stay awhile and listen

The ship had quickly become Idalia's favorite haunt. With the sound of her own voice echoed back to her throughout its strange, cold skeleton, she could almost pretend that Incendio was nearby. It made her braver when she ventured here alone. She had set out trailing Heloise from a distance this morning, although it had posed an interesting challenge. The pure white wolf, which would typically be so easy to spot in a forest, was a shade harder to track in the drab grey and white landscape of the north. Idalia thought it posed an interesting challenge, and so she had decided to "track" her.

The pup was doing a fair job of it, if only because everyone was used to seeing her as Incendio's shadow. When she was out and about alone, she was nearly invisible - or simply mistaken for her brother. They were young enough yet that there were no distinguishing characteristics to tell them apart. Their lanky puppy bodies hadn't developed any identifying differences from their sex - one day, perhaps, Idalia would be thinner and more feminine, while Incendio would stand a stark, muscled contrast. But for now, they blended perfectly together.

Idalia "tracked" Heloise all the way to the ship, following her as she explored the ship. Although much smaller, she was still able to navigate the area with ease. There were nooks and crannies that adults couldn't quite squeeze through that made venturing throughout the vessel much easier. As she trailed after the white female, Idalia accidentally stepped on an old, creaking board. The small pup froze and caught Heloise's backward glance. Glumly, she hung her head at being discovered. Now the game was over and she had been seen. "Hullo..." she mumbled, her ears folded. It was hard to be loud without Incendio.