Slow and Steady [Amedea x Nyx]

[Juliette06]

Amedea had never been far from the Lunarie Tribe; in fact, she'd only been beyond the borders two or three times, and usually with her father at that. This was her first time adventuring on her own.

She'd told her mother, of course, and Ari, but she had insisted that she have this time to herself, no matter how nervous it made her family. She'd been on her own for three nights now, and she was starting to feel it. She was beginning to jump at every small noise and shape in the shadow, but she wouldn't let her jangled nerves get the better of her, not when she'd already come this far.

Amedea had drifted over to a small clearing that, in the brightness of the moonlight, looked almost silver, like the grass was on fire with a soft mercurial flame. This was why she'd left home--to see places like this.

Her body tensed when she noticed a shadow moving across the field, a flash of white in a black night. It wasn't a bear, unless a white bear had come down all the way from Kousetsu (which she doubted), and from what she'd seen it was too small, anyway. It was, she acknowledged, probably a Modifox.

Maybe, she realized suddenly, she could actually make friends in the real world.  

[NymiiNym]

Remind her why she left Nox.

The woman had been toyed with too much. She was tired of being wooed by men and then, abruptly, said men vanishing. She was not a creature of emotion; more focused on facts and tales than to eve entertain the idea of romance, either. She was a computer at best, a woman who could store information and never forget it. A woman who, instead of smiling when she was happy, would merely twitch her tail once to show it. Her face did not show emotions, and yet two men had found this endearing and had snapped her up.

Both had vanished and now Nyx was mildly miffed. No, not because she had fallen for them. What an idiotic notion. No, both had interested her. One was strange and had a habit of making up huge tales that, for a time being, had kept Nyx around in awe to learn more. The other had impressive wings and a personality she had grown mildly amused by. Yet, again, she was left behind.

Home was supposed to be more entertaining. After all, when your father is an ex-serial killer and mother a hellhound (in a metaphorical sense) you often find ways to be entertained. But, that life wasn't for her. She grew tired of watching Erebus, her brother, murder animals left and right and start fights with her father. She grew tired of watching her sister Phanes' consistent relationship problems. Phrixos had a mate and was happily (and oddly enough normally) living with her. Nanna was gone, vanished, and that left Nyx's beloved twin, Nox. The two had always been together, and yet Nyx had initiated the idea of separating.

It was only supposed to be a day. Nyx had wanted to find if there was anything interesting for her and her beloved twin to do. Now? Nyx was not quite lost, but not quite familiar with the land she was on. It wasn't ex-Cruor land, where her family lived. No. It was close to Lunarie, a land where her father spat and hissed at. A land that, on several times, had been used as a threat amongst her family. "Keep acting up and I'll throw you on Lunarie land." Her fathers hatred for the peaceful tribe was fault of no ones but his own petty nature. That, and his relationship with two members who associated with the tribe; Nuishan who lived amongst them and had a weak family within the lands, and Shai, the ex-Lunarie member.

Why was she so close to Lunarie lands? Was it because of her inherent curiosity? She wanted to see the lands her father accused of homing "mongrels". She had never held hatred towards her uncle and aunt, despite the stories her father hissed under his breath. No, Nyx was incapable of hating that which did not affect her. She was insanely curious. It was a land of immense possibilites and mystery. It was a land that she only heard nightmares about, and yet how bad could a tribe worshiping the moon truly be?

And so she was nearby Lunarie lands, but not within. No. She was.... dare she say it.. scared? Who lived there, and should she approach without her beloved twin? What stories awaited her, and what mysterious?

Hm? The petite woman had been prowling, much like a cat, through the forest. She hadn't noticed a pretty little vixen yet, mostly because she inherited a bad sense of smell from her father. Finally, though, she did notice a rainbow splattered vixen. Her ears flicked up, mostly out of shock that she had failed to notice the girl, and she froze. Was the girl a threat? Was she about to be attacked? Was she a member of Lunarie and about to chase her out?

