She had been lingering in the north. She didn't know why, maybe it was the drastic change of scenery that offered her no reminders of home or her past. Or maybe the cooler temperatures that made the summer a little more bearable. The young woman didn't spend to long dwelling on it for she didn't care. Today she found herself heading towards the sound of rushing water, oriented around a lone mountain. Dark paws kissed the cool earth, audits twitching at each foreign noise. Still not yet accustomed to the area, she found herself on edge, exploring every little noise she heard. Steps were kept silent, ringed plume hung idly at her heels. Serpentine limbs carried her with quiet grace. It didn't take long for her toxic gaze to fall on the source of the sound. Waterfalls. She had heard stories, but had never actually seen them. She remembered the story of when her mother first arrived in this land, she encountered a quiet place with falls and thirst quenching water. Somehow she couldn't imagine her mother this far north, she despised the cold. But maybe it was similar to this. Weaving closer, she was careful to avoid the chilly spray, crown dipping for a drink from the pools. It was frigid, but delightfully refreshing. Raising her skull, she caught sight of her reflection in the crystal waters. A mere shadow of herself looked back at her. Eyes weren't as bright as they used to be, now dull and emotionless. No matter how lush and flawless her dark pelt was, there was no making up for the empty look in her eyes. A sigh slipped from inky lips as the woman turned away, hating the face that looked back at her. Frame slide to the earth, muzzle curling back in a silent snarl. Rage bubbled up inside her. Somehow it was familiar. Like the night she found her mothers grave. It escaped its cage, running wild and free, consuming everything within her. Eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. It felt so good, letting the unbridled emotion to flow through her veins. Pushing herself up onto long stilts, the shadow paced along the edge of the waters, crown held even with her spine, a permanent snarl etched on her features. Speech,

God knows I got a good heart, but my blood is filled with demons. The waterfall's pounding had drawn Galileo to it. From a distance, he could hear its dull roar, and though Galileo wasn't generally inclined to wander far, especially with his new siblings causing a ruckus outside the den, he had figured that nothing could go wrong with his mother and father keeping an eye on things. His siblings would be all right for a little bit, at least, while Galileo explored a little bit more of the Northern expanses of Alacritia. Even with new siblings, he had begun to wander a little bit more than he had when he was younger. He missed travelling with his family, but he had a bit of an itch in his paws now and again, one that drew him out from Soul Sand Cove and into the wide world. There was a figure pacing at the edge of the pool at the base of the waterfall, Galileo noted immediately. A female that looked to be about his age; not yet fully grown, but of a decent size all the same. And she didn't look very pleased, the yearling noted. A snarl was etched onto her features, like she was ready to attack him should he draw any closer. Never one to back down from a challenge, Galileo padded carefully forward, ears pricked in the other's direction. "Are you all right?" He queried carefully, settling back on his haunches a small distance away from the other wolf. He waited in silence to see her reaction, trying to figure out how quickly he could beat a retreat if she attacked. He wasn't unduly worried about it, but Galileo didn't want to fight unless he had to. Not yet, at least. Maybe that would change with time. coding by lutara & kat I?m fighting myself, believe me.[ G A L I L E O ]

Are you alright? The voice of another startled her. Head snapped up, eyes widening in surprise. Her snarl faded away as emerald pools settled on a foreign brute. He had seated himself a respectable distance from her, making no move to come closer, nor leave. Taking a moment to collect herself, she left the demons slip away back into their cage until the next time. With a gentle sigh, she addressed this strange. "Fine, thank you." Emotionless tones fell off her inky lips, she didn't want to snap a merely concerned wolf, so instead she kept any emotion from her voice, letting her blank gaze land on him. He was interesting looking to say the least. His pelt was made up of blacks, white and tans that battled for dominance across his pelt. Light blue pools settled into the dark contours of his face, complimenting his oddly colored pelt. With slow purpose to moved a few feet closer, away from the roar of the falls. Haunches slide the earth, ringed tail taking its place curled around her. "I'm Maia." Idle conversation had started coming more naturally, slowly but surely. Only to those that could be of use though. He may know of another pack nearby that could off her a home. He smelled faintly of a pack, the scent of other wolves mingling with his own, but there was something different. As though he didn't stay in one spot, rather traveled often. She wasn't sure, and it would be rude to just outright ask. Allowing her audits to stand at attention atop her crown, she waited to see if he would stay and offer his company or if he would be on his way, returning to wherever he came from. Speech,

