There was a split second when the world froze and time stood still. A brief moment of true freedom, when all of one's inhibitions, worries, cares, responsibilities fled them and freedom truly sunk its talons into ones soul. For Insomnia it was that singular heart beat when none of her pads touched to the surface of the earth that brief second when she was airborne, at the apex of a leap, dark eyes gleaming with exuberance and excitement, and then... it was over. Her thin, lethal body slamming back into the earth and her thin musculature doing the rest.

Her legs propelled her forward at a monstrous pace. Shooting across the earth like a bullet unleashed. her lungs heaved with the effort of the raw power that smashed into the dirt with every stride she took. Remarkably fast and now used to navigating the thick snow over the dirt, she whipped through the trees like a blur of black and white. She had a destination in mind and her bodice rippled as she forced her body harder, faster, stronger. She had never been outrun, she had never lost a race.

Her claws tore through the dirt, heels sinking into the scattered terrain and bodice skidding to a halt mere inches for the Seracian border. She had a reason for being here, she always kept her promises and she had promised a very sweet child. She doubted the pack would mind, she was from Glaciem and an alliance had been formed. She was here on the back of a promise and she assumed if she explained as such, she would not be turned away. Regardless, she hoped to encounter the pup first... although he probably wasn't so little anymore. Tilting her head back she howled long and loud, the name Maverick, upon her lips.

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Marriage, betrothals. The boy stirred in his sleep. He'd been sleeping a lot lately, so much so that many had wondered if he'd fallen ill. Perhaps he had. No matter what his ailment, it was clear the boy was not adjusting well to the idea of marrying someone he hadn't met before, particularly the sister of the girl he was absolutely head over tail for. It was no joke that he would have been unhappy at almost any pairing his father had arranged for him.. but Chrysanthe? This was beyond cruel and unusual punishment. Of course he knew Gerhardt was only thinking of Seracia, just as Maverick often did. But was a marriage really necessary? He shook his head, opening lime eyes in frustration. Yes, it was. He would just have to concede to the fact that he would forever remain the brother in law of the girl of his dreams, tied eternally to her sister whom he did not love - and did not even know. Word on the streets was that Chrysanthe was a looker, but looks could not make him love her, nor could anything else. She would never be Epiphron, would never come close.

There's nothing you can do about it, so just move on with your life, try to enjoy your freedom. Freedom. The word was foreign even in his mind. He had limited freedom, especially now. His duty was to Seracia, his entire life indebted to his father, his home. He would be dead if not for Gerhardt, the least he could do was use his life to aide his father's cause. That meant being a productive Prince, not some layabout like his brother. Lifting his head off of his paws, Maverick would stir. This was not his usual den, but it had done for the night. He had not bothered to go into the main circle where the rest of Seracia - or most of them - slept the night away. He had not wanted them to see how he was coping with the decision that had been made. The wedding was soon, he could feel the date creeping up on him like the angel of death, threatening to end his life as he knew it. Like it or not, the boy was getting hitched.

He tried not to think about that as he stood to his paws, stretching and writhing on powerful legs. He was filling out considerably, especially now that he was so active and youthful. Now standing at an impressive thirty-six inches, and weighing in somewhere around one hundred and twenty pounds, the boy was nothing to snort at. Lean muscle replaced puppy fat, and his fur grew in length and increased in luster. White pocked rump shone brightly in the sun as he emerged from his den, noting a figure looming on the horizon. She was at the border, and looked familiar. However, this distance would not allow for a clear identification. Strutting forth with every bit of Princely pride he could muster, Maverick's swagger would carry him at a gentle pace. He had all the time in the world, and this woman - whoever she was - could wait until he got there.

Oy, I'm Prince Maver... Insomnia? He cut his speech short, offering a smile and a frenzied wag of his tail. What're you doing here? She was a face from his youth, a figment of his childhood. For quite some time he'd wondered if she'd even existed at all, or if he'd just dreamed the whole ordeal. But she must've existed, for here she stood before him, intent upon.. something. Had she simply come back to say hello? His hind end swayed back and forth with his tail as lime eyes danced over her frame curiously.


Speech!

Insomnia had suffered a great deal in her life, she had been torn away from a mate whom she loved with all of her heart, pups whom she loved with all of her soul, a home that accepted her and all of her oddities without hesitation. She had been an Arkhos wife, perhaps one of the most powerful leaders in all of Ciroc. A gorgeous, beautiful mate who was as good to her as he was large, and considering he had stood at a massive forty-two inches... she had been treated like a Queen. He had taught her of love, of war, of peace and of tranquility, he had been her rock, her heavy set stone, and she would never see him again. Pain, at least emotional, was a realm she knew far too well.

