Baby it's Cold Outside [Moon, O]

[Bret]

There was no snow, only cold. Only still silence in the light of the day, and the sound of her pawsteps as they shuffled across the sand. Silence, all around, deathly silence; it was clear that the female was not near civilization. Something she very badly needed.

The wind whipped violently up from the Ocean that sprawled before her, it's wide mouth crashing against itself and into the sand. At times, the noise was deafening, and the female's sensitive ears flicked at the crescendo of sound. As she walked, Khul's nose quivered against the strong smell of Salt and Sea in the wind. The cool wind was invigorating, and the longer the female fought to keep her small frame steady in the wind, the more alive she felt. Out here, alone, she could think, and there was nothing sweeter.

Slowly her large paws began picking up pace, as she went faster and faster without noticing. Before Khul knew what hit here, she was flying down the beach, long legs carrying her petite frame forward with amazing speed. As she ran, her muscles ached and burned with the exertion of propelling herself over the hard sand.

After quite a few miles, the female slowed her pace, as her paws brought her to a steady trot. Pink and white eyes focused on the horizon, Khul steadied her pace little by little as she came to bring her breath under control in the icy winter air. The run had warmed her up, but now the female was tired of such frivolous activities and somewhat overheated. Mind spinning at the lack of oxygen, Khul gazed to the water as a small smirk curled its way over her lips. Then out of nowhere, and with the last amount amount of energy she had, Khul barreled for the black water.

As the claws of the cold hit her chest, the female couldn't help but gasp as she struggled to find her footing in the harsh sea, but she refused to be bested. Determination, and adrenaline found their way into her system as she placed her rainbow splattered cheek against the raging current, using her long legs and strong muscles to keep herself steady after a wave tumbled her light frame over and into it's belly. Head surfacing, she couldn't help but enjoy herself. Whoo! she screamed in motivation to herself and mainly because she doubted anyone was around to hear the joyous yip. Finally, rendezvous over, the female crashed exhausted into the beach, her lungs heaving.

As she lay in the sand, staring up at the sky, Khul felt for a moment, entirely content but she knew she had to move or her muscles would lock up from the extremes in body heat. With a heavy sigh, she rose, and shook herself off, somehow finding the energy to start warming herself up, but the smell of the Sea had a strong hold on her nose, and it was starting to make Khul lightheaded. Basil. Basil always smells nice.

Flopping ungracefully onto the sand, Khul began rolling on her back. To any outsider, it would appear she had gone mad, but to anyone watching, they'd begin to notice that plants were slowly appearing each time her fur was moved. After a few moments, Khul had created a decent patch of basil in the sand, and now she could relax.

Standing once more, the female shook off the remaining sand from her gray coat and then tucked herself into the patch of basil, delighting in the scent, as she slowly began to warm up.

[Moonbeam]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,474,true][atrb=height,500,true][atrb=cellPadding,25,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=background,http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/7449/moontable1.png][scrolly:w(174),h(365),sy] Her life was grand; nothing in it had gone wrong since the day she arrived on these new lands. Sure, there were some wolves that she wasn’t quite sure if she got along with, but even they weren’t so bad. Well, to be a lot more specific; he wasn’t so bad. Although he held some sort of arrogant pride about himself, she did not have much time to converse with him to find a major flaw that ultimately made her hate him; albeit he was still not her favorite being. When traversing her pack lands, she always made sure that she avoided him; ignoring his scent and steering clear of the ebony brute. It was a little petty and young of her to act so juvenile, but why should she care? Feeling the strong urge to travel through the back of her home’s caves, she passed by the caves quickly, finding their maze and hidden trails fun. Too bad Bella had already explained to her the route out; otherwise it would have taken her much longer and been a lot more fun. She understood that, as a pack member, it was a strategic move that she needed to learn for her and her pack’s safety; nonetheless it bummed her out that she couldn’t have explored them completely herself. Passing by fields and stone, she made her stumbly way to the beach; appearing at it near the time that the sun set behind the horizon. She had never been here before, and intrigued, her nose sought out new smells all over the hard sand. Little creatures nipped at her; others completely closing themselves up and shutting away from the world. She spent extra time at the ones that did not aim to hurt her, sniffing and prodding with her snout to try and figure out their secrets. Too bad they were in no mood to share with her, regardless of how hard she pushed on their cold and slimy bodies with her velvet black nose. Suddenly her ears jolted, pulling her head far from the ground and toward the waters. Paler than the moon, her silver eyes searched the surface of the liquid for the creation of the sound. It was joyous; something that she was not quite used to other wolves portraying. Thus far she felt like the odd one out, always showing her happy smile and her gleeful personality; she felt judged; awkward; she did not belong in the place that she was kept. Nevertheless, she kept a grin on, and went about her day with hardly a negative thought within her brain. Stepping toward the nose, she noticed a tall and lithe figure in the distance. If it had not been for the almost glowing shade of her odd markings, Moonbeam would have almost completely passed her up while she gazed. Tail wagging, she approached the lady with a sly grin on her maw. She was feeling so lonely lately; she needed attention. Pausing in step, she noticed the wolfess drop straight to the ground, rolling about like she were some puppy. Moon had not picked up on the words that she had muttered to herself, completely skipping over the fact that she was awkwardly talking to herself. Excitement roared up within her small silvery-blue body, thinking that this female was playing in the sand. Oddly enough, she did not feel like she was so weird any longer, because it seemed like this animal in front of her was doing the exact same thing as she would have done! With even more bounce in her step, she nearly darted out at the grey wolf. “Hello!” She shouted, her chipper voice breaking through the crashing of the waves and the wind howling over the lands. She only stopped a few short yards from the wolf, just to give her a little bit of space so as not to freak her out. [/scrolly]

