It had been a while since the dark colored fae was healed by some of the Vanhalla pack members. She was refreshed and rejuvenated, able to go with Kar wherever he wished to go alongside her. The smell of blood soon caught her senses, unsure of what was making the odor that was familiar to every wolf around in this land and region. Her crimson pools scanned the area for anything suspicious, but soon found nothing that would have to be worrying to her or to her friend that was walking beside her, their paws crunching on the snow and hard ground. Nalyda yipped as her paw was cut on a small shard of ice that had a very sharp edge to it. It was hard to walk around without having the ground breaking underneath their paws and making them move at an uneven pace.

"Damn ice," she cursed under her breath and licked the crimson that was slowly dripping from the black colored pads of her paws. She lied down and licked continuously and was able to make it stop, soon standing and walking once more, crimson eyes soon coming across a small herd of deer that were deceased. She wasn't sure if the epidemic had caught some of them as well, but the bellowing of a fawn that had lost it's mother caused her to be on edge.

The femme approached the deceased harem, the fawn dashing away and hiding in the bushes. She paid no heed to it for the moment as she looked to see claw marks, knowing that it had to be a pack or a few rogues that ad teamed up to kill this small herd of deer. "I would never kill a deer that had a fawn with her, and that fawn will not survive without it's mother." The fawn had still kept its head down and staying low like what its mother had taught it to do so it wouldn't be spotted by predators. She looked to Kar. "I don't know what to do, this is really odd to me, and I don't know what I can do right now."

Kar was moving alongside Nalyda, glad that they were able to stand on their own again. He had taken some time, during her period of being treated, to go seek out Zanire... Twice. The first time had not gone so well... And the second time the brute had been unable to find the female bear he had befriended. Her scent was gone, and panic filled him. He had searched, but no sign of the bear could be found. With winter set in he couldn?t believe that she wasn?t here... He was heartbroken. Zanire had been the only family that he had known... And she was gone now. Sure he had Nalyda... But losing one of them had come at a great emotional cost to the brute. He felt conflicted as he followed Nalyda, ears perking as he looked towards her. He would give a soft whine, pressing his body lightly against her own as she licked the blood from her wounded paw pad. ?Are you alright...?? He asked softly. He was endlessly worried about her, even after being treated for her wounds. Once Nalyda was able to move again Kar would give her just a bit of space, though he remained close. The male bore scars over his right eye, though luckily the lens had been spared, so he could still see. Still, it had been a scary ordeal. Soon the other smell of blood that had been scented would become clear. A small herd of deer, slaughtered, save for a single fawn. He would give a sigh, glancing to where the small creature had run off to hide. Kar would give a soft sigh, looking to Nalyda. ?I don?t know... Perhaps some of those infected by the epidemic had attacked the herd... There is a bit of sickness scent, though the deer themselves don?t seem to be infected. As for the fawn... It is terrible to say but... We?re probably going to have to kill it as well. It won?t survive alone, and a we certainly can?t raise it...? He would lower his gaze. ?I wish there was some other way... But any other deer we tried to introduce it to would likely shun it... If we don?t... It?ll likely just starve to death or get picked off by some other predator...? He had come to respect other species more since getting to know Zanire, and had truthfully fed a lot more on fish since then. Ears would lower as he glanced back to Nalyda, waiting to see what she would say. Speech, Thought

She gave a small whine, but, knowing that her friend was right, she approached the fawn who was now running; she ran as well and soon caught the small deer, pinning it to the ground as it bellowed a plea. Her crimson orbs stared into the fawn's ebony ones as she did not like to kill anything young, especially when one was begging for its life to be spared. Her crimson pools shimmered as a single tear fell. "I'm sorry little one.." she would say, snapping down upon the fawn and killing it, without having the young fawn feel any pain as she did it before her friend so he didn't think she let the young thing go. The fae felt horrible about the ordeal and lied down, not eating a bite from the young fawn that had only begun to live.

"That was horrible...I wonder if they were rogues or other pack wolves that have been infected that killed off those deer. That fawn was lucky to have been alive until I sadly had to end it despite its crying." She remembered her pack from when she was young, to not kill something young, but only something that is weak or hurt and suffering. That was the only thing she had heard her pack tell her, and it had stuck with Nalyda to this day. "You can eat if you wish, Kar, but, I am not hungry now."

