Having just turned one this past spring Lionel had decided to relish in his newfound freedom. He'd only ever left the pack lands once and he hadn't dared go very far lest any punishment received would be more severe. No one had found out about his little trip to the alabaster shrine, save for Asvor of course, and yet he took no pride in his rule breaking. He hadn't told his father about it; although, he'd been very tempted to. He made the wise decision to keep it to himself though and since then hadn't thought much of the encounter with the interesting young wolf from Yfir. With the ability to leave pack lands as he desired now he found himself venturing from Fiori for the first time since that day. The thought of Bright Moon's hunting lesson and the idea of having a mentor soon had him in a good mood. Being the child of an alpha, he felt like at least, meant that he had more expected of him and Lionel realized that he wanted to do more than prove himself. He wanted to be useful and he wanted to learn as much as he could very quickly. Until mentors were decided he'd come to the conclusion to explore a bit. He'd traveled quite a ways away from home. He faintly remembered Asvor mentioning that yfir was in the north, but he hadn't gone that way. Instead he'd headed to who knows where. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, but the chance to explore was too great and overall he was pleased with his endeavors. The snow melt hadn't quite reached this place yet, so when he came to the frozen lake he was pleased. He stared at it without any uncertainty before he crouched and wiggled some before taking off at a run. Paws soon met ice and with much struggle he managed to skid across it while keeping himself upright. It strained a lot of his muscles to do so but the results were worth it. A large grin formed on his face as he twirled around before finally losing control of his legs and hitting the ice hard. He'd ended up on his stomach but laughter racked him instead of pain. This was rather fun! Walk, "Talk" Think

Things around Yfir were quiet as of late. While she was usually happy staying in familiar lands, she couldn't help but feel more restless now. The anxiety had begun to build in the very center of her being, forcing her away from home and toward places she had yet to explore. Though she missed spending time with her siblings, and with wolves like her - she knew she could learn just as much away from home. With the rapidly warming weather, the world seemed much more navigable and she was content to let her paws bring her wherever they pleased. Today, she found herself heading toward one particular lake. She'd been here before, but it seemed much.. less threatening now. Though the lake had not fully thawed yet, and perhaps might never thaw completely, the tall pillars of ice still stood.. though they seemed much smaller than she remembered. Curious gaze lifted to search the skies overhead as she moved closer to the lake's edge. Humming something softly under her breath, a tune that only existed within her head, she caught whiff of someone. Someone familiar.. Eyes narrowed as she searched the area, finally spotting a russet-hued boy on the ice. Not walking, but.. laying? He looked way too happy. It took her a moment to remember who he was, as she approached him, tail flicking behind her. Another quick sniff of the air solidified his memory. "Lionel," Asvor called out, her voice sweet, and a grin tugging at the corners of her lips as she closed the distance between them, padding along the slick frozen lake. "Strange to see you so far from your home." Not that she knew much about him, only that his home was much further south than this. "Talk" "You" Think

Faint humming only briefly caught his attention, but he was too absorbed in his own fun to bother looking around. It hadn't occurred to him that the ice was melting hear. Every story he'd heard about the north made it seem as though it was always snow and ice covered which was why he was on the lake now. It still seemed sturdy though so he was enjoying it while it lasted. He knew he'd have to go home soon enough and they didn't have any ice covered lakes back in Fiori so he'd have his fun now. "Lionel," His head snapped up at the voice and he rose to his paws rather shakily as he stared at his company. He recognized her immediately with the reddish and gray markings that coated her and her scent soon came to his mind not long after. He grinned at her sheepishly, feeling rather foolish, as he stared at Asvor as she questioned why he was so far at home. His tail waved happily behind him regardless. The last time he'd seen her she had been the one to be rather far from home. It was still good to see her nonetheless. "I'm a year old now." He exclaimed perhaps a little too excitedly. The thought of being old enough to leave Fiori was fun for him. "I figured I'd come explore the north. What are you doing here?" Walk, "Talk" Think

