My soul is spiraling in frozen

Elsa Winterfell

fractals all around

Ebony had just happened to expend into one of the best herbal spots she had yet to find. The fireflies out and about near the lake with the waters calm and soothing, rather cool too. "Beauty." She told herself before racing off into the water. She normally hated water but the sun was so hot that day and the water was so cool. How could she not resist? The sundown which cooled the lands drastically was half a day away and she was already sweating from the thick pelt she sorted. She didn't really think any other wolf was around to see her act so childishly by splashing about.

Having spotted the pale healer heading towards the Lake, it was not a hard decision to follow her. Curiosity coiled in the woman's stomach and with a grin, she trotted off along her trail. The day was hot, monstrously so, and the Queen had a fairly good idea of the godling's intentions. Raisa chuckled, hanging back just far enough to remain undetected. Never one to disappoint, Raisa watched as Elsa flung herself into the water with reckless abandon, her giggled becoming full blown laughter, half stifled. She did not want to offend the woman, but she made such a comical image. Raisa emerged from the cover of the trees, (the merciful, shady trees,) and came to the water's edge as well. She padded in, allowing the liquid to cover her to the elbow, barely brushing her stomach. "Look at you showing some spirit," she teased her friend. "Mind if I join you?" "Talk" "You" Think

My soul is spiraling in frozen

Elsa Winterfell

fractals all around

Elsa turned and froze, the water up to the top and front of her shoulders. "I was... er... just looking for some..... gillyweed?" She panicked, she hadn't been productive and the queen was about. She sighed and gave a guilty frown. She had been caught messing around and so what would Queen Raisa do? She couldn't tell if what the queen had said was an accusation, sarcasm or enjoyment. Elsa had no idea if she would be in trouble or not and with that a confused look upon her face. "S-sure." She stuttered out a bit. She still stuttered around strangers or when she was nervous or confused.

Seeing her otherwise stoic friend act so puplike had breathed a mercurial breath into the Queen. She chuckled and waded farther out, sinking under the surface of the lake and popping up once more. She paddled about, rolled, finally inflating her lungs and coming to float upon her back. Elsa wasn't the only one that needed to let go once in a while. As she let the breath out, slowly sinking, Raisa said, "Mhmm, sure, gillyweed." She fell below the surface once more. The queen made her way towards shore and, upon regaining her footing, shook her coat vigorously. She couldn't not restrain another laugh, though this one was hearty and burst forth from deep within her lungs. "Elsa, you worry too much! It's summer, it's too godsdamned hot for worries like that." She laughed and pulled herself up, then in a mocking tone chuckled out, "No fun for anyone! Any enjoyment of any sort is banned!" She deflated with laughter once more, turning to her light coated friend. She looked so worried about the queen's opinion that Raisa couldn't help but flash her a genuine smile. Maybe in time she would come to understand the Queen's fickle wills and passions. Raisa knew she was a hard code to crack, but even that Elsa would try meant more than she knew. "Talk" "You" Think

My soul is spiraling in frozen

Elsa Winterfell

fractals all around

Elsa had been such a worrier, always worries about making some wrong move and being thrown out of another pack. When Raisa started to laugh she couldn't help but to laugh as well. The nervous chuckle from her grew to a large laugh when Raisa started to mock herself making a no fun law. How could she have been so foolish as to believe that Raisa would punish her for acting like a child for a while? Elsa's white fur was soaking wet as she padded around the water, her icy blue eyes filled with a sign of relief. "I shouldn't have been worried." The Sola giggled.

Raisa saw Elsa relax, and relaxed some herself. She knew it would take time for the small white wolf to adjust to the queen's lax ways. Raisa knew she was not the strictest of leaders, but it did not bother her. How could she expect to grow and flourish under restraint? Wolves that did not wish to stay were free to go, but so far she thought her mannerisms had proved rather effective for finding loyal and trustworthy companions. She had not seen much of her fox companion as of late. She knew him to be out and about, searching for a mate to continue his own family name. Raisa did not know why he bothered, as Raisa had no pups as of yet. The thought was pushed back down with something akin to anger. Raisa was waiting, waiting on a woman no less. Would pups ever be in her future? She could not foresee the future, and it disturbed her. She decided for now, as she had before, to ignore it. Even so, her traitorous mouth turned to Elsa and asked, "So now that I'm Queen, do you suppose I should go about finding an heir?" She had not told Elsa of Virgil, nor anyone else. It was not out of shame or fear for their reactions, but rather a mild terror that the golden woman would not make good on her promise. So much could change so quickly, after all. This she knew very well... "Talk" "You" Think

My soul is spiraling in frozen

Elsa Winterfell

fractals all around

Elsa listened as Raisa started talking about finding an heir. "Fate is strange Raisa. I know you have many years left in you, but perhaps having an heir is nice." She offered as she paddled to stay afloat in the water. She hoped she had not said anything to offend the queen, but she never knew how others would react. Heirs were pups, weren't they? So did Raisa have a mate who wasn't in Ebony or something? The white furred healer had a question that had been brewing for a while. "Raisa, would it be bold if I requested to be the Sola Master?" She asked as she realized she was the only Sola. At least as far as she knew.

