Iridescent Lagoon a streak of black

Picking herself from the ground once again, Spook cursed her clumsy paws. Her black coat was covered in a layer of dark mud, parts of it drying, leaves and twigs sticking to her in others. She was hungry, thirsty, tired and worst of all she had no real idea where she was. Two weeks ago leaving her pack had seemed like such a good idea, an adventure for the little she-wolf who was the opposite of adventurous. Now she almost missed the constant taunting and snapping of her pack. So far she hadn't met another wolf. Loneliness was beginning to creep up on her, especially when she had to hunt by herself. She had been forced to stick to catching mice due to her less than satisfactory hunting skills. Even rabbits managed to elude her. Her stomach rumbled, pushing her to keep going.

Her sensitive nose picked up the scent of water and she altered her course, heading straight in the direction of the large body of water. The sun glittered on the lagoon's surface, flashing and twinkling as she approached. When she reached the water's edge she didn't stop, diving head-long into the freezing lake. She shivered but managed to stay long enough to clean the worst of the dirt from her coat and fill her empty belly. The liquid sloshed around inside her, masking some of the hunger as she settled down a few paces away. Her pink tongue began to swipe at her paws, cleaning and drying her fur as she began to warm up again, her ears and nose straining to sense anything that approached her.

The day was the same as usual; clouds almost completely obscured the rays of the sun and winds coming from the south rushed by. The white girl sighed as she put one paw in front of the other, not caring where she was going. She had been travelling in this direction for a few days now, hoping to catch the next part of her brothers trail. But it seemed to have disappeared.

Jasmine had come across the Secret Woodlands pack and found out that they had seen her brother recently. She had thanked them and then head off in the direction her brother had gone in. But she seemed to have lost it, and was now searching for it again.

A sudden sharp breeze blew in her face and she stopped suddenly. It brought along scents of small prey, but there was also a taint on the wind that she couldn't quite decipher. Lifting up her light grey muzzle, she inhaled deeply. As the scents rushed into her sensitive nose, it was stronger, but she still couldn't know exactly what it was.

Her curiosity got the better of her and she broke into a lope, heading toward the source of the scent. Many small bushes and grass flew by as she ran, and soon came upon a large lake. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked upon its beauty. There were many trees dotted along the green banks, and the lake itself glittered and shimmered from the sun's rays that managed to reach it.

She padded forward until she was standing on one of the green banks, next to a small tree. Her emerald green eyes took in everything, not wanting to miss a single aspect of it. They passed over a shape in the water, but then she paused. She moved forward until her front paws were perched precariously on the edge of the bank. Narrowing her green eyes, she looked closely at the shape. Realization hit her after a few seconds. It was a wolf.

The white girl watched as the wolf got out of the water and lay down a few paces away from the water's edge. The wolf was clearly a female and had black fur, almost no other colours in her pelt, with the exception of a few hints of brown and she could see that the fae had yellow eyes.

As she padded up to the fae, she saw the the black wolf was tiny compared to her size. Jasmine smiled and kept her stance neutral as she introduced herself. "H-hello there! My name i-is Jasmine Caravello. Who a-are you?"

The white girl hung her head slightly as she felt a blush creep up her neck. She hated that she stuttered whenever she met a new wolf. It was always embarrassing and usually they laughed at her. But she was sure the black fae wouldn't act like that.

Jasmine smiled and her white tail swayed back and forth as she waited for the black fae to speak.

I will always be seen, for I am the light in the dark...

Her nose was the first to alert her to the approach. Struggling to her feet, legs tangling together in her rush, Spook drew in a deep breath, her nose quivering as it took in the scent. It was a wolf, a female and coming her way. Run! Run now before she attacks, the voice inside her head urged but it was as if her limbs had been frozen and the dark wolf was rooted to the spot. Leaving had been a bad idea, this whole trip had been a bad idea. She had been safer at home, despite the constant bullying. A tremble danced along her back, all her senses directed at tracking the on-comer until finally her eyes found her.

The white she-wolf was perched atop a bank, glaring down at her or so it seemed. Spook's heart began to beat faster, her tail tucking in instinctive submission. Perhaps this was the other's territory in which case she had every right to throw the trespasser out. The wolf began to move forward, heading directly for her. Get away now you fool, the voice urged again but by then it was too late. Spook's ears flattened against her head, her body lowering in another sign of submission as the wolf began to speak. She was smiling, her body language hinting at nothing aggressive, not the response Spook was used to nor expected.