It was strange to her that someone was so amused by something so simple. It was almost always icy up here, and frozen water was nothing remarkable. But, he wasn't from around here, and perhaps this was more of a rarity for him? She found herself feeling vaguely amused at his antics, and to how oblivious he seemed to the world around him. In a way, it reminded him of Runa, though she was rarely engaged in play but rather in a world outside their own. Amusement danced in her eyes as he turned to her, pleased to see her. She was unused to such a reaction - though not surprisingly, for she knew few wolves outside of her family - and her chest swelled with happiness at his eager greeting. He seemed quite childish in his exclamation that he was a year old now, though her smile did not waver. They were, after all, yearlings still. "My family lives nearby,"  she explained, taking a few steps closer to him on the ice. It felt sturdy beneath her paws, though its slickness was mildly unnerving. "You're not afraid of falling in?" The ice was too thick to be disturbed by a wolf or two, but she didn't mind seeing if he might become nervous at her suggestion. Her smile faltered a bit, a look of slight worry crossing her features as she eyed him now. "Talk" "You" Think

He picked up on the amusement in her gaze, but over what he had no clue. Regardless the smile would stay and it wouldn't change the fact he was happy to see a familiar face out here. She was the only wolf from another pack that he'd come in contact with and overall she was intriguing to him. She was from the north, a place she'd only been to once now, and from what he'd gleaned from their last meeting her pack was of interest to him. He could imagine grand tales of the harsh winter and how different her family was compared to his own. He still remembered wanting to know more, but he knew better than to overload her with questions. She'd take a step closer and ivory ears would flick to her as she explained her family lived nearby. His eyes would widen slightly. He hadn't realized they were so close by. Blue eyes would glance around as if expecting one of her family members to come, but he smelled no one and saw no one, so it seemed they were alone. She'd ask him a question and he'd grin at her in response. Falling in hadn't occurred to him, but now that she had brought it up he realized it didn't faze him. He was fearless in his journey for adventure and he hadn't fallen in yet so he doubted he would. If not he was confident in his swimming abilities. So he'd smirk at her and shake his head. "Not at all. Why, are you scared of falling in?" He'd tease lightly. Walk, "Talk" Think

Asvor's gaze was wide and alert as she examined Lionel, as she strode closer to him. There was never much uncertainty visible in her blue eyes, and today was no different. Her stare was observant - full of wonder and mischeviousness alike. Her russet-painted tail flicked behind her as he spoke again. Was she afraid of falling in? No.. not really. Though she knew falling in icy water could be quite dangerous. At least, it seemed dangerous in her head. "No," she'd retort, a bit more defensively than she had expected. Her jaw clamped shut a moment later, her brows tugging together tightly. "I'm not scared of that." Her tail flicked behind her, a bit frustrated at the suggestion that she might be afraid of anything at all. "Did you look at what's under the ice?" Playfulness sparkled in her eyes as she glanced at the frozen lake, sweeping one of her paws over the surface. "Talk" "You" Think

Despite his question, upon observation, he could see that she wasn't scared. It was just a jest and he couldn't imagine the daughter of a northern queen being afraid of a frozen lake. Still it would have been rather funny if she was. Not that he felt like they had anything to fear. It didn't feel warm enough out for the lake to melt and it felt pretty sturdy under his paws so he felt comfortable with it. They'd probably slip and fall a couple times but bruises didn't bother him. He couldn't help but chuckle as she spoke a bit defensively. She didn't seem too pissed off at him though so he didn't mind it. He was glad he hadn't really made her angry, but he noted the movements of her tail as it flicked in irritation. He kept his mouth shut as he didn't want to piss off his current company and have her leave. It was nice to have a friend, if she could be called that, other than his siblings and he wanted to keep it that way. "No I didn't." He responded to her with curiosity in his voice as he looked down at his feet. He hadn't noticed it before, but now that he did he could see the blue glow where his paws were. He lifted one paw up and the glow would disappear before reappearing when he put his paw down. "Do you know what it is?" Walk, "Talk" Think

Though her moods were rather tumultuous, they most extreme of her reactions were short-lived. For a moment, her eyes flashed with anger and her lips twitched with visible irritation. The expression faded as quickly as it arrived, replaced by a mischievous smile as she asked him if he'd seen what was under the ice. Though she hadn't been here much, she had noted this place was quite peculiar, compared to most the rest of the places she was familiar with. Asvor stared as he eyed the ice, and she took a few steps closer, moving her paws to wipe away the snow and condensation that formed there to give him a better look.  "No idea," the girl admitted with a sigh. Perhaps if Runa was here she might see some kind of symbolism in the weird colored lights in the water,  but that was all she saw - just colors. "It's pretty cool though, don't you think?" "Talk" "You" Think

