and the stars in their orbits shone pale through the lightof the brighter, colder moon

Nadya had been gone so long that she had almost forgotten what it was like in Sacrosanct. The outside world wasn't as pleasant of a place to be in, constantly having to hide what she was and keep to the shadows. She had needed it though, to get away as her new ability had been too delicate, too different, too much for her to handle. She had needed time to get a hold on it at least a bit before returning. Surely her brother would have understood...if he would ever come out of that blasted club to see her. It had been weeks before she had seen him and had since resolved that he no longer wanted to see her, content enough to know she was alive and send his lackey Tobias to simply check-in on her. Tobias...she wasn't quite sure what to do about him, a childhood companion, packmate, who was very much not a little boy anymore physically but to some extents frozen in time mentally. She was very sure he could be taught but her patience was limited.

Whether he had noted her absence as well was a curiosity of Nadya's. Normally no matter where she had been in the vast city Tobias had always found her and the first two days of her travels she half expected him to just turn up. But the days had turned into weeks and he never showed. She knew from the past that he usually siddled up with that wolf Raven and was fed but she also didn't feel like any non-pack member could care for her pack properly like she could. That was why she had gotten together a little care package, a present and invite all in the same, a bundle of seared venison slabs which Nadya knew Tobias would devour. While Tobias could be a black hole for food there were some things that he preferred over others and of course like any male most greens a.k.a "rabbit food" were off the menu. Nadya had paced along the block of Syn for quite some time before running into a curious child vampire. It had been an interesting meeting to say the least, the vampire reminding her a lot of Tobias so offered her a favor in return for delivery of the meat. What that favor was Nadya didn't know, the vampire simply taking the I owe you and taking on the task to deliver the meat and message to Tobias that Nadya was back and to meet her in the woods.

Now Nadya slipped through the unbeaten path through the woods, her black pelt standing out in the lush green growth as there were no shadows of the night to hide her. It was a pleasant enough day, the sun out with a light breeze, enough to warm the skin and make you drowsy from the warmth yet not enough to be unbearable. Every few yards Nadya paused and to scrape herself against a tree, lifting up on her back legs to rub from the side of her face to her shoulder as high up as she could reach before lowering again. There was no doubt Tobias would find her using his ability but she felt a clear cut path would be far faster and easier. Her path led her to a small clearing in the woods where she had set up a picnic of sorts, a variety of food laid out and waiting in containers for his arrival along with her backpack that held further presents brought from her travels. What set the clearing apart, why Nadya had chosen it, was there was also a river from up the hills that ran down into the clearing which due to a drop in the ground and boulders had created a waterfall into a gathered pool. The water glistened in the sun, catching the rays and bouncing them back up like little diamonds as it churned.

Nadya paused for a moment to watch the water, knowing full well that Tobias was afraid of the liquid, but that was just another reason to be here. She had done more than just seen the sights when she had left and now it was time to test it. Her long tail flicked in anticipation, butterflies of sorts dancing in her stomach as her fur melted away to flesh now smooth and unmarred, having been given time to completely heal. Nadya slipped on her blue and white flower summer dress then kneeled at the picnic site to wait.