Drooping Willows running around leaving scars

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. Relief flooded his soul as well, sweeping through him like a cleansing fire and banishing the lingering doubts and concerns. His mock-attack hadn't sent her running, though she had frozen up momentarily, but that had vanished in the blink of an eye, dissipated like fog in sunshine. His own thoughts drifted out into the night air, and it was with a strange sort of satisfaction that he felt their bodies collide, she being flung on her back beneath the onslaught of muscle. The wind whipped at him and tore at his long fur, but he ignored it and instead laughed as she beat about his face, yelling at him. As her dainty paws smacked against the bony surfaces of his face he couldn't stop laughing, for it felt so good, like a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders and flung away in the darkness. It felt purifying in a way that not even thinking had, and he wished he'd never have to stop for he couldn't even remember the last time he'd felt this good.. the last time he had laughed so freely. Finally though, his mirth silenced enough for him to aim a nip at the next paw that came flying close to his face. "Liar!" he said with a grin, aiming another nip towards her cheek before bouncing off a couple of strides. With his chest low in a play-bow and tail wagging, Ice gave a happy woof. "Proper ladies don't talk to stranger men in the middle of the night!" One silver eye winked at her as he awaited retaliation, hoping it would come, hoping she'd not drop their little game just because he got off - chances were, they both needed some childish, mindless bouncing about. Plus, it got his muscles working, warmth seeping back into his chilled body.. it kept thoughts at bay, thoughts of life and what could've been, thoughts of what if's and possibilities, thoughts of promise and of loyalties... Thoughts he had no wish to have for company on this night. In fact, for the moment he could think of no better company to bounce about with than this nameless black she-wolf, this proper lady. Ice's mouth was open in a ready grin, anticipation in his eyes. Not even the faint stab of pain and remembering he'd played with Indru before spring truly began could dissuade his joy, nor could the thought of Naira. To be honest, Ice hadn't even thought about the fact that some of their smell might rub off Ava and onto him, and he wasn't about to start thinking about it either. If either of them came here, he'd tear their faces off, but there was nothing wrong with Ava - she deserved a good, happy life just as much as Corinna did. Not even the thoughts of her or Triell will bring me down tonight. The darkness closed in, absolute, covering the stars with clouds, but despite the lack of light he could clearly make out the black she-wolf. It felt as if the world paused around them, not out of any romantic notions for such things were the last things on his mind at the moment, but simply because when dawn broke over the Serpent Pass they'd have to go back to their separate lives in packs that stood poised on the edge of war - packs that hated each other, at least if what he'd felt and heard tonight was true. Who knew if they'd ever meet like this again? That thought nearly broke him, though; a different time, a different life, and she could've been a great friend. Likely circumstances would prevent such a bond forming now. He banished that thought. They had this night, and he wasn't going to waste it moping about tomorrow. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

Back to the ground she was nearly bursting with joy, fulfilling her youthful urges with laughter and harmless smacks to her assailaint's face, courtesy of her fish-out-of-water flailing. She growled playfully in response to his nips, trying her hardest to look menacing and frightful but her white grin was awfully difficult to miss in the darkness of the night. Relieved of his weight she still needed a moment to catch her breath, her sides shaking as she attempted to stop the little hoots of laughter that kept slipping from her throat. Once satisfied that she could breathe again, Ava rolled from her back on to her side, legs splayed out in front of her. She paused and considered his words, glancing to the sky as if it would help her comprehend. "<b>Hm... you have a point,</b>" she laughed, pushing herself off the ground and loping forward a few paces before she crouched to the ground as though she were hunting. "<b>You're right, I am no lady...</b>" she whispered, her tones devilish like the sparkle in her eye. Then she reared upwards like a maniac horse and shouted, "<b>I am a deadly assassin!</b>"

And she sprung forward, darting to his right in her best impression of a streak of black fury. She snapped her jaws, as though she were preparing to rip him apart, but instead of launching herself at him, she continued past and stopped just short of his rear, reaching forward to try and snatch his tail in her jaws. Like a puppy with a bone she'd growl and shake her head, making sure not to tug too hard. Ava raised one paw in warning - if he tried to reclaim what was now rightfully <i>hers</i>, she'd smack him in the butt and there was nothing he could do 'bout that! Ava thought no one more clever than herself in that moment - oh, she had seen the anticipation in his gaze, but who would've ever anticipated <i>that</i>? She was just much too good! Even through the fur of his tail her laughs were easy to pick out from her growls.

