[PRP] Have we met? (Midnight Madness x Chase the Hound)

[RuIerr]

Heading back from a minorly successful hunting trip, dead rabbit in tow, Midnight Madness felt a little proud of himself. It wasn't easy to hunt in the dead of winter, although the fact that he was a hunter by trade should have indicated success. Trotting quickly, he headed to the drop-off point where he intended to drop the food. Releasing the rabbit from his jaws, his tongue took a moment to explore his lips, enjoying the taste of fresh blood. He stood there for a minute too long, simply hovering over the pile of fresh, if not slightly frozen, kills. Mid Mad forgot what he was doing, but just as quickly remembered: the dens! A nap sounded great after such a long stint of hunting.

Tail up and wagging at the fact that he managed to remember something for once (the wolf had pretty severe attention deficit issues, but he's working on it, he promises!), he headed up the rocky pass, deftly winding past other wolves as they exited the den area. It was a little bit of a hike, which meant lots of opportunities for Midnight Madness to get distracted. And soon enough, a pretty female he didn't recognize came into view. Who was she?

 

[Krysin]

She had the hood of her cape drawn up over her head, a silent message to other elves to give her some space. Chase the Hound was the more reserved twin, and perhaps it was not so shocking that she experienced some difficulty in adjusting to being home. So much time had passed outside of the pack that blending back in had proven to be... difficult. The pack itself had changed, new ideals were taking shape that she had not been privy to. A lot had actually changed, and so Hound felt as if she was constantly trying to catch up and match those changes.

None could blame her for struggling, and truthfully she had rekindled some old friendships and found a small portion of her place within the Murkwood Court. So far, Hound had managed to keep her life relatively quiet (a stark contrast to her twin who was undoubtedly the center of some rumors that Hound would most certainly not dwell on).

She had just left her den and begun her way down the mountainside pass when she noticed the black and white male. Hound paused, her thoughts whirling in desperation to remember the male's name.

She didn't, so she improvised.

"Good day, it is nice to see you again," she greeted. She had seen the male around before, but Hound couldn't quite recall if she had ever interacted with him beyond a casual greeting.  

[RuIerr]

Pretty soon after he started winding his way up the trail, he was stopped by a wolf, hooded in a brilliant emerald green so typical of the elves. She greeted him kindly, and he glanced at her eyes - one of the few distinguishing features that she left visible - and stared into them possibly a moment too long before he remembered her name. Chase the Fox - her twin sister - was quite the exuberant personality. But Chase the Hound, the she-wolf before him, kept her own livelihood quiet, seemingly preferring to avoid any sort of unnecessary attention. Which made sense: he could imagine she got bombarded by lonely elves seeking a companion, if only for a night. She was quite the beauty, after all.

Proud of himself for remembering her name, Midnight Madness nodded his head and smiled. “Chase the Hound, it’s been a while. How have you been?” His brain was working a mile a minute, trying to remember the last time he’d spoken to her. The way she greeted him felt familiar (although she didn’t address him by name, which he totally didn’t register), and he wondered what aspect of their friendly relationship he was forgetting.

“And please, tell me off if you were in a rush to get moving down this pass. I’m more than happy to trot along and take a nap, but something tells me you wouldn’t hate the chance to chat.” Mid Mad smiled once more, gentle and warm, hoping she’d take the invitation to stay with him and talk for a bit. “If you would like to talk, mind if we take a walk? I’m happy to follow you wherever you were headed.” Tail wagging at the prospect, he silently willed her to take the bait. He didn’t have many friends and could really use one, after all. Especially if they were this nice to look at.

Krysin

 

[Krysin]

Oh no, he clearly remembered her name while she continued to grasp at straws for his own. She supposed it wasn't too difficult to remember her own slightly nontraditional elven name, especially when her twin's was so similar. It still did not excuse her not knowing Midnight Madness' name, but she would do some digging around at a later date to recover that information. There was certainly no way she was going to ask him now what his name was - it'd be far too embarrassing to admit that she had forgotten.

"I have been well enough," she answered conversationally. It was not exactly a lie, but it was also far easier than going into depth about how she had been feeling lately. The answer was perfectly indulging while being vague enough that prying further would not be as tempting. Hound had plenty of practice avoiding those things she did not wish to confront.

She had been about to admit that she was in a hurry, though she most certainly was not, but the more Midnight Madness spoke the more disheartened she became with the thought of turning him away. He seemed eager for companionship, and she was not nearly so cruel to turn someone away for that. So, instead she smiled even as words of rejection died upon her tongue. "I would not mind the company," she admitted, and in that moment the words were true. She would not mind hanging out with him for a little while.

"To be honest, I am merely out and about to give myself something to do until my shift as a guard later. Resting can only do so much for the body before one's thoughts begin to run rampant." Hound continued down the slope, expecting Midnight Madness to follow her. There was little reason he wouldn't.  

[RuIerr]

Her response was abrupt and vague, but not unfriendly. It was encouraging, but only in the slightest bit.

Then, she invited him to join her, and he couldn't help but smile. Midnight Madness' tail wagged a bit.

His mind was working fast, darting here and there - what a lovely cape, it complemented her eyes in the most stunning fashion - did he still have blood on his face? - okay, guard, noted.. The monochromatic wolf tucked that last bit away for a rainy day. Or, he hoped. His memory wasn't the greatest, but something about this encounter made him believe he could will the information recall into existence.

Then, she mentioned "rampant thoughts" and he cocked his head while making his way carefully down the pass, keeping pace next to her. "What kind of thoughts?" It was possibly intrusive, especially to this wolf who tended to keep to herself (at least, that was the impression he'd gotten... from what he could remember), but he blurted it out anyway. She would learn that Mid Mad had no filter, although notable that it was never meant in an unkind way. Always, he had the best of intentions.

Krysin