A Day in the Woods (Sombra)

[Olivier Bonnaire]

Olivier dashed through the trees at a breakneck speed of nearly ninety miles per hour. The feeling of wind passing through his shiny brown fur was simply priceless. It was like river water passing over rocks, or sunlight streaming through the leaves overhead. In Olivier's mind there was really nothing better. Well, except for his homemade Pain au Chocolat, which Adrian stated was "the best in all of Paris."

Slowing down to a slow trot to catch his breath, Olivier emerged in a small clearing. The grass was rather tall and unkempt with a few dandelions spotting the ground here and there. The birds sang cheerfully in the branches overhead, busily flying this way and that gathering food or constructing a nest. As it was mid afternoon, the sun shone down on the spot at such an angle that it seemed like the whole scene was glowing. The perfect spot to settle down and take a nap.

Padding over to the middle of the clearing, Olivier fell down into the soft, warm grass and rested his head on his paws. It was the middle of summer, so Olivier had much more free time on his hands since school had let out. Since he really had nothing better to do, he spent his days helping Adrian look after their bicycle shop, or losing himself in a good book, or running errands for Adrian since he was too irresponsible to do them himself.

Opening one eye, Olivier spotted a couple of butterflies fluttering around in the grass a few feet away from him. As he watched, it seemed as if the birds had stopped singing and the sun suddenly seemed less bright, for a heaviness settled into his heart that he could not relinquish. He knew exactly what it was. He felt it sometimes when he was alone in their little apartment and Adrian was still sleeping, or when he was wandering through the woods by himself, as he was now. What Olivier was feeling was loneliness.

At school, Olivier was the nerdy, shy one at the back who never spoke to anyone or made himself noticed. Because of this, his friendship history had always been... lacking, at best. He usually didn't mind. He often enjoyed being by himself, being left alone to read, or play with his pet rat, Fabio, or wander Paris in search of a pastry that could top one of his own. But sometimes, people just need someone else there to keep them company. Adrian was really all that Olivier had, and the two of them were so different it was hard to believe they were related at all. So needless to say, Adrian wasn't a very good playmate.

Sighing and closing his eyes again, Olivier let the sun warm his pelt and fell into a light slumber.

[*sombra delgadillo]

Sombra Delgadillo did not frequent her home country all that much any longer. Whether this was because the memories of her failure were too great, the death of her sister and their starvation, or because she was simply disinterested in the scenery was up for debate. However, one may venture to guess it was the former. Sombra's mind did not do well combing the block of memory lane, and therefore her wolf made it inaccessible...despite the ghostly emptiness that occasionally weighted down her abdominals. That familiar feeling. Tossing her skull in a dismissive fashion, the alabaster lupine wove amid the foliage. Her lobes were pressed carefully to the zenith of her skull, brows knit together as much as a wolf may acheive.

There was a foreign scent on the wind, disrupting the beast within and coaxing such a state of calculation and apprehension. Coming into contact with others was not something that Sombra had ever truly relished in. The beast within alone was not a social soul, it was a lone being...which begged the question...what had possessed her to join a pack? Perhaps it was a longing to belong with others, or a wish to connect so that once she was gone someone would notice. At present that seemed an impossibility. If Sombra Delgadillo vanished off the planet no one would care. Maybe Mercer...after the months it took to realize she was gone.

Perhaps Melanie would shed a tear or two, but that was a stretch. Clay would think it strange but not fret himself but his mate would be a little put out, Riley. Such a fragile, petite and exquisite human. Sombra's makeup was no where near as conventional. Whatever beauty one might draw from her was in the feral nature of the she-wolf. There was nothing popular or alluring about her. If anything it was the dangerous aura she gave off that was the most attractive thing to be found about the feminine creature. She was noticeably dainty, carefully sculpted and smoothly built. Obviously female, but an acquired taste. These things were not so much a hindrance as an asset to Sombra.

Drawing nearer to the spectator, she quickly found that her worries were not founded. It was a whelp, a small pup who was not at all threatening at all. A faint smirk twitched about her aperture at the slumbering wolf. Not the brightest place to sleep but she reasoned he was probably far too immature to be expected to know that such things were not exactly in the play book as "to do". Approaching, she seated herself at a fair distance and slowly descended to lie on her stomach and observe the napping pup. Staring vacantly off into a distant direction, a brow quirked before she spoke in a soft, slightly accented tone. "You know, if you slept more at night sleeping during the day would be unnecessary." It was a neutral observation and yet held a motherly familiar tone that Sombra could not help but adopt. Old habits die hard.

[Olivier Bonnaire]

Olivier could smell the newcomer before he heard her lie down in the grass only a few feet away, but the boy was in a sort of half-delirium state in between sleep and wakefulness. Even though he caught her scent as she approached and registered the soft rasping sound of the grass as it was smoothed down by the new body, he only really realized that there was someone there when he heard the words spoken to him. His ear twitched and he opened one eye, almost positive he was simply imagining things, but when his eyelid groggily raised itself, he gave a start at the wolf lying right in front of him.

