With the coming of winter came her birthday, made exciting by the chance to leave the walls of Habari even if it was with one of her mothers companions. Today it was the potoo joining her, but her cat and raven friend joined as well and just as eager for the time to explore. Packing a bag with her magic book and some food for her and her companions, she didn't stick around long before heading out into the early morning. Although her family and the rest of Habari lived by night, Widow hardly allowed herself much of a schedule. She slept when she was tired and sometimes that wasn't for a day or two.

She didn't want to travel far from home, just far enough to get a touch of exploration before returning home. She hoped to find interesting plants to bring home and plant in a little garden she was starting so that she may study them further. She wasn't sure what she would find, if anything, but it never hurt to be prepared. Setting out south-east from the southern border of Habari, it wasn't even afternoon yet by the time she approached pools of water with steam almost billowing out of them. Intrigued, Widow approached a pool and looked down into the steaming water through squinted eyes and sniffed, wondering what it was. It seemed like it was just water, but very hot? Strange.

"Speech!"

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This would be Stolas' first winter season, and though many had lamented the coming of the frost and the darker days, the pup found he quite enjoyed it. He was partial to the night over the day, and the chill in the air just made him feel alive and really encouraged one to enjoy the simpler joys of cuddling up with family by a crackling fire. His winter coat had come in well, thick and fluffy with some downy puppy fur still in amongst the radiant bands of crimson in a black sea. Though still a lad, the pup had grown exponentially over the seasons, and there would be little doubt that he would easily match his sire for height. He still had a bit to go, but already he towered over his siblings and many of the other wolves in his pack for that matter. It reminded him of the tall and lanky girl he'd met at the carnival several seasons ago. Though he hadn't seen Widow since that day, he thought about her often. His one friend outside his family. Perhaps one day they'd cross paths again...

With his litter approaching their first birthdays next season, Plague and Rava had become more lenient in letting them explore. Boundaries that had once been firm and unwavering now had some leniency, and today Stolas ventured beyond Ashen's borders for the first time. He brought one of Plague's snow leopards to escort him, as was his parents' rules, but was just happy to no longer be confined to the white forest or island archipelagos that had been his entire world for all his life. Truthfully, he was also glad to be away from the adults for a bit. There was no secret that young Stolas was quite mature for his age, and while he still took pleasure in a game of tag or frolicking with his siblings, he did wish his parents weren't so overly protective of them. Hadn't he more than shown he was responsible enough to be trusted on his own?

Heaving a sigh that left his hot breath forming clouds in the cool winter air, Stolas wandered through the woods in the direction of a hot springs he'd heard about in passing from some other Ashen wolves. A place where the water was actually hot? Now this he had to see! He followed the trail laid out to him by Plague, and before long, the boy emerged in the expansive clearing filled with the hot water pools, all steaming and filling the air with a humid mist. Stolas cooed in awe while he approached, slate eyes wide with amazement. The grown ups hadn't been lying; the water really was hot here! But... how? Stepping up to one of the pools of water to conduct his investigation, Stolas paused as he noticed another figure through the mist at one of the neighboring pools. At first, he didn't recognize her. But when a gap formed in the swirling steam, he realized he knew that spotted coat!

"Widow? Is that you?"

"Stolas Abraxas-Destruction"

Staring down into the water, the steam was hard to breathe in and so she had to back off a bit to take a breath. In that moment of trying to escape the steam she heard her name and she nearly jumped out of her skin. She did fall into the pool of hot water though with a yelp of surprise and her apparent lack of swimming ability didn't help as she swatted at the water. Thankfully her rear paws found the ground, though she wasn't sure if it was because the pool was shallow or she was just that tall standing up on her hind legs and she really didn't want to think about it. Hurrying over to the edge of the spring, she coughed what little water did make it into her sinuses and sought out whoever had called her name.

Through the steam she could make out a figure and as she pulled herself out of the pool she shivered and quickly lowered herself back in. It wasn't cold out before she had fallen in the pool, but now wet and extra warm, the surrounding air was chilly. Unable to see Stolas through the steam well, she was almost certain she recognized the voice that called her name after pondering. "Stolas?"

"Speech!"

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Stolas called out her name and he immediately saw Widow startle and go jumping into the pool of steamy water. "Oh, jeez!" he said with a cringe and hurried over to the hot spring she had been by moments before disappearing into the water. His paws scampered across the rocky ground and skidded to a halt beside the edge of the pool, peering down through the mist to try and locate her. It was unclear just how deep these pools were, but if he had to jump in to rescue his friend, he wouldn't hesitate! Widow emerged and began to flail in the water, but just as a panicked Stolas was about to jump in and save her with the swimming skills that came from living in a coastal pack, her paws found ground and she stabilized herself.

Widow called out his name and he gave a little bark of acknowledgement, trotting around the edge of the pool to come to the side she was closest to. "Hello, yes, it's me! Uh, sorry I startled you. I didn't mean to, I was just excited to finally see you again. You aren't hurt, are you?" He flinched again when he considered the notion that he might have injured his friend unintentionally, and also realized he was starting to ramble a bit as he did when he was nervous. Coming to sit at the pool's edge, Stolas dipped a curious paw into the water. It was surprisingly warm, but not so much that it scalded. It just felt really, really nice! "Oh wow, that's different! How does it feel in there?"

"Stolas Abraxas-Destruction"