From the shadows

@Jun

---

There was a mortified sense in the air, dancing within the night breeze and leaving a cold chill wherever it dared to pass by. At first, it seemed like just the remnants of the Winter finally dissipating from the lands, but it wasn't a physical feeling. It was like the Dread Father himself was crossing her body right into her bones and leaving a shiver on her soul.
 
It was a good thing; she must've been in the right place, at least she assumed as much. Something or someone had pulled her from her world and into the next, and they wouldn't have done so without a purpose. Proxima was determined to follow whichever way her Lord of Death decided to guide her. She needed to fulfill his purpose, always. And apparently, he wanted her to cross an entire realm.
 
A heavy mist blanketed the forest, skimming against her skin almost eerily as she padded forwards. She had no destination in mind, though she would've appreciated getting out of this forest.
the staff team luvs u

Jun found himself searching beneath the fog, however this time, he was calf deep in the water. This time, he was on a mission. That mission being to fill his stomach. 

Standing with his feet sinking into the sands, he patiently awaited any swimming friend to come into his line of sight. Thankfully, a school had been just up ahead...mindlessly scattering by, unknowing of his presence. An excellent trade as an angler, Jun knew when to strike, and how still he needed to be. Almost like stone, his eyes followed their pathing, awaiting a critical strike. 

Waiting...

Waiting...

Waiting...

Snap.

His jaw caught onto a bluefin, making sure to steer clear of the razor like fins on its back. Teeth sinking into it's bodice, he caused quite a splash. Hopefully that didn't draw any attention. He pulled back from the ocean, traveling back to the sands of the beach. He began to tear apart the fish from inside out, separating the parts he didn't like. Some organelles he thought tasted funny, rough parts of the skin, and the fins. Who would eat the fins?

Perhaps he was a picky eater. That's what his mother used to say. The white meat from the fish tasted savory upon his tongue, a little brittle for his taste, but it'll do. He's eaten enough fish for his time to be able to be the judge of that. 

The mist from the forest still pooled at his ankles, blocking his vision, so he would rely on scent alone. 

Yet he swore he picked up the scent of another.

the staff team luvs u

---

 As gusts of wind skimmed her body, a cool stinging sensation followed. Swamp mire and moss clung to her legs, covering her bottom half in a green mud-like substance. For whatever reason, that too had traveled with her. Vines from home entangled her mane, threading themselves in her hair, but not disgracefully so; Proxima retained her original bewitching appeal. 

 There was a shift in the breeze, like a hint to an obvious question from all of a sudden. The scent of an unfamiliar beast carried in it. Bastille fur glowed like moonshine. Proxima looked around her with predatory amber eyes, the sleek form now lurking in the direction the smell had come. Once she was mostly clear of the woodlands, she could see the faint outline of water, well-hidden among the trees and rocks.  

 Dropping her head, the assassin could make out the faint figure of another canine wading in the depths. There was little she could make out through the haze, but she watched as the creature yanked a fish into his maw. He bore a blue pelt with cream undertones, athletic and broad. Striding forward, Proxima padded closer, standing only a few wolf-lengths from him. 

 "Hello there," She spoke, voice lilting. "I don't suppose you'd know where we are?" She added, finally allowing her lips to curve in an amiable smile. It was rare she requested a stranger's help, but she wasn't exactly given any signs. 
the staff team luvs u

A woman's voice called out from behind him, deep and unwavering. It could give even a behemoth giant chills from the heavens above, yet he was a mere common folk and he felt the power in her tune. 

As a courtesy, he would bow his head. 

She would move to ask him a question, wondering in the god's name they were and Jun could only respond with a light chuckle, "We're at the Brim, my lady. As you can see, it's quite...the opposite, actually." His response was followed by a quick look around the area, the only visible entity in his sights was the ocean, and her. 

Her scent was bred in the Ford, however, which drove his curiosity. He didn't necessarily care who she was, if he were, to be honest with himself, more focused on why she was here. It can easy to...lose your bearings here, just as he did once before. But he learned quickly to rely on nothing but his nose on this barren beach, dappled with nothing but the boisterous clams shells that announced their presence with breakage in the sand; sprouts of water appearing in its wake. 

It was quickly for Jun to understand this part of the land, the beaches, as it was his task to know as such. He never had an issue with the sands as many did; he found comfort in the moist soil at wit's end, imagining it to be clouds that he danced on to a medley of his choosing. He was the one in control, that's the way he liked it to be.

the staff team luvs u

---

With her inquiry met with casual tranquility, Proxima saw no need to press the image of a demanding beast. The Brim. Such a befitting name, albeit contradicting; not everything is ever truly as it seems; this was only an example. Her Dread Father had brought her to a place of misconception; perhaps there was something she missed, a sign of some sort. Something she could look into at a later point.

