Foundation

It hadn't been too long after their secret midnight meeting to watch the stars and read their prophecies that Stolas found a strange raven coming to seek him out. After some translation help from his owl, the message he had received from Fiametta asking him to meet her out at the Rustling Thicket had been a delight to receive. The young princeling wanted to spend as much time with his new friend as possible before Ashen made its move even farther away and it became more difficult for these day outings to occur. Gods, how was he going to break that news to Fia? He certainly wanted to keep seeing his new friend, especially since she was one of his only friends outside of Ashen. Maybe they could start meeting halfway once the pack had relocated? Or maybe he could invite her over for sleepovers sometime? Ashen and Elysium were allies after all, the notion wasn't astoundingly farfetched.

Deciding easily to make the most of his time, Stolas set out to the eastern territory as soon as he could. He didn't bring his satchel or his grimoire this time, just himself to make traveling lighter, and arrived shortly after midday. The rushing river that cut through the northeastern territories was quite picturesque, and the changing colors of the autumnal trees made for a beautiful backsplash to the sunny day. However, the decreasing temperatures were a herald for the coming winter, and soon everything would be cold and icy once more. Time to squeeze the most out of these nice days while they lasted. Stolas traipsed his way upstream, following the river bank until he got closer to Elysium territory, where he spotted the familiar form of the flame-marked woman sitting on the opposite bank from him.

"Fia!" shouted Stolas above the sound of flowing water. He waited until she looked his way before greeting her with a smile and a wave. "Wait there, I'll be right over!" Fortunately, this part of the river wasn't as dangerous as the rapids to the south was, so with a running start, the Abraxas lord charged and dove into the cool water. Strong, lean muscles paddled his way across with ease, a benefit from doing so much swimming amongst the archipelago, until his paws hit the loamy sediment on the other side. His fur, soaked and damp, clung to him until he shook it dry and trotted his way over to his friend with a grin. "Lovely day for a swim," he joked with a chuckle, tail wagging in a slow sway behind him. "So, what're the plans for today, Lady Scorpio?"

"Stolas"