[Bret]

The soft scent of basil had mixed wonderfully with the strong smell of the ocean. Her light eyes remained half closed in bliss of the mixture as she huddled down to maintain as much body heat as possible. Perhaps it wasn't the best idea ever, but ever since she had been a pup, Khul had adopted a very impulsive motto of "Ready, Fire, Aim". All throughout her puphood, it had gotten Khul in trouble. It always seemed that growing up, someone would have to come to her assistance, and even then, Khul refused assistance most of the time, preferring to figure out a way to save her own skin, lest someone else get the credit. When she aged out of her pack, she was graced with the gift of non attachment, but also the burden of caring for all those around her. She supposed though, for the absolute freedom she had been granted, it was a fair trade off.

Slowly the soft scent dragged her down, further and further into a solo peace. Basil always did the trick. It was always enough to put her mind at ease, and under the cold winter moon, Khul kept company in the herb, because in reality, actual physical company was rare for the female. It was a lonely existence indeed, one she frequently pondered as to the root of it. Was it because she lacked a pack? The closeness of survival never straining on her shoulders? Or was it because her attitude? The mind of a male in a female's body was always so shocking to those around her, especially the brutes in which were determined to make her a damsel in distress. Well screw it, because those Prince Charmings could find their own Cinderella to rescue. It wasn't her, nor would it ever be, and she'd go to the grave fighting the need to be sheltered under a brute's wing.

Soft sigh was given as Khul lay there, only the sounds of nature to greet her. That was until a rather unexpected shout assaulted her ears, almost accompanied by the sound of glass breaking as her peaceful little bubble was popped and the cold lonliness of the night rushed in through the shattered frame. Light eyes snapped open fully as her ears perked and the greeting replayed itself in her head. Hello!. Such excitement dripped off the beings words, like that of uncontrolled juvenile enthusiasm. Not that Khul minded, but she barely managed to collect her thoughts before the creature was heard barreling toward her.

Blinking her gaze softly, to adjust to the dark, Khul began to see the outline of a wolf, her soft scent floating into Khul's nostrils before she fully registered a form. When the female stopped just before her, Khul gazed upon her, cool grin resting on her face, any fragments of surprise erased and replaced with the calm collected confidence that was this female.

The wolf before her, nearly blended in with the moonlight that bathed the beach now, but even from what Khul could see, she could tell that this wolf was quite attractive, which made Khul adopt an even cooler aura. Gazing at her new companion, Khul thumped her tail very softly on the sand, releasing more basil scent as she did so, and then took a very soft breath. Well, hello to you too, gorgeous.. What's something like you doing here alone on a night like this? Come and join me? The name is Khul, by the way. You're Moonbeam, correct?.

Her voice came out steady and even as Khul tried to charm her way into the female's good side, Khul wondered how she'd take the blatant compliment from the female. The truth was, Khul didn't even know if she was into women, she just knew she had the bad habit of hitting on everything with a pulse, and this was amplified by the fact that she had to know the lands inhabitants fairly well, even if most of the time her companions didn't notice her existence. It came with the gift of being without a pack, that was, the curse of knowing every wolf by name and noticing all the minuscule details others often over looked.

