After being cooped up in the castle since Samhain to tend to Gloom's injuries, Audra needed some time to explore. While she loved her home, there was always that itch in her belly to be constantly moving. There was still so much of both Auster and Boreas that she had yet to see. This time she had wandered southeast through the oak and pine forests, over a dam, and around some falls until she approached the eastern shore. Just offshore she could see a decently large island with a dilapidated city and rotting ships.

"Th-the swim d-doesn't s-seem too bad," she says to Sota who had agreed to venture with her. Raising a questioning brow to the other small wolf, Audra figured he would want to explore the ruins just as much as she would. Who knew what they would find hiding in the shadows? Moving into a trot across the beach and into the water, the russet wolf made the short swim in decent time. Shaking the brackish water off of her fur, she made sure to check that Sota had crossed the waterway safely. Looming ahead of them were crumbling buildings covered in vines and twisting trees. Every available space seemed to house some sort of vegetation as if the land was desperate to claim it all back and more.

"D-do we go to th-the buildings first or th-the ship?" Audra asks as she glances over to the towering cruise ship that leaned heavily onto its side.

A U D R A

The itch to explore was a feeling Sota was all too familiar with himself. Though he'd long since settled down into a more stagnant life and he loved every moment of it, he always enjoyed a little trip away from the castle whenever he could. Exploring to his heart's content had been a feature of his youth, and he couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic for those times as he headed so far from home. He'd been overjoyed when Audra invited him along, glad to get to know one of his long-time packmates a little better. How could he say no? Even though swimming wasn't one of his favorite things, made more complicated thanks to his unusually short legs, he made the swim without complaint. It was a worthwhile endeavor to see what sort of mysteries the island might hold. If anything, it looked like an interesting place to spend an afternoon, and Sota was determined to do just that. By the time they reached the shore, he looked more like a wet rat than a wolf, panting and shaking the water vigorously from his coat. He found himself missing his little lemur friend, but he'd opted out from the journey, leaving Audra and Sota by themselves today. For a long while he paused to survey their surroundings. And what a sight this place truly was! It was even more spectacular than it had seemed across the bay. The buildings here looked much different than the castle they called home, though were similarly worn from time and covered in creeping vines and moss everywhere he looked. The earth truly had wasted no time in reclaiming these structures whenever they had been vacated. Sota's jaw unhinged in awe as he looked on, taking in Audra's question and trying to decide. "Maybe the buildings? What d'you say?" An eager grin painted his features as he looked to her for an answer. He wasn't picky either way, but the buildings looked a little more familiar to him, whereas the ship he was more wary about.

"B-buildings are pr-probably safer," she mentions, her own expression brightening with Sota's excitement. It was pleasant to be around a pack member that she had not yet gotten to know. Sota had always been around since even before she had arrived at the castle. His small stature was small even compared to herself and honestly, it was a nice change. Not in a bad way. Just that she was glad she didn't have to look up so much for once. "L-lets go before it g-gets too dark," Audra nods her muzzle toward the leaning buildings with a glance toward the horizon. They had set off early so there was still plenty of time for an adventure.

Moving at an easy pace with Sota, she led them toward the closest entrance. From the shore, it was hard to spot. Covered in thick vines and glass that was clouded with dust and bird droppings, if she hadn't been looking for it, they probably would have walked right by it. Here was another good reason for them being smaller than the average wolf. Bending her legs slightly, Audra looked to Sota once with a smile before ducking under the archway of overgrown kudzu and making her way through the entrance. Unlike the dires, they would be able to enter the dilapidated structures without any problems.

Once inside, Audra's own lips part in awe. Even covered in years of grime, she can see that the walls once used to be a pale yellow. From broken windows, she notices how tree branches have grown in through every crack and crevice that they can. Her paws leave trailing prints on the floor as her dull nails make quiet clicking noises. Thankful that it was sunny enough outside to guide their way, she wondered if any animals still lived here. "D-Didn't Fenmyre use to re-reside in th-these buildings?" Audra asks Sota as she moves farther into the building.

