The cool air of this winter paradise was bliss against the thick coat of the colossal beast. Titan paws splayed easily against the hardened snow, pushing through the initial surface with each step and easily finding grip against the earth. The path he wrought was firm, demanding and without the need to slow. There was an odd beauty, a litheness to his decided, iron movements that belonged to the wild, dangerous beauty of a land sunk into the grip of winter. Even the brute's wild coat suited this changed landscape. With the deep blues that tinted his black fur and added changing shades of blue that rippled approvingly across his body. To the silvered, cold eyes that adorned his face, even the brilliant flush of blue that gave life to cheeks belonged here, the cold, soft pink of his nose like a frost-bitten reminder of the horrors that could overcome an unprepared creatures in the merciless season. The brute's initial exploration brought him from the mountains and into a fjord. He could stop before a breathtaking view of a partially frozen lake that stretched out before them, between the half circle of land that surrounded it. He wasn't certain how sturdy the ice looked as he continued his snow-crunching path towards the waterside. He pressed a paw lightly against the earth, before putting his back into the effort, when the 230 pound wolf did not crack the ice he gave a mischievous smile and stepped out onto its surface. He tested it with his immense weight and found it to his satisfaction. He tracked steps through the gentle dusting of snow that layered its surface before stopping a good few meters out into the snow, facing off towards where the lake vanished in the distance he settled down on his hunches and watched the slow fall of the sun as it fell between the massive mountain guardians that stood either side of the Fjord. ""

  

Walk | Talk | Think   Afternoon had come and gone and it was currently on its way out as the sun began to set. Bright, red-orange light cast long shadows through the snowy forest as Anais padded through it, trying to quell the slowly growing worry that was beginning to creep into her. Though no rule had been put into place preventing her adopted son - a grown wolf with the mentality of a child - from wandering off on his own, it was decidedly not like him to not be near her. She had taken for granted how close he tended to stay, how curious and willing he was to throw himself right into the midst of her life as if his place had been there all along. So what was it that had drawn him away now, and without any word to her first?  She searched for him through their home beside the fjord, hoping that perhaps she had only missed him and that he was still here somewhere, just not where she had first thought to look. With the sun setting, time felt like it was against her, and in her rush she had already once lost the trail she thought to have found of him. Anais backtracked, her nose searching closely for his scent, when another, one unknown and strange, seemed to cross her path. She nearly stumbled in the snow as she came to a stop, turned, and then more closely inspected the snow, her nose just above the frosty top layer as she drew the scent in. This was not Lebrah. It was not Nako, or Lior, or anyone of her family. This was someone new traveling within the small, isolated spot they had claimed for themselves, someone who could potentially be a danger.  As she lifted her head, Anais's ears folded back with a worried frown, her bright, honeyed gold eyes searching through the trees immediately around her. Her family's scent was so heavy here, consistently present even if they did not keep borders the same way that packs tended to. Was this wolf just careless...or fearless? Curious despite herself, the grey-gold girl followed the smell, traveling only a short ways before she found the trail of pawprints it was leaving in its wake. As she stopped in the snow to look down at the shadowed imprints, she felt her stomach clench anxiously. This was definitely no average wolf. Compelled, Anais stepped closer, lifted a forepaw tentatively and placed it softly within the imprint in the snow, noting how hers fit easily within without touching any side. What sort of wolf was this?  She should have run. A part of her wanted to hurry and seek out her mother's den, to hide in there under the pretense that she was merely checking up on her until enough time had passed that she thought this already intimidating stranger had moved on. But her thoughts were getting away from her, already envisioning the monstrous creature who had created these pawprints. She stepped back from them hastily, as if those indents might leap up and snap at her, and once again looked about anxiously. Where were they? Even if she did not intend to challenge the monster and make them leave - which would have been an incredible feat even if they were just a normal, average wolf - Anais figured she ought to know where they were.  Nervous, knowing that what she did was tempting fate, the golden-eyed girl followed the trail of pawprints, failing to match her stride with them because of the size difference. Her own seemed so small and frail beside them, and the felt even smaller and frailer the closer she grew to the monstrous creature's location. The trail led right up to the lake, but rather than follow it clear out into the open, where she would be visible and exposed, Anais stopped within the tree cover, quietly creeping through the snow and brush in order to crawl closer and observe without being observed. What she saw was not quite what she imagined. The overall shape of the creature was easily defined as being wolf, but that seemed to be where the normalcy stopped. The pelt the creature wore was eye catching, a mixture of darks and brights, blacks and blues. Blue! The wolf was blue! And to top it off, he was massive, looking like a frozen boulder seated there out upon the frozen lake. He reminded her greatly of a large, deceptively calm bear.  Her bright eyes grew wide at the sight of him, and unbidden she gasped and immediately felt her stomach sink. No! She needed to stay quiet in order to go unnoticed, but had her startled noise been quiet enough? Frightened, a quick shudder passing through her frame, Anais ducked a little more closely to the snowy earth, clenching her eyes closed as her ears strained and praying that she had not given herself away.