[Moonbeam]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,474,true][atrb=height,500,true][atrb=cellPadding,25,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=background,http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/7449/moontable1.png][scrolly:w(174),h(365),sy] The strong scent of basil wafted up into her nostrils, covering her sense with the overpowering smell of the seasoning. It was odd, because even though she knew that the plant did not naturally grow here, she could still pick it out almost as easy as she could the salty water. Perhaps it hadn’t been basil at all, and just the scent that she carried on her body. It was common for a wolf to have their own particular perfume, though she had never met one that had such a strong sting of the plant. Did basil even grow around these parts..? She must have come far... she wondered, placing the grey wolf in all sorts of make believe mishap adventure in her mind. A strong and confident grin covered her blackened lips, curled up only slightly to show her amusement and pride. Somehow, Moon envied her strength. Moon herself was actually a rather confident wolf, though in a much different way than most. She would rather explore something, be out and about putting herself into reckless danger. Wolves were very easy for her to talk to, but when it came to being smooth and intelligent about it? Sometimes she slipped up, and it was a rather deep slip up. Her mind processed things quickly, and would sometimes jump over details too fast and confuse her more than she was comfortable with. Shooting her eyes across the body of the laying woman, she looked her over--or actually checked her out. Though she was laying, Moon could still see most of her body and get a pretty good idea of what she would look like once standing. She must have been a tall wolf; her legs protruding like large stilts that lye beneath her--but he weight was nowhere near heavy. In fact, she could probably pass as the the same mass as the blue wolf, her tall yet lithe body practically the perfect attributes. Woah, wait, what? Somehow Moonbeam had felt a strong pull toward her, and it was obvious. This wolfess had caught her eye; she was interested. Although she had the tendency to hit on most females she met, somehow this one felt oddly different. Perhaps it was her aura that drug Moon in, or even just the odd colors that lay all over her; she did not quite yet know. Though she had no means of really doing anything or being anything with this new lady, she felt entranced, and wanted to pursue her as much as possible; even if it was just to get to know her. Her tail thumped loudly behind her, removing the silver-eyed wolf from her hypnosis-like state. Looking into her bi-colored eyes (though that was hard to tell, as it was still quite dark), she listened intently. “...gorgeous.” Did anything after that word matter? Wait, maybe her name... Khul. Her tone was so steady, so keen and proud that it came out with not a flaw. Tail raised into the air, Moon replied with her own smooth and prepared tone; it was just as matched as Khul’s had been. “I just like to escape it all sometimes; learn something of the world and just explore.” She started, taking only a step forward while her eyes meandered about their ocean scene. Continuing, “I would love to join you.” Pulling her eyes back in to lock on that of the slightly older femme. With question obvious in her face, she spoke again, though her tone held a slightly more quizzical tone, “and yes, I am Moonbeam... how did you know that?” Perhaps this had been a wolf with the odd power to read minds? She had never run into a wolf with such an ability, but she had heard that they existed and knew they were fabled to be somewhere in the lands. Or, maybe it was just a myth, and Moon was just being silly with herself. [/scrolly]

[Bret]

She felt oh so in control as the female danced her way closer and closer accepting Khul's invitation to join her on the basil patch. Her eyes were almost predatory as she watched Moon move closer and closer and the cool grin seeped across her maw, firmly staking it's place among the female's face. The little dance she had initiated was going so well, and it was as if Moon was blindly following her lead.

Despite the cool shadow Khul held about herself, inside she was thrilled that Moon was going to be joining her. As independent as the female was, she was more so desperate for company. Wolves were social creatures after all, and Khul had spent to many moons alone or simply in the background. Listening to Moon confirm her suspicions of identity, Khul grinned even more and looked at the female, with a rather amused look on her face. It was always the question they asked, always the surprise that followed when Khul knew of them before they knew of her. She knew of everyone here, whether in a pack or not, just as the majority of the non allianced healers did, but for now she'd explain it in a much more... cryptic way.

Gazing up at Moon, Khul opened her maw and very calmly spoke. Oh, see, I know of everyone here. Of you, Bella, Bret... Cerrac, Jager... Only, you all never seem to notice who I am, lest you be injured... or... otherwise interested. The words flowed easily out of her mouth, emphasis placed in all the right places to keep the female intrigued by her speech. Standing, Khul shook out her damp coat very softly, as it was almost dry and gave her long body a very good stretch as she kept her eyes locked on Moon. Then she backed up a little bit to draw her paw across the sand and thus expand the basil into grass as the scent, though comforting, had a tendency to be overwhelming for some. After all, Khul had to be a gentleman and think of the lady, didn't she?

