[private] there's a stranger in my eyes again

[Derelict]

Derelict moves through the darkest part of the forest - believing that there is little here that could pose a true threat to her. She hears animals that rarely see the sun skitter away from the light cast by her fire horns and wonders whether any of them would have been a tasty snack. She did not need to eat at the moment, but she always could eat - if presented with the option. Eventually the oppressive darkness gets a little boring, and no monsters or anything exciting leaps out of the shadows to fight her, so she begins to make her way out of the heart of the forest. Back to where the trees are spaced far enough apart that some of the late afternoon sunlight can filter down to the ground and dapple the thick blanket of needles and leaves there. The animals here are not so wary of the light she carries, though they still give her a wide berth. Which could not possibly be because of that knife tail that she occasionally rattles against the trees, sending some late-autumn leaves cascading down. Or the sharp teeth that flash while she alternates singing and humming a tune to go along with the beat set out by the thumping of her tail against trunks. Her companion curls along the folded bones of her wings and their matching dark eyes watch the shadows of the forest expectantly as Derelict keeps a slow, meandering pace. They've wandered away from her family today but they are still hoping for company. And each rustle of leaves in the forest draws their attention though Derelict takes some care not to snap her head towards each hint of movement. She does not want to look like she is hunting today and is taking great care to look as un-intimidating as is possible.

@Fret

[Fret]

i'm torn from the truth that holds my soul
i'm down in the grave where I belong --

In the time that he had been truly out in the world he had learned a few things.

He had learned that almost no one looked like him.
He had learned that most were afraid of him.
And he had learned that making any kind of meaningful connection was virtually impossible.

Countless times he had debated returning to the depths of the forest. He had assumed it was where he was meant to be, that he was not meant to mingle with those that viewed him as only a predator. He cannot say he blames them, when for the most part the only experience anyone had with the xenomorphs was at the hands of his mother, and she was not exactly a conversationalist to put it lightly. 

Still, he does not run.
He continues to tentatively press himself into their world, seeking cautious acceptance wherever he might find it. He was better at speaking now, although he still did not know all the right sounds to make and certain thoughts were far more difficult to shape into words. For the most part he was able to curb any desire to hunt equines by focusing on smaller game and the occasional deer when the craving truly struck him, and in doing so it was easier to squash the urge to chase should he startle someone into running.

He hated that the instinct was even there at all, and he tries not to think of what will happen should the day come that he slips up. 

Walking careful along a worn forest path now he keeps a careful watch for anyone nearby, feeling apprehensive today and not entirely sure if he wants to force his way into conversation.

But he catches sight of her through the nearly skeletal trees, and he finds himself suddenly frozen. 

There are differences, of course, but she looks so much like him that he is awestruck. The same black armored body with the knife-tipped tail, and even galaxy-coloring on her chest. Her wings are different—bony and black—and so are her horns, but there is no mistaking what she is.

He does not even realize that he has already approached, ignorant and bold in his wonder and confusion, and soon he is stupidly telling her, “You look like me.”

-- f r e t

@Derelict

[Derelict]

There is a brief moment of surprise when someone that looks like her and she freezes temporarily much like he does. She had been looking for company, sure, but she had pretty much accepted that it would be someone with less armour and edges that she’d see. Excitement quickly chases the surprise away and her companion even peeks around armored plates to get a better look. To her, of course, he is not strange - at least not entirely. There are some differences but their family traits are rarely subtle. In the younger boy, she sees her mom and siblings and it encourages an automatic sense of kinship to form inside of her. Whether this is a flaw or not remains to be seen - surely one day she’ll sidle up to a fellow monster thinking it is tame and get bitten in the process. The thing was, when you look the way they do, you tend to stop fearing things like larger predators. Fear comes in other forms, less tangible ones - like the ones that make Derelict’s smile come easily so she might not look as scary as she feels. And infuses her voice with friendly warmth. “I think, since I’m the older one, it’s fair to say that you look like me.” The stars and horns and wings are all so close to the same things she possesses, but just different enough that she doesn’t believe this is another sibling. “We must be cousins, you're on the luckier side with the wings.” She unfurls her own just a little to emphasize them, the bones clanking against her hard armored sides as they move. Derelict does feel a bit of jealousy - what would it be like to fly? Not even necessarily to hunt, though she thinks that would be pretty sweet. She could find out what lived in the canopies of trees instead of keeping her focus down on the ground. But this isn’t the time to start daydreaming, not when the present is interesting enough to capture her whole attention. Framed by the pair of burning horns, her black eyes are bright as she adds “I’m Derelict.”

@Fret