A U D R A

He knew a thing or two about navigating crumbling buildings safely… though as he looked on, he decided their home castle was probably far more sturdy than any of these buildings. It wasn't like they weren't strong on their own though, having stood the test of time thus far, but he made a mental note to be careful as they explored. Better off testing before they stepped just in case something threatened to give out beneath them. "I agree," Sota concurred as they continued up further away from the shore. He agreed too that they ought to get moving. Although they had plenty of time left to explore today, he'd rather get back to the mainland before the sun set. He didn't mind sleeping somewhere that wasn't home, but he'd rather not sleep quite this far from home. Though they could easily make out the shape of the building, so much of it was overgrown that actually accessing it wasn't the easiest feat. They paced the edge of the building until they found an opening, Sota following Audra and slipping inside easily. His impressively small size always proved beneficial to him, especially when exploring new places like this. It took a long moment for his eyes to adjust to the dim light. Standing up straight once he found his way inside, he began to scan the room, his own mouth unhinging slightly at the sight. This place was interesting - the smell of decayed vegetation is strong here, the earth clearly trying - and succeeding - in reclaiming this place. "I think so," he answered softly. Perhaps Sota ought to leave his little bubble a bit more and learn more about the outside world, but he'd never cared much for knowing about the affairs of other groups and truthfully that hadn't changed much. If anything, he cared less about outside affairs as he got older. "This place feels a little… restrictive, to me," he observed. It wasn't as wide open as the castle back home and had a strange way of making him feel confined, even if most of the windows were long since shattered. Some shards remained, and occasionally - where the kudzu hadn't grown thick around the window - the smallest sliver of sun found its way in and gleamed sharply off the remaining glass, casting brilliant prisms of light across the mossy floor.

Thankful that their small statures allowed them to navigate the deteriorating buildings with ease, Audra looked on into the shadows. Keeping toward the center of the aisle way, she too noticed the glass that lay shattered upon the dirt-crusted floor. Even though the scent of decaying vegetation was strong here where very little light let in, she could tell too that it tried its hardest to grow. Most effective was the kudzu that entwined itself around every surface and pocket it could find. Unlike other plants, the invasive vine would be the hardest to get rid of if someone tried to come back here. Her ear tilts as Sota speaks. His soft vocals are pleasant as she nods in agreement. "I th-think I also prefer th-the wide castle co-corridors," she agrees quietly as they continue to pick their way toward the end of the hall. Off in a different room, the rustle of birds nearly causes her to spook. It had been silly of her to think this place was completely abandoned. With the door blocked by the flora of the island, it would be difficult for any predators to get in there. Somehow this decrepit building was now a sanctuary for the small and the weak. When she looked along the wall, she could see rodent droppings and other remnants of small creatures. Audra's mind wandered to Fenmyre. While she hadn't interacted with them much, she was good at listening. They had not been a small pack so she wondered why there was little evidence of them here. Could there be a different building that was in better condition? Or perhaps it was the large vessel that slowly sank into the beach that they had chosen? Peering between the vines out a broken window, she continued to wonder why someone would want to live in such a secluded place. "We g-got lucky with th-the castle being in s-such good con-condition," Audra adds as a smile warms her features whenever she thinks of the place they called home.

