Night had fallen in the north. Azalea had been on "vacation" calling the north her temporary home for a few days now. She was having a blast exploring the new location and wished that her aunt and uncle hadn't let Glaciem go so soon. There was a beauty to the north that was not found in the west and Azalea was almost jealous of the northerners, though she imagined that winter had to be miserable. Bugs sang in choir in the background as the young female came upon a lake. It was frozen solid, still too cold to thaw out or perhaps it was petrified. Was that possible? Petrified water? She bent down toward the water, touching it just to be sure that it was in deed a frozen mass. To her surprise, and momentary horror, the ice lit up under er touch. She jumped back, eyes wide. A manic smile found her face and she moved slowly out onto the ice, watching each step take light. Blue and brilliant she illuminated the night, literally. She began jumping, twisting and turning gleefully watching the ice light up. It was like magic. Losing her balance the female collapsed on the ice. Panting happily she looked around at herself, basking in the wonder of mysterious light.

It was beautiful here, the crisp coolness of the air in these lands much nicer then the heat atop the mountain of Tortuga. His pelt was thick and corse thanks to his father's more northern bloodlines, that paired with the dark shade that covered most of his body made the heat almost unbearable this time of year. It was one of the many perks of moving to Glaciem, the climate being much easier to handle for the young boy. And though the hours of patrolling and hunting were long he actually felt like he had a purpose here now. He was protecting the wolves of the pack, he would eventually be training the children of the pack and that was more then enough for him. Though it gave him little time to explore like he used to. Today was one of the few days he had dared slipped off, completing one of his rounds and taking the time in between it and the next one to familiarize himself with the surrounding areas. Isa shouldn't have an issue with it, plus since he had joined he hadn't seen hide or hair of the male. He had only met a few of the other females and they had all seemed quite pleasant thus far. All in all, he was glad he had moved.

He had come to the lake once or twice before, his father had taken him here once to show him it as well but he remembered little of it. He just remembered talking about the small plants that lived within the ice but he hadn't ventured out onto it like his father had. Maybe today he would, or maybe he would just wander around the edge of the lake and check out some smells. Whatever plans he made though were dashed when he came within sight of the lake. A female, probably not much older then he, was venturing out onto the lake. For a moment he paused, head tipped curiously as he watched the plant life light up the ice beneath her paws, eyes focused on the way the light traveled up her slender legs. She was almost pure white except her face which was brown, something about the colouring was strange and intriguing at the same time. Then again his coloring wasn't exactly normal either... He watched for another few moments before he realized that she was moving further out across the ice. What if it broke beneath her? She wasn't a Glaciem member but he still felt responsible, like he should help her and make sure she was safe.

He broke into a lope towards her, eyes focused and ears tipped towards the female as she continued out. He was just taking his first step onto the ice when she slipped and fell, illuminating a large amount of the ice around her. "Ma'am? Are you alright?" Concern laced his tone as he began to step gingerly towards her and across the ice, own paw falls lighting up the section of ice around them. He was too focused on her to be worried about the ice beneath his own paws now. The fact that she wasn't immediately getting up concerning him more then anything. What if she had broken something? He had a very vague knowledge of healing, but mostly only with open wounds and he had no clue where to find any of the plants he knew about here. He picked up the pace a bit until he came to where if he reached out he could touch her. Immediately his green eyes scanned her form, looking for blood on the ice beneath her and coming up with nothing. "Do you need some help?" he asked, this time a bit of a smile showing on his features now. Had she just fallen and was enjoying the pretty light show? It did illuminate her quite nicely...



Speech!

"Ma'am? Are you alright?" The words that broke the silence of the night jostled her body and caused her head to whip around as close the 180 degrees as her neck would allow. She pushed away from the ice too fast, pads slipping and causing her elbow to bang the translucent surfact rather roughly. "Ouch!" She said aloud without really meaning to. Eyes went to her elbow now, pain taking over her body. She realized that now she was bleeding. Funny how a fall had not harmed her at all but slipping had managed to bump the wrong imperfection in the ice to cause her elbow to slit open and gush blood. It was really not as serious as it seemed, she gave it a few good looks. When she looked back up the stranger male was standing over her, looking her over. "Do you need some help?" He smiled lightly, an action that barely touched his face. Azalea froze up, not sure how to react. He was a small creature, similar to Sarak in build but completely different. His eyes seemed to glow like the strange ice lights and his coat was mostly a slate grey. There were white markings, strange markings, that fairly evenly covered his body. The stranger had a built in charm that instantly made her like him or at least not react negatively to him. "Yes, I am fine. You scared me, I cut my elbow... but I am fine/" Her words came easy, as if she had known him before this. She smiled lightly now, amber eyes looking up at the small male, "I'm Azalea, who are you? Do you know what these beautiful lights are?" She looked around her in wonder. Speech,