He knew she felt bad about what she needed to do, but unfortunately it was the only option the poor fawn had. It would just suffer if it was left alive. Kar would follow, watching as the woman pinned the fawn to the ground and took it?s life. It was hard for her, and he would come up beside her, licking her face as he looked down at her. It was a shame to take a creature?s life, especially when they were so young, but the circle of life was not a gentle thing. It was very, very cruel. He would give a soft sigh, glancing back to the small fawn, no dead upon the grass. ?It is indeed a shame... And I don?t know who did it, only that it was done. Still... It?s a waste of life.? The brute would move closer to the fawn, feeling that at least one of them should eat some, just so that it wasn?t completely wasted, as the adults had been. ?I will eat some...? He would say softly, before lowering his head to eat. He would chew over the meat, though it was a bit hard to get down. He would give a small sigh after consuming some of the fawn, padding back to Nalyda?s side and laying down, resting his head upon her back. ?I was thinking, Nalyda... That... Maybe... Maybe we should think of going to a pack ourselves...? He would heave a sigh, closing his eyes. ?While you were recovering I went to look for Zanire. She?s... She?s gone...? He would say, voice shaking some. Speech, Thought

Her head would turn to face her friend. A sigh would escape her throat as she licked his cheek and nudged under his chin. "I'm here for you Kar, and I will help you find Zanrie, I promise," she would say with a reassuring smile on her head and looked to the fawn as she began to tear a few strips of meat from the young fawn that she just taken down. Her crimson orbs looked into Kar's emerald ones, and she would smile at him, but when he talked about a pack, she was not so sure. It had been a while since she had been part of a pack, and she would love to have Kar beside her when or if they do become part of a pack that would accept them.

"I'm not sure, but, I do enjoy being with you, so I will be willing to do whatever you wish," she said, licking his cheek once more as she looked to the sky.

Kar would shake his head as Nalyda attempted to comfort him. He would give her a pained smile, sadness clear in his eyes, though there was sincerity in his words when he spoke. ?No, Nalyda... I... I think she has left Alacritia. I?m going to take this as a sign to be with the woman I love, to stay by your side.? It was hard to willingly give up his friend, but it was for the best. Zanire never approved of Nalyda... And to find her would invite much unneeded conflict in the relationship. No, it was better to move on. Kar would give a small nod as she spoke on the matter of a pack, leaning against her some. ?It is not something we necessarily need to figure out right away, my Nalyda. It would be safer in numbers, but that does not necessarily mean that we need a pack life. I have lived with a paw in both lifestyles, as a traveling loner and a pack wolf. I have enjoyed both, and honestly I am fine with either. As long as you feel comfortable with what we decide, our decision, that is good enough for me.? Kar would glance to the sky, giving a soft sigh. ?It seems ages ago that I was forced to leave my pack... With all those natural disasters, and the sickness that came across the land... I feared that leaving Alacritia would be our only choice. But according to that old loner we passed someone in a pack in the south found a cure for the sickness. Perhaps things will be getting better soon.? Speech, Thought

Nalyda heaved a small sigh and looked to Kar, crimson orbs looking into radioactive colored pools. The smell of blood still stayed in the air when she looked to him, nudging his cheek in a gentle way as she tried to stay focused and choose something that would benefit the both of them, but, will she stay as a loner with Kar, or allow them to go into a pack?

"Kar, I would kind of like to just be with you. I've been a loner for most of my life and kind of don't think I could handle being in a pack right away," she said, hoping he would understand what she had explained and could still feel weak seeing the dead harem of deer and began to walk away and try to get away from the intoxicating stench of crimson. Her eyes shown compassion when she looked into Kar's eyes once more and had her head down. She hoped her lover would understand for she did not wish to lose him like she had lost most of her family before she had come to Alacritia.

When Nalyda spoke there was no anger within him, not even an ounce of resentment for her choice. He supported her, and truthfully was glad that she chose to stay just with him. The life of a loner, though harder, was not a bad thing. Both of them could hunt and Nalyda had herbal knowledge.. They had everything they needed, skill wise, to be able to make it through things just fine. They would be able to overcome their obstacles, as long as they had each other. Kar would give an understanding nod, rising to follow her as he began to speak, his words remaining soft and gentle. ?You don?t need to worry about that. I have no problem being a loner, so long as I am with you. As I said before, I?ve done both and enjoyed both...? The male would gently press against her, giving a soft sigh. ?I do miss some things about my old pack, truthfully... But... They are things that can not be recovered... Though time has blessed me in other ways, so it?s not all bad.? He would give Nalyda a gentle lick across her cheek. ?So now the question is where do we want to go from here? The south would be warmer, though I don?t mind the cold if you?d rather travel to another land.? Speech, Thought

Nalyda smiled and nudged the tri-colored brute. She loved him and would spend her entire life with him. She could feel the gentle lick that had been given to her, and she did the same with him as her salmon colored tough gently touched his cheek as her crimson orbs shimmered with happiness and kindness to him. She didn't mind where they go, as long as it was with him.

