OOC: This thread is set at the borders, not intending for her to walk across them and trespass. (Officially confirmed by Nyx.)

Summer was all around the continent, but it remained oblivious to the Northern Hemisphere. Grass had turned to snow, a transition that Silent found unfamiliar. Her black-and-silver paws sunk into the first steps she took, automatically becoming cold and unforgiving. She yelped in surprise, but the cry was so small and short, it did not remain on the air for long. Once the initial shock gave way, she proceeded to walk through the cold and wet substance with ease. She welcomed it after awhile and began to wonder what all lived within such a cold environment.

The day did not go by fast, giving her sunlight to help guide her as she trekked along the unfamiliar terrain. She stuck close to nearby bushes and trees, in case something or someone saw her out in the open. Silent was good at hiding; she intended to do it as long as she wanted. It gave her a sense of security, like turning invisible when not wanting to be seen. Though it was just a thought and not the truth, Silent used it like a weighted blanket on the days that she missed her parents. Remaining invisible to the large world sometimes made her feel safe.

The young girl reached the Sparse Pines after toddling for half an hour. She was about two meters from the edge of the woods when the pack's borders hit her nose like a battering ram. Silent felt as if she had been attacked by an invisible force and she stumbled mid-step, plopping over on her side and blinking blankly for a second or two. Where she had fallen was close to the borders, but not so close as to be considered a trespasser. She remained close to a random shrub, half of her frame randomly placed beneath it without so much as disturbing the snow upon its branches. From where she lay upon the snow, she tilted her head up and saw the height of the trees stretch. It was an impressive sight, causing her jaw to drop in awe. "Wooow," she said, her voice soft as she tried to imagine how high they reached.

The snow and the cold was all that little Bronze had ever known. He'd been born in some of the coldest weather the north had historically seen, though of course he was oblivious to that fact. All he knew was that this was his world - the huge, towering pine trees and the tall snow drifts that threatened to swallow him whole when he tried to climb them. He knew the strange, icy structure that had become a hiding spot in the games he and his siblings played; he knew the frigid winds near the sea that he liked to avoid. The world seemed a little brighter these days, and a little warmer, but if so he hadn't quite noticed. There was still ice and snow everywhere he turned and he still preferred to spend his nights curled up beside his siblings, for the sake of warmth as well as companionship.

Today he'd set a goal for himself. He wanted to walk the edge of the pine forest and maybe, just maybe, go beyond it. Not far of course, but he knew there was more than these trees and he was growing eager to see it. He knew someday he'd be all grown up and free to do what he wanted, but it was hard to be patient when the world was at his paws. He was quiet as he wove between the massive trees, occasionally pausing to glance up at one. What a view he'd have if he could go up there! At one particularly large tree he stopped his route to lift his front paws up high, stretching to see if there was any possible way he could climb it, but after jumping up he decided it was impossible. Not just for him, but for anyone at all.

He had only just started walking again when he heard something up ahead. A little snow drift blocked his view, but he navigated around it and squinted through the trees to see what it might be. Maybe an intruder? Or something easy, slow prey animal he could hunt and bring back to his family? The thought was wishful thinking at best, and his hopes were quickly shattered. He saw the face of a young girl, a pretty girl too, peeking out from a bush, looking up at the sky. He was momentarily transfixed before he came to his senses and tried to figure out what to do. She wasn't trespassing, not really, but she was awfully close to the borders. "Uhhh. Stop!" He called out, furrowing his brows as he drew closer. Wait, she was stopped and showed no signs of coming closer so far. "I mean. Hi," he clarified quickly. "Who are you? You don't smell like you live here." He sniffed hard at the air for any signs she might be a packmate, but nothing about her was familiar.

Compared to what Bronze knew, Silent's knowledge about the north and everything that came with it was slim to none. She had never been around the white stuff, never felt it beneath her paws before she walked her first steps, never had a snowflake float from the sky to land on her nose. The young girl was missing out on the little things that made childhood so great and she was not even aware. Though she would learn more things about life when she began to grow up, she was oblivious to the joys that came from things Bronze appreciated. All that she knew of so far in life was the feel of green grass beneath her black paws, the touch of the sun warming her where she napped, the sound of water that could either trickle or cascade down from a high point of land to an awaiting pool. Most of her small joys came from living in the East; it was a different world, one that the boy had yet to see.

