There had been a certain kind of loneliness that had filled him after he left Natha's side, knowing that he would have to brave the world alone once again. That had been his original plan, to get away from his past and start life anew. It had been so nice though, to explore a lot of the North with the lynx at his side. Talking to her was easier than any of his conversations that he had had with wolves that he had run into. A wistful sigh left his mauve lips, ears pulling back against his skull tightly. The sting of being alone was stronger than ever before now. He knew that he could go and find her, he knew where she had chosen to make her home after all. Would that seem too desperate though? It had only been a few nights since they had parted ways, if he crawled back already, she might be turned off of being his friend if he was always going to show up like that. Swallowing the bitter thought, Lyulf wandered onward. He had no idea where he was, intent to keep his mind busy in his continued exploration of the northern most lands. Winter was on its way, and only then would he dare to venture into the other areas of these lands. His thick coat made it hard for him to stand the heat, and the prospect of more lands to explore made his heart beat a little quicker in his chest. It would be a new task, something else to keep him occupied as he lived out the rest of his days, all by himself.

A head shake scattered the dark thoughts, green eyes finally focusing on the area around him. The lapping of the sea against a shore made him blink in confusion, paws carrying him to the lip of the hill before him. Below, a black sanded beach extended, wrapped in the gentle colours of the setting sun. It was like he had been transported to another world, but the bitter cold air around him told him that he was very much still in the north. When he thought about the icy frontier, he didn't think of beaches like this. It was a welcomed surprise though, a hint of a grin curling on his stoic lips for a moment. It was truly beautiful, emerald eyes drinking in the view for another second before he turned to make his way down the hill. He almost tripped over his paws as he rushed onto the sand, spreading his toes when he touched the start of the shore. He couldn't remember the last time that he had been on a beach, if ever, really. It felt so foreign under his paws, a deep chuckle vibrating in his throat. If this is what the other lands had, he was even more eager to see what they had to hold. Jumping forward, he leapt to and fro, kicking at the sand under him like a pup. It was the most carefree that he had been in awhile, not able to help the true laugh that left his lips. Palm trees dotted the beach, and he skipped over to one to bump his head against it gently. It was like a slice of paradise, tucked into the icy lands that made up the rest of the North. He had told Natha that he didn't intend to settle down anywhere, but here... he would be lucky to call a place like this home. Sure, there wasn't much food, the waters were far too cold to fish, but waking up to a view like this... it sounded too good to be true. Lyulf left the tree and moved over towards the sea, eyeing the odd crescent shape of the land. It was like a giant bite had been taken out of the sand, leaving a near perfect half circle for the waves to wash up on.

Lyulf could hardly sit still, his eyes hungrily roaming over the cove. There was a tall cliff behind him, something that he was eager to see. If there was a cave cut into the slide of the cliff, he just might have to actually think of making this his den for awhile. It made his heart feel lighter, an unusually wide grin cutting across his features. The long haired wolf flopped down onto his back, wiggling in the black sands as he looked up at the fading light above him. His paws folded in front of his chest, digging himself deeper into the sands as the pink and blues faded into deeper purples and oranges. It was the most beautiful thing that he had seen, something he was reluctant to take his eyes off of. Further exploration could wait, right? The sand felt too good to leave, a hint of warmth still clinging to the tiny grains. After all this time, could he really have a home? Gleefully he sprang up again, racing around the sparce trees, kicking at the sand at his paws. He felt like a carefree pup, glad that there was no one to see more of his true self come to the surface. Apparently all he needed was a little holiday from the dreary snow and ice that he liked so much.

After speaking with the red-marked woman, he knew he should have gone straight for Winterfell. The idea of seeing his siblings again was something that he was excited for and eager to make a reality, but as he left the falls and neared the mile-high woods, his paws began to deviate from their intended path and he began to wander toward the sea. The closer he got to his uncle's pack, the more he seemed to second guess his decision. He told himself it was only because it had gotten later than he had intended or maybe he just wanted to get to know the north better if he was going to be living here. It all seemed like thinly veiled excuses, but he couldn't quite figure out what the real reason was. At this rate, another days time wasn't going to make the biggest difference for when he arrived at the pack's borders. His plan had already been delayed by a few weeks with the unexpected injury he had received from the pair of coyotes near Valhalla's lands. What would one more day be in comparison to that?

As he neared the shore, his ears perked as he listened to the sound of paws running against the sand, causing the distinct, muffled and shifting thud as they ran. Curious, Casso crept closer, keeping to the shadows and peeking around the corner of a pillar of rock that marked the beginning of the beach. His vibrant eyes landed on a tan and brown male, his coat carrying an interestingly indistinct, speckled pattern. It was hard to tell right away with how he was currently running, but Casso thought he might have seen some dashes of orange hues in the male's coat as well. He raised an eye brow at the wolf as he watched him race from palm to palm, seemingly having the time of his life alone on this northern shore. It made him want to turn around and leave the man be since he was seemingly so happy racing and leaping around the dark sands, but he was also so curious about what had made him this way that it kept him standing there for a bit longer. He couldn't remember a single time in his life when he had ever been as carefree as this and it made him envious.