He blinked once, twice, three times, not sure if he was just dreaming or not, and by the time he had quite convinced himself that it was real, he was already on his feet, staring in apparent surprise at the new figure lying in the grass before him. "Um... hello." he said sheepishly, not really knowing whether or not he should be talking to his new companion. Adrian always told him not to talk to strangers, but did strange wolves count?

He looked her over, taking note of her hard, almost cold gaze, and the scar over her left eye. She was bigger than Olivier, but that wasn't saying much. The boy was short and scrawny as a human, and he was just the same as a wolf. In fact, he was small enough to often pass as a large dog, which had gotten him out of a bunch of unfavorable situations. He was, of course, thinking of his many adventures in distant countries when he wandered a bit too far on the full moon, but that was a story for another time.

Feeling a bit pressured under the awkward silence that had arisen between them, and feeling the need to explain himself, Olivier spoke up again."Um... Well, I... I was just taking a nap... the sun makes me sleepy..." he stammered meekly, his ears flat against his head and his eyes on the ground. Okay, not the brightest thing to say, but Olivier was shy and not very good around people, so you had to cut him some slack.

[*sombra delgadillo]

It was evident to the she-wolf that she had in fact roused the boy with her arrival, but his lack of response was somewhat worrisome, though not surprising. Pressing her nostrils to her outstretched paws, she breathed in her own scent – a calming sensation washing over her with the reestablishment of self. Flicking her tail to and fro her gaze slowly ascended to glance as he woke, somewhat unsteadily. Clearly while his sleep had been light it had been a good nap. His surprise and struggle to focus was evident and Sombra found that she felt sympathy for him. Though she would not have dealt with the situation differently. Observing his stumbling and attempts to wake himself up enough to register her presence, a brow ascended. The greeting was a disinteresting one…and probably the best he could formulate under such pressure.

”Good morning. Sleep well?” It was soothingly murmured, much as she would have spoken to Emily. The fixed expression on Sombra’s features were undeniably stoic. The wolf was habitually so. Then again the wolf had never been what could be termed “happy”. It only knew the entropy that rested in her innermost thoughts, and the stresses of a beast that always felt caged. Breathing in a shallow calculated breath, the rugged posterior was forgotten. In human form she was beautiful, flawless…her scar not visible. The wolf was just…her reality? Not that the human Sombra wasn’t real, in fact it was probably closer to her as a true being. But the wolf…the wolf communicated her soul, the heart gnarled and beaten down until it was cold and somber.

It illustrated both her intelligence and distrust for everything and everyone around her. The sole exceptions, it would seem, were Mike and Melanie Mercer. Old friends. How she missed them and how odd it was that they had fallen into a fate such as hers – turned without a choice. Making herself re-hone her senses on the here and now, she watched him stutter and speak…rather pathetic but Sombra pitied him immediately. A calm, hint of a smile twitched at her labrums. Her younger sister had never been so meek. Emily was a spitfire, a force of nature much like her older sister – probably learning by example. His excuse coaxed a swift intake of air before a flurry of chuckles were relinquished.

”The sun makes you sleepy?” She laughed, clearly entertained by the idea. ”You must nap a lot.” She stated, grinning in an obviously playful manner. It was a break of ice – she really wasn’t always the beast she appeared, and around children her kindness was true. Lucky for Olivier, truly, if he were not so young he would witness the great brute Sombra frequently was. She highly doubted he would always be so jaded about who she really was. But for now, let the youth believe she was some broken angel…and let Sombra believe that she wasn’t.

[Olivier Bonnaire]

Olivier wasn't sure what to make of this new wolf. Was she good or bad? Friend or foe? Well, her eyes were cold, soulless, while her tone was warm and playful. Olivier contemplated if it was better to stay and talk or just run home, but he figured the latter option would be cowardly and just very... sloppy.

Feeling slightly resentful, for it seemed to Olivier that this she-wolf was teasing him, he steeled himself for a conversation, sitting himself down in the almost too-soft grass, now fully awake. "Well, not really... I mean... it's just when I'm out here." he said lamely, feeling a bit flustered. Real nice, Oli. Slick as melted butter, he thought to himself sarcastically.

He wished Adrian was there. His older brother was much better with words than the younger; he would know what to say, how to deal with the situation. So what was Olivier good for? Cooking and cleaning. That really seemed to be all he did around home, now that he thought about it. Well, that and run errands for his brother, and sometimes look after their bicycle shop. Even so, as pathetic as it sounded, Olivier didn't really mind doing those things. Although he could do without cleaning Adrian's mess all the time, Olivier really enjoyed cooking. It was one of the few hobbies the boy had, along with reading and taking things apart.