There was a brilliance to the falling sun that even the touch of cool air that fluttered about him could not deter him from. There was a stillness to the cold landscape, with each soft touch of sound that carried easily across the frozen lake being few and far between and quite. The land seemed half asleep in the grip of winter and he found himself enjoying the serenity of it. He didn't sleep, but he did close his eyes, lisetning intently to the world around him, lifting his face to the faint wind as he let his silence and time teach him something about the new world he had travelled to. The silence would be interrupted, if only barely by the faint sound of surprise, a noise that came from behind him back in the land still covered in trees and life – not the barren landscape of ice he found himself upon. His ear twitched in amusement as he waited, and listened. He thought he heard the rustle of bushes from the same direction, but anything could have caused that sound. Slowly, almost lazily he turned about until he was directly facing the direction the sound had come from. Massive head would tilt and his eyes would soften as he took in the still world, searching for anything, a scruff of fur, or weary eyes that might be peering up at him, but he saw nothing. He thought back a moment at the sound he had heard, he couldn't be certain but he thought it came from small lungs, a female or a young wolf perhaps. “Little Mouse?” he called out, breaking the silence with a lull to his words that would seem strange to them, a touch of an English accent defining its ends. He said nothing more, rather watching, listening and taking in everything. He wanted to see if his words would cause a reaction of any kind, and stirring, any further gasps in breath. Lazily, he began to lower himself to the ice until his immense size seemed diminished as he spread it out, propping his head on his paws and letting his tail curl just as lazily behind him. It was clear that his actions said far more then his words, putting himself in a more difficultly defended position, that he meant no harm. ""

[/dohtml]

  

Walk | Talk | Think   Her breath coming in shaken and unsteady, Anais held perfectly still. Her eyes remained clenched shut, her body crouched and hopefully well hidden within the shrubs that she had taken shelter behind during her initial investigation. Drat it all! She should have stopped herself from making any noises, especially one of surprise. She had envisioned so many different versions of the wolf that she had sought out, most of which did not quite match the normal if not oversized quality of who she found, but still finding him had managed to catch her off guard. Please don't find me, please don't find me, she pleaded to whoever could hear her, listening closely over the sound of her own breath and frantic heart in anticipation of hearing the wolf's large paws crunch through the snow in her direction.  No such sound came. Enough time passed that she began to think she might have made her noise quietly enough not to have been heard, and very tentatively she opened her eyes. He was not here, had not sneaked over on large, silent paws to await the moment she finally took notice of her surroundings again, but before she could feel any sense of relief she caught the sound of his deep, vaguely accented voice. Her ears perked while the rest of her remained perfectly still, her eyes widening as she waited. Little Mouse? Was that her that he was speaking to? Had he spotted her? Or did he merely think that was what had caused the noise?  Fearful, Anais gave no response and made no move to step into the open, sticking to the known safety of her chosen hiding spot rather than risk getting caught or finding herself suddenly face to face with the monstrous wolf she had spotted. No new sounds came, nothing to give away where he was now or what he was doing, and it made her more anxious than did watching him. How was she supposed to stay away from him if she could not see him and monitor his movements? She waited longer, just long enough as she thought was necessary given her need to know and fear of not knowing, before she finally moved, slowly beginning to right herself out of the deep crouch she had settled into. Slowly, still afraid that she might see the creature standing right on the opposite side of the leaves that separated them, Anais leaned forward a little to peer more directly through the leaves, hoping that her own cautious movements would not be seen in return.

Still his little mouse made no response, had he frightened it away, scared it into silence? It was possible of course that he had misheard the gasp, but he did not believe so. He spent more of his time listening then speaking and he trusted his instincts. After all, he strongly believed he was the wall that stood between his siblings and danger, this responsibility was the most important part of his essence and he took his duty as guardian seriously. Keeping them safe did not however name him as their keeper, but nor would he let any injustices towards them go unpunished, he would pave the way for them in this new world to an extend, and part of that required the chance to get to know the wolves that lived natively to this land. He remained with his belly to the ice in a gesture or peace as he waited. The long silence stretched on, he spent it still and unmoving, his eyes almost lazily running over the woods in the direction of the noise. It would be his first encounter of a creature of this land, if he could even call it that and he still knew nothing further about these wolves for it, and did not intend to return to his siblings empty handed. Slowly but surely his patience would begin to pay off as a small head rose above the bushes and he would be met with the sight of her softly brown coat and sunshine eyes too weary to be considered bright. He frowned thoughtfully at the creature, a soft tug of his feathers and his expression slowly delved into a true smile, a gentle one without a single show of teeth as he kept himself in relaxed position against the ground. Ahh... His little mouse, would she honour him with a smile in return? "Hello, little mouse, have you decided yet if I will eat you?" He teased, his cool voice warm with barely noticeable reinsurances. He offered little more in the way of words, and nothing more in the way of movements, he would not startle this timid creature to bolt, not when he barely had the chance to meet her.