She had chosen Glaciem not for the kindness of his Chiefs or the packs loose beliefs of unity and family. She had, if she was being truthful with herself, chosen the pack of ice and snow because she was a coward. She had pushed her feelings and her remorse away and had chosen something that was the farthest possible thing from a desert that she could get. The unbearable heat to the unbearable chill. There was nothing in Glaciem that would have reminded her of Arkhein, nothing that would have reminded of her sand and blazing sun. She was a coward and she knew it damn good and well a month ago, she had finally broke down, finally let go, finally peeled that horrid scab away and let her heart bleed and she was trying to get better. To stop shutting people out, to stop forsaking anyone she came into contact with.

After a few weeks, she had remembered Maverick. The tiny youth that had so brazenly approached her, had so easily offered her his friendship and his home, it had been his adopted mother who had chased her away, lest she would bear a Seracian scent instead of Glaciem. She would have joined the pack simply by the sway of that tiny pup... but she had promised he would see her again, had promised she would not abandon him forever and she was a woman of her word. Honesty and respect were two things that defined her if nothing else ever would. A languid smile would spread across her maw. Excitement blazing in her veins as his familiar visage approached her. He had grown so much in a few scarce months.

He spoke first in a deep rumbling voice, a tone that was practiced, for vagabonds that wished to join no doubt, but almost as soon as he started he stopped and with a smile and a fast moving blur of his tail he spoke her name in stunned silence, asking what in the world she was doing here. her smile would spread into gentle peals of laughter and forgetting herself for a moment, she stepped forward. Brushing her maw against his shoulder, a friendly hello, a hug, before she stepped back. Onyx orbs glittering with excitement. "I promised I would see you again did I not? I was half afraid you would have forgotten me." Her plume brushed back and forth, excitement and laughter coloring her tones. She had missed feeling so light hearted.

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She looked much the same as she had the first time he'd seen her. Gods that felt like a long time ago. He could remember back then, when things had been so simple. He could remember his mother's fury that he'd run off so far from home, her worry at Insomnia's mere presence, and her punishment she had dealt him. Though he didn't remember the specifics of what she'd done, he knew that she had treated him unfairly. He had been a mere child, a boy bent on exploring. He needed love and understanding, not harsh words and chastisement. In fact, what she'd done had only made him want to do it again. Oh how fun things had been back then, before he'd been prince, before Adette had left, before he'd been affianced. Sometimes he wished he could go back to that time.

She would rush forth, offering him a hug in greeting. The boy would find himself melting into her touch, realizing just how long it had been since someone he knew had physically greeted him. I couldn't forget you! How have you been? He would try to direct the conversation toward her, and the faint scent of Glaciem on her pelt. It would be easier to talk about her than the recent events that had come to pass in his own life. After all, things had been crazy the past few weeks, or really, the past few months. He certainly had a lot to tell her, if he could muster up the words and the courage.

He would try not to think of her, or the other her, or anything that had come to pass in the few months. It wasn't really a good idea, especially in Insomnia's presence, but the boy could hardly help it. Who could honestly control their thoughts? Certainly not Maverick. The Prince reclined onto his haunches, tail curling around him as he wondered if he ought to invite her in. He very well could, as a high ranked wolf could escort others around Seracia. Perhaps he would wait and see how much time she had before he offered to take her on a tour. Eyes would watch her with anticipation as his tail tapped restlessly on the earth.


Speech!

ooc; blargh, short.. don't hate me! :'c

Insomnia had not wished to wound the young males heart, but the pup he once was anyway, but Insomnia was a creature of relative peace and tranquility, and Maverick's mother, adopted or no, had greeted her with such fierce hostility... that she knew this pack could never be her home. However, that did not mean she had forgotten the tiny creature that had greeted her with abundant energy. She had forgotten the first few years of her life, true, but her new life, that began with Elyias and ended in Glaciem, or at least she surmised it would, she forgot nothing. She would never discover what foul evil had stolen her early memories, but it had coined her, her true name, and the disease seemed to fit her, regardless. Maverick had grown into his paws, his body, his voice... he seemed the formidable foe, at least if such should fall to hostilities, not that this meeting would. If he had been displeasured by her appearance she would have given her apology, turned, and left, just as she had done with Adette. Nothing more and nothing less.

Instead however, his excitement sparked her own and she greeted him with a friendly embrace. She could feel his muscles loosen as he relaxed into the embrace and her smile widened, she was glad the male still kept an open mind, it obviously had not phased him that she was now from a different pack. They were friends were they not? Why shouldn't they act as such? Formalities were not needed or required here, at least not to her. Insomnia laughed lightly at his question, lingering a touch nearer to him than what was considered formal. "I've been fine! Don't worry for my sake! I rejoined Glaciem a few weeks pack, they welcomed me home eagerly, a few years ago I scaled a polar bears back and it seemed Crusade never forgot that, she was eager to see me home." Insomnia chuckled, plume swinging back and forth.