Sota knew a thing or two about things that looked sturdy toppling over even under his slight weight. The leg that he'd broken many years ago was long since healed, sometimes when he overworked it - or even when the weather was bad - he could feel it aching slightly, just enough to remind him. Currently it was reminding him to be careful as they ventured further into the structure. He nodded in complete agreement to Audra's statement. He, too, definitely preferred the corridors of the castle, though he remembered how much work had been done to make the place look more like home over the years he'd lived there. "Definitely," he said softly, noting the way the thick vines and moss that coated the walls seemed to dampen his voice quickly. His attention drifted to the birds that made a slight commotion in one of the adjacent rooms, not spooking as much as Audra seemed too but it still seemed to surprise him too. His attention wasn't on that for long though as he strode deeper into the building, peering into the room the noise had come from. "We're lucky indeed. I've always felt lucky being part of The Hallows, ever since I first joined," he admitted thoughtfully. It was not the direction he'd expected his life to take but he couldn't imagine it any differently now. He only spent a moment reflecting though before something caught his attention. "Audra, look at this!" Slowly he crept forward, first noticing the way a cascade of rainbow color poured down on the dirty floor below, then finally realizing what caused it. A huge section of the back wall of the room was all windows, some still intact while others had long since cracked and shattered, no doubt leaving debris down below. The way the light hit the shards of glass that remained made quite a sight though, a wide prism of rainbow that Sota carefully navigated through, grinning while he turned to see Audra's reaction to the sight.

Audra was also taking a moment for contemplative thought when Sota’s excited gasp caught her attention. Her ears turned as he exclaimed her to look at what he was looking at. Quickly, her good eye widens as she peers at the cascade of colors across the floor. Following Sota’s steps, Audra approaches the wall of glass with caution. Knowing that the smallest interaction with glass could cause a nasty gash, she is careful with her steps. As she peers at the rainbow prisms with Sota, she is amazed. “This is beautiful!” Her voice is hushed as if she spoke loudly it would cause the colors to fade. Watching Sota walk through the prism of light with his own tender steps, she smiles and wags her tail excitedly. The light turns his pale coat into a myriad of different colors. She couldn’t believe that this much of the windowed glass was still standing after all this time! “It is t-too bad w-we can’t t-take it back to th-the castle,” Audra comments as she begins to step forward and through the rainbow of colors streaming down.

Sota had always been the type to see beauty in everything, and everyone, but some places he explored simply were breathtaking, no matter what. He couldn't imagine anyone seeing this sight - the abandoned structure with vines and moss crawling up the walls, to the broken glass that cast such a brilliant reflection down on the floor - and not thinking it was simply beautiful. As he took a few more steps into the room, he reminded himself that he ought to be careful too, knowing the sight was lovely enough that he might otherwise forget to look down. "Maybe next time we come…" Sota trailed off, brainstorming. After a moment his gaze fell on the satchel around her neck, and his ears perked up. "Actually… maybe we could find a way to bring one of the little broken pieces home. I know it won't look half as pretty as this whole thing, but maybe if you set it up near a window in your room it might have a similar effect? That'd be pretty," Sota offered excitedly. Maybe she'd appreciate such a thing. It was just a thought though. The journey here had been more than enough to make him happy today; anything else was just a bonus.

Audra is also lost in thought when Sota begins to speak. She is absolutely fascinated by the sparkling glass that is allowing the dim room to be enveloped in a rainbow of light. Her mind is beginning to get on the same track as Sota as he notices her satchel and suggests they take a piece back. Instantly, her tail begins to wag happily as she looks to him with a bright smile. It wasn’t often that others thought of her - mostly her fault since she spent a considerable amount of time alone. “Oh that w-would be lovely!” Audra exclaims as she looks back to the pile of broken glass shards on the ground. “Wh-what if we t-take two pieces so y-you can have a p-piece too?” She offers as she begins to sift through it to pick out the best pieces that would fit in her satchel.

It was beautiful, how even the most dilapidated places could be so breathtaking. They wouldn't have found this place unless they'd wandered into this run-down structure and now Sota was so glad they had. Audra seemed pleased with his suggestion, which only made his smile grow. "That sounds good to me," he agreed easily. Making sprucing up his room would be a fun little activity to work on, not that he cared much for living lavishly but a few decorations might not be so bad. "This piece looks promising," he said after a moment of carefully sifting through the glass as well. He was cautious as he scooped it up and nudged it her way. Once she'd found another acceptable piece, he wondered if she'd want to keep exploring or not. "Want to spend a little more time here? Or would you rather head back home?" Either answer would be just fine by him.