The sun was setting in the Western sky. Striated shades of red, pink, rose, and purple streaked the sky between vermilion and plum hued clouds. Silently as a shadow, slipping amid silent and still stones, a solitary figure stole through the crumbling ruins of resting bones long since turned to dust and crept, on little cat paws, within the moldering sanctum where she knew she would find the quarry she sought. The stone edifice was still and silent in the waning light of day. Even the rodents that crept about were silent as she passed them by. From her side she drew a silver blade from her side and held it close for reassurance. In the distance, without the stone walls, a singular sound rose above the looming silence, the mournful howl of a lone wolf in the distance. Nightfall would not be long off. Deeper still, into the labyrinth of stone corridors, she stole. Her unshod feet silent against ancient stones. Shafts of the fading light illuminated her passage with orbs and cut stone crosses of rose-tinted light. When, at last, the light faded to hues of purple and blue she crossed into the sanctum she sought. The crypt she sought stood depressingly empty in the middle of the chamber and, for a moment, she felt her heart sink. Her quarry had already departed. Then, from the shadows behind her, she heard a soft, silken chuckle and the smile behind it was evident. Dropping to a crouch, she faced her would-be assailant, the dagger from her side, at the ready to strike. Then, he spoke, a soft, aristocratic and gentle timbre. The flash of faint firelight and reflected lavender, glinted from his eyes and off the surface of predatory teeth. "Good evening, Mara...I was wondering when you would show..." ~~~~ Just playing with some of the new DM goodies we got from the Holiday sale! This set and character are just GORGEOUS! ~~~~ Victoria 3 -- DAZ Miss Mara (Character Mats and Morphs) -- DM Productions Mystic Places and Poses 5 -- Costume, Dagger, Building and base pose -- DM Productions Caramella Hair -- Zachrael2002 and SWAM Classic Fantasy Arm and Leg bands -- Aery Soul Red Sunset -- Freebie background Pose and texture adjustments and lighting -- Me