In all his years of travel, Solaris had never come across anything quite like this. Rocks were piled up, stuck together by some strange mixture of minerals that he couldn't quite identify. Just who or what had made this was completely unknown to him, as he'd never seen anything that could be capable of crafting this. Any scent that might provide a clue was long gone. It went in for some time, blocking passage from anyone who might wish to pass. He had started somewhere around the middle of it, and was making his way along, determined to find the end. He imagined whatever was on the other side must be pretty amazing, if all of this was in place to keep trespassers out. Eventually, he came upon the end, where the wall fell into a heap. Sniffing around, he checked for any snakes, and finding none, decided to try and climb the wall. Gangly legs provided poor balance, and more than once he felt like he might tumble right over. But he was determined to get up there, to see what sort of vantage point he'd gain. The rocks had crumbled in a way that stopped short of the top, but Solaris was tall enough that standing on his back legs, he could place his front legs on the wide top easily. Pulling up hard, is back legs scraped against the wall, helping to provide leverage. Sitting down once he got up, Solaris took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Unfortunately, his hard work reaped very little reward, for the sight he was greeted by was little more than a view of the tundra. Twisting his lipsinna pout, Solaris huffed and turned about to look at the length of the wall. There was more to it that what he had walked along, but not that much more, perhaps only another mile or so. Getting on his belly, Solaris peered over the edge, delighting in how high up he was. He could imagine a horde of wolves below, lined up like an army, ready to storm a kingdom on the other side of the wall. Solaris strut about the wall with his tail held high, as if he were the one in charge of the whole operation. It was a silly thing, probably incredibly immature to most, but these were just the things that Solaris thought about. Bouncing about the top and kicking small pebbles off as far as he could send them, Solaris laughed out loud, the happy sound bubbling from his lips to nothing in particular. Today was a good day, one of the better ones since coming to Alacritis. He'd discovered something today he'd never seen before, and Solaris, that was probably one of the best things the could happen in a day. The thrill of discovery was one of life's great wonders in the male's opinion.

(( T_T I feel like this sucks, I had a much better one written but it got deleted. I'm sorry. It'll get better, ))

She was merely a shadow of the wolf she used to be: like a familiar smell on the wind that brought back someone's memories, or the sight of first snowfall that reminded one of Christmas - she was just a fickle shade of grey, a body detached from reality, absent and mindless like a tame zombie.

She stalked the wall of rocks, immaculately constructed for a purpose unknown to her. And given any other day, she might have been awe-struck by the mighty construction. It's architecture-design was created for some reason, and Caedena Lebeau fervently adored a good mystery, but this morning they were just rocks, just a row of nicely placed rocks. The white damsel paused, indifferent to her surroundings as the wind played with her pearly hairs. The tundra was barren, desolate and calm, with clusters of dying grass swaying in the frigid breeze - she turned her head a few degrees and glanced at how high off the ground the structure held her. A breath of curiosity was breathed into her lungs and she soundlessly moved towards the edge and seated herself gracefully.

Despite her unintelligable face and sorrowful grey-blue eyes, she retained all of her beauty: her fur was pallid and clean, a glowing, unearthly white that fit her elegant and lean body. Her long, doe-like legs were thinner than necessary with a lack of nourishment, but otherwise, she was regal, charming, and undeniably beautiful. Her pink nose quivered as she registered the scent of another canine nearby, but she cared little to give the stranger any acknowledgement.

All she could think about was how easy it would be to tip herself over the edge, but the thought was destroyed immediately. It would not please her Gods to sacrifice herself out of selfish pity. But still the faces of her son stained every emotion and influenced every motion she dared to make. Her daydreaming was interrupted by the sound of footfalls against the stones, her left ear swiveled to listen, half-convinced it was her killer finally making his move - but alas, she heard no cackles, no demonic snarling or drool spattering as it hit the ground. Caede remained statuesque as she addressed the stranger, still as a porcelain angel, her voice a soft whisper of song.
"Forgive me if I have intruded."

She was unstable, like the dying flame of a well-loved candle.

TABLE BY ESTHER, DO NOT USE WITHOUT PERMISSION
ooc: its okay! i loved it c:

Solaris probably wouldn't have noticed that anyone was around had the wind not changed. On the cool breeze drifted another wolf's aroma, this one in particular the slightly sweet tang of a female. He turned to peer down the length of the rocks, spotting the pristine white fae making her way slowly towards him.mher gaze was downcast, so he could see very little of her face aside from the regal curve of her brow and the soft-looking points of her ears. There was an unmistakeable miasma of sadness about her that puzzled him. He'd seen a variety of wolves in his short time here, but never one that looked so defeated as this one. Sitting down, Solaris tipped his head to the side and watched her move. So far she hadn't noticed his presence at all, continuing forward with that distant look, long legs seeming to make her glide rather than walk. The more he watched, the more he felt pain in his chest. To see a wolf looking so sad was difficult for Sol, who was a creature of joy and lived to impart a little happiness in every wolf he met. Deciding that this was definitely a mission he had to accept, Solaris stood up and padded forward to meet the pallid female. He'd scarcely taken more than a few steps before her gaze darted up. His breath caught in his throat, for an instant mesmerized by eyes that were as endlessly blue as the ocean, or a perfect sky. Her mouth moved with words, and for a second he just stared dumbly and slightly slack jawed, while his brain worked to reboot and catch back up to the present. Shaking his head briskly, one of his signature grins splayed across his muzzle, perfectly friendly and slightly silly. "No, of course not! I was just indulging myself in a bit of good fantasy. Sort of childish I suppose, but I guess I'd rather be thought a fool than go on being something I'm not and never having any fun." A few more steps brought him parallel to the Caede, and dropping flat on his belly, Sol let his long legs hang off the wall and his tail bounce side to side, exuding that lazy charm he was well known for back homel. "So hey, I know it's none of my business, but you look... well, really sad, miss. Is something wrong?" His tone was genuine, brows knitting together in a gently concerned manner, It was a familiar sort of sadness, that completely misplaced sort that you could just tell without even knowing the wolf was out of place. It looked all wrong on this pretty girl, and his stomach twisted with the desire to see it go away.