I'm a healer. I have no pack, thus it is my job to learn of your's and all other creatures existence. she stated very softly, and then smiled back at Moon. I would offer you a sun flower, but they're nearly impossible to grow at night. So perhaps.... a Night Flower would do.... A Moon Flower for Moon? it was clear Khul was now just being clever, and playful as she slowly placed her paw down, on a sandy patch of Moonlight and waited for the flower to grow, as she stepped back and gave Moon a clear invite to join her as she laid back down.

[Moonbeam]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,474,true][atrb=height,500,true][atrb=cellPadding,25,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=background,http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/7449/moontable1.png][scrolly:w(174),h(365),sy] The essence about this female leaked so smoothly and calm; nothing about her read either weakness or timidity. She had no nervousness about her, not even the smallest sign of reserves; just putting it all out on the plate. Intrigued, Moon felt she wanted to find out what her game was. No female was ever so calm and open to her, especially one she had never met. Perhaps she was just an outwardly kind and talkative wolf, but once she figured out Moon’s orientation, she doubted that the other would stick around. Maybe, though.... Moon was being just a bit too quick and hard to judge. Her explanation danced out of her maw, making twirls around the blue ears as they spoke to her brain. She spoke of wolves that not only did she know, but ones she had heard of; the packs thrown into addition for the narrative. She was still eager, very interested in what kind of secrets this wolf had known. How she had the time to watch and learn about every wolf--though she couldn’t know everything, right? Somehow she felt that Khul knowing about her would play out to her advantage, because she would know what she wanted... even in a wolf that could or could not be considered a lover. She was interested, strongly. The last of her words pulled her in, wrangling the not-so-hard to capture heart. It was a stupid crush, but the immensity of it at that exact moment had sky rocketed, her favored words leaping into her audits. ’A moon flower for Moon?’ It was a secret that she had kept within herself for the longest of times; the urgent need of wanting a lunar flower from her lover. Perhaps this was destiny, that this female would call out the very plant that she happened to adore. The gorgeousness of it, and the perfect idea of a flower of such; it was a romantic idea, and even if she was not a sentimental female; the value of the moment caught up with her. “I... I would love one.” She said, her voice quiet and contemplative for the first time. Eyes locked on the powerful paws that could create, she watched with so much intent. Those were going to make the most beautiful flora ever imaginable. Pausing, she softly lifted her eyes up to meet the bi-colored ones, her gaze pausing for a few moments on them. [/scrolly]

[Bret]

Maybe it was some sick desire to always take the lead, but the smallest ounces of satisfaction were beginning to grow inside of Khul, as Moon very easily played into her paws; the picture of melted putty and it was as if Khul could feel the universe shifting around the two, putting something very... different into motion.

Slowly, as they stood there, simply gazing at each other as if there was some intense silent conversation... the flower began to grow through the sand, and Khul couldn't help but feel a small smidgen of pride. Moon Flowers were rare, and just a year ago, she found it almost impossible to grow, granted she had help from the very full moon overhead, but she still took a great deal of happiness to the fact that it did grow, especially when intriguing Moon was now so suddenly high on her agenda.

Khul really couldn't explain why Moon was that important out of nowhere. A near perfect stranger, and here, miss independent and nonchalant was now suddenly concerned with her thoughts, her mind, her impression of her. Watching Moon's face light up at the Flower, Khul smiled very softly and then sighed. I can make just about everything grow, plant, or herb. Basil is my favorite however. she stated very gently, then flicked her ear at the remaining basil that was around. Moon Flowers though, they are very rare. And even rarer to grow, I'd say that you're company brought forth that flower faster then normal. You must have some magical attachment to it.... The words dripped out of Khul's mouth with a very soft matter of fact tone, but they remained sincere.

So tell me your story miss. Where are your secret goals, fear, aspirations?

It was clear that every time she spoke, Khul got more and more open, sincere and interested, where normally walls and sarcasm would lay, and for perhaps the first time in her life... she was truly interested in what another had to say, and not just because it was her god given job to be.