  

Walk | Talk | Think   Oh no! She should have known better than to think he might have moved on. She had heard nothing in the way of heavy pawsteps leading away from the location he had taken up on the lake, and he certainly had not said anything excusing himself either. In a quick bolt of panic, Anais dropped back within the confines of her hiding place, feeling her heart beat rapidly against the inside of her chest as she closed her eyes and willed herself to calm down. The dark, blue colored wolf had not gone anywhere but he had moved, surprisingly to sprawl upon the icy lake as if utterly relaxed and at ease. Either he was really good at playing games, maybe even better than Pyrros had been, or he meant no harm to her like Lebrah and wished for her to know it.  He spoke to her, and though she remained hidden she listened attentively. So he had meant her when he said Little Mouse after all. Anais was not at all sure how she felt about it, and particularly how she felt about him suggesting he might eat her. That was a completely different sort of danger to the one Pyrros had once posed to her, though at this least one she could understand more readily. No, she had not made up her mind, not even close. But...there had been no taunting edge to his voice as he had addressed her just now, no smooth hint of ill intent that she had once heard before. And his smile, she recalled, had not seemed predatory in the least. No, she really was not certain what to think of him at all.  For a second she glanced back over one shoulder, pondering setting off in search of her brothers or Destruction. Each of them would keep her safe, but if she tried to leave, to run, would it only trigger that oh so fatal hunter's instinct in the large, massive male? Feeling as if she had little other choice to not risk placing herself in more danger than she might already have been in, the grey-gold wolf hesitated a second before stretching herself up and out of her crouch again, this time keeping her head low and her body hunched in a submissive display as she stepped out into the open. There was no use hiding; he knew she was here. She tried once to speak and failed to find her voice, but the shaky second try, though accompanied by a stutter, was more successful. "Wh-what are you?" Perhaps the more polite question would have been to ask who rather than what, but a name was the least of her concerns right now. She needed to determine first the dangers of the predicament she found herself in the middle of.

The golden eyes would alite upon him and in surprise would duck instantly back out of view. He couldn't stop the amusement that filled his eyes at her reaction, she really was a little mouse, peeking out of her hole, only he was not the cat she seemed to think he was. He tilted his head to the side, waiting to see if she would peek out at him again, he watched intently for the sun he expected to rise above the bushes and meet his eyes once more. From what he could see of her - a peek of eyes and a part of her head he thought she was just a little mite. Mind you, most wolves looked small to the titan, but there was something about the tiny frame that reminded him of gale. His interest was piked, and he had no intention of walking away without knowing the little mouse that staked him. Now his patience would come to fruition as the smaller wolf lifted her head again. This tome however, instead of caution and surprise, she dismayed a submissive form with her head low and meek. Her downcast eyes stirred a slow moving avalanche of anger inside of him. He could feel its slow uncoil, like a snake bearing its ugly head as it awoke. "Lift your head little one, you have no need to fear me" his voice showed none of the anger, in fact, it was so soft you might not have imagined it could have been uttered by one so mountainous. He would feel a spark of amusement to smooth his ruffled feathers as he spoke, even as he strived to calm her fears and strive to see the little mouse raise her head proud and high. "Has the little mouse never seen a wolf before?" He mused, clearly teasing as his tail swayed gently across the ice behind him, clearing a layer of soft snow to display the dark beauty of the frozen water below. He remained as he was, despite her full appearance now, not dating to frighten her away."I believe there is some dire wolf in my father and his father before him that has not shown its face until me. I am ever bit as wolf as you, little mouse, are" he would explain, the speech a long one for the silent observer, and he would fall silent after it, watching her and learning ""

  

