Hello Past {Ghost}

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She wasn't sure why she was skirting the borders of her old home now. She had managed to avoid the place for so long, and now of all times she was drawn towards the lake. She wasn't actually stupid enough to go near the lake, though. Goodness knew what she would meet if anyone recognised her. Two years could seem like a long time, and yet it may not be long enough to heal the rifts that her actions had no doubt caused. No, she stuck to the pine forests near by, slipping through the shadows with only the faintest whisper of paws on pine needles. It was dark and gloomy beneath the dense canopy of trees, a perfect setting for her current mood. Ever since that dratted talk of her cousin, she'd been antsy. Part of her wanted to rush over to Ker and give him a good whack behind the ears. He couldn't just go proclaiming himself king and start murdering!! As much as a passion for his neutralisation burned in her heart, she wasn't stupid enough to do something quite as rash as march into his domain. Not yet, in any case. Perhaps that was why she was here; almost home again. A last tribute before she headed off to a place where she might not return from. Frankly, she wasn't very worried about dying. With Reece hating her, it wasn't as though she had much to live for. As long as she took Kerberos and his idiotic, chauvinistic ideals with her, it was all fair game. She brusquely squashed thoughts of the male she'd spent so many days with, not willing to open her heart to more pain. It had suffered enough, and frankly, she was sick and tired of being an emotional wreck. No, Nocturne was quite intent on pulling herself together and moving on. The past lay, perhaps regrettably, in the past and there was absolutely nothing she could do to change it. She was realistic enough to get that into her skull and move on. She supposed it must be about midday, though it had been overcast when she'd entered the forest that morning. Perhaps they'd get another spring shower - one that would result in more colourful flowers popping up all over the place, with dandelion seeds that made her sneeze. Oh, how she despised those puff balls of spores! No matter how carefully she navigated around those little white spheres, one would inevitably be triggered by a graze of her pelt or a breath of wind...and without fail, they would find their way into her nose. The black wolf grumbled quietly under her breath, mentally cursing nature for creating something so annoying. Then again, nature had created a great many other annoying and frustrating things, so perhaps she ought to be happy with the occasional sneeze-attacks in spring. "Speech"

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The wake of spring had brought on more rain then this marbled wolf could tolerate. He did not mind the occasional shower especially in the blistering summer heat but he didn't particularly like walking around in muck and having his pelt soaking all the time either. Still shaking off the night's rainfall from his fur he meandered about the forest quietly, stepping high to avoid getting stuck in the occasional mud holes. And as he moved he found himself feeling a bit alone and a tad hungry. He tried to shake the lonely feeling from his mind and decided to focus in his weekly hunt. The hunt brought on a not-so-easy question: did he want bird or rodent for his meal?

With a quick look around he decided that it was rodent for the week as he spotted small tracks in some mud. Sniffing the air his mouth started to water at the anticipation of the rabbit he began to stalk. Before long he managed to find the rodent along with three others. In a flash of black fur he managed to catch two of the three, as they were right next to each other, but he began to resent the fact that he was unable to catch the third.

Picking up his catch by their ears he began to search for a place to sit down and eat that was not too wet. After a few minutes he managed to find a rocky overhang to sit under as a slight breeze wafted toward him. On the breeze was a familiar scent, he couldn't quite place who's it was. It had been so long since he had been around another wolf the scent memory was faint. Curious he began to follow it but soon stopped, ears back. Tense he turned and went back to the overhang figuring it would be better if he did not find out who the misery wolf was.

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The pine needles were springy underfoot, odd patches of mud escaping their carpeting and squelching between her toes. It was a clammy day, one that was likely to make arthritic wolves moan and grumble. She simply took note of the matter, fluffed up her fur and moved onwards.

Bored and without a place to be, she found herself looping back on her tracks. As far as she could make out, the forest was as uninhabited as when she had stolen away from the packlands with the boys. They'd had great games of hide-and-seek in the shadows, her black coat helping her blend in come dusk. She paused in her tracks, searching for a name. One of her...she supposed playmate was the best description...had almost always won their games. Dark with bits of brown....quite unassuming. She'd needed to make full use of her nose to ferret him out of his hideout.

She moved onwards, still turning the matter of the nameless hider over in her mind. She was so caught up in her thoughts that it took a long moment for her to realise that she was firstly, following her previous tracks, and secondly, following someone else's. She halted suddenly, ears aquiver as she made sense of the situation. Someone had been following her!!

Nocturne set off at a purposeful trot, nose to the ground. Whoever had the temerity of stalking her was about to discover the error of his ways. Because it was definitely a he. A somewhat familiar he, but the girl couldn't put her paw on that. The tracks suddenly veered away from hers, and she followed them without thinking. By the time she stopped to think, she was face to face with someone both oddly familiar and strangely foreign. She scrambled back a few steps, silver eyes narrowing as she stared directly at the male. "I know you from somewhere" she said without introduction, giving the male a piercing once-over. "Were you born by the Akeli Lake?"

