Spring brought with it plenty of rain and snow-melt, which meant one thing in the depths of the gorge. Mud. So much mud. His work on the arena was on hold until things got a little more dry to avoid his work being washed away while the ground was soft and the rains were heavy. The last few days had finally shown some clear skies, giving the packlands just enough time to dry out before the next storm rolled in. He didn't trust it to last, but it was nice to be able to walk without getting absolutely filthy.

Crossing the river near the future site of the arena, Ignatius made his way to the open field where the majority of the gorge's herbs tended to grow. The grass was beginning to take hold and thicken up with new brightly colored shoots poking up from the soft ground. He was no healer, but he knew enough to know what to keep an eye out for so that when the plants were ready to harvest he would notice. He'd considered trying to grow herbs specifically, or perhaps transplanting some from lands further away, but that seemed like a large project to take on on top of all the other things he had to manage, so it would have to wait.

Settling himself in the midst of the open space, Ig sighed contentedly. His fiery coat stood out brilliantly against the soft green landscape, likely startling all the prey within a mile of him.

Kirsi was still slowly getting used to life within Fyri. Not only was she busying herself with getting to know her new packmates, but she was also dedicating a lot of energy to getting used to being around Ignatius again in general. Not that he was terribly hard to tolerate, no, far from it - but their relationship was hinging on a delicate balance that she was intent on not disrupting. When her mind wasn't fully occupied with Ignatius, she was trying to get used to her new home. The gorge wasn't such a bad place to reside, and she knew Ignatius was trying to improve it in his own ways.. except, sadly, there really was no helping the mud that had begun to accumulate once the snows started to melt. Kirsi veered toward the flat field, finding it much dryer there. She wasn't one for filth in general though she was remarkably adaptable - a trait she'd acquired at an early age. Still, her attention was captured by a thicket of growing grass, as well as one particular fiery-pelted male that stood in the center of the field. He'd never been terribly hard to notice, except in the most specific of circumstances; she remembered once losing track of him during a late autumn sunset walk, and the thought nearly made her laugh now, her lips quirking up in a smile. She, too, was easily recognized in most situations, though the lands of ice and snow in the midst of night were better suited to camouflaging her own coat. They were a sharp contrast as she approached him, one fire and one ice, and even now as she approached him she felt the way his warmth softened her ever-frigid exterior like the lick of an inescapable flame. It was painfully effortless on his behalf, and caught her off-guard and made her heart lurch in her chest, though she hardly let her smile wilt. "Thinking of doing some gardening?" Her tone was serious, and it was hard to tell whether she was jesting or not, but surely Ignatius would know she was despite the distinct lack of mirth in her voice. She'd noticed him studying the greenery and wondered if his interests had shifted in their time apart, though she doubted it.

He wasn't so lost in thought that he'd forget to pay attention to his surroundings. When soft pawsteps reached his ears he turned to see the familiar form of Kirsi. Immediately he could feel a warmth in his chest, as though his heart grew warmer and more full whenever he simply laid eyes on her. "Something like that." he chuckled. "I was actually just hoping to relax for a little while, but I think I'll enjoy it much more with good company." Reaching out slowly he sought to plant a kiss on her cheek before giving her a cheeky grin and asking, "You wouldn't happen to know where I could find some good company, would you? For a moment he pretended to look past her, as though searching for someone to talk to.

Time had changed a lot of things, but it hadn't changed how she felt about Ignatius - if anything, her love for him had only grown stronger over time, in the face of what had happened. There was still a wariness there, she could feel it from his end of things, but he seemed so starved for her affections that he was willing to temporarily forsake digging deeper into their tumultuous history. Kirsi was content to follow his lead and to let him live with his uncertainties for the sake of this. His chuckle earned a wry grin from her as she regarded him, deciding that he'd only grown infinitely more handsome in the time they'd spent apart. Though he'd always been charming, even in their younger years, time was treating him remarkably well, smoothing his youthful features impressively - like a river might polish the surface of a stone. For a split second she was stunned by his charm, fumbling internally over her thoughts, but she made no show of it. "Better not let anyone see their ruler lounging around. You might set a bad example." It was strange to imagine him as a ruler, and she was still getting used to it; in her head, Kirsi had thought she'd known how their future would turn out. Lucien would take the southern kingdom's throne, and she and Ignatius would flee to a far away land to raise their children, happily ever after. How foolish she had been. The very thought brought a pain of heartache to her, though she quickly shook it off and returned the gesture with a slow nuzzle of her own. His snarky commentary earned a slow raised brow, and she shook her head. "Not a clue. I've been wondering that myself." Kirsi returned the jest with unrelenting seriousness, though her gaze was fixed on him instead of looking past him as he had done. "Bit of a bore, this Fyri place is." Only a slight twitch of her lips gave away that she was taunting him in a totally innocuous way, otherwise she was stone-faced and dead serious as she pulled away to watch him.