[Finished]Beneath a Blind Moon[Eydis Darkbane and Nykto]

[Ishtanballa]

No moon shined in the night sky on this evening. Instead, there was only the twinkling of countless stars, whose light paled in comparison to that of the moon's. Eydis loved these nights, they were when she felt the most free. When the element she so adored cloaked the land.

Tonight, the otherworldly mare stood atop a hill. Her large dark wings stretched to their full length. If one were to look closely, they would notice that the wings were in fact, see through. Tiny pin pricks of light shined through the darkness that made up her wings.

Her eerie glowing legs stood poised to launch herself into the air, though she still remained unsure on if she wished to fly just yet.  

[Selalusia]

Dark clouds slowly moved across an even darker sky. What little light that fell between the the leaves of the trees above was not nearly enough to light any path.

Slowly opening his eyes, Nykto found that there was no difference really; no light at all either way. He shivered, though he was not cold, and slowly he stood to stretch out his bat-like wings. The forest he had been napping in had been great for shading him during the daylight hours, but now when he wanted some light, there was none. He quickly set off, stalking through the forest to make his way to a clearer spot. Immediately, he took to the skies, expecting the light of the moon to bathe him and comfort him..but there was no such luck.

He hated these kinds of nights. How could the moon leave him in such darkness, how dare it. His thoughts didn't always make sense, not even to him. He hated the moon in that moment, hated it for leaving him in darkness. A soft whimper escaped him, then a low growl. He would not let the darkness control him; he was stronger than that. But how easy it was for the darkness to creep into his thoughts, to make him nothing more than a trembling colt. He growled again, his own thoughts putting him in a bad mood as he soared through the black sky.

So caught up in his own thoughts, he had failed to notice another being nearby until he was only a short distance from the hill upon which she stood. He slowed his flight as he watched the figure. He might not have noticed her in this darkness if not for the strange light that glowed from her legs.
 

[Ishtanballa]

Nykto may not have noticed her right off the bat, but Eydis had noticed him. The dark was her realm, she could see in it as easily as one could see in the day. From behind her metal helm, the mare's dark eyes tracked the kalona's flight. Watching to see if he would be a threat.

It occurred to the mare as she stood there watching the stallion that if the stallion were to be any kind of threat, he would have the advantage up in the air. And that could not be allowed.

The leather bindings on her glowing legs creaked as the mare's muscles tensed, and then like a white bullet, she shot herself up the night sky. Her mighty black wings beating as she ascended to a height that was higher than the stallion.  

[Selalusia]

Quick as lightning, the female shot up into the sky, ascending higher and higher. Nykto was quite surprised at first as he had not taken notice of any wings on her. Curious, he continued to watch her from the distance he was at, glad for the fact that she was white and..glowing. Or else he wouldn't have been able to keep her in sight.

There was no doubt that the female had seen him, and probably well before he'd noticed her. Darn his senses and darn his distracting thoughts. They'd prevented him from taking advantage of being above her as she was now already at a higher altitude than he.

What to do in such a situation. He had no worries of her attacking him; he simply didn't care. If she desired to attack, he'd be glad for it. He thrived in conflict and fighting. However, she didn't appear to be on the offensive, so why not go after her..? he thought, and with that he started after her. His leathery wings beat quickly as he ascended after her, and he wondered just how high she would go. He made no move to close the distance between them, but instead only flew up higher, keeping her in his sight.  

[Ishtanballa]

Eydis went as high as her large wings could carry her. She noted as the male followed, and kept his distance. How interesting...

For now, the mare held herself at the altitude to which she had ascended. Gauging what action she should take now. Whatever it would be, she would have to make a move soon. The thin air her lungs to greedily was beginning to have an effect on her. She was beginning to feel light headed, which would not be good if this situation turned violent.

With her wings stretched out, she began to descend in a glide. Circling the stallion to see what he would do.  

[Selalusia]

As he ascended higher and higher, following the mare, he realized it would be soon that he could go no further. He could fly quite high, but not nearly as high as he would have liked. The air up here was simply too thin to breathe for too long, especially while exerting oneself. He was relieved when the female began to circle around, descending slowly.