Her head snapped around to look at him, looking startled at first so he did his best to look as friendly as possible though it was something that the usually stoic male over struggled with. Apparently whatever attempts he had made were useless because she tried to stand quite quickly and ended up slipping. The audible ouch that accompanied the sound of her body thudding against the ground made him stiffen and quicken his pace. Had he startled her into hurting herself further? Worry was evident on his features when he finally came to stand over her, once more asking if she was okay. She didn't look hurt, not huge wounds, bumps or abnormal shapes to her that might suggest broken bones. That at least was a relief. But when she did reply she confirmed that she had in fact hurt herself. "I apologize, i really didn't mean to scare you." He was frowning now, disappointed that he had in fact been the one to escalate the situation and in the end the reason she had hurt herself.

"Is there anything I can do to help? I have a basic knowledge of herbs..." He trailed off as he realized once again that yes he did know what herbs could help her but he didn't know where to find them in this particular area. Maybe they could find them together if she wanted to spend that much time, he knew the area around Glaciem better at least and it wasn't super far away. Before he could ask if she would she introduced herself and he returned her smile easily. "A pleasure Azalea, I'm Vixe." he replied, words coming a bit easier now. He had always been rather polite to everyone except his mother, quiet of course but polite none the less. In Glaciem it was easy to revert into calling everyone ma'am and speaking formally seeing as it was pretty much a job requirement for him.

"My father used to tell me it was tiny plants that did that, that they reacted to the heat that our bodies give off. Then my aunt would tell me that they were tiny sprites that were trapped in the ice by Skoll for trying to steal our life force and that the lights are them trying to reach for us, gathering beneath our paws." he said, understanding that he probably sounded fairly crazy. But he lifted his shoulders easily and smiled down at her. "I suppose it depends on what you believe... What do you think it is?" The question was simple, he was a fairly logical male, preferring his fathers explanation but something about the way his aunt viewed the world left a bit of mystery and allure to the world in his mind. Maybe she would like his aunt's story better, and seeing as he had no way to disprove his aunt unless he wanted to dig it up and see if she was wrong or right. On the off chance she was right he might be releasing some awful things on this world...



Speech!

"I apologize, i really didn't mean to scare you." The large male looked apologetic, looming over her. He really was massive and given that they were more or less the same age (by her approximation) she had to wonder if he was done growing. She tried to shift her weight, to be more comfortable without getting up, but instead all she managed to do was make her elbow sting more and glanced down to see that blood was getting on the ice. "Is there anything I can do to help? I have a basic knowledge of herbs..." She shook her head, "No, no. I know herbs as well and what I don't know there are many talented healers that can fix." She said this confidently, only as she ended remember how far she was from Valhalla. It would be a few days at least before she was back west again. Mentally shaking it off she decided not to worry about it, instead introducing herself. "A pleasure Azalea, I'm Vixe." His name was interesting and for a short moment she thought of Cross, the relative she had stumbled across by chance. Their names were of a similar consistency on her tongue, simple and lovely. "My father used to tell me it was tiny plants that did that, that they reacted to the heat that our bodies give off. Then my aunt would tell me that they were tiny sprites that were trapped in the ice by Skoll for trying to steal our life force and that the lights are them trying to reach for us, gathering beneath our paws." His explanation of the blue glow was wordy and not quite as straight forward as she had hoped. She was just about to ask him a question when he spoke up again. He wanted to know what she thought it might be and this made her smile brightly, "I was just about to ask you the same thing." She became more thoughtful, her face fixing in concentration as she really examined the ice around her. "Magic?" She laughed lightly, "No, I don't know, but I like your father's idea. I have a hard time believing in what I cannot see." Azalea at the base was a simple wolf, a wolf of brick and mortar believing in the known. This didn't mean that she had no sense of wonder, the female was enchanted currently. She wanted to believe in magic, maybe not in gods, but in something powerful and unpredictable. Something hard to hold and even harder to tame. Her fiery eyes were surely full of stars now and she allowed herself to get up, carefully placing her steps. Even with being careful she managed to slip once more. "Whoo," The sound departed her lips as she watched her already injured leg slip forward, toward Vixe, going between his front legs. Her head shot up to give him an apologetic look as she tried to regain control of her run away leg and found herself nearly nose to nose with the male. Scrambling backwards it was a miracle she maintained her balance at all at this point. She was on fire, embarrassed and shy. Her heart had jumped into her throat and she wasn't sure how to react at this point. "Sorry about that," She mumbled, clearing her throat. Speech,

