IT'S RATHER PEACEFUL — open

To all those that knew him or even just knew of him, it was unsurprising to think that Charmeine had been going out of his way to avoid his new family here in the Thunderlands and, who could really blame him? After all that he himself and his beloved siblings had been forced to endure, it was no wonder that the previously nervous boy was now a train wreck on four legs. Sometimes, as soon as he woke up in the morning with fresh determination to do more than what he had done so far, he was suddenly struck with the taste his own coppery blood tainting his tongue, could still feel the sting of whip cracking against his skin, and could do little but curl up into a ball and cry himself to back sleep. It was an unhealthy routine that he had fallen into, finding that the only respite he was being granted with was the cool hours of the evening and following night where he could feel like himself again. Fully embracing this period of time that had been given to him, Charmeine had grown a newfound appreciation for the ante meridiem where others slumbered while he sat alone to gaze at the stars.

Serene dusk had begun to settle on the land, the azure sky kissing the sun goodnight to welcome the oncoming flood of deep navy, a wash of meticulously placed stars pinpricked in careful order amongst the blanket of darkness. God had done well to ensure that all of his nights were picked perfectly so that things were in a set location. So that the darkness and shadows covered over anything that was wrong and blinded the sinners such as himself from the path that they were walking to give them at least a small opportunity to right their wrongs once the dazzling glow of morning arrived. That was what he preferred about the night, the constant that the stars and all of its wondrous constellations provided him in contrast to the terrifying disorder of random swirling clouds sent sprawling across the sky during the daytime. Where many found joy in pointing out shapes and figures that may be interpreted in the white masses, all Charmeine could see was too much free thought that he was not allowed to venture into. Because of this, it was becoming increasingly apparent that the maine coon had an affinity for the nighttime and the curiosities that it brought along with it, thus meaning that the young point set out to explore the region that he now lived in under the guise of comforting shade rather than have to face others directly.

That particular evening, as he slunk along a well worn path that Thunderlanders before him had etched into the lay of the land, he caught sight of something that was certainly not normal. Like moth drawn to the metaphorical flame, the boy found himself instinctively veering off of the trail he had been on to investigate. Initially as he traversed the underbrush, his fears were mounting rather rapidly that he could have been walking directly into some kind of a wildfire blaze that none had yet to notice. If that were the case then the territory would just be left to burn down because he would be able to do little more than freeze up and cry until the inferno cast licking flames across his skin to devour him whole. Luckily for himself and for the group as a whole, it was swiftly apparent that there were no pyres to deal with that particular day. Instead, the boy had found himself coming out onto the shores of a shimmering lake, golden eyes widening in awe. Glancing around to make sure that he was, for the time being, alone, Charmeine sucked in a deep breath and picked his way carefully down to the water's edge. "Pretty." Is all that he can bring himself to hum as he leans forwards, gazing down into the lapping waves with outstretched paw skimming the surface, fasciation only further intensified by the way that the glow emanated by the waters seemed to cling so desperately to his black fur. A splash of light amongst his darkness.

//sorry if this is a tad messy, i just wanted to start posting with charmeine so i wanted to actually get something up oof

Charmeine had not been expecting company at all, certain that all those who could possibly bother him had long since retired for the night or had opted to take different paths that would not lead them directly to his current position. Foolish of him to hope for such solitude though, any and all of his fears coming to light instantaneously as the unanticipated sound of soft spoken words rings out into the humid evening air. Nearly jumping out of his skin, the boy feels flinch steal through him as a ripple did once stone was plunged into watery depths. Breath catching in his throat, his head snaps in the direction of the soft exclamation feeling much like how one would expect a deer to feel when caught in the headlights of oncoming traffic. Some calm comes to him as he realises that it is a youngster that has drawn near though he knows better that to trust one based on appearance. Even children could be dangerous, could be sinners. But, considering the setting of where he is and the familiar scent that clings to the younger youth, he feels that it is safe enough for him to not be as panic as his mind is screaming at him to be.

"I-I." Swallowing hard, he bears the friendliest smile that he can muster though it falls quite far from the mark to end up as something much more shaky and uncertain than what he would have liked. Still, it was his best attempts and if others were to come to him with query and conversation then he would just have to deal with it as much as the prospect of holding his own in a simple little chat absolutely petrified him. "I have no idea." Finally, he's able to get something intelligible out other than a stuttered mess, feeling somewhat proud of himself for a few fleeting moments. "Maybe it's magic. O-Or something." Even as the words form on his tongue he knows that it is simply him feeding into a childish ideal that does not exist. After all, he doesn't believe in magic since from as far back as he could remember, it had been drummed into head that there was no such thing as magic or miracle unless it came from the divine hand of God himself. Yet he can not help but now entertain the idea that perhaps the lapping luminescent waters here are the product of something else. Something that he knows nothing about outside of his strictly taught understanding of the world.

When another individual nears them, he does not have as violent of a reaction since the presence of Gabriel has at the very least proved to ground him slightly. Startled as he is, there is no visible response other than the subtle quivering of his shoulders though it is hardly noticeable in the darkness. His attention briefly shifts onto the newest addition, a snow leopard, before he pointedly looks back down to the waters once the empty feeling in the pit of his stomach had started to swell once more. He has always held an internal admiration and unspoken respect for the larger wildcats, that primarily being because his own mother herself, who was technically his adoptive mother though he was unaware of this, was a beautiful golden tiger. A woman that he held the utmost respect for though many may argue that it was more a deep set fear than anything else if they knew more of his upbringing from an outside perspective. Now that he thinks of it, perhaps she would like to see a sight such as the shimmering surface of the lake. Perhaps she would find it as pretty as he and these others seemed to. In response to the echoed sound of his own spoken input, the boy lets out a soft hum in agreement, the sound a tad strained as but audible nonetheless.

"W-Whispers?" He near squeaks out upon hearing Sky's own input on the matter, ears perking instinctively as he looks over to the lupine man. Perhaps he had not been listening well enough, his focus moreso on the sound of the water as it inhaled and exhaled soft breaths against the shore. It is as he looks over to the male, who he quickly comes to recognise as someone whom he had met briefly when he had first arrived on their borders, he notices a flicker of what appears to be concern ghost across his features. Although his eyes do not linger on the man for too long for fear that he might accidentally initiate some kind of eye contact, the boy casts his gaze back onto the lake though is incapable of getting that flicker of worry out of his mind. Surely it is not appropriate to just ask if there was anything wrong because that would mean potentially dragging up a whole treasure trove of issues that he was not willing to deal with and it was highly likely that doing so would cause more harm than good. Keeping his mouth shut on the matter, Charmeine instead attempts to listen out for said whispering, ears twitching slightly as he caught something inaudible on the air, as if the breathing waves had begun to weave their webbed tales around him, words just out of his reach. "I can hear something. I-I can't, uh, make it out though." Admitting this makes him feel rather stupid but he says it anyways, raising his shoulders in a defensive manner in case he was saying something wrong. Hearing something only proved to put him more on edge, however, thick fur bristling as he slowly moved to push himself back away from the waters edge as if he feared that something terrifying was moments away from lurching out of the serene abyss to drag him under. "I-It's kind of... kind of scary. I t-thought nature was, um, that it only s-spoke to a chosen few."