The unexpected reconnection with Juniper and the even more unexpected turn of events that now had the little fae following her back home had most certainly not been planned which was out of the norm for someone like Avacyn, but she was already looking forward to having Juniper visiting and hanging around Elysium occasionally. She wouldn't pressure her new friend turned lover into joining of course–she could tell how much having her freedom meant to Juniper–but she would most certainly be more than welcome to come and go as she pleased. They reached the edges of Elysium's main land territory and she gestured out toward the open field that was dotted with rocks and boulders of all shapes and sizes that stood between them and the land bridge that would eventually take them to the main island. "Welcome to Elysium! Well, part of it, I suppose," she said with a chuckle, glancing over at Juniper with a little grin. 

It was beginning to dip toward evening now with another hour or two of decent daylight left ahead of them, but that would be plenty of time to show her around this part of the territory and make it over to Firefly Lake just in time for the fireflies to begin to appear. "Not a ton to see here, I'm afraid, but it does make for a very convenient hunting area and the view out over the ocean isn't too shabby when you get up on one of these boulders." The Rock Garden was definitely chosen more out of logical necessity than it was because of an eye catching feature the way Firefly Lake was. It gave them a wide open space to hunt and train in as well as secured the land that the island's bridge connected to. 

"Avacyn Mendacium"

Juniper had been so excited to get to see inside Elysium's lands and pounced on the opportunity to pay a visit as soon as she could! Her pleasant run in with Avacyn back in the pine forest had awoken something in her for the much taller alphess, something she was keenly eager to explore further and something she knew would have her back at these borders on a regular basis. Though she wasn't one for the strict rigidity of packs and did value her freedom to come and go as she pleased, having an open door invitation was a nice perk to have. Now she could freely interact with both the Hallows and Elysium! It also meant she could come find a warm bed with Avacyn whenever the urge struck, but that was more a perk than the reason she was here. No, the reason she was here was because her friend and given her permission to finally come see her island home!

Crossing over the borders from wild lands into Elysium proper, the pair of faes were met with the expansive sight of fields dotted with rocks of all sizes. June's mint green eyes surveyed over the land, taking in the view of all the rocks and boulders made from different types of rock and sediment. Somewhere in the land she could smell a herd of deer grazing, and the air was tinged with salt from the nearby ocean. It was very plain, all things considered, but understandably a vital source of food for the pack. Ava welcomed her to Elysium and explained the obvious—the Rock Garden was more a necessity than a tourist destination. "So it's... just a big field with a lot of rocks?" she clarified, looking up at Avacyn with a raised brow—only for her expression to visibly brighten with a grin. "Cool! Race you up a rock!" Without waiting, Juniper rushed for the nearest boulder, using a combination of her small size, agility, and experienced footing to clamber up the rock in a matter of seconds. She wanted to see these views Ava was talking about.

"Juniper of the Sea"

When Juniper summed up the Rock Garden as a big field with a bunch of rocks she wondered for a moment if she should have just skipped this part of her tour, but then the tiny wolf immediately brightened, calling the land "cool" and challenging her to a race. Avacyn grinned and laughed lightly, replying, "You're on!" Juniper was so much more cheerful and easygoing than she was used to from pretty much anyone else in her life and it was so refreshing to be around her. June suddenly darted off, catching her off guard a bit and letting her friend get a head start. Ava wasn't far behind though and started bounding after her toward the closest boulder.

Juniper was surprisingly fast for someone with such a short stature. Those little legs could really move! Avacyn did eventually catch up with her before they reached the base of the large rock, but June had the advantage when it came to climbing the craggily surface of the boulder, her smaller size clearly easier to pull up the surface and her build far more agile and nimble than her own. "Alright, alright, I guess you win," she relented with a chuckle as she pulled herself up onto the slightly flattened top of the boulder. Out ahead of them was an expansive view of the ocean that was only obscured by the occasional boulder that dotted the field. "The ocean looks like it just goes on forever, doesn't it?" she mused as she sat back on her haunches next to Juniper.

