Private Thread Chapel Social

The world's too big to stay in one place.

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"Ah, Princess, I hope I'm not late" Fox drawled softly, his voice slipping from the darkness like smoke from a wild, angry fire. He emerged from between two wild hedges, paws light against the old stone as if he'd walked the path all his life. His tone held its usual confidence and bravado, one a lesser tom wouldn't be able to get away with so easily.

Moonlight caught his ginger tabby fur, shimmering faintly as he dipped his head with just enough flourish to show respect, though the twinkle in his eyes suggested the large tom was not above a little bit of theatrical flair every now and again. 

He didn't move closer right away, only stood a few tail-lengths back as though savoring the moment, her presence, letting the night stretch out between them like a drawn curtain before the nest act. The bats above rustled faintly and Fox was immediately alert to them, flicking his ear and catching their rhythm, if this ended where he hoped, he would be able to get a meal out of this interesting meetup.

"I must say, the view does live up to the invitation" he added a bit more quietly, gaze resting on her with a softness not found in ordinary rogues, at least not any rough, weathered rogues he'd come across.

Heir to the Black Prince

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A slight smile curled at the corner of Ahryndae’s mouth not enough to betray amusement but just enough to acknowledge it. Let them see if he'd last. "Just Fox..." She purred, the name rolling off her tongue like velvet drawn across the edge of a blade. She didn’t turn to look at him right away. Then at last she shifted with slow purpose allowing him the full weight of her gaze.

"You’re not late, no." she said, voice low and smooth. The bats above gave another faint chitter, their wings rustling. Ahryndae’s eyes lifted, golden and gleaming in the moonlight, before returning to him with a look that could make a lesser cat shudder. "The creatures have yet to leave their roost."

She stepped forward then, just one measured pawstep. Her sleek tail flicked behind her, and there was a pulse of anticipation in her posture, elegant and wild all at once. Not one of Whitehart, but never one to shun an opportunity brought on by the humans and their constructs.

"I dance at night." she reminded him, eyes narrowing slightly, but not unkindly. "And tonight, I hunt bats. Join me, if you like." There was challenge in her tone. An invitation spun from mystery, sharpened by pride, and lit by something mischievous just beneath the surface. Something like a dare. Something like a game.

Then, without waiting for an answer, Ahryndae turned and leapt lightly to the next stone ledge, the shadow of the gargoyle brushing her flank like an old friend. Closer she climbed the dark, stooping ledges of the church towards its slanted roof. Closer to the bat's nests right before they escaped into the dark to feed.

Let him follow, or let him watch. Either way, the hunt had begun.

The world's too big to stay in one place.

⋘ ──── ∙∙•🦊•∙∙ ──── ⋙

Fox watched her body leap up so effortlessly elegant and followed suit, while his leap was not one of elegance, it was still study and silent as death. Her perched himself beside her and curled his tail, not around anything, but rather to keep it from waving behind him to keep himself from being found easier, if he didn't alert the creatures with his words, he would certainly alarm them with sudden movements.

Carnelian had taught him all kinds of things, all sorts of hunting methods, and bats were one of them. He didn't doubt Ahryndae's abilities however, while he didn't catch bats as often as he should, she claims she hunts them nightly, so he wouldn't be surprised if she was miles ahead of him before he even looked at a bat. "Should be an easy task for you then, a few bats won't ruffle my fur either though" he chimed quietly, near silently as he slowly moved his tail for balance.

Fox glanced around for a landing point, bats didn't land, they're always airborn unless they slept, so they wouldn't land for him or anyone else's convenience. So it was safe to have a landing point to avoid getting a sprain that would just put his hunting skills to waste. Then he spotted it, an identical perch across from them, it wasn't the worst distance, but it would certainly keep him on his toes. 

His eyes narrowed as he heard the batting of wings and didn't hesitated, launching himself at a relatively small bat that had bravely taken off from where it had originally lay. His teeth gripped the bat's neck harshly before it could scream for help, before it realised it had been under attack. The, less-than-gracefully, he gripped onto the perch on the other side and climbed safely with his hind legs aiming a proud glance at his newfound hunting partner. 

"Would you look at that" he murmured, placing the limp bat beneath his paw "a fine catch for someone who doesn't normally dance" he cooed confidently, he had no intention of having a competition, but bats weren't easy, not for most cats.

Heir to the Black Prince

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Ahryndae stilled where she perched, eyes following the arc of Fox’s leap and the swift execution of his hunt without so much as a whisker twitch. The crack of the bat’s spine was a quiet note in the hush between them, and she watched without blinking as he landed opposite her, the prize clutched beneath his paw.

She rose fluidly to her paws again, not bothering to disguise the slight flex of her shoulders before she leapt to the next jutting stone. The angle was crueler here, the wind sharper, and she seemed to relish it. Moonlight painted her in silver threads as she stalked the cathedral ledge her movements soundless and shaped by habit.

Ahryndae paused where a crack in the masonry yawned above the slanted roof tiles, her ears flicking at the stir of leathery wings within. She did not speak again until the night air shifted until a second bat emerged. Then begun her waltz.

A flash of shadow, a pulse of muscle, and she caught the creature mid flight between her paws with a violent grace that contrasted her usual composure. Her landing was softer than his, - if not from the sheer weight, then more deliberate, controlled. The bat lay limp in her grasp already silent as to not warn its brethren.

She turned, stepping into the wash of moonlight again, and laid her catch beside her like a treasure laid at the altar of some forgotten god. "I did say I hunt them nightly..." The ghostly she-cat whispered, almost gently. "But it is different with an audience."

Then, with a glance that held something like invitation. "Or even a dance partner. Shall we see if your luck holds?" She lifted her chin then, gaze shifting to the opening above. The stillness was breaking...bats, sensing the hour’s turn, were beginning to rustle in earnest. A rhythm was forming.

Her tail curled with controlled anticipation, and she turned her golden eyes on Fox once more. "This is the part where the dancers move as one." Her grin curled, almost conspiratorially. "For the catch." She stepped nearer, her shoulder barely brushing his for a fleeting moment. "On the third wingbeat. Leap when I leap."

Above them, the air tensed.The wingbeats surged. Ahryndae sprang like a phantom loosed from stone, claws slicing through air as she shot up toward the flightpath...an obsidian blur amidst the night. Her body twisted in midair, teeth bared in silent calculation. The hunt was no longer a solo performance.

Twas was a duet.