The young Adravendi had to get away from Valhalla. Her paws were becoming restless and her attitude was facing the same direction. At first, she had thought it over. She hadn't gone out on her own in a long time, especially since Valhalla had been taken over by Erani. A part of her had wanted to remain in the safety of the borders, but finally, her curiosity had overcome her homebody voice and she had left as soon as she could. Before she had left to travel through the West, she had done something that was new to her normal routine. Ever since her spar with Jinxx, she had become more drawn to the Black descendent. She would never admit it was because he had bested her, but only that he had made sure not to harm her during the battle. How he had treated her was what she watched with adoring eyes, but to tell him her true thoughts would make her die of embarrassment. That morning, she had eaten breakfast with him and had taken a short walk through the wintery woods of the Plains. The company had been needed and she intended to make more time for mornings with him. The homebody part of her wanted her to return to Valhalla for that reason, but she didn't want all of her decisions to be based on one man. Oh yes, that stubborn streak in her belonged to Gargoyle. She would never get rid of it. The Estuary was a place filled with memories for the young girl. After taking a nice nap, she had been woken by Baldur, whose life she would save as well as her own. The adventure she had unexpectedly grabbed that day changed her life because she had met someone she got along with. Not many people outside of her family could witness this. Now, as she stood at the bank, she looked out across the frozen water and sighed. It was too quiet for her taste. All of the birds had flown somewhere warmer for the winter and their songs had disappeared with them. Rather than leap out across the frozen lake, she silently pondered what good could come from such a quiet, serene place. "Speech"

Her sides had begun to truly swell, beginning to show signs of the life growing inside her to the outside world. Her strength had been regained with this growth, reminding her more and more every day of the obligations she had. She was a mother and there was no denying that she could never truly move past the pain of losing a child, but she was also the wife of a god and far too powerful too let her pain show for long.



It would be her first journey outside Olympus since before the epidemic and the wolfess was both thrilled and nervous. Her raven flew quietly above her, but she did not need his eyes today. Since her lesson with Gaia, Natalya was more inclined to use her skill. She clicked her tongue every so often, testing her surroundings without missing a beat, but she remained at a leisurely pace. Today, for once, there was no reason to rush. This would be her mini-vacation, one day where she would put her duties for Olympus aside and keep time to herself.



By the echoes that reached her ears, she knew that she was surrounded by what seemed to be trees and that the ground was thinner up ahead. In the waning days of winter, she assumed it would be safest to avoid that area in case it was a flimsy layer of ice just waiting to be broken. The area was quiet, but she heard the flap of Poe's wings as he came closer to rest in a tree nearby. Perhaps this would have been a good place to stop for her as well, but the presence of another wolf gave her pause. Natalya stopped a few feet away from the being and sat quietly back on her haunches, only uttering one word in greeting.



"Hello."