Fate strode through the mist, silt and mud welling around her paws but long legs keeping her chest and belly well clear of the dirt. She peered over the ground cover of mist and into the fog. Occasionally she would halt, head raised erect and large ears turning, scanning for a sound in the mist.

Fate had been here before in her wanderings, and she happened to know that Marsh Striders lived in Cetus; a small but aggressive species of Cave deer.

Sometimes, Fate would tackle them just for the thrill of it, making kills out of sheer daring exhilaration. Sometimes, she left it for the scavengers, her urges satisfied. But, Fate also happened to think that they were the tastiest species in the caves. Tough and rubbery, but sharp and slightly bitter on her tongue. Fatty, too. There were some boredom pangs that the dice she carried would never fix, and grappling with sick, weak, and occasionally ordinary marsh striders had kept her fit and lean in the long cycles of solitude. Today, it just so happened that her stomach was rumbling.

Standing stock-still, rising on lanky limbs out of the mist cover, Fate drank in the scents of Cetus and caught a faint tendril of what she assumed to be the sought-out cervid. Dropping her head, she strode eagerly through the marsh.
_____________________________________________

The phantom of Cetus, a wraith draped in white, walked delicately through the marsh. She was unaware of the Gembound nearby, too busy staring disdainfully at the shrubs by her hooves, trying to work up the nerve to eat them. She did not realize the possible danger she was in. Did not know that there were creatures who ate other creatures. Did not contain that instinct to keep an eye on her surroundings because she believed nothing could harm her. Well. Warmth could harm her. Heat was her Kryptonite. Heat and body contact between others. She thought of the ram who had licked her in an attempt at… comfort. That’s what he had been doing, she thought. She wasn’t really sure.

She dismissed the thought about the ram and concentrated again on trying to eat, but in the end, she gave up, as she almost always did, and raised her head to stare around in the fog. She thought she saw a darker shape in the mist but wasn’t sure. She dismissed this as well, turning her back on it and beginning to head towards home, towards the Divine.

As the faint tendril of scent grew stronger and more distinct, Fate began to realize that it wasn't, in fact, the scent of a marsh strider, but something else. the scent was richer, less in tune with the silt and the damp- richer, almost. Fate once more drew to a halt, her large ears pricked straight upright and her gaze scanning the cloak of mist. She saw something move- a figure, a white shape striding through the fog. Fate watched for a few long moments, then lowered her head and slunk forwards.

It was a young creature; she could see from its long, lanky legs and large head, looking clumsy despite its grace. But she could also see that it wasn't newborn, either; not quite, anyway. Its fur was dry and its step was sure. Its eyes flickered with some knowledge of the world in which it had found itself.

She watched the other drop their head and begin to eat as though in distaste of the stems, something that Fate could understand. She could, and would, subsist on plants alone if forced to, but she'd never turn down a proper meal of meat, whether it be from a cave rat or a marsh strider.

Fate's ears twitched in the dark, her tail flicking from side to side. She took another whiff of the deer's scent, knowing full well that this fawn would make a fine meal should she wish it. But, greater gembounds were off the menu; Fate thought that they could be more useful in other ways. Besides, she wanted to watch young ones like this reach their prime. See where their feet carried them in life. See which path they chose. Learn to predict.

Watching the deer's movements closely, Fate stepped out of the mist, holding her head high.

"Ho, young one."


_____________________________________________

The wraith turned to look over her shoulder at whoever had just spoken, dark eyes scanning the area before finding the odd-looking creature. She turned fully, eyes never leaving the other. So many… There were so many others here in Cetus with her. Sometimes their company left her feeling crowded, and protective of the Divine. Sometimes she simply felt confused. Why did others always feel the need to talk to her? Was it just her, or did they talk to each other, as well? She did not understand this incessant need to attempt to speak to others. She blinked at the red-coated Gembound without saying anything. She wanted to go home, back to her Tree.

The silence of the young one caused Fate to tilt her head curiously, shifting her weight slowly between forepaws as she waited for a time, until the chill set into her fur, and she padded closer, close enough that she could scent them clearly.

Fate could tell from this lackluster interaction that they didn't think much of other creatures or perhaps was simply afraid. Fate could relate; she was a loner by nature, and she had to admit that it was mainly their scent drawing her out of the mist, not that she'd admit it of course. But then, there was also the prime opportunity for study here; Fate loved young ones, but even more than that she was awed by the seemingly limitless potential they held.

Fate wondered what this one would one day become; already their gangly legs whispered of elegance, their coat a silhouette of snow rising out from the mist. They weren't newborn, so perhaps their apparrent shyness would become an even bigger part of them.

As she gazed upon them, Fate felt all the limitless possibilities opening before her, and couldn't help but smile.


_____________________________________________

The two Gembound stood silently, watching one another, and the wraith felt her interest slipping further and further away with each second. The Divine called to her, and she turned back to look in its direction. Mother. She turned once more, casting her dark gaze upon this long-legged creature, her eyes roaming over its form with a bored expression. They offered nothing she wanted. Nothing she needed. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting the sounds of Cetus lull her into wanting to leave completely. The frogs, the insects, the strange bird-calls up in the trees. This stranger was not her home. Cetus was. The Divine was. She opened her eyes, looking through the stranger without seeing them, and then turned and walked away.

[Alaska will exit unless stopped.]

Fate watched, her gaze searching, every thought that flickered through her mind trying to predict what they would do next. As she did so, however, it became increasingly apparent that it seemed there was only one way that they could truly go.

The young cervid hadn't spoken a word to her, and showed an ever-growing lack of interest despite - to Fate's knowledge - being a herd animal. So, when they turned and left, fading like a ghost into the mist, the maned wolf simply stayed and pondered- even though they had said little, the canid felt that she had learned much.

And so, the wolf turned her back on the vanishing form of the deer, and disappeared herself, her fiery-orange coat soon fading to yet another shadow in the mist.

-exit Fate-

_____________________________________________