*Navigation - The Wall

Once again the splotchy woman found herself on the move, her ears back as she slipped out of pack lands. She just couldn't take it anymore, she was trying very hard to stay in one place but pacing just wasn't good enough today. If she didn't get out now she would go crazy, so as soon as she reached the breast of the cove she took off in a sprint. Giet was hot on her trail, moving from paw step to paw step that she was making. A carefree laugh left her maw as she ran with the wind, her bells call almost drowned out by the rushing in her ears. She had no idea where she was going, and she didn't care to know. Out was all she wanted, and now she had it. Goat the stoat called something out to her but she didn't stop, running until she couldn't run anymore. Her breath puffed into white clouds before her as she stood still for a moment, her legs quivering with the strain. Jaelle didn't seem to notice it though, a goofy grin on her face as she plopped down to her rump to catch her breath. She took this time to look around her, trying to figure out just how far she had come. It didn't take too long for her to see a huge icy wall expanding as far as she could see. Ears perking, she rose to her paws and made her way to it, her eyes wide in wonder. She hadn't seen anything like this before! It seemed to extend for miles, the only thing out here that she could even pick out. Everything else was so barren around her, save for this wall. Jae was nearly breathless, but it wasn't just from running. She rose her paw to rest it on the surface, the ice was so thick that she couldn't see through it. But was it all ice, or was there rock under it? Was it just like this in the winter, only to melt away in the summer, or did it expose stone underneath? So many questions raced through her mind as she sat before the great wall. The need to explore it further took over, but before she could move she heard a growl from behind as sharp teeth bit into her tail. Yelping, she spun around to see Goat the stoat standing there, irritation plain on his white face. "An' what do you think yur doing, mmm? You ran so damn fast I could hardly keep up with you! I didn't even wanna stay with you bu' I don't really have a choice!" The weasel barked at her. She just patted him on the head, pushing his elongated body farther into the snow. "There there, little one. You survived. Why don't you smile for once?" she asked, peeking at her tail. There were little beads of blood on the surface, but one lick cleaned that up. Ignoring him, she turned back to the wall, pretending not to hear his series of rattling growls and squeaks. "SPEAK"

-Navigation, North, The Wall-

Needless to say upon Nako's return south with the musk of two women on him his siblings had been less than thrilled. Jakart's scorn eventually had eventually came to the fact that after a heated talk in hushed voices Nako had decided to head north until he could sort things out. His many dalliances had yielded only three pups to one woman and as far as he knew that was all that had become of moonlit meetings between him and females. Now he found himself as far north as he'd ever been and inheriting his fathers wanderlust it kept him moving through the snowscape with a curious gait as it was all taken in. With a halt in his stride he stopped and looked up at the massive formation of ice.

This glacier or iceflow had caught his eye many miles as he walked through the tundra and had so far kept his interest. Even as he reclined upon his haunches and tipped his head back it was still unfathomable as to how this could've come to be. But the view from atop it! There was a thought. There was hope, as he stood and set about exploring the base, that maybe there was a crevice from melted water that lead to the top. The odds were long that such a thing would exist this time of year. He was a southerner and as a far as he knew things would be kept optimistic as he set about trying to find anything worth a look as he trailed along the base against the wind as a strange chime grew louder in the wind.

Jaelle continued to ignore the white stoat as her paw ran across the icy surface of the wall, until she risked a peek back at him when he grew silent. His beady black eyes were narrowed at her, making the woman stick out the tip of her tongue in reply. He was a silly creature, he was always miserable in one sense or another. He really should lighten up. "You know, you could help me find a cave instead of grumping around," she muttered, still grinning as she watched him walk over to the edge of the blockade. As he started to run along the side of it with his black nose tossed skywards, she trotted beside him at an easy gate. The bells on her tail and legs called out with every step of the way, the long appendage behind her swishing from side to side. It wasn't too long after they headed out that Jaelle looked up to see a gray shape moving towards them. Slowing herself to a brisk walk, she saw that they weren't the only one exploring the wall today. As the two creatures neared, she discovered that he had almost the same colour of eyes, his brown one on the same side as hers. His blue one wasn't as bright as hers though, but it was the closest she had ever seen to her unique gaze. "Hello there!" she called out to him, that easy smile still spread across her inky lips. Giet of course said nothing, grumbling as his pale fur brushed against the frozen water wall to their left. Jae's left ear folding towards him, but otherwise she didn't pay any mind to him. Did she find a new exploration buddy? Anyone would be better than the grumpy tube of fur at her side. Snorting softly to herself, she dipped her head in greeting to the strange male. "Out exploring today?" she said, tipping her nose towards the ice that stood far above both of them. Two sets of eyes were better than one, perhaps together they could find a way through. "SPEAK"

