she's slowly growing more of a creature of the dark than the mornings. even in the oasis, diantha had preferred the company of the shadows and the night, but that was the result of high temperatures underneath a strong sun. nowadays, diantha seems to lurk where it's the darkest, especially amongst the shades and inner recesses of caverns and tunnels. noises and crowds hurt her ears more than usual, and the fact that anyone can be on the borders turned her away from ever going out. she would rather not see familiar faces, lest they taunt her with memories of the past.

the cat finds herself underneath the dense thickets that are rarely seen in the cove. upon the first day she had it claimed as hers, though it's not really a true den and more of a hiding spot. diantha doesn't see the need nor the desire for proper shelter. it's much more freeing this way, as she can slip out anywhere she wants. and, when it rains, the droplets will fall on her, blessing her coat with its chilled touch.

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The witch finds herself out in the dark once more., carefully mapping the place within her mind once more. Retreading old familiar places, cataloging changes in the geography from the oceans mighty wrath, and making a mental note to gather the seaweed washing in the shallows. A walking shadow upon these sand-ridden lands, she finds it best to keep to herself for now.

That is, until the faint scent of another catches her attention. It is a cove resident so far as she can tell, but curiosity drives her. Not many of these new faces has she seen or sought since being granted permission to live within it's borders again. Cautiously she moves towards this thicket, wondering why on earth anyone would want to stay here permanently.

She spots the stranger sooner rather than later, a coat of beauty strapped over a mighty frame. They seemed young, or at least younger than herself. A smile pulled back her lips, her tail twitched in greeting "Good evening" she says in her raspy tones "Enjoying the night air?" there is something of a spark of familiarity the longer she gazes over this one, but Ashtoret cannot seem to put a claw on it. For now she leaves it and is content to make small talk in the silence.

code by corvus

@Diantha

Darkness — an obsidian blanket of security for those that dwell in the night. Comforting, in a way, to the demons that claim it as their own. She does not have a preference between the two, light and dark, but it is certainly much more fitted for the darkness that lay in her heart.

On the prowl once more to keep the borders safe from intrusion, Ludivine carves her mark into the earth as she races through the night. The thick, musty stench of the pride lingers in her nostrils, drawing in an odd sort of comfort to her now that she's spent many weeks within its borders. But the scent growing that much stronger is what finally draws her to pause in her patrolling, ears flicking forward as salmon-coloured eyes gaze into the darkness. There— shadows moving, a twin set of demons lurking in what little foliage protection the Cove has to offer. She tastes the air — allies.

Pridemates, even, though she does not recognize either as she approaches closer. But the scent on their hides is enough to calm her down, muscles still twitching slightly with adrenaline.

“Ladies,” she croons at them in greeting, lithe limbs drawing her to a halt a respectable distance away from @Diantha and @Ashtoret. “Partaking in the night view?” she questions with a soft grin, her gaze roaming for a moment to take in the view of the water from where they were, dappled with the moon's reflection.

her mood quickly turns sour as the appearance of not one, but two women showed up near her sanctuary. diantha prided herself in figuring out places that offered seclusion, but it seemed like this wasn't enough to keep others out. at the very least, the first woman @Ashtoret was polite towards her, and so too was @Ludivine. the sharp words that once laced her tongue dwindled into nothing as the part of diantha's mind wishing to chase them off became quelled with reason. she should play better now that her father no longer lorded over the pride.

it's quiet was all diantha managed to utter, eyes scanning the darkness, where no creatures nor nature cleaved through its shroud. the blank sky stared back at her, inviting and, as she said, quiet.

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It would seem she was not the only one curious about the stranger in the underbrush this night. Not long after she had made her presence known, another had come and spoken their words to the world. Another time, Ash might have been riddled with disgust at such an interruption--but the witch was finding those now occupying her old home to be quite fascinating.

As @Ludivine asks a question, Ash gives a sublte but simple nod in response. For it is @Diantha that speaks:

"It's quiet she says. And Ash gives a soft chuff of a laugh stifled by her need to be respectful. "Indeed, it was" she begins, moving so that both of the others are able to be addressed and most importantly watched. "My apologies for intruding, I have been meaning to seek out others who call this place home." A paw presses against her chest as she smirked "You may call me Ashtoret...what should I call each of you?"

code by corvus

Quiet — indeed it was.

There weren't many hospital places in the cove for wildlife to exist, lending to an air of eerie silence. A much different landscape compared to a world teeming with life. Ludivine lets out a small huff of laughter in response to @Diantha, she too — for the moment — allowing her gaze to wander out into the darkness. Did demons exist out there as well? The thought carves her grin into something more sinister.

Her gaze returns to the duo as @Ashtoret begins to speak now, an audible response to the silver feline's words. Her ear flicks for a moment at her starting words — was it considered intrusive when they all lived together? Perhaps. But then again, she found it interesting they had yet to meet one another, when their pelts stunk enough of the pride to indicate they've all lived there for a substantial period of time already. Yet it was only their liege that made an impression on her thus far. Well, that could change.

“Ludivine,” she replies immediately to the other with a soft grin on her face now, haunches settling her down into a sitting position. “It is encouraging to see this pride filled with strong women,” she muses, eyes flickering between the two of them. Though she did not consider herself sexist as her surname called her to be, she was still very much familiar with just how much power a feminine touch could muster — enough to usurp the patriarchy rule.