the north was more forgiving compared to the humidity down south. her coat was better suited to the cold and she blended more easily into the surroundings here. she remained close to Winterfell, not wishing to travel very far from her new house until she was more settled. with her den in the pines all hollowed out, she was left to her own devices. trekking to the other territory that Winterfell called home, she'd begin to move along the border to familiarize herself and also rub against the less than strong markers. in short, she was doing a patrol. Heloise didn't know many wolves in Winterfell yet aside from at least three others. she'd repeat their names, the names she knew, under her breath as she walked. seeing as she found no one at the pines to join her, she was going to do it herself and hope someone else showed up. most the pack was family like Fracture said, and she felt a bit left out sometimes. of course, she didn't let this show. her expression remained neutral, almost lofty, as she walked alone. marking the edge of the frozen ship's general area, she'd move further in to explore the relic. placing her paws upward, she'd heave herself over the edge. her claws hit metal, causing her to fumble gracelessly as she got used to it. stepping as light as possible on the deck, Heloise would wander with no direction in mind. it was only by a familiar scent did she stop, awaiting words if they came.

Fracture padded along the broken down deck, claws tapping the metal with a noise that made waves of satisfaction roll over him. He was looking for a place to call home, to bunker down in. Most of the wolves he'd assume would grab dens out in the pines, but Fracture wasn't quite sure who he'd get along with and he didn't want to spend the time digging out a den only to become neighbors with someone unfavorable. There were so many spaces that could serve his purposes that he'd found himself pacing the same hallways and visiting the same rooms multiple times before ruling any out. As he walked, the sharp click, clack of his nails were met with an echo. His ears perked and he turned to face the sound. He could assume from the volume of the steps that the other was lighter, smaller. Perhaps one of the pups he had seen? Fracture moved to check it out- this structure wasn't exactly the safest for young ones and he would not want to see one injured because he didn't care to check. Rounding the corner he came face to face with Heloise- the only wolf he'd befriended since joining. Dark paws skittered along the metal to a stop before they collided, and he let out a breathy exhale of relief as his balance came back to him. "Heloise." Fracture greeted, mis-matched eyes lighting up as a pleasant smile came over him. "It is a pleasure to see you again." Although they had met previously, the male felt obligated to bow his head respectfully in acknowledgement. "I trust you are finding your way in Winterfell without issue?" She was a capable wolf and he had no reason to think she'd encounter trouble, but it was only polite to check on her well-being after such a drastic life change. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

she knew it was a member of Winterfell by the scent, and also knew it was Fracture. between him and the king, she only knew their scents so far by name. he'd skid to a halt before her, politely bowing his head in greetings. she did the same, a sort of yin-yang of each other's contrast. "hello, Fracture" she'd utter, swinging her body away from his gaze to stare across the ship they were ontop of. her head did bob a bit as she did so. "yes, there are only the two places that belong to Winterfell" the ivory woman turned back to him, a soft chuckle. "so I doubt I would get lost." there was no reason to mark the ship, for trespassers should be deterred by the markings outside of it. though one never knew. some could be bold enough. "I was hoping you could tell me of this pack that was here before Winterfell?" Heloise went on, curious to know what had changed from her brief time in the community. she knew the pack's name had been Fyri, but not their intentions or why Acere had challenged for leadership. the woman still wanted to know a bit more about the people in her new community and the history behind it. "it's fine if not" she'd add in. "you mentioned before that they could come back, or are angry that we're here."

Fracture was pleased that she remembered him, and his smile widened gently. He couldn't express how thankful he was to have found a friend in this strange land, and thankfully she happened to be someone he could get along with. He wasn't antisocial by any means, but typically strangers came with their own quirks and annoyances and thus he found himself irked by the majority of those he met. Their mannerisms were always so... unrefined. He was pulled from his thoughts as Heloise spoke again, asking this time of the late-pack Fyri. "I'm afraid I'm not the right person to ask." Came his murmur, slightly disappointed that he didn't have her answers. "I was there for the challenge. There were dozens of others in attendance, it was rather exciting for a brief time. I saw many whom seemed to stand beside the absentee alpha, and then others who backed Acere. In the end... the Fyri alpha did not show. Acere declared himself the winner by default, and then we came here." As he finished, he met her gaze and gave a small apologetic upturn of his lips. "I can only assume that there was great disappointment in it from his community. I don't know whether something has happened to him, or if he simply was too cowardly to show up. Though it'd be lazy of me to assume the threat is gone- if it were me, and my alpha forfeited my home for whatever the reason... I'd be looking for retaliation, I think." He blinked a few times, wondering for himself what exactly caused the alpha to vanish. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