Not even the slightest drip of the poison for which their pack was named shone in her bright amber eyes. The moment of absolute darkness truly did zero out the world - nothing of pack allegiences mattered to her anymore. She had the pleasure of having great company tonight, and nothing else could possibly matter to the dark she-wolf. Young as she was, one could ignite her temper. As for villainy, you'd be hard pressed to discover something so deep-rooted in her soul. It didn't cross her mind for even a moment that just maybe she would see him again - on a battlefield. The demons they fought earlier had completely vanished from her mind's eye, off to some other hell for the time being. Ava didn't think about a future where she would have to turn on her new friend and defend the pack he hated most. Those were thoughts for another sleepless night, not this one. All that she cared about was keeping a good hold on his fluffy tail and trying to look scary - feats which, all things taken into consideration, were difficult enough for the she-wolf. Perhaps not as hard as realizing they might have to actually sink teeth into each other at some point, but hey, still worth the mention.

art - threads

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. She conceded to his infallible logic, and he grinned in the darkness, watching with eager eyes as she got off the forest floor. The wind pushed at him, trying to cool the fever of play even as lines of electric joy ran just beneath the skin, every sense and every nerve alert as he waited, breathing in the night. The smaller black wolf was crouching down, and Ice's eyes narrowed in playful suspicion. What's this? his entire posture seemed to say, but instead of asking he waited, ears straining for her whispered voice that nearly drowned in the roar of the gale. But it came, accompanied with a burst of motion, and as the would-be "deadly assassin" sprung towards its unfortunate target, Ice laughed and skittered sideways just a tad, before realizing that his flank hadn't been her target at all. Giving a surprised yelp, Ice nearly tripped himself as he realized he couldn't spring away without doing something incredibly painful to his own tail. He froze up, swinging his large head around to peer at her through the gloom. She seemed incredibly content with her prize, though his nerves didn't exactly share her sentiments. Tentatively, he began to wag it, the muscles at the base of it wiggling as he tested the waters. Though, she was careful, he had to give her that much. His eyes shone in the dark, amused, his own play-growls silent as he took on an air of mock seriousness. "My dear deadly assassin!" he began in a ridiculously sophisticated voice so at odds with his bubbling, burbling emotions. He just wanted to fall over and laugh, but he reduced it to a smile that threatened to break free, and a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I see you have found yourself a hostage since, alas, my heart does not reside in my tail." He gave said heartless tail another probing tug before folding in on himself, curving around to get as close to her as he could. Two could play this game... Hopefully she'd be too preoccupied with his wiggling tail to notice the menace creeping closer, for with a swift lunge that would surely recoil and maul his drooled-all-over tail a little more he aimed to grab her own bushy tail. It was sorely tempting to feign defeat and beg mercy from this assassin he'd found, for between her fiery eyes with their own glint of joy and the complete darkness of her coat she did quite the good job at appearing devilish. But, Ice had met devils made of ice and snow as well, so that alone was not enough to impress him. Besides, she was laughing too much to truly make a good job of it, but to be honest, his renewed growls sounded more like hiccups interspersed with laughter that made his body tremble. Oh, how sweet it would be if he'd get a hold on her own tail, to see the look on her face as her own trick literally run around and bite her in the butt! .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

With her prize in her jaws she felt incredibly accomplished, sounding gentle little growls when he would attempt to wiggle his tail. It was difficult for her not to let go as her sides still shook with laughter. Watching a huge wolf nearly fall over himself when his rump was caught was really, <i>really</i> funny, especially for a wolf with such immature tastes, and she struggled through her smiles to keep her hold. Only her amber eyes were undisturbed by the situation, remaining careful and calculating on her assailant... or victim... whatever. Bringing her booty-smacking paw to the earth she let her front legs slide apart slightly, chest lowering just enough to show her whimsical stance - though she made sure not to go down too low as to not try and rip his spinal chord out... yuck. Much too morbid for Ava's taste.

