He speaks up, his graveled voice friendly, matching with the smile that manages to curve its way across his proud, fine features in response to her own. Excitement courses through her veins as she dares to bounce to her feet and step towards him, her gait light and prancing as she closes the short distance between them. Ink black banner wags happily at the new found company she has acquired by happenstance. Her jaws part a bit wider as a laughing grin spreads across her black stained lips, golden eyes twinkle with amusement as she too turns her intelligent eyes to brilliant sun, blinking quickly against the light “Well, there is still daylight left… and then of course moonlight will soon to follow.” she yips shaking her fine muzzle and turning back to face the stranger once more. ”Boredom… more than anything. I am new here still and rather than sit and wait around for the world to find me I decided to see what it is this world has to offer.” she replies rather matter of factly. It is merely her nature to be truthful; Uncle always called it a mere side effect of young age but she saw it as something to be cherished and did her best to hold onto it even when others would see her silenced for it or at least punished. But those were far distant times and already the memories were fading into the far recesses of her mind and she dared not to drudge them up again unless of course they were to provide some useful tidbit of information.

He speaks again and she finds herself drawn from her thoughts and had she been of lighter coloring perhaps the faintest hints of blush would have crossed her cheeks at the manner in which she was behaving but well, she hadn’t been called dreamer for nothing. A single dial swivels against its base as she ingests his words, letting his name silently echo itself into her memory. Voltaire. It was different, far from anything she had ever heard before but surely he must think the same of her own for was that not what made each of them special… well, of course if you want to get technical there is personality, outward appearances, and etcetera; but to my little darkling, a name said it all first and foremost.

His next words cause her to flinch if only in the slightest it is still a flinch none the less and she finds herself settling once more on her haunches, her forelegs extended in front of her so that she rests in a ready position against the ground, finding the slightest semblance of comfort in the cool rocks beneath her belly. ”My parents….” she began, sadness flashing through her eyes as she though back for a moment to the life she left behind. Had they stopped looking for her yet? Had father finally understood what she had been trying to explain to him all along? Did he regret how he treated her? Did mother? ”I lost my family long ago…” she murmurs, her ears resting flat against her head for a moment as the images flashed through her brain. They had abandoned her in faith long before she abandoned them, father thought he could train her into a place among the pack but could he really not see that she hadn’t belonged there? Even when she herself told him? No, he had seen it but it was a sin, a curse to leave the pack. None the less she’d slipped off and never looked back though they still weighed heavily on her mind from time to time. Family was important to the life of a wolf and without family what else was there?

She looks up at Voltaire now, her glittering yellow eyes trusting as she cocks her head to the left in much the same manner she had as a pup, ”I am 3 years old though, I am an adult and for a long time I have taken care of myself through trial and error… it’s not the dark that scares me.” she finishes with a resounding nod as if speaking the words aloud make them feel stronger and truer in her mind. No she did not fear the dark… it was being alone that she hated the most.