Open;; If I could find you now

[Paint]

Sleeping all day,
Staying up all night-
If I could find you now
Things would get better.
We could leave this town
And run forever.

It was the dead of night, a new moon hidden in the confines of the sky so, besides the starlight, the land was shrouded in darkness. It was eerie, and beautiful, and Bandit was out to enjoy it. Sometimes insomnia had it's perks- she often had a lot more time to think than other wolves. All points towards her substantial intelligence.

She had been wandering in the Stars land for a while, but had become bored after a while with the worry she might wake a pack member. So, her paws had taken her to No Man's Land, and her pace had increased to a run as she crossed the border.

She's come to a skidding halt moments before the land fell forwards into a cliff, the increasing sound of the waterfall being her guide when to stop. There wasn't much light to guide her vibrant amber eyes. She was thinking, quite deeply as she stopped and breathed heavily, about her father.

She wondered if things would have been different if she'd stayed in the valley all along. She knew from Vesuvius's messages that Xaka had fallen for Quianna- as Bandit had predicted. She knew a war was inevitable with so many clashing personalities in the valley.

Still, could she have saved him?

She doubted it- he would have been intent on fighting Duke alone. Honour, and all of that. Still, if Bandit had stayed, she could've taken up the reigns there and then from Quianna and lead the pack to victory. She wanted to get her teeth into Duke's throat and avenge her father, no matter the cost.

She sighed and sat down, closing her eyes momentarily, almost begging sleep to find her just this once. She stayed avidly awake, however, and gave up quickly. She opened her eyes slowly and listened to the sound of the waterfall to her right in the cloaking darkness.

[wolfstar]

Ritbant prowled about the waterfall, unable to sleep for the fifth night. He could catnap, but he needed to have a long, deep sleep, one uninterrupted by foul dreams. Ritbant snarled to himself. He never seemed to be in a good mood these days. He never slept much these days either, instead prowling the edges of terror, much like he prowled the water now. His green eyes reflected the starlight, and his red chestnut pelt blended seamlessly into the night sky backdrop behind him. He wondered to himself if his mother had done what he was doing as she was slowly driven mad. A small, sardonic smile stretched his lips. He, who had tried to be different than his parents, was going to die like one of them. But, his humor remained intact, despite taking a beating, so he raised his head and let out of his more heartrending howls, piercing and clear, but low with anguish. Wolves would have trouble sleeping tonight. He smiled slightly, his mood restored a bit by the mean joke, but not much, and he already knew he'd regret it in the morning when a bunch of loners were all cranky from no sleep.

[Paint]

Bandit was brought out of her musings as an anguished howl pierced the night. The wolves of the valley would not doubt be used to it- they were wolves, after all, and howling came naturally. Wondering if it was right to reply, she shrugged at no one and lifted her own maw.

Her howl was not one of anguish, or pain, but simple longing for her past. Her song rose over the sound of the waterfall beside her, and she closed her eyes and got lost in the sound of her own melody, bringing it to an end not long after.

The message was clear enough, and she didn't want to be dramatic and draw it out. Her ears flicked backwards and forwards, the howl had not been too far away, so perhaps the wolf was close. She kept herself on guard- even a lunatic could howl with anguish, she should not be naive.

[wolfstar]

Rit was startled by the reply. He hesitantly opened his maw and sent out a reply. It whispered across the valley, just low, thoughtful, and slightly apologetic. It let the replier know that it was a joke, and he was wondering who she was. His bad mood had vanished, overtaken by his insatiable curiosity. The howl had sounded close to him, and he was wondering who else was up this late and for why.

[Paint]

Her ears quivered again as the slightly apologetic howl came out. She smirked at nothing in the night, it had been a joke howl. Still, she half-turned and strained her eyes to follow the stream away. Of course, she could see no wolf although he had to be close.

She coughed to clear her throat, and lifted her maw up again. Her howl was simple in answer to his curiosity; come and find me. She was still guarded, turning fully so she could see his approach as she sat on the cliffside as her howl ended. She wasn't scared, she was hardly ever scared, and it took a hell of a lot to shock her as well. She waited, wondering who this mysterious male was, wandering the night alone.

[wolfstar]

Rit padded toward the sound, not bothering to announce himself. She would know. He paused and coughed near the waterfall, uncertain as to where she was. He let out a small howl. "Directions please." He didn't want to ask, since it wounded his male pride, but if he wanted to know, he had to ask. And Ritbant got things done, even if it was painful for him. 'Course he only did it in the first place if it benefited him.

[Paint]

Bandit listened carefully, over the sounds of the waterfall she heard his approach. Soon enough, he came into sight, but only because her eyes had adjusted so well. He was only a little way away from her, and she smiled, still with a wary look in her eyes.

"Over here," she called out confidently, her pose relaxed. He wasn't much of a threat at the moment, and she was no petite and vulnerable female. She tilted her head forwards, moving very slightly but enough to move the white on her body. It was the lightest thing around, she was sure he'd catch sight.

[wolfstar]

Rit's head swung around at the sound of a voice, and his sharp green eyes caught sight of a small patch of white. He relaxed the muscles that had instantly tensed, and stepped forward, until he was several feet from her, giving her space, but also able to talk if wanted. He nodded his head, not as a sign of submission, but a greeting, a sign of good will between wolves. "My name is Ritbant. I don't know you. You smell like you're from one of the packs." There was no anger in his clear voice, just curiosity. He kept an open mind on the subject of the packs, unlike many loners. In fact, he was considering joining Stars. If they would take him, which was unlikely.

