Natalya
she's a killer, she's a keeper

I don't think I have ever been this...excited. I nip and push Atania, her constant rushing making me even more giddy than I already am. I swear looking at me right now, you would not know one my age could hold such excitement. I laugh as I prepare to leave my twins at home, giving them strict instructions not to leave Diveen. We have enemies out there that won't hesitate to attack them if they are seen outside the protected borders of the pack land. I know they stir up trouble, and Devil thinks they are oddly in sync with one another. Perhaps they are a little strongly connected, but I suspect it is a bond we cannot begin to comprehend. Adonis seems wilder without his sister, and Atania is more...empty seeming without her brother. It makes me happiest to see them together, because this is what makes them happiest. I tell Atania to stay with her brother, not making such a thing a request this time. I will not play games with their safety, and together they are stronger than they ever would be alone...besides, they are less likely to get in trouble with one another there.

Perhaps you wonder why I am so excited this day, I grin as the pups nod to me, telling me they will behave, they will be good. I take them at their word, even an assassin keeps his or her word, and these two will not be any different. My paws carry me forward, making my way to the river. I try my hardest not to run, I don't want it to seem as if I was this excited. Though I knew I wouldn't be able to keep it from him, my excitement would most likely slam into him as well. I need something to calm myself, I need to do something to exert some of this energy. My yellow eyes glance around as I make my way, trotting carefully over the terrain, ears swivel about and I pinpoint the location of a hare.

I give chase, not a serious pursuit as I have no true clue as to what Devil plans for our little...meeting. A strange smile breaks across my muzzle and I move with a fluid grace that only a lifetime of killing could bring. My body is streamlined for all types of work, and this is the perfect diversion. The hare banks left and I move with him, growling as I happily snap my jaws to make him go faster. I need to kill some of this energy before I end up looking like a spring time yearling. Before too long, I am panting and I stop running, the cold in the air keeps me from overheating as I would in spring or summer. I turn my owl-like gaze toward the river, and that smile grows wider. It is strange to wear such a thing on my face after so many years of being hollow inside.

I find smiles coming easier to me now, and part of me chastises myself for being so...grumpy with Devil. My anger had been around enough, and spending more time with him seemed to uplift my soul enough that I could feel true joy beginning to spread like a virus through my system. I wonder if he feels the same, the same part that yelled at me, screams now in denial. Of course he feels the same, right? If he didn't he wouldn't ask me to meet him here, he wouldn't make these pretty promises unless it was important to him to make them. I feel his anticipation, the warring emotion with him, and I relish the feeling, knowing I am close. So close. I hear the splash he makes in the water and I smile, he is right where he said he would be, I can see him now.

For a moment, I give myself time to calm, stowing away all the rest of the world for the remainder of the night. My gaze is unconsciously soft when I look at him, a small smirk tugging at the corner of my lips. He seems so nervous, as if he half expects me to disappear, though it is what ghosts are want to do. I take in the scene he makes, curiosity plain on my face. I am nothing if not inquisitive, even in my fifteenth year. All the emotions I feel when I look at him, of all of them, acceptance - and a tentative love - has grown to be the strongest. My silvery paws move me again and I make my way over to him, I say nothing, do nothing more than show up with a slight expectancy on my face. He said he would make it worth my while, something in his voice gave me the impression of a surprise, but in this instance I am resigned to let him show me what he wants to.