On this night, the clouds hid the stars, trees blotted out the moon, making the entire sky look like an inky void. The animals all seemed to share the same nature of the sky, hidden, and perhaps they liked to keep it that way. It was silent, the forest black except for a little fire that burned weakly, but it didn't seem to affect the darkness. It was, in a way, how Xeno Jiva felt. Stifling a sigh, the anthropomorphic creature leaned backward on the tree, watching the flames dance in her paw. Xeno almost seemed in a trance, lost in the warm crackle of the fire. Part of her hated the thoughts that rushed in, the pain and regret that the memories brought, and part of her welcomed and reflected on the thoughts. It was some sort of duality, Xeno thought, on one hand, she was a war machine, a vicious creature that showed little to no remorse in spilling others' blood, but on the other hand, Xeno was the same vicious creature that had night terrors and every winter, would make a shrine for all the souls she murdered. Duality. An especially cold draft of wind jolted Xeno out of her thoughts and into the forest. Everything was still dark and undistinguished, the darkness growing more so now that the flame in her paw was dying down. Xeno watched the fire wither and vanish in her paw, then stood up and looked out into the void of a forest. She wasn't sure if she wanted to venture through the woods in such a late time, no stars and no moon to guide her. Xeno leaned back onto the tree and recreated the fire in her paw, illuminating some of the woods to her relief. She blankly looked ahead at a patch of wilting flowers in front of her, her gaze intensely focused on them. She wondered if her nights would be different if perhaps she had a companion or a friend. Then again, no one was keen on having a seven-and-a-half foot tall cyborg that accidentally burned plants just by touching them and displayed razor-sharp fangs with every grin as a friend. Perhaps, Xeno reflected, maybe it was meant to be this way. Alone with the trees. Alone with her thoughts. Alone with fire.
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