8/25/2025, 6:33 PM
Apple ambled contentedly along the weak barrier, enjoying the fine mist kicked up by the constant cascade of the falls; it helped keep much of the heat at bay, and otherwise, just plain felt nice. Fresh air ruffling her fur and the elements against her skin, it reminded her that she was free again. It reminded her she was alive, and when droplets pooled on the silvery scars crisscrossing her shoulders, she was reminded she was a survivor. A lot of her last weeks had been fully embracing that, in trying to regrasp who she was, in building herself up as much as she was the new kingdom.
And yet at the foreign scent of a stranger, harsh against her senses in a way she couldn't explain, still made her spine straighten and her steps freeze. She fought the urge to hunker down and curl into herself, to hide, clenching her jaw and forcing herself to stand still. One deep breath, two -- she exhaled with a nearly silent hiss, ice running through her veins as she desperately wished Honoka or Apricot were with her, or even knew where she was. The Duchess chewed on her cheek for a moment, contemplating calling for help, but after a moment the ginger-kissed woman got a hold on her panic.
She was okay. Her family had raised and trained a capable Dusk, and she was not as vulnerable as her anxieties kept wailing in her ears.
It was several long moments until the golden Dusk caught sight of movement gliding along the border; a tall figure, slim and graceful, who seemed dark as the sky above aside from haunches that glowed in the dying starlight not unlike Apple's own firey streaks. Just one lone figure, one who seemed to be taking note of half-assed borders they could easily ignore, who almost seemed... searching. Apple took another deep breath, this one a little less tense as she talked herself down and plucked away the red flags her mind kept flashing.
Apple lifted her chin, ears high and tail offering a gentle wag even with her hips. After a brief, almost self-preparing nervous lick of her lips, she offered a soft chuff into the shadowy morning air.
And yet at the foreign scent of a stranger, harsh against her senses in a way she couldn't explain, still made her spine straighten and her steps freeze. She fought the urge to hunker down and curl into herself, to hide, clenching her jaw and forcing herself to stand still. One deep breath, two -- she exhaled with a nearly silent hiss, ice running through her veins as she desperately wished Honoka or Apricot were with her, or even knew where she was. The Duchess chewed on her cheek for a moment, contemplating calling for help, but after a moment the ginger-kissed woman got a hold on her panic.
She was okay. Her family had raised and trained a capable Dusk, and she was not as vulnerable as her anxieties kept wailing in her ears.
It was several long moments until the golden Dusk caught sight of movement gliding along the border; a tall figure, slim and graceful, who seemed dark as the sky above aside from haunches that glowed in the dying starlight not unlike Apple's own firey streaks. Just one lone figure, one who seemed to be taking note of half-assed borders they could easily ignore, who almost seemed... searching. Apple took another deep breath, this one a little less tense as she talked herself down and plucked away the red flags her mind kept flashing.
Apple lifted her chin, ears high and tail offering a gentle wag even with her hips. After a brief, almost self-preparing nervous lick of her lips, she offered a soft chuff into the shadowy morning air.
Speaking: English - German