Nykto attempted to hover where he was, his wings beating faster to hold him suspended in the air. Hovering was no easy business! For now, he stayed in the center of her circle, keeping his altitude even with hers as they descended. He kept his eyes on her at all times, even as she moved behind him. As he watched her more closely now, he noticed the large dark shadows which seemed to stick out from her back, her wings. No wonder he hadn't noticed them before, there were black as night, almost a part of the night itself.

As his body became too much weight to continue the hover, he let himself start to fall out of the sky for a few meters. Then spread his wings out to their full span and let the wind catch him. He began following the mare's circle in the opposite direction, now a little ways below her.

Quite intrigued by her, and in hopes to put her more at ease, he decided to attempt conversation. "Greetings," he called out in as friendly a voice as he could manage.  

[Ishtanballa]

Amusement filled the mare as the stallion continued to mimic her actions. As of right now, he did not appear to be to much of a threat. Still, it would be best on guard. Just because a wolf has not bared its teeth, doesn't mean that it's not dangerous.

A casual greeting from the stallion, a sign for desire conversation? No immediate answer rose up as Eydis continued to circle and descend. To engage in a conversation with this stallion would mean altering her plans for this evening. She would be unable to lose herself in the darkness of the night if a voice of another was there to constantly draw her back. There was the option of leaving...

But then she could be passing up a fruitful opportunity. The shape of his wings, and the sound of the air impacting against them with every might beat, implied that his male was a Kalona. A breed of Soq she had yet to see until now, but had heard quite a bit about. Such a creature could prove to be a powerful ally.

"Good evening," replied the mare, her soft voice barely breaking through the night.  

[Selalusia]

He waited, feeling a bit of anxiousness creep in as he waited for a response. At first it seemed almost as if she might not respond, and he wondered if maybe she had been unable to hear him through the sound of the wind. He thought she might have had a mind to leave without returning the greeting. A rude gesture he thought, though it would not have been unexpected. He was used to being feared, if only for his appearance.

His ears twitched upwards at the soft sound that finally came and he had to strain to make out the words that were spoken. Ah, so she had decided to reply after all, and her greeting was friendly enough. She was not looking for a fight, he decided. This suited him just fine. He had no great desire to engage in battle right now, he was much too curious about this mare. He continued to watch her, looking up at her as she continued her circling.

"Forgive me if I have intruded," he began calling out again, making sure he'd be heard, but still trying to keep his voice low. "I did not expect to come upon anyone out here at this hour." It was the truth, though he could not deny he was glad to have found some company that did not flee from him.

He managed a glance down, noting that they were now back to the altitude he has started at, if they continued their downward spiral, they'd soon enough be on the ground.  

[Ishtanballa]

"I am always out when the sun sleeps," replied the mare, her voice never raising above its soft tone. The many starts that shined above reflected off the metal helm that hid Eydis' eyes from the world. If eyes truly were the gateway to the soul, then since taking up the helm, her soul has been effectively hidden from the world. What was left of it anyways.

Noting how close the ground was, Eydis gave a mighty flap of her dark wings, and then tucked them close against her slender form. She dropped into a spiral, torpedoing to the ground below. Upon drawing close enough, her wings shot out, shifting from a plummet to a glide.

She glided over the ground before picking a spot to set down. With her hooves firmly planted on the ground, she looked to see if the stallion followed.  

[Selalusia]

He listened carefully to catch her softly spoken words and wondered what would drive anyone to come out only at night. He understood though, each creature of the night had it's own reasons. His were simply more unique.

The mare suddenly sped downward past him, seeming to fall out of the sky. Her move was graceful though, and he watched as she skillfully dove down to prepare for her landing. Not wanting to be left behind, he followed. As he came around from his circle, he narrowed his wings back and dipped downward, causing him to make a sharp descent. He was a little surprised she did not seem to be worried that he might attack now.