Walk | Talk | Think   No longer hidden and completely exposed to the large, strange male, Anais once again held perfectly still. Her gaze traveled upward toward him in quick peeks, never anything more as if fearful of what he might do if her eyes met his for too long. He was so much larger than she was, even lying down. He was a mass of dark fur interspersed with shades of blue that covered a hulking frame that she suspected could stop her in her tracks simply by placing a paw on her tail. If he stood beside her, how far would she need to tilt her head back in order to look up into his face? The thought of their contrast was enough to make her worries manifest themselves in the form of a quick shiver that raced up her spine. At least he was at a distance for now.  When he addressed her, there was a notable sternness to his tone, an order given rather than a suggestion made, but still there was nothing hard or intimidating about it. His voice was soft, a gentle command meant to coax rather than force, and though she was still nervous she found herself compelled to do as he said. Nervously, slowly, Anais did lift her head, allowing her yellow-gold eyes to shift up and peer at the mountainous wolf as she did so. It just just slightly above even with her shoulders, higher than it had been but still too nervous to display anything more comfortable than that. She fidgeted on her paws, ears folded back meekly. Oh how she wished someone else was here with her.  While he spoke to her, answering the question she had posed, the unsteady girl studied the blue wolf openly. Never before had she seen someone with such strange, exotic colors. The closest she had ever gotten was Lebrah, her son, with his pale white fur marked over with red and blue stripes that resembled feathers, but those markings had been minimal. This was something else entirely. Though his massive size was undoubtedly intimidating, the closer she looked at him the less she saw of him as a hulking beast. He had sprawled out, minimizing the size of him, and his expression was not hard or threatening or even stern. It was soft, almost sweet, and he appeared to be going out of his way to make her comfortable and at ease in his presence.  A dire wolf. She had never heard of them, never seen another with that lineage before, but she could see what they were. They were wolves, large wolves who stood taller than the tallest wolf she had ever met. They must not have been incredibly common for her to have never seen another before, which made this meeting with this wolf, who sported such a vibrant color scheme on top of it all, more significant. Again she fidgeted, shifting a little and drawing herself a small, hopefully unnoticeable step closer. "Wh-what's your name?" she asked, her voice slightly louder than before though she could not get the words out without a small stutter. It was slightly embarrassing, but Anais was merely happy that she had been able to speak at all.

Never fully forgetting the world about him, he gave the shy stranger the majority of his attention. He could see her fully now, for the very first time and his eyes gently took in her form. She was a light built wolf, perhaps speed was more her forte then fighting. She was also tiny, easily more then 10 inches shorter then his own stature. In response to his words her head would rise from its meek, submissive stance, not the held high position he yearned to see, but at least it was no longer so noticeable, and he would smile, giving his head a barely perceptible nod in approval in response. He was making remarkable headway with his gentle words and relaxed stance, coaxing this little mouse out hiding with little gestures of friendship, and a promise he meant her no harm so deep set in his liquid silver eyes that it could only be the truth. He never lifted his eyes from her, would take in every twitch she made and every journey her eyes made over his form. He displayed himself openly, he had nothing to hide, and nothing else to see in this snowy landscape but her. Now that the matter of discovering who spied upon him was solved, he did find himself wonder at all the obvious questions about her, who was she, where was she from, was she alone, or a part of a family or a pack. There was only so much, after all, that he could learn from observation alone. Yet, despite his curiosity he kept his silence after his initial explanation, and when words spoke next they would come tumbling from her trembling lips in a soft stutter. She had spoken even less then he had, putting his abilities of silence to shame, but perhaps this was due to her obvious fear of his dominating presence and size. He would take a moment before answering her question, not to think upon it but to take in her form as she gave that hesitant step closer, yet clearly was still afraid of him. Her fear of him had not diminished it seemed, only her grip upon it had strengthened. The thought brought another, strong smile across his muzzle before he finally replied. “Glacier Elementas”  he said simply, before politely continuing “Does the Little Mouse have a name?” ""

  

Walk | Talk | Think   The large wolf continued to smile at her, radiating a quiet, subtle friendliness that seemed to creep into her slowly and little by little bring her defenses down. The words of her parents, their warnings and fears, still lingered within the back of her mind, encouraging her to be careful and mindful that not every new face was a friendly one, but just as had been the case with Lebrah she felt a stirring in her gut, something innate and undefinable, that made her feel safe. The blue wolf still had not even deemed it proper enough to rise and sit - a position which should have been easy and neutral - but continued to lie upon the ice as if to ensure that there was nothing dominant or capable of being misconstrued about his appearance. He was taking great pains to get her to be comfortable around him, and though she had not realized it yet it was working.  Another shuffle of paws, another subtle step, brought her just a little closer than before and made her look rather antsy on her feet, though her gaze never left the monstrous wolf. She gave him her full attention now that she had finally allowed herself to look at him properly and listened with great attention as he went on to introduce himself with a big, warm smile. Glacier. That sounded awfully appropriate. He was certainly as big as one, maybe even bigger, and the blue of his coat was surely reminiscent of that of the ice on which he currently lay upon. How strangely fitting it was, so much so that she nearly smiled, the edges of her lips twitching oddly as fear warred with amusement. Trying to offset it, to make it less noticeable, she tried to speak and answer the question that was turned on her. "Anais," she stated simply, without a stutter or any hesitation. It was the first thing she had been able to say without her anxiety showing itself.  The grey-gold girl continued to look at him, shifting again though this time sticking to her present place rather than sneaking a step closer. She continued to look at him, studying the colors of his coat, the ways in which the blues faded into one another, the markings that they created upon his frame, how the deep colors only managed to make his pale eyes stand out rather starkly in contrast. He was even more amazing than Lebrah. Thinking of him, the white wolf who preferred to cover his unusual markings with mud, Anais found the little hint of a smile from before returning with even greater force, nervously tugging at her features until it found a place there. "My son," she stated conversationally, despite her voice still being a little unsteady and hesitant, "he has blue on him too." Not nearly in the same quantity or quality of this male, this Glacier Elementas, but she could hardly stop herself from drawing the correlation between the two.