"I would prefer going to the south, but, I am not sure where we could live. Perhaps, we could maybe live somewhere on the islands?" She asked with a slight tilt of her head, "I have not been to the islands in a long time, and, perhaps, we won't be bothered for a little while. Though the only thing I would worry about is the lack of water and supplies if we were injured."

Kar would listen quietly, ears twitching as he look ahead, gaze seeming distance as he thought. The islands. He hadn't been to all of them yet, but he supposed that they seemed a good place to live, even if a bit isolated. But during winter, and if they had pups, it would be a good place to be. They could avoid the needless conflict of packs. Perhaps, he thought, it would be somewhere that they could feel safe. Just the two of them, and perhaps their children. Though Nalyda made a point of lack of water and supplies, and Kar would think on that. After a few moments he would speak. "I think it depends on the island we go to as far as water and food. Some islands provide game, even if it's smaller, and have water from what I've heard. The only concern would be finding and transferring herbs to the island in case of an emergency." Kar would relax some, finding a bit of peace in this. "So maybe we can just visit different islands until we find the one that we like the best... okay?" Speech, Thought

Nalyda smiled and nodded as her crimson orbs shone slightly in the sunlight. She was happy to be with Kar, and when she looked to see his emerald gaze upon her, she couldn't help but smile.

"That, or we could head back to the Veteran's Plateau where you and Zanire were located?" She smiled and nudged him as she had her crown upon her forepaws as the distant sound of birds and other wildlife caught her attention. The smell of flowers began to waft into her nose as she lost herself in the intoxicating fregrance.

"It's up to you, " She said with a smile as she began to wait for a reply from her other suggestion. It wasn't that far from where they were now, and it was where Kar had been many times before. Perhaps that would be easier?

Veterans plateau? The name sent a shiver through his body, his heart giving a pang. Though they could return there he felt that going back there would only lead to heartache... to problems. Every time he would pass by the area he and Zanire denned he knew he would be pained. He blamed himself for driving the bear away... and a soft sigh would pass his lips. The brute would think again before he slowly answered her question. "I don't think going to the plateau is a good idea... however... I know of another area in the south that might be good. Weeping woods... full of willow trees and streams. Plants would have no problem growing there... and of course where there is water there is prey." The male would give a small shrug. "We could travel around a bit in the south... and see what strikes our fancy too. We don't need to decide straight away, do we? We have all the time in the world in our paws right now." He would flash a gentle smile to her. "...So... to the south we go?" Speech, Thought

The thought of weeping woods struck her fancy and she gave her lover a nudge on the cheek. "I'm fine going anywhere as long as I am with the one I love," she smiled as she gave him a small lick to the nose and began to walk to the south. She knew that Veteran's Plateau would have hurt him, and she understood when he said no.

"So, would that mean I am your mate?" She asked him as she stopped and looked to his emerald optics, a slight tilt of her head when she had asked him. Nalyda knew that she probably was, but she did not wish to jinx it and waited for an answer from Kar.

Kar could feel his heart lifting as Nalyda spoke, and there was certainly hope for their future. Perhaps, someday, things would truly be one hundred percent better. Maybe they could even start a nomadic type pack... for them and any friends that they might gain. Perhaps one day he'd have the courage to return to Veteran's Plateau to look for Zanire, to at least apologize for all that had happened. He wasn't sure if he would ever see her again, but he had hopes that he would. If anything he hated to leave their relationship on this sour note. Kar looked to Nalyda, emerald orbs meeting those of crimson. He answered without hesitation, without any doubt when he said the next words that left his lips; "Of course you are, my Nalyda, and someday I will have some wolf officially marry us, so that you can be more than that. So that you can be my wife." The male licked her muzzle, expression soft as his body relaxed. There was nothing else that needed to be said right now. This moment was for the two of them and what lay ahead. -End Thread- Speech, Thought