He felt like he should offer to help her up, it was a strange feeling towering over this woman who he barely knew, it felt like he was trying to intimidate her. And after startling her into hurting herself the last thing he wanted to do was make her feel uncomfortable. So that was what lead to his decision to take a step back, just one so she could have some breathing room rather then his hulking shape looming over her. He nodded as she declined his offer though, this wasn't Glaciem after all, he didn't have to help her and she didn't have to accept his help. "If you say so but if you need anything, please ask, this is my fault..." Oh yeah, he felt responsible and guilty for the bright red that looked even brighter against the illuminated ice.

He chuckled softly, it was a rather rough sounding sound but sincere none the less, as she chirped in that she was about the ask the same. But it was the curious and thoughtful expression that soon crossed her features that really caught his attention. To him everything was so cut and dry, it was plant life simple as that, but she seemed to be really considering it. He didn't speak or interrupt her thoughts, allowing her to figure out her own answers. But soon she spoke once more, something about her voice making him want to hear more, throwing the idea of magic out the window and agreeing that his father was probably right. "I agree, I've seen the same lights in algae along the cost." Nodding slightly as he spoke his sharp green gaze once more turned to the ground. The ice was getting more slippery the longer they stayed in one area, he noted, their body heat melting it slightly.

It seemed that even as he was taking note of the state of the ice Azalea was once more attempting to stand. His mouth opened in silent protest even as he took a step back towards her to help and she slid closer to him. Her forepaw slid between his forelegs and he arched his neck, ready to grab her by the scruff and keep her on her paws if needed. And then suddenly she was looking up at him, her eyes wide and startled at his proximity. "Sorry!" His apology was quick even though his voice was soft, almost breathless, but he didn't take a step or further the distance between them. Even as she scrambled backwards he followed her, leaving more space then before but keeping her close, more for just in case she fell then anything. "Would you like to go back to shore? I would hate to see you hurt further..." His voice still retained a slightly breathless quality though he finally dropped his gaze from hers as he motioned towards the shore with his head. He wanted to speak with her further but first he really wanted to see her on solid ground and out of harms way.

Speech!

"If you say so but if you need anything, please ask, this is my fault..." He had a confidence about himself, even taking her rejection smoothly enough. It was refreshing to be around someone who wasn't afraid to be turned down, she was always being fawned over with a whelp. "I agree, I've seen the same lights in algae along the cost." The male was looking at the ice just as she had been, but now her eyes were on him. She tipped her head for a moment, she wasn't much for the beach so she didn't know if there was glowing algae in the west. Probably not, it seemed that the north got all the cool stuff, like that big shiney rock she had explored with Arella. The tiny moment of being eye locked and oh so close seemed to become suspended in time. As if time stopped Azalea was able to look at the details in his face, in his startlingly green eyes. Differing flecks of greens and even a hint of brown made up his irises and his eyes were adorned in patterning unlike any she had seen before. The time warp stopped and no longer were they so near. She stood back from him and both apologized to each other and both did so gently, without speaking above a quiet conversational tone. The space between them didn't last, he swallowed it up to keep pace with her retreat. "Would you like to go back to shore? I would hate to see you hurt further..." He seemed genuinely concerned with her well being. She nodded, eyes looking up at him with much interest. "Yes." Her quiet agreement was all she gave before brushing by the male, their fur touching teasingly. She hardly noticed aside from the shiver down her spine, too busy making sure that she didn't slip again. Once she got away from where they stood she found the ice was easy to walk on once again. She didn't stop at the edge of the water, moving a good ten feet away from the lake before turning back toward the male. Larger than her father, he was quite impressive to look at and definitely dwarfed her. At a year and a half of age the female has topped growing an unimpressive thirty-one inches to the shoulder. Azalea sat down then walked out her front end until she was sprawling on the ground looking up at Vixe. "I'm not very water savvy, liquid or frozen it seems." She mused to the male with a light smile. Speech,

He was used to women being a higher rank then him, it was his job to tend to their needs to a certain extent. He was used to the women of Glaciem often refusing his offers to help for the more minor things, though if they ended up refusing his help for things that he knew needed tending then he could always go over their head and call the Overseer or maybe even Isa if it was important. But here it wasn?t life threatening and there was no going over her head.

