[Shadow [RP]]

Character Profile #b25246

The sun hung low, sending weird shadows across the ground as branches became more visible, dropping their leaves. Every step the oddly-shaped wolf took crunched underfoot, sending a ripple of annoyance down her spine. There was no such thing as travelling silently this time of year. The only good side was that she would hear anyone else coming, too. For how could they avoid making sounds when she could not, even though she picked every step she took as carefully as possible? A twig snapped beneath her, the dead wood hidden beneath an especially large red leaf, and she winced, her flat muzzle wrinkling and ears shooting back against her skull.

"Stupid," she mumbled to herself, pausing to listen for movement. Had anyone heard that? Somehow the temperature falling made the woods seem that much quieter. Maybe it was the absence of bird calls, or the lack of squirrels scurrying along branches above. Anything smart was already holed up somewhere, or preparing for the cold of winter. The temperature was slowly, but steadily, dropping. Not that she minded. Whatever made her this way, so different from any wolves she'd come across in the past, also made her more adept for cold weather. She barely felt the cold through her thick coat; it only meant it took much longer for her to start panting. In truth, the heat of summer was her downfall.

Her stomach let out a particularly loud grumble. She lowered her head, the picture of frustration. This was her issue. She was hungry, hunting was growing more scarce by the day. Her long stride was no match for the speed of small prey, not when combined with her bulk. She grumbled aloud, as if in response to her stomach's complaint. Whatever she was, this odd sort of wolf, she was not meant to live alone. As best she could gather from her strangely large paws and intimidating size, she was meant to hunt larger prey, but that was easier said than done when there was no one to hunt with.

She stopped again, hearing a faint sound. The trickle of water! It wasn't food, but at least she could satiate her belly temporarily. Picking her way carefully toward it, still avoiding any loud sounds, she prepared herself for what was bound to be bitterly cold water. Sure, her fur was nice and thick, but it's not like her throat or stomach were protected by anything. She approached, spotting the small stream ahead, and took a deep breath. Here goes nothing, she thought as she lowered her head to the water, her wide feet spread to brace herself.

[Rainer]

They hadn't reached the desert yet, which Rainer was glad of - fall was upon these lands and the cool weather was a balm after the particularly warm summer. He had split from the group, as he was apt to do, to search the surrounding areas for potential followers. What he was hoping for was more kin, somehow he'd managed to find a good deal of them recently. Whether it was because they had heard that the group was heading up north or whether it was just freak coincidences, it was working out for him.

And today was no different.

He saw her and studied her from afar, seeing her react to something by suddenly pausing. He saw the shape of her body, of her face. Recognized them in himself. He began to approach, trying to pick around fallen leaves to be as quiet as he could, but it was hard. He didn't hear her call herself stupid, but he did hear her stomach rumble, something that caused his ears to prick forward.

Hallo comrade, he said, announcing himself with a pleasant voice and a dimpled smile. When she would inevitably turn to look at him (if she hadn't already) he would turn his head slightly so she could see the thickness of his snout and the sharpness of his ears. He blinked at her, golden eyes taking her in though staying trained on her eyes so as to not appear as predatory as a lone male might seem. I am Rainer, vho are you?

She was young, too young to have been in Old Bacchus. Still, she looked purely like one of his kin. He had no idea, but this girl was his niece.

♕

[Shadow [RP]]

Character Profile #b25246

The voice caught her by surprise, coming from a direction different than that she had been wary of. Her muscles tensed as she prepared for the inevitable declaration of what she was... a freak. His coat flashed before her eyes, colors similar to her own but with a dash of red. Her jaw clenched as his mouth opened again, but it was with that motion, the tilt of his head, that she saw what her eyes did not comprehend at first. The slope of his forehead into muzzle... it mirrored the odd shape of her own head. Her gaze dropped to his paws... and there they were, the extra toes on each foot. Her mouth dropped open and the words spilled out of her mouth before she knew they were coming.

"What the hell?"

Her mouth snapped shut, realizing how rude she was being. She needed this, could it really be happening? Her mind did not accept it; it could not be true. She had been alone, an outcast, a freak for so long, she must have imagined this creature into existence. A hallucination, that must be it. Though her mind shunned the reality of the situation, somewhere in her heart, she yearned for it to be true.

It took a few moments of unabashed staring before she caught up with the fact that he had introduced himself. Rainer, he said. She dipped her head slightly, he was not her superior, not yet anyway; she had no way of knowing he would be. "I am called Shadow." She stared at him, hesitant to trust despite the fact that he was, as far as she knew, the only one like her. "What ..." she paused, not sure how to phrase her question. What are you? was all too rude. What are we? too familiar. "What am I?" she finally choked out, the desperation more evident in her voice than she had expected.