Was this vixen a "demon" of the Lunarie lands, like her father said? Or was she an innocent vixen simply taking a stroll? Nyx froze, dark eyes reflecting back the light that seemed to hone in on them. She was frozen, like a rabbit, and waiting for the other to either notice her and attack or simply move on.  

[Juliette06]

Amedea waited a breath, in and out, before she rolled her shoulders back and flipped her hair out of her eyes. She knew she had seen something...someone. And she was close enough to home that if this someone tried to attack her she could probably...probably run home and escape.

And if the scouts hadn't seen anything threatening, that probably meant there wasn't anything threatening to see.

"Hello?" she called out, walking a few steps forward to get a better glance into the shadows. "Is someone there?" She thought about optioning that she wouldn't hurt whoever it was, but she wouldn't want to have to break her promise if the fox was in fact violent.

"It's alright? You can come forward?" she called instead, catching another patch of white. "You, um, don't need to be scared?" It was possible, after all, that this was a potential member who wanted to join her tribe but didn't know how or who to ask. The idea kind of excited her, actually, when she imagined how pleased Ari and her parents would be for bringing in new blood.

She knew leaving home for a while was a good idea.  

[NymiiNym]

The voice sent a twitch down Nyx's spine. Not because it was frightening or alarming, more because of the fact the other had spoken at all. She did not check this off as meaning the other was safe. Her mother used speaking at times to lure others in, it wouldn't be the first time Nyx had seen the "talking friendly" tactic used.

When the other mentioned fear a rare stubborn streak flashed through Nyx. Scared? Her? She hadn't quite liked that-- mostly because it was true. She lived in a world where there was not much to fear, yet here she was before this strange land and meeting a fox who, if her theory was correct, came from such land. Maybe she was afraid; no, fix that, she was. Without Nox she was only half as strong...

Yet, that rare stubborn flash urged her forward. Small paws padded through the bushes and, with a caution that showed in her lowered back and flipped ears, the woman made herself clear before the other. Dark eyes met equally (perhaps even just a tad darker) eyes. It was clear she was ready to defend herself, though Nyx showed no hostility. Actually, her head tilted slightly in mild curiosity, tail twitching twice. The others coat was extremely fascinating and colorful, something she was not used to.

"Am I intruding?' She finally spoke, voice soft and somewhat distant. "If you are about to chase me out there is no need; I'll leave peacefully.' She almost hoped the other would let Nyx stay. She was so close to the strange, mysterious lands, it'd be a shame to leave now. Also, she really couldn't take her eyes of this strangely bright fur she was viewing. Never before had she seen such color! Her own family was full of blacks, whites, and reds. This woman had other colors: greens, yellows, blues, and was that orange? This was new, for never had she met such a fox before.

Ah, maybe she should stop staring...

 

[Juliette06]

Amedea smiled in spite of herself and stepped a little further into the moonlight, sure to check her body-language to make sure she didn't seem threatening. If it was up to anyone who knew her, they would laugh at the very idea of Dea threatening anyone, but this vixen didn't know her.

And that suited Dea just fine.

"No! No, I'm not about to chase you off," Amedea answered with a surprised shake of her head. "I mean, unless you were to give me a reason to." She shrugged one shoulder simply.

"I guess you know you're near the Lunarie Tribe," she observed, although the fox could have just been naturally timid. "It's okay. We won't attack a stranger," she assured, offering a gentle smile with the hope of assuaging any fear the other girl might have had. She couldn't have been very much older than Amedea herself, but she didn't carry herself like a newly-minted adult, either. This female had seen some things: that much read in her face and her black-speckled body.

"My name is Amedea. What's yours?" she asked, sitting down now, letting her tail twitch gently behind her. "I promise. I won't hurt you."  

[NymiiNym]

The smile caused Nyx's ears to flick up in alarm, though she didn't move or relax. The other approached and this only caused the monotone female to take a step back, pressing further into her crouch. She hadn't like the others attempt to come closer, however the other seemed genuine.