Silent had still been in awe when the boy popped up out of nowhere. His voice was short and quick, betraying his presence before she came back to her senses. "Huh?" she asked, ears perking at his tone before she pulled herself out of her daze. A silent shake of her black-and-silver head shortly followed, causing her green eyes to hide behind closed lids for a few seconds. When she came to the realization that she was no longer alone, her senses slightly heightened as she expected to see a tall, monstrous figure. Her eyes wandered in the air above her, until another greeting was clumsily given. ''I mean. Hi.' Slowly, Silent's gaze moved down and landed upon the frame of a blue boy. She drank him in, taking in the finer gold details that stood out beneath his eyes and on his cheeks. Her brows slightly furrowed as confusion moved her mind forward. "Hi?"

The girl remained where she lay, black fur greatly contrasting against the white snow that consumed the entire territory. He did not wait long to continue with his sudden observation. 'Who are you? You don't smell like you live here.' He started to sniff hard at the air, taking more effort than she thought was necessary. Despite that thought, Silent couldn't help but giggle as she saw him work so hard to make his point known. "You're smart," she said, young tones warm with honesty. "I don't live here. I live..." She moved her head around, struggling to find the right way to describe where she stayed. When it didn't come to her, she lamely finished, "any and everywhere." She shrugged before moving away from the bush, pushing herself up to all fours. "You live here?" She guessed, stretching her neck out so she could try and catch his scent. It was similar to the thick rope of scents that kept her separated from him. "My name is Silent. What's your name?" Her tail began to wag slowly behind her, the idea of making a new friend slowly rising to her mind.

If he'd been worried she was an intruder - and for a moment he'd been certain of it, even if that moment had left as quickly as it had arrived - her demeanor made it obvious she wasn't trying to sneak past their borders. Her posture was carefree and lazy, laying on her side and staring up at the trees. Even her voice betrayed her surprised at being found, hardly the reaction he'd expect from someone who was trying to trespass. He was still struggling with the idea of outsiders. There was his family, and his pack too, but everyone outside of those circles seemed... different, somehow. Like maybe he should be careful around them, like they might be trickier to know how to interact with compared to the other wolves he knew.

He'd be careful then, he decided. "Hi," he repeated again. She was a stark contrast against the crisp white snow and he was briefly transfixed by the sight. What was even stranger than her appearance though was her words. She lived anywhere and everywhere? No, that just didn't make sense. Bronze frowned for a moment, wrinkling his nose as he took a few more steps closer, trying to get a better look at her. She definitely wasn't anyone he knew, nor familiar in any way, but he wanted to be totally sure.

"No, everyone has somewhere they live," he argued matter-of-factly. He couldn't imagine just going wherever he wanted. He couldn't, even if he wanted to, he decided. He had his family and his siblings he had to grow strong to protect and look after. He watched her curiously as she stood up, asking him if he lived here. "Yes, I do. I'm Bronze, Bronze Destruction," he explained, not quite as outwardly excited at the prospect of making a new friend, but he still looked quite interested - though he maintained a careful distance away from her, just in case.

Pack life was lost on Silent's mind. She had no recollection of being in one when she was born, nor did she ever listen to a discussion about a pack when her parents spoke in soft voices. The idea of family was also nonexistent to her. The young girl had no siblings, aunts, uncles, or cousins she knew about. Her world was made up of just her and the memories she was making for herself. How could she consider a family when she knew nothing about one? The scents that made up the pack's border served as a boundary line between her and the blue boy. Whatever he experienced beyond the border was lost to her as well. His return of greeting made her smile break out more and she softly repeated, "Hi," before the conversation continued.

'No, everyone has somewhere they live.' He spoke with stubborn confidence, brushing away Silent's explanation with a weak attempt at being right. Silent's little brows furrowed again and she took a step or two towards him, remembering to remain a good distance from the border. "How do you know?" she challenged, the idea of him knowing better than her making her slightly irritated. "Not everyone sleeps in the same place every night. Sometimes, the place and the scenery changes." She spoke from experience; after all, where else was she supposed to find makeshift dens to curl up in when she couldn't stay in one place for too long?

The irritation easily slipped away from Silent as the blue boy introduced himself. 'Yes, I do. I am Bronze, Bronze Destruction.' Silent's green eyes took him in again, attaching the name to his pelt as he proudly stood within the borders' limits. "Uh-huh," she slowly said, dragging it out for a second or two before deciding to return the favor. "I am Silent, Silent Adravendi." The name she carried held a certain meaning, but she had no idea why. All she knew was that whispers followed her parents when she was a fresh babe, but they were never explained. "I like your name...it's nice." She gave a little smile, suddenly feeling shy at the thought of giving him the compliment.