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As he stepped lightly through the moist forest he kept looking over his shoulder, debating if he should go back upwind to hide himself from the not-so-foreign wolf he had caught scent of but decided against it, he could take on whatever the other had to offer. At least that is what he decided on, but as he reached his shelter and dropped his catch on the rocks, he heard the squish of paws over the wet ground and turned to defend his kill. He showed his fangs as the other wolf exited the thick brush and nearly ran right into him. A tad startled, he watched as she backed up then demanded to know where he was born.

A low growl escaped from his throat "You are rather rude, girl." With the words he raised his tail and decided not to give into her demands "Where I was born is no concern to you." He absolutely knew he was being a complete ass but he figured it was better then allowing his temper to get the better of him. "Leave me be."

As those final words left his mouth he remembered something so distant it seemed like it happened to someone else. As a pup he would often tell the only female who dared play with the boys to leave him be but she insisted on playing hide-and-seek when he just wanted to be alone. Was this that same female? That must be why she was interested in knowing where he was from but he decided to let her say it first.

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The black female was faintly startled by the brusque response the male graced her with. She took note of the rabbits between his paws and the raised tail. A faint smile curled her lips upwards as she stared at him, not in the least put out by the show of defiance. She'd seen enough to know that many were all show and no blow, when it came down to it. "And you, sir, are the picture of well-manners" she answered back quickly, silver eyes mocking him. Others might have been offended with the name-calling, but she let it breeze over her head. Only wimps allowed taunts to get to them. She took a provocative step forwards as he continued to speak, not caring in the slightest that she was encroaching in on his personal space. When it came down to it, she really had nothing to lose...and one snappy young lad was hardly going to ruffle her feathers. 

"None of my concern?" she asked, her lips twisting sardonically as she stared relentlessly into his eyes. Damn there was something familiar about that gaze!! "Considering you were stalking me until nerves got the better of your patchwork hide, I think I have every right to know where you've come from." Her mind was close, so close, to finding an answer....but the dratted name slipped through her grasp at the last minute each time. He spoke again, gruff words pushing her aside. Dismissing her like an errant pup. She forced herself closer to him, her nostrils flaring as his scent danced around her mind. 

She danced suddenly backwards, paws nimble as they took her back out of his personal space. She tipped her head to one side, considering him as her mind raced towards the final, inevitable conclusion. "I've heard those words before". Her voice was suddenly very serious, her tail flicking at odd intervals. "If I'm not very much mistaken, you were the last one to tell me so." She lowered her rump to the ground, forcing her fur to lie flat across her shoulders. Until this mystery was unravelled, she wasn't going to get into a fight. There was only one thing worse than not finding an answer...and that was not getting an answer when it was staring you so blatantly into the face.

Nocturne let her gaze run over his body again, her mind trying to recreate the higher-pitched voice of the pup that had brought her here in the first place. Yes, it was him. Quite unmistakably now that she had sorted through the mess of distant thoughts and memories. But why would the damned name not come to her mind? They had gotten along quite well as far as she could recall - no reason for her to wipe his name from her memory. She ground her teeth together in unvoiced frustration. Oh, how she hated not being able to remember something. It was almost like a personal affront. Her brain had no right to withold information like this! A long moment of silence stretched between them, before she was forced to admit defeat. "Perhaps we should start the introductions again" she mused, a light hint of humour to her vocals "Nocturne, at your service". Not that she was actually giong to be at his beck and call, but just stating her name sounded a little plain. 

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She was just as snarky as he was as she retorted that he was polite. He responded with a snort  and kept her gaze. "I was not stalking you" he growled but did not bother  to explain himself, his temper rising as she claimed he was a coward. He continued to growl and kept his ground while she moved toward him. Then he spoke the words that startled her, and he watched in relative silence as she tried to figure things out. "What introductions?" he spat under his breath.

Then her name, yep that was the name he had in the back of his mind. With a toothy grin he let his growling subside, but he did not let his fur settle as he was still upset about the nerves comment. "I'll let you guess who I am, Noc." He sat and began to pull the fur off of one of the rabbits he had caught but did not take his eyes of of her.

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Her features scrunched into a scornful look of derision. Not stalking her, hmm? Then it was simply coincidence that his tracks followed herself for longer than was strictly necessary? Perhaps, if she was a foolish little girl with stars in her eyes, she would have believed in such funny twists of fate. As it was, she was naturally inclined to be suspicious and more than just a touch stubborn. It didn't help that whoever was crouching before her was determined on making things difficult for her. Damn him for being so curiously familiar! She laughed at his warning growl, not the least bit upset by the low tones. Oh, so she had touched a nerve, had she? Well, as far as she was concerned, it was only fair. He was getting her goat with his lack of useful answers and snarky ways.

She watched him tear the flesh off his first rabbit, her stomach reminding her that food was maybe not the silliest of ideas at the present time. Nocturne firmly ignored the gentle ache in her belly, struck more by the use of a nickname that had always bothered her as a pup. Honestly, why would anyone think she would like a name as mundane as Noc, when the sleeker version of Nocturne was available? It was only a syllable more to speak, after all. Not even half an extra breath. 

