the next morning, nathaniel woke with a warm body at his side. he looked over the pale female, anemone?, once and then stood slowly as to not wake her and then left quickly. she hadn’t been phenomenal or memorable - her name would be banished from his mind in a matter of hours and their time together would become nothing but a memory of a warm body under him. as the dawn sun slowly began to hit the horizon, nathaniel’s somewhat brisk (couldn’t have some girl chasing after him, now could he) pace slowed to a lazy stroll. snow was colored soft golden and pink as he walked and once again nathaniel was struck with the irritated thought that grumbled, you should be asleep, dumbass, in the back of his head. a mild glare at the sky informed him that, unless he wanted to spend another night sleepless, he’d just have to deal with the unfortunately low number of hours he’d actually spent sleeping. it wasn’t a pleasant realization and brought a sour expression to his face. it also ruined a portion of his post-coitus mood, taking him from semi-decent to annoyed in little time.

whether it was due to his lack of sleep or lack of company, the day not only dragged on, but it also glued his scowl to his face. by late afternoon, nathaniel was ready to take the piss out of someone, should they give him the chance. he’d encounter very few today, one being a particularly unlucky rabbit. it’s remains lay in a mess somewhere in the forest behind him. nathaniel’s mood was soiled by the time he reached the grotto. burning eyes focused on the crumbling ruins of fallen rocks in front of him and narrowed into slits. he’d walked all damn day, and this was his prize? ”never judge a book by it’s cover, like mother always said,” he muttered viciously under his breath, taking long slow steps towards the crumbling caves. it took him a few minutes to pick out an entrance, but by then the scent of a femme had caught his attention. stopping just before he entered his original destination, nathaniel turned slowly and then followed his nose until he found her - sleek and black and pretty. a slow grin spread, lazy and maybe a touch sensual. maybe luck was on his side. he took a few measured steps towards her and then spoke, his voice a little lazy and a little rumbly. ”well aren’t you just the prettiest shadow i’ve ever seen.”