The Titan believed in patience, slow movements and simple gestures to win over any frightened creature. Yet, it was the same patience that could bring him to slowly stalk his prey, to hunt out and smite any who might have wronged, or meant to wrong his family. The differences in the two scenarios was the sincerity in his eyes, if it blazed with anger he did not bother to hide it, and when it glowed with friendship it was written in the silver of his orbs for all to see. His Little Mouse would venture that tinniest bit further and his tale would skim gently against the snow again, an almost puppyish gesture that didn't seem to belong on the Titan. He did long to rise, to lift himself off the cool snow that clung to every inch of his body now and greet her properly with a polite bow as she came each moment that little bit closer. He contained the urge nonetheless, keeping his body to the ground where it was below her smaller stature, he would do nothing to frighten away the tiny friend he saw the potential of beneath those molten golden orbs. His attentive eyes upon her would not miss the twitch of her lips, the ray of sunshine that lit up those golden eyes he admired so, and he would blink a pleased surprise in response. There it was, the smile he had been waiting for from the start even if it was still only a twitching behind her lips. Without allowing the little smile to bloom, she would instead distract away from it with a single word, and he would realise that that would be her name. There would be silence again for a moment after, and he would find himself wondering to her thoughts. Another smile was tugging at her lips now, and he kept his gaze upon its gradual forming, wondering if this one she would allow to grow. When it settled into place, his own eyes would sparkle with amusement and yet another barely perceptible nod would state his approval. He would be surprised when she would speak without encouragement, offering something of herself. Her words would surprise him, she seemed so young and almost child-like in contrast to his mountainous form that he wouldn't have imagined she might have a child. “Then he must be wondrous” the Titan replied, a touch of teasing in his tones that hinted he was not so pompous as to think his own blue must make him in turn wondrous. With a gentle smile the boy would rise, his movements slow and precise to show it was not the moments of a hunter close to its prey, but a stiff wolf uncurling until once again he sat upon the ice. Even sitting on his hunches he towered above the girl, and he carefully angled his body partly away from her, again to show he had no interest in attacking her. Half turned back towards the vanishing form of the sun behind him before he spoke. “Would you sit with me, Little Anais?” he asked her gently. ""

  

Walk | Talk | Think   The compliment Glacier paid to Lebrah was unexpectedly delightful, and though it was still wholly accompanied by a nervous quality that she simply could not shake, Anais chuckled with a slight smile. Yes, her adopted son was indeed wondrous. It still fascinated her how innocent he was, how he had seemingly failed to mentally age at all since being a pup while the rest of him had grown and filled into the body of a wolf well into his prime. And though he brought with him plenty more questions that she was sure never to get an answer to, she had taken to him very quickly, welcoming him into her life after a tense, awkward introduction that felt like so long in the past. And speaking of the not-so-little boy...where was he? The worry the thought provoked within her caused her ears to droop yet again, the momentary happiness, however tenuous, beginning to fade. She still needed to find him, to make sure that he was okay even if he did not follow her home right away. It was the only way her worries were going to be assuaged. She thought for a second of asking this new acquaintance of hers, the seemingly gentle giant Glacier, and had to stop herself from flinching and shrinking as he finally moved from his position on the ice. With careful grace he lifted his hulking frame upward to prop himself up enough to sit, and in this stance he seemed to regain the awe inspiring quality to him that she had noted from afar. Only now she felt a little more certain that, despite his size, he was no monster she needed to worry about. The way he turned only solidified her theory.  He beckoned her to him, inviting her to take a seat nearby him on the ice. A little of her newly found, guarded worry traveled noticeably across her face as she thought about it, searching within as she continued to look at him quizzically. Could he be trusted? It was hard to say yet. He made himself out to be a friend, was kind and so far gentle without any hint of malice or ill intent. A tiny voice inside wanted to believe that he was safe, just as she was convinced Lebrah was, and testing that faith she decided to act on it. Already on her feet, Anais shuffled another uncertain step in place before she slowly began to cover the distance between them, her pawprints tiny in comparison to his that she walked beside. She still remained nervous, wary, but as she reached the edge of the lake she only paused long enough to test the ice for herself to ensure that it was stable, though the fact it had not caved under Glacier had to be proof enough.  On unsteady feet, she continued to pad closer to him, stopping only after she had gotten out onto the ice just out of each reach of solid land. Anais felt wobbly here, wished somewhat that she had stayed on the land where she knew she could get a good footing without question, but she was already here. And she had another question that she needed to ask. "You haven't...seen a wolf with red and blue feather markings...have you?" Her tiny voice did not stutter for a second time though there were noticeable pauses between her words. If not for Lebrah, she likely would have said much less, if anything at all. But finding him was still most important, and she was not going to put her resources - meaning this stranger - to good use if she did not speak to him.