Growing up he had loved heading east and hanging out at the coast, some times with his father, sometimes with his brother but most of the time he had gone alone. Moving to Glaciem had been his first real time in the north. And so far he never wanted to leave, it was stunning up here and he preferred the climate.

But nothing he had come across in these lands were anything near as stunning as she was. Time froze and his gaze flitted over her visage and then focused on her eyes. Everything about her was beautiful, the color of the fur on her face was stunning and it outlined her deep maroon eyes perfectly. In then he could see many different flecks of colors that most would probably pass by unless they were looking as closely as he. She pulled away entirely too quickly, breaking the moment and leaving him a little dizzy.

She nodded and then verbally agreed that she would like to head to shore and he smiled softly, not moving as she brushed past him. The contact was electrical and as her lithe frame came close enough that their pelts brushed he felt a shiver trail down his spine. He couldn?t tell if she was teasing him or if she was simply keeping close so if she once again began to fall he could catch her. He would catch her, he could guarantee that much now?

He kept close as she made her way back towards the shore, ready to steady her if she showed any signs of slipping, his own large paws providing more then enough surface to allow him good traction. He continued to follow, unsure yet if she would call an end to their encounter here or if she would want to continue talking. But luckily she plopped her rump down and allowed her forelegs to walk forward so she was lying easily on the snow. He sat near her but allowed her her personal space.

"I'm not very water savvy, liquid or frozen it seems." She said easily and he chuckled in response. ?Is there no water or winter where you grew up?? he asked conversationally, head tipped though as he was honestly curious. ?I can assume your not from around here? So what brings you to the north?? Ears flitted forward and he decided to finally lay down, forepaws inching forward so that their bodies formed a bit of a V with their forepaws a few inches from each other. She was interesting and he defiantly wanted to learn more about her. He hadn?t explored much other then Tortuga, Glaciem and a bit of the east coast.

Speech!

Sarak

Sarak padded silently through the snow, head low, ears down, tail drooping. He just didn?t know anymore. The strange, tangled feelings in his heart had him so muddled up. Azalea was their cause, no doubt about it. He?d talked with Erani, and she?d explained a great deal of it after seeing how much of a mess he was. It only helped to make him even sadder. Azalea was the Heir. And it was abundantly clear that she must not see him the way he saw her. To a wolf who had never known the meaning of love, who had grown up in a pack that had viewed love as a weakness, it was the most daunting thing he?d ever encountered in his two years. So he?d sunk back into the shadows of the territory, watching from afar, despairing as he watched Azalea catch the eyes of other males. As time had gone on, he withdrew into himself. His head drooped further, nose dragging a furrow into the snow before he raised it again. He?d gone thin again, having lost interest in food, except for when Erani had sought him out and forced him to eat. Was this really what love was about? Pain at every sight of the subject of longing, mingled with heart wrenching hope that maybe, this time just maybe, she?d see? Her scent lay in his path. He?d been following it mindlessly, not paying attention. What did it matter if a Blackmoon wolf found and killed him now? Light. He stepped back, blinking, and as he did, the light died out, a slow fizzle. He sat, a shadow among the snow. The breeze turned. Azalea?s scent and another strange male with it. And blood. It triggered a spark. Her blood. Haunches rose, and he actually took stock of his surroundings, dull moss green eyes narrowed. ?Azalea?? Hardly more than a croaky whisper, but he spoke. A few steps took him toward the smell. Was she hurt? The shadow slipped closer to the two, dull eyes finally catching the figures. The pain struck, but he kept moving. If that skeletally marked male had harmed her? ?Back away from her. Slowly.? He faced them now, dull eyes glinting faintly, voice a soft croak. ?Step away from the one who holds my heart in her paws.? Why had he said it? It wasn?t like she?d care, anyway, was it? He was just a friend she dragged around. Dull green gaze rested on the stranger.

