She saw it - she saw it all. The delicate shape of the young lemur lady making her way carefully up the stairs, no doubt egged on by that feline of loose morals, that stood at the bottom. Why did she have to move so fast? Why did she have to do it in her neighbourhood? She watched as Arron answered the door, the two of them having a quiet conversation - and then he invitd her in.
Aranaya felt as though her heart were torn apart at that very instance. All this time she had thought he had feelings for her. All this time she had been slowly trying to work up the courage to talk with him about them. She had told him everything - she had told him all about Dario.
She shuddered, despairing and tired. Clearly her confiding in him had not helped. She had opened her soul to him and he was probably right now running his hands through her silver fur. Their dark muzzles were probably joining in a passionate kiss... Aranaya jumped to her feet. She could not stay here - could not torture herself like this! She must get away from it all. Suddenly the close walls of her small flat seemed confining. She slammed open the door and marched outside.
There were still a few couples about the fire, but she ignored them. I was her fault really, she realised - her fault that she had allowed hope to enter her life. Her fault that she had believed that she might be able to be loved, and love, again. Around the back of the property she walked, beneath the residential trees and into the woodland behind. It was dark here - the light of the moon could not permeate the thick foliage. She stomped through the leaf litter, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Over the babbling brook she jumped and through the clearing where moonlight bathed the ground in golden hues. She could see almost perfectly in the darkness, it was when she felt most confident and alive. But now her vision was clouded with tears. Further she walked, rage and bitterness warring with despair and all-consuming sorrow. He had never loved her. He would never love her.
She was a fool to think it could have been any other way.
She was quite deep into the woods now and she paused, listening to the sounds of the night and feeling them fill her senses - a slight rustling of a nirtrik going about its nocturnal wanderings, the quiet trill of a nightingale. Then, something else caught her senses. A smell - woodsmoke, perhaps? Was someone camping in the woods or had the smoke-scent just drifted across from the party? Aranaya was not particularly curious, but it was something to do to take her mind off Arron's disloyalty. But how could it be disloyalty if there had never been anything between them? Moving swiftly and silently, she picked her way towards the smoky aroma. Her nostrils flared, imbiding the scent of roasted meat. Someone was definitely camping here. She dropped to a crouch, peering through the trees. Yes, it was plainly a campsite, screened from the path by trees and some strategically placed logs - if it were not for the woodsmoke smell, she would not have noticed it at all. Had a vagrant taken up residence in the woods? Such things were not uncommon.
She moved closer as her eyes assured her that the campsite was indeed vacated. The fire still glowed faintly, and with a shudder Aranaya realised that whomever had been there could not have left long before. There was a sleeping bag and a couple of well-battered pillows, and something that struck terror in her heart.
Two months ago, Aranaya had featured in a newspaper article about local artists. There had been a picture of her in the article (Arron had urged her that it would be good for business). And that picture now lay, pinned crudely and framed, upon the pillow.
Her throat caught. There was only one Furson she could think of who would own such a keepsake. The one Furson she least wanted to ever see again. How had he found her?
And how long had he been living here, in her backyard?
Throat tightening with fear, she backed up slowly, unwilling to turn her back to the scene. Where was he?
Where was he?!
Her foot touched the path and she turned, preparing to make her hasty escape into the darkness. And as she turned, it was to find herself staring at a pair of red eyes, glinting with ill-concealed insanity.
"Hello Aranaya," Dario hissed. "Welcome home."