Skill: Ranger (1/25)

It was easier to feel like herself when she was on the move. Restlessness had returned to her, and she'd quickly left the coast behind her. The lull of the waves and gulls had been enough to settle her for a few days, but... Well, she hadn't been born to stagnate. It would have eroded her soul to stay put.

Dunes and heathland became forest, and forest quickly became vast grassland. The air was thick with the scent of saplings, weeds and the stir of rabbit and pheasants. She'd spent much of her day simply meandering about, nose to the ground or to the wind. More than once, she had become aware of her complete isolation... And had been quick to busy herself so that the feeling didn't stick like a flea. Still, the thought lurked in the shadows, and as they lengthened with the sun's retreat, they grew in strength.

Half-moon rose, and stars began to emerge. Companions for which Starshade had been named, yet she found herself searching them, unsure whether she trusted them to be familiar or not. Even the familiar so far had been tinged with an uncanniness.

"Are you really her?" She asked the moon, sat atop a small hill with the forest to her back. Her head fell to a tilt, a smile playing briefly across her face, but then she sighed and fell into quietness. She'd watch the stars this night, and the path of the moon. Perhaps they'd show her a way forward, just as they always had.

Tossing Cyris and their moon religion your way! Good luck Starshade :)

---

They were still sure that they were dead. It was the only thing that they could come up with, and the only thing that even made a little sense to them. It was part of what had, in the end, kept them around where they were despite the desire to keep moving. They weren’t sure what they were waiting for, but they were waiting for something.

It’s their sticking around that leads them to her, in the end, with the desire to at least stretch their legs. The half moon only sheds a little light upon them, and it’s the sound of the stranger’s voice that causes Cyris to stop in their tracks, ears perked. The stranger is closer than they would have expected, and, for a second, they curse themself for not noticing her sooner. But she doesn’t seem to have noticed them, either, head tilted toward the moon.

They plan to avoid her, at first. They plan to go on their way and not risk dealing with the conversation. But her question, directed at the moon, is enough to pull a little surprised noise from them. It’s not loud, but it’s enough, and it goes unnoticed as their brows furrow.

Would someone questioning Lun be allowed in this afterlife?

Starshade

The stillness of the night left much silence to be filled, and she found herself trying hard to focus on the small wonders of the world: early crickets, the breeze through the leaves, the groan of branches and bark. She sighed, having found no answers.

But... something had stirred.

"You're there, aren't you?" She called out.

Starshade tilted her head, having done her best to conceal the uncertainty in her voice. Her ears swiveled, and she her gaze slowly, trying to capture even the smallest movement. All the while, her skin prickled. There's no promise they're not here to hurt you, her body reminded her. She had to keep reminding herself that this place was new, could be different.

As much as she wanted to say more - to ask more questions - she swallowed the words and instead, carefully shifted her weight. Ready, she hoped, for whatever had found her out there in the dark.

Starshade

---

He needs to leave the stranger alone, so they’ll leave him alone. But curiosity has always been a dangerous thing, and the part of him that wonders if they were somehow part of his old pack is just as stubborn, just as determined to get answers. The longer he watched, though, the more he was sure he couldn’t make out anything familiar about them.

It was just a coincidence. A horrible, anxiety-inducing coincidence, but one after all. With one last glance at the stranger, he turned, planning to make his quiet leave now that he knew for sure he was fine. And then the stranger calls out, and Cyris is stopped in his tracks again, wincing at the idea of having to interact with a stranger. But he had gotten himself caught, and there was no way to get out of this as easily as he’d like when the other wolf knew he was there.

Bezalel, maybe, would have known what to do. But Bezalel wasn’t here, and Cyris had left for a reason.

Yes. His answer was quiet, hesitant, barely more audible than the noise of surprise he had made before. Regardless of if or not he had been heard, he took a fw hesitant steps back toward the stranger. Just enough that he was only half-hidden; enough that, should he need to, he could slip back into the dark.