As he neared the ground, he pulled up to even out, spreading his wings out to slow himself. He came in quick as his hooves touched the ground, but the impact did not bother him. He continued to run, making a wide circle around the mare until his momentum had slowed. He slowly came to a stop to the side of her, not wanting to put himself in front of her, as that would be blocking her path and could be viewed as a hostile move.

"Ah, you are a creature of the night then? Noctural." Now that they were on the ground, he had the opportunity to get a better look at her. He could now see that she did indeed have wings; large, black..translucent wings. He tilted his head slightly as he inspected her.  

[Ishtanballa]

The stallion's odd armor was the first thing that Eydis' eye, if the single shoulder guard and the clasps on his legs could even called such. She could not judge his garb though, not with her own odd armor. At the curve of the mare's wings rested two metal guards similar to the one that covered the stallion's shoulder. As Eydis flexed her wings, the guards moved with the movement. She folded the wings against her form, giving the her sides' pelt an odd gray tint not really visible on the moonless night.

"I do not care for the sun's light. It is much to ugly." Not bothering to hide her actions, Eydis began to circle the stallion yet again, sizing him up. With each step, her legs cast an eerie glow over the ground. Revealing the vegetation that the cloak of night hid. Behind her, her long tail dragged across the ground.  

[Selalusia]

He continued to eye her, as she seemed to be doing the same to him. He didn't mind her judging him as such. He was proud, and it tended to show through in the way he held himself. She herself was a bit different looking for any others he had come across, but it wasn't only her see-through wings or her glowing feet. The 'outfit' she wore was different too. Especially the metal armor that rested on her wings... and that helm; he secretly wondered how she could even see with it on. The simple fact that he could not see her eyes gave him the strange desire to subdue her and remove it by force just so he could see her eyes. He refrained, of course.

As she began to circle him, he followed her with his gaze at first, then decided he had no reason to keep his eyes on her. She was no threat to him, though he did know better than to assume. "I too find myself wandering only at night, spending the daylight hours out of the sun's rays." He paused, glancing sideways at her as she came around into view again. "Ugly. Hmm... I don't find it ugly, though I would say it is unbearable." His gaze shifted to her feet for a moment and he realized, though it seemed odd to him, that even that soft eerie glow was enough to give him some comfort in the darkness.  

[Ishtanballa]

"The alluring beauty that night provides, is washed away in the light of day." Eydis shifted on her hooves, her stance becoming a tad more relaxed, though she still remained on guard. Pride had her ever holding her head high as she spoke with the stallion. She would not show any form of weakness here, even if it had already been established that he was currently not a threat. To do otherwise would be to risk being seen as a lesser in the eyes of this stallion. And that would just not do.

If she wanted to become a force of power in this land, then her strength had to be known by all that she met. Only strength would draw in members for the herd she wished to one day make.  

[Selalusia]

He listened to her words, trying to see the truth in their meaning, but finding it hard given his circumstances. "I do agree that the night is beautiful... especially the stars." At least they haven't left me, like that devious moon, he thought as he looked up at the dark sky.

Nykto was not always the most perceptive, but he often was when it counted, and tonight he noticed even the slightest changes in this mare's behavior. She seemed to realize that he was not planning to attack her at this moment, yet she still seemed guarded. And always she seemed almost regal in the way she held herself, yet strong. He wondered for a moment if even he would be able to make her beg for mercy, plead for her life if he tried... it seemed very likely not. He then realized he needed to keep control of his thoughts.

"If you don't mind my asking, I'd like to know your name," he said kindly, acting the gentleman he didn't feel. A kind smile followed to match, though it also showed off his nice long fangs. Kind of defeating the point.  

[Ishtanballa]

The male before her seemed nothing like the horror stories she'd about the Kalonas. Creatures that would hunt without mercy and with a viciousness that could only be topped by Skinwalkers. But his appearance was so much like the descriptions, he had to be one. Perhaps, as it so often happened, the stories of the Kalonas were blown out of proportion.

As the stallion smiled, his sharp sharp dully flashing in the darkness, she could see where such horror stories would come from.

"I am Eydis Darkbane." She made no move to ask for the stallion's name. Knowing that if he was the gentleman he acted like, he would automatically give his name without being prompted.