Lionel watched as her mood shifted from irritated to mischievous as she grinned. She moved a few steps closer and he peered down at the ice as she pushed away some snow to reveal more of the ice. He couldn't help but stare at the pretty blue glow for a moment, but to his dismay she didn't know what it was either. Hmm. Well he was sure it was something. It couldn't be magic, could it? He was pretty sure magic didn't exist, though no one had told him differently. "Yeah it's awesome. We don't have anything like this back home. The north has been quite an adventure." He grinned at her. He certainly didn't regret his decision to come here. He glanced back down at the ice beneath them before he looked up at Asvor and drew himself into a play bow again. He'd had more than enough fun sliding across the ice. He didn't know if she thought it was stupid or not, but he wanted to do it again. If they fell he didn't mind a few bruises either so long as they were having fun. "Wanna slide on the ice with me?" Walk, "Talk" Think

Something about Lionel was.. calming. Stabilizing. Her own family often had a similar effect on her, keeping her moods from running wild. A strange, sudden calm washed over her as she watched him - he seemed largely unaffected by her reactions. As calm as could be. He watched the ice again, seeming entertained by it. It was definitely interested. "I like to think, perhaps, that pieces of the god's hall have fallen into this lake, long ago," Asvor offered half-heartedly, her tail batting lightly behind her as she considered it. She was still naive enough to not understand that her religion was not a common one in these lands. She'd never seen anything like this at all, and the most reasonable explanation for the unknown was certainly the gods. A faint, brief smile touched her lips. His suggestion took her by surprise, too, and she furrowed her brows together as she considered. "Slide?" she'd say back, wondering if it was a good idea. But.. why not? It seemed a bit silly, and possibly dangerous, but wasn't life that way often? "Will you show me how?" "Talk" "You" Think

A white ear remained in Asvor's direction as he stared at the lake with an enthralled look. Her explanation was interesting and yet he couldn't quite make sense of it. He'd never heard of any gods before (much less new what the god's hall was that she mentioned) and yet he nodded anyways. A part of him wanted to ask, but he was far more interested in the lake at the moment and he didn't want to bore her. He just accepted her explanation easily and nodded softly. The frozen lake definitely seemed pretty otherworldly. He looked up at her now as she considered his question with a furrowed brow. At first he was a little worried she was going to decline. He certainly didn't mind being the only one to slide, but it was definitely more fun sharing great experiences with someone else. His tail waved eagerly when she asked him to show her how. "Yeah sure!" He agreed eagerly. He walked carefully off of the lake (not even slipping this time) and stood a good ways back from where the ice met the shore. He prepared himself, still grinning, before he launched himself forward at a run. He hit the ice and bent his legs slightly to keep his balance and went skidding across it before twirling in a circle and then finally falling to a heap on the ice. "The trick is to bend your legs slightly to keep your balance and try not to wobble too much." He explained as he picked himself up. Walk, "Talk" Think

She'd half-expected him to offer a rebuttal to her explanation of what was happening below the frozen ice. They'd been taught that not everyone believed what they did - some wolves were blind to the truth and couldn't see the world for how it really was.  Though he seemed to listen to her, he said nothing. His easy-going nature pleased her, and so did his lack of arguments. Even at her young age, she knew she didn't like being challenged and even more than that, she liked those that listened to her. He seemed eager at the prospect of teaching her and suddenly she felt a bit insecure. Asvor wasn't used to doing such.. frivolous things. She'd spent the latter part of her young life on her own, since her mother had left, and since Yfir had disbanded. Much of her effort was spent on survival, on simply sustaining herself, not on playing. She remembered things had been easier, once. She wondered briefly how easy Lionel's life was, with his dad being the leader and all. Her brows furrowed as she watched him, examining how he flung himself across the ice. After he explained it verbally, she trudged off the ice and examined it for a long moment. Backing up, she finally rushed forward - doing as he said, pushing herself onto the ice and letting her limbs bend slightly as she slid across the ice, finally slowing and falling down with a slight thud. Not painful, not really, but she assumed it could be if she wasn't careful. A slight grin, barely visible at all, played across her lips as she pulled herself upright again. "Not bad," she offered with a soft chuckle as he eyed Lionel. To herself, she could admit it was fun - the slight rush of adrenaline as she lost control and slid over the lake's surface was pretty enjoyable. "Talk" "You" Think