Her silver-blue eyes traveled from the ground to meet the stranger's, who was comfortably ambling towards her: his face was masculine, handsome yet soft at the same time. His eyes were a burning gold, like captured sunlight, which emitted a warmth all of their own. White spots dotted the creases of his eyes, and another pale streak ran down the bridge of his maw. Dark fur circled his ambers, which lead to his cheek bones and the curve of his neck - all which was a faded sooty-grey, welcoming like smoke coming out of the chimney of a warm, happy house. He was inviting, kindness spilling from his mouth and beading on his skin. She had forgotten how sincere strangers could be, how soft and cautious.

And his smile: aloof, wide, and glowing. What a heart breaker.

As he spoke to her, a half-hearted simper curled up the corners of her lips. She sang to him, "There is nothing wrong with the preservation of your inner child."
She could familiarize the laughter creases along his jaw, the happiness lines near his eyes, and she remembered seeing them on herself. As he continued to speak, his inquiry did not phase her. Her facade remained lackluster, a soft breath eluding her mouth before she refocused her attention on the drop-off. She pondered over the thought of him - maybe her Deities had descending this man from Heaven to place a smile on her face for the day, to prove to Caedena that not every morning would be dismal and lost. "I promise you, friend, I am just under the weather."
It was one of the few times Caede had lied to anyone, and she was ashamed how easy it was for her. But what could he expect? Did he really assume that she would spill her troubles? That a masked demon stalked her and wished ill intentions upon her and wished to keep her his captive until she stops breathing, and her son had disappeared in the middle of the night with no signs of returning to her, and the potential love of her life had vanished beside him, he left no goodbyes or no love-notes or no sorries? Her life had fallen apart and everything important to her had been stolen by an unseen hand.

She would not burden the stranger, instead she turned around the conversation, hoping to make light of it. "My name is Caedena Lebaeu -"
she hesitated, stopping her tongue from continuing the rest of her title. She no longer belonged in that era, and it was out of habit that she say her name and assigned duty. But instead, closed her mouth and forced a sad smile to complement her features.

TABLE BY ESTHER, DO NOT USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

Sol's grin widened impossibly when she spoke, a laugh bubbling from his throat easily. "I'm glad you agree! Life is always so much better when you can laugh and have fun. Sometimes I wish I was still a puppy; to be able to look at life through the eyes of a child is a wonderful thing." To be innocent to the evil in the world again would be a great weight lifted off his shoulders. He had no trouble being optimistic most of the time, but in the privacy of his thoughts, when he was alone at night with no one there with him, the painful memories were harder to fend off. He did his best, though, concentrating on the good memories with the ones he'd lost. Thankfully there were many of them, and with time the bloodstained images of the past were fading. Her lie did little to put the male at ease, and his tail stopped beating the stone of the wall for the moment. Fixing her with a thoughtful stare, Solaris decided to just let it go. Usually he would pester until he figured out what was wrong, and then try to fix it, but this time he quelled that white knighting side of himself. He didn't want to harass this one, and maybe if he just talked to her for a bit, it would help in its own way. Sometimes you didn't have to talk about your problems. Sometimes all it took to make the day to better was a friendly smile, and he was determined to provide that with interest. "Okay. Well I hope you feel better soon. I remember this one time when I was sick for a while because I got caught in this snowstorm? Ugh, I was so miserable, we all were, just laying there groaning and sniffling." He tossed his head back as if it were a truly horrible experience that had properly scarred him for life, before it fell back to meet her gaze as if weighed with lead. "Aaaanyway, if there is anything I can do, let me know? I know I'm a stranger, but you do seem like a very nice lady and it makes me sad to see you with a frown!" With that, his tail picked the tempo back up again, continuing with the same enthusiasm as he beamed at the angel. Besides that, she was too positively breathtaking to wear any expression other than a smile. He imagined hers would be very kind and soft, and his heart thrummed with dismay that she seemed so utterly defeated. It was like the world had piled too much weight on her shoulders, rendering her flightless. "It's my utmost pleasure to meet you, Miss Caedena! My name's Solaris Lucerius." He didn't seem to notice, or perhaps decided to ignore, the hesitation in her speech, pressing on full blast. "So are you from around here? Oh, and maybe I should come down? I kind of feel really rude talking down to you. Or you could come up! You get some neat perspective from up here." He tapped a little beat on the wall, the sound as bubbly and inviting as his posture.