The cold was almost unbearable. s autumn turned to winter the north became deadly for wolves like Jyla, well groomed wolves with sleek fur and odd markings. He stayed beside The Wall as the winds buffeted him. He shivered against the cold and his paws ached from the snow, slowly powdering the grass, he howled, searching for anyone to help him. He had to survive. He had to live to see the next day, he had to find his father. He listened for any kind of response. Waiting. Frozen in place, in the grassland. He howled again, desperately, hoping against hope that someone, anyone, would answer.

It was getting very cold up here, in the Northernmost regions of the land, but the girl was well insulated with her thick pelt the colour of rusty bark. A distressed howl reached her small auds, and she picked up her tiny paws, kicking them a little faster to see what could possibly be the matter. Soon, she came upon a strangely marked, thin furred male. He was shivering so hard he looked like he was ready to vibrate right out of his skin. The petite she wolf with the ivory mask moved around him and nudged at his rear legs with her delicate cranium. ?If you can't handle the cold, why come up north?? She muttered, her breath coming out with a thick cloud of mist. Her sweet alto vocals were strained and impatient, she simply couldn't fathom the reasons this male had for coming up North with such a thin coat. She had found a large badger den underground, and had been sleeping in that while she searched for her father. It would have to do in keeping this male warm while the pair waited out the snow that would be falling heavily for a while. Leading the man forwards, she ushered him into the large den and waited for him to enter. At the worst, she would simply shove him into the large space underground, and then get inside herself. She muttered to herself about how stupid some wolves could be, doing things they knew weren't smart, to prove some point to themselves. ?Speech?

"I'm looking for someone." He chattered after crawling into the den. It was warm in the small space, cozy almost. He fought to keep his eyes open as they adjusted to the light. He gazed upon his savior with complete gratitude, his tail drumming against the earth. "Who are you?" He asked with a small grin. Friendliness had never been a weak spot of Jyla's. He always had friends growing up, and whenever he stopped it wasn't without making one or two friends along the way. He regretted leaving them behind obviously, but his mission was far more important to him than any of the friends he had made, blood is after all thicker than water.

His reply came brokenly from between chattering teeth, his voice falling into her ears. Looking for someone, hm? This ought to be interesting, having saved him from freezing while he waited. He seemed quite happy that she had rescued him, so at least that was a point in the russet girl's favour. His tail beat the terra underfoot, and nearly drowned out the next question that fell from his lips. Her name, that's what he wanted to know. She smiled sweetly, parting her ebony lips and her sweet alto voice filled the air in the cramped space. ?Eulari Armada, and yourself?? She asked politely, her cherubic face curious. The ivory masked girl fixed her orchid pink pools upon the man, taking in his unique pelt. A question sat on the tip of her tongue, but the tiny she wolf decided it could wait until they were better acquainted, and swallowed it back down. ?Speech?

"Jyla." He said. "Jyla Lyeray" He said with a polite nod. "It's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Armada." He grinned. There was no doubt in his mind, she was beautiful, perhaps the most beautiful wolf he had ever seen. Above all her eyes were the most captivating, grabbing his attention instantly and draining almost any thought he had had before looking into them. She would make fine pups a voice in his head that wasn't entirely his sang. He shook the thought from his mind, but it was impossible to lose completely in the small space, where only he could see her and she could see him. He could feel a blush creeping up his cheeks, hidden under his fur as he took in her scent. Floral. Like the rest of her. Floral and sweet. Like Spring. It warmed his heart and only added to the need for sleep. "May I call you Eulari?" He asked, almost shyly.