He waited until the stranger had turned to run back down the length of the beach away from where he was standing before trotting out onto the beach, focusing his gaze on the ocean that stretched out under the darkening sky. He pretended that he hadn't previously seen the male and his eyes looked toward him with surprise, as if the sound of him running had freshly alerted the darker man that he wasn't alone. Casso offered the male a friendly grin when his dual toned gaze met the green eyes of the other wolf, pausing his steps near one of the sparsely placed palm trees. "You seem to be having a great time out here! What's all the fuss about?"

"Speech" Thought

Truly he felt like a pup once more, the worries and doubts that he had been carrying for so long seeming to slough off of his shoulders. The fear of being alone was gone for the time being, only the feeling of the sand below him and the icy wind in his mottled coat. Lyulf's tongue flopped out of his maw as he raced about, jumping here and there to feel the sand absorb the shock of his landing. Okay, beaches were his new favorite thing ever. He was so focused on, well, not focusing, that he didn't see nor hear the stranger until his voice called out to him. Ly skidded to a dead stop, black sand spraying every which way as he came to a halt. The male panted, eyes wide in surprise and embarrassment, feeling the familiar heat sting at his cheeks. He sputtered, no actual words leaving him as he backed up a few paces, head lowering as his ears clung to his skull. Shit. He hadn't been paying any attention, thinking that he really had been alone, only to be caught in his one time of freedom. "Uhh..." were the only words, word more like, that he could manage. Wary eyes looked back out across the ocean before roaming back towards the stranger, catching his red and blue gaze. Panic fluttered in his chest, it took a few seconds for him to actually get a hold of himself.

Taking a few deep breaths, the male stood back up to his full height, which was nothing compared to the other, darker coloured male. He bore scars that made it obvious that he was a fighter, nothing like himself. His orange hued brows pulled together warily, his tail raising in alarm, just in case. He hadn't really interacted with another wolf like this since coming off his mountainous home, he reminded him so much of... them. Rapidly, Lyulf shook his head to shoo the thoughts that tried to cloud his vision, taking another steadying breath. "Well," came his slow response, ridding his voice of the slight quiver. "I've never actually been on a beach before. Or sand...." There was almost a touch of shame in his tone, like this stranger would judge him for his antics and sheltered life. They hardly ever left the mountain though, and when they did, it was into the more barren lands of the area around them. He just wished that he hadn't seen him like that, the fluttering fear still circling in his belly. If he was anything like them, then he was laughing at him, getting ready to mock how he was acting like a child. The grin on the stranger's face looked appealing and friendly, but he knew from experience in just how deceiving looks could be. Ly felt the need to apologize to him, but snapped his jaws shut with an audible click. He didn't know this one, even if he looked so painfully familiar, and that could either be showing him weakness or... well anything. He wasn't well enough versed in the population here, plus he doubted everything that he once thought he knew about body language. If he could be tricked for that long, and that much, he truly was a fool who couldn't even trust himself.

Casso watched the smaller male with a critical eye, though a small smile still lingered on his lips while the stranger seemed to take a moment to regain his composure. Perhaps if he hadn't been paying such close attention he would have missed how the tan wolf seemed to panic more than just the usual embarrassment someone would feel from getting caught in this kind of silly situation. He watched the male curiously, picking apart his reactions with his overly analytical mind. The male's green gaze found his with a clear wariness and the man had to take several breaths and shake his head clear before he could manage a short response. A wary, nervous response was not something that was uncommon to Casso. He was fully aware of how war torn and intimidating his appearance made him seem so it had become common place for him to have wolves respond to his greetings with uncertainty. However, he couldn't remember a time when someone had responded to him quite so anxiously like this man had done.

It made him even more curious about him since just moments ago he had been running up and down the beach with a joyful, reckless abandon. There must have been something in particular that triggered this kind of response, but Casso couldn't be certain what exactly it was. In hopes of making himself seem less threatening, Casso settled back onto his haunches and gave the stranger an easy grin. "No harm in that! I haven't been around beaches very much myself. I grew up in a mountain range south east of here so trips to the beach were few and far between. There was a beach pretty close by to where we moved after that, but it certainly wasn't a black beach like this one." He let his dual-colored gaze drop to the ground by his paws for a moment as he raked the claws of one of his front paws through the soft sand, drawing thin lines though the sand in front of him. The color of the sand nearly matched the color of the fur around his paws and lower portions of his legs, making it almost look like he had materialized from the sand itself.

"I apologize if I startled you," he commented as he returned his gaze to the orange-marked male once again. There was really no reason for him to be so curious about a complete stranger, but now that he had disturbed the man's peace in such a way he felt the need to at least help him calm back down. It wasn't often that he was the one soothing someone else and even though he had plenty of experience working through his own panic and anxiety, he wasn't sure where to start with putting someone else at ease. It seemed like maybe the most basic place was a good place to start. "I'm Casso. What's your name?"

"Speech" Thought