She wasn't quite sure what kept bringing her back to this place. Sure, it was an interesting place with lots of things to look at, but it wasn't spectacular in any way and it certainly wasn't a suitable place to make a home. She did manage to run into Thanatos the last time she was here though, and that was enough to give her a good feeling about this place. Now a layer of snow covered everything and it made looking for odds and ends to occupy her time with was a bit harder than she really cared to deal with. She sighed, sending a plume of condensation into the air. She just felt so incredibly bored. She had an itch under her skin, but she wasn't entirely sure what to do to cure it... Well, she had a few ideas, but wasn't like there was anyone around to help with any of her ideas. She hummed thoughtfully as she walked. What to do, what to do... Well, if she was going to find any kind of company around here then she was either going to have to go find it or she could have the company come to her. The latter seemed like a much more pleasing option so she lifted her brown-marked muzzle toward the sky and let out a sweet howl. Nothing too loud, just loud enough for anyone in the near-by area to take notice of. Hopefully someone interesting would take notice of it and come cure her boredom. Speech Others Thinking

Navigation: Veteran’s Plateau

It was cold, but it was beautiful. With the change of seasons, Nagendra came to realize that he had never explored the South in the winter. Granted, the southernmost parts of it were still warm, but some places had snow. At first, he was never a big fan of being cold. But he always reminded himself that it (the winter and all related phenomena) was something to be grateful for, and to admire. And so after getting over his initial chill, admire it he did.

He stalked north of Imperium, to a place he didn’t think he’d ever been at all before. At least, under the snow, he was pretty certain he hadn’t; his mental map of Alacritia was becoming more and more accurate each day. Here, the land was flat and rugged. He could see the flat horizon far away, and just above it the unobscured grey sky. He paused where he was, ankle-deep in snow, and gazed forward. It was, aside from the dismal sky, picturesque. The snow looked so soft and pure, spread out in a fine blanket. He hated to ruin it.

Before he could decide which direction to explore in, a gentle call skated through the air, sounding from nearby. The man’s tall ears perked and he’d glance to the side, intrigued. It was a welcoming cry, not of any particular challenge or demand. It was something… somewhat unusual. And Nagendra was a very, very curious wolf. With an interested smile, he would proceed in the direction it had come from.

He would have missed the wolf, had it not been for the markings on its face and legs. Amongst the white of the landscape, the first thing he noticed was what appeared to be a float brown something. He was… startled. And then he noticed that it was attached to a body. Oh! There was the owner of the voice. An amused grin spread easily across his face, flashing the tips of his teeth with warm cheer. ”You have the ambush all set up,” he said as he approached. ”But your face gives it away,” he commented with a smirk, stopping a comfortable distance away.

She continued her casual hunt for interesting objects while she waited to see if anyone might come along to cure her boredom. Sure enough, after a minute or two the sound of paws crunching snow caught her attention and she pulled her gaze up to look at the brown-hued male that approached her, his green gaze bringing in an intriguing splash of color to his otherwise muted color palate. He'd comment on her face giving away her ambush and she return his grin, chuckling softly while she turned to face him. "Oh, is that why my plots keep failing? I'll have to see what I can do about that." She grinned with amusement and settled back on her haunches, her brown and orange tipped tail curling neatly around her. "I really do have quite the unfortunate combination colors," she commented, a smile lingering on her lips as her head tipped to the side thoughtfully. "I stick out in the snow and in forests alike. But I suppose it did help me catch your eye." She chuckled softly with a small grin playing on her lips. She liked when the wolves she spent time with had a little sense of humor and she liked it even more when the wolves that answered her calls were attractive. So far he had both of those things so she was fairly pleased with the results of her howl. "I'm Hera, by the way. Who might you be?" Speech Others Thinking

The man’s smirk broadened to a grin as the stranger replied in good humor. She sat and commented. He was mildly interested by the note – he wouldn’t have thought about it in the forests. He supposed that, while it might not have been as interesting as the more fantastically-colored pelts he’d seen around Alacritia, being duller natural colors did have its advantages. He smirked as she laughed that her markings helped him notice her. ”That it did,” he agreed, his voice soft and smooth like silk.

She introduced herself, and he dipped his head down in a small, graceful bow. ”Nagendra Bahri. It is a pleasure to meet you,” he introduced, straightening. A small simper still adorned his muzzle as he eyed her. ”Of course, a name tells me little about who I’ve happened across. Whatever were you calling for? ... Be you angel or enchantress? Have you a duty to the skies, or the underworld, or perhaps neither?” he grinned as he wove his words, somewhat evasive in diction. Although his first impression was that she was more likely of the sweeter disposition, he did not completely fall to ignorance, nurtured by the fair look of a woman. Fiamette, although she had never threatened him, had made promises of her own hellishness that he still did not doubt she could conjure up.