His Little Mouse didn't jump nearly as much as might have a few moments ago, as he rose and displayed most of his towering height and matching bulk. He was indeed a Glacier on the ice, compared to the size of all other wolves he knew. Funny how not only did his siblings not also gain his size, but some of them where even smaller then the Little Mouse before him. He vigilant watch on her expressions would catch the worry, the hesitation on her face and he dip his head, consenting that he had perhaps asked too much to fast, had changed from slow and patient to pushing her too quickly. He half expected her to back away now, for her to think it had all been a trick to lure her closer to his grasp. To his delight, the Little Mouse would surprise him, shuffling slowly, but surely she would come all that closer towards him. He watched her movements with a smile that turned from sad to warm once more. Despite whatever weary thoughts circled her mind he thought she walked with the grace of a hunter. Certainly nothing about her stuck him as a fighter, or even a healer for that matter. Anais, he was certain, would be a wolf of speed, agility and practice in tracking out her prey. She at last reached the ice and he would watch her curiously test its strength beneath her weight. There was merriment in the Titan's eyes as he watched the gesture – did she think she might weigh more then he? He wasn't a skinny beast, his full 45 inches where filled out, more muscle then fat. She seemed unsteady on the ice, like she had never tried to walk on the ice before. He laughed gently out loud, it was to friendly to be considered insulting, and considered calling out tips, as he watched her stop. She would distract him however, as a question breached out between them. He could hear something like worry in her tone, or was it anxiety? He studied her carefully again, and slowly asked “This is your child?” He stood then, raising to his full height, even as his claws caught grips expertly on the hard ice beneath him. Despite the untrustworthy ground beneath him his movements where graceful, and now at last he would gain the chance to lower his head in gentle greeting to the shy woman before him. “If he is missing, we sha'll find him” he said simply, he wasn't unfamiliar with tracking down his own siblings to ensure their safety. ""

  

Walk | Talk | Think   She said nothing to the question he asked, only nodded her head in confirmation that the wolf she had described was indeed the son she was looking for. Still it did not cross her mind to describe him in more detail, like the fact he was older than she was and sported the build and mature look of someone over double her age. Every now and then those facts came back around to her and allowed her a moment's clarity to see her particular situation with the eyes of a stranger, but more often than not she saw him as nothing more than an overgrown pup, a child in need of care and attention and kindness. Now was one of those times where she forgot how everything looked from an outsider's point of view.  Though she tried to remain still and not react, Anais felt her body tense and shift a little on her paws as the large, mountainous blue male pushed himself to his feet, pulling himself up to stand at his full height. Against her will, her ears folded back as she glanced upward at him, a mixture of awe and uncertainty clear within her expression. He appeared incredibly larger up close, and she felt like nothing more than a teeny ant beside him. All he needed to do was set a paw on her and she would be pinned. But as her worried thoughts wound their circles, she reminded herself that he had behaved himself well so far, had been nothing but friendly and kind even if he had teased her a little bit with his Little Mouse reference. She did not need to start getting too antsy and anxious yet, did she?  Keeping with the considerate approach he had been trying since he had first noticed her, Glacier did not lift his head overly high or portray any sort of dominant displays that might have triggered her fear response. Rather he informed her that they were going to find Lebrah and took her by surprise. We? Did that mean he intended to help her? But that must have been it, he had even gotten up off the ice to stand as if ready to follow her lead. "You'll help me?" she asked, unable quite to believe what she had put together on her own. She had often been told that she was too naive and trusting; maybe she had misunderstood and gotten her interpretation wrong.

He would catch the faint nod in response to his first question – yes, she was describing to him her son, and asking if he had seen him. He sounded interesting in the way she described him, feather markings? He was curious to see such a phenomena on a wolfs coat. He eyes Anais again, wondering if the blood-line came from his father, certainly the description didn't match to Anais at all. He was already considering how to go about tracking and finding this lost pup, if the scent of the mother would be a close enough match to help him recognise that of the sons if he encountered it, to find out more about his nature to see where he might have gotten himself to, or at least what activities he might have been up to when he disappeared. He was lost in that until he caught her reaction to the sight of his full, momentous size. He would see it in the folds of her ears as they flattened defensively to her skull, the flare of her eyes as through she had not expected such a reaction from him. He stilled, until she could become accustomed to the new sight of him, and her voice would reach out between them again, she sounded uncertain of herself. He wished she would not be so weary, so unsure, she must have talents of her own surely, something to boost her confidence in herself. He rumbled a gentle smile in his throat as he thought of teaching her to stand with her head held high, to face the world with a confidence he installed also in his siblings. Thinking she might have become better accustomed to his standing position he would begin to step towards her, his steps slow and careful, partly for balance on the ice but also to stop easily if she grew to frightened of his approach. As he did so he would reply. “Of course, you might as well use what resources you have, Little Mouse, lets do this together” he said, flashing her a companionable smile. ""