Elsa was correct, fate was indeed a strange, hard to understand force. Raisa could not predict which way the gods would twist the path she walked, and did not like the helpless feeling that seemed to well up within her. She sighed and closed her eyes for a long moment, pushing the feelings away. She would deal with it later, like so many other things. Raisa smiled, and nodded at her friend. The woman's next words, while on a different topic entirely, did not exactly surprise the sooty queen. She had sensed for a while now a certain ambition hiding within the fae. The larger fae could not deny a certain affection for her pale companion, and yet it occurred to the woman that this alone did not merit a promotion. Raisa chuckled and bobbed her head from side to side, considering. "Bold? Certainly. But not bad, precisely. It would be hard for me to say, seeing as you are not the only Sola Knight. Have you met Maximous yet?" It the queen might hazard a guess, she would wager not. Their numbers were so small, their territory surprisingly large, Raisa did not expect them to know one another well, if at all. It worried her to a degree that there was still discord among their ranks, but she could not do much for it in the short time they had known one another. Perhaps in time that would change. "Talk" "You" Think

Sorry this took so long lovely <3

My soul is spiraling in frozen

Elsa Winterfell

fractals all around

The news of another Sola knight shocked Elsa. She had not met nor scented this 'Maximous' wolf around. "I'm afraid I have not had the chance to meet Maximous." Her response was formal, proper and she felt like a fool. A troubled look held her eye as she looked to the bottom of the lake. Idiot, you idiot. She told herself as she started to shrink into her old self more and more. Was it a warning that Elsa wasn't needed anymore? Was it a warning that this other wolf was better than her at healing or giving advice?

Raisa saw a crestfallen light take root behind the pale woman's eyes. With sympathy the queen moved forward and swept her tail along the woman's side: a gesture of comfort. She knew the girl's confidence was still fragile, that she had only just begun to blossom within the freedoms Ebony provided. With a small smile Raisa said, "Take heart in knowing you are still my first choice. But I will not decide while being uninformed, for the sake of the wellfare of the pack. Do you understand what I mean?" It was not that Raisa did not approve of Elsa's work, it was not that she did not like her. On the contrary, the sooty queen considered the Sola among her closest friends, and one she rather enjoyed spending time with. But for this reason above others she knew she could not leap to a conclusion. She refused to allow biased opinions to sway her actions. "In my homeland, nepotism ran rampant among the ranks. Wolves were promoted for being sisters and brothers, friends and servants. It weakened us. I cannot allow that to happen again. I like you Elsa, and for that reason alone I hesitate." She hoped the smaller woman would not take it personally. "Talk" "You" Think

My soul is spiraling in frozen

Elsa Winterfell

fractals all around

Elsa was comforted little by the queen's soothing words. She couldn't necessarily process what was even happening. She went into a form of shock, she knew she was in shock but could not process why. She needed lavender. Lavender. She thought she said it out loud but she said it only in her mind. Her snow white fur that was dripping wet with water was still as she stayed frozen. "I like you Elsa, and for that reason alone I hesitate." How is that any reason? Elsa, on the inside, wasn't analyzing the words she had said before. "So this Maximous is to be the Sola Master? I only bow to you Raisa, I do not think I could bow to another Sola." No, it was not in her nature.

Raisa let a chuckle loose from her mouth, soft and amused. Silly Elsa, so many emotions she would not show... To be disappointed Raisa would understand, but to assume that it automatically meant Maximous was her choice? Hardly. "And who is to say I choose Maximous as my champion. Will a passing moon or two change either of you so drastically? No, of course not. The only choice I have made is that I need more time." If Elsa could not accept this, there was little the sooty queen could do for it. Her intentions had been stated, and that was that. She would not allow herself to be swayed by a friends disappointment, even if in truth it cut at her heartstrings. Elsa had been through much and more, that the Queen knew. But in Ebony, things were earned. Raisa had full confidence that both could perform above expectations as healers, but that wasn't what she searched for. The master was a spiritual position as much as a status symbol. She needed masters who would care for the pack as she had, guide and love them in her absence. And to understand something like that took long hours of thought, and a fair bit of luck as well. "Talk" "You" Think

<33333333333

She never seemed to have the right thing to say. Elsa was just trying to not have an anxiety attack whilst her alpha was around. A softness filled her eyes when she realized her mistake to assume the man would steal the coveted role away from her. She could prove that she was the best Sola if given the time and the chance. Elsa, breathe. Just stop. She told herself in a grave tone as she gave a weak nod to Raisa. "I understand." She said hoarsely as she made her way out of the water and onto the shore of the territory they now held. She loved how fast the pack was expanding, it was all happening so fast though. Elsa shook the water from her pelt and started off towards the forest. She had a lot of work to get done. The determination seen in her eyes and it riddled her pelt. She could do this. Breathe Elsa before you pass out. Just breathe, breathe, breathe. She constantly had to remind herself. There were many herbs along the banks of the shore despite the heat. The heat had little affect with the cool water brushing over them constantly. But she did not want to go back to the shore. She wanted a challenge. "normal. talk. think. you"