She was alone. The woman had accidentally become separated from her companion and she wasn't sure how to get back to him. Rosy eyes gazed around as she hobbled through the passage, the occasional echo of a rock falling down the side of the canyon made her ears fall back. She was in new lands, and her path had led her through here. She wasn't sure where it led, or where she was going...but she was curious about what lied beyond this passage. She only wished that her friend were here to accompany her, but...maybe he had made it to the other side already? That glimmer of hope would be the thing to keep her going, no matter how long it took her to get through the pass. She only hoped she could do it safely and as quickly as possible. She hoped she wouldn't run into trouble, either. She wasn't an efficient fighter with her disability, but it wouldn't stop her from trying should it come down to it. The sun was nowhere to be seen. Snow fell heavily on her coat, the woman shivering as mismatched tracks were left in her wake. Ears flicked nervously, alert for every sound that swept through the darkness. Occasionally she could hear the howl of a lone wolf, but nothing close enough for her to really worry about it. As night grew darker, it was getting harder for her to see properly. She was growing tired, so Roseus moved a bit further until she found a small rocky outcrop where she could shelter for the night. Lying down, her bones slightly stiff from the cold snow, she curled around herself, gaze observing the world of night that lingered around her. She was too on edge to sleep well, so she figured she would probably stay awake and watch the stars until she got tired. "Speak"||Think||Hear

The more Ashmedai explored these lands, the more he became indecisive about where he wanted to settle down. Even at night- or maybe especially at night- the north was really pretty. Between the clouds, the sky was crystalline with each star being a sharp pinpointed light. Were the stars always so... sharp?

Better yet, it was snowing here. Even though the sky was patchy with clouds, snow still fell. Ashmedai was unaware of the woman resting near the rock he was approaching. He thought he might be able to climb atop it and get a better look. It was late out, but Ashmedai wasn't super tired yet. He liked the night time just as much as he liked the day time- maybe more sometimes, when the sky was so lit up with the moon and stars.

Still not noticing the girl beneath the rock, Ashmedai broke into a trot, starting to build up speed for his leap to the top of his newest observatory.

She was curled in around herself, the small silver fae peeking out from beneath her tail. Things were so...quiet here. And it was cold...Oooh...I wish I hadn't gotten separated from Nyko... She mentally beat herself up for that. Had she listened to him, then she wouldn't be in this mess. But now she wasn't quite sure what to do. Perhaps in the morning she would resume her search, for now she needed to rest. Or...try to, anyway. It was going to be hard, especially when she was all by herself. She hadn't been alone since the day she met her friend, but there was a first for everything, right? It was then as she was barely starting to doze off, she heard heavy foot steps coming towards her direction. Rosy eyes flew wide open then, fur bristling in alarm. What the ever loving stars was that!? Through the darkness, she spotted a huge figure barreling towards her, though she couldn't quite tell exactly what it was through her fright. Should she run!? Fight!? The latter wasn't an option, she wasn't good at fighting with her handicap, and she doubted she'd be able to outrun this thing. Before she could decide, her fear began to take over and she backed herself up against the wall. Her eyes squeezed shut, and before she knew it, her markings began to glow white and bright. It was a phenomenon she could control at will now...except for when she was afraid. When she was frightened to a certain point, she just couldn't help it. She lit up like a fourth of july firework! "S-stay away from me!" She cried out, voice shaky. An empty threat though...there was nothing she could really do except put up whatever fight she could if it came down to it. "Speak"||Think||Hear

The closer he got to the rock, the faster he ran. He just had to clear it and get to the top then he'd have a perfect view. Ashmedai didn't have a clue how much he was scaring the girl beneath the rock. He still was unaware that she was even there until her shrill voice called out and a light began to glow.

Ashmedai skidded to a halt, squinting into the light. He ducked his head. Oddly enough, it was a wolf that was glowing. "Oh shit sorry, I didn't mean to scare you! It's alright, I'm not gonna hurt you!" He crouched down and lay on his belly.

"I'm Ashmedai," he nearly whispered, "You got a name, Firefly?"