God knows I got a good heart, but my blood is filled with demons. The female relaxed almost instantly once her gaze settled on him, the anger melting from her form in an instant as she turned towards him. Galileo felt himself relax in turn as well, a bit of the wariness fading from his body. He wasn't sure that she wasn't about to turn on him anyways, but the female seemed calmer as she answered him. "My apologies, then." Galileo spoke carefully, not wanting to question her claim but not entirely convinced that she was, in fact, all right. She had been snarling at nothing mere moments ago, after all. But who was Galileo to question her? His thoughts were interrupted by the female's approach, and Galileo watched her warily for a long moment before she introduced herself, her voice a little quieter now that she didn't stand so close to the falls. "Galileo," He answered her introduction with one of her own, inclining his head slightly in her direction, "Pleasure to meet you, Maia." Galileo nodded, letting his gaze wander out across the frozen lands that he had missed so dearly. It felt like he could never get enough of them when he came back. After going to Tortuga, it had felt like coming home after a twenty year odyssey. Everything had been different, but familiar all in the same breath. Galileo was still getting over that, in all honesty. He would never forgive Eos for taking his home away from him like that. But in time, he might learn to let go of his anger instead of letting it build in his mind, darkening his thoughts and poisoning everything they touched. Anger was like that; it almost always ruled the wolf, instead of the wolf ruling it. It was a difficult monster to contend with. Ears twitching idly, Galileo stirred and gazed thoughtfully at the female before him. "What brings you out here, Maia?" He questioned her curiously, curling his tail over his paws. It was a question that could be answered easily as a serious question, one that would explain her mysterious anger, or simply a conversation starter. Did it matter? Galileo would not be offended one wa or the other. However this conversation went, Galileo would be content. It served as a distraction from the anger lurking in his thoughts. coding by lutara & kat I?m fighting myself, believe me.[ G A L I L E O ]

Galileo. She offered him a polite smile upon his introduction. She assumed he had indeed saw her little fit of rage, but he didn't question it so she didn't care, just simply acted as though it never happened. What brings you out here, Maia? For a moment she thought. Did she tell the truth? That she was out here seeking a new life because her mother had been brutally murdered by a ghost and her father didn't care? Or did she leave out a few gory details? Or just lie completely? He wouldn't know, he was a total stranger who knew nothing about her, it wouldn't make a difference to him, he was probably only asking to be polite. "Looking for a fresh start, a new home." A small shrug tugged at her shoulders. A brief moment passed as she looked at something only she could see. Brushing it away, verdant gaze returned to the brute, Galileo. "What brings you out here?" It was her turn to ask. She had a right to, he had asked, so why couldn't she? Her thoughts rambled on as she tried to get control of them. The demons had escaped their cage, leaving chaos in their wake. Leaving her to pick up the pieces. At least she had a welcomed distraction. For the time being he would serve as a distraction from the darkness that threatened to consume her. For a moment she allowed a sadness to creep in. Her family had no idea. No idea of her inner turmoil. Rune only had a small inkling of it. But no one else cared. Vixe was.. he was Vixe. Aunt Vi never liked her mother. And her father was angry for reasons she didn't know or understand. But there was no time for her to dwell on these things, she was in the company of another who was answering her question. Speech,

