Above her, the deep blue tapestry of the late night sky wove an array of constellations and twinkling stars which, if viewed carefully, could easily have been mistaken as fireflies trapped within its realm. Only scattered cirrus clouds remained whisked within the air leaving the heavens, perhaps even the great kings of the past, to look down upon the terra cotta Mokai.
Such a quiet night had left Rust unable to sleep.
Her rich, amber eyes were lured above in both awe and silent contemplation. Lately life had felt rather dull, unsatisfying. Admittedly fighting had its perks but she had had enough of dealing with losses. She wanted some damn progress. Within their household, a stagnant feeling was never tolerated by any individual. There was a wretched resistance inside of her that lashed out, that wanted to become something far better than what she was; more than just to kick a** and take names---she wanted to become a hell of threat, a legacy.
She was here to win, to fight, to conquer, to thrive. If she was to be incarcerated within the settlement than there was no choice but to survive, to prosper, and rise.
But was it worth it?
Hell, her heart belonged in the wild. Even still the unbridled beyond beckoned her to return home and yet here she was---stuck, stagnant, and undoubtedly depressed. Lying there on the outdoor patio, the young fighter's body curled tightly as she laid atop one of the thick, down feathered comforters.
To a degree she was thankful to have a home, a true place to belong as her true home has been all but obliterated by the greed that humans seemed defenseless when pitted against the option of personal gain. Even from walking about the enclosed settlement, it was evident that she could have easily been sold to someone whose intentions were just as malicious as a malignant disease. Still the idea of breaking free continued to be tossed about on the wakes of her train of thought as it felt that each time it all but plagued her anew.
Yet in this endeavor she wasn't alone; she had J-Dub. Having him at her side, a tangible part of her former pack, only aided her in helping to keep her afloat. It was surreal as to how her loneliness could become vanquished, squelched, when he broke through her idleness. It was those moments with him where normality settled and a part of her which was obsolete became simultaneously rekindled; that incomplete, vacant part of her became filled.
J-Dub was an individual she admired; someone whom she looked up to. He was a Mokai whose thuggin' mannerism and spitfire retorts bore quick wit and a straight up 'tell it how the ******** it is' attitude. It was refreshing and added a splice of newness to the everyday adventure and antics. No doubt there was something about J-Dub that bore a down to earth feel yet wielded an edge which demanded respect. Its uniqueness couldn't so easily be described, Rust thought to herself. Whatever it was, Rust pined to obtain the smallest fragment of it to bear such honed skills. Yet such a feat seemed impossible and even she was uncertain if it was worth the effort. She could just run away and forget it all...
No--The stubbornness inside of her wouldn't let her do such a damn foolish thing. Rust knew what would happen: The humans would return and she, like her other packmates, would be corralled into those large crates and be taken away from the island.
Even still the images of those horrific sights were branded into her mind. They were impossible for her to simply disregard as the images were too vivid and the hurt was too raw. Try as she might, Rust fought to shake the recollections free from her mind yet their unsettling presence only drew them into the back of her consciousness. Yet they were still there, clawing restlessly and gnawing at her mind. She fought desperately to not let the feelings, the gravity of the event, bring her down. A sickened sensation knotted itself within the pit of her stomach. There was no position which she shifted into which would alleviate her discomfort.
Amongst the slew of emotions that bombarded her, Rust felt somewhat threatened--the constant second guessing herself and the mindset of not being up to par made her feel as if she was vulnerable. Unacceptable. Weak.
Even if she didn't explicitly vocalize it, what Rust needed was someone to talk to; someone who could validate how she felt and reassure here that all was not lost. Yet how could she be certain that it wasn't lost; that there still was a sliver of a chance to become something significant--to become something that had a purpose. Because, right here and now, she felt like she didn't have a damn destiny.
Looking up into the starry skies overhead, the female Mokai silently pleaded that something, someone, would spark a new found drive within her---that she would be able to find herself here. In the grand scheme of things, everything felt so uncertain, so unpredictable.
What was she to believe in or was believing overrated now? Were stars still vacant for wishes to be sent to or had all vacancies been filled?
Even a subtle sigh that breathed against the nights serenading symphony hadn't gone unnoticed. To the left of her, the large form of a fighter perked upwards groggily. He had been awake, watching over her quietly. Both curiosity and concern had caused J-Dub to rise upward. It was only moments before his behemoth paws seemed to nimbly maneuver across the patio.As he approached her, a small small grin tucked at the corner of his maw as he situated himself down and sat beside her.
"Yo' thinkin' a bit too 'ard, gurl," he commented, gently placing a paw on her shoulder. "Wanna talk?"
Somewhat alarmed, Rust snapped her head back. Upon seeing who it was, she breathed easier.
"I--uh, sure?"
"Good," J-Dub smirked. "Cause it's gonna be a hell o' a long night."