He introduced himself as Jyla, and gave her a fine compliment. A sweet smile curved the corners of her obsidian lips, revealing her pearl razors. She felt quite content to receive such a compliment. ?I appreciate the compliment, Jyla. It's wonderful to meet you as well.? She replied, her angelic alto voice soft, as there was no need to be loud in such a small space. He seemed a touch distracted, but when he asked to be able to call the russet maiden by her first name, her reply was swift and easy going. ?I would expect no less, I've always had a preference to it. It seems more personal, more emotionally attatched.? She told the male with a soft grin. Sitting down on the sandy floor, she wrapped her russet tail around her tea cupped paws and watched the male with her muted rose pools, her previous question bubbling back up. She simply couldn't resist this time, so she lent voice to her inquiry. ?So who were you waiting for back there?? She asked quietly, tilting her delicate cranium slightly to the side. ?Speech?

He chuckled nervously at the sound of her lyrical voice. Beautiful, like the rest of her and sweet like her scent. He cleared his throat "I'm looking for my father." He said, his voice cracking slightly. Gods how he hated it when females cocked their heads. It made them look irresistible to him. "I'm something of a bastard you see." He said almost shyly "I've come to find the man that sired me, in the hopes that he will accept me and I can take my father's name." He cleared his throat again and straightened his features,attempting to appear bold to the female.

So he was looking for his father, but why risk the cold that he clearly could not withstand? She was looking for her father as well, but she wouldn't leap off a cliff if she thought he might be living in the rocks below. Risking one's life was simply stupid sometimes, if the mission didn't call for it, then why bother? When his voice continued, she stifled a giggle. A bastard? One could hardly give the kind male the title of bastard. His story once more filled her ears, how he hoped his father would accept him so the uniquely marked man could take his last name. Then suddenly his demeanor changed, his facing taking on a quality one would call confident. Realigning her taira, she would offer him a small, kind smile. She giggled, out loud this time, but meant no offence in the action. ?I too am in Alacritis in search of my father, but not for the same reason. I am not nearly as honorable as yourself, I took my father's last name regardless of what his relationship with me was.? She admitted with a sly, devilish grin. In the back of her mind she wondered what he would think of this news, and whether or not he would be surprised if she told him who her father was. She laughed a little on the inside at the thought, but decided to keep silent and wait for his reply. ?Speech?

"I could never take a name that was not given to me by someone else." He said solemnly. It would be like stealing a pup from a mother to me. Or at least that was how I was raised." He said. He had almost forgotten how beautiful she was as they talked about their lost fathers. "Tell me, what would you do if your father was dead?" He asked, the question had been bugging him for years,what if he never got to see his father? What if he was to remain Leyray for the rest of his life? His mother had always warned him about "Ifs" How they tormented the mind and created doubt, she was a hopeful woman, always praying that one day the beautiful and noble Segar would return and sweep her off her feet as he had over two years ago. It was hope that Jyla carried with him as well. Hope that his father would be the forty inch tall, proud, noble and just man he had always drweamed him to be, hope that his father, upon seeing him would shed tears of joy and sorrow for the son he never knew, and would beg Jyla for forgiveness. Hope of course that he would come to find would not meet his expectation.

His reply was noble, honourable. It was sweet that he was so traditional about it, how he cared about his father bestowing the name upon him instead of simply taking it without fear of the consequences. Then a question that had occasionally plagued the petite maiden when she was travelling. What if her long travel to find the man who had assisted in her creation was all in vain, and he was dead, or had forgotten all about the children who had all left in search of him? She sighed, looking down at the sandy floor of the den for a few heartbeats, then turning her ivory masked face and it's orchid toned optics onto the male once more. ?I think I would return home, or meet the rest of the family anyways.? She told Jyla with a shrug, sighing as the possibility settled itself in her bones. She was getting closer to finding her family though, so she wouldn't worry herself all too much now. ?What about you, what would you do Jyla?? She asked the unique pelted man, cocking her delicate cranium to the side quizzically. ?Speech?

He shook his head at the thought. "I don't know what I'd do. Start a family or find a pack I guess. " He explained. "I have no family to return home to. My mother died not too long ago, and I never had any brothers and sisters that I knew of." He said Secretly he prayed that he would never find any siblings, that his mother was his fathers first and true love. That he never looked at another female the way he did his mother, his mother would have been happy if that was the case. "Have you ever known your father?" He asked. Had she ever actually seen him? Looked upon his face and stared into his eyes? No, he imagined, she was probably like him; abandoned at conception.

