~"Why?"~ - Hint: Triss -

[~ T r i s s c a r ~]

Trisscar collapsed on the sand of the beach. "Shaman," she repeated to herself, her ebony body shaking from both cold and fright. She curled up and shook herself to sleep.

"Triss, Trisscar, my daughter."
Triss blinked open her eyes to see a wily-looking fox standing in front of her. "Wh-Who are you?" she snarled, fur bristling. She had not heard all of his words.
"I am Zorro, your father, Triss. Why did you run away?"
"I-I'm scared," she barked, not sounding at all like the three-year-old she was, but more that of a yearling pup. "I mean . . ."
"I know what you mean, daughter. Face your fears. Pack life is not too harsh, if the pack is loyal and strong." With these words he faded, and Triss remained in a fitful sleep.

((ACK! Horrid post, you know! Bad me! *smacks self and nibbles on Reese's wrapper truthfully*))[/color]

[Valentina]

((Ooc: Don't worry about it! lol))

The sleek body of the wolven femme appeared on the smooth silver sand under the moon. She paused and gazed at the moon somberly with icy eyes that glowed in the light, and then pricked her velveteen ears and twitched her black nose forward. She spotted the black ball that was the unusual fox-dog, Trisscar, a half breed, like herself. She lowered her head and sniffed the ground once, closing her eyes lightly to make sure it was the one.

The other femme appeared to be asleep. Valentina was maybe thirty feet away from her, and as she approached slowly, she said loudly, "Trisscar!" She sat down fifteen feet away, not wanting to spook her. She hoped she could convince her to come back, or maybe comfort her, whatever had caused her to run away in the first place. Valentina curled the corners of her mouth in a light smile so as to look more friendly to the timid fox-dog, and wrapped her feathery tail around her slender limbs, cocking her head to the side to wait.

"You ran off pretty fast there," she said, trailing her crystal eyes back up to the moon that hypnotized her. "Thought you might need some company." the scarlet wolf-dog offered. She would do everything in her power to bring this half dog back with her. The gang needed her, and it was the least Valentina could do after putting Reverie through this in the first place.

[~ T r i s s c a r ~]

The black foxdog blinked open her brown eyes and uncurled herself. She looked at the wolfdog in wonder as she spoke.

"Why did you come for me?" she asked in a soft whisper. "I guess I thought poorly of your gang after what you all did for me." She lowered her head in shame as an image of Tyrant bowing to her burned in her memory. "I'm sorry. I guess I just never trusted anybody.

"I was an outcast the moment I was born. Zorro, the fox was, and the street dogs considered his daughter to be one, too. That's why I had left after giving the first set of herbs to the dog back at the hollow. That's what I always did, because they never respected or were grateful for my healings.

"In fact, the only way I became a healer was to heal myself first! If I hadn't, I would have surely died." For a moment she lifted her eyes to the moon. Blinking at Valentina, she whispered, "No one's come back for me before."

[Valentina]

As Triss finished speaking, the scarlet wolf-dog rose silently and padded to her side. She sat down next to her and wrapped her feathery plume around her haunches, and tilted her head back to stare at the moon as well. She couldn't help but think how odd it was---two half breeds, so different but so alike, sitting there. A small smile curved her lips and her blue eyes never wavered from the moon.
"And you know? Before tonight I've never come back for anyone, either." she said, and thick smoke clouded her mind's eyes as she searched frantically for Reverie in the fire.

Valentina was surprised at how fast Trisscar had opened up to her. She seemed so timid, but the femme guessed that all she really ever needed must have been someone that she could open up to, after all. She was only glad she could help.

"All though I only know Sir Tyrant and Reverie, the gang is unlike anything you've seen." Valentina began, realization of why she hadn't left yet dawning over her. "They're kind, and loyal, and selfless...not like any street dogs I've ever met before," she gave a short laugh. "And believe me, I've met quite the few." She brought her icy gaze back down to earth, except now it wasn't icy---it was still a sharp silver in the night, but it was warm and filled with compassion for once. She knew she was letting her tough outer-shell down, but for right now, the wolf-dog didn't care.

She turned back to Trisscar, sculpted wolven ears pricked forward as she spoke. "Trisscar, the gang needs you, and you don't have anywhere else to go, huh? I'd bet my life--I wouldn't have yesterday, but after this night, well---I can definitely say that any one of those dogs, half-breed or not, would give up their life for you." She shifted her weight, remembering how the thought had never really sunk in when Tyrant had told her that same thing. A smile crossed her maw as she remembered her first encounter with him. She really had no idea then, did she?

She stood up and stretched, then looked at the enchanting moon once more. "My name is Valentina, by the way," she said, giving the fox-dog the same humorous dramatic bow she'd given Tyrant and Reverie. "Pleasure to meet you, Trisscar."

[~ T r i s s c a r ~]

Triss blinked thoughtfully at Valentina. "N-Nice meeting you, too," she said, "and you can call me Triss." When the scarlet wolfdog stood, she asked, "Are you headed back?"

She stood up too, even though she herself had no idea why. It was just instinctive, really. "I-I may join . . . but . . . I need to get my supplies first . . ." Pointed ears flattened against her head, she nosed Valentina's shoulder in a friendly way and retreated from the beach.

. . .

[Valentina]

Valentina waved her tail happily from side to side. "Yeah, I was thinkin' about it," she said as the black-furred fox-dog trotted off. She took a few steps along behind the other fae up the beach, but stopped.

"All right, get your stuff," she said with a playfully demanding tone in her voice, but a grin was still spread widely across her creamy maw. "I'm going back to the Hollow now. I'll see you there, okay?" she said, and it was clear Valentina had enough faith in this dog that they would in fact, meet up again. "See ya later, Triss!" she called after her happily and turned to walk in the opposite direction toward the Hollow. She slinked up the beach and dissapeared gradually into the foliage that bordered it, until the beach was once again frozen and still under the moonlight.