Her ears perked up as she was addressed, almost feeling a little legitimate pride at being addressed as such. It was flattery - even if it did come in a hoity-toity voice that almost made her laugh so hard she would've dropped his - pardon, <i>her</i> tail, and she was no saint. For a moment she held in her head that he might be done playing, for his playful sounds had stopped rumbling from his chests, but as he continued the laughter behind his words was clear. Ava tensed on her toes, already beginning to prepare for his move, the play <span class='word'>approbated</span> once again. He'd have to lunge forward or do something drastic to tug his tail out from her jaws - not that her grip was threatening, just that she was paying attention. Or at least, she thought she was. Ava had prepared herself for a sudden assault, much like the one she had launched on him. It made sense that she would anticipate a sneak attack; that was her fighting style and as such she was accustomed to tricks. She should've noticed him coming closer, slowly and easily, but when she did it was too late. His pale jaws clamped on to her dark tail!

Ava gasped so hard she nearly inhaled his fur before her dropped jaws let Ice's tail go free. "<b>Villain!</b>" the dark she-wolf exploded, so much self-righteous fury ringing in her voice. "<b>You'll never take me alive!</b>" Then with those parting words she edged toward him, lips curled back and an evil look on her face. As she neared his visage her jaws would part to give him a cruel, menacing... slobbery lick to the face! She attempted to smack him a good one with her tongue just over his eye as to temporarily 'blind' him. Immediately following her slurpy venegence she would allow her smile to let loose once again, laughter ringing from her throat. Honestly she had planned on a further attack after that, but she found the whole thing too funny to handle and couldn't contain her hoots and hollers enough to do something drastic. Instead she'd just let her tongue loll out, waiting for him to react so she could slobber on some other part of his body.

art - threads

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. Say my name, and every color will illuminate... Despite the ferocious way in which she was observing him, he managed to surprise her. With great care as to not hurt her his jaws shut over her black tail, hairs tickling his mouth and nearly making him gag. However, it had more than the desire effect, for his own tail was released after nearly being inhaled. Swiftly he put it out of her reach, grimacing mentally at the slobbery appendage even as he nearly lost his grip on her from laughing. Bursts of it got free of his chest and came out, muffled and broken, around her tail as his sides trembled with it. Her indignant, self-righteous fury was almost too much to bear, and Ice's broad shoulders shook with withheld emotion even as he tried to press his head against her rump to keep from exploding and, stars forbid, letting go of her tail. She wouldn't stay still though, but folded sideways much as he had done, and advanced on him with something that could only be called "pure menace" on her face. For a moment, the world abandoned its joyful turning and left him stranded in uncertain darkness. Had she had enough of their game? He very nearly flinched away, but only a deep-rooted desire to have that notion proved wrong kept him in place, watching her warily. Fear of being wrong wound his gut into steel coils, and she came closer, those blazing eyes unreadable.. her hot breath snatched away by the angry winds, her jaws opening wide and he would've cursed himself for all kinds of a fool if he lost an eye to her now. Instead, he tried to hammer some ounce of faith into his soul and closed his eyes, held his breath. She came close enough for him to feel the warmth of her body, her breath managing to close the space between their bodies before the wind could take it, and... it wasn't the excruciatingly painful sensation of having teeth pierce your eye that startled him, but rather the sensation of having a dripping wet tongue smack onto half his face. Ice, relieved beyond words, gave such a noise halfway between a yelp and a laugh that his throat nearly tied itself into a knot, and his jaws let go of her tail without further ado. As his silver eyes snapped open to the world again, Ava was just standing there, shaking with laughter and he heard his own voice join in again. That he had nearly been convinced she was about to rip his face off... When had he lost his faith in the good of the world? That question was a good one, but it was for some other sleepless night, not this one. As Ice realized he had let go of his prize, his face fell into a comic display of woe. "Oh no, what have I done?" he lamented sorrowfully, the excess of emotion in his voice marking it as play. "I had the chance to stop thee, but instead, I have unleashed thee upon the world! Woe, now no pup shall go safe in the deep, dark hours of night!" And with the tragic expression of a tragic, failed knight, Ice bowed his head and turned his back on Ava, pretending to not see her as his gaze roved the dark, moaning trees. He didn't know why he pretended to have lost her, when she quite clearly was just behind him, but he did it anyway. He knew it was likely she'd pull some other sneak attack on him or even reclaim his tail, but he was prepared to take the risk. With so much drama on his face, he pretended to keep scanning the forest for any signs of the "deadly assassin". Why, he was but one lone poor knight, and by now, she could be anywhere in this damnably irriguous land! "Alas, I hope I can find the trail before an innocent falls victim tonight..!" he told the dark forest, waiting for Ava to pounce on his turned back. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