The second gentle smile caused an involuntary twitch of Nyx's tail, the woman sizing the other up. The girl, Amedea, seemed honest to her expressions. Nyx did not see a body toned from battles or scarred from experience, a sign that either the girl was young (which Nyx already assumed) or she was simply a passive creature. Again, that coat caught her off-guard, dark eyes drinking up the sight before she finally pulled herself into a sitting position. It seemed she trusted Amedea, for now.

Ah, so she was correct, she was near the Lunarie Tribe. The vixen glanced about, quietly glancing back at the other vixen with a mild interest. So this was what a "moon fox" looked like? Were they all so gentle in appearance and tone?

Manners, s**t. Nyx had completely forgot to answer the others question. With a soft grunt to clear her normally unused throat, Nyx flicked long hair from her eyes before offering a name.

"My name is Nyx." Her soft voice seemed still distant, though her eyes focused politely on the other. "Amedea. Does your name mean anything?" Ever since Nyx had been young the vixen had enjoyed learning the origin of names. It often defined a fox, or better yet defined the foxes family in a sense. She almost half-hoped it meant something bizarre and unfitting.

 

[Juliette06]

"It's nice to meet you, Nyx," Amedea answered, her smile widening slightly in spite of herself. Nyx. It was a short name and one unlike any Dea had ever heard before, and she liked how crunchy it sounded, like crisp autumn leaves in the forest.

"My name?" Amedea repeated, blinking owlishly. "My mother used to tell me I was named to thank our Deity, Selene, for letting me and my siblings be born," she said thoughtfully, tilting her head to one side thoughtfully. "The 'Dea' part, I guess," she added. She'd never really thought about it all that much. "And Papa said I had as much love in me as in my name." She paused, a pink hue spreading across her high cheekbones, because she hadn't meant to talk about her parents or to get so...personal.

She cleared her throat a little and batted her eyes down for a moment, speaking before she looked back up. "I'm not sure. When I go home, I'll ask for you," she decided after a moment, her smile returning.

"What about 'Nyx'? Does that mean anything?" she inquired; she'd never thought much about anyone's name meaning anything--names were just names, or at least they had been. Now this new female had made her notice, she'd gotten her curious.  

[NymiiNym]

The smile widened and Nyx curiously tilted her head. What had made the vixen happier? The girl, Amedea, seemed to simply be a happy individual, something Nyx was not accustomed to. Sure, her uncle Yuki was similar in nature, but he at least approached strangers with a cautious frown. This girl seemed far more open in showing a more vulnerable nature, and it left Nyx both confused and intrigued. Were all Lunarie foxes like this? Or perhaps most of the outside world was like this. Ex-Cruor lands homed foxes with a more hostile heart, it made sense foxes outside of this type would smile more.

Her ears flicked as the girl explained her parents logic around her name. Ah, a sappy family, how nice. When she had children she had given them names similar to her parents naming style.... which sometimes she considered a mistake. It wasn't her, really. Sure, she loved her own name, but the girl wasn't like her parents. Then again, the father of her children had helped, it had been his doing, too.

The blush was caught. Rewarding the other with her traditional monotone stare, she considered it slightly amusing. It seemed, maybe, that Nyx should limit her personal questions for now.

'When I go home, I'll ask for you.' What did that mean? Would they meet again? Perhaps, if the meeting went well. Or if Nyx was caught prowling around, which most likely she would be. Her interest in Lunarie had only been elevated now that she had met a Lunarie fox. She'd probably be lurking around in hopes of seeing a fox from said tribe.

Oh, and then the girl just had to ask that. Her name wasn't as sweet as Amedea's, and Nyx wasn't too fond of the idea of explaining to a girl who had such a loving naming ceremony that her's wasn't that thought out. Still, a question was a question and Nyx was always one to answer. Besides, she was lucky! At least Nyx was a god of night, rather than her brothers, who had been named after rather questionable creatures.