 

She huffed slightly at his comment on the serenity of this place. Proxima stared at the wolf, wading closer to join him at the water. Her tail was swiping slowly in the air as she waited for a reaction from him. The she-wolf parted her maw to speak again, "Appearances can deceitful things, my dear. Perhaps there is something beyond the fog." She mused, more to herself than to her newfound companion, observing the darkness of the tides through a contemplative, half-lidded gaze. She was still not willing to share everything she had in mind, but knew the underlying reason beneath his question, and preferred to satiate his curiosity.

 

She couldn't help but be inquisitive of what lie beneath all this fog, maybe she would find out, under the right motivation. But then she released a sharp breath Proxima wasn't aware she was holding, and the fire in her teal eyes sparkled a bit. Such an expedition would have to wait, this was undiscovered land to her, one she was so new to.

the staff team luvs u

The woman would walk closer to him, assuming a close proximity in the midst of the water. His toes dug deeper into the sands, clinging to the loose soil that stuck against itself. The water brushed his ankles, a fantastical sensation as his reflection stared upward at him. 

A messy complexion staring back, he dipped the crown of his head into the water. Quickly rising once again, the fur across his cheeks were flattened before he shook himself out, the natural buoyancy to his lapels returning to their formal texture. The coolness of the it melted away any heat that had gathered, allowing him to relax. 

"I believe there is beauty behind the fog, somewhere." He turned to the look at the woman who appeared far older than he, "We may just have to look closer to find it." A light smirk tilted his features, perhaps a more visceral warmth to his voice conceded. 

After a few moments, he'd turn back to her, taking a far deeper notice of her foreign smell. "Where do you come from?" He'd ask bluntly. This wasn't Ford territory exactly, but the beaches narrowed themselves along their shores, daunting closer against the open world.

the staff team luvs u

---

Her shoulder grazed his body briefly as she glanced at the water, staring into her own reflection. Her fur was wild and somewhat littered, ferns sticking from her mane and tail. Admittedly, Proxima had not cared much for appearances. Flicking the tip of her ear, she refocused her attention and the man beside her, as well as the fog.

Proxima was aware of his gaze, how it lingered on her as he spoke, cool and collected. "There is beauty in all things; you must simply want to see it. This may not be so different." She mused. Like a gift from her Dread Father, Proxima had a way of making others see what she did. Not always in the religious sense, sometimes it was like this. Helping others see and understand things they might not have realized.
 
His next question prompted a slight pause; she certainly wasn't from here, and perhaps he wasn't either. "The marshes of Ethil, I was firstborn among my litter — in another world." She replied, shifting to look at him. "And you, where do you hail from?"

the staff team luvs u

"Maybe. But I'd rather not waste my time to look."

The woman was steadfast and peculiar, to say the least. Her heritage was clearly not from anywhere that he knew, not that he knew much, but he decided not to pester her about it. It wasn't worth the trouble.

Jun would stand ankle-deep in the water, proceeding to move forward to look for another catch. Fish swam abundantly near the shores — hence the warmer shores — and he decided that this was the better place to spend his time. Lavishing in the luxuries of food, Jun couldn't seem to stop. He'd been in dire need of perfecting his skill of fish-catching; the only staple of his past that he wanted to keep. 

"A dynasty, far from here." He would sigh, looking out amongst the horizon. He wouldn't look at her, perhaps ashamed of his heritage. "An heir of sorts. But my life belongs to the Ford now."

the staff team luvs u

---

The woman kept quiet, tongue trapped between her teeth. The man seemed to lack the motivation she had, though most did. Proxima found ease in the brim; it was so surreal, but only in the best ways, like someplace she'd find in a dreamscape.

Proxima's gaze had strayed from his face and to the water, fish roaming further out along the surface, almost mockingly. It was rare she had them in Ethil, as they consumed a majority of  avian life such as egrets, herrons, and ducks.

The man mentioned his status in his past life. He was to rule one day, had he not been pulled to this world. "You look the type," She muttered, perhaps regrettably. She knew the role of an heir well enough, though she never cared for it.

the staff team luvs u

Jun almost winced at the words that spilled from her mouth. "Sheesh, you really think so?" Jun would smirk, shaking his head as he continued to watch the fish wisp by his feet. 

"I don't know if I should be offended or not," A light chuckle followed as he made no stance to move. He wanted a catch. He would get it. A bit of a spoiled brat...— maybe. 

When the time was right, he dove his head into the water, jaw snapping around the body of a trout. The scales had been shinier, more of a green tint: that's how he knew. The fish screamed in his mouth, furiously shaking back and forth. Jun returned it with fervor, dealing his own damage with respite. 

His teeth sliced through it's skin. The taste of iron bled through his mouth. He savored it. The man would pivot, trudging out of the water, fish in hand. His tail would sway side to side as he brushed past the woman, dropping the fish onto the sands. Salt lingered on his taste buds. "Take a bite," he would motion towards the fish. 

"There's no tastier fish than the ones on these shores."

the staff team luvs u