  

Walk | Talk | Think   Again she felt her body react without her mind consciously telling her to. Glacier was just so big, so intimidating, that she moved on instinct, cautiously shrinking just a little as she slid back a step for the first he had taken. She caught herself before she could take another, willing herself to behave more trustingly. Here was someone who was willing to take time out of his own schedule, however busy or not busy it was, to help her find her lost Lebrah, and her acting distrusting was certainly unacceptable repayment for his kindness.  Trying to master her nerves, Anais drew in a quick breath and let it out softly, forcing herself to hold still as another slow step was taken by the blue wolf, and another. He responded to her as he moved, further assurances that he had indeed meant to help her as she had assumed he would. No, she really could not allow her newly found caution get in the way of a helpful stranger. She smiled, timidly and a bit sheepishly for her behavior, and hoped that he had not been offended by any of it. "Thank you." His generosity was far more than she expected to get from anyone save her family, and the unexpected gesture helped to restore a little of her faith in her kind as a whole. They were not all mean, untrustworthy creatures at all.  Figuring she ought to be the one to take the lead on their search since she knew Lebrah better than anyone did, the grey-gold girl quietly lowered her gaze and carefully turned in place, nervously padding across the ice and back toward the edge of the lakeside with her ears turned to catch every sound from the wolf behind her. "He normally doesn't go very far," she stated to distract herself from the few worries that still lingered, "he likes staying close. I'm hoping I just missed him somewhere." Her careful steps drew her up off the ice and onto cold, solid earth again, and pausing Anais turned to check back on Glacier, a new thought arising and needing to be voiced. "Are there others with you?" she asked cautiously. Maybe the sight of them, a band of rogues lurking about their home, had spooked him, especially if any of them were as monstrous in size as this Glacier was.

He couldn't help the anger he felt in seeing how truly terrified she was, surely it was not just healthy caution that caused the response and if he ever felt the wolf that had hurt her so he would tear the being limb from limb – she reminded him of his siblings, something about her sweetness and small stature and that reminder made him instantly protective over her. He was close to her now, and she turned about after thanking him, and began to move off the ice. Knowing how much his presence intimidated her, it gave him a spark of pride to see her take that action, even with the knowledge that his mighty frame might have the chance to leap upon her turned back in that moment, if he had been so inclined. He didn't move again until she was safely on land, he did that for two reasons – it would be so easy for one loud movement of his steps to send her running, and two he didn't want their combined weight too close together on the ice, he didn't fully trust it just because it could support his weight alone. When she was on land he moved again, still not getting too close to her, doing nothing to break this fragile trust forming between them. He stopped only when he was close enough to speak comfortably, and when he sat his rump still rested on the frozen lake. “No worries, we will find him” and it was a promise, one he would keep even if something dire had happened to the boy, hell, he would tear apart a pack and bring the boy home to safety if such called for it – he did not throw around promises lightly, She turned back to him and he could see the question in her eyes. At first, his return was silence, as he assessed her very carefully – he did not want word to get around that his siblings where making a home for themselves near by as he scouted and discovered more of the land – he was far enough away that he might miss a call for help, and something happening to them was... unthinkable. He spoke at last however, his voice heavy “My younger siblings, sisters for the most part, I am testing the safety of the land before we decide to settle anywhere – but I have no wish for this to be common knowledge” he replied, entrusting her with the knowledge – how could he do no less, after she had turned her back to him and in doing so went some way into facing her fear. ""

  