The words of an unknown reached her, the girls fear had consumed her before she realized what had been coming towards her. When the masculine voice said he wouldn't hurt her, it still took some time for her to calm down. She didn't even realize she was glowing, so when he whispered his name and in turn called her firefly, she felt confused. Rosy eyes opened to see a hulking figure on his belly in front of her, the woman still apprehensive though she realized she was glowing. Dammit...she did it again! She wished she had full control of this, but it seemed that it still happened when she was under strong emotions. Slowly she began to calm down when she realized that this...Ashmedai wouldn't hurt her. Her fur began to relax, the glowing fading until it was just a soft shine. She wished she could just turn it off like a light switch, but it didn't work that way. It would go out on its own, but she never knew exactly when. "Um...m-my name is Roseus...Rose for short..." She swallowed, one ear flicking forward in hesitant interest. "I'm...sorry about my reaction...I just...I heard something and...I got scared...I can't see very well in the dark, Sorry..." She bowed her head to him in apology, feeling embarrassed. "Speak"||Think||Hear

The girl started to calm down and Ashmedai just waited, a little scared that any move he made would cause her to panic again. Eventually the girl began to calm down and oddly enough, her glowing started to fade. Ashmedai didn't hide his blatant staring as the light dimmed.

The girl introduced herself as Roseus, or Rose for short. She apologized about her reaction and explained that she heard something and got scared. She said she couldn't see well in the dark.

"Huh? I can totally see in the dark," he said, not yet noticing the girl's missing limb. "What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be safe and warm in like a den or a pack or something? Especially if you cant see well at night and- well- glow when you get scared?"

The male before he seemed...nice? She wasn't quite sure yet, but judging by the way he seemed to remain where he was as if taking precautions not to scare her anymore somewhat calmed her down and made her feel a little bit better. He said he could see in the dark, the woman frowning slightly. She didn't want to admit really why she couldn't see so well, but maybe she didn't really have to? Nyko knew why, but this...Ashmedai, well, of course she didn't know him well enough to tell him the whole truth. "W-well...I was kept in the dark for a very long time so...unlike yours, my eyesight isn't very good..." His other questions totally threw her off, not sure what to say at first. At this point, she thought she would be used to others asking about her...well, her weird glowing fur. But she still felt embarrassed by it. "W-well...I'm...I don't have pack...and I don't know where I am...I'm kinda lost...and without my friend Nyko, I...I can't dig myself a den so..." Her ears flattened. Was she saying too much? She always thought she had the habit of feeling like she owed everyone an explanation. Wasn't it obvious that she would have trouble trying to dig with one front leg? The woman's mutilated side was facing away from Ashmedai, but she didn't realize it. "I-I'm also sorry for the...well...glowing...I don't know what's wrong with me...but...I can't seem to control it either..." She glanced at him, an apologetic look in her eyes. She always hated that aspect of her. She always felt like a freak when it happened, and it happened often. She was too jumpy whenever her friend wasn't around to protect her, and the fact that she was lost and alone in a new world scared the daylights out of her. "Speak"||Think||Hear

Aw, poor girl. Why did Ash immediately feel the need to protect this girl? She explained that she was kept in the dark for a long time and that she was lost and that she couldn't dig a den. Ashmedai's ears flattened for a moment before springing back up, his tail flopping from one side to the other lazily.

"Well, you sure don't really seem like you should be the loner type to be honest. Who's this Nyko? Maybe I can help ya find him... her?"

Keeping on his stomach, Ashmedai scooted towards the woman, aiming to lay beside her if she'd have him.

"It's a little late now, so I don't think we should go looking for Nyko really. How about I stand watch and you can get some rest. Actually- that's probably a strange offer coming from me, huh?"

Ashmedai laughed a little, he was giant and probably not really the least intimidating wolf to be sleeping around.

"Alright, you don't gotta sleep. We can keep watch together. If I need light, you can help me out, right?" Ashmedai tossed the girl a wink.

"When we find your friend, how about we look into finding a place for y'all to settle down? There's a lot of packs here."