[Moonbeam]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,474,true][atrb=height,500,true][atrb=cellPadding,25,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=background,http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/7449/moontable1.png][scrolly:w(174),h(365),sy] Eyes were locked intently on the form of her paw, watching it with such a keen eye you swore she would have been lost without that singular piece of Khul's body. From beneath it she could see the very small bits of the flower, a small amount of black on the tips and then the following white from the petals. Her heart was growing with warmth and adrenaline, filling her every second that the flora grew under the gray wolf's paw. It poked through the sand with all of it's force, breaching the sky and protruding into the world. This flower would all be for her… somehow she felt the strongest urge to lean forward and lick this mostly unfamiliar wolf. She did not, however. Then words broke the silence and the eyes glanced away from the opposing's paw. Their eyes met for a few seconds while she spoke, Moon listening intently to her the entire time. Her tail swayed giddily behind her, her usual personality suddenly wishing to bubble up and pour out. She had been much to different around her--and regardless of if she was a crush or not, Mono would no longer accept the way she acted. She needed to be much more like herself; her confident, creative, and playful self. Khul had yet to even meet what she was really like. When she spoke of basil being her favorite plant, the pale silver eyes dropped to the ground and looked around. She remembered that the scent of basil had brought her here in the first place, and she was confused why it had stunk so badly around this area. It all clicked together now, as she turned her head up and grinned mischievously at the taller female. "So you're the reason for the stink." She said, winking playfully, her very confident and excited tone returned to it's normal state. Giggling, she let the other continue, watching her as she moved her foot away from the new flower of the planet. "It must have sensed my urge and neediness to see it." She stated, unaware that this wolf was being sincere to Moon as she had spoke. The beauty of the flower captivated her, taking over every blood vessel in her body, as well as the muscles that controlled her. She nearly plumped to the floor, but she had been nervous that it would push sand over and shade the luminescent plant. She didn't want to kill it sooner than it would by itself, nor did she want to knock it over. Any harm done to this plant, she would take the blame for; for it needed to be protected now that it was alive. Would she take it back to the Cerrac pack with her? Perhaps… Maybe dig out a small shelf in her den where it would lay forever, even when it did wilt. Yeah… that sounded like a good plan. Her eyes did not leave the flower this time when her a question was directed at her. Instead, she nodded, listening to it and beginning to think of what her life was like. Placing her body slowly down into the sand, so as not to disrupt the flower, she began without too much thought put into her explanation. "Although it would go against my orientation, I've always wanted a litter. I yearn to be a mother, though I fear ever finding a male to mate with… They aren't necessarily bearable in my mind, and are actually quite revolting." Her words were serious, and she finally left the beauty of the flower to peer at the one who had asked the question. Oddly enough, she was unafraid to explain herself to this wolf. Perhaps it was the fact that she was non-alliance; all she had in her life was to care for those who she barely knew. Maybe that is what brought Moonbeam to trust the female. Grinning, she flip-flopped the conversation, turning it right around and back onto the other. "So what about you, miss Khul? What have you got to hide?" Her voice was playful, very joking and yet somehow commanding. Her face was distorted into a quizzical shape, and her grin was rather lopsided, only covering one side of her face. The imaginary eyebrows that sat atop her silver orbs were lifted in interest, almost in a prodding and need-to-know kind of fashion. [/scrolly]

[Bret]

Every second that the female stood before her, every moment that Khul looked at that face, her curiosity grew, and so did her odd possessiveness of this female. For moons, Khul had watched Moon's existence from afar, and now the fact that she stood before her, clear as day, and no longer the ghost of observation; enchanted and challenged Khul to no end.

With every moment Moon's eyes remained glued to the flower, Khul felt more and more proud of herself. She had captured the female's attention. Now it was a personal mission to keep it.

Casually, the non allianced wolf listened to Moonbeam, the smallest amount of happiness crossing her face as her bicolored eyes nearly burned a hole into Moon's, until she looked away, which left her heart just a tad fallen.

When Moon spoke again however, Khul's ears perked upright and inwardly, she smirked. Looking back at Moon, in hopes of gaining her attention again, Khul smiled. Puppies are entertaining. They're always so over dramatic when they need medicine. It takes quite a show to get them to swallow something. I suppose, I'd consider pups, though I suppose it goes against my Orientation too.

The words were cool, calm, collected and following them, Khul could see her breath, a sign that it was getting colder and colder. Oh how glad she was to have a dry coat now.

As Moon joked around with her, Khul smiled again and looked at her. Ahhh, but you see, my secrets... I cannot tell. Although I'm sure the planet would understand if I was wooed by such a pretty face. ...

Okay, so maybe she was flirting a little hardcore, and deep down, Khul didn't even know if she wanted this to go somewhere, but deep down she knew, that if she didn't have Moon's approval, and presence in her life, she'd no doubt regret it forever.