The handsome male followed behind her, close but not intimately so. He was just staying near to be sure she didn't slip and cut herself again. When she laid down, he sat down a comfortable distance from her. ?Is there no water or winter where you grew up?? She was laughing now, really laughing. It was a funny thought considering that even the desert got rain. She didn't live in the desert though and given that her homeland had recently flooded it was hard to imagine anywhere without any water at all. "There's plenty of water and a good amount of winter. Not nearly as much as there is here, though." She wondered if her knew their world, knew Alacritia. Given how far up he lived, she wondered too if he knew of another land, a place past the wonders of their region. He was speaking again and as he did he lowed her body to the ground. She noted the proximity of their toes. ?I can assume your not from around here? So what brings you to the north?? Her eyes went back to the male, amber filled with interest in his words. "I am not from the north. Actually I live in the west, in Valhalla. And you?" Azalea didn't know much of the north, mostly that it was where Glaciem was found and all she knew of Glaciem was that some prick male with snow white fur and pink eyes had taken it over. "What an ass. Coming into Valhalla thinking Chrysanthe would just hand over Liberty like property to be bought and sold." Her mind raged on, thoughts eating up her logical thoughts as she burnt up all the vile thoughts she had locked in the day she had come to know Isardis. Her eyes registered movement, mind not stopping its mental rant. When she realized what, or rather who, she was looking, her mind said the name at the same time the shadowy figure spoke to them. ?Back away from her. Slowly.? Her heart dropped. It had been days since she had bothered Sarak, avoiding him out of fear of facing her feelings. She had come to realize that she liked him and had hoped in part that he would come find her rather than the usual way around. Instead they moved like ghosts, sifting through their daily tasks without noticing the other. It was painful existence made even more painful now to see the shape her was in. Had he stopped eating? Was he sick? The thought made her duck her head, shying away from the last sickness scare the two had endured. Embarrassing and awkward. In addition to be pained at the sight of him, she felt guilty. Reflex made her look at Vixe with wide eyes which probably didn't help the situation in the least. Her mind was falling over itself, scattering wildly without knowing where or how to stop. ?Step away from the one who holds my heart in her paws.? Azalea heard his weak words but in the moment could hardly take notice, she was jumping to her feet and sprinting to him with her ears folded back. She sank before him, not submissive but concerned. "Sarak! Sarak, what have you been doing? Or rather what haven't you been doing?" She was frowning heavily. Azalea couldn't stay still though, moving from paw to paw trying to alleviate the anxiety she felt. Vixe surely wondered what was going on, or who this dark male was. Did he feel threatened by Sarak? Surely no with the state Sarak was in? Why was she even worried about that?

She seemed to think his comment was funny and he took her laughter in stride though it was a bit of a blow to his ego. Tortuga didn't have much water in it, his mountainous home had a waterfall if you bothered to travel that far up the mountain but generally you had to move around to get water. Ah mountains, how he didn't miss them. But he still found himself grinning along with her, her laughter making him want to smile even if it was directed at him.

Her words made his heart freeze for a moment, had she said Valhalla? Well last time he had been home in Tortuga Desdemona had been trying to make a deal with Valhalla though he had left before it had ever come to fruition. How had that gone? "I was born in Tortuga but it wasn't for me so I left and started-" "Back away from her. Slowly.? Came a sharp voice, weak but commanding none the less, cutting him off and causing the large male to cast a glance over his shoulder. A rather scrawny and underweight male was a short distance away from them. Vixe was on his paws instantly, doing as instructed. He hadn't talked to Isa about Glaciem's standing with other packs and defiantly didn't want to do anything to anger either of these wolves.

A questioning glance was tossed to Azalea before turning back to the male as he spoke again. ?Step away from the one who holds my heart in her paws.? He practically hissed and Vixe had to look away so neither would see him smile. Love... There was no such thing. After the way his mother had treated his father he had a very skewed perspective on love and what it did to people. But that was their business not his. He didn't look back until he had regained his composure, expression relaxing into it's normally stoic arrangement. Azalea was bowed down before the scrawny male at this point, asking him what he had done. He didn't need to be here. Apparently they were close if not mates and it felt too intimate for him to be around. So he nodded to the male and if Azalea turned to look at him he would nod a quick goodbye to her as well.

He had already been gone too long. So with that he turned and massive paws carried him over the snow and back towards Glaciem's territory.

-exit Vixe-

Speech!