The male shook his head, and his voice filled the air once more. His reply was sad, he revealed to her that he had no family, so he would be left to start a family or join a pack. No siblings? How terrible must that be? The little she wolf had no idea what she would do without her siblings, her wonderful big sister Sibelle, her eldest brother Taurig, and her middle brother Falk. She had a lot of big wolves that she hoped would protect her as much as she would try and protect them. Then Jyla asked her if she had ever known her father. The only time she had ever even heard about her father was when her mother told her about the time her father came to take away Taur and ended up getting her pregnant with her litter before he left again. After that, it was only the occasional story to calm her curiosity when she woke up crying from a nightmare about how her father finally came to see her and completely rejected her. Her coral optics found the male's orange gold pools, and her voice fell from ebony lips in a shy, quiet whisper. ?No.. That's why I'm here, searching for him so I can meet the fabled monster that terrorized women everywhere.? She said, sighing and looking down at the floor sheepishly. She felt so needy, so weak, to be out here seeking her father's acceptance. ?Speech?

He sensed her embarrassment and smiled reassuringly. "Kind of ironic that we would find each other, isn't it? Of all the wolves to find me bumbling around in the snow it just so happened it would be you. Searching for your father like me." He chuckled. She suddenly seemed so closed off, so distant, it made him uneasy, just when he thought he'd found another friend too. "I'm sure we'll find them." He said seriously. "We have to."

His voice found it's way through her shame, announcing the irony of their situation, one she couldn't believe she had missed. Her, the white faced queen of sarcasm and snarkiness, had missed the obvious irony! Then he was silent for a while, and then his vocals reached her audits once more, suddenly so serious. He told her with such surety that they would find them, that they had to. Eulari so hoped that he was right, that she would one day find her father and the rest would fall into place. Sighing, she met his gaze again and let her voice give him his deserved reply. ?I wish I was that confident. But, if I don't find him, at least I'll know I tried my best...? She murmured, nodding slowly as if in agreement with herself. Then yet another inquiry bubbled up into her maw, so she lent it voice as well. ?Do you at least know your father's name?? She asked the male, her eyes taking a moment to look over his interesting markings and then returning to his face. Her head tilted slightly, her brow raising quizzically. If he knew the man's name, at least that was a start. ?Speech?

"Segar Flores. Have you heard of him by any chance?" He asked, hope building inside his frame. Even if she had only heard passing rumors of his father it was more than he had now. She could be the key to finding his father after years of searching. Could he really be so close? Could years of searching finally come to an end? He could only hope as he waited for a reply. He found his mind wandering again, this time wondering what his father would do after he accepted him. He would bring him to his pack and present him as his one true heir, and all the wolves would rejoice that the wolf sworn to celibacy finally had a son to carry on his name. A grande thought, a fantastic dream. But as of now it was only that: A dream.

When Jyla spoke the name of his father, the little russet dame was a little disappointed to find that she had never heard it before. How futile did she feel, knowing she couldn't help the man? The answer was, quite a bit. Her only reply to his question was to look at the ground and shake her head slowly. "I'm sorry..." She murmured, looking up at him sheepishly. That's when she noticed something was off. Looking around to find out what was amiss, she realized something when she looked up the tunnel to the den. The sky was clear. The snow had finally stopped. Standing, she shook out her thick pelt and gestured towards the entrance with her delicate cranium. "I guess it's time for us to head on our ways.." She told him, smiling weakly and then padding up to the mouth of the earthen burrow. Standing amid all the fresh snow, she looked around and searched for the direction she would take. Instead of heading off immediately, she waited there for the uniquely pelted male to appear from the den. She would say goodbye before they parted, and hopefully they would meet again. Speech,