she was afraid. humble and modest, Heloise was afraid of the thoughts that circled in her mind. what she would willingly choose to do and place upon herself for the sake of arrogance. Winterfell had been good to her, and though she did not owe them anything, she knew she could not repay their kindness. it had been a full season since she had joined their ranks, and she had not budged one inch in title. she felt her skills were being wasted and she was too proud (or perhaps respectful) to speak to Acere about it. as for her thoughts on Acere; that was complicated and would be revisited another time. or perhaps never. she walked back to the Red Forest, mindful of the talk she had with Song a few days ago. the festival had ended and there was no further need for her to travel so far from the north, though she did enjoy meeting the other wolves when there. none had been lasting friendships - another thing that plagued her deepest thoughts - and she wondered if it was worth it to remain. Heloise had been a loner for a long time so perhaps this was the gods' will and work. to make her be patient. still, she had ideas that did not fit in with Winterfell. ideas that perhaps she was more keen to act on over waiting for some grace. Song was no longer here as she walked further in - he had perhaps moved on and she did not expect the man anyway. pausing beside one of the infamous trees in the area, she'd sniff along the ground to pick up the scent of loners. she had no idea what for - maybe she was rejecting her ambitions further - but she reasoned that it was for Winterfell's best interests. a lone wolf could mean caution. "SPEECH"

art + code by Kara

In a way, Kirsi felt afraid too - not that she'd ever dream of showing it. The path that'd had in mind for herself, while not specific, had given her something to work toward for the next few years.. but it had all been disrupted, and now she was struggling to find purpose again. She'd been wandering with Song for quite some time now, and though they were growing closer she hadn't been able to quite figure out where she wanted to drag him next - not that he didn't seem receptive to her plans in general, anyway. Wandering seemed to be the center of focus for her lately. Joining Acere's pack was a possibility, and one she'd leaned toward.. but judging by the scents that marked the borders of his lands, he already had quite a full group. She wasn't sure whether or not the pack could sustain the both of them, despite the fact that they could definitely put their own weight. These thoughts weighed heavily on her mind as she wove between the tall redwood trees, trying to focus on the moment rather than drift too far into the future. The scent of a stranger piqued her interest, and she turned slowly to follow the movement of the wind. Her gaze penetrated the trees, pausing once she saw a shift in light that told her someone was moving in the distance, her body stiffening instinctively. "Afternoon," Kirsi called out lazily. Though her posture was clearly wary, the way she grinned lazily showed no sign of uncertainty.

a woman with all the loveliness of winter would appear, calling out a greeting. Heloise was briefly struck by her intricate coat; it seemed the season itself was carved on her. one of ice and snow. for a moment, the alabaster woman felt shamed that her own coat was so plain. then her mind went from vanity to one of logic again. her own icy gaze turned to face the stranger, dipping her head to break eye contact after awhile. "and to you" her tone was friendly enough while speaking to the other woman. shifting her body to better face her, her smile was warm. "are you perhaps Song's companion?" she took a wild guess, for she had met no other wolves living in the north aside from him. "SPEECH"

art + code by Kara

If Kirsi noticed how Heloise's attention strayed over her coat, she made no sign of it. Perhaps she was used to a fair amount of attention being given to her - or perhaps her mind was just on other things currently. Her own gaze roved over Heloise's coat, trying to assess what sort of creature she was from appearance alone - which admittedly didn't tell her as much as she wished it would. But it was enough. She cut right to the chase before even introducing herself, and her succinctness earned another slow grin from the smaller woman. "I am," she answered, letting a brow raise slowly, the look she flashed her a curious one. "Can't say I've heard that label before, but... it's not inaccurate." Song's companion. It had a ring to it she didn't entirely dislike. In what context had Song been talking about her, she wondered? "The name's Kirsi. And yours?" Her scent was of Winterfell, which wasn't at all surprising given how close to Winterfell's borders she was right now. She shifted to move a few slow steps closer, pausing as she neared one of the large redwood trees nearby and leaned against it briefly.