Anyway, returning to the matter at hand, Olivier took a breath and tried to think of something to say, just to break the silence that seemed to be taunting him. "Um... I'm Olivier." he stated plainly, but not in an unfriendly tone, his claws retracting nervously, digging into the soft soil beneath the grass. He decided that a nice introduction was always a good way to start off a conversation, and possibly a friendship.

[*sombra delgadillo]

The absolute blank of Sombra’s cerulean gaze was frosty as it tended to be, and one wishes Mike Mercer would step in just long enough to comfort the tyke – he and his sister Melanie alone knew that Sombra’s emotional connection was stunted to say the very least. This was by choice mind you. Her words were deceiving, tender and soft while her gaze seemed to never mention any sort of fervor whatsoever. There was just the void absence of what should be there. If it had crossed her mind, Sombra may have understood his constant blabbering but as it was she did not comprehend that there was a problem with her discrepancies.

The way he failed to properly explain himself wasn’t surprising, he was still groggy and quite young if her sense of sight served her honestly. Just when he was out here…that did make sense in a strange way. The surroundings had been used so often for naps that they induced naps thanks to conditioning. He’d trained himself to nap here. A quiet smirk curled her labrums – puppies were precious sometimes. The awkward silence that seemed to resonate thanks to her lack of response was entertaining as well…

This was mostly because it took work to make Sombra feel uncomfortable and nervous – or you had to be a vampire. That was different though – that was on guard, not anxious. The endowment of his name was a fine start, in fact most would call it a proper introduction. As much as she tried to evade the ordinary there it was – screaming at her. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she feigned interest in the epithet as she usually did. She forgot names easily so pretending to care about them was a necessity. ”Sombra.” She spoke lazily, and allowed her gaze to bear into him perhaps too long.

That was the way the she-wolf was, so untrained in etiquette that the wolf’s tendencies carried over. It was even more evident when she was in fact in this feral format. There was nothing quite "nice" about her, nothing tender and nothing to denote she was even real. Staring reticently at the wolf pup, her ebony nostrils quivered. "You smell like food." She stated calmly, rhetorically, the tip of her tail flicking to and fro though her interest was piqued at the idea. Having had to "cook" for her sister and herself as a child another who saw to the meals of others at an early age seemed destined to meet her. "Who do you cook for?" It was a brazen question but then she had no fear of the whelp - he wasn't a threat.

The most he could do was cop an attitude, a brash and stupid move on his part but then again he had his choice to make. He could respond fully or vaguely but snapping at Sombra Delgadillo never lead to anything remotely warm and fuzzy...fangs, claws and fur would fly...not to mention the blood rain.

[Olivier Bonnaire]

What a pretty name, Olivier thought to himself once she had divulged the information in a very absent, dreamy voice. It was very simple, yet very elegant. It rolled easily off of the tongue. However, the pleasant chime of her name, like the playfulness of her words, was negated by the coldness of her eyes, from which Olivier flinched away again, choosing instead to focus on a pair of yellow butterflies which had suddenly appeared and landed on one of the taller blades of grass a few yards away. Though, he could not help but look up again when Sombra made her comment on his smell. It caught him off guard and it took him a moment to answer.

"My brother." he replied simply, for it was the first thing that came to mind. "His name is Adrian." the boy continued, getting a grip on his nerve and deciding to explain further, meeting eyes with Sombra for only a moment before looking down at his paws once more. "We live in Paris. He works a bicycle shop." With that thought, Olivier began to wonder more about the she-wolf before him. Where did she live? What did she do for a living?

It was only then that Olivier fully realized that he was speaking to another werewolf. It was the first time he had ever met another besides himself and Adrian. A slow realization, sure, but he had been a bit more concerned with not making a fool of himself until this moment. Now his mind began to put everything together, it began weaving through possibilities of more wolves in his area. Could there be more? Was Sombra flying solo, or was she part of some sort of... clan, or cult or... pack? A wolf pack, here in Paris!

Okay, maybe Olivier was getting a little ahead of himself, but he just could not contain his excitement. There were more like him! He had always thought that he and Adrian were the only ones in Paris, in perhaps all of Europe, for after eight years he had never met another like them. Until now.

"Do you live in Paris?" he couldn't help but ask. It was a rather bold move on his part, but he had not meant to be unfriendly and hoped that Sombra would not take it that way. He had told her where he lived, after all. He had the right to at least ask now, didn't he? He looked up into Sombra's icy gaze as he asked, without flinching this time. He was sure by now that she meant no harm, though whether she was a friend or not was still unclear. If she wanted to hurt him, she would have done so by now.

"Are there others like us here?" he shot off, unable to control his own mouth. Usually Olivier was a little more composed, chose his words a bit more carefully, but he was more excited at that moment than he had been in a very long time. She wouldn't hold it against him, he was sure. The worst that could happen was that she would be offended and walk away, right?