"Nyx was the greek goddess of the night. She was the mother of Thanatos who became the god of death, Hypnos who became the god of sleep, and several other beings." She paused, her gentle and distant voice cracking slightly. It was obvious she didn't speak much. "My parents had a naming theme."
 

[Juliette06]

Amedea's eyes widened probably comically as Nyx explained her name--while Amedea was named for the gods, whereas Nyx was literally named after them.

"How interesting, a naming theme," Amedea commented honestly. "I don't think my parents had a theme. My sister's name is Letha," she volunteered, although a quiet voice in the back of her mind was beginning to caution against revealing too much too quickly, especially about her own family. She definitely wouldn't mention her other siblings.

"So, um, Nyx, if I can ask," Amedea began after a moment, now studying the other fox a little closer. "What are you doing so close to Lunarie's land?" Dea was careful not to intone the question with any threatening language or anything that would scare the other female--she really just wanted to know, especially because Lunarie didn't get very many new foxes all that often.

To soften her question, she added, "Is there anything you especially need that I or we could help you with?" Because Lunarie was not a violent tribe; they were private and reserved, yes, but they also did their best to help a lost soul if they came across one. Maybe Nyx would be open to coming further into the tribe and meeting some others; maybe not, but Amedea couldn't just give up without even trying.  

[NymiiNym]

As the others eyes widened Nyx could only flick her tail in response, though amusement flickered within her head. It seemed Amedea was easy to entertain.

Interesting? Oh, if Amedea only knew what her parents found as names for the others... As Amedea gave out Letha's name Nyx seemed slightly startled, eyes widening a fraction before becoming distant and void of emotion once more. This girl really didn't show much caution, did she? It was new, meeting a fox so willing to give names. Nyx would not and could not do the same, not by how she was raised. However, she wasn't a threat to Letha, not in any way. Now, if Amedea had met Erebus that may be a different story, but Nyx was not interested in harming others. She was more interested in learning.

The question caused a light flick of her ear. She caught the other studying her, allowing it for now. She simply hoped Amedea didn't see the many light scars under her fur, they weren't exactly that attractive.

What did she need? How does one say: 'Well my dad hates your tribe and thinks everyone is a moon demon. I just wanted to see what moon demons looked like.' No, one does not simply say that, especially to one from the "demonic" tribe.

"I've heard a lot of stories of Lunarie while growing up." She finally settled with, holding back the information that the stories hadn't been pleasant ones. "I wanted to see the tribe for my own eyes."
 

[Juliette06]

"Stories," Amedea repeated musingly, tilting her head to one side gently. "What kind of stories?" she asked, after deciding that it wasn't in fact a rude thing to ask; it was probably good to know what impression other foxes had of the Tribe, because those impressions--obviously--would carry onto their children and such. If there were bad stories going around, that might explain why there hadn't been any new foxes coming to Lunarie lately.

"I can tell you if they're true or not," she added with a faint chuckle. "Come, we can walk if you want. You're not that far from the borders, but I wouldn't want you to get stopped by the scouts," Amedea left out that the scouts hadn't had much interaction with other foxes lately, so they probably wouldn't even know what to do if they did catch her skulking.

Or, if they did, it would be a bad thing--Lunarie foxes were, as a whole, calm and reserved foxes, but there had been so few strangers to the lands that some of that reservation may have been lost in favor of surprise and guardedness. She might not know Nyx well, but that didn't mean she wanted her to be hurt at the hands of her tribes, especially if she already had a negative opinion of Lunarie. The scouts might unwittingly just confirm the rumors.

Maybe she should talk to Ari about making sure the scouts knew not to be stupid. Or maybe she was just over-thinking it.

It was probably that one.  

[NymiiNym]

Ah, that was a question she hadn't wanted. However, when the offer rose to tell Nyx if they were true or not she did seem mildly interested, even if her face didn't show it.

