[Western Hills] A Reunion Too Brief (Musca)

[Shadowfang]

41st of Spring 512AV

The night was growing darker, nearing the soothing black of midnight. The sky had turned from the bright blue to a darker black and grey, but Shadowfang did not need the light to help him find what he was looking for. He was listening to his nose, following a faint, familiar scent, one that he had so dearly missed over the span of two years. Of course, if he could help it, he would never admit that to her. Ever since she had shown up in the Crimson Edge camp and then disappeared just as abruptly, he had been on the lookout for her. Now he had decided to actively seek her out.

The scent had led him to an area he had never been before and, as always, he was wary. The smell of rot and decay began to mix in with the scent and he knew he was getting close. His eyes darted from the side to side, scanning for any trace of anything familiar or dangerous. There were always bandits in this area, he knew, which was why his good hand was always on the hilt of one of his daggers, ready to draw and strike at any moment. He wove through the trees and vines, his wings brushing against the bark. He suddenly froze, shivering from tension and nervousness. As he had passed by a tree, the combination of smells blasted him in the face, flowing into his nose and assaulting his senses.

He turned his head and looked into the darkness of the cave he had stumbled upon. Even his eyes had trouble piercing the darkness, and his sensitive ears failed to hear if there was anything inside. Still, there was that scent that was mixed in with the odor of rotting flesh. Maybe she was here, maybe she was gone, maybe she had never been here. He did not know but he wanted to find out. Still hunched over, he made himself known, calling out hesitantly in his native language.

”Musca?”

[Musca]

She dreamt of a bittersweet memory that danced between the lines of present and past, one which played and plucked at her heartstrings, toyed with her banal sense of logic and wrecked her mind with havok. Xy chased after her- relentlessly, mercilessly. Though casted out, she still bore the mark of the primal city, contained its stories within her and demanded her unwavering attention. And she would not fight it, not when the ambiguous arms of dreams hugged her still. That come later, when reality yanks her off and leaves out into the cold. Xy. It was a sigh on her lips, a thorn to her side... her most ravenous craving. "Musca?" Attuned ears startled her awake, eyelashes vapidly blinking while eyes sharpened. Slowly, muscles started to relax against the the scratchy fabric of canvas- a familiar texture against her body. Lavishly, she contented herself with a stretch and a smile, savouring the small victory of personal space that she had forced out from her slave. But of course, her small peace was short lived; there was still that noise to attend to. She sat up from her bed, gathering the sheets to her naked form until only her head was seen. It was a strange move to make, for she was not a shy creature at all. But since her trips down the camp grounds of the Crimson Edge, it would not be far fetched that she had begun to yearn their company, a curse of a colonist being. Though unlikely, she had somewhat expected those strange people to drop by.... with her clothed of course. Humans really didn't take to nudity that well during social calls. But of course, she knew her visitor was far from human. To even call him that would be a bastardation of her kind, an insult that she would not let pass. His voice was sweet with hesitance. Such a pup she thought, rolling her eyes. When will he ever learn to have confidence in himself? "Hurry up and come in." The Zith responded, her voice still weary from sleep. "Stop lurking at the front of my cave like a stranger, Shang. Or would you rather continue with your ridiculous display of disrespect?" When he was done with his own exchange and entered her cave, Musca would beam a smile up at him, showing a small fraction of her hidden affection for the pup. She did love him so, the not-so-little pup.... although a little neglectful. Her grip on the blanket loosened, revealing the blades of her shoulders sprayed with her own black net of curls that played by her collarbones. "I see you finally got your ass moving to visit me," she said still smiling, "tell me, was it that difficult? Or are you just that cowardly?"

[Shadowfang]

Shadowfang took a few tentative steps into the cave as if it were the lair of a dangerous predator. His footsteps slowly sped up and he hastened toward Musca. When he reached her he just stared, strangely awestruck by her, filled with some feeling that he had never really felt before. He returned her smile with a wide, almost goofy grin of his own. Time had been good to her. Since he had last seen her, she had grown in all the right places, and was it just his imagination, or was she being nice to him? She still insulted him and called him names, but her voice was so smooth and sweet and kind to his ears. Although her had ignored her just days earlier, he felt that she required his undivided attention, and he lost control. 

"Sissa!" He flung himself onto the bed and wrapped his arms around her just under her wings, trapping her in an almost loving embrace of childish excitement. "Musca! Sissa! Sissa!" He squeezed her tight against his body and repeated her nickname and he real name over and over again, happy to be with her again. He felt like he was home again, filled with a simple and passionate happiness that came from being able to hold one of the only two people he was able to call "friend" in his arms. 

He buried his face in her fur, not wanting to let go just yet. A voice inside him, that puny, fearful, weak pup that Musca had taken under her wing told him that she might hit him if he did not let go soon, but he did not care. He flat out refused to listen to the voice, too taken by his desire to be with his only family. He looked down at her, still smiling. "I didn't think you'd ever leave Xy. You didn't follow me here, did you? Why'd you leave?" His torrent of questions were relentless and he bombarded her with his desire for information. He knew she might be annoyed like she had always been when he asked too many questions, but he was still far too excited to care.