There was some risk in traveling so close to water this time of year, but at least with moving water, snowmelt was slightly more likely than the formation of ice. Of course, it left the ground muddy and her feet unsightly, but Hayai much preferred a bit of grime than to dragging herself through potentially layers of snow on solid ground. She trotted easily along the riverbank, happy to feel her limbs able to move freely, kicking her paws high as her tail swayed behind her in much the same way the fish swam alongside her in the water. Rusty ears swiveled about for any signs of company, but there was little about her to suggest she was on edge about the possibility. Company, she thought, might even be quite nice.

She tilted her head toward the water, watching the refracted figure of a fish pass her by. Tongue lashed out over liver, her nose twitching and maw salivating a little at the thought of fresh, cold seafood. But it was too risky. Maybe wherever this ends, I'll find a shallow end, she mused. Out here, the current was too swift and too cold; it would surely be a deathtrap. But farther south, there was a chance of finding a pool of water...and a shoreline.

"

Siren didn’t like this one bit, straying from her island never proved fruitful but here she was. Trudging snow in the cold dead of winter. She’d keep any unpleasant thoughts to herself though, despite the cold her expression was blank as her dainty paws carried her on top of the snow. Being the size of a fox had its perks and travel in the winter was one of them. She might have been uncomfortable, but she had Chimera beside her. After the first vision she’d kept to herself, Siren hadn’t kept one from Chimera since.

The most recent was vague and undecipherable, so the two of them set out. Siren just had a feeling that they needed to go north from the shrine. The picture of the fish struggling in water was disturbing at the very least and wouldn’t go ignored. The strange sense of being pulled led her onwards, but her dual toned gaze often sought Chimera’s features to make sure he wasn’t growing impatient.

The river could be heard before Siren’s sensitive gaze saw the running water and the she wolf on the other side. Siren showed no fear and gracefully made her way to the bank, peering at the other girl for a long moment.

Siren shared little tidbits of her visions here and there, but it was rare that one would make her want to leave the safety of their island home. When she suggested it however, he couldn't deny her. His sweet sister got that determined look in her eye and he had no choice but to bend to her wishes. Together they left the island and moved into colder climes. While his minuscule sibling could walk atop the ice encrusted snow, the black and white brutes thick legs pushed right through. It made traversing the terrain difficult in deeper snow, but he put up no complaint. Chi rarely spoke let alone complained. In time the pair came to a river and Siren seemed to be on the lookout for something. He imagined that this was where her vision had taken place. The giant wolf seated himself in the snow, waiting for his sister to either discover something or give up her quest. On the opposite bank though, a moving shape caught his attention. He couldn't make it out clearly from here, but Siren seemed to perk up a bit so he tried to give it at least a modicum of attention. "Speech"

For awhile longer she walked, eventually resigning herself to the likely possibility of an idle journey between not being able to stop and eat and not getting to share in the scenery with others. It wasn't like Hayai wasn't used to this, anyway. She'd had more than her fill of silent, lonely trips and figured she'd be able to get by on another. At least she was here--alive--which was more than what could be said about some of the wolves she'd left behind, friend or foe.

However, this optimism rewarded her--and grandly. As she continued down the riverbank, she found herself pausing, blinking, as something captured her attention from the corner of her gaze. With a furrowed brow and perked ears, she turned on her heels, perhaps too eagerly, to investigate further, only to immediately be greeted by another pair--no, two pairs--of eyes across the water. They didn't seem particularly social, but nor did they seem disinterested; in fact, she dared to think they were waiting for something, which she felt was flattering directed toward her. So plain she looked, and yet, the other little one was dressed in braids and long, flowing feathering, her towering counterpart in the most intriguing coat. Nothing like she'd ever seen before of her fellow koi. Among her own, they might have even achieved a position of status. Hayai observed them for a moment more before she lit up with a smile and a wagging tail.

"Hi, there!" she called out across the river. She turned to face the pair more fully, but in her excitement, she failed to consider the fragility of the most saturated mud lining the riverbank. Almost instantly, it caved beneath tapping paws, plunging her into the ice-cold current before she could retreat onto more solid ground. But she was no fish, and it left her fighting shocked and rigid muscles to reach for the surface.

"

She had felt a little sloth while put up on their island home, combined with the cold of winter. Siren had little desire to go anywhere or do anything but she was pulled now. Chimera showed no resistance to her or the crazy idea she got stuck in her head but she wondered if he had similar feelings. He got up and out more than she did, having stepped up to protect her in the raid. In the grand scheme of things Siren did relatively little besides see to the island and Chimera and Dalila’s injuries. Siren hardly considered herself a great healer, but with Cicero’s help she had a basic understanding. Enough that she could keep them in one piece.

Chimera wouldn’t say as much but the longer they were back together the more she was realizing that all she had to do was to say the word and her will would be done. The realization was an odd one, and really she preferred not to ask anything ridiculous. Siren didn’t want to impose her will on her brother, she wanted a symbiotic relationship, not parasitic.

Siren’s thoughts were more heavily caught up in the woman across the river rather than her connection to Chimera. The pale woman called out, and however unprofound the words might be the girl was struck by them, just as much as the woman was when she suddenly fell into the icy water. Dual toned eyes widened suddenly as the image of the drowning fish overlapped the scene before her and without thinking the words tumbled from her lips. ”Chimera, grab her.”

He soon realized what the moving shape was. A small, feminine shape came into focus, not that it mattered to Chimera. Little did. Once he noted what the moving object was, he was over it and ready to go home. Had they come here to find some random wolf that they'd never met before? Hmmph. He hadn't even been looking when she dropped into the water, though he'd been turning his attention back simply as a reaction to her yell. When he looked at the bank again, it was empty. Oh well. Siren's words brought the mans nose to wrinkling in distaste. He was going to argue, but he remembered how important this must be for them to come all the way out here. Rolling his eyes Chimera stalked towards the bank. He followed the curve of it until he came to an area that was more narrow. The less he had to be in discomfort, the better. Though the bank was a little mushy, there were still some very solid pieces of ice. Tentatively, he stepped on each one, leading himself to the other bank with the utmost care. Once there, he simply stuck his head into the water, grasped the woman's neck between his jaws, and hauled her onto the bank. Ah, but he didn't stop there. With the small fae still clutched between his jaws like a pup, Chimera began picking his way back over the ice floes to the bank where his sister waited. If the woman had anything to say about it, he wasn't listening. "Speech"