"you're wrong" Heloise had remained quiet as the man explained the situation, only speaking up when he was finished. "that was most informative." she'd chuckle lightly. so Fracture had decided to follow Acere - the only who fought for his position. good to know. their king hadn't told her much from their meeting, only that he had recently established Winterfell and was modest about how he earned it. it was beginning to paint a clearer vision of what the pack was about and what sort of man the king was. it made it easier to appreciate the community. she did agree; if that is how Winterfell had founded then she did expect some discord through the former Fyri ranks. especially for those who had a position of power. "hopefully, the peace will be kept" and the people from the other pack were content to work their way back up. she could only assume Acere hadn't any trouble so far if he was going off the territory to recruit. "in the meantime, I will patrol and mark the borders" her eyes briefly flickered to the border in question "strong borders keep out unwanted guests." a smirk crossed her lips, for she had been technically a guest before being accepted. "though when my shoulder heals, I will take that spar." she added in.

"I agree. Peace is a wonderful thing, and we'll be lucky to enjoy it for as long as it lasts." It was true, Fracture was tired of war for the moment. He nodded thoughtfully as she continued to speak. "I'll accompany you on the border patrol if you'd like." The male offered. Really he wasn't doing much anyways, and it might give him the opportunity to get to know her better. He was very interested in how she came to these lands, and her scarred body brought up questions he felt were too impolite to ask. It was then that she mentioned her shoulder- and a future spar- and Fracture considered her words to be a sort of permission. After all, if she didn't want to talk about it she likely wouldn't have brought it up. He tilted his head in curiosity. "May I ask what happened?" "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

she'd quietly flex her shoulder, feeling the stiffness that came with a healing wound. "it was my fault" Heloise said, recalling the events that led up to the situation. if Fracture hadn't asked, she would have been made to say so anyway. all of Winterfell would know eventually what happened if they did ask her. the wound was clear, the three claw markings healing nicely but a stark contrast against her ivory coat. the thin layer of herbs strongly smelling. "I ran afoul of a cougar." and had to be rescued by Deathbelle, a woman she barely knew. her ego still hurt from the reminder. at least there was no lasting damage from the encounter. "you seem to be interested in my scars" she had noticed him looking before at the first meeting they had together. Heloise wasn't accusing; she stated a fact. many others were just too polite to ask her. "I am afraid I cannot tell you - or anyone - what transpired. not yet anyway" the event had been... traumatic, difficult to explain. especially to near strangers. "I'm... sorry. I thought if we are to be friends, it should be brought up." Heloise uttered, lowering her head in embarrassment. "but yes, please join me." she'd add in with a soft smile.

Fracture grimaced as she mentioned her run-in with the cougar, leaning in and arching his head to the side to better see the wound. "Painful, I imagine." He took a step back then to respect her space. "However I would bet the cat looks much worst." It took him aback slightly that Heloise could think the encounter was her fault, she didn't seem stupid enough to openly taunt a cougar to battle and so the only other explanation was that she did not initiate the fight. If she was the victim, it couldn't have been her fault. Regardless, he did respect that the female held her own against the predator. Obviously she had to have succeeded in the fight if she came away with only the shoulder wound. It did disappoint him that her response to his question was in regard to her fresh injury and not her long-healed scars. Though she must have noticed his interest, as she spoke up once more. "You seem to be interested in my scars. I am afraid I cannot tell you - or anyone - what transpired. Not yet anyway." Fracture gave her a sad smile and nodded his head in understanding. "We all have our secrets." He murmured, turning away from her to look out into the plains. "You are welcome to them. I will not pry." She had mentioned them becoming friends, and that made up for whatever past she was hiding. The dark male jutted his shoulders forward and bowed his front end low in a stretch, arching his spine comfortably from his tail through to his back, extending into his neck and head. Overall it was a very pleasant warm-up for Fracture, and when he was done he gave his coat a vigorous shake to ready himself. "Alright, I am good to go. At your leisure." "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

