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A pond. Water just clear enough, a couple lily pods blooming in the middle of the surface, no animal in sight… it was the perfect spot. Sings-backwards approached it, thirsty. She could use a really fresh drink right now. She didn’t check if it belonged to anyone… nobody would know it, anyway. Deeper, an unstable layer of mud blocked the light, but the water at the surface was as transparent as you could hope in a swamp. Seeing as how several trees surrounded the pond, their low pale green foliage getting in the way, it didn’t seem strange not to see anyone taking the most of it.
Sings-backwards lowered her head. One mouthful of water after another, she enjoyed their freshness quietly. Outside of drinking and bathing, though, it didn’t seem to be much of use… no trace of fish or frogs; hunting them was not an option. Not many plants, either. Still a nice spot mostly left in the shadow, with only a few clear patch of pale light escaping the blocking screen of leaves.
Suddenly, her eyes took notice of a long greenish thing in the water. As it surfaced, water made it shine slightly. She could see the scales under the rare dancing spot of light on the liquid. It startled her greatly. The gasping doe stepped back very fast until her tail encountered a bush, around which she walked without looking back, leaving the secret spot. “A crocodile!” she screamed while running.

The shape sank into the cloudy part of the water almost as fast as it appeared. Sings-backwards couldn’t see that, of course, running for her life. What possessed her to ignore the warnings, obvious in hindsight, and brave the huge reptile? The lack of animals and kimeti, the ominous darkness, all of these had been pretty big hints. Still getting away from the menace, she shook her head, lamenting her foolish behaviour that could have cost her her life if it weren’t for her attention. “I’m so stupid… the-“
So self-absorbed by her scare, she didn’t pay attention to where she was going and bumped into something - or rather, someone - that wasn’t very noticeable in that dark place. Immediately, the doe stepped sideways, confused by the unexpected impact. “Oh my, I’m so sorry” she apologized vigorously and sincerely, “there’s a crocodile, a crocodile…”

Turning her head, Sings-backwards was about to warn her interlocutor to get away in case the predator was chasing her, but something else completely different struck her. He really looked like a buck, but he was even darker than the shadows, and where his eyes should be, could be seen a strange shape glowing like the red moon.
Completely forgetting the crocodile, she started slowly stepping back, staring at Midnight’s Shadow with terrified eyes and her mouth agape. Old childish fears of large black monsters raced back into her panicked mind.

Sings-backwards' eyes couldn’t leave Midnight’s Shadow’s, as much as she wanted to. There was something mesmerizing about these eyes, as if someone had drew lines on his face with a red firefly. The same kind of fascination a rattling snake exerts on its helpless prey.
Being a coward herself, many things would make her jump, or even shriek briefly until she realized she was in safety. This crocodile was the first, but she didn’t doubt that anything larger than a fox with fangs would make her run about that fast.
The worst kind of fright, however, was the one that caused her to be at complete loss of words, paralyzed. This was that kind of scare.

Thank Matope, it - wait, it’s a he - he can talk casually. Was he oblivious to his appearance? Of course not, he had to be aware. None of the other kimeti Sings-backwards had seen had any more special than a couple glowing markings; it was no wonder she was impressed by his look.
Oh no, he smiled with these… immaculate teeth, in an ambiguous way. She ceased her backing down, however. Get a grip, he’s a kimeti. Probably. Only a creepy buck that looks an awful lot like these imaginary beasts she dreamed of.
“H-hello…” No matter what it was, it would not have been polite to greet it first. “So, you know there’s a crocodile here” she said, then chuckled nervously. “Of course you know, I screamed so loud… I ran as soon as I saw something move. I guess I’m very lucky, indeed.”
That surreal smile among the shadows, the indistinct shape, the red lines…
“… am I?”

“A buck bigger than you”, parroted the doe. It must be a really vicious crocodile she ran away from… and these teeth didn’t help at all. She whimpered almost imperceptibly when he clacked these white teeth, and her head backed down a little.
The rest of the story only made her feel much more uneasy. Twice as much fear at once: that strange kimeti that only belonged to a nightmare, telling her with a disgusting delight the dangers of the predator that could very well have made her his lunch. The female had to hide that nauseous feeling she was getting from all this, she looked away, it was hard to listen thoroughly to that story that could only end in a horrible way…
Crack!

Sings-backwards expected that kind of sound effect, but not so soon, not while she was thinking about something else. She let out a shriek. Oops. She ought not to show fear; who knew how this buck’s personality was truly like? Maybe he was the kind to feed his pet crocodile weekly… what a stupid idea; big reptiles don’t know anything about loyalty.
“S-sorry.”
So much effort not to shake too visibly… it went to waste as her legs shivered. Oh, shoot. She however tried to be a big girl and keep talking. No running away, unless he made another suspicious move towards her. “It was such a nice pond, but the rest of the swamp can be cruel as well. It was… stupid to believe it was an innocent place.” She attempted to appear as friendly as possible and feigned interest in order to do so. “Did that crocodile catch many more kimeti?...”