Through the laughter and play Ice's dead honest fear had gone unnoticed by the smaller female. It likely would have shattered her happiness had she seen it, despite knowing that she herself had frozen when Ice had initially pounced for her. Faith, openness, honesty. All creators of a truly <i>good</i> wolf of freedom and happiness... and also the creators of the greatest fools. Life was too difficult when you looked upon it so closely. But, as Ava was blind to the world's double-edged sword as it descended upon her playmate, nothing happened to her in that instant besides the pride of landing a sopping wet good one on her buddy ol' pal. His reaction sound almost knocked her over, her laughter so strong that it almost made her too weak to stand. It was only the realization that her own black tail had been released that gave her enough sanity to back up a few steps, peering at Ice through her smile-slanted eyes. Ava waved her dark tail through the night like a banner of freedom, playfully mocking his accidental loss of it while blissfully ignoring that she had lost her prize a minute ago as well.

Then Ice lamented his inability to stop the devil that was Ava, turning his back on her. She nearly squealed with joy at the action - now she could really be a sneaky scary assassin! Instantly she wheeled on her paw and shot into the cover of the willows, slinking among the hanging lines of green. With the wind buffetting their surroundings they were always moving, masking Ava's own trail. Colored like the night itself she was very nearly entirely invisible, save for her bright amber gaze that peered out among the branches at the pale knight. As she circled off to the left, Ava called softly in the creepiest tone she could manage, "<b>That's right... no pup is safe, and everyone is my victim. You were supposed to save them. You were supposed to stop me. But... You have failed all of Relic Lore!</b>" Then she paused and threw her head back in a demented cackle, whose sound was even more broken by the smile she couldn't quite hide very well. Crouching to the ground once more, Ava scooched forward in the cover of the willows fingers. "<b>You have committed a crime as terrible as I, endangering the lives of all these wolves... that means there is no <i>innocent</i> victim tonight...</b>"

Ava very nearly creeped herself out, her bright gaze fixed upon Ice. In her minds eye she saw him as an actual victim of some huntress, regardless of his actual actions. She counted the seconds of silence almost as if she were really some crazy pup snatcher. <i>One... two... three... four...</i> Her victim by now would be getting quite antsy in their anticipation of her attack. <i>Five... six...</i> Now her victim's heart would be pounding against their ribcage, wondering, Where was she? She should've attacked by now! <i>Seven... eight...</i> Now they would get frantic, eyes widening and searching the darkness. They were about to run for it, maybe they still had a chance! <i>Nine... ten...</i> Wrong! Ava sprung from her hiding, her mind's image of a victim wolf breaking apart and seeing Ice once again, shot forward like a little black missle. With a gutteral growl she barreled toward his side, aiming to head-butt his shoulder. And with that less-than-vicious assassin attack she would skip merrily back into the <span class='word'>palladium</span> of the trees and nightfall, unless stopped.