Insomnia had many stories, many adventures, her entire life had been one crazy thing after the next. It was amazing what one could survive should they put their mind to it. She shook her head, now was not the time to reminisce, she would have plenty of time for that on her journey home. "How have you been Maverick? I felt dreadful that day at the border, I wish there was something I could have done to assuage your mothers view of me, I never meant to get you in trouble." Onyx eyes held the guilt the dame had felt, there were few things she regretted, but that was one of them. She hoped his luck had improved.

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She'd kept her promise. A promise - quite frankly - the boy had not even remembered she'd made! He could not hold back the beaming smile on his face as the woman explained where she'd been, and who she'd joined up with. Glaciem. "Ah yes, Glaciem. My father squared away an alliance with them only recently. I suppose that makes us allies and friends!" There was a twinkle in his eye that had not been there before - something that probably would go away as soon as the maiden left his side. Of course, she was not the bearer of all happiness, it was just nice to have a friendly face around. "I've been great. Father promoted me to Prince a while back, so I've been doing a lot of training and such to get ready for my role as King when my day comes. And don't you worry about that, mother was more angry at me for sneaking off than for bringing you home. She always did have a temper." He wondered if Insomnia would notice how he'd spoken of her in past tense. The boy did not rightfully know if his mother was still alive - but he did know she was no longer here, and therefore felt it necessary to speak of her as a figure that was gone or no longer present. Tail wagged behind him. "What am I doing, you're of Glaciem.. please, come on in!"

It was wonderful to be able to invite her in with not a shred of worry that someone would frown upon it. Glaciem wolves were welcome anytime within Seracian borders, and Insomnia would not be the exception to that rule. The boy pivoted so that should she choose to enter - she could with relative ease. Thoughts of the present and future had all but dissolved from the boy's mind. He had better things - happier things - to be thinking of now that she was here. No doubt a lot of things had changed for both of them since they'd first met, and they had a ton of catching up to do.


"Speech!"

His smile was reflected in her eyes. Her onyx orbs a lit with excitement and wonder, her tail batting back and forth like a pendulum. Insomnia was a kind hearted soul by nature. very little could bring the two toned dame down and the young pup now turned adult, had merely stolen one of the fragments of her heart. She hadn't known the pup for very long, but she was quick to view him as family. Something worth protecting, and the bond with Glaciem only solidified this belief. She half expected Adette to come bursting from the bushes, snarling and snapping but no such phantom made themselves known and Insomnia was more than content speaking only with the young wolf she had made a promise too so very long ago.

She laughed softly at his words, gnawing her lip to keep from shedding too much of her excitement. She had always had a problem containing herself. "Oh! My dear Maverick! We were friends the moment you spoke to me so long ago in the battlefield! Regardless of Seracia's standing with Glaciem, I still would have fulfilled my promise!" Her laughter was light and gentle, carefree, and she did not miss the spark of happiness that swam into his gaze as he recognized her.

Her eyes sparked in excitement and rather than bowing and accepting his sudden higher rank, she did what any sensible woman would do. She let out an excited bark and brushed her maw against his cheek, true happiness glittering in the depths of her oculars as she shifted, prancing in her excitement for him. "Congratulations Maverick! I guess Ill have to learn to stop colliding with you once you become King no?" Her happiness for him shined brightly, etched in every excited line in her face. She was genuinely happy for her dear friend, tail naught but a blur behind her.

She happily joined him as she followed him into Seracia. She beamed up at him, which was a definite switch from the last time they encountered one another, she was eager to know what had changed in the young princes life. "Enough about me! Tell me more about you! How is your home? Your mother? Your father? " She spoke softly, brimming with excitement as such a warm reception.

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The boy could not have wished for anyone else to cross that border who'd have been any more exciting - except perhaps one of his biological parents. But aside from them, Insomnia was the absolute next best thing. She was a figure of his youth, and though he'd only met her one time before it was evident in his smile that she was someone he cared a great deal about. Her maw slithered across his cheek as she realized that he was Prince. It had all been quite exciting for him as well - until the betrothal. Though he'd never dream of giving up his rank as Prince, he had wished that it had not come with a burden such as an arranged marriage. But, the boy supposed he couldn't pick his trials - he just had to face them as they came. "My first decree as King shall be no colliding with the King... unless your name is Insomnia. " A tenor chuckle would eek from smiling lips as he tried to put on a stern and diplomatic look. It ended up as nothing of the sort, but it was an attempt nonetheless. His tail joined her own frenzied rhythm, beating out a pattern that could only be described as jubilant.