"Avacyn Mendacium"

Although it was a noble effort from Avacyn, Juniper knew she'd reach the top of the rock first, and when she inevitably did she just shot Ava a triumphant grin and gave a happy little celebratory wiggle of her shoulders. "What can I say? Mama raised a natural born wayfarer! Sorry I hustled you, but I got to show off a bit, so I'm not really sorry," she replied with a playful giggle. From atop the sizable boulder, Juniper was able to see the Rock Garden in all directions. Not only did the open land and coast seemed to stretch out for miles, but so too did the ocean to the east, just a vast and endless sea going on as far as the eye could see. Juniper had always loved the sea, and her mint gaze was immediately drawn to the shimmering ocean in the late day sun. "Wow... What a great view you have here!" she commented with a delighted grin sitting lopsided on her muzzle, her bushy tail wagging so fast it was dusting off the snow from the rock.

Avacyn seemed to be reading her mind when she remarked about how the ocean seemed to go on forever. "Yeah, it does. My dad came from a land far away and he always talks about how there's so much more world across the sea. But I can't believe there's still so much just out there that we don't even know exists!" June breathed a soft, amazed sigh while she watched the waves rise and fall out on the restless ocean. "The world is so big that I forget about it sometimes. I'd really like to learn how to sail one of these days. Maybe then I can see some of these faraway places my dad talks about." Turning her gaze up to Ava, she added in, "Maybe when you're not so busy, we could go sailing? We don't have to leave Ardent, just up and down the coast for a bit of fun or something."

"Juniper of the Sea"

Avacyn smiled happily as Juniper admired the landscape in front of them and seemed delighted with the view that the boulder provided them. "I'm glad you like it." It felt like this was probably the least spectacular of Elysium's lands so if this was an interesting view already she knew they were only going to go up from here. Avacyn listened curiously while June talked about how her father had come form a place far away and how much more there was across the sea. Ava blinked with surprise at the thought and looked back out across the sea with thought. She knew there were other lands besides Boreas and Auster–her own mother had spoken of the old land that their family had come from before–but she had never really considered just how big the world might be until now. It was one of those things that was always a vague fact in her mind, but not that she had ever really put too much thought into.

She turned her gaze back down to Juniper when she mentioned sailing and asked her if they could go sailing some time when she wasn't busy. "Sailing? Sure, I don't see why not! I don't know how to sail, but... I'm sure we could figure it out," she replied with a grin. She wasn't sure how she felt about being out in the ocean like that, but she didn't want to put a damper on Juniper's ideas either and was just excited to have a new friend to do things with. She hadn't had a lot of opportunities to do things just for the fun of it with all of the things she had to look after and be responsible for so June was a breath of fresh air in a way. She returned her attention back to the landscape for a bit longer before she said, "Are you ready to see one of the lakes?" she asked with a grin, remembering June's interest in the lakes that had sparked her invitation to come visit.

"Avacyn Mendacium"

Avacyn seemed taken aback by Juniper's suggestion to go sailing, but did ultimately agree to go sailing with her sometime. Juniper's tail was immediately a-wag with uncontrollable excitement. "That's okay, I don't either!" she responded chipper as ever to Ava's concerns. That just meant they'd have to figure it out together. They could learn along the coast or in some of the coves and inlets around Boreas before trying to go into more open water. For as ambitious as Juniper was, she wasn't daft. Learning took time, and she'd never put Avacyn in a situation that could be dangerous without testing it out first. She just hoped the alphess could swim!

When asked about seeing one of the pack's lakes, Juniper was immediately on her paws, an excited grin on her face and tiny tail wagging so fast it was almost spinning. "Hell yeah! I love lakes!" she remarked, quickly scampering down from the boulder back down to the snowy ground and waiting for Ava to join her. "Let's go, pretty lady!"

"Juniper of the Sea"