(This post was last modified: Apr 15, 2012, 05:59 PM by Ava.)

art - threads

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. He was quite right in anticipating that something would happen, but not quite right as to his ideas. Instead of launching herself up on his back or even grabbing his tail, the would-be assassin turned tail and sped for the cover of willows. Ice, caught up in the game once more, let out a theatrical gasp, glad that his earlier doubt had been cleared - otherwise, he had no idea what to make of this. But worry danced away on the wind, and on his toes, Ice moved through his circular prison and feeling very much the failed knight-errant awaiting the knife in the back. His quest had been to stop her, but he had failed, but all his woe was underlined by great joy, his tragic expression nearly giving way to an expectant grin. Bright-eyed and young of spirit he skittered across the ground, startled by the sound of her dark, demonic voice; he spun, trying to locate her, but it was impossible. The strong wind snatched away every scent and most telltale sounds, the whipping of those ghostly branches obscuring his vision. Here and there, a flash of brilliant, blazing amber.. but was it her eyes, or something else? As if on cue, he threw his head back and gave a long, wailing lament of his own failure. Now, all of Relic Lore would suffer the terrors a laughing, crazy woman could inflict on it... Gasp! She'd struck a nerve, and Ice's lament turned into a sound of - well, would-be rage. In fact, it was more of a cackling laugh than anything else, but the large wolf tried to keep up the act. How dare she, the vilest scum to prowl the Wildwood, dare insinuate that he be on par with her? He, the good, the savior, the... uhh... dutiful knight that let assassins escape? He had to counter-challenge her! "No!" he roared at the skies, or roared as well one could roar when nearly breathless with laughter. "I am the palladium of Relic Lore, assassin, and your foul tongue-" Ice broke off, realizing he had no logical argument to back it up with, for she was quite right. He'd failed in his duty to restrain her, and defenders of the realm didn't lie! His jaws snicked shut on his tongue and he peered at the darkness, wondering when she would burst from its cover and do something horrible to him. Chest low, tail wagging as if there was no tomorrow, he waited, light on his feet and going crab-wise across the ground at every sound that wasn't the moan of the wind - that is, not much at all except when the trees creaked ominously. And, because of this, Ava managed to sneak up on him unawares. In her last stride he saw her, and even as he tried to flinch around, a wide grin on his face, she ran headfirst into his side. Her little body buffeted against his and with a play-growl he skittered sideways, snapping after her tail. But, what's this..? His assassin was fleeing! He couldn't let her escape again! "Halt, devil!" he flung after her as he kicked his own large self into motion. Once they worked themselves up to speed she could probably outrun him like a little bolt of lightning, so he didn't have long to rectify his mistakes! With more flailing than a stranded fish, and less grace than a wing-clipped swan (not to mention less brains than a beheaded goat) Ice flung himself towards her, making a giant leap for Ava and hoping to.. well.. careen into her like some crashing plane? Of course, if he didn't mind his feet it could hurt quite a lot to get knocked over by someone as sturdy as Ice, but he had every intention to not step on her. Besides, if he crashed onto her with his side it'd probably hurt less than if he stepped with all his weight on one paw on her. Though, as he leaped through the air in his flying tackle, he admitted that, in the heat of the moment, he could, maybe, benefit from a liiiiiiittle bit more of the "look before you leap" attitude. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