Perhaps he might be more open-minded someday, but right he definitely was not. His parents had kept he and his siblings from straying too far for most of their lives so far. He was sheltered and his world view was narrow, but widening... slowly, very slowly, but surely. Still it was hard for him to imagine a girl her age out on her own, exploring the world without the constraints of a pack or family keeping him in line. Not that he was terrible driven to break those boundaries... was the rest of the world really all that great compared to where he lived? Was it better, or just different? Maybe this girl knew. He wrinkled his nose in slight distaste as she argued with him. It was a very childish argument but to him felt wildly serious. "I mean... maybe. That isn't normal though, is it?" he He countered, half-asking as much as arguing with her. Sleeping somewhere different every night and having no real home sounded hard, and he wondered how she did it on her own.

"Silent," he repeated thoughtfully. He remembered the strange dream he'd had, but brushed away the name as a mere coincidence. Perhaps he had just remembered it wrong anyway. It was an interesting name though, a different kind than the ones his parents had given he and his siblings. "Your name is nice too," Bronze admitted after a moment. Slowly, cautiously, he took a few steps toward her and eventually over the border. He wasn't sure he was supposed to go beyond but he was just a hop away anyway, and it felt strange talking to her over this distance if he didn't have to. "So what were you doing, anyway? Looking at the trees?" He tilted his head as he eyed her and then looked up at the tall pines, deciding he didn't blame her for stopping to stare at them if that was what she'd been doing.

I mean...maybe. That isn't normal though, is it? His question was not laced with sarcasm, but it still stung when it met Silent's ears. Those same ears turned back, fitting in well with the look of hurt that graced her young features. "It became my normal; I didn't have a choice." She wondered what it was like to be in the same place every night and waking up in that same place every morning. Such a ponder remained unsaid for the time being. The conversation would have taken a turn into a direction she was not ready for yet.

Bronze returned the compliment without hesitation: Your name is nice, too. It was a small thing, but it meant more to Silent than he knew. "Thank you," she politely replied, her black and silver tail flicking behind her once. The moment of politeness, however, was quickly moved when Bronze did something unexpected: step over the border, as if it were not there. Bright green eyes widened and she softly gasped as she saw him approach, but she did not protest. Once the small bit of shock was over, Silent realized she preferred to speak to him at a closer range. It was silly to have to speak so far apart. All she could do in that moment was grin.

So what were you doing, anyway? Looking at the trees? Bronze's gaze moved from her to the unseen tops of the trees that rose in front of them, causing his head to tilt up as well. Silent mirrored his action, her green eyes searching for what she could not see through the snow. "Yeah," she distractedly said, though her thoughts were the opposite of her tone. "I have never seen such tall trees before...or this white stuff." Silent remained looking up, enjoying the flakes that lazily drifted from the skies. "Where I have been lately, it is always warm with green grass all over the place." Her black paws curled into the snow, the soft sound of it moving reaching her ears. "It is always soft and springy, while this stuff clumps together." When her neck finally had enough of its stretch, Silent lowered her head to look at Bronze. "This is the first time I have ever seen something so pretty and white."

Bronze wasn't used to talking to strangers but her reaction was obvious, even if he didn't have the right words for how she might be feeling. All he knew was that it wasn't good. "I... I didn't mean..." Bronze started, words trailing away from him as he struggled to express himself. He wasn't good with words to begin with but suddenly he felt like they'd completely failed him. He wasn't the kindest of wolves on the surface, even at his age, but he wasn't outright mean and he hadn't been trying to make her feel bad, not at all. "It's just a lot different than my life. Sorry," he finished a bit sheepishly, shifting his weight uncomfortably from one front paw to the other.

But the shift in conversation seemed to lessen any tension that might've cropped up, at least in his eyes. He moved a bit closer and she seemed to relax. He'd been afraid she might shy away from him but she seemed receptive to his presence, which pleased him. She explained she'd never seen trees before, or snow. He let his lower jaw unhinge, looking a bit surprised. "This stuff? It's snow," he explained, scooping up a bit with his paw and pushing it her direction. "It's always snowy here. Well, sometimes. It's always on the ground though, not always snowing," he explained slowly, looking amused at her interest in this place. This was home, it was all he'd ever really known, so it didn't seem quite as amazing to him as it must to Silent.

"It's never warm here. Or green. I guess sometimes it gets warmer, but it's been cold for a long time now." His face had been on the verge of faint amusement for a bit now, but finally he let a tiny smile sneak through, though it slipped away as soon as it arrived. "I like the snow though." As if to demonstrate his point he padded around her in a semi-circle, feeling the fresh snow crunch beneath the pads of his paws. He liked how it had a way of silencing the world, and casting it in a bright, crisp white shade.

