry. Her mind barely even registered it, now that the immediate threat was past - in her mind, if he hadn't jumped her yet, he likely wouldn't. It was his words that had her interest now, not his body language. Her own became suddenly excited, head turned to look at him as they went. Obviously not caring that she was probably going to trip and fall on her face. "If you're not from here, where are you from? I've never traveled very far." Her voice was wistful, but it contained the same excitement as the rest - travelers, in her mind, held the same youthful mystery that the Forest of Love had held earlier that day.

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"Far east of here." The answer was simple. Cold earth and snow crunched beneath his paws as he walked, his heavy grey form fluidly maneuvering across low roots and shrubs. His ears relaxed and grew less tense overall, so long as Euphrata maintained that 'few-steps' distance he seemed to find agreeable. "I came to the valley not long ago, searching for answers." He turned his nose in her direction, eyeing her coat. "Tell me, if you would- is there anything you know about the power that resides here?" His expression didn't seem so unreadable as he grew more accustom to the other wolf's presence. The tone in which he spoke grew polite, but not overly so.

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The girl's gleeful energy was diverted at his question, and she looked ahead, brow furrowing in thought. "It's... I mean, it's a legend. Or, not a legend exactly... I'm not sure. Papa talked about it sometimes, but everyone always seemed to beat around the bush and I stopped asking. But..." She paused, trying to remember the scant details learned in her childhood. Her face lit again, and she looked at him sidelong. "There's a place on the mountain, though, where you might be able to learn more." She inclined her head apologetically. "I'm sorry I can't tell you more. It always seemed like a fairytale to me." So though she'd love to show off to this man-from-afar, she came up well short.

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Malice came closer to the western edge of the pink forest where the power's influence seemed to fade, where the colorful trees blended into the barren oaks that naturally made the forest their home. "It is all, right," he gave her a brief little smile. Malice's eyes may have shone with some disappointed, but not anything too troubling. "You have taught me much today, and for that, I am grateful," the grey wolf gave her an impertinent wink. "But I do have a favor small favor to ask of you." Malice raised his head and pitched his ears forward as he stopped to face her. "I'm going start at one, and count up to five." He took a half-step towards her. "Please be gone before I am finished." He remained poised as he spoke, his words fluid and slow.