As Ava fled it felt as though the world had fallen in to slow motion. There was a wild grin across her face, her pink tongue lolling out over her teeth as her dark body stretched out in her escape. Their dramatic performance held more heart than any encounter she had ever come across, not even just in Relic Lore but likely in all her life. Had she ever felt so open? Had she ever felt so free? It was like her wildly beating heart was pumping new blood, new life through the veins of the black-coated she-wolf more and more the longer she remained within the protective confines of the Willows with this unnamed playmate. She didn't want to leave this worldy of fantasy. There was no worry, just an assassin of the night and the land's guardian angel, facing off over some unknown dispute. There were no reasons, no pasts to consider, literally nothing to alter their thoughts surrounding the current reality. Once again she felt like she was flying. That bird-like freedom was what Ava craved the most, paws-down the most amazing feeling she'd ever felt before. It was absolute, and pure, and-

completely unlike the smack-down served to her next! Some form of squeaky, startled yelp leapt out of her throat as something came crashing upon her rear-end, basically tossing her to the ground. As her legs buckled she threw herself sideways, rolling away from the hurdling train that had caught her in the ass. It wasn't until she was sprawled on her side that she realized it had been Ice's tackle, not a runaway truck, that'd taken her out. Despite the soreness in her body from her landing she couldn't help but laugh - well <i>that</i> was a new experience! Not one she was likely to be pining for every again, but hey, Ava wasn't in the mindset to ignore a once-in-a-lifetime moment. At least, she hoped it was only once. Mercy, she <i>prayed</i> she would never get her ass handed to her like that again! It was just something much different and out of the ordinary to be thrown to the ground like that. Maybe even a little... fun?

Ava looked to see if he had crashed and burned the same way she had, not only out of interest but to make sure he was alright as well. She didn't know if there was any truth to 'the bigger they are the harder they fall'. She always thought that was like, an ego thing, but then again Ava was no big wolf. She wouldn't know what it was like to fall either (well, before a few moments ago at least). Once she had assured herself that Ice hadn't rolled off into the trees and disappeared into a worm hole, she threw one paw across her face in true thespian fashion and wailed, "<b>By my strength, I am wounded! Great and terrible knight, you have struck me in the rear and taken me to the earth! And... and.... and I fear, I have fallen and can't get up!</b>" Then she would flop over like a true queen, ignoring the pain that shot through her body at such a careless move, and scrunched her eyes shut. The great and deadly assassin... had <i>fallen</i>.

art - threads

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. He was about to laugh at the freedom of his leap, at the sensation of his heavy body stretching out like a cat's, but it was cut off the moment he hit the smaller wolf. She went flying like a tossed kitten, and it totally sent Ice's balance off the edge, tilting him sideways from the impact. Without any control at all, the large male hit the ground on his side, grunting as air was forced out of his lungs. Bruised, but nothing broken, the River wolf rolled once before sliding to a stop, gracelessly sprawled in the dewy spring grass. He felt as if the wind had just picked him up and played flipper with him through the Willow trees, but seeing the dark form of Ava on the ground, hearing her laughter through the moan of the wind, sent spasms through his own body. After a confused couple of seconds, Ice realized it wasn't possible to laugh properly when winded. Only through a great deal of coughing, grunting, and seizing did his breathing start to function properly, or at least as properly as one can breathe when choking on laughter. For a moment, he swore to never do that again, but... It'd probably be too irresistible, and it was with a large grin that he finally put a stop to the cackling and hauled himself to his paws, sides heaving. He tossed a glance at the still-dark sky before trudging over to Ava's downed form as she began to lament her loss. At the end of her speech she flopped over, closing those bright eyes of hers. Ice grinned. "Oh, most worthy of foes, it seems that our destinies are linked, for the fall was hard on me as well. It is only fitting, though, that neither of us win - thus, the circle is closed..." And with that, Ice tossed his steaming, panting down beside her. He wriggled a little before settling on his back, paws held neatly over his chest as his silver gaze grew still, mimicking a dead animal's unflinching stare - though, in reality, he was busy picturing the pattern of stars above the dreary cloud cover. A pity they couldn't stargaze together on such an otherwise fine night - he didn't even know if she enjoyed it, but somehow he kept thinking that they were quite similar. An odd little pair, not only physically but.. their packs were hostile. Still.. politics had nothing to do with why he found her intriguing, so he couldn't put it down to some form of xenophilia on his part. She, only her and no more nor any less, was just darned good company. It had been a long time since he'd felt so unburdened, and as he dreamily stared at unseen stars, he decided that this .. bond, this friendship, this thing of good in a chaotic world, would overshadow his loathing of Naira and Rhysis. If he had to exonerate them for her, he would; if he could bring them down without hurting her, he would. In his heart, he found himself wishing she hadn't theoretically rejected his offer of sanctuary in Swift River. Being still settled a dead weight against his muscles, and he realized he was unwilling to get up again. Bouncing about and eventually tripping on his face had drained a little of his limitless energy, and even though he likely could bounce around for a couple of hours still, he felt - content. It had been a good romp, after a good conversation, and.. what? Now they needed a good sleep? As if on cue, he yawned greatly, but didn't abandon his on-the-back position. Strange, that he didn't even know her name, but he wasn't going to ask. Not yet. He wouldn't ask for her home den either.. he'd just keep an eye open for a slim, bright-eyed girl, a girl deep as the ocean and just as playful. "You know," he said, lazily waving a paw towards the sky. "I really wish those clouds would go away. I love the stars." No shit.. if he was loony enough to recite poetry to them, "worship" would've been a better verb, but... Much as he adored them, those little twinkling lights that smiled down at you, he couldn't find it in himself to let go of the control he had over his own life. He couldn't lose his mind to them. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