Bronze's honesty about his life being different from hers was appreciated, even if she did not realize it at the time.  He had questioned her own sense of truth in her reality; quite frankly, it was an important clarification that would cause her world to become more round than flat as time went on.  Just as quickly as it came, that moment of clarity flew away on soft wings, intending to come around again when it was needed.  

The conversation turned to landscape settings, a subject that Silent found herself comfortable with.  Bronze showed interest in the topic and she noticed how he seemed more at ease with how he described his home. 'This stuff? It's snow.'  Her attention remained on him as he pushed a small amount of snow towards her darker frame.  'It's always snowy here. Well, sometimes. It's always on the ground though, not always snowing.'  His explanation was delivered in a slow monotone, emphasizing the importance of the difference between 'snowy' and 'not always snowing'.  Silent laughed at his words, ears pricking forward at his effort.  "I see," she said, though in that moment, she was not sure if she truly did.

Bronze continued with his turn of conversation, sliding his experience with ease.  'It's never warm here. Or green. I guess sometimes it gets warmer, but it's been cold for a long time now.' She saw his smile, however brief it was, and she liked it.  'I like the snow though.'  As if to prove his point, Bronze marched in a semi-circle around Silent, causing the young girl to turn her head until she was looking over her shoulder.  Eyes were wide with curiosity and ears were perked as if they had never heard the sound of crunching snow before.  Her black-and-silver tail swayed behind her once, this new information registering in her brain for later use.  "Sounds like you were meant to be around it," she mused out loud, turning the rest of her body around so as not to stretch her neck.  Silent's gaze held onto Bronze's as she added, "You and the snow have a lot in common."

It was then that the lowering temperatures started to attract Silent's attention.  The sun had started to set and the afternoon was leaning towards the evening part of the day.  Silent shook all over, realizing she wanted to get someplace warm.  Looking up to see the changes of color in the sky, she snorted and then quickly looked at Bronze.  "It's getting dark soon...I have to go."  Walking around Bronze, she padded in a direction that took her away from the pack's borders.  Though she had not intended to consider pack life, she did not like the idea of just randomly leaving Bronze by himself.  "If you want, I can stay and keep watch until you get back across."  She mischievously smirked.  "I'll protect you if you need me."  Depending on what Bronze said and did, Silent carried out what she intended to have happen and then whispered, "See you later," before disappearing behind a snowbank.

-EXIT Silent-

And that was that. They had different lives and he didn't want to seem like he was being rude or anything, he was just genuinely surprised at the thought of her not having a home, somewhere to hunker down at the end of the day. It was hard to imagine that and truthfully it didn't sound like a life he'd enjoy, even though he liked spend some time alone, but it didn't matter anyway - it was her life, not his, so it didn't matter what he thought of it. It wasn't long before they moved on from that topic though, talking about how snowy this place was. He wasn't sure he was explaining things very well but it seemed like she was following his train of thought, at least somewhat, which pleased him. At least she seemed a little amused at what he was saying. Bronze wasn't sure whether or not that was a good thing though. Man, he was so not used to being around other wolves, especially wolves he didn't know, and especially girls that weren't his sisters.

He tilted his head slightly, pondering her words as she responded. "I guess," was all he said at first, shrugging. He enjoyed the feeling of the snow crunching beneath the pads of his paws and he continued walking, circling wider around her, slipping around one of the pine trees at the edge of the border and back toward her again. "Do we?" He wasn't so sure. He looked nothing at all like snow - it was bright white and he was a cool shade of slate blue, but maybe she meant something else, something he couldn't wrap his mind around. He gave a little hum of acknowledgement, deciding not to press it any. It'd give him something to think about today at least.

It seemed like their meeting would be short-lived anyway. She needed to go, and he figured he ought to get back to his family too. He nodded in understanding, wondering where she'd go now. Everywhere was her home, she said, so she could sleep wherever she wanted. Except Incendium, of course. He didn't know if he liked the thought of her finding somewhere to sleep on her own but he knew if he didn't make it back home his parents would come looking for him after sunset. Her offer made him laugh a little, and he shook his head. "It's okay, I know my way. Don't get lost, okay?" How could she, though, if she had nowhere in particular he was going? The thought was still strange to him but now he had the rest of the night to dwell on it. He gave her a nod before she hopped away, hesitating for just a moment before turning around and heading back the way he'd come, back to his family.

-exit Bronze-