God knows I got a good heart, but my blood is filled with demons. A sound enough reason for a wolf to be in a place like this, Galileo supposed. He twitched his ears, examining the black and gray female thoughtfully. "This is a good place to start anew," He spoke thoughtfully, "My pack started over not too far away from here." First in old Alacritis, second when Eos challenged for Glaciem, and thirdly when they relinquished Tortuga to the paws of Morphine after discovering that their new home was set on the slopes of an active volcano. His family had lost their home three times. He had only been around for the second two times, but he knew of the volcanic eruption as well as if he had been there himself. "So I bet if it can do that for a whole pack, a lone wolf will be able to find a new home with ease." No need to explain why his entire pack had started over. She had made it clear that she didn't want to share anymore details than she needed to, and Galileo was willing to respect that. He did expect, however, that she would respect his lack of details as well. The male stirred when she turned her question back on him, ears pricking in her direction for a moment. "My mother just had a new litter," Galileo explained softly, "And it's nice but sometimes you just have to get away, you know?" She probably didn't. It sounded selfish, even to him. But there was just something about watching his mother and father dote upon this new litter even though one of their eldest daughters was gone that made Galileo more confused than ever. He was angry, but why? If he didn't know why he was angry, what were the odds that a stranger would? So Galileo kept his maw shut about such details, turning a thoughtful gaze out on their surroundings. "I used to live near here." He added, voice still thoughtful as he drank in the icy lands around them. "I don't think I'll ever stop missing it." It was more than he would have told the average stranger, but this wolfess who snarled at ghosts was far from the average stranger. coding by lutara & kat I?m fighting myself, believe me.[ G A L I L E O ]

She listened to his speak, respectful of the lack of details and thankful that he hadn't pushed for more from her. She would certainly return the favor. So he was of a pack, one that lived nearby. One that had possibly been uprooted at one point? She didn't ask and wouldn't. If he wanted to share then so be it. He explained that his mother had just had another litter. She wondered what it was like, to have more younger siblings. She would never know. Her mother had already been old when they were born and there was no way she would or could have more. It was still understandable that he wanted to get away, have a little peace and quiet. He missed his old home. It was obvious that thats why he was out here by himself, he wanted a little glimpse of home, or what was once home. "I haven't seen home in what seems life forever. I haven't been back since my mothers murder." Jaws clamped shut. She hadn't realized that that was going to slip out. She hadn't wanted it to! She didn't want this stranger to know her life story or what demons she carried with her. It was none of his business. She looked away, carefully placing a mask over her features, not wanting to show that pain that lay hidden there. There was no need to share anymore than she already had. Speech,

God knows I got a good heart, but my blood is filled with demons. The female's words were soft, and what spilled from her maw seemed to come almost against her will. Her mother had been murdered? He opened his maw to comment on that, to offer his condolences, when the female turned away, staring resolutely away from him. Ah. So perhaps she hadn't wanted to say that. Not to a stranger, at least. Galileo could respect that. "If you don't mind me asking, where are you from?" The question was soft in the cool air, and Galileo hesitated before tacking on a bit of information in exchange, "I'm from Old Glaciem. Before Isardis came to rule it, my parents lead Glaciem." He didn't wish to come across as if he were prying, but he wanted to know if she, too, was from the Northern packs. Ears pricked attentively in her direction, Galileo turned his head slightly so that he was gazing away from her, respecting her privacy and allowing her to have some space. He was sure that he would not have handled the death of any family member as well as she seemed to have. Though perhaps that would explain why she was snarling at ghosts. Or perhaps demons would be the more fitting word. Perhaps she, like him, had inner demons. Perhaps she of all wolves would understand the battles that he fought. However, Galileo wasn't really interested in letting his battles into the light just yet. No one else needed to know the internal wars that he fought. Not his parents, not his siblings, and certainly not a stranger, as interesting as she was. coding by lutara & kat I?m fighting myself, believe me.[ G A L I L E O ]

She waited. Waited for apologizes and condeolences to come. But they never did. Instead came a change in subject. Relief flooded her as her gaze returned to the brute. "Tortuga, though I'm sure its disbanded by now." Old Glaciem, it sounded familiar, but she hadn't been keeping up with pack politics, she had never done so for that matter. It hadn't interested her. But if she joined a pack then she would need to. He was respectful. Looking elsewhere while she collected her emotions. Perhaps he could relate in some way? He had some sort of dark secret that no one knew about. Maybe demons chased him everywhere he went too. No words left her jaws, he wasn't prying so neither would she. But her curiosity was growing, she wanted to know more about this strange wolf, one who seemed so understanding, even though he knew nothing about her. Speech,