Ice's speech was much too fun to listen to in the darkness, cracking one eye open to thoroughly enjoy his performance. Ava was pretty sure she was peeking inconscpicuously as to not dissolve her well-theatricized death, although her eyes were not known for their discrete coloration. Disregarding her own poor thespianship, she watched the final act in their play, biting her tongue as to not giggle as the great knight of Relic Lore succumbed to the same fall that had stolen her life, crumbling to the ground in perfect funeral pose and a deadened stare. And then it was just them two, ended lives lying parallel on the ground beneath a stormy night sky. For a few solid moments she enjoyed the silence surrounding them and the knowledge that in truth their lives were far from over. And while there was really a very slim chance of Ava having any form of inner deadly assassin within her, the white knight Ice would likely emerge another day. He seemed that sort - noble, wise, <i>good</i>. And of course, hella fun to play with!

It consoled her to think that this was not their last meeting, and somewhere in the future they would see each other again. Friends weren't friends for just one occasion, and Ava, being certain of their friendship, didn't <i>think</i> so much as she knew that their paths would cross once again. Nothing was forever, not their quiet retreat under the protection of the willow trees, nor impending pack warfare. There were more blissful moments like these to come, more times at which the mind was completely at peace and everything felt okay. A gentle smile appeared on her previously lifeless expression, and she finally opened her eyes to reality. Much like Ice she found that there were no stars dotting the canvas of the night, and similarily she found herself disheartened. But in that she could find success - she was actually disappointed not to see the stars! That meant she no longer felt their presence like burning eyes, scorning her decisions and movements. An absolute sigh of relief escaped her throat, finding freedom at last.

Ava was none too surprised when Ice lamented the stars' lack of appearance as well. From the corner of her bright eyes she watched him, attempting to nod in approval (although such a motion was difficult laying on ones back... try it!). "<b>You know what? Surprisingly, I agree. I actually miss them now that my mind isn't so cloudy.</b>" She spoke freely, her words flowing unchained. There was no longer a need for censorship. Besides, the longer she stared into the undiscovered above the more she missed their presence in the night, like silver bells. She would <span class='word'>reconnoiter</span> the darkness in hopes that their light might peer through the clouds, but there were no signs of such delight. A strange fondness bubbled within her for the hidden specks of brightness. Maybe it was a transfer from the trust Ice had gained within her heart, but she suddenly felt as though if she even looked upon the lights one lonely night, they would guide her home.

art - threads