so the woman was his companion. "he mentioned traveling with an ally" Heloise went on, seeing the woman's brow raise "and I have not seen many wolves that purposefully travel here in the north" especially with winter so close. she hoped that was good enough, for her talk with Song had revealed little about his companion. she hadn't wanted to pry anyway. that was his business, and she had been but a curious individual. the other would introduce herself as Kirsi, causing the alabaster to nod politely. "I am Heloise cel Mare, of Winterfell." though that was apparent by her scent. Heloise recalled Song mentioning they had been from Fyri, and a flash of suspicion crossed her mind. why were they wandering around near Winterfell? she knew they probably wished to join the pack and came to the same conclusion Heloise had; the pack was nearly full. Acere probably did not want to invite or accept any more. two wolves were barely a threat as well. unless they had others elsewhere she didn't know about, she had been quietly shamed by her suspicions. Song and Kirsi meant no threat to Winterfell. "SPEECH"

art + code by Kara

Being known as Song's companion wasn't quite what she expected to be known as, but then again.. the description wasn't totally counterproductive to her plans. In fact, everything seemed to be falling into place quite well.. except for the whole... not being part of a pack thing, but that was a challenge they could easily conquer, in due time. Patience was luckily a quality of hers. "Not many, sure, but... enough do," she gestured with her muzzle vaguely in Heloise's direction, letting a faint smile touch her lips. "The north has always been my home. I can't imagine much would change that." Perhaps the climate wasn't ideal for her slender build, but she'd always done just fine on her own - and with the warmth of a companion, those long winter nights were generally far from unbearable. "Winterfell, you say?" She knew of Winterfell, but not much. The man that had come to challenge for Fyri had moved to establish a pack of his own, winning without a fight when Ignatius hadn't shown up. His disappearance still weighed on her mind, though less heavily with each day that passed - but remembering what he had done was still there, prickling at her thoughts as she was reminded of it now. "I won't lay and say we haven't been keeping our eye on you," she started, letting a hint of mischief flash in her icy blue stare. "Trying to find a place to settle in before winter arrives. The north is never the safest place to be when you're a rogue," Kirsi explained, somewhat flippantly, giving a slight shrug after she finished speaking.

Heloise nodded absently, recalling her goal to make another northern pack. she felt it was best to keep such ambitious topics to herself; she still was uncertain if she should leave Winterfell. it held stability even if she could take care of herself. especially with her first winter in this realm... she was on the proverbial fence. it was, however, a shame that Kirsi and Song were rogue wolves. both seemed decent, and a valuable asset to any community. she wished she could offer more to them both, but knew she was bit a lowly Squire at the moment. "the north is quite expansive" she added with a thoughtful nod "and plenty of wolves dream of leading their own packs. perhaps another will claim a small part of this area, and you can finally rest." Heloise knew that Winterfell was fit to burst at this point. different leaders, however, wanted different things. she could only hope that whoever else claimed the north would be good enough to let the two in. she kept her own ambitions still a secret, speaking casually to the other woman in a conversational tone. "SPEECH"

art + code by Kara

Who knew what the future would bring? Kirsi would keep her own ambitions to herself, though she'd made it clear that staying in the north was part of her foreseeable future. Joining Winterfell was a possibility but it seemed as though their resources were limited, which she understood. Ah, well. Heloise's words only confirmed her beliefs, and she nodded, easily containing any disappointment that she might be feeling currently. The less Heloise knew about what she was feeling, the better. "Indeed it is," she replied conversationally. "One can hope. It seems most wolves fear the north. Not that I blame them," Kirsi added lightly, letting out a faint chuckle. Not all wolves were built for the intensity of the northern lands, especially in the less hospitable seasons... though it was still a shame. "It's been a pleasure, Heloise. Perhaps we'll meet again soon?" That faint smile returned to her lips, offering a quick dip of her muzzle. Until then, she thought it best to continue on and find Song once again, and she didn't hesitate to bid her farewell and turn back the way she'd came. -exit Kirsi-