Location: Ice Bridge

Duchess had never been so cold in her life, her fur and body wasn't built for these kinds of conditions. She had been born and lived in Auster her entire life, and even the previous ice age as it was in Auster wasn't as bad as the weather up here.

There wasn't any blizzards or flurries, but the expanse was white as far as she could see with a few inches of snow under her, save for the few trees off in the distance that could sometimes blend in with the ground with the undisturbed white blanket over them as well.

They made it near the ocean, Duchess pushed into Indigo's shoulder as they stopped for a moment, seeing the strange strip of ice that went on further north that had nearly been crushed into pieces by the churning ocean.

"Duchess"

Indigo barely shed into his summer coat and it was time to bulk up again, it hadn’t taken long for autumn to settle in with cold and his thick fur returned with a vengeance. It was extra dense all over his body this time of year, but his mane boasted an impressive plumpness it hadn’t ever had before. Last winter it wasn’t nearly grown in. He had to admit he appreciated the fact while they were way up here. It was cold but he had been curious to see the top of the world. Even more he was curious about what kind of plant life might even be possible up here. It felt like the winter never really left. Wind whipped and bit at their fur and faces and the air temperature was some of the coldest he had ever felt. Still, he was enjoying being in such a wild place. It was nearly uninhabitable.

His attention shifted to Duchess beside him and he curled himself around her, knowing she was having much less fun than he was. He nuzzled the top of her head as he shielded her from the brunt of the wind. There wasn’t much of anything up here, but the tattered ice bridge was definitely a focal point.

"Speech"

Segin followed Duchess as she led the charge up into the north to explore and investigate, but the further he went the more he wished he had just stayed further south. He silently cursed his own curiosity as they went further and further into the cold tundras, sticking close to one of their sides the whole way just to take in some of their warmth. Much like Duchess, no where he had lived had ever gotten this cold. At worst it had been cool or temperate during certain parts of the year. This was something he was very unused to. "I vote we go back to Auster," he half joked before the even reached the ocean, chuckling as he shivered lightly in a gust of cold wind. When they reached the rocky shore he eyed the frigid ocean curiously, looking out at the ice that seemed to form some kind of bridge leading out into the waves, but it wasn't in the best of shapes. "I wonder if that was more solid at some point," he mused curiously as he leaned into Indigo's other side, taking advantage of his thick fur.

Segin Epsilon

She chuckled nearly silently at Segin's comment about going back to Auster, and she started to move forward carefully as he wondered if the bridge was crossable at some point before they arrived. She still stayed close to Indigo, but much like Segin she was more curious than her own good. She was just less flamboyant about it. Her nose raised as the bridge was beyond stable for them to cross, "I can smell... the sabercats. And some of the other strange creatures I've hunted over the last seasons." It seemed this is where the different prey and predators had come from, and maybe they were all going back to where they came from since the bridge would be destroyed one day soon. She wondered if they came down into their homes because they were struggling in their own, but she supposed she would never know.

"Duchess"

Segin was at his other side as the two men followed Duch’s lead, she was the head explorer of the band even if Indy had never said as much. He could tell that both of the wolves along with him were heavily affected by the cold, it wasn’t hard to tell when they stopped and the both of them snuggled into his sides. He hid a grin as Segin suggested that they make their return to Auster already. Segin questioned the almost ice bridge before them, despite the cold he could still find the dangerous cat smells and the other odd ice age like creatures that descended upon them during the long winter. Duchess replied with much the same thing he was thinking, maybe this was the point of entry.

”I wonder where they came from. Or what its like way out there.” There was no way they were going to be able to cross so it would all be conjecture anyway but that didn’t stop Indigo’s curious spirit.

"Speech"

Segin hummed thoughtfully when Duchess pointed out the scent of the saber cats and other creatures that had passed through here, eyeing the bridge as he squinted and tried to see to the other side. He luckily hadn't really crossed paths with these unusual creatures, but he had heard the others talk about them and he wasn't really upset that he hadn't seen them. The saber cats at the very least and the giant wolves that some had mentioned seemed very dangerous. He glanced up at Indigo when the larger man mused about what it was like where these different creatures came from. "Well... probably very cold," he offered with a grin. It was mostly a joke, but logically the further north you went the colder it would get. Anything as large and fearsome as the creatures they had encountered could probably survive some pretty harsh weather.

Segin Epsilon

Duchess could agree with Segin's thoughts, the strange creatures were probably meant to withstand harsher environments, and maybe that's why they were all going back the way they came. Maybe it was simply too warm for them here, even in the most northern part of Boreas.

"It doesn't seem crossable anymore." It was obvious, looking at the broken and slushed ice that had still made the cracked pathway into the unknown. "Hopefully no more of them are here, or missed their chance to make it back." It made her feel a little on edge that the saber cats or the dire wolves could be traveling through here maybe waiting for the bridge to freeze up again or test their abilities to make it back home. She figured most all of the creatures had left or were killed, but there was still a big possibility that some were left behind. She pushed into Indigo's mane a little more, ready to leave whenever he and Segin were ready.

"Duchess"

This was a mystery that none of them would ever really know about the mystery before them. The trio wasn’t allowed to walk that long bridge, by now it was far too deteriorated to even think about it. They would never know what was at the end, but then again life was full of great mysteries that would never truly be revealed. Sapphire eyes met Segin’s silvery eyes as he added his own thoughts and looked up to him. A grin played over dark features as he leaned a little more heavily against Segin’s shoulder.

Duchess spoke much of what Indigo was thinking, the bridge was indeed uncrossable. "I think you’re right.” He agreed with her vocally. She pressed further into his mane and he knew that their time here would be short. He could carry both of them if he had to, but they’d move faster if they could keep on their paws and endure the harsh cold. "Keep your eyes open, who know what’s still left on this side with us.” He agreed with Duchess again.

"Speech"

Segin nodded to Duchess' statements about how the bridge didn't seem able to be crossed any longer and silently agreed to the hope that all those giant creatures had gone home before it got to this state. Indigo reminding them to keep their eyes open with a mention that they didn't know who was still around here made him a little nervous and made him all the more eager to get back to the others and get away from the north. "Lets get out of here before we find out if anyone decided to stick around," he commented, shifting away from Indigo's side just enough to be able to turn back toward the way they came and start walking away from the broken up ice bridge. If there was any of those oversized, dangerous creatures around he wasn't exactly eager to meet them so the sooner they could get away from this area the better in his opinion!

Segin Epsilon