"it seems to have knocked some sense into me, before it fled" she'd chuckle softly. the woman had assumed she was a decent fighter, but having to be saved by a stranger... Heloise realized how woefully unprepared she had been to deal with it alone. there was plenty of time to hone her skills, and she was looking forward to sparring with Fracture. if they were to protect Winterfell borders, she needed to know how nicely he fought. "a woman helped me, healed me back up afterward. I was lucky to have fought the cat off, earning nothing but a scratch and a cuff to the head." she was forever modest. "I..." Heloise paused, touched that he would understand but also not really understanding her need for secrecy. "thank you." she dipped her head. perhaps one day it would feel less awkward to explain such a thing. she hadn't much discussed her scarring with the others she had met, though again; she could feel their stares. she'd watch as he stretched out for the patrol, giving a curt nod as she fell in step with his stance. it was good to warm-up herself, stretching her weary limbs with purpose once more. leading Fracture away from the ship's deck, she'd turn and jump down to the earth itself. the woman hadn't investigated the other side of the border. hadn't marked it either. "the markings are faint" she'd click her tongue with some disapproval "I did not see anyone in camp, so I went here alone." perhaps Acere would assign some to patrols when all was settled. Heloise had no way of knowing that this part of the territory was quite new to Winterfell. that patrols didn't make it here yet to mark it as their claim. all the more reason for the small two-wolf patrol. she'd pause, allowing Fracture to mark some areas himself.

Heloise would continue explaining her run in with the cougar, and Fracture was surprised to hear that it succeeded in fleeing. The female seemed battle-hardened, and he would have assumed she'd have killed the cat for daring to fight her. It seemed she had help, as well. A healer? Absently, Fracture wondered if she was nearby and looking for a pack. Winterfell could do with more healers, he was sure. "I'm glad you made it through okay." He said after she was finished. She jumped down off the deck and Fracture followed behind her. "The markings are faint." He smiled at the ground at her disapproving noise, then looked up at her. Of course the markings were faint - not only had Winterfell only just retained this land, but it was packed so far into the corner of the world that it'd be difficult for just any outsider to stumble upon. They'd have to either cross through their outward territory of the Sparse Plains, or cross the Marble Wash. "Well, we're quite lucky with the way the land is." Dark head nodded towards the north and east, where the ocean lay. "We are bordered by water on two sides, and then that way -" He motioned towards the towering wall to the south. "- is a huge wall, too treacherous to scale. It covers most of the southern edge of the plains, with only a few gaps to squeeze through." Lastly, his head swiveled west, towards the frozen river in the distance. "We should focus our patrols on that border, it's one of the few expanses of land that an outsider could reasonably cross through." Taking his own advice he turned to walk to the west, interjecting once more to the she-wolf. "You must be careful at the Marble Wash, however. I hear the valley is quite dangerous with many cliffs. I suppose we should be glad for it ... more obstacles to keep our home safe from danger." "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

"as am I" she'd chuckle. the cougar had been a wake up call if nothing else. Heloise needed to train, to get even better. she needed to expand her horizons and work toward a goal, for she had nothing to do but remain in Winterfell. she had nothing and no one to call her own. it was almost sad if she cared enough to be sad about it. content with her lot in life right now, she was just accepting the fact she was even in a pack in a strange new land. as they checked the borders, she listened as Fracture explained the land she was in. her ears piqued forward, a brief flicker of surprise. "you have a good grasp of the landscape" Heloise remarked, waiting until he was finished to speak. "have you traveled far outside of the north?" she hadn't. a few stints in Auster and in the east was all she had to testify. she didn't know Fracture was the type of man to travel outside of his pack. few wolves did not, but then again, Winterfell was new and he must have come here from somewhere. and seeing as she resisted telling him about her past, Heloise was not going to badger him with tales of his own.