[Brilliance]

Originally Posted by Aquarius

@Constellation

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The night stretched on, but Aquarius felt anything but comforted under it's cascade of dark. The night provided more to her than the day did, and she took joy in that, but it was often short-lasted. The stars were covered by a thick cloud of grayness, making the entire night ominous. One way or another, she had already come out to hunt, and she was determined not to go back to camp unless she had found something. Like many days before, she had not been able to catch anything with the rapidly changing weather, and hunger churned in her stomach like a monster. She bared through it, but it had finally been taking it's toll on her. Mixed with the reprimanding she got from the Fighters every day, it made her feel more than sick, and she felt like she was going to pass out.

Fortunately, it had been several days since her encounter with that... that odd, sardonic cat. Everytime Aquarius thought of the tom it made her sick, but it also sent strange chills down her spine. As if she loathed the thought of seeing him, but at the same time, she needed it to survive, the same way a cat would need prey or water. She shivered, and padded on through the night, trying to push the thoughts of the orange Fighter out of her mind, for her own good. For the past few days, she had been hunting and going out as usual, and she had seen no sign of him. It was terrible and great at the same time, and Aquarius's conflicting feelings made her feel like she was going to burst into fire at any moment, the flames consuming her. She could almost feel herself disintegrating away.

She opened her mouth slightly so that she could taste the air, holding her mottled muzzle low to the ground, her stomach growling so loud she was certain all of the Syndicate would hear it, even though she tried to go as far away from the camp as she could. Her ears flicked as nothing availed, and no prey seemed to be scurrying in the dark night. She growled in annoyance and dug her claws into the dirt, as if she could root herself to the ground. "Nothing. There's nothing." Her blue eyes glowed like ice as she looked around, but without no light from the sky, not even the moon or stars, she had nothing to go off of. Squinting, she focused on a small thicket to her left.

Just as she spoke, she saw a shape moving on the edge of her vision. Her head whipped around, but the same shadows filled her vision as before, nothing strange lurking in them as she had imagined. She saw something in the bushes, but when she blinked, the figure was gone. In confusion, she hoped that it would be some kind of prey, although it looked far too large for that. Aquarius hissed, leaping towards the bushes, determined to find out what - or who - was there. The branches made no rustle, nothing to tell her anything was there, and she landed neatly without issue. Glaring, she nudged the leaves aside and passed through them, swivelling her ears to hear the slightest sound in the bracken.

The night lacked appreciation. The vast beauty had a way of making others...recoil. This was something Stephanotis failed to understand. Whereas, he adored the dark. It was magnificent. A lot of things got done in the dark. Successful crimes' shadows hidden in the dark. And, it was definitely fun to tell stories in the dark. Now, if it were storming - that would had perfected the day. Yes, a nice storm. Thunderstorm, snowstorm, any storm really. A storm was a pleasant thing to have. It made Stephanotis feel like he truly belonged in this twisted refulgent. Though the night never shone brightly. But, Stephanotis did.

At the moment, the brilliant pelted tom roamed the night lands. A walk always did him some good before bedtime. It was like walking with the spirits when it came to him. They lurked around, surely. They were angry. They were livid. Stephanotis thought about the many cats he could had killed, but instead they had killed themselves. What if these were their spirits? Haunting him, but being ignored? The thought made him laugh - pretty hard.

The large tom cleared his throat because it would had been awkward if anyone caught him in that moment. As far as he was concerned, everyone should had been in their respective nests. Everyone should had been sleep. Except for the night patrol, if there were one. His paws stomped through the grounds. Creating large indications of what path he had taken. Stephanotis didn't care much about how heavy his paws were. They were never light in the first place, and that was alright. He sounded like a beast prowling through the lands. Like a large lion ready to devour another.

His nose had twitched when he stopped next to a bush. Something was on the other side, surely. His ears flicked. Just the wind, he had assumed. Then, continued on - but no. There was something lurking in those bushes. Stephanotis tail lashed behind him, creating a powerful sound when it clashed with the wind. He growled, inwardly. Was someone following him? The tom was hardly paranoid. When he knew something was there; he was certain. They were hiding. But, they would be dead soon.

Stephanotis lowered himself into a fighting crouch, his muscles rippling from his thick pelt as he pushed himself forward, ready to collide with whatever was sneaking around. If they thought they would be able to mess with Stephanotis; they were messing with the wrong tom! Fore, he knew he wasn't weak. He had brute strength. He had powerful jaws, and though he pleasantly liked to keep his claws clean. He would rip the head off whoever thought it was grand to shelter in the bushes. Like they were observing him. Trying to gain his every move.

The orange tom felt the figure of soft fur when he crashed himself into it. It was a simple pounce, and his paws laid heavily against her chest. He was ready to unleash the sting of his talons, but when his eyes opened, a ferocious growl emitted from him -

He had not expected to see a mottled molly below him. The large tom stared at her dumbfounded for a moment. Completely lost of his desires, completely lost in general. When he realized it was the molly from earlier, he let out a huff, but jumped off her quickly to give her enough room to recover from his heavy weight. To think, he thought she was someone who was after him. The syndicate was never a place of trust. Everyone was after someone. Others wanted him dead, believe it or not. ''Great. You again.'' His voice was far from friendly. He was actually tired of her presence, yet wondered why she was even scavenging through the land at this time of night. Though, he refused to be in her business, because he truly had not cared.

''Don't ever. And, I mean - ever - sneak up on me like that again. I don't like surprises. Nor, do I like the likes of you. '' Exactly, why have you been up at this time of night?