Still, why would she believe a strangers word over her fathers? Yes, she doubted her father was correct in his hatred for the tribe, but Amedea wasn't family and perhaps it was not best for Nyx to believe her words, yet that didn't mean she wouldn't indulge in hearing what the other had to say. Still, she'd limit how much she revealed at the moment, she didn't want her fathers harsh words to influence Amedea's view on Nyx.

"My father has family in Lunarie, and they aren't too fond of one another. He used to have a brother in Lunarie, but his brother left. His sister is still in there, however." She viewed Amedea quietly, deciding that small amount of family history couldn't hurt. She wasn't about to tell the woman where to find her father, and she knew her aunt had no idea where Sin was these days. That was safe, right?

"He calls the tribe demons. Moon demons. Demons who worship the moon and house the evil." She finally admitted, tail twitching at the tip. "I never believed it as a child, but I wanted to know what the tribe was like. He always said we'd be turned away at the door if we approached because of our relation to my aunt. I grew up curious. It's a tribe told to us as nightmares, but that made me more curious in the end."

She had given more than she meant to. The vixen inwardly twitched at the fact that she had also rambled. She was so used to living with quiet foxes and not speaking more than a conformational "okay", but here Amedea was, chatting with her and luring out a curious ability to actually converse from Nyx. This was strange, and completely unlike her. Nyx was apathetic usually, and while she was extremely far from giving the other any emotion, the paint-splattered fox had gotten the darker vixen to ramble.

How peculiar.
 

[Juliette06]

Amedea blinked and raised her eyebrows as Nyx spoke, surprise evident on her face as her story progressed. Moon demons? There were no such things as moon demons! Who was the family that her father hated? Amedea didn't know enough about the drama of the Tribe from before she was born to know automatically, and Nyx certainly didn't look like any of the members of the tribe that she knew, but that certainly wasn't cause to disbelieve her.

"Well...we're not moon demons," Amedea began, brow furrowed as she thought of a way to explain what Lunarie actually was. "We do worship the Moon Deity, but we're not demons," she repeated. "We're mostly nocturnal, and most of us are quiet, reserved and more than a little antisocial," she added with a soft chuckle. "But I don't believe we would ever chase someone out just for being related to someone." She left out that it was probably because Ari couldn't be convinced to care all that much.

"I mean, we would chase someone out if they posed a threat, of course," she added, her tone implying that such a thing would be obvious, which it was. "But...I mean, you don't pose a threat," she added, barely keeping the 'do you?' out of her voice. She still barely knew this vixen, but Amedea wasn't the distrustful type. Shy, sure, but not inherently mistrustful of the world or of people in general.

"Curiosity is a valued here," she said, and it was. "All of us value learning. It's the inter-personal reaction that we have trouble with sometimes," she said with a soft chuckle. "But really, that doesn't make us evil. We don't have any evil foxes," she explained. "We're not evil."  

[NymiiNym]

Nyx didn't need the vixen to tell her that. She could have known that way before Amedea said anything. She had known her father was spouting nonsense when he started going on about moon demons. Still, it was nice to have actual evidence now. Besides.... Amedea, a demon? The girl did inot look the part.

Yet, again the loyalty to her father remained for the time being. She knew better than to believe his irrational nonsense about the tribe, but she wasn't about to write it completely off.

Her ears flicked up once at the mention of learning. Well. Nyx was perfect for that. She was a curious vixen who gathered knowledge up like a computer and never forgot it. She loved learning. She loved knowledge of any kind. Were they like her? Did they also possess such an ability? Would they be able to hold an intelligent conversation that did not end in growling like her family liked to do? Oh, her family were very smart creatures! It was just... they also preferred peace and quiet.

"I see." She seemed to view Amedea with a hint of amusement. Not evil. Not moon demons. Not about to rip her throat out. Well. What she had to say to Sin when she returned home!