[Paint]

Bandit waited, tilting her head to one side in a way that would've been cute had she been four years younger. As it was, the questioning look was perfectly mature. When he said 'I don't know you.' she almost laughed- wasn't that bit obvious? She refrained though, not even smiling especially widely.

"Yes, the Dancing Stars," she replied clearly. She had to keep reminding herself she was only a Delta- her will to lead the pack, introduce it in full flourish and show it victory was almost overwhelming sometimes. She was so proud it had survived all this time, even if her father hadn't. She also had to remind herself that no one even knew she was in line to the 'throne', because no one had bothered to ask for the pack's history. Ugh.

"You're a loner, I take it? This valley seems to attract loners like flies to a carcass," Bandit replied nonchalantly. "No offense," she added with a wry smile, strange humour leaking through at an odd moment again.

[wolfstar]

Rit smiled. "None taken. I admire the Stars. I find they are a good strong pack." He smiled uncertainly at the female. "You have me at a disadvantage. What's your name?" He sat down gently, preparing for a good chat. He had found himself mellowing towards other wolves lately, and he didn't mind company. He was considering joining a pack. This might be an opportunity.

[Paint]

"We used to be stronger," Bandit said automatically, voice somehow tuned in and yet far away. Her vibrant amber eyes flickered away, and then back, and she focused them on Ritbant again. He must be considering joining a pack, most loners would say little and move on. Most loners liked to be alone.

"But we'll be strong again," she smiled slightly, as if sharing with him some sort of private joke. As usual, her humour was a little hard to place. "I'm Bandit." she replied finally to the question of her name, and she sat also, if a little more tentatively.

[wolfstar]

"It's a pleasure Bandit." Ritbant nodded in a friendly greeting. "What are you doing out here in No Man's Land this late at night?" He knew it wasn't really his business, but he was a curious wolf, and he didn't ask it in a threatening way. He was curious, much to his occasional dismay. If he got his teeth into something, he wouldn't let it go until his determination and curiosity was satisfied. This lead him to trouble many a time.

[Paint]

Bandit shifted a little, falling still again and keeping her bright eyes on Ritbant. It was a little late to be wandering about, she had to admit. This was so strange, having an actual conversation with this stranger. She rarely conversed with anyone, she was normally quite silent.

"Pleasure," she replied with a slight inclination of her black and white head. She tilted her head very slightly to one side, all of her movements seeming naturally restrained and controlled. "As for why I'm out here... well, I suppose it's because I can't sleep." she admitted.

She wouldn't confess that this was a regular occurrence, that being an insomniac meant she was often wandering in the dead of night. Usually, she never even came this close to admitting her sleeping problem.
"And yourself?" she asked in return, polite as always.

[wolfstar]

Rit snorted. "Same reason. I haven't slept in almost five days now. " He didn't know why he even bothered talking with Bandit. Let alone why he had just told her that he wasn't sleeping well. Normally he didn't like other wolves. But there was something about her, just the right small amount of kindness, just the right amount of pride and arrogance that made him interested, just enough to make him stop and listen, and even talk. "Why do you wander here, rather than in your land? I'm just curious. Don't mean to pry. You look like a fighter. Have you fought any moons? Did you come from the valley? Sorry." His voice was sheepish. "No sleep and too much curiosity make me sort of pry-ee and to hyper."

[Paint]

Surprising herself, Bandit found she was smiling at his questions comment. Perhaps the loner in her was fading, as it ought to, or perhaps she was just nicer than she gave herself credit for. Maybe it was just that Ritbant seemed to be the right balance between wary and friendly, distant and yet interesting. Normally the scales tipped too heavily to one side.

"Well, to answer your first question..." that rare half-grin which stemmed from Bandit's strange humour reappeared momentarily. "I wander here because I didn't want to disturb any packmates. Plus, sometimes it's interesting to see what loners are doing in the middle of the night," she shrugged. "As for your other questions- yes I came from the old valley. A long, long time ago."

She paused in consideration. Should she tell her story to this stranger? Seeing no reason why not, she sighed slightly.
"There was a Dancing Stars at the old valley too, you see. Many years ago, I was born to the Alpha of the Stars pack- Xaka. And my mother was called Lotus. Then, to put it simply, she got sick and went away so we wouldn't see her dying or in distress at all."

"My father picked another mate to help run the pack- Quianna. I knew he would... fall in love with her. Someday. And I didn't want to stick around to watch that, so I left and became a loner. I joined various packs but they were never far from the old valley, and I kept checking back with my little brother Vesuvius to find out what was happening."

She frowned sadly.
"Then I found out my father had died. Duke, the Moons Alpha, had killed him and the Stars had been driven to the bad end of the valley. It was horrifying from the outside of the valley, I can only imagine living through it," she sighed again. "Then about a year later, the earthquake struck, but I was still a loner at this point. I followed the trails of the surviving wolves leading away from the old valley to here."

She shifted slightly, looking over at him trustingly.
"And not a single wolf, besides yourself and a younger wolf Bion, knows that I am technically the rightful 'heir' to the pack, as the oldest living pup of Xaka." she finished proudly, but still sadly.