To her surprise, Midnight’s Shadow walked to the very place she left. “B-but…” she stuttered as he blatantly violated his own warning. She stepped forward as if she wanted to stop him, but didn’t go so far as to get much closer to the danger. “D-don’t!”
However, no crocodile this time. Despite how creepy this person was, the last thing she would have wanted was to have him be devoured by the crocodile in a display of recklessness.

The fact he knew the crocodile rather well didn’t comfort Sings-backwards in any way, to the contrary, it only blurred the difference between their supposed motives. And with that, he looked bigger than she thought (or was his fur that shaggy?).
Her knees shook when he told her his nickname. Nightmare. She almost replied it fitted him, but she made a point not to put her foot in her mouth in front of him. “I’m Sings-backwards. I was just… thirsty. Wandering around. I was looking for fresh water.”
The doe briefly considered running away now, but the pond with the deadly crocodile was mostly in her way, and so was Nightmare. Anyway, it struck her that he knew the place much better than her; if she was in danger with him, she wouldn’t be able to escape anyway. He was just hungry for attention, probably. That didn’t make him any less intimidating, of course. That hesitation showed on her worried face.

Leave? Sings-backwards turned her head wildly in the designated direction. Clearly, that crocodile from earlier was coming back. Like a hunted beast, she rapidly stepped back, exactly as she did during the first encounter. “So it does smell my fear. I’ll fix that in an instant. T-trust me, I won’t forget that place, and I’m not coming back until I’m shown that monster’s b-bare bones.”

She was still shaking, making her steps unsteady. Then she felt a branch brushing against her ribs, and turned to walk forward but still looking back, so she could keep an eye on Nightmare too, as much as possible. Calming down was another priority as she was getting away, but her body language and stutter in her reedy voice betrayed her emotions. “Let’s go! As long as we go faster than it, it c-can’t try and outsmart us.”
And by outsmarting, she meant “hiding behind a corner with the jaws wide open”. There’s only so much brainpower a crocodile, even experienced, can display, but all it needs is the element of surprise.

Sings-backwards was more or less walking blindly, dominated by her primal instinct to survive. If it weren’t for Nightmare, she would have kept going until she arrived at a more familiar location. Hearing the question made her slow down along her path. Rational thoughts rushed in again.
“Oops… you’re right.”
Her legs stopped completely to lean against a trunk. Catching her breath slowly, she replied to the male’s question: “We’re safe here. Unless it is a very, very fierce crocodile, or there is another one in the area. Which I doubt.”
All the running drained her. The shaking stopped, but if one paid attention to tired eyelids over her clear eyes, mistrust and fear were still present, though faint. More than that, she was jaded.
What use is there anymore in fearing Midnight’s Shadow? He obviously knew the swamp more than her. She was too cowardly to stay and watch predators. Other than basic, primal knowledge of their behaviour and appearance, the doe was so ignorant. She preferred going away at the first occasion rather than observing individuals and toying with them; she identified herself too much with a prey for this.
Of course, Sings-backwards was still disturbed by the male’s appearance, and she didn’t know what to expect from him. However, she decided to go to hell with it, and just see what happens. She could as well fully embrace her inner prey and see if Nightmare is similar in more ways than one to imaginary demons; after all, sudden death was pretty much the only kind meant to her. She turned to face the kimeti, apprehensive, but calm. “What are we going to do… now?”

This was such a courageous wish, a well-meant one. But alas, Sings-backwards was wishing to be someone she really was not at core. Rationalizing, making sense of the whole situation, all of this soon stopped counting. It only took one more growl from the stranger for instinct to rush in. No more thought, just a chill down her spine and four legs that left the ground, one by one. In an instant, she had disappeared, away from the pond, the crocodile, Midnight’s Shadow, and everything else. The doe had the location much too memorized to get near the critical spots again, and even though she wandered erratically while getting away, there was no risk that her panic blinded her to the point of going back.
Later, when she would go back to her senses and think straight again, Sings-backwards would have mixed feelings about the encounter; way too many creepy things tickling ancestral memories, but also, an interesting kimeti she wouldn’t mind seeing again. Only, this time, in broad daylight, and in the safety of a familiar place.

((Ahah, I'm an horrible rper. I'm sorry for making you wait this long; my computer died some time ago. I hope you don't mind me finishing this rp early, and that we'll have a chance to rp both of them again soon. sweatdrop ))