Her name was Jasmine Caravello, nearly twice her height and at least twice her weight, her coat a shining grey and white, quite the contrast compared to her own deep black. They were as opposite in looks as the sun and moon yet when she spoke Spook heard a little of herself in the quavering voice which perked her up some. With pricked ears, she allowed her tail that hid under her belly a small, friendly wag in response to the other's swaying tail and hanging head.

"I'm...uh..uh...Spook. I, uh, got here a while ago. I can leave if...if that's what you want. I don't want any trouble." She hardly dared look directly at Jasmine, keeping her gaze on the ground at the wolf's paws, her body still lowered. She liked it here, the peace and the quiet but whether she stayed or not depended entirely on whether she was welcome. Not one to cause trouble, Spook would leave without standing up for herself.

The white girl was surprised to find that the other fae was cowering before her; with her ears flat on her head and tail tucked under her belly. But after she introduced herself, the black fae gave a few friendly wags of her tail.

When the fae introduced herself as Spook, a small smile played across her lips. She could see why. But as the fae finished talking, Jasmine cocked her head to the side. Why ever would she presume that she was needed to leave? Then the white girl realised that Spook might've thought that this was pack territory and she was on a border patrol.

Jasmine shook her head slightly and smiled. "You don't n-need to leave, I'm not g-going to chase you off. I'm j-just a weary traveller m-myself."

She could see that Spook was looking pointedly at her paws, as if she was too scared to look into the white girl's face. A small frown crossed Jasmine's face. She knew that the small fae would be terrified of her, seeing as she was much larger. But was she really that scary?

The white girl made sure that her posture was passive; head and tail at shoulder height as to not frighten her anymore. She hoped that the black fae would get over her fear of herself, as she was a very friendly wolf. Always ready to make new friends and meet new wolves. Jasmine was a social butterfly. She lived to be around other wolves, and couldn't stand being alone. She was a pack wolf.

Her emerald green gaze lingered on Spook as she waited for her to speak, with her creamy tail swaying back and forth and a smile on her face.

I will always be seen, for I am the light in the dark...

Daring a second long glance upwards at the wolf, Spook saw she was smiling gently, further inviting the little black female to unfurl from her shell. So far this female had made no signs of aggression towards her and seemed in all likelihood to be of a friendly sort, something which caused a sigh of relief to be exhaled from Spook's nose. The scars hidden deep under her thick coat reminded her to stay cautious however she was beginning to realise this new wolf meant her no harm. Her tail uncurled from her under her belly, wagging slowly against her hind legs.

Hearing the news that she did not, in fact, need to leave, her head cocked to the right. Had she unintentionally stumbled into a place where she might actually be welcomed? The thought made her smile, barely noticeable, but the first true smile that had graced her face in many months. She had bumped into a traveler, not much unlike herself, finally someone's company she could enjoy.

“How, eh, how long have you been traveling?” Spook asked, daring yet again to look up at the white wolf. She could see her neutral stance, encouraging her further to chase away her fears of the other. The black wolf allowed herself to straighten up some, her tail continuing to sway easily in a sign of friendliness. “I've been on the..the road for a while now. I, uh, left my pack see? So I've just, em, been wandering.” Could it be that she was making a friend? Spook hoped so, relaxing enough to allow herself to sit, listening to the rippling water behind her.

Jasmine watched as Spook slowly uncurled her tail from under belly and gave a few, uncertain wags. Even though the black fae wasn't standing upright, it was a start. She knew that after a while, Spook may feel comfortable enough in her presence to stand to her usual height.

After a few moments, the black fae straightened up a little, and opened her maw to speak. A thoughtful look crossed the white girl's face as she took in what the smaller fae had said. "Well, I-I'm not exactly s-sure how long, b-but I'm thinking around t-two or so months?" It was true, she didn't know exactly how long, but that was close enough to it.

As Spook continued to speak, the white girl noticed that she had become brave enough to sit, and she gave an encouraging smile. "I-Is there a special r-reason of why you left y-your pack?" Jasmine asked innocently.

It was only a few moments after she spoke that she realized what she had just said. The whit girl felt a red blush creep up her neck and she looked away briefly, pretending that she was looking at her reflection so that the smaller fae wouldn't notice the embarrassed look on her elegantly shaped face. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't m-mean to sound so r-rude."She said softly after a few moments of silence.

Closing her emerald green eyes, Jasmine waited until she felt at ease before she turned back to Spook. She splayed her ears apologetically, hoping that she hadn't sounded as rude as she feared.

I will always be seen, for I am the light in the dark...