The dark has a way of changing things, descending in a velvet gauze curtain that snuffs out life and obscures the dangers that lie on the path. Twin incandescent globes of golden brown glittered in the midst of the deepening abyss of swirling raven-hued night, lingering carelessly like a specter in full view. The one that wielded them could be forgiven for her ignorance for she was young and naïve, full of the pompous self-importance and fickle bravery that binds the youth. The lupine, for that was her species, was indeed a foreigner to the darker neck of the woods, her emotions flickering between awe and fear and her pelt prickling as she thirsted for moonlight that was in short supply beneath the boughs of gnarled, dead trees. The fatale was lost, this was almost certain, for a svelte princess would hardly be caught traversing the depths of an indigo labyrinth alone. However, the true broiling depths of her mind were screened to all, and, if an unlucky soul had the misfortune to delve there, they might find a youngling desperate to prove her worth, ready to fight to show that she was not just a pretty face, that her goofy demeanor was all a heavily maintained façade built for the sake of her cosseting mother. Ladyhawke had found a place where she truly felt at home, where her beauty and gender was hidden by the darkness, the only entity that enabled all beneath its shadow to see (strictly speaking) one another as equals.

Another great mystery about the dark is that sounds are inexplicably amplified when uttered within the depths. Loud, harsh echoes of former embodied creatures become new monsters, finding a home within the darkness. It was this terrible fact that turned the innocent scream of an eagle owl into the gut-wrenching cacophony of a nest full of demons. Twin audits, once twitching in the shroud, were pinned flat into silky folds of fur as muscles suddenly exploded into a moment of reckless abandon. Lupine legs stretched to their full capacity as a canid chassi went flying through the air as fast as any predator bird. As the ess bounded, her senses retaliated, leaving her all but unconscious as he legs continued their rhythmic pounding. This was the reason she didn’t register the strong, musky odor of pack boundary markers as it encased her for a moment. The scent drifted between the folds of her subconscious, storing itself there for a more appropriate time. All the while, the wolf continued her mad dash, only coming to a grinding halt when her jowls were split and air rushed through them as her sides moved like bellows. The splash of her saliva sounded loud in the strange darkness as it pooled into the pink flower she formed with her tongue before dripping over the side and onto the muffled earth. Her brainpan drooped and her audits remained pinned to her scalp as she breathed in such a raggedy fashion. Only later, once her lungs ad steadied, did she recognize the perfume she had scented earlier. Much earlier.

Ladyhawke reeled in shock as she recognized what she had done. In her wild bid for safety, she had raced into the heart of a strange pack’s territory and gotten herself lost amongst the tangle of twisting trees and eerie mist to which her shocked breath added clouds of steam. Leaning her shoulder against the fissured bark of an ancient growing, sentinel, the femme tried to regain her composure. The pack leader would definitely not be happy to find a trespasser in the heart of their territory and the minx was afraid of what they might do to her. However, she was even wearier at being alone in the unnatural dark. For a few minutes, she allowed herself to contemplate crying for help, before she squashed the idea as something a young pup or dragpaw would do. Of theses she was neither. Squaring her jaw obstinately, she glared into the darkness, her tail tucked between her legs and her chassis pressed inconspicuously earthwards. The youngling wanted nothing more then to be found and it suddenly occurred to her that there was no wind blowing her scent around like a stricken animal. Swallowing loudly, the femme tried a bark. It sounded loud and hollow in the enclosed space. She could only hope that whoever heard it would be in a merciful mood.

Music Playlist at MixPod.com