Now if only that damned name would come back to her mind! She knew precisely who was standing before her with that arrogant, self-satisfied twinkle to his eyes. She could see him as a pup, trying and failing to dismiss her from the presence of their little pack of marauders. It was something short, she knew that. short and a little...queer. A little unexpected and yet quite mundane when you gave it a moment's thought. "You needn't be such a stuck-up squirrel about it" she groused at him, getting thoroughly annoyed at the situation. Patience had never really been her strong suit when it came down to it. It was on the tip of her tongue, and yet it continued to evade her. How dare he try to boast about having recognised her when she offered her name to him?

Like a slap to the face, her own thoughts jogged her memory and a bright smile curled across her features. Waiting until his teeth were busy with the rabbit he was lazily taking apart, she darted forwards to filch the second carcass. "It's not very chivalrous to leave a lady to starve, you know" she quipped, silver eyes twinkling cheekily. "What on earth would daddy say, eh Ghost?" As much as she quite fancied a plump rabbit, she didn't touch the carcass at her feet. It was one thing to play about and insinuate that she would eat it...and quite another to actually do so. The former was done in jest, for all that it could anger the other. The latter would be completely inappropriate and a legitimate reason to get embroiled in a nasty fight. She dropped to the ground, nudging the rabbit back in his direction with a bored flick of her muzzle. "So, little Ghosty, been up to anything exciting? You've turned out quite handsome, I must say." 

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 He seemed content to have flustered Nocturne for a little bit as she dug around in her mind to figure out his name. He thoroughly enjoyed having the upper hand and watched her while he finished pulling apart his meal and began to eat, letting her stew in her frustrations. He had to admit to himself though it did take a while for him to figure out who she was but he definitively was not going to tell her that. Even as she called him a damned squirrel it was still satisfying. But the content feeling did not last long as she decided to steal one of his rabbits.

With a frustrated growl he glared as she flaunted the fact that she figured it out. His  upper hand was gone. "My sire was a fool" he retorted at her taunt then noticed that she was holding back from actually taking the rabbit for herself, she actually gave it back? He just looked at the second catch and the hint of sadness as she gave it back and began to ask questions. The pup-name bothered him and he gave huff and shook his head a bit but after she called him handsom, well he couldn't just let her starve after a compliment could he?  So he snatched up second rabbit and flicking it back at her paws.

"I don't do exciting." he replied in a matter-of-fact tone then paused, "Nothing really happens here... What about you? I haven't seen you since we were pups."

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A mischievous grin blossomed across her features as she caught the look of consternation on his features. Oh, had the nasty strange black wolf stolen his rabbit? She felt yet more elated at the deep grumble that passed through his chest. They were once again on even footing, and Nocturne was more than chuffed at the fact. "Of course he was" she replied, a look of disgust twisting her features. "The whole lot of them were arrogant pigs without a shred of sense to share between each other". There was no hiding the bitterness in her tone, silver eyes stormy in remembrance of her time under their ruling. Oh, how she despised the self-centred fools who thought a female was little more than a heater in winter and a pup-breeder for the rest of the year! 

She was quickly descending into a bad mood, when the rabbit she had nosed back was returned with a brisk bat of his paw. Well, that was a surprise indeed! She nodded to him in thanks, pulling a chunk out of the rabbit and swallowing the sweet flesh with evident satisfaction. Ah, there really wasn't anything better than some succulent meat to raise the spirits! "I'll catch you something bigger, next time" she informed him between mouthfuls, her mood rapidly improving once more. She couldn't really stay grumpy in Ghost's presence, anyway. They had shared too much....and frankly, they were almost complete strangers now. How much could a couple of years change! How much had they moved on from the silly pups they had once been; playing hide-and-seek in a forest that had once been deemed too dangerous for little girls and quiet boys?

At his bland repartee, she couldn't help but laugh. It was so very....Ghost-like! It was as her flanks trembled with mirth that she realised she hadn't laughed like this in a long time. She fought to regain control of her breathing, wheezing slightly as her lungs grabbed oxygen from the air. "I always was the disruptive trouble-maker" she managed after a while, tearing another chunk out of the rabbit. "You usually just happened to kept swept into the mess". There was no apology in her tones - Ghost needed a bit of excitement after all, and he'd always been around to help her out of a sticky situation. With grumpy words and an exasperated glare....but he'd been there.

As the question was flicked back at her, she frowned. How much did he know? How much could she tell him? "I've been doing the full spectrum" she managed after a moment of careful consideration. "I've been on the run mostly, which is why I'm only now back in this neck of the woods. Then I've had my fair share of boredom and madness." And heartbreak she added in the quiet of her mind. She was not about to go down that path of conversation with Ghost! She shrugged, giving him a bright smile. "But I've been doing well. Being my own boss definitely suits me quite wonderfully." She paused, finishing off her rabbit with a couple of deft bites and then licking her lips. Yes, this was one very pleasant afternoon indeed!


Tag: @comatose