~*~ A geiyser field. Silverback hadn't seen one of these in a while. Her whiskered muzzle twitched in amusement, long feelers as transparent as spider silk, bowing forward with pleasure, a sentiment reflected in the depths of her grey eyes. The last time she'd been to such a place, had been when she was naught but a cub - trailing along behind her mother on paws larger than her face. She'd been huge even then, and while her siblings went so slow that the mother had to drop pace, Silverback had been able to race around an explore. She'd trotted right up to one such well of boiling water and stuck her head in. The raw heat had been so incredible - so wonderful. For a species who knew that warmth was life, it seemed like a miracle. But the steam began to thicken, and on that day, had she not run back to her mother at the first tremble of the ground, she would've died in the blistering eruption of water. So why did she recall it with fondness? The look on her mother's face when the Silverback had spilled out the story of her near-death experience. The old silver she-cat had blinked laconically, twitched and ear and said simply "curiosity killed the cat", and kept walking. No big. Silverback had been dumbfounded by her mother's calm that day, but not anymore. She'd more or less turned into the matron as time had woven it's spell. These jets were quiet today. It was warm around them, and the snow for some space was melted back, but other than that, there was nothing to point the land out as strange. The snow leopard eased herself forward on silent, fur padded paws, her elongated tail twitching back and forth, a hair's breath away from trailing. Unlike most creatures, her tread allowed her to walk like an angel; Excluding the lightest and fluffiest of snows, she could glide her way across the top of any drift. That was what it meant to be a cat. Silences, stealth and poise in every step. It also meant incredibly keen senses. Sense telling her right now that she was no longer alone in the world of white. (ooc: open to everyone!) ~*~

TYBERIUS.

Ever since his arrival in the North, Tyberius had detested the geysers. He hadn't known at first what they were, and when the steaming water came rushing out, he was understandably frightened. His lip curled slightly at the memory: the noise the water made, the yelp he made in return. How he trotted away with his tail between his legs, watching from the snowy bushes. Luckily for his pride, he had been alone during that episode. Tyberius was embarrassed at the thought that he had run scared but it was better than some bitch watching him barely catch a rabbit. For a moment, he wondered what had happened to the old woman. It was like she had vanished before his eyes. He'd been talking to her and had averted his eyes just for a second. When he looked back, she was gone. He couldn't even do that, although it could have come in handy for his sneaky deceptive ways. The snow was cold on his paw pads as he limped across the field of geysers. The East was far different from the North, much warmer, but he preferred the cold. There was less of a chance of running into anyone, less of a chance he'd have to communicate with imbeciles. Tyberius would never have noticed the cat if he hadn't caught her scent. It was strong and very obviously something he'd never smelled before. As far as he knew, it wasn't prey, it wasn't a wolf, and it wasn't a bear. It intrigued him and he began padding toward the source. There was a bit of fear in his heart; he wasn't completely stupid. Meeting some new creature in the middle of nowhere with no backup wasn't the most ideal condition. After his loss in the sparring match with that cream-colored wolf, he wasn't sure of himself at all anymore. When the leopard came into view, his mouth dropped open a little. He would appear to be panting to any other beast but in truth, he was shocked by the creature before him. Tyberius had no idea what it was and was afraid of its size. "What are you?" he asked bluntly. Skip the who, go straight to the what. TAG: silverback! WORDS: 370 NOTES: none.

~*~ Her senses were right. Soon enough a wolf came into view beyond the drifts and columns of steam. A drab, brown creature about her height, but nowhere near her length or thickness. And - was it-? Was it missing a leg?! How in the world was it alive out here? A glint of mild wonder and curiosity took hold of the cat's grey eyes as she held her position and watched the stranger approach. He had an odd, limping sort of gait, and no doubt the snow was laborious to get through, but he was coming along alright. Silberback's predator instincts couldn't help but chime in with a ~Oooh. I bet he'd be fun to toy with. Could probably chase him around for hours, just watching him tire~ But, though Silverback couldn't always help having a naught mind, she could be friendly and decent most of the time. She didn't get too many interactions with other creatures - unless she was having them for dinner. "What are you?" At another time, the mutt's confusion would've been humorous - probably even brought a smirk to her broad muzzle. But, Silverback smelled the many distant lands on the canine's pelt. If in his travels he'd never come across a creature like her, well then that was hardly good news for her search. Cat's eyes have a wonderful way of remaining mysterious; of giving the tiniest hints of a handful of different emotions at a time - sadness, lonliness, irration at being disturbed, humor. But that was all before the feline blinked and fluffed out her neck fur. "Why, I'm a snow leopard, darling," she said with a rumbling edge that was either a soft growl or a purr. Her dappled, black tipped tail swung gracefully over the ground, to wrap around to the front of her form, with enough extra length to let the end curl up like a serpent as she sat. Solemn, proud eyes looked down at the male. "Now how about you show a trace of decent breeding and ask me my name?" ~*~