Walk | Talk | Think   The blue wolf was slow in following her, and for a change it merely puzzled her. Either he was making a very good show of proving himself trustworthy and offering her every chance to keep a bit of distance between them for comfort's sake, or there was something else he had noticed that deemed it necessary. She could not, even remotely, think of what it might have been, the ice holding them up the furthest thing from her mind after seeing him stand upon it so freely. But she felt her gaze lift as he neared, accommodating his size and close proximity which was still at a distance, and still over ice. Maybe she had been right about him trying to keep her comfortable.  He was nothing but reassuring about her - their - search and of his confidence they would find Lebrah. Anais knew she ought to feel the same; he was typically so clingy getting him to leave her side for any period of time was a miracle. He had to be close, she knew, and yet it was still so strange for him not to be. "I hope so," she answered quietly, drawing her lips into a grateful smile and willing it to take a better hold there, to let that hope seep in and take root. A little optimism would have been nice right then.  To her surprise, it was suddenly Glacier's turn to be nervous. She had not suspected her question to be too prying, but on second thought it appeared to be. There was a moment of pause given by the large wolf, a moment that made her anxious over possibly speaking out of turn and asking the wrong thing, but for all his outward uncertainty on the matter he gave her the answer she had asked for. Sisters. Her ears perked at the thought, suddenly curious despite her consistent worry about her adopted son. What were these sisters like? Large warrior women like their brother? She felt like asking, but considering his wish for her not to repeat anything she figured she had heard plenty more than he had wanted her to.  "It's good that you aren't alone," she stated by way of moving on and drawing the conversation away his admission, turning in the same breath and once again picking up their search for Lebrah, "I've got a sister too. And two brothers. And more on the way." She said it with a smile, but the gesture was forced and quickly fell away. She wanted to be happy about the thought of more siblings, more sisters and brothers, but the circumstances all worked against it. Her mother was in a poor state, unable or, as she suspected was more likely, unwilling to properly care for herself in the wake of her husband's passing. It was hard to say how the pups were going to turn out.  Deciding she wished not to talk about family after all, Anais let her idle chatter fall quiet and her attention to once again fix on the woods around her. On a whim, she called for him - "Lebrah!" - unsure if it would work, if he was even close enough to hear. But now that she knew who it was that was traipsing around her home territory, and knew he was close by and not any real danger to both her and her family, she figured it was safe to try and draw the brightly marked wolf out.

He had just tried to hunt, and had gotten himself rather... stuck. One of the trees had a low enough branches that he had been able to climb up in chase of a squirrel. Lebrah was shifting around on the high branch, unsure of how to get down. Letting out a whine, the feather marked boy flopped down, limbs dangling on either side. The boy barked, red marked ears pulling against his skull. He didn't even quite remember how he had even GOTTEN up here, he hadn't a clue how he was going to make his way down. Head rested on his paws as he looked all the way down the trunk. He was too scared to jump all the way down, and as he eyed the other branches he wasn't sure how to wind his way down there.

"Lebrah!"

Ears perked as his head shot up, pale tail swatting against the bark of the tree. "Momma!" he called, hearing the branch start to groan under his weight. Oh no. Golden eyes grew wide as he started to lean closer to the ground. "ANAIS!" he screamed, fear making his voice thick. His small body shook, a loud whine slipping from his mouth. Scrambling up to a seated position his paws pulled back as the front half of his branch snapped, falling down to the earth and hitting all the other limbs of the tree on the way down. That was going to be him if he didn't find out how to get down soon. "Help me!" he called, climbing even farther back until he was practically hugging the tree trunk. Tears pooled in his eyes as he looked up the tree, seeing that the branch closest to him was higher up. But at least it wasn't falling down! Jumping up to it he almost slipped, dull claws ripping the bark from the limb, another cry leaving his maw. His front legs were wrapped around it, his back end dangling in midair. Someone needed to help him, fast! He was gunna fall! Whining he fought to pull himself upright.

The Titan inclined his head lightly as Anais spoke again, speaking of gratitude towards having company. His lips twitched upwards, his good humor already returned at the thought of his much smaller family members and their importance in his life. The Little Mouse would go on to explain about her own family members, but there would be no joy in her voice as she told him more was on the way. He tilted his head, wondering but not prying as her smile came quickly and passed just as easily. He let his attention fall from the subject, sensing she wanted to talk about it as much as he wished to give away information on the lives he held himself responsible for. He did however comment gently, almost slyly as he winked her way  “You do somewhat remind me of them, Little Mouse, of my Wind and Sea”  he said cryptically, his smile teasing as he let his words confuse her. She stepped forward then, calling out for her lost little child. He didn't bother adding his own vocals to the call, unwilling to scare away the child with his unfamiliar, deeper tone. The call would be answered with a shout, and Glacier's head would immediately snap in the direction of the call, the next moment there was trouble, the boy was calling out for help and the male didn't hesitant to fly to his rescue. Leaping through the trees until he was beneath the tree he was stuck in. he had a moment of surprise, confusion as shock as he caught sight of the boy for the first time – a full grown adult, who liked like he might even have more years on him then Anais! He shook it off, knowing there was no time for that. The boy looked like he weighed maybe 100 pounds, less then half Glacier's size and bulk. He powerful titan reared up, showing all his 45 inches, and gently resting his 230 pound bulk against the tree, not letting it shake and further dislodge the boy, planting his front paws on the bark and stretching his head up as high as he could go, ensuring he was directly under the boy.  “Drop onto me Lebrah, I wont let you fall”  he promised, his word given once more and would be kept.