As she crossed the border, Maverick gave her a playful bump with his shoulder. She would question about his life, and his tail slowed ever so slightly. "My home is great, family is good. Father and mother split only recently, but word is that they've been talking recently. I don't know if they are getting back together or not." The Prince didn't know if he wanted them to. If they'd broken up once, who's to say they wouldn't do it again? He wasn't sure he wanted that kind of turmoil for his future kingdom. Was that selfish? "I have more news.." He trailed off, wondering if he ought to share the betrothal with her. Then again, he was sure he couldn't avoid it. "I'm engaged." The words fell out of his mouth like a ton of bricks, lying on the ground in a heap. Would she notice his lack of enthusiasm? Would she care?




"Speech!"

Insomnia had a spirit that could not be broken. Life had thrown a thousand obstacles at the smaller dame and she had conquered them. She had her bouts of sadness and of depression, but they were rare, and as time ticked by they were coming less and less frequent. She had forgotten her childhood up until she turned roughly two. She had absolutely no memory of her past, severe amnesia. She had woken up beaten and bruised, alone, and so very, very confused. She had had trouble sleeping, so racked by confusion and fear... Insomnia is what she had begun calling herself and the pretense stuck.

She was attempting to atone for whatever pack, whatever family she had left abandoned now, that and she did adore Maverick, the youth had a bit of a soft spot within her chest and she hadn't let her promise to him slip from her memory. A wide smile would encompass her maw, she had never tried to dim down or lessen her emotions. Her heart was forever tacked to her sleeve, easily readable, easily identifiable and it was quite clear she adored the young Prince. "Making exceptions for me already? I wouldn't make such a decree if I were you, for surely I would abuse the privilege." Her laughter and light carried heavy within her tones.

She noticed the change in his demeanor the moment she mentioned his family, and while she grew concerned for him, she wanted to know what had caused the sudden shift. He spoke first of his parents up and splitting, only now to be communicating once more. "I'm sorry to hear that Maverick. I offer the two of them my condolences." She doubted Adette would want her apologies and she had never met Gerhardt, it was the only piece of solace she felt could be appropriate, not truly knowing either party. He would speak again and this time of a betrothal. At first instinct excitement swirled through her chest but it was effectively squashed as her brain registered the depression that threatened to tilt the gravity of that statement. The Glaciem wolf would from, looking up to her dear friend. "This does not please you. What troubles you about this engagement?"

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"Abuse it all you want," he chuckled. It was good to laugh in the midst of such inner turmoil. Even if it only lasted while she was here, it was enough to remind him that the world was a good place, and there was hope for a future. A sigh would end his laughter as he shifted back into thoughts of his parents and his future wife. "They are both strong, I'm sure they will be alright." At one time he had not been so sure, but he knew they both would survive this - even if it seemed like nothing but darkness for the time being. They would be okay. He had every bit of faith in his father's strength and endurance, and his mother well, she'd always been a strong-hearted woman. They had been sublime together, but he had a feeling they would be even better apart.

She had noticed his demeanor change, and had subsequently deduced that he wasn't happy about the engagement. Maverick shrugged slightly, feeling very childish. "Gerhardt and Collision - of Valhalla - arranged for me to wed Chrysanthe Adravendi next season. The only problem is.." He couldn't say it, couldn't bring himself to divulge her name - despite his longing to. "I'm in love with someone else." There, that was sufficient, was it not? He didn't need to go into the details of being in love wit his betrothed's sister. After all, that was a bit too personal, was it not? He rocked back onto his haunches, allowing his vision to focus upon the spot between his two front paws.


"Speech!"

Insomnia would nudge the lad playfully as he joked with her. She had missed this easy going laughter, this innocent fun. She had wallowed in her depression too long, she had wasted so much of her life, this boy reminded her of all that was good and true and she adored him for it. Maverick would forever hold a special place within her heart, whether he knew so or not. He would a test to his parents strength and she would bob her head. Agreeing silently with his assessment. She watched the humor drop from his maw, the laughter fall from his eyes and she remained quiet, something was deeply troubling the lad and she wished to help him if such was in her power.

He would hesitate, lingering back upon his haunches, looking down and for the all the world like an abandoned puppy, spilling his problem forth. She would pause, hesitating a moment, debating what it would be that she would say. She sucked in a rather large breath and padded forward, drawing close enough to offer comfort if he so desired as such. "Have you spoken with your father of such things? This other woman, does she know of this engagement?" Her words were gentle, soft. Never judging, never biting, she would wait with reigned anticipation for his response.

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