Black ears flicked as the chimes and jingling noise grew louder amidst the snow drifts that resembled frozen waves locked forever against the base of the glacier. That wasn't a natural noise he had heard in his lifetime. Nako stopped walking and stood on stiffened legs as he wracked his brain trying to figure out just what would make such a sound. Nature however decided to reveal that it indeed wasn't anything it could produce as mismatched eyes saw a figure rise over a snow drift. Curious, the wolfs ears flickered as the source of the sound seemed to be coming from this wolf, scent telling him a female, and gave a quizzical tilt of his head. Racing thoughts had figured the chime had been something the humans had forgotten here as much as the barn in The Range or the castle across the land bridge in the south.

The female called out to him and he snapped out of his thoughtful revere as the distance between the two of the closed enough to see that beyond what he initially took to be a splotched winter pelt was in fact wrapped with a grayish cloth that shined with metal spheres. "Greetings." Nako chirped up as he wandered closer to her, noticing the prey scampering alongside her toes to be what he took for a ferret and was a companion to the lady before him. No name was immediately given and it was instead asked if he was out exploring. Wandering was more of the proper word, but now that he had come across the wall he only nodded and followed her gaze upward. "I'm Nako." The male said as he twisted his neck to try and see among the crags of the ice wall. "And yes," Nako continued as his gaze dropped to the woman and a slight bow of his head was given. "I was thinking what the view must look like from the top..." A gentle wag of his tail was given, eyes settling on the ferret. Was she having the same ideas he was about this place?

She didn't miss the questioning tilt of the man's head, but it was something that she was so use to that she didn't even bother to comment on it. If he wanted to ask about her bells and scarf, he could. But until then, she just looked at him with a soft smile on her lips. The stranger nodded, looking up towards the wall as she did and introducing himself. Oh right! She had been stuck in one place for so long that she was starting to forget to be nice and state her name. Her gray ears flicked towards the side slightly as she turned back to him, an apologetic look in her mismatched gaze. "Sorry, I'm Jaelle. Nice to meet you Nako!" Jae said in a kind tone. She didn't bother with Goat, he was a grumpy tube of fur and did whatever he wanted anyways. She glanced down at him to see that his beady black eyes were narrowed as he glared at the male, probably because Nako kept looking at him. Honestly, he had a lot of rage for such a small thing. Lifting up a paw, she gently pushed his narrow body deeper into the snow, rewarded with a stream of muttered curse words. Snickering, she shrugged her shoulders at the monochrome man. Ah, so he wanted to see the top and she wanted a way through. Well, they both had a goal in mind for the ice wall, they might as well look together. "I'd like to find a way through, so it looks like we can help each other up. I wouldn't mind seeing the top either, it would be rather breathta-" "WOULD YA STOP STARING AT ME YA OAF?" Jaelle was interrupted by Giet who rudely yelled out at Nako, making her gaze flicker down to him in irritation. She should have let Kharnage eat his tongue. "Honestly Goat the Stoat, I am going to toss you in a hole soon. Stop being so mean." "I do what I want, lady, yur not one to tell me what ta do!" "Ant yet you follow me like a lost puppy. Mmm..." The wolf retorted, her eyes narrowing as she watched the weasel open and close his mouth a few times before huffing and running back along the wall. Giggling, she turned back to Nako with another shrug. "Sorry about him, he's an odd creature. Shall we go on?" Jaelle was unable to tell which way they should go, they both came from different directions but she hadn't started at the beginning. So instead she waited for Nako to lead the way, she was just excited to have someone to navigate with. "SPEAK"

Nako wasn't really phased by decorating ones body in the manner that the she wolf had, he after all had worn his feathers until returning them to the grave of his father. The woman smiled and his gaze turned from looking at the ferret to bring his mismatched eyes to meet hers. The wolf before him gave her name, Jaelle, and Nako only dipped his head at her apology. It was unneeded. He himself had spent to much time with family and producing ones name was a bit of an odd but still polite custom that the rogue was starting to deal with the more and more he ventured from home. Her companion ate a face full of snow and Nako couldn't help but grin at the display as he took a step closer and gazed down at the ferret with minor concern.

Being yelled at by the smaller being was at the very least amusing as Jaelle mentioned that the two of them could assist one another with getting to the top. He'd never been called an oaf before... even as he observed the scene unfolding of rebuttals and back-talking it didn't phase him. It all ended with the ferret running along and leaving the two wolves in silence until Jaelle spoke up about continuing on with finding a way to the top of the ice wall. It took him a minute to realize that she was waiting for him to lead and with a quick step to make up for lost time Nako was off. "This way. I didn't get a good look at the base but there is probably something I missed that could see us our way to the top." With a steady gait the male wolf would lead him and his new companion along the bottom of the glacier, ears perked and listening upward to listening to the gentle groaning of the flow as it traveled inch by slow inch.

Jaelle was glad that he didn't seem to be too phased by Goat, he was just a grumpy bugger who was in much need of a cuddle. But would he accept one? Nope. Shaking her head slightly, she gave her tail a little wag when the male rose, saying that he didn't get too good of a look along the wall. Right, a way up to the top would be such a beautiful thing! She was surprised that she hadn't thought about that before, so focused on a way through it that it never crossed her mind. She fell into step behind him, hearing the small steps of Giet behind her. Peeking back at him, she stuck out her tongue at the creature before looking back at the base of the ice wall. The chill that radiated off of it didn't bother her too much, her scarf was just enough to keep some heat trapped in her. Sniffing at the ground, she kept her eyes trained on the object at their side while also trying to make sure that she didn't run into Nako. She didn't usually have very much grace, so she wouldn't put it passed herself to slam right into his rump. Grinning at the thought, she kept her peripherals on him as best she could. A comfortable silence spread around them, Jaelle didn't usually fill these gaps unless she really felt the need too. She was pretty comfortable just exploring with another wolf, and happy to be out. She did notice that he seemed pretty comfortable with navigating, and wondered if he liked to explore just as much as she did. In her trips she had met a few who shared the same desires as her, but a lot of them felt a drive to be part of a pack. That wasn't something that she liked at all, but befriending one of those wolves had made the situation a bit sticky for her. "Have you ever been part of a pack before?" she asked curiously, taking her eyes off the wall for a moment to make sure he didn't stop short. "SPEAK"

The top crust of ice gently cracked underneath the male wolfs weight. Truth be told it was cooler in the shade of the glacier and so it became easier to move. Nako's tail gently waved behind him with each step as he led Jaelle along. It was nice out here. This land, the territory, there was strange beauty to its size and simplicity. With a pause the male inspected the base of the flow and continued on and kept his ears open for sounds of water. Hopefully there was a flow that wasn't to hard to navigate upward, straight up would never work but there was always the chance that it could switchback and be nothing more that a long winding tunnel to the top. Jaelle and the weasel kept in stride and the woman eventually asked him if he'd ever been apart of a pack.

Nako pressed his ear against the wall of ice and spoke with an air of reminiscence. "I was. There were two; Seracia and Ebony." A paw scrapped on the wall to judge the ice as he continued speaking. "I never found it as exciting as my sisters did. To many rules and to few women to rut," Nako looked back at Jaelle. "so I've stayed rogue." The grey wolf gave the woman a lazy wink and continued on. Ears perked and the feeling in his chest growing more hopeful with each step. Sounds of water were quite prominent within the last moment of exploration and Nako felt that the two of them were on to something. Jaelle smelled of a pack and he wouldn't say more as to why a gathering of wolves under one leader didn't exactly make him excited to wake up in the morning. Exploring. Now there was a fine day to day goal. Even if it was with pack wolf he didn't mind in